# Post all SW questions concerns, etc. here...



## goofy4tink

Hopefully we can consolitdate all the questions into one thread.


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## rosetava

In need of a southwest code.  If you have one you are willing to share please PM me.

Thanks!


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## DisneyQueen1320

In need of a code 

Thanks


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## TinkerBellToo2

Hi am traveling to WDW in Dec....Are there any SW codes for that time...Would appreciate your help.....Thanks


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## deltachi8

anyone with a code to share?  if so, pm me and i will be most thankful.


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## snuffy

i would love a code as well-my first code ended up getting deleted in my spam box and I tried to get the code again but I've been waiting almost two weeks with no codes  If anyone has a code to share I would really appreciate it


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## srberubenh

You can sign-up at the link below to receive a $25 off round trip code.  Purchase must be made between April 1, 2010 and August 1, 2010 for travel June 1, 2010 through December 1, 2010.

It works for all round trips on the same reservation (i.e. 4 people in your family saves $100 total).  The only problem is it takes up to a week to get the code via email.  I used it and got two codes.  Good Luck!

http://www.visitflorida.com/share/


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## E&K's Dad

Does anyone know if you can use this code on an existing reservation?


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## abs730

I have tried this over three weeks ago and still nothing.  Added them to my contacts and frequently check my junk box.  Followed link yesterday with a new email address so we shall see, really need a code for september travel.


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## deltachi8

srberubenh said:


> You can sign-up at the link below to receive a $25 off round trip code.  Purchase must be made between April 1, 2010 and August 1, 2010 for travel June 1, 2010 through December 1, 2010.
> 
> It works for all round trips on the same reservation (i.e. 4 people in your family saves $100 total).  The only problem is it takes up to a week to get the code via email.  I used it and got two codes.  Good Luck!
> 
> http://www.visitflorida.com/share/



thank you!


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## Mckys#1Fan

We are now driving and I will not need these codes for flights...... 

Purchase must be made between April 1, 2010 and August 1, 2010 for travel June 1, 2010 through December 1, 2010.


Anyone still need a code? 

PM me and I will give them to the first that I hear from.....


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## sbpebbles

Does anyone have one extra code? we have one but turns out we need 2 since we are paying with separate credit cards..I can get another one but it will take another week so I will gladly share that one if someone can give me one..we are looking to book ASAP..thanks!


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## MomBoyd

Are their any discount codes for travel between December 9th and 13th?


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## leahjade

Link isn't working - no code there?


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## LuvLDM

May I ask how you get a SW code?
I am registered at the SW site & enrolled in rapid rewards, is there there something else I need to do?


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## Mckys#1Fan

Mckys#1Fan said:


> We are now driving and I will not need these codes for flights......
> 
> Purchase must be made between April 1, 2010 and August 1, 2010 for travel June 1, 2010 through December 1, 2010.
> 
> 
> Anyone still need a code?
> 
> PM me and I will give them to the first that I hear from.....




I have given away all of my codes..... Wish I could have helped everyone that asked.....


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## Bowen9475

How long is it taking for people to get the code?
I sent the invite last Friday to two email addresses and have not gotten either code yet.


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## snuffy

If anyone still needs a code I have one-please PM me-a nice disboarder already shared one with me so I though I would pay it forward


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## ice cube

snuffy said:


> If anyone still needs a code I have one-please PM me-a nice disboarder already shared one with me so I though I would pay it forward



sent you a pm...


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## boxer

I have tried 3x to get this code, and have never recieved an email back (other than the welcome email).  

Does anyone have a code they can spare?  We're traveling in Nov, and at $92/each way, we could USE a code!!!

TIA


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## uva185

Booking a SW flight today for my cousin to attend a funeral on Saturday. If anyone has a code they could share now I would greatly appreciate it and would be happy to share one back in a week or so.


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## TheDISneyFamily

I could use a code if anyone has an extra one.  Thanks!


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## disneynan

Travelling in Nov 2010; just DH and I so I think I only need one code. Would really appreciate if someone has one. I tried the link and could not find anywhere to enter my email. Will go back and enter the contest though.


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## TeaForTulips

I too haven't received any of the emails. I have used so many email addresses so I'm not sure what happened that I didn't get anything?

I would love a code if anyone does have an extra. Thanks so much!


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## chabs

Nevermind-I just got one!  I just signed up today and checked my e-mail and it was there. I used a live.com e-mail address if this helps anyone (not sure if this matters or not?  It's a hotmail account).


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## disneychic

Any codes out there for October?  Airfare is super high for Oct. Maybe I'm just looking too soon??


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## ColinCodyMom

I need a code as well.  If anyone has an extra or one they are not using, I would be so appreciative.  I tried the link and will hope I get one.  Thanks!!  kristi073622@yahoo.com


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## WhitGB

If anyone has an extra code could you please PM me.

I have tried the link twice and so far nothing.

TIA.


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## goofy4tink

Please continue to use this thread for all code requests.


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## ryanshana

Could really use a code or two


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## tink2020

I could really use one as well!  I just signed up but want to take advantage of a sale fare ASAP, so I will be more than happy to pass along our code when we get it.  Please pm me or email jenniferkaufman@me.com if you have an extra code to share!


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## Redheadmom

I could use one also.  We are going to Florida in Nov.  I would be happy to send someone mine when I get it.

Thanks


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## travelloverontario

I'm sorry...I don't have a code to share, but I do have some useful information.

We had already purchased flights from Buffalo to Orlando at $89.00 per person one way, for a total of $812. for 4 of us all in. The price is down to $69.00 each way, and if I used the $25.00 code, it went down to $56.50 each way per person..or a total of $572 all in for 4. We would have a credit of about $240.

Now...how would I go about doing this??? I read some of these forums, and found out about the flight change feature. So I could 'change' my flights, even though I would actually pick the same flights. This would get me the $69.00 cost, but not the additional $25.00 off. There is no where under the change feature to add the promo code. 

So...I thought I'd call and ask what my options were, and the very helpful SW lady let me know that I could cancel, have my funds put into an 'electronic fund', and then rebook at the new price..starting basically from scratch. I asked how long it would take for those funds to re-appear so I could use them again,and that I was a little nervous to do that in case I cancelled my original flights, and then by the time I tried to rebook, the lower price would be gone.

Well...she said, ..."follow me" 
.

She stayed on the line while I started the booking process as a new customer, with the lower fare and the promo code. She stayed with me all the way through the passenger names, etc, and waited until it asked me how I wanted to pay. She then said, 'give me a second,,okay...go ahead and use your electronic funds'. It all worked!!! She waited until my new flights were all squared up, then cancelled my old one just seconds before I 'paid' for my new ones.

She was VERY,VERY  helpful!!!

If this is what SW is all about...I will book with them next time I fly!!! (and that's not just because I have a $240. credit with them...lol 

Just thought I'd share this information, in case there is someone else in a similar situation.


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## kevin75

I hate to sound like everyone else, but if there's a spare code that someone's not using, I would be more than happy to take it off of your hands.   Either PM or email  kevinsogilvie at gmail dot com.

Thanks!


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## dschmitt3

I am also trying to get a code to use for a November trip.  I requested a code today and will gladly give it to you when it arrives.  I am trying to take advantage of a sale now though - if anyone can help me, I would greatly appreciate it.  Please PM me.  Thank you so much.


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## lawgs

dschmitt3 said:


> I am also trying to get a code to use for a November trip.  I requested a code today and will gladly give it to you when it arrives.  I am trying to take advantage of a sale now though - if anyone can help me, I would greatly appreciate it.  Please PM me.  Thank you so much.



when are you going in November


*Blackout dates apply July 1, 2010 through July 5, 2010, September 2, 2010 through September 7, 2010, and November 22, 2010 through November 29, 2010. If any portion of travel falls on a blackout date, the discount will not apply*


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## chorsak

Hi, I am also looking for an extra code if anyone has one.  I sent off for one a couple of days ago and would love to be able to book now while the fares are low!  Pm or email to me at chorsak at hotmail dot com. THANKS!!


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## Redheadmom

I'm going from Nov 3-Nov 8.  Would like a coupon code if anyone has a extra one.  

Thanks


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## kevin75

Well rats.

I thought that since our travel dates were going to be from 11/30 - 12/8 that we would be able to use our coupon.  As it turns out, the entire trip has to be within the travel window, so I think that we'll have some extra codes that I will send out.....unless someone has heard of a way to get the discount that I could use?


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## Redheadmom

I just received one of my coupons.  I sent away for 3 on Tuesday.  Checks your emails they are stating to send out the codes.


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## kevin75

tink2020 said:


> I could really use one as well!  I just signed up but want to take advantage of a sale fare ASAP, so I will be more than happy to pass along our code when we get it.  Please pm me or email jenniferkaufman@me.com if you have an extra code to share!



Tink,

Check your PM.


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## richs52

Anyone have a code they are willing to give up? I'm going in September and seem to have deleted mine from my email!   The other half isn't too please with me right now, so if someone has one, please PM me.  Thanks!


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## Gasface

richs52 said:


> Anyone have a code they are willing to give up? I'm going in September and seem to have deleted mine from my email!   The other half isn't too please with me right now, so if someone has one, please PM me.  Thanks!



PM sent


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## mims6219

I could use 2 codes for our November great gathering.  I've sent for codes but have not received them and would like to book asap.  Thanks


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## 3xthejoy

We're flying to Orlando in September.If anyone has a code to spare,I would really appreciate it if you could PM me one. 
Thank you in advance


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## Faline

Thought I needed a separate code for each person, so signed up for more.  Have two, and may be getting 1 or two more, so pm me.  I'll send them out on a first come first served basis.


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## CaFeeney

Wondering if you still have a code available? Requested the code a few days ago and have not received it yet -   would love to book while the rate is still low.  PM or email to crocheleau@comcast.net and help me to fit in a birthday trip in Sept!  
Thanks!
Carolyn


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## chabs

I have an extra code: VTFD74MPDE

Please post when it is used.


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## gratton16

I have 2 codes available if anyone needs them...just PM me. Just remember you only need one code for your entire party and it will take $25 off each ticket. This way I can provide a code to different people.

Thanks!


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## mims6219

Thanks Chabs!  I used the code and it saved our grand gathering a bunch. Still need one more but hopefully the codes I sent for will come and I can use one and pass the other one on.  Thanks


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## LuvtheMouse88

Maybe a stupid question but here goes..... Can I pack a few bottles of water in my checked luggage? I looked on TSA website but don't see anything. I know I probably can't put it in my carry on b/c of the liquid policy. Only going to be in the world for a few days this time and don't need a whole case of water.


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## Glendamax

chabs said:


> I have an extra code: VTFD74MPDE
> 
> Please post when it is used.



Hey! I tried it but a prompt came up that said it had already been used.

So if anyone else has a code, please let me know....OH and also, if you know of any car rental discounts for Sept.12th - 17th, please send! Thanks!


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## katallo

Glendamax said:


> Hey! I tried it but a prompt came up that said it had already been used.
> 
> So if anyone else has a code, please let me know....OH and also, if you know of any car rental discounts for Sept.12th - 17th, please send! Thanks!


I pm'd you


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## Glendamax

katallo said:


> I pm'd you



Thanks! I still havent found a code yet. Please let me know if you find another one.


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## katallo

Glendamax said:


> Thanks! I still havent found a code yet. Please let me know if you find another one.



It's on the way!


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## Sammy

If anyone has an extra code they won't be using, I'd love to use it!  Just PM me.  Thanks so much!!

Sammy


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## Nafinegar

Has anyone received a code that would be good for a flight on 12/4 returning 12/11? I don't know much about SW to know if they will be coming out at all in the future.

N


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## lawgs

Nafinegar said:


> Has anyone received a code that would be good for a flight on 12/4 returning 12/11? I don't know much about SW to know if they will be coming out at all in the future.
> 
> N



SW codes are not plentiful....

the current is a promotion with florida.com

last year some employees had codes that they could share with others, but nothing so far this year on that front

they used to ...a long time ago...send out random codes to rapid rewards members....but that is a distant memory


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## CaFeeney

Hi All- if anyone is willing to share I would really appreciate a code.  Requested the code last week but nothing yet...trying to get the discount while the sale is on!
Thanks!


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## cjnix29

I need a code.  I have sent requests for codes, and will share when I get them. I just need to book my flights ASAP!  Thanks!!!!


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## dan and scott

Please help I also need a code, I have requested one as so many have but I have not received it.

Can someone, anyone please help......

Thank you so much!
dan


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## Nafinegar

lawgs said:


> SW codes are not plentiful....
> 
> the current is a promotion with florida.com
> 
> last year some employees had codes that they could share with others, but nothing so far this year on that front
> 
> they used to ...a long time ago...send out random codes to rapid rewards members....but that is a distant memory



Hmm, doesn't sound very promising for me. Oh well, I will not bank on that possibility in making my plans.

Thanks for the info!


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## chabs

Here is one more:  VTFD73KP2T

Please post when you use it.


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## dan and scott

chabs said:


> Here is one more:  VTFD73KP2T
> 
> Please post when you use it.



Just tried this and someone apparently used it.

Thanks for offering it up!

dan


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## bamor

I gave away a code and now could really use one, LOL
Soooo, if anyone has an extra $25.00 SW Code, please PM me.

Thanks!!!


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## webworm

Would someone have an extra discount code they could PM me? I requested one but time is running out.

Thanks a lot!


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## CaFeeney

Hi - I requested a code over a week ago, can anyone report how long it took to receive one?  
Of course, if you have one laying around - I would be so appreciative!


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## littlepig

Does anyone have an extra code? I need to book my august trip soon, but the SW air ticket is so expensive for august. Sigh.......


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## disneynan

We ended up booking through Travelocity rather than wait for the code, which did finally come in my email. I will send it to the first person who sends me a PM.


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## littlepig

Hi, disneynan,

Could you please send your code to me? I don't know how to send a PM, so I can only reply here. Hope I will be the lucky one. Thanks!


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## dgaston

Dan and Scott:  pm sent.


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## mickmom728

Asked this question before but I think it got lost:  Can you apply the code to flights already purchased?  I called SW and got someone who didn't even know about the codes until I explained them.  She said I would have to cancel the ones I have and rebook them to use the code but I don't want to do that since the flights have gone up.


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## Bowen9475

I know time is running out but I have two available codes. I will send them to the first two people to PM me. 

I have sent out one code, still have one left.


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## disneynan

Just letting you all know that I gave my code to someone yesterday afternoon. Good luck to all of you; have wonderful, safe trips.


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## Ragnrok23

VTFD5CK8JW

VTFD5CM5JK

Hope someone can enjoy them!


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## marsh0013

Ragnrok23 said:


> VTFD5CK8JW
> 
> VTFD5CM5JK
> 
> Hope someone can enjoy them!



thanks i used the first one!


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## Bowen9475

Both of my codes have been sent out.


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## 3xthejoy

Today my code was emailed to me,but I was lucky enough to have received a code from a Diser here while my fare was still low. First person to PM me can have the code i received today.


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## kimis

goofy4tink said:


> Hopefully we can consolitdate all the questions into one thread.



Hello We are traveling to WDW in Nov/Dec and was wondering if anyone had a code for tickets.  I have seen were it seems like so many of you can get codes for discounts and I never knew SWA did that.  Is it possible for someone to PM me with one or do I call SWA and get one.  Thank you for your help.


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## 3xthejoy

kimis said:


> Hello We are traveling to WDW in Nov/Dec and was wondering if anyone had a code for tickets.  I have seen were it seems like so many of you can get codes for discounts and I never knew SWA did that.  Is it possible for someone to PM me with one or do I call SWA and get one.  Thank you for your help.





visitflorida.com has a link. If you send a post card to a friend  (or yourself at a different e-mail address) they get a promo code.The only thing... It takes about a week for the code to be emailed to you and the deadline for this deal is august 1st.
Check post 3077 of this thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=957753&page=206




tiggerplus5 said:


> I got my email for the $25 code.   I followed the link to the SW web site about exclusions.  This is what it says.
> 
> $12.50 each way ($25 roundtrip) discount valid for one-time use at southwest.com off the total amount of any roundtrip purchase before taxes and fees.
> Purchase must be made between April 1, 2010 and August 1, 2010 for travel June 1, 2010 through December 1, 2010.
> Blackout dates apply July 1, 2010 through July 5, 2010, September 2, 2010 through September 7, 2010, and November 22, 2010 through November 29, 2010. If any portion of travel falls on a blackout date, the discount will not apply.
> The discount is only valid with the provided Promotion Code and is not combinable with other Promotion Codes or fares available exclusively through the web tool DING!.
> This promotion includes only Wanna Get Away Fares.
> Roundtrip purchase required.
> Changes made to the itinerary after purchase may eliminate qualifications for this promotion.
> Youth, Child, Infant, and Military Fares are not available for purchase at southwest.com.


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## mims6219

Someone shared a code with me and I finally got one of mine sent so I now have one to give to someone who needs it.  Just pm me and it is yours!


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## disneydreamgirl

I'm still waiting for a code and didn't realize August 1 is literally around the corner...if anyone has one they are unable to use I'd gratefully accept it!


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## lawgs

disneydreamgirl said:


> I'm still waiting for a code and didn't realize August 1 is literally around the corner...if anyone has one they are unable to use I'd gratefully accept it!



when are you going?

If it is in December 10 ( from your signature ) ...the code will not work for that time period


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## mickeyplanner08

Use this code to book a roundtrip Wanna Get Away fare on southwest.com  and receive $25 off. Purchase must be made between April 1, 2010 and August 1, 2010 for travel June 1, 2010 through December 1, 2010.  	 

  	top 	 
  	Your discount code is: VTFD7MMVKH

Hope it helps someone, we're continuing to stalk fares on Allegiant!


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## Redheadmom

DisneyDreamgirl

I just sent you a pm with a code.  If your dates don't work let me know so i can send it to someone else.


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## lawgs

kimis said:


> Hello We are traveling to WDW in Nov/Dec and was wondering if anyone had a code for tickets.  I have seen were it seems like so many of you can get codes for discounts and I never knew SWA did that.  Is it possible for someone to PM me with one or do I call SWA and get one.  Thank you for your help.



what are your dates.?...if one of your "dates" lies outside the "booking" window, the code cannot be used 


there are blackout dates too...thanksgiving week being one of them


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## Mommy2JulietJocelyn

Looking for  a code for SW too! Need to fly end of OCT for 3day walk. If anyone can help - Thanks!


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## disneydreamgirl

lawgs said:


> when are you going?
> 
> If it is in December 10 ( from your signature ) ...the code will not work for that time period


I've already booked my December flights...the flights I want to book are for October.  Redheadmom was kind enough to send me a code!


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## Danorhm

Our trip is only one way on SW, but I decided to try to use the code, but it didn't work, so now I have two codes up for grabs.  

VTFD7GXDQK

VTFD7GWCWK

Hope someone can use them as they do expire tomorrow.


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## Ragnrok23

This code should still be good (unless someone used it and didn't post that it was used)

VTFD5CM5JK


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## LaNina72

I was not able to use my code due to black out dates around Labor Day (just my luck)... so please PM me if you are interested.  I'll get it to you toot-sweet!  

Use this code to book a roundtrip Wanna Get Away fare on southwest.com and receive $25 off. Purchase must be made between April 1, 2010 and August 1, 2010 for travel June 1, 2010 through December 1, 2010.


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## pooch

so PM me.  I'll check in periodically.

Edited to say I don't have anymore codes - sorry


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## BabyPotatoHead

I have some codes up for grabs, they are good thru 7/31/10.

VTFD6W3A6M
VTFD7HUFKD
VTFD7MY3FK
VTFD7F4PBV


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## PictureJumpr

I have two codes which I will not be using, PM/request and they're yours...


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## a1tinkfans

I think that people may NOT realize that the code is good till 7/31 to BOOK, but the *flights are good thru December *...I have one if Needed!  pm me..........


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## grodgers49

we are trying to put together a last minute trip for next week.  would appreciate any discount codes available.


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## littlepig

I have 2 extra codes. Feel free to use them:

VTFD7NK5JP

VTFD7N4EKM


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## JenC025

VTFD5ZW2KN
Last minute code if anyone needs it, expires today


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## webworm

Looks like SW must have extended offer because I tried a code today and it worked. The link from original OP actually still works as well.


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## knebkagnau

for a one-way flight from Orlando, traveling on Oct. 6th. Thanks!


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## lawgs

knebkagnau said:


> for a one-way flight from Orlando, traveling on Oct. 6th. Thanks!



The code does not or did not work for ONE way flights ....it had to be Roundtrip...


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## kimis

looking for a code for nov/dec please.  thank you!  Do i just put the code in the box?  Does it take the price off immediately or when you pay for it.  Not really sure how the codes work.  thanks again.


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## kizmac

Anyone have a code for December? I'm traveling the 10th-15th!


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## webworm

kizmac said:


> Anyone have a code for December? I'm traveling the 10th-15th!



Here you go!

VTFD7N4DJ2


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## Eyore4Ever149

I am traveling Oct 10-18, are there codes out there that cover those dates and what is the value?
When purchasing online- does the discounted price show up before purchase?


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## webworm

Eyore4Ever149 said:


> I am traveling Oct 10-18, are there codes out there that cover those dates and what is the value?
> When purchasing online- does the discounted price show up before purchase?



Yes the reduced fare shows up after you enter the discount code before you purchase. The code is $25.00 off each ticket for a roundtrip purchase only. If buying 4 tickets you save $100.00. The code I posted above has not been used yet. You only need the 1 code and can apply the $25.00 off against each individual ticket. 

VTFD7N4DJ2


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## kizmac

If anyone has another code that would be wonderful! Thanks for the one Webworm but someone must of already used it! I wasn't quick enough! Maybe someone can private email me one? I hope!


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## Eyore4Ever149

kizmac said:


> If anyone has another code that would be wonderful! Thanks for the one Webworm but someone must of already used it! I wasn't quick enough! Maybe someone can private email me one? I hope!



That was me! Sorry. I only wish I had bought my tickets a few weeks ago when they were $119 one way and $109 coming home. WOuld have been roughly $780 for 3 tickets, today, with the coupon it was $890

Thank you for the code webworm


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## webworm

kizmac said:


> If anyone has another code that would be wonderful! Thanks for the one Webworm but someone must of already used it! I wasn't quick enough! Maybe someone can private email me one? I hope!



I just sent you a PM with another code I had.


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## griergirl2

Since they seem to still be working, if anyone still have any I would love one!!  We just had some family decide to book a last minute trip for the beginning of September and I would love to be able to give them the code!


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## lawgs

griergirl2 said:


> Since they seem to still be working, if anyone still have any I would love one!!  We just had some family decide to book a last minute trip for the beginning of September and I would love to be able to give them the code!



the new rules of engagement are:

*Purchase must be made between April 1, 2010 and September 30, 2010 for travel June 1, 2010 through December 1, 2010. 
Blackout dates apply July 1, 2010 through July 5, 2010, September 2, 2010 through September 7, 2010, and November 22, 2010 through November 29, 2010. If any portion of travel falls on a blackout date, the discount will not apply. 
*


*It also has to be a Round Trip purchase*

as mentioned, one code can be used for the whole booking


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## ocalla

when do the rates open up for March 2011?

TIA


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## lawgs

ocalla said:


> when do the rates open up for March 2011?
> 
> TIA


According to other posts it is on the Southwest website that the next window will open on August 17 2010

I think it extends into march but not sure if it is the whole month


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## jcarwash

ocalla said:


> when do the rates open up for March 2011?



PP is right, SWA calendar opens up again on Aug 17 for reservations through March 11, 2011.

For reference: http://www.southwest.com/flight/travel_center.html?int=GSUBNAV-TOOLS-ALL


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## cblack

Will SW offer discount codes for the new dates they are releasing on Aug. 17?  I've never been counting down the days until they release flights, so I'm not sure if they offer discounts.


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## BabyPotatoHead

I have already booked my mid October trip and would like to get the $25 off promo. Can this be done? I am scared to cancel my trip and then rebook, has anyone done this, how does it work?


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## lawgs

cblack said:


> Will SW offer discount codes for the new dates they are releasing on Aug. 17?  I've never been counting down the days until they release flights, so I'm not sure if they offer discounts.



Not unless they extend the promo.....

right now ends sept 30 2010 and must be used to book a Roundtrip flight before december 01 2010

*Blackout dates around labour day and thanksgiving* If any of your flight falls on a blackout date the promo cannot be used


----------



## lawgs

BabyPotatoHead said:


> I have already booked my mid October trip and would like to get the $25 off promo. Can this be done? I am scared to cancel my trip and then rebook, has anyone done this, how does it work?



you can cancel BUT you run the risk that even with the 25 promo your NEW rates will be higher than the ones you cancelled

you can only hope and watch your flights/days when they come out with tomorrow's fares


if the fares you booked were say 89$ and the new ones are now 129$ it would not make sense to cancel and rebook

it would only make sense if the NEW fare was 89$ or less

* Of course, this makes the assumption you already have code in hand, it will not work without the code *  In the past, it was spotty and all over the place with respect to who were send codes.

BUT make sure they have enough seats .....

Plug in your dates and all who are travelling to see what is actually offered for that day


I do not think  that you cannot just do a *Change Air reservation* which most people do when the air fare changes


----------



## calngavinsmom

I am traveling Sept 26th......does anyone have a code for those dates?  It would be much appreciated 

Take care


----------



## OhioDisneyDad

If anyone has a code please PM me.  My flights for October just dropped again and I'd like to rebook with a code!  PM me if you have one.  TIA!


----------



## shua321

Hi, we're traveling Sept.5 - Sept.11, If anyone has a code for that time would please PM me?

Thank You So Much!


----------



## lawgs

shua321 said:


> Hi, we're traveling Sept.5 - Sept.11, If anyone has a code for that time would please PM me?
> 
> Thank You So Much!



Unfortunately, September 5th falls within the blackout dates and as such the code cannot be applied 

If even only one date falls within the black out and the other is OK, the code will be "declined" and it must be used for a Round Trip


----------



## kimis

Does anyone have codes for Nov 29 or December 8th?  thank you


----------



## lawgs

kimis said:


> Does anyone have codes for Nov 29 or December 8th?  thank you



code expires on december 1, thus the december 8 date is a NO GO

the november 29 is a NO GO also since it is in the Thanksgiving black out dates


code has to be used RT


----------



## hannahon

Anyone have a code for travel oct. 23- Nov. 1 ??? Thanks!!!!  I should have one coming in a few days that I will share with someone else!!!!


----------



## TandT

Hi! Does anyone have a code for SW in November?  please pm me if you do!!  Thanks so much!!!


----------



## one2admire

Does anyone have a code for Oct. 23rd - 29th?  Or, could someone tell me where to get the code from? 
TIA!


----------



## kt_mom

If anyone has a code for Oct 17-24 please PM me. Thanks!!


----------



## hannahon

Still looking for a code!!!  Anyone????  I have requested one, but it still hasn't come.


----------



## PRmamiDEdos

Traveling 12/11-12/18.  Does anyone have a code that I can use?  It's going to cost us about $750 for driving and I found $965 for flying but if I can bring that down, I'm pretty sure DH would be up for spending the money to fly.

Thanks!!


----------



## hannahon

Just an FYI to everyone looking for a code.  I had given up hope and decided to read through this whole thread today and found some codes that were posted and assumed they had been used, but decided to write them down and give them a try.  Well, the 3rd one worked!!!!  So there may still be some on here that are still valid.


----------



## TinkerBrie

Hi!!!! I don't know too much about these codes...but I want one!!!!
Is it too soon to wish for a code for January 17th-25th?????


----------



## lawgs

TinkerBrie said:


> Hi!!!! I don't know too much about these codes...but I want one!!!!
> Is it too soon to wish for a code for January 17th-25th?????



alas they expire on september 30 for flights before december 1 and it must be RT


----------



## Ariel on Land

Ok, would someone mind telling me how these codes work and how to get them?  I'm a RR member, and have often flown SW, but I've never gotten any emails with codes in them.  We're going to be in WDW Nov 14-19, and right now we're driving from San Antonio, but if I can get decent airfare, flying would be SOOOO much more convenient!  Can anyone help me out?


----------



## stephv3

Looking for a code for Nov 7-14.  The flights are so high that week!  Please PM me if you have an extra.  Can one be used for all 4 flights?


----------



## lawgs

stephv3 said:


> Looking for a code for Nov 7-14.  The flights are so high that week!  Please PM me if you have an extra.  Can one be used for all 4 flights?



you have to go to 


http://www.visitflorida.com/share/

and send yourself an invite

then answer the invite to request the code

if you are lucky you will get it, it is suppost to come within 7 days of you responding to the invite

however, in the past some have not gotten the code from southwest 

it is a crap shoot

in its first incarnation it was suppost to stop on July 31 

now they have extended it to september 30

black out dates around labor day and thanksgiving and it ends dec 1

your dates would be ok

but nov 22 does not

you have to buy roundtrip


and it is good for everyone on the same confirmation

everyone gets 25$ off RT


----------



## Ariel on Land

Thanks for the great explanation lawgs!!   I've got myself signed up and I'll cross my fingers!  

But in the meantime, if anyone has a code for Nov 14-19/20 that they want to share, that'd be awesome!!  


*ETA-- ended up finding cheaper fare w/ AirTran...*  Thanks everyone!


----------



## shystalips

So let me get this straight.  The codes that we received that said we must book buy Aug 1 have now been extended?  And one code will take $25 off each person on your reservation?  up to how many?


----------



## breakingd_awn

I'm glad I got our airfare yesterday at $80pp cause it's $126pp today Is there any rhyme or reason to there raising and lowering? We want to fly home on Sat Mar 5 but it's $126pp YIKES!!! And we have a family of 5. Do you think it will go down? We might have to flly home a day earlier than we wanted to get cheaper airfare I hope it goes down.


----------



## lawgs

shystalips said:


> So let me get this straight.  The codes that we received that said we must book buy Aug 1 have now been extended?  And one code will take $25 off each person on your reservation?  up to how many?



Aug1 is now Sept 30

and yes 25$ each person's Round Trip  that you fit on the reservation, do not think it would apply to "BIG" group travel but that is only conjecture


----------



## lawgs

breakingd_awn said:


> I'm glad I got our airfare yesterday at $80pp cause it's $126pp today Is there any rhyme or reason to there raising and lowering? We want to fly home on Sat Mar 5 but it's $126pp YIKES!!! And we have a family of 5. Do you think it will go down? We might have to flly home a day earlier than we wanted to get cheaper airfare I hope it goes down.



We have given up trying to figure out the rhyme or reason, we now just book the dates we know we are going as soon as the DATES open up and hope for "lower" prices which is not guaranteed, but if it does happen it is BONUS


----------



## shystalips

lawgs said:


> Aug1 is now Sept 30
> 
> and yes 25$ each person's Round Trip  that you fit on the reservation, do not think it would apply to "BIG" group travel but that is only conjecture



Thanks for the answer lawgs.  If so I believe I have 4 codes I am not going to use.  Who knows, maybe when I go next november someone will pass it on to me.  If anyone wants them pm me.  If they're good for everyone on your reservations, maybe I can help 4 people out.


----------



## Bubbamel

I have a code for Southwest from the Florida promo.  I only have two posts as of now and cannot PM.  Is there anyway else I can help fellow disers on here if I want to give my code away?

Edit: Ok, finally at 10 posts.  If anyone needs a code, PM me.  I only have one to give away.  Hope this helps someone.


----------



## duckfish

If anyone has a $25 code they won't be using I would really appreciate it.  I tried the site and one didn't get sent. thanks!!


----------



## Ariel on Land

I have a code valid through Dec 1.  PM if you want it.


----------



## greenmtx

I would love a code, but can not PM yet. Is there any way for someone to send me a code?  I could provide my email.  Thanks in advance!


----------



## LSUmom4kids

If I buy a R/T ticket and the price goes down b4 I leave, will SW honor the lower rate, or will I have to cancel & re-book?


----------



## NC State Tigger

DD, DGD and I are planning our mother/daughter trip for Dec 2-6---are there any codes for that time period?  From what I am reading it looks like code stops at Dec 1.

TIA for any help

Donna


----------



## lynn46356

NC State Tigger (Donna), I'm in the same boat.  Part of our family is flying down during the same time period.  I have a code but it won't work.  I keep trying to put it through thinking that perhaps at some point they will expand the Dec 1 date.  Patiently WAITING!!!!!!!


----------



## whitney6494

Looking for a code for $25 off, if anyone has one they are not planning on using please pm me


----------



## MACfamily4

Does anyone know when SW will release flights past March 11?  We're traveling March 12-21.  TIA!


----------



## CJMickeyMouse

Very frustrated!!

I am unable to view travel funds on Southwest's website.

I get to the page, enter passenger name and confirmation number... and it's says it cannot display the info.

Anyone else having trouble?


----------



## ash&abby'smom

MACfamily4 said:


> Does anyone know when SW will release flights past March 11?  We're traveling March 12-21.  TIA!



I remember reading it is sometime in the beginning of October.  I will have to find the exact date.


----------



## LaNina72

MACfamily4 said:


> Does anyone know when SW will release flights past March 11?  We're traveling March 12-21.  TIA!



October 5th... I'm waiting too....


----------



## ksloane

LaNina72 said:


> October 5th... I'm waiting too....



Any idea about how far those dates will extend?


----------



## patink

ksloane said:


> Any idea about how far those dates will extend?



June 3rd, 2011

You can find it under Travel Tools on the SW website.

Upper right corner drop down link for Travel Tools --> If you pick all Travel Tools from the list across the top of that page it says when they expect to post new dates.

HTH - It took me forever to find it the first time.


----------



## ksloane

Thanks...I had looked all over the site...I'll mark my calendar now for the dates for the flights I know I'll need.


----------



## whitney6494

Looking for a code for $25 off, if anyone has one they are not planning on using please pm me


----------



## Kansasdreamers

Hi,
Does southwest offer these codes regularly and will these post one for this next year?
Thanks


----------



## Joanm

I could use the codes for SW... I am traveling with my grandchildren to DW 10/30/10-11/6/10 and could use the codes 6 of us are traveling and this would definately help me pay for the tickets... Thanks if you have any left.


----------



## OhioDisneyDad

I have a code if someone needs it.


----------



## Joanm

Dear Ohio... 
how do I get the code from you?


----------



## Joanm

How do I get this code from you I'm in dire need!


----------



## OhioDisneyDad

Joanm said:


> How do I get this code from you I'm in dire need!



I received a PM from another user before you posted your message.  If they don't take it you'd be next in line.


----------



## Baloosgirl23

JoanM --> sent you a PM!


----------



## Joanm

I'm spreading the pixie dust on you I thank you and my grandchildren thank you!


----------



## SeptDisney

Hello All

I'm going to Orlando from Raleigh, flying down Saturday Oct. 16th & returning Sunday Oct. 24th.  In August, it seems like I received daily DINGs for September flights, but so far I haven't gotten any Dings for October flights.  Does anyone know the history of those Dings?

Also, if anyone has a coupon or code I could use, I'd greatly appreciate it!

Thanks!


----------



## momhmmx2

I'm looking to save my sanity and not drive to Disney this winter. Anyone have a code good for travel 1/1/11-1/8/11?  

Thanks!!!


----------



## bigstick

I'm traveling Nov 5th - Nov 12 - 2 adults and 2 kids and could really use a code.  Southwest sale supposedly ends tomorrow so i want to book.  

Not sure if I can rec'v PM yet or not.  If not my email is vinceliberto AT Comcast dot net.

Thanks!


----------



## LSUmom4kids

I have a small credit on my Southwest account from finding a lower fare recently for my upcoming flight.  Do you think I could use the credit to pay for an Early Bird boarding pass? The cost is $10 each way. 

If I don't travel in the next year, I'l lose my credit, right?


----------



## disneydreamgirl

LSUmom4kids said:


> I have a small credit on my Southwest account from finding a lower fare recently for my upcoming flight.  Do you think I could use the credit to pay for an Early Bird boarding pass? The cost is $10 each way.
> 
> If I don't travel in the next year, I'l lose my credit, right?



I don't believe you can...I tried and couldn't, then called and was told I couldn't.  I'll be interested to see if others received the same response.


----------



## NC State

SeptDisney said:


> Hello All
> 
> I'm going to Orlando from Raleigh, flying down Saturday Oct. 16th & returning Sunday Oct. 24th.  In August, it seems like I received daily DINGs for September flights, but so far I haven't gotten any Dings for October flights.  Does anyone know the history of those Dings?
> 
> Also, if anyone has a coupon or code I could use, I'd greatly appreciate it!
> 
> Thanks!



I feel the sameway, we are flying down Sun, Dec 12 and returning Fri, Dec 17 Where are all the DINGS?


----------



## sherbet

Sorry to be stupid, but whats a "Ding"  We are going 11-19 Dec and am looking for a good deal or discount. When is the perfect time to book, about 8 weeks out? Havent done this before so unsure what the deals are or how they work. Is it cheaper to book last minute?  Thanks


----------



## ella's_mommy

I haven't booked a flight in many, many years and never for a child so forgive me if my questions seem dumb but here they are:

1) on the website they have 'web only specials' which seem to be the cheapest fare, but it says you can't book a child online. I have a 4 year old so how do I do that?

2) the website also says numerous times that the childs age has to be verified by birth certificate (infants) or gov't issued ID (ages 2-11). I don't know any 4 year olds with an ID so is the birth certificate ok.

Thank you so much in advance because i know someone here will know the answers to my questions.


----------



## PRmamiDEdos

ella's_mommy said:


> I haven't booked a flight in many, many years and never for a child so forgive me if my questions seem dumb but here they are:
> 
> 1) on the website they have 'web only specials' which seem to be the cheapest fare, but it says you can't book a child online. I have a 4 year old so how do I do that?
> 
> 2) the website also says numerous times that the childs age has to be verified by birth certificate (infants) or gov't issued ID (ages 2-11). I don't know any 4 year olds with an ID so is the birth certificate ok.
> 
> Thank you so much in advance because i know someone here will know the answers to my questions.



I've dealt with question 1 - You can call SW and ask about the child fare (I did), but it was $200 more each way.  The woman at SW told me that the fare listed online is the one that's usually cheapest.


----------



## ella's_mommy

Thanks for the reply. Wasn't sure that it was ok to buy a kid that fare. It isn't a bad price so I am sure any other rate would be higher.


----------



## cblack

ella's_mommy said:


> I haven't booked a flight in many, many years and never for a child so forgive me if my questions seem dumb but here they are:
> 
> 1) on the website they have 'web only specials' which seem to be the cheapest fare, but it says you can't book a child online. I have a 4 year old so how do I do that?
> 
> 2) the website also says numerous times that the childs age has to be verified by birth certificate (infants) or gov't issued ID (ages 2-11). I don't know any 4 year olds with an ID so is the birth certificate ok.
> 
> Thank you so much in advance because i know someone here will know the answers to my questions.



1) I agree with PP, the child rate is generally much higher than the online special price, so if you purchase online, count the child as an Adult.

2) Birth certificate will work perfectly - we have only needed the birth certificate to verify our daughter's age when we did not purchase her a seat of her own (she was under 2).  She now has a passport which counts as a government issued ID.


----------



## mrsbert

I have a Visit Florida $25 off that I can't use. We will be flying Dec. 10-17, which is past the deadline.

Just PM me.


----------



## UsNew2Disney2008

Just in case it helps someone else - sadly, Orlando isn't on there for me. 

If anyone ends up with codes they won't/can't use - we would appreciate them!  I'm wondering if I should put off our trip until next year now because air is costing almost as much as our trip!


----------



## Bowen9475

Can these promo codes only be used online or can you call and use them? I would like to make a change to an existin reservation and hopefully use the promo code but I don't see how to do this online.


----------



## mrsbert

mrsbert said:


> I have a Visit Florida $25 off that I can't use. We will be flying Dec. 10-17, which is past the deadline.
> 
> Just PM me.




I've given the code away but asked that if they could not use it to please pass it on.


----------



## javamom

I am going in a few days and have never had a code, but it sounds like a good thing!  If anyone has one that they can part with, that would be awesome!


----------



## missymj

Hello,

I have a rather large family and would love to fly inside of driving in december out of PIT. The costs for our rather large family to fly is a bit out of reach.  If anyone has a code that is soon to expire over my travel days, I would be so very much appreciative.  I promise to pass the pixie dust around to others in other forms of good deeds.

Thanks,
 m


----------



## lawgs

missymj said:


> Hello,
> 
> I have a rather large family and would love to fly inside of driving in december out of PIT. The costs for our rather large family to fly is a bit out of reach.  If anyone has a code that is soon to expire over my travel days, I would be so very much appreciative.  I promise to pass the pixie dust around to others in other forms of good deeds.
> 
> Thanks,
> m



sad to say pixie dust is not shining brightly on your plans...

unless they have made changes recently, the code must be used for a roundtrip flight with completion of the trip occurring before December 1, 2010


----------



## rw_hadley

I noticed the following on the Southwest site today:
Now accepting reservations through March 11, 2011. On September 28, we will open our schedule for sale through April 25, 2011. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently. 

Previously they had been saying they would open the schedule past March 11, 2011 on October 5, and then for dates into June. So this is a change, and I thought I would give everyone the heads up.


----------



## traveljunkie

Thank you for posting this.  I have been waiting and waiting for Oct 5th.  I would have been very mad to find this out then! 

--


----------



## bigmama67

Do they usually release them at midnight or the next morning?  I.E., should I wait up?

Thanks!


----------



## traveljunkie

How do you get the discount codes?  I need to buy 8 tickets for March???

Thanks!


----------



## brandip22

I was also looking for codes- we are going in November for a last minute trip! Thanks!


----------



## lawgs

traveljunkie said:


> How do you get the discount codes?  I need to buy 8 tickets for March???
> 
> Thanks!



this particular promotion ends december 1, 2010


----------



## pmpdchef

Does anyone know:   Is there still a SW code being given when you share a postcard or video at the visit florida site.  Did I even understand that post on the first page of this thread correctly??  

If not, please forgive my ignorance here and could someone fill me in too on how to go about getting one?  We are going the end of Nov/Dec.3.  Our first trip and it is pretty costly with the 6 of us.  Any savings would sure help.

If someone has a code they aren't going to use, we would put it to very good use.  

If/when we get one that we aren't using, I'll pay it forward too.


----------



## IandGsmom

Historically when has SW released flights for Late July/early August, any ideas??


----------



## LSUmom4kids

Just curious... On SW site, what's the difference btw "sold out" and "unavailable"?


----------



## no1psycho

Travelling from MHT Dec 8th-17th.  Already purchased tix for the way down at $84.  Haven't seen any "good" deals for coming back on the 17th.  Would anyone have a code that would help me with this.  New to the SW code thing.  I haven't ever received one.  Any other tips I should try?  All of the travel deals that have popped up are only valid until December 15th.  Will this date be extended on new deals coming out pretty soon???

Thanks,
Greg


----------



## sherbet

Be interested in the reply too. We are coming back on the 19th and cant find any good deals, do we play the waiting game?


----------



## no1psycho

sherbet said:


> Be interested in the reply too. We are coming back on the 19th and cant find any good deals, do we play the waiting game?



That's what I'm planning to do.  Hopefully it pays off...  Where are you staying?


----------



## sherbet

We are going 11-19 staying at POR. (if i can get a cheap flight lol)


----------



## no1psycho

sherbet said:


> We are going 11-19 staying at POR. (if i can get a cheap flight lol)



Last time we went was 2007.  We fly out of Manchester, NH and we got 3 RT tix for less than $300.  Those days are long gone.  Where do you fly from?  I've been watching JetBlue and Allegiant too but already bought tix down through SWA.  Not too much going on with Ding! fares either.  Really hoping we can get a decent price back!!!!  Oh, and good luck with your search!!!!!!


----------



## sherbet

We are flexible, either Houston,Dallas or Austin Texas. I can find some deals for the 11th but on the 19th they are running high. Maybe i should book a one way for the 11th, never done that before. Im still gonna patiently wait for now, just hope they dont all go up !! The cheap tickets are always the ones that leave at the crack of dawn with a 4 hour layover lol


----------



## Ragnrok23

I just got the itch to sneak in a quick trip before my AP expires.  I had a $25 code, but had no plans on going again. I assume they are all gone/expired?


----------



## 5boyz

Anyone know/think any of those great codes will come out again for 2011?


----------



## maryj11

Any codes for Dec 2010 ?


----------



## CalebsDisneyMomma

I read some of the posts but it got to be too much!!  How do you get these codes?  Are there some that are available for November?  We are arriving on November 10th.  If anyone has a code they don't want or need, I would appreciate it.  Thanks!!


----------



## melliemelo

Forgive me... I have never booked flights before.  We are a family of 5 going from New Orleans to Orlando in March.  How far in advance should we book our flight?  Many of the flights show 'sold out' for our dates already.    Since it is nearly $2300, we were hoping to find a discount code...   but I don't want it to be sold out completely.  (It's Mardi Gras week and EVERYBODY goes to Disney since the kids are out of school)  Should we just suck it up and book now?  Or do you guys think there's a chance we can get a better price?   Also SW is the ONLY airline with a direct flight from N.O. to Olrando........


----------



## jenseib

Looks like all this thread is , is people asking how to get a code, with no real answers?

Has there actually been any codes out lately?


----------



## jenrose66

If anyone has a code I can use that would be appreciated and I'd definately pay it forward if I had the chance.  I'm looking to fly out on 2-11-11!  Thanks


----------



## lawgs

jenseib said:


> Looks like all this thread is , is people asking how to get a code, with no real answers?
> 
> Has there actually been any codes out lately?



The promotion that generated this thread was a Share Florida promo between a florida travel site and SWA, it was extended once, but as far as I know, this particular promo ended on September 31 2010 for round trip flights taken and completed by Dec 1 2010


----------



## MinnieVanMom

We had a change in travel plans and now have a huge amount of SWA credits.  I have been reading that transfer rules are going to change as of January.

Will it be that the person who has the name on the ticket gets the credit only or the person who bought the ticket?

Also, if we can sell most of the credits by that date and have some left over, who would the credit be given too?  

I am really very confused as I know that one person will never use the credits, we will be able to use some but not all.

Finally, should I list them on craigslist in several large cities or just local?  I really would like to get these out there so someone could use them for a Christmas vacation.


----------



## mrsbert

This doesn't work out for me as a good deal but some of you may want to use it:  15% off Southwest Airlines ticket with a $20 purchase at World Market.

http://www.cpwmswa.com/?ab=home:wk38:d:buyandfly

I'd have to travel to another town and spend $20 bucks to save $33.60. This, in turns, is a total of a savings of $13.60 for me.  Not sure it's worth it.


----------



## jenseib

What is world market?


----------



## mrsbert

jenseib said:


> What is world market?



Here ya go...

http://www.worldmarket.com/home/index.jsp


----------



## LeslieG

MinnieVanMom said:


> We had a change in travel plans and now have a huge amount of SWA credits.  I have been reading that transfer rules are going to change as of January.
> 
> Will it be that the person who has the name on the ticket gets the credit only or the person who bought the ticket?
> 
> Also, if we can sell most of the credits by that date and have some left over, who would the credit be given too?
> 
> I am really very confused as I know that one person will never use the credits, we will be able to use some but not all.
> 
> Finally, should I list them on craigslist in several large cities or just local?  I really would like to get these out there so someone could use them for a Christmas vacation.





Where have you read about the rules changing?  I have a lot of credits also, and I'm wondering what might change.  Is this a change because of the merger with Airtran?


----------



## traveljunkie

Regarding the World Market Promotion:  I went to their store Tuesday, bought something for $20 that I didn't need , signed up online using the barcode.  The message said that i would be sent the code via email.  Still nothing 3 days later.  I called the 800 number on the receipt and just get a constant busy signal.  I am frustrated.  I don't think flying SW is in my cards...I can never find decent rates for my trips....  Anyone successful in getting this code?


----------



## mrsxsparrow

traveljunkie said:


> Regarding the World Market Promotion:  I went to their store Tuesday, bought something for $20 that I didn't need , signed up online using the barcode.  The message said that i would be sent the code via email.  Still nothing 3 days later.  I called the 800 number on the receipt and just get a constant busy signal.  I am frustrated.  I don't think flying SW is in my cards...I can never find decent rates for my trips....  Anyone successful in getting this code?



I went yesterday, signed up for the code last night, and immediately got it in my inbox. Unfortunately I didn't realize that it is only good for flights through 1/25... my dates are 2/2 through 2/8 

Anyway, if anyone wants my code, PM me... first to do so wins!


----------



## traveljunkie

traveljunkie said:


> Regarding the World Market Promotion:  I went to their store Tuesday, bought something for $20 that I didn't need , signed up online using the barcode.  The message said that i would be sent the code via email.  Still nothing 3 days later.  I called the 800 number on the receipt and just get a constant busy signal.  I am frustrated.  I don't think flying SW is in my cards...I can never find decent rates for my trips....  Anyone successful in getting this code?



I finally got through on the phone number this morning.  I had to leave a message since no one answered.  I received my email about 4 hours later.  I haven't been able to find a date that will work so far--there's apparently blackout dates that aren't listed on the receipt.   Still looking....


----------



## LeslieG

If anybody has a code they can't use, I could use it.  I don't think there's a World Market near me.  Thanks.


----------



## 5boyz

mrsxsparrow said:


> I went yesterday, signed up for the code last night, and immediately got it in my inbox. Unfortunately I didn't realize that it is only good for flights through 1/25... my dates are 2/2 through 2/8
> 
> Anyway, if anyone wants my code, PM me... first to do so wins!




 Oh that's too bad! Did you have to buy something to get the code? I think I started to do it and got sidetracked and never finished so I forget what you had to do..lol. I am 1/28 so would have been no good for me either...but if something else comes out like this could someone post it...thank you!!!

I got that other great one in the spring/summer for $25.off per person that was great.


----------



## mrsxsparrow

LeslieG said:


> If anybody has a code they can't use, I could use it.  I don't think there's a World Market near me.  Thanks.



Just sent you my code. To anyone else... I no longer have one, sorry!


----------



## sharpes84

anyone still have a code?
I am flying in December so I can really use!Thank you in advance


----------



## ready to relax

if anyone has a code, I would LOVE to use it!


----------



## AngieInOH

I'm also here begging for a WorldMarket code if anyone has one available.  My rate went up $40 today (waiting on my DH to give me the OK to go, otherwise the flight would have already been booked for me and my son).


----------



## 5boyz

Yeah mine went from $84. to $121. to $139.  within days...now it is back down at $99. I am waiting until tomorrow afternoon or Wed morning and see what happens if it stays that price I will book..if it goes down...woo hoo I will book...if it goes up....serves me right for waiting....


----------



## AngieInOH

5boyz said:


> Yeah mine went from $84. to $121. to $139.  within days...now it is back down at $99. I am waiting until tomorrow afternoon or Wed morning and see what happens if it stays that price I will book..if it goes down...woo hoo I will book...if it goes up....serves me right for waiting....



At least that gives me some hope that it will come back down.  Mine went from $89 to $92 stayed at that rate for a week and today went to $132.


----------



## 5boyz

AngieInOH said:


> At least that gives me some hope that it will come back down.  Mine went from $89 to $92 stayed at that rate for a week and today went to $132.



Well I found in the early year...that the prices seemed to go down late Tues afternoon/early evening or Wed morning.... I think they have been doing it too now..last week was that pumpkin special so hopefully this week they go down...I am looking for Feb 5th from MCO to BUF...I got $89.going down and am holding out for  a bit to see if I can get any credits or lower fares coming home...


----------



## ksloane

If anyone does MyCokeRewards, I just found this reward on their site

Southwest Airlines® $20 Discount off Wanna Get Away fares
100 points


$20 discount valid for one-time use at southwest.com or swabiz.com off the total amount of a Wanna Get Away roundtrip fare purchase before taxes and fees. 
Purchase must be made between November 1, 2010 and January 21, 2011 for travel November 8, 2010 through February 16, 2011. 
Blackout dates apply November 19, 2010 through November 29, 2010 and December 17, 2010 through January 3, 2011.  If any portion of travel falls on a blackout date, the discount will not apply. 
The discount is only valid with the provided Promotion Code and is not combinable with other Promotion Codes or fares available exclusively through the web tool “DING!”. 
This promotion includes only Wanna Get Away Fares. 
7-day or more advance purchase may be required. 
Changes made to the itinerary after purchase may eliminate qualifications for this promotion.

Unfortunately for me, we're not traveling until after Feb 16, but maybe they'll have another one later on for July...going to keep a few hundred points banked at all times just in case


----------



## AngieInOH

ksloane said:


> If anyone does MyCokeRewards, I just found this reward on their site
> 
> Southwest Airlines® $20 Discount off Wanna Get Away fares
> 100 points
> 
> 
> $20 discount valid for one-time use at southwest.com or swabiz.com off the total amount of a Wanna Get Away roundtrip fare purchase before taxes and fees.
> Purchase must be made between November 1, 2010 and January 21, 2011 for travel November 8, 2010 through February 16, 2011.
> Blackout dates apply November 19, 2010 through November 29, 2010 and December 17, 2010 through January 3, 2011.  If any portion of travel falls on a blackout date, the discount will not apply.
> The discount is only valid with the provided Promotion Code and is not combinable with other Promotion Codes or fares available exclusively through the web tool DING!.
> This promotion includes only Wanna Get Away Fares.
> 7-day or more advance purchase may be required.
> Changes made to the itinerary after purchase may eliminate qualifications for this promotion.
> 
> Unfortunately for me, we're not traveling until after Feb 16, but maybe they'll have another one later on for July...going to keep a few hundred points banked at all times just in case



Oh no, I'm not sure how my son would feel about me using his points he's been collecting from the family.  He really is wanting a pair of headphones !


----------



## 5boyz

AngieInOH said:


> Oh no, I'm not sure how my son would feel about me using his points he's been collecting from the family.  He really is wanting a pair of headphones !



Ok I am bad.....I only drink Coke, I babysit for 2 seperate families that parents work at Coke, my brother works at Coke and I dont know what the MyCokeRewards are????? Please someone help?????


----------



## AngieInOH

5boyz said:


> Ok I am bad.....I only drink Coke, I babysit for 2 seperate families that parents work at Coke, my brother works at Coke and I dont know what the MyCokeRewards are????? Please someone help?????



I believe on the inside of lids and on the boxes of coke products there is a code (called my coke reward).  You set up an account and enter the code, which will give you points depending on the size of coke you purchased.  You can then redeem the points.  Or that's what my son describes it as!

Still need a World Market Code.  Really..... my son will not allow me to steal his My Coke Rewards!!


----------



## 5boyz

AngieInOH said:


> I believe on the inside of lids and on the boxes of coke products there is a code (called my coke reward).  You set up an account and enter the code, which will give you points depending on the size of coke you purchased.  You can then redeem the points.  Or that's what my son describes it as!
> 
> Still need a World Market Code.  Really..... my son will not allow me to steal his My Coke Rewards!!



Thank you!!!

That's a riot cuz they would take ours in a heartbeat......


----------



## ksloane

AngieInOH said:


> I believe on the inside of lids and on the boxes of coke products there is a code (called my coke reward).  You set up an account and enter the code, which will give you points depending on the size of coke you purchased.  You can then redeem the points.  Or that's what my son describes it as!




Thats exactly how it works


----------



## Markhamloco

Does anyone know if the worldmarket promo is available via online purchases?

I tried calling the tollfree number, but was not able to get through so I would like to find out before Nov. 6 when the promo ends.

Thanks

~M


----------



## NC State Tigger

If anyone has one they will not use, I am planning a trip December 11-14 and have still not purchased my tickets.  Was waiting to see if we could get a good Ding rate, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen.

Never been to a world market and am not sure that I can get to one before 11/6.  There is not one in my hometown....looks like the closest is in the Raleigh area.

With the 15% discount, it would make it affordable for our "short" trip. 

I'd also be interested in knowing if an "online purchase" would work to get the promo code.

TIA

Donna


----------



## disneemama

I have a SW Coke reward code if anybody needs one. I am going in Dec. but it didn't help with the flights I needed. First PM will get it.

Gone


----------



## JerseyTink

Has anyone ever had any luck extending their SW credits for an additional 6 months?


----------



## poochie

When does SW open flights for end of June and beginning of July?


----------



## Mom2Ben02

We are looking at airfare for Feb (just decided on a trip).  Looked 2 days ago, airfare was $79 each way..now it is $109.  What are the chances it will go back down?


----------



## traveljunkie

Hello,
I am so frustrated trying to get some good airline fares for March (right now I'm looking at $320pp and there's 6 of us).  I signed up for the SW card to get some free tickets.  Anyone sign up within the last month?  How long did it take to get your 32 credits posted to your account?  the website says 6-8 wks but when I activated my card, Chase said it's usually way faster than that.  Now she put hope in my heart  but what's realistic?  Any recent experiences??

Thanks!


----------



## VLee

traveljunkie said:


> Hello,
> I am so frustrated trying to get some good airline fares for March (right now I'm looking at $320pp and there's 6 of us).  I signed up for the SW card to get some free tickets.  Anyone sign up within the last month?  How long did it take to get your 32 credits posted to your account?  the website says 6-8 wks but when I activated my card, Chase said it's usually way faster than that.  Now she put hope in my heart  but what's realistic?  Any recent experiences??
> 
> Thanks!



My friend had her free flight in a very short period... less than a month after getting her card.  
Remember, just because you do get enough credits for a Award Flight, it does not mean that an award flight will be available on the day you need it.  Limited seats apply.   I just booked three award tickets and had to choose one flight (with stops) since all the others were unavailable.


----------



## VLee

I receive the free drink coupons with each Award Flight from SW.  On the last two batches that I received, I noticed that my name and an expiration date is on the drink coupons  (it never was before).

Does that mean that I cannot give my drink coupons away to friends and family?  I know you can book Award Travel for others, so it seems that you could give them your drink coupon as well.  Does anyone know?


----------



## traveljunkie

VLee said:


> My friend had her free flight in a very short period... less than a month after getting her card.
> Remember, just because you do get enough credits for a Award Flight, it does not mean that an award flight will be available on the day you need it.  Limited seats apply.   I just booked three award tickets and had to choose one flight (with stops) since all the others were unavailable.



thanks for the reply.  Yes, I know it's a huge gamble (which is stressing me out)  As it is, my return date is not available at all for awards.  I tried to convince DH to have me book the return flight and wait for the departure for when I get the credits.  He doesn't think it's a good idea in case we have to alter our dates.  We have to get 6 tickets and the prices are really high right now.  I'm hoping rates come down for all airlines after Thanksgiving.

Thanks again for replying.  Hopefully I'll get credit very soon.


----------



## srberubenh

If anyone has an extra code, I would appreciate it if you could PM me.  I had over 100+ coke rewards, but I guess they expire if you don't keep adding them.  Thanks!


----------



## nejjie

I've never flown before & honestly, I'm kind of freaking out LOL

I purchased my airfare for myself, my daughter and my mother months ago on Southwest's website. I couldn't beat the deal. But now, I am realizing.. heck what do I do with my print out confirmation? How do I check in? Why wasn't I issued seat numbers.. or sent tickets. All I have is the email confirmation and the confirmed itinerary that says my flight numbers, our passenger names and the flight times. So we will be flying out from Philadelphia.. what do I do? 

We are staying on-site, so I plan to use the luggage tags and DME. Because if not, I would be the person standing in the airport with a sign saying, "Help, I don't know where to go" LOL. Please help!


----------



## ksloane

nejjie said:


> I've never flown before & honestly, I'm kind of freaking out LOL
> 
> I purchased my airfare for myself, my daughter and my mother months ago on Southwest's website. I couldn't beat the deal. But now, I am realizing.. heck what do I do with my print out confirmation? How do I check in? Why wasn't I issued seat numbers.. or sent tickets. All I have is the email confirmation and the confirmed itinerary that says my flight numbers, our passenger names and the flight times. So we will be flying out from Philadelphia.. what do I do?
> 
> We are staying on-site, so I plan to use the luggage tags and DME. Because if not, I would be the person standing in the airport with a sign saying, "Help, I don't know where to go" LOL. Please help!



1. You will want to go to the Southwest website at the 24 hour mark before your flight and check in online.  At that time you will be given a Boarding Pass.  This boarding pass will have a letter and number on it (i.e. A 33).

2. Southwest doesn't have assigned seat numbers.  The number on your boarding pass will tell you the order to line up and seats are first come first serve.

3. You can print those boarding passes at home when you check in at the 24 hour mark or take your confirmation number with you and print them at the airport.


----------



## nejjie

ksloane said:


> 1. You will want to go to the Southwest website at the 24 hour mark before your flight and check in online.  At that time you will be given a Boarding Pass.  This boarding pass will have a letter and number on it (i.e. A 33).
> 
> 2. Southwest doesn't have assigned seat numbers.  The number on your boarding pass will tell you the order to line up and seats are first come first serve.
> 
> 3. You can print those boarding passes at home when you check in at the 24 hour mark or take your confirmation number with you and print them at the airport.



So my best bet for us to be able to sit together is to check in 24 hours on the dot... So we can be pretty ahead in the line, better chances of scoring seats together?


----------



## ksloane

nejjie said:


> So my best bet for us to be able to sit together is to check in 24 hours on the dot... So we can be pretty ahead in the line, better chances of scoring seats together?



Yes.  I have 2 daughters and by checking in at the 24 hour mark, the 3 of us have always been able to sit together.


----------



## ksloane

Also, if you want, you can pay $10 per ticket for "early bird check in" now and SW will check you in before the 24 hour mark ahead of the general public.  I have gotten to where I at least do that for return flights so I don't have to worry about checking in while at Disney.


----------



## nejjie

I might do the early bird check in for the flight home.  I just read online about family boarding between A and B. What is that?


----------



## ksloane

nejjie said:


> I might do the early bird check in for the flight home.  I just read online about family boarding between A and B. What is that?



It's for people with really young children. I can't remember the age though.


----------



## nejjie

I'm flying with a 4 yr old.. if anyone knows the age for family boarding - please let me know


----------



## mrsxsparrow

nejjie said:


> I'm flying with a 4 yr old.. if anyone knows the age for family boarding - please let me know



4 and under. But you'd be boarding between groups A and B so you'd still get better seat choices if you check in at the 24hour mark since you'd most likely get an A boarding pass.


----------



## nejjie

mrsxsparrow said:


> 4 and under. But you'd be boarding between groups A and B so you'd still get better seat choices if you check in at the 24hour mark since you'd most likely get an A boarding pass.



Thanks, I will be checking in on the 24hr mark  I guess its nice to have the family boarding to fall back on for the plane ride home. Especially since I will have to rely on the front desk to check me in. We will be in the parks around the 24 hr mark for the ride home. Can I leave it up to the front desk to check me in or do I have to call them to remind them at that exact time?


----------



## poochie

nejjie said:


> Thanks, I will be checking in on the 24hr mark  I guess its nice to have the family boarding to fall back on for the plane ride home. Especially since I will have to rely on the front desk to check me in. We will be in the parks around the 24 hr mark for the ride home. Can I leave it up to the front desk to check me in or do I have to call them to remind them at that exact time?



I would always check in at the Magic Kingdom City Hall  at the 24 hr mark. They are more than happy to do it for you.


----------



## NC State

ksloane said:


> Also, if you want, you can pay $10 per ticket for "early bird check in" now and SW will check you in before the 24 hour mark ahead of the general public.  I have gotten to where I at least do that for return flights so I don't have to worry about checking in while at Disney.



If you let SW check you in, how do you get your boarding pass?  We will be busy our last day and it would be nice not have to stop to check in.


----------



## ksloane

NC State said:


> If you let SW check you in, how do you get your boarding pass?  We will be busy our last day and it would be nice not have to stop to check in.



If you are staying on property, they can print it where you check your luggage.  If not, you can print it at the kiosk where you check your luggage at the airport. 

I've rarely printed mine at home even when I did check in.  I just wait and print the actual pass at the airport.

Easy as pie.


----------



## 5terre

I would love a code if anyone has one.  Today I finally found some decent SW prices on days that might work.


----------



## marypopfan

I would love a code also if anyone has one to spare.  Thanks


----------



## hsmamato2

is early checkin neccesary? on our flight down...if I get online at 24.00 ahead, think it will be ok? haven't done this before


----------



## ksloane

hsmamato2 said:


> is early checkin neccesary? on our flight down...if I get online at 24.00 ahead, think it will be ok? haven't done this before



I think it depends on how quickly you want on as well as where you are going and when.

A few weeks ago, I traveled with 2 friends. I paid for early checkin. They did not.  I loaded A33. They checked in at the 24 hour mark exactly (I was with them so I know this for sure) and they had B forty-something.


----------



## mackeymouse4eva

Has anyboby actually used the SW Coke reward? I was just wondering, once you reach 100 pts and select your reward...Do they email you a coupn code to use on SW??  Im cutting it tight on my booking time so I was hoping that this may be a quick email process...  TIA


----------



## *~PrincessBelle~*

If anyone has a code to share....much appreciated!


----------



## amandaraye

If anyone has a SW code valid for travel on March 26, 2011 I would GREATLY appreciate it.  It would be of great help with 5 of us traveling.  
I thought I could get a mycokerewards code, but apparently it is only good for travel through February.  
Thanks in advance!


----------



## peppermintpea

i would love a code for end of mar...thanks!


----------



## poochie

A code for end of June would also be appreciated.


----------



## ocalla

I would love to find a code good for travel March 3 - 9th!!

thanks in advance


----------



## sisaaliyah

Looking for a code too for March travel. Thanks in advance.


----------



## shinysparklybubbles

Looking for a code for may. Our return flights are insane! Oh please let them go down!!


----------



## diezal11

would love a code for March 4-16 if anyone has one thanks.


----------



## Mom2Ben02

looking for a March 2 - 8th code...I am becoming a SW price stalker


----------



## jenseib

Has there even been any codes since last summer (besides the coke rewards one?) Is it normal for SW to put out codes?


----------



## ms.ojo

I thought there was a place on SWA that indicated when travel would be bookable?   I'm looking for something after 8/13 and don't want to miss "opening" day for purchasing the fares.

Thanks!


----------



## CoachZ

Call 1-800-IFLYSWA and they will tell you when the next set of dates will be released.  They did it for me.


----------



## Camno's Mama

Hey everyone! I am looking for a code for either 3/26-4/2 or 5/7-5/14.


----------



## Mommy2JulietJocelyn

Anyone know how long it takes to post flight credits to your account ? I just rebooked our January flight with a discount code I didn't know I had so I canceled our existing reservation and want to book June flights for my daughters birthday trip.


----------



## Vandercapellen

I am traveling 5/30 till 6/06. I would appreciate a code if anyone has one they are not using.

Thank you


----------



## hhartill

Anyone have a code for travel 3/29 - 4/3?  I would appreciate any help.


----------



## AlwaysEeyore

Looking for a code for week of 2/7/11-2/11/11. PLEASE!!! I'm begging


----------



## jenseib

Mommy2JulietJocelyn said:


> Anyone know how long it takes to post flight credits to your account ? I just rebooked our January flight with a discount code I didn't know I had so I canceled our existing reservation and want to book June flights for my daughters birthday trip.



Where did you get the discount. I didn't think there were any discounts out right now.


----------



## pummillfamily

code for Feb. 12-17?  Much appreciated!


----------



## webworm

Hi, I'm travelling March 11 - 20th and if anyone has a SW Code I would really appreciate it. Thanks in Advance.


----------



## SnowWhite33

Looking for a discount code for travel June 8 or 15th. 

Please PM me, thank you


----------



## acpalmer

If anyone has a code for travel May 26-June 3, I would REALLY appreciate it!! 


Also, I have a coupon code to share if anyone is flying to and from Denver (it only works if your flight is to or from DIA) prior to May 25.  It is a 25% (yes, percent, not dollars) off code and there are a few blackout dates in late April (Easter week, it looks like).  You must book prior to March 31st and it is good only on ROUNDTRIP "Wanna Get Away?" fares.  I'd love to help someone out if they could use it.  PM me and I'll share.


----------



## Brigut107

We are traveling July 23 to 30th and would appreciate any Codes you may have.  Thank you!


----------



## dbarker

We are traveling June 1 - 12, 2011 and would appreciate any codes.  

We are flying from AUS to MCO.

TIA for all the help


----------



## Dreamscometrue09

Hello everybody! This is my first post.  I'm so glad I came across a site that is full of great information and references.
I am looking to see if anyone received the 25% off promo code from SWA for a round trip put of Philadelphia that they aren't using?
I would greatly appreciate if someone has one would PM it to me 

Thank you!


----------



## familydisney

We are flying Den to MCO 6/11-19...too bad we are missing the May window posted above...   If anyone knows of any codes or deals, I'd appreciate the help.  Thanks!


----------



## Raecat44

I know it is a long shot, but we were planning to drive from Maine 3/3-3/10 and then SW flights looked great so we started talking about flying, this weekend flights went up, so I was discouraged and tonight I find this amazing thread, so if anyone out there in this wonderful community has a code for those dates and would PM me, I would be so grateful.


----------



## minnie411

Looking For a SW code from Philadelphia in July.


----------



## Rash

Hoping for a code for Raleigh to Orlando in April. Thanks!


----------



## MartinaC

Hello Everyone,
I just came across this thread. Wow, it's wonderful. I was wondering how do people get codes from Southwest? This is the first time I have heard of it. 
Can someone educate a newbie.
I'm starting to look at airfare prices for our trip at the end of Augus 20-28. I do know that Southwest won't release those dates until I think the second week in Feb but, I was just looking to get a ballpark figure. 
Any advise? I would really appreciate any help.


----------



## mcd2745

I understand the next group of flights/fares will be released on Feb 8 (at least that is the anticipated date). Does anyone know what time the new flights become available on their site?


----------



## Sammy

Would love a promo code if anyone has an extra!   We are traveling the last week of Feb/first week of March.  Please PM me if you can!

Sammy


----------



## azlaura

I hope this post is okay...
I am trying to get a Southwest flight for my daughter's best friend to join us in Disney World this March and the prices are really high for the Southwest flights we have already booked.(back in Sept) I was wondering if someone may have some flight funds or code they won't be using and could share before the new rules take over  Any little bit will help bring the cost down would be great. Please PM me if you can help.
TIA
Laura


----------



## mapmakerj

We are flying SW for the 1st time in July.  If anyone has a promo code they are willing to share I would love one. We are flying from WI to San Diego July 9 or 10 thru 16 or 17.


----------



## klm7926

I'm not 100% sure what benefit these promo codes have but I would LOVE one to find out!  Flying from IND to MCO April 30-May 7.  TIA!!!!


----------



## dwcrosby1

If anyone has a code for SW flight from Greenville/Spartanburg to Orlando Sat 4/16-Thur 4/21, please let met know .


----------



## poochie

A promo code for end of June beginning of July from Buffalo to Orlando would be great. But has anyone really seen any codes??


----------



## 4DisneyNUTS

Hi I would love a code from Long Island to Orlando if anyone has one. I never received a code from them EVER. I have been flying with SW from day one.. If anyone has any ideas how to get a code please PM that too thanks We are travelling in May


----------



## Mommy2JulietJocelyn

jenseib said:


> Where did you get the discount. I didn't think there were any discounts out right now.



It was from a promotion for visiting Florida. If you mailed an e-postcard you got a promocode off roundtrip. It was a whjile ago and good til the end of January. I didn't use it before because I book one way at a time. I was able to get the same flights in the roundtrip and use the code. Saved about $30 total. Now I want to use the credit though. How can I tell if they have it availible now? Anyone?


----------



## 1disneychic

I'm looking for a code for BWI to MCO end of June.  If anyone has one they can share, I'd be very grateful.  I've been checking Southwest's site & the airfare just keeps going up--I've never seen it this high for this route!  Here's praying that the fare goes down.


----------



## 66Tink

1disneychic said:


> I'm looking for a code for BWI to MCO end of June.  If anyone has one they can share, I'd be very grateful.  I've been checking Southwest's site & the airfare just keeps going up--I've never seen it this high for this route!  Here's praying that the fare goes down.



I know what you mean...we have never paid more than 79 each way from Long Island to Orlando and now for our dates the fare is up to 129 each way! I am just waiting for our rapid reward statement to end this month to purchase the tickets because I should have another free flight so hopefully I will only have to buy one ticket...just hope the price does not go up again. Good luck


----------



## jenseib

I have noticed all airlines seem to be much higher this year.


----------



## Christine9125

When Flying Southwest, we have 2 teens, both 15, do they have to show any kind of ID (ie, birth certificate and such) or is the ID part just for people over 18?


----------



## disneemama

Nope, not until they are 18.


----------



## leahjade

When do the end of August rates go online for SWA?


----------



## 4our4kids

Looking for a code for February 28 -March 4 for the 5 of us R/T from Philadelphia if anyone has one.  Thanks!


----------



## GinCar

Flying out of Denver to MCO May 27-June 2nd.

Anything would be appreciated. Flights are crazy high, right now.
It is just the 2 of us, this time.

TIA


----------



## dvc at last !

leahjade said:


> When do the end of August rates go online for SWA?



I want to know this, too.  We are going to WDW Sept. 30th.


----------



## ACJT

Hi, looking for a code for May out of Buffalo.  Please PM if you have one,  Thanks


----------



## patink

ms.ojo said:


> I thought there was a place on SWA that indicated when travel would be bookable?   I'm looking for something after 8/13 and don't want to miss "opening" day for purchasing the fares.
> 
> Thanks!



From the SW webpage:

*Travel Tools

We are currently accepting air reservations through August 12, 2011. On February 8, we will open our schedule for sale through September 30, 2011. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.*

For future reference:
On the SW webpage upper right corner is a drop down for "Travel Tools"  click on that and choose "All Travel Tools" at the bottom.

The top of the page that comes up has when the next ticket prices will be released.

HTH


----------



## dvc at last !

patink said:


> From the SW webpage:
> 
> *Travel Tools
> 
> We are currently accepting air reservations through August 12, 2011. On February 8, we will open our schedule for sale through September 30, 2011. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.*
> 
> For future reference:
> On the SW webpage upper right corner is a drop down for "Travel Tools"  click on that and choose "All Travel Tools" at the bottom.
> 
> The top of the page that comes up has when the next ticket prices will be released.
> 
> HTH





Thanks for the info  !


----------



## allonte

Looking for anything!! please. These prices are ridiculous!


Leaving May 9-15 from Nashville. It's 3 of us round trip!


----------



## crcurton

Looking for anything...Leaving Little Rock June 25-July 1st,,,Thanks!


----------



## tripplanner2

Are there any codes out there?  I saw the one from last summer that gave $25 off a round trip ticket but nothing since.  I am missing something?  If so, I am going August 16 - 30 with 5 people, so help would be nice.


----------



## blauritsen

How do you get a Southwest code? I am willing to do the legwork, but don't know what to do! If anyone has a code to share, we are traveling from Chicago in May. Otherwise, we may end up driving!


----------



## dis2cruise

blauritsen said:


> How do you get a Southwest code? I am willing to do the legwork, but don't know what to do! If anyone has a code to share, we are traveling from Chicago in May. Otherwise, we may end up driving!



I never knew there was codes for southwest believe me a code 
would be great 
Sw fares have gone up but when you compare them to jet blue (the dates we are going ) jet blue is more expensive.  However...any $$ we can save is helpful!! We are flying out of islip, Ny in may....


----------



## mcd2745

dis2cruise said:


> I never knew there was codes for southwest believe me a code
> would be great
> Sw fares have gone up but when you compare them to jet blue (the dates we are going ) jet blue is more expensive.  However...any $$ we can save is helpful!! We are flying out of islip, Ny in may....




We live 5 minutes from JFK, but usually fly SW out of Islip. It's usually $100 or more per person cheaper (we're a family of 4) than Jet Blue or anyone lese - especially after baggage fees. Plus, it's so convenient once there. You check in at the curb and then get through security in a total of 15 minutes most times. Fortunately, I have relatives right near ISP, so they drop us off, keep my car on their driveway and pick us up when we return.

We're going down Aug 26-Sept3. Right now Jet Blue is $288 pp round trip out of JFK and Delta is $267 (plus baggage). We could do a little better if we wanted to waste both arrival and departure day with a late arrival and EARLY departure, but I refuse to do that. I'm hoping next week we can get SW for low $200s when they are released. But with oil proces spiking, It's probably a long shot.


----------



## DisneyLvr12

We have flown SW many times and I had no idea there were codes! Sweet!! Now, how do I get one?! Does anyone have one to spare for the end of Feb?! Tickets to Orlando are outrageous for the 4 of us.  I'd love any help with saving some cash for us! TIA!


----------



## Cherinva

Does anyone know if there are codes for the first week in April?  I can use all the discounts I can get...also, if there is a code, can it be used alone with some credits that I have?

Thanks in advance for any help.


----------



## melliemelo

I see post after post after post seeking codes...  has anyone been lucky enough to find one????


----------



## debdreamsofdis

I don't know if this has been posted here or not but if your Visa card says "Visa Signature" on it, you can get a code for 15% off your SWA flight.

15% discount valid for use at southwest.com or swabiz.com off the total amount of a roundtrip Wanna Get Away fare purchase before taxes and fees, once Visa Signature® consumer credit card has been verified on visa.com/signature

One promo code per cardholder. Purchase must be made between January 20, 2011 and April 30, 2011 for travel January 20, 2011 through June 1, 2011.

Hope this helps!

https://usa.visa.com/signaturesouth...lickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2592347


----------



## coastgirl

deleted, sorry.


----------



## Carol23

I also need codes.  We are leaving 4/15! from Hartford, CT (or new haven, ct or new york....) the lowest I've found is jet blue for 358 going down and 424 returning.  Dates aren't that flexible due to school... (I wish they were, 200 LESS leaving two days earlier!)  Thanks!


----------



## taymorel

jenseib said:


> I have noticed all airlines seem to be much higher this year.




I have also and it is very discouraging. I am still waiting to see if I can find cheaper flights from Birmingham to Orlanda. It is strange but Delta is cheaper than SW. But, I prefer to travel on SW.



caroline


----------



## MapleGirl

I could also use a code.  I'm looking to visit my sister in Minneapolis, MN at the end of April/beginnng of May.  I'll be flying out of Boston or Providence.  Any help is appreciated.  I think I'll ask for help on the main transportation board too in case anyone is bored and wonderful enough to find a cheap flight for me.  So far the best I could find is just over $250.


----------



## Akliebert

I would also like to know how you get codes. We are flying out of New Orleans and into Orlando Sept. 23. Please let me know how you get codes. The flights are a lot more than when we flew last year.


----------



## minnie411

SW has a deal going on their website that if you get their credit card you get two free round trip tickets.  It has a $59 yearly fee, $10 fee for each ticket.  You get the tickets after the first use of the card.  Maybe of interest to some of you.  There is a thread about this.  Not sure the link.


----------



## csummerlin55

I'm also looking for SW codes for immediate purchase and May travel. Does anyone have one they'd like to donate?


----------



## ksloane

No codes, but after posting about my great deal today many checked their flights and got deals as well....

my flights were less than half the price they've been for the last 2 months today. Check your flights and you may be ready to book or being able to earn some credits.


----------



## csummerlin55

ksloane said:


> No codes, but after posting about my great deal today many checked their flights and got deals as well....
> 
> my flights were less than half the price they've been for the last 2 months today. Check your flights and you may be ready to book or being able to earn some credits.



I checked mine and they are only about $20 less than what I had seen in the past. Hopefully my luck will soon sway the way yours did today.


----------



## andychris14

mcd2745 said:


> We live 5 minutes from JFK, but usually fly SW out of Islip. It's usually $100 or more per person cheaper (we're a family of 4) than Jet Blue or anyone lese - especially after baggage fees. Plus, it's so convenient once there. You check in at the curb and then get through security in a total of 15 minutes most times. Fortunately, I have relatives right near ISP, so they drop us off, keep my car on their driveway and pick us up when we return.
> 
> We're going down Aug 26-Sept3. Right now Jet Blue is $288 pp round trip out of JFK and Delta is $267 (plus baggage). We could do a little better if we wanted to waste both arrival and departure day with a late arrival and EARLY departure, but I refuse to do that. I'm hoping next week we can get SW for low $200s when they are released. But with oil proces spiking, It's probably a long shot.



We live in queens also and have never flown on sw but will if the price is right. I can not believe how high the prices are . We are a family of 4 and our dates are similar to yours.
Are there any codes or should we wait? The prices are ridiculous!!!


----------



## 1GR8DISNEYFAN

I have a question about cancellation policy.  If a have RT flight from LAX to MCO that cost $350 and I cancel and rebook a flight from LAX to BOS that cost $250, does the extra $ get banked in my account so I can use it towards another flight?


----------



## dvc at last !

1GR8DISNEYFAN said:


> I have a question about cancellation policy.  If a have RT flight from LAX to MCO that cost $350 and I cancel and rebook a flight from LAX to BOS that cost $250, does the extra $ get banked in my account so I can use it towards another flight?



From my experience you must use the $100 credit one year from the original date you made your LAX to MCO flight and you will be fine.
Also you are the only person allowed to use the credit.


----------



## Disney-smelts

Is this Visa offer something they do often?  I'm in the process of getting Southwest tix for end of sept- Oct. Right now Southwest doesn't go beyond Sept 30th. I have to wait until March 14th when they open up my return trip. Cust Serv told me to book the outbound now, since it is September, and book return on the 14th. but if Visa Signature puts a new one available for 2nd half of year (the current one is travel thru June) maybe I will wait.


----------



## poochie

A couple of questions. 

1. Is early checkin worh it? Did you find your seating order is any better than your 24hr checkin?

2. Child reservations, or they cheaper than the Wanna Get Away fares?


----------



## pooh4evr

We usually get the EBCI - because we have 3 kids, I would normally check in at the 24 hr mark but I don't want to take the chance we wont get to sit together- a slim chance yes but you never know (they are all over 4 so no family boarding for us anymore-  there probably isn't a BIG difference in #s  some people just do the early check in for 1 in their party and they hold a seat for the rest but some flight attendants wont let you hold seats, and some just do it for the flight home so you dont have to worry about it while enjoying your vacation  - and i dont think there is a child price ticet 2 and over are adult price


----------



## amarberry

I booked for the first time on Southwest for an upcoming trip last week.  I saw today that the fares have gone down slightly for our flights.  I know I have seen references on the boards about being able to get a credit if the cost of your SW tickets go down.  What's the deal with that and is there any catch?  Is there any fee?  Am I allowed to do this more than once (if the prices go down again)?  Can I use the credit towards the EBCI?

Thanks!


----------



## brenda1966

Can someone please tell me where on the SW site can I find the date on when they will open up fall sales?  I swear every time I try to look for it I cannot find it!  They have it buried deep.


----------



## brenda1966

amarberry said:


> I booked for the first time on Southwest for an upcoming trip last week.  I saw today that the fares have gone down slightly for our flights.  I know I have seen references on the boards about being able to get a credit if the cost of your SW tickets go down.  What's the deal with that and is there any catch?  Is there any fee?  Am I allowed to do this more than once (if the prices go down again)?  Can I use the credit towards the EBCI?
> 
> Thanks!



No, you cannot use the credit towards early  booking.  You can only use the credit to book another flight, for the exact same person, and that flight must fly within 1 year of your original booking date.  So, the credits are really only good if you fly frequently.  That's the catch.


----------



## DizDragonfly

brenda1966 said:


> Can someone please tell me where on the SW site can I find the date on when they will open up fall sales?  I swear every time I try to look for it I cannot find it!  They have it buried deep.



There's a little tiny drop down box in the upper right hand corner of the homepage that says "Travel Tools".  Click it and choose the last option, "View all Travel Tools".  At the top of the page it reads, "We are currently accepting air reservations through September 30, 2011.  On March 14, we will open our schedule for sale through November 4,  2011. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently."

Hope that helps.


----------



## DizDragonfly

brenda1966 said:


> You can only use the credit to book another flight, for the exact same person,



Last I heard that policy change was suspended (due to IT issues, I think).  Now, with all the changes that Southwest just made today, they could have put it in place.  But, I couldn't find anything on their website to indicate that it had changed.


----------



## ksloane

DizDragonfly said:


> At the top of the page it reads, "We are currently accepting air reservations through September 30, 2011.  On March 14, we will open our schedule for sale through November 4,  2011. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently."
> 
> Hope that helps.



Does anyone have a prediction of when December airfare will open up? That's the next ones I have to buy I think...


----------



## Sue (mom of 3 boys!)

I noticed the flight schedules changed and are drastically reduced between this past January and as far out as booking goes (Sept).  Is this typical, and should I expect them to get similar to this past January for next January?  We are traveling in January, but the times from/to our airport in Sept don't work for us at all, and if they are the same in January we have to look elsewhere. Do they usually have more flights from the Northeast in the winter, or should I start to look elsewhere?

Sorry for the long-winded question...I am not sure if it's even clearly asked lol!


----------



## brenda1966

DizDragonfly said:


> Last I heard that policy change was suspended (due to IT issues, I think).  Now, with all the changes that Southwest just made today, they could have put it in place.  But, I couldn't find anything on their website to indicate that it had changed.




Really?  so their proposed change to force you to use a credit only for the same name was not implemented?  I hadn't really kept up!

I had a couple of credits expire on me because I didn't want my new reservation backdated so far. I think the Date stamp is the really big gotcha for credits.


----------



## DizDragonfly

brenda1966 said:


> Really?  so their proposed change to force you to use a credit only for the same name was not implemented?  I hadn't really kept up!
> 
> I had a couple of credits expire on me because I didn't want my new reservation backdated so far. I think the Date stamp is the really big gotcha for credits.



Yes, I've heard the "same name" policy was postponed.  I haven't seen anything about it in the last couple of days, so I don't know if they were able to put it in place with this new system "upgrade".  

Yeah, if you don't fly frequently the date thing can cause trouble.  A few years ago our flight prices dropped and we were able to pool our credits and gave them to my mom for Christmas.  She was _thrilled_!


----------



## VLee

I have received lots of coupons for free drinks on SW flights.  The last few batches actually list my name and have an expiration date (whereas the others do not list names nor expirations).
Does anyone know if the coupons can be given to friends before they expire as there is no way I can use them all.


----------



## Mufasa&Simba

I am looking for a promo code to use (MKE to MCO) on May 4- May 10th.... thanks in advance!


----------



## Mufasa&Simba

PS- I'm looking for a flight only code. I've tried to search for one myself, but they all seems to be for packages.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

I am looking for a SW code for a May/June trip. If you have one to spare I would greatly appreciate it. Please PM if you have one. 
TIA


----------



## csummerlin55

Mufasa&Simba said:


> PS- I'm looking for a flight only code. I've tried to search for one myself, but they all seems to be for packages.



Me too. I'm looking for SDF to MCO flight only for 5/10-5/14


----------



## Corinne

I have never seen a code other than the visit Florida code from last year. I need a code for late May/early June...anyone????


----------



## TJG2011

If anyone has a Southwest code to share, please let me know.  Need flights from Nashville to MCO in May. Thanks!


----------



## jenseib

Corinne said:


> I have never seen a code other than the visit Florida code from last year. I need a code for late May/early June...anyone????



No. I don't think anyone does post codes here. I think this was started last year when there were codes going out from SW.  But it seems that NOTHING is going out anymore. A few have randomly found some and posted how to get it, but it sounds like SW isn't putting amny out anymore.

Your best bet is to sign up for SW emails and watch the transportation boards


----------



## Corinne

Thanks for the reply!


----------



## jrsjeff

jenseib said:


> No. I don't think anyone does post codes here. I think this was started last year when there were codes going out from SW.  But it seems that NOTHING is going out anymore. A few have randomly found some and posted how to get it, but it sounds like SW isn't putting amny out anymore.
> 
> Your best bet is to sign up for SW emails and watch the transportation boards



visa is offerng 15% of round trip - have to book by 4/30 and fly by June 1 - just good visa southwest 15% discount - you need a visa signature card I think


----------



## 1tufgt

It would be nice if visit Florida does another promotion like they did last year.


----------



## 5boyz

1tufgt said:


> It would be nice if visit Florida does another promotion like they did last year.



That would be awesome!!! I only have one leg of our trip to book now...


----------



## YCNUT

need sw code for buffalo to little rock!!


----------



## ksloane

$40 for $80 Toward a Wanna Get Away Roundtrip Ticket Between Newark and Any Southwest Destination from Southwest Airlines 

Groupon - Today ONLY!
http://www.groupon.com/deals/southwest-new-york?c=dnb&p=3


----------



## Nutz4Goofy

Has anyone ever gotten a code from Albany to MCO?  Looking for one...any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!


----------



## Wish Upon A Star

Anyone have a promo code they'd be willing to share?  Looking at end of May to travel . . .

Thanks.


----------



## satorifound

I am seriously in need of a southwest code.  Tickets have doubled since two years ago.


----------



## Glendamax

Hey DISers! Please hook me up! Looking for car rental and Southwest codes for September! HELP!


----------



## maryj11

Is there any codes right now


----------



## goNsoon2WDW

Hi all - I am hoping that someone might be able to hook me up with a Southwest Code.  I can't believe how the prices for airfare have skyrocketed since our last trip.  
TIA


----------



## Glendamax

Take a look at Southwest today. For me, flying out of Baltimore, the flights are cheaper, even without a code. Good Luck!


----------



## Sue (mom of 3 boys!)

New schedule is up.  The MHT schedule/prices were nothing great, but we were able to book.  We were hoping for better times/prices than we got, but it could definitely have been worse.


----------



## goNsoon2WDW

Glendamax said:


> Take a look at Southwest today. For me, flying out of Baltimore, the flights are cheaper, even without a code. Good Luck!



I am glad that you were able to get cheaper flights.  Unfortunately, we are still at $148 and $194.  Ouch!  I will keep my fingers crossed that they drop soon.  Thanks.


----------



## Glendamax

Do check again on tomorrow. Sometimes the prices drop on Tuesdays.


----------



## goNsoon2WDW

Glendamax said:


> Do check again on tomorrow. Sometimes the prices drop on Tuesdays.



Will do.  My fingers are crossed.  
Thanks.


----------



## jenseib

goNsoon2WDW said:


> I am glad that you were able to get cheaper flights.  Unfortunately, we are still at $148 and $194.  Ouch!  I will keep my fingers crossed that they drop soon.  Thanks.



If youare getting 148 round trip that fabulous...but one way..not so much


----------



## goNsoon2WDW

jenseib said:


> If youare getting 148 round trip that fabulous...but one way..not so much



It would be $148 down there and $194 back totalling $342 roundtrip   (plus fees and whatever).  This is way too much!  Last year we were able to get $79 each way.  I was just hoping for closer to $200 roundtrip, but it looks like we are going to be out of luck.  Why do they keep advertising the $59 flights when there aren't any availalbe for ANY flights from KC to Orlando?  AUGH!


----------



## jenseib

goNsoon2WDW said:


> It would be $148 down there and $194 back totalling $342 roundtrip   (plus fees and whatever).  This is way too much!  Last year we were able to get $79 each way.  I was just hoping for closer to $200 roundtrip, but it looks like we are going to be out of luck.  Why do they keep advertising the $59 flights when there aren't any availalbe for ANY flights from KC to Orlando?  AUGH!



I know what you mean. I am booked to go in Aug for $275 with a bag on Spirit. That was the cheapest I could find (direct from Detroit).  I saw SW was having a sale and looked to see about flying out of Columbus, thinking I could handle the 115 cancelation fee with spirit and still make out with SW. And also thought I would add a day...but the flights are 133 each way. I can't find any of the 59 flights.


----------



## bande

I'm looking for codes for Feb. 2012 for SW and also for car rental if anyone has some. Thanks so much.


----------



## goofy4tink

You know...to be perfectly honest, I haven't seen any codes for SW in a very long time. Yes, the fares have gone up....and I doubt we are going to see a huge number of those $59 each way fares to the most popular destinations being offered a lot.
So, plan accordingly.


----------



## jenseib

bande said:


> I'm looking for codes for Feb. 2012 for SW and also for car rental if anyone has some. Thanks so much.



You can get car rental codes on mousesavers


----------



## Buffman

goNsoon2WDW said:


> It would be $148 down there and $194 back totalling $342 roundtrip   (plus fees and whatever).  This is way too much!  Last year we were able to get $79 each way.  I was just hoping for closer to $200 roundtrip, but it looks like we are going to be out of luck.  Why do they keep advertising the $59 flights when there aren't any availalbe for ANY flights from KC to Orlando?  AUGH!



Have the same problem flying out of Buffalo. With 6 of us trying to go over the Thanksgiving week, I can get out the previous Saturday for $128, but the returns kill us at $233 at best. Considering option of SWA to Orlando, and then Direct Air back to Niagara Falls (20 mi from BUF), but taxis/shuttles may eat any savings.
Hard to believe the last Thanksgiving trip 2 years ago, the price was half.


----------



## txsoccermom

When do you think SWA will open flights/rates for June?  I think last yr, someone said they have flights 6 mos out, or something like that?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!


----------



## gokdog

After checking out the awesome Free dining plan option at WDW, we have booked Disneyworld and cancelled our Disneyland plans, as a result I now need some help with a 6 person air booking from Denver to Orlando, 14-21 December.

Based on what I am seeing so far, it seems early still?


----------



## Dizneydaz

gokdog said:


> After checking out the awesome Free dining plan option at WDW, we have booked Disneyworld and cancelled our Disneyland plans, as a result I now need some help with a 6 person air booking from Denver to Orlando, 14-21 December.
> 
> Based on what I am seeing so far, it seems early still?



Maybe not.

Found this on SW today

Depart
Dec
14
	Denver, CO to Orlando, FL
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Travel Time 3 h 30 m
(Nonstop) 	
#2487 	Depart Denver, CO (DEN)
	12:10 PM
  	Arrive in Orlando, FL (MCO) 	5:40 PM

Return
Dec
21
	Orlando, FL to Denver, CO
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Travel Time 6 h 15 m
(1 stop, includes 1 plane change) 	
#194 	Depart Orlando, FL (MCO)
	10:55 AM
  	Arrive in Columbus, OH (CMH) 	1:10 PM
#353 	Change connect, change plane in Columbus, OH (CMH)
	1:55 PM
  	Arrive in Denver, CO (DEN) 	3:10 PM

Total $2581. for 6 RT.  Each leg I selected was $199. Going to MCO is non-stop. Return has change. There are non-stops returning but for more $$

Prices may still come down you are about 4 months off.  However, if you book on SW and the fare drops you can rebook and you'll have a SW credit that you can use (within 1 year). Also, SW still allows 2 free checked bags, per person. Going in Dec. you'll want to bring cold weather clothes.


----------



## rbork

? regarding SWA drink coupons.  A friend of mine gave me some of her drink coupons.  They are the new multi color ones and have her name of them.  Can I use them or do they have to be used by her since they have her name of them?  Thank you in advance.


----------



## bluenosemickey

I'm waiting, along with many others, for the March 10+ dates to be released tomorrow (Sept 5). What time of day are they typically released?


----------



## jenseib

bluenosemickey said:


> I'm waiting, along with many others, for the March 10+ dates to be released tomorrow (Sept 5). What time of day are they typically released?



Someone told me around midnight, but I never looed to see if that was true


----------



## bluenosemickey

Thanks we'll see.


----------



## cassie58

I don't know if this has been asked on here before - could not find it by searching - so I apologize if it is repetitive.  Has anyone bought more RR points to be able to buy all flights with points?  We will have the 50,000 pts. that come w/the Visa card, which would have covered all 4 flights for the prices the last few weeks, but prices have started to go up while waiting for the pts. to come through, so we may need about 4,000 extra if we want to book them all at once - it looks like it will cost $100, and the extra leg we'd have to pay for would be $89-111, so it seems reasonable.  Just wanted to see if anyone had experience w/this.  

Also, I read somewhere that the fees are less when you use pts?  Not sure if that's accurate, so any info. on that would be helpful as well.  TIA!

cassie58
11/08-ASMo & Timeshare
8/09-CSR
11/11-CSR


----------



## erin1715

Hi all, I recently received the SW 50,000 points for opening a CC.  I am looking to book 2 round trip flights in December, however, I'm not 100% sure I will be able to take this trip.  If I were to book the flights with my points and then cancel, would those points go back into my bank of points that essentially dont' expire OR is it like any other booking in that they would credit me for the flight and I would have to use them within 1 year?  Does anyone know?


----------



## hsmamato2

I have a question- we are taking a 2 leg flight, with a layover- if I check us in for our first leg from home, are we automatically checked in for the 2nd leg? or do I need to do the 2nd one at the right time later in the day?


----------



## 1tufgt

hsmamato2 said:


> I have a question- we are taking a 2 leg flight, with a layover- if I check us in for our first leg from home, are we automatically checked in for the 2nd leg? or do I need to do the 2nd one at the right time later in the day?



Yes, you will have 2 boarding passes.


----------



## hsmamato2

oh....another question _ I have the worst memory.... How do I see the early bird checkin? I know I purchased it a while back for our flights home- but it isn't evident anywhere.....when I input the info on the SW site, it says I'm inelgoble to purchase,or have already purchased. does this mean a conf. that I did (remember) to do it?


----------



## bigsis1970

Hello - any idea's on when the next part of the schedule will open up --- Our HS varsity Softball team is playing in the WWoS 4/7 - 4/14 2012 and of course only the 7th is up now.. Thanks for any help  Michelle


----------



## Nikki120683

Hey everyone, I'm Nikki! I've been reading posts for a few days but this is the first one I've written!   I will be taking a solo trip to sunny FL 01/21/12 - 01/28/12 so I can act like a complete child @ WWHP...I'm super excited!  I've been doing the same search on Southwest for a week straight and I keep getting the same price for the RT tix. I was told, by a not so reliable source, that I should buy the tix now because they are only going to go up. I was wondering what ya'll think? I'll be flying from Providence (PVD) and I want to take the 6:45 a.m. flight out for $129 (as of right now) and the 6:45 p.m. flight back for $146 (as of right now). Sould I buy now or wait to see if the price drops? TIA!


----------



## BitsnBearsMom

Haven't flown Southwest for a long time so have a question..... I see there is an option for early bird check in - I'm travelling with dh, myself, 17 and 11yo ds' leaving BUF at 6:55 on a Thursday night before Canadian Thanksgiving.... Do you think I would need the early bird check in or would we be ok to get seats together without it?  Same for coming home from MCO - leaving there at 7:15pm.

AND if we do go with the early bird check in do we have to check ourselves in at the 36 hrs out or do they do it automatically?

Thanks!


----------



## 3happydancers

BitsnBearsMom said:


> Haven't flown Southwest for a long time so have a question..... I see there is an option for early bird check in - I'm travelling with dh, myself, 17 and 11yo ds' leaving BUF at 6:55 on a Thursday night before Canadian Thanksgiving.... Do you think I would need the early bird check in or would we be ok to get seats together without it?  Same for coming home from MCO - leaving there at 7:15pm.
> 
> AND if we do go with the early bird check in do we have to check ourselves in at the 36 hrs out or do they do it automatically?
> 
> Thanks!



I can't comment whether or not you will need the early bird check in but I do know that if you have early bird check in, SWA checks you in.  You do not have to watch the clock.  We did it coming home this past August.  When we checked our luggage in the morning or departure, they printed our boarding passes and off we were.


----------



## CJK

Hi all!  I haven't flown Southwest for a few years now, but I'm considering it for our February trip.  I will need to buy 2 one-way flights where I fly to Tampa one way, but fly home from the Orlando airport.  Current lowest cost is $148 to Tampa and $110 back from Orlando.  Are these good prices now?  On my last flight, it cost $89 each leg.  Are those days gone now?


----------



## stpats317

Does anyone know if you can pay for early bird with SW account credits?  The price has dropped twice on our tickets and I have taken advantage of that and I'm thinking of using that credit to pay for early bird.


----------



## stpats317

Nikki120683 said:


> Hey everyone, I'm Nikki! I've been reading posts for a few days but this is the first one I've written!   I will be taking a solo trip to sunny FL 01/21/12 - 01/28/12 so I can act like a complete child @ WWHP...I'm super excited!  I've been doing the same search on Southwest for a week straight and I keep getting the same price for the RT tix. I was told, by a not so reliable source, that I should buy the tix now because they are only going to go up. I was wondering what ya'll think? I'll be flying from Providence (PVD) and I want to take the 6:45 a.m. flight out for $129 (as of right now) and the 6:45 p.m. flight back for $146 (as of right now). Sould I buy now or wait to see if the price drops? TIA!



I booked our November flights in early September and the prices has dropped twice since I booked.  You can go into that reservation, pick the same flights and you will receive an account credit for the difference in price.


----------



## 5Dreamers

Hello, looking for updated info on the following:
1.  We will be flying with Southwest for the fist time in May 2012 and were also wondering if it is worth the $10pp for the 'EarlyBird Check-in".  There will be 5 of us (2 adults, 3 kids) and I'm a little worried about getting seats together.  Does anyone have experience they could share?

2. While travelling we won't be able to check-in till we get to the airport for our 2nd and 3rd flights.  Is this OK or will we run into problems?

3. As previously asked and not yet answered, we also would like to know if any credits can be applied toward purchasing the 'EarlyBird Check-in".

4. Lastly, if you buy the "EarlyBird Check-in" for 1 person of the 5, can they 'hold' the seats for the rest of us?

Thanks in advance!


----------



## bigsis1970

Fare are out till June 1st.  our softball group is holding 40 tickets and we got a group discount.


----------



## ddluvsdisney

Nikki120683 said:


> Hey everyone, I'm Nikki! I've been reading posts for a few days but this is the first one I've written!   I will be taking a solo trip to sunny FL 01/21/12 - 01/28/12 so I can act like a complete child @ WWHP...I'm super excited!  I've been doing the same search on Southwest for a week straight and I keep getting the same price for the RT tix. I was told, by a not so reliable source, that I should buy the tix now because they are only going to go up. I was wondering what ya'll think? I'll be flying from Providence (PVD) and I want to take the 6:45 a.m. flight out for $129 (as of right now) and the 6:45 p.m. flight back for $146 (as of right now). Sould I buy now or wait to see if the price drops? TIA!



We always fly SW out of PVD. My experience is the fares always go up not down. I don't know why but this seems to happen more in the northeast. I was having a conversation here on the Dis w/ someone out west and it is the opposite there- flights tend to go down. Someone else from New England chimed in and agreed. Can't understand this. Everytime I buy flights, by the end of the day the flights have gone up by like $20 or more. Even when I bought my flights the other day they went up $20 during the process of purchasing them- NOT FAIR!!

So I would say buy NOW!!!!


----------



## cricketgirl

Was not able to use any credit towards early bird Check in. I called and was told that was a seperate thing. My credit was only good for a flight.


----------



## 1tufgt

cricketgirl said:


> Was not able to use any credit towards early bird Check in. I called and was told that was a seperate thing. My credit was only good for a flight.



Yes credits are only good towards flights. You can't use them for EBCI.


----------



## Rekenna

Hi! Flying SW very soon and I paid for EB check-in for our RT flights. So I know we don't have to check in b/c it takes care of it for us. And for our flight to Orlando I can print the boarding passes at home. 

What about when we are returning home? _I understand we are "checked in", but then do we need to wait until we are at the airport to print our boarding passes? I'm guessing we can't get them printed at the resort? (We are staying POR with a rental car-no DME)._ Can we check our bags at the curb at MCO and then go to a kiosk to print our boarding passes? 

I'm recalling my last trip in March with my sister, she and I flew SW and didn't have boarding passes before we got to the airport and we had to stand in line for over an hour to check our luggage and have our boarding passes printed-so I would like to avoid this at all costs...as you can tell I don't fly very often and I am not very good with the logistics of how all this flows. 

Thanks for your help and advice!


----------



## 1tufgt

Rekenna said:


> Hi! Flying SW very soon and I paid for EB check-in for our RT flights. So I know we don't have to check in b/c it takes care of it for us. And for our flight to Orlando I can print the boarding passes at home.
> 
> What about when we are returning home? _I understand we are "checked in", but then do we need to wait until we are at the airport to print our boarding passes? I'm guessing we can't get them printed at the resort? (We are staying POR with a rental car-no DME)._ Can we check our bags at the curb at MCO and then go to a kiosk to print our boarding passes?
> 
> I'm recalling my last trip in March with my sister, she and I flew SW and didn't have boarding passes before we got to the airport and we had to stand in line for over an hour to check our luggage and have our boarding passes printed-so I would like to avoid this at all costs...as you can tell I don't fly very often and I am not very good with the logistics of how all this flows.
> 
> Thanks for your help and advice!



So you bought EBCI for both inbound and outbound flight?  If so you are good to go. As far as printing passes that can be done at the resort by the concierge. if you have to check in luggage you will need to stand in line anyways so it wouldn't add time.


----------



## Rekenna

1tufgt said:


> So you bought EBCI for both inbound and outbound flight?  If so you are good to go. As far as printing passes that can be done at the resort by the concierge. if you have to check in luggage you will need to stand in line anyways so it wouldn't add time.



Thanks! Yes, we have EB for going to MCO and leaving MCO. I guess I thought I could only get concierge service at Deluxe-so sweet that I can get it at POR as well (apparently I am not using all the amenities available at WDW resorts)! 

Can you do curbside checkin for your luggage so you don't have to wait in line? We have done this in the past (I can't remember why we didn't do this in March-I guess we had a reason? )


----------



## tnccon

Help.... Does anyone know if I purchased flights with Southwest giftcards and have to cancel and rebook, does the credit just go into my travel funds or does it go back on the giftcards?   TIA for your help.


----------



## rackerlee92

Hey all~

The cost of our flights just went down.  I went on SW and utilized the new cost.  The message said that the difference (only $10 per ticket) was non-refundable.  What does that mean?

Thanks!


----------



## patink

rackerlee92 said:


> Hey all~
> 
> The cost of our flights just went down.  I went on SW and utilized the new cost.  The message said that the difference (only $10 per ticket) was non-refundable.  What does that mean?
> 
> Thanks!



I think you should get SW credit that is good for a year from the original booking date.  So you don't get a "refund" (get the $$ back), but you should get credit on your account.  HTH


----------



## encinc

Does anyone know how boarding numbers are assigned for those who have purchased Early Bird Check In? Is it random? By date of ticket purchase? By date of EBCI purchase? We're flying next week, and I didn't buy the EBCI. I'm now having second thoughts, but if it's by date of EBCI purchase, it may not be worth our while. I can check in right at 24 hours before our flight, and there are only two of us traveling.


----------



## rw_hadley

Apologies if this has been asked before, or elsewhere, but any clues when SW might open bookings past June 1, 2012?
(We're headed to FL in July next year.)


----------



## disneegrl4eva

I heard that SW now gives free drinks in flight..is that true or do they still use coupons???


----------



## 1tufgt

disneegrl4eva said:


> I heard that SW now gives free drinks in flight..is that true or do they still use coupons???



On my recent flight they still charged for drinks unless you did have a coupon to exchange.


----------



## MomiTo2SwtGuys

rw_hadley said:


> Apologies if this has been asked before, or elsewhere, but any clues when SW might open bookings past June 1, 2012?
> (We're headed to FL in July next year.)


 
Curious about the same thing.  I looked this morning and it wouldn't go past the 1st of June.  I need the 3rd.  Oh well, guess I should be patient.


----------



## rw_hadley

MomiTo2SwtGuys said:


> Curious about the same thing.  I looked this morning and it wouldn't go past the 1st of June.  I need the 3rd.  Oh well, guess I should be patient.



Finally found the following on Southwest's site:
"On November 13, we will open our schedule for sale through August 10, 2012. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently."


----------



## ddluvsdisney

disneegrl4eva said:


> I heard that SW now gives free drinks in flight..is that true or do they still use coupons???



I fly SW once a year and I have NEVER paid for a drink or snack. They give a choice of soda, juice, water and a bag of snacks. The snacks change sometimes cookies, peanuts or crackers usually nabisco 100 calorie packs.


----------



## ddluvsdisney

1tufgt said:


> On my recent flight they still charged for drinks unless you did have a coupon to exchange.



How long ago was your flight? It must have been a long time.


----------



## barbeml

Deleted...I think I found my answer.


----------



## FlowersCroon

I fly Southwest between Northern California and Southern California often (last trip was last month) - I have never been charged for a non-alcoholic beverage. To my knowledge they are not charging for sodas/waters/juices.

You can use credit card/debit card to pay for alcohol - but not cash. You can also use drink coupons for alcohol, but not the old ones. They only accept the new ones with the names printed on them.


----------



## ShelsGoingToDisney

Found this on another board. You can get a $25 off code to use for travel between September 8, 2011 and January 30, 2012.
Blackout dates apply November 22 through November 29, 2011, and December 15, 2011 through January 2, 2012.  If any portion of travel falls on a blackout date, the discount will not apply.

http://www.visitflorida.com/share/swa.php

I did this a couple years ago and got codes for everyone in my family using different email addresses. Hope this can help someone!


----------



## scammermom

ShelsGoingToDisney said:


> Found this on another board. You can get a $25 off code to use for travel between September 8, 2011 and January 30, 2012.
> Blackout dates apply November 22 through November 29, 2011, and December 15, 2011 through January 2, 2012.  If any portion of travel falls on a blackout date, the discount will not apply.
> 
> http://www.visitflorida.com/share/swa.php
> 
> I did this a couple years ago and got codes for everyone in my family using different email addresses. Hope this can help someone!




This is great!  Thanks!

Do you know how long it takes for them to send out the codes?


----------



## ShelsGoingToDisney

scammermom said:


> This is great!  Thanks!
> 
> Do you know how long it takes for them to send out the codes?



When they did this promo in July 2010 it took a week or so. I remember I was going to give up and then they all appeared in my emails! It does say on the site it takes 7 days.


----------



## kellicb

ShelsGoingToDisney said:


> Found this on another board. You can get a $25 off code to use for travel between September 8, 2011 and January 30, 2012.
> Blackout dates apply November 22 through November 29, 2011, and December 15, 2011 through January 2, 2012.  If any portion of travel falls on a blackout date, the discount will not apply.
> 
> http://www.visitflorida.com/share/swa.php
> 
> I did this a couple years ago and got codes for everyone in my family using different email addresses. Hope this can help someone!



Thanks, I just tried it


----------



## scammermom

ShelsGoingToDisney said:


> When they did this promo in July 2010 it took a week or so. I remember I was going to give up and then they all appeared in my emails! It does say on the site it takes 7 days.



Thanks!  I'm trying to be patient.


----------



## Disneyhayes

ShelsGoingToDisney said:


> Found this on another board. You can get a $25 off code to use for travel between September 8, 2011 and January 30, 2012.
> Blackout dates apply November 22 through November 29, 2011, and December 15, 2011 through January 2, 2012.  If any portion of travel falls on a blackout date, the discount will not apply.
> 
> http://www.visitflorida.com/share/swa.php
> 
> I did this a couple years ago and got codes for everyone in my family using different email addresses. Hope this can help someone!



did everyone have to book individually or were you able to apply the different codes in one transaction?


----------



## ShelsGoingToDisney

Disneyhayes said:


> did everyone have to book individually or were you able to apply the different codes in one transaction?



I _think_ we did it all in one reservation but I can't remember for sure.


----------



## ksloane

Entered contest at Wendy's today and got this email:


Hi Kimberly,

Thanks for entering Wendy's® Two's the Reason today. You're now in the running for the chance to win free* Southwest Airlines® flights for you and a friend for a year.

And as our special thanks for entering, here's a code good for $10 off* your next Southwest Airlines® flight. Code: <deleted>

The Fine PRint
*$10 discount valid for one-time use at southwest.com or SWABIZ.com off the total amount of a Wanna Get Away roundtrip fare purchase before taxes and fees. Purchase must be made between November 14, 2011 and January 24, 2012 for travel November 30, 2011 through February 16, 2012. Blackout dates apply December 15, 2011 through January 2, 2012. If any portion of travel falls on a blackout date the discount will not apply. The discount is only valid with the provided Promotion Code and is not combinable with other Promotion Codes or fares available exclusively through the web tool DING!. This promotion includes all Wanna Get Away fares. Travel must be purchased 7 days in advance. Changes made to the itinerary after purchase may eliminate qualifications for this promotion. Visit http://www.southwest.com/wendys for complete terms and conditions. 



I can't use it so if anyone can send me a PM.  I'll give the code to the first PM I receive.


----------



## scammermom

I didn't receive any codes.
boo hoo.


----------



## MrBill64

Use HALFOFFDEC today, December 16th for travel Jan 24th, 25th, 31st, and Feb 1st.  Hopefully this helps somebody.


----------



## wcw57

will there be any discounts (SWA) in late Aug 2012?.....I am completely void of info

also, anyone know when LATE August rates will be on their site?

THANX!!


----------



## dis2cruise

Finally my full size car dropped $30!  We are now paying $173.00 pickup Tampa drop off mco for 10 days. I used my insider number..Costco code 763308870 and ad8259 sd2..  I guess I'm paying more because of the pick up in Tampa.


----------



## Soon2B4

dis2cruise said:


> Finally my full size car dropped $30!  We are now paying $173.00 pickup Tampa drop off mco for 10 days. I used my insider number..Costco code 763308870 and ad8259 sd2..  I guess I'm paying more because of the pick up in Tampa.



I did the same thing last year with a pick up in tampa and drop of in Orlando. I did pay more. Glad your price dropped!


----------



## pepperw23

Hello!

Does anyone have any codes for March 30 and April 1st.  Traveling From Norfolk Va to MCO.

Thanks in advance!


----------



## Sherrkel

Hello,
Does anyone know if SW travel fund balances (from rebooking a non-refundable fare at a lower rate) can be applied toward a car rental on their site?  The only exclusion they list is SW Gift cards or LUV vouchers. TIA


----------



## gretchenohar@hotmail

That's a good question, Sherrkel - & one that never occurred to me.  I'm interested in the answer as well...
Thanks for posting it...


----------



## kristinemomof3

Can anyone tell me if SW allows parents with young children to board 1st along with handicapped?

I last flew with them in 06 when my youngest was 3 months old & that was the case. Flying with them in March & I was wondering. If you pay an extra $10 fee pp they will do the early bird check in but I'd rather not pay them anymore $ .


----------



## goofy4tink

kristinemomof3 said:


> Can anyone tell me if SW allows parents with young children to board 1st along with handicapped?
> 
> I last flew with them in 06 when my youngest was 3 months old & that was the case. Flying with them in March & I was wondering. If you pay an extra $10 fee pp they will do the early bird check in but I'd rather not pay them anymore $ .


Nope. Those with young children board inbetween the A group and the B group. Only those with medical issues and minors flying unattended board early. Then it's the A1-15 group..business select and those paying fully refundable fares, then the A group, then families with kids under 4, then the B group.
Paying for EBCI does not automatically get you up front. You could very well end up in the end of the A group, beginning of the B group.


----------



## kristinemomof3

Thank you


----------



## Sherrkel

Sherrkel said:


> Hello,
> Does anyone know if SW travel fund balances (from rebooking a non-refundable fare at a lower rate) can be applied toward a car rental on their site?  The only exclusion they list is SW Gift cards or LUV vouchers. TIA



I received a response to an email inquiry to SW:

"If a Customer purchases a reservation and does not travel, the full value of the unused funds may be applied toward the purchase of future travel for the individual named on the ticket as long as travel is completed within one year from the original purchase date. Although we do not charge a fee to cancel and rebook a reservation, there may be a difference in fares. Please also keep in mind that unused travel funds can only be applied toward another Southwest flight reservation; they cannot be used toward the EarlyBird Check-In option, excess baggage charges (such as overweight baggage assessments), Rapid Rewards Awards reissuing fees, hotel stays, car rentals, or other such costs. In essence, unused funds are specifically associated with fares and, therefore, can only be applied to other fares. We regret any disappointment this policy may cause."

Well, I'm a little disappointed, but I understand the policy.


----------



## gretchenohar@hotmail

Thanks for following thru on this & reporting back to us, Sherri.


----------



## WINTER

I think I have some credits to use.  Last year we booked a trip to Florida but was able to get the flights cheaper after purchasing.  How do I check to see how much money I have to use?


----------



## gretchenohar@hotmail

If you have a rapid rewards number, have that handy, along with the name & birthdate of each person you're checking for credits, and call SWA.  They can help you thru it.  I tried checking on-line, but found I had a mixture of points and credits....  It was much easier to just call.
BTW - during the call I found out that I had an expired free flight - and the agent was able to re-instate it.
So good luck!
You won't have any "money" coming.  Just credits/points you can use toward the purchase of a new flight.
HTH


----------



## WINTER

what is the difference between points and credits?


----------



## gretchenohar@hotmail

I'm not really sure, that's why I ended up calling....
But I think the points were from SW before they changed over to the new credit system.  I was told that my points could be converted over to credits when I called - and that's what I did...
I know - this answer is clear as mud, right?


----------



## mjones73

Anyone know of any codes/deals for Feb? Taking a trip down president's day weekend to Orlando to visit friends and possibly hit one of the parks.

Thanks,
Matt


----------



## WINTER

gretchenohar@hotmail said:


> If you have a rapid rewards number, have that handy, along with the name & birthdate of each person you're checking for credits, and call SWA.  They can help you thru it.  I tried checking on-line, but found I had a mixture of points and credits....  It was much easier to just call.
> BTW - during the call I found out that I had an expired free flight - and the agent was able to re-instate it.
> So good luck!
> You won't have any "money" coming.  Just credits/points you can use toward the purchase of a new flight.
> HTH



I figured it out.  Actually I do have $171.00 funds that I can use towards airfare.  Unfortunately, they expire before I plan to travel.  SW told me to call headquarters and see if they will extend my funds.  Wish me luck!


----------



## gretchenohar@hotmail

My fingers are crossed for you, Winter.  Good Luck!


----------



## jpgpmpcp

Is it allowable to pack snacks in carryons and luggage? Things like fruit snacks, brownies, gold fish crackers...


----------



## ksloane

jpgpmpcp said:


> Is it allowable to pack snacks in carryons and luggage? Things like fruit snacks, brownies, gold fish crackers...



Absolutely. We take snacks every trip to Disney...



Now for my question 

Anyone have an educated guess as to when we'll be able to buy October airfare. I know it won't be on the next set of dates, but just curious as to about when everyone would predict the next set of dates will be released after January 22....


----------



## phillyteamhater

Have no idea what SW codes are and this is my first time flying SW so any advice is appreciated. Leaving June 18 from Baltimore and price I got for flight for my dates were $566 for 2 people round trip. Should I book this now or will there be better deals or is there a way for me to get codes. Thanks I'm totally clueless and want to save as much as possible.


----------



## Hockeyfan17

Hi there. First time flying Southwest Airlines out of Buffalo to MCO. We are departing August 21st, and the new block of tickets go on sale January 22nd. I am guessing the price will be $139, as that is what it seems to be going for an multiple dates just prior to August 10th. For the four of us, including taxes, this works out to $1198. Should I purchase them right away, or wait for a better price? If I do purchase them right away and the price goes down, can I get a credit? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.


----------



## gretchenohar@hotmail

Hi Hockeyfan,
If you can, I'd purchase the tix now.
If the price goes down, you will have to contact SWA and they will issue you a credit for a future flight.  But, you'll have to watch the fares - SWA won't automatically notify you of any price decreases.
HTH


----------



## tzeitel

Newbie SW flyer here   Was wondering if someone could explain the boarding procedures?  It will be me, DH (who walks with a cane) and DD9 (autistic). 

 I have been reading around and it seems like even with checking in at the 24hr mark we could all be in different boarding sections and not be able to sit together   We've never flown w/o assigned seats (or pretty much knowing we would get assigned seats together once we talk to the desk agent).  For sure one of us HAS to sit with DD.

I know we can get the early bird thing but even with those I have read that it does not guarantee you will have board at the same time.


----------



## goofy4tink

tzeitel said:


> Newbie SW flyer here   Was wondering if someone could explain the boarding procedures?  It will be me, DH (who walks with a cane) and DD9 (autistic).
> 
> I have been reading around and it seems like even with checking in at the 24hr mark we could all be in different boarding sections and not be able to sit together   We've never flown w/o assigned seats (or pretty much knowing we would get assigned seats together once we talk to the desk agent).  For sure one of us HAS to sit with DD.
> 
> I know we can get the early bird thing but even with those I have read that it does not guarantee you will have board at the same time.


Okay....your dh may be able to preboard since he uses a cane. So I would do the online checkin, right at the 24 hr window. You will most likely get numbers in the A boarding group. Then, when you get to the gate, check in with the gate attendents and see if your dh is allowed to preboard due to his need for the cane. If he is, they may allow all three of you to board together....there's a very good chance that would happen.
If not, then just get into your assigned spots. In all probability you will be either next to each other, or very close to each other. If, for instance, you get spots A21, A27, and A30, just go back to the A32 spot and tell everyone to move up a spot. Then you'll be boarding in the A30, 31, and 32 spots. Unless it's a family that would be split up, most people are happy to move up a spot or two.
But, it's more likely that you'll be able to preboard. So, just ask.

As an aside....even if you all got various spots within the A group, and didn't ask others to move up, you would still be able to get seats together. That first person would just board, and choose the seats they wanted. They could save the addlt two seats in that row for the two other family members.

It's really only those in the C boarding group that have any issues finding seats together.


----------



## 5Dreamers

Hockeyfan17 said:


> Hi there. First time flying Southwest Airlines out of Buffalo to MCO. We are departing August 21st, and the new block of tickets go on sale January 22nd. I am guessing the price will be $139, as that is what it seems to be going for an multiple dates just prior to August 10th. For the four of us, including taxes, this works out to $1198. Should I purchase them right away, or wait for a better price? If I do purchase them right away and the price goes down, can I get a credit? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.



We will also be first time flyers with Southwest in May.  We booked it last September when the dates were released and I haven't seen a lower price come up.  I don't check rates daily, however, anytime I've seen a sale, it didn't apply to BUF-MCO.  Our flight time home has actually gone up $10.  The price we paid ($129) is so much less than flying out of Toronto. 
If you are comfortable paying $1198 (or less if it is released at $129), than I'd just book it for a direct flight. For us, we aren't planning any flights before next September, so we wouldn't use a credit even if we got one.  I was ok with the price we paid, so I was ok with that.


----------



## 3_disprincesses

Hi - 1st time flying SW too!  I have two questions:
1 - It's just my 8year old daughter and myself flying.  Will we have trouble getting seats together?  

2 - How do you get a credit if your flight purchase price goes down after you've booked?  

Well, I guess I have 3 questions:
3 - If I get a credit after it goes down the 1st time, what happens if the price goes down again?  

I'm sorry, I may be overthinking this but I'm not comfortable with things I don't know everything about!

Thanks for your help...


----------



## tamcase

But we are flying to California for our dream vacation cruise to Hawaii for our 25th anniversary.  This thread caught my eye.  I am not familiar with Southwest codes.  What are they?  Do they send these out in emails?  I have only flown with Southwest one time.  I will need a code for October.  The flights have not been posted yet.  Any words of wisdom or advice would be greatly appreciated.  We just got back from Disney a couple of weeks ago.  Thanks!


----------



## ARIELvsURSULA

This is my first time planning my own WDW vacation.. any help on getting a cheaper flight would be appreciated. I'm leaving March 4th, flying out of Portland, OR. I know I need to book ASAP and it's even a little late in the running, but hey worst case scenario I have to cancel and rebook later in the year if it gets too spendy. My tax return will be here Feb 8th and I'll book as soon as I get it. Any codes or promos anyone can direct me to would be so wonderful, thanks!


----------



## dissy_dee

Hoping to get a code for booking in November.


----------



## tzeitel

goofy4tink said:


> Okay....your dh may be able to preboard since he uses a cane. So I would do the online checkin, right at the 24 hr window. You will most likely get numbers in the A boarding group. Then, when you get to the gate, check in with the gate attendents and see if your dh is allowed to preboard due to his need for the cane. If he is, they may allow all three of you to board together....there's a very good chance that would happen.
> If not, then just get into your assigned spots. In all probability you will be either next to each other, or very close to each other. If, for instance, you get spots A21, A27, and A30, just go back to the A32 spot and tell everyone to move up a spot. Then you'll be boarding in the A30, 31, and 32 spots. Unless it's a family that would be split up, most people are happy to move up a spot or two.
> But, it's more likely that you'll be able to preboard. So, just ask.
> 
> As an aside....even if you all got various spots within the A group, and didn't ask others to move up, you would still be able to get seats together. That first person would just board, and choose the seats they wanted. They could save the addlt two seats in that row for the two other family members.
> 
> It's really only those in the C boarding group that have any issues finding seats together.



Thanks for the info!  I feel much better now


----------



## tamcase

Looking for codes out of Detroit going to San Diego in October and San Diego to Detroit in November.  Not sure how they work, but THANKS! Going to Hawaii for our 25th anniversary


----------



## Friendly Frog

When you check you baggage at the resort for the return trip, they print your Southwest boarding passes for you at that time, don't they?


----------



## triciari

I'm pretty sure this is possible, because I've changed flights when there's a price drop, but I've never contemplated doing it in this way before:


I really want to go on a cruise at the end of February, and am trying to talk my husband into it.  I want to buy the tickets now, even thought the trip is still up in the air.  If we don't go, can I move them to my October trip to WDW?  That will be 8 1/2 months from now.  Are the funds good for only 6 months (which wouldn't work) or 1 year (which would)?


----------



## ShelsGoingToDisney

triciari said:


> I'm pretty sure this is possible, because I've changed flights when there's a price drop, but I've never contemplated doing it in this way before:
> 
> 
> I really want to go on a cruise at the end of February, and am trying to talk my husband into it.  I want to buy the tickets now, even thought the trip is still up in the air.  If we don't go, can I move them to my October trip to WDW?  That will be 8 1/2 months from now.  Are the funds good for only 6 months (which wouldn't work) or 1 year (which would)?



If you bought the tickets today and then canceled you would have until 2/1/2013 to COMPLETE your travel using the credit. Note it is complete, not book. If you plan to go in October 2012 you would have no problems at all! Book away!


----------



## connie254

When will SW release prices for Sept/Oct?


----------



## mrsksomeday

connie254 said:


> When will SW release prices for Sept/Oct?


 

From southwest.com:

We are currently accepting air reservations through September 28, 2012. On February 20, 2012, we will open our schedule for sale through November 2, 2012. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


----------



## patink

3_disprincesses said:


> hi - 1st time flying sw too!  I have two questions:
> 1 - it's just my 8year old daughter and myself flying.  Will we have trouble getting seats together?
> can't help with this one i usually pay the extra $20 ($10 each way) for earlybird checkin so i don't have to worry about it at the 24hr mark.
> 
> 2 - how do you get a credit if your flight purchase price goes down after you've booked?
> if you see the price has gone down on swa online you can sign in and there is a link right above where you sign in that says something like change flight.
> When you click on that you have to put in the conf. # from your original flight and make your changes.  The credit will be tied to the conf. #
> 
> well, i guess i have 3 questions:
> 3 - if i get a credit after it goes down the 1st time, what happens if the price goes down again?
> if the price goes down again you do the same as above still using the same conf. #. More credit will be added to the conf. #.
> 
> Later when you get ready to use the credit there is a place to enter up to 2 conf. #'s (from previous flights w/ credit left.) you enter the conf. # and it takes that amount off the new flight.
> 
> i'm sorry, i may be overthinking this but i'm not comfortable with things i don't know everything about!
> 
> Thanks for your help...


hth


----------



## jpgpmpcp

We are flying SW in 38 days (but who is counting)! I went ahead and purchased the Early Bird Check In both going and returning. Do we still print our boarding passes from home? And how do we print our boarding passes from POP? Sorry for all of the questions but this is new to me!


----------



## ocalla

I'm sure this has been asked before but.....

I am 2 thousand or so rapid reward points shy of the three of us getting our tickets (which I need for May).  Should I book the first 2 tickets using points and then purchase the 3rd ticket?  Can points be purchased?  What's the chance of price going down enough that I may be able to purchase all three using points?


----------



## ocalla

Nevermind!!!  I see that you CAN purchase points.

Flights all bookee


----------



## ksloane

Woohoo!  Just got 6.50 back per passenger for our airfare!  Every little bit helps I guess....


----------



## ddluvsdisney

Does anyone have any experience with SW opening more flights closer to their date if none are available now?


----------



## jenjie

> Does anyone have any experience with SW opening more flights closer to their date if none are available now?



I don't know whether or not this helps, but SW added another morning flight to our departure date.  We are traveling in August.


----------



## elgerber

This will be our first trip flying Southwest, out west, in June.  I was able to change to a flight with better times this morning, using the same points as my previous flight, and shave 100 minutes off my layover time!  My question is, I paid for EB check-in when I booked the original flights back in November.  Does that just go along to the new reservation?  I still see the EB logo on the flights.

Thanks!


----------



## Grumpy Grandma

Everytime I've changed flights on SW my EB has stayed with my reservation.


----------



## AR81

I am new to flying with southwest. I don't know if I should book my trip now or ride it out and see if the fares might drop any closer to my trip?  Or do they only increase.   We are going the first week of August and flying out of Dallas, Tx to MCO.  All the advertised codes I have found do not work for my dates.  Will they release more codes closer to my trip or should I just jump on the rates now if they will more than likely increase closer to summer?  I need all the help I can get.  Thanks
I have been going back and forth between them and Spirit.  Even with baggage fees right now without any codes Spirit is still $140 cheaper.  But I am so nervous to book with Spirit because all of the reviews.  I've figured in baggage fees and am prepared that they might be older planes, etc..  But I don't want major delays or cancellations and mess up time on my trip.  What do you all think?


----------



## ksloane

AR81 said:


> I am new to flying with southwest. I don't know if I should book my trip now or ride it out and see if the fares might drop any closer to my trip?  Or do they only increase.   We are going the first week of August and flying out of Dallas, Tx to MCO.  All the advertised codes I have found do not work for my dates.  Will they release more codes closer to my trip or should I just jump on the rates now if they will more than likely increase closer to summer?  I need all the help I can get.  Thanks
> I have been going back and forth between them and Spirit.  Even with baggage fees right now without any codes Spirit is still $140 cheaper.  But I am so nervous to book with Spirit because all of the reviews.  I've figured in baggage fees and am prepared that they might be older planes, etc..  But I don't want major delays or cancellations and mess up time on my trip.  What do you all think?



Personally I buy early with SW (also from Dallas to MCO), especially with summer rates as typically the prices are going to do more increases than decreases. It might go down a little, but most tickets are going to go up, up, up....



Never flown Spirit so no help there....


----------



## gretchenohar@hotmail

Can't help you with your question about Spirit.
I have flown SWA & if you book a flight with them and the fare goes down, you can request a "refund".  They will apply the difference to a future flight for you.


----------



## Kathymford

Has anyone had any luck for the last week of April? Flights are outrageous (coming from LAX!). Any suggestions  or codes anyone an give would be great!


----------



## jenseib

AR81 said:


> I am new to flying with southwest. I don't know if I should book my trip now or ride it out and see if the fares might drop any closer to my trip?  Or do they only increase.   We are going the first week of August and flying out of Dallas, Tx to MCO.  All the advertised codes I have found do not work for my dates.  Will they release more codes closer to my trip or should I just jump on the rates now if they will more than likely increase closer to summer?  I need all the help I can get.  Thanks
> I have been going back and forth between them and Spirit.  Even with baggage fees right now without any codes Spirit is still $140 cheaper.  But I am so nervous to book with Spirit because all of the reviews.  I've figured in baggage fees and am prepared that they might be older planes, etc..  But I don't want major delays or cancellations and mess up time on my trip.  What do you all think?



I say stay away from Spirit. I have flown them twice and the 2nd time was this last summer and was reminded why I said I would never fly with them again.  The seat space is smaller and the seat in front of you will be in your knees the whole time.  They  have a lower weight limit on bags, so I had to buy and extra bag and of course pay a higher rate for it to get everything home.  They charge for carry ons and are very strict with this. We almost had someone kicked off our flight home because they argues about it. They had to go pay for the bag and try to make it back to the plane. The family was sitting in front of me and they were told that the lady may not make it back in time and they had the choice of getting off. There was a small argument and they were let known that they ALL could be kicked off with no refund.  I don't blame Spirit for that, just letting you know they are strict with the sizes of personal items.  You also pay for your seat assignment. When it came down to it, my other airline choice of direct flights was Delta, I chose Spirit because it was just me going and I was trying to keep it cheap. I ended up paying a little more with Spirit when it was all done because of the extra bag I had to bring home (plus I had to buy it at WDW ) With the lack of comfort in the seats, I would now chose to pay a little extra.


----------



## Friendly Frog

AR81 said:


> I am new to flying with southwest. I don't know if I should book my trip now or ride it out and see if the fares might drop any closer to my trip?  Or do they only increase.   We are going the first week of August and flying out of Dallas, Tx to MCO.  All the advertised codes I have found do not work for my dates.  Will they release more codes closer to my trip or should I just jump on the rates now if they will more than likely increase closer to summer?  I need all the help I can get.  Thanks
> I have been going back and forth between them and Spirit.  Even with baggage fees right now without any codes Spirit is still $140 cheaper.  But I am so nervous to book with Spirit because all of the reviews.  I've figured in baggage fees and am prepared that they might be older planes, etc..  But I don't want major delays or cancellations and mess up time on my trip.  What do you all think?



I am new to Southwest also. Sort of pushed into it since we lost Airtran to them.  

I am booked for late this month and I have only seen the price of my trip go up.  Since others say SW will refund the difference if the price goes down, ( is it a refund or a credit towards future travel?) I have to agree that is might be best to book now.

Good luck. We sure need a good cheap direct flight carrier out of Dallas, don't we.


----------



## AR81

Friendly Frog said:


> I am new to Southwest also. Sort of pushed into it since we lost Airtran to them.
> 
> I am booked for late this month and I have only seen the price of my trip go up.  Since others say SW will refund the difference if the price goes down, ( is it a refund or a credit towards future travel?) I have to agree that is might be best to book now.
> 
> Good luck. We sure need a good cheap direct flight carrier out of Dallas, don't we.



Yes, we most definitely need one.  I guess I have always been under the assumption that southwest was supposed to be pretty cheap.  I can't get it under $250 per person round trip for my days.  I wouldn't say that is really that cheap.  I've read other posts where people are getting airfare $150 or $190 roundtrip from other parts of the country.  I wish we had something that cheap to choose from Dallas...


----------



## tripplanner2

AR81 said:


> Yes, we most definitely need one.  I guess I have always been under the assumption that southwest was supposed to be pretty cheap.  I can't get it under $250 per person round trip for my days.  I wouldn't say that is really that cheap.  I've read other posts where people are getting airfare $150 or $190 roundtrip from other parts of the country.  I wish we had something that cheap to choose from Dallas...



It also depends on which day of the week you are looking to travel.  You can get SW that cheap but you need to fly on a Tuesday or Wednesday.  Sometimes you will find good prices on other days but the most availability for reasonable rates is on a Tuesday.  Also, Spring break is an expensive time to travel no matter which airline you choose to fly.  The demand it just greater during that time period.  Have you checked other airlines for you flight?  I bet $250 won't sound as bad once you compare prices.

I also agree with avoiding Spirit.  I have never actually flown them but I did look into it because they were advertising such cheap flights.  Not only did the charge for bags and seat assignments, in my area (NY, NJ) they only flew 2 days per week.  So we were really restricted.  SW is not a bad airline.  Kindof like taking a bus, no luxuries, but quick and easy.


----------



## Friendly Frog

$250.00 is as cheap as I could get for Dallas to MCO, and I hate that we now have to give up a direct flight to get that price. 

 I was looking at $400.00 rt for my dates on American.  Many of the flight times on Southwest were at the $400.00 mark too.  I jumped on the 250.00 price.  

Next time I might give Spirit a try.  I know a lot of people on here do not like them, but  l had heard negative posts about Airtran and I loved them. Even with baggage charges Spirit still comes in at a good price for a direct flight.


----------



## joshsmom

Traveling in May 2012 and looking for a code for SW.  We are leaving from St. Louis and doing round trip.  Anyone have anything?


----------



## praisefor3

Does anyone know if Avis offers this every year?  We got an incredible deal two years ago and are hoping to do the same thing this year but I haven't seen it offered yet.


----------



## NokOnHarts

A couple questions regarding SW:

1) I will be buying 2 tickets with points and 2 tickets with cash. This is a party of 3 adults and a 4 year old. I have been told I will need to do these cash/points transactions separately. In regards to boarding the plane together and sitting together, does it matter how the tickets are purchased (that they were 2 different transactions) or do I just need to make sure to check in all 4 passengers at the 24hr mark to be in the same boarding group? We will have an infant with us so we should be able to board between A and B groups but can all 4 passengers board due to this or ONLY the ticket that has the "lap infant" associated with it?

2) If you buy a plane ticket with the SW CC (getting the 2 points per dollar for the transaction) can the card holder also earn the miles that are flown? I know the passengers that tickets are purchased with cash (not points) can gain the miles in their RR account - does this also apply to the card holder who got points for buying the ticket? I would assume so but just checking.

Thank you!


----------



## mlacreta

NokOnHarts said:


> A couple questions regarding SW:
> 
> We will have an infant with us so we should be able to board between A and B groups but can all 4 passengers board due to this or ONLY the ticket that has the "lap infant" associated with it?
> 
> 
> Thank you!



Our last trip (as a group of 8) with an infant we were all allowed to preboard together. 5 of the 8 were kids though so I don't know if it would make a difference your adult/child ratio. Our previous trip my parents came with us and they were not allowed to preboard with us. It wasn't a bid deal though as we just held seats for them. If your party is split up just make sure you have a couple things (Jacket/purse) you can throw on a seat to keep you together!


----------



## MAYNARDS99

I've searched quite a few pages here and have found no current codes.  Anyone have one?

Orlando International Airport's code is not OIA it is MCO.  OIA is an airport in BRAZIL!

Sorry for the rant, but it drives me nuts when people do not follow accepted conventions.


----------



## disneydreamgirl

MAYNARDS99 said:


> I've searched quite a few pages here and have found no current codes.  Anyone have one?
> 
> Orlando International Airport's code is not OIA it is MCO.  OIA is an airport in BRAZIL!
> 
> Sorry for the rant, but it drives me nuts when people do not follow accepted conventions.



MCO used to be known as McCoy, hence the name...it makes sense, but only when you know that!  I'm not sure how accepted the conventions are...Toronto's airport is YYZ!  Most Canadian airports start with Y, maybe even all...doesn't make sense but I'm guessing that with so many airports in the world it would be real hard for the codes to make perfect sense across the board.

Funny what our pet peeves are...mine is when the stapler is empty...oooh and when people empty the kettle at work and leave it that way!


----------



## StrwLady

Friendly Frog said:


> $250.00 is as cheap as I could get for Dallas to MCO, and I hate that we now have to give up a direct flight to get that price.
> 
> I was looking at $400.00 rt for my dates on American.  Many of the flight times on Southwest were at the $400.00 mark too.  I jumped on the 250.00 price.
> 
> Next time I might give Spirit a try.  I know a lot of people on here do not like them, but  l had heard negative posts about Airtran and I loved them. Even with baggage charges Spirit still comes in at a good price for a direct flight.



I will be flying Southwest for the first time to Orlando in June.  I too just couldn't pass up the $250 fare.  I have a 1 stop no change flight and while it  will add 1 hour to our travel time, its worth the fare difference not to mention first check bag free.  

I was looking at Spirit fares but when I googled for reviews I saw nothing but negative reviews.


----------



## Sheaboys

What are the chances that I will be able to get a good DING FARE for 8/25-9/2 out of Bradley in CT to MCO?


----------



## StanH

StrwLady said:


> I will be flying Southwest for the first time to Orlando in June.  I too just couldn't pass up the $250 fare.  I have a 1 stop no change flight and while it  will add 1 hour to our travel time, its worth the fare difference not to mention first check bag free.
> 
> I was looking at Spirit fares but when I googled for reviews I saw nothing but negative reviews.



Slight correction - first *2 *bags are checked free (per passenger).


----------



## StrwLady

StanH said:


> Slight correction - first *2 *bags are checked free (per passenger).



Thanks Stan.  I noticed that when I was checking fares the other day.  Needless to say I am even happier


----------



## Wish Upon A Star

Sheaboys said:


> What are the chances that I will be able to get a good DING FARE for 8/25-9/2 out of Bradley in CT to MCO?



To be honest, I haven't seen a good DING out of BDL in over a year.  In fact, ever since Delta stopped flying non-stop, seems like SW and JB have raised their fares.  We fly a few times a year to Orlando and our flights for late April and late September this year are 250/pp/rt.  Last year I was only paying around 200/pp/rt on average.  I keep looking for DINGS, but . . .


----------



## jana616

I'm hoping someone with more SWA experience than me can help answer this question PLEASE! We are hoping to see the 50,000 points we got for signing up for the SWA credit card in our RR account tomorrow, but I think we will still be about 25 points (yes, seriously, 25 points) short of what we need to buy 3 of our 4 roundtrip tickets for our June trip. I don't really want to buy 2,000 points when we are short so few, and we also need to buy one ticket with cash anyway. So, my question is, how quickly do RR points from purchasing a ticket (the points anyone with a RR account would get, NOT the points from using the cc) show up? Is it instantaneous? I was hoping I could buy the cash ticket first, and then the new points from that would be in our account to buy the other 3 with points. That seems too easy, so I'm trying not to get my hopes up. What I really don't want is to pay cash for the first ticket and then find out that we still don't have enough points, but now I'm stuck anyway since I have the first ticket.

In a related question, has anyone ever had luck calling and asking them to just give you the extra points when you are so close? I did that once with our Chase Freedom card, so I wondered. I thought we had made plenty of purchases to get the points we needed, but we have 2 purchases from yesterday that still aren't showing, and the cycle ends tomorrow, and it's the weekend...


----------



## MAYNARDS99

Jana - your points show up AFTER your trip is complete.  Sorry!

I would buy the cash ticket now and the other three after you earn more points.  Have you thought about earning those points with one of Southwest's partners?  (car rental, hotel, dining, retail)  Those points post pretty quickly to your account.

Have you signed up for Rapid Reward emails, Ding and Click n Save?  I think you get points for those programs too!


----------



## jana616

Thanks, that's the answer I was looking for! (Well, not what I wanted to hear, but what I was trying to find out!).  What is DING, and how do I sign up for that? We did sign up for the e-mails.  ETA: Never mind, I found and signed up for both DING and click n save.  So far, I'm not seeing any additional points for those though.  When we signed up for the e-mails it gave us 250 right away, so maybe we can't get more?  It says get up to 500 additional points by subscribing to things, but that's all we've gotten so far, and I can't figure out what else to do to get more ASAP.  The tickets have gone up already just in the last week, so I really don't want to have to wait much longer...looking for super fast ways to get 25 more points!


----------



## MAYNARDS99

From the Southwest website, "DING! is a free, stand-alone software application that delivers live updates from Southwest Airlines directly to your desktop."

For instance, today I received notice that for travel in May from Raleigh-Durham (RDU my home airport) I could go to Chicago for $139 one way.


----------



## kolodiej

in need of a sw code for st patty day

thanks so much


----------



## disneymagicgirl

jana616 said:


> Thanks, that's the answer I was looking for! (Well, not what I wanted to hear, but what I was trying to find out!).  What is DING, and how do I sign up for that? We did sign up for the e-mails.  ETA: Never mind, I found and signed up for both DING and click n save.  So far, I'm not seeing any additional points for those though.  When we signed up for the e-mails it gave us 250 right away, so maybe we can't get more?  It says get up to 500 additional points by subscribing to things, but that's all we've gotten so far, and I can't figure out what else to do to get more ASAP.  The tickets have gone up already just in the last week, so I really don't want to have to wait much longer...looking for super fast ways to get 25 more points!



How long did it take you to receive your card and points? I just applied and was approved. It said I will receive my card w/in 2 weeks. Hoping to use the points for flights for may.


----------



## knittykat

Does anyone know when SW's flight schedule will be open for booking in January?  I want to make sure to get my flights early so I can take advantage of the "wanna get away" fares.


----------



## jana616

disneymagicgirl said:


> How long did it take you to receive your card and points? I just applied and was approved. It said I will receive my card w/in 2 weeks. Hoping to use the points for flights for may.



I think we got our cards within a week.  One tip I have if you want your points sooner is when you call to activate the cards, ask to have your billing due date moved earlier.  I tried to be honest and say that it was to get the points sooner and the guy wouldn't do it.  So then I told him it was so all of my credit cards would be due the same day.  It moved our cycle end date up a week sooner.  (And if you are trying to figure out when it would be, I can tell you I asked for a due date of the 15th and our cycle end date was then the 18th of the month prior.)  Good luck!


----------



## disneymagicgirl

jana616 said:


> I think we got our cards within a week.  One tip I have if you want your points sooner is when you call to activate the cards, ask to have your billing due date moved earlier.  I tried to be honest and say that it was to get the points sooner and the guy wouldn't do it.  So then I told him it was so all of my credit cards would be due the same day.  It moved our cycle end date up a week sooner.  (And if you are trying to figure out when it would be, I can tell you I asked for a due date of the 15th and our cycle end date was then the 18th of the month prior.)  Good luck!



Great info, thanks so much!!


----------



## jana616

I just wanted to say thanks so much to everyone who replied to my questions about getting the points, when they would post, etc.  They were in our Rapid Rewards account by noon yesterday (and we had plenty...those last few purchases did post to last month!).  I was able to get 3 roundtrip flights from Indy to Orlando with the points, and then buy one more with our new SWA credit card.  All told, including the annual fee on the card, taxes on the free tickets, and the one we paid for, it was less than $400 for all of us to fly!  I am so excited!


----------



## disneymagicgirl

jana616 said:


> I think we got our cards within a week.  One tip I have if you want your points sooner is when you call to activate the cards, ask to have your billing due date moved earlier.  I tried to be honest and say that it was to get the points sooner and the guy wouldn't do it.  So then I told him it was so all of my credit cards would be due the same day.  It moved our cycle end date up a week sooner.  (And if you are trying to figure out when it would be, I can tell you I asked for a due date of the 15th and our cycle end date was then the 18th of the month prior.)  Good luck!



I just logged into my chase accounts and the new SWA CC is already showing! It says the first due date will be 5/15/12. When will the points that I get for opening the card post? I need to use them for flights at the end of May.


----------



## jana616

disneymagicgirl said:


> I just logged into my chase accounts and the new SWA CC is already showing! It says the first due date will be 5/15/12. When will the points that I get for opening the card post? I need to use them for flights at the end of May.



I would think, based on that due date, that your cycle end date (and date your points would be available) would be around April 18th, since our due date is 4/15 and our end date was 3/18.  Have you gotten your cards yet?  When you activate them I would call and ask to have your due date moved to May 1st to "coincide with your other credit card due dates" and then your end date should be April 3rd or so.  Hope that works!


----------



## disneymagicgirl

jana616 said:


> I would think, based on that due date, that your cycle end date (and date your points would be available) would be around April 18th, since our due date is 4/15 and our end date was 3/18.  Have you gotten your cards yet?  When you activate them I would call and ask to have your due date moved to May 1st to "coincide with your other credit card due dates" and then your end date should be April 3rd or so.  Hope that works!



Thanks! They haven't arrived. I just applied Sunday. 
I will ask about moving the due date. Good idea. I won't have enough pts for all 5 tix anyways, so I could always buy the flights to MCO outright and then when the initial points post I can use those to purchase the return flights, right?


----------



## eeyoregon

knittykat said:


> Does anyone know when SW's flight schedule will be open for booking in January?  I want to make sure to get my flights early so I can take advantage of the "wanna get away" fares.



I would like to know this as well, but for November.  The current dates end 2 days before I need to fly...of course .


----------



## lindsmom

I have to apologize in advance, as I'm sure this has been asked and answered but the search is not working for me.

My husband got the chase / southwest card, but what I'm wondering is if he needs to create a rapid rewards account BEFORE the points bonus hits, or will they create one for him?  Because the bonus is only for new rewards members, I don't want to create the account too early and lose those points.


----------



## cybrkitn

knittykat said:


> Does anyone know when SW's flight schedule will be open for booking in January?  I want to make sure to get my flights early so I can take advantage of the "wanna get away" fares.





eeyoregon said:


> I would like to know this as well, but for November.  The current dates end 2 days before I need to fly...of course .



Add me to that list as well.  We're planning on going to WDW November 29 and SW only goes until November 2 right now.  I'm starting to get  and really want to start booking everything right now!


----------



## disneymagicgirl

lindsmom said:


> I have to apologize in advance, as I'm sure this has been asked and answered but the search is not working for me.
> 
> My husband got the chase / southwest card, but what I'm wondering is if he needs to create a rapid rewards account BEFORE the points bonus hits, or will they create one for him?  Because the bonus is only for new rewards members, I don't want to create the account too early and lose those points.



I just got that card specifically for the bonus. I did have a rr acct and put the # on my application so it is imprinted on my credit card. I have never flown SWA so there are no miles on it. I will let you know when I call CS to activate the card. Someone on here did advise me to request my due date be moved up so the points post in time for me to use them in may.


----------



## scottmel

lindsmom said:


> I have to apologize in advance, as I'm sure this has been asked and answered but the search is not working for me.
> 
> My husband got the chase / southwest card, but what I'm wondering is if he needs to create a rapid rewards account BEFORE the points bonus hits, or will they create one for him?  Because the bonus is only for new rewards members, I don't want to create the account too early and lose those points.



This happened to my dad. he opened a SW visa but did not tell them he had a RR account. he kept checking that RR account and no points for months. FINALLY he called, they had created a RR account for him with the points. They then merged his original RR account with new account to combine all points.


----------



## kevin75

This is from Southwest's website:

"We are currently accepting air reservations through November 2, 2012. On May 21, 2012, we will open our schedule for sale through January 4, 2013. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently."


----------



## lindsmom

disneymagicgirl said:


> I just got that card specifically for the bonus. I did have a rr acct and put the # on my application so it is imprinted on my credit card. I have never flown SWA so there are no miles on it. I will let you know when I call CS to activate the card. Someone on here did advise me to request my due date be moved up so the points post in time for me to use them in may.





scottmel said:


> This happened to my dad. he opened a SW visa but did not tell them he had a RR account. he kept checking that RR account and no points for months. FINALLY he called, they had created a RR account for him with the points. They then merged his original RR account with new account to combine all points.



Thanks - we'll give it a few days, then maybe we'll call.  We just made our first purchase and sent in payment for annual fee.... I'll look at the statement and see if it's listed on there too.


----------



## MISSYLEXI

If I apply for the card and get the points are the points there until you use them? We are not planning on going on vacation until Oct 2013.


----------



## cybrkitn

kevin75 said:


> This is from Southwest's website:
> 
> "We are currently accepting air reservations through November 2, 2012. On May 21, 2012, we will open our schedule for sale through January 4, 2013. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently."



Thanks Kevin!  That's what I was looking for


----------



## MAYNARDS99

Raleigh/Durham to Orlando starting at $110 One-Way!

- Fare is valid for travel Monday-Saturday, May 1 through May 22, 2012 only

Purchase by 630PM March 27, 2012


----------



## Victoriasmom98

Help!!!    I am confused on the whole points thing. My hubby and I are planning on applying for the Visa card to get the points. Now, when you shop for flights, do you look at the fares in points? For example, our one way flight for one is 7850 points. Now if we apply and get the 25,000 points, do we shop the fares by points? For us, that would mean the 3 of us could get a one way down to Orlando and then purchase the return flights with the card itself.....This is confusing because I've never dealt with points at all.


----------



## MAYNARDS99

Victoria...Yes, you would shop by points.  Check the application, most likely it will take at least one billing cycle for the points to post to your Southwest Rapid Rewards account.


----------



## Victoriasmom98

MAYNARDS99 said:


> Victoria...Yes, you would shop by points.  Check the application, most likely it will take at least one billing cycle for the points to post to your Southwest Rapid Rewards account.



Thank you Maynard! We bit the bullet and applied last night. We were approved and it said it would be up to 2 weeks to get the card. I alread cross referenced our current Rapid Rewards number to the card, so it's all connected (or should be). Thanks again for your input!


----------



## beatlesblonde

kevin75 said:


> This is from Southwest's website:
> 
> "We are currently accepting air reservations through November 2, 2012. On May 21, 2012, we will open our schedule for sale through January 4, 2013. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently."



Thanks! We need November 3rd for our leaving flight and of course the booking calendar ends on November 2nd  Now I just have to wait patiently until May 21st....


----------



## jenseib

beatlesblonde said:


> Thanks! We need November 3rd for our leaving flight and of course the booking calendar ends on November 2nd  Now I just have to wait patiently until May 21st....



Thats exactly the day we need and I looked on Delta and it's outrageous


----------



## McKinneyMouse

Have you checked airfarewatchdog.com  I love this site.  I signed up over a year ago for the route to DW and some others.  I get e-mail updates from then when the airlines put out special deals.  I'll probably use points to book SW for a trip, but the prices that come up on there for Delta are very different than what I have seen when I search delta and all the websites on my own.  Check it out.


----------



## jenseib

McKinneyMouse said:


> Have you checked airfarewatchdog.com  I love this site.  I signed up over a year ago for the route to DW and some others.  I get e-mail updates from then when the airlines put out special deals.  I'll probably use points to book SW for a trip, but the prices that come up on there for Delta are very different than what I have seen when I search delta and all the websites on my own.  Check it out.



I get those emails and for the life of me can't figure out how to get the deals they show. I click on the email and then it goes to a site where it shows things like expedia and other sites...and then my airport no longer shows up even.


----------



## Grumpy Grandma

McKinneyMouse said:


> Have you checked airfarewatchdog.com  I love this site.  I signed up over a year ago for the route to DW and some others.  I get e-mail updates from then when the airlines put out special deals.  I'll probably use points to book SW for a trip, but the prices that come up on there for Delta are very different than what I have seen when I search delta and all the websites on my own.  Check it out.



Thanks for posting this .... I'll check it out.


----------



## JLa01844

Would appreciate a SW code if anyone has one they are not using.  We will be traveling in December.  Tickets for December do not open up until May.  This is our first trip we have to pay for a 3rd person....ouch!  LOL.


----------



## disneymagicgirl

JLa01844 said:


> Would appreciate a SW code if anyone has one they are not using.  We will be traveling in December.  Tickets for December do not open up until May.  This is our first trip we have to pay for a 3rd person....ouch!  LOL.



This is the first time we have had to pay for a 5th person. Double ouch!


----------



## eeyoregon

I can't believe that they bumped the date to June 4 for the new booking window beyond November 2nd!! Are you kidding me??  Well, I can't sit back any longer and watch the other carriers rates go up and up while waiting for stupid SWA to open up booking.  I guess they assume no one books airline tickets more than 5 months in advance .

United Airlines just got my money.


----------



## gretchenohar@hotmail

eeyoregon said:


> I can't believe that they bumped the date to June 4 for the new booking window beyond November 2nd!! Are you kidding me??  Well, I can't sit back any longer and watch the other carriers rates go up and up while waiting for stupid SWA to open up booking.  I guess they assume no one books airline tickets more than 5 months in advance .
> 
> United Airlines just got my money.



This was posted yesterday on bestfares.com.  I know it won't help you now, eeyoregon, but maybe it will be of help to someone else playing the waiting game:

If your travel plans are after August 14 and you can wait until at least June 19 to book your travel; we suggest that you wait if you are flying on a route served by Southwest or AirTran. We are predicting that on June 19 or June 25; Southwest Airlines and AirTran may run deeply discounted airfare sales for travel beginning either August 14 or August 21 thru September, and maybe even part of October.


----------



## CJK

gretchenohar@hotmail said:


> This was posted yesterday on bestfares.com.  I know it won't help you now, eeyoregon, but maybe it will be of help to someone else playing the waiting game:
> 
> If your travel plans are after August 14 and you can wait until at least June 19 to book your travel; we suggest that you wait if you are flying on a route served by Southwest or AirTran. We are predicting that on June 19 or June 25; Southwest Airlines and AirTran may run deeply discounted airfare sales for travel beginning either August 14 or August 21 thru September, and maybe even part of October.



Interesting!  Thanks so much for posting this info....  Do you think there's any risk in waiting to book until late June?  I've never waited that long before.


----------



## jenseib

UH!  I need Nov. 3-14th.  I hate waiting, but I don't want pay $800 for two round trip out on Delta right now.


----------



## lisam427

gretchenohar@hotmail said:


> This was posted yesterday on bestfares.com.  I know it won't help you now, eeyoregon, but maybe it will be of help to someone else playing the waiting game:
> 
> If your travel plans are after August 14 and you can wait until at least June 19 to book your travel; we suggest that you wait if you are flying on a route served by Southwest or AirTran. We are predicting that on June 19 or June 25; Southwest Airlines and AirTran may run deeply discounted airfare sales for travel beginning either August 14 or August 21 thru September, and maybe even part of October.



thank you so much for posting this.  we leave september 2nd. thank you for the info


----------



## lisam427

i have a quick question.  i got the 50,000 flyer mile deal from southwest.  can these be used on airtran too?


----------



## gretchenohar@hotmail

CJK said:


> Interesting!  Thanks so much for posting this info....  Do you think there's any risk in waiting to book until late June?  I've never waited that long before.





lisam427 said:


> thank you so much for posting this.  we leave september 2nd. thank you for the info



You're welcome!

As to your question about waiting, I honestly don't know.  
I'm playing the same game....


----------



## eeyoregon

jenseib said:


> UH!  I need Nov. 3-14th.  I hate waiting, but I don't want pay $800 for two round trip out on Delta right now.



I'm in the same boat but our dates are November 9 thru 19.  I bit the bullet and booked United for the outbound flights.  If it were just for my flight I would probably sit back and wait but being that I am in charge of tickets for my 5 friends, I would just feel terrible if we waited and ended up paying more for less desirable flights.


----------



## cybrkitn

eeyoregon said:


> I can't believe that they bumped the date to June 4 for the new booking window beyond November 2nd!! Are you kidding me??  Well, I can't sit back any longer and watch the other carriers rates go up and up while waiting for stupid SWA to open up booking.  I guess they assume no one books airline tickets more than 5 months in advance .
> 
> United Airlines just got my money.





gretchenohar@hotmail said:


> This was posted yesterday on bestfares.com.  I know it won't help you now, eeyoregon, but maybe it will be of help to someone else playing the waiting game:
> 
> If your travel plans are after August 14 and you can wait until at least June 19 to book your travel; we suggest that you wait if you are flying on a route served by Southwest or AirTran. We are predicting that on June 19 or June 25; Southwest Airlines and AirTran may run deeply discounted airfare sales for travel beginning either August 14 or August 21 thru September, and maybe even part of October.



Seriously?  We're hoping to go out of our local airport with SW, especially with it being only 15-20 minutes away.  If this is true, then it looks like we may have to go with Jet Blue.  

Unfortunately for us, that means it's more like an hour drive in and we have to deal with major rush hour traffic since we are leaving on a Thursday morning   We were going to use a car service to and from for this trip anyway.  But I still don't like having to travel in rush hour traffic.  There is a reason why the Long Island Expressway is called the "world's biggest parking lot" by us Long Islanders.


----------



## crazycatlady

gretchenohar@hotmail said:


> This was posted yesterday on bestfares.com.  I know it won't help you now, eeyoregon, but maybe it will be of help to someone else playing the waiting game:
> 
> If your travel plans are after August 14 and you can wait until at least June 19 to book your travel; we suggest that you wait if you are flying on a route served by Southwest or AirTran. We are predicting that on June 19 or June 25; Southwest Airlines and AirTran may run deeply discounted airfare sales for travel beginning either August 14 or August 21 thru September, and maybe even part of October.



Thanks for posting this! I have a $400 voucher for SW for taking a later flight home last year and have been waiting (impatiently) for the airfare for October to drop. Right now, even with my voucher, it would be more expensive for my family to fly this year than last year.  I really hope this sale runs through the end of October (we are going 18th to the 29th). 
We took advantage of the birthday sale that SW had last year, which was $80 one way, and that really helped. I wonder if that is what this sale might be. I think I booked around June last year...


----------



## palhockeymomof2

crazycatlady said:


> Thanks for posting this! I have a $400 voucher for SW for taking a later flight home last year and have been waiting (impatiently) for the airfare for October to drop. Right now, even with my voucher, it would be more expensive for my family to fly this year than last year.  I really hope this sale runs through the end of October (we are going 18th to the 29th).
> We took advantage of the birthday sale that SW had last year, which was $80 one way, and that really helped. I wonder if that is what this sale might be. I think I booked around June last year...



We booked the $80 fares last September from long island as well....this year we are going October 24-29th and booked the day the fares came out at $105 since they now include all fees and taxes.....the $80 fares last year did not so the total cost was around $95 ....I can live with the 105 fare and if they do go down I'll get a credit


----------



## MAYNARDS99

Raleigh/Durham to Orlando starting at $113 One-Way!

- Fare is valid for travel every day, June 1 through June 30, 2012 only

Purchase by 8PM Eastern, April 22, 2012


----------



## Ninja Mom

Hello Southwest People, 

I am new to Southwest airlines and I am trying to figure out how it all works. I've signed up for rapid rewards and I have a million questions. I looked back through the thread to about Dec of last year and I did not see any info that would help me figure out how SW works. I figured I would post my questions here and hope that those of you with SW experience might be able to bestow their wisdom on me.

My first question concerns the "wanna get away fares". I am deathly afraid to book Southwest because they have the reputation of over selling the seats available on the plane. If we did go with SW we would probably choose it for the Wanna get away fares (WGA). I can't think of anything worse than trying to get to WDW and SW saying you can't get on the flight you booked and maybe not tomorrow either because we oversold/there is a weather problem, etc, etc... I'm thinking this is a lot more likely to happen if you have a WGA fare... Is that correct? How do they determine who gets booted off of the plane/ told not to board?

I think I will stop there and ask my next questions in separate posts so as not to overwhelm the gurus. Like I said I'm a SW newby and I have a million questions! 

Thank you so very much for your time in assisting me with learning about SWA.


----------



## Three cats

Does anyone happen to know if there are any discount codes floating around for Southwest? I see the "promo code" field on their website but haven't had any luck finding anything online??


----------



## pigletto

gretchenohar@hotmail said:


> This was posted yesterday on bestfares.com.  I know it won't help you now, eeyoregon, but maybe it will be of help to someone else playing the waiting game:
> 
> If your travel plans are after August 14 and you can wait until at least June 19 to book your travel; we suggest that you wait if you are flying on a route served by Southwest or AirTran. We are predicting that on June 19 or June 25; Southwest Airlines and AirTran may run deeply discounted airfare sales for travel beginning either August 14 or August 21 thru September, and maybe even part of October.



Hmmmm. Interesting. I have a certain price point I am sticking to for flights and was willing to book flights with connections at an airport a few hours away to stay in budget.
Might be worth waiting another six weeks and see what Southwest comes out with. It's risky though.


----------



## scottmel

Three cats said:


> Does anyone happen to know if there are any discount codes floating around for Southwest? I see the "promo code" field on their website but haven't had any luck finding anything online??



once in a blue moon there might be like a 20 off round trip etc. I have one for 25 off round trip but trip must be taken by end of June. Got it in mail afte rI booked my trip and had better rate any way.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

Don't worry about the over sold issue. If they are over sold they will make an announcement and ask for volunteers. They won't boot you off the plane. If they don't get enough volunteers they usually will increase the amount of money they are offering to volunteers.  I love volunteering to give up my seat!!! Just did it in Feb and walked away with $452!!! More money to fly for the next trip to WDW. If there is a weather related issue it will affect all of the airlines flying that route. That is just something we can not control. They are a good airline to fly. We were weather delayed last May in Nashville and they kept us informed, brought out snacks and drinks to everyone in the gate area. 



Ninja Mom said:


> Hello Southwest People,
> 
> I am new to Southwest airlines and I am trying to figure out how it all works. I've signed up for rapid rewards and I have a million questions. I looked back through the thread to about Dec of last year and I did not see any info that would help me figure out how SW works. I figured I would post my questions here and hope that those of you with SW experience might be able to bestow their wisdom on me.
> 
> My first question concerns the "wanna get away fares". I am deathly afraid to book Southwest because they have the reputation of over selling the seats available on the plane. If we did go with SW we would probably choose it for the Wanna get away fares (WGA). I can't think of anything worse than trying to get to WDW and SW saying you can't get on the flight you booked and maybe not tomorrow either because we oversold/there is a weather problem, etc, etc... I'm thinking this is a lot more likely to happen if you have a WGA fare... Is that correct? How do they determine who gets booted off of the plane/ told not to board?
> 
> I think I will stop there and ask my next questions in separate posts so as not to overwhelm the gurus. Like I said I'm a SW newby and I have a million questions!
> 
> Thank you so very much for your time in assisting me with learning about SWA.


----------



## ShelsGoingToDisney

Ninja Mom said:


> Hello Southwest People,
> 
> I am new to Southwest airlines and I am trying to figure out how it all works. I've signed up for rapid rewards and I have a million questions. I looked back through the thread to about Dec of last year and I did not see any info that would help me figure out how SW works. I figured I would post my questions here and hope that those of you with SW experience might be able to bestow their wisdom on me.
> 
> My first question concerns the "wanna get away fares". I am deathly afraid to book Southwest because they have the reputation of over selling the seats available on the plane. If we did go with SW we would probably choose it for the Wanna get away fares (WGA). I can't think of anything worse than trying to get to WDW and SW saying you can't get on the flight you booked and maybe not tomorrow either because we oversold/there is a weather problem, etc, etc... I'm thinking this is a lot more likely to happen if you have a WGA fare... Is that correct? How do they determine who gets booted off of the plane/ told not to board?
> 
> I think I will stop there and ask my next questions in separate posts so as not to overwhelm the gurus. Like I said I'm a SW newby and I have a million questions!
> 
> Thank you so very much for your time in assisting me with learning about SWA.



I fly SW every time I fly. We are a family of 5 and we always do the Wanna Get Away fares. We've never had any issues getting booted off a plane and I have never witnessed it happen to anyone else either. We are always able to get on as we planned, get decent boarding passes by checking in 24 hours ahead and always get seats all together.

Only time we were not able to board a flight that was booked was when Chicago closed their airport in Jan. 2011 due to a blizzard across the midwest. We were in Orlando and the day before our flight SW texted us with the information that the flight had been canceled. They gave instructions on how to go to their website to rebook with no fees. Process was simple and easy and nothing like spending our 2 snow days in sunny FL!


----------



## MAYNARDS99

Just saw that for 100 Coke Reward points you can get $20 off on Southwest.

Overbooking occurs on all airlines.  An airline will first ask for volunteers.  In the unlikely event the airline does not get enough volunteers they will deny seating based upon check in time.  The price you pay for your ticket does not come into play.


----------



## Ninja Mom

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> Don't worry about the over sold issue. If they are over sold they will make an announcement and ask for volunteers. They won't boot you off the plane. If they don't get enough volunteers they usually will increase the amount of money they are offering to volunteers.  I love volunteering to give up my seat!!! Just did it in Feb and walked away with $452!!! More money to fly for the next trip to WDW. If there is a weather related issue it will affect all of the airlines flying that route. That is just something we can not control. They are a good airline to fly. We were weather delayed last May in Nashville and they kept us informed, brought out snacks and drinks to everyone in the gate area.



Thanks for making me feel better. Understanding how that works with SW will take a load off of my mind.



ShelsGoingToDisney said:


> I fly SW every time I fly. We are a family of 5 and we always do the Wanna Get Away fares. We've never had any issues getting booted off a plane and I have never witnessed it happen to anyone else either. We are always able to get on as we planned, get decent boarding passes by checking in 24 hours ahead and always get seats all together.
> 
> Only time we were not able to board a flight that was booked was when Chicago closed their airport in Jan. 2011 due to a blizzard across the midwest. We were in Orlando and the day before our flight SW texted us with the information that the flight had been canceled. They gave instructions on how to go to their website to rebook with no fees. Process was simple and easy and nothing like spending our 2 snow days in sunny FL!



When we fly, we are clock watching, early check in people too. My husband would get to the airport 4 hours early if I let him. Since we don't fly much, is the 24 hour check in based on exactly what time your flight leaves or does it start at 12:01 am on the day of your flight?



MAYNARDS99 said:


> Just saw that for 100 Coke Reward points you can get $20 off on Southwest.
> 
> Overbooking occurs on all airlines.  An airline will first ask for volunteers.  In the unlikely event the airline does not get enough volunteers they will deny seating based upon check in time.  The price you pay for your ticket does not come into play.



That is really reassuring to hear. The last time we flew to Disney our flight on a different airline was cancelled and the next one wasn't for another 8 hours.  

Thank you for all of your answers. They have really helped to make me feel better about flying on, what for our family, is a new airline.

My next question is when will December 2012 SW flights will be released?

AND  Is it better to buy when the schedule first comes out?

I've signed up for all the stuff on the SW web site and I also subscribed to Airfare watch dog. We would much rather have our flying plans firmed up than dither around waiting for prices to fall to their absolute lowest point. That's why I think the Wanna Get Away fares might be the way to go for us. I'm just trying to figure out what the "catch" was surrounding those low prices. I'm wondering if the WGA fares are how SW keeps it's planes full.

Thanks again for all the help!


----------



## ShelsGoingToDisney

Ninja Mom said:


> Thanks for making me feel better. Understanding how that works with SW will take a load off of my mind.
> 
> 
> 
> When we fly, we are clock watching, early check in people too. My husband would get to the airport 4 hours early if I let him. Since we don't fly much, is the 24 hour check in based on exactly what time your flight leaves or does it start at 12:01 am on the day of your flight?
> 
> 
> 
> That is really reassuring to hear. The last time we flew to Disney our flight on a different airline was cancelled and the next one wasn't for another 8 hours.
> 
> Thank you for all of your answers. They have really helped to make me feel better about flying on, what for our family, is a new airline.
> 
> My next question is when will December 2012 SW flights will be released?
> 
> AND  Is it better to buy when the schedule first comes out?
> 
> I've signed up for all the stuff on the SW web site and I also subscribed to Airfare watch dog. We would much rather have our flying plans firmed up than dither around waiting for prices to fall to their absolute lowest point. That's why I think the Wanna Get Away fares might be the way to go for us. I'm just trying to figure out what the "catch" was surrounding those low prices. I'm wondering if the WGA fares are how SW keeps it's planes full.
> 
> Thanks again for all the help!



You want to check in exactly (to the minute) 24 hours before your flight time. Don't click the button before the exact time because it will give you an error message. I always have the window open with the confirmation number and name inputted and have made sure to click next to each name and then when the clock rolls to that 24 hour minute I hit submit. This will give you your boarding pass numbers which is the order that you get to board the plane. A's are best, B's okay, C's not so great. There are 60 slots in each section.


----------



## Ninja Mom

ShelsGoingToDisney said:


> You want to check in exactly (to the minute) 24 hours before your flight time. Don't click the button before the exact time because it will give you an error message. I always have the window open with the confirmation number and name inputted and have made sure to click next to each name and then when the clock rolls to that 24 hour minute I hit submit. This will give you your boarding pass numbers which is the order that you get to board the plane. A's are best, B's okay, C's not so great. There are 60 slots in each section.



Thank God the resorts now are offering free wifi so I can check in while at Disney for my flight back home. Am I correct when I think the resorts offer free check in for Southwest but if we have a flight outside of the time when the resorts airline check in desk is open we are on our own as far as checking in online?


----------



## ShelsGoingToDisney

Ninja Mom said:


> Thank God the resorts now are offering free wifi so I can check in while at Disney for my flight back home. Am I correct when I think the resorts offer free check in for Southwest but if we have a flight outside of the time when the resorts airline check in desk is open we are on our own as far as checking in online?



I've only used the resort baggage service once with SW and they didn't check me in, my DH at home did. They did print my boarding passes out for me though. I wouldn't rely on them at all even if they are open during that time.

I always check myself in at home for the beginning of my trip but while in FL I always do the Early Bird Check-in since I don't know where I'll be at the 24 hour mark and I don't want to have to worry about it. My time is worth the cost for the flight home IMO.


----------



## Ninja Mom

ShelsGoingToDisney said:


> I've only used the resort baggage service once with SW and they didn't check me in, my DH at home did. They did print my boarding passes out for me though. I wouldn't rely on them at all even if they are open during that time.
> 
> I always check myself in at home for the beginning of my trip but while in FL I always do the Early Bird Check-in since I don't know where I'll be at the 24 hour mark and I don't want to have to worry about it. My time is worth the cost for the flight home IMO.



Could you tell me what Early Bird check in is for Southwest? Thanks again for all the help. I can't tell you how much you are helping me. These are the kind of questions that I tried to look up online but it's almost as if you just need to ask some one who has done it before.


----------



## ShelsGoingToDisney

Ninja Mom said:


> Could you tell me what Early Bird check in is for Southwest? Thanks again for all the help. I can't tell you how much you are helping me. These are the kind of questions that I tried to look up online but it's almost as if you just need to ask some one who has done it before.



Happy to help! EBCI from the SW site:
http://www.southwest.com/flight/ear...=yes&disc=&ss=0&cid=&companyName=&memberName=

Basically you pay $10 per ticket and SW will check you in at the 36 hour mark instead of you doing it at the 24 hour mark. You don't have to worry about where you are etc. and they do it sooner so you get a better boarding #. You will find that more people will pay for this for the return flight home out of MCO so if you wait to check in yourself at 24 hours you will probably have a higher # than you did for the flight down.

I always check myself in for the flight from Omaha to MCO as I can easily be at my computer with no issue. I don't want to waste my vacation time or have to pay for wifi (I haven't been to WDW since they are giving it for free) to check in for the flight home. We are a family of 5 so it is $50 but I haven't regretted it.


----------



## cybrkitn

Ninja Mom said:


> Thank God the resorts now are offering free wifi so I can check in while at Disney for my flight back home. Am I correct when I think the resorts offer free check in for Southwest but if we have a flight outside of the time when the resorts airline check in desk is open we are on our own as far as checking in online?



So are we.  Last time we were there we paid about $9 or $10 per night for WIFI.  

Don't you need to print out your confirmation once you check in online for your return trip?  It's been a while since I have done it and don't remember what we did.


----------



## Ninja Mom

ShelsGoingToDisney said:


> Happy to help! EBCI from the SW site:
> http://www.southwest.com/flight/ear...=yes&disc=&ss=0&cid=&companyName=&memberName=
> 
> Basically you pay $10 per ticket and SW will check you in at the 36 hour mark instead of you doing it at the 24 hour mark. You don't have to worry about where you are etc. and they do it sooner so you get a better boarding #. You will find that more people will pay for this for the return flight home out of MCO so if you wait to check in yourself at 24 hours you will probably have a higher # than you did for the flight down.
> 
> I always check myself in for the flight from Omaha to MCO as I can easily be at my computer with no issue. I don't want to waste my vacation time or have to pay for wifi (I haven't been to WDW since they are giving it for free) to check in for the flight home. We are a family of 5 so it is $50 but I haven't regretted it.



Wow! Even more convenient!  SW is really starting to grow on me! Thanks for the help, it was golden!



cybrkitn said:


> So are we.  Last time we were there we paid about $9 or $10 per night for WIFI.
> 
> Don't you need to print out your confirmation once you check in online for your return trip?  It's been a while since I have done it and don't remember what we did.



Last trip to WDW I flew on an airline that wasn't on that Disney list (I forget what you call it). I had the same problem about the printing out thing but I asked about it at the hotel and the CM's said that the Concierge at the resort will print it out for you. I think you ask to do the whole check in thing with them so you have access to a printer, as opposed to doing it on your computer or smart phone and then trying to find a way to send it to the hotels printers. We stayed at All Stars so they do this at a Value as opposed to a deluxe. I had only thought Concierges were at the deluxe hotels.

Don't you just wish you could do the whole thing on your smart phone and be done with it. You just go up to the gate, whip out your phone, flash and then dash on to the airplane... no paper, no hassle! What are we going to see next on our phones, tiny printers!?

Also, I've been scouring the boards looking for info for our upcoming trip and I've read that the free WIFI in the hotels at Disney can be spotty, so let the 'buyer' beware on that one.

OK so I think I have this now. SW releases fares for that time period. I book a wanna get away fare and then be sure to check in right at the 24 hour mark for my flight to Orlando. For my flight home I have paid the extra $10 per ticket to do the 36 hour early bird check in. BUT I'll still need to go to Concierge and have them print out the boarding passes for the early bird check in... right?

Thanks everybody!


----------



## cybrkitn

Ninja Mom said:


> Don't you just wish you could do the whole thing on your smart phone and be done with it. You just go up to the gate, whip out your phone, flash and then dash on to the airplane... no paper, no hassle! What are we going to see next on our phones, tiny printers!?



DH would love that.  He's got the smart phone.  My mom and I have a simple phone without all the bells and whistles.



Ninja Mom said:


> Also, I've been scouring the boards looking for info for our upcoming trip and I've read that the free WIFI in the hotels at Disney can be spotty, so let the 'buyer' beware on that one.



DH has Hot Spot with his phone through Verizon Wireless so that we can get the internet.  It really has come in handy when we are traveling and need access to our bank account or whatever it may be.


----------



## jenseib

Question about credit.... If you change your flight to a cheaper one, , I know you have to use the credit in a years time...is it a year from when you origionally book? when you make the change? or from the day of your flight?


----------



## ajpa

Does anyone have a SW code they can share? Please PM me.
Pretty please and thank you so much.



-aj


----------



## birmantaz

Anyone know what fare is a good deal from Boston to MCO in September?  My brief online search leads me to SW from Providence as the best deal ($1118.xx for 4 RT).  Should I book now, or wait a while?  Thanks


----------



## jenseib

birmantaz said:


> Anyone know what fare is a good deal from Boston to MCO in September?  My brief online search leads me to SW from Providence as the best deal ($1118.xx for 4 RT).  Should I book now, or wait a while?  Thanks



That sounds good to me for 4


----------



## ajpa

I think it was on this thread that someone mentioned getting $20 coupon on Southwest round-trip tickets by using 100 coke rewards.

THANKS!!!!!!!!!

I didn't have 100 points but it turns out if you sign someone up for SW Rapid Rewards via the coke rewards website, you get 60 coke reward points. I signed hubby up and that was enough to put my total at 100.

My 2 kids don't have RR memberships yet either so I'm going to try signing them up via coke rewards as well.


----------



## jenseib

Is it $20 off per person?


----------



## ajpa

jenseib said:


> Is it $20 off per person?



Yes! $10 off each way (must book round-trip)


----------



## let'sgo

jenseib said:


> Question about credit.... If you change your flight to a cheaper one, , I know you have to use the credit in a years time...is it a year from when you origionally book? when you make the change? or from the day of your flight?



It is a year from when you originally book.  So if you book way in advance you may not end up with much time to use it.


----------



## MuchLovedMama

ajpa said:


> Yes! $10 off each way (must book round-trip)



It truly is per person?  I was just researching on Google and I didn't find an answer til I saw this.  So, $10 per way per person?  That'd be awesome!!  

Also, does anyone if it give you the code immediately when you cash in the Coke Rewards?  Or do you have to wait for an email or snail mail?


----------



## ajpa

MuchLovedMama said:


> It truly is per person?  I was just researching on Google and I didn't find an answer til I saw this.  So, $10 per way per person?  That'd be awesome!!
> 
> Also, does anyone if it give you the code immediately when you cash in the Coke Rewards?  Or do you have to wait for an email or snail mail?



It gives you the code immediately and it also sends it to you via email. 
It is awesome - made SW cheaper overall than Airtran for me.


----------



## jenseib

I hope someone can answer this quickly. I am in the process of getting my tickets from SW. It asks for our account number so I can earn rewares. Does my DD who is 7 need her own account or can I put my number in there and earn the rewards?


----------



## scottmel

jenseib said:


> I hope someone can answer this quickly. I am in the process of getting my tickets from SW. It asks for our account number so I can earn rewares. Does my DD who is 7 need her own account or can I put my number in there and earn the rewards?



Leave it blank, Jen. needs to be hers. Book ticket, thne sign her up, then you can add her number to the reservation after ressie placed


----------



## JodyTG

Does anyone know what time the new dates are released for purchase?


_Posted  from  Disney Forums Reader for Android_


----------



## Glendamax

jenseib said:


> UH!  I need Nov. 3-14th.  I hate waiting, but I don't want pay $800 for two round trip out on Delta right now.



For my September trip last year, I bought my tickets in June, during Southwest's anniversary sale. So I'm gonna wait till at least the end of June to see if I get another deal for this September. Last year, I THINK round trip from Baltimore was $195.


----------



## jenseib

Glendamax said:


> For my September trip last year, I bought my tickets in June, during Southwest's anniversary sale. So I'm gonna wait till at least the end of June to see if I get another deal for this September. Last year, I THINK round trip from Baltimore was $195.



Thanks. I'm gonna wait a while before getting my return flight home. Hopefully I can get a good credit and use it for my return flight


----------



## Victoriasmom98

Can anyone tell me how long it will take from the time we received our first SW credit card statement until the reward points show up on southwest.com???


----------



## Mimi Q

I was looking at Southwest fares the other day and the return flight I wanted was $100 (Wanna Get Away Fare). Didn't buy it that day because someone else I am traveling with wanted to drive. Now I need the ticket and it's $150 for the same flight (Wanna Get Away Fare). Any chance it might go down again OR do I need to bite the bullet and pay the extra $50 now? Travel date is Sunday, July 15th. Traveling from MCO to GSP.


----------



## Southernswthrt

MAYNARDS99 said:


> Just saw that for 100 Coke Reward points you can get $20 off on Southwest.



can anyone explain how this works?  I'll be purchasing 3 tickets on one card and 4 tickets on another for December.  Do we need separate coke rewards accounts?  TIA


----------



## gypsydoodlebug

Southernswthrt said:


> can anyone explain how this works?  I'll be purchasing 3 tickets on one card and 4 tickets on another for December.  Do we need separate coke rewards accounts?  TIA



When you pop in the code, it takes $10 off each-way's Wanna Get Away Fare. So is the fare is $169 each, it will make it $159, and you can book multiple tickets at that price.


----------



## daughtryfan114

Looking for a Southwest promocode for use in September 2012. Hoping they run the $99 sale again soon!


----------



## let'sgo

daughtryfan114 said:


> Looking for a Southwest promocode for use in September 2012. Hoping they run the $99 sale again soon!



I'll second that.  Also going in September 2012 and have seen the prices come down once so I'm checking every day for that sale to come along.


----------



## pigletto

There was a post a few pages back that had at least one fare watch site predicting a sale in June for August to October travel. I can't decide if I should wait that long to book though!


----------



## Grumpy Grandma

pigletto said:


> There was a post a few pages back that had at least one fare watch site predicting a sale in June for August to October travel. I can't decide if I should wait that long to book though!



You could always book now and if the fare goes down you can rebook and get a credit from SW.


----------



## M&C

When does Southwest open reservations for December?

Thanks!


----------



## eeyoregon

M&C said:


> When does Southwest open reservations for December?
> 
> Thanks!



June 4th tentatively (subject to change, which it keeps doing)!


----------



## M&C

eeyoregon said:


> June 4th tentatively (subject to change, which it keeps doing)!


Thank you!


----------



## Mary*Poppins

Does anyone know if southwest ever adds flights? I hate all the return flight times for our trip in early october... I just don't fly enough to know if they ever do this. Thanks for any help!


----------



## Tess'smom

I am still waiting for a good fare for the end of August.  Keeping my fingers crossed.


----------



## scottmel

Mary*Poppins said:


> Does anyone know if southwest ever adds flights? I hate all the return flight times for our trip in early october... I just don't fly enough to know if they ever do this. Thanks for any help!



I have never seen any additions to the PIT/MCO trip in 4 years...I don't think it is real common....


----------



## HHSTigerFan

eeyoregon said:


> June 4th tentatively (subject to change, which it keeps doing)!



So getting a little nervous, we need a Tuesday evening flight out from Chicago, in the past SWA appears to always have an 8:00PM, can I relax a little and assume they will keep this or do they have a history of dropping flights?

And with an early Dec, do I want to book it right away? Or hold tight and wait for the price to come down ?


----------



## ocalla

Flying out this Friday late afternoon............looks like all the flights for that day are sold out except for one early a.m. flight.

How common is it for SW to be oversold on flights?  Would they ever bump passengers to the next day??


----------



## tonya clayton

Southernswthrt said:


> can anyone explain how this works?  I'll be purchasing 3 tickets on one card and 4 tickets on another for December.  Do we need separate coke rewards accounts?  TIA



Last time I looked at the cards for Southwest with Coke Rewards they are only good for flights through November 15th. That is if you are talking about the $20 cards.


----------



## Qltrgrl2

Can you get these codes on coke cans in the 12 pack.  I have not seen them in NC.
TIA


----------



## germ539

When do they typically release flights for next May 2013?


----------



## ocalla

any SW Codes for travel in July?  Need to purchase 1 ticket.

thanks


----------



## drexelshafter

Looking for SW codes for travel in September.  First time going to Disney, wahoo!


----------



## kellicb

I thought I read somewhere that SW was releasing fall dates on 5/21.....it hasn't happened yet. Anyone know what's going on?


----------



## Nanajo1

I saw June 6th as the next release.


----------



## cybrkitn

kellicb said:


> I thought I read somewhere that SW was releasing fall dates on 5/21.....it hasn't happened yet. Anyone know what's going on?



About a page or two back there were two people that mentioned June as to when the rest of the year will be released.


----------



## cybrkitn

germ539 said:


> When do they typically release flights for next May 2013?



From my understanding, I believe they only give out 6 months worth at a time.  Someone correct me if I'm wrong.


----------



## Disneycouple99

kellicb said:


> I thought I read somewhere that SW was releasing fall dates on 5/21.....it hasn't happened yet. Anyone know what's going on?



Go to Southwest site.  Click on the drop down menu of travel tools.  Click on view all travel tools.  Here it will tell you the next dates.  As of now it June 4th for the next release dates.


----------



## Southernswthrt

Just read that travel has to be by Nov 15! 
Any hope that they will extend it to October???


----------



## jenseib

Southernswthrt said:


> Just read that travel has to be by Nov 15!
> Any hope that they will extend it to October???



??? Oct comes before Nov.


----------



## elgerber

Could someone give me a brief lesson in SW boarding for dummies?  We have never flown SW before, but we will be boarding a total of 5 times on our trip in June.  I have paid for early bird check in.

Thanks!!


----------



## gretchenohar@hotmail

elgerber said:


> Could someone give me a brief lesson in SW boarding for dummies?  We have never flown SW before, but we will be boarding a total of 5 times on our trip in June.  I have paid for early bird check in.
> 
> Thanks!!



I think this will help you:
http://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/airport-experience/boarding-school/


----------



## elgerber

gretchenohar@hotmail said:


> I think this will help you:
> http://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/airport-experience/boarding-school/



Thank you!  That was cute and helpful!


----------



## gretchenohar@hotmail

And you even get a diploma!  (iirc)

Do you still have any questions?

It seemed strange the first time we used SWA, but we use them almost exclusively now, because their flts are so cheap (comparatively) and we use their credit cards and build up points quickly.


----------



## elgerber

gretchenohar@hotmail said:


> And you even get a diploma!  (iirc)
> 
> Do you still have any questions?
> 
> It seemed strange the first time we used SWA, but we use them almost exclusively now, because their flts are so cheap (comparatively) and we use their credit cards and build up points quickly.



I think I get it now, thanks!!  We probably won't fly them again, but we did the credit card for the 50000 so it worked great.  They don't fly direct to anywhere from here, so normally we wouldn't do it.
So, we don't have to do the cattle call line up until they are starting to board, when they call our group?


----------



## gretchenohar@hotmail

elgerber said:


> I think I get it now, thanks!!  We probably won't fly them again, but we did the credit card for the 50000 so it worked great.  They don't fly direct to anywhere from here, so normally we wouldn't do it.
> So, we don't have to do the cattle call line up until they are starting to board, when they call our group?



Yes - that's right.  You'll print out your boarding pass at home (you said you were doing Early Bird Check-in, right?).  It will have your boarding Letter - probably A or B and a number after it...  When they call that particular letter/number, you can line up to board. 

You'll find that people with higher letters will start lining up before their time - so just make sure you're where you need to be....

Have a great trip!


----------



## pumpkinfish

Is there a place to view past flight costs for SW?


----------



## BunBun

Would love a SW code for August 15-23 for a family of three.  I've been scouring the net, and man, things are crazy expensive this year!  I'll also keep my eyes peeled for new discounts to share.  Thanks!


----------



## mickeyluv

I have looked through this thread sporatically, not entirely, and I can't understand what these codes are you guys are talking about.  Can someone please explain?  We are needing to fly to NY from RDU August 16th, 3 people.  If anyone has a code that we could possibly use to save some money we would be so, so grateful!


----------



## uncw89

mickeyluv said:


> I have looked through this thread sporatically, not entirely, and I can't understand what these codes are you guys are talking about.  Can someone please explain?  We are needing to fly to NY from RDU August 16th, 3 people.  If anyone has a code that we could possibly use to save some money we would be so, so grateful!



Are you signed up for Ding? Soemtimes they have Ding fares.
We are flying Aug. 11 (RDU-FLL) and back on Aug.19. I managed to get good fares. I've had two adjustments so far. The flight on the 19th is high for the one I'm booked on.

Erika---Where are you going?


----------



## elgerber

uncw89 said:


> Are you signed up for Ding? Soemtimes they have Ding fares.
> We are flying Aug. 11 (RDU-FLL) and back on Aug.19. I managed to get good fares. I've had two adjustments so far. The flight on the 19th is high for the one I'm booked on.
> 
> Erika---Where are you going?



Hey Elena!  We are going to California in June.  SF, LA (staying with Randy and Candy) and then DL!


----------



## mickeyluv

uncw89 said:


> Are you signed up for Ding? Soemtimes they have Ding fares.
> We are flying Aug. 11 (RDU-FLL) and back on Aug.19. I managed to get good fares. I've had two adjustments so far. The flight on the 19th is high for the one I'm booked on.



I am signed up for DING but for some reason everytime I hear the "ding" and try to open it on my desktop computer it tells me an error has occurred.  I've even uninstalled and re-installed DING but it doesn't seem to help.


----------



## jenseib

mickeyluv said:


> I am signed up for DING but for some reason everytime I hear the "ding" and try to open it on my desktop computer it tells me an error has occurred.  I've even uninstalled and re-installed DING but it doesn't seem to help.



Ding has never worked for me either on 2 computers


----------



## uncw89

mickeyluv said:


> I am signed up for DING but for some reason everytime I hear the "ding" and try to open it on my desktop computer it tells me an error has occurred.  I've even uninstalled and re-installed DING but it doesn't seem to help.



Sometimes I have trouble with it too! Try opening from time to time, sometimes it will show a ding when you do.
Do you have a smartphone? They have an app.


----------



## uncw89

elgerber said:


> Hey Elena!  We are going to California in June.  SF, LA (staying with Randy and Candy) and then DL!



FUN!!! How long are you going for? Let me know if you do a TR! I want to go to DL sometime and SF. Tell Randy and Candy I said, "Hi!"

Sorry for the hijack!!!


----------



## jennwdw

Southwest has new dates up!


----------



## eeyoregon

Gee, why am I not shocked that SWA made us wait all this time and then ONLY opened up 8 weeks of booking??


----------



## ajpa

In case anyone missed it upthread, you can still get a $20 discount per RT ticket with Coke Rewards (need 100 pts).

http://www.southwest.com/mycokerewards2012/


----------



## mickeyluv

Has anyone taken advantage of the $20 off per R/T flight using my coke rewards?  We are trying to get as many codes from coke products as we can but I was just reading about it on SW and this says...

on website...$20 discount valid for one-time use at southwest.com or SWABIZ.com off the total amount of a Wanna Get Away roundtrip fare purchase before taxes and fees. 

My question is, can I use the points for $20 off for each member in my family?  I think we will have 60 points and there are 3 of us so I am hoping I can us it for each one of us.


----------



## ajpa

mickeyluv said:


> Has anyone taken advantage of the $20 off per R/T flight using my coke rewards?  We are trying to get as many codes from coke products as we can but I was just reading about it on SW and this says...
> 
> on website...$20 discount valid for one-time use at southwest.com or SWABIZ.com off the total amount of a Wanna Get Away roundtrip fare purchase before taxes and fees.
> 
> My question is, can I use the points for $20 off for each member in my family?  I think we will have 60 points and there are 3 of us so I am hoping I can us it for each one of us.



Yes, I used that code and it gives you $20 off for each passenger ($10 off each way). So for the 4 of us it saved $80. Very much worth it.


----------



## mickeyluv

ajpa said:


> Yes, I used that code and it gives you $20 off for each passenger ($10 off each way). So for the 4 of us it saved $80. Very much worth it.



Great!  Thanks for posting!


----------



## mickeyluv

Sorry,I have another question.  I've already reached my max of 120 points this week.  If I'm booking a flight for me, DH, and DD can my DH sign up for my coke rewards and use the rest of the caps I have for this week?  I'm thinking we will have the 300 points we need for $20 off for the 3 of us.  I wanted to be able to book this week if possible because SW's fares keep going up for the flight we're needing.  I just read something about the SW Birthday sale.  Is that like a really significant savings?  Enough of a savings you think that I should wait until the end of June to book when their B-day sale comes out?  We are flying to LGA on August 16th.


----------



## jenseib

mickeyluv said:


> Sorry,I have another question.  I've already reached my max of 120 points this week.  If I'm booking a flight for me, DH, and DD can my DH sign up for my coke rewards and use the rest of the caps I have for this week?  I'm thinking we will have the 300 points we need for $20 off for the 3 of us.  I wanted to be able to book this week if possible because SW's fares keep going up for the flight we're needing.  I just read something about the SW Birthday sale.  Is that like a really significant savings?  Enough of a savings you think that I should wait until the end of June to book when their B-day sale comes out?  We are flying to LGA on August 16th.



I think he can have his own account, but not 100% sure.


----------



## gretchenohar@hotmail

mickeyluv said:


> Sorry,I have another question.  I've already reached my max of 120 points this week.  If I'm booking a flight for me, DH, and DD can my DH sign up for my coke rewards and use the rest of the caps I have for this week?  I'm thinking we will have the 300 points we need for $20 off for the 3 of us.  I wanted to be able to book this week if possible because SW's fares keep going up for the flight we're needing.  I just read something about the SW Birthday sale.  Is that like a really significant savings?  Enough of a savings you think that I should wait until the end of June to book when their B-day sale comes out?  We are flying to LGA on August 16th.



You can always book now, then if the fares come down, you can re-book at the lower price with no penalty.

You won't get a refund, but you will get reward points you can use on a future flight.

HTH


----------



## ajpa

mickeyluv said:


> Sorry,I have another question.  I've already reached my max of 120 points this week.  If I'm booking a flight for me, DH, and DD can my DH sign up for my coke rewards and use the rest of the caps I have for this week?  I'm thinking we will have the 300 points we need for $20 off for the 3 of us.  I wanted to be able to book this week if possible because SW's fares keep going up for the flight we're needing.  I just read something about the SW Birthday sale.  Is that like a really significant savings?  Enough of a savings you think that I should wait until the end of June to book when their B-day sale comes out?  We are flying to LGA on August 16th.



You only need 100 coke rewards points for all of you as long as you book it in one transaction. You don't need 300 points for 3 passengers.


----------



## mickeyluv

ajpa said:


> You only need 100 coke rewards points for all of you as long as you book it in one transaction. You don't need 300 points for 3 passengers.



Seriously???  well that's  great!  thanks so much!


----------



## amomma23

I booked our flights for September back in March and added EBCI... Last week we decided to go for an earlier flight, so I went ahead and changed under our current reservation.  Will the time stamp for EBCI be from date I originally booked or from the date of the change? I realize it really makes very little difference, just curious???  Thanks!


----------



## branat

72 hr sale....I just booked out flights from Little Rock to Orlando for 1/2 the price of what has been listed.  Just search the dates and there are many that are 49, 99, and 139 per way based on distance.  I have been watching prices since Feb and they haven't dropped a single time until now.  There is probably less than 48hrs left of this sale.  I had to change the times I was hoping for by about an hr either way to get the deal but it was totally worth it for 1/2 off!!  Check it out!  You cannot have Friday or Sunday as a travel day to get the discount.


----------



## branat

My travel was for September by the way!


----------



## KTJAY

branat said:


> 72 hr sale....I just booked out flights from Little Rock to Orlando for 1/2 the price of what has been listed.  Just search the dates and there are many that are 49, 99, and 139 per way based on distance.  I have been watching prices since Feb and they haven't dropped a single time until now.  There is probably less than 48hrs left of this sale.  I had to change the times I was hoping for by about an hr either way to get the deal but it was totally worth it for 1/2 off!!  Check it out!  You cannot have Friday or Sunday as a travel day to get the discount.



My return flight from MCO to Providence was at $99 yesterday at noon and when I got home from work to book it-it was back up to $140. Within 5 or 6 hours!! So frustrating!!


----------



## DisneyNDecember

Well, it is official, I was worried we would have to cancel with airfare being double the price of what it has been in the past, only 1 slight hiccup......

Well, from Dallas Love Field to Orlando (MCO) for both me & my 16 year old son, with Southwest, it came to a total of $514 !!!! Which is just about what I paid last year to fly American Airlines.

The only hiccup, to get a Direct (they don't have non-stop with Southwest out of Dallas Love Field) flight with only 1 stop & NO PLANE CHANGE, there was ONLY one time frame & that was flying out at 3:30 pm & arriving in Orlando Florida at 8:50 PM. That is the hiccup, we have in the past 10 years always flown with American Airlines & left at 6:00 AM & arrived on our very first day at 9:30 am, so we have basically lost a WHOLE day having to switch to Southwest Airlines.  

But American Airlines prices are out the roof !!! And they are still in "limbo" with their business decisions. The total fare if we flew with American Airlines non-stop is approx $700-800 total, so we had no choice but to choose Southwest, I hope all goes well with choosing Southwest, we have never flown with them.

But at least we are GOING !!!!! It really feels official now !!

Can anyone tell me if Southwest changes their flight times or do they stay consistent with what you originally booked? I specifically booked Direct (no plane change, with just one stop) both ways round trip. They only had one option for Direct- no plane change with just one stop.


----------



## Grumpy Grandma

DisneyNDecember said:


> Well, it is official, I was worried we would have to cancel with airfare being double the price of what it has been in the past, only 1 slight hiccup......
> 
> Well, from Dallas Love Field to Orlando (MCO) for both me & my 16 year old son, with Southwest, it came to a total of $514 !!!! Which is just about what I paid last year to fly American Airlines.
> 
> The only hiccup, to get a Direct (they don't have non-stop with Southwest out of Dallas Love Field) flight with only 1 stop & NO PLANE CHANGE, there was ONLY one time frame & that was flying out at 3:30 pm & arriving in Orlando Florida at 8:50 PM. That is the hiccup, we have in the past 10 years always flown with American Airlines & left at 6:00 AM & arrived on our very first day at 9:30 am, so we have basically lost a WHOLE day having to switch to Southwest Airlines.
> 
> But American Airlines prices are out the roof !!! And they are still in "limbo" with their business decisions. The total fare if we flew with American Airlines non-stop is approx $700-800 total, so we had no choice but to choose Southwest, I hope all goes well with choosing Southwest, we have never flown with them.
> 
> But at least we are GOING !!!!! It really feels official now !!
> 
> Can anyone tell me if Southwest changes their flight times or do they stay consistent with what you originally booked? I specifically booked Direct (no plane change, with just one stop) both ways round trip. They only had one option for Direct- no plane change with just one stop.



I my experience SW hasn't changed flight times.  I'm now at the point where they are the only airline that I fly.  I like that 2 checked bags are free, if I have to change a flight there is no fee, if the price of the flight goes down I can rebook to get a credit and if I have to cancel they'll give me a credit that expires 1 year from the date I booked.  I just don't see these benefits from other airlines.


----------



## DisneyNDecember

Thank you Grumpy Grandpa !! That is great info to know !!! I also added the Early Bird Check In for both flights, that only added a total of $40 to the total fare, making it $554, to ensure my son gets a window seat !! We already had to pay $50 one way for our two checked bags with American, so total of $100 additional for that. 

I will miss the nonstop flight of American. We could leave at 6:00 AM & be in Orlando by 9:30 AM, it was great !!! Being on a plan for 4 hours as opposed to 2:30 hours will not be fun !!! But I could not stomach those extreme airfares from American this year & who knows what the outcome will be after their negotiations??? I just could not risk Southwest's flights filling up & being left with no other alternatives !! 

Thanks again for the great info !!!


----------



## DisneyNDecember

Okay, I have Early Bird Check in, I know 36 hours before your flight you get a preassigned boarding segment. You still have to "print" your boarding pass, but here is my question...
Do you actually NEED a paper copy of the boarding pass if you use a smart phone/Iphone? Can't I just use the Southwest mobile app & get my two boarding passes electronically loaded or is it better to just print them?

I tried to locate the answer online at SW.com, but this is the best I could find on their site....

When are EarlyBird Check-In Customers' boarding pass positions reserved? 
EarlyBird Check-In Customers will have their boarding passes reserved beginning 36 hours prior to their flight's scheduled departure time.   Boarding Passes can be printed beginning 24 hours prior to the flight's scheduled local departure time.


----------



## ShelsGoingToDisney

DisneyNDecember said:


> Okay, I have Early Bird Check in, I know 36 hours before your flight you get a preassigned boarding segment. You still have to "print" your boarding pass, but here is my question...
> Do you actually NEED a paper copy of the boarding pass if you use a smart phone/Iphone? Can't I just use the Southwest mobile app & get my two boarding passes electronically loaded or is it better to just print them?
> 
> I tried to locate the answer online at SW.com, but this is the best I could find on their site....
> 
> When are EarlyBird Check-In Customers' boarding pass positions reserved?
> EarlyBird Check-In Customers will have their boarding passes reserved beginning 36 hours prior to their flight's scheduled departure time.   Boarding Passes can be printed beginning 24 hours prior to the flight's scheduled local departure time.



You'll need to print them at the airport because you will need them to get through security and to board the plane. You don't have to print them at the 24 hour mark. Just go to a kiosk when you get to the airport and print before you head to the security line.


----------



## DisneyNDecember

ShelsGoingToDisney said:


> You'll need to print them at the airport because you will need them to get through security and to board the plane. You don't have to print them at the 24 hour mark. Just go to a kiosk when you get to the airport and print before you head to the security line.



Thanks for the reply. I have never flown with SW, this is our first time. I know with American, you could print at home, print at the kiosk in the airport, or download the "scanner bar code" on your smart phone & they scan your iphone barcode. I just thought SW had that choice as well, but I can print them or use the kiosk, thanks a bunch !!!


----------



## Gymbomom

So travel funds are non-transferable between family members correct? So, if my son who is 10 has $48 in travel funds....I can't use it? 
Thanks for your help!!


----------



## stitchlovestink

DisneyNDecember said:
			
		

> Well, it is official, I was worried we would have to cancel with airfare being double the price of what it has been in the past, only 1 slight hiccup......
> 
> Well, from Dallas Love Field to Orlando (MCO) for both me & my 16 year old son, with Southwest, it came to a total of $514 !!!! Which is just about what I paid last year to fly American Airlines.
> 
> The only hiccup, to get a Direct (they don't have non-stop with Southwest out of Dallas Love Field) flight with only 1 stop & NO PLANE CHANGE, there was ONLY one time frame & that was flying out at 3:30 pm & arriving in Orlando Florida at 8:50 PM. That is the hiccup, we have in the past 10 years always flown with American Airlines & left at 6:00 AM & arrived on our very first day at 9:30 am, so we have basically lost a WHOLE day having to switch to Southwest Airlines.
> 
> But American Airlines prices are out the roof !!! And they are still in "limbo" with their business decisions. The total fare if we flew with American Airlines non-stop is approx $700-800 total, so we had no choice but to choose Southwest, I hope all goes well with choosing Southwest, we have never flown with them.
> 
> But at least we are GOING !!!!! It really feels official now !!
> 
> Can anyone tell me if Southwest changes their flight times or do they stay consistent with what you originally booked? I specifically booked Direct (no plane change, with just one stop) both ways round trip. They only had one option for Direct- no plane change with just one stop.



In all the times we have flown SW they have Never changed a time except at the gate due to weather circumstances (snow once/ severe Tstorms a couple of times).  They pretty much leave their flight  times alone once they publish them.


_Posted  from  Disney Forums  Reader for  Android_


----------



## jenseib

I'm looking at a couple os connecting SW flights for this fall to another destination.  The ideal time flights only allow 40 minutes between flights...this seems a litttle tight? Anyone ever do flights like this with success?


----------



## WDWfeelslikehome

Anyone have an idea of when SW may open their late February flights for booking?


----------



## DisneyNDecember

I am thinking about changing my "*Direct- no plane change *but one stop" flight with Southwest (first time flying with them) to an earlier flight that has One plane change, I have NEVER changed planes before to get to my destination.  It has a 55 minute plane change at the New Orleans MSY airport. The flight would leave Dallas TX Love Field at 6:35 am & arrive in New Orleans MSY airport at 7:55 & then you change planes & depart there at 8:50 am & then arrive in Orlando at 11:25 am.  

Is 55 minutes enough time to change planes at the New Orleans MSY airport? I was looking at the LA MSY airport online & I can't tell........ Any prior experiences & thoughts? A prior thread stated to allow at least 2 hours minimum, is 55 minutes too close?

Also, does your EBCI apply to both legs of the flight?


----------



## Grumpy Grandma

DisneyNDecember said:


> I am thinking about changing my "*Direct- no plane change *but one stop" flight with Southwest (first time flying with them) to an earlier flight that has One plane change, I have NEVER changed planes before to get to my destination.  It has a 55 minute plane change at the New Orleans MSY airport. The flight would leave Dallas TX Love Field at 6:35 am & arrive in New Orleans MSY airport at 7:55 & then you change planes & depart there at 8:50 am & then arrive in Orlando at 11:25 am.
> 
> Is 55 minutes enough time to change planes at the New Orleans MSY airport? I was looking at the LA MSY airport online & I can't tell........ Any prior experiences & thoughts? A prior thread stated to allow at least 2 hours minimum, is 55 minutes too close?
> 
> Also, does your EBCI apply to both legs of the flight?



I've never flown in and out of New Orleans so no help there.  Whenever I've had to make a stop and change planes the EBCI has applied to both legs.


----------



## Glendamax

DISERS! Is all hope REALLY lost for getting a lower fare? I'm leaving from Baltimore on Fri. Aug 31st, coming back on Sun. Sept 9th. The sales they had excluded Fridays and Sundays. My roundtrip ticket will be $303. I have NEVER paid that much before. Any suggestions?


----------



## MuchLovedMama

Glendamax said:


> DISERS! Is all hope REALLY lost for getting a lower fare? I'm leaving from Baltimore on Fri. Aug 31st, coming back on Sun. Sept 9th. The sales they had excluded Fridays and Sundays. My roundtrip ticket will be $303. I have NEVER paid that much before. Any suggestions?


I gave up waiting for SW for our Sept trip and booked with US Air last week when they dropped fares. They're expected to rise any day now but I'd look into other airlines.


----------



## patink

We got a flyer in the newspaper this past Sunday from World Market that said if you spend $20 at World Market you can get 15% off your next SWA roundtrip Wanna Get Away Fare.  I did not bring the flyer with me to share all the fine print, but at least some of the info is available at the website.

http://www.worldmarket.com/home/index

Look at the back page of the add.

HTH someone get a better deal!!

They also have a contest for anyone who wants to enter.


----------



## patink

WDWfeelslikehome said:


> Anyone have an idea of when SW may open their late February flights for booking?



From the SWA Website:

Travel Tools

We are currently accepting air reservations through January 4, 2013. On July 9, 2012, we will open our schedule for sale through February 13, 2013. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.

For future reference you can find it under Travel Tools in the upper left corner of the main page.  Click on Travel Tools --> All travel Tools (at the bottom of drop down box)


----------



## Southernswthrt

DisneyNDecember said:


> I am thinking about changing my "*Direct- no plane change *but one stop" flight with Southwest (first time flying with them) to an earlier flight that has One plane change, I have NEVER changed planes before to get to my destination.  It has a 55 minute plane change at the New Orleans MSY airport. The flight would leave Dallas TX Love Field at 6:35 am & arrive in New Orleans MSY airport at 7:55 & then you change planes & depart there at 8:50 am & then arrive in Orlando at 11:25 am.
> 
> Is 55 minutes enough time to change planes at the New Orleans MSY airport? I was looking at the LA MSY airport online & I can't tell........ Any prior experiences & thoughts? A prior thread stated to allow at least 2 hours minimum, is 55 minutes too close?
> 
> Also, does your EBCI apply to both legs of the flight?



Yes.  Msy is small compared to other airports and all SW gates are together.


----------



## jenseib

I now have both my arrival and return flights booked and linked together....question....Is there a way to add the coke rewards code to it now?...after the fact of them being booked.  No big deal if I can't, but if I could, I sure will give it a try.


----------



## marshwiggle

Glendamax said:


> DISERS! Is all hope REALLY lost for getting a lower fare? I'm leaving from Baltimore on Fri. Aug 31st, coming back on Sun. Sept 9th. The sales they had excluded Fridays and Sundays. My roundtrip ticket will be $303. I have NEVER paid that much before. Any suggestions?



Check again? If you're flexible about the flight times, I came up with $210-215 rt just now for those dates so the prices may have changed since yesterday.


----------



## CSwan1

Does anyone have a Coke Rewards Code (or any other code for that matter) that they are not going to use?  I finally got enough Coke points to get the code and it isn't listed on the website anymore!!!  Please PM me!  Thanks in advance!!!


----------



## jenseib

South west is having another sale right now


----------



## jenseib

CSwan1 said:


> Does anyone have a Coke Rewards Code (or any other code for that matter) that they are not going to use?  I finally got enough Coke points to get the code and it isn't listed on the website anymore!!!  Please PM me!  Thanks in advance!!!



Last I look it was extend till July.  Maybe they sold enough.


----------



## CSwan1

jenseib said:


> Last I look it was extend till July.  Maybe they sold enough.



Thanks for the reply!  The day after I earned my last few points, I went to the Coke reward site to get the code and the promo was gone!!!  I was bummed!


----------



## DisneyClown

*I was hoping someone could clear up the difference in SW fares for me. I read the descriptions but I'm still a bit confused. I'm looking to fly out December 4 and return December 11. The regular fares are sky high right now on those but the 'Wanna Get Away' fares are really low. Is it still far enough out that I should keep watching and waiting for the regular fares to drop? There must be some steep downsides to booking the WGA fares for them to be so low. Thoughts??*


----------



## jenseib

DisneyClown said:


> *I was hoping someone could clear up the difference in SW fares for me. I read the descriptions but I'm still a bit confused. I'm looking to fly out December 4 and return December 11. The regular fares are sky high right now on those but the 'Wanna Get Away' fares are really low. Is it still far enough out that I should keep watching and waiting for the regular fares to drop? There must be some steep downsides to booking the WGA fares for them to be so low. Thoughts??*



I can't tell you the difference except pretty much every I know does the I wanna get away fares.


----------



## amomma23

The main difference is that "wanna get away" fares are non-refundable. The other 2 categories are fully refundable. If you book a WGA fare, you can still change flights with no change fees, you just have to pay the difference in price if it's higher. If you change to a lower priced flight, you will get an account credit, not a refund. If you join their Rapid Rewards program you earn more points for higher class seats. Unless you're a business traveler (or someone else is paying ) Not much reason to pay for a higher class.


----------



## Southernswthrt

If this has been answered elsewhere, my apologies - I couldn't find it!

I signed up for the SW credit card with 50K bonus points and they are now available for use.  For those of you wondering - it was about 4.5 weeks from the time of application to the points showing up in my account.

My question is, when I book travel using these points and the price goes down, does the credit get applied to each person I bought tickets for or does it go back into my RR account?  I'm debating whether to book now or wait for the flights to go down again.  I know that if you don't use points, the refund is tied to the person.  

TIA


----------



## ShelsGoingToDisney

Southernswthrt said:


> If this has been answered elsewhere, my apologies - I couldn't find it!
> 
> I signed up for the SW credit card with 50K bonus points and they are now available for use.  For those of you wondering - it was about 4.5 weeks from the time of application to the points showing up in my account.
> 
> My question is, when I book travel using these points and the price goes down, does the credit get applied to each person I bought tickets for or does it go back into my RR account?  I'm debating whether to book now or wait for the flights to go down again.  I know that if you don't use points, the refund is tied to the person.
> 
> TIA



All of the points will be refunded back to your RR account and there is no expiration date on them like a $$ credit (ticketless travel funds) credit would have! It'll be like you never used them at all!


----------



## Glendamax

Today my flight from Baltimore to Orlando is $53 cheaper! WOO HOO!!! So now I have that credit! Hopefully my flight home will go down too.

So check your flights today! Good Luck!


----------



## talulabelle

ShelsGoingToDisney said:


> All of the points will be refunded back to your RR account and there is no expiration date on them like a $$ credit (ticketless travel funds) credit would have! It'll be like you never used them at all!



I have a similar question...I havent decided if we will be flying into Tampa to visit my brother a couple days early and then driving over to Orlando for our vacation, or if we will just fly straight to orlando on the day we are to check in.  If I book the tampa flights on points, then change my mind and change to the Orlando flights on a different day, will the points go back to my account if there is a difference?


----------



## ShelsGoingToDisney

talulabelle said:


> I have a similar question...I havent decided if we will be flying into Tampa to visit my brother a couple days early and then driving over to Orlando for our vacation, or if we will just fly straight to orlando on the day we are to check in.  If I book the tampa flights on points, then change my mind and change to the Orlando flights on a different day, will the points go back to my account if there is a difference?



You will book your Tampa flights. If you change your mind you will click on the link "change reservation". At that point you will choose your new flights (you can change days, locations, time, whatever). Depending on the total they will either deduct additional points if it costs more or refund your extra points back to your RR account if it costs less. There are no fees, penalties or expiration dates at all!


----------



## DisneyClown

*I have another question...a member of my traveling party said I should look into discounts through AARP because she is a member. Is that possible to get discounts on all our tickets with her one membership if I'm paying for it all on one credit card? Is it possible to get discounts at all on Southwest using AARP?    I know nothing about AARP so any help is appreciated.*


----------



## cybrkitn

DisneyClown said:


> *I have another question...a member of my traveling party said I should look into discounts through AARP because she is a member. Is that possible to get discounts on all our tickets with her one membership if I'm paying for it all on one credit card? Is it possible to get discounts at all on Southwest using AARP?    I know nothing about AARP so any help is appreciated.*



I'd like to know the answer to that as well.  My mom is a member and it would be great if we can all get the discount.

ETA:  I talked to my mom about this and went online to AARP's web site.  They only use Expedia for booking flights.  Unfortunately, Expedia (and those like it) do not use SW or JetBlue.   I'm not willing to pay mid $300's to over $500 on a non-stop flight to Orlando that I can get through SW for $142 or Jet Blue for $128 right now.


----------



## Disney_Fanatic

Hi fellow DISers we have a problem booking a SWA flight and hope that someone could help us:

How many unused travel funds/ credits can you use when you book a new flight? We have 2 travel credits from the same confirmation # for our flights from June to MCO (fares came down twice) and we would like to apply to our new flight reservation for a trip in september. There is two of us so we've applied four funds between the two of us and added the credit card info for the remaining balance. 

The system then gives us an error message "Please remove one of the other Payment types in order to use a credit card."

We are not sure what went wrong when we try to apply the credits. Has anyone try to apply credits before?


----------



## jenseib

Disney_Fanatic said:


> Hi fellow DISers we have a problem booking a SWA flight and hope that someone could help us:
> 
> How many unused travel funds/ credits can you use when you book a new flight? We have 2 travel credits from the same confirmation # for our flights from June to MCO (fares came down twice) and we would like to apply to our new flight reservation for a trip in september. There is two of us so we've applied four funds between the two of us and added the credit card info for the remaining balance.
> 
> The system then gives us an error message "Please remove one of the other Payment types in order to use a credit card."
> 
> We are not sure what went wrong when we try to apply the credits.



I am not an expert on this...but you might have to pay with all points?


----------



## DisneyClown

cybrkitn said:


> I'd like to know the answer to that as well.  My mom is a member and it would be great if we can all get the discount.
> 
> ETA:  I talked to my mom about this and went online to AARP's web site.  They only use Expedia for booking flights.  Unfortunately, Expedia (and those like it) do not use SW or JetBlue.   I'm not willing to pay mid $300's to over $500 on a non-stop flight to Orlando that I can get through SW for $142 or Jet Blue for $128 right now.



*Thanks for information!!!! *


----------



## cybrkitn

DisneyClown said:


> *Thanks for information!!!! *



You're welcome.


----------



## jenifferf00

Southwest's new sale doesn't include my city  I'm trying to extend my trip a day and need their fares to drop some. Hopefully it will happen! Right now tickets are $192, I need then to be $160 or less; here's keeping my fingers crossed


----------



## HHSTigerFan

We booked 4 tickets from Chicago to MCO at $107, now they are $77... is there a way I can get a $30 credit for each person and then use that $30 for our return trip?


----------



## HHSTigerFan

Nevermind, I figured it out...


----------



## Glendamax

HHSTigerFan said:


> We booked 4 tickets from Chicago to MCO at $107, now they are $77... is there a way I can get a $30 credit for each person and then use that $30 for our return trip?



Glad your tickets went down in price! I checked mine today (from Baltimore), but no luck! Will keep checking though!


----------



## HHSTigerFan

So we have 4 credits of $30, SW payment system doesn't let me use all 4 and a credit card (limit 4 payment types)... what are my options to get 4 MCO to MDW tickets?


----------



## MuchLovedMama

HHSTigerFan said:
			
		

> So we have 4 credits of $30, SW payment system doesn't let me use all 4 and a credit card (limit 4 payment types)... what are my options to get 4 MCO to MDW tickets?



Can u split the purchase?  For instance if you're booking for 4 people can u purchase for 2 under 1 purchase and then make another purchase for the other 2?


----------



## HHSTigerFan

MuchLovedMama said:


> Can u split the purchase?  For instance if you're booking for 4 people can u purchase for 2 under 1 purchase and then make another purchase for the other 2?



 Just seems like I should be nervous about buying two, then go to buy the other two and the flight is sold out...no?


----------



## MuchLovedMama

HHSTigerFan said:


> Just seems like I should be nervous about buying two, then go to buy the other two and the flight is sold out...no?



If u put in the number u need and it shows available then it should be fine if u do the purchase back to back.


----------



## jjan

Please forgive me if this has been asked a thousand times, but search isn't much help with this... I know that the rules for SW cancelled flight credit has changed since I used it a couple of years ago. If I book 2 tickets for my Mom and I together and then I have to cancel both tickets, can I use the credit all myself for my own tickets in the future or does SW make my Mom's credit only available to her for the future and I can only use my own portion? Thanks in advance for any help!


----------



## jenseib

Only she can use it and it has to be used with in a year of purchase date.


----------



## jjan

jenseib said:


> Only she can use it and it has to be used with in a year of purchase date.



That is what I thought... bummer! I was hoping if I was the one buying the tickets, then they would still be under one credit code that I could use. Thanks for the help!


----------



## ford91exploder

Just CALL Southwest,  explain what you want to do,   The folks on the phone can do quite a bit more than you can do on the website especially when using flight credits.


----------



## ford91exploder

jjan said:


> Please forgive me if this has been asked a thousand times, but search isn't much help with this... I know that the rules for SW cancelled flight credit has changed since I used it a couple of years ago. If I book 2 tickets for my Mom and I together and then I have to cancel both tickets, can I use the credit all myself for my own tickets in the future or does SW make my Mom's credit only available to her for the future and I can only use my own portion? Thanks in advance for any help!



Once again CALL southwest 1-800-IFLYSWA,   What Southwest did when they changed the ticket reuse rules was for a couple of reasons 

1 - TSA security rules,
2 - Prevent people from SELLING reward tickets.  

Since you PAID for the tickets your CC is associated with both PNR's and SWA will be able to assist you over the phone.    

There used to be a entire industry on Craigslist reselling SWA award tickets and this was both a security nightmare and as SWA saw it revenue being diverted out of their pockets.    

On the security nightmare in the paper ticket days - I had earned a reward flight and called SWA about where's my ticket and turned out it had been used so it was filched from the mail.    The upshot was I never got the free flight I earned and a while later turned out a mail sorter was grabbing tickets and reselling them but as far as SWA was concerned ticket had been 'used' I probably could have gotten a re-issue but it would just be too much work because I would have to prove ticket was stolen and who stole it etc,etc,etc.    

Now even if the ticket was stolen it's no good to anybody but the original purchaser or named passenger.

So they changed the rules and pretty much made it so only people who PAID for the ticket OR the person NAMED on the ticket could use ticketless travel funds.    

I dont work for SWA I just fly them every week for business.


----------



## jenseib

So you are saying that if I cal lSW and ask to have a credit applied to my flight that I paid for for my DD I could possibly have it used for my flight. I hve a $30 credit for each of us. I plan to fly in Sept, but DD will not be going with me. So it could be possible to have all $60 applied to my flight alone?


----------



## ford91exploder

jenseib said:


> So you are saying that if I cal lSW and ask to have a credit applied to my flight that I paid for for my DD I could possibly have it used for my flight. I hve a $30 credit for each of us. I plan to fly in Sept, but DD will not be going with me. So it could be possible to have all $60 applied to my flight alone?



As long as YOU paid for DD's ticket I don't see why not.


----------



## jenseib

ford91exploder said:


> As long as YOU paid for DD's ticket I don't see why not.



I sure did. I'll have to remember that when I make the flight.


----------



## MAYNARDS99

Jenseib: Please let us know how it turns out.

I'm afraid you are going to be disappointed though.


----------



## jenseib

MAYNARDS99 said:


> Jenseib: Please let us know how it turns out.
> 
> I'm afraid you are going to be disappointed though.



Yes, I won't count on it...but it's worth a try


----------



## MapleGirl

I have some Ticketless Travel Funds that I would like to use on an upcoming flight.  The flight costs $90 and I have $30 in funds.  Can I use the $30 then pay the remaining $60 with my Southwest rewards points?

I've tried buying the ticket using the Reward pts. I am able to add in the the travel funds but they are only applying $5 of the funds to the ticket as this is the only out-of-pocket cost for the flight.

I guess what I am asking is how do I apply the Travel Funds first then pay the remainder my Reward Points?


TIA!


----------



## lildeb724

Where do I look to find out when flights will go on sale for the end of march?


----------



## JamieAndMackenzie

jenseib said:


> I sure did. I'll have to remember that when I make the flight.



I'm not sure it will work for you. On Southwest's site it says, "Unused travel funds may only be applied toward the purchase of future travel for the individual named on the ticket."

In February I called Southwest to see if I could cancel the flight I bought for my sister using my credit card and have that credit put on my name. I was told that it didn't matter who purchased the tickets. If her tickets were cancelled, then the credit would be in her name and only she could use it, even though it was on my credit card. 

If you called, maybe SW would make an exception, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. On a different message board there are instances where people find out that someone in their group who they bought a ticket for is now unable to travel and will most likely never be able to do so again, or at least not within the year, so the credit in that person's name is useless. SW still refused to transfer those credits to the purchaser. Good luck and let us know if it works for you.


----------



## jenseib

MAYNARDS99 said:


> Jenseib: Please let us know how it turns out.
> 
> I'm afraid you are going to be disappointed though.





JamieAndMackenzie said:


> I'm not sure it will work for you. On Southwest's site it says, "Unused travel funds may only be applied toward the purchase of future travel for the individual named on the ticket."
> 
> In February I called Southwest to see if I could cancel the flight I bought for my sister using my credit card and have that credit put on my name. I was told that it didn't matter who purchased the tickets. If her tickets were cancelled, then the credit would be in her name and only she could use it, even though it was on my credit card.
> 
> If you called, maybe SW would make an exception, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. On a different message board there are instances where people find out that someone in their group who they bought a ticket for is now unable to travel and will most likely never be able to do so again, or at least not within the year, so the credit in that person's name is useless. SW still refused to transfer those credits to the purchaser. Good luck and let us know if it works for you.



My friend told me today that she tried to do this a month ago and they told her no as well...and she is one who usually gets lucky with this kind of stuff.


----------



## MapleGirl

Does anyone have a code I could use for travel in October?
Thanks!
Maple


----------



## elfbo

Does anyone know if you can buy (and earn points) with store gift cards using the southwest visa?  Thinking about purchasing some walmart gift cards for presents if that counts.


----------



## Glendamax

Good Morning! My September flight from Orlando to Baltimore, has gone down in price today, from $146 to $107.80. So make sure you check your flights today too, so you can get a credit! Good Luck!!!!


----------



## Donnainnj

MapleGirl said:


> Does anyone have a code I could use for travel in October?
> Thanks!
> Maple



See your PM's


----------



## MapleGirl

Donnainnj said:


> See your PM's



Got it!  Thanks so much!!   I can't seem to use it while paying for my flights with Southwest Rewards Points.  Anyone know if this is possible?


----------



## patink

Upper Right corner of SWA webpage:
Travel Tools drop down pick All Travel tools.



lildeb724 said:


> Where do I look to find out when flights will go on sale for the end of march?



Travel Tools

We are currently accepting air reservations through March 8, 2013. On August 27, 2012, we will open our schedule for sale through April 12, 2013. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


HTH


----------



## Katti Michele

Does anyone know if there are any promo codes for December (travel dates are for 10-17) or have any? I know MyCokeRewards had something, but you had to travel by November  Trying to get my flights from New Orleans to Orlando and back for as cheap as possible! Thanks!


----------



## keishashadow

I'm familiar with AT's reward system but no so much as to SWA's version.

I've searched the conversion site and don't see my question answered thought i'd try it here 1st.

DH & I are both close to 16 AT rewards that we plan on converting to SWA for a RT flight 'voucher' - if that is the correct term.  

My Questions:

1)  It's my understanding that unlike AT as long as there is an open seat I can book it?

2)  the points in our AT account have an earliest expiry date of 6/13.  If I convert to a SWA voucher 12/12 will it be valid to travel until 12/13 or 6/13?

Anything else i'm missing?


----------



## Glendamax

ATTENTION!!! Southwest is having a 50% sale TODAY ONLY for it's facebook fans. It must be a round trip ticket. Discount is valid only on new reservations and purchase must be made on August 3, 2012 for travel on 9/5, 9/11, 9/18, 9/25, 10/2, 10/31, or 11/6/12.


----------



## jmgalw

Our family of six is planning our first Disney trip in October... I would like to fly Southwest but the prices are running higher than Delta right now.  I tried to find the Coke Rewards coupon with no luck.  How do you get a Southwest promo code?
We are not well seasoned travelers, from your experience, when is the best time to book a flight?  (How long before you travel?)
Thanks so much!


----------



## Wish Upon A Star

Wondering if anyone had a code that they aren't using for travel this month?

Thanks!


----------



## mickeyluv

Wish Upon A Star said:


> Wondering if anyone had a code that they aren't using for travel this month?
> 
> Thanks!



I have a code but it wasn't printed this month.  I thought I was going to need it but used points instead. You are more than welcome to it if it's still usable.  I'm not at home right now but can send it to you when i do get back home later today, just let me know.


----------



## Wish Upon A Star

mickeyluv said:


> I have a code but it wasn't printed this month.  I thought I was going to need it but used points instead. You are more than welcome to it if it's still usable.  I'm not at home right now but can send it to you when i do get back home later today, just let me know.



Sure, just send me a PM and I'll try it out . . .THANKS!


----------



## jenseib

mickeyluv said:


> I have a code but it wasn't printed this month.  I thought I was going to need it but used points instead. You are more than welcome to it if it's still usable.  I'm not at home right now but can send it to you when i do get back home later today, just let me know.



You can't use a code with points?


----------



## jenseib

I have a question. I booked a SW flight yesterday. I had $30 credit from another flight and then I was going to book the rest on points.  Well I went and applied my credit and it only applied $10 of the $30 to my flight. It's all my credit, not share with someone else. and it says I still have $20 left...why is that?  Then on top of that, it didn't even reduce the amount of points that were used. Should I call in and ask about it?


----------



## jenseib

Aha!!!!  I called...it was bugging me. The $10 was applied to the 911 fee and I can convert credit to points, so thats all it could be used for.


----------



## esk

subscribing...looking for a code or promo for late November!


----------



## grodgers49

We can use a sw code for December or January if anyone has one available.


----------



## Glendamax

Southwest is having a sale this week, for as low as $69.

Purchase from August 14 through August 24, 2012, 11:59 pm Pacific Time.

Travel August 24 through February 13, 2013.

Blackout Dates Apply: November 16 - November 21, November 23 - November 26, December 20 - December 23, and December 26 - January 2, 2013.
Travel valid every day except Sundays.

Offer not available to/from Dayton, OH; Washington D.C. (Dulles); Washington D.C. (Reagan National); Key West, FL; Ft. Myers, FL; West Palm Beach, FL; Des Moines, IA.


----------



## sksjasams

Glendamax said:


> Southwest is having a sale this week, for as low as $69.
> 
> Purchase from August 14 through August 24, 2012, 11:59 pm Pacific Time.
> 
> Travel August 24 through February 13, 2013.
> 
> Blackout Dates Apply: November 16 - November 21, November 23 - November 26, December 20 - December 23, and December 26 - January 2, 2013.
> Travel valid every day except Sundays.
> 
> Offer not available to/from Dayton, OH; Washington D.C. (Dulles); Washington D.C. (Reagan National); Key West, FL; Ft. Myers, FL; West Palm Beach, FL; Des Moines, IA.



Thanks for posting!  We meet all of the restrictions, but our flights did not drop in price at all...bummer


----------



## Cmbar

Confused about these monthly codes everyone is asking about.  Are these special code SWA give out randomly or can you earn them.

We are flying in October and I would love to get a code for travel in that month?  Can anyone let me know where to find these codes?  Thanks!


Also, anyone have any luck with trying to get any unused funds for their children.  My teen daughter couldn't go with us last January on a DW trip and she has 75$ in travel funds.  It is just hubby and me in October going.  Any chance I can use her unused funds which expire in October?  Anyone have any luck?


----------



## Glendamax

sksjasams said:


> Thanks for posting!  We meet all of the restrictions, but our flights did not drop in price at all...bummer



Man! I was really hoping I would be helping out someone - especially since I can't use it. I guess I need to travel on Tues or Weds.


----------



## Glendamax

Southwest is having another sale on September Travel. You have to book by Monday. Go to the site for info.


----------



## PurpleDanceDiva

I need a code for Dec. 12-17. I have never received or used a code before and would love some help!


----------



## DisneyClown

*I booked a flight to MCO for 6 people, one of them being my Mother's friend who has since had to drop out of the trip. My question is, do I have to do anything about the ticket she's not using? I haven't booked return flight yet so I will only be booking 5 then, but can I cancel hers and have a credit applied to use on one of our return tickets? If I do nothing with it, will there be any problems because I booked 6 but there are only 5 people showing up? Or is she the only one who can do anything with it, even though it was charged to my card?

I just don't have a lot of experience with this so just wanted to make sure all my bases are covered. Thanks!*


----------



## jenseib

DisneyClown said:


> *I booked a flight to MCO for 6 people, one of them being my Mother's friend who has since had to drop out of the trip. My question is, do I have to do anything about the ticket she's not using? I haven't booked return flight yet so I will only be booking 5 then, but can I cancel hers and have a credit applied to use on one of our return tickets? If I do nothing with it, will there be any problems because I booked 6 but there are only 5 people showing up? Or is she the only one who can do anything with it, even though it was charged to my card?
> 
> I just don't have a lot of experience with this so just wanted to make sure all my bases are covered. Thanks!*



She is the one who will get the credit and she has to use it in a years time.  So be sure she still pays you for the flight


----------



## trevdisney

Any codes for Jan 19-23 would be most appreciated.  Thanks for all the valuable information!


----------



## sandiegosusie

Any idea of when March 2013 flights will drop in price?  Flying from the West Coast and seriously I have never paid more than 120 each way before taxes. Flights now are insane!


----------



## StrwLady

sandiegosusie said:


> Any idea of when March 2013 flights will drop in price?  Flying from the West Coast and seriously I have never paid more than 120 each way before taxes. Flights now are insane!



I'm hoping they come down.  We are also going in March.  I just paid $375 per person from Dallas to Orlando on Southwest.  It use to be that the top price was about $250.  I was getting antsy seeing so many of the "wanna get away" fares sold out.  I am really hoping I jumped the gun and they will come down.  But if they don't I have something on the lower end of what is out now and the flights and days I want.  I plan on checking almost every day to see if the prices drop and then making a change to the lower fare

Good Luck on fares!


----------



## Victoriasmom98

Has anyone transferred their reward points to Air Tran's A+ points? How does this work??


----------



## daughtryfan114

I received an email for a SWA 25% off sale. Looks like it  Use code deal 5, it is a one time use only code. Hope someone can use it!!!

Discount is valid on new reservations and purchase must be made prior to 11:59 pm PST on 9/6/12 for travel on 9/19, 9/26, 10/30, 10/31, 11/7, 12/1, 12/4, 12/5, and 12/11/12.


----------



## hatfieldddad

Has anyone used the SW credit card points.  Looks too good to be true.  I can open an account and my wife can open one.  We both spend the required $1000 and get 4 free flights?  All for the $69 annual fee.


----------



## jenseib

hatfieldddad said:


> Has anyone used the SW credit card points.  Looks too good to be true.  I can open an account and my wife can open one.  We both spend the required $1000 and get 4 free flights?  All for the $69 annual fee.



Well. mine was different. I got 50,000 points for opening the card and making 1 purchase.....didn't matter how big or small it was. I have used some of my points already too.


----------



## TJDisneymama

So I am new to SW, never flown it before....... and have never had a credit card with airline miles.   So is the current deal for the SW credit card on the SW website of 25,000 points the best deal out there?  I am really interested in flying Air Tran so it looks like I could convert my 25,000 points into 21 AT credits which would get me 2 one-way flights on AT (8 credits each). Is that correct?   Seems like a lot of work to get (2) one-way flights which may only be worth like $100/each, when what we need is (4) round trip flights.......  IDK if it's worth going through that (not a fan of having too many credit cards).  if I could get 50,000 I'd do it for sure!


----------



## jenseib

TJDisneymama said:


> So I am new to SW, never flown it before....... and have never had a credit card with airline miles.   So is the current deal for the SW credit card on the SW website of 25,000 points the best deal out there?  I am really interested in flying Air Tran so it looks like I could convert my 25,000 points into 21 AT credits which would get me 2 one-way flights on AT (8 credits each). Is that correct?   Seems like a lot of work to get (2) one-way flights which may only be worth like $100/each, when what we need is (4) round trip flights.......  IDK if it's worth going through that (not a fan of having too many credit cards).  if I could get 50,000 I'd do it for sure!



If you can wait, I would. I have had 3 50,000 point offers this year alone. I only took advantage of 1, but I have done 1 round trip for myself and 2 1 ways..and still have quite a few points left. I hope to use it next year for something I am hoping pans out.


----------



## TJDisneymama

IDK how long I can wait as I want to book in the next couple months for our april trip


----------



## jodebode

If anyone has a code for Nov-Dec. travel that they aren't using, we would really appreciate it! Southwest starts flying out of our home airport, Des Moines, later this month so everything SW is new to us!
Thanks!
Jodi


----------



## Paticake

I really need a code for November travel . we are booked down but the return is. Any help would be greatly appreciated. There are 6 of us.


----------



## TJDisneymama

where do people get these codes? By email??  And are they individual codes? (not the same code for everyone?)


----------



## ktate82

So here is my question.....We live closer to St. Louis, but are willing to fly out of Chicago.  I have points to use (4 of us flying), and right now, its 11,000 points cheaper to fly out of Chicago.  However, we will be traveling to Disney from Dec 10-18.  Is it worth it to risk the weather?


----------



## Katti Michele

Does anyone know of any codes or promotions going on right now for December travel? I really need to book our flights soon. Right now it will be $302 round trip per person. I know MyCokeRewards had something a few months ago, Pier 1 or World Market (or some type of store like that) had something a while back too. Does anyone know of anything? Trying to get the best bang for my buck but scared of waiting much longer and having it go up. Thanks!


----------



## DsnyMama

We are needing a code also if anyone has anything to share!  We leave Nov 26 and come back Dec 6.


----------



## NC State Tigger

Traveling Dec 14-22.  Fares are

Thinking about flying to Tampa but need to get 7 of us to WDW then on to Port Canaveral for our cruise---then back to the airport.  Car rental is high, too.
Are there car services from the Tampa airport to WDW?

Any SW codes for our dates?

Just don't know what to do.


----------



## uncw89

NC State Tigger said:


> Traveling Dec 14-22.  Fares are
> 
> Thinking about flying to Tampa but need to get 7 of us to WDW then on to Port Canaveral for our cruise---then back to the airport.  Car rental is high, too.
> Are there car services from the Tampa airport to WDW?
> 
> Any SW codes for our dates?
> 
> Just don't know what to do.



Drive from RM...straight shot down 95 or if you have time you could take the Amtrak! It's not a bad drive. We did the train from Raleigh, that wasn't bad either....just long! It was an overnight ride and we just did coach. I wasn't able to sleep much but it was quiet.


----------



## dis2cruise

Hi does someone have a code they can share with me?  On a budget ugh... Anyway, we are leaving january11 coming back on January 21.  Thanks


----------



## DisneyClown

*Still have to book the return flight for my trip and contemplating if they will have just one more sale before I leave in December!! Got the flight there for $77 and was hoping for same for the return trip but they've been hovering at $116 and today dropped to $108. I might be pushing my luck to see if they drop again, but still got over 2 months to go so....maybe? *


----------



## greenclan67

Does anybody think they will drop before March! I keep looking for Mco to Buf and Tpa to Buf for march 14th, 15th or 16th. Preferring the 15th, but they were at $189 for a long time and now at $217 from Tpa to Buf. I really don't want to pay that, but might have to! Any thoughts?


----------



## TJDisneymama

TJDisneymama said:


> where do people get these codes? By email??  And are they individual codes? (not the same code for everyone?)



quoting my post to ask again -- WHERE do these codes come from?


----------



## ktate82

DisneyClown said:


> *Still have to book the return flight for my trip and contemplating if they will have just one more sale before I leave in December!! Got the flight there for $77 and was hoping for same for the return trip but they've been hovering at $116 and today dropped to $108. I might be pushing my luck to see if they drop again, but still got over 2 months to go so....maybe? *



You could always book it then rebook if prices go lower.


----------



## DisneyClown

ktate82 said:


> You could always book it then rebook if prices go lower.



*Yeah, but don't they just give you credit that you have to use within a year? I'm not flying again that soon.*


----------



## greenclan67

DisneyClown said:


> *Yeah, but don't they just give you credit that you have to use within a year? I'm not flying again that soon.*



That is my problem, I am not sure if I will be able to go anywhere next year, we have been lucky so far, going every year, but we are buying a new house (hopefully in the spring) so things will be up in the air for next year!


----------



## culli

DisneyClown said:
			
		

> Yeah, but don't they just give you credit that you have to use within a year? I'm not flying again that soon.



Yes and it also had to be used by the person who the flight credit is given.


----------



## ddluvsdisney

Can someone tell me where on the site you can find the date they'll be opening the next dates of flights. I was looking for April 13. Booking is through April 12 right now.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards


----------



## Tara619

ddluvsdisney said:
			
		

> Can someone tell me where on the site you can find the date they'll be opening the next dates of flights. I was looking for April 13. Booking is through April 12 right now.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards



Yes, when do they open up the schedule?  We're going in June and I don't know when the best/cheapest time to book is.


----------



## lildeb724

Right now it says oct 22nd. Go to the website, then under customer service hit travel tools. It says it in that page


----------



## rubybpc

How to Exploit SWA RR & Airtran A+?
http://milevalue.com/how-to-exploit-the-southwest-airtran-merger/


----------



## encinc

I just discovered that our SW flights have dropped by $10/ person. When we first booked the flight, we added EBCI. When I logged in to change the flights, there was the EB symbol beside each of our names. I made the change to the new fare, and now when I log in, the EB symbol isn't there. Did we lose our EBCI when I changed our flights? Should I have done something differently?

ETA - I just logged in again, and the EB symbols are back!


----------



## Mickdeb

lildeb724 said:


> Right now it says oct 22nd. Go to the website, then under customer service hit travel tools. It says it in that page



Are the flights still opening around 6AM EST. I know last year when I purchased our airfare for our April vacation 2012, it was about 6:20AM.  
Any experience with recent releases of dates.


----------



## lildeb724

Mickdeb said:


> Are the flights still opening around 6AM EST. I know last year when I purchased our airfare for our April vacation 2012, it was about 6:20AM.
> Any experience with recent releases of dates.



Also check the website frequently.  When I booked for March 2013 the date was in sept then did not look for a week, when I went to check again it had moved to the next morning which was August 27th.

I know that their is some discussion if it is cheaper to book right away.  I am going spring break from NY-Long Island.  My flights in the past month went from $360 round trip to $700 round trip per person.  Actually by the end of the day when the flights open it had already gone up a 100 per ticket


----------



## mommykds

Would SW have a sale during Easter week?  (before or after?)


----------



## TammyA

Southwest Winter Fare Sale 40% off for travel between Nov. 28 through Dec. 12, 2012, and Jan. 7 through Feb. 14, 2013. Not good on Sundays.  Must book by 10/11.  Code is BIGDEAL40.


----------



## sksjasams

TammyA said:


> Southwest Winter Fare Sale 40% off for travel between Nov. 28 through Dec. 12, 2012, and Jan. 7 through Feb. 14, 2013. Not good on Sundays.  Must book by 10/11.  Code is BIGDEAL40.



This is a great deal if you are paying with dollars.  You can't use this code if you are booking with rapid rewards points though.  Bummer.  Thanks for posting though - I'm sure it will help lots of people!


----------



## hockeybabe

It helped me on the first leg of our trip  Probably not going to happen, but if a sale comes up for the return flight date of our trip, I can change to the lower priced fare, as long as it is a different flight, right?


----------



## nursemelis374

This is great information!  I am looking to book our June trip, first time trying Southwest but can't beat the no baggage fees when there are 4 of us!

Edit: made a mistake!  Just saw that on October 22nd, they will have flights through May 2013.  I am dying to book our June trip!


----------



## DisneyClown

*If I have only the departure leg of our trip booked right now, can I cancel that one and book roundtrip tickets to take advantage of the sale going on now? The one I have right now is Wanna Get Away tickets and I know they aren't "refundable" but wasn't sure if I could just get a "credit" so to speak and apply it to the new tickets.*


----------



## Grumpy Grandma

DisneyClown said:


> *If I have only the departure leg of our trip booked right now, can I cancel that one and book roundtrip tickets to take advantage of the sale going on now? The one I have right now is Wanna Get Away tickets and I know they aren't "refundable" but wasn't sure if I could just get a "credit" so to speak and apply it to the new tickets.*



Yes just cancel the existing reservation first and then when you book the new one use the original confirmation # in the apply travel funds box.  I did this yesterday and it worked fine.


----------



## TJDisneymama

can someone tell me how long it takes from the reward to go from your credit card into your Rapid Rewards account?  I just had my first statement close yesterday and the rewards show on the statement, but nothing when I login to my RR account.


----------



## DisneyClown

Grumpy Grandma said:


> Yes just cancel the existing reservation first and then when you book the new one use the original confirmation # in the apply travel funds box.  I did this yesterday and it worked fine.



*Thank you! I did just that today and saved myself a bundle!! *


----------



## PrincesCJM

Unfortunately, DH, DS and I are not going to be able to go to Disney in December like we had hoped.  I have already purchased tickets for our flights.  I knew that it was going to be iffy going but there were a great price and I know Southwest does not charge to change plans.  My question though is how do I go about canceling our flights?  They are non-refundable so I understand that we'll have credits to use.  They will need to be used within a year of purchase, correct?


----------



## DisneyClown

PrincesCJM said:
			
		

> Unfortunately, DH, DS and I are not going to be able to go to Disney in December like we had hoped.  I have already purchased tickets for our flights.  I knew that it was going to be iffy going but there were a great price and I know Southwest does not charge to change plans.  My question though is how do I go about canceling our flights?  They are non-refundable so I understand that we'll have credits to use.  They will need to be used within a year of purchase, correct?



I called Southwest and they canceled it for me and when I rebooked, it asks if you want to apply travel funds, where you would then put in your confirmation number for these flights you are canceling. I believe you can also go to southwest.com and there is an option to cancel a reservation. If you are iffy about it at all, you should just call. It's super easy. I got an agent right away who assured me it was no problem and answered my questions about rebooking.


----------



## Itinkso

PrincesCJM said:


> Unfortunately, DH, DS and I are not going to be able to go to Disney in December like we had hoped.  I have already purchased tickets for our flights.  I knew that it was going to be iffy going but there were a great price and I know Southwest does not charge to change plans.  My question though is how do I go about canceling our flights?  They are non-refundable so I understand that we'll have credits to use.  They will need to be used within a year of purchase, correct?



You can cancel online and you will receive a Confirmation Number for Travel Funds. Keep the print-out as you will need the Confirmation number to use the funds towards future travel.
It is very easy to use the funds; I re-booked this morning, entered the Confirmation number and it automatically deducted my original purchase amount.


----------



## Hedy

Figuring the worst answer can be no:  any such animal as an April 2013 code?


----------



## OhMari

Can you get a credit if the price of your flight drops?
My dd is flying to Denver for Thanksgiving and the price of one of the flights dropped $50.  I know it isn't a whole lot, but $50 bucks is still $50.  And she could use it on another flight.


----------



## jenseib

OhMari said:


> Can you get a credit if the price of your flight drops?
> My dd is flying to Denver for Thanksgiving and the price of one of the flights dropped $50.  I know it isn't a whole lot, but $50 bucks is still $50.  And she could use it on another flight.



Yes, but it wil lbe a credit that has to be used with in a year of purchase date.  But totally do able!


----------



## amomma23

My husband was just approved for the 50,000 points with SW card.  Our family of 5 will be heading back to WDW in August 2013.  We each have a RR number and some travel funds left from our trip last month.  
When we go to book our trip how will that work?  I assume my husband logs into his account to purchase all of our flights and use the 50,00 points?  I read that we will have separate confirmation #'s, but can we book all at once under one reservation?  The points should cover most of the cost of our flights, but not all.  Do we have to book what we can with points, then do a separate reservation to pay cash for what's not covered? What about our travel funds?  Are we able to apply them as well?  
Sorry too many questions! We've traveled SW a few times, but never with points or travel funds, so this is all new.


----------



## rubybpc

amomma23 said:
			
		

> My husband was just approved for the 50,000 points with SW card.  Our family of 5 will be heading back to WDW in August 2013.  We each have a RR number and some travel funds left from our trip last month.
> When we go to book our trip how will that work?  I assume my husband logs into his account to purchase all of our flights and use the 50,00 points?  I read that we will have separate confirmation #'s, but can we book all at once under one reservation?  The points should cover most of the cost of our flights, but not all.  Do we have to book what we can with points, then do a separate reservation to pay cash for what's not covered? What about our travel funds?  Are we able to apply them as well?
> Sorry too many questions! We've traveled SW a few times, but never with points or travel funds, so this is all new.


 
Yes, different reservation #s but you book together. 
If u don't need that many points to completely cover the cost u can buy points but sometimes it's cheaper to pay cash depends how much u get them for. You cannot apply RR from other accounts. Sign up for Ding! And stalk the website I got 6 one way tickets for 4k each! I'm hoping to get a good discount for or return flights too. DH and I both applied separately so we have 100k but need to book 6 RT.


----------



## amomma23

rubybpc said:


> Yes, different reservation #s but you book together.
> If u don't need that many points to completely cover the cost u can buy points but sometimes it's cheaper to pay cash depends how much u get them for. You cannot apply RR from other accounts. Sign up for Ding! And stalk the website I got 6 one way tickets for 4k each! I'm hoping to get a good discount for or return flights too. DH and I both applied separately so we have 100k but need to book 6 RT.



Thanks for answering my ramble! My daughter and I each have a $37 credit and my husband and 2 boys have $17 credits.  Can we apply these and pay with points or do you have to pay cash to use the credit?


----------



## jenseib

amomma23 said:


> Thanks for answering my ramble! My daughter and I each have a $37 credit and my husband and 2 boys have $17 credits.  Can we apply these and pay with points or do you have to pay cash to use the credit?



You can only use those for the 911 fee part because you would have to pay cash for those.


----------



## amomma23

jenseib said:


> You can only use those for the 911 fee part because you would have to pay cash for those.



Thanks


----------



## Cindironi

Hi,
Just wondering if anyone has flown SW from Greenville-Spartanburg, SC to Orlando(direct flight)? My family is going to Orlando on Dec. 18th and would like to get some feedback from anyone that has flown from this airport on SW. 
Thanks in advance!!


----------



## ewerstruly

Where do people get these SW codes? I would love to have one for our Dec. 21 return trip. We got our tickets there for $108, but couldn't get that price on the way home so I held out for a sale. Hope prices don't keep going up. My brother is a Sw pilot, and I know nothing about codes ... But then he never shares anything with me . Can anyone else help?


----------



## poohj80

ewerstruly said:


> Where do people get these SW codes? I would love to have one for our Dec. 21 return trip. We got our tickets there for $108, but couldn't get that price on the way home so I held out for a sale. Hope prices don't keep going up. My brother is a Sw pilot, and I know nothing about codes ... But then he never shares anything with me . Can anyone else help?



We had same issue but found a matching low fare on Delta for our return.  RT total per person ended up $170 each splitting between SW and Delta.


----------



## TJDisneymama

it seems like all the emails I get with codes/discounts are for flights coming up in the near future - like less than a month out.  IDK if they put out codes for use with flights 6 months away.


----------



## debjk4

We are very much newbies to flying! I understand the boarding procedure but when we get into the airplane, will there be four seats across to sit in? Not really sure what the inside of the plane looks like~ can't find it on Southwest's site??


----------



## ash&abby'smom

debjk4 said:


> We are very much newbies to flying! I understand the boarding procedure but when we get into the airplane, will there be four seats across to sit in? Not really sure what the inside of the plane looks like~ can't find it on Southwest's site??



Our flights have always been 3 seats on each side.  So when it's just 4 of us flying, we do 2 and 2.


----------



## poohj80

debjk4 said:


> We are very much newbies to flying! I understand the boarding procedure but when we get into the airplane, will there be four seats across to sit in? Not really sure what the inside of the plane looks like~ can't find it on Southwest's site??



Even though there are 3 seats on each side of the aisle usually, there's no guarantee you will find 4 seats in the same row available so I ditto the suggestion above to try for 2 and 2.


----------



## DisneyClown

I just did my 24 hour checkin and got B boarding passes. I do have a 4 year old and a 1 year old. Will they still let us board at the end of A group even though I bought my kids adult fares? Will I have to bring their birth certificates to prove their ages?


----------



## Cmbar

DisneyClown said:


> I just did my 24 hour checkin and got B boarding passes. I do have a 4 year old and a 1 year old. Will they still let us board at the end of A group even though I bought my kids adult fares? Will I have to bring their birth certificates to prove their ages?



You will be able to board between A and B.  I wouldn't think you need their birth certificates if it is obvious you have a one year old..


----------



## DisneyClown

Cmbar said:
			
		

> You will be able to board between A and B.  I wouldn't think you need their birth certificates if it is obvious you have a one year old..



Thanks!


----------



## TinyDancer

Are there any SW codes right now?


----------



## lindsey

Has anyone had any problems with the 24hour check in from a droid phone app instead of computer?


----------



## ford91exploder

SW check in sequence 

T-Minus 36:00

A-List Preferred, A-List, Early-Bird

T-Minus 24:00

Everyone else

T-Minus 1:30

Checkin only at airport and you get C (for Center)

T-Minus 0:00

Off to visit the Kingdom of the Mouse!





DisneyClown said:


> I just did my 24 hour checkin and got B boarding passes. I do have a 4 year old and a 1 year old. Will they still let us board at the end of A group even though I bought my kids adult fares? Will I have to bring their birth certificates to prove their ages?


----------



## zuzu310

So my son will be 2 when we go next year so we will need to buy him a seat this time. Which is cheaper:buying him a child's airfare or buying the tickets I need on the day they release them even if they are adult tickets? TIA


----------



## jenseib

zuzu310 said:


> So my son will be 2 when we go next year so we will need to buy him a seat this time. Which is cheaper:buying him a child's airfare or buying the tickets I need on the day they release them even if they are adult tickets? TIA



Usually childs fare is based on a full price ticket and then a percentage off. You are usually better off buying whatever sale price is released. (like the wanna get away rates)


----------



## culli

lindsey said:
			
		

> Has anyone had any problems with the 24hour check in from a droid phone app instead of computer?



No I have used it close to a dozen times but if you are a second early plan on entering your info again.


----------



## TJDisneymama

can someone explain the online checkin/boarding?  i paid $10 extra for auto check in and i have no clue what it means, lol.  never flown SW before as its only come to boston in the past  year or two.


----------



## Karlzmom

passengers are given their number to board the plane based on the order the check-in.  normally, check-in starts at the 24 hour mark and creates what amounts to a virtual line. it's not always convenient to get in the virtual line right at the 24 hour mark, so early bird check-in is offered where the airlines computer gets in the line for you before the main queue opens at the 24 hour mark.  the early check-in is also a virtual line in order based on when you bought your place in line..early buy before later.  

when you obtain your boarding pass, even if you wait until you get to the airport, will reflect your standing in the early virtual line with no additional action by you beyond buying the early bird check-in.  relax and have fun!


----------



## 1tufgt

Karlzmom said:
			
		

> passengers are given their number to board the plane based on the order the check-in.  normally, check-in starts at the 24 hour mark and creates what amounts to a virtual line. it's not always convenient to get in the virtual line right at the 24 hour mark, so early bird check-in is offered where the airlines computer gets in the line for you before the main queue opens at the 24 hour mark.  the early check-in is also a virtual line in order based on when you bought your place in line..early buy before later.
> 
> when you obtain your boarding pass, even if you wait until you get to the airport, will reflect your standing in the early virtual line with no additional action by you beyond buying the early bird check-in.  relax and have fun!



Also note that when you do get in the 24 hour window of when your flight you can log onto southwest.con and click online checkin to see what position EBCI gave you.


----------



## TJDisneymama

thanks for the info on online check in...... 

another question - if SW puts out a code, can you apply it to already-booked flights?  do you have to cancel and re-book?


----------



## 1tufgt

TJDisneymama said:
			
		

> thanks for the info on online check in......
> 
> another question - if SW puts out a code, can you apply it to already-booked flights?  do you have to cancel and re-book?



You can't apply codes to already booked tickets.  You would have to cancel and rebook with your credits.  Remember though if you cancel (unless you got anytime fares / business select) you will not get a cash refund back but rather you will have SW credits so unless you plan on flying again it's better to wait than to book and be stuck with the credits.


----------



## sonogal

We'll be flying SW for the first time next month. Is it really worth it to buy the early bird check-in? I can easily do the online check-in myself at the 24 hour mark so how much of a difference will there be in boarding order? We have no problem sitting at the back of the plane and are not really worried about overhead storage. Thanks


----------



## poohj80

sonogal said:
			
		

> We'll be flying SW for the first time next month. Is it really worth it to buy the early bird check-in? I can easily do the online check-in myself at the 24 hour mark so how much of a difference will there be in boarding order? We have no problem sitting at the back of the plane and are not really worried about overhead storage. Thanks



We flew SW to WDW last month, checked in right at 24 hour mark and were in the A group (#56-58 ). We had no problems sitting together. One thing you might want to look at is where your plane is coming from and how many of those people might be staying on the plane to your destination.   The only time we've had issues with seats is when half the plane was already full when we started boarding.


----------



## mcd2745

Anyone know what time of day (in the Eastern time zone) SW usually releases fares when they open the next batch of fares? Is it standard every time, or does it vary? I need to book flights Feb 4 when the fares for late August are released.


----------



## 1tufgt

mcd2745 said:
			
		

> Anyone know what time of day (in the Eastern time zone) SW usually releases fares when they open the next batch of fares? Is it standard every time, or does it vary? I need to book flights Feb 4 when the fares for late August are released.



I think it's usually in the mornings EST.


----------



## lildeb724

mcd2745 said:
			
		

> Anyone know what time of day (in the Eastern time zone) SW usually releases fares when they open the next batch of fares? Is it standard every time, or does it vary? I need to book flights Feb 4 when the fares for late August are released.



The last two times I booked flights opened up around 6:30 est. I started checking around 6


----------



## mcd2745

1tufgt said:


> I think it's usually in the mornings EST.





lildeb724 said:


> The last two times I booked flights opened up around 6:30 est. I started checking around 6




thx


----------



## Saralew

Does anyone know if SW still seats family with little children first.


----------



## Itinkso

Saralew said:
			
		

> Does anyone know if SW still seats family with little children first.



We flew on SW last week and families with babies were being seated according to boarding pass numbers. The fliers who needed special assistance boarded first and then they went to the numerical line-up of passengers.


----------



## SAT887

Saralew said:
			
		

> Does anyone know if SW still seats family with little children first.



My last 3 flights they did not. We pay for EBCI so we have less to worry about. With car seats/strollers/diaper bags it's saved us some aggravation.


----------



## jenseib

Saralew said:


> Does anyone know if SW still seats family with little children first.



No they board between a and b


----------



## RainbowsMist

I booked 6 tickets back in August for our upcoming March trip. I see the price has dropped however it's only for 3 tickets, once I put in more than 3 the price jumps up. Is there any way I can apply it to just three?

Thanks in advance


----------



## ocalla

Good Morning all!

I have enough points to purchase airline for July, and want to go ahead and book since the price is right.  BUT (there is always a but....), if I need to change the dates of the flight, will I get all the points back to use on the new flights?

How would I go about doing this if need be?  1. Book now.  2.  DH - "honey, we need to change our travel dates"  3.  Me - What????  4.  Log into SW and do what????

Thanks so much for any help you can give me.


----------



## jenseib

ocalla said:


> Good Morning all!
> 
> I have enough points to purchase airline for July, and want to go ahead and book since the price is right.  BUT (there is always a but....), if I need to change the dates of the flight, will I get all the points back to use on the new flights?
> 
> How would I go about doing this if need be?  1. Book now.  2.  DH - "honey, we need to change our travel dates"  3.  Me - What????  4.  Log into SW and do what????
> 
> Thanks so much for any help you can give me.



Yes, I booked on points and then the price went down and I adjusted and my points went back to my account.


----------



## ocalla

Thanks!  Now what about thed $5 per ticket charge?  is that credited back to CC OR Lost?


----------



## jenseib

ocalla said:


> Thanks!  Now what about thed $5 per ticket charge?  is that credited back to CC OR Lost?



That should be transfer to the next flight. It was for me, but I am not an expert on changing flights either.  LOL


----------



## firstwdw

How can you tell if the southwest flight is coming in from another airport and will be partly full of passengers from Orlando-Manchester, NH? I know our flight down is super early so that won't be a problem but I'm concerned about our flight back home. How do I find this out?


----------



## firstwdw

jenseib said:


> That should be transfer to the next flight. It was for me, but I am not an expert on changing flights either.  LOL



I did the same-booked with points-price dropped and I switched-the $5 just transferred to the next flight without an issue.


----------



## Kansas Mom

poohj80 said:


> We flew SW to WDW last month, checked in right at 24 hour mark and were in the A group (#56-58 ). We had no problems sitting together. One thing you might want to look at is where your plane is coming from and how many of those people might be staying on the plane to your destination.   The only time we've had issues with seats is when half the plane was already full when we started boarding.



How do you find out where your plane is coming from?


----------



## poohj80

Kansas Mom said:
			
		

> How do you find out where your plane is coming from?



When I did it, I was able to figure it out using the flight # and Southwest's full flight schedule.


----------



## kkmauch

When do the SWA dates for the rest of August come out? Thanks!


----------



## amomma23

kkmauch said:


> When do the SWA dates for the rest of August come out? Thanks!



Monday, 2/4


----------



## Disneyaunt4

kkmauch said:


> When do the SWA dates for the rest of August come out? Thanks!



Do you know if they will also include Sept. dates?


----------



## Mickey&JoshNut

Anyone know what time SW will release their schedule on 2/4?


----------



## amomma23




----------



## amomma23

Disneyaunt4 said:


> Do you know if they will also include Sept. dates?



Quoted wrong question, oops! Through 9/27


----------



## Mickey&JoshNut

amomma23 said:


> Through 9/27



Thanks...however I was wonder what time...as in time of day they release the schedule - 8 am, noon, etc.


----------



## dec2009mama

First time flying SW, a couple of questions:
We are two adults, 17 year old and 3 year old and we bought the wanna get away fare with no seat selection and no EBCI.

~how will the boarding process work for us?   No matter what prints on our passes we will be able to board between groups A and B?

~do we really have to check in 24 hours in advance?  If we can really board between groups A and B no matter what is the point of checking in 24 hours in advance?

~we have two flights Orlando to Phoenix & Phoenix to Seattle, not sure if there is a plane change but I assume as with other flights we will have to get off the plane and re-board (if no plane change) and therefore lose our seats?

~should I buy the EBCI anyways?   We are trying to save money though so is it necessary?

Thanks in advance for the help


----------



## ksloane

dec2009mama said:


> First time flying SW, a couple of questions:
> We are two adults, 17 year old and 3 year old and we bought the wanna get away fare with no seat selection and no EBCI.
> 
> ~how will the boarding process work for us?   No matter what prints on our passes we will be able to board between groups A and B?
> 
> ~do we really have to check in 24 hours in advance?  If we can really board between groups A and B no matter what is the point of checking in 24 hours in advance?
> 
> ~we have two flights Orlando to Phoenix & Phoenix to Seattle, not sure if there is a plane change but I assume as with other flights we will have to get off the plane and re-board (if no plane change) and therefore lose our seats?
> 
> ~should I buy the EBCI anyways?   We are trying to save money though so is it necessary?
> 
> Thanks in advance for the help



I believe under 5 does have option to board between A and B. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong. I would still check in at 24 hour mark as you may get an A set of numbers that would get you on any sooner.

If it's the same plane, I've never had to get off. In fact, after they do head count, you can even move to "better" seats.

And you probably know this, but the seats are in sets of 3 so make sure there's a plan as someone will have to sit slightly apart.


----------



## jenseib

You can still get put pretty far back going between a and b. I would definitely check in 24 hours ahead.


----------



## a742246

I believe families with children can board between A and B. That may be limited for 1 adult per child or 2 adults per child I am not sure. I would call southwest to confirm. 
Anyway, as PP says the seats are 3 to a section. You can probably board between A and B if you and your 17yr and 3 yr are together. Let dear DH
get in line. LOL.
Good luck!


----------



## 1971DBday

SW has a new sale just released.  I at least got my flight to MCO for $93, now just to get a better price for coming home.  Not thrilled its not a non-stop, but there is no plane change and only adds an hour to our trip.


----------



## ksloane

1971DBday said:


> SW has a new sale just released.  I at least got my flight to MCO for $93, now just to get a better price for coming home.  Not thrilled its not a non-stop, but there is no plane change and only adds an hour to our trip.



Mine are really cheap right now too, but I don't have the money to buy them. *sigh*  Hoping they will stay low for a week or at least reasonable.


----------



## poohj80

ksloane said:


> Mine are really cheap right now too, but I don't have the money to buy them. *sigh*  Hoping they will stay low for a week or at least reasonable.



This sale only lasts until Thursday.  We were going to drive for our trip in May but now are considering changing plans.


----------



## maurene

dec2009mama said:


> First time flying SW, a couple of questions:
> We are two adults, 17 year old and 3 year old and we bought the wanna get away fare with no seat selection and no EBCI.
> 
> ~how will the boarding process work for us?   No matter what prints on our passes we will be able to board between groups A and B?
> 
> ~do we really have to check in 24 hours in advance?  If we can really board between groups A and B no matter what is the point of checking in 24 hours in advance?
> 
> ~we have two flights Orlando to Phoenix & Phoenix to Seattle, not sure if there is a plane change but I assume as with other flights we will have to get off the plane and re-board (if no plane change) and therefore lose our seats?
> 
> ~should I buy the EBCI anyways?   We are trying to save money though so is it necessary?
> 
> Thanks in advance for the help



All four of you may not be able to board during family boarding (between groups A and B).  The official SW language indicate one adult per one child under 5.  But I don't know how strictly they enforce that.


> An adult traveling with a child four years old or younger may board during Family Boarding, which occurs after the "A" group has boarded and before the "B" group begins boarding.



I've heard though that sometimes they don't even offer family boarding if there are A LOT of families on the flight or the plane is going to a popular tourist destination (like Orlando).  But, I don't think that is common.

Check your reservation to see if you have to change planes.  If you don't have to change planes, you may be able to stay on the plane.

Whether or not to buy EBCI is a tricky issue for me.  I think most of the time it isn't really necessary if you can check-in online 24 hours prior to the flight - and, if you have some flexibility in where you want to sit.  For instance, if you're OK with you and your DH each pairing-off with one child and not necessarily having to sit in the same row or adjacent rows, then you should be fine without EBCI.  You still likely not be too far apart.


----------



## itsmeamanda

I've only flown once, but DH talked me into flying to our first trip to WDW in April.  I got all four of our tickets to MCO roundtrip for $391.00 total! 

We're traveling with a 4 and 6 year old. I'd love any tips that you frequent flyers could give me.

Thank you for all of your help!


----------



## Mama Moose

I would love to buy our tickets for $79, but it's just going to be me with my 5 and 8 year olds. Is there a chance we could separated all over the plane? I could check in 24 hours in advance with no problem, but do they help keep kids with their parent(s)?


----------



## ksloane

Mama Moose said:


> I would love to buy our tickets for $79, but it's just going to be me with my 5 and 8 year olds. Is there a chance we could separated all over the plane? I could check in 24 hours in advance with no problem, but do they help keep kids with their parent(s)?



I'm not saying it can't happen, but I've never been separated from my family. Now we've never had really late boarding pass numbers either. I've only once ever had a "B." Now that there's Early Bird Checkin, I pay for that to ensure we get an earlier boarding pass, but before that I just always made sure to check in at exactly 24 hours.


----------



## Mama Moose

ksloane said:


> I'm not saying it can't happen, but I've never been separated from my family. Now we've never had really late boarding pass numbers either. I've only once ever had a "B." Now that there's Early Bird Checkin, I pay for that to ensure we get an earlier boarding pass, but before that I just always made sure to check in at exactly 24 hours.




So, I better pay to check in earlier? Do most people do this? We are only 535 miles and usually drive, but I would love to be there in 1.5 hours instead of 8 hours!!


----------



## ksloane

Mama Moose said:


> So, I better pay to check in earlier? Do most people do this? We are only 535 miles and usually drive, but I would love to be there in 1.5 hours instead of 8 hours!!



I do because I don't want to take any chances of being separated and even though I've always been able to check in at 24 hour mark, I worry that my Internet will be down or something else will keep me away at the last minute. For the extra $$, I can ensure that I am checked in (and I love it for the return flight as I don't have to even think about it while on vacation until it's time to go)


----------



## MAYNARDS99

"do they help keep kids with their parent(s)?"

Not really, with open seating, YOU choose where you want to sit.  You should have no problem getting three seats next to each other, although it could be across an aisle.  Your eight year old may even want to sit by themselves next to a window.  Most people would not want a five year old sitting next to them in the middle seat, and would be glad to move elsewhere.


----------



## ksloane

MAYNARDS99 said:


> "do they help keep kids with their parent(s)?"
> 
> Not really, with open seating, YOU choose where you want to sit.  You should have no problem getting three seats next to each other, although it could be across an aisle.  Your eight year old may even want to sit by themselves next to a window.  Most people would not want a five year old sitting next to them in the middle seat, and would be glad to move elsewhere.



I've been on a couple flights where the flight attendants were really forceful when "helping" families stay together. I've also been on flights when they make one announcement and if no one got up, it was tough luck to the family. So I think it just depends on the flight attendants and their mood for the day.


----------



## MAYNARDS99

Remember you can also check in using your phone.  I'd rather use the $$ for something fun.  BTW Southwest is now offering early boarding in Group A 1 thru 15 for $40 at the gate, regardless of your boarding pass.


----------



## Mama Moose

MAYNARDS99 said:


> "do they help keep kids with their parent(s)?"
> 
> Not really, with open seating, YOU choose where you want to sit.  You should have no problem getting three seats next to each other, although it could be across an aisle.  Your eight year old may even want to sit by themselves next to a window.  *Most people would not want a five year old sitting next to them in the middle seat, and would be glad to move elsewhere*.



This was my thought also.

I guess I should just pay the extra fee.


----------



## 5boyz

Mama Moose said:


> I would love to buy our tickets for $79, but it's just going to be me with my 5 and 8 year olds. Is there a chance we could separated all over the plane? I could check in 24 hours in advance with no problem, but do they help keep kids with their parent(s)?



You will be fine. Go on 24 hrs before. I do it all the time. All 4 or 6 of us get seats together. We have been assigned B15.....and still got all together. It's easy.


----------



## Cmbar

5boyz said:


> You will be fine. Go on 24 hrs before. I do it all the time. All 4 or 6 of us get seats together. We have been assigned B15.....and still got all together. It's easy.



I don't want to discourage the poster asking if she would be separated from her children, but we just flew to Orlando last week and signed on at 24 hrs. We got B3.  The family boarding was 25  deep.  We got on at B3,4,5 and could not sit together.  Now I will say there definitely was grandparents, uncles and such boarding with families and the agent should not have allowed that. I was ticked. So I learned my lesson that if I want to be guaranteed a seat with three in a row I better pay for the Early bird.  It will be 60 well spent.  Orlando generally has large family boardings between  the A and B section.  Just my recent experience to share.


----------



## Mama Moose

Cmbar said:


> I don't want to discourage the poster asking if she would be separated from her children, but we just flew to Orlando last week and signed on at 24 hrs. We got B3.  The family boarding was 25  deep.  We got on at B3,4,5 and could not sit together.  Now I will say there definitely was grandparents, uncles and such boarding with families and the agent should not have allowed that. I was ticked. So I learned my lesson that if I want to be guaranteed a seat with three in a row I better pay for the Early bird.  It will be 60 well spent.  Orlando generally has large family boardings between  the A and B section.  Just my recent experience to share.



Thanks, that's what I was worried about. If everyone pays the extra $ for early boarding, who gets the priority?
Maybe we should stick to driving, I don't think it's worth stressing over this for the next 4 months!!


----------



## Cmbar

Mama Moose said:


> Thanks, that's what I was worried about. If everyone pays the extra $ for early boarding, who gets the priority?
> Maybe we should stick to driving, I don't think it's worth stressing over this for the next 4 months!!



Mama Moose I really didn't want to discourage you because every flight I have been on it has been fine even boarding in the B's.  Clearly this was a instance that people were abusing the system in the family boarding.  The priority of the assignments of the early bird is in order of when you booked your early bird.  So if you booked a flight on the first day those flights were available and paid early bird on that day you would be mostly like first in the A section. Does that make sense??


----------



## 5boyz

Cmbar said:


> Mama Moose I really didn't want to discourage you because every flight I have been on it has been fine even boarding in the B's.  Clearly this was a instance that people were abusing the system in the family boarding.  The priority of the assignments of the early bird is in order of when you booked your early bird.  So if you booked a flight on the first day those flights were available and paid early bird on that day you would be mostly like first in the A section. Does that make sense??



Like I said it is easy..please dont worry. I have paid only once one way and we got early B's. I wouldnt do it again..not worth it for me. I only did it because we were coming from a cruise and didnt want to have someone TRY to remember to do it for me. It will be fine. I have flown SW tons of times with my kids!


----------



## Cmbar

5boyz said:


> Like I said it is easy..please dont worry. I have paid only once one way and we got early B's. I wouldnt do it again..not worth it for me. I only did it because we were coming from a cruise and didnt want to have someone TRY to remember to do it for me. It will be fine. I have flown SW tons of times with my kids!



I agree it is easy usually!  I would have been very mad if I had paid for and gotten the B pass and they let families board prior to my paid B number.  I really don't mind families of small children being able to sit together but when people go to Disney they tend to have everyone (aunts grandparents, etc)in that line and the SWA rep should not allow that.  We had a bad experience last week because clearly there was  only two babies and one child in that line of 25 people. Everyone was groaning.  But usually that is not the case.


----------



## MAYNARDS99

This discussion reminds me of flights I have been on where the kids are seated in coach and Mom and Dad are up in first class!

MamaM - I agree with the other posters, do not stress about where you will be seated.  It is very rare that a small family of three would be separated, regardless of your boarding pass number.


----------



## BeccaG

My outgoing flight is now available for a great price (under $160 from so cal in June) but my return flight is still high, over $200...anyone booked one way tickets for their outgoing and return flights? I'd love to hear the southwest experts' opinions!


----------



## poohj80

BeccaG said:


> My outgoing flight is now available for a great price (under $160 from so cal in June) but my return flight is still high, over $200...anyone booked one way tickets for their outgoing and return flights? I'd love to hear the southwest experts' opinions!



Done it many times as I have flown into/out of separate cities.


----------



## Spunky946

Does anyone know when they are going to release October?


----------



## Grumpy Grandma

BeccaG said:


> My outgoing flight is now available for a great price (under $160 from so cal in June) but my return flight is still high, over $200...anyone booked one way tickets for their outgoing and return flights? I'd love to hear the southwest experts' opinions!



Yep do it all the time!


----------



## Mama Moose

Thanks for the encouragement everyone!!! Still thinking over whether or not to fly, $79 is really tempting!!


----------



## buckeev

I've decided SWA is nothing, if not unpredictable regarding the boarding procedure on any given flight. For our past four flights, (not just HOU-MCO either), hoping to obtain an "A Group" BP, I have purchased the Early Boarding Passes but have had only a 50/50 success rate. Kinda a bummer, but we've still been able to sit our family "within earshot" of each other.


----------



## talulabelle

Mama Moose said:


> I would love to buy our tickets for $79, but it's just going to be me with my 5 and 8 year olds. Is there a chance we could separated all over the plane? I could check in 24 hours in advance with no problem, but do they help keep kids with their parent(s)?



you will be fine!   i just took a complete full (every seat taken) flight from ORlando with my DD and even though I checked in early and had B boarding passes we were running late and just made the plane. They had already boarded and we were the second to last group to get on the plane.  As the plane fills all the aisle seats and window seat go first.  SO the last boarders get on and find every middle seat open in the rows.  they head all the way to the back hoping to find seats together. We got on and found 2 middle seats across the row from each other (now my dd is 15 so it didn't matter)  the people in her row moved over nad she got the ailse.  So we only had 1 person in between us.  The family that got on last had small kids.  The flight attendents asked for people to move.  When at first no one was moving, they offered free drinks to anyone who moved and a bunch of hands went up.  I have always found that they try hard to keep kids with their mommas. 

Even with that - if you check in at the 24 hr mark you will be fine.  You might not board on a completely empty plane, but you will defnately find 3 seats together - it may be toward the back - but you will be fine.


----------



## disneymagicgirl

Got an email today saying that you can now combine SW/AT flight segments. I just tried to book BNA to Pensacola via the SW site. Theoretically it should have given me some option to go from BNA to an AT hub via SW and then hop an AT flight to Pensacola. DIdn't work. Is this flight not possible or could it be not fully rolled out yet.


----------



## stargazertechie

talulabelle said:


> The flight attendents asked for people to move.  When at first no one was moving, they offered free drinks to anyone who moved and a bunch of hands went up.



One can only hope


----------



## Pocahantas

Can Southwest credits be used to purchase a flight for someone different?  I have a credit in my name and need to purchase a flight for my daughter's friend to come with us to Disneyworld this summer.


----------



## jenseib

Pocahantas said:


> Can Southwest credits be used to purchase a flight for someone different?  I have a credit in my name and need to purchase a flight for my daughter's friend to come with us to Disneyworld this summer.



no


----------



## msjprincess

How does 24 hour check in work with flights that have one stop and a plane change? I fly SWA all of the time but we always fly non-stop. For our next trip I may end up booking flights that have a stop. Do I check in for each segment?


----------



## jenseib

msjprincess said:


> How does 24 hour check in work with flights that have one stop and a plane change? I fly SWA all of the time but we always fly non-stop. For our next trip I may end up booking flights that have a stop. Do I check in for each segment?



You just Check in once


----------



## wisconsinmama

I am looking into purchasing our tickets through Southwest and don't understand their child policy. Do I have to buy a special ticket for the kids and have proof of their date of birth? Any info would help..
My kids are 4,6,9


----------



## poohj80

wisconsinmama said:


> I am looking into purchasing our tickets through Southwest and don't understand their child policy. Do I have to buy a special ticket for the kids and have proof of their date of birth? Any info would help..
> My kids are 4,6,9



No, kids your ages will be same as adult priced tickets.


----------



## CarolynK

We just made a reservation for 3 tickets (DH and kids) + 1 companion (me). I understand why I have my own confirmation number, but why don't the 3 that were made together have the same confirm number?? 

We are not new to SW - and our last flight also had 4 diff confirm numbers - but I thought it was because we made several changes to them...this was one ressie made at the same time for 3 people, so I'm confused!

When checking in, are we going to be able to use just DH's confirm number, or will we have to type each one?


----------



## CarolynK

CarolynK said:


> We just made a reservation for 3 tickets (DH and kids) + 1 companion (me). I understand why I have my own confirmation number, but why don't the 3 that were made together have the same confirm number??
> 
> We are not new to SW - and our last flight also had 4 diff confirm numbers - but I thought it was because we made several changes to them...this was one ressie made at the same time for 3 people, so I'm confused!
> 
> When checking in, are we going to be able to use just DH's confirm number, or will we have to type each one?



So, called SW today and I can answer my own question When multiple reservations are made on points, each person has their own confirmation number, even though the reservations were made at the same time under one RR account.


----------



## MISSYLEXI

Sorry if this was asked and answered already.  But I know the fares for Oct and Nov will be released on March 4th, but at what time of day do they release them?


----------



## bjscheel

CarolynK said:


> So, called SW today and I can answer my own question When multiple reservations are made on points, each person has their own confirmation number, even though the reservations were made at the same time under one RR account.



So I have two RR accounts.  We will probably be able to buy 4 one-way tickets to San Diego plus 1 one-way ticket back home on one account.  Then buy the other 3 tickets back home with the other account.  Will all eight tickets have a different confirmation number?  When I check in, I will be checking in 4 separate times?  I don't really like that, but since the kids are 11 and 14, if they are separated from us, they will survive.

I am thinking about EBCI for the flight home.  I can check in at 24 hours while we are at home, but when we are at Disney Land I can't plan on it.  We don't have smart phones, well we might by June, and I don't want to count on getting on wifi at the hotel for something that important.  We might want to be at the park.  I need to research EBCI.  Do I buy it at the same time as the tickets or can it be added later?

Is it easy to check in on an iPhone?  DH might get one next month, but we have no experience with smart phones, though we have iPod touches.  If we could check in on his phone, then maybe I wouldn't need to do EBCI.


----------



## Cmbar

bjscheel said:


> So I have two RR accounts.  We will probably be able to buy 4 one-way tickets to San Diego plus 1 one-way ticket back home on one account.  Then buy the other 3 tickets back home with the other account.  Will all eight tickets have a different confirmation number?  When I check in, I will be checking in 4 separate times?  I don't really like that, but since the kids are 11 and 14, if they are separated from us, they will survive.
> 
> I am thinking about EBCI for the flight home.  I can check in at 24 hours while we are at home, but when we are at Disney Land I can't plan on it.  We don't have smart phones, well we might by June, and I don't want to count on getting on wifi at the hotel for something that important.  We might want to be at the park.  I need to research EBCI.  Do I buy it at the same time as the tickets or can it be added later?
> 
> Is it easy to check in on an iPhone?  DH might get one next month, but we have no experience with smart phones, though we have iPod touches.  If we could check in on his phone, then maybe I wouldn't need to do EBCI.



Just my opinion but it sounds like you are getting most of your flights for free, so I wouldn't hesitate to splurge on the EBCI for the return flight home.  It is easy to check in on  smartphone, but like you said you don't know where you will be at that time.  If you have a smart Phone however you should have access through the phone company and not need wifi as you do with say your Ipod touch.   Just a thought. Have they raised the EBCI prices or are they still $10?  If so I think it is $40 bucks well spent.  Good luck and have a blast in Disneyland! 

EBCI can be added later, but the later you add them the farther back you get checked in.  If you add early you get the earlier A's.  Does that make sense?


----------



## bjscheel

Cmbar said:


> Just my opinion but it sounds like you are getting most of your flights for free, so I wouldn't hesitate to splurge on the EBCI for the return flight home.  It is easy to check in on  smartphone, but like you said you don't know where you will be at that time.  If you have a smart Phone however you should have access through the phone company and not need wifi as you do with say your Ipod touch.   Just a thought. Have they raised the EBCI prices or are they still $10?  If so I think it is $40 bucks well spent.  Good luck and have a blast in Disneyland!
> 
> EBCI can be added later, but the later you add them the farther back you get checked in.  If you add early you get the earlier A's.  Does that make sense?



Yes, free flights  so that makes the choice a little easier, sounds like EBCI is the way to go for returning home.  And yes, that makes sense about getting EBCI right away, I hadn't thought of that!

I'm so antsy about getting this taken care of.  Our last points should post on about the 15th of this month and our flights are in June.  Prices are creeping up on some dates.  Our dates are flexible, so I'm going to go with the best airfare on dates a week apart.

The other problem is I don't know which airport we'll use.  One airport will have a good fare going out, but another will have a good fare coming back.  Omaha has more choices of times, but Des Moines is closer and seems to be overall cheaper.  But the flight back from SNA gets in late at night to DM.    KC is 3 hour drive, but has decent fares and offers nonstops to San Diego, therefore making total travel time about the same, but the kids hate long drives.  The times coming home aren't ideal, but doable.  There is just no clear winner!


----------



## CarolynK

bjscheel said:


> So I have two RR accounts.  We will probably be able to buy 4 one-way tickets to San Diego plus 1 one-way ticket back home on one account.  Then buy the other 3 tickets back home with the other account.  Will all eight tickets have a different confirmation number?  When I check in, I will be checking in 4 separate times?  I don't really like that, but since the kids are 11 and 14, if they are separated from us, they will survive.



Yeah, each person on an award ticket has their own confirm #, and at check-in time it slows things down a bit  but you'll be pretty close in numbers, so it shouldn't matter.



bjscheel said:


> I am thinking about EBCI for the flight home.  I can check in at 24 hours while we are at home, but when we are at Disney Land I can't plan on it.  We don't have smart phones, well we might by June, and I don't want to count on getting on wifi at the hotel for something that important.  We might want to be at the park.  I need to research EBCI.  Do I buy it at the same time as the tickets or can it be added later?



EBCI has gone up to 12.50, I think. Probably worth it for the way home, though, although we've never used it since we do have smartphones. But, for peace of mind....


----------



## rdevine10

1st time flying southwest in quite some time. We are a party of 4. We have one confirmation #. So, when I check us in at 24 hours in advance, we all get checked in together? 

Thinking of buying the early boarding for the return trip. We bought both ways last time. Ughh... thats another $50 I would not like to spend! Last time we had no issue with 2 rows, 2 in each row. They were right in front/back of each other. This time I just hope one adult and child sits together. Or 1 adult with the 2 kids and 1 adult alone. Stressing over this.....

Next time I think I need to go back to an airline were I get assigned seats.


----------



## lynn71092

rdevine10 said:


> 1st time flying southwest in quite some time. We are a party of 4. We have one confirmation #. So, when I check us in at 24 hours in advance, we all get checked in together?
> 
> Thinking of buying the early boarding for the return trip. We bought both ways last time. Ughh... thats another $50 I would not like to spend! Last time we had no issue with 2 rows, 2 in each row. They were right in front/back of each other. This time I just hope one adult and child sits together. Or 1 adult with the 2 kids and 1 adult alone. Stressing over this.....
> 
> Next time I think I need to go back to an airline were I get assigned seats.



We were on the last flight out Tuesday night and my sister paid the extra fee, I did not. She had A25, I had A31. Maybe becuase it was the last flight out it might not have been full.


----------



## stitchlovestink

rdevine10 said:
			
		

> 1st time flying southwest in quite some time. We are a party of 4. We have one confirmation #. So, when I check us in at 24 hours in advance, we all get checked in together?
> 
> Thinking of buying the early boarding for the return trip. We bought both ways last time. Ughh... thats another $50 I would not like to spend! Last time we had no issue with 2 rows, 2 in each row. They were right in front/back of each other. This time I just hope one adult and child sits together. Or 1 adult with the 2 kids and 1 adult alone. Stressing over this.....
> 
> Next time I think I need to go back to an airline were I get assigned seats.



Yes, when you have one confirmation # it checks you all in at the same time...so you should end up with consecutive #'s or very close to it.
EBCI is a very personal preference. Since they don't limit the number of them they sell, I don't care to purchase them because you can pay all that $ and still end up with a crappy boarding # in the B's and have to wait and board after family boarding. To me if you paid for EBCI, you should AUTOMATICALLY get to board BEFORE family boarding no matter what your assignment is but that's not the case. So it's not something I'd be willing to pay for.  But that's just me.


----------



## Cmbar

stitchlovestink said:


> Yes, when you have one confirmation # it checks you all in at the same time...so you should end up with consecutive #'s or very close to it.
> EBCI is a very personal preference. Since they don't limit the number of them they sell, I don't care to purchase them because you can pay all that $ and still end up with a crappy boarding # in the B's and have to wait and board after family boarding. To me if you paid for EBCI, you should AUTOMATICALLY get to board BEFORE family boarding no matter what your assignment is but that's not the case. So it's not something I'd be willing to pay for.  But that's just me.



Oh How I agree with that.  Seems to me it should be pretty simple for the dang system to know when the EBCI boarding passes were ended. If it was B12 then Family boarding gets to start after B12.  It also would help if the AGENTS at the GATE would not let grandma and aunts and uncles board with the family boarders.  Last month we had 25 (I counted) people to 3 kids under four. Most of those people were adults so it was not a family with siblings issue.  IT was an obvious abuse that the agent let go. We got on the plane with B3,4 and 5 and couldn't find seats together. I didn't happent to pay for EBCI that time, but I would have been livid if I had paid $30 bucks for that.  

To the OP on this, don't stress too much.  It really isn't worth it and I say if you can go with an airline for the same amount of money and get assigned seats go for it. Especially if it stresses you.  If not maybe evaluate the difference between SWA and the other airlines (including baggage fees) and then pay the EBCI  and know you still got a better deal.  We always fly SWA because they are the only one who flies direct to MCO from BWI (air tran too) but I have cancelled and changed my flights so many times on SWA that that convenience outweighs the stress of the boarding issue.  Everyone is different though.  ENJOY your TRIP!!


----------



## Saralew

Does SW have family boarding (we have a 2 and 5 yr old)? How does it work?


----------



## Cmbar

Saralew said:


> Does SW have family boarding (we have a 2 and 5 yr old)? How does it work?



Yes they do.   Between boarding passes A and B they will let families board with a child under 4.  You would qualify.  Now if you want to board in the A boarding passes there is no reason for you not to do this if you check in at 24 hours or if you pay the extra for Early Bird Check IN (EBCI).  But as mentioned sometimes you will get a B pass in EBCI or when you Check in 24 hours ahead of time.  In this case you could board before all B passes.HTH


----------



## CarolynK

Cmbar said:


> ...Last month we had 25 (I counted) people to 3 kids under four. Most of those people were adults so it was not a family with siblings issue.  IT was an obvious abuse that the agent let go. We got on the plane with B3,4 and 5 and couldn't find seats together. I didn't happent to pay for EBCI that time, but I would have been livid if I had paid $30 bucks for that...



Wow, my family of 4 once had the last of the B's and still got seats together...what airport was this? Did you complain to anyone?


----------



## Cmbar

CarolynK said:


> Wow, my family of 4 once had the last of the B's and still got seats together...what airport was this? Did you complain to anyone?



This was out of Baltimore direct to MCO.  I have to say that this happens to us only on the MCO trips.  The embarrassing thing was that my sister from northern Va was with us and the family obviously abusing this was her neighbor  Their family was going down for a reunion with a lot of family members so that is also how I know they were having more than immediate family.  We went all the way to the back of the plane and found two seats together but it was ridiculous. The lady behind me in B was pretty ticked too and we were speaking loudly about it, but I didn't complain in deference to my sister's neighbor. It wasn't worth ruining that relationship.  Thank goodness they weren't on the return flight with us!


----------



## CarolynK

Cmbar said:


> This was out of Baltimore direct to MCO.  I have to say that this happens to us only on the MCO trips.  The embarrassing thing was that my sister from northern Va was with us and the family obviously abusing this was her neighbor  Their family was going down for a reunion with a lot of family members so that is also how I know they were having more than immediate family.  We went all the way to the back of the plane and found two seats together but it was ridiculous. The lady behind me in B was pretty ticked too and we were speaking loudly about it, but I didn't complain in deference to my sister's neighbor. It wasn't worth ruining that relationship.  Thank goodness they weren't on the return flight with us!



Oh, yeah, in that case I wouldn't have said anything either! Awkward. Ultimately, it's the fault of the gate agents allowing it to happen!


----------



## monorailrabbit

So I usually fly southwest (out of Omaha) and flights this year seem insane! I checked last year and we went for under $400. This year (Sept) it is almost $700! Does anyone have any tips on what I should look for/when to book to get that price down? Thanks in advance!


----------



## bjscheel

monorailrabbit said:


> So I usually fly southwest (out of Omaha) and flights this year seem insane! I checked last year and we went for under $400. This year (Sept) it is almost $700! Does anyone have any tips on what I should look for/when to book to get that price down? Thanks in advance!



Do you mean $700 per person?  I just looked up SW Omaha to MCO and the prices right now are about $100 each way most days (some weekend days are higher), or just over $200 round trip per person.  When did you last check?


----------



## nictodisney

We are going to Disney from St Louis June 2-8.  Tickets are still crazy high.  Should I be worried 80 days out or will prices go down closer to the travel dates.  Now tickets are around $400 per person!  Last time it was $220.
Thanks


----------



## BeccaG

nictodisney said:


> We are going to Disney from St Louis June 2-8.  Tickets are still crazy high.  Should I be worried 80 days out or will prices go down closer to the travel dates.  Now tickets are around $400 per person!  Last time it was $220.
> Thanks



As a general rule in the airline biz 7 weeks to 12 weeks out from your travel dates provide the best prices. I am not the southwest experts these fine folks are so they would know better.


----------



## BeccaG

Cancellation question -  if I cancel a flight and have a credit, does it have to be used for me or can it be used for anyone for whom I purchase a ticket for?

TIA


----------



## pigletto

BeccaG said:


> Cancellation question -  if I cancel a flight and have a credit, does it have to be used for me or can it be used for anyone for whom I purchase a ticket for?
> 
> TIA



I just cancelled a flight. The credit has to be used by the person who's name it was booked for. So I had to use my credit to book a new flight for me and pay the difference, then dd's for her and pay the difference etc.

I wish they hadn't changed this policy because I had a credit from a fare drop for dd's friend that we toke with us and since she isn't travelling with us again I can't use it.
It's still nice to not be out the money completely though.


----------



## BeccaG

pigletto said:
			
		

> I just cancelled a flight. The credit has to be used by the person who's name it was booked for. So I had to use my credit to book a new flight for me and pay the difference, then dd's for her and pay the difference etc.
> 
> I wish they hadn't changed this policy because I had a credit from a fare drop for dd's friend that we toke with us and since she isn't travelling with us again I can't use it.
> It's still nice to not be out the money completely though.



Thanks! 

Now I'm bummed because the flight I was watching has disappeared from the booking schedule... I wonder if that means it was sold out or canceled.


----------



## Rest&Relax

DH & I booked flights couple months ago when prices dropped to leave on Friday in a couple of weeks.  DH now has a meeting at work that he can't miss on Monday, so he won't be able to fly out until Monday evening now. Is there a way to change just his flight and not mine even though we have the same confirmation number?  When I tried doing it online it wants to change both of ours. Any suggestions?


----------



## Grumpy Grandma

Rest&Relax said:


> DH & I booked flights couple months ago when prices dropped to leave on Friday in a couple of weeks.  DH now has a meeting at work that he can't miss on Monday, so he won't be able to fly out until Monday evening now. Is there a way to change just his flight and not mine even though we have the same confirmation number?  When I tried doing it online it wants to change both of ours. Any suggestions?



No suggestion .... I've had this happen to me before .... so now I always book DH and I separately.  Maybe give SW a call and see if a service rep can help you???


----------



## disneymagicgirl

I booked my family with my SW points. If I cancel will the points go back into my RR acct or into their individual acts? 
I plan to rebook for a later time that day that requires more points than they have in their individual accts, but when I go to make the change it doesn't try to pull the points difference from my acct even though that is where the pts for the original bookings came from.


----------



## jenseib

disneymagicgirl said:


> I booked my family with my SW points. If I cancel will the points go back into my RR acct or into their individual acts?
> I plan to rebook for a later time that day that requires more points than they have in their individual accts, but when I go to make the change it doesn't try to pull the points difference from my acct even though that is where the pts for the original bookings came from.



yours


----------



## suffieldhockeymom

Rest&Relax said:


> DH & I booked flights couple months ago when prices dropped to leave on Friday in a couple of weeks.  DH now has a meeting at work that he can't miss on Monday, so he won't be able to fly out until Monday evening now. Is there a way to change just his flight and not mine even though we have the same confirmation number?  When I tried doing it online it wants to change both of ours. Any suggestions?



Call them and have them move him to a different reservation


----------



## lildeb724

My flight leaves this Saturday at 12:55. I  purchased early check in   Do I still need to print my boarding passes at home to get my assigned letter and number?


----------



## jenseib

lildeb724 said:


> My flight leaves this Saturday at 12:55. I  purchased early check in   Do I still need to print my boarding passes at home to get my assigned letter and number?



You can or you can wait and do it at the airport. If I have access to computer and printer, I do it ahead of time though.


----------



## BeccaG

With AirTran now more under the Southwest umbrella,  are they still charging for luggage?  If i book AirTran and want to switch to a Southwest flight can I use the same funds? TIA!


----------



## policycobb

I received a one time e-mail code this morning to be used by Monday, March 25th.  Please PM if you are interested.


----------



## jenseib

You should probably take that down and just let people know you have a code and they can pm you for it.


----------



## bjscheel

I also have the code for 20% off.  I booked with points so I figure it won't help me.  It doesn't say it can't be transferred, so PM me if you want it, and hopefully it works for someone else!

I'll be travelling today, so after the next couple hours I won't be online till later in the day but I'll respond when I can.


----------



## ksloane

Wish I could book, but it says round trip required, and I book our trips separate.


----------



## mgilmer

I have an emailed code for 20% off for flights April 3 thru June 8, 2013.  Booking must be done by Monday.  If anybody wants it, PM me as it can only be used once.  First come, first served.


----------



## jenseib

I got one too.  They must've sent a ton out today.  First time I ever got a code. now I wish I had someplace to go.


----------



## BeccaG

jenseib said:
			
		

> I got one too.  They must've sent a ton out today.  First time I ever got a code. now I wish I had someplace to go.



Me too!  But won't work for my dates!


----------



## fairytalelover

Can anyone share a SW code with me?


----------



## BeccaG

fairytalelover said:
			
		

> Can anyone share a SW code with me?



Sure. PM me your email


----------



## lmhall2000

We live about 14 hour drive from Orlando...taking a trip in September (2nd week)..I am on the hunt for the best deal! I figure if we are willing to pay $500 a night for all Disney has to offer, why not eek out another $800 or so to try and get the 5 of us down there instead of blowing two vacation days driving for 14 hours, plus it wrecks my back!!

Have not searched for airline tix in over 5 years, I was a pro..staying up on Monday nights at midnight, having all the major airline pages up at the same time and watching those specials pop in...nabbed Atlanta to Barcelona (for a Disney cruise) for under $400 a ticket!  Have flown Atlanta to London for under $200...and our best deal ever was Birmingham to Orlando for $38 round trip!!  I know those days may be gone, but really need to maximize my savvy searching $$ deals.

Can anyone share the lowest round trip nabbed to Orlando in the past year? (From any market really) We can fly from Nashville, Huntsville or Birmingham...Southwest is looking like the best option...I will go on their website now and try to sign up for the coupon thing y'all are talking about.

Any other tips?
Thanks!!


----------



## ksloane

lmhall2000 said:


> We live about 14 hour drive from Orlando...taking a trip in September (2nd week)..I am on the hunt for the best deal! I figure if we are willing to pay $500 a night for all Disney has to offer, why not eek out another $800 or so to try and get the 5 of us down there instead of blowing two vacation days driving for 14 hours, plus it wrecks my back!!
> 
> Have not searched for airline tix in over 5 years, I was a pro..staying up on Monday nights at midnight, having all the major airline pages up at the same time and watching those specials pop in...nabbed Atlanta to Barcelona (for a Disney cruise) for under $400 a ticket!  Have flown Atlanta to London for under $200...and our best deal ever was Birmingham to Orlando for $38 round trip!!  I know those days may be gone, but really need to maximize my savvy searching $$ deals.
> 
> Can anyone share the lowest round trip nabbed to Orlando in the past year? (From any market really) We can fly from Nashville, Huntsville or Birmingham...Southwest is looking like the best option...I will go on their website now and try to sign up for the coupon thing y'all are talking about.
> 
> Any other tips?
> Thanks!!



$79 from Dallas in October.


----------



## BeccaG

I am assuming the answer to this is pretty self explanatory but what's the difference between "unavailable"  and "sold out"?   Prices for my June trip are still will high and they don't seem to be moving even with today's sale


----------



## jenseib

BeccaG said:


> I am assuming the answer to this is pretty self explanatory but what's the difference between "unavailable"  and "sold out"?   Prices for my June trip are still will high and they don't seem to be moving even with today's sale



I noticed no price difference with todays sale as well.


----------



## 1tufgt

jenseib said:


> I noticed no price difference with todays sale as well.



Same here.  My Oct fares are still the same.


----------



## ksloane

1tufgt said:


> Same here.  My Oct fares are still the same.



My June is fare is even more expensive than last week.


----------



## Hook326

Thankfully mine dropped $23/ticket round trip with the sale but it was a combo of SW/AirTran. Just a tip...the AirTran leg of the flight was cheaper on Airtran's website than on Sw's site for the exact same flight


----------



## BeccaG

So if my memory serves me correct now the price on my return flight  dropped by 68 dollars,  the day after the sale was announced... which of course makes me wonder if I'm crazy and it's the exact same price and I'm remembering wrong!  I guess I should be logging the prices!


----------



## ksloane

BeccaG said:


> So if my memory serves me correct now the price on my return flight  dropped by 68 dollars,  the day after the sale was announced... which of course makes me wonder if I'm crazy and it's the exact same price and I'm remembering wrong!  I guess I should be logging the prices!



I don't keep a log, but I do keep what I paid (and reduce it if I get a credit) on my calendar on the date of the flight.


----------



## Tiggerish

I booked on Southwest for a flight that is really Airtran.  I am wondering about the luggage.  Will I have to pay Airtran's fees or will I get two free bags because the ticket was bought on Southwest?  Has anyone actually done this and not had to pay Airtran fees?


----------



## jenseib

Tiggerish said:


> I booked on Southwest for a flight that is really Airtran.  I am wondering about the luggage.  Will I have to pay Airtran's fees or will I get two free bags because the ticket was bought on Southwest?  Has anyone actually done this and not had to pay Airtran fees?



My friend talked to Airtan and they are going to no fee luggage too. Many flights booked already say that on the conf.


----------



## leebee

I just booked travel from PWM to DAY on SW, with a plane change in BWI. The first leg is on SW, but the second leg is on AirTran. The website says that AirTran seats will be assigned at check-in. If I do EBCI (because first leg of trip is on SW), will they assign my AT seats at this point, or do I have to do that at the airport?


----------



## brettb

Tiggerish said:


> I booked on Southwest for a flight that is really Airtran.  I am wondering about the luggage.  Will I have to pay Airtran's fees or will I get two free bags because the ticket was bought on Southwest?  Has anyone actually done this and not had to pay Airtran fees?



You will get two free bags.

From http://www.southwest.com/html/air/intl/intl-hub.html?int=HOMENEWS1ACR1MES130319:



> When you purchase your itinerary through Southwest booking channels (such as southwest.com), Southwest is the Marketing Carrier, therefore Southwests policies will apply to your reservation. If you purchase your itinerary through AirTran booking channels (such as airtran.com), AirTran is the Marketing Carrier and AirTrans policies will apply to your reservation.
> 
> Any itinerary with a Southwest-operated segment or that was purchased through Southwest booking channels will not have bag fees for the 1st and 2nd checked bags (though weight and size restrictions will still apply).


----------



## Tiggerish

Thank you.  I did try and search the Southwest site before I posted but apparently I am not a good searcher because I did not find what you did.  Oh course, now I can follow the link and get there!


----------



## brettb

Tiggerish said:


> Thank you.  I did try and search the Southwest site before I posted but apparently I am not a good searcher because I did not find what you did.  Oh course, now I can follow the link and get there!



Oh, no problem. I even called to verify - and then noticed the answers to my questions were available right on the booking page. I think the booking page even says "Two Bags Free" or something like that and it's also stated in my email confirmation. The other question I had was was kind of aircraft does AirTran fly. The SWA phone rep was looking, looking, looking when I clicked on the flight number and saw that the equipment for our flights were 717s.


----------



## connorok

We booked round-trip flight from St. Louis to Orlando and chose to go ahead and pay for the EBCI.  Well, we had to change the dates of our vacation due to a scheduling conflict (forgot that we had tickets to a Carrie Underwood concert!), so we changed our flights.  My question is, I called and asked SW if the EBCI would transfer to the new flights and was told "yes".  However, none of the e-mail confirmations we have received from SW seem to indicate we have EBCI.  Has anyone else done EBCI and then changed flights?  If so, what was your experience? Also, with EBCI, I don't even have to go online to check-in, correct?  How do we get our boarding passes then?


----------



## ksloane

connorok said:


> We booked round-trip flight from St. Louis to Orlando and chose to go ahead and pay for the EBCI.  Well, we had to change the dates of our vacation due to a scheduling conflict (forgot that we had tickets to a Carrie Underwood concert!), so we changed our flights.  My question is, I called and asked SW if the EBCI would transfer to the new flights and was told "yes".  However, none of the e-mail confirmations we have received from SW seem to indicate we have EBCI.  Has anyone else done EBCI and then changed flights?  If so, what was your experience? Also, with EBCI, I don't even have to go online to check-in, correct?  How do we get our boarding passes then?



I don't know about moving flights with EBCI as I haven't done that, but you can print your boarding passes from home or wait and do so when you get to the airport - either way.  I have gotten in the habit of checking from home out of curiousity but not printing until I get to the airport and using their paper and ink.


----------



## elgerber

I changed our flights last summer, and my EBCI transferred to my new flights.  I cannot remember if I had any confirmation that they did or not, I will see if I still have any emails.

I found my old confirmations, and aside from the original separate emails I got, or the EBCI, I never got anything else on it, when they changed my flight, or when I changed.


----------



## jenseib

connorok said:


> We booked round-trip flight from St. Louis to Orlando and chose to go ahead and pay for the EBCI.  Well, we had to change the dates of our vacation due to a scheduling conflict (forgot that we had tickets to a Carrie Underwood concert!), so we changed our flights.  My question is, I called and asked SW if the EBCI would transfer to the new flights and was told "yes".  However, none of the e-mail confirmations we have received from SW seem to indicate we have EBCI.  Has anyone else done EBCI and then changed flights?  If so, what was your experience? Also, with EBCI, I don't even have to go online to check-in, correct?  How do we get our boarding passes then?



I did go online and still printed mine out ahead of time for my outgoing flight. Coming back I just had to give my license and they printed off my pass.


----------



## bjscheel

I changed mine and afterwards I know I could see online that I still had EBCI.


----------



## BeccaG

Ugh,  prices for my mid June trip still aren't great... Would you wait a little bit longer or buy now!?


----------



## MacDalt

I'd like to find a code or cheaper flight. Looking at October 9-13, Indy to Orlando.  Right now it's $132 each way. No difference in one way or round trip. Need 2 tickets. Any ideas?


----------



## wisconsinmama

Does anyone know how I can book 2 flights with rewards and 3 without?


----------



## brettb

wisconsinmama said:


> Does anyone know how I can book 2 flights with rewards and 3 without?



I just assumed that one would need to book them separately. I did this with points. My wife's account had enough points for one one round trip (which I used to book my flight). Then I logged into my RR account and booked the two round trips for my wife and daughter. I did it that way because all our flights are on Airtran and our seats will be assigned when we check in and I wanted my wife and daughter to be seated and to board together.

If there was a way to associate the two reservations, I'd love to know how....


----------



## jenseib

MacDalt said:


> I'd like to find a code or cheaper flight. Looking at October 9-13, Indy to Orlando.  Right now it's $132 each way. No difference in one way or round trip. Need 2 tickets. Any ideas?



With the prices lately that is still pretty cheap


----------



## MacDalt

jenseib said:


> With the prices lately that is still pretty cheap



I agree!  I keep seeing people finding $79 flights!  I want that, LOL!


----------



## jlustin

I love this website. Inofmration is so useful


----------



## Victoriasmom98

*Would someone please tell me what "one stop -- no plane change" means besides the obvious? How do you know where you are stopping and for how long? Must you remain on the plane or can you get out and stretch your legs. I just don't understand. Thanks for any help!! *


----------



## lynn71092

Tiggerish said:


> I booked on Southwest for a flight that is really Airtran.  I am wondering about the luggage.  Will I have to pay Airtran's fees or will I get two free bags because the ticket was bought on Southwest?  Has anyone actually done this and not had to pay Airtran fees?



I called SW before I booked with that exact question and I was told that as long as you book through the SW website or called SW you will not be charged. If you book the exact same flight using Air Tran you will be charged.


----------



## ksloane

Victoriasmom98 said:


> *Would someone please tell me what "one stop -- no plane change" means besides the obvious? How do you know where you are stopping and for how long? Must you remain on the plane or can you get out and stretch your legs. I just don't understand. Thanks for any help!! *



If you click on "one stop" it will tell you where you're changing.

It just means the obvious, the plane will stop somewhere and you'll just stay on the plane while others leave/arrive.

The alternative would stay one stop, change plane and tell you where you'll change planes.


----------



## Victoriasmom98

ksloane said:


> If you click on "one stop" it will tell you where you're changing.
> 
> It just means the obvious, the plane will stop somewhere and you'll just stay on the plane while others leave/arrive.
> 
> The alternative would stay one stop, change plane and tell you where you'll change planes.



*Thanks so much Kimberly!!! That's very helpful and informative! *


----------



## ksloane

Victoriasmom98 said:


> *Thanks so much Kimberly!!! That's very helpful and informative! *



Glad to help!


----------



## bjscheel

We had a no plane change years ago on a different airline and I know we got off the plane and waited right there at the gate each time (it was actually 2 stops- no plane change).  I remember getting on the 3rd time and the attendant being surprised that we were on all 3 legs of the flight.

So on SW do you always stay on the plane?  Can you switch seats before the new people get on?  We have a no plane change on SW this June.


----------



## ksloane

bjscheel said:


> We had a no plane change years ago on a different airline and I know we got off the plane and waited right there at the gate each time (it was actually 2 stops- no plane change).  I remember getting on the 3rd time and the attendant being surprised that we were on all 3 legs of the flight.
> 
> So on SW do you always stay on the plane?  Can you switch seats before the new people get on?  We have a no plane change on SW this June.



I've done several no plane change flights with Southwest and never had to get off the plane. I'm not saying that no one does, but I've never had to.

They ask that everyone who is getting off do so. And then after they do a head count to ensure they have who they are supposed to have, you are allowed to move to new seats.


----------



## 120304

Hello, I booked flights for my husband, 2 kids and me with early boarding (when it cost $10 each way) with points from our SW credit card. I have checked a few times since to see if the points have decreased - and today they have. When I tried to change the flights online, the system wouldn't allow me to.  Called customer service and was told the only way to get the points credited back to my account would be to cancel the current flights and rebook at the new points.  Doing this, I would lose the $80 I paid for early bird boarding. The difference in points is 17240.  I would then have to pay for early bird again - price is now $100 for 4 people. Do you think it's worth it to cancel and rebook to get the 17K points or will the $100 early boarding fee negate that?  I hope this makes sense.  Thanks so much!


----------



## bjscheel

120304 said:


> Hello, I booked flights for my husband, 2 kids and me with early boarding (when it cost $10 each way) with points from our SW credit card. I have checked a few times since to see if the points have decreased - and today they have. When I tried to change the flights online, the system wouldn't allow me to.  Called customer service and was told the only way to get the points credited back to my account would be to cancel the current flights and rebook at the new points.  Doing this, I would lose the $80 I paid for early bird boarding. The difference in points is 17240.  I would then have to pay for early bird again - price is now $100 for 4 people. Do you think it's worth it to cancel and rebook to get the 17K points or will the $100 early boarding fee negate that?  I hope this makes sense.  Thanks so much!



Hmm, well I think 17000 points is worth more than $100 for sure, but it's weird that you can't change it.  I changed my flights last month online and the points went right back in, and I didn't lose my EBCI.  What are you clicking on and what is it telling you?


----------



## bjscheel

I started the process and of course didn't go all the way, but it looked like it would let me change a reservation.  Was part of yours booked with Airtran instead of SW?


----------



## 120304

bjscheel said:


> I started the process and of course didn't go all the way, but it looked like it would let me change a reservation.  Was part of yours booked with Airtran instead of SW?



 I booked the flight directly with SW. When I log in and try to change it online, I receive an error message that says it contains modifications that can't be changed online and I need to call customer service.  Not sure why the customer service rep couldn't modify it, but said only way to get the lower points is to completely cancel and then rebook, but I would lose the early bird.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

I would call back and speak to another SWA agent.


----------



## jenseib

120304 said:


> Hello, I booked flights for my husband, 2 kids and me with early boarding (when it cost $10 each way) with points from our SW credit card. I have checked a few times since to see if the points have decreased - and today they have. When I tried to change the flights online, the system wouldn't allow me to.  Called customer service and was told the only way to get the points credited back to my account would be to cancel the current flights and rebook at the new points.  Doing this, I would lose the $80 I paid for early bird boarding. The difference in points is 17240.  I would then have to pay for early bird again - price is now $100 for 4 people. Do you think it's worth it to cancel and rebook to get the 17K points or will the $100 early boarding fee negate that?  I hope this makes sense.  Thanks so much!



I have Changed my points bookings online before too


----------



## 120304

I called back and spoke to a different rep who was fantastic.  Changed all flights, kept early bird boarding and now have another 17K points back in my account.  Apparently because I changed the flight prior directly with them rather than online, I am no longer able to change online.  Thank you all for the help!


----------



## BeccaG

So a ding just came across my desk for my dates!  But when I go to my reservation and click on "change"  I get an error message, what gives?


----------



## LVTiffy

hi there. anyone have any southwest promo codes they aren't using that would be valid for travel in may?? any help would be awesome! thx! :]]


----------



## Mersmom98

We are flying our family of 7 (6 full fares + 1 free lap child) to Orlando July 13-20. I have enough points in my RR account right now to either book 2 roundtrip tickets or 4 one-way. My husband just recently got his Southwest Chase cc so we should have enough points next month to get 1 roundtrip or 2 one-way. Please advise on which option you would prefer if you were in my shoes...

*Purchase 4 one-way tickets with points, pay $ for 4 one-way and 1 roundtrip now, next month purchase the final roundtrip ticket 
*Purchase 2 roundtrip with points, purchase 3 roundtrip with $ now, purchase 1 roundtrip next month with points
*Purchase 4 one-way tickets with points now, next month purchase 2 one-ways and purchase 6 one-way tickets with $.
*Wait until we have husbands points deposited next month to do everything


Hope this makes sense! The cheapest roundtrip cost from Houston to Orlando in July right now is $433 and that seems ridiculously high to me. Also, if you have a better option, please feel free to suggest! TIA!!!


----------



## jenseib

Mersmom98 said:


> We are flying our family of 7 (6 full fares + 1 free lap child) to Orlando July 13-20. I have enough points in my RR account right now to either book 2 roundtrip tickets or 4 one-way. My husband just recently got his Southwest Chase cc so we should have enough points next month to get 1 roundtrip or 2 one-way. Please advise on which option you would prefer if you were in my shoes...
> 
> *Purchase 4 one-way tickets with points, pay $ for 4 one-way and 1 roundtrip now, next month purchase the final roundtrip ticket
> *Purchase 2 roundtrip with points, purchase 3 roundtrip with $ now, purchase 1 roundtrip next month with points
> *Purchase 4 one-way tickets with points now, next month purchase 2 one-ways and purchase 6 one-way tickets with $.
> *Wait until we have husbands points deposited next month to do everything
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hope this makes sense! The cheapest roundtrip cost from Houston to Orlando in July right now is $433 and that seems ridiculously high to me. Also, if you have a better option, please feel free to suggest! TIA!!!



That does seem ridiculously high right now.


----------



## ksloane

Mersmom98 said:


> We are flying our family of 7 (6 full fares + 1 free lap child) to Orlando July 13-20. I have enough points in my RR account right now to either book 2 roundtrip tickets or 4 one-way. My husband just recently got his Southwest Chase cc so we should have enough points next month to get 1 roundtrip or 2 one-way. Please advise on which option you would prefer if you were in my shoes...
> 
> *Purchase 4 one-way tickets with points, pay $ for 4 one-way and 1 roundtrip now, next month purchase the final roundtrip ticket
> *Purchase 2 roundtrip with points, purchase 3 roundtrip with $ now, purchase 1 roundtrip next month with points
> *Purchase 4 one-way tickets with points now, next month purchase 2 one-ways and purchase 6 one-way tickets with $.
> *Wait until we have husbands points deposited next month to do everything
> 
> 
> Hope this makes sense! The cheapest roundtrip cost from Houston to Orlando in July right now is $433 and that seems ridiculously high to me. Also, if you have a better option, please feel free to suggest! TIA!!!



I see you live in Houston so this may not be worth it to you, but for me it's 3 hours to Houston and about 3 1/2 - 4 to Dallas. I find it to be cheaper almost every time I fly to go to Dallas instead. If you live in Dallas, it might have to be VERY MUCH cheaper, but you might want to look.


----------



## Mersmom98

ksloane said:


> I see you live in Houston so this may not be worth it to you, but for me it's 3 hours to Houston and about 3 1/2 - 4 to Dallas. I find it to be cheaper almost every time I fly to go to Dallas instead. If you live in Dallas, it might have to be VERY MUCH cheaper, but you might want to look.



Ok so I just looked up fares from Dallas to Orlando for my dates. None of the flights are nonstop & it's still $162 cheaper per roundtrip fare. The kicker is that both flights STOP in Houston before heading on to Orlando. I don't get it!


----------



## ksloane

Mersmom98 said:


> Ok so I just looked up fares from Dallas to Orlando for my dates. None of the flights are nonstop & it's still $162 cheaper per roundtrip fare. The kicker is that both flights STOP in Houston before heading on to Orlando. I don't get it!



Yep. We almost always end up going through Houston at least once (coming or going) - sometimes both ways.  But it's cheaper to go to Dallas for some reason. I don't get it, but it's what we do.


----------



## Mersmom98

Thanks so much for this suggestion! I just looked at flying out of New Orleans. It's the same price as Dallas, but at least we would be driving East instead of North and they offer nonstops. My RR points will go further too so I'd be saving $765 by flying out of New Orleans instead of Houston. I think my dear old hubby would be on board with that for sure! The gas to drive there will cost us but we'd still be saving over $500.


----------



## ksloane

Mersmom98 said:


> Thanks so much for this suggestion! I just looked at flying out of New Orleans. It's the same price as Dallas, but at least we would be driving East instead of North and they offer nonstops. My RR points will go further too so I'd be saving $765 by flying out of New Orleans instead of Houston. I think my dear old hubby would be on board with that for sure! The gas to drive there will cost us but we'd still be saving over $500.



Glad to help.  We are looking at flying out of Austin in March as some of the airfare I looked at for them is a lot cheaper. Just waiting on march airfares.


----------



## poohj80

Mersmom98 said:


> We are flying our family of 7 (6 full fares + 1 free lap child) to Orlando July 13-20. I have enough points in my RR account right now to either book 2 roundtrip tickets or 4 one-way. My husband just recently got his Southwest Chase cc so we should have enough points next month to get 1 roundtrip or 2 one-way. Please advise on which option you would prefer if you were in my shoes...
> 
> *Purchase 4 one-way tickets with points, pay $ for 4 one-way and 1 roundtrip now, next month purchase the final roundtrip ticket
> *Purchase 2 roundtrip with points, purchase 3 roundtrip with $ now, purchase 1 roundtrip next month with points
> *Purchase 4 one-way tickets with points now, next month purchase 2 one-ways and purchase 6 one-way tickets with $.
> *Wait until we have husbands points deposited next month to do everything
> 
> 
> Hope this makes sense! The cheapest roundtrip cost from Houston to Orlando in July right now is $433 and that seems ridiculously high to me. Also, if you have a better option, please feel free to suggest! TIA!!!



Are both legs of the round-trip the same fare?


----------



## Mersmom98

I believe there's only a $1 difference.


----------



## JayhawkFans

Haven't flown SW in years so I'm looking for some guidance.  We are looking to go out of our small airport in Branson, MO through Chicago / Midway to Orlando in late September.  I am familiar with checking in 24 hours prior and being assigned boarding group A, B, or C and then lining up at the airport with your assigned group to board.  

I have only done non-stop in the past so how does this work in the layover airport?  We will have just over an hour for a layover so we won't be at the gate super early like most of the other travelers.  

I'm assuming when we de-plane and get to our next gate we will find most people already lined up in A, B, or C and we will just get in line behind those already there ahead of us and taking our chances of being seated together.  It's not a HUGE deal as our daughter is 11 but naturally she would feel MUCH better seated with either myself or DH.  

By purchasing EBCI will it even give us a chance to be seated together or will I just be tossing money into the air since we have the layover to contend with?


----------



## ksloane

JayhawkFans said:


> Haven't flown SW in years so I'm looking for some guidance.  We are looking to go out of our small airport in Branson, MO through Chicago / Midway to Orlando in late September.  I am familiar with checking in 24 hours prior and being assigned boarding group A, B, or C and then lining up at the airport with your assigned group to board.
> 
> I have only done non-stop in the past so how does this work in the layover airport?  We will have just over an hour for a layover so we won't be at the gate super early like most of the other travelers.
> 
> I'm assuming when we de-plane and get to our next gate we will find most people already lined up in A, B, or C and we will just get in line behind those already there ahead of us and taking our chances of being seated together.  It's not a HUGE deal as our daughter is 11 but naturally she would feel MUCH better seated with either myself or DH.
> 
> By purchasing EBCI will it even give us a chance to be seated together or will I just be tossing money into the air since we have the layover to contend with?



You will have second bording passes for Chicago.  If they are already lined up and you fit into the A group, you'll line up in your spot.

I think (hopefully someone will correct me if wrong) that buying EBCI will check you into each leg of your trip.


----------



## elgerber

ksloane said:


> You will have second bording passes for Chicago.  If they are already lined up and you fit into the A group, you'll line up in your spot.
> 
> I think (hopefully someone will correct me if wrong) that buying EBCI will check you into each leg of your trip.



This was my experience when I used it, it gave us numbers for each leg, for the one fee.


----------



## mitchwebb

I have the same problem of not being able to see the city where the flight stops when there is no plane change. I can see it when there is a plane change but when I click on 1 stop no plane change it does not give me the city the flight stops.  We are flying down between Christmas and New years and do not want to stop in citys with heavy snow.

I have emailed and am waiting for a response. I'm hoping to get tickets 5/6 and will be out of town and I am trying to avoid calling to find this information.

Any help would be appreciated.


----------



## JayhawkFans

I now realized that the leg from MDW to MCO is operated by AirTran so that throws another wrench in the plans since seats on AirTran are assigned by the airline at 24 hrs out .. UGH!!!


----------



## M&C

I checked 6 pages before asking this question: Does anybody know when December flights will open up?

Thanks!


----------



## lulu2121

May 6


----------



## 1tufgt

M&C said:


> I checked 6 pages before asking this question: Does anybody know when December flights will open up?
> 
> Thanks!



You can always check on SW.com. 

http://www.southwest.com/html/travel-tools/index.html


----------



## brettb

mitchwebb said:


> I have the same problem of not being able to see the city where the flight stops when there is no plane change. I can see it when there is a plane change but when I click on 1 stop no plane change it does not give me the city the flight stops.  We are flying down between Christmas and New years and do not want to stop in citys with heavy snow.



For imminent flights you can google "southwest flight XXX" but that's not going to help.  I googled "southwest flight 871" and I got information for today's flight, which is PHL->MDW->DEN, which is NOT what flight 871 does on August 3rd. So here's the way I found the correct information:

Go to http://www.southwest.com/flight/request-schedule.html and *download* the schedule for your dates and departure city. When you open the PDF, search for your flight number (Ctrl-f). Look for occurrences that do not have a connecting flight. One will be the 1-stop (or N-stop) flight from the originating airport to the final destination. The other(s) will be the stop(s) between you and the final destination.

For example, on the 7/28/13-8/3/13 schedule for PHL, 871 shows up at a 1-stop to LAX and a nonstop to STL.

There's probably an easier way but the easy ways I've found only seem reliable for imminent flights.


----------



## Wood Nymph

I've traveled on SWA for years and never realized that I could get a credit if the price of my flight dropped. We always buy Wanna Get Away tickets, because they are cheapest. If the price of one of these drop, do you still get a credit? When do the credits expire? 

We are planning to go to WDW on Sat, Nov 30th, the Sat after Thanksgiving and I am very nervous about traveling on the busiest travel weekend of the year. Usually, with SWA I just keep watching their sales until a really good one comes along before I book my tickets. We fly out of Chicago-Midway and I consider $84 one way to be the target price. But I really don't know if I feel comfortable with the Thanksgiving weekend. We are planning our return on the following Thursday, which should be fine. 

Does anyone know if travel books up fast for the Saturday after Thanksgiving? Are there ever any discounts offered for that day?


----------



## tinkerbell60

Wood Nymph said:


> I've traveled on SWA for years and never realized that I could get a credit if the price of my flight dropped. We always buy Wanna Get Away tickets, because they are cheapest. If the price of one of these drop, do you still get a credit? When do the credits expire?
> 
> We are planning to go to WDW on Sat, Nov 30th, the Sat after Thanksgiving and I am very nervous about traveling on the busiest travel weekend of the year. Usually, with SWA I just keep watching their sales until a really good one comes along before I book my tickets. We fly out of Chicago-Midway and I consider $84 one way to be the target price. But I really don't know if I feel comfortable with the Thanksgiving weekend. We are planning our return on the following Thursday, which should be fine.
> 
> Does anyone know if travel books up fast for the Saturday after Thanksgiving? Are there ever any discounts offered for that day?



Airfare has been nuts lately, last summer I flew to Orlando in June for $109 each way.  This year, the cheapest is $127.  So, I don't think it is make decisions based on prior years........That being said, I would think Saturday might be better than Sunday to travel, but I would still think the prices would be higher.  Like you said - Thursday should not be a problem.  If you see a price you can live with I would go ahead an book it and watch to see if it drops.

Here is the thing with credits.  They will expire 1 year from the day of the original booking.  So, if you book on June 1st 2013 and September 15th 2013 the price drops, you will have the credit until June 1st of 2014.  The credits work if you have two trips planned.  And, the credits can not be transferred to other people.  So, you have to be comfortable with the price you book with and if you think you will be able to use the credits within the year.  Hope that helps!


----------



## jenseib

I am thinking 84 will be unrealistic too. Also remember the price shown now includes the tax as they didn't in years past.


----------



## bridgewaterduo

Never having to cancel a flight before can you please clairify for me.  If I purchased tickets on April 1, 2013 I understand I have until April 1, 2014 to use the credit.  What I am not sure about is can I purchase tickets for travel after April 1, 2014 or do the flights have to be taken before April 1?


----------



## jenseib

bridgewaterduo said:


> Never having to cancel a flight before can you please clairify for me.  If I purchased tickets on April 1, 2013 I understand I have until April 1, 2014 to use the credit.  What I am not sure about is can I purchase tickets for travel after April 1, 2014 or do the flights have to be taken before April 1?



I am pretty sure the flight has to be taken by then.


----------



## brettb

tinkerbell60 said:


> Here is the thing with credits.  They will expire 1 year from the day of the original booking.  So, if you book on June 1st 2013 and September 15th 2013 the price drops, you will have the credit until June 1st of 2014.  The credits work if you have two trips planned.  And, the credits can not be transferred to other people.  So, you have to be comfortable with the price you book with and if you think you will be able to use the credits within the year.  Hope that helps!



I want to add that in the above example, the credit must be used for *travel* by June 1st 2014. You can't wait until June 1st, 2014 and use it to book a flight after that.


----------



## brunelldara

tinkerbell60 said:


> Airfare has been nuts lately, last summer I flew to Orlando in June for $109 each way.  This year, the cheapest is $127.  So, I don't think it is make decisions based on prior years........That being said, I would think Saturday might be better than Sunday to travel, but I would still think the prices would be higher.  Like you said - Thursday should not be a problem.  If you see a price you can live with I would go ahead an book it and watch to see if it drops.
> 
> Here is the thing with credits.  They will expire 1 year from the day of the original booking.  So, if you book on June 1st 2013 and September 15th 2013 the price drops, you will have the credit until June 1st of 2014.  The credits work if you have two trips planned.  And, the credits can not be transferred to other people.  So, you have to be comfortable with the price you book with and if you think you will be able to use the credits within the year.  Hope that helps!



I am traveling with my family (6 adults and 1 child) this upcoming thanksgiving to WDW. We are flying out on November 26th (2 days before Thanksgiving) and flying home on December 7th. We are planning a second trip for May 2014. 
I guess what I am confused on is the credits. If I book now and the prices go down for the November trip this means that I would be able to use the difference for our May trip? We are going twice since we are going so long for the first trip we are getting everyone season passes at the park and want to get full use out of them within the year they are good for...lol. If I can in fact use it for our May trip how do I go about doing so and what is this feature called. Also what are people talking about with special codes. I am new to this since my mom passed the planning and coordinating of the family trip onto me this year. I am thoroughly enjoying all of the fun research though. 
One last question also can we use these codes and special features if we book through expedia in order to quarantee the flight?
Thanks for any help anyone can offer me and my family as we plan our next family vacation. Fingers crossed that I find the best deals ever when they release their flights for November-December tomorrow.
Thanks again, Dara


----------



## tinkerbell60

brunelldara said:


> I am traveling with my family (6 adults and 1 child) this upcoming thanksgiving to WDW. We are flying out on November 26th (2 days before Thanksgiving) and flying home on December 7th. We are planning a second trip for May 2014.
> I guess what I am confused on is the credits. If I book now and the prices go down for the November trip this means that I would be able to use the difference for our May trip? We are going twice since we are going so long for the first trip we are getting everyone season passes at the park and want to get full use out of them within the year they are good for...lol. If I can in fact use it for our May trip how do I go about doing so and what is this feature called. Also what are people talking about with special codes. I am new to this since my mom passed the planning and coordinating of the family trip onto me this year. I am thoroughly enjoying all of the fun research though.
> One last question also can we use these codes and special features if we book through expedia in order to quarantee the flight?
> Thanks for any help anyone can offer me and my family as we plan our next family vacation. Fingers crossed that I find the best deals ever when they release their flights for November-December tomorrow.
> Thanks again, Dara



Hi Dara,

First, I am sorry about your mom - that is a tough to go through.  

Yes, if you book now for Thanksgiving and the price goes down, you can re-book and use the credits in May as long as the date is after you book now.   Do you know your May travel dates?  If you book today (May 6) your credits must be used by May 6 of 2014.  If you are traveling early May that will work.  Then, how that works is you watch for a lower price, if you see it - you go onto the Southwest site and you will see "modify reservation" - you just enter your confirmation code and it will give you the option to change to the cheaper flight.  It will then show the amount of credit you save.   When you are ready to book your spring flights, on the payment screen it gives you an option to pay with credits.  So you would use a combination of two payment methods, partial credits and part credit cards for example.   

It is really smart to get an annual pass if you are going twice in one year.  Be sure to watch for annual pass discounts on rooms too.  There are a few other perks that go with that.

None of this will work with Expedia however.  Once you pay them, there is no refund.  You probably can do better booking on your own and doing the hotel and flights separately.


----------



## Wood Nymph

Thanks for answering my questions about the refund policy. I checked SWA for our Nov 30 - Dec 5th dates and the morning flights are already sold out for Nov 30th  Travel for two of us would be $675 if I booked today, about $300 more than we paid for our Feb flights. It would also take us two vacations to use up that amount of money if we cancelled this trip.  We are planning to return to WDW in the spring, either April or early May, so the one year mark would be tight to use up any credits we would get if the price drops. 

I really don't want an early afternoon flight to Orlando. All the early morning full flights are Airtran flights. Would SWA add a bunch of early flights later?


----------



## tinkerbell60

Wood Nymph said:


> Thanks for answering my questions about the refund policy. I checked SWA for our Nov 30 - Dec 5th dates and the morning flights are already sold out for Nov 30th  Travel for two of us would be $675 if I booked today, about $300 more than we paid for our Feb flights. It would also take us two vacations to use up that amount of money if we cancelled this trip.  We are planning to return to WDW in the spring, either April or early May, so the one year mark would be tight to use up any credits we would get if the price drops.
> 
> I really don't want an early afternoon flight to Orlando. All the early morning full flights are Airtran flights. Would SWA add a bunch of early flights later?



Are those the Wanna Get Away fares?   They might add flights later, but you can't count on anything.  You could keep watching.  If there are Air Tran flights you could book those, as long as you book them on SW.com you still get the free baggage but your seats would be assigned by Air Tran - you could try to change them at the airport if you did not like the seats they assign.


----------



## Wood Nymph

tinkerbell60 said:


> Are those the Wanna Get Away fares?   They might add flights later, but you can't count on anything.  You could keep watching.  If there are Air Tran flights you could book those, as long as you book them on SW.com you still get the free baggage but your seats would be assigned by Air Tran - you could try to change them at the airport if you did not like the seats they assign.



Yes, they are Wanna Get Away fares. The AirTran flights are the ones sold out.

I just did something I have never done before in my life, I just booked one way flights. I've never done that before, but I am really only worried about the Nov 30th Saturday flight and not the Thursday flight.

Will I be able to apply any credits I might get if the price drops for these flights to my return trip costs when I book those later?


----------



## Grumpy Grandma

Wood Nymph said:


> Thanks for answering my questions about the refund policy. I checked SWA for our Nov 30 - Dec 5th dates and the morning flights are already sold out for Nov 30th  Travel for two of us would be $675 if I booked today, about $300 more than we paid for our Feb flights. It would also take us two vacations to use up that amount of money if we cancelled this trip.  We are planning to return to WDW in the spring, either April or early May, so the one year mark would be tight to use up any credits we would get if the price drops.
> 
> I really don't want an early afternoon flight to Orlando. All the early morning full flights are Airtran flights. Would SWA add a bunch of early flights later?



I thought SWA only had released their flights thru Nov 1st .... did I miss something?


----------



## Wood Nymph

Grumpy Grandma said:


> I thought SWA only had released their flights thru Nov 1st .... did I miss something?



Fares are up through January 5th, 2014 now.


----------



## Grumpy Grandma

Wood Nymph said:


> Fares are up through January 5th, 2014 now.



Thank you .... I have two trips to book .... really wish fares would go down!!!


----------



## Aunt Stepody

We usually drive, but we're considering flying for my sister's wedding in November. Is $121 each way good from Dallas? Do you think it will go down any before then? I don't want to wait and miss out on the $121.


----------



## buckeev

Grumpy Grandma said:


> I thought SWA only had released their flights thru Nov 1st .... did I miss something?


Lol..they just put them up at the crack of dawn this morning.


----------



## buckeev

Wood Nymph said:


> Yes, they are Wanna Get Away fares. The AirTran flights are the ones sold out.
> 
> I just did something I have never done before in my life, I just booked one way flights. I've never done that before, but I am really only worried about the Nov 30th Saturday flight and not the Thursday flight.
> 
> Will I be able to apply any credits I might get if the price drops for these flights to my return trip costs when I book those later?


Yes, you will one year from the booking date to apply funds...(hang on to your original confirmation number, that'll be your credit.)


----------



## ksloane

Aunt Stepody said:


> We usually drive, but we're considering flying for my sister's wedding in November. Is $121 each way good from Dallas? Do you think it will go down any before then? I don't want to wait and miss out on the $121.



That's what I've paid the last few trips. I'd buy at that rate quick.


----------



## GoofyDad1970

I was going to book on SW or AirTran from Chicago to Orlando during the Christmas / New Years period and the cheapest flights around $440 RT.  I can do better on United or American.  What's up with that?  I wonder if they will go on sale later.  I also wonder if there is any point to booking SW now then rebooking if they get cheaper (which is, admittedly, something that cannot be done on AA or UA).


----------



## brettb

buckeev said:


> Yes, you will one year from the booking date to apply funds...(hang on to your original confirmation number, that'll be your credit.)



Not exactly true....the _travel_ you book with the funds must be _completed_ within one year of the original purchase date.

I misunderstood that once. You can't apply funds before the expiration date for travel after the expiration date.


----------



## tinkerbell60

Wood Nymph said:


> Yes, they are Wanna Get Away fares. The AirTran flights are the ones sold out.
> 
> I just did something I have never done before in my life, I just booked one way flights. I've never done that before, but I am really only worried about the Nov 30th Saturday flight and not the Thursday flight.
> 
> Will I be able to apply any credits I might get if the price drops for these flights to my return trip costs when I book those later?



Yes you can!!  Now, you just have to hope the price drops before you buy your returns.  That is one nice thing about buying one way tickets.


----------



## 1tufgt

[QUOTE="Wood Nymph;48313550"
I really don't want an early afternoon flight to Orlando. All the early morning full flights are Airtran flights. Would SWA add a bunch of early flights later?[/QUOTE]

SWA rarely adds flights once schedules are released.


----------



## lovin'fl

Can someone explain SW Rapid Rewards?  I just signed up last week (wished I signed up when I booked our Jan 2013 flights...ugghh).  I booked me and DH's Oct Food and Wine flights last week and then, yesterday, I booked all 5 of us flights for our big family Xmas trip.  I signed up for the RR under my name but will I get points for all 2-5 of us I booked flights for?  And when will the points show up...after we take the flight?  Is there a way I can get the points for the Jan flights even though I wasn't signed up for RR then?  TIA!


----------



## ksloane

lovin'fl said:


> Can someone explain SW Rapid Rewards?  I just signed up last week (wished I signed up when I booked our Jan 2013 flights...ugghh).  I booked me and DH's Oct Food and Wine flights last week and then, yesterday, I booked all 5 of us flights for our big family Xmas trip.  I signed up for the RR under my name but will I get points for all 2-5 of us I booked flights for?  And when will the points show up...after we take the flight?  Is there a way I can get the points for the Jan flights even though I wasn't signed up for RR then?  TIA!



You only get your points. You'll need to sign up each person to get the RR for them.  And you can still get the ones from your flights booked. Can't remember how, but I remember that I did the same thing my first flight...booked then signed up. Somehow I ended up with the flights.


----------



## Aunt Stepody

ksloane said:


> That's what I've paid the last few trips. I'd buy at that rate quick.



Okay, thanks.


----------



## buckeev

brettb said:


> Not exactly true....the _travel_ you book with the funds must be _completed_ within one year of the original purchase date.
> 
> I misunderstood that once. You can't apply funds before the expiration date for travel after the expiration date.



Correct...
By booking date, I mean the date you booked the flight..
And correct ...travel funds must be used, and travel completed by the one year "anniversary" of the original date-of-purchase. ( I think I hate that stipulation he most.......)


----------



## lynn71092

GoofyDad1970 said:


> I was going to book on SW or AirTran from Chicago to Orlando during the Christmas / New Years period and the cheapest flights around $440 RT.  I can do better on United or American.  What's up with that?  I wonder if they will go on sale later.  I also wonder if there is any point to booking SW now then rebooking if they get cheaper (which is, admittedly, something that cannot be done on AA or UA).




Remember the price might be cheaper but you also have to pay for your luggage EACH WAY so include that in the price of your "cheap" ticket.


----------



## Teewan78

Is anyone else having issues booking flights through Southwest.com? I receive an error message. Also I receive a busy signal when calling the 800 number.


----------



## brettb

Teewan78 said:


> Is anyone else having issues booking flights through Southwest.com? I receive an error message. Also I receive a busy signal when calling the 800 number.



I had some error messages earlier in the day when I changed 3 flights.

Hitting back and re-submitting did the trick but that's certainly not normal behavior for Southwest.com....


----------



## buckeev

Teewan78 said:


> Is anyone else having issues booking flights through Southwest.com?.......



YES!

All stinking day!


----------



## Disneyforus

I'm new to SW, and just transferred over some AirTran vouchers that became available to me last night....was going to book some Wanna Get Away Fares from GrandRapids MI to Orlando of $101 down and $90 back.  Well...today they are up to $144 each leg....This is for 8/21-8/28.  Any thoughts on whether fares might go down again for that time frame or did I miss my opportunity?  I know airfare is hit or miss, I'm just not familiar with SW at all.  Our travel is midweek, so I know that typically helps. I know I can book and rebook if the fare goes down too.  Any thoughts?


----------



## ksloane

Disneyforus said:


> I'm new to SW, and just transferred over some AirTran vouchers that became available to me last night....was going to book some Wanna Get Away Fares from GrandRapids MI to Orlando of $101 down and $90 back.  Well...today they are up to $144 each leg....This is for 8/21-8/28.  Any thoughts on whether fares might go down again for that time frame or did I miss my opportunity?  I know airfare is hit or miss, I'm just not familiar with SW at all.  Our travel is midweek, so I know that typically helps. I know I can book and rebook if the fare goes down too.  Any thoughts?



If it were me, I'd wait until Tuesday morning next week before I paid the higher prices. Seems like Tuesday and then Wednesdays are the cheaper days.


----------



## brettb

Disneyforus said:


> I'm new to SW, and just transferred over some AirTran vouchers that became available to me last night....was going to book some Wanna Get Away Fares from GrandRapids MI to Orlando of $101 down and $90 back.  Well...today they are up to $144 each leg....This is for 8/21-8/28.  Any thoughts on whether fares might go down again for that time frame or did I miss my opportunity?  I know airfare is hit or miss, I'm just not familiar with SW at all.  Our travel is midweek, so I know that typically helps. I know I can book and rebook if the fare goes down too.  Any thoughts?



I don't think there's any way to predict.

It seems to me that there are two factors at play:

1) The base fare for a given day. That is, the starting price of a seat before supply becomes limited.

2) The price of a seat on a particular flight based on the supply/demand. That is, when you see prices higher than the base fare because more and more seats have already been sold.

For example, when I booked our flights from PHL->MCO and MCO-> PHL, nearly all the flights were at $114, so that was what I call the "base" fare - at that time. If there's a sale, that base fare could drop. Or if a sale ends, that base fare could rise. Right now, the "base" fare for those days is up to $120.

On top of that, the flight we had been on - that I bought for $114 is now at $182. The less desirable, later Saturday flights are still down at $120.

There was an early morning flight (operated by Southwest) I had my eye on that had been $221 but has now dropped to $182. And another early morning non-stop (operated by AirTran), if I recall correctly, was also very expensive or even listed as sold out. But earlier in the week, this 8:00 AirTran flight showed up at $120 so I switched to it. Within a day it had risen to $140-something and is now at $167.

If you're looking at a low-demand flight, it's possible that the "base" price might come down as part of a sale. But it's also possible that even if a sale comes along, by that time, the seats available at the lowest price (whatever that is at the time) may have been sold and the price of *that* flight may be higher than the price of different, less booked flights on the same day.

Demand-based pricing can work against holding out for a sale.

Generally, I'll jump on a flight that's at what appears to be the "base" price. If a preferable but higher-priced flight later comes down in price, I'll switch.

Now that I have a bunch of RR points, life is a lot easier. I don't have to worry about credits expiring if I rebook at lower prices.

Also, I have no idea how the transferred AirTran vouchers work. Maybe somebody else can comment on whether they offer the same benefits as using RR points with regard to being able to book now and rebook if/when prices drop.


----------



## debjk4

How does this work? I bought EBCI for our flight out of CLE. We change planes in BNA and then move on to MCO. I know that we will get a boarding position for the initial flight, but how does the boarding position get chosen for the "plane change" flight?


----------



## jenseib

debjk4 said:


> How does this work? I bought EBCI for our flight out of CLE. We change planes in BNA and then move on to MCO. I know that we will get a boarding position for the initial flight, but how does the boarding position get chosen for the "plane change" flight?



It will do it for both flights


----------



## debjk4

Thanks so much jenseib!


----------



## MacDalt

Can anyone confirm this for me?  A flight operated by AirTran has no assigned seating. It is recommended to buy EBCI. A flight on SW has assigned seats so no worries about being together. Is this correct?


----------



## brettb

MacDalt said:


> Can anyone confirm this for me?  A flight operated by AirTran has no assigned seating. It is recommended to buy EBCI. A flight on SW has assigned seats so no worries about being together. Is this correct?



What? No. That's kind of backwards.

I've never flown AirTran but my flights, booked through Southwest, will be operated by AirTran so I've been following the discussion and this is what I've gathered:

Southwest operated flights do not have assigned seating. Southwest customers can pay for EBCI and they will be automatically checked in at 36 hours before departure and they will get earlier boarding slots than people who check in themselves up to 24 hours before departure.

For flights operated by AirTran, AirTran customers can pay to select seats in advance. Otherwise AirTran customers can choose their seats when they check in up to 24 hours before the flight. Southwest customers will be assigned seats (they don't get to choose) when they check in up to 24 hours before departure. Southwest customers do not have the option to purchase EBCI for AirTran-operated flights nor do they have the option to pay extra to choose seats in advance.

AirTran experts: Did I get anything wrong?


----------



## MacDalt

I've read so much info!  I think I have it backwards.   I think ur right. Maybe someone will confirm.


----------



## jenseib

MacDalt said:


> Can anyone confirm this for me?  A flight operated by AirTran has no assigned seating. It is recommended to buy EBCI. A flight on SW has assigned seats so no worries about being together. Is this correct?



That is totally backwards.

You can't buy EBC for airtran flights booked through SW either and you can pick seats on air tran flights booked through SW till the 24 hour check in. This I know because I had to call and ask as my cousins are taking SW down and airtran back all booked through SW.

It is rumored that by the end of the year it will all be SW.


----------



## disneemama

Not sure if i'm posting in the right place or if it's already been posted but mycokerewards has the $20. Off code. 100 points


----------



## MacDalt

jenseib said:


> That is totally backwards.
> 
> You can't buy EBC for airtran flights booked through SW either and you can pick seats on air tran flights booked through SW till the 24 hour check in. This I know because I had to call and ask as my cousins are taking SW down and airtran back all booked through SW.
> 
> It is rumored that by the end of the year it will all be SW.



Thank you. I think I have it straight now. Lol. I hope.


----------



## stitchlovestink

disneemama said:
			
		

> Not sure if i'm posting in the right place or if it's already been posted but mycokerewards has the $20. Off code. 100 points



Thanks....gonna go check that out now!!  I can certainly use that help!!!


----------



## hsmamato2

anyone know.....I see flights I want on SWA site, some are 'airtran'..... can I book the AT flights using RR points? or do I have to convert them into AT points?  I want to keep my RR points ,and use them, and I'm afraid to book AT b/c then I'll lose the flexibility...(?) help!!!!!


----------



## jenseib

hsmamato2 said:


> anyone know.....I see flights I want on SWA site, some are 'airtran'..... can I book the AT flights using RR points? or do I have to convert them into AT points?  I want to keep my RR points ,and use them, and I'm afraid to book AT b/c then I'll lose the flexibility...(?) help!!!!!



I'm pretty sure if you use them on the SW site you are using them as RR points.


----------



## BeccaG

Does SW do last minute deals?  We are less than a month out and have our outbound flights booked but I would love to switch to a closer airport with a slightly better flight time!


----------



## disneymagicgirl

BeccaG said:


> Does SW do last minute deals?  We are less than a month out and have our outbound flights booked but I would love to switch to a closer airport with a slightly better flight time!



You can sign up for ding fare alerts but they never impress me. Not sure they can be used to switch either. You would likely have to cancel the current flight and book the ding seperately.


----------



## BeccaG

disneymagicgirl said:
			
		

> You can sign up for ding fare alerts but they never impress me. Not sure they can be used to switch either. You would likely have to cancel the current flight and book the ding seperately.



Right,  I guess I was more asking if historically does southwest drop prices last minute to fill planes....


----------



## jenseib

BeccaG said:


> Right,  I guess I was more asking if historically does southwest drop prices last minute to fill planes....



Almost every SW flight I have been on was oversold, so my guess is they don't have an issue selling.  But it could be just from where i fly from.


----------



## disneymagicgirl

BeccaG said:


> Right,  I guess I was more asking if historically does southwest drop prices last minute to fill planes....



Never seen that. From 14 days out prices jump and cont to rise, in my experience.


----------



## Dznypal

does anyone know if SW will be having a birthday sale like they did last yr

for our trip last aug I got $99 coming back (orlando to milwaukee) with a great time

heoping for the same this yr --or at least close!!!!


----------



## Dznypal

does anyone know if SW will be having a birthday sale like they did last yr

for our trip last aug I got $99 coming back (orlando to milwaukee) with a great time

heoping for the same this yr --or at least close!!!!


----------



## disneymagicgirl

Dznypal said:


> does anyone know if SW will be having a birthday sale like they did last yr
> 
> for our trip last aug I got $99 coming back (orlando to milwaukee) with a great time
> 
> heoping for the same this yr --or at least close!!!!



Hoping to buy tix thru that sale as well. Although not to Wdw


----------



## StrwLady

jenseib said:


> I'm pretty sure if you use them on the SW site you are using them as RR points.



Did you check today.  The summer rates for Dallas to Orlando dropped 50% today.

Good luck on getting a lower fare.


----------



## gretchenohar@hotmail

When do they usually have their birthday sale? TIA!


----------



## buckeev

StrwLady said:


> Did you check today.  The summer rates for Dallas to Orlando dropped 50% today.



What date is that for?


----------



## shopn24seven

I sure need a code. Our plans have changed because my daughter made the band Color guard. Only time we can go is during xmas break.
Its only my dd and myself and I am on social security, so funds are right and airfare is not.
A NY pixie dust out there?


----------



## jenseib

shopn24seven said:


> I sure need a code. Our plans have changed because my daughter made the band Color guard. Only time we can go is during xmas break.
> Its only my dd and myself and I am on social security, so funds are right and airfare is not.
> A NY pixie dust out there?



I am guessing finding something for Christmas week cheaper or with a code is going to be rare.  Keep watching though. It's still really early to buy.


----------



## shopn24seven

I check every day. Best I can do on SW is 413.00 PP, from dfw.


----------



## LoLaRae

Already gone!  

-I have a $20 off wanna get away fare code for anyone who might need it. Its a my coke rewards code that I wasnt able to use. I just got it today. PM me if it can help you!


----------



## nellyru

I'm not even sure what you all are talking about- but if it's going to help safe me money on airfare- PLEASE- hook me down!!!


----------



## sargenca

I am moving my trip from September to October. I have been looking at the fares from Nashville to MCO the last couple of days and they are really high. The times I want are double what I paid for the Sept trip.

My question...on Oct 5 (my new planned departure day) there are a couple of times that have WGA fares that are not listed as 'Web Only".  Are the low web-only fares for those times already scooped up and gone...or is there any chance those fares will drop?

Has anyone ever noticed a high non-web-only fare ever drop to a cheaper fare?


----------



## StrwLady

buckeev said:


> What date is that for?



The rate dropped on several days during the summer months.  I pretty much saw one way fares of $121 (for dallas) for all days during the summer.


----------



## mdsouth

I checked out Southwest's site and saw rates that Wanna Get Away.  It looks like they are nonrefundable.  Is this the main difference for the price difference?

The price is almost 300.00 different for each way.


----------



## jenseib

mdsouth said:


> I checked out Southwest's site and saw rates that Wanna Get Away.  It looks like they are nonrefundable.  Is this the main difference for the price difference?
> 
> The price is almost 300.00 different for each way.



You can get a credit if the price goes down to be used within a year of your booking date.


----------



## disneyfanfamily

We are a family of 6.  Going Dec 14-21.  Haven't bought airfare for a couple years and stressing about the cost a bit.  I have been told 3 months out is good time to book as well as Tues or Wed.  But it is holiday time.  Right now I can get 1 way $140.  (which is what I paid roundtrip 3 years ago!  ACK!)

Heard there are coke reward codes which I do not drink coke.  So that doesn't help.  Any other helpful hints would be great.


----------



## MacDalt

$140 is great!


----------



## bjscheel

Good sale on right now, we JUST got back from DL but for fun I checked fall flights to MCO.  We won't go till next summer, if we do go, but I'd sure like to get $88 each way if we do!  I would already have enough points to cover that.

While I was looking though, there wasn't a button to check the low fares for the whole month- did they take that away?  That was really helpful so you could find the best days at a glance instead of clicking on days one by one.


----------



## bjscheel

Oh, I was also going to mention that I got EBCI for our San Diego-Omaha flight for last Saturday.  We got A14-17!!!  I was shocked.  

For our Omaha-Orange County flight I did 24 hour checkin and got low B's.  However, I never heard them call for B boarding and we didn't get on till the end of the B's.  We got 3 seats together in the very back and DH was a row away on the other side.  We didn't have to change planes so while we were stopped, we moved up to the very front two rows.  Worked out fine anyway, but I felt bad about being so knowledgeable about the process, checking in at 24 hours, and messing it up anyway.  The moral is, pay attention and get up so you can watch instead of just trying to listen for it.


----------



## Wood Nymph

I just saved $80 ion our return flight from MCO on Dec 5th with the current sale. I'm really glad I found out about SWA's credit policy. .


----------



## 1tufgt

Was waiting for a sale like this.  $99 from SDF to MCO and back.  Not to shabby.


----------



## disneyfanfamily

With the SW sale, I was able to book our arrival flight from Dayton OH to MCO for $99.  So saved me 40 per ticket - and 6 tickets.  So that is a decent savings.  There wasn't a savings for our return trip, but that is Dec 21, and I am not sure they will have deals so close to Christmas.


----------



## henry lutz

disneyfanfamily said:


> With the SW sale, I was able to book our arrival flight from Dayton OH to MCO for $99.  So saved me 40 per ticket - and 6 tickets.  So that is a decent savings.  There wasn't a savings for our return trip, but that is Dec 21, and I am not sure they will have deals so close to Christmas.



i am looking for my tickets for nov 
 code ? 
sale ?
need help


----------



## henry lutz

LoLaRae said:


> Already gone!
> 
> -I have a $20 off wanna get away fare code for anyone who might need it. Its a my coke rewards code that I wasnt able to use. I just got it today. PM me if it can help you!


i need some advice  i have only flown once    now i need to find tickets for nov trip       thanks


----------



## henry lutz

jenseib said:


> I am thinking 84 will be unrealistic too. Also remember the price shown now includes the tax as they didn't in years past.


can you educate me on finding flights to wdw in nov
i see your name many times on here so i figure u know what bu are doing
thanks


----------



## jenseib

henry lutz said:


> can you educate me on finding flights to wdw in nov
> i see your name many times on here so i figure u know what bu are doing
> thanks



No tricks.  You can sign up for their emails which will alert you to sales.  I just looked often.  Tuesday through Thursdays tend to have better pricing usually.  And check the day before and after you want to fly as sometimes one of those days has better pricing.  If it saves enough it might be worth staying and extra day.
I live in Ohio and basically over the past 2 years I don't think I have seen a better rate than 99 each way to Orlando with SW.  Well years past they did but that was the pretax rate back then.


----------



## henry lutz

jenseib said:


> No tricks.  You can sign up for their emails which will alert you to sales.  I just looked often.  Tuesday through Thursdays tend to have better pricing usually.  And check the day before and after you want to fly as sometimes one of those days has better pricing.  If it saves enough it might be worth staying and extra day.
> I live in Ohio and basically over the past 2 years I don't think I have seen a better rate than 99 each way to Orlando with SW.  Well years past they did but that was the pretax rate back then.



thanks  will do


----------



## henry lutz

thanks for air fare tip
finding some acceptable prices
116 $     bwi  -  mco
return 144 $
how long does experience say that one can wait
our trip is nov11 - nov17


----------



## BeccaG

Silly question, any way to find what type of aircraft the flight is for southwest?


----------



## 1tufgt

BeccaG said:


> Silly question, any way to find what type of aircraft the flight is for southwest?



Southwest only uses boeing 737's in different versions throughout their entire fleet.


----------



## airplanegod

BeccaG said:


> Silly question, any way to find what type of aircraft the flight is for southwest?



Click on the flight # and it will tell you. (737-300 (137 or 143 seats) 737-500 (122 seats) 737-700 (137 or 143 seats) 737-800 (175 seats)). 

If it is Airtran, it will either be the 737-700 (137 seats) or the 717 (117 seats).


----------



## henry lutz

bwi to mco down to 108 $ on southwest  non stop
return  non stop 144$


----------



## disneymagicgirl

Birthday sale is very disappointing this year.


----------



## ksloane

disneymagicgirl said:


> Birthday sale is very disappointing this year.



I thought so too. I like to use that for a random trip. I just see where we can go with cheap fares and then plan the vacation.  Didn't see anything I was interested in out of Dallas or Houston.


----------



## henry lutz

booked non stop to mco  from  bwi for 108$
didn't want to chance it
 leaves at 7:10 am    we liked the morning   hoping to be at mk by11 or 12


----------



## disneemama

anyone have a code from coke rewards that they are not using, greatly appreciated if you do. I had used one but just found out daughter is joining us on vacation.


----------



## babydoll65

henry lutz said:


> thanks for air fare tip
> finding some acceptable prices
> 116 $     bwi  -  mco
> return 144 $
> how long does experience say that one can wait
> our trip is nov11 - nov17



I'm going the same dates as you. Booked my flights down for 122$ but haven't booked my flights back yet. Was hoping flights would go down but so far flights back are between 180-207 which I think is still overpriced. Jet blue rates are way too expensive. Was also waiting for the flight going down to drop so I could apply the credit to the flight back and so far that flight has gone up to 208$. I hope they have some kind of sale for my area (providence,ri) Right now it looks like alot of areas in the US is having a sale but so far not the New England area.


----------



## henry lutz

babydoll65 said:


> I'm going the same dates as you. Booked my flights down for 122$ but haven't booked my flights back yet. Was hoping flights would go down but so far flights back are between 180-207 which I think is still overpriced. Jet blue rates are way too expensive. Was also waiting for the flight going down to drop so I could apply the credit to the flight back and so far that flight has gone up to 208$. I hope they have some kind of sale for my area (providence,ri) Right now it looks like alot of areas in the US is having a sale but so far not the New England area.


    we are new to flying ... second time actually
are you using southwest
2 bags free seems like a deal breaker for me
flight back prices are slowly going up for us too
one bag i will fill with snacks and stuff   and use it to bring back my purchases { thanks disboards }
did not know about the credit thing


----------



## henry lutz

babydoll65 said:


> I'm going the same dates as you. Booked my flights down for 122$ but haven't booked my flights back yet. Was hoping flights would go down but so far flights back are between 180-207 which I think is still overpriced. Jet blue rates are way too expensive. Was also waiting for the flight going down to drop so I could apply the credit to the flight back and so far that flight has gone up to 208$. I hope they have some kind of sale for my area (providence,ri) Right now it looks like alot of areas in the US is having a sale but so far not the New England area.


    we are new to flying ... second time actually
are you using southwest
2 bags free seems like a deal breaker for me
flight back prices are slowly going up for us too
one bag i will fill with snacks and stuff   and use it to bring back my purchases { thanks disboards }
did not know about the credit thing


----------



## *~PrincessBelle~*

Anyone have a SW code they arent using? Looking to book a one way from BUF-MCO... PM me if you do..Thanks!


----------



## auger

Need help with a question about online check-in.
We have two reservations; one with 7 ppl on it and another with 6 ppl on it.
When we do the online check-in at the 24 hr mark, will we have to do each person separately, or will everyone on the same res be checked in all at the same time?
Last time we flew, we used points and each person had to be checked in separately to get boarding assignment numbers.
But I thought I read some time back that if you pay for flights, rather than using points, that it checks in everyone on the res all at once and assigns boarding numbers all together.
Any body know for certain how it works?


----------



## ksloane

auger said:


> Need help with a question about online check-in.
> We have two reservations; one with 7 ppl on it and another with 6 ppl on it.
> When we do the online check-in at the 24 hr mark, will we have to do each person separately, or will everyone on the same res be checked in all at the same time?
> Last time we flew, we used points and each person had to be checked in separately to get boarding assignment numbers.
> But I thought I read some time back that if you pay for flights, rather than using points, that it checks in evy one on the res all at once and assigns boarding numbers all together.
> Any body know for certain how it works?



Yep. Everyone with same confirmation number will be checked in at once.


----------



## Cmbar

auger said:


> Need help with a question about online check-in.
> We have two reservations; one with 7 ppl on it and another with 6 ppl on it.
> When we do the online check-in at the 24 hr mark, will we have to do each person separately, or will everyone on the same res be checked in all at the same time?
> Last time we flew, we used points and each person had to be checked in separately to get boarding assignment numbers.
> But I thought I read some time back that if you pay for flights, rather than using points, that it checks in evy one on the res all at once and assigns boarding numbers all together.
> Any body know for certain how it works?




When you enter the reservation number all members on the reservation will come up and you will have to select each person (there may be a select all option).  You will not have to enter the reservation number more than the one time.

Don't be surprised if the 7 people don't have boarding passes in order however.  They should be close together, but not necessarily in a row.  

Hope this helps.


----------



## auger

Need help with a question about online check-in.
We have two reservations; one with 7 ppl on it and another with 6 ppl on it.
When we do the online check-in at the 24 hr mark, will we have to do each person separately, or will everyone on the same res be checked in all at the same time?
Last time we flew, we used points and each person had to be checked in separately to get boarding assignment numbers.
But I thought I read some time back that if you pay for flights, rather than using points, that it checks in evy one on the res all at once and assigns boarding numbers all together.
Any body know for certain how it works?


----------



## babydoll65

henry lutz said:


> we are new to flying ... second time actually
> are you using southwest
> 2 bags free seems like a deal breaker for me
> flight back prices are slowly going up for us too
> one bag i will fill with snacks and stuff   and use it to bring back my purchases { thanks disboards }
> did not know about the credit thing



Sorry, haven't been back to this thread in a while. As far as the credit goes, I usually buy my flight down at what looks like a good price and wait a while for the flight back. I check every day to see if the flights drop. If the one going down drops enough, we call a get the credit. Then when we finally book our flights back we apply the credit. I works alot of times but those flights coming back just haven't moved down, only up. Every time they offer those flights for 59.00 it never seems to be in my area. But I got my fingers crossed.


----------



## stitchlovestink

auger said:
			
		

> Need help with a question about online check-in.
> We have two reservations; one with 7 ppl on it and another with 6 ppl on it.
> When we do the online check-in at the 24 hr mark, will we have to do each person separately, or will everyone on the same res be checked in all at the same time?
> Last time we flew, we used points and each person had to be checked in separately to get boarding assignment numbers.
> But I thought I read some time back that if you pay for flights, rather than using points, that it checks in evy one on the res all at once and assigns boarding numbers all together.
> Any body know for certain how it works?



Everyone on the same reservation will be checked in at the same time. Now as far as you getting 6 or 7 consecutive boarding passes, I would think that you should. But I do not know this for a fact. We have only ever had a max of four and they have been consecutive.  HTH!


----------



## auger

stitchlovestink said:


> Everyone on the same reservation will be checked in at the same time. Now as far as you getting 6 or 7 consecutive boarding passes, I would think that you should. But I do not know this for a fact. We have only ever had a max of four and they have been consecutive.  HTH!



Very helpful. Thank-you!

I am not worried about all of us having consecutive boarding assignments, just so they are all in the same ballpark!!
I was dreading the thought of having to sit there checking 13 ppl in one by one.
We would have numbers stretching from the As to the Bs by the time I would be able to get them all done!!!
So I am glad to hear that I will only have to check in the two reservations.

It really isn't a huge deal that we all be right together, as long as family members are together.
We are going on a mission trip, and there are three families with younger teens.
As long as they get to be together with their parents, it'll be good.
Hopefully we will all be able to sit in the same general vicinity of one another, rather than being strung from the front to the back of the plane.

Thanks again!!


----------



## disneemama

I need to cancel my flight and rebook, wondering if I cancel, my funds will be  available right away. I now have a cheaper flight and a coke rewards code. Any body know? I have never tried it, only changed flights, which is of course the easy way. Thanks


----------



## *~PrincessBelle~*

anyone have a coke rewards code they aren't using? Preeetttyyy Please! Im hoping to book my flight today


----------



## wdwfan1

How do you get a code?


----------



## abk96

If anyone has a code they aren't using I would like to change my flight.

Thanks.


----------



## auger

Just noticed my last question posted twice. ?????
Sorry to those who answered me after the first one. I didn't see your posts until just now.
Thank-you Cmbar and ksloane!!
I appreciate the help from each of you!!!


----------



## 4littleones

I am looking for a code.  8 people from Pit to MCO.  THANKS!


----------



## MacDalt

I got an email yesterday from Southwest with a code. It's only certain dates. Put in SAVE30 where it says promo code.  Must be booked by Thursday (tomorrow). Dates are 8/27, 9/1, 9/6, 9/10, 9/17, 9/24. I used it to book my mom a trip from Orlando to Indianapolis  $110 each way.


----------



## ksloane

MacDalt said:


> I got an email yesterday from Southwest with a code. It's only certain dates. Put in SAVE30 where it says promo code.  Must be booked by Thursday (tomorrow). Dates are 8/27, 9/1, 9/6, 9/10, 9/17, 9/24. I used it to book my mom a trip from Orlando to Indianapolis  $110 each way.




Great deal. Hate how they used such limited dates though.  Wish we had a flexible schedule though as I'd plan a trip going and coming back home on those dates.


----------



## MacDalt

ksloane said:


> Great deal. Hate how they used such limited dates though.  Wish we had a flexible schedule though as I'd plan a trip going and coming back home on those dates.



I agree!  My mom was very flexible on her dates so we made it work for us!  I wish I could have used it for my trip to WDW in October.

And they didn't give much time to book. I got the email yesterday (Tuesday) and it must be booked by Thursday. Oh well, it still worked out for my mom


----------



## MacDalt

Also it must be a round trip ticket.


----------



## DisneyNDecember

When you key in your flight information on WDW site for the Disney Magical Express, which flight # do you put in if you are flying with Southwest & it changes flight #'s before you arrive in Orlando? 

Do you put the first leg of the flight's information or the 2nd leg of the flight's information? 

We are flying out of Dallas Love Field on Flight # 1165.
We change to Flight # 4138 in New Orleans before we arrive in Orlando.

I would assume we put the first leg of the actual flight on the Magical Express Departing airport/Flight information since our Magical Express Tags are to be put on at the first leg of the trip, correct?


----------



## BeccaG

DisneyNDecember said:
			
		

> When you key in your flight information on WDW site for the Disney Magical Express, which flight # do you put in if you are flying with Southwest & it changes flight #'s before you arrive in Orlando?
> 
> Do you put the first leg of the flight's information or the 2nd leg of the flight's information?
> 
> We are flying out of Dallas Love Field on Flight # 1165.
> We change to Flight # 4138 in New Orleans before we arrive in Orlando.
> 
> I would assume we put the first leg of the actual flight on the Magical Express Departing airport/Flight information since our Magical Express Tags are to be put on at the first leg of the trip, correct?



I always put the last leg.  The magical express tags,  while placed on the bags when you check them,  do not mean anything until they reach the ground crews at MCO.  The airline will put their own routing tags on the bag when you check them.  The flight information you enter online is more for the scheduling of Magical Express busses (and luggage transportation personnel)  than anything else. Have a great trip!


----------



## DisneyNDecember

BeccaG said:


> I always put the last leg.  The magical express tags,  while placed on the bags when you check them,  do not mean anything until they reach the ground crews at MCO.  The airline will put their own routing tags on the bag when you check them.  The flight information you enter online is more for the scheduling of Magical Express busses (and luggage transportation personnel)  than anything else. Have a great trip!



Thank you!!!


----------



## DisneyNDecember

shopn24seven said:


> I check every day. Best I can do on SW is 413.00 PP, from dfw.



We are also flying from Dallas to MCO with Southwest. 
We paid $288 round trip for 11/16 thru 11/22, just purchased yesterday since many of the 11/16 dates are starting to sale out.
Round Trip tickets for myself & my son, total was $577.00


----------



## Ike&Jakesmom

We are flying Southwest for the first time in September !  My question is:  for the 24 hour checkin, is that 24 hours from our flight time or 24 hours from our flight day?  I just want to make sure I check in ASAP!  Thanks!!


----------



## stitchlovestink

Ike&Jakesmom said:
			
		

> We are flying Southwest for the first time in September !  My question is:  for the 24 hour checkin, is that 24 hours from our flight time or 24 hours from our flight day?  I just want to make sure I check in ASAP!  Thanks!!



24 hrs from the time of your flight.  So if your flight is at 9:30am, You can check in at 9:30am the day before.  HTH!!


----------



## PolyAddict

So any guessing when they will open reservations for March 2014?

Thanks!


----------



## 1tufgt

PolyAddict said:


> So any guessing when they will open reservations for March 2014?
> 
> Thanks!



You can always find it on SW.com at the bottom click "Travel Tools" and it's at the top of the page.


----------



## LetsDoDisney!

Hi, I am new to Southwest and don't understand how the codes work on this site. I see people asking others for codes etc. , are they one time use? 

How do you get a code, and is it for a percentage off your flight? I saw that someone needed to change their flight and was looking for a code, so maybe the codes are for free changes? 

Thanks!


----------



## 4greatboys

LetsDoDisney! said:


> Hi, I am new to Southwest and don't understand how the codes work on this site. I see people asking others for codes etc. , are they one time use?
> 
> How do you get a code, and is it for a percentage off your flight? I saw that someone needed to change their flight and was looking for a code, so maybe the codes are for free changes?
> 
> Thanks!



Codes for SWA are normally for a % off. They don't have them all that and the last time I saw some on the SWA site they were for travel only on certain dates. You can already change you flights for free at SWA. The only charges are if the new flight you've chose is more $$ than the previous one, otherwise if the flights are the same $$ then there will no additional $$ to pay.


----------



## jnkrim

I know this question has probably already been addressed in this thread, but maybe someone can give me a quick answer.  My parents got bumped from their SW flight recently and were given 2 RT tickets for their trouble.  Now we are trying to plan a Disney trip with them in a few months.  How do they use those tickets?  how do they work?  The current prices are ridiculously expensive.  How would booking using those tickets work if the price comes down after booking?

Also, my husband will be flying down to meet us.  My understanding is if the price drops, we get a credit.  What if the price drops again?  How many times can we rebook?

Thanks!

Just did a little more research and my parents probably got a travel voucher.  Still not sure how they work though!


----------



## buckeev

jnkrim said:


> I know this question has probably already been addressed in this thread, but maybe someone can give me a quick answer.  My parents got bumped from their SW flight recently and were given 2 RT tickets for their trouble.  Now we are trying to plan a Disney trip with them in a few months.  How do they use those tickets?  how do they work?  The current prices are ridiculously expensive.  How would booking using those tickets work if the price comes down after booking?
> 
> Also, my husband will be flying down to meet us.  My understanding is if the price drops, we get a credit.  What if the price drops again?  How many times can we rebook?
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Just did a little more research and my parents probably got a travel voucher.  Still not sure how they work though!



When you get ready to check out, there is a section to "Apply Travel Funds". There you need to enter the voucher info, and then proceed to check out...(or pay the difference with other payment methods.) You hafta use them within one year from the date of the original booking.


----------



## sasamong

random pop by to thank babydoll65 for this tip about buying one way ticket first and then do the credit thing!!! 

I'm from Vancouver, Canada so the plan is to drive down to Seattle to catch a flight.  I've been glued to southwest's site and found info here on DIS that if the price drops after i've purchased the ticket that i can get a credit.  I was like great but i might not use the credit before it expires.. you just SAVED me!!! so another thanks thanks!

here's my question.  The flight down to orlando has been stagnant at $171 for quite some time (lowest i've seen is $150).  The flight back to seattle has dropped from $223 to $171.  Would you recommend buying the return ticket first or the going ticket first?



babydoll65 said:


> Sorry, haven't been back to this thread in a while. As far as the credit goes, I usually buy my flight down at what looks like a good price and wait a while for the flight back. I check every day to see if the flights drop. If the one going down drops enough, we call a get the credit. Then when we finally book our flights back we apply the credit. I works alot of times but those flights coming back just haven't moved down, only up. Every time they offer those flights for 59.00 it never seems to be in my area. But I got my fingers crossed.


----------



## 1rockinmama

Booked travel during crazy awesome 72 hours sale last month.
Got 3 RT tix from SAT to MCO, DEC 4 - DEC 11 for $591 and used
RR points in my husbands account to get his flight with us for $5.
I then used the $503 Disney Rewards dollars towards the purchase
on our statement. For a savings of $703.

Yesterday they announced the official dates for free dining and our
rumored dates fell off. So no free dining during our travel. 

So I started contemplating changing travel dates. While I know I could cancel
the 3 paid ones and use a travel voucher towards other dates, how would I go about changing my husbands when I used points to book?

I'd be paying roughly $400 more, but we'd be getting free dining which will save us roughly $800. I went to each restaurants page on the DIS and looked up what we'd all eat and figured the totals up from the prices listed to get that $800 figure. I know it'd be more b/c of the free lil desserts and sodas they offer that are NOT in the price lists.

But, anyway, how would I go about changing my husbands points used flight, if at all. TY in advance!


----------



## Bronte

Two Questions ...
1. If I have to cancle a ticket for my husband that was paid for with some travel credit and some cash what will happen ... Do I get travel credit back so that I can re-book within the year and will I be able to use it to get a ticket for my dad ???
2. I signed up for the Coke Rewards program.  How do you get codes for Southwest (I did not see that as one of the "rewards")

Kinda new to the southwest thing (Airtran does not have non stops any more to MCO)

Thanks


----------



## stitchlovestink

Bronte said:
			
		

> Two Questions ...
> 1. If I have to cancle a ticket for my husband that was paid for with some travel credit and some cash what will happen ... Do I get travel credit back so that I can re-book within the year and will I be able to use it to get a ticket for my dad ???
> 2. I signed up for the Coke Rewards program.  How do you get codes for Southwest (I did not see that as one of the "rewards")
> 
> Kinda new to the southwest thing (Airtran does not have non stops any more to MCO)
> 
> Thanks



1.  The entire ticket amount will be refunded as a travel voucher.  However, it will now ALL expire when that original amount was due to expire.  The year's time frame doesn't reset. So if your travel credit was due to expire say 12/1/13, all the $ you just spent on that ticket will now expire on that date.  It doesn't stagger, and the calendar doesn't reset when you bought the new ticket. Does that make sense?  
And no, the credit will be in your husband's name and is no longer transferable.  

2. Go to the coke rewards website and on occasion there is the option to 'buy' a discount code...usually it is to save $20 on a R/T ticket for 100 coke points.  It will take the $20 off ea ticket that you puchase if they all have the same confirmation number. So if you are buying multiple tickets all at once, you only need ONE discount code.    HTH!!!


----------



## brettb

1rockinmama said:


> Booked travel during crazy awesome 72 hours sale last month.
> Got 3 RT tix from SAT to MCO, DEC 4 - DEC 11 for $591 and used
> RR points in my husbands account to get his flight with us for $5.
> I then used the $503 Disney Rewards dollars towards the purchase
> on our statement. For a savings of $703.
> 
> Yesterday they announced the official dates for free dining and our
> rumored dates fell off. So no free dining during our travel.
> 
> So I started contemplating changing travel dates. While I know I could cancel
> the 3 paid ones and use a travel voucher towards other dates, how would I go about changing my husbands when I used points to book?
> 
> I'd be paying roughly $400 more, but we'd be getting free dining which will save us roughly $800. I went to each restaurants page on the DIS and looked up what we'd all eat and figured the totals up from the prices listed to get that $800 figure. I know it'd be more b/c of the free lil desserts and sodas they offer that are NOT in the price lists.
> 
> But, anyway, how would I go about changing my husbands points used flight, if at all. TY in advance!



You just change his reservation. The old flight's points will be credited back and the new points will be debited. It's actually way easier than with cash and there are no limits on using points that have been credited back. (ie. They don't have to be used for travel completed with one year of first purchase and they can be used to book travel for anybody.)


----------



## 1rockinmama

brettb said:


> You just change his reservation. The old flight's points will be credited back and the new points will be debited. It's actually way easier than with cash and there are no limits on using points that have been credited back. (ie. They don't have to be used for travel completed with one year of first purchase and they can be used to book travel for anybody.)



Thank you!! I'm waiting to see if they go on sale again for the $99 each way we paid. As of now they're $165 and would cost us about $400 more but we'd get free dining. I switched to a LM room at AofA already but could switch to AS-Movies and pay the difference to go from QS to DDP. Yet, another hurry up and wait thing, but now with Southwest. Thanks again!


----------



## jnkrim

buckeev said:


> When you get ready to check out, there is a section to "Apply Travel Funds". There you need to enter the voucher info, and then proceed to check out...(or pay the difference with other payment methods.) You hafta use them within one year from the date of the original booking.



Okay, that makes sense.  If we use the vouchers and the price drops, how do we rebook with the lower price?  Do we cancel the existing tickets first?


----------



## zilp

stitchlovestink said:


> 2. Go to the coke rewards website and on occasion there is the option to 'buy' a discount code...usually it is to save $20 on a R/T ticket for 100 coke points.  It will take the $20 off ea ticket that you puchase if they all have the same confirmation number. So if you are buying multiple tickets all at once, you only need ONE discount code.    HTH!!!



Thanks for this tip.  I thought you only got 20$ off one ticket, but this makes saving up those points really worth it, especially now that we will have 6 people going on our next trip. woohoo!!


----------



## zy144622

zilp said:


> Thanks for this tip.  I thought you only got 20$ off one ticket, but this makes saving up those points really worth it, especially now that we will have 6 people going on our next trip. woohoo!!



I'm not finding this deal on the coke rewards site. Am I missing something?


----------



## zy144622

Code needed for Feb travel. Been getting email from SW but no codes.


----------



## PolyAddict

Will my DD13 need ID to go through security?  Is she subject to the scanner, etc?  She asks a LOT of questions so i want to inform her as best as i can.  I paid for EB so we can sit together.  Anything other advice?

Sorry for my ignorance, this is her 1st flight.

thanks


----------



## MAYNARDS99

PolyA - a 13 year old does not need an ID for travel within the US.  She is subject to the scanner.  However, if she does not want to be scanned she can choose to be patted down.  The pat down can be done in private if requested.

Have her go online to Southwest and review the "Boarding School", also have her review the TSA website.  These sites will answer any questions she has.


----------



## Lynne G

PolyAddict said:


> Will my DD13 need ID to go through security?  Is she subject to the scanner, etc?  She asks a LOT of questions so i want to inform her as best as i can.  I paid for EB so we can sit together.  Anything other advice?
> 
> Sorry for my ignorance, this is her 1st flight.
> 
> thanks



no, children under 18 do not need ID.  The security cannot ask for it either.  What security may do is ask questions as to name, how old, etc.  I travel with my kids since they were little.  Our last flight was a few months ago, and they are 11 and 15.  Neither had ID, and I think the security guy asked where they were going and that was it.  

Yes, your DD has to go through the scanner by herself.  I let my kids go through first, then I go through.  Tell her it is simply just walking through 2 panels.  No metal jewelry (like a watch) or coins should be on her person.

Sometimes your airport will have a security line for families.  That may help you see what others are doing.  

Have a great trip!


----------



## PolyAddict

MAYNARDS99 said:


> PolyA - a 13 year old does not need an ID for travel within the US.  She is subject to the scanner.  However, if she does not want to be scanned she can choose to be patted down.  The pat down can be done in private if requested.
> 
> Have her go online to Southwest and review the "Boarding School", also have her review the TSA website.  These sites will answer any questions she has.



Didn't know about either of these.  I will tell her she can read all about it.



Lynne G said:


> no, children under 18 do not need ID.  The security cannot ask for it either.  What security may do is ask questions as to name, how old, etc.  I travel with my kids since they were little.  Our last flight was a few months ago, and they are 11 and 15.  Neither had ID, and I think the security guy asked where they were going and that was it.
> 
> Yes, your DD has to go through the scanner by herself.  I let my kids go through first, then I go through.  Tell her it is simply just walking through 2 panels.  No metal jewelry (like a watch) or coins should be on her person.
> 
> Sometimes your airport will have a security line for families.  That may help you see what others are doing.
> 
> Have a great trip!



I'm glad you mentioned they may ask her questions.  She is very introverted, so i will be sure to tell her this!


----------



## stitchlovestink

zy144622 said:
			
		

> I'm not finding this deal on the coke rewards site. Am I missing something?



It's not always there...  
They offer it periodically.


----------



## mejones1115

Hi everyone.  This is our first time heading to Disney for Princess Half Marathon Weekend and are looking for help on when the best time to book our flights would be.  We are traveling from Albany, NY (but are willing to travel to Hartford, CT if it's significantly cheaper) at the tail end of kids winter break in NY (Feb 21) and would be returning Sunday March 2.  Right now the flight down is at $211/$222 (the only morning/afternoon non-stop is already sold out and they just released the fares this past Monday), which is much higher than we've ever paid out of Albany.  And the return trip the wanna get away fares are be recalibrated so therefore are completely unavailable out of Orlando to anywhere in the states (supposedly by Tuesday they should be back up).  I am hesitant to spend so much on the airfare now as it's so high (would love to wait for a sale), but am afraid if we wait too long that they'll sell out.  If anyone can shed some light on whether it's best to hold off or just book now.  (I know we can rebook and get credit...but we won't be able to go back down before August of 2014...as I do believe the credits must be used within 1 year of original booking)


----------



## 1rockinmama

My husband has 21,000 points. I want to take DD6 and I to a quick before school starts trip from Austin to MCO. It's 12,120 per person so I figured I'd pay for one, do points for the other. My question is this...can I log into my husband RRP account and pay for the flight using his points but booking it under MY name? Like 'paying' for someone else's flight? Or is the only way to transfer some of his to mine (8,000 pts = $80 to have enough to use to pay with points)? Thanks in advance!


----------



## disneymagicgirl

1rockinmama said:


> My husband has 21,000 points. I want to take DD6 and I to a quick before school starts trip from Austin to MCO. It's 12,120 per person so I figured I'd pay for one, do points for the other. My question is this...can I log into my husband RRP account and pay for the flight using his points but booking it under MY name? Like 'paying' for someone else's flight? Or is the only way to transfer some of his to mine (8,000 pts = $80 to have enough to use to pay with points)? Thanks in advance!



You can log in to his acct and buy a ticket for you...no transfer needed.


----------



## VLee

Yes, I do this all the time with my mom's RR account.  And if you have to cancel for any reason, the points will go back into her account.


----------



## babydoll65

sasamong said:


> random pop by to thank babydoll65 for this tip about buying one way ticket first and then do the credit thing!!!
> 
> I'm from Vancouver, Canada so the plan is to drive down to Seattle to catch a flight.  I've been glued to southwest's site and found info here on DIS that if the price drops after i've purchased the ticket that i can get a credit.  I was like great but i might not use the credit before it expires.. you just SAVED me!!! so another thanks thanks!
> 
> here's my question.  The flight down to orlando has been stagnant at $171 for quite some time (lowest i've seen is $150).  The flight back to seattle has dropped from $223 to $171.  Would you recommend buying the return ticket first or the going ticket first?




Sorry I haven't got back but iv been glued to the free dining promo that's coming out tomorrow. Iv noticed where I live the prices haven't dropped all that much so I'm going to hold on a little longer. When my sister and I booked in 2011 we booked the flight going down first and thought we got a pretty good deal 140.00 . When we waited to get our flight back it was even lower than the one going down so we ended up with a credit of about 40$ each. Since we were not going to be able to use the credit within a year we insted booked a flight earlier in the day that was more expensive and used our credit to get to disney earlier. When we booked our flight down it wasn't leaving till 4:30pm but it was at a better price so when this credit came about we were able to go at 8:00am.


----------



## kelleyrn2000

I've never flown SW before but we now have points to use for our March 2014 vacation.  My dh has enough points for 5 one way tickets, and I also have enough points for 5 one way tickets.  Since we are a family of 5, this is great.  But I'm not sure how to book...do I do all 5 one way under dh RR and then do all 5 return under my RR?  I want to do Early Bird Check in so we can try to sit together.  Is there any disadvantage to doing one way tickets this way?  It seems like the best way to split up the points...


----------



## zy144622

kelleyrn2000 said:


> I've never flown SW before but we now have points to use for our March 2014 vacation.  My dh has enough points for 5 one way tickets, and I also have enough points for 5 one way tickets.  Since we are a family of 5, this is great.  But I'm not sure how to book...do I do all 5 one way under dh RR and then do all 5 return under my RR?  I want to do Early Bird Check in so we can try to sit together.  Is there any disadvantage to doing one way tickets this way?  It seems like the best way to split up the points...



Yep sounds perfect. You may be able to check out in 1 transaction. Not for sure though. I just bought through SW today and it requested rewards number for everyone if they had them.


----------



## tripplanner2

I always book separate and not round trip because if flights drop in price, I can make the change easily. If I book a round trip and only the to goes on sale, I will be forced to cancel the entire flight. Just works better to book one way at a time.


----------



## brettb

tripplanner2 said:


> I always book separate and not round trip because if flights drop in price, I can make the change easily. If I book a round trip and only the to goes on sale, I will be forced to cancel the entire flight. Just works better to book one way at a time.



I know that used to be the case but I don't think this is true any more.

AFAIK, now, when you change a flight, you can pick either or both directions to edit. The direction you don't choose to edit is left alone. (My reservation is booked with points and that's how it worked when I changed my outbound flight a couple of months ago.)


----------



## zilp

Not sure if this has been posted, but for those who are saving up Coke rewards points to use on SW- you can get points from McDonald's Monopoly game pieces.  DH found that those little game pieces have codes and when you input them online, some codes are good for 40 Coke reward points. We were able to get 80 points from our two value meals.  McDonald's Monopoly game lasts until 8/12/13. hths!

Also, I was wondering how long those Coke rewards points last.  DH said something about 90 days but wasn't sure.


----------



## Magalex

What is estimated time period when SW will release new flight info for late June 2014?


----------



## workinmom

I have been watching SW flights from BWI (or PHL) to MCO for a couple months. We were contemplating a visit to WDW in hopes for free dining in October. Well, free dining has been announced & flights are about $378 per person! That's crazy...my question is:  have I waited too late to book? I keep hoping they will go down, but now we are almost 2 months out. Any thoughts??


----------



## disneymom2003

Looking for a Southwest code. Going to Houston in November. Thanks


----------



## MaryKatesMom

Sorry if this has been asked before.  I checked back a few pages and didn't see either the question or the answer.

When will SW open up for March and April?

TIA

ETA:  What time of day do they normally open them?  Midnight?  10AM?


----------



## ABCastillo

workinmom said:


> I have been watching SW flights from BWI (or PHL) to MCO for a couple months. We were contemplating a visit to WDW in hopes for free dining in October. Well, free dining has been announced & flights are about $378 per person! That's crazy...my question is:  have I waited too late to book? I keep hoping they will go down, but now we are almost 2 months out. Any thoughts??



Are you signed up for their weekly discount email flyer? It usually has some better prices and the discounts run for a few days. I have been watching them weekly and noticed that some one way flights from PIT are around 130-140 and BTI is usually similar.  Hope that helps some.


----------



## Magalex

MaryKatesMom said:


> Sorry if this has been asked before.  I checked back a few pages and didn't see either the question or the answer.
> 
> When will SW open up for March and April?
> 
> TIA
> 
> ETA:  What time of day do they normally open them?  Midnight?  10AM?



August 26th was the date posted on SW official website for dates released up to April 6th(estimate)


----------



## MaryKatesMom

Magalex said:


> August 26th was the date posted on SW official website for dates released up to April 6th(estimate)



Thanks!  I didn't know they posted it on the website.


----------



## MaryKatesMom

Magalex said:


> August 26th was the date posted on SW official website for dates released up to April 6th(estimate)



What time do they load them in the computer?


----------



## ocalla

I am thinking about purchasing one leg of our Feb/March trip now because the price is decent.....but the time I really want is later in the day, and of course more expensive as of now.  My question is:  If I see the price (or points) drop later and decide to change my flight for the better time how do they handle the point credit?  Will they go back into my "account"?  Or do I have to cancel the trip, reschedule the good time, and keep track of my old confirmation number with my "credit" of points?  

Am I making any sense??


----------



## brettb

ocalla said:


> I am thinking about purchasing one leg of our Feb/March trip now because the price is decent.....but the time I really want is later in the day, and of course more expensive as of now.  My question is:  If I see the price (or points) drop later and decide to change my flight for the better time how do they handle the point credit?  Will they go back into my "account"?  Or do I have to cancel the trip, reschedule the good time, and keep track of my old confirmation number with my "credit" of points?
> 
> Am I making any sense??



If the "price" changes on the later flight, you do a "Change Flight." You will select the which direction (if it's a round trip itinerary) and then select a new flight.

If you check your points activity, you will see the full points for the original flight credited back and the full points for the new flight debited. If the new flight was "cheaper," you'll have more points in your account and vice versa.

And there are NO restrictions on when you can use "refunded" points, unlike cash.

Points are freaking awesome.


----------



## sargenca

I am flying to Disney from Nashville, direct flights, in October.  I made my arrangements some time ago, but check every day for price fluctuations.

My 10/4 flight (LV 6:45p AR 9:25p) is no longer an option for purchase.  I can't find that flight on Fridays in other months, although it is listed on the online flight schedules link.  I haven't seen this flight listed as Sold Out, so it seems strange to not see it listed at all.

My 10/12 flight (LV 4:35p AR 5:25p) also is no longer an option for purchase.  I also can't find that flight on Saturdays on other month's schedules.  AND...when I look at my itinerary online, it shows this flight leaving at 4:35p and arriving at MIDNIGHT!  The flight time is 15 hrs, 35 mins - which is obviously incorrect.

Has anyone seen discrepancies like this before?  I loath making a call to Customer Service and feel like if I check again in a couple of days, it'll look right.  But on the other hand, if for some reason my flights have been modified or removed I want to make changes as soon as possible.  TIA


----------



## brettb

sargenca said:


> I am flying to Disney from Nashville, direct flights, in October.  I made my arrangements some time ago, but check every day for price fluctuations.
> 
> My 10/4 flight (LV 6:45p AR 9:25p) is no longer an option for purchase.  I can't find that flight on Fridays in other months, although it is listed on the online flight schedules link.  I haven't seen this flight listed as Sold Out, so it seems strange to not see it listed at all.
> 
> My 10/12 flight (LV 4:35p AR 5:25p) also is no longer an option for purchase.  I also can't find that flight on Saturdays on other month's schedules.  AND...when I look at my itinerary online, it shows this flight leaving at 4:35p and arriving at MIDNIGHT!  The flight time is 15 hrs, 35 mins - which is obviously incorrect.
> 
> Has anyone seen discrepancies like this before?  I loath making a call to Customer Service and feel like if I check again in a couple of days, it'll look right.  But on the other hand, if for some reason my flights have been modified or removed I want to make changes as soon as possible.  TIA



I don't see those flights in the purchase section either at the moment.

But I do see them here: http://www.southwest.com/flight/request-schedule.html

For the week of 9/30-10/6, Flight #466 departs BNA at 6:45pm and arrives at MCO at 9:25pm every day except Saturday (the 5th).

For the week of 10/7-10/13, Flight 932 Departs MCO at 4:35pm and arrives at BNA at 5:25pm but ONLY on Saturday, 10/12.

I think sometimes flights don't get loaded into the sales engine quite right sometimes when schedules are first released. I'd expect that this is a just a similar sales-side glitch.

If it were me, I would call just to reassure myself. Whenever I've called SWA, I've only had to hold for a modest amount of time and every agent I've ever dealt with has been friendly, helpful and efficient.


----------



## sargenca

brettb said:


> If it were me, I would call just to reassure myself. Whenever I've called SWA, I've only had to hold for a modest amount of time and every agent I've ever dealt with has been friendly, helpful and efficient.



Thanks for checking and seeing what I was seeing. I had even thought perhaps I had some history in my search engine - and that it was presenting me with old info. I appreciate you looking.  I'll call SWA. I can't stand not knowing!


----------



## workinmom

My flight from Philadelphia to Orlando and back in October also just disappeared today. They seem to even change price multiple times a fay. I just thought maybe those times were sold out but who knows?


----------



## sargenca

Well I haven't called yet, but my flights have shown back up on the search for purchase. I do know there are later flights that are still missing though. My online itinerary still has my return flight time as 15+ hours. I'll see how it looks tomorrow and call of that is still listed the same.


----------



## buckeev

I did call today, and was told the SWA website has been on the fritz today...but that they were expecting it to be fixed today or tonight.


----------



## ABCastillo

buckeev said:


> I did call today, and was told the SWA website has been on the fritz today...but that they were expecting it to be fixed today or tonight.



Thanks for the info!


----------



## ocalla

brettb said:


> If the "price" changes on the later flight, you do a "Change Flight." You will select the which direction (if it's a round trip itinerary) and then select a new flight.
> 
> If you check your points activity, you will see the full points for the original flight credited back and the full points for the new flight debited. If the new flight was "cheaper," you'll have more points in your account and vice versa.
> 
> And there are NO restrictions on when you can use "refunded" points, unlike cash.
> 
> Points are freaking awesome.



Thank you so very much for your help!!!!

One more question and it concerns transferring point to another family member?  Am I understanding that they charge $10/1000 points for the transfer???


----------



## brettb

ocalla said:


> Thank you so very much for your help!!!!
> 
> One more question and it concerns transferring point to another family member?  Am I understanding that they charge $10/1000 points for the transfer???



Yes, so it costs you $10 to transfer $16.67 worth of points (when redeemed for a Wanna Get Away Fare.)

Why not book the ticket for the family member with your own points?

Or do you have an issue with what I call "orphaned" points. ie. My wife has 2000 points in her account. They are worth nothing because it's not enough to book a flight. I can pay $20 to move them to my account, where they're worth $33.33, a net value of $13.33, which is better than nothing.


----------



## ocalla

That's my problem.  I don't have quite enough in my account to book 1 ticket, and DH is just shy being able to book all 3 tickets!!!  I'm still 6 months out, so I may just wait and see if a) points go down b) he gets more points in the next couple of months.


----------



## ocalla

Just had to come back and post!!!  I purchased with points my first leg of trip last night, but it wasn't my preferred time. Been checking all day, and just now my preferred time showed a price cheaper than the flight I had already booked . Changed it over, points back in account already! 

Thanks again for helping me with this!!!!


----------



## pooh4evr

Question- we booked our flights a few months ago for our October trip, yesterday we got emails from SW canceling our res, then rebooking them right away, same flight and everything, but now on our reservation page, it had Dh and 1 of our DDs stuff different- same flight numbers leaving at the same time, non stop- should be Airtran operated, their says SW operated, and it gets in 4 hours later? I emailed SW- anybody have any suggestions, or could this be just another glitch?


----------



## DontRushMe

Does anyone one know if Southwest canceled the flight 2119 From Detroit to Denver?  It is there in March but Gone in the April rates.  Trying to make a connection to SNA.  Thanks in advance


----------



## mcd2745

They are changing the amount of points required to purchase "reward" flights. For purchasing 'Gotta Get Away' fares with points - they are incresing the points you need to 70 points per dollar from the current 60 points per dollar. So a $150 flight that currently means 9,000 ponts needed, will become 10,500 points needed - a 17% increase.


----------



## disneymagicgirl

mcd2745 said:


> They are changing the amount of points required to purchase "reward" flights. For purchasing 'Gotta Get Away' fares with points - they are incresing the points you need to 70 points per dollar from the current 60 points per dollar. So a $150 flight that currently means 9,000 ponts needed, will become 10,500 points needed - a 17% increase.



I was just reading that email too. Crappy! Btwn this and their decrease in amt of flights/nonstop flights, as well as increase in prices and decreased sales, I think I am about done with SWA.


----------



## wendybeth75

disneymagicgirl said:


> I was just reading that email too. Crappy! Btwn this and their decrease in amt of flights/nonstop flights, as well as increase in prices and decreased sales, I think I am about done with SWA.



I have noticed this too.  The "deals" they have are not as good as before.  We have ALWAYS flown out of Nashville (2.5 hours from our home)  This year the number of non stop flights were decreased and the cost increased.   Rather than paying for a flight with a layover we looked to book in Louisville (3 hours away) and ST Louis (4 hours away)  We ended up with St. Louis, they just had the better deal and it was a non-stop flight.   Unfortunately SWA is the only airline that flies non-stop to MCO in Nashville or Louisville.


----------



## disneymagicgirl

wendybeth75 said:


> I have noticed this too.  The "deals" they have are not as good as before.  We have ALWAYS flown out of Nashville (2.5 hours from our home)  This year the number of non stop flights were decreased and the cost increased.   Rather than paying for a flight with a layover we looked to book in Louisville (3 hours away) and ST Louis (4 hours away)  We ended up with St. Louis, they just had the better deal and it was a non-stop flight.   Unfortunately SWA is the only airline that flies non-stop to MCO in Nashville or Louisville.



I live in Nash and flights have been terrible. We did good on our May 2013 wdw flights (bought during sale in feb I think) but nothing decent since...to anywhere I routinely fly (CHS, DTW, MCO, TPA). Think we are going to have to drive to Ft Myers in Dec and CHS in Oct.  will save my pts for 2014 Wdw trip.


----------



## MelissaTnNc

Another Nashville family and we have found the flights to be so terrible that we are considering flying out of Memphis or Atlanta . Grrrrrrrr.


----------



## disneymagicgirl

MelissaTnNc said:


> Another Nashville family and we have found the flights to be so terrible that we are considering flying out of Memphis or Atlanta . Grrrrrrrr.



We flew out of ATL once and the 4 hr drive home turned into 7 b/c of traffic or accident. Worst.day.ever.


----------



## sargenca

Yet another Nashville family here. Back in Feb booked good SWA fares for a Sept trip - then in April changed the flights to October. Paid twice (!) the fare we booked in Feb. Watched daily for months and the fares never went down. There were some cheaper flights but the direct flights at decent /desirable times have been very expensive.  Not sure it's been limited  to SWA though. Seems like most fares out of Nashville are high these days.


----------



## disneymagicgirl

sargenca said:


> Yet another Nashville family here. Back in Feb booked good SWA fares for a Sept trip - then in April changed the flights to October. Paid twice (!) the fare we booked in Feb. Watched daily for months and the fares never went down. There were some cheaper flights but the direct flights at decent /desirable times have been very expensive.  Not sure it's been limited  to SWA though. Seems like most fares out of Nashville are high these days.



Guess we will have to start suffering thru driving most places. I would rather spend $2k on staying at Wdw longer or in nicer accommodations than on flights for the 5 of us, that's for sure.


----------



## sargenca

disneymagicgirl said:


> Guess we will have to start suffering thru driving most places. I would rather spend $2k on staying at Wdw longer or in nicer accommodations than on flights for the 5 of us, that's for sure.


5!! I am only buying for 3!!  Can't imagine buying 5 tickets at these prices. Driving to Disney...I could maybe handle...just wouldn't want to do that drive home!


----------



## Promomx2

I haven't flown on sw before but was able to get $69 flights so I took it. Dh and I leave in Nov. any tips?


----------



## Nanajo1

If you didn't buy the early check in be sure to do the on line check as soon as your 24 hour window opens. SW assigns boarding letters. Most of the A's go to EBC so you have to get your boarding pass as soon as you can.


----------



## DisneyLoverMomof6

sargenca said:


> 5!! I am only buying for 3!!  Can't imagine buying 5 tickets at these prices. Driving to Disney...I could maybe handle...just wouldn't want to do that drive home!



5!  I wish I only had to buy 5!  We are a family of 8 looking to travel to FL for the first time all together to Miami from central Ohio the end of March for our first DCL.  It's going to cost nearly $2,000 just to drive, splitting the drive with 2 overnight stays each way.  My DD16 is used to traveling as we did a lot when she was younger- we moved from Jacksonville, FL to near Columbus, Oh when she was in third grade so we traveled back and forth a lot.  Now we also have DD11, DD7, Twin DS6 and DD3, and none of them have traveled very much, so it will be an adventure, to say the least!


----------



## grumpy14

Does anyone know when SW opens a new booking window, what time in the morning those flights are in the system?  For example for the next booking that is supposed to come out on Oct. 14 for the May 2014 flights, when can I expect to see them in the system...6 am EST?, 10 EST?

Thank you!


----------



## jenseib

DisneyLoverMomof6 said:


> 5!  I wish I only had to buy 5!  We are a family of 8 looking to travel to FL for the first time all together to Miami from central Ohio the end of March for our first DCL.  It's going to cost nearly $2,000 just to drive, splitting the drive with 2 overnight stays each way.  My DD16 is used to traveling as we did a lot when she was younger- we moved from Jacksonville, FL to near Columbus, Oh when she was in third grade so we traveled back and forth a lot.  Now we also have DD11, DD7, Twin DS6 and DD3, and none of them have traveled very much, so it will be an adventure, to say the least!



2 overnights each way?  Why?  I live in Oh too. north and though I hate the drive have done it before.  You only need 1 overnight at most.  Most of the time we did it straight through and at night it's best to drive at night with kids.  they sleep the whole time.


----------



## keishashadow

grumpy14;49713598

seem to recall it was before 7 am EST last time, if not earlier.  AT usually has their up night before but often at high 'placeholder' prices but can give you can idea of what will be offered by SWA.


----------



## grumpy14

Thank you!  Guess I will be up bright and early on my day off!!


----------



## ABCastillo

For anyone flying out of PIT, today's promo has some decent discounts on flights in January.  Better than what it has been.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards


----------



## PolyAddict

Any codes out?  Booking on Monday.

thanks


----------



## zy144622

PolyAddict said:


> Any codes out?  Booking on Monday.  thanks



Wait till Tuesday. If any deals come out it will be then. Sales run tues-thurs


----------



## PolyAddict

zy144622 said:


> Wait till Tuesday. If any deals come out it will be then. Sales run tues-thurs



Ok thanks for the tip!


----------



## PolyAddict

If my flight is 10/16-10/18, when do my points hit my account?  Thanks


----------



## jenseib

PolyAddict said:


> If my flight is 10/16-10/18, when do my points hit my account?  Thanks



Probably on the next statement? I never paid attention really.


----------



## sweetdana

So they just added April  dtw - mco, and they usually had 1  NS every day, sometimes 2, and I see none   Will some get added, or nope this is prolly it?   I will second thinks using my delta points for this trip over 1 stop.. but IDK    I am bummed.


----------



## jenseib

sweetdana said:


> So they just added April  dtw - mco, and they usually had 1  NS every day, sometimes 2, and I see none   Will some get added, or nope this is prolly it?   I will second thinks using my delta points for this trip over 1 stop.. but IDK    I am bummed.



Not usually. I have been watching SW out of DTW for over a year and very rarely do they have direct flights.


----------



## PolyAddict

Advice please we want to travel sat may 17 and return friday may 23.  I want to book one flight now and then wait a bit for specials so that if my flight price drops i can apply credit as payment on the other.  We need 5 tickets.  What flight should i secure now?  My very early morning flight there or my late out Friday back home?  Which one you think is more popular and likely to book quicker?

Thanks


----------



## disneymagicgirl

PolyAddict said:


> Advice please we want to travel sat may 17 and return friday may 23.  I want to book one flight now and then wait a bit for specials so that if my flight price drops i can apply credit as payment on the other.  We need 5 tickets.  What flight should i secure now?  My very early morning flight there or my late out Friday back home?  Which one you think is more popular and likely to book quicker?
> 
> Thanks



If you are set on those dates I would book both now and take a credit for later use if the opportunity arises. I say that because, most often, Fridays and Sundays are blacked out from fare sales. Good luck!


----------



## PolyAddict

disneymagicgirl said:


> If you are set on those dates I would book both now and take a credit for later use if the opportunity arises. I say that because, most often, Fridays and Sundays are blacked out from fare sales. Good luck!



Thanks for the tip!


----------



## Autumnslight

I was thinking of changing my flight from MCO to BUF on 12/13/13 to 12/15/13. I priced 12/15 last night, and it was the same price I paid for my return flight on 12/13. I went to book it this morning, and the price went up over $50! Stupid me for not doing it last night, I know.

Any chance it might come down again? Is there any rhyme or reason to when the fares change price?


----------



## godchaser

We are looking at flying from Charlotte NC to Orlando in May 2014.  My question is, are the flights that are listed now the only flights that will be available or will more options become available the closer time gets.  Also, does anyone know when the best time to book a flight is?  We flew this year for the first time and got a pretty good deal.  We booked about 2 months before our trip.  Just not sure if we need to book now or wait and see if more times become available and if there will be better prices/specials.
PLEASE HELP!!!!!!


----------



## PolyAddict

Question...my DH needs 1200 points and i have 1400 left after i purchase my flight.  Can i transfer that amount ir do i need 2000?


----------



## jenseib

Does anyone know if the coke rewards discount can be used when buying flights with points?


----------



## Disneyvirg

Any idea when SWA will open booking for 6/7/14?  When checking their site, they are currently booking through 6/6/14.  We need the 7th as it is the date we need to book our flight home.  

I apologize if this has already been answered.


----------



## sersee05

Ugh...flying is so expensive these days.  I Remember the good ole days of $100 round trip. For a family of five that was awesome. 

We were going to drive from Nj. Blah. Have done it before and it was miserable.  Route 95 was shut down.  Our trip turned into this long nightmare. We had to stop off at a Walmart to get maps of backroads to bypass the accident. Lol this was before GPS!  We stopped in Savannah and then hit the road the next day for the rest of the trip.


We have to go the week before Thanksgiving due to a tournament that weekend.  The flights were horrendous when I checked . We decided to drive and we were doing it all in one day....due to kids missing school.

soooo I have been watching airfare and I had to cut my vacation short due to my husband having to get back. Plus we are staying offsite so that freed us up some money.  With gas it will cost us $500  so that will pay for the rental and part of the flights.  I have been watching and it will cost us about $1500 to fly. 

Will they just keep going up?  Will Ding help this late in the game?


----------



## ABCastillo

sersee05 said:


> Ugh...flying is so expensive these days.  I Remember the good ole days of $100 round trip. For a family of five that was awesome.  We were going to drive from Nj. Blah. Have done it before and it was miserable.  Route 95 was shut down.  Our trip turned into this long nightmare. We had to stop off at a Walmart to get maps of backroads to bypass the accident. Lol this was before GPS!  We stopped in Savannah and then hit the road the next day for the rest of the trip.  We have to go the week before Thanksgiving due to a tournament that weekend.  The flights were horrendous when I checked . We decided to drive and we were doing it all in one day....due to kids missing school.  soooo I have been watching airfare and I had to cut my vacation short due to my husband having to get back. Plus we are staying offsite so that freed us up some money.  With gas it will cost us $500  so that will pay for the rental and part of the flights.  I have been watching and it will cost us about $1500 to fly.  Will they just keep going up?  Will Ding help this late in the game?



What month are you flying? They do a lot of sales and often announce them every Tuesday. Keep watching. Mine dropped by $100 a person during one of the sales.


----------



## sersee05

In November...actually in two weeks!  Nothing like waiting to the last minute!  That is how we roll.  Well the flights weren't good when we were looking. They are a tad better now, but still pretty outrageous ...imo.

The problem was our plans changed at the last minute.   Tuesdays are the days of lower pricing normally?


----------



## babydoll65

Wasn't sure where to post this but if anyone can help. I'm leaving tomorrow morning and my mother requires a wheelchair at the airport. We're flying southwest and wasn't sure if we're allowed to board with her. I sent them an email and was told only one family member was allowed to board. But I just received a call and was told we could all board with her. There's only three of us so I'm a bit confused. Anyone have experience with this.


----------



## sweetdana

Are there any codes/discounts out now that any one knows (Specifically for April)?


----------



## bjscheel

Disneyvirg said:


> Any idea when SWA will open booking for 6/7/14?  When checking their site, they are currently booking through 6/6/14.  We need the 7th as it is the date we need to book our flight home.
> 
> I apologize if this has already been answered.



Found this on the website through a Bing search:
We are currently accepting air reservations through June 6, 2014. On December 16, 2013, we will open our schedule for sale through June 30, 2014. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.

That seems like a long time from now!


----------



## elgerber

bjscheel said:


> Found this on the website through a Bing search: We are currently accepting air reservations through June 6, 2014. On December 16, 2013, we will open our schedule for sale through June 30, 2014. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.  That seems like a long time from now!



And it seems weird that they are only going to release another 24 days of flights?


----------



## bjscheel

Yeah, and I'm so impatient to see the new dates come out.  But I don't know when we'll go anyway, because it depends on how many snow days we get.  But I'll see what flights look good, book them with points, and then see if we need to make a change.

Right now there are flights the first week of June for $97 or 4740 points which is fantastic, but they arrive at midnight.  Yuck!  I'm thinking of booking it anyway just in case, since I can always make easy changes with points.

Ever arrived at midnight?  Was it awful?  My kids are 12 and 15 so they can handle it, but we are rope drop people...guess we won't be that first day!


----------



## elgerber

bjscheel said:


> Yeah, and I'm so impatient to see the new dates come out.  But I don't know when we'll go anyway, because it depends on how many snow days we get.  But I'll see what flights look good, book them with points, and then see if we need to make a change.
> 
> Right now there are flights the first week of June for $97 or 4740 points which is fantastic, but they arrive at midnight.  Yuck!  I'm thinking of booking it anyway just in case, since I can always make easy changes with points.
> 
> Ever arrived at midnight?  Was it awful?  My kids are 12 and 15 so they can handle it, but we are rope drop people...guess we won't be that first day!



We have done it several times, with the kids at various ages.  We do not make rope drop that first day.  We eat a later breakfast, go get some food to keep in the room, go to downtown Disney, then often dinner and evening at Epcot.  We will fly out Friday after work, and then our first full park day is Sunday, but it still gets me extra time, like DTD, without using up park time to do it.


----------



## Zoronqueen

Does anyone know if you can change your WDW package without penalties? We are going from feb1-8 and are at CRS with 6 days base and dinning plan from Seattle. I am hoping to stay until February 10 and add 1 base/dinning.


----------



## jenseib

Zoronqueen said:


> Does anyone know if you can change your WDW package without penalties? We are going from feb1-8 and are at CRS with 6 days base and dinning plan from Seattle. I am hoping to stay until February 10 and add 1 base/dinning.



Wrong thread for that question.  Did you book through Disney? If so any upgrades are without penalties after the paid in full date.


----------



## Zoronqueen

Booked package through southwest website


----------



## everylastbreath

can anyone tell me if SW has a preboard for handicap & small children? traveling with 87 yr old mother & 8 yr old GS- would like to sit together


----------



## MaryKatesMom

everylastbreath said:


> can anyone tell me if SW has a preboard for handicap & small children? traveling with 87 yr old mother & 8 yr old GS- would like to sit together



Preboarding for small children is between A and B but it is for small children and parents only.  The invitation to pre-board deliberately excludes extended family.

To increase the likelyhood of sitting together.  Don't sit close to the front and leave open the middle seat.  Those are the last to fill.

Unless it is a full flight then you should be alright.  The attendents can get pretty vigorous about not saving seats.

I don't how handicapped is handled.


----------



## jenseib

wheel chairs do go first and I beleive last to get off.  Small children have to be pretty small. I don't think 8 qualifies.  I always do the early bird check in to get an A and we had never had issues getting seats together.


----------



## TIMLEO007

We are a family of 8 traveling in January and was wondering if I am going to be able to do online checking for all 8 of us at one time, or will i have to manually enter in each individual confirmation number......


----------



## stitchlovestink

jenseib said:
			
		

> wheel chairs do go first and I beleive last to get off.  Small children have to be pretty small. I don't think 8 qualifies.  I always do the early bird check in to get an A and we had never had issues getting seats together.



If there are any ECVs, they pretty much always take them before wheelchairs (unless it is a powerchair) because they need the time to get them prepared and stowed in the cargo hold. After that they generally wheelchairs and/or blue sleeves in the order they have lined up while waiting.  I have seen  on many occasions where the gate agent allowed ambulatory blue sleeve passengers who were lined up ahead of wheelchair passengers to board first.  It is at the discretion of the gate agent as to which order to board passengers and as long as *you* are boarded before general boarding begins...we'll that is all they need to do...

And it depends...wheelchairs don't have to be last to get off...but it depends on the circumstances and what your needs are.  I travel with an ECV and I need to be one of the first off because I need to get my leg stretched out asap. I can use the time to stand and stretch before having to sit on my ECV again.  But I am in pain and need to get my leg out of that bent position, so they get me off the plane earlier rather than later.


----------



## PolyAddict

TIMLEO007 said:


> We are a family of 8 traveling in January and was wondering if I am going to be able to do online checking for all 8 of us at one time, or will i have to manually enter in each individual confirmation number......



If you all have sane number, it will pull up everyone at once and you can check them in.


----------



## TIMLEO007

I see all of them when I log into my RR account, but all have a different conf #.

These were booked with RR points if that makes a difference.....i have a feeling that we will be split up in line due to me having to check all 8 in manually?




PolyAddict said:


> If you all have sane number, it will pull up everyone at once and you can check them in.


----------



## jenseib

TIMLEO007 said:


> I see all of them when I log into my RR account, but all have a different conf #.
> 
> These were booked with RR points if that makes a difference.....i have a feeling that we will be split up in line due to me having to check all 8 in manually?



You could still add the early bird check in.


----------



## katema52

Anybody know when airfares will open up late August?


----------



## kim532

Right now SW website says:

_We are currently accepting air reservations through June 30, 2014. On January 27, 2014, we will open our schedule for sale through August 8, 2014. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently._

I used this link to see the info.
http://www.southwest.com/html/travel-tools/index.html?int=GNAVTRVLTOOL

I don't know when the end of August will be available.  Maybe in February.

Kim


----------



## katema52

Thanks


----------



## disprincessatheart

I have just over 30,000 southwest points right now in my acct. I'm looking to book our spring trip and for our family of 3 today I need 42,000 points. My husband and son each have several thousand points in their accounts. Would the best (only?) way to book using only points be to book my round trip and one way for my husband and son out of my acct, using 28,000 points and then book a one way for each of them back using their own accounts? It seems like a lot of confirmation numbers to keep up with so I'm hoping there's an easier way but I can't think of any


----------



## bjscheel

Well, you could pay to transfer points to your account, but why pay when you don't have to   When you book with points each person has their own confirmation number anyway, so you're going to have a few different confirmation numbers regardless.  Just book with the different accounts, I would say.


----------



## disneymagicgirl

disprincessatheart said:


> I have just over 30,000 southwest points right now in my acct. I'm looking to book our spring trip and for our family of 3 today I need 42,000 points. My husband and son each have several thousand points in their accounts. Would the best (only?) way to book using only points be to book my round trip and one way for my husband and son out of my acct, using 28,000 points and then book a one way for each of them back using their own accounts? It seems like a lot of confirmation numbers to keep up with so I'm hoping there's an easier way but I can't think of any



Yes, I had to do this recently for 4 tix but it is worth it to get free flights! Just make sure you write everything down so it is easily accessible when it is time for 24-hr check in. You don't want to se searching for names/matching conf #s at that time.


----------



## disprincessatheart

bjscheel said:


> Well, you could pay to transfer points to your account, but why pay when you don't have to   When you book with points each person has their own confirmation number anyway, so you're going to have a few different confirmation numbers regardless.  Just book with the different accounts, I would say.





disneymagicgirl said:


> Yes, I had to do this recently for 4 tix but it is worth it to get free flights! Just make sure you write everything down so it is easily accessible when it is time for 24-hr check in. You don't want to se searching for names/matching conf #s at that time.



Thanks! I just wanted to be sure I hadn't missed any other option that would simplify this! 

For dme - does it make a differenc when we head home that we will have one way flights? Last trip we had issues because the flight home was on AirTran but booked with sw as a round trip and they wouldn't take the bags on the return. Just want to know what to expect


----------



## disneymagicgirl

disprincessatheart said:


> Thanks! I just wanted to be sure I hadn't missed any other option that would simplify this!
> 
> For dme - does it make a differenc when we head home that we will have one way flights? Last trip we had issues because the flight home was on AirTran but booked with sw as a round trip and they wouldn't take the bags on the return. Just want to know what to expect



Looks like as long as you prepay for your checked bags on AirTran they will take them for you. I am not familiar with AirTran, though, so maybe someone else can chime in.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/Transportation/magical-express.htm


----------



## katema52

If you book SW, the bags are free, even if it's an AirTran flight.


----------



## katriscari

I'm new to Southwest. Overall, i haven't been on a plane in 6 years! Booked them for our May trip. The flights have decreased in price by a total of nearly $100 for my family of 3. Do I click "change flights" on my itinerary even though it is the same flight each way to obtain the credit for future use? Any help would be appreciated!


----------



## Cmbar

katriscari said:


> I'm new to Southwest. Overall, i haven't been on a plane in 6 years! Booked them for our May trip. The flights have decreased in price by a total of nearly $100 for my family of 3. Do I click "change flights" on my itinerary even though it is the same flight each way to obtain the credit for future use? Any help would be appreciated!



Yes that is exactly what you would do. You will simply reselect the same flights and then you should see on the summary page that they will "hold for future use" or something like that.   You will then have a credit for each of your family members.  Unfortunately you will only be able to use the credits for each family member individually.  In the old days the credit would pool together and you could use all the money on just one person.  Good luck!!


----------



## kikiV

are there ever any promo codes to type in for booking?  The Tuesday sales never include my roundtrip and I know years ago there would be actual promo codes for a discount.  If so, where do you find them?


----------



## mum of two pirates

I have been looking for prices from geg to mco. We are going next dec but flights seem to be starting at $300 each way. when we went last time flights were $300 round trip. have they all gone up that much?


----------



## rpw2014

I've never flown Southwest (was a USAir flyer when I traveled weekly 10 years ago)...but SW is looking like my best option for the Disney trip I'm planning.  Unfortunately, our dates are outside of their limited window so it will likely be a month or more before I can do any serious planning with them.

We'll have 13 in our traveling party (flying out of Norfolk, VA).  When I called SW earlier tonight, they indicated that they offer a group rate which is 5% better than the "over the phone" rate.  Anyone have any idea how that might compare with the Southwest.com rate?  

Truth of the matter is, with or without the group rate, their "Wanna Get Away" rate clobbers the best rate of anything else I see out there...not to mention the 2 free check-in bags.


----------



## lidec

Has anyone used their rapid reward points to rent a car through SW. I tried to rent from Orlando and dropoff at Tampa. Right to the very end it was fine until I had to click purchase and I noticed it said pickup Orlando dropoff "same as pickup" instead of tampa. Wondering if you can pickup and dropoff at diff. locations. It said you could right until purchase. Will be calling them tomorrow


----------



## florep1

I'm looking to book a trip for a family of 4.  None of us have a SW account.  What's the best way to do it, do I open an account for myself ans book all under that account? Or do I open an account for each person?


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

You don't need a acct to book tickets unless you want to earn mile for flying then you are talking about a  frequent flyer program. With the FF program you will have to open an acct for each person


----------



## florep1

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> You don't need a acct to book tickets unless you want to earn mile for flying then you are talking about a  frequent flyer program. With the FF program you will have to open an acct for each person



That's what I meant.  We've flown SW before and never signed up for the FF account but I figured, it's about time.  If each person has a FF account, will the booking have to be individual?  I'm guessing yes.  I'm worried by the time I get to person #4, there won't be any seats left.


----------



## Grumpy Grandma

florep1 said:


> That's what I meant.  We've flown SW before and never signed up for the FF account but I figured, it's about time.  If each person has a FF account, will the booking have to be individual?  I'm guessing yes.  I'm worried by the time I get to person #4, there won't be any seats left.



No you can book all 4 people at the same time.  There is a spot to enter each person's rewards number.


----------



## florep1

Grumpy Grandma said:


> No you can book all 4 people at the same time.  There is a spot to enter each person's rewards number.


Great!  Thank you!


----------



## leebee

I was just approved for a Chase/Southwest VISA credit card with the 50,000 rapid rewards incentive ! YAY!! I would like them to increase my credit limit, as it's currently $2000. I don't want to worry about going over the credit limit while trying to "earn" my RR points. Does anyone know if Chase will increase the limit?


----------



## elgerber

leebee said:


> I was just approved for a Chase/Southwest VISA credit card with the 50,000 rapid rewards incentive ! YAY!! I would like them to increase my credit limit, as it's currently $2000. I don't want to worry about going over the credit limit while trying to "earn" my RR points. Does anyone know if Chase will increase the limit?



Do you have other Chase cards?


----------



## jenseib

leebee said:


> I was just approved for a Chase/Southwest VISA credit card with the 50,000 rapid rewards incentive ! YAY!! I would like them to increase my credit limit, as it's currently $2000. I don't want to worry about going over the credit limit while trying to "earn" my RR points. Does anyone know if Chase will increase the limit?



If you charge and then pay as you go, you won't have to worry about it. You can pay online at any time.  I doubt they will increase from the get go, but they may as you pay things off. I wouldn't probably ask until you have made a few payments on it.


----------



## pookie10

Anyone know of ANY kind of code?? Flying from Denver, any kinda percent off etc??


----------



## TCups4Me

What time does SW release their dates?  Waiting for tomorrow!


----------



## 1tufgt

TCups4Me said:


> What time does SW release their dates?  Waiting for tomorrow!



If your on the SW site you can go down to the bottom of the page and click Travel Tools. It will be listed on that page when the next window opens.


----------



## elgerber

1tufgt said:


> If your on the SW site you can go down to the bottom of the page and click Travel Tools. It will be listed on that page when the next window opens.



They don't list the time on the page,  I think its pretty variable, I don't think there is a set time.


----------



## mrsstats

I have seen it around 6 am in the past.


----------



## KaLyn

TCups4Me said:


> What time does SW release their dates?  Waiting for tomorrow!



I've seen it open at 6am in the past.  I think when I booked in October it was more like 6:08am.

Sent from my iPad using the DISBoards app.


----------



## Geomom

florep1 said:


> That's what I meant.  We've flown SW before and never signed up for the FF account but I figured, it's about time.  If each person has a FF account, will the booking have to be individual?  I'm guessing yes.  I'm worried by the time I get to person #4, there won't be any seats left.



Just wanted to let you know that if you still have the confirmation codes from previous flights (I think there is a time limit of how far back you can go, like flights within the past year?), you can add them into the Rapid Reward accounts and those points will get added.  DH had an account since 2008, and I finally added accounts for myself and the kids in 2012.


----------



## digiMom

I didn't read through everything. Sorry if this has been asked already...

OK, so on March 31st the reward bookings go from 60/$ to 70/$. Does anyone know what will happen if you book a flight before the 31st and then change it after the 31st (either to a different date or a different flight where the price has dropped)? Will you still keep the 60/$ exchange or will it change to 70?

I'm traveling in August, and the rates won't be available until March 3. With that being around Easter/Spring Break I'm hoping the rates in general aren't inflated.


----------



## buckeev

digiMom said:


> I didn't read through everything. Sorry if this has been asked already...
> 
> OK, so on March 31st the reward bookings go from 60/$ to 70/$. Does anyone know what will happen if you book a flight before the 31st and then change it after the 31st (either to a different date or a different flight where the price has dropped)? Will you still keep the 60/$ exchange or will it change to 70?
> 
> I'm traveling in August, and the rates won't be available until March 3. With that being around Easter/Spring Break I'm hoping the rates in general aren't inflated.



Im thinking you'll hafta book changes at newest rate once they are changed. SWA sure is taking a bit of the shine off of the Rapid Rewards program. Higher exchange rate...fewer flights plus many shopping partners are starting to drop and/or lessen their reward points.


----------



## travelinggnomes

How do you get the best deals through Southwest?  They have the best schedule and free baggage, so it seems like a great deal already...but I just want to make sure I am not missing anything.


----------



## KaLyn

travelinggnomes said:


> How do you get the best deals through Southwest?  They have the best schedule and free baggage, so it seems like a great deal already...but I just want to make sure I am not missing anything.



You can sign up for their emails.  But I found there's no need to search all over for the for the best deal.  Just book and then if the flight price drops later call in and they will credit your account the difference.


----------



## travelinggnomes

KaLyn said:


> You can sign up for their emails.  But I found there's no need to search all over for the for the best deal.  Just book and then if the flight price drops later call in and they will credit your account the difference.



Thanks!  Do you have any idea when the flights normally hit their lowest?  Right now, our April 26th to May 3rd flight is at $239.  When might we see it lower?


----------



## KaLyn

travelinggnomes said:


> Thanks!  Do you have any idea when the flights normally hit their lowest?  Right now, our April 26th to May 3rd flight is at $239.  When might we see it lower?



No I don't.    When they drop fares all varies based on dates, days if the week and airports.  I'm not sure where you are, but if that $239 is round trip per person I'd snag it.  

We are out of PIT and I'm paying $314 round trip per person right now, that's $157 each way (which is average, I watched the averages for fares for months so I knew what price I should book for).  I booked in October for our May trip and I have yet to see them drop more than $8.  

Good luck to you!


----------



## travelinggnomes

KaLyn said:


> No I don't.    When they drop fares all varies based on dates, days if the week and airports.  I'm not sure where you are, but if that $239 is round trip per person I'd snag it.
> 
> We are out of PIT and I'm paying $314 round trip per person right now, that's $157 each way (which is average, I watched the averages for fares for months so I knew what price I should book for).  I booked in October for our May trip and I have yet to see them drop more than $8.
> 
> Good luck to you!



Thanks again---  We can get it as low as $230 RT, but I chose a more expensive flight home.  (I HATE getting up at 6am on our last day of vacation!!!)


----------



## KaLyn

travelinggnomes said:


> Thanks again---  We can get it as low as $230 RT, but I chose a more expensive flight home.  (I HATE getting up at 6am on our last day of vacation!!!)



No problem, I'm happy to help.  I don't blame you at all for not wanting to leave at 6am.  Our flight to Orlando departs from PIT at 6:00am and we leave Orlando at 9:00pm, gotta squeeze in as much time as you can!


----------



## MamaBear58

Hello everyone.  We are just looking into booking our first Disney trip for Nov 2014.  Does anyone have a sense of what a good rate is from Phila to Orlando mid-Nov (11th to 22nd) and when Southwest might release its Nov flights?  As of yesterday I could use credit card rewards (CapitalOne) to book my family of 4 on the days that we want--but the flight is US Airways and says it would otherwise be $418.  Sounds high to me, plus the deal I saw yesterday is now gone (can get it but need more miles than I have).  I've heard that SW has good rates, and often runs specials in February, but its site says that OCT flights will be released 3/3 and provides no info on Nov flghts.

Worried about booking a room and then not being able to get a flight.  On the other hand, buying this early seems like I'm paying too much (both in terms of cash and/or rewards points) for the flight.

Thanks in advance.  New to this and feeling a bit overwhelmed.


----------



## MommyTaraLee

MamaBear58 said:


> Hello everyone.  We are just looking into booking our first Disney trip for Nov 2014.  Does anyone have a sense of what a good rate is from Phila to Orlando mid-Nov (11th to 22nd) and when Southwest might release its Nov flights?  As of yesterday I could use credit card rewards (CapitalOne) to book my family of 4 on the days that we want--but the flight is US Airways and says it would otherwise be $418.  Sounds high to me, plus the deal I saw yesterday is now gone (can get it but need more miles than I have).  I've heard that SW has good rates, and often runs specials in February, but its site says that OCT flights will be released 3/3 and provides no info on Nov flghts.
> 
> Worried about booking a room and then not being able to get a flight.  On the other hand, buying this early seems like I'm paying too much (both in terms of cash and/or rewards points) for the flight.
> 
> Thanks in advance.  New to this and feeling a bit overwhelmed.



We just booked our flights for June/July from PHL.  The best price I found was $138/ticket one way. We ended up paying $158 to get more convenient times....

Also, I don't think they release their dates/times earlier than 6 months out....  but I'm new to this, too, so I may be wrong....


----------



## TeachTink

Is there a way to look online to see how full your plane will be?


----------



## KaLyn

TeachTink said:


> Is there a way to look online to see how full your plane will be?



Not that I know of, but I'm interested to see if someone else knows something I don't.


----------



## bjscheel

TeachTink said:


> Is there a way to look online to see how full your plane will be?



The only thing I can think of is to go online and see if you can price your flight for 8 people (the max allowed) or not.  And if not, try fewer people.

I think all of our flights have been full.


----------



## Rash

Wow - Southwest fares are MUCH higher this year than past years. We've been going March/April for the last 6-7 years, and I've always been able to get roundtrip fares of about $150-$200 non-stop from Raleigh, usually around two months out. We're less than two months out now, and the fares are for non-stop are over $400, and even 1 stop is over $300. What's up? I'm getting nervous.


----------



## djmeredith

Rash said:


> Wow - Southwest fares are MUCH higher this year than past years. We've been going March/April for the last 6-7 years, and I've always been able to get roundtrip fares of about $150-$200 non-stop from Raleigh, usually around two months out. We're less than two months out now, and the fares are for non-stop are over $400, and even 1 stop is over $300. What's up? I'm getting nervous.



I know what you mean!  I came to this board today after realizing how much the flights have jumped since last fall when I was pricing them.  I'm trying to get from KY to southern CA and the points required/prices have increased significantly since I started casually looking last fall.  I haven't heard anything in the media recently regarding an increase in flight prices, but maybe I missed it.


----------



## KaLyn

djmeredith said:


> I know what you mean!  I came to this board today after realizing how much the flights have jumped since last fall when I was pricing them.  I'm trying to get from KY to southern CA and the points required/prices have increased significantly since I started casually looking last fall.  I haven't heard anything in the media recently regarding an increase in flight prices, but maybe I missed it.



I could be wayyyyyy off with dates and time frames here so don't bash me....A while ago I heard that Southwest had bought a ton of fuel at super low prices, hence the super low fares.  Well, apparently that gas surplus has run out and they had to buy more fuel which means higher fares.


----------



## katriscari

What does paying the extra $10 a seat do for you? Does that actually let you reserve a designated seat?


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

If you sign up for a SWA credit card right now they are offering 50,000 miles and you can get  flights for $10 using the miles. The total of our May trip is $40. 


Also keep an eye out for their annual birthday sale in June. good on flights from mid Aug to mid Dec


----------



## KaLyn

katriscari said:


> What does paying the extra $10 a seat do for you? Does that actually let you reserve a designated seat?



It's $12.50 now (per person, one way) and it automatically gets you checked in at 36 hours before your flight.  It basically gives you a better chance (not a guarantee, though) of getting boarding group A.  It also reduces the worry about checking in yourself at exactly T-24, which is when everyone else can check in.


----------



## katriscari

Is that worth it in your opinion? I haven't flown in roughly 6 years, and I've never flown SW. Ill have a first time flyer 5 yr old and a husband with me!!


----------



## KaLyn

katriscari said:


> Is that worth it in your opinion? I haven't flown in roughly 6 years, and I've never flown SW. Ill have a first time flyer 5 yr old and a husband with me!!



It all depends on what you want.  We did it for 2 reasons...

1- We are a family of 4, 2 adults 2 kids and only one child qualifies for family boarding.  I hear that sometimes family boarding can be suspended.  So with the EBCI we have a better chance of getting decent seats (aka sitting 2 and 2) if they do decide to suspend it.  

2- Also, for this trip, at T-24 for our flight to MCO we will be at a birthday party so having the airline automatically check me in without me having to think about it is great.   The same goes for the return home flight.  We will be in the parks having a grand old time and I don't want to have to keep track of the time to get us checked in right at 24 hours prior and then have to depend on a potentially spotty or glitchy cell signal to do it.

For this trip, with our family and the kids ages and considering where we will be when it's time to check in, EBCI is worth it.


----------



## TeachTink

katriscari said:


> Is that worth it in your opinion? I haven't flown in roughly 6 years, and I've never flown SW. Ill have a first time flyer 5 yr old and a husband with me!!



I purchased it for our trip in May because I'm a little bit of an anxious flyer and I want to be sure I can sit with my hubby.  It isn't as common for groups of 2 to be split up though.  If you are a group of 3, I would suggest buying it because it may be hard for you to find 3 seats together if you are boarding in late B or early C.


----------



## Grumpy Grandma

Rather or not I purchase Early Boarding depends on the length of my trip.  If it's a short flight I don't bother.  But when I'm flying across country from CA to FL I always get it .... no way I want to take a chance on being stuck in a middle seat all that way.


----------



## mum of two pirates

and have always paid $300 but no more then $320. I have been watching for a couple months and the flights are out until aug and there $600 or more RT. were going in Dec and I'm expecting to pay at least $500.


----------



## MamaBear58

KaLyn said:


> It all depends on what you want.  We did it for 2 reasons...
> 
> 1- We are a family of 4, 2 adults 2 kids and only one child qualifies for family boarding.  I hear that sometimes family boarding can be suspended.  So with the EBCI we have a better chance of getting decent seats (aka sitting 2 and 2) if they do decide to suspend it.
> 
> 2- Also, for this trip, at T-24 for our flight to MCO we will be at a birthday party so having the airline automatically check me in without me having to think about it is great.   The same goes for the return home flight.  We will be in the parks having a grand old time and I don't want to have to keep track of the time to get us checked in right at 24 hours prior and then have to depend on a potentially spotty or glitchy cell signal to do it.
> 
> For this trip, with our family and the kids ages and considering where we will be when it's time to check in, EBCI is worth it.



I am new to Southwest.  I was told that they had good rates, and no baggage fees.  But without assigned seats does this mean I want to pay this extra fee so that I am automatically checked-in and we can get seats together?  I never dreamed that I could buy tickets for a family of 4 and that we'd be separated because others managed to check in before us?  Would they really have my 4 year old seat alone because I got stuck on hold while others checked in first?  So glad I'm following this thread!


----------



## Geomom

MamaBear58 said:


> I am new to Southwest.  I was told that they had good rates, and no baggage fees.  But without assigned seats does this mean I want to pay this extra fee so that I am automatically checked-in and we can get seats together?  I never dreamed that I could buy tickets for a family of 4 and that we'd be separated because others managed to check in before us?  Would they really have my 4 year old seat alone because I got stuck on hold while others checked in first?  So glad I'm following this thread!



No, they won't have your 4yr old sit alone.  If there aren't 2 seats together by the time you board, they will announce to the cabin that they have a young child that needs to sit with their parent, is there anyone with an empty seat next to them willing to switch seats.  They typically offer that person a drink coupon if they change seats.

In the past, I have done EBCI only for the flight home as I can't check in exactly 24 hrs before my flight.  This guarantees us seats together.  We sit 1Adult/ 1 Child in 2 rows.   If you can check in exactly 24 hrs before on the computer, you'll likely get somewhere in the 'B' boarding group and 'should' be able to find 2 seats together in the back of the plane.  It really depends on how many pre-boards they have before the A group, and how many Family boarding they have (between A and B groups.)


----------



## KaLyn

MamaBear58 said:


> I am new to Southwest.  I was told that they had good rates, and no baggage fees.  But without assigned seats does this mean I want to pay this extra fee so that I am automatically checked-in and we can get seats together?  I never dreamed that I could buy tickets for a family of 4 and that we'd be separated because others managed to check in before us?  Would they really have my 4 year old seat alone because I got stuck on hold while others checked in first?  So glad I'm following this thread!



I hope I'm helping you.  Here's what I know in response to what you asked/mentioned in the quoted post.  This may be long, but I'll try to be as clear as possible.

Yes, Southwest has good rates especially once you factor in 2 free bags!  I love that and it's why we decided to do Southwest with our girls for this trip.

There are no assigned seats, the seating is considered open seating.  As you board, you get your choice of seats.  You can sit where ever you want, first come, first serve.

Please know that buying EBCI does not guarantee that you will all have seats together, all it does is guarantee that you are checked-in early.  Because you are checked in early, you are likely to be given a lower boarding number, which in turn increases your chances of sitting together since you will be some of the first people on the plane. 

Side note here:  My personal plan of attack is to head right to the back of the plane because it's the least desired spot.  I mean, really, you are all going to the same place does row 1 or 30 really matter THAT much?  Well, maybe it does if you have a business meeting or something, but a vacation not really.  Anywho, back on topic...

As far as your son ending up alone, I have seen reports of 2 things happening in this situation...
1 - Some people (most I would like to assume) would be willing to move their seat so he can be with his parents, but I have read that the attendants do not force anyone to move.  I personally, would not like to be seated next to a little crumb-cruncher that I do not know for hours, especially when their parents are in a different row.  I'm willing to bet a lot of adults feel that way too.  
2 - On the other hand I have read where the pilot won't move if the child isn't with their parents.  In this case they are basically forcing people to move, which is the complete opposite of what I explained in the point above.
In both of these cases, I am sure that the age of the child plays a factor.  A 4 year old child sitting alone is quite different than a 14 year old.  

And then, there are some other situations where the seating game becomes even more of a game...
1 - If the flight is operated by AirTran but you purchased through Southwest's site.  This is an issue because the people who are buying the same flight but through AirTran's site are paying a fee to pick their seats.  If this happens then you have some people who already have assigned seats and then ones that don't have them.  The ones that don't have assigned seats then have to fill in around those who do.  I say this...you're wanting a flight operated by AirTran then book with AirTran, if you're wanting a flight operated by Southwest then book on Southwest's site.  
2 - The second thing to cause issues with seating is if the plane is originating from another city and some of those passengers aren't getting off.  Then, once you board, you will again be filling up around those who already are seated.

I hope that all was clear enough to understand.


----------



## MamaBear58

Geomom said:


> No, they won't have your 4yr old sit alone.  If there aren't 2 seats together by the time you board, they will announce to the cabin that they have a young child that needs to sit with their parent, is there anyone with an empty seat next to them willing to switch seats.  They typically offer that person a drink coupon if they change seats.
> 
> In the past, I have done EBCI only for the flight home as I can't check in exactly 24 hrs before my flight.  This guarantees us seats together.  We sit 1Adult/ 1 Child in 2 rows.   If you can check in exactly 24 hrs before on the computer, you'll likely get somewhere in the 'B' boarding group and 'should' be able to find 2 seats together in the back of the plane.  It really depends on how many pre-boards they have before the A group, and how many Family boarding they have (between A and B groups.)



Thank you..so helpful!


----------



## MamaBear58

KaLyn said:


> I hope I'm helping you.  Here's what I know in response to what you asked/mentioned in the quoted post.  This may be long, but I'll try to be as clear as possible.
> 
> Yes, Southwest has good rates especially once you factor in 2 free bags!  I love that and it's why we decided to do Southwest with our girls for this trip.
> 
> There are no assigned seats, the seating is considered open seating.  As you board, you get your choice of seats.  You can sit where ever you want, first come, first serve.
> 
> Please know that buying EBCI does not guarantee that you will all have seats together, all it does is guarantee that you are checked-in early.  Because you are checked in early, you are likely to be given a lower boarding number, which in turn increases your chances of sitting together since you will be some of the first people on the plane.
> 
> Side note here:  My personal plan of attack is to head right to the back of the plane because it's the least desired spot.  I mean, really, you are all going to the same place does row 1 or 30 really matter THAT much?  Well, maybe it does if you have a business meeting or something, but a vacation not really.  Anywho, back on topic...
> 
> As far as your son ending up alone, I have seen reports of 2 things happening in this situation...
> 1 - Some people (most I would like to assume) would be willing to move their seat so he can be with his parents, but I have read that the attendants do not force anyone to move.  I personally, would not like to be seated next to a little crumb-cruncher that I do not know for hours, especially when their parents are in a different row.  I'm willing to bet a lot of adults feel that way too.
> 2 - On the other hand I have read where the pilot won't move if the child isn't with their parents.  In this case they are basically forcing people to move, which is the complete opposite of what I explained in the point above.
> In both of these cases, I am sure that the age of the child plays a factor.  A 4 year old child sitting alone is quite different than a 14 year old.
> 
> And then, there are some other situations where the seating game becomes even more of a game...
> 1 - If the flight is operated by AirTran but you purchased through Southwest's site.  This is an issue because the people who are buying the same flight but through AirTran's site are paying a fee to pick their seats.  If this happens then you have some people who already have assigned seats and then ones that don't have them.  The ones that don't have assigned seats then have to fill in around those who do.  I say this...you're wanting a flight operated by AirTran then book with AirTran, if you're wanting a flight operated by Southwest then book on Southwest's site.
> 2 - The second thing to cause issues with seating is if the plane is originating from another city and some of those passengers aren't getting off.  Then, once you board, you will again be filling up around those who already are seated.
> 
> I hope that all was clear enough to understand.



And thank you too!!  Yes, I understand completely.  You were both so helpful.


----------



## ABCastillo

Just some thing I noticed about check-in at 24 hours for the flight home. It seems that last week Disney did an excellent job of checking me in at exactly 24 hours because we were like B4-8. Thought that was pretty good considering they did the checkin, I had 4 confirmation numbers and we didn't pay for any extra fee through southwest or Disney.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards


----------



## MamaBear58

ABCastillo said:


> Just some thing I noticed about check-in at 24 hours for the flight home. It seems that last week Disney did an excellent job of checking me in at exactly 24 hours because we were like B4-8. Thought that was pretty good considering they did the checkin, I had 4 confirmation numbers and we didn't pay for any extra fee through southwest or Disney.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards



Interesting.  Were you concierge service?   Why did Disney check you in?


----------



## Nanajo1

All Disney resort GS can check you in. You need your confirmation number and a photo ID.


----------



## PolyAddict

Nanajo1 said:


> All Disney resort GS can check you in. You need your confirmation number and a photo ID.



So they will hold on to your info and get it done at the 24 hour mark?


----------



## Nanajo1

You must bring the info to GS at the time you can check in. GS at the parks can also check you in. Bring photo ID and confirmation number.


----------



## ABCastillo

MamaBear58 said:


> Interesting.  Were you concierge service?   Why did Disney check you in?



We used DME and gave them the confirmation numbers and flight info over the phone before we left.  They also had our boarding passes printed for us and delivered them to the room the morning we left.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards


----------



## gretchenohar@hotmail

ABCastillo said:


> We used DME and gave them the confirmation numbers and flight info over the phone before we left.  They also had our boarding passes printed for us and delivered them to the room the morning we left.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards



DME means Magical Express?  You spoke by phone?  I've never done that before, but I think I will for this upcoming trip if they'll automatically check us in for departure on SWA.
Thanks for the tip.
One more question:  where would I find their phone number?  I've never had the opportunity to talk to them before.  Everything for ME has always just been "magically" arranged and I receive my luggage tags in the mail.


----------



## PolyAddict

Nanajo1 said:


> You must bring the info to GS at the time you can check in. GS at the parks can also check you in. Bring photo ID and confirmation number.



I see well i can do that from my phone anywhere, so i guess ill just do that.  I like to b right at 24 hour mark


----------



## ABCastillo

gretchenohar@hotmail said:


> DME means Magical Express?  You spoke by phone?  I've never done that before, but I think I will for this upcoming trip if they'll automatically check us in for departure on SWA. Thanks for the tip. One more question:  where would I find their phone number?  I've never had the opportunity to talk to them before.  Everything for ME has always just been "magically" arranged and I receive my luggage tags in the mail.



We just called the regular Disney number from the confirmation emails. When we booked this last trip we did it by phone and didn't have the flights booked yet. So we called back using the regular number and they updated the magical express stuff for us. Only took about 10 min!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards


----------



## gretchenohar@hotmail

Thanks for the info, ABCastillo


----------



## HollenAngi

Just returned from a trip and checked in right at the 24 hour mark. My family of four did not have any trouble finding seats together.


----------



## Tisha_PA

If I change my flights on SW will my EBCI carry over to my new flights?


----------



## jenseib

Tisha_PA said:


> If I change my flights on SW will my EBCI carry over to my new flights?



Yes it should


----------



## Mufasa&Simba

I'm looking for a promo code because I want to book our flight for May. The lowest it's gotten is $109 one way (MKE to MCO), but if it does go up a promo code would really help. thanks!


----------



## jenseib

Mufasa&Simba said:


> I'm looking for a promo code because I want to book our flight for May. The lowest it's gotten is $109 one way (MKE to MCO), but if it does go up a promo code would really help. thanks!



109 is a fantastic rate and I suggest you book it now.  I rarely see promo codes anymore


----------



## KaLyn

jenseib said:


> 109 is a fantastic rate and I suggest you book it now.  I rarely see promo codes anymore



AGREED!  Snatch those rates up ASAP!


----------



## Mufasa&Simba

Right now it's 129, but I'm going to check again tomorrow since supposedly the best days to book flights are Tuesdays in the afternoon. I DID actually find a promo code and I'll try that tomorrow too. Yep, I know 109 is a super deal but it doesn't hurt to go even lower. Thanks guys.


----------



## jenseib

Mufasa&Simba said:


> Right now it's 129, but I'm going to check again tomorrow since supposedly the best days to book flights are Tuesdays in the afternoon. I DID actually find a promo code and I'll try that tomorrow too. Yep, I know 109 is a super deal but it doesn't hurt to go even lower. Thanks guys.



I live in OHIO and for the past 3 years I have seen nothing lower than 109.


----------



## Tisha_PA

jenseib said:


> Yes it should



Thanks!


----------



## stitchlovestink

Just booked for $120 one way and $109 the other. Leaving for FL in 2 weeks...not much notice!!


----------



## roselark

I have a question about their "customer of size" procedure. We will be buying a 2nd seat for my husband, so 3 seats total. In their website it states: "The Customer who has secured more than one seat must be an active participant in preserving his/her additional seat. We encourage Customers of size to preboard to locate adequate seating and place the Seat Reserved Document in the adjacent seat."

Does this mean my husband should request preboarding or how will that happen? I am just concerned what to do if we get later B or C positions?

Can anyone recommend tips on getting a higher boarding position? This will be our first time flying SW...


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

roselark said:


> I have a question about their "customer of size" procedure. We will be buying a 2nd seat for my husband, so 3 seats total. In their website it states: "The Customer who has secured more than one seat must be an active participant in preserving his/her additional seat. We encourage Customers of size to preboard to locate adequate seating and place the Seat Reserved Document in the adjacent seat."
> 
> Does this mean my husband should request preboarding or how will that happen? I am just concerned what to do if we get later B or C positions?
> 
> Can anyone recommend tips on getting a higher boarding position? This will be our first time flying SW...


 - NO you do not want a higher boarding position because you will be the last ones on the plane and there is not guarantee you will find two open seats together. 

Yes this mean he needs to preboard in order to make sure he can get two seats together. He needs to go up to the gate agent and ask for a preboard card.


----------



## roselark

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> - NO you do not want a higher boarding position because you will be the last ones on the plane and there is not guarantee you will find two open seats together.
> 
> Yes this mean he needs to preboard in order to make sure he can get two seats together. He needs to go up to the gate agent and ask for a preboard card.



Thanks! By "higher", I meant "better"...not used to the SW jargon yet.


----------



## ksloane

Has anyone done group ticketing purchases with SW? I have some questions


----------



## melk

ABCastillo said:


> Just some thing I noticed about check-in at 24 hours for the flight home. It seems that last week Disney did an excellent job of checking me in at exactly 24 hours because we were like B4-8. Thought that was pretty good considering they did the checkin, I had 4 confirmation numbers and we didn't pay for any extra fee through southwest or Disney.  Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards



So Disney will check you in?  I was not aware of that. How do you arrange it? Thanks!


----------



## ABCastillo

melk said:


> So Disney will check you in?  I was not aware of that. How do you arrange it? Thanks!



Yep! If you are using Disney Magical Express you give them your flight information when you   set it up (you can call their regular reservation number for this) and they will check you in and deliver your printed boarding passes to your room the day you check out. If you have an extra early flight then they can also reprint at the hotel airline checkin desk.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards


----------



## poohj80

melk said:


> So Disney will check you in?  I was not aware of that. How do you arrange it? Thanks!



Since SW boarding assignments are based on how fast you check-in right at the 24 hour mark, we just used the SW app on our phone to ensure we checked in right at 24 hours sicne I wasn't sure how fast Disney would be.


----------



## melk

poohj80 said:


> Since SW boarding assignments are based on how fast you check-in right at the 24 hour mark, we just used the SW app on our phone to ensure we checked in right at 24 hours sicne I wasn't sure how fast Disney would be.



So if I check in myself with the app, will disney still print my boarding passes for me or do I just do it at the airport?


----------



## poohj80

melk said:


> So if I check in myself with the app, will disney still print my boarding passes for me or do I just do it at the airport?



Yes, they still print and deliver to your room with your Magical Express documents.


----------



## mum of two pirates

When wl they release the december dates


----------



## juliehoey

I just posted this on a different thread as well so sorry for the duplicate post.  The August flights open next week but what is the time of day EST that you can book?  I've read anywhere from midnight to 10am CST.  Anyone know?  I am calling SW today to inquire unless I receive an answer here!


----------



## ksloane

juliehoey said:


> I just posted this on a different thread as well so sorry for the duplicate post.  The August flights open next week but what is the time of day EST that you can book?  I've read anywhere from midnight to 10am CST.  Anyone know?  I am calling SW today to inquire unless I receive an answer here!



I'd love to know if they give you an official answer. I am taking a group of 24 to NYC in August and am hoping to book our seats Monday first thing.


----------



## kenly777

mum of two pirates said:


> When wl they release the december dates



I would like to know this also


----------



## juliehoey

ksloane said:


> I'd love to know if they give you an official answer. I am taking a group of 24 to NYC in August and am hoping to book our seats Monday first thing.



I want to book as soon as I can that morning considering how high the USAir tickets are right now.  In the past week they've hiked up twice!


----------



## OnceUponATime15

mum of two pirates said:


> When wl they release the december dates



Once SW opens the August 9 - October 25th dates on Monday morning, you will find the next booking release date on the Travel Tools page on the SW website.  That date should be for October 26 - end of December....


----------



## kenly777

OnceUponATime15 said:


> Once SW opens the August 9 - October 25th dates on Monday morning, you will find the next booking release date on the Travel Tools page on the SW website.  That date should be for October 26 - end of December....



Thank you! I'll be watching for it


----------



## connie254

ksloane said:


> I'd love to know if they give you an official answer. I am taking a group of 24 to NYC in August and am hoping to book our seats Monday first thing.



Me TOO


----------



## bjscheel

So all the recent specials have been "book by 2/27, good for travel through 5/21".  Now that 2/27 is past, I hope that the next specials will include June.  Wonder when they will start the sales for June?  Maybe after tomorrow when the new dates are released?

I am pretty happy with what we have now, but always up for putting points back in my account!  Or possibly getting an earlier flight.  We are paying between 5900-7100 points each way and I know last year there were flights in June for 3900.  Hoping to see those again.


----------



## PolyAddict

So we booked our flight for tomorrow the day it became available on Southwest and added EB at that time and got our boarding position and its B 5-8.  So who got the A group is what I am wondering?


----------



## OnceUponATime15

PolyAddict said:


> So we booked our flight for tomorrow the day it became available on Southwest and added EB at that time and got our boarding position and its B 5-8.  So who got the A group is what I am wondering?





If you booked Wanna Get Away fares.. those with Business Select, A List Preferred (frequent fliers) , A List & Anytime fares got their number assignments ahead of you.  Rumor also has it that those who book & pay with a Southwest Visa card also get preferential numbers.


----------



## disneymagicgirl

PolyAddict said:


> So we booked our flight for tomorrow the day it became available on Southwest and added EB at that time and got our boarding position and its B 5-8.  So who got the A group is what I am wondering?



Wow, I would be highly annoyed!


----------



## katema52

One year I had multiple reservations. And the people I booked weeks later got better numbers than I did who booked on the day it opened. I have no idea how they determine the numbers.


----------



## PolyAddict

OnceUponATime15 said:


> If you booked Wanna Get Away fares.. those with Business Select, A List Preferred (frequent fliers) , A List & Anytime fares got their number assignments ahead of you.  Rumor also has it that those who book & pay with a Southwest Visa card also get preferential numbers.



Well that explains things...with that in mind i may not do it again.  We have a trip booked in May for 5 of us and i haven't added it so Ill see how we do.


----------



## PolyAddict

disneymagicgirl said:


> Wow, I would be highly annoyed!



Yea i feel kinda stupid talking my brother into paying for it!


----------



## digiMom

I'm probably booking tomorrow (unless the fares jump) as my window opens up. I'm trying to decide between two one-ways or roundtrip. Any advice on which way to go and why? TIA..


----------



## PolyAddict

katema52 said:


> One year I had multiple reservations. And the people I booked weeks later got better numbers than I did who booked on the day it opened. I have no idea how they determine the numbers.



Crazy!!


----------



## connie254

So I took one for the team  and called SW about when flights open up tomorrow. I was on hold for 12 minutes, guessing because of weather issues. But the CS couldn't be more vague "Depends, some open early, some midday, some later, but probably by 9-10am"  Didn't ask if that was EST, CST, MST, or PST


----------



## KaLyn

disneymagicgirl said:


> Wow, I would be highly annoyed!



Why?  Early Bird Check-in simply guarantees you to be automatically checked in at T-36, without you having to worry about doing it yourself at T-24.  It never states you will be guaranteed an A boarding position.


----------



## zy144622

PolyAddict said:


> So we booked our flight for tomorrow the day it became available on Southwest and added EB at that time and got our boarding position and its B 5-8.  So who got the A group is what I am wondering?


  Strange we had EB a few weeks ago and were group A teens somewhere. Surprised you got B at all.


----------



## MamaBear58

connie254 said:


> So I took one for the team  and called SW about when flights open up tomorrow. I was on hold for 12 minutes, guessing because of weather issues. But the CS couldn't be more vague "Depends, some open early, some midday, some later, but probably by 9-10am"  Didn't ask if that was EST, CST, MST, or PST



They are open now.  I have to confess I'm a little disappointed.   They changed the flight times for us (PHL to MCO), and aren't releasing November until 5/19, which happens to be the day that I have to book ADRs, so not very convenient for either planning or the morning of 5/19.  Using credit card rewards so may just suck up US Air prices so I can book and be done with it.  And also have a confirmed seat.


----------



## elgerber

MamaBear58 said:


> They are open now.  I have to confess I'm a little disappointed.   They changed the flight times for us (PHL to MCO), and aren't releasing November until 5/19, which happens to be the day that I have to book ADRs, so not very convenient for either planning or the morning of 5/19.  Using credit card rewards so may just suck up US Air prices so I can book and be done with it.  And also have a confirmed seat.



Point values for my October flights are kinda crazy, double the points to go to Orlando, than I spent for NYC for June.


----------



## juliehoey

I was expecting much less in price for what I just booked this morning.  I couldn't wait it out because as of now there is only one late flight home from MCO on Sundays in August.  Hope they open the 8:40pm.  SW was $328 rt, USAir this morning was $468 for same trip.


----------



## MamaBear58

elgerber said:


> Point values for my October flights are kinda crazy, double the points to go to Orlando, than I spent for NYC for June.



New to Southwest..by point values do you mean Rapid Rewards?  You're trying to "spend" them for a flight and it's costing you more than you thought?


----------



## MamaBear58

juliehoey said:


> I was expecting much less in price for what I just booked this morning.  I couldn't wait it out because as of now there is only one late flight home from MCO on Sundays in August.  Hope they open the 8:40pm.  SW was $328 rt, USAir this morning was $468 for same trip.



I would say that you're still ahead of the game, because with USAir you'd have to pay baggage fees.  If the 8:40 opens will SW let you switch to it, or with they charge you?


----------



## ksloane

I have no idea of what it has cost in the past, but I do know they went up from (I think) 50 points per dollar to 60 points per dollar...

I just booked my first flight on points.  

I am now on hold because my daughter should have enough points for her flight to be free, but I can't remember the login to her account. *sigh*


----------



## HaViet

Question:

Are SW prices different if you book 1 or multiple travelers?

I check prices for  BDL to MCO, and for a single traveler it is $216.

Once I put in multiple travelers, the same flight increased by $15 each. Is this how SW, or the airlines industry, operates?

It seems a little strange for me that prices would increase for multiple travelers, such as family.


----------



## ksloane

HaViet said:


> Question:
> 
> Are SW prices different if you book 1 or multiple travelers?
> 
> I check prices for  BDL to MCO, and for a single traveler it is $216.
> 
> Once I put in multiple travelers, the same flight increased by $15 each. Is this how SW, or the airlines industry, operates?
> 
> It seems a little strange for me that prices would increase for multiple travelers, such as family.



My understanding is they only have so many seats at each price so maybe there is only one seat left at that price?


----------



## ksloane

Ugh! Trying to get in touch with group travel.  Can't even get on hold...just a busy signal.


----------



## MamaBear58

juliehoey said:


> I was expecting much less in price for what I just booked this morning.  I couldn't wait it out because as of now there is only one late flight home from MCO on Sundays in August.  Hope they open the 8:40pm.  SW was $328 rt, USAir this morning was $468 for same trip.



This is my concern.  We don't leave until 11/15, so I have to wait until May 19th to see the SW flights (which also happens to be my 180 days for ADRs--thankfully I'm using Dreams Unlimited so I guess I need to have them do my ADRs that morning!).  I also saw a lot of changes in the schedule this morning.  I'm afraid that I won't like SW's times and by then all the USAir flights will be gone.  Wondering if I just need to cough up the larger USAir costs to book and be done.  I am using credit card rewards, but I still hate to use more rewards that I have to.  So uncertain.


----------



## ksloane

ksloane said:


> Ugh! Trying to get in touch with group travel.  Can't even get on hold...just a busy signal.



And I am still getting a busy signal....


----------



## katema52

For future information SW opened the dates online at about 6:15 am est. I don't know if that's the normal time or not, but it was the time today.  I had to book about 15 flights this morning some cash, some points. In about 1/2 hour the price went up. I tried to book 5 at one time and the price had gone up before I put in all the names! I then did two, and got the cheaper rate. Three at the more expensive rate.


----------



## ksloane

katema52 said:


> For future information SW opened the dates online at about 6:15 am est. I don't know if that's the normal time or not, but it was the time today.  I had to book about 15 flights this morning some cash, some points. In about 1/2 hour the price went up. I tried to book 5 at one time and the price had gone up before I put in all the names! I then did two, and got the cheaper rate. Three at the more expensive rate.



The prices going up is why I'm aggravated that I can't get through for our group to reserve. We need 24 tickets for an August trip.


----------



## KaLyn

ksloane said:


> The prices going up is why I'm aggravated that I can't get through for our group to reserve. We need 24 tickets for an August trip.



I think they have special group rates.  You may get a discount off of what's showing up online.


----------



## ksloane

KaLyn said:


> I think they have special group rates.  You may get a discount off of what's showing up online.



I'm hoping. But I'm not sure if it's discounted off the Wanna Get Away Fares or the Anytime Fares. I'm afraid it is the Anytime, which means it isn't even a discount.


----------



## stitchlovestink

KaLyn said:
			
		

> Why?  Early Bird Check-in simply guarantees you to be automatically checked in at T-36, without you having to worry about doing it yourself at T-24.  It never states you will be guaranteed an A boarding position.



No, it doesn't and I have stated that for quite some time now. BUT I would also be annoyed at paying for EBCI and then getting a B boarding pass and finding that I will be boarding after family boarding, most of which did not buy EBCI.  I think ALL parties who pay for EBCI should get to board prior to family boarding.  YES, they CAN discontinue family boarding if they so choose. But in the same breath, I flew 12 times just last year and NEVER ONCE did they not provide family boarding and I fly from an airport busy with families flying to WDW. As a matter of fact in all the times/years I have been flying SW, I have never been on a flight where family boarding was canceled.  
It's my opinion that it really isn't fair to those who purchased EBCI. I'm sure not everyone will agree.


----------



## ksloane

stitchlovestink said:


> No, it doesn't and I have stated that for quite some time now. BUT I would also be annoyed at paying for EBCI and then getting a B boarding pass and finding that I will be boarding after family boarding, most of which did not buy EBCI.  I think ALL parties who pay for EBCI should get to board prior to family boarding.  YES, they CAN discontinue family boarding if they so choose. But in the same breath, I flew 12 times just last year and NEVER ONCE did they not provide family boarding and I fly from an airport busy with families flying to WDW. As a matter of fact in all the times/years I have been flying SW, I have never been on a flight where family boarding was canceled.
> It's my opinion that it really isn't fair to those who purchased EBCI. I'm sure not everyone will agree.



I could have sworn I read somewhere within the last week or two that someone with EBCI did get a B...but I can't remember where so I won't swear to it.


----------



## stitchlovestink

ksloane said:
			
		

> I could have sworn I read somewhere within the last week or two that someone with EBCI did get a B...but I can't remember where so I won't swear to it.



Is it common for someone to get a 'B' boarding pass if they bought EBCI?  No, I don't really think it is super common. But that being said, it is a possibility and it has happened to people. Like it was stated earlier, the only thing EBCI guarantees you is that SW will check you in for your flight 36 hours prior to departure. Since boarding passes are generally numbered based on when you check in, the earlier you check in,  the better your boarding position.....except for this loophole IMO.


----------



## ddluvsdisney

ksloane said:


> I could have sworn I read somewhere within the last week or two that someone with EBCI did get a B...but I can't remember where so I won't swear to it.



Just 2 weeks ago I had EBCI and got a B pass.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards


----------



## ddluvsdisney

stitchlovestink said:


> Is it common for someone to get a 'B' boarding pass if they bought EBCI?  No, I don't really think it is super common. But that being said, it is a possibility and it has happened to people. Like it was stated earlier, the only thing EBCI guarantees you is that SW will check you in for your flight 36 hours prior to departure. Since boarding passes are generally numbered based on when you check in, the earlier you check in,  the better your boarding position.....except for this loophole IMO.



We have only flown SW for the past 10 years. It is much more difficult than it used to be to get A. we used to get EBCI and always get in A......now not so much.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

Keep in mind A1 - A15 are reserved to the A-list rewards members so that only leaves 45 slots or 45 people who purchase the EBCI to get an A boarding position or those who check in right at the 24 hour mark. And if your departure city happens to be a connecting city for others, those folks who are on your flight because this is their connecting flight had an earlier 24 hour check in hour than you. So those A boarding position are not as plentiful.


And yes if you are purchase more booking flights for more than 8 people its best to call because you qualify for 10% discount.


----------



## juliehoey

I haven't flown SW with my kids yet; this will be our first time.  Usually fly USAir but someone forgot to have lower rates!  I hear conflicting information on family boarding.  Friends and family say as long as you have children.  But the SW site states 4 years of age and younger.  Anyone clarify/experience differently?  I am nervous about not sitting together.  Happier to check luggage rather than jockey for position to use an overhead


----------



## JennG

We have flown AT many times as a family and with the merger it is only SW as an option. Now that the schedule has been extended I can now book our flights, I have a few questions:

1) If I book my flights today without the EBCI, can I add it later, say in like a few weeks, etc.?  If I can, does it make any difference for your boarding # - like if I buy the EBCI today versus later I would get a better boarding position.  Don't know if there is logic there or just luck of the draw.

2) Is there any advantage to booking 2 one-way reservations versus 1 roundtrip?

TIA for your help!
Jenn


----------



## disneymagicgirl

juliehoey said:


> I haven't flown SW with my kids yet; this will be our first time.  Usually fly USAir but someone forgot to have lower rates!  I hear conflicting information on family boarding.  Friends and family say as long as you have children.  But the SW site states 4 years of age and younger.  Anyone clarify/experience differently?  I am nervous about not sitting together.  Happier to check luggage rather than jockey for position to use an overhead



How old are your kids? My youngest is 4 and we were still able to board Btwn groups a & b our last trip. However, it won't really matter, IME, as long as you check in right at 24 hrs. You will be able to find some seats together in the back. I always check in right at 24 hrs and often get group A, and if I get group B we are in the first 1-15 of that group.



JennG said:


> We have flown AT many times as a family and with the merger it is only SW as an option. Now that the schedule has been extended I can now book our flights, I have a few questions:
> 
> 1) If I book my flights today without the EBCI, can I add it later, say in like a few weeks, etc.?  If I can, does it make any difference for your boarding # - like if I buy the EBCI today versus later I would get a better boarding position.  Don't know if there is logic there or just luck of the draw.
> 
> 2) Is there any advantage to booking 2 one-way reservations versus 1 roundtrip?
> 
> TIA for your help!
> Jenn



Yes, you can add ebci later. I have never felt the need to have it so I can't speak to how they come up with the numbers.

There are actually advantages to booking 1 way over round trip.


----------



## digiMom

JennG said:


> We have flown AT many times as a family and with the merger it is only SW as an option. Now that the schedule has been extended I can now book our flights, I have a few questions:
> 
> 1) If I book my flights today without the EBCI, can I add it later, say in like a few weeks, etc.?  If I can, does it make any difference for your boarding # - like if I buy the EBCI today versus later I would get a better boarding position.  Don't know if there is logic there or just luck of the draw.
> 
> 2) Is there any advantage to booking 2 one-way reservations versus 1 roundtrip?
> 
> TIA for your help!
> Jenn



1-You can add it later. Obviously, though, the later you add it, the further back you'll be in line.

2-I've looked into this too. I have booked roundtrip in the past and was fine. I have even changed one leg of the trip and been fine. Some benefits: I've heard if there's a problem with weather that affects one leg of the trip, roundtrip saves you from insurance only reimbursing the affected flight. I don't know how true that is. I've also heard that the fees are a little less. I haven't verified that either. That being said, I booked two one ways this time. I didn't see the times I wanted but booked anyway because I used with points. I think it will be easier to change one leg of the trip this way. Those are what I can think of. There are probably more.


----------



## JennG

digiMom said:


> 1-You can add it later. Obviously, though, the later you add it, the further back you'll be in line.
> 
> 2-I've looked into this too. I have booked roundtrip in the past and was fine. I have even changed one leg of the trip and been fine. Some benefits: I've heard if there's a problem with weather that affects one leg of the trip, roundtrip saves you from insurance only reimbursing the affected flight. I don't know how true that is. I've also heard that the fees are a little less. I haven't verified that either. That being said, I booked two one ways this time. I didn't see the times I wanted but booked anyway because I used with points. I think it will be easier to change one leg of the trip this way. Those are what I can think of. There are probably more.



Thanks.  So it does matter when you add the EBCI as far as the order?  Guess I'll be including it in the booking today! And I guess I better get on to booking in general!


----------



## JennG

Alright, another SWA newbie question.

After I book and if the price lowers for those flights later on, how do I get the lower price/credit for another flight?

TIA!


----------



## digiMom

JennG said:


> Alright, another SWA newbie question.
> 
> After I book and if the price lowers for those flights later on, how do I get the lower price/credit for another flight?
> 
> TIA!



When I did it, I called and the rep walked me through doing it online. If you're used to doing things this way, it's pretty easy. Go to this webpage to get started.

http://www.southwest.com/flight/change-air-reservation.html;jsessionid=A865C7E76E662D9341ECCB186A297335

Each passenger gets a separate credit to use within I believe a year. So if you have 4 people and the price goes down by $10 a ticket, each person gets a $10 credit rather than you getting the whole $40 yourself, if that makes sense.


----------



## juliehoey

Why can't I find the cost I paid for each way?  I didn't write it down thinking it would be there but I can only locate the total cost of the trip.  I'd like to know in the event a later flight opens or the price changes.  A friend recommended calling SW and they can tell you.  But isn't it somewhere in your account to view from their site?  I think the price went down on my departure to my destination.


----------



## jenseib

juliehoey said:


> Why can't I find the cost I paid for each way?  I didn't write it down thinking it would be there but I can only locate the total cost of the trip.  I'd like to know in the event a later flight opens or the price changes.  A friend recommended calling SW and they can tell you.  But isn't it somewhere in your account to view from their site?  I think the price went down on my departure to my destination.



If you see the total cost can't you divide it?
I am pretty sure it shows it on the email confirmation too.


----------



## poohj80

juliehoey said:


> Why can't I find the cost I paid for each way?  I didn't write it down thinking it would be there but I can only locate the total cost of the trip.  I'd like to know in the event a later flight opens or the price changes.  A friend recommended calling SW and they can tell you.  But isn't it somewhere in your account to view from their site?  I think the price went down on my departure to my destination.



Should be on the e-mail confirmation or look up your reservation on SW web site using the confirmation number and act like you are going to change and it should show you prices.  

It's not always the same both ways so you can't just divide it.


----------



## juliehoey

jenseib said:


> If you see the total cost can't you divide it?
> I am pretty sure it shows it on the email confirmation too.



I can divide it for total roundtrip but each way was a differnt cost  Then later yesterday morning the flight to PHL went up to $233 for WGA and now it's sold out.  But I thought I paid $191 for that way.  The departure to MCO I thought was $171, now it's $141.  UGH...  The email confirmation breaks down for taxes, fees, etc but not each way cost.


----------



## juliehoey

poohj80 said:


> Should be on the e-mail confirmation or look up your reservation on SW web site using the confirmation number and act like you are going to change and it should show you prices.
> 
> It's not always the same both ways so you can't just divide it.



I was going to try the change and see that but was scared I would lose my flight!  But I'll attempt that.  If no go then I can reach out to SW.  Thanks!


----------



## poohj80

juliehoey said:


> I was going to try the change and see that but was scared I would lose my flight!  But I'll attempt that.  If no go then I can reach out to SW.  Thanks!



Just don't confirm anything and you'll be fine.


----------



## juliehoey

poohj80 said:


> Just don't confirm anything and you'll be fine.



That worked!! THanks so much


----------



## poohj80

juliehoey said:


> That worked!! THanks so much



Glad I can help someone else for a change since I have received so much helpful info on these boards!


----------



## juliehoey

poohj80 said:


> Glad I can help someone else for a change since I have received so much helpful info on these boards!



I was just thinking that!  Sometimes you dread asking a question not knowing if you'll get 'flamed' for being uninformed 
Thank you again!


----------



## JennG

digiMom said:


> When I did it, I called and the rep walked me through doing it online. If you're used to doing things this way, it's pretty easy. Go to this webpage to get started.
> 
> http://www.southwest.com/flight/change-air-reservation.html;jsessionid=A865C7E76E662D9341ECCB186A297335
> 
> Each passenger gets a separate credit to use within I believe a year. So if you have 4 people and the price goes down by $10 a ticket, each person gets a $10 credit rather than you getting the whole $40 yourself, if that makes sense.



Thanks.  I'm definitely more of a self-service/do-it-online versus calling person


----------



## amss14

When swa let's familes with small children board early does that mean just parent and child or all people in party with children.( Example: 2 parents, 2 small children, and 2 grandparents. Can we all board early together)


----------



## ksloane

amss14 said:


> When swa let's familes with small children board early does that mean just parent and child or all people in party with children.( Example: 2 parents, 2 small children, and 2 grandparents. Can we all board early together)



I've seen entire groups board and I've seen them limit the number of adults.


----------



## amss14

Just fyi. Southwest just put ding offers out for march24-April 8 flights.


----------



## MaryKatesMom

ksloane said:


> I've seen entire groups board and I've seen them limit the number of adults.



I've never seen entire groups board, I've only heard them make the announcement "Immediate Families of Small Children Only.  No Grandparents, Aunts or Uncles".  I seen them stop Grandparents.


----------



## amss14

Good to know! Thanks!


----------



## Bayleigh

hi


----------



## Bayleigh

hello


----------



## Bayleigh

i think im doing this right


----------



## marlaine8

My husband and I both have s/w credit cards with rewards points. Neither of us have enough for 3 round trip tickets, but separately we do. (I need 4300 for the 3 of us to fly-myself, DH and DS . I have 3160 points and he has 3099 pts.) 
Will the 3 of us be able to sit together if I put 2 tickets on one credit card and 1 ticket on the other? How will it effect M/E? 
Would it be easier to transfer points from one card to another?


----------



## bjscheel

marlaine8 said:


> My husband and I both have s/w credit cards with rewards points. Neither of us have enough for 3 round trip tickets, but separately we do. (I need 4300 for the 3 of us to fly-myself, DH and DS . I have 3160 points and he has 3099 pts.)
> Will the 3 of us be able to sit together if I put 2 tickets on one credit card and 1 ticket on the other? How will it effect M/E?
> Would it be easier to transfer points from one card to another?



Buying them with separate points accounts won't affect your seating.  When you buy with points, each ticket has its own confirmation number, so when you check in at 24 hours, you will check everyone in separately anyway.

By M/E do you mean Magical Express?  There will be no effect on that either.  You tell ME what flight you're arriving/departing on so they know when to expect you, but it doesn't matter to them how you paid for flights.

It would cost you money to transfer points from one RR account to another, and there is no benefit to doing that if you can buy all of the tickets the other way.  Now on the other hand, if one account had almost enough for all 3, and the other account didn't have enough for one, I would pay to move points.

BTW, am I reading that right?  4300 points for 3 round trip tickets???  That's crazy low.


----------



## marlaine8

Thanks for clearing that up for me!

BTW, I made a mistake with the points--it's 42,000 points. I left off a zero. (It would be nice though! )


----------



## bjscheel

marlaine8 said:


> Thanks for clearing that up for me!
> 
> As of today, for September dates, 3 round trip tickets from Chicago are 4284 points. Maybe I should go ahead and book now instead of waiting?



I just looked and for the whole month of September, the lowest price is 7144 for a one-way ticket.  

7144 each way = 14288 for a round trip x 3 = 42864...Are you missing a number?   

As far as when to book, when you book with points you can always modify your reservation and get points back if they go down.  So if you see a fare you have enough points for, you grab it, and modify later if it gets better.  7144 each way is not too bad, but it could potentially go lower.


----------



## bjscheel

marlaine8 said:


> Thanks for clearing that up for me!
> 
> BTW, I made a mistake with the points--it's 42,000 points. I left off a zero. (It would be nice though! )



Whew, that makes more sense!  Did you also leave off a 0 when you said how many points you have?

And no doubt that would be nice if they were that cheap!


----------



## housemouse

digiMom said:


> When I did it, I called and the rep walked me through doing it online. If you're used to doing things this way, it's pretty easy. Go to this webpage to get started.
> 
> http://www.southwest.com/flight/change-air-reservation.html;jsessionid=A865C7E76E662D9341ECCB186A297335
> 
> Each passenger gets a separate credit to use within I believe a year. So if you have 4 people and the price goes down by $10 a ticket, each person gets a $10 credit rather than you getting the whole $40 yourself, if that makes sense.



Thanks for that link. My flights for this fall dropped in price some and I was able to change reservations and have 4000 points put back in my account!


----------



## Li Li

Do a husband and wife need separate rapid rewards accounts for SW?  I tried to add points for myself and husband and it said I need a different account  number for him. That's kind of annoying.


----------



## stitchlovestink

Li Li said:
			
		

> Do a husband and wife need separate rapid rewards accounts for SW?  I tried to add points for myself and husband and it said I need a different account  number for him. That's kind of annoying.



Yes each individual must have their own RR account. No pooling accounts together.


----------



## disneymagicgirl

Li Li said:


> Do a husband and wife need separate rapid rewards accounts for SW?  I tried to add points for myself and husband and it said I need a different account  number for him. That's kind of annoying.


Yes and kids each need their own as well.


----------



## blakefamily

If I sign up for the Rapid Rewards credit card and earn the bonus miles. How long until they are on my account to use ?
Just got the offer for 50,000 miles.


----------



## bjscheel

blakefamily said:


> If I sign up for the Rapid Rewards credit card and earn the bonus miles. How long until they are on my account to use ?
> Just got the offer for 50,000 miles.



If you charge the $2000 (or whatever they are requiring) right away, then your points should post a day or two after your statement closes.


----------



## GrumpyInOH

Hi All.  I have been lurking for months and finally got around to registering.  So, i took some advice received here and opened a couple of credit cards for the promotional miles.  I am dangerously close to CP eligibility.  I was going to wait until I got it before booking flights, but it seemed there were only a few lower priced tickets left, so I went ahead and booked 3 tickets (we need 4).  Now,  I am worried that one or both legs might be sold out (October flight) before I reach CP eligibility (later in April).  Should I book my companion's ticket using my points to secure a seat and then cancel/rebook once I receive the CP?  Can I even do this?  If so, I believe the points would be placed in my companion's RR account instead of mine, correct?  My wife would be my companion, so that wouldn't be a big deal.  Many thanks for your valuable advice.


----------



## disneymagicgirl

GrumpyInOH said:


> Hi All.  I have been lurking for months and finally got around to registering.  So, i took some advice received here and opened a couple of credit cards for the promotional miles.  I am dangerously close to CP eligibility.  I was going to wait until I got it before booking flights, but it seemed there were only a few lower priced tickets left, so I went ahead and booked 3 tickets (we need 4).  Now,  I am worried that one or both legs might be sold out (October flight) before I reach CP eligibility (later in April).  Should I book my companion's ticket using my points to secure a seat and then cancel/rebook once I receive the CP?  Can I even do this?  If so, I believe the points would be placed in my companion's RR account instead of mine, correct?  My wife would be my companion, so that wouldn't be a big deal.  Many thanks for your valuable advice.



Points go back into your account if you pay with your points.
Cash would be a credit in the name of the passenger the tick was purchased for, however.


----------



## JeanfromBNA

Trying to book flights to MCO for October. Has SWA limited or eliminated Wanna Get Away fares on some flights?  Most of mine were "sold out."  This has also been the case since I started looking in January for flights to SEA in late May.

Anybody had experience with Wanna Get Away fares opening up closer to departure?


----------



## ksloane

JeanfromBNA said:


> Trying to book flights to MCO for October. Has SWA limited or eliminated Wanna Get Away fares on some flights?  Most of mine were "sold out."  This has also been the case since I started looking in January for flights to SEA in late May.
> 
> Anybody had experience with Wanna Get Away fares opening up closer to departure?



In my experience, which isn't a lot, once they are gone, they are gone. I try to buy airfare the day it is released or as soon as I know I am going.


----------



## OnceUponATime15

JeanfromBNA said:


> Trying to book flights to MCO for October. Has SWA limited or eliminated Wanna Get Away fares on some flights?  Most of mine were "sold out."  This has also been the case since I started looking in January for flights to SEA in late May.  Anybody had experience with Wanna Get Away fares opening up closer to departure?



My desired August WGA flights BUF/MCO have gone from $123 each way, to unavailable, then for weeks they were sold out.  Upon checking a week ago they were unavailable again & now they are $234 each way..   Just keep checking.


----------



## Melany502

MamaBear58 said:


> This is my concern.  We don't leave until 11/15, so I have to wait until May 19th to see the SW flights (which also happens to be my 180 days for ADRs--thankfully I'm using Dreams Unlimited so I guess I need to have them do my ADRs that morning!).  I also saw a lot of changes in the schedule this morning.  I'm afraid that I won't like SW's times and by then all the USAir flights will be gone.  Wondering if I just need to cough up the larger USAir costs to book and be done.  I am using credit card rewards, but I still hate to use more rewards that I have to.  So uncertain.



We are leaving 11/15 as well and I have the same concerns! We have to fly SW though.


----------



## Disneylover03

Hello all,
I am in need of a code for Oct 2014 if anyone has one and doesn't need theirs.
I've yet to ever receive one myself, have RR and signed up for emails and have Ding!. 
This would be for a one way ticket from MCO to BNA.
I've already got my flight going because it was so cheap but coming back is pretty high.
I'm holding out for a great fare but am not seeing the numbers I would be comfortable with and don't really want to fly home at 7:30 a.m. 
Appreciate all the help from you Dis'ers!


----------



## Disneytam

This may sound like a stupid question and has probably been asked before but how do you apply a credit from an earlier flight to a new booking on Southwest? I have about $140 in credits per person when I got a great rate in Feb and want to apply it to a trip were taking in Sept. and don't have a clue how to do it. Also can I use it to do just one way and book the other way later? Thanks


----------



## jenseib

Disneytam said:


> This may sound like a stupid question and has probably been asked before but how do you apply a credit from an earlier flight to a new booking on Southwest? I have about $140 in credits per person when I got a great rate in Feb and want to apply it to a trip were taking in Sept. and don't have a clue how to do it. Also can I use it to do just one way and book the other way later? Thanks



you use the confirmation number from that flight


----------



## Disneytam

Thank you I figured it out. Great rate from Orlando to Albany NY ($109), now if they would just lower the rate to Orlando I'd be a happy camper.


----------



## RussellDisney

When do the flight schedules come out for December?

Thanks!


----------



## mum of two pirates

It was may 15, then the 17, now it looks like may 19.


----------



## martinmont

Is there still a problem with RAC if the return flight is an AirTran flight booked through southwest?


----------



## momto1

I went onto Southwest to check my rates to see if they had come down and I could snatch a credit.  But, my return flight on August 2 at 4:15 from MCO to MDW is gone from the schedule.  It is still listed on the AirTran site but not on Southwest. 

Any idea what this means?
Lori


----------



## ocalla

Where can I see the opening dates for November and December travel?

TIA


----------



## OnceUponATime15

ocalla said:


> Where can I see the opening dates for November and December travel?  TIA



On the Southwest Airlines website on the Travel Tools page..   November & December are noted to be released to book on May 19/14


----------



## OnceUponATime15

duplicate post.. deleted!


----------



## ocalla

OnceUponATime15 said:


> On the Southwest Airlines website on the Travel Tools page..   November & December are noted to be released to book on May 19/14



thank you sooOooooo much!!!  I knew it was somewhere on that site, but my mind just couldn't remember where!!!


----------



## bdunworth

Hi!  Me and my husband are planning on using points to cover some of our flights for our trip in November.  We need 5 round trip tickets (3 children) in total but points maybe will cover 2 to 3 round trip tickets.  Since I'm doing a combination of points and cash I'm wondering what is the best way to book, online or call?  This is my first time using points so I'm not sure.  Thanks!


----------



## jenseib

bdunworth said:


> Hi!  Me and my husband are planning on using points to cover some of our flights for our trip in November.  We need 5 round trip tickets (3 children) in total but points maybe will cover 2 to 3 round trip tickets.  Since I'm doing a combination of points and cash I'm wondering what is the best way to book, online or call?  This is my first time using points so I'm not sure.  Thanks!



Online...but perhaps do one way with all points and pay cash for the return trip or vice versa.


----------



## stacielee

jenseib said:


> Online...but perhaps do one way with all points and pay cash for the return trip or vice versa.



This!!  It's exactly what I did when I got my first 50,000 and had to book for 5 people.  I booked whichever one-way was the cheaper one with cash and the other one-way with points.  Make sure you have enough points to cover the higher-priced one.  The other advantage to booking only one-ways is if the price goes down, it's much easier to rebook at the lower price for a one-way than for a round-trip.


----------



## bdunworth

stacielee said:


> This!!  It's exactly what I did when I got my first 50,000 and had to book for 5 people.  I booked whichever one-way was the cheaper one with cash and the other one-way with points.  Make sure you have enough points to cover the higher-priced one.  The other advantage to booking only one-ways is if the price goes down, it's much easier to rebook at the lower price for a one-way than for a round-trip.



Thanks for the tip!  I'm gonna try and do it this way.


----------



## oliviaik

Do they still release codes?  If so, I could use one for July.


----------



## shystalips

I know that November is scheduled to come out on May 19th.  Anybody know what time it will be available to book?  TIA


----------



## OnceUponATime15

shystalips said:


> I know that November is scheduled to come out on May 19th.  Anybody know what time it will be available to book?  TIA



On the last release day (March 3/14) everything was online and bookable at 6:10am Eastern time.


----------



## MamaBear58

OnceUponATime15 said:


> On the last release day (March 3/14) everything was online and bookable at 6:10am Eastern time.



Thanks...was going to ask the same thing.  Unfortunately it's also my 180 day, so I have a LOT to do that morning!


----------



## stefplus3

Can anyone tell me if $1270 total is good for 5 people Providence to Orlando July 19-26? Southwest of course.


----------



## KaLyn

stefplus3 said:


> Can anyone tell me if $1270 total is good for 5 people Providence to Orlando July 19-26? Southwest of course.



Considering I paid $1300 for 4 people from Pittsburgh to Orlando, I'd say that's pretty good!


----------



## stefplus3

thanks! I just booked it. Too bad the specials they have now are either before or after july!


----------



## Maine-iac

OnceUponATime15 said:


> On the last release day (March 3/14) everything was online and bookable at 6:10am Eastern time.



*So I should be safe being up and on the computer at 6 am? I am looking for flights out of PWM and with it being a smaller airport there are not many SW flights going in and out of there.*


----------



## OnceUponATime15

Maine-iac said:


> So I should be safe being up and on the computer at 6 am? I am looking for flights out of PWM and with it being a smaller airport there are not many SW flights going in and out of there.



You should be...  I had set my alarm for 6am & just started refreshing the booking page.. it became book able at about 6:10am eastern.    I was beginning to wonder if they'd delayed the booking date to a later one - all of a sudden it was go time


----------



## Maine-iac

OnceUponATime15 said:


> You should be...  I had set my alarm for 6am & just started refreshing the booking page.. it became book able at about 6:10am eastern.    I was beginning to wonder if they'd delayed the booking date to a later one - all of a sudden it was go time




*Awesome.Thank you!!*


----------



## macsandy1957

Hello!  I am planning a WDW trip for myself and my adult mentally handicapped son in late October.  I have never used points for flying before and wanted to be certain that I can use my points for a ticket for both of us.  I don't actually have my points yet, although I've reached my $2000 spending, and my statement date will be May 8, so I'm assuming that a few days later I'll have the points.  So in case, with my rambling, you missed my question, can I use my points for plane tickets for both myself and my son?  TIA!!

Oh, forgot to ask!  I see you all talking about checking in 24 hours ahead, but we will be on a cruise ship and don't know how we could check in from there???


----------



## bjscheel

macsandy1957 said:


> Hello!  I am planning a WDW trip for myself and my adult mentally handicapped son in late October.  I have never used points for flying before and wanted to be certain that I can use my points for a ticket for both of us.  I don't actually have my points yet, although I've reached my $2000 spending, and my statement date will be May 8, so I'm assuming that a few days later I'll have the points.  So in case, with my rambling, you missed my question, can I use my points for plane tickets for both myself and my son?  TIA!!
> 
> Oh, forgot to ask!  I see you all talking about checking in 24 hours ahead, but we will be on a cruise ship and don't know how we could check in from there???



Absolutely you can buy a ticket for him.  I bought tickets for all 4 of us with points.  Just log into your account and choose 2 tickets, it will ask you who the travelers are.

Since you may not be able to check in at 24 hours, just pay for Early Bird Check In when you buy the tickets.  Or you can add it later too.  SW will check you in automatically at 36 hours, and you can just print your boarding passes either at your hotel or at the airport when you get there.


----------



## Melany502

MamaBear58 said:


> Thanks...was going to ask the same thing.  Unfortunately it's also my 180 day, so I have a LOT to do that morning!


Ugh same here!!!


----------



## macsandy1957

bjscheel said:


> Absolutely you can buy a ticket for him.  I bought tickets for all 4 of us with points.  Just log into your account and choose 2 tickets, it will ask you who the travelers are.
> 
> Since you may not be able to check in at 24 hours, just pay for Early Bird Check In when you buy the tickets.  Or you can add it later too.  SW will check you in automatically at 36 hours, and you can just print your boarding passes either at your hotel or at the airport when you get there.



Oh, thanks so much!!!


----------



## BellsFam

So SW does not charge to change flights?  Only the difference in fare?  What if your new flight is cheaper than the existing do you get a refund?


----------



## stacielee

BellsFam said:


> So SW does not charge to change flights?  Only the difference in fare?  What if your new flight is cheaper than the existing do you get a refund?



No charge to change, only the difference in fare.  If your new flight is cheaper, or your original flight drops in price, you get a credit that you have to keep track of, it's good for a year from the date the flight was originally purchased.


----------



## BellsFam

stacielee said:


> No charge to change, only the difference in fare.  If your new flight is cheaper, or your original flight drops in price, you get a credit that you have to keep track of, it's good for a year from the date the flight was originally purchased.



O.K. thanks!


----------



## macsandy1957

I was sooooo happy to see that my 50,000 points are there ready to use today, so jumped over to Southwest's site to get our tickets for October and BAM!! the prices have gone up dramatically since yesterday.  Yesterday the flight we needed was $209 (one way Tulsa to Orlando), today it is $264.  So now I don't have enough points for two round trip tickets, unless November's prices are a lot lower.  So what do I do, go ahead and book it at $264 or wait to see if it will come down?  Is it possible that it will come down again?


----------



## bjscheel

They go up and down all the time.  You still have quite a bit of time.  I bet they come back down at some point- you will just have to check frequently.  And once you see a price you can afford with points, go ahead and book it so you've got it.  If it comes down more, you can always get the extra points put back in your account!


----------



## macsandy1957

bjscheel said:


> They go up and down all the time.  You still have quite a bit of time.  I bet they come back down at some point- you will just have to check frequently.  And once you see a price you can afford with points, go ahead and book it so you've got it.  If it comes down more, you can always get the extra points put back in your account!



Oh, thanks for giving me hope!!!  I've been checking the prices twice a day waiting, oh so patiently, for my points to show up!  Now I'll just go on checking often and when it goes down, I'll snag a couple.  Thanks again, this is such a helpful board.


----------



## lisam427

i am going to disney in september for free dining.  when would be the best time to book to get the cheapest flights.


----------



## arbarks

Has anyone purchased points for their trip? Prices haven't been released yet for November but I'll probably be a little shy for one flight and it looks like the points can be purchased at 25% off. 

Also, if I purchase, would those points be available immediately?


----------



## stacielee

arbarks said:


> Has anyone purchased points for their trip? Prices haven't been released yet for November but I'll probably be a little shy for one flight and it looks like the points can be purchased at 25% off.
> 
> Also, if I purchase, would those points be available immediately?



From the SW website: Please allow 72 hours for points to post to your Rapid Rewards account.

When I've transferred points, it's happened within 1 day.


----------



## bigsis1970

Maine-iac said:


> *Awesome.Thank you!!*



HI Lisa! another Mainer here... When is your trip? We are flying PWM SW on 9/26 -10/4..


----------



## Wendaeh

My daughter's basketball team is playing in Disney over Christmas break (12/26 to 12/31).  Historically, is it better to grab the flights as soon as they come up on release day since this is such a high travel period, or will they open other flights as time goes on?

Thanks!


----------



## laura428

Wendaeh said:


> My daughter's basketball team is playing in Disney over Christmas break (12/26 to 12/31).  Historically, is it better to grab the flights as soon as they come up on release day since this is such a high travel period, or will they open other flights as time goes on?
> 
> Thanks!



I'm very curious about this, too.  We're traveling 12/21-12/28, and knowing how crazy high the ticket costs can get at that time of the year, I'm wondering if I should jump on a ~$300-350 fare when they open up December tomorrow, or chance it, waiting on either the June sale or lower prices as we get closer....


----------



## McKelly

I am nervous about prices tomorrow.  Hoping to keep it under $350.  Does anybody think that is even a possibility?  Does anybody recall what holiday fares were last year......although that doesn't mean much I suppose.


----------



## laura428

McKelly said:


> I am nervous about prices tomorrow.  Hoping to keep it under $350.  Does anybody think that is even a possibility?  Does anybody recall what holiday fares were last year......although that doesn't mean much I suppose.



Honestly, if it opens at $350 MDW-MCO, I think I'm gonna jump on it.  I saw fares on other airlines last week around $400-450, but now I'm not seeing anything lower than ~$600!!


----------



## McKelly

laura428 said:


> Honestly, if it opens at $350 MDW-MCO, I think I'm gonna jump on it.  I saw fares on other airlines last week around $400-450, but now I'm not seeing anything lower than ~$600!!



Yeah, me too.  I also am seeing those $600.00 fares, that are not even nonstop flights and that's making me nervous.  I am prepared to go as high as $400.00 for nonstop flights. Anything over that.....we might drive.  Ugh - hate driving.


----------



## Mommymarie

Hi all,
trying to get SW tickets tomorrow when they open....just want to make sure there isn't a chance they could open at midnight. I will stay up if I have to, but I don't want to be up at midnight and 6am! It's almost go time


----------



## ferrero121

Has anyone ever bought flights the day they are released are they cheaper ?


----------



## ferrero121

Has anyone ever bought flights the day they are released are they cheaper ?


----------



## Maine-iac

I got my tickets! For 12/3 to 12/8 a total of $632 for 2 of us out of Portland Maine. I was hoping to pay no more than $600. But I am OK with it.
Delta was cheaper @ $556 but that does not include bag fees and it only allowed a 42 minute layover at LGA. I didn't like that. And Delta is famous for moving their flight times around by a few minutes several times in a few months and that means we would have to re-do our seating each time.


----------



## Maine-iac

bigsis1970 said:


> HI Lisa! another Mainer here... When is your trip? We are flying PWM SW on 9/26 -10/4..



We are going 12/3 to 12/8. Just me and hubby as my adult kids would have to pay their own way.


----------



## Mommymarie

Just booked 8 tickets from Pittsburgh to MCO for $259 each in November with nonstop flights I am done stalking the internet for now....dining and flights are done!


----------



## ferrero121

Mommymarie said:


> Just booked 8 tickets from Pittsburgh to MCO for $259 each in November with nonstop flights I am done stalking the internet for now....dining and flights are done!



I'm in Pittsburgh too what days are you going?


----------



## ocalla

Im seeing a lot of "Unavailable" flights under the Wanna Get Away fare column.  Usually if they are sold out it says "Sold Out".  I'm wondering, do they ever add additional flights to there schedules for the Wanna Get Away Fares?


----------



## ocalla

One more questions:  Is it cheaper to "buy" points, "transfer" points or just pay for the flight outright?

My account is short for a return ticket, my DH account is short for a return ticket also.  Not sure what would be our best route?


----------



## Maine-iac

Our flights down have already gone up $21 each since I booked at 6 am this morning.


----------



## laura428

Maine-iac said:


> Our flights down have already gone up $21 each since I booked at 6 am this morning.



Just checked ours - up $51 per ticket since we booked, so would have been another $204 for all of us.  We wouldn't have booked at that price!


----------



## laura428

laura428 said:


> Just checked ours - up $51 per ticket since we booked, so would have been another $204 for all of us.  We wouldn't have booked at that price!



So, to confirm - if I found that prices drop substantially for the anniversary sale next month, is it true that I can re-book at the lower fare and re-coup the difference in the form of a credit, correct?  And that credit is good for 12 months from the date I changed it, or from when I originally booked?


----------



## stacielee

laura428 said:


> So, to confirm - if I found that prices drop substantially for the anniversary sale next month, is it true that I can re-book at the lower fare and re-coup the difference in the form of a credit, correct?  And that credit is good for 12 months from the date I changed it, or from when I originally booked?



It's good a year from the original booking date.  Good luck!!  I'm still stalking for my fares


----------



## Maine-iac

laura428 said:


> Just checked ours - up $51 per ticket since we booked, so would have been another $204 for all of us.  We wouldn't have booked at that price!



And my husband wondered why I got up for 6 am!!!


----------



## Maine-iac

stacielee said:


> It's good a year from the original booking date.  Good luck!!  I'm still stalking for my fares



So how does that work? What steps would I take if I found a lower fare? Do I have to cancel then rebook? Last year I called and the lady told me that is what I have to do.


----------



## Mommymarie

ferrero121 said:


> I'm in Pittsburgh too what days are you going?



Nov. 9-15


----------



## stacielee

Maine-iac said:


> So how does that work? What steps would I take if I found a lower fare? Do I have to cancel then rebook? Last year I called and the lady told me that is what I have to do.



There's a couple different ways I've done it.  The first way, and probably the easiest, is to go to the confirmation email you have and click on Change Flight at the top.  It takes you through the process, even though you're not really changing your flight.

The 2nd way, a little more time consuming, but it makes sure you don't lose the lower fare is to do this: open 1 window in SW and go through the booking process to secure the lower-priced flight you want, up until you get to the pay screen.  Open another SW window and go through the cancellation process until you're done, you'll use your old confirmation number to "pay" for the new flight that you have ready in the 1st window.

I've done it both ways, and even though I've never "lost" the lower fare, it can happen and I usually do it the 2nd way.


----------



## ferrero121

Mommymarie said:


> Nov. 9-15


  We are going the 13-21


----------



## kaguilbeau

SW is offering 25% off purchases/gifts/transfers of miles until May 31st.
I priced the number of miles I need for the flight and it costs more to buy the miles than it does to purchase the flight with cash.

But, I think I remember that it was more convenient to make changes to a reservation that was booked with miles rather than cash.  It seems when I found a lower fare that I had booked with cash, I got the difference in a cash credit to be used within one year.  However, if I had booked it with points, the difference was just added back to my points bank for later use.

If this is correct, would you purchase the points needed to book that one remaining flight?  I already have the others booked with points.

Any other insight into this would be great!


----------



## jenseib

kaguilbeau said:


> SW is offering 25% off purchases/gifts/transfers of miles until May 31st.
> I priced the number of miles I need for the flight and it costs more to buy the miles than it does to purchase the flight with cash.
> 
> But, I think I remember that it was more convenient to make changes to a reservation that was booked with miles rather than cash.  It seems when I found a lower fare that I had booked with cash, I got the difference in a cash credit to be used within one year.  However, if I had booked it with points, the difference was just added back to my points bank for later use.
> 
> If this is correct, would you purchase the points needed to book that one remaining flight?  I already have the others booked with points.
> 
> Any other insight into this would be great!



I haven't checked, but it should be the same with miles and cash.  But yes whenever I have changed one with miles, the miles went back in my account.


----------



## kaguilbeau

jenseib said:


> I haven't checked, but it should be the same with miles and cash.  But yes whenever I have changed one with miles, the miles went back in my account.



Here's what I found:
One way trip for 99.00 (or 5,730 points).

Yet when I attempted to purchase 5,500 points @ 25% off, the cost showed as 113.44.

Why would I want to do this?


----------



## bjscheel

kaguilbeau said:


> Here's what I found:
> One way trip for 99.00 (or 5,730 points).
> 
> Yet when I attempted to purchase 5,500 points @ 25% off, the cost showed as 113.44.
> 
> Why would I want to do this?



The advantage to booking with points is that if you change to a cheaper fare, the points will go back in to your account to be used at any time.  If you are not going to fly again within a year of your original booking, the credit on your cash fare will be lost.  Refunded points will be good as long as you keep your account active.


----------



## kaguilbeau

bjscheel said:


> The advantage to booking with points is that if you change to a cheaper fare, the points will go back in to your account to be used at any time.



This is what I thought, and I agree with this.
Do you think this is why the costs are more to purchase points (as in my above example)?


----------



## bjscheel

kaguilbeau said:


> This is what I thought, and I agree with this.
> Do you think this is why the costs are more to purchase points (as in my above example)?



That makes sense- if everyone could buy points to purchase airfare at the same cost as the cash price, everyone would do that and then nobody's credits would expire.  I'm sure they like it when credits expire.  

I like booking with points for sure because if I book airfare in February for a June trip, there's very little chance I'll be flying again by the next February.  But I've not had to pay for points.  My DH's semi fuel racks up the points, so we will continue to earn free flights.  In that case, I would buy points so I could potentially have some back.  But if it were someone who is just using up the bonus cc points and won't be earning more in the future, you might consider paying cash for the last ticket.  Getting a few points back might not be useful if you don't have enough for another ticket in the future.


----------



## kaguilbeau

bjscheel said:


> .  But if it were someone who is just using up the bonus cc points and won't be earning more in the future, you might consider paying cash for the last ticket.



Thanks for all the feedback. We are currently earning points on 2 SW cards. These flights I was booking was at a very good price and just before Christmas. I spent 62.00 to complete the reservation buying with points and am happy now!


----------



## bigsis1970

Maine-iac said:


> We are going 12/3 to 12/8. Just me and hubby as my adult kids would have to pay their own way.



Awesome Lisa.. Our trip is just the Hubs and myself as well  - My DD is almost 21 and in college and my DS is almost 18 and will be a SR when we go .. he will just be home alone for 1 night or he'll head to his dad's early.. 

My Hubs is a chef so he really wanted to go to the F & W festival - we are going to try and book a few of the guest celebrity chef demos (boy are they expensive! $99 to $170)  and eat and drink our way around the world showcase! 

Have you been at Christmas time before - my very first trip in 2001 was for the first 2 weeks of Dec - it was sooo pretty! 

Good deal on your tickets!


----------



## Maine-iac

bigsis1970 said:


> Awesome Lisa.. Our trip is just the Hubs and myself as well  - My DD is almost 21 and in college and my DS is almost 18 and will be a SR when we go .. he will just be home alone for 1 night or he'll head to his dad's early..
> 
> My Hubs is a chef so he really wanted to go to the F & W festival - we are going to try and book a few of the guest celebrity chef demos (boy are they expensive! $99 to $170)  and eat and drink our way around the world showcase!
> 
> Have you been at Christmas time before - my very first trip in 2001 was for the first 2 weeks of Dec - it was sooo pretty!
> 
> Good deal on your tickets!



I have never been to F&W but know people who go every year so I am sure your husband will love it!! 
This will be our second time going in early Dec. We loved it last time. The iced castle and the Osborne Lights were awesome. My other favorite time to go is the Flower and Garden Festival. It is so pretty with all of the flowers and I like that they have the food carts in WS like they do at F&W.
My daughter is 26 and still lives at home. She is trying to get a full time job so she can afford her own place. With a car, insurance and college payments it is hard.
My son is 24 and he lives and works in Boston. He is trying to save money for a newer car so said he didn't want to go to Disney with us.
My husband works at BIW and loves Disney as much as I do! He is needing that vacation from reality because he has been working 7 days weeks for a long time now.
BTW the sale fares for our flight down were sold out in one day. Glad I got it first thing!


----------



## MamaBear58

What is Southwest's refund policy?  I ask because I"m trying to figure out whether I need purchase travel insurance.

The only reason I could see us cancelling this trip is if DH's 81-year old mother died or if one of us (DH, myself, DS7 and DD4) were deathly ill.  We are room only, so other than airfair, all I'd lose is my deposit.  Even my pre-paid ADRs are late enough in our trip that if we didn't go I'd cancel in time for the refund.

So, would Southwest give us 4 other tickets?  A credit (we got a good deal) against the price of 4 other tickets?  Or nothing?

Thanks.


----------



## Pumbas

ocalla said:


> Im seeing a lot of "Unavailable" flights under the Wanna Get Away fare column.  Usually if they are sold out it says "Sold Out".  I'm wondering, do they ever add additional flights to there schedules for the Wanna Get Away Fares?



I am already seeing sold out for Nov. & have the same question. Does Southwest add more flights?


----------



## mum of two pirates

Pumbas said:


> I am already seeing sold out for Nov. & have the same question. Does Southwest add more flights?



They Wouldn't add another flight to sell more wanna get away tickets. They would want to sell the higher price seats or have a sale first.


----------



## OnceUponATime15

Pumbas said:


> I am already seeing sold out for Nov. & have the same question. Does Southwest add more flights?



Back in March our flight choices (Wanna Get Away) went from unavailable to sold within days of their release.

They were all back about a month later.. at a much higher price -- Originally $123 one way then $334 one way.  Making a full return trip crazy expensive  

They are still available.. the outbound flight is down but the return leg of the trip remains very high.


----------



## shpdem

Does anybody know of a good place to find discounted sw gift cards?


----------



## mickey1968

Southwest will give you a credit on the Wanna Get Away tickets, or if you bought with points, they will put those back in you rewards account.


----------



## katriscari

I am not a frequent flyer, so forgive me if this is an absurd question....

We are looking to book a trip in May 2015 flying out of our local Airport. Without me having to check various months and flights does anyone know if flights are generally at the same time of day on a specific day of the week across months? Like if I were to look at Monday June 23, 2014 and Monday July 2 and they left at the same time what is the likelihood that would continue to be the case in May of next year. We loved our flights this year...left at 10am nonstop arrives at noon. The airport is small, so they only have one direct flight per day. The others have Stops.  Thanks for any info, and I hope this makes sense!


----------



## godchaser

My family will be going to Disney Dec. 13-18th. (Super exicited- Our first CHRISTMAS TRIP)  We are wanting to fly southwest but there are no non stop flights available.  We have flown southwest to MCO the last 2 years and have had non stop flights.  So now, a flight that normally take less then an hour and a  half will take 5-7 hours 
Does anyone know if this is the norm for this time of year?  Will they possibly add any non stop flights?  The only reason that we are wanting Southwest is because with our RR points, we can get 2 tix.  
Any help on this would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!
TIA


----------



## Ilovemyprincesses

I paid for 4 tickets but it would only give me the points for my ticket. Can I get all of the points or does everyone have to have their own number to get their own points?


----------



## zy144622

Ilovemyprincesses said:


> I paid for 4 tickets but it would only give me the points for my ticket. Can I get all of the points or does everyone have to have their own number to get their own points?



Everyone needs their own account. I made the same mistake my first time. In the future points can be transferred from account to account though.


----------



## cjnix29

I have a coke rewards code. If I book a reservation for 5 people, will that take $20 off EACH ticket? Or off the total?


----------



## CookieGVB

It will take $20 off each fare, up to 8?, I think.


----------



## shystalips

If anyone is booking flights with points for an upcoming trip thru Oct 7th, PM me if you want to try a "points take you farther code" where your points are worth 20% more.  I believe it's one time use and hopefully not tied to my account.  I cannot use as I am traveling in November.


----------



## jenseib

shystalips said:


> If anyone is booking flights with points for an upcoming trip thru Oct 7th, PM me if you want to try a "points take you farther code" where your points are worth 20% more.  I believe it's one time use and hopefully not tied to my account.  I cannot use as I am traveling in November.



I pm'd you. I am ready to book flights today actually!


----------



## shystalips

jenseib said:


> I pm'd you. I am ready to book flights today actually!



Glad it worked and I could help you out.


----------



## Pinkgirly

Is anyone else having a problem with the wanna get away price? I was going to book today and now it says all of the wanna get away prices are sold out for our date. I am so bummed the other prices are crazy and SW is the only direct flight around here.


----------



## beatlesblonde

I'm still waiting to see if SW offers another sale for our flight on 11/1. Eight flights from MCO to IND that day, and 5 of them are too early (we returning from a Disney cruise) , which leaves us with three flights out. 

The "earliest" has one stop (but no plane change), the 2nd is non-stop but the most expensive, and the last is the cheapest without any sort of sale, but has us hanging around MCO all day and includes a layover in ATL (which would make for a really long travel day and we don't want to stay in Orlando overnight because my in-laws still have to travel another 3.5 hours from IND back to their home)   I'd really prefer the non-stop flight but it's way too expensive!


----------



## goldilocks_63

I could use further points code
Please.  


Sent pm

Goldi


----------



## jenseib

goldilocks_63 said:


> I could use further points code
> Please.
> 
> 
> Sent pm
> 
> Goldi



I already used it!


----------



## fairytalelover

We are flying from Sacramento to Orlando October 10th returning on the 25th.  Are there any codes that we can use to get cheaper flights for the three of us?


----------



## firegurl

I am fairly new to the SW/mycokerewards codes. I just discovered it 2 weeks ago. I have been harassing people ar work and finally will have my 100 points tomorrow. My flight prices finally went back down so I could rebook and actually save the money, then I saw that the rewards code is no longer available. Is this something thay periodically happens and it will be available again soon or am I out of luck?


----------



## jenseib

yes it comes and goes


----------



## firegurl

jenseib said:
			
		

> yes it comes and goes



Thanks.


----------



## MamaBear58

We may cancel our trip.  This is my first experience with SW.  Do I understand correctly that I'll get a credit against future flights taken within one year?  Is it within one year of booking or within one year of the departure (or return) flight?

Thanks in advance.


----------



## stitchlovestink

MamaBear58 said:
			
		

> We may cancel our trip.  This is my first experience with SW.  Do I understand correctly that I'll get a credit against future flights taken within one year?  Is it within one year of booking or within one year of the departure (or return) flight?
> 
> Thanks in advance.


All flights must be completed within the 1 year time frame....so if you bought round trip tickets, you would need to have flown home before the 1 year is up!


----------



## kenly777

MamaBear58 said:


> We may cancel our trip.  This is my first experience with SW.  Do I understand correctly that I'll get a credit against future flights taken within one year?  Is it within one year of booking or within one year of the departure (or return) flight?  Thanks in advance.



All travel must be completed by one year of original purchase.


----------



## MamaBear58

kenly777 said:


> All travel must be completed by one year of original purchase.



Thanks so much.  Also, do you know if it's a straight dollar amount to be used as I please?  For example, I paid $288 roundtrip each for DH, me, DS and DD.  Do I have vouchers for 4 flights that are good for up to $288 each?  Or do I really have a $1152 credit (4 x 288) that my husband I could use on more expensive flights and leave the kids home?

Thanks again.


----------



## disneymagicgirl

MamaBear58 said:


> Thanks so much.  Also, do you know if it's a straight dollar amount to be used as I please?  For example, I paid $288 roundtrip each for DH, me, DS and DD.  Do I have vouchers for 4 flights that are good for up to $288 each?  Or do I really have a $1152 credit (4 x 288) that my husband I could use on more expensive flights and leave the kids home?
> 
> Thanks again.



The credit will be in each original traveler's names.


----------



## MamaBear58

disneymagicgirl said:


> The credit will be in each original traveler's names.



Thanks again for the quick responses.


----------



## stitchlovestink

MamaBear58 said:
			
		

> Thanks so much.  Also, do you know if it's a straight dollar amount to be used as I please?  For example, I paid $288 roundtrip each for DH, me, DS and DD.  Do I have vouchers for 4 flights that are good for up to $288 each?  Or do I really have a $1152 credit (4 x 288) that my husband I could use on more expensive flights and leave the kids home?
> 
> Thanks again.



And also keep in mind that each traveler must use their own voucher.  Vouchers are no longer transferable and must be used by the person they were issued to. So you or your husband would not be able to use the vouchers issued to your children.  Hope that made sense!


----------



## disneynewbee

So I've been waiting for our Oct 24th flights to Disney to come down so that I could book a later time. We have 8am booked but that means the kids missing school another day and they are already missing enough.Today a later flight actually came down but now I've already gotten excited about another full day in Disney vs half day. I know the responsible thing is to change and let them go to school that day.... darn it being responsible stinks.


----------



## disneymagicgirl

disneynewbee said:


> So I've been waiting for our Oct 24th flights to Disney to come down so that I could book a later time. We have 8am booked but that means the kids missing school another day and they are already missing enough.Today a later flight actually came down but now I've already gotten excited about another full day in Disney vs half day. I know the responsible thing is to change and let them go to school that day.... darn it being responsible stinks.



Same thing here...take the 5pm and don't miss another school day or take the 12n and have an extra evening in parks. Good parenting is hard!


----------



## mla973

So, I have been watching SW prices for GRR to MCO in December. They have hovered at $149 per way (WGA fare for the non-stop flights). Last night, they went to $153. I haven't noticed prices fluctuating... I was just hoping for a better price because one of the flights times doesn't give us any vacation time the day of arrival. 

If prices have gone up, even if only slightly, are they likely to start climbing? SW is new to our market, but they are the cheapest alternative, especially considering the free bags.


----------



## jenseib

I read taxes were going up on the 20th. Mine has slowly gone up a dollar here or there for Sept. I booked but was hoping to see it go lower for credit.


----------



## mum of two pirates

The day we come home went down this morning for the 8am flight. Were taking the 5pm home though. I want as much time at disney as I can. Jyst thought id tell you to check your dec tickets again.


----------



## Lovinallthingsdisney

Mla973....we are also flying Out of GRR in December.  I purchased tickets back in May, but review regularly for price changes.  I noticed too that the outbound flight went up on Sunday or Monday.  However, there is a "sale" now that has reduced the price back into the $130's.  Of course this all depends on your travel dates, but I think they are typically similarly priced.  You may want to check again.  Sale only extends to December 17, so that may affect price too.


----------



## Disneyplanners

Sorry if this question has been asked before, I couldn't find the answer.  Can SW travel funds be applied to the seat selection cost on the airtran portion of our trip?
Thank you.


----------



## Disneyplanners

Also, does anyone have an updated report on whether or not you can do resort airline check in if you have one leg of your trip SW and the other Airtran through SW?


----------



## mla973

Thanks for the replies. Just checked again... still $153 each way, GRR to MCO. I did book yesterday. 

We come back on the 18th, so the sale wouldn't work for that flight. 

The nonstop flights are luckily the cheapest, but we don't get to MCO until about 4 p.m. (then with DME transfers, etc., we won't be to BWV until 6 or so). i'm really disappointed about that. But, we have a full day on departure day, so I guess it evens out.


----------



## jdmccon7

DH has about 11,000 rapid rewards points.  He doesn't have a SW credit card so he can't use those points for anything other tha flights.   I was hoping we could use them for SW gift card to cover priority boarding.  

I added DH as an authorized user of my card hoping that would allow him to order that gift card.  But the website won't let me do that.  Apparently he will need his own credit card.  But I don't want another annual fee. Or am I missing something?  And does anyone have a way to convert those points to a gift card other than another credit card, transferring or gifting (which will all cost me money).  Thanks for the help...I am out of ideas.


----------



## ip74

Lotta good info here!
Thanks all


----------



## Kristie911

I booked our September trip from GRR to MCO a couple months ago.  They started at $141 each way.  Then they added a new flight with better hours (it left at 11:20 instead of 9:40 with approx. the same arrival time and we have to drive just over an hour so later with less layover was better.  I snagged that flight at only $131 each way.

Then they cancelled that flight 3 weeks later.  Now we're leaving the airport at 6am!!  I have to leave the house at 3:30am, with two kids, to get there early enough.  Ugh.

And the credits I had on my account are gone but since we rarely fly I guess that 50 bucks isn't a big deal.  But the whole experience has been seriously irritating.


----------



## disneymagicgirl

Kristie911 said:


> I booked our September trip from GRR to MCO a couple months ago.  They started at $141 each way.  Then they added a new flight with better hours (it left at 11:20 instead of 9:40 with approx. the same arrival time and we have to drive just over an hour so later with less layover was better.  I snagged that flight at only $131 each way.
> 
> Then they cancelled that flight 3 weeks later.  Now we're leaving the airport at 6am!!  I have to leave the house at 3:30am, with two kids, to get there early enough.  Ugh.
> 
> And the credits I had on my account are gone but since we rarely fly I guess that 50 bucks isn't a big deal.  But the whole experience has been seriously irritating.



Oh man! So sorry! That is seriously early! We have done 6am flights before when necessary, but we live closer to the airport than you. Leaving a at 4:30 isn't so bad, esp since everyone is excited to start vacation.


----------



## gretchenohar@hotmail

What happened to your credits?  I hope it's just a glitch.
And I hope your plans and trip only get better from here on out!


----------



## Bronte

I only have a one way ticket to buy (Aug. 24)
Is it worth it for the 10 bucks to sign up for the coke rewards thing ??

One other question ..
Do they offer this all the time ... I have to buy two round trip tickets for early december


----------



## jenseib

The only way I have ever seen my credits is when I put in the reservation number from the flight that I lowered the cost from...I am not sure if you can see them anywhere else or not?


----------



## Lsdolphin

cjnix29 said:


> I have a coke rewards code. If I book a reservation for 5 people, will that take $20 off EACH ticket? Or off the total?





How do you get codes for SWA from coke rewards I looked but did not see anything relating to SWA on the Coke Rewards website.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Does anyone know when SWA will extend their schedules? I thought I saw the somewhere but now I can't find it.


----------



## DianeV

They sometimes offer a code for 100 points but right now there aren't any on there...




Lsdolphin said:


> How do you get codes for SWA from coke rewards I looked but did not see anything relating to SWA on the Coke Rewards website.


----------



## katriscari

Lsdolphin said:


> Does anyone know when SWA will extend their schedules? I thought I saw the somewhere but now I can't find it.


 their site says August 4. This will release flights to beginning of March.


----------



## Kristie911

I didn't pay extra for the early bird check-in (because I'm cheap) and we have a 4 year old, so I'm hoping we can board in the family section between A and B.  But I still want to check in on line as early as possible...what time to I do that?  Exactly 24 hours before my flight is scheduled to leave?

And how to I print passes when I'm in Disney?  I can check in on my phone but obviously I can't print anything...can I do that at the airport?  Or can they be printed before I leave home?

I hate flying because it's all so complicated!!  Probably because I never do it...


----------



## jenseib

When you check in your luggage they will print them off for you


----------



## amomma23

Kristie911 said:


> I didn't pay extra for the early bird check-in (because I'm cheap) and we have a 4 year old, so I'm hoping we can board in the family section between A and B.  But I still want to check in on line as early as possible...what time to I do that?  Exactly 24 hours before my flight is scheduled to leave?
> 
> And how to I print passes when I'm in Disney?  I can check in on my phone but obviously I can't print anything...can I do that at the airport?  Or can they be printed before I leave home?
> 
> I hate flying because it's all so complicated!!  Probably because I never do it...



 You actually don't have to print anything, anymore. Your boarding passes can be viewed right from your phone after you check in.


----------



## Joan S.

Hi, How early in the morning will they open up the dates for February on August 4th??   We are on East Coast time.    Planning to see Mickey for President's Week which is also school vacation for us. Looking to book Sunday and return on Saturday.  I KNOW I will have to do it as quickly as possible!!   Thanks, Joan


----------



## ALD85

What are the chances of southwest opening more flights on a specific day?! There's only one non stop flight on our departure day and the time will just not do


----------



## jenseib

Not very likely


----------



## Maine-iac

Joan S. said:


> Hi, How early in the morning will they open up the dates for February on August 4th??   We are on East Coast time.    Planning to see Mickey for President's Week which is also school vacation for us. Looking to book Sunday and return on Saturday.  I KNOW I will have to do it as quickly as possible!!   Thanks, Joan




I was able to book my flights at 6am when they opened up flights on March 21st. How did it go?


----------



## ALD85

Maine-iac said:


> I was able to book my flights at 6am when they opened up flights on March 21st. How did it go?




They were up at 6 am EST.


----------



## bellenbuzz

For our dates in November I cannot find a non-stop flight thru SW....
Return times are too early....It really stinks

What are some of these SW codes I have seen in posts ??

Anything to help me out would be great

Getting totally frustrated !!

Comments and/or suggestions welcome


----------



## kelly3927

bellenbuzz said:


> For our dates in November I cannot find a non-stop flight thru SW.... Return times are too early....It really stinks  What are some of these SW codes I have seen in posts ??  Anything to help me out would be great  Getting totally frustrated !!  Comments and/or suggestions welcome



SW no longer has a non stop from DTW to MCO. We are flying out of Flint. It's a longer drive for us but it's cheaper and with 3 kids I prefer not to have a stop somewhere.


----------



## Kristie911

kelly3927 said:


> SW no longer has a non stop from DTW to MCO. We are flying out of Flint. It's a longer drive for us but it's cheaper and with 3 kids I prefer not to have a stop somewhere.



We're flying out of Grand Rapids and they don't have any non stop flights to MCO either.  I was pretty bummed when our flight got cancelled and I have to take a 6am flight since we're just over an hour from the airport.  I priced Flint but that's just over 3 hours away and we'd have to get a hotel the night before...between that and gas, it wouldn't have saved us any money.  

Now we have a 6am flight with 2 stops!!  One plane change and one stop.  Not thrilled since I'm not a good flier and take off and landings stress me out. 

Our only other option was an 11:40 departure but it had a 4 hour layover and I didn't want to hang out at an airport for 4 hours with two kids!!  Ugh.  This whole thing sucks.


----------



## ALD85

I was disappointed with the times SW had to offer for our dates. They only had a 9 PM nonstop flight home. That's ridiculous. So we adjusted our dates to get decent flight times. DS has to miss an extra day if school but I'm ok with that.


----------



## BStew

Kristie911 said:


> We're flying out of Grand Rapids and they don't have any non stop flights to MCO either.  I was pretty bummed when our flight got cancelled and I have to take a 6am flight since we're just over an hour from the airport.  I priced Flint but that's just over 3 hours away and we'd have to get a hotel the night before...between that and gas, it wouldn't have saved us any money.
> 
> Now we have a 6am flight with 2 stops!!  One plane change and one stop.  Not thrilled since I'm not a good flier and take off and landings stress me out.
> 
> Our only other option was an 11:40 departure but it had a 4 hour layover and I didn't want to hang out at an airport for 4 hours with two kids!!  Ugh.  This whole thing sucks.



That is odd! We fly out of GRR and just a couple days ago I changed my existing flight to a non-stop....


----------



## kaguilbeau

Hypothetical question here:  

My SW flight has a layover where I have to change planes. There is a window of about 1 1/2 hours.  

Will I have a new boarding pass for the second leg?  Will the boarding group I got when I did online check in for my first leg be the same for the second portion?  I will be meeting up with family at the layover airport and joining them on the rest of the trip!


----------



## jenseib

I have always gotten both boarding passes at check in...or online check in


----------



## kaguilbeau

jenseib said:


> I have always gotten both boarding passes at check in...or online check in



Thanks! That does make sense, but I wasn't sure.


----------



## Safari23

Hi, I'm new here and new to Disney booking.  We're about to book our flights with SW, is there any current discount codes out? How do you find them? TIA


----------



## Pirate1+Princess4

Just booked October from CMH to MCO for $272 RT.  Lowest 1-way was $125, but several options at $137.


----------



## poohj80

Booked our flights for a DCL Southern Caribbean cruise but am concerned since we will only have a 30 minute layover in Tampa.  Hoping gates are close but expect that boarding will have already begun by the time we arrive so it won't matter if we had A boarding passes or not.  I didn't think airlines scheduled such tight connections any more.


----------



## mla973

I just bought tickets a few weeks ago that were nonstop from GRR-MCO. 



Kristie911 said:


> We're flying out of Grand Rapids and they don't have any non stop flights to MCO either.  I was pretty bummed when our flight got cancelled and I have to take a 6am flight since we're just over an hour from the airport.  I priced Flint but that's just over 3 hours away and we'd have to get a hotel the night before...between that and gas, it wouldn't have saved us any money.
> 
> Now we have a 6am flight with 2 stops!!  One plane change and one stop.  Not thrilled since I'm not a good flier and take off and landings stress me out.
> 
> Our only other option was an 11:40 departure but it had a 4 hour layover and I didn't want to hang out at an airport for 4 hours with two kids!!  Ugh.  This whole thing sucks.


----------



## mla973

If Southwest lowers airfare on flights that I have already purchased, will they refund the difference?


----------



## ALD85

mla973 said:


> If Southwest lowers airfare on flights that I have already purchased, will they refund the difference?




As a credit.


----------



## Kristie911

mla973 said:


> I just bought tickets a few weeks ago that were nonstop from GRR-MCO.



Ugh.  I wish they did.  I've even checked a few days before and after or current dates and the flights are exactly the same every day.  So frustrating.


----------



## ALD85

mla973 said:


> If Southwest lowers airfare on flights that I have already purchased, will they refund the difference?




As a credit.


----------



## cadale

We are flying SW from MCO to Rochester NY in February.  I've never flown them and had to deal with the check in process. I purchased early bird check in which I believe means SW will automatically check us in 36 hours before the flight, correct?  So this would mean I don't have to worry about being on line at the 24 hour mark, correct?  Thanks for the help.


----------



## bjscheel

cadale said:


> We are flying SW from MCO to Rochester NY in February.  I've never flown them and had to deal with the check in process. I purchased early bird check in which I believe means SW will automatically check us in 36 hours before the flight, correct?  So this would mean I don't have to worry about being on line at the 24 hour mark, correct?  Thanks for the help.



Right- they will check you in and at any point after the 24 hour mark, you can see what you got and print your passes.  Just click on "check in" to do that.


----------



## Safari23

Are there any discount codes for southwest? We haven't booked yet for our upcoming trip and the prices just went up a fair bit


----------



## buckeev

Safari23 said:


> Are there any discount codes for southwest? We haven't booked yet for our upcoming trip and the prices just went up a fair bit



When is your trip?


----------



## Safari23

November


----------



## robinsce

Hi Everyone!

Does anyone know if Southwest might be offering the 50k point credit card offer again in 2014?  Hoping to use this towards a companion pass!! 

TIA!!


----------



## kenly777

They seem to offer it every couple months.


----------



## Melany502

robinsce said:


> Hi Everyone!  Does anyone know if Southwest might be offering the 50k point credit card offer again in 2014?  Hoping to use this towards a companion pass!!   TIA!!


chase ink is offering 70k sign on bonus  just got one!! You also get 5x points in cable, Internet, phone, cell and office stores and 2x on gas. 1 on everything else


----------



## Bibbidy Bobbidy Boo

robinsce said:


> Hi Everyone!
> 
> Does anyone know if Southwest might be offering the 50k point credit card offer again in 2014?  Hoping to use this towards a companion pass!!
> 
> TIA!!



I have a referral offer from my son's new card that is good until Sept 30.It's for the 50k bonus points after spending 2k in the first 3 months.
It says call a certain number and use my son's name and number.
PM me and I'll give it to you- he then gets 5k bonus points!

Bobette


----------



## bookwormde

If you search the web you can find entry pages that give you the 50K points


----------



## Tooth Fairy

Looking for help with trip Dec 13th -19th. RDU to MCO. Thanks


----------



## Tooth Fairy

Need help with trip Dec 13th - 19th. RDU(Raleigh NC) to MCO. Thanks


----------



## kenly777

Does anyone know when Southwest is opening it's next ticket window? I can't find it on their new website!


----------



## Maine-iac

kenly777 said:


> Does anyone know when Southwest is opening it's next ticket window? I can't find it on their new website!



I had to google it.

We are currently accepting air reservations through April 6, 2015. On October 27, 2014, we will open our schedule for sale through June 5, 2015. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


----------



## kenly777

Maine-iac said:


> I had to google it.  We are currently accepting air reservations through April 6, 2015. On October 27, 2014, we will open our schedule for sale through June 5, 2015. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.



Thank you!


----------



## kenly777

Maine-iac said:


> I had to google it.  We are currently accepting air reservations through April 6, 2015. On October 27, 2014, we will open our schedule for sale through June 5, 2015. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.



Can you tell me where it was on the southwest website?


----------



## OnceUponATime15

kenly777 said:


> Can you tell me where it was on the southwest website?



The next release date is always posted on the Travel Tools page


----------



## Maine-iac

OnceUponATime15 said:


> The next release date is always posted on the Travel Tools page



The problem is that we cannot find the link to the Travel Tools page on the new main page.   Can give directions to get there?


----------



## OnceUponATime15

Maine-iac said:


> The problem is that we cannot find the link to the Travel Tools page on the new main page.   Can give directions to get there?





 I used the search bar at the top right of the Southwest Home page (the magnifying glass icon) typed in travel tools. It was the first entry on the list that came up.   You can also get the direct link by googling "Southwest Airlines travel tools".


----------



## fairytalelover

We are going from Sacramento to Orlando Roundtrip of course Oct 9-25th.  Does anyone have any discount codes for us to use?


----------



## Maine-iac

fairytalelover said:


> We are going from Sacramento to Orlando Roundtrip of course Oct 9-25th.  Does anyone have any discount codes for us to use?



I would like to know how to get these discount codes. I can't seem to find anywhere to sign up to receive them.
I hope someone has a code to give you!


----------



## OHDisneyMom

I need some advice about purchasing flights using Southwest Rapid Rewards Points.  I will be booking flights at the end of this month for me, DH and DS11.  All 3 of us have Rapid Reward Points in our own accounts from previous flights and I have additional Rapid Rewards Points from a Southwest Credit Card.  We should have enough points collectively to cover the flights.  I know that I can purchase flights for my family using my account and I also know that you can transfer points to other family members.  What is not clear to me is if I should transfer their points to my account or will I be able to use their points for their flights and add from my account if necessary?  I appreciate any advice you can share.  Thanks


----------



## etoiles

If anyone has a discount code for early December I would greatly appreciate it! We are flying from Midway, Chicago to Orlando.

Thank you so much!!!!


----------



## irishwishes

Just got flights from Orlando back to Philly for $60 after Princess Half Marathon weekend!  Got an email that fares were on sale and almost fell off my chair when I searched for my flight.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

OHDisneyMom said:


> I need some advice about purchasing flights using Southwest Rapid Rewards Points.  I will be booking flights at the end of this month for me, DH and DS11.  All 3 of us have Rapid Reward Points in our own accounts from previous flights and I have additional Rapid Rewards Points from a Southwest Credit Card.  We should have enough points collectively to cover the flights.  I know that I can purchase flights for my family using my account and I also know that you can transfer points to other family members.  What is not clear to me is if I should transfer their points to my account or will I be able to use their points for their flights and add from my account if necessary?  I appreciate any advice you can share.  Thanks



Without knowing the points cost of each of the flights it's hard to give you 100% accurate advice.  However I can tell you there is a fee to transfer points, it is $0.01 per point.  The value of points is only roughly $0.015 to begin with so you're really losing a lot of value to transfer.  The minimum to transfer is 2,000 pts. and that costs $20.

Here's a few tips - first off you can book all the flights as one ways.  Perhaps your Husband and Son have enough points for a one way flight.

If you have to transfer to make it work I'm not sure it will be worth it - if you want to post more specifics about your situation (flight points costs, points in each account, etc.) perhaps we can help further.

Hopefully this info is helpful!


----------



## DontRushMe

I have a similar question regarding using points to book. Can someone please explain if this is possible?  Thanks in advance.

Example:  
I have 16,000
DH has 3100

To book our flight it is 9000 points each.  Together we have enough points to book this but how do I do it without transferring his points to me and paying for it all with my points?


----------



## disneymagicgirl

DontRushMe said:


> I have a similar question regarding using points to book. Can someone please explain if this is possible?  Thanks in advance.
> 
> Example:
> I have 16,000
> DH has 3100
> 
> To book our flight it is 9000 points each.  Together we have enough points to book this but how do I do it without transferring his points to me and paying for it all with my points?



Unless you can purchase a 1way flight with his 3k pts, you will need to transfer 2k of his pts to your acct for $20 and book the tix thru your acct.


----------



## jenseib

I would try and book each way separately.


----------



## DontRushMe

With the new format of the Southwest website I was having a hard time finding the travel tools also.  But if you go all the way to the bottom of the home screen and click 'flight schedules' it will tell you the date to release tickets. 
The newest release date has CHANGED from October 27th to November 10th.


----------



## disney world dreamer

anyone have a pin code/promo code for dates in march (23-27 specifically) flying from BUF to MCO.


----------



## ddluvsdisney

Does anyone know how you can find out exactly what time flights go on sale. I know it's different all the time. I don't feel like waking up at 5am and they don't start selling until 8. KWIM??!!!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

The flights usually appear at 6:15 a.m. EST. On the release date.


----------



## connorok

I know SW doesn't charge to change flights, but what happens if I had purchased early bird for my original flight?  Do I have to pay it again?  Also, if my original reservation was for a round-trip flight, but it would be cheaper now to do it as two one-ways, how would that work?  We would like to take an earlier flight that what we have reserved, and it just so happens that right now that flight is cheaper than when we originally made the reservation.  However, our return flight is actually more expensive, which is why we would want to keep that part of our reservation.  Any suggestions/advice?  Thanks!


----------



## Maine-iac

DontRushMe said:


> With the new format of the Southwest website I was having a hard time finding the travel tools also.  But if you go all the way to the bottom of the home screen and click 'flight schedules' it will tell you the date to release tickets.
> The newest release date has CHANGED from October 27th to November 10th.




Thank you!!


----------



## mom2elle

I purchased 5 one way flights for my family ( 2 adults, 3 kids) with points, and my check date is this Friday. For each of these flights I have separate confirmation numbers. When I go to check in on Friday. I assume I need to check in individually for each flight. What will happen to our boarding numbers? I assume we will end up with gaps between each of us. Can we still board together or do we need to split up? (My kids are 6-11, so too old for family boarding I think).


----------



## bjscheel

mom2elle said:


> I purchased 5 one way flights for my family ( 2 adults, 3 kids) with points, and my check date is this Friday. For each of these flights I have separate confirmation numbers. When I go to check in on Friday. I assume I need to check in individually for each flight. What will happen to our boarding numbers? I assume we will end up with gaps between each of us. Can we still board together or do we need to split up? (My kids are 6-11, so too old for family boarding I think).



Yes, you check in separately for each flight.  I've been doing Early Bird but a few years ago when I did a 24 hour check in I had a separate tab open on my browser for each person, with info entered, ready to check in.  When it is time, start with the first person and hit check in.  I know that after you do that, there is another button on the next screen you need to click before you go on to the next person.  I don't remember what it says...but I found out the hard way by clicking check-in, switching tabs and repeat, only to find out I had checked in DH 4 times and not the rest of us.  I don't know if the process has changed at all since then.

I don't recall how we ended up as far as gaps after I figured out I needed to click two things before switching tabs.  If there are gaps, you can still line up together with the last boarding number.  I.e. if you get A25, A30, A35, A40, A45, you can line up together at the A45 position.  (Or put two of you at A30  (those holding A25 and 30) and 3 at A45 or some such combination.

Of course the other option is Early Bird Check In, which I have taken to paying for to avoid the stress and hassle and also to avoid finding a way to check in while at the parks on the day before departure.


----------



## mom2elle

Thanks for the advice I checking in. I did buy EBCI for the trip home because that is the last thing I want to worry about when we are in the parks.


----------



## hildai

We were lucky enough to catch a $45 price drop/ticket a few months ago on our flight from FNT to MCO for next April.  When the new dates come out next week I'll need to buy the flight home.  

Will the credits on our account automatically be applied to our new purchase or do I need to do something first to make sure the money is deducted from the cost??

Thank you


----------



## ddwlms

mom2elle said:


> I purchased 5 one way flights for my family ( 2 adults, 3 kids) with points, and my check date is this Friday. For each of these flights I have separate confirmation numbers. When I go to check in on Friday. I assume I need to check in individually for each flight. What will happen to our boarding numbers? I assume we will end up with gaps between each of us. Can we still board together or do we need to split up? (My kids are 6-11, so too old for family boarding I think).



It has been a while, so things might have changed, but last time I did this, I called SW and they put all the flights on one confirmation number.


----------



## nifferearly

hildai said:


> We were lucky enough to catch a $45 price drop/ticket a few months ago on our flight from FNT to MCO for next April.  When the new dates come out next week I'll need to buy the flight home.
> 
> Will the credits on our account automatically be applied to our new purchase or do I need to do something first to make sure the money is deducted from the cost??
> 
> Thank you



You'll need to type in the confirmation number from the reservation on which you had the price drop to bring up the discount.


----------



## DianeV

I think I read in the past that if you have the Coke Rewards code and only book a one way flight you still get $10 off? Even though it says only on roundtrip? Just want to make sure what people's experience has been


----------



## Ilovemyprincesses

Has anyone used the app to check in for your flight? We will be in the parks 24 hrs before our return flight. Will that hold my spot and then do I print something at the airport? We are straying at Asmo.


----------



## kkayluvsdis

Hi All,

We are looking for flights through SW from either Providence, RI or Manchester, NH for the first week in February.  If anyone happened to have a code or any tips I would welcome the help! 

Thanks!

Kelly


----------



## Lsdolphin

DianeV said:


> I think I read in the past that if you have the Coke Rewards code and only book a one way flight you still get $10 off? Even though it says only on roundtrip? Just want to make sure what people's experience has been




Is there currently a coke rewards code?


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

yes for 100 MCR you can get

This single- use code must be entered in the Promo Code box on southwest.com or SWABIZ.com in order to receive $20 discount off one-way Wanna Get Away® Fares during the valid travel dates listed below. Roundtrip travel required. Reservations can include up to eight people. Discount is valid on new reservations only and purchase must be made starting 11/01/14 and prior to 11:59 pm for the respective time zone of the originating city on 02/01/15 for travel 11/8/2014-2/15/2015.
Blackout dates apply on 11/25/2014-11/26/2014, 11/29/2014-12/01/2014, 12/19/2014-12/20/2014, 12/26/2014-12/29/2014, 1/3/2015-1/4/2015
The discount code is valid for Wanna Get Away® Fares and is applied before taxes and fees.


----------



## buckeev

Ilovemyprincesses said:


> Has anyone used the app to check in for your flight? We will be in the parks 24 hrs before our return flight. Will that hold my spot and then do I print something at the airport? We are straying at Asmo.



Absolutely!  Works even faster than a PC... (well...faster than my PC!)


----------



## DianeV

I booked through Southwest but both flights on the way from Detroit to Orlando are on AirTran. Can I still check in online 24 hours in advance and will they assign us seats at that time for both parts of the flight?


----------



## xiaojunjun

In need of a code. Thanks in advance.


----------



## mrsmedamoo

First time posting in this thread,
Just received a Southwest email,



> Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort - value hotel
> Orlando
> 
> Book a flight + Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort vacation package, and save 50% on your hotel stay. Hotel offer is not valid on Friday or Saturday night stays.
> 
> Book: 12/2/14 from 12:00 a.m. CT - 11:59 p.m. CT
> Travel: 12/3/14 - 3/12/15
> One-day advance purchase is required.
> Restrictions and exclusions may apply.
> 
> Hotel offer blackout dates: 12/25/14 - 1/3/15 and 2/13/15 - 2/21/15.
> 
> Plus, save up to $200 ($25 per night, up to eight nights) when using the promotion code SAVENOW200 at the time of booking.*
> 
> *Up to $200 per reservation promotion code savings ($25 per night, up to eight nights) apply on flight + hotel vacation packages to any Southwest Vacations destination. Savings is reflected in the package price when using promotion code SAVENOW200 at the time of booking, and is based on the length of stay. Length of stay for flight and hotel components must match. Promotion code intended for redemption by individual consumer only. Savings valid if booked 12/1/14 - 12/8/14 by 6:00 p.m. CT for travel 12/2/14 - 6/5/15.


----------



## TexasErin

I have my Rapid Rewards number listed for my May 2015 flight, but I didn't get any points.  The tickets weren't bought with points.....any idea why it's not showing that I earned any points?  We booked the four tickets 11/10/14 and their website shows last activity for Rapid Rewards was this summer when I got some points for shopping.  It shows zero earned last month?


----------



## Lexiesmom

Hi, my trip is for Feb 7 - 13th.  Flying out of buffalo to Orlando.
I've bought our return flight tickets already, but was hoping for a price drop for the Feb 7th date.  Wondering if others think its as good as it gets now, or should I hold out.  I'm a bit nervous of it going up, but thought I would check if anyone has an idea if they tend to drop or raise prices 2 months out.

thanks!


----------



## MIChessGuy

Last-minute traveler hopin' for a code!  Mid- to late-January, going from DTW to MCO.  And since it's been 15 years (!) since I flew Southwest, I am not exactly sure how all this code stuff works, but I gather it's good to have one.  

Thanks,

The Chessguy


----------



## elgerber

TexasErin said:


> I have my Rapid Rewards number listed for my May 2015 flight, but I didn't get any points.  The tickets weren't bought with points.....any idea why it's not showing that I earned any points?  We booked the four tickets 11/10/14 and their website shows last activity for Rapid Rewards was this summer when I got some points for shopping.  It shows zero earned last month?



As far as I know you do not earn points/miles until you take the flight.


----------



## common cents

I will be purchasing two SW tickets for my DD and I using rapid rewards points. Both of us have our own accounts with the needed points. 
Question, can I buy both tickets at the same time and pay using the two accounts? Or do I need to log in under each account and buy the tickets that way.
Thanks in advance!


----------



## jenseib

common cents said:


> I will be purchasing two SW tickets for my DD and I using rapid rewards points. Both of us have our own accounts with the needed points.
> Question, can I buy both tickets at the same time and pay using the two accounts? Or do I need to log in under each account and buy the tickets that way.
> Thanks in advance!



Welcome to Dis!
You will need to log into each account to purchase using points from 2 accounts


----------



## common cents

Thanks! Been lurking on here for a long time, I usually can find the answers with a little digging!


----------



## Yvonneb

Has anyone received this message when trying to book SW?  We're going Manchester nh to MCO and I've been checking everyday since the late April to June fares were released but there haven't been any WGA fares.  If I check Boston, I don't get the message but the fares are super high, 320 pp one way, with six of us going.


----------



## LegoMom3

Yvonneb said:


> Has anyone received this message when trying to book SW?  We're going Manchester nh to MCO and I've been checking everyday since the late April to June fares were released but there haven't been any WGA fares.  If I check Boston, I don't get the message but the fares are super high, 320 pp one way, with six of us going.



I have never seen that message before.  

I booked WGA fares on the day they were released for that time period (also going MHT to MCO, early May).  Sadly, the fares have done nothing but rise since then!!  I would keep an eye on them, and don't book on a weekend (it is said that Tuesdays are typically the best day to buy; I don't know if that's always true but I do know that on weekends, fares go up!).  

On a final note:  once you see a fare you can live with, JUMP ON IT.  In my recent experience (and I've flown SW exclusively, several times a year, since '05) the days of deep discounts are over, and fares really only creep up after initial release (AND!....a personal beef I have with SW:  those wonderful "sales" RARELY include MHT, and if they do it's to someplace stupid!!).

Oh, and I recently checked Boston fares; they were all higher and the schedules were much less convenient.  Not worth the hassle of getting IN to Boston, IMHO.

Good luck!  

.


----------



## MsSweet

Hi,
   I am new to the boards. I am trying to book my first flight for a trip from New Orleans to Orlando. When SW 1st released these flights they were $128.00 but increased to $148.00. I received an email that they are now on sale but theyou are now the original price of  $128.00.

Do you think this will be the cheapest rate?
Should I book now?

Disneyworld May 20-28
POP Century 

Possibly Pop Century May 20-26 and Universal May 26-28

Any information about Southwest will be appreciated


----------



## LegoMom3

My advice to anyone is once you find a fare you can live with [afford], BOOK IT.  SW likes to go up and down and you just never know what's coming next.  If it drops again you can always do the cancel/re-book game, but if it doesn't, you'll end up paying more!

.


----------



## jenseib

MsSweet said:


> Hi,
> I am new to the boards. I am trying to book my first flight for a trip from New Orleans to Orlando. When SW 1st released these flights they were $128.00 but increased to $148.00. I received an email that they are now on sale but theyou are now the original price of  $128.00.
> 
> Do you think this will be the cheapest rate?
> Should I book now?
> 
> Disneyworld May 20-28
> POP Century
> 
> Possibly Pop Century May 20-26 and Universal May 26-28
> 
> Any information about Southwest will be appreciated



I would..isthat each way?
You can adjust to a lwer price if one is released and use the credit to be used on a flight within 12 months of your booking date too.


----------



## MsSweet

LegoMom3 said:


> My advice to anyone is once you find a fare you can live with [afford], BOOK IT.  SW likes to go up and down and you just never know what's coming next.  If it drops again you can always do the cancel/re-book game, but if it doesn't, you'll end up paying more!
> 
> .



Thanks. I'll book now and wait to see if there is a better sale later.


----------



## MsSweet

jenseib said:


> I would..isthat each way?
> You can adjust to a lwer price if one is released and use the credit to be used on a flight within 12 months of your booking date too.



Yes, it's both ways. So, for my family of 4 it's $1,024.00.


----------



## erinmarie2224

Hi - is there a tutorial on using SW points someone could point me to?

I've flown SW a few times just never on points.  I'm thinking of getting the credit card which will give me 25k points.  I have about 5000 points already.  So my questions are:

1.  Is there a way to estimate how many points needed for a flight not yet released? (early December)
2.  One out of three will have the majority of airline points.  I can use these to pay for others?  If so, how do I do this?

TIA!


----------



## bjscheel

erinmarie2224 said:


> Hi - is there a tutorial on using SW points someone could point me to?
> 
> I've flown SW a few times just never on points.  I'm thinking of getting the credit card which will give me 25k points.  I have about 5000 points already.  So my questions are:
> 
> 1.  Is there a way to estimate how many points needed for a flight not yet released? (early December)
> 2.  One out of three will have the majority of airline points.  I can use these to pay for others?  If so, how do I do this?
> 
> TIA!



What I would do to estimate points is to look and see how many points they are for other dates at the moment.  Pick a random date (and mark that you want to see fares in points) and then when it shows fares, click on the button that says Search Now in the Flexible Dates? box.  Check out other months from there.  That should give you a feel for the fare range.

To buy for others with points is no different than when you pay with cash for others, really.  Make sure you are logged in with your RR number.  When you search for flights, put in 3 people.  As you're purchasing, it will ask you for the names of the passengers and take the point total from your account.

With 30,000 points you probably won't be able to buy 3 round trip tickets, so you may need to buy only one-ways with points and pay cash for the return or buy for 2 people with points and 1 with cash or whatever combination works with your points.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

Sign up for the SWA email to get the specials. They often have specials to buy more points some times its 30 %, 40% or the rare 50%. 

They just had the 40% off last month.


----------



## Promomx2

I just noticed that my flight for later this month went down$20 for dh and I, is it worth the hassle of rebooking? And if I do how quick do I get a refund from sw?


----------



## katriscari

Promomx2 said:


> I just noticed that my flight for later this month went down$20 for dh and I, is it worth the hassle of rebooking? And if I do how quick do I get a refund from sw?


  it is quite easy to do, and you don't technically get a refund..you get a credit for a future flight that has to be used within 12 months (I think it is)


----------



## Disney's Fan

Is there a way to tell if I've purchased early bird boarding for my flight?  I thought I had already purchase it for my March flight a few months back, but I don't see any indication of it on my itinerary.  If I've already purchased it, will it let me purchase it again?


----------



## ksloane

Disney's Fan said:


> Is there a way to tell if I've purchased early bird boarding for my flight?  I thought I had already purchase it for my March flight a few months back, but I don't see any indication of it on my itinerary.  If I've already purchased it, will it let me purchase it again?



If you can find the receipt in your email, it has always been marked on that.


----------



## hollypoast

Disney's Fan said:


> Is there a way to tell if I've purchased early bird boarding for my flight?  I thought I had already purchase it for my March flight a few months back, but I don't see any indication of it on my itinerary.  If I've already purchased it, will it let me purchase it again?



I think there is also an EB somewhere on your itinerary on their website.


----------



## hollypoast

Could someone explain the Southwest codes... and if anyone has one I could use in February when I book for October, I'd be grateful.


----------



## Disney's Fan

hollypoast said:


> I think there is also an EB somewhere on your itinerary on their website.





ksloane said:


> If you can find the receipt in your email, it has always been marked on that.



Thank you for your help. I can't find an email, and I don't see EB anywhere on my itinerary, so I must be losing my mind thinking I had purchased.  Hopefully I'm not double purchasing EB!


----------



## livingisagift

I've seen people mentioning being up at 6am to book a flight. Can someone explain the benefit to booking the morning the flights are released? Are they typically cheaper the first day? 

Also, where do the codes come from? Emails?


----------



## LegoMom3

livingisagift said:


> I've seen people mentioning being up at 6am to book a flight. Can someone explain the benefit to booking the morning the flights are released? Are they typically cheaper the first day?
> 
> Also, where do the codes come from? Emails?



In my recent (last year+) experience yes, the cheapest fares are on the day of release.  Of course that is for my market and I have no idea if this holds true across the board for SW.  I just know that when I've waited, I've regretted it (and paid more!!).

I have personally never received a "code" for SW.  I get emails from them with sales and such offers, but never any kind of code that had to be entered to get that rate, so maybe someone else can comment on that?.....

.


----------



## twinmom108

When does Southwest normally release their Fall Fares for September?


----------



## MISSYLEXI

twinmom108 said:


> When does Southwest normally release their Fall Fares for September?



They should be released on Feb 26, according to the website.


----------



## twinmom108

MISSYLEXI said:


> They should be released on Feb 26, according to the website.



Thanks!!


----------



## brettb

The 50,000 point offer seems to come and go and I'm not sure if it's available through regular links but when I log into my Chase account, it's showing a "Refer-a-friend" offer for 50,000 points (and bonus points for the referrer.)

This is a great deal, BTW, and then, if you can find the 50k offer for the Business Card, you can get nearly all the way to qualifying for a Companion Pass....

PM me if you need the 50k point offer link, I guess?


----------



## lisamarie12

brettb said:


> The 50,000 point offer seems to come and go and I'm not sure if it's available through regular links but when I log into my Chase account, it's showing a "Refer-a-friend" offer for 50,000 points (and bonus points for the referrer.)
> 
> This is a great deal, BTW, and then, if you can find the 50k offer for the Business Card, you can get nearly all the way to qualifying for a Companion Pass....
> 
> PM me if you need the 50k point offer link, I guess?



We just applied for the card (new) last night and we were approved.  They were offering 50K points.  I plan on using the card to pay for the rest of the trip, so that will give me the 50K points.  But I am waiting until I get the physical card.  Do you have any idea, if they change the deals between now and when we get the actual card and spend the money, will we be grandfathered in to get the 50K deal?  Honestly that is the only reason we even applied for the card.  I figured that the 50K was enough for the 3 of us (if we drive a couple more hours to Memphis).  But if they change it to less points, that would stink, since it is the only reason I signed up now.


----------



## bjscheel

lisamarie12 said:


> We just applied for the card (new) last night and we were approved.  They were offering 50K points.  I plan on using the card to pay for the rest of the trip, so that will give me the 50K points.  But I am waiting until I get the physical card.  Do you have any idea, if they change the deals between now and when we get the actual card and spend the money, will we be grandfathered in to get the 50K deal?  Honestly that is the only reason we even applied for the card.  I figured that the 50K was enough for the 3 of us (if we drive a couple more hours to Memphis).  But if they change it to less points, that would stink, since it is the only reason I signed up now.



You applied under the 50,000 points offer, you will get 50,000 points.  That won't change even if the deal offered to new applicants changes soon.


----------



## Minnesota!

I am sure the answer is obvious, but apparently I am stupid today..

Where, on the SW site, can I view what I have in travel credits?  I know I should have some since my flight price went down and I changed my flight to snag it.  I just cannot seem to locate it 

Thanks!


----------



## ewerstruly

I applied for the card, got the card, spent $2,000 and on the first statement (which just came a couple days ago) it shows 2,000 points for spending, but not the 50,000. How long has it been taking for everyone to get those points and be able to use them?


----------



## bjscheel

ewerstruly said:


> I applied for the card, got the card, spent $2,000 and on the first statement (which just came a couple days ago) it shows 2,000 points for spending, but not the 50,000. How long has it been taking for everyone to get those points and be able to use them?



Log in to your RR account on southwest.com.  The bonus points usually show up there a couple of days after your statement closes.  (So they are probably there now)  Once they show there, you can use them.  Your next statement will probably show the bonus points, but they should be online and usable long before that comes.


----------



## ewerstruly

Nothing on there yet but the 2,000. I'll keep checking with fingers crossed they show up soon. The 2,000 for spending the 2,000 showed up on the 23rd.


----------



## ewerstruly

Just posting to say, still no 50,000. It must be waiting until the next statement even though the 2,000 purchase points applied.


----------



## ABCastillo

ewerstruly said:


> Just posting to say, still no 50,000. It must be waiting until the next statement even though the 2,000 purchase points applied.



It took us a couple of statements if I recall because the first statement really wasn't a full month.  first statement showed the 2000 and then we had 50,000 by the second statement.


----------



## buzzrelly

Minnesota! said:


> I am sure the answer is obvious, but apparently I am stupid today..
> 
> Where, on the SW site, can I view what I have in travel credits?  I know I should have some since my flight price went down and I changed my flight to snag it.  I just cannot seem to locate it
> 
> Thanks!



You're not stupid…unless we both are!! I can't find it on their website either! Anyone??


----------



## jskacoc

MISSYLEXI said:


> They should be released on Feb 26, according to the website.



It's been changed to Feb 19th recently.


----------



## ladynmom94

Thank You! I did not know this, YIKES I could've missed out!


----------



## akl432

Ugh, flights will be released through Oct. 30 in a few weeks.  I need a departure flight on Oct. 23 and return flight on Nov. 1.  Would it be best to book a one-way for Oct.23 on the day the October flights are released (assuming it will be cheapest that day), and then book another one-way once November flights are released?  Or would I get a better deal by waiting and booking round trip, once Nov. flights are released?


----------



## ABCastillo

akl432 said:


> Ugh, flights will be released through Oct. 30 in a few weeks.  I need a departure flight on Oct. 23 and return flight on Nov. 1.  Would it be best to book a one-way for Oct.23 on the day the October flights are released (assuming it will be cheapest that day), and then book another one-way once November flights are released?  Or would I get a better deal by waiting and booking round trip, once Nov. flights are released?



I would probably go ahead and book your October flight. Even if it goes down once you can book your November flight southwest will give you a credit for the difference which you could then use for your return flight. If the prices don't seem much better than normal than you could wait and see. 

If you do book the departure and return flights separately then you may get two confirmation numbers. Not a big deal. Just something to keep in mind.


----------



## akl432

ABCastillo said:


> I would probably go ahead and book your October flight. Even if it goes down once you can book your November flight southwest will give you a credit for the difference which you could then use for your return flight. If the prices don't seem much better than normal than you could wait and see.
> 
> If you do book the departure and return flights separately then you may get two confirmation numbers. Not a big deal. Just something to keep in mind.


Thank you so much for the help!!


----------



## pat fan

akl432 said:


> Ugh, flights will be released through Oct. 30 in a few weeks. I need a departure flight on Oct. 23 and return flight on Nov. 1. Would it be best to book a one-way for Oct.23 on the day the October flights are released (assuming it will be cheapest that day), and then book another one-way once November flights are released? Or would I get a better deal by waiting and booking round trip, once Nov. flights are released?


They don't include the beginning of Nov.? My DS needs air for end of Oct.-Nov too.


----------



## sbarisch

buzzrelly said:


> You're not stupid…unless we both are!! I can't find it on their website either! Anyone??



Bumping because I cant either!  Can anyone help?  We're trying to find where we would fine the total travel credit we would have on Southwest.com...


----------



## hollypoast

pat fan said:


> They don't include the beginning of Nov.? My DS needs air for end of Oct.-Nov too.



We travel in October/November often and this always seems to be the case. Book one-way on February 19th and book your return flight when the next set of dates release. It has never caused us an issue, travel-wise.


----------



## MrsWEsq

ewerstruly said:


> Just posting to say, still no 50,000. It must be waiting until the next statement even though the 2,000 purchase points applied.


Did you get your bonus points yet?  I got my 2k but not the bonus points. I'm just wandering if I have any hope of getting them before the next statement.


----------



## feet1

We are looking to book for Sept 15.  I see three different rates (sept rates aren't posted, but I'm just looking at end of july/begining of august as a guide).
We wouldn't be business class, so what is the difference between "wanna get away" and "anytime"  flying out of baltimore wanna get away is only $115 roundtrip compared to $380 for Anytime.  why such a huge price difference?  We drove last time we went, but want to fly this time.  And $115 per person is a great price.  We have 6 people in our family, so that is a HUGE deal pricewise.


----------



## hollypoast

feet1 said:


> We are looking to book for Sept 15.  I see three different rates (sept rates aren't posted, but I'm just looking at end of july/begining of august as a guide).
> We wouldn't be business class, so what is the difference between "wanna get away" and "anytime"  flying out of baltimore wanna get away is only $115 roundtrip compared to $380 for Anytime.  why such a huge price difference?  We drove last time we went, but want to fly this time.  And $115 per person is a great price.  We have 6 people in our family, so that is a HUGE deal pricewise.


 
The details are here: https://www.southwest.com/flight/pop_fareCompare.html?airline=WN


----------



## feet1

hollypoast said:


> The details are here: https://www.southwest.com/flight/pop_fareCompare.html?airline=WN




THANKS!
also -- can you still utilize the Magical Express luggage delivery and bus with Southwest?


----------



## hollypoast

feet1 said:


> THANKS!
> also -- can you still utilize the Magical Express luggage delivery and bus with Southwest?


 
Yes, we have many times.


----------



## Disneyonthe5

Just wanted to let SWA flyers know what happened to me! Knew flights go down in price about 21/2 months out. Was willing to hold out but many flights were selling out, so I went ahead and booked at a higher than I wanted price! Within the next few days, the price of round trip tickets went down $140 a ticket! And to top that, the flights that were previously sold out, we're now, not! I should of held out!


----------



## ABCastillo

Disneyonthe5 said:


> Just wanted to let SWA flyers know what happened to me! Knew flights go down in price about 21/2 months out. Was willing to hold out but many flights were selling out, so I went ahead and booked at a higher than I wanted price! Within the next few days, the price of round trip tickets went down $140 a ticket! And to top that, the flights that were previously sold out, we're now, not! I should of held out!



Southwest will give you a credit for the price difference if you call them today (you can also rebook you flight online to get the credit).


----------



## Puffy2

Is there a particular number to call to get the credit??


----------



## ABCastillo

Puffy2 said:


> Is there a particular number to call to get the credit??


I don't think so.  I think it is just the regular reservation line.  Just let them know you noticed the price dropped and you would like to rebook for the lower price and receive the credit for the difference.

If you do it online you just log into your reservation and "rebook" the trip.  The screens will take you through like you are picking a new flight, but just pick your current flight from the list.  Did it last year and only took a few minutes.


----------



## jenseib

Puffy2 said:


> Is there a particular number to call to get the credit??



no you can do it online by modifying


----------



## mastermind307

Is the early bird check in worth it?  I will be traveling in Oct. with my husband and daughter (age 9).  We've never flown southwest, but hoping they have good prices with they release the October dates in a couple days.  So I'm new to the way they check people in and how seating is done.   I thought about only purchasing early bird for 2 of the tickets so that hopefully myself or my husband would sit with our daughter.  This will be her first time flying and I want to make sure she's sitting with at least one of us.  How likely would it be for us to sit together without the early bird check in?


----------



## MISSYLEXI

Are there any codes out for flights in Aug?  and how do you get them?


----------



## sbarisch

mastermind307 said:


> Is the early bird check in worth it?  I will be traveling in Oct. with my husband and daughter (age 9).  We've never flown southwest, but hoping they have good prices with they release the October dates in a couple days.  So I'm new to the way they check people in and how seating is done.   I thought about only purchasing early bird for 2 of the tickets so that hopefully myself or my husband would sit with our daughter.  This will be her first time flying and I want to make sure she's sitting with at least one of us.  How likely would it be for us to sit together without the early bird check in?


That depends on when you check-in, how many people bought early bird check in and/or checked in ahead of you, and whether or not you are on an originating flight or getting on a flight that is already partially full.  We always just by EB Check in, so we don't have to worry about it and just figure it into the cost of the flight.  That said, if you check in at the 24-hour mark, you are likely to at least find 2 seats together, if not all three, just possibly in the back of the plane.


----------



## woodynjessiesmomma

I've never done Early Bird but have always checked in close to 24 hours and gotten B boarding. We've never had trouble getting 2 or three seats together, but we don't mind going toward the back. Pp has a good point about the number of people doing early bird possibly affecting your boarding group.


----------



## Mommymarie

Hi all, I have been watching the SW website for weeks and Feb. 19 was the date that flights were supposed to open through Oct 30....I got on at 6am and the date changed to May 16! I called SW and the rep I talked to said that her computer said Feb 19 5 minutes ago...she checked again and sure enough we won't be able to book til May! She told me to check back often since the date is subject to change....just checked again the SW website and now it says May 14. It is normal for the date to change so much?? We have an October Disney trip, but my dad is also buying flights for another trip in late august and it looks like none of us will be able to book tickets til May....


----------



## jskacoc

Check now. It's showing Oct 30th for me to book thru.


----------



## elgerber

This is what it says now...

We are currently accepting air reservations through October 30, 2015. On May 14, 2015, we will open our schedule for sale through January 4, 2016. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


----------



## mastermind307

I got on this morning at 6:30 and was able to book for our vacation October 10-17.  I'm glad I went ahead and booked because I just checked the price and it has already increased $18 for our flight down from $132-$150.  I paid $278/person round trip from Indy to Orlando including earlybird check in.  Total was $834 for 3 of us.  I thought that was a good price.  Only time will tell though.


----------



## jskacoc

I got Phl-Mco for $127 each. I waited an hour or so too long and got mco-phl for $150 each. I missed the $127 price because I thought I had time this morning. Bummer!


----------



## MindyMouse76

I found is MUCH cheaper to fly from Baltimore (BWI) to MCO vs from Philly.  I don't know what made me even try BWI vs. PHL.  Just happened to try it yesterday and today.  A lot more choices of flight times also!  Our first time flying from BWI.  Just booked it.  A longer drive to the airport, but doable.  Ended up being $718 roundtrip for three of us.


----------



## mcd2745

MindyMouse76 said:


> I found is MUCH cheaper to fly from Baltimore (BWI) to MCO vs from Philly.  I don't know what made me even try BWI vs. PHL.  Just happened to try it yesterday and today.  A lot more choices of flight times also!  Our first time flying from BWI.  Just booked it.  A longer drive to the airport, but doable.  Ended up being $718 roundtrip for three of us.


 

BWI is a "hub" for Southwest, so they have tons of flights going in and out of there every day. Therefore, the prices to/from BWI should always be pretty good.


----------



## Kathy C

We live in Texas and are "home" to SWA and it is quite expensive to fly from Houston to Orlando.  Purchased tickets a month ago for June and it was $460 per ticket with the "Wanna Get Away" fares.  We also went for a week in January and tickets weren't a whole lot cheaper.  It's a two hour flight - almost ready to drive!


----------



## MammerJammer

Okay, this is in regards to the SWA anniversary sale. If I were to book one-way now, at a higher price, wait for the sale, get a lower price at the sale, get a credit, and then book the rest of my trip using the credit--do I risk NOT have a flight for my way home? 

Right now I'm seeing $179 there, $99 on the way home. So, if I book the $179 portion now--do I risk not being able to book that $99 flight?


----------



## jenseib

book the 99 part now.  Up to you on the way done. You could wait or book it now and take the credit if it goes down for a future flight.


----------



## minster22

With all the changes coming to JetBlue, we are looking at flying SW next April out of PVD. Anyone here remember when they released the fares for late April/early May. I am looking at 4/25 to 5/5, 2016. I looked for a SW extension thread but haven't found one.


----------



## ABCastillo

minster22 said:


> With all the changes coming to JetBlue, we are looking at flying SW next April out of PVD. Anyone here remember when they released the fares for late April/early May. I am looking at 4/25 to 5/5, 2016. I looked for a SW extension thread but haven't found one.



They usually release dates about 6 months out. So maybe Nov or Dec?


----------



## traveljunkie

make sure to keep checking your SWA flights.  Mine leaves in 20 days and I check every morning for flight/price changes.  This morning I was able to get another 2,280 pp rapid rewards credits.  This is my 3rd change on this flight.  One for an earlier flight and two were credits! Love SWA


----------



## Disney before Sally

I went ahead and purchased my airline tickets, 160 days before departure - because I could not handle checking the web site constantly to see that there was no change at all in fares.  Not up/Not down, every day of the week for a few weeks.  Thank goodness too, because the departure flight I wanted is sold out.


----------



## KSR0330

I signed up for Southwest's Rapid Rewards prior to our (family of 4) recent trip to WDW.  I didn't realize that I only got rewards for my flight, so now I will sign up the rest of my family.  First, can minors be signed up?  Second, once we are all earning points, how does it benefit me (as the ticket purchaser)?  I'm assuming I won't be able to combine points, but will I be able to redeem my son's points on a flight I purchase for him?  Thanks!


----------



## jenseib

If you haven't flown yet, you can still sign them up and add their numbers.  Yes minors can be signed up.  You have to purchase with points in the account of the point holder


----------



## sbarisch

KSR0330 said:


> I signed up for Southwest's Rapid Rewards prior to our (family of 4) recent trip to WDW.  I didn't realize that I only got rewards for my flight, so now I will sign up the rest of my family.  First, can minors be signed up?  Second, once we are all earning points, how does it benefit me (as the ticket purchaser)?  I'm assuming I won't be able to combine points, but will I be able to redeem my son's points on a flight I purchase for him?  Thanks!


Yes, minors can be signed up.  You will need to enter each person's rapid rewards number when booking and then each person earns for their own ticket.  The points you earn on your ticket is your benefit.  I believe that you can book flights using your son's points for him.

I didn't realize this either when I first signed up, so I then signed up my husband and daughter.  You can ask for points retroactively for a certain timeframe - might be a year - so try to see if you can get the points for their past flight.


----------



## eeyore29

We're travelling in November. As of right now, for all of October, it looks like the price is the same no matter which day of the week you fly. I thought I changed our dates to WED-WED last year because it was cheaper than flying on the weekend. Any idea if the way October looks now, it'll be the same for November? If so, I'll change our travel days to SAT or SUN. Thanks!


----------



## KSR0330

sbarisch said:


> I didn't realize this either when I first signed up, so I then signed up my husband and daughter. You can ask for points retroactively for a certain timeframe - might be a year - so try to see if you can get the points for their past flight.



Thank you so much!  I went on-line and signed up the rest of the family.  I requested to be credited for the February flight for each of them and they all got their points!


----------



## Snow White 77

I'm a little confused.  I signed up for the SW visa with the 50000 bonus points.  I'm waiting for those to be credited into my account which should be soon.  I can use those points for my family airfare correct?  I have a rewards account.  Is that different from what you guys are talking about?

Thanks


----------



## KSR0330

With SW flight schedules coming out about 6 months ahead of time, do people typically book their rooms before booking their flights?  If so, are you able to make adjustments to your room dates if you want to book a flight that doesn't line up with your original room reservation?  

I'd feel much more comfortable booking my flight first, but we're planning on going at a busy time (Easter 2016), so I wan't to make sure we get a room at the resort we want (CBR).  Thanks!


----------



## Disney before Sally

I'd say rooms are booked before flights, since airline schedules come out at 6 months and dining reservations are 180 days.


----------



## sbarisch

KSR0330 said:


> With SW flight schedules coming out about 6 months ahead of time, do people typically book their rooms before booking their flights?  If so, are you able to make adjustments to your room dates if you want to book a flight that doesn't line up with your original room reservation?
> 
> I'd feel much more comfortable booking my flight first, but we're planning on going at a busy time (Easter 2016), so I wan't to make sure we get a room at the resort we want (CBR).  Thanks!


If we are planning far enough in advance, I book rooms first, then flights.  If I'm booking a last minute (couple of months out), I will usually book flights first (after looking at the ressies to see what rooms are available to get an idea), as the cost of the flights vary far more than the rooms.


----------



## ABCastillo

Snow White 77 said:


> I'm a little confused.  I signed up for the SW visa with the 50000 bonus points.  I'm waiting for those to be credited into my account which should be soon.  I can use those points for my family airfare correct?  I have a rewards account.  Is that different from what you guys are talking about?
> 
> Thanks



I agree it can be confusing. 

You can't claim the points from other people's flights. So if you bought a flight with cash you only get credit for the flights in your name. That's why everyone in your family has their own RR account. 

That being said, you can book flights for other people using your RR account and points. It is almost like gifting a ticket. 

So it is only when claiming points that you really need separate accounts.


----------



## KSR0330

So is it difficult to change the room reservation by a day either (or both) ways if the flights don't work out?


----------



## Disney before Sally

Are you planning on making changes to resort one week, one month, or six months out?  I would guess the room reservation would depend on how flexible you are with changing the resort- or if you booked something highly desirable...  Like poly or beach club OR deluxe vs value- because there are many more rooms in value comparably.  Or the time of year, like when crowd levels are 10, instead of 3.


----------



## KSR0330

Disney before Sally said:


> Are you planning on making changes to resort one week, one month, or six months out? I would guess the room reservation would depend on how flexible you are with changing the resort- or if you booked something highly desirable... Like poly or beach club OR deluxe vs value- because there are many more rooms in value comparably. Or the time of year, like when crowd levels are 10, instead of 3.



I would possibly have to change it when I book our flight (if I can't get a flight I want on the days I already booked for), so still a few months out, so hopefully I would be okay.

I REALLY hate taking off and landing, so I try to get non-stop if at all possible.


----------



## aemama

mcd2745 said:


> BWI is a "hub" for Southwest, so they have tons of flights going in and out of there every day. Therefore, the prices to/from BWI should always be pretty good.


BWI to Orlando is currently $306 round trip- is that a good price?  I can get Jet Blue out of Reagan a lot cheaper?


----------



## ABCastillo

aemama said:


> BWI to Orlando is currently $306 round trip- is that a good price?  I can get Jet Blue out of Reagan a lot cheaper?


I have seen it less than that from BWI. What are your dates?


----------



## Disney before Sally

aemama said:


> BWI to Orlando is currently $306 round trip- is that a good price?  I can get Jet Blue out of Reagan a lot cheaper?



It isn't as low as previous years, but it is what the current rate is now. I watched it for weeks. My flight sold out the day after I bought. And then the next direct flight sold out closely after. There are no longer direct morning flights available. These flights sold out at $175 per person from BwI to MCO.


----------



## aemama

Thanks Andrea and ABCCastillo.  I thought it was a lot too.  We are going the last week of September.  Friday night or Saturday morning flights are about the same.  Andrea how early did you book right before it sold out?  Is there anyway to see how many seats are left?


----------



## Mistydp6492

feet1 said:


> We are looking to book for Sept 15 . . . $115 per person is a great price.  We have 6 people in our family, so that is a HUGE deal pricewise.



So do we!  That IS a great price for Roundtrip!  I am looking to surprise  my oldest DD (10)  for October , and the best I can find so far is $130 each way  For us, the only advantageous way to fly would be for our tickets to be around that price, otherwise, right now, driving is cheaper . . . longer, but cheaper .


----------



## feet1

it wasn't round trip...I was reading it wrong when I firat looked at SW site.  $115 each way, so 230 RT - we booked it.  still a good deal in my mind...we drove last time and 15+ hours in the car with 4 kids who only want to get to disney makes for a LONG drive


Mistydp6492 said:


> So do we!  That IS a great price for Roundtrip!  I am looking to surprise  my oldest DD (10)  for October , and the best I can find so far is $130 each way  For us, the only advantageous way to fly would be for our tickets to be around that price, otherwise, right now, driving is cheaper . . . longer, but cheaper .


----------



## ABCastillo

feet1 said:


> it wasn't round trip...I was reading it wrong when I firat looked at SW site.  $115 each way, so 230 RT - we booked it.  still a good deal in my mind...we drove last time and 15+ hours in the car with 4 kids who only want to get to disney makes for a LONG drive



That is great!


----------



## ABCastillo

aemama said:


> Thanks Andrea and ABCCastillo.  I thought it was a lot too.  We are going the last week of September.  Friday night or Saturday morning flights are about the same.  Andrea how early did you book right before it sold out?  Is there anyway to see how many seats are left?



I would keep watching the flights if you are still interested in flying with southwest. They may run another sale as you get closer. I usually find that they run some kind of sale a few months before we travel even if the flight is fairly full. FYI we fly out of PIT but I like to watch BWI just in case.


----------



## Disney before Sally

I just checked today and flight from BwI to MCO was cheaper at $142, same flight and no longer sold out. But the return was more expensive at $203. So, I switched the to Disney flights for whole party to the same flight day/time, and everyone has a $31 dollar credit to use within a year. i wonder if this means a year from today, or a year from flight day.


----------



## Jajone

I have an unusual question. I will be bringing my DD and her 3 friends to WDW for a birthday celebration. We are ready to book on Southwest tomorrow night. I am not paying for the flights for the friends. Do I have them each book separately or book all under my name? I am concerned because they are paying for it and if the prices go down, I would get the money credited, right? or would it go to each individual girl? If we don't book together, will I have problems checking in everyone together? we are possibly using MDE. Sorry, guess that is more than one question.

oops one more, Can my husband "pay" for a flight for my daughter with his points even if he is not flying with us?


----------



## Disney before Sally

when booking together, any change will be mandatory for the whole group under the confirmation number.  If you book as Wanna Get Away - non-refundable - each person is credited the difference in fare.  The fare difference is a credit that will need to be used within one year.  I only book as wanna get away, because it is the least expensive.

The kids that do not know what is going on with point and credits...  an adult can manipulate the numbers as long as the passenger names match to those with the credits/points.


----------



## kt_mom

Disney before Sally said:


> I just checked today and flight from BwI to MCO was cheaper at $142, same flight and no longer sold out. But the return was more expensive at $203. So, I switched the to Disney flights for whole party to the same flight day/time, and everyone has a $31 dollar credit to use within a year. i wonder if this means a year from today, or a year from flight day.


 
Its one year from the date you booked, not the date of the flight.  I had $27/pp credits from last year I thought I could use on this years tickets but was disappointed to find out that I would have to use them by 7/31 when I booked, not October when I need to fly again.


----------



## Disney before Sally

kt_mom said:


> Its one year from the date you booked, not the date of the flight.  I had $27/pp credits from last year I thought I could use on this years tickets but was disappointed to find out that I would have to use them by 7/31 when I booked, not October when I need to fly again.


 
So the credits have one year to expiration from that date they are credited.  Can you use them to pre-purchase 6 months in advance  - or is it one year from date of credit to date of the next actual flight?  It seems fair to say booked to booked - but the airlines have us coming and going just like cell phone companies.


----------



## jenseib

Disney before Sally said:


> So the credits have one year to expiration from that date they are credited.  Can you use them to pre-purchase 6 months in advance  - or is it one year from date of credit to date of the next actual flight?  It seems fair to say booked to booked - but the airlines have us coming and going just like cell phone companies.


 
no they have 1 year from the day they were booked not credited. and then has to be used to fly by that date.


----------



## jenseib

Jajone said:


> I have an unusual question. I will be bringing my DD and her 3 friends to WDW for a birthday celebration. We are ready to book on Southwest tomorrow night. I am not paying for the flights for the friends. Do I have them each book separately or book all under my name? I am concerned because they are paying for it and if the prices go down, I would get the money credited, right? or would it go to each individual girl? If we don't book together, will I have problems checking in everyone together? we are possibly using MDE. Sorry, guess that is more than one question.
> 
> oops one more, Can my husband "pay" for a flight for my daughter with his points even if he is not flying with us?


 
No money...only credits and the credit goes to each person.  So only that person can use the credit on their next flight.
If booked individually you just go in and do each check in seperately.  MDE (My Disney Experience) has nothing to do with air or airline check in.
ME (Magical Express) will not make a difference for check in either.  You can check in from the parks on the app or you can pay for the early bird to have SW check you in before the 24 hour mark,


----------



## Disney before Sally

So the points each passenger is estimated to get is based on cost, because the points for the $140 fare are less than the points for $175 fare - same day/time/minutes/airports.  If I do not rebook at a lower fare when it magically appears, then I can keep the higher points for two years, flight day to flight day.  But if I rebook at the lower fare - I have to try to deal with credits that look like dollars (but not cash) for each person that are not points to fly within one year from when I rebook the cheaper fare.  Seems to me that keeping the higher points may actually have a better chance of getting utilized, if you visit Disney minimally every two years.


----------



## jenseib

Disney before Sally said:


> So the points each passenger is estimated to get is based on cost, because the points for the $140 fare are less than the points for $175 fare - same day/time/minutes/airports.  If I do not rebook at a lower fare when it magically appears, then I can keep the higher points for two years, flight day to flight day.  But if I rebook at the lower fare - I have to try to deal with credits that look like dollars (but not cash) for each person that are not points to fly within one year from when I rebook the cheaper fare.  Seems to me that keeping the higher points may actually have a better chance of getting utilized, if you visit Disney minimally every two years.



no.  not sure what the 2 year thing is that you are talking about, but the credits have to be used within a year from the day you book, not the day you adjust.


----------



## alipink3

So we are looking at doing a family vacation Oct 2016. . What are the tricks and tips for getting our airfare as affordable as possible?


----------



## Disneylover99

alipink3 said:


> So we are looking at doing a family vacation Oct 2016. . What are the tricks and tips for getting our airfare as affordable as possible?


Book it the moment fares for next October get released. This year, Oct. fares were released February 19th.


----------



## alipink3

Disneylover99 said:


> Book it the moment fares for next October get released. This year, Oct. fares were released February 19th.



Do Southwest Fares every lower? If they do, can I get a refund for the difference? Even $10 is a big savings when there are 7 of us going.


----------



## Disneylover99

alipink3 said:


> Do Southwest Fares every lower? If they do, can I get a refund for the difference? Even $10 is a big savings when there are 7 of us going.


Fares do fluctuate. But they never seem to be as low as opening day, for us anyways, out of Buffalo. You won't get a refund, but you can get a credit if you see that your flight is lower. You must use the credit within one year of your original booking date.


----------



## jenseib

alipink3 said:


> Do Southwest Fares every lower? If they do, can I get a refund for the difference? Even $10 is a big savings when there are 7 of us going.



I have never found the best price on the day they are released but others seem to think they are.  I have actually seen them go up and or down on release day in just a matter of hours. I keep watching and many times I find them lower later.
You can adjust it for credit that has to be used with in a year from original purchase date.


----------



## DisneyFan83

Hopefully this is the best place to post this question. Usually I fly AA, but am considering SW on this next trip. I prefer to book my Disney trip over the phone via their travel agents because I usually have questions, etc to ask, and I typically just book my flight that way through them directly. I was wondering if I can also book SW flights that way (since it's not available as a choice through Disney's site, I wasn't sure if it's the same over the phone or not), or if it's better to bypass the flights and do it myself through SW's website? Also, does anyone know when November / December dates will be released for flights? Thank you!


----------



## jenseib

DisneyFan83 said:


> Hopefully this is the best place to post this question. Usually I fly AA, but am considering SW on this next trip. I prefer to book my Disney trip over the phone via their travel agents because I usually have questions, etc to ask, and I typically just book my flight that way through them directly. I was wondering if I can also book SW flights that way (since it's not available as a choice through Disney's site, I wasn't sure if it's the same over the phone or not), or if it's better to bypass the flights and do it myself through SW's website? Also, does anyone know when November / December dates will be released for flights? Thank you!



you have to book SW yourself


----------



## ABCastillo

DisneyFan83 said:


> Hopefully this is the best place to post this question. Usually I fly AA, but am considering SW on this next trip. I prefer to book my Disney trip over the phone via their travel agents because I usually have questions, etc to ask, and I typically just book my flight that way through them directly. I was wondering if I can also book SW flights that way (since it's not available as a choice through Disney's site, I wasn't sure if it's the same over the phone or not), or if it's better to bypass the flights and do it myself through SW's website? Also, does anyone know when November / December dates will be released for flights? Thank you!


I believe the nov and dec flights will be posted in May. 

I usually book through the SWA website but you can also book by phone. Either way it is directly with SWA.


----------



## DisneyFan83

Thank you both, very much! That's what I needed to know!


----------



## WDW88

Does SWA release their fares at the stroke of midnight on May 17 for November flights?  I am one to stay up to book fastpasses and Get up crazy early for ADRs, so I will have no problem setting the clock for flight booking. I just don't know for what time or time zone to set my alarm. Anyone know?


----------



## MrsHull

Do you prefer Southwest over other airlines? Why or why not?

How low can the release date price go?


----------



## Disney before Sally

Southwest is always cheaper from my local airport, but I will pay more for a direct flight.  To Orlando, Southwest has a direct flight for us.  I can check two bags for no additional cost with Southwest.  They are yanked and ripped and bruised checked bags - but that happens on every airline.  I can make changes to the lowest Get Away fares, without incurring additional fees - although any refund is in points.  The only additional fees I've needed are the Early Bird check-in.  For two or more travelers this becomes more of a need when you want to sit together because Southwest uses cattle herding instead of assigned seats.


----------



## MrsHull

Disney before Sally said:


> Southwest is always cheaper from my local airport, but I will pay more for a direct flight.  To Orlando, Southwest has a direct flight for us.  I can check two bags for no additional cost with Southwest.  They are yanked and ripped and bruised checked bags - but that happens on every airline.  I can make changes to the lowest Get Away fares, without incurring additional fees - although any refund is in points.  The only additional fees I've needed are the Early Bird check-in.  For two or more travelers this becomes more of a need when you want to sit together because Southwest uses cattle herding instead of assigned seats.



The ability to change does seem pretty convenient. I found airfare through another airline at $311/per person round trip today. If we swap EBCI fees for baggage fees (we would have to pack more lightly to do this, with only two checked bags total), then the price is slightly more than I would anticipate paying, judging by the current SW fares for October.  Just not sure if I should go on and book or hope that SW is as cheap as I figure it could be. 

Is there a way to see historical flight fares?


----------



## edk35

How do people even get codes and how much does it save??


----------



## BirdsOfPreyDave

Is it possible to book some tickets with rapid rewards and some with cash on the same confirmation number?  I couldn't figure out a way to do it online, and wondered if they might have been able to do it for me if I'd called?  Also, are all the rates available when calling?  I seem to remember there are (or at least used to be) web only rates.  Thanks.

I now have a bunch of confirmation numbers to check in, but I won't complain too much because some of the flights were free.


----------



## ABCastillo

BirdsOfPreyDave said:


> Is it possible to book some tickets with rapid rewards and some with cash on the same confirmation number?  I couldn't figure out a way to do it online, and wondered if they might have been able to do it for me if I'd called?  Also, are all the rates available when calling?  I seem to remember there are (or at least used to be) web only rates.  Thanks.
> 
> I now have a bunch of confirmation numbers to check in, but I won't complain too much because some of the flights were free.



You will still end up with a bunch of confirmation numbers. I kept them all written down together to make online check in easier. Overall it still works ok considering the flights are free.


----------



## Disneylvr

I am about to purchase tickets for our September trip this morning because the fare is down to $315 RT but this means taking an early morning flight home if we want to get it at this price.  Am I understanding this correct.....if I go ahead and purchase those flights today and in the upcoming weeks the later morning/afternoon flights on our departure day go down in price I can change to those flights as long as the total fare is $315 or lower?


----------



## elgerber

Disneylvr said:


> I am about to purchase tickets for our September trip this morning because the fare is down to $315 RT but this means taking an early morning flight home if we want to get it at this price.  Am I understanding this correct.....if I go ahead and purchase those flights today and in the upcoming weeks the later morning/afternoon flights on our departure day go down in price I can change to those flights as long as the total fare is $315 or lower?


I would book the flights as one way flights, that way you only have to worry about changing the return flights and not risking the fare going up on your flight down there.


----------



## Disneylvr

elgerber said:


> I would book the flights as one way flights, that way you only have to worry about changing the return flights and not risking the fare going up on your flight down there.



And that wouldn't change anything about being able to use resort check in, correct?


----------



## Disneylvr

elgerber said:


> I would book the flights as one way flights, that way you only have to worry about changing the return flights and not risking the fare going up on your flight down there.



I just wanted to point out that booking the flights as one way isn't necessary.  I purchased the tickets yesterday, checked the fares this morning.  Our flight TO MCO went up in price but the later flight we want back home went down in price, the same price as we paid for the early flight.  I could make that change without have to pay the difference of the total RT ticket which would have been $22 more.


----------



## ms.ojo

I am wondering the same thing...SW is expected to open booking for Nov-Jan in early May...  At what time do they typically open booking and in what time zone?  We live in EST and I am wondering if I stay up til midnight will that be when it opens? Or do I set an alarm for 3am? Or some other time?  THanks!


----------



## vellamint

sorry


----------



## DisneyMissy318

Any chance of SW fares going back down??  I was watching an October RT flight - two tickets $365... checked today - more than doubled!  OUCH!  Of course, kicking myself but I needed to make sure all was good with the dates.  A little fluctuation is expected - double HURTS!  THanks for any info.  (This is Ric to MCO - 10/2 - 10/9).


----------



## han22735

To all the experts out there....if I booked RT is it possible to switch one way to points instead without canceling the whole trip?


----------



## jenseib

han22735 said:


> To all the experts out there....if I booked RT is it possible to switch one way to points instead without canceling the whole trip?


 If you booked a wanna get away fair you won't be refunded and you will still need to use those funds with in a year of the date you booked.


----------



## han22735

jenseib said:


> If you booked a wanna get away fair you won't be refunded and you will still need to use those funds with in a year of the date you booked.



Ok thanks!!


----------



## Disneychix

DisneyMissy318 said:


> Any chance of SW fares going back down??  I was watching an October RT flight - two tickets $365... checked today - more than doubled!  OUCH!  Of course, kicking myself but I needed to make sure all was good with the dates.  A little fluctuation is expected - double HURTS!  THanks for any info.  (This is Ric to MCO - 10/2 - 10/9).



I have found in the past that when SW opens up the next block of dates the October flights will drop a bit. Also, more flights may be added depending on your dates.


----------



## AlohaNow

Hi….it’s my first time on the transportation board; please be gentle! Over on another board someone mentioned having received a SW offer for $39 o/w DEN to SNA. I asked if anyone had details on that, and how they were able to receive such a great offer, but no one responded back. I receive the standard Click ‘n Save e-mails and I am a new RR Visa cardholder as well. Just the other day I was pricing out DEN to SNA because I would love to surprise DS8 with a little trip to DL for his birthday. But the only way that is happening is with free or nearly free flights! If anyone has any info on this offer, I would appreciate hearing about it. Thanks so much!


----------



## traveljunkie

I'll be interested to hear about that fare but I've never been that lucky out of DEN

I have a question for the experts.  This is complicated-- My daughter purchased a package last year via Southwest Vacations.  Her 'friend' cancelled the trip 2 weeks before without telling her (yep someone else can cancel your airline ticket when a package is purchased with separate credit cards). Anyway that was a sad mess-- DD had travel funds for the airline ticket part which she needed to use by July 2015, she purchased another RT for a trip this June. She used Travel funds + credit card.   NOW she has a possible internship on the opposite coast and won't be able to go on this trip.  The outgoing leg would fall within her expiration date but not the return.  Would the additional CC money she paid be good for a year from when she rebooked?  Or would we have to pay for an extension?  I'm sure I'm making this more complicated than need be but I've only used travel funds once and it wasn't this mess!
Thanks!


----------



## MouseTale

Sending some pixie dust for all of the Southwest airfare watchers for October and November.  I'm watching closely too.  Way too expensive now.  This thread is helpful.  Thanks.


----------



## Snow White 77

I have a questions about SW points.  I have 8 in my party.  I have enough points to maybe get 3-4 with my points and the rest I would pay for tickets.  Do I have to book my points flight first and then the other on another booking?  What if their isn't enough room on the plane for all of us and I won't know until I go to book the last 3-4 people? 

Thank you!  This board is great!


----------



## Mshheaddoc

Ok I'm a bit confused by the discussions.   Some recommend to book your departing trip one way as soon as SW releases the flight and then wait to book your return until the next month gets released.  So I'm going in October, I should book my departing trip now and then wait until the 14th when the nov/dec flights go on sale to book my return.    Is that correct?    Why book separately?  I thought you could change only one leg of the flight by calling?  Is that not the case anymore?  We haven't flown SW in a few years and are going back to it.    Thanks!


----------



## nalajms

Mshheaddoc said:


> Why book separately?  I thought you could change only one leg of the flight by calling?  Is that not the case anymore?  We haven't flown SW in a few years and are going back to it.    Thanks!


 You book now because prices could go up.  If prices go down, you can "change your flight" and get a credit usable for 1yr from date of purchase.

And you can change any part of your flight at anytime online.  If you booked a RT and wanted to change only the return flight it's pretty easy online.   HOWEVER, if you book 3 people RT all on the same confirmation code, you'd have to make changes to all 3 online.  To make changes to 1 person, you'd have to call.

And having 2 OneWay isn't much different from RT.  You just have an extra confirm code to keep track.


----------



## lildeb724

ok - crazy booking question.  The four of us are flying into orlando on december 18th.  one of us has to fly home from orlando on 12/27.  The rest of us will fly home from ft lauderdale on 12/30.  How do I book this when the flights open.  Do I do one way for the four of us first?  Than another transaction for the three of us? and then another one for my husbands flight back?  I want to be as fast as possible....but have never had to book like this before


----------



## gem21

First time SWA flyer here (Canadian, but it's close to 700$ cheaper to drive 4h to the US and fly out there!)

I booked our flights about 2 weeks ago, the day before there were no Wanna Get Away fares, so when I saw them available the next day I booked. Today they price went down 50$/pp for the return trip so I change to that price. 

I know I have a year to use the credits (I assume they mean fly by then, not just book by that day and fly out passed that day), but I am going with my parents and I didn't sign them up for rapid rewards. Should I do that? Will that make it easier to use the credits or it doesn't really make a difference? I probably will anyhow, but just want to check!

Thanks!


----------



## marthachick

ms.ojo said:


> I am wondering the same thing...SW is expected to open booking for Nov-Jan in early May...  At what time do they typically open booking and in what time zone?  We live in EST and I am wondering if I stay up til midnight will that be when it opens? Or do I set an alarm for 3am? Or some other time?  THanks!



I'm wondering about the time also. Any ideas?


----------



## ABCastillo

marthachick said:


> I'm wondering about the time also. Any ideas?



I think I have read 6 am ET


----------



## marthachick

ABCastillo said:


> I think I have read 6 am ET



Thanks!


----------



## chefmb

For those with more flying experience than me: I am waiting for flights to be released tomorrow. Are the flights really cheaper when they are first released, or does it just depend? I'm just not sure what to expect. I've never booked right when they were released-this is probably the furthest in advance that I've got my hotel booked. The lowest I usually see flights from my area is right around $115 (one way) and that's during a sale. Do they typically start there and go up as more people book? Thanks!


----------



## connie254

chefmb said:


> For those with more flying experience than me: I am waiting for flights to be released tomorrow. Are the flights really cheaper when they are first released, or does it just depend? I'm just not sure what to expect. I've never booked right when they were released-this is probably the furthest in advance that I've got my hotel booked. The lowest I usually see flights from my area is right around $115 (one way) and that's during a sale. Do they typically start there and go up as more people book? Thanks!


Most flights are cheapest in the morning.  Everything fluctuates after that


----------



## andee515

EEEEK! SW released today and their best offer:

11/20 LBB to MCO

$559.50

Return - Nov. 29

$573.49

Cost Breakdown
Adult $1132.99 x 5
$5664.95

 That hurts! I was expecting $2500-3500. What are the chances there will be a sale, for those of you who have gone on Thanksgiving? That seems unlikely to me given the time of the year, but thought I'd ask.


----------



## marthachick

connie254 said:


> Most flights are cheapest in the morning.  Everything fluctuates after that



This usually holds true.  However, last year I had booked flights to Las Vegas and from Denver in the morning.  I kept checking them throughout the day and on different days.  A few weeks later I checked on a Saturday night and they had gone down.  So, keep checking up until the last few weeks and you might get points back or a credit on a future flight.

I got up early today and booked our flights for our November trip shortly after they opened.  The return flight has already gone up by 1432 points.  I'll keep checking to see if they go down any.


----------



## sbarisch

lildeb724 said:


> ok - crazy booking question.  The four of us are flying into orlando on december 18th.  one of us has to fly home from orlando on 12/27.  The rest of us will fly home from ft lauderdale on 12/30.  How do I book this when the flights open.  Do I do one way for the four of us first?  Than another transaction for the three of us? and then another one for my husbands flight back?  I want to be as fast as possible....but have never had to book like this before



That is exactly what I would do!


----------



## chefmb

Well, I've learned something with SWA's released prices today--Don't fly anywhere Thanksgiving weekend, and expect that Monday to be high too! We didn't do too bad--Our hotel is for Nov. 30 (Mon.) -Dec 5 (Sat). Monday's flight is $215 (cheapest rate for that day-and I booked early this morning). Saturday's are a much more reasonable $115, so overall, not horrible. If we had planned on Sunday, Nov. 29, flights would have been almost $400 for just that part! Yikes! I'm sorry for those of you who have to fly that weekend and are hit with those awful rates! Here's hoping they come down over the next few months!


----------



## ABCastillo

chefmb said:


> Well, I've learned something with SWA's released prices today--Don't fly anywhere Thanksgiving weekend, and expect that Monday to be high too! We didn't do too bad--Our hotel is for Nov. 30 (Mon.) -Dec 5 (Sat). Monday's flight is $215 (cheapest rate for that day-and I booked early this morning). Saturday's are a much more reasonable $115, so overall, not horrible. If we had planned on Sunday, Nov. 29, flights would have been almost $400 for just that part! Yikes! I'm sorry for those of you who have to fly that weekend and are hit with those awful rates! Here's hoping they come down over the next few months!


I was shocked when I saw the rates for that sunday. Crazy!


----------



## beck00

We fly home that Saturday....hoping rates drop too


----------



## pmama

Moved our return flight up from Sat. after Thanksgiving to Friday because of how much prices jumped over that weekend. Seriously considered flying home on Thanksgiving. Tickets were $45 more pp for Friday instead of Thursday. Saturday is $100 more pp and Sunday is $350 more pp.


----------



## MouseTale

PHL to MCO late October through early November is still high.  It's almost $400 roundtrip non-stop.  I, too, was hoping for better rates.


----------



## 12disneybee

prices dropped nicely for our Pittsburgh to MCO flights in September...I already booked at $123 each way and they dropped Monday to $114 each way, so we now have a nice credit for SW future use,  PLUS, I bought the SW gift cards (used them to pay for the airfare) at our giant Eagle grocery store and received $177 in free gasoline!!! And to top it off, we got one free round trip using our SW points.....


----------



## FTM22

I know someone asked this somewhere but I can't find it. SO I am asking again and apologizing in advance.

If the WGA tickets are sold out 5 months in advance, is it likely SW will put more of them on a flight? I TRIED to get the person paying for the tickets to agree to buy them right away but all I heard was "it's 5 months away". Yes, well, anyway the morning flight I'd like is sold out for WGA and the anytime is too much money (as in $350 one way). There is an afternoon which arrives after 5 which basically means no park time the first day. Not my idea of fun. 

So please help me out with how I can explain this to the person paying and when I should look for more WGA on that flight I really want. Only SW flies nonstop from my area - everything else is a 6 hour flight vs 2 hours on SW. 

Did I mention how much I desperately miss Airtran?!


----------



## 12disneybee

The person paying flights, do they know the flights can go up or even sell out?  Can you just book the flight you want yourself?  If your relying on someone else paying, your gonna have to let them do what they want if they are paying..


----------



## FTM22

This person never heard of flights selling out 5 months ahead on a non-holiday time. We flew Airtran to WDW the past two years without issue and sure didn't have to book flights this early for a good rate. I am the one who actually books the flights, but it's with their credit card since they pay. It's a family thing and if I can make a logical argument I can probably sway them. It's just hard to justify tying up money 5 months out for multiple tickets (5 people) unless you know how the game works.

Basically, we have not used Southwest until now because the nonstop to Orlando was on Airtran. When Southwest bought them, it became a Southwest flight. So my question was whether Southwest is likely to add more WGA seats to that flight since it's 5 months out right now. I understand supply and demand and I get that they don't have to do anything because it's all about profit. I just wondered about the experiences of others since I have not dealt with Southwest in 20 years because they never flew where I was going.


----------



## WhitGB

Can you use a SW gift card to purchase drinks and snacks on board?


----------



## 12disneybee

went to Vegas last July, been flying SW for years and years..........I was booking all the flights for 11 of us, boy did SW change gears, I saw flights I liked but like always, I waited for drop in prices, the flight continued to soar, almost selling out and luckily with SW points, we got a couple free round trips and we all divided the air cost or else, we would not of went, I never seen that happen before!  I am on SW every day, a few times a day and that flight never dropped, kept creeping up, ugh.  For September to Orlando, I found a decent non stop price for $123 and we also got a free round trip and I jumped on it and the price has dropped twice and I have a nice credit for future flying....if the price is good, and the flight is good, jump on it now!!!


----------



## 12disneybee

SW sent us 8 free drink coupons, but our flight is 7am, lol


----------



## Marshmelo

Also flying in October from IND and looking at SW...so much stress with the book now or wait for it to go lower dilemma!


----------



## FTM22

Marshmelo said:


> Also flying in October from IND and looking at SW...so much stress with the book now or wait for it to go lower dilemma!


I am SERIOUSLY considering alternatives including another airline with a single stop but where I can select my seats at a similar charge. Also looking at the possibility of changing vacation dates if they become available. We have multiple room ressies so that's more complicated.

Agreed on the stress. I really thought this was a bit early for this nonsense but then I am not used to SW.


----------



## vanyel

Marshmelo said:


> Also flying in October from IND and looking at SW...so much stress with the book now or wait for it to go lower dilemma!



From Indiana but flying from Chicago mid-December. Went ahead and booked my flights for 285 RT because I was nervous about the flights going up and it was only a bit higher than normal. If they go down, I'll contact them for future credit as I fly SW to Atlanta regularly.  Almost have enough for a free flight but not quite.


----------



## Disney before Sally

Today, departing home flight is $17 bucks cheaper, we have four passengers.  If I rebook to get points, they will expire in one year from original booking.  If I do not rebook, each passenger gets more points for the higher cost flight that will last two years from flight day.  I'm thinking, why rebook?  Tell me what I'm missing.


----------



## Team Bunch

I need some advise, I was looking at dates similar to mine for a few weeks around $130.  The morning November dates were released my flights were at $115.  I greedily decided to hold out now at $160, would you grab them now or hold off?


----------



## henry lutz

Team Bunch said:


> I need some advise, I was looking at dates similar to mine for a few weeks around $130.  The morning November dates were released my flights were at $115.  I greedily decided to hold out now at $160, would you grab them now or hold off?




We are in the same situation Our travel agent says its always a gamble...tips on internet say wait to book two months prior...I did a s.w. searcb today ( leaving two months from today..same days of week)....99 $   each way ..check it out


----------



## nalajms

Disney before Sally said:


> Today, departing home flight is $17 bucks cheaper, we have four passengers.  If I rebook to get points, they will expire in one year from original booking.  If I do not rebook, each passenger gets more points for the higher cost flight that will last two years from flight day.  I'm thinking, why rebook?  Tell me what I'm missing.


  You're not.  The credit only works if you're going to be able to use it before it expires.  If not, then I'd take the extra points.


----------



## Team Bunch

henry lutz said:


> We are in the same situation Our travel agent says its always a gamble...tips on internet say wait to book two months prior...I did a s.w. searcb today ( leaving two months from today..same days of week)....99 $   each way ..check it out



Thanks for the advice about booking two months prior.  I have always seen that advise on Internet searches but so many people here on the dis swear to get southwest ASAP.  I will go check what our airports prices look like 2 mos from now.  We are also flying out the day before veterans day (bad choice by me) so I feel it will always be a bit higher.


----------



## henry lutz

Team Bunch said:


> Thanks for the advice about booking two months prior.  I have always seen that advise on Internet searches but so many people here on the dis swear to get southwest ASAP.  I will go check what our airports prices look like 2 mos from now.  We are also flying out the day before veterans day (bad choice by me) so I feel it will always be a bit higher.


I did not know about the buy. Asap. Thing.


----------



## vanyel

I've been looking at SW flights from Chicago and the rates are about the same now through my travel dates in December. I personally feel better booking them now because of when we're going and I'm afraid they'll go up. nut I've also heard the wait advice as well. I'm always anxious about airfare so even if it goes down a little bit I'm not going to worry.  Now a lot lower, that's another story.


----------



## SuperCalGal

vanyel said:


> I've been looking at SW flights from Chicago and the rates are about the same now through my travel dates in December. I personally feel better booking them now because of when we're going and I'm afraid they'll go up. nut I've also heard the wait advice as well. I'm always anxious about airfare so even if it goes down a little bit I'm not going to worry.  Now a lot lower, that's another story.



I went ahead and booked SW flights for our Dec. cruise. Originally I wanted to wait and see for the best price, but there's only two flights scheduled for our travel date. The "wanna get away' fare for the other flight is already sold out so I didn't want to take any chances with our flight.


----------



## chefmb

I booked for our Nov 30-Dec 5 trip on the day they were released--got $330 RT which was higher than I wanted, but within budget. We are going back in April 2016 so I figured if fares dropped, I could use the credit for that trip. I just had a chance to check the current sale, and our flight down is $41 cheaper for each ($215-$174), so we now have that credit. I'll keep checking periodically just in case I can get anything better. The other way is $115--I doubt that will go lower. We're flying from BWI. So just keep checking!


----------



## henry lutz

chefmb said:


> I booked for our Nov 30-Dec 5 trip on the day they were released--got $330 RT which was higher than I wanted, but within budget. We are going back in April 2016 so I figured if fares dropped, I could use the credit for that trip. I just had a chance to check the current sale, and our flight down is $41 cheaper for each ($215-$174), so we now have that credit. I'll keep checking periodically just in case I can get anything better. The other way is $115--I doubt that will go lower. We're flying from BWI. So just keep checking!



What times did you get....then it went down ?   We are going in nov too.  Waiting to buy


----------



## chefmb

henry lutz said:


> What times did you get....then it went down ?   We are going in nov too.  Waiting to buy




Nov 30 is 9:25 am-11:50 am. That's the segment that went down. The flight home on Saturday started at $115-I doubt I'll get that any lower.[/QUOTE]


----------



## elgerber

henry lutz said:


> What times did you get....then it went down ?   We are going in nov too.  Waiting to buy



I booked our November flights on release morning, on points, and by Monday they had dropped over 5000 points per RT flight.


----------



## 12disneybee

andrea, many people travel often within a year and use those points...do whats best for your travel habits


----------



## Marshmelo

If you have a SW flight booked, you might check the rates.  I was just able to change our flight home in October to a direct flight instead of a layover, which was previously way too expensive, AND got a $24 credit for the 3 of us.


----------



## vanyel

So far, my flights went up then back down to what I paid. The flights I've been watching for this summer to Atlanta went up and haven't gone back down.


----------



## LovemesomeDW

How does family boarding work? Is it only for children under the age of 4, along with *one* adult? We have two children - age 2 and 11 - and my mom will also be traveling with us. I'm debating purchasing early bird in hope to get a A boarding pass. But if not, I was wondering if we would need to take advantage of family boarding, will it only be for our 2 year old and one adult? The remaining two adults and the 11 year old would then have to wait until this boarding zone?


----------



## fourfoxesinpa

LovemesomeDW said:


> How does family boarding work? Is it only for children under the age of 4, along with *one* adult? We have two children - age 2 and 11 - and my mom will also be traveling with us. I'm debating purchasing early bird in hope to get a A boarding pass. But if not, I was wondering if we would need to take advantage of family boarding, will it only be for our 2 year old and one adult? The remaining two adults and the 11 year old would then have to wait until this boarding zone?



  From Southwest's website: An adult traveling with a child four years old or younger may board during Family Boarding, which occurs after the “A” group has boarded and before the “B” group begins boarding. If the child and the adult are both holding an “A” boarding pass, they should both board with the “A” boarding group.  

I would take "An Adult" to mean one.  But, I am not positive.


----------



## squeegee

LovemesomeDW said:


> How does family boarding work? Is it only for children under the age of 4, along with *one* adult? We have two children - age 2 and 11 - and my mom will also be traveling with us. I'm debating purchasing early bird in hope to get a A boarding pass. But if not, I was wondering if we would need to take advantage of family boarding, will it only be for our 2 year old and one adult? The remaining two adults and the 11 year old would then have to wait until this boarding zone?


From what I understand, it is officially one adult, but that there is, in practice, usually some flexibility. Many see it as abuse of the policy, however, to expect to get an entire extended family through with just one under-4 child. Most will suggest you spring for the early bird for the entire family if it is crucial to you that everyone has the best chance of sitting together.


----------



## LovemesomeDW

Thanks! I definitely don't want to abuse the policy! I think I will purchase the early bird option and hope for the best. This will be our first experience with Southwest and the no assigned seat makes me nervous. From reading on here though, it sounds like we should be okay with finding seats together (or at least close) with the early bird option.


----------



## robinsce

Sorry if this has already been asked.....Anyone know when southwest will do their anniversary sale this year? Hoping for some cheap fares in October and December


----------



## vanyel

My flight went down this afternoon by $47. I called and got credit but the irony is that I booked another flight today to Atlanta using points for 1 leg and and a gift card for the 2nd. Still had a small balance which would have been covered by the credit but dummy me, didn't check the Orlando flight until after I booked the Atlanta flight. Oh well, I'll use it as my daughter and her family live in Atlanta.


----------



## Marshmelo

There is another flight sale out today, for 3 days.  Our flight home went down to $99 so was able to get more credit.


----------



## FTM22

The flight I wanted had more WGA fares so I went ahead and bought our tickets. It ended up around $372 RT. We did buy EBCI because we want a chance at getting decent seats (or at least a preferred seating partner). There were not any really cheap flights from my area - guessing it depends highly on your airport. Even the "good" days were triple digit fares each way.

Edited - I just went back and did find some of the $99 ones on Tuesday of that week and the following for return. Our dates are Sundays and WDW had no availability at resorts for changing. So it's okay. I've learned a lot about SWA ticketing (used to fly Airtran) and so I'll have some knowledge for next time about days to fly and the like. We booked WDW based on availability and deals so that's how we got Sunday arrival and departure. Live and learn!


----------



## Team Bunch

Check your flights today!!!!  Scored $99 out of Rochester also that cheap in buffalo today.


----------



## amss14

Team Bunch said:


> Check your flights today!!!!  Scored $99 out of Rochester also that cheap in buffalo today.


 I also got $99 out of New Orleans!!!


----------



## vanyel

My flight to Atlanta went down today as well as one of the legs of my Orlando trip. Dh and I each have a $67 credit from our Orlando flights.  It was 99 out of Chicago.


----------



## henry lutz

Team Bunch said:


> I need some advise, I was looking at dates similar to mine for a few weeks around $130.  The morning November dates were released my flights were at $115.  I greedily decided to hold out now at $160, would you grab them now or hold off?


Check southwest site..now


----------



## henry lutz

amss14 said:


> I also got $99 out of New Orleans!!!


Wow...nice..what times ?....non stop ?


----------



## cheerful chickadee

quick question....

I booked a while ago for $133/ticket for 3 tickets and added early bird check in, now it's dropped to $99, can I call and just get a credit or do they rebook the tickets at the new price? I don't want to lose the early bird. does everything stay the same and they just give us a credit for the difference?


----------



## Team Bunch

henry lutz said:


> Check southwest site..now



Got my flights for $99, thanks Henry!


----------



## amss14

henry lutz said:


> Wow...nice..what times ?....non stop ?


The low fare calendar on sw site shows some of outgoing from New Orleans in September sun-wed flights $99!


----------



## LibrarianBecky

Question--what can I use my airfare credit for, exactly?  I had cancelled a flight earlier in the year and have rebooked for November (squeaking in before our expiration date of one year from when originally purchased).  Prices of flights have gone down, about $60 credit for each person in my family ($180 all together).  We don't have any plans to fly anywhere else between then and now.  Should I even bother to get the credit?  I don't believe I can use it to purchase early bird or anything else, but thought I would check here.

Thank you!


----------



## FBandA

"LibrarianBecky: I don't believe I can use it to purchase early bird or anything else, but thought I would check here."

I would like to know this also, my flights are $24 cheaper.


----------



## thelittlethings

Yes, I have the same situation. I could get $120 in credit total for my flight to Mco, but I'd have to use that within a year with no plans to fly within that time. Or keep the points from rapid rewards and have those in tact for at least 2 years? Is the $120 more valuable than the points? I've never flown southwest so would really appreciate the opinions and info. Thanks!


----------



## henry lutz

Team Bunch said:


> Got my flights for $99, thanks Henry!


Glad to help....we got tix for 104.  Bwi to mc .  Looks like you did good too


----------



## FTM22

Southwest site has been down this afternoon - wonder what crashed it?


----------



## cart-mom

i was on the southwest site and it's working here.  Fares went up for my trip.  Should have booked yesterday  . I can take a much earlier flight for about the same but we will get to WL around 11;00am and check-in isn't until 3pm.  surrounding days are way higher, hundreds of dollars more.  Now I am in a panic.  Should I book the early flight and just deal with it or risk everything and hope and pray that the flight I want will go back down?


----------



## Disney before Sally

I always take the earliest flight.  We arrive at resort about 10-11AM.  Sometimes the room is ready.  If not, they hold your luggage or you can pack pool attire.


----------



## henry lutz

Has anyone seen a change in S W pricing today yet


----------



## FTM22

cart-mom said:


> i was on the southwest site and it's working here.  Fares went up for my trip.  Should have booked yesterday  . I can take a much earlier flight for about the same but we will get to WL around 11;00am and check-in isn't until 3pm.  surrounding days are way higher, hundreds of dollars more.  Now I am in a panic.  Should I book the early flight and just deal with it or risk everything and hope and pray that the flight I want will go back down?



I like a somewhat early flight so we don't have a full day of travel. The hotel will usually work out the check in and hold your bags for you. I know we did that once. I don't know about better prices but I do know that the flight I wanted which was "sold out" of WGA fares magically had availability for the new sale and is still showing availability at the same price right now. SO it depends on the flight I guess. 



henry lutz said:


> Has anyone seen a change in S W pricing today yet



Not for me since purchasing. Not sure which flights are on sale but they must not the the ones I have.


----------



## henry lutz

FTM22 said:


> I like a somewhat early flight so we don't have a full day of travel. The hotel will usually work out the check in and hold your bags for you. I know we did that once. I don't know about better prices but I do know that the flight I wanted which was "sold out" of WGA fares magically had availability for the new sale and is still showing availability at the same price right now. SO it depends on the flight I guess.
> 
> 
> 
> Not for me since purchasing. Not sure which flights are on sale but they must not the the ones I have.



This is exactly what I need to happen for our nov.disney trip


----------



## henry lutz

Got lucky last week with 69 dollars bwi-mco
Return flight looks no way near that good..most return flights are sold out  (not a lot  of return flights overall)   We can add or subtract a day if nothing else
Do the "anytime" flights ever turn into "wanna get away" flights.   Thanks for any Info


----------



## brighteyes

cart-mom said:


> i was on the southwest site and it's working here.  Fares went up for my trip.  Should have booked yesterday  . I can take a much earlier flight for about the same but we will get to WL around 11;00am and check-in isn't until 3pm.  surrounding days are way higher, hundreds of dollars more.  Now I am in a panic.  Should I book the early flight and just deal with it or risk everything and hope and pray that the flight I want will go back down?


 I am in the exact same situation. I don't even know for sure if I can travel on my trip dates I have booked. But I have been waiting for my flights to go down and they have not, and now I am panicking as well. 
The flights the weeks and days before/after are cheaper my days...This whole thing is making me crazy....


----------



## henry lutz

brighteyes said:


> I am in the exact same situation. I don't even know for sure if I can travel on my trip dates I have booked. But I have been waiting for my flights to go down and they have not, and now I am panicking as well.
> The flights the weeks and days before/after are cheaper my days...This whole thing is making me crazy....



We are going nov 12-21. Close to a holiday. It is just the two of us  so we wanted an early flight ( 6:30 ) so we can hit magic kingdom
Going early you can go to downtown disney or boardwalk or just swim. I am thinking more flights will open up


----------



## brighteyes

[Qcan't finalize my plans until right before my cancel/modify date....="henry lutz, post: 53821192, meand I : 125607"]We are going nov 12-21. Close to a holiday. It is just the two of us  so we wanted an early flight ( 6:30 ) so we can hit magic kingdom
Going early you can go to downtown disney or boardwalk or just swim. I am thinking more flights will open up[/QUOTE]

Ha ha! I wish my trip is November!! It would give me time to sort out my travel dates. My trip is August!!

I cant


----------



## brighteyes

I give up trying to type on my tablet!! 

However, I cannot solidify my plans until right before my deadline to modify/cancel. 

Talk about stress...


----------



## henry lutz

Wow ..bummer. you are due for some good luck or  (pixie dust). It will come


----------



## brighteyes

henry Iutz said:


> Wow ..bummer. you are due for some good luck or  (pixie dust). It will come



I hope so....i had some pixie dust that enabled me to finally book my trip! Now I just need a little springkle more so that I secure a job for fall by the end of this month, otherwise try to figure out how to alter my dream trip to be back for august interviews...

C'mon pixie dust....


----------



## cart-mom

DH was not happy when he got home from work and I told him airfare went up. He didn't want to fly at 6:30am. We would just be awake way too early to drive to the airport and be early for our flight like we are supposed to. I'm looking for work too. Disney has a work at home job for the disney store posted. I applied and I'm praying that I get it. I have the experience. I wish that booking a flight wasn't so complicated.


----------



## brighteyes

.


----------



## brighteyes

cart-mom said:


> DH was not happy when he got home from work and I told him airfare went up. He didn't want to fly at 6:30am. We would just be awake way too early to drive to the airport and be early for our flight like we are supposed to. I'm looking for work too. Disney has a work at home job for the disney store posted. I applied and I'm praying that I get it. I have the experience. I wish that booking a flight wasn't so complicated.



Mine just keeps rising too...I might just buy it to buy it and change it if I need to. 

A job working for Disney online??   What is it doing? That is sooo cool.... Pixie dust that you get it. 

I wish I could find a job like that for the summer to tide me over until fall. My job is seasonal.


----------



## cart-mom

brighteyes said:


> Mine just keeps rising too...I might just buy it to buy it and change it if I need to.
> 
> A job working for Disney online??   What is it doing? That is sooo cool.... Pixie dust that you get it.
> I wish I could find a job like that for the summer to tide me over until fall. My job is seasonal.



Thank you! I could use some pixie dust.
It's something to do with the Disney Store and customer service. It was posted on Disney careers. Not sure if it's still listed but it is a good sign. Wah And Disney? Yes, please!


----------



## henry lutz

We saved an extra hundered dollars and got


babydoll65 said:


> Sorry, haven't been back to this thread in a while. As far as the credit goes, I usually buy my flight down at what looks like a good price and wait a while for the flight back. I check every day to see if the flights drop. If the one going down drops enough, we call a get the credit. Then when we finally book our flights back we apply the credit. I works alot of times but those flights coming back just haven't moved down, only up. Every time they offer those flights for 59.00 it never seems to be in my area. But I got my fingers crossed.



Looking over old posts and found this one. I am using your strategy right now got 69$ to mco,waiting and hoping on return flight


----------



## cart-mom

Well, we ended up booking a 6:30am flight for $64 and it actually works out to be $50.00 cheaper than before the airfare went up for the flights we wanted.  It's funny how DH will get up early when we can save money.


----------



## Wanna be Ariel

cart-mom said:


> DH was not happy when he got home from work and I told him airfare went up. He didn't want to fly at 6:30am. We would just be awake way too early to drive to the airport and be early for our flight like we are supposed to. I'm looking for work too. Disney has a work at home job for the disney store posted. I applied and I'm praying that I get it. I have the experience. I wish that booking a flight wasn't so complicated.




Off Topic, but Cart- Mom I also applied for that job, but I was wondering if you had to live in TN or NV?  Any idea? Did you happen to find out if you could be anywhere in the US?  I have not heard anything and was wondering if that is why?


----------



## cart-mom

The job posting didn't specify that you had to be in a specific state or travel for training. I have worked other at home jobs and training can be done virtually. I keep checking back but no updates yet. I'm thinking it's for fall/holidays and will probably start in July or August. Good luck!


----------



## Wanna be Ariel

Thank you!!! Same to you.  Keep me posted if you hear back.


----------



## Lucille1963

Following along and wondering when the next booking window will open up.


----------



## elgerber

Lucille1963 said:


> Following along and wondering when the next booking window will open up.


https://www.southwest.com/html/travel-tools/


----------



## n2mm

cheerful chickadee said:


> quick question....
> 
> I booked a while ago for $133/ticket for 3 tickets and added early bird check in, now it's dropped to $99, can I call and just get a credit or do they rebook the tickets at the new price? I don't want to lose the early bird. does everything stay the same and they just give us a credit for the difference?




I wondered this too.  I thought I read that you do keep the early bird, but then I read that the order changes, like do you go to the bottom of the early bird list now???  That part scares me, since when you buy it determines what you get.  Maybe someone can clarify.


----------



## Disney before Sally

I was told that since early bird is a separate purchase, as long as you are still within a 36 hour window you do not lose this non-refundable purchase.  You are put in line as soon as you purchase early bird, so if you keep the same exact flight - I do not see why your place in line would change.  However, I am also curious about this.


----------



## zoo2tycoon

If I searched correctly the next SW release date it June 30? If so, I am needing to be online when dates are released for return tickets from a cruise. Are the released at 12AM EST or when?

Thanks!


----------



## ABCastillo

zoo2tycoon said:


> If I searched correctly the next SW release date it June 30? If so, I am needing to be online when dates are released for return tickets from a cruise. Are the released at 12AM EST or when?
> 
> Thanks!


 
I believe it is usually 6 AM ET.


----------



## once

Quick question, what do you do with your credit/travel fund? I have $19 that will expire in May 2016 and I have no idea what to do with it.


----------



## robinb

Is it still recommended to book two one-ways or can you swap out one way out of a round trip and keep the other flight's price?


----------



## ABCastillo

once said:


> Quick question, what do you do with your credit/travel fund? I have $19 that will expire in May 2016 and I have no idea what to do with it.



You can apply that credit to another flight.  I'm not sure if you can use it for other purchases through Southwest or not.


----------



## ABCastillo

robinb said:


> Is it still recommended to book two one-ways or can you swap out one way out of a round trip and keep the other flight's price?



I don't think it actually matters all that much if you book two one-ways or a round trip.  Ticket prices are the same if you book it as a one-way or as a round trip.  You might just have a couple of confirmation numbers if you book two one-way flights.  I usually book round trip and if one of the flights has a price decrease, I take the credit because we fly with them at least once a year.


----------



## robinb

ABCastillo said:


> I don't think it actually matters all that much if you book two one-ways or a round trip.  Ticket prices are the same if you book it as a one-way or as a round trip.  You might just have a couple of confirmation numbers if you book two one-way flights.  I usually book round trip and if one of the flights has a price decrease, I take the credit because we fly with them at least once a year.


I was thinking in case I want to reprice one leg of a round trip flight.  You used to have to cancel both legs and rebook.


----------



## JenB1104

Does anyone know how soon points show up in your rapid rewards account when you purchase?  We are looking to book flights and are short 2000 points.  It would cost us 55.00 to get the missing points and I am wondering how quickly they are in the account to book flight.  The sale ends soon and we want to book before it ends.  Thanks!


----------



## amss14

Anyone flying mco from/to New Orleans? What was the lowest you got your tickets for? 
Thanks so much!


----------



## Geomom

robinb "I was thinking in case I want to reprice one leg of a round trip flight. You used to have to cancel both legs and rebook."

I can confirm that you can reprice just one leg of a round trip flight.  I have done multiple changes to my Thanksgiving trip--different airports/times and then just rebooking a cheaper fare for part of the roundtrip.  If you have an 'anytime' or 'Business class' fare as part of your roundtrip, they can refund you by credit card.  If you only have wanna get away fares, it's a credit that must be used on another flight within a year of the initial purchase of the fare.  It can't be used for the purchase of early bird online checkin.  Southwest only allows 4 forms of payment...so if you have 4 people with credits, it's best to split it up as you could only use 3 of the credits and a credit card for the rest of the payment (speaking from experience.)


----------



## MrsSkellington

Regarding credits - Our flight price dropped, so I rebooked and have flight credits that expire in February. Do you just have to *book* a flight by the expiration date or actually travel by then?


----------



## Geomom

Travel by the expiration date.


----------



## once

Geomom said:


> Travel by the expiration date.


 
 Oh, no!!!!! I have $300 expiring next May and I was going to use them to book a September trip. Boy, oh boy, this will be my excuse to go to Disney World a year early. Blessing in disguise?


----------



## barb969

JenB1104 said:


> Does anyone know how soon points show up in your rapid rewards account when you purchase?  We are looking to book flights and are short 2000 points.  It would cost us 55.00 to get the missing points and I am wondering how quickly they are in the account to book flight.  The sale ends soon and we want to book before it ends.  Thanks!



It took 3 days after I paid the bill to get my companion pass.  You can check your points by going to your account on southwest.com


----------



## AngieInOH

JenB1104 said:


> Does anyone know how soon points show up in your rapid rewards account when you purchase?  We are looking to book flights and are short 2000 points.  It would cost us 55.00 to get the missing points and I am wondering how quickly they are in the account to book flight.  The sale ends soon and we want to book before it ends.  Thanks!



Points are moved over to Southwest every billing cycle.  I believe it's pretty quickly.  I think with the very first billing cycle you don't get the points until after you pay the bill.


----------



## SaintsManiac

amss14 said:


> Anyone flying mco from/to New Orleans? What was the lowest you got your tickets for?
> Thanks so much!




I got 3 people for $154 each flying Sunday December 13th.


----------



## ButterflyJen

Geomom said:


> Travel by the expiration date.


Expiration date is based upon the date tickets were originally purchased, correct? 
For example, we purchased tickets in May 2015 for November 2015. Prices have dropped a couple of times since we originally purchased, so we have $124 in credit (spread over 4 separate RR accounts). If I'm understanding correctly, we would need to use the credits on a flight prior to May 2016?


----------



## amss14

SaintsManiac said:


> I got 3 people for $154 each flying Sunday December 13th.


Thanks so much! That's about what I'm going to get too!


----------



## Geomom

ButterflyJen said:


> Expiration date is based upon the date tickets were originally purchased, correct?
> For example, we purchased tickets in May 2015 for November 2015. Prices have dropped a couple of times since we originally purchased, so we have $124 in credit (spread over 4 separate RR accounts). If I'm understanding correctly, we would need to use the credits on a flight prior to May 2016?


Correct.  You need to use the credits within a year of the original purchase.  Since you have 4 different credits and only 4 types of payment may be used (3 credits and 1 credit card) you could have 1 credit left sitting there.  (Yes, it happened to me once...despite 'knowing' about the 4 types of payment already...at 6AM I didn't remember that.)  Either split your party into 2 and 2 (or 3/1) so you'll be able to use all your credits or do 2 one way flights and use 2-3 credits one way and 1-2 the way home. 

We were in a unique situation this year with our November tix--our fare to Orlando was a 'wanna get away fare', but the flight home was 'anytime' which is fully refundable.  Since one leg was the 'anytime' whenever I rebooked us, all the savings were fully refunded (vs. credits to use later).  I recently rebooked again and now my 'anytime' fare is a 'wanna get away'...so if prices drop even more--that will turn into credits to use later.


----------



## rae96

My family is traveling next March. When we called SW they said the dates will be released Aug 11. Does anyone know what time they are released? Thanks!


----------



## ButterflyJen

Geomom said:


> Correct.  You need to use the credits within a year of the original purchase.  Since you have 4 different credits and only 4 types of payment may be used (3 credits and 1 credit card) you could have 1 credit left sitting there.  (Yes, it happened to me once...despite 'knowing' about the 4 types of payment already...at 6AM I didn't remember that.)  Either split your party into 2 and 2 (or 3/1) so you'll be able to use all your credits or do 2 one way flights and use 2-3 credits one way and 1-2 the way home.
> 
> We were in a unique situation this year with our November tix--our fare to Orlando was a 'wanna get away fare', but the flight home was 'anytime' which is fully refundable.  Since one leg was the 'anytime' whenever I rebooked us, all the savings were fully refunded (vs. credits to use later).  I recently rebooked again and now my 'anytime' fare is a 'wanna get away'...so if prices drop even more--that will turn into credits to use later.



Perfect. Thanks so much for explaining all of this!


----------



## ABCastillo

rae96 said:


> My family is traveling next March. When we called SW they said the dates will be released Aug 11. Does anyone know what time they are released? Thanks!



It's usually between 6 and 6:30 AM ET.


----------



## rae96

Thank you ABCastillo! We want to make sure we all get on same flight!


----------



## jenseib

Geomom said:


> Correct.  You need to use the credits within a year of the original purchase.  Since you have 4 different credits and only 4 types of payment may be used (3 credits and 1 credit card) you could have 1 credit left sitting there.  (Yes, it happened to me once...despite 'knowing' about the 4 types of payment already...at 6AM I didn't remember that.)  Either split your party into 2 and 2 (or 3/1) so you'll be able to use all your credits or do 2 one way flights and use 2-3 credits one way and 1-2 the way home.
> 
> We were in a unique situation this year with our November tix--our fare to Orlando was a 'wanna get away fare', but the flight home was 'anytime' which is fully refundable.  Since one leg was the 'anytime' whenever I rebooked us, all the savings were fully refunded (vs. credits to use later).  I recently rebooked again and now my 'anytime' fare is a 'wanna get away'...so if prices drop even more--that will turn into credits to use later.



I think that only applies if you have more than 1 reservation number with credits.  In the past if we are all on one reservation the credits apply for each of us and then I can pay the rest.


----------



## Geomom

jenseib said:


> I think that only applies if you have more than 1 reservation number with credits.  In the past if we are all on one reservation the credits apply for each of us and then I can pay the rest.


I don't know, last year our family of 4 was under 1 reservation number, but I could only apply 3 of the credits and had to use a credit card to pay for the rest, so I ended up losing my own credit as we didn't travel again before it expired.  (Luckily the amount we saved with 3 people still made it worth it to us.)


----------



## ABCastillo

rae96 said:


> Thank you ABCastillo! We want to make sure we all get on same flight!


You are very welcome!


----------



## jenseib

Geomom said:


> I don't know, last year our family of 4 was under 1 reservation number, but I could only apply 3 of the credits and had to use a credit card to pay for the rest, so I ended up losing my own credit as we didn't travel again before it expired.  (Luckily the amount we saved with 3 people still made it worth it to us.)


 
I did a family of 5 recently....so technically that is 5 credits right?...before putting in a CC


----------



## momof2mouses

Any idea when the next 50000 miles card will be offered? Traveling in December. Planning to drive, but might fly if we can get it on points. TIA


----------



## mcd2745

I've never actually changed flights with Southwest...so do the "no change fees" apply if you change flights more than once? Here's my situation:

We're booked on SW for our trip at the end of next month (depart Aug 24 /  return Sep 6). We booked those flights back in the end of February when they were released. So I know we have until the end of Feb 2016 to fly. We are considering booking Jetblue flights for next month if the price is right (and they've come down some) and changing the SW flights to President's week in Feb 2016 (getting us just in under the 1-year wire). Unfortuantely, at the moment, "Wanna Get Away" fares for our dates in Feb are showing as completely blocked out. I've seen this before and am confident that they will eventually become available (at what price is another story). So, I'm thinking I may need to switch to "dummy" dates in the interim. Or...am I over-thinking it? Can I just cancel the flights, sit with a credit, and apply it when the dates become available?


----------



## Baklava

rae96 said:


> My family is traveling next March. When we called SW they said the dates will be released Aug 11. Does anyone know what time they are released? Thanks!



We're traveling in January. Currently SW shows $296 outbound and $196 coming home. Is it better to wait until Aug 11 and see what pops up or should I be jumping on what's currently available?


----------



## rae96

Baklava, I hope someone can answer that. My personal opinion would be to book them because I don't think the price would drop on flights already out.  Again, I have never experienced this, but I have read about people getting credit or refunds when the price went down for their flight if they watched it daily to check for changes.  I hope someone else can give you some better information.  Sorry I am not more help!


----------



## Geomom

mcd2745 said:


> I've never actually changed flights with Southwest...so do the "no change fees" apply if you change flights more than once? Here's my situation:
> 
> We're booked on SW for our trip at the end of next month (depart Aug 24 /  return Sep 6). We booked those flights back in the end of February when they were released. So I know we have until the end of Feb 2016 to fly. We are considering booking Jetblue flights for next month if the price is right (and they've come down some) and changing the SW flights to President's week in Feb 2016 (getting us just in under the 1-year wire). Unfortuantely, at the moment, "Wanna Get Away" fares for our dates in Feb are showing as completely blocked out. I've seen this before and am confident that they will eventually become available (at what price is another story). So, I'm thinking I may need to switch to "dummy" dates in the interim. Or...am I over-thinking it? Can I just cancel the flights, sit with a credit, and apply it when the dates become available?


You can change flights multiple times with no fee.  Yes, you can just cancel the flights and sit with the credit and apply it when the dates become available.  Depending on what area you're flying from--it's iffy if those 'wanna get away' fares will come back during President's week.  We're flying out of Manchester, NH that week and I know that they had those fares available on day 1.  Now having said that...we're traveling to Disney for THanksgiving (through Providence, RI) and there were NO wanna get away fares available on day 1 for the Sunday after Thanksgiving.   Some of those flights finally opened up some 'wanna get away' fares 2 weeks ago (so about 4 1/2 mths out from our flights).  And yes, those fares are gone now.


----------



## mcd2745

Geomom said:


> You can change flights multiple times with no fee.  Yes, you can just cancel the flights and sit with the credit and apply it when the dates become available.  Depending on what area you're flying from--it's iffy if those 'wanna get away' fares will come back during President's week.  We're flying out of Manchester, NH that week and I know that they had those fares available on day 1.  Now having said that...we're traveling to Disney for THanksgiving (through Providence, RI) and there were NO wanna get away fares available on day 1 for the Sunday after Thanksgiving.   Some of those flights finally opened up some 'wanna get away' fares 2 weeks ago (so about 4 1/2 mths out from our flights).  And yes, those fares are gone now.


 
Thanks. We fly out of Islip, NY. So demand is very heavy and there are a lot less flights than there used to be just a few years ago (which makes zero sense, but that's another story).  I have seen it happen many times before where the WGA fares show as unavailable (even on day 1 - as was the case here), and eventually become available. Although, of course..."prior results do not guarantee future success".


----------



## Baklava

Geomom said:


> You can change flights multiple times with no fee.  Yes, you can just cancel the flights and sit with the credit and apply it when the dates become available.  Depending on what area you're flying from--it's iffy if those 'wanna get away' fares will come back during President's week.  We're flying out of Manchester, NH that week and I know that they had those fares available on day 1.  Now having said that...we're traveling to Disney for THanksgiving (through Providence, RI) and there were NO wanna get away fares available on day 1 for the Sunday after Thanksgiving.   Some of those flights finally opened up some 'wanna get away' fares 2 weeks ago (so about 4 1/2 mths out from our flights).  And yes, those fares are gone now.



Wait... so if I buy at $296 and there's a better price later they'll just give me the difference in a credit? No fees? For real?


----------



## Geomom

Baklava said:


> Wait... so if I buy at $296 and there's a better price later they'll just give me the difference in a credit? No fees? For real?


Yes, no fees, for real!  But, they won't just 'give' you the difference, you need to do a 'change flight' and book it at the cheaper rate.  If you booked it originally as a 'wanna get away' fare, it will stay on your account as a credit.  You need to use that credit (complete a flight) within 1 year of your original purchase.  If you had a business class or anytime rate for either of your legs, you can get the credit as a refund.


----------



## Baklava

Geomom said:


> Yes, no fees, for real!  But, they won't just 'give' you the difference, you need to do a 'change flight' and book it at the cheaper rate.  If you booked it originally as a 'wanna get away' fare, it will stay on your account as a credit.  You need to use that credit (complete a flight) within 1 year of your original purchase.  If you had a business class or anytime rate for either of your legs, you can get the credit as a refund.



To clarify (because I am slow witted today):

If I spend $1200 on tickets and see them later for $800...

Do I end up out of pocket $1200 with tickets and a $400 credit or do I end up out of pocket $2000 with a $1200 credit.


----------



## Geomom

Baklava said:


> To clarify (because I am slow witted today):
> 
> If I spend $1200 on tickets and see them later for $800...
> 
> Do I end up out of pocket $1200 with tickets and a $400 credit or do I end up out of pocket $2000 with a $1200 credit.


Out of pocket $1200 with a $400 credit.  When you go to rebook it will say you owe a negative amount and list it as a credit.


----------



## brighteyes

What is early bird check in?  thanks


----------



## apress

I'm not sure if this has been asked before but I had question about changing flights and early bird check ins.  I recently purchased a flight for 6 people with early bird.  Now a better time has become available at the same price I purchased my other flight.  Can I change to the other flight and keep my early bird.  Also how do I make the change?  Thanks for the help, never have done this before.


----------



## sbarisch

brighteyes said:


> What is early bird check in?  thanks



Early bird check-in is being checked in already, rather than having to log in to southwest.com and check in 24 hours prior to your flight.  The earlier you are checked in the closer you are to the front of the line when boarding the plane.  It's an additional $12.50 per person, per flight, so $25 round trip.  We do this every time so I don't have to worry about logging in right at 24 hour mark and trying to check in to our flights.


----------



## KikiFan

I'm headed to WDW from 11/3 - 11/11. I'm checking flights and I'm a little surprised at the prices from Southwest. The prices I'm finding are about $200 to return from MCO. It that really as good as I'm going to get... or is there any chance for more specials in another week or two? 

I should add I did find an amazing deal going to MCO - so I snatched that up. I just can't believe how high the return flights are!


----------



## henry lutz

Check southwest prices for november ..ours dropped 70 bucks each on return flight today


----------



## Geomom

apress said:


> I'm not sure if this has been asked before but I had question about changing flights and early bird check ins.  I recently purchased a flight for 6 people with early bird.  Now a better time has become available at the same price I purchased my other flight.  Can I change to the other flight and keep my early bird.  Also how do I make the change?  Thanks for the help, never have done this before.


I was wondering this as well when I changed airports and flight times.  After booking the new flights, I still see EB (early bird) listed, so I'm going to say it's still there.  I have no idea where it puts me in the early bird check in queue though...am I behind someone who booked that particular flight before me?


----------



## henry lutz

KikiFan said:


> I'm headed to WDW from 11/3 - 11/11. I'm checking flights and I'm a little surprised at the prices from Southwest. The prices I'm finding are about $200 to return from MCO. It that really as good as I'm going to get... or is there any chance for more specials in another week or two?
> 
> I should add I did find an amazing deal going to MCO - so I snatched that up. I just can't believe how high the return flights are!


Have you checked again..ours dropped for nov.


----------



## jenseib

Baklava said:


> We're traveling in January. Currently SW shows $296 outbound and $196 coming home. Is it better to wait until Aug 11 and see what pops up or should I be jumping on what's currently available?


 
Where are you coming from? That seems high, but if you are on the other side of the country then it might be a good deal.  However I see prices go up and down all the time with SW.  I personally NEVER have seen the best prices on the day they are released.  A lot of times around the 3 month mark to 6 weeks prior is when I find my best prices.


----------



## Baklava

jenseib said:


> Where are you coming from? That seems high, but if you are on the other side of the country then it might be a good deal.  However I see prices go up and down all the time with SW.  I personally NEVER have seen the best prices on the day they are released.  A lot of times around the 3 month mark to 6 weeks prior is when I find my best prices.




Northern California.  The *best* amount I saw was $161 one way on SW at a horrible time.


----------



## wdwfan1

mcd2745 said:


> Thanks. We fly out of Islip, NY. So demand is very heavy and there are a lot less flights than there used to be just a few years ago (which makes zero sense, but that's another story).  I have seen it happen many times before where the WGA fares show as unavailable (even on day 1 - as was the case here), and eventually become available. Although, of course..."prior results do not guarantee future success".


  We also fly out of Islip.  I booked our November trip at $109 going down and $185 returning.  We are now at $99 Southbound and $131 Northbound.  I .can certainly live with that but will keep checking.


----------



## Disneytam

Flying out of Albany NY and amazed with the rates for our Feb. 2015 trip. Both legs of the trip for a nonstop flight is $89 each. Its been a long time since I've seen prices this low! Jet Blue just started flying out of Albany to Orlando so that might have something to do with it.


----------



## ABCastillo

Disneytam said:


> Flying out of Albany NY and amazed with the rates for our Feb. 2015 trip. Both legs of the trip for a nonstop flight is $89 each. Its been a long time since I've seen prices this low! Jet Blue just started flying out of Albany to Orlando so that might have something to do with it.


Congrats!!  That's pretty amazing!


----------



## phoj69

wdwfan1 said:


> We also fly out of Islip.  I booked our November trip at $109 going down and $185 returning.  We are now at $99 Southbound and $131 Northbound.  I .can certainly live with that but will keep checking.


We are
Going down in December and I was able to get $90 going down and $99 coming back.
Got great deals


----------



## wdwfan1

Great rates!  Where are you flying from and what airline??


----------



## phoj69

Flying from Long Island and southwest the only airline that flys direct. Going down 12/12-12/20


----------



## barbnbrian

Anyone know when Southwest will open up its next set of dates?  TIA


----------



## feet1

For those of you who have flown SW before, I have a luggage question. I know we get two bags each, the dimensions seem small though. Do you all take lots of luggage?  We are a family of 6. I don't own that much luggage, the large suitcase we have exceeds the L+W+H. So I'm trying to figure if I need to go buy luggage or would it just be cheaper to pay the over he limit fee?


----------



## kateandy08096

When I spoke with SWA they daid August 11th. Im waiting for dates to open for end of March to April. Heading to Disneyland from phila.


----------



## jerseygirl81

I went on SW website and saw that the outgoing portion of our trip has gone down. I used RR points to book our flights I thought I would be able to get our RR points put back in the acct but I was told I couldn't because the points I used for our round trip was lower than what it is now since the flight home is more.  Would I have to rebook the flight down to get the rewards points back it would be 390 points for our 3 tickets?

Thanks, Linda


----------



## ABCastillo

jerseygirl81 said:


> I went on SW website and saw that the outgoing portion of our trip has gone down. I used RR points to book our flights I thought I would be able to get our RR points put back in the acct but I was told I couldn't because the points I used for our round trip was lower than what it is now since the flight home is more.  Would I have to rebook the flight down to get the rewards points back it would be 390 points for our 3 tickets?
> 
> Thanks, Linda



I've gotten RR points back when a return flight went down.  I just rebooked the one flight on their website.  You have to do it one person at a time.  I'm surprised that they would just do that on the phone.  Maybe they were confused?


----------



## OurLaughingPlace

I have paid for SW EBCI for all 4 members of our family.  I know that SW checks us in 36 hours ahead of time. My question is, can I go in and print our boarding passes 36 hours ahead of time or do I have to wait till 24 hours ahead of time to print passes. I am just anxious to see what boarding position we receive. This my first time booking flights without the help of a TA. Thank you for your help.


----------



## sbarisch

feet1 said:


> For those of you who have flown SW before, I have a luggage question. I know we get two bags each, the dimensions seem small though. Do you all take lots of luggage?  We are a family of 6. I don't own that much luggage, the large suitcase we have exceeds the L+W+H. So I'm trying to figure if I need to go buy luggage or would it just be cheaper to pay the over he limit fee?


We only pack one suitcase per person and that gives us plenty of room for souvenirs to take home.  
The dimension and weight limits for checked bags are "50 pounds and maximum size is 62 inches (length + width + height)".  Overweight and/oversized to 80 in is a $75 fee per bag.  We bought our bags on a great sale at Bergners and you could get 2 or 3 bags for that $75.  Guess it depends on how expensive the luggage you buy.

If you live near a Bergners and watch the sale ads, sometimes you find find them even less expensive than this.  Here's a link to them online:

http://www.bergners.com/sc1/home/tr...eisure-bayside-luggage-collection-470122.html


----------



## Ejpats

OurLaughingPlace said:


> I have paid for SW EBCI for all 4 members of our family.  I know that SW checks us in 36 hours ahead of time. My question is, can I go in and print our boarding passes 36 hours ahead of time or do I have to wait till 24 hours ahead of time to print passes. I am just anxious to see what boarding position we receive. This my first time booking flights without the help of a TA. Thank you for your help.


Have to wait until the 24 hour mark.


----------



## rickdeni

SW is suppose to release its spring break dates on August 11th.  Does anyone know what time they usually release them?


----------



## sargenca

rickdeni said:


> SW is suppose to release its spring break dates on August 11th.  Does anyone know what time they usually release them?


I have seen them released at approx. 5:15am Central. I watched from 4:50am on...


----------



## gem21

First time flying Southwest so a quick question about check-in; if we all have the same confirmation number (I booked us all at the same time on the same reservation), I only have to check in once right? And that will check all three of us in at the same time? (i.e. I don't need to repeat the process for each of us?)

Thanks!


----------



## feet1

I'm confused--we paid the extra $$ to board early or something like that. I'm not sure what that means. Do we still check in 24 hours early, or do we do it earlier since we paid the extra money to hopefully get seats all together?  We have 6 of us flying out of Baltimore


----------



## jenseib

feet1 said:


> I'm confused--we paid the extra $$ to board early or something like that. I'm not sure what that means. Do we still check in 24 hours early, or do we do it earlier since we paid the extra money to hopefully get seats all together?  We have 6 of us flying out of Baltimore


  They do it for you. You can just pull it up online or on the app and see it if you want.


----------



## old feller

Next time I fly to wdw. I will buy on day one .Not deal with the stress of daily checking..advice I learned right here


----------



## pinkgirlmommy

So yesterday the flights I was watching went down but only from Tampa to Dallas, so I booked the two we are paying for and put the other three on a 24 hr hold using pts.  Our SW RR credit card statement closed yesterday so we were expecting to get our pts today, but they still haven't gone through. Boo! We called to hold another 24 hrs at the lower rate but the said they can't do that and rates went back up today so since we didn't get our points today we are not going to get the lower rate which is about half the miles of the price today. Boo!  Hopefully they will go down again.


----------



## #1eeyoregirl

I just received a notification that one of my flights was changed to another flight number and time. Confirmation numbers still remain the same so I assume that my early bird check in that I purchased will carry over as well on all of the tickets? This is the first time I have ever had this happen with Southwest so thought I would ask.


----------



## eeyoreali

Hello all!

My husband and I have flown Southwest two times before - just us two.  Now we're taking a trip that will include our two children (dd 6 & ds 2) and my two parents.  We purchased our tickets in February and bought the EBCI for all.  I know that we'll be automatically checked in at 36hrs prior, but we do have 2 different confirmation codes (one for the 4 of us & one for my parents that did senior tickets ).  Will the boarding passes be in 2 different groups, such as A50-A54, A59/60?  We will need two full rows to sit together.  I figure, at the worst, our family or 4 boards first and then hopefully my parents will still be able to sit in the empty seats in the rows we are already in.  I have no problem sitting at the back of the plane - easier to access the bathrooms for emergencies with children.

This will be the first flight for my children and we'll have a car seat for my son.  My father hasn't flown in a very long time and my mother has never flown. I'm concerned about how they will all handle the flight.  My father has anxiety attacks and my mom is scared of flying.  Hoping for the best - we're traveling Sept 25th.

Any insights and suggestions would be great!


----------



## old feller

eeyoreali said:


> Hello all!
> 
> My husband and I have flown Southwest two times before - just us two.  Now we're taking a trip that will include our two children (dd 6 & ds 2) and my two parents.  We purchased our tickets in February and bought the EBCI for all.  I know that we'll be automatically checked in at 36hrs prior, but we do have 2 different confirmation codes (one for the 4 of us & one for my parents that did senior tickets ).  Will the boarding passes be in 2 different groups, such as A50-A54, A59/60?  We will need two full rows to sit together.  I figure, at the worst, our family or 4 boards first and then hopefully my parents will still be able to sit in the empty seats in the rows we are already in.  I have no problem sitting at the back of the plane - easier to access the bathrooms for emergencies with children.
> 
> This will be the first flight for my children and we'll have a car seat for my son.  My father hasn't flown in a very long time and my mother has never flown. I'm concerned about how they will all handle the flight.  My father has anxiety attacks and my mom is scared of flying.  Hoping for the best - we're traveling Sept 25th.
> 
> Any insights and suggestions would be great!



Could their doctor give them something for the anxiety


----------



## jerseygal

old feller said:


> Could their doctor give them something for the anxiety


 I have a friend who was extremely fearful of flying and her physician prescribed an antianxiety.  She said that it "took the edge" off and without it, she couldn't fly!  Similar to people like myself who are extremely fearful of MRI spaces who have to take an antianxiety as well in order to do the MRI.  HOPE all works out well for them!


----------



## jerseygal

Anyone have any insight into when the NEXT booking window will be released, May' 16? MUCH THANKS!


----------



## MonoMan

jersey gal said:


> Anyone have any insight into when the NEXT booking window will be released, May' 16? MUCH THANKS!


On October 27, 2015 we will open our schedule for sale through June 3, 2016. (Date is subject to change; please check back frequently.)


----------



## jerseygal

MonoMan said:


> On October 27, 2015 we will open our schedule for sale through June 3, 2016. (Date is subject to change; please check back frequently.)


 THANKS for the info!


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

eeyoreali said:


> Hello all!
> 
> My husband and I have flown Southwest two times before - just us two.  Now we're taking a trip that will include our two children (dd 6 & ds 2) and my two parents.  We purchased our tickets in February and bought the EBCI for all.  I know that we'll be automatically checked in at 36hrs prior, but we do have 2 different confirmation codes (one for the 4 of us & one for my parents that did senior tickets ).  Will the boarding passes be in 2 different groups, such as A50-A54, A59/60?  We will need two full rows to sit together.  I figure, at the worst, our family or 4 boards first and then hopefully my parents will still be able to sit in the empty seats in the rows we are already in.  I have no problem sitting at the back of the plane - easier to access the bathrooms for emergencies with children.
> 
> This will be the first flight for my children and we'll have a car seat for my son.  My father hasn't flown in a very long time and my mother has never flown. I'm concerned about how they will all handle the flight.  My father has anxiety attacks and my mom is scared of flying.  Hoping for the best - we're traveling Sept 25th.
> 
> Any insights and suggestions would be great!


Since you have two different confirmation you will get different boarding position. And remember EBCI does not always guarantee the A boarding position. You could also be in the high B boarding position. And remember that the family boarding generally occurs between A & B boarding


----------



## pinkgirlmommy

Where is the Click n Save email for today? I usually get them every Tuesday but not today! Was hoping for a Labor Day Sale!


----------



## ABCastillo

pinkgirlmommy said:


> Where is the Click n Save email for today? I usually get them every Tuesday but not today! Was hoping for a Labor Day Sale!



Mine came today!  Was a similar sale to the ones they've been having.


----------



## kamik86

eeyoreali said:


> Hello all!
> 
> My husband and I have flown Southwest two times before - just us two.  Now we're taking a trip that will include our two children (dd 6 & ds 2) and my two parents.  We purchased our tickets in February and bought the EBCI for all.  I know that we'll be automatically checked in at 36hrs prior, but we do have 2 different confirmation codes (one for the 4 of us & one for my parents that did senior tickets ).  Will the boarding passes be in 2 different groups, such as A50-A54, A59/60?  We will need two full rows to sit together.  I figure, at the worst, our family or 4 boards first and then hopefully my parents will still be able to sit in the empty seats in the rows we are already in.  I have no problem sitting at the back of the plane - easier to access the bathrooms for emergencies with children.
> 
> This will be the first flight for my children and we'll have a car seat for my son.  My father hasn't flown in a very long time and my mother has never flown. I'm concerned about how they will all handle the flight.  My father has anxiety attacks and my mom is scared of flying.  Hoping for the best - we're traveling Sept 25th.
> 
> Any insights and suggestions would be great!



The numbers won't necessarily be right together. Heck its even possible for you to get something like A58, A59, A60, B1 for your group of 4. Which would make you not all even line up together

You parents will almost definitely be separated from you in boarding numbers though with different confirmation numbers. They could board before you or after you... no way to know until you have the numbers. 

You have one young enough for family boarding so you also have that option if the 4 of you all get Bs... but that may result in the 6 of you boarding in three seperate groups.


----------



## feet1

I'm still trying to make sense of the whole boarding process. We've never flown SW before but we are in two weeks. We are a family of 6. Two adults, a 15 yo, 13 yo, 12yo and 7 yo. We purchased the early bird check in. So what exactly does that mean? From what I was reading I guess that means they check in for us instead of us doing it 24 hours in advance.  But what does that mean?  And what is checking in anyways. Lordy...we drove last time and the time before that we flew delta with assigned seats. How will we know where we are sitting? Sorry for all of the questions...I'm just so confused.


----------



## jenseib

feet1 said:


> I'm still trying to make sense of the whole boarding process. We've never flown SW before but we are in two weeks. We are a family of 6. Two adults, a 15 yo, 13 yo, 12yo and 7 yo. We purchased the early bird check in. So what exactly does that mean? From what I was reading I guess that means they check in for us instead of us doing it 24 hours in advance.  But what does that mean?  And what is checking in anyways. Lordy...we drove last time and the time before that we flew delta with assigned seats. How will we know where we are sitting? Sorry for all of the questions...I'm just so confused.


----------



## feet1

Well that was cool!  Thanks for that little video


----------



## AngiTN

Hoping maybe some of you Southwest experts will have noticed this
I just noticed something I can't figure out. Maybe it's happened before and I just didn't pay attention
Been watching for fares to drop to the $49 I'm used to seeing between ATL and MCO. Yesterday they finally did, at least for half the trip. We had a credit to use so I booked.
I booked flights departing ATL @ 8:40 AM on 10/14
Returning flight is @ 9:55 on 10/18
Since I hope to catch a drop on the return flight I'll be checking daily just to see.
Well, I went to check today and I pull up a list of flights for the same dates and the flights I booked are not listed period. Not the departure flight or the return flight.
Since that seemed odd I decided to check and see what else was different
If I go in to select "change" flight there are 1 list of flights shown. The list I see here matches what I saw on the "new flight" list yesterday when I booked our trip
If I go in the select a "new flight" another totally different list of flights are shown.
None are the same on the 2 lists.
The dates are the same, the airports are the same and the number of passengers are the same.
Is this normal and I've never noticed before? We've been flying down a lot since they offer such cheap fares between ATL and MCO
It doesn't really matter much other than it's a mystery. I'm not worried that our flight doesn't exist. It does.


----------



## jenseib

AngiTN said:


> Hoping maybe some of you Southwest experts will have noticed this
> I just noticed something I can't figure out. Maybe it's happened before and I just didn't pay attention
> Been watching for fares to drop to the $49 I'm used to seeing between ATL and MCO. Yesterday they finally did, at least for half the trip. We had a credit to use so I booked.
> I booked flights departing ATL @ 8:40 AM on 10/14
> Returning flight is @ 9:55 on 10/18
> Since I hope to catch a drop on the return flight I'll be checking daily just to see.
> Well, I went to check today and I pull up a list of flights for the same dates and the flights I booked are not listed period. Not the departure flight or the return flight.
> Since that seemed odd I decided to check and see what else was different
> If I go in to select "change" flight there are 1 list of flights shown. The list I see here matches what I saw on the "new flight" list yesterday when I booked our trip
> If I go in the select a "new flight" another totally different list of flights are shown.
> None are the same on the 2 lists.
> The dates are the same, the airports are the same and the number of passengers are the same.
> Is this normal and I've never noticed before? We've been flying down a lot since they offer such cheap fares between ATL and MCO
> It doesn't really matter much other than it's a mystery. I'm not worried that our flight doesn't exist. It does.


 
That happens when they sell out. They just remove them


----------



## AngiTN

jenseib said:


> That happens when they sell out. They just remove them


But they aren't sold out. I can purchase them on both lists. Just provides different flights.


----------



## jenseib

AngiTN said:


> But they aren't sold out. I can purchase them on both lists. Just provides different flights.


 
I guess I don't understand what you are saying...if they are not showing up...how can you purchase them?  When you go in to modify it always gives you your original flight, even if it is sold out. Otherwise I have no clue. 
I assume direct flights right?  If there was a layover I can see how they would offer different options.


----------



## AngiTN

jenseib said:


> I guess I don't understand what you are saying...if they are not showing up...how can you purchase them?  When you go in to modify it always gives you your original flight, even if it is sold out. Otherwise I have no clue.
> I assume direct flights right?  If there was a layover I can see how they would offer different options.


I can purchase (if you call it that) because I use 2 different methods to pull up the list. They all show up as open to purchase, just not all on 1 list. It is quite confusing to see and more confusing to explain.
They are all direct flights.
Method 1, start a purchase as it is a new flight
I get a list of 6 flights. All of which are available to purchase
Method 2, click through using the "change" flight on my current reservation
I get *another* list of 6 flights, totally different times and flight numbers than shown on Method 1. None of the flights shown on the list that I get on Method 1 aren't on there. The flights shown on Method 2 do not show up on the list of flights on Method 1.
There are in reality a total of 12 flights from ATL to MCO that day.
None of the flights are currently sold out


----------



## jenseib

Thats really weird.


----------



## FBandA

It has been a long time since I have taken SW my question is about getting my boarding pass. Did not pay for early check-in how do I get tickets for going and coming back. Just DH and I going this time. Hoping for another video


----------



## jenseib

FBandA said:


> It has been a long time since I have taken SW my question is about getting my boarding pass. Did not pay for early check-in how do I get tickets for going and coming back. Just DH and I going this time. Hoping for another video


 
You do online check in and then print the passes. If you don't have a printer or internet then you can do it via the app.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

At exactly 24 hrs before your flight using the SWA website you will check in for your fight. After checking in you will be given the option to print your boarding pass. If you can't print you can print them at the airport.


https://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/airport-experience/index.html


----------



## Lori74

we have 5 tickets for november, prices went down. so we changed our tickets and have credit. to our dismay, we won't be flying within the year the credits expire. (we are flying a month after they expire!) anyways, next year my husband and i are flying our extended family to orlando, 13 in all. i'm wanting to (of course) get a great sale to buy tickets, but don't want to wait so long we can't all get on flight. at first we were going to book as soon as date opens up and just change when we found a better sale, but since the credit only goes towards the ticket holder, and it expires within a year, that option is out. i've called the group booking to see if there are any savings that way, and we did an example flight and compared to internet and the price was about the same. any advice on the waiting game of booking a flight for next august for 13 people?


----------



## tinkerbell615

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> At exactly 24 hrs before your flight using the SWA website you will check in for your fight. After checking in you will be given the option to print your boarding pass. If you can't print you can print them at the airport.
> 
> 
> https://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/airport-experience/index.html



I have only flown one other time before. That was on Southwest and it was about 8 years ago. At that time, I was able to go to guest relations in Epcot and use their computer to check in. Does anyone know if you can still do that at a park? I don't have a smart phone. My DH does, but unfortunately, both of us are a little challenged with it. lol  Can you download the Southwest app and use it for check in? I did see that someone said you can use the app if you don't have a printer to print the boarding pass. Can you actually check in that way also? We might need to have our DS give us a tutorial.


----------



## jenseib

tinkerbell615 said:


> I have only flown one other time before. That was on Southwest and it was about 8 years ago. At that time, I was able to go to guest relations in Epcot and use their computer to check in. Does anyone know if you can still do that at a park? I don't have a smart phone. My DH does, but unfortunately, both of us are a little challenged with it. lol  Can you download the Southwest app and use it for check in? I did see that someone said you can use the app if you don't have a printer to print the boarding pass. Can you actually check in that way also? We might need to have our DS give us a tutorial.


 
Yes you can check in on the app.  You might want to just pay for the early bird since both of you are challenged. They will print the boarding pass right at the airport for you then. (or you can get it on the app).  Also you can often check in at guest services and some resorts have computers for airline check in, but it may cost.  Or if you bring a laptop you can do it yourself in your room. For me, it's worth the money to pay for early bird for the return trip.


----------



## tinkerbell615

jenseib said:


> Yes you can check in on the app.  You might want to just pay for the early bird since both of you are challenged. They will print the boarding pass right at the airport for you then. (or you can get it on the app).  Also you can often check in at guest services and some resorts have computers for airline check in, but it may cost.  Or if you bring a laptop you can do it yourself in your room. For me, it's worth the money to pay for early bird for the return trip.



Thank you. I think we will pay for the early bird for the return trip. Are you able to then print the boarding pass at the airport? Is there a special place for that? I'm sorry to sound so silly, but this is all very new to us.


----------



## TJA

I have travel funds I'd like to apply to a new reservation.  Here's the problem.  Last trip, my flights went down twice, so I changed it twice to get the travel funds for next trip.  We are a family of 4, so looks like I have 8 different credits.  The system will use 4 and that's it.  Can you guys assist me in a way to consolidate all 8 credits into just 1 credit so I can use it now?


----------



## amss14

I bought tickets for 3 people for the same flight under one transaction and they have the same confirmation number.
I signed myself up for the app and linked that ticket. When I use the app to check in, will it check
all 3 of us in? Or do i need to set up an account for every person and check us in one by one?


----------



## jenseib

TJA said:


> I have travel funds I'd like to apply to a new reservation.  Here's the problem.  Last trip, my flights went down twice, so I changed it twice to get the travel funds for next trip.  We are a family of 4, so looks like I have 8 different credits.  The system will use 4 and that's it.  Can you guys assist me in a way to consolidate all 8 credits into just 1 credit so I can use it now?


 
It is one confirmation number though right? Or did you book each person individually?  The credit is attached the conf. # so if you did more than one change on that conf. then all you have to do is enter it and then it will take off the full amount. if it is 2 conf.s then enter both and it will take off both those amounts for each person.


----------



## dwheaton

Any tips for finding a good deal from SW in January around MLK weekend? A code or other suggestion would be helpful. We're planning to fly out Thursday afternoon and come back on MLK day. While I expected not to get the best deal, the prices from St. Louis to MCO are over $400 a person right now. Any tips? Should I wait a few weeks? I don't wait too long and not get tickets.


----------



## feet1

I have another question- we paid for early bird check in. Our flight leaves at 6:45 tomorrow morning. I don't have to do anything right?  Am I waiting for an email from sw with boarding passes to print? Never flown sw before


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

Lori74 said:


> we have 5 tickets for november, prices went down. so we changed our tickets and have credit. to our dismay, we won't be flying within the year the credits expire. (we are flying a month after they expire!) anyways, next year my husband and i are flying our extended family to orlando, 13 in all. i'm wanting to (of course) get a great sale to buy tickets, but don't want to wait so long we can't all get on flight. at first we were going to book as soon as date opens up and just change when we found a better sale, but since the credit only goes towards the ticket holder, and it expires within a year, that option is out. i've called the group booking to see if there are any savings that way, and we did an example flight and compared to internet and the price was about the same. any advice on the waiting game of booking a flight for next august for 13 people?


Your only option is to pay $100 per credit voucher to have the expiration date extended 6 months.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

feet1 said:


> I have another question- we paid for early bird check in. Our flight leaves at 6:45 tomorrow morning. I don't have to do anything right?  Am I waiting for an email from sw with boarding passes to print? Never flown sw before


You will not get an email. You still need to check in online before your flight to get your boarding pass even with EBCI


----------



## Lori74

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> Your only option is to pay $100 per credit voucher to have the expiration date extended 6 months.


i see, it just wouldn't be worth it. now i just hope we find good prices next year for our big family trip. thank you for your response!


----------



## jenseib

dwheaton said:


> Any tips for finding a good deal from SW in January around MLK weekend? A code or other suggestion would be helpful. We're planning to fly out Thursday afternoon and come back on MLK day. While I expected not to get the best deal, the prices from St. Louis to MCO are over $400 a person right now. Any tips? Should I wait a few weeks? I don't wait too long and not get tickets.


 
Try checking prices the day before and/or after your planned dates. Sometimes they are much cheaper and worth it to extend the stay.  Thats is call Disney math!


----------



## dwheaton

jenseib said:


> Try checking prices the day before and/or after your planned dates. Sometimes they are much cheaper and worth it to extend the stay.  Thats is call Disney math!



Unfortunately, we're stuck due to my daughter being in school. I did check, however, and they're still not much cheaper. It's crazy to think of spending more than $400 for a ticket in January!


----------



## jenseib

The airlines know it's the holiday.  It is also why Disney often doesn't do discounts that weekend as well.


----------



## jerseygal

Anyone know when next SW booking window will be released, May, '16? TIA!


----------



## jerseygal

jerseygal said:


> Anyone know when next SW booking window will be released, May, '16? TIA!


 Just found it, October 27th I believe.


----------



## kapstar

jerseygal said:


> Just found it, October 27th I believe.



Yes, although that got pushed back from the end of Sept.  I would keep checking, they may bump it up a week or two.


----------



## jerseygal

Thanks, Kapstar! Hope so!


----------



## tinkerbell615

So I have a question for everyone. I booked our roundtrip flights a couple of weeks ago. Today, the return flight dropped $24.00 each. I have paid for earlybird check in for the return flight, but not the departing flight. Can I call and get a credit for the difference and use that credit for earlybird check in for the departing flight? Honestly, I know that the credit has be used within a year, and this is only the 2nd time I have ever flown and the first time for DH. I don't think we will be flying again anytime soon, so I was hoping to be able to use the credit for earlybird check in on the departing flight.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

tinkerbell615 said:


> So I have a question for everyone. I booked our roundtrip flights a couple of weeks ago. Today, the return flight dropped $24.00 each. I have paid for earlybird check in for the return flight, but not the departing flight. Can I call and get a credit for the difference and use that credit for earlybird check in for the departing flight? Honestly, I know that the credit has be used within a year, and this is only the 2nd time I have ever flown and the first time for DH. I don't think we will be flying again anytime soon, so I was hoping to be able to use the credit for earlybird check in on the departing flight.


 
Unless something has changed, Early Bird Check In must be paid by credit card so this won't work for you.  Sorry.


----------



## tinkerbell615

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Unless something has changed, Early Bird Check In must be paid by credit card so this won't work for you.  Sorry.


Thank you!


----------



## mcd2745

Has anyone ever had any luck (or at least tried) getting the expiration date on tickets extended? I was trying to change a flight (booked on points) and it wasn't going through. I kept getting an unusual error message about a problem with my payment method. So I called SW and they told me it was because the new date was 2 days after the original ticket expired. I asked if there was any way to get an extension/accommodation for only 2 days. They said I have to call a separate "Customer Relations" phone number. Just wondering if anyone has tried something similar, and what the result was.


----------



## Minnesota!

When can I expect to see fares released for end of June 2016?  I am assuming end of December?  

I currently have flights booked for March, but will be changing them to June...just wondering how long I have to be impatient


----------



## mcd2745

mcd2745 said:


> Has anyone ever had any luck (or at least tried) getting the expiration date on tickets extended? I was trying to change a flight (booked on points) and it wasn't going through. I kept getting an unusual error message about a problem with my payment method. So I called SW and they told me it was because the new date was 2 days after the original ticket expired. I asked if there was any way to get an extension/accommodation for only 2 days. They said I have to call a separate "Customer Relations" phone number. Just wondering if anyone has tried something similar, and what the result was.




As a follow up...when I called Customer Relations they could not actually extend the expiration of the tickets. They said, since the original tickets were booked with points, though, I could just cancel and re-book with the points without any loss - I'd even get the govt fee/tax refunded she said. When I inquired about losing EBCI...she said she couldn't transfer it over, but she would make an accommodation and refund us for the EBCI and we just had to re-purchase it on the new flights. So kudos to SW customer relations!


----------



## Hezzy04

I am hoping to book tickets soon, but had a couple questions...

1. Will my whole family be allowed to do the family boarding (myself, my husband, 4 year old, 5 year old), or will it only be the 4 year old and one adult who can go on?

2. At what point in the purchase process do you have the ability to add the Early Bird option? I tried going through the process using my smart phone, and never saw an option to add it. Is it offered after entering credit card info? I stopped at that point bc I was just trying to see....my dates won't actually open until the end of the month.

3. Is it really worth it to get the Early Bird option if I will be online 24 hours before to get my boarding position?

4. Can you only do Early Bird for certain members of your party? I know my 4 year old at least can board early with one adult....so if needed could I just do Early Bird for my 5 year old and my husband?

5. When looking at prices online it doesn't give the option to add children.....I can only purchase tickets as adult tickets. I just wanted to make sure that sounds right...I know the prices are the same for kids and adults, but it feels weird signing my kids up as adults!


----------



## Just Love Disney

I just found out that our return flight on SW (Oct. 31st) is completely sold out (verified on the phone with agent). We did not purchase the Early-Bird Check-In when we booked the tickets almost 5 months ago (I feel sick )

In your opinion, is it worth it to purchase the EBCI for our family of 4 (ages 13 and up) this late in the game? If so, any guesses on what boarding we are likely to get?

Thanks for you help!

ETA: I've been all over the internet to see if EBCI is worth it and have read several stories where people that didn't use it but that did check-in at exactly the 24 hour mark, got a  better boarding position than the EBCI people. Does this happen frequently? I called SW twice and asked what the benefit of EBCI would be and was told that I _may_ get a little better position but the biggest benefit is that _I_ don't have to remember to check-in since the system will do it for me....Is that really the biggest benefit? I am so confused now  $50 bucks is $50 bucks...


----------



## KSR0330

Just Love Disney said:


> I just found out that our return flight on SW (Oct. 31st) is completely sold out (verified on the phone with agent). We did not purchase the Early-Bird Check-In when we booked the tickets almost 5 months ago (I feel sick )
> 
> In your opinion, is it worth it to purchase the EBCI for our family of 4 (ages 13 and up) this late in the game? If so, any guesses on what boarding we are likely to get?
> 
> Thanks for you help!
> 
> ETA: I've been all over the internet to see if EBCI is worth it and have read several stories where people that didn't use it but that did check-in at exactly the 24 hour mark, got a better boarding position than the EBCI people. Does this happen frequently? I called SW twice and asked what the benefit of EBCI would be and was told that I _may_ get a little better position but the biggest benefit is that _I_ don't have to remember to check-in since the system will do it for me....Is that really the biggest benefit? I am so confused now  $50 bucks is $50 bucks...



It's my understanding that they check you in 36 hours prior to the flight, which is 12 hours earlier than "non EBCI" people can check in.  This will give you an advantage over others who did not get the EBCI.

Yes, it's $50.  To me, $50 is worth a little less stress!  If it will help me relax a bit, then I would definitely get the EBCI.


----------



## KSR0330

dwheaton said:


> Unfortunately, we're stuck due to my daughter being in school. I did check, however, and they're still not much cheaper. It's crazy to think of spending more than $400 for a ticket in January!



I won't take my son out of school for a week's vacation, but I will definitely take him out for 1 day to leave a day earlier and save a few hundred dollars on airfare!


----------



## Just Love Disney

KSR0330 said:


> It's my understanding that they check you in 36 hours prior to the flight, which is 12 hours earlier than "non EBCI" people can check in.  This will give you an advantage over others who did not get the EBCI.
> 
> Yes, it's $50.  To me, $50 is worth a little less stress!  If it will help me relax a bit, then I would definitely get the EBCI.



Any guesses as to where we may end up as far as boarding position (with and without the EBCI)? I know it's only a guess but I'm just curious at what we could be looking at with a sold out flight since we've never flown when the flight was full. 

It seems to me that anyone that wanted EBCI already purchased it, and then the rest is families with kids 4 and under who don't need to purchase it because of automatic family boarding position. I'd hate to dump $50 if we still end up with the C position, ya know?


----------



## KSR0330

I have no idea where you would be.  Who are you traveling with?  Are you worried that you won't all sit together?  Chances are that you will at least be close to each other even if you're not right next to each other.

I know if a parent wanted to sit with his/her child, I would move over to help that happen.  I'm sure a lot of others would do the same.


----------



## Just Love Disney

KSR0330 said:


> I have no idea where you would be.  Who are you traveling with?  Are you worried that you won't all sit together?  Chances are that you will at least be close to each other even if you're not right next to each other.
> 
> I know if a parent wanted to sit with his/her child, I would move over to help that happen.  I'm sure a lot of others would do the same.



Thanks. I know I am asking you to look into your crystal ball and speculate what 'could' happen. Just wondered if anyone had experience with a full flight and either adding EBCI super late or not adding it at all and what the outcome was.

I appreciate your help


----------



## goofy4tink

Just Love Disney said:


> I just found out that our return flight on SW (Oct. 31st) is completely sold out (verified on the phone with agent). We did not purchase the Early-Bird Check-In when we booked the tickets almost 5 months ago (I feel sick )
> 
> In your opinion, is it worth it to purchase the EBCI for our family of 4 (ages 13 and up) this late in the game? If so, any guesses on what boarding we are likely to get?
> 
> Thanks for you help!
> 
> ETA: I've been all over the internet to see if EBCI is worth it and have read several stories where people that didn't use it but that did check-in at exactly the 24 hour mark, got a  better boarding position than the EBCI people. Does this happen frequently? I called SW twice and asked what the benefit of EBCI would be and was told that I _may_ get a little better position but the biggest benefit is that _I_ don't have to remember to check-in since the system will do it for me....Is that really the biggest benefit? I am so confused now  $50 bucks is $50 bucks...


Can someone without EBCI get a better boarding slot than you, if you've paid for EBCI? Sure. Someone could cancel their flight, and the next person booking EBCI could possibly get that recently vacated spot. Or someone could pay more for their fare than you did...they will get a higher slot.
The best thing about EBCI is that I don't have to worry about checking in. That's why it's called 'early bird check in'...not 'better boarding slot check in'.
You always have to assume that a flight is going to be either full or pretty close to full these days. Airlines aren't flying planes with many empty seats anymore...especially to high demand destinations, like WDW.



Just Love Disney said:


> Any guesses as to where we may end up as far as boarding position (with and without the EBCI)? I know it's only a guess but I'm just curious at what we could be looking at with a sold out flight since we've never flown when the flight was full.
> 
> It seems to me that anyone that wanted EBCI already purchased it, and then the rest is families with kids 4 and under who don't need to purchase it because of automatic family boarding position. I'd hate to dump $50 if we still end up with the C position, ya know?


No  idea. But, you need to decide if you want to take a chance and end up way to the end of the boarding process by not buying EBCI, or pay for it now, at this late date, and at least be in front of some people. Will you get in the A group? Nope. You might get into the B group though....possibly. I highly doubt that at this point, your group will not be seated together without paying for EBCI...and even then it could be a possibility.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Just Love Disney said:


> Thanks. I know I am asking you to look into your crystal ball and speculate what 'could' happen. Just wondered if anyone had experience with a full flight and either adding EBCI super late or not adding it at all and what the outcome was.
> 
> I appreciate your help



DH and I were traveling to.from Puerto Rico on SW, we did NOT purchase EBCI but I did log in first thing on the outbound trip and got us pretty decent boarding numbers - well, on the way home I totally forgot (since we were on vacation) and by the time I checked us in online we were in the back of the line!  We knew the flight would be super booked and we paid like $40/person at the gate for EBCI and it was SO worth it - we were like the 3rd people on the plane!

My thought is it's NEVER a frivolous cost b/c it's worth it to us to (1) get the seats we want (2) get our bags put away!!


----------



## quagmire0

Minnesota! said:


> When can I expect to see fares released for end of June 2016?  I am assuming end of December?
> 
> I currently have flights booked for March, but will be changing them to June...just wondering how long I have to be impatient



I'm in the same boat waiting for those June dates to open up.  Was so mad that the latest update showed flights until June 3, when we leave on June 5. :|

Just have to keep checking this site:

https://www.southwest.com/html/travel-tools/index.html

FWIW, the last two times we booked flights for June, in 2013 and 2011, my e-mails show me purchasing the tickets in mid-November.


----------



## Mr. X

Anyone have a Southwest code for April 2016?


----------



## RunningAriel

Check your flights folks! I just checked our November trip and it dropped over $40!! Hello credit!!


----------



## Vernie822

Hey guys! Quick question about SW flights. If I book a flight with $ instead of points, and then sometime before the flight I have enough points in cash to cover the cost of the flight, can I "change" the flight and get a refund to my credit card for the $ paid, and re-book it using points? Hopefully that makes sense.

I know that sounds confusing and generally they'll refund you the $ with a credit (which would probably be OK given that we travel at least once a year).. but just thought I would check. Thanks!


----------



## Disneytam

I'm sure this has been asked and answered before but I can't find it. Can you transfer points to a family member? I have a lot of points with Southwest and my 22 year old son will be going to Disney next year with his aunt and I want to know if I can book his flight with my points? I never have a problem with my husband using my points but I am always traveling with him. Thanks everyone.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Disneytam said:


> I'm sure this has been asked and answered before but I can't find it. Can you transfer points to a family member? I have a lot of points with Southwest and my 22 year old son will be going to Disney next year with his aunt and I want to know if I can book his flight with my points? I never have a problem with my husband using my points but I am always traveling with him. Thanks everyone.



You cannot transfer points but like you said you can book flights for him with your points.  It will not be a problem at all and it will be treated like any other flight reservation.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

Mr. X said:


> Anyone have a Southwest code for April 2016?


SWA has not released any codes in a few years. So don't hold your breath.


----------



## SuzaBanana

What time does SW release flights on release day?


----------



## theworldneedscolor

SuzaBanana said:


> What time does SW release flights on release day?



Also wondering this, and how important it is to book right then. I saw some other posts that said 6am Eastern, but I'd prefer not to have to wake up at 3am Pacific to check...


----------



## disneynan

DH and I thought the release would happen at midnight, so got up to check. We were disappointed, and still don ' see the dates yet. Hopefully in a few minutes...


----------



## theworldneedscolor

Well, I ended up getting up to check. Hopefully the update them soon; I will be annoyed if I got up at 3am for nothing


----------



## disneynan

6 am now and nope.


----------



## HockeyMomNH

I'm waiting too.  Anyone know if you have to log out and back in when they update?


----------



## theworldneedscolor

They did change that Travel Tools page, so it now says they are accepting reservations through June 3rd. Hopefully that means they will open them up any minute!


----------



## ToddyLu

You all are not alone, still nothing.


----------



## ash901

Waiting here too


----------



## buzzrelly

Me too…and I'm not waiting very patiently, I might add


----------



## theworldneedscolor

I'm going to give it maybe 10 more minutes, then I'll have to bail and go back to sleep


----------



## ToddyLu

It is comforting to know I am not the only uber planner.


----------



## theworldneedscolor

I just want a good deal! Flights between Oregon and Florida are definitely not cheap, but I'm hoping I can score a lower fare than usual.


----------



## ToddyLu

Please for the love of Disney...post the flights!!!


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

Up waiting and now have to go to work.  Hopefully opens up before hubby has to go to work too.


----------



## disneynan

HockeyMomNH said:


> I'm waiting too.  Anyone know if you have to log out and back in when they update?


Have been refreshing my page every few minutes for the past half hour and it has been keeping me signed in.
Making it tough to get ready for work though....


----------



## ToddyLu

Well I am in MS and can drive it but am married to a precious DH that just cant bare the trip in a car.


----------



## DisDadDVC

Normally SW opens up the schedule around 6:15am.  However, last time, it was much later.


----------



## DisDadDVC

Any minute now, the dates show up, but can't be booked yet.


----------



## theworldneedscolor

Well, I'm officially annoyed. Sat at my computer in the middle of the night for 45 minutes for no reason at all. The price for the days I could fly are way to expensive! Not at all cheaper than normal prices. And there are hardly any flight times... 

Guess I'll have to look into another airline, but I'll be moving home from the DCP so I'll have tons of luggage, which is why I wanted Southwest...While, I'll have to save my researching for a time that is not 3:40am.


----------



## ToddyLu

Well I got an early flight there and then my return trip was about 40$ cheaper.


----------



## disneynan

OK - finally booked! Lost the first flight I tried to book cuz it took so long to get our info in, luckily the website saved the info and was able to book our second choice - was shocked at how quickly things filled up!!


----------



## sb127

Just booked!!!


----------



## HockeyMomNH

I had to move my departure day up one day.  But I got a good price, and an extra day at Disney.


----------



## disneynan

theworldneedscolor said:


> Well, I'm officially annoyed. Sat at my computer in the middle of the night for 45 minutes for no reason at all. The price for the days I could fly are way to expensive! Not at all cheaper than normal prices. And there are hardly any flight times...
> 
> Guess I'll have to look into another airline, but I'll be moving home from the DCP so I'll have tons of luggage, which is why I wanted Southwest...While, I'll have to save my researching for a time that is not 3:40am.


We saved about $100pp and got direct flights rather than layovers, so it was worth it for us.


----------



## ToddyLu

Were the flights much cheaper for you guys?


----------



## ToddyLu

Awesome, good for you!  We paid around or normal for the last couple of years, so I am pleased.


----------



## disneynan

Yes, we got $340pp nonstop......last night the cheapest we saw was JetBlue with long layovers for $450pp, these are round-trip. Those figures apply to all but me as they are flying down on Wed evening. I can't go till Friday night due to work - my flight was $411 which is still a lot cheaper than we saw for that date on other carriers - some airlines had this price for one leg, not round-trip! We are happy with our pricing.


----------



## disneynan

Glad it was worth all the waiting


----------



## Jaime4004

disneynan said:


> OK - finally booked! Lost the first flight I tried to book cuz it took so long to get our info in, luckily the website saved the info and was able to book our second choice - was shocked at how quickly things filled up!!



Same here!  Cost me $30 extra to book because it took me so long to fill it out that price was gone, had to pick another.  Grr.  I thought it would hold the flights til you were done...


----------



## n2mm

Tried but couldn't get it done. Couldn't figure out how to use travel credits on the SW app on my iPad. Had to go to safari on my iPad and the site wasn't very stable.


----------



## buzzrelly

UGH!! That was the MOST aggravating experience! I have been up since 5 am, refreshing my screen until the flights finally came up. We had previously purchased our flights down from BDL to MCO at $139 pp (4 of us). Then the flights went down to $119 pp so we each had a $20 credit. So when I went on this am, we just needed our return flight on 4/17. I saw the 8:55pm non-stop for $249 pp and added 4 to my cart. Then I went through the whole process of adding everyone's names and RR numbers and added all the travel credits and my credit card. The stupid thing wouldn't process! It kept saying I have too many form of payment. So I called and was on hold for at least 30 minutes and I was totally stressing out so I decided to try to remove the travel credits and try to continue on the web site and ask on the phone for the funds to be credited (if they ever picked up!). By the time I removed all the travel credits, then it started saying that the flight I had in my cart wasn't available any longer…it had gone up to $289!  GRRRRRRRRR! I was so mad and stressed at this point that not only wasn't I able to use the travel credits, I was going to have to pay $30 more pp! 

Finally, the SW agent picked up and I started rambling on about all that had just happened. She was able to book 3 of our tickets at $249 and one at $289, and she applied all the travel credits. She told me after that I am only allowed to apply 3 travel credits per transaction but IT DOESN'T SAY THAT ANYWHERE ON THEIR WEB-SITE!!  So stupid! 

Anyway, I'm glad that's over with, but not very happy with the price and the aggravation it caused. In the end, I am paying an average of $378pp round trip. I REALLY need to stop going in April.


----------



## jenseib

theworldneedscolor said:


> Well, I'm officially annoyed. Sat at my computer in the middle of the night for 45 minutes for no reason at all. The price for the days I could fly are way to expensive! Not at all cheaper than normal prices. And there are hardly any flight times...
> 
> Guess I'll have to look into another airline, but I'll be moving home from the DCP so I'll have tons of luggage, which is why I wanted Southwest...While, I'll have to save my researching for a time that is not 3:40am.


 
I have never found the best pricing on opening day.  I waited about 2 months after they opened for Feb and got each flight $40 cheaper each way.


----------



## disneynan

jenseib said:


> I have never found the best pricing on opening day.  I waited about 2 months after they opened for Feb and got each flight $40 cheaper each way.


That is good to know.....will recheck pricing in Dec and Jan to see if we can drop our price. Thanks for the tip!


----------



## buzzrelly

I waited one year and ended up paying $100 MORE per person. I learned my lesson and would never wait again, especially for April vacation from New England. Those airline seats are in demand and not likely to go down.


----------



## farlinm1

I am a newbie flying SW airlines......I am traveling solo and I have a 1 way going down to Orlando from Flint, MI on April 5, 2016...got a non-stop, good price for myself months ago....Just booked my return flight with one stop in Chicago Midway from Orlando back to Flint on April 12, 2016. Only had 2 outgoing flights that day so I did not want to take a chance of them being sold out  I have never flown SouthWest and never have done 2 separate 1 way tickets before, so I am wondering how do I print out my boarding pass for my return flight back home??? I leave Orlando at 6:20 pm on April 12th...Any tips you can give me concerning flying with Southwest would be great!!!! Thanks


----------



## ToddyLu

Anytime I fly SW I purchse the early bird check in (ECBI).  It is $12.50 a flight and they will automatically check you in to your flt at 36 hours not the normal 24 hours.  This gives you a better position at the gate to board the plane and get your seat.  It takes the worry out of remembering to check in while I am in Disney.  typically it insures an "A" position but does not gaurantee it. You can print your boarding pass before the flight at the gate or if you have a smart phone I think you can use their app, which will show your boarding bar code to the attendant. When flying out of Orlando we always use a sky cap out on the sidewalk.  Saves time and he prints your pass for you.  I always tip of course.


----------



## farlinm1

thanks I did purchase the EBCI as I thought it might be of use and I see it will be  Oh thanks for the sky cap tip!!! I never thought of using them and Orlando is such a big airport to maneuver in I will sure use them.


----------



## farlinm1

thanks I did purchase the EBCI as I thought it might be of use and I see it will be  Oh thanks for the sky cap tip!!! I never thought of using them and Orlando is such a big airport to maneuver in I will sure use them.


----------



## thebs19

For any Long Island folks going down in late April this year for the late Spring Break, found that SW had really good rates immediately upon releasing (129 pp), but they filled up QUICK and for a Sat-Sat trip all WGA fares are either gone or crazy high it looks like.

Shockingly, they reduced the number of Saturday direct return flights from Orlando in this booking window from the last.  I noticed that in the weeks preceding the new dates, there are multiple afternoon/evening flights back from Orlando on Saturday nights.  Can you believe there is no direct evening flight back on the Saturday's just released?  How weird.  I called even to confirm it wasn't a website glitch or something.  Odd.  We're flying back from Tampa now instead as I don't really feel like paying for the hotel night to have to fly back at 10 am or noon (which means you're just waking and leaving anyway).


----------



## HockeyMomNH

farlinm1 said:


> thanks I did purchase the EBCI as I thought it might be of use and I see it will be  Oh thanks for the sky cap tip!!! I never thought of using them and Orlando is such a big airport to maneuver in I will sure use them.



If we are checking luggage we just wait in the SW line and print our passes there.  The lines look crazy, but they usually move pretty quickly.  If you don't need to check luggage and you have a smart phone, you can just use the boarding pass directly on the phone.  It's super easy to do it that way.


----------



## mcd2745

thebs19 said:


> For any Long Island folks going down in late April this year for the late Spring Break, found that SW had really good rates immediately upon releasing (129 pp), but they filled up QUICK and for a Sat-Sat trip all WGA fares are either gone or crazy high it looks like.
> 
> Shockingly, they reduced the number of Saturday direct return flights from Orlando in this booking window from the last.  I noticed that in the weeks preceding the new dates, there are multiple afternoon/evening flights back from Orlando on Saturday nights.  Can you believe there is no direct evening flight back on the Saturday's just released?  How weird.  I called even to confirm it wasn't a website glitch or something.  Odd.  We're flying back from Tampa now instead as I don't really feel like paying for the hotel night to have to fly back at 10 am or noon (which means you're just waking and leaving anyway).




It seems each time they release a new batch of fares...they reduce the number of flights in/out of ISP. It's gotten ridiculous. There are now less than 50% of the flights from a handful of years ago. So they all immediately fill up and/or sell out and the prices keep going through the roof.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

buzzrelly said:


> She told me after that I am only allowed to apply 3 travel credits per transaction but IT DOESN'T SAY THAT ANYWHERE ON THEIR WEB-SITE!! So stupid!


 
Above the box where you apply travel funds it states the following:

*Up to four of the following may also be applied in any combination: Southwest® gift cards, Southwest LUV Vouchers, leftover electronic ticket funds, and one Credit Card*.

In your instance you can apply 3 travel funds and a credit card to pay the balance.  If you had booked flights for 1 or 2 people at a time you would have been ok to do it over the phone.  Also, sometimes there are only 1 or 2 seats left at a price.  It can sometimes be best to just book 1 ticket a time for these reasons (as well as many others which I won't go into on this post).


----------



## Victoriasmom98

Ugh!! Totally frustrated!! Needed 3 tickets for PWM to MCO on April 15th to return April 25th. THERE ARE NO "WANNA GET AWAY" fares for either day!!! WTH???!!!!! Anyone know why??


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

I agree SW has reduced the number of flights available, especially at certain times of the year.  Nonstop options are limited, too.  Some of the prices SW has to offer are competitive with other airlines that offer more service.  I wonder if SW is getting too big for their britches.


----------



## Momof2

Is there a way to find out how much you have in travel credits before booking a flight?  I believe I have credits from 2 recent fare changes but I have no idea how much.   Thanks.


----------



## chedtoon

Sorry for my lack of knowledge!  I'm usually too much of a chicken to ask, but I'm in need of help!! 
My son graduates the academy and we have just one shot of vacation time. The flights are so high and I've watched forever!!  Can someone tell me how to sign up for a code or how you achieve them??  I have seven tickets I have to purchase and I can't do without some price break!!   Timing is November 21.  Thank you for any advice!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

chedtoon said:


> Sorry for my lack of knowledge!  I'm usually too much of a chicken to ask, but I'm in need of help!!
> My son graduates the academy and we have just one shot of vacation time. The flights are so high and I've watched forever!!  Can someone tell me how to sign up for a code or how you achieve them??  I have seven tickets I have to purchase and I can't do without some price break!!   Timing is November 21.  Thank you for any advice!



Southwest has not issued any discount codes in a few years.  I can only remember them issuing codes 2 or 3 times total in the past 5 years.  The price you see online is the price you get, it will fluctuate up and down depending on demand, what day of the week you're looking, etc.  If you have time your best bet to save money is to open a few Southwest credit cards with Chase: i.e. you and your spouse (_if you have one)_ could each open the PLUS and PREMIERE card, spend $2,000 in the first 3 months and you earn 52,000 points per card which is worth roughly $800 in airfare based on how I value Southwest Points.  If you opened 4 cards and did this you'd earn over $3,000 in free airfare and would be close to earning 2 companion passes which would get you 2 free tickets for companions anytime you both fly.  See this post on million mile secrets for more details: http://millionmilesecrets.com/2014/02/20/a-step-by-step-guide-to-the-southwest-companion-pass/   Keep in mind that to do this with that many cards you would also have to spend $8,000 total on the credit cards within 3 months of opening then.

I know it sounds crazy but I've earned the CP this way...twice now!  If you need a link to get the 50,000 bonus points respond back and I'll get you one.


----------



## chedtoon

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Southwest has not issued any discount codes in a few years.  I can only remember them issuing codes 2 or 3 times total in the past 5 years.  The price you see online is the price you get, it will fluctuate up and down depending on demand, what day of the week you're looking, etc.  If you have time your best bet to save money is to open a few Southwest credit cards with Chase: i.e. you and your spouse (_if you have one)_ could each open the PLUS and PREMIERE card, spend $2,000 in the first 3 months and you earn 52,000 points per card which is worth roughly $800 in airfare based on how I value Southwest Points.  If you opened 4 cards and did this you'd earn over $3,000 in free airfare and would be close to earning 2 companion passes which would get you 2 free tickets for companions anytime you both fly.  See this post on million mile secrets for more details: http://millionmilesecrets.com/2014/02/20/a-step-by-step-guide-to-the-southwest-companion-pass/   Keep in mind that to do this with that many cards you would also have to spend $8,000 total on the credit cards within 3 months of opening then.
> 
> I know it sounds crazy but I've earned the CP this way...twice now!  If you need a link to get the 50,000 bonus points respond back and I'll get you one.



Thank you so much SouthFayetteFan!  I so appreciate you taking the time to post and explain!  I had a link, if it doesn't work, I'll get back to you!  Thank you again.  I won't have time for this trip, but I can use for future!


----------



## buzzrelly

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Above the box where you apply travel funds it states the following:
> 
> *Up to four of the following may also be applied in any combination: Southwest® gift cards, Southwest LUV Vouchers, leftover electronic ticket funds, and one Credit Card*.
> 
> In your instance you can apply 3 travel funds and a credit card to pay the balance.  If you had booked flights for 1 or 2 people at a time you would have been ok to do it over the phone.  Also, sometimes there are only 1 or 2 seats left at a price.  It can sometimes be best to just book 1 ticket a time for these reasons (as well as many others which I won't go into on this post).




Live and learn. I fly once a year so I guess my inexperience played a factor here and I missed that.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

chedtoon said:


> Thank you so much SouthFayetteFan!  I so appreciate you taking the time to post and explain!  I had a link, if it doesn't work, I'll get back to you!  Thank you again.  I won't have time for this trip, but I can use for future!


 
Glad to help - the strategy has saved us an enormous amount of money over the past 2 years and enabled us to visit Disney World multiple times and once out to Disneyland while only paying $5.60 per person for the security fee.  I'm happy to pass the word along!


----------



## 10_Kyle_10

Removed


----------



## goofy4wdw2

Does Southwest ever add flights? Trying to fly out of Philly in late April and many of the flights are sold out already or crazy high price. We haven't gone in April in a while but I was so surprised...I figured we'd be ok since it's after Easter and many schools in our area don't get a traditional week long spring break.


----------



## goofy4wdw2

I'm thinking of booking flight out of BWI instead of Philly. The extra drive stinks but BWI is so easy to navigate and parking much easier so it's not a huge hassle. Just want to confirm that I can switch flight to Philly (from BWI) if something opens up?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

goofy4wdw2 said:


> I'm thinking of booking flight out of BWI instead of Philly. The extra drive stinks but BWI is so easy to navigate and parking much easier so it's not a huge hassle. Just want to confirm that I can switch flight to Philly (from BWI) if something opens up?


 
You can switch your flight no problem.  I assume you'll book a wanna get away fare.  If you switch to a CHEAPER flight you will have a travel credit in your name that you can use for a future flight (within 1 year of when you originally booked the first flight).  If you switch to a MORE EXPENSIVE flight you will just pay the price difference.


----------



## goofy4wdw2

SouthFayetteFan said:


> You can switch your flight no problem.  I assume you'll book a wanna get away fare.  If you switch to a CHEAPER flight you will have a travel credit in your name that you can use for a future flight (within 1 year of when you originally booked the first flight).  If you switch to a MORE EXPENSIVE flight you will just pay the price difference.



Thank you!! We've changed days/times before but never changed the airport so just wanted to be sure!


----------



## goofy4wdw2

SouthFayetteFan said:


> You can switch your flight no problem.  I assume you'll book a wanna get away fare.  If you switch to a CHEAPER flight you will have a travel credit in your name that you can use for a future flight (within 1 year of when you originally booked the first flight).  If you switch to a MORE EXPENSIVE flight you will just pay the price difference.



Thank you!! We've changed days/times before but never changed the airport so just wanted to be sure!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

goofy4wdw2 said:


> Thank you!! We've changed days/times before but never changed the airport so just wanted to be sure!


 
No problem - as long as you are within that 1 year from initial booking window you can change practically anything except for the name of the traveler.


----------



## geksr

When does flight schedules open up for June?


----------



## disneynan

I would also like to know as we are waiting for flights in August.


----------



## DisDadDVC

goofy4wdw2 said:


> Does Southwest ever add flights? Trying to fly out of Philly in late April and many of the flights are sold out already or crazy high price. We haven't gone in April in a while but I was so surprised...I figured we'd be ok since it's after Easter and many schools in our area don't get a traditional week long spring break.



No.


----------



## DisDadDVC

geksr said:


> When does flight schedules open up for June?



"We are currently accepting air reservations through June 3, 2016. On December 8, 2015 we will open our schedule for sale through August 5, 2016. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently."

https://www.southwest.com/html/travel-tools/


----------



## DisDadDVC

Momof2 said:


> Is there a way to find out how much you have in travel credits before booking a flight?  I believe I have credits from 2 recent fare changes but I have no idea how much.   Thanks.



https://www.southwest.com/flight/travel-funds-search.html

If you don't have your conf#, you can call SW and give them your credit card number and they will look them up.


----------



## yitbos96bb

SouthFayetteFan said:


> You cannot transfer points but like you said you can book flights for him with your points.  It will not be a problem at all and it will be treated like any other flight reservation.



Actually you can transfer points now.  They changed that rule late 2014 or early 2015.  
https://www.southwest.com/rapidrewards/points-center?int=GFOOTER-BUY-TRANSFER-POINTS


----------



## TreesyB

I'm looking to book a flight back mid-March for Canadian March Break.  All the flights say WGA fares are unavailable.  Is it true they are sold out?  Or will something open up soon?  I'm nervous because I have flights down, have the resorts reserved, but no flight back - I guess there could be worst places to be stuck... LOL


----------



## old feller

TreesyB said:


> I'm looking to book a flight back mid-March for Canadian March Break.  All the flights say WGA fares are unavailable.  Is it true they are sold out?  Or will something open up soon?  I'm nervous because I have flights down, have the resorts reserved, but no flight back - I guess there could be worst places to be stuck... LOL


Been there..exactly there.....in my case ,more wanna get away fares magically appeared...twice


----------



## Allison Joy

DisDadDVC said:


> "We are currently accepting air reservations through June 3, 2016. On December 8, 2015 we will open our schedule for sale through August 5, 2016. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently."
> 
> https://www.southwest.com/html/travel-tools/



I had to laugh when I found that info on SW's website. I missed being able to book my roundtrip flight now by one day.... I could technically book my outgoing flight, just not my flight home. I'm flying out May 29th and flying back June 4th.  I must say, it's always baffled me a bit that they have these cutoffs on a weekend. Seems like a Monday or Tuesday would be a better cut off day, but what do I know? lol *shurgs*


----------



## Kimberly1

Allison Joy said:


> I had to laugh when I found that info on SW's website. I missed being able to book my roundtrip flight now by one day.... I could technically book my outgoing flight, just not my flight home. I'm flying out May 29th and flying back June 4th.  I must say, it's always baffled me a bit that they have these cutoffs on a weekend. Seems like a Monday or Tuesday would be a better cut off day, but what do I know? lol *shurgs*



Personally because I know we'd fly Southwest both ways, I'd book the going now. I pretty much always book one way anyway.


----------



## han22735

Im sure this has been answered but when you book with points and then the point cost goes down and you rebook and get the difference back do those points expire like a credit would if you paid cash for the flight?


----------



## ABCastillo

han22735 said:


> Im sure this has been answered but when you book with points and then the point cost goes down and you rebook and get the difference back do those points expire like a credit would if you paid cash for the flight?



Your "refunded" points go back to your bank with no expiration as they were before!


----------



## han22735

ABCastillo said:


> Your "refunded" points go back to your bank with no expiration as they were before!



Thanks a bunch!!  It certainly pays to keep checking.  I have rebooked now 4 times and saved about 5000 points.  I'm down to just 10,400 a person round trip!!  Gotta love SW.


----------



## Dznypal

I think I goofed with getting vouchers from SW--what happened is I had to cancel our Oct trip  due to illness--but since used a credit as  part of the payment I had only until OCt 30 to book travel and be back by that date which was not going o work--I called to see if they would give us a short extension since were able to rebook and we leave Mon!!!! anyways they said they couldnt do an extension until after the funds expire so I called yesterday to get the vouchers--when I called to see if I could get an extension she said the vouchers have no expiration date--so now I got the vouchers and they expire in May!!! which I wasnt aware of--were already going to WDW in Jan and have had that airfare for awhile already

does anyone have any advice on what I could do now--Im really sorry now I used that credit --it was only for $30 but now its giving me such a headache yet I was so happy when I got it

so any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated  thanks all


----------



## jenseib

Dznypal said:


> I think I goofed with getting vouchers from SW--what happened is I had to cancel our Oct trip  due to illness--but since used a credit as  part of the payment I had only until OCt 30 to book travel and be back by that date which was not going o work--I called to see if they would give us a short extension since were able to rebook and we leave Mon!!!! anyways they said they couldnt do an extension until after the funds expire so I called yesterday to get the vouchers--when I called to see if I could get an extension she said the vouchers have no expiration date--so now I got the vouchers and they expire in May!!! which I wasnt aware of--were already going to WDW in Jan and have had that airfare for awhile already
> 
> does anyone have any advice on what I could do now--Im really sorry now I used that credit --it was only for $30 but now its giving me such a headache yet I was so happy when I got it
> 
> so any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated  thanks all


 
They gave you vouchers? I never heard of that one before.  Gosh I have let some expire over the years just because we didn't travel in that years time. I never called because I didn't think there was anything they could do


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

yitbos96bb said:


> Actually you can transfer points now.  They changed that rule late 2014 or early 2015.
> https://www.southwest.com/rapidrewards/points-center?int=GFOOTER-BUY-TRANSFER-POINTS


 
Yes, I should have been more clear in my original post.  While you technically can transfer points you lose over 70% of the value of the points in the fee you have to pay to do so.  In 99% of cases transferring does not make sense (especially in the case of the original poster who claimed to have "lots of points.")

I like to pretend that the transfer website doesn't exist...and I advise most folks to do the same.


----------



## ABCastillo

han22735 said:


> Thanks a bunch!!  It certainly pays to keep checking.  I have rebooked now 4 times and saved about 5000 points.  I'm down to just 10,400 a person round trip!!  Gotta love SW.



Very nice!!!  That's an amazing point price!


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

Nope the points don't expire as long as you have a qualifying active on your acct every 24 months.


----------



## davper

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> Nope the points don't expire as long as you have a qualifying active on your acct every 24 months.



Besides a flight, are there any other qualifying activities?


----------



## ABCastillo

davper said:


> Besides a flight, are there any other qualifying activities?



There are several options.  Here is a link to their site that includes more info: https://www.southwest.com/rapidrewards/earn-with-partners


----------



## ::danielle::

davper said:


> Besides a flight, are there any other qualifying activities?



Rapid Rewards Shopping is an easy way to earn points to keep your account active.  https://www.southwest.com/html/rapidrewards/partners/shop-and-dine/rapid-rewards-shopping.html


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

Apply for a SWA credit card. I put everything on it that I normally pay cash for and then pay it off at the end of the month. I earn enough for 2 rt tickets a year.  Especially now when I do my shopping on the Rapid Rewards site. If you have anyone you need to send flowers to now there is a 1000 point bonus for spending $29 and 30 per dollar spent on a arrangement.


----------



## Kallie724

I've been watching my flights for SW for May. At first they were $138 one way and stayed like that for a little while. They have only gone up since then...the departing up to $217! Did I miss my window of opportunity for low fares? Do they ever drop once they start rising from the "Wanna Getaway" $138 price?


----------



## Kimberly1

Kallie724 said:


> I've been watching my flights for SW for May. At first they were $138 one way and stayed like that for a little while. They have only gone up since then...the departing up to $217! Did I miss my window of opportunity for low fares? Do they ever drop once they start rising from the "Wanna Getaway" $138 price?



I have seen drops, but not a lot of times.  If a trip is planned in time, I buy tickets on the day they are released.

I will say that I have better luck buying tickets on Tuesdays and Wednesdays as far as fluctuating prices go.

But we did fly this past November and kept watching tickets and not buying...it was making me sick as I like to have my plans done as far in advance as possible, and finally they dropped one day (my daughter and I checked multiple times a day) and we jumped on them fast!


----------



## jenseib

Kallie724 said:


> I've been watching my flights for SW for May. At first they were $138 one way and stayed like that for a little while. They have only gone up since then...the departing up to $217! Did I miss my window of opportunity for low fares? Do they ever drop once they start rising from the "Wanna Getaway" $138 price?



Just keep watching. My Feb flights have dropped several times now since I booked them a few months ago.


----------



## daughtryfan114

Just booked June Phl to Mco $180 Rt! Instead of leaving on a Saturday and returning on a Friday we are doing Thursday to Wednesday.


----------



## Iesha

daughtryfan114 said:


> Just booked June Phl to Mco $180 Rt! Instead of leaving on a Saturday and returning on a Friday we are doing Thursday to Wednesday.



Oh wow, that is a great deal! How did you score that?

I'm currently looking to get a deal on flights in June as well.


----------



## daughtryfan114

Not sure how I got so lucky. I did notice other days had $90 flights, mostly during the week.


----------



## ellie&mattys mom

looking at July as it just opened to looks like to get the $89 we will have to leave late afternoon on a monday or wednesday or very early...in your opinion  would you book it now...I did book the way home as I was comfortable with the afternoon flight and we only do one big trip a year ....just surprised prices are so low so early!!


----------



## daughtryfan114

I booked our June trip the day they released rates due to getting $180 RT. I say if you see the time you want with a decent price go for it.


----------



## KSR0330

I understand that when using Rapid Rewards points, the person who "owns" the points must book to use those points.  How would this work for my child's points?  Do I simply book under his name and then use my credit card?


----------



## ABCastillo

KSR0330 said:


> I understand that when using Rapid Rewards points, the person who "owns" the points must book to use those points.  How would this work for my child's points?  Do I simply book under his name and then use my credit card?



I believe you are correct.  You'll need to book the flight from your child's account and then pay the tax or balance with your credit card.  A friend of mine has had good luck calling them to work out booking flights using points from multiple RR accounts (hers, DH and her children).  She said the team from SW was very kind and helpful on the phone.


----------



## mcd2745

Is there somewhere on the SW site where I can see my available credits from price drops on our flights? 

_edit: _NVM, I found it.

Related question...our flight to MCO for President's week has gone down $20 pp. So we can receive $80 in credit with a change. However, the expiration of the credit would be a week after the flight (it was changed from an August flight that was originally booked last February). Therefore, there is really no way we can make use of the credits. So it appears we should leave it as is, and at least earn more points on the flight. Unless there is something we're missing...anyone have any thoughts on what we could do?


----------



## KristinU

Hello everyone, 

I anticipate earning the companion pass in the next couple of months and I have a booking question if you'll indulge me: 

Four of us are traveling in April and I'm planning on booking our flights using Rapid Rewards points.  I'm hoping that the companion pass gets earned in time for using for April travel, in which case I believe that I'll need to cancel the companion's booked flight and re-book as a companion...will I need to cancel mine as well then re-book? Or would I need to cancel the entire reservation and re-book?  In that case I think I'd be better off booking two and two and not having all four on the same reservation/confirmation, correct?

Anyone know how this works?  I just want to do it as cleanly as possible so it isn't a huge hassle or a huge increase in points if I get the companion pass in time.

Many thanks!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

KristinU said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> I anticipate earning the companion pass in the next couple of months and I have a booking question if you'll indulge me:
> 
> Four of us are traveling in April and I'm planning on booking our flights using Rapid Rewards points.  I'm hoping that the companion pass gets earned in time for using for April travel, in which case I believe that I'll need to cancel the companion's booked flight and re-book as a companion...will I need to cancel mine as well then re-book? Or would I need to cancel the entire reservation and re-book?  In that case I think I'd be better off booking two and two and not having all four on the same reservation/confirmation, correct?
> 
> Anyone know how this works?  I just want to do it as cleanly as possible so it isn't a huge hassle or a huge increase in points if I get the companion pass in time.
> 
> Many thanks!



You will be able to add a companion to your ticket you've already booked.  There will be a little link "add companion" and it's a pretty easy process (at least as easy as most things on Southwest!).  When you book on points each ticket will get its own reservation number so no need to do separate bookings.

For now I would book the companion ticket on points and then cancel once you earn the pass.  In the odd event that the flight was sold out when you finally earn the CP then you could call in and have them switch it through customer service but the cancel and rebook option is much easier if it is still possible (which it likely will be).

When you go to book 3 or 4 tickets all at once I'd advise you search 1 at a time too just to make sure that the price doesn't increase on the 2nd, 3rd or 4th ticket.  Sometimes Southwest only has 1 ticket left at a price and if you search for 4 you will pay the higher price (or points) on all tickets.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

mcd2745 said:


> Is there somewhere on the SW site where I can see my available credits from price drops on our flights?
> 
> _edit: _NVM, I found it.
> 
> Related question...our flight to MCO for President's week has gone down $20 pp. So we can receive $80 in credit with a change. However, the expiration of the credit would be a week after the flight (it was changed from an August flight that was originally booked last February). Therefore, there is really no way we can make use of the credits. So it appears we should leave it as is, and at least earn more points on the flight. Unless there is something we're missing...anyone have any thoughts on what we could do?



Yeah - you've hit the nail on the head here.  If you can't use the credit then I'd at least earn the extra few points.  It's good you're on top of the expiration date on this - some people don't realize or understand how it works and lose out on both fronts!


----------



## KristinU

SouthFayetteFan said:


> You will be able to add a companion to your ticket you've already booked.  There will be a little link "add companion" and it's a pretty easy process (at least as easy as most things on Southwest!).  When you book on points each ticket will get its own reservation number so no need to do separate bookings.
> 
> For now I would book the companion ticket on points and then cancel once you earn the pass.  In the odd event that the flight was sold out when you finally earn the CP then you could call in and have them switch it through customer service but the cancel and rebook option is much easier if it is still possible (which it likely will be).
> 
> When you go to book 3 or 4 tickets all at once I'd advise you search 1 at a time too just to make sure that the price doesn't increase on the 2nd, 3rd or 4th ticket.  Sometimes Southwest only has 1 ticket left at a price and if you search for 4 you will pay the higher price (or points) on all tickets.



Many thanks!!!


----------



## McKelly

Hoping someone can help with this question: I just purchased airfare this past Dec. 8th for a trip in June.  Well, now I might have to have some surgery in June, so might not be able to take the trip.  If/when I cancel the flights, I am confused to when I can use the credit.  Is it one year from Dec. 8th when I initially bought the airfare or is it one year from when I cancel?  And does the airfare have to take place within that year, or just be purchased and the actual flights can be outside of the one year window?  Thanks for the help.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

McKelly said:


> Hoping someone can help with this question: I just purchased airfare this past Dec. 8th for a trip in June.  Well, now I might have to have some surgery in June, so might not be able to take the trip.  If/when I cancel the flights, I am confused to when I can use the credit.  Is it one year from Dec. 8th when I initially bought the airfare or is it one year from when I cancel?  And does the airfare have to take place within that year, or just be purchased and the actual flights can be outside of the one year window?  Thanks for the help.



The credit is good through Dec 8th.  You must complete all air travel by then.


----------



## mcd2745

Anyone else seem to notice that SW raised prices across the board by $3?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

mcd2745 said:


> Anyone else seem to notice that SW raised prices across the board by $3?



This happens from time to time.  I've seen them do it by $3 and by $5.  Sometimes they go back down after awhile.  Other times they just stay up. 

Here is an article on it - citing an industry-wide price increase.  http://www.ibtimes.com/airline-fare...sign-first-industrywide-increase-june-2250086

What seems odd to me is that prices on various carriers on identical routes are never the same and they all change prices on routes at various times so the $3 across the board seems weird.  I'm fascinated with airfare changes and would love to see behind the scenes on how this all works, it has to be a complex system with a lot of variables.


----------



## kadiem

I am waiting for the schedule to open for August 16, which should be in Feb.  Anyway, I've noticed that currently, SW only has non stops from PHL to MCO at 5:30 and 11:45 AM!  You would think in the busy summer months (the schedule is open thru Aug. 6 I believe) they would have more non stops in the AM.  My question is, does anyone have any sense that they will have more non stops when they open their schedule past August 6?  I was hoping to get a time between 7:30 and 10 so we have enough parktime on arrival day.  Not willing to take the 5:30 AM though as we would be zombies by lunchtime!  Thanks


----------



## HollywoodTowerHotel

kadiem said:


> I am waiting for the schedule to open for August 16, which should be in Feb.  Anyway, I've noticed that currently, SW only has non stops from PHL to MCO at 5:30 and 11:45 AM!  You would think in the busy summer months (the schedule is open thru Aug. 6 I believe) they would have more non stops in the AM.  My question is, does anyone have any sense that they will have more non stops when they open their schedule past August 6?  I was hoping to get a time between 7:30 and 10 so we have enough parktime on arrival day.  Not willing to take the 5:30 AM though as we would be zombies by lunchtime!  Thanks



We just booked for July from PHL and also were taken aback by the limited choices in the morning for nonstop flights.  In the end, we went with the 5:30 am flight because even though it will be early, we would rather that than not arriving until 2:30 in the afternoon.  Also, in the many times we have flown SW from PHL in July before (even just last year), the times were similar.  So, last year our flight left at 5:45 am which we chose over a time closer to 11:00 am. 

I would not be confident that there will be more nonstop flights available between 7:30 and 10:00, but here's hoping for you!


----------



## kadiem

HollywoodTowerHotel said:


> We just booked for July from PHL and also were taken aback by the limited choices in the morning for nonstop flights.  In the end, we went with the 5:30 am flight because even though it will be early, we would rather that than not arriving until 2:30 in the afternoon.  Also, in the many times we have flown SW from PHL in July before (even just last year), the times were similar.  So, last year our flight left at 5:45 am which we chose over a time closer to 11:00 am.
> 
> I would not be confident that there will be more nonstop flights available between 7:30 and 10:00, but here's hoping for you!




Thanks for a recent experience.   Haven't flown in the summer for a few years.  DH and I go in the fall for F&WF but we're going with the kids and grandkids this time and since we have to deal with school schedules, we have to go in August.  Maybe I'll have a meeting with them and discuss whether we can do the 5:30 AM


----------



## HollywoodTowerHotel

kadiem said:


> Thanks for a recent experience.   Haven't flown in the summer for a few years.  DH and I go in the fall for F&WF but we're going with the kids and grandkids this time and since we have to deal with school schedules, we have to go in August.  Maybe I'll have a meeting with them and discuss whether we can do the 5:30 AM



I guess I should include the detail that when I say "we" flew at 5:45 am last summer, it was just me and my husband - no kids.  So, no worrying about "cranky kids" who need a nap...just my husband!  

But, since we knew we would be starting so early, we planned accordingly and we took a leisurely approach to our first day.  After arrival, we dropped our bags at Guest Services (because it was too early for our room to be ready), hopped on the bus to Downtown Disney (it was still named this last July!), grabbed lunch at Earl of Sandwich, and did some shopping .  By the time we got back from lunch, our room was ready so we took a nap before heading out to Ft. Wilderness for Hoop Dee Doo at 8:30 pm.  I was initially worried about such a late dinner, but it worked out better than I thought.  The nap was key...and I am not usually one who naps!


----------



## kadiem

HollywoodTowerHotel said:


> I guess I should include the detail that when I say "we" flew at 5:45 am last summer, it was just me and my husband - no kids.  So, no worrying about "cranky kids" who need a nap...just my husband!
> 
> But, since we knew we would be starting so early, we planned accordingly and we took a leisurely approach to our first day.  After arrival, we dropped our bags at Guest Services (because it was too early for our room to be ready), hopped on the bus to Downtown Disney (it was still named this last July!), grabbed lunch at Earl of Sandwich, and did some shopping .  By the time we got back from lunch, our room was ready so we took a nap before heading out to Ft. Wilderness for Hoop Dee Doo at 8:30 pm.  I was initially worried about such a late dinner, but it worked out better than I thought.  The nap was key...and I am not usually one who naps!



Haha its not the kids I'm worried about being cranky!  If we went that early, I would plan as you did except we would have to go to the MK at least for a few hours as its the grandkids' first time, but we would be back early for naps/swimming and a leisurely evening!


----------



## mcd2745

kadiem said:


> I am waiting for the schedule to open for August 16, which should be in Feb.  Anyway, I've noticed that currently, SW only has non stops from PHL to MCO at 5:30 and 11:45 AM!  You would think in the busy summer months (the schedule is open thru Aug. 6 I believe) they would have more non stops in the AM.  My question is, does anyone have any sense that they will have more non stops when they open their schedule past August 6?  I was hoping to get a time between 7:30 and 10 so we have enough parktime on arrival day.  Not willing to take the 5:30 AM though as we would be zombies by lunchtime!  Thanks




We usually fly out of ISP (Long island, NY), although we're actually driving down to PHL to fly to MCO next month as prices were about half of what they were/are from ISP. They have reduced the number of flights between ISP and MCO by about 60% or more from a handful of years ago. They used to have a flight around 10am, but no more. So like you we have been taking those painfully early flights around 6am rather than arrive in the late afternoon and lose most of the day. I wouldn't be surprised if it is similar at PHL and most other northeast airports. It's the general trend of the industry. I believe there has been a lot of collusion (let's see if the gov't investigation leads to anything - I don't have my hopes up) to keep prices high and a big part of that has been eliminating flights on "leisure/vacation" routes, and re-deploying the planes on mostly "business traveler" routes.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

SouthFayetteFan said:


> You will be able to add a companion to your ticket you've already booked.  There will be a little link "add companion" and it's a pretty easy process (at least as easy as most things on Southwest!).  When you book on points each ticket will get its own reservation number so no need to do separate bookings.
> 
> For now I would book the companion ticket on points and then cancel once you earn the pass.  In the odd event that the flight was sold out when you finally earn the CP then you could call in and have them switch it through customer service but the cancel and rebook option is much easier if it is still possible (which it likely will be).
> 
> 
> 
> When you go to book 3 or 4 tickets all at once I'd advise you search 1 at a time too just to make sure that the price doesn't increase on the 2nd, 3rd or 4th ticket.  Sometimes Southwest only has 1 ticket left at a price and if you search for 4 you will pay the higher price (or points) on all tickets.




If a flight is sold out when you go to book the companion pass you will not be able to book a companion pass ticket. There has to be availability of the flight in order to book a CP ticket. I ran into this when I was trying to book a CP ticket on a sold out flight.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> If a flight is sold out when you go to book the companion pass you will not be able to book a companion pass ticket. There has to be availability of the flight in order to book a CP ticket. I ran into this when I was trying to book a CP ticket on a sold out flight.



Which is exactly why I gave very specific instructions in the post you quoted on how to handle that:

"For now I would book the companion ticket on points and then cancel once you earn the pass. In the odd event that the flight was sold out when you finally earn the CP then you could call in and have them switch it through customer service but the cancel and rebook option is much easier if it is still possible (which it likely will be)."

Basically: book now on points in case it sells out - then you can still use your CP by calling in.
If it doesn't sell out just cancel and re-book online

ETA: You can only switch a points flight to a companion flight.  Cash won't work from what I've read on Flyer Talk.


----------



## connie254

When should the schedule be available for Sept 22-26?


----------



## jenseib

connie254 said:


> When should the schedule be available for Sept 22-26?



I believe it's feb 18


----------



## KSR0330

I'm (im)patiently waiting for the flights to be released on 2/18 for our end of August trip.  I would like to pay for one flight with RR points and put the other 3 down and all 4 back on my credit card.  Is this possible to do in one transaction?  I want to get an idea of what i'll need to do ahead of time because there is typically ONE non-stop flight down... and I want to make sure we're on it!


----------



## ABCastillo

So anyone know how to look up where your plane might be coming from? I know how to do this on the united app but can't seem to find it on southwest. Thanks!


----------



## Disneytam

ABCastillo said:


> So anyone know how to look up where your plane might be coming from? I know how to do this on the united app but can't seem to find it on southwest. Thanks!


I would love to know this as well.


----------



## ABCastillo

one more question.

Anyone ever have any luck getting stand by or an earlier flight even though wanna get away fare was booked due to weather concerns?


----------



## Gizmo1951

Is it possible to use a Southwest Gift Card to purchase extra point or to purchase EarlyBird?


----------



## barb969

To find where your flight is coming from:
flightaware.com
Enter flight # in the second box down on the right and click track flight. 

Now there is a choice.  If your flight number is starting at your airport it will say track inbound flight below the flight #. Click this. Then look under the map for that flight's history.

Otherwise look below the map and you will see the flight's history for the last week or so.


----------



## thornton0511

Does anyone know when and if SW sales will include June flights? I have not seen this month drop yet at all


----------



## buzz1fan

Does anyone know this answer?  I booked a round trip flight for 4 in June.  If my husband and son want to change their portion on the first flight and leave two days later  is it going to be possible to do that?  I understand they need to pay the difference but is it possible since I am listed first on the flight.  Will they just split them and we will get two confirmations?


----------



## Lisa F

Does anyone know when early december typically opens up?  Thanks!


----------



## KSR0330

Lisa F said:


> Does anyone know when early december typically opens up? Thanks!



They release flights from early August through early November on Feb. 18th, so I'd say around mid May.


----------



## prettypatchesmsu

I'm also waiting for the flights to open for the fall on Feb 18th.  This will be our first time booking Southwest if the prices are good.  I have heard that sometimes they release the flights a few days ahead of time?  Any people have experience with that?  And what time of the morning do you think it will open?  I'm on eastern time.


----------



## Corey127

When flights open up Feb 18, what time do they open?

Is it typically better to buy as soon as they open? Is that usually the lowest price?


----------



## ABCastillo

Corey127 said:


> When flights open up Feb 18, what time do they open?
> 
> Is it typically better to buy as soon as they open? Is that usually the lowest price?



Usually opens between 6 and 6:15 am ET.  This will be some of the lowest you will see but I often find lower sales within a month or two of the trip if the flight doesn't sell out.


----------



## 2princesses3princes

Hi Everyone! I am looking to book flights for 6 people Nov. 12-19.  I am currently spending a lot on SW cards (mine and DH) to get enough RR to cover all the flights (we signed up with a 50000 RR bonus for each card!).  Anyway, I am afraid that our flights will open up before I have the points posted to my account.  What is the best way to proceed?  Can I purchase with cash and get it switched to points?  Should I wait until I have enough points and risk not having wanna get away available?  Also, does anyone know if those dates will open up mid-Feb? I know I read that it will open up for "early November" but I don't know what they consider early.
Thank you!


----------



## Corey127

Is family boarding still between group A and B? If I check in exactly 24 hours in advance, am I likely to get A? Debating whether to buy EEarly Bird check in, but we have kids under 4, but we need 2 window seats due to bringing the kid's car seats on board


----------



## cel_disney

Is it normal for SW to loose the EBCI if they change the time of the flight?   Mine appears to be missing from my return flight after the update yesterday.....they re-applied it, but does anyone know if I will be in the same position I was?   I booked within the first 15 minutes of the ticketing window in October so I was hoping we were towards the front of wanna get away fare purchasers!


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

The position is a gamble. I booked a return flight from MCO at the very last minute, flight was leaving in less than 6 hrs and I got an A boarding position even though I booked so late.


----------



## ABCastillo

Corey127 said:


> Is family boarding still between group A and B? If I check in exactly 24 hours in advance, am I likely to get A? Debating whether to buy EEarly Bird check in, but we have kids under 4, but we need 2 window seats due to bringing the kid's car seats on board



Family boarding is still between group A and B.

We didn't have any problems getting two window seats during family boarding on a sold out flight a few weeks ago.  You may just be near the back of the plane.


----------



## DisDadDVC

Corey127 said:


> Is family boarding still between group A and B? If I check in exactly 24 hours in advance, am I likely to get A? Debating whether to buy EEarly Bird check in, but we have kids under 4, but we need 2 window seats due to bringing the kid's car seats on board



Depends on what you mean by "exactly".  5 seconds can make a big difference.  I frequently see EBCI in the B's on flights to/from MCO.  So, even with buying EBCI, family boarding may be better for you.  I don't think you will have trouble finding 2 window seats after the A's.  There are 59 window seats on a 737-800 and 48 on a 737-700.  If you are at the front of family boarding, there are about 60 people on the plane already.  I would say 1/2 of them are sitting next to year other.  So I would guess there are at least 20 window seats open at that point. (Assuming this is not a connecting flight through MCO)


----------



## dancin Disney style

Can someone refresh my memory.  I bought my tickets in August but just now am considering buying EBCI for a flight next month.  Does your EBCI position have to do with when you bought your tickets or when you bought the EBCI?   I realize that the fare also plays a part.


----------



## DisDadDVC

dancin Disney style said:


> Can someone refresh my memory.  I bought my tickets in August but just now am considering buying EBCI for a flight next month.  Does your EBCI position have to do with when you bought your tickets or when you bought the EBCI?   I realize that the fare also plays a part.



It is tied to when you buy EBCI.


----------



## jenseib

Corey127 said:


> Is family boarding still between group A and B? If I check in exactly 24 hours in advance, am I likely to get A? Debating whether to buy EEarly Bird check in, but we have kids under 4, but we need 2 window seats due to bringing the kid's car seats on board



It depends. I almost always get A with EBCI but this last trip (flew home yesterday) I got an A60.  I don't know if anyone after me was a EBCI, buyt I did onluy add mine a few weeks ago. There were plenty of window seats when I got on but your choices of full rows will be very linited and at the back of the plane. I have gotten B before with EBCI, but I think only once, maybe twice.  Once did I bought EBCI when I bought my flights several months out. My Mom bought her flight later and added it too...and she had an earlier boarding number than I for some odd reason.


----------



## dancin Disney style

DisDadDVC said:


> It is tied to when you buy EBCI.


Well, that's a dilemma for me then.  I'm considering buying it for my flight home on March 17th.  We don't have to sit together but it would be nice. We are on a 10pm flight so easier to grab a nap when your seat mate is family.  If I knew I could get an A I would go ahead with it.  I'd hate to pay the $25 (plus 40% exchange, I'm Canadian) and get a B when most likely I'd get a B without it.


----------



## disneynan

ABCastillo said:


> Usually opens between 6 and 6:15 am ET.  This will be some of the lowest you will see but I often find lower sales within a month or two of the trip if the flight doesn't sell out.



Sitting here hitting the refresh button and waiting for them to open the August dates.......hope you are right and they open up soon!


----------



## disneynan

Got it - a bit disappointed in the pricing, but still better than other carriers.


----------



## prettypatchesmsu

I was surprised there were only 3 flights down to Mco to choose from. Do more open up later? I chose one, but not thrilled with it. Our flights back choices were better and I'm happy with it. Pricing wasn't fantastic but better than others as you said.


----------



## DisDadDVC

prettypatchesmsu said:


> I was surprised there were only 3 flights down to Mco to choose from. Do more open up later? I chose one, but not thrilled with it. Our flights back choices were better and I'm happy with it. Pricing wasn't fantastic but better than others as you said.



No


----------



## cel_disney

Booked our October trip...ended up 122$ each way MHT to MCO but I had to shift my dates...I had wanted to fly home on Columbus Day but it was 192$ a person for that night flight...


----------



## disneyobessed

Just booked my flights for mid august... flights were limited compared to late July...


----------



## dancin Disney style

disneynan said:


> Got it - a bit disappointed in the pricing, but still better than other carriers.


I thought I was going to book my trip that's next month on the day that fares were released.  The fares were really high....I did expect it to be a little on the high side, it is spring break.  The morning fares opened up I only booked my trip to MCO and in a matter of the 5 minutes that I waffled over it the price went up $25 each.  Two weeks later the prices dropped to a totally normal price.  I got a credit and booked my return.  The only catch was that it's the 10pm flight.  Since then prices only went up and up until a few weeks ago there was a big drop. 

So the moral of my story....just keep a close eye on the prices and you could end up with a credit or a better flight time.


----------



## prettypatchesmsu

DisDadDVC said:


> No


Ok, thanks.  That's disappointing a little bit with only three flights to pick from and it's going to stay that way.  But I got pretty good prices and times, so I'm happy overall.  And I'm so excited to have booked our flights, now it all feels real!  We are going back to WDW!


----------



## tinkerbella16

DisDadDVC said:


> It is tied to when you buy EBCI.


This is good to know! 5 of us are flying SW to MCO in September. It is my first time flying SW, but the others have before. I bought our airfare right when the Fall flights went live on Feb 18th and also purchased EBCI at that time. So hopefully we have a good shot of a good boarding position!


----------



## linjohn

I bought six tickets all together for my family as well as paid for EBCI for seach person.  Does this mean that our boarding numbers will be one after the other?


----------



## jenseib

linjohn said:


> I bought six tickets all together for my family as well as paid for EBCI for seach person.  Does this mean that our boarding numbers will be one after the other?



 Not always.  I have done mine and then my moms a few days later and my mom actually got an earlier boarding number a few ahead of me.  My duaghter and I have been separated by one or 2 people but often we just still stand together.


----------



## 2princesses3princes

I looked through a lot of these pages but I didn't see an answer, so I am sorry if I missed it.  I need to buy 6 round trip tix but I likely will only have points for 10 or 11 of them. Do I need to do 2 transactions or can I pay with CC for the difference without having to buy points?


----------



## DisDadDVC

2princesses3princes said:


> I looked through a lot of these pages but I didn't see an answer, so I am sorry if I missed it.  I need to buy 6 round trip tix but I likely will only have points for 10 or 11 of them. Do I need to do 2 transactions or can I pay with CC for the difference without having to buy points?



2 transactions.


----------



## 2princesses3princes

DisDadDVC said:


> 2 transactions.


thank you


----------



## livibug

We ended up buying the early bird check in for our flight from Columbus OH in June since we are flying with the kids (13 and 10) I figure that there will be no problems getting 2x2 seats together - Still ended up saving almost $400 over delta or even Frontier looking at CVG, Dayton, or Indy so it was a good deal.  Its also a 5:30am flight mid week, so I figure our boarding position should be decent.  As far as the early bird check in - its all automatic correct?  All I do is just go on line anytime within 24 hours to print the boarding passes?    Finally, any comments or tips on the Columbus Airport and the Southwest gates?  According to the SW website, CMH does not have the express drop, so I guess you must go to the counter.  Any experiences on 4:30-5am wait times at TSA?


----------



## DisDadDVC

livibug said:


> We ended up buying the early bird check in for our flight from Columbus OH in June since we are flying with the kids (13 and 10) I figure that there will be no problems getting 2x2 seats together - Still ended up saving almost $400 over delta or even Frontier looking at CVG, Dayton, or Indy so it was a good deal.  Its also a 5:30am flight mid week, so I figure our boarding position should be decent.  *As far as the early bird check in - its all automatic correct?  All I do is just go on line anytime within 24 hours to print the boarding passes? *   Finally, any comments or tips on the Columbus Airport and the Southwest gates?  According to the SW website, CMH does not have the express drop, so I guess you must go to the counter.  Any experiences on 4:30-5am wait times at TSA?



Correct.


----------



## jenseib

livibug said:


> We ended up buying the early bird check in for our flight from Columbus OH in June since we are flying with the kids (13 and 10) I figure that there will be no problems getting 2x2 seats together - Still ended up saving almost $400 over delta or even Frontier looking at CVG, Dayton, or Indy so it was a good deal.  Its also a 5:30am flight mid week, so I figure our boarding position should be decent.  As far as the early bird check in - its all automatic correct?  All I do is just go on line anytime within 24 hours to print the boarding passes?    Finally, any comments or tips on the Columbus Airport and the Southwest gates?  According to the SW website, CMH does not have the express drop, so I guess you must go to the counter.  Any experiences on 4:30-5am wait times at TSA?



I have flown out of columbus several times, with my latest just a few weeks ago. There are only a few gates for SW.  It's a small airport and very easy to navigate.  I always check my bags outside at the curb and then go in to security which is typically pretty fast.   Only once have I seen any kind of a line there. There is a lot of constructions going on right now.


----------



## AR81

When do discounts usually come out for august? I dont fly often and if i cant get a reasonable price yhen i am driving. All the click n save rmails have discounts through beginning of june. Or does anyone havd a promotion code that would work for 8/14- 8/19


----------



## livibug

thanks..  good to know we can drop the bags at the curb!



jenseib said:


> I have flown out of columbus several times, with my latest just a few weeks ago. There are only a few gates for SW.  It's a small airport and very easy to navigate.  I always check my bags outside at the curb and then go in to security which is typically pretty fast.   Only once have I seen any kind of a line there. There is a lot of constructions going on right now.


----------



## maciec

I had booked 3 of us on a flight in October using points and a giftcard to pay for the taxes.  Just found out that we cannot go in October and need to change to November. Am I better off just waiting for the flights to open and then change me flight or should I cancel all together and then start over when the next batch of flights get released?


----------



## DisDadDVC

maciec said:


> I had booked 3 of us on a flight in October using points and a giftcard to pay for the taxes.  Just found out that we cannot go in October and need to change to November. Am I better off just waiting for the flights to open and then change me flight or should I cancel all together and then start over when the next batch of flights get released?



Doesn't really matter.  The taxes paid on the giftcard will NOT go back to the giftcard.  They will be travel funds tied to that confirmation number.  Unless you keep good track, you might be better off just keeping the reservation until then and changing it so you don't lose track of the travel funds.


----------



## maciec

DisDadDVC said:


> Doesn't really matter.  The taxes paid on the giftcard will NOT go back to the giftcard.  They will be travel funds tied to that confirmation number.  Unless you keep good track, you might be better off just keeping the reservation until then and changing it so you don't lose track of the travel funds.



Thanks! That's what I thought. I think I will just change them when the time comes


----------



## Wood Nymph

*Does anyone know how long it takes for SWA to refund early bird check in fees when they are the ones who cancel the flight?* We were supposed to travel home on Feb 24th when SWA cancelled the flight that morning. I contacted customer service about getting a refund for our EBCI fees and they said that it takes up to ten days and a few billing cycles. I have no idea how long a billing cycle is so it is hard to know whether I need to wait a few more days or a few more months.


----------



## O-so-good Disney Mama

Does anyone have a pin code for September2016?


----------



## LisaCM614

How do  I get a Southwest Promo code?  Just hope they will email me one?


----------



## jenseib

LisaCM614 said:


> How do  I get a Southwest Promo code?  Just hope they will email me one?



they are pretty rare. I have never had one in 10 years time looking for one.  Someone once got one and gave it to me and it was nice. But no clue why some get them and some don't.


----------



## LisaCM614

jenseib said:


> they are pretty rare. I have never had one in 10 years time looking for one.  Someone once got one and gave it to me and it was nice. But no clue why some get them and some don't.


Similar to a Disney pin code.  I have better luck with PowerBall lol
Thanks!


----------



## jenseib

LisaCM614 said:


> Similar to a Disney pin code.  I have better luck with PowerBall lol
> Thanks!



You probably have a better chance getting a Disney pin.


----------



## julieb5

I'm also looking for SW airfare for September and am having no luck as the prices are SO high!!  Ugh.  
I didn't even know that SW had pins.  Sounds like I have a better chance of buying a powerball


----------



## FabFourteenFamilyFun

Hi! I am new here! I am putting all my eggs in the Southwest basket! Planning trip November 12-19 for 14 family members! So worried about airline schedules and prices! I have to call SW when the schedule opens because of the large group. Does anyone have any advice?


----------



## jenseib

FabFourteenFamilyFun said:


> Hi! I am new here! I am putting all my eggs in the Southwest basket! Planning trip November 12-19 for 14 family members! So worried about airline schedules and prices! I have to call SW when the schedule opens because of the large group. Does anyone have any advice?



check Delta too.  It depends where you are coming from, but Delta has had some REALLY cheap roundtrip fairs. A friend got Oct. 31-Nov 3 from DTW for $171 round trip per person.


----------



## Lori74

FabFourteenFamilyFun said:


> Hi! I am new here! I am putting all my eggs in the Southwest basket! Planning trip November 12-19 for 14 family members! So worried about airline schedules and prices! I have to call SW when the schedule opens because of the large group. Does anyone have any advice?


hi, we have to book for 14 as well in august. I called sw and talked to them about booking that many. they were so helpful and even indulged me in quoting me prices while I looked online at the same time. I got the same prices online as the agent quoted me. we talked for quite some time and this is what I got from it, they book so many tickets at certain prices, then the price goes up, which will make all of your tickets high. so try out a few different configurations of how many tickets you try to buy on one reservation. he said he couldn't offer any discounts for 14. of course all airports are in different demand and cause prices to fluctuate. its a bit confusing, but I would try different combinations of how many tickets you try to reserve and see how that affects price. I hope this helps. have a great time!


----------



## FabFourteenFamilyFun

Thanks so much for your response! So... They couldn't give you one price for 14 people on the phone?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

FabFourteenFamilyFun said:


> Thanks so much for your response! So... They couldn't give you one price for 14 people on the phone?



You should be able to get one price for 14 people but it will probably be higher than booking them separately.

For example they may have:
3 Tickets remaining @ $150
8 Tickets remaining @ $200
3+ Additional Tickets @ $250

If you try to book 14 at once they will just sell you all 14 at $250 so in this hypothetical example you'd pay $3,500 for 14 at once or if you book them separately to take example of the tiers you could save $700.

The way to figure out where the prices change is to start by searching for 1 ticket, then 2, etc. and see when/if the price goes up.  Not to complicate it further BUT the number of tickets in each price "bucket" could vary on each leg so you may need to book one-way tickets if you're looking to pay the least amount.


----------



## Tass

Can flights be booked with a combination of travel funds and points, or must it be one or the other?  DH and I have travel funds from flights that were purchased together, plus we each have points in our own name.  Will we be able to book our next flight using both options?  Thanks!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Tass said:


> Can flights be booked with a combination of travel funds and points, or must it be one or the other?  DH and I have travel funds from flights that were purchased together, plus we each have points in our own name.  Will we be able to book our next flight using both options?  Thanks!



You can't combine points and Travel funds to pay for a ticket.  If you use points you could use the travel funds to pay the $5.60 Security Fee.  You could also use points for a one-way and travel funds for a one-way and split it like that.


----------



## makwis

I am hoping someone can help me. I booked Southwest a month or so ago for a flight on 5-3 out of Milwaukee to MCO. I didn't book EBCI at the time. There are 7 of us (4kids) total. I am not expecting all of us to be able to sit by each other, but I have a 4 year old and an 8 year old that I'm hoping will at least be able to sit by one of us adults. Now I'm considering buying ECBI but don't really know if it's worth it anymore with my flight less than a month out. Opinions?


----------



## macraven

makwis said:


> I am hoping someone can help me. I booked Southwest a month or so ago for a flight on 5-3 out of Milwaukee to MCO. I didn't book EBCI at the time. There are 7 of us (4kids) total. I am not expecting all of us to be able to sit by each other, but I have a 4 year old and an 8 year old that I'm hoping will at least be able to sit by one of us adults. Now I'm considering buying ECBI but don't really know if it's worth it anymore with my flight less than a month out. Opinions?


i flew out of milwaukee for many trips to mco for years.
last time i did that was last october. 2015
moved recently and no longer near MKE.

in all the times i used MKE, they were lax with the family boarding leaving MKE
i would not fret about it.

leaving MCO for MKE has at times limited the number for that family boarding.


----------



## jerseygal

SW MAY FLIGHT DECREASE, "$14 per person, "I'LL TAKE IT"! WOW, 2 price decreases since tickets were booked, one was for point reduction about a month ago for DS flight booked on points and today a $14 per person for the 3 of us booked on cash! NICE, will use the $14 per person travel bank credit for our October trip! Pays to "price" the flight daily once it is booked and hope for a price reduction,why not!


----------



## julieb5

jerseygal said:


> SW MAY FLIGHT DECREASE, "$14 per person, "I'LL TAKE IT"! WOW, 2 price decreases since tickets were booked, one was for point reduction about a month ago for DS flight booked on points and today a $14 per person for the 3 of us booked on cash! NICE, will use the $14 per person travel bank credit for our October trip! Pays to "price" the flight daily once it is booked and hope for a price reduction,why not!


Can you tell me how to get the credit if the flights go down?
Thanks!


----------



## jerseygal

julieb5 said:


> Can you tell me how to get the credit if the flights go down?
> Thanks!


Some say they do it on line by logging into their SW account but I prefer to call SW and give them the confirmation number and the fact the points have dropped. They will put the point differential back into your Soiuthwest Ac immediately and will give you an e mail confirmation as well. GOOD luck!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

julieb5 said:


> Can you tell me how to get the credit if the flights go down?
> Thanks!



Click Change Flight from their website


----------



## chris4disney

If I book a SW flight, the price lowers and I change to the lower price giving me a credit at SW... how long is that credit good for?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

chris4disney said:


> If I book a SW flight, the price lowers and I change to the lower price giving me a credit at SW... how long is that credit good for?



1 year from the date you PURCHASED the flight.


----------



## jerseygal

jerseygal said:


> SW MAY FLIGHT DECREASE, "$14 per person, "I'LL TAKE IT"! WOW, 2 price decreases since tickets were booked, one was for point reduction about a month ago for DS flight booked on points and today a $14 per person for the 3 of us booked on cash! NICE, will use the $14 per person travel bank credit for our October trip! Pays to "price" the flight daily once it is booked and hope for a price reduction,why not!


 WOW, ANOTHER reduction. DS flight booked on points DROPPED this morning by 1,108 points, SW such a liberal booking policy, points adjusted immediately!


----------



## SalandJeff

We have not flown SW for years.  We did not purchase EBCI, and I see that our flights are now sold out.  If we check in online at the 24 hour mark, are the odds good that at least 2 of us can sit together.  I have a 12 year old, and she will not do well sitting alone.

Also, it is exactly 24 hours prior to flight that you can check in, no sooner?


----------



## jerseygal

EXACTLY 24 hours before the scheduled time you can check in. BE READY! We NEVER purchase EBCI and ALWAYS sit together. ARE you both on the same confirmation I hope? If so, you will be assigned a boarding number right behind each other. With that in mind, you should be able to sit together! GOOD LUCK!


----------



## hollykinzzz

So envious of those that has your prices drop. Mine has steadily gone up since I decided to wait and see if it would go down. Ugh. Bad decision. Wondering if I should just bite the bullet now. A little over 2 months to go until our trip arrives.


----------



## jerseygal

hollykinzzz said:


> So envious of those that has your prices drop. Mine has steadily gone up since I decided to wait and see if it would go down. Ugh. Bad decision. Wondering if I should just bite the bullet now. A little over 2 months to go until our trip arrives.


I hear you. Watching prices for our October trip. Still high, hoping they will come down. Good luck!


----------



## prettypatchesmsu

I booked the morning the dates opened for our Sept-October trip as it was a good price and I didn't want to chance it.  They weren't _Great _but better than say Delta.  I was scared I would look later and they'd be lower (we don't have points) but the flights have just kept going up and one's sold out in the lower fare category.  So glad we chanced it.


----------



## SalandJeff

jerseygal said:


> EXACTLY 24 hours before the scheduled time you can check in. BE READY! We NEVER purchase EBCI and ALWAYS sit together. ARE you both on the same confirmation I hope? If so, you will be assigned a boarding number right behind each other. With that in mind, you should be able to sit together! GOOD LUCK



Thank you - this makes me feel better.  Three of us are on same confirm (including my dd)  One adult on a different confirmation, but I am not as worried about the adults.


----------



## FBandA

Just booked Southwest Philadelphia to Orlando in September $49.00. Was up looking for FD not available yet but got GREAT airfare price. Doing happy dance did have to change arrival date from Sunday to Saturday.


----------



## jerseygal

FBandA said:


> Just booked Southwest Philadelphia to Orlando in September $49.00. Was up looking for FD not available yet but got GREAT airfare price. Doing happy dance did have to change departure date from Sunday to Saturday.


 That is a GREAT fare! Goid for you, pays to keep checking!


----------



## mrsoc

Help!  I am kicking myself right now. I saw SW had $49 flight home to Philly for Sept yesterday, now prices have changed and other dates are $49. Does anyone know if they keep changing the $49 days around?  
Thank you!


----------



## FBandA

I saw that also prices changing around, was able to change to an earlier flight on my arrival day. Still seeing $49 flights on some days for September.


----------



## Huff

SW has a family boarding policy.  They allow families to board between groups A and B if they have a child aged 6 or under.  With your 8 yr old you should be ok by asking at the gate desk to preboard.  They'll tell you to board with the family group.  I've never seen a gate staffer question this or ask about ages.


----------



## tinkerbella16

SouthFayetteFan said:


> 1 year from the date you PURCHASED the flight.


I just called SW since our return flight for September from MCO to Philly went from $122 to $49!! We got a $365 credit on my account. She said the credit is good until Feb 17, 2017 (exactly a year from when I booked our flights initially). But does this mean we have to travel by that date, or book airfare by that date in order to use the credit? This is where I got confused because the woman on the phone said flights have to be completed by that date, and I did not know what exactly completed meant lol. It's Monday! I'm a little slow today.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

tinkerbella16 said:


> I just called SW since our return flight for September from MCO to Philly went from $122 to $49!! We got a $365 credit on my account. She said the credit is good until Feb 17, 2017 (exactly a year from when I booked our flights initially). But does this mean we have to travel by that date, or book airfare by that date in order to use the credit? This is where I got confused because the woman on the phone said flights have to be completed by that date, and I did not know what exactly completed meant lol. It's Monday! I'm a little slow today.



Unfortunately you have to travel by that date (not just book).  But...still great savings and hopefully you can use it before February!


----------



## tinkerbella16

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Unfortunately you have to travel by that date (not just book).  But...still great savings and hopefully you can use it before February!


Another trip to Disney World in January or February sounds good to me!


----------



## jmparry

Wrong board, sorry!


----------



## 5 Disney Fans

I bought 4 SW tix to Orlando (one way - taking another airline back).  I now see two seats available for $50 less.  Can I get a $50 credit for two of my four tickets?


----------



## Allison Joy

Found it! I KNEW there was a general "Southwest" questions thread.

This actually is NOT related to Disney, but but it is related to SW and I don't want to start a new topic for one simple (I hope?) question. Hope that's okay.

I'm actually flying SW THREE times between April (already done) and July. I've NEVER flown that much before! My May/June flights for Disney (YAY!!) are already booked and paid for. For my July trip, I have enough points to cover a one-way ticket, but not round trip. Are there any disadvantages to getting two one-way tickets? Like are you charged twice for the books fees and what not? If I go ahead an pay cash for the round trip (which I could easily do) then I'm guessing after these two trips my NEXT flight on SW will be able to be covered in points round trip.

So I think my basic question is this: Wait until I can use points on a round-trip flight, or go ahead and redeem now, and do two one-ways, one with points and one with cash?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Allison Joy said:


> Found it! I KNEW there was a general "Southwest" questions thread.
> 
> This actually is NOT related to Disney, but but it is related to SW and I don't want to start a new topic for one simple (I hope?) question. Hope that's okay.
> 
> I'm actually flying SW THREE times between April (already done) and July. I've NEVER flown that much before! My May/June flights for Disney (YAY!!) are already booked and paid for. For my July trip, I have enough points to cover a one-way ticket, but not round trip. Are there any disadvantages to getting two one-way tickets? Like are you charged twice for the books fees and what not? If I go ahead an pay cash for the round trip (which I could easily do) then I'm guessing after these two trips my NEXT flight on SW will be able to be covered in points round trip.
> 
> So I think my basic question is this: Wait until I can use points on a round-trip flight, or go ahead and redeem now, and do two one-ways, one with points and one with cash?



There are many reasons that people ALWAYS book southwest flights as 2 one-ways.  I won't list them here but you can search and find them on flyertalk.  Needless to say though - 2 one-ways is always ok.


----------



## serenitynow

Reservations can now be made online thru Nov. 4. Anyone know when the new dates are scheduled to come out?


----------



## PerfessorZ

serenitynow said:


> Reservations can now be made online thru Nov. 4. Anyone know when the new dates are scheduled to come out?



June 2nd


----------



## serenitynow

I hate to sound anal, but 12:01 am on June 2nd or anytime that day?


----------



## MegaSilver

serenitynow said:


> I hate to sound anal, but 12:01 am on June 2nd or anytime that day?



6AM Eastern


----------



## serenitynow

Thank you!


----------



## wdwrule

I just got a credit from rebooking to cheaper flights. Can I use this credit to pay for early bird check-in?  We don't think we'd be able to use the credit within a year and trying to think of ways not to waste it.


----------



## cassie58

5 Disney Fans said:


> I bought 4 SW tix to Orlando (one way - taking another airline back).  I now see two seats available for $50 less.  Can I get a $50 credit for two of my four tickets?



Yes, just call and ask them to assist you, especially with only 2 seats available, you don't want to lose your seats while cancelling and rebooking them.  If they are doing it for you, that should not happen, but ask to be sure.



Allison Joy said:


> Found it! I KNEW there was a general "Southwest" questions thread.
> 
> This actually is NOT related to Disney, but but it is related to SW and I don't want to start a new topic for one simple (I hope?) question. Hope that's okay.
> 
> I'm actually flying SW THREE times between April (already done) and July. I've NEVER flown that much before! My May/June flights for Disney (YAY!!) are already booked and paid for. For my July trip, I have enough points to cover a one-way ticket, but not round trip. Are there any disadvantages to getting two one-way tickets? Like are you charged twice for the books fees and what not? If I go ahead an pay cash for the round trip (which I could easily do) then I'm guessing after these two trips my NEXT flight on SW will be able to be covered in points round trip.
> 
> So I think my basic question is this: Wait until I can use points on a round-trip flight, or go ahead and redeem now, and do two one-ways, one with points and one with cash?



No disadvantage, we book one way at a time regularly, there is no difference.  Fees are charged for each flight, so for your round trip you pay double what you would for one way - same amt. Do whichever makes sense to you money wise. And if the flight drops in price, you can get it rebooked, and the difference in points credited back.


----------



## cassie58

SalandJeff said:


> We have not flown SW for years.  We did not purchase EBCI, and I see that our flights are now sold out.  If we check in online at the 24 hour mark, are the odds good that at least 2 of us can sit together.  I have a 12 year old, and she will not do well sitting alone.
> 
> Also, it is exactly 24 hours prior to flight that you can check in, no sooner?



Yes, as PP mentioned, just check in right at 24 hr. mark, and you normally will get the end of group A or beginning of B, which will generally give you at least half the plane to choose from.  We have never had a problem.  My DD is 12, and she would not want to sit alone either!


----------



## cassie58

FBandA said:


> Just booked Southwest Philadelphia to Orlando in September $49.00. Was up looking for FD not available yet but got GREAT airfare price. Doing happy dance did have to change arrival date from Sunday to Saturday.





tinkerbella16 said:


> I just called SW since our return flight for September from MCO to Philly went from $122 to $49!! We got a $365 credit on my account. She said the credit is good until Feb 17, 2017 (exactly a year from when I booked our flights initially). But does this mean we have to travel by that date, or book airfare by that date in order to use the credit? This is where I got confused because the woman on the phone said flights have to be completed by that date, and I did not know what exactly completed meant lol. It's Monday! I'm a little slow today.



Congrats to both of you! We always fly SW out of Philly, and have never seen a rate that low! I am watching rates for my cousin in end of Sept. for his first trip, and I will have to keep an eye on that.  Saw a $102 flight down today for him which was pretty good, and he'll probably book that to get a good rate for now. We may be going over Christmas due to DS's soccer tour., and am hoping for something good when they release dates in June, because that timing is not one I would choose, but if it's a chance to go to Disney, I will try to make it happen!


----------



## DisDadDVC

serenitynow said:


> Reservations can now be made online thru Nov. 4. Anyone know when the new dates are scheduled to come out?



FYI, this was changed to May 19, 2016:

"We are currently accepting air reservations through November 4, 2016. On May 19, 2016 we will open our schedule for sale through January 4, 2017. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently."


----------



## serenitynow

Thanks!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

wdwrule said:


> I just got a credit from rebooking to cheaper flights. Can I use this credit to pay for early bird check-in?  We don't think we'd be able to use the credit within a year and trying to think of ways not to waste it.



Unfortunately no - Early Bird must be paid for with a credit card


----------



## Iowamomof4

DisDadDVC said:


> FYI, this was changed to May 19, 2016:
> 
> "We are currently accepting air reservations through November 4, 2016. On May 19, 2016 we will open our schedule for sale through January 4, 2017. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently."



When I look on their website, it still says June 2. I hope you're right though!


----------



## DisDadDVC

Iowamomof4 said:


> When I look on their website, it still says June 2. I hope you're right though!



They have 2 different spots on their website.  They aren't always in sync...

https://www.southwest.com/html/travel-tools/index.html?int=
https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/index.html?clk=GSUBNAV-AIR-SCHEDULES


----------



## Iowamomof4

DisDadDVC said:


> They have 2 different spots on their website.  They aren't always in sync...
> 
> https://www.southwest.com/html/travel-tools/index.html?int=
> https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/index.html?clk=GSUBNAV-AIR-SCHEDULES



So you believe the May 19th date is the correct one? That's fantastic!


----------



## DisDadDVC

Iowamomof4 said:


> So you believe the May 19th date is the correct one? That's fantastic!



Yes.  The page that shows May is usually updated first.  June was the original date.


----------



## Iowamomof4

DisDadDVC said:


> Yes.  The page that shows May is usually updated first.  June was the original date.



Thank you for your helpful response! Much appreciated!


----------



## Iowamomof4

New question: We are looking to book a flight the Monday after Thanksgiving. Normally, when SW releases new fares, the first day is NOT the best price for our airport (DSM - Des Moines). I've noticed the prices begin to drop a few weeks later. Will that be different though, since we're traveling during more of a holiday period? Should I plan to book the first day because it's more in demand? Or will things follow the pattern I've been seeing over the last few months? I know you can get credit if the price of your flight drops, but we are NOT frequent flyers (this will be our first flight since 2003 or so) so the credit really wouldn't do us any good. 

Thank you! It's okay if my question just doesn't have a good answer. I understand it may be impossible to predict what will happen.


----------



## DisDadDVC

Iowamomof4 said:


> New question: We are looking to book a flight the Monday after Thanksgiving. Normally, when SW releases new fares, the first day is NOT the best price for our airport (DSM - Des Moines). I've noticed the prices begin to drop a few weeks later. Will that be different though, since we're traveling during more of a holiday period? Should I plan to book the first day because it's more in demand? Or will things follow the pattern I've been seeing over the last few months? I know you can get credit if the price of your flight drops, but we are NOT frequent flyers (this will be our first flight since 2003 or so) so the credit really wouldn't do us any good.
> 
> Thank you! It's okay if my question just doesn't have a good answer. I understand it may be impossible to predict what will happen.



I fly to MCO every Thanksgiving.  Here is my experience:

1)  The day fares are posted, there often aren't any WGA fares for Sunday returns.
2)  Flights TO MCO on Tues/Wed are usually fairly low, and don't tend to go much lower.  I always book these on Day 1
3)  About a month later, some WGA fares will get released for Sunday.  It will usually be the worst times, and still kinda high ($300-350).
4)  Since I usually book with points, I will just go ahead and book one of the WGA fares to have SOMETHING.
5)  100% of the time, those fares have gone down and all times became available as WGA as we got closer to Thanksgiving.  I have even re-fared the day before flying back home ($208).

Bottom line, Sunday return will never be "cheap".  But it tends to start out high and go lower.


----------



## wdwrule

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Unfortunately no - Early Bird must be paid for with a credit card


Bummer!  Thanks though!


----------



## squirrelsquad

I'm flying from New Hampshire to MCO and today was the cheaper I saw at $708 for two round trip tickets for Sept. 30 to Oct. 8. I don't remember ever paying this much previously. Should I wait to book or is this as good as I am gonig to get?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

squirrelsquad said:


> I'm flying from New Hampshire to MCO and today was the cheaper I saw at $708 for two round trip tickets for Sept. 30 to Oct. 8. I don't remember ever paying this much previously. Should I wait to book or is this as good as I am gonig to get?



From looking at the fare calendar it looks like you could potentially save up to $20 on the way there and save up to $90 on the way home per ticket if prices come down.  (Basically I'm looking at other Fridays and Saturdays slightly earlier than your dates to see what they cost).  For your flight there you are pretty close to the lowest Friday price on the calendar.  For the flight home you are basically at the highest Saturday price on the calendar.  

So...if all worked out in your favor you could save a total of $220 by waiting.  Of course you could also end up paying more if something goes wrong.  Nobody can accurately predict what will happen to your prices but the facts I see suggest you could save a little on the way there and a lot on the way home if you waited.  The question you need to ask is if the risk of paying more is worth it.  You could also purchase only a one-way there for right now and wait on the flight home.  Or if you have enough points you could use points and then rebook and save the points anytime.


----------



## RLGNC

I am keeping my eye on prices for airfare from RDU (Raleigh-Durham, NC) to MCO for early August.  (Currently planning on driving, but would prefer to fly if the price is right.  )  Best I have been able to find since I've been checking is about $1100 for 4 RT (so about $275 RT per person).  Has anyone else flown from RDU and is this a "good" fare, or is there hope that a better price might be offered in the next couple of months?

Thank you!


----------



## squirrelsquad

SouthFayetteFan said:


> From looking at the fare calendar it looks like you could potentially save up to $20 on the way there and save up to $90 on the way home per ticket if prices come down.  (Basically I'm looking at other Fridays and Saturdays slightly earlier than your dates to see what they cost).  For your flight there you are pretty close to the lowest Friday price on the calendar.  For the flight home you are basically at the highest Saturday price on the calendar.
> 
> So...if all worked out in your favor you could save a total of $220 by waiting.  Of course you could also end up paying more if something goes wrong.  Nobody can accurately predict what will happen to your prices but the facts I see suggest you could save a little on the way there and a lot on the way home if you waited.  The question you need to ask is if the risk of paying more is worth it.  You could also purchase only a one-way there for right now and wait on the flight home.  Or if you have enough points you could use points and then rebook and save the points anytime.



Thank you so much for your input!


----------



## sandam1

I've been price watching for our late September trip. The flights started around $120 each way and then spiked to $145 on the way down and as high as $212 on the way back. The return came down to $145 today - woohoo! - and I think I'm ready to pull the trigger. But I recently noticed that I can buy Southwest gift cards through Target on-line. Has anyone ever bought and used these before? Do they work like the Disney gift cards (i.e. do you get the 5% off)?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

squirrelsquad said:


> Thank you so much for your input!



You're welcome - I'll cross my fingers that whatever way you go works out best.  I've waited and won and waited and gotten burned and despite flying literally dozens of times on Southwest over the past 10 years or so I still can't figure out a rhyme or reason to why the prices move the way they do.


----------



## jerseygal

ANOTHER SW point drop this morning for our DS May flight, 1,729 points! REALLY PAYS to monitor the points once booked, only takes a minute to check flight. Booked flight 3rd week of February and since February SEVERAL point decreases, total cumulative point decrease from booking till today is 6,130 points, major hub Newark-Orlando, that's significant!  UPDATE. just snagged $10, each $30 total, hey why not, for a reduction in revenue paying ticket also. Already had a reduction of $14 each a month ago. NICE to use $24 per person credit for a future trip! HOPE someone else has some SW credits or point reductions today also!


----------



## Anal Annie

PerfessorZ said:


> June 2nd





DisDadDVC said:


> FYI, this was changed to May 19, 2016:
> 
> "We are currently accepting air reservations through November 4, 2016. On May 19, 2016 we will open our schedule for sale through January 4, 2017. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently."



Just the answer I came here to find (SW extension date!!)   Any thoughts on if this is the best pricing day to book or should I just start watching then (BWI to MCO)?  I want flights in January for Jan. 3rd and JetBlue is out already for my originating flight but I don't like the one & only direct time they have so I'd prefer SW.   We're returning on the 9th so I still have to wait to book our return.  Such a hassle when your travel dates span 2 releases....

We are out of town picking up our son / moving him out of college dorm on May 19th so not the best day to try to price shop.


----------



## jerseygal

Anal Annie said:


> Just the answer I came here to find (SW extension date!!)   Any thoughts on if this is the best pricing day to book or should I just start watching then (BWI to MCO)?  I want flights in January for Jan. 3rd and JetBlue is out already for my originating flight but I don't like the one & only direct time they have so I'd prefer SW.   We're returning on the 9th so I still have to wait to book our return.  Such a hassle when your travel dates span 2 releases....
> 
> We are out of town picking up our son / moving him out of college dorm on May 19th so not the best day to try to price shop.


 GOOD LUCK!


----------



## mom2elle

I'm also anxiously awaiting the May release. We are planning to head to WDW either Dec 30 or 31, retuning Jan7th. We were planning dec 31, but I am starting to panic thinking flights might be crazy $$, since it's NYE, and a Saturday. But I'm not sure if flying on the 30th would make much of a difference. Any thoughts? 
(Flying Philly to MCO).


----------



## Anal Annie

mom2elle said:


> I'm also anxiously awaiting the May release. We are planning to head to WDW either Dec 30 or 31, retuning Jan7th. We were planning dec 31, but I am starting to panic thinking flights might be crazy $$, since it's NYE, and a Saturday. But I'm not sure if flying on the 30th would make much of a difference. Any thoughts?
> (Flying Philly to MCO).



Just quickly looking at JetBlue from Philly (which only offers 1 flight so not a big city for them) and the one-way is $192 on Sat. vs $173 on Friday.  Their flights on both Fri & Sat. from BWI are $115.   How far would it be for you to drive to BWI?  I don't think there will be a huge price diff. between Fri. & Sat. for you....but you might be able to find a cheaper city....


----------



## mom2elle

Ah I should have mention we have SW points, hopefully enough to get us 3-4 of the flights down. I had not looked at Jet Blue before, I guess since they are not big in Philly. That could be an interesting option for another trip! 
Round trip on american was $275 when I checked a week ago, so I am hoping we can get SW for that. 
(There are 6 of us so the flight costs add up fast).


----------



## FBandA

Question, how is luggage handled when returning home with ME and SW. Do I need to take my luggage on the bus I have a 9:30am flight?


----------



## Anal Annie

FBandA said:


> Question, how is luggage handled when returning home with ME and SW. Do I need to take my luggage on the bus I have a 9:30am flight?



SW participates in the DME luggage service provided you drop it off with bell services EARLY that morning - although with a 9:30 am flight you'll be on a pretty early bus (3 hours ahead of your flight).  We usually try to fly with just carry-ons so I'm not as familiar with the checking process but I think you have to check it in and get it weighed and tagged with the airline tagging AT bell services that morning.  You will bring your carry-on luggage with you on the bus.


----------



## 2princesses3princes

can SW gift cards be used to pay fees and EBCI?  I am going to book the flights with points and was thinking about getting a GC from Target (to get the 5% rebate + 2% rebate from ebates.com).  but I won't do it if I can't use it for those things.  Thanks!


----------



## kimj88

2princesses3princes said:


> can SW gift cards be used to pay fees and EBCI?  I am going to book the flights with points and was thinking about getting a GC from Target (to get the 5% rebate + 2% rebate from ebates.com).  but I won't do it if I can't use it for those things.  Thanks!



I was able to use them for my flight but not for the EBCI portion


----------



## jenseib

2princesses3princes said:


> can SW gift cards be used to pay fees and EBCI?  I am going to book the flights with points and was thinking about getting a GC from Target (to get the 5% rebate + 2% rebate from ebates.com).  but I won't do it if I can't use it for those things.  Thanks!



Yes for fees/taxes but not for EBCI


----------



## 2princesses3princes

thank you!


----------



## inky dinky doo

Well, here's a crazy question. What time on Thursday would you expect Southwest to release the schedule through January 4 -- midnight? 6 a.m.? Some other time?


----------



## DisDadDVC

inky dinky doo said:


> Well, here's a crazy question. What time on Thursday would you expect Southwest to release the schedule through January 4 -- midnight? 6 a.m.? Some other time?



Between 6:15 and 6:30am EST.  The extension page gets updated right at 6am, but flights aren't loaded for 15-30 min.  Wouldn't hurt to start trying at 6am though just in case.


----------



## Iowamomof4

DisDadDVC said:


> Between 6:15 and 6:30am EST.  The extension page gets updated right at 6am, but flights aren't loaded for 15-30 min.  Wouldn't hurt to start trying at 6am though just in case.



Do prices change quickly on release day? I remember checking in the later morning/early afternoon on previous release days and I wasn't at all impressed with the flight prices. They came down a few weeks later. Did I perhaps miss better prices at 6 AM or does my experience sound typical?


----------



## DisDadDVC

Iowamomof4 said:


> Do prices change quickly on release day? I remember checking in the later morning/early afternoon on previous release days and I wasn't at all impressed with the flight prices. They came down a few weeks later. Did I perhaps miss better prices at 6 AM or does my experience sound typical?



Yes, they change quickly.  The cheap flights (when they are available at all) are gone in the first few minutes.  On the other hand, there are some travel days where there are no cheap flights released (ie, the sunday after thanksgiving).  They usually don't release any WGA fares on day 1 for that day.  However, they do over the course of the next few months.


----------



## Iowamomof4

DisDadDVC said:


> Yes, they change quickly.  The cheap flights (when they are available at all) are gone in the first few minutes.  On the other hand, there are some travel days where there are no cheap flights released (ie, the sunday after thanksgiving).  They usually don't release any WGA fares on day 1 for that day.  However, they do over the course of the next few months.



Well, if there are no WGA fares I guess that'll make my decision easier! lol We're looking at the Monday after Thanksgiving so perhaps we'll make out just a bit better than if we were traveling a day earlier. I can hope anyway.


----------



## DisDadDVC

Iowamomof4 said:


> Well, if there are no WGA fares I guess that'll make my decision easier! lol We're looking at the Monday after Thanksgiving so perhaps we'll make out just a bit better than if we were traveling a day earlier. I can hope anyway.



Yes, Monday after Thanksgiving is WAY cheaper.  Sunday is usually ~$350 for me, and Monday is usually ~$150.


----------



## inky dinky doo

Thanks for all the great info!


----------



## inky dinky doo

Oh, one more question. What is a WGA fare?


----------



## Iowamomof4

inky dinky doo said:


> Oh, one more question. What is a WGA fare?



Wanna Get Away


----------



## PerfessorZ

I'm looking to fly _on_ Thanksgiving.  Does anyone know if SW flies the same schedule on Thanksgiving as they do any other Thursday?


----------



## DisDadDVC

PerfessorZ said:


> I'm looking to fly _on_ Thanksgiving.  Does anyone know if SW flies the same schedule on Thanksgiving as they do any other Thursday?



I believe it should be the same.  Also, travel ON thanksgiving day is often cheap.


----------



## mom2elle

On Thursday I am hoping to book flights for my family of 6 from Philly to Orlando for either Dec 31 or Dec 30. I have just over 30,000 SW points, which hopefully will get me 4 of the flights, but maybe only 3, depending on cost. 
Does anyone have advice for how I should manage the booking? Do I do this in 2 transactions - one for the flights purchsed w point, and a second for the flights I have to pay for? 
I welcome any advice!


----------



## disneyeveryyear

mom2elle said:


> On Thursday I am hoping to book flights for my family of 6 from Philly to Orlando for either Dec 31 or Dec 30. I have just over 30,000 SW points, which hopefully will get me 4 of the flights, but maybe only 3, depending on cost.
> Does anyone have advice for how I should manage the booking? Do I do this in 2 transactions - one for the flights purchsed w point, and a second for the flights I have to pay for?
> I welcome any advice!



You will have to book your points transaction separate from your cash transaction.  SWA doesn't allow you to pay part in points and part in cash on one booking.


----------



## LeslieF

Does anyone think SW with have their birthday sale like they did last year?  Is this an annual thing?  I was able to score $49 flights last June for a September trip and I'm hoping to be able to do that again!


----------



## jerseygal

LeslieF said:


> Does anyone think SW with have their birthday sale like they did last year?  Is this an annual thing?  I was able to score $49 flights last June for a September trip and I'm hoping to be able to do that again!


WOW, $49, Fabulous! Let's hope! Still looking for our October trip!


----------



## missycakes99

Iowamomof4 said:


> New question: We are looking to book a flight the Monday after Thanksgiving. Normally, when SW releases new fares, the first day is NOT the best price for our airport (DSM - Des Moines). I've noticed the prices begin to drop a few weeks later. Will that be different though, since we're traveling during more of a holiday period? Should I plan to book the first day because it's more in demand? Or will things follow the pattern I've been seeing over the last few months? I know you can get credit if the price of your flight drops, but we are NOT frequent flyers (this will be our first flight since 2003 or so) so the credit really wouldn't do us any good.
> 
> Thank you! It's okay if my question just doesn't have a good answer. I understand it may be impossible to predict what will happen.




I'm so glad you asked this as I am in a similar boat. We're flying to MCO on the 26th of Nov and I don't know if I should buy right away since it's Thanksgiving time (and we thought maybe the Saturday flight would be cheaper since it's Thanksgiving weekend) or just wait. But I think I like the idea of just buying right away so I have it and then price adjusting later. I just hate having to check the website constantly to monitor the fares.

QUESTION: Has anyone found a good way to monitor Southwest fares? Even after you buy? I've typically checked every so often and gotten lucky, but anyone found a good rhythm/rhyme of when to check SWA site to see if fares have decreased so they can ask for a price adjustment? I still can't believe SWA does this, but it's part of the reason they are the ONLY airline I will fly! 

Thanks for insight, friends!


----------



## phins_jazy

so am I reading this right that there will be no wanna get away fares listed tomorrow?


----------



## Huff

missycakes99 said:


> QUESTION: Has anyone found a good way to monitor Southwest fares? Even after you buy? I've typically checked every so often and gotten lucky, but anyone found a good rhythm/rhyme of when to check SWA site to see if fares have decreased so they can ask for a price adjustment? I still can't believe SWA does this, but it's part of the reason they are the ONLY airline I will fly!Thanks for insight, friends!



SWA does not allow anyone else to list their airfare in automated search engines.  Kayak does list SWA's available flights for your schedule but you must click on the link to transfer to SWA's website to view the price.  Generally SWA changes their prices on Tuesdays.  Sometimes sales are released on Sundays.  For any given flight there are a set number of seats at each of several price categories.  When the lowest is filled the price you see will be the next highest category.  If someone cancels it may cause a lower priced ticket to become available at any moment regardless of the typical price change schedule as mentioned above.


----------



## hippsmom

Are fares generally cheapest on the day of release?  Or is there another "best" time? I am hoping to pay with points. Thanks!


----------



## Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL

Southwest website is now updated to include dates up to and including Jan. 4th 2017.  Get 'em while they're hot people!!!


----------



## PerfessorZ

First, I'm less than 200 pts from qualifying for companion pass.  Then I lost out on 5,400 pts (total) because my fare changed between the time I started filling out all the travel info & the time I finished. 

Glad at least to have my vacation flight booked, though.


----------



## disneyeveryyear

I needed 5 one-way tickets (will have to book return after the next release date) using two rapid reward accounts.  I was able to book 2 WGA tickets with each account.  The 5th ticket was to be paid in cash. 

When I went in to buy the 5th ticket, there are no more WGA fares.

How long does it usually take for them to load more WGA fares?

Nevermind - somehow I was looking for 3 tickets - unavailable - when I changed it to 1 ticket, I was able to get it for a WGA fee.  Glad I got up early, they are all sold out now.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Ugh... I didn't get up until 6:45 eastern but the prices are not good. Well, the return trip isn't as bad as the flight down, but I'm going to have to wait. If prices stay this high, we'll just have to drive.


----------



## mom2elle

I needed to book 6 flights from PHL to MCO on NYE. Seems like only 5 WGA tickets were loaded. We needed to buy in 2 transactions (one with points, one via credit card). We were able to grab 4 of the WGA fares with points, and then when we got all the way to the end of the cc transaction for the remaining 2 flights, I got the message that the flight was no longer available. There were no more WGA fares available at all for the flight; so I booked my DH and DS on a flight that leaves 1.5 hours earlier. Hopefully WGA fares will open up on the other flight and I can rebook but if not, we'll just fly separately and meet up at MCO. 
(Paid $125 for the WGA fares and just under 7500 points).


----------



## ah10is

Flights are booked for December trip!  Yah!!!  But was a little disappointed with prices from Maine to Orlando!   On par with all the other airlines!  I had bought 5000 points the other day with it's 50% bonus points sale.  So that was $165.   Needed most of those points too to buy our tickets down...it ended up being less than one ticket because of the bonus points so I guess it was a good buy for me.  10206 points per person!  Yikes!!!!  Then for our return flights I used the SW G.C. I earned doing Perk & Swagbucks and the rest went on the old SW credit card.  So if you count the cost of the points, early bird fees, taxes  and balance of the flight after using the G.C.  I paid $355.80 total for our 2 round trip tickets with early bird on both of them from Maine to Orlando!


----------



## hippsmom

What a stressful day!  Prices and times are horrible.  Finally picked out the best of the worst just to have something booked.  And now every thing I am getting just shows my information.  I paid taxes and fees for the 4 of us.  Please tell me they booked the 4!!


----------



## rileyz

Prices were terrible for us.  $255 for just one way!  Ugh, didn't have enough points for any ticket.


----------



## Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL

hippsmom said:


> What a stressful day!  Prices and times are horrible.  Finally picked out the best of the worst just to have something booked.  And now every thing I am getting just shows my information.  I paid taxes and fees for the 4 of us.  Please tell me they booked the 4!!


I booked for 4 people this morning around 6:30.  My confirmation emails were showing all 4 people and full dollar amount of all 4 tickets.  If I understand your post correctly it seems this is not the case for you.  If your unsure, I would recommend calling SW and speaking to a live person to correct any errors


----------



## PerfessorZ

hippsmom said:


> What a stressful day!  Prices and times are horrible.  Finally picked out the best of the worst just to have something booked.  And now every thing I am getting just shows my information.  I paid taxes and fees for the 4 of us.  Please tell me they booked the 4!!





Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL said:


> I booked for 4 people this morning around 6:30.  My confirmation emails were showing all 4 people and full dollar amount of all 4 tickets.  If I understand your post correctly it seems this is not the case for you.  If your unsure, I would recommend calling SW and speaking to a live person to correct any errors



My confirmation email showed all 4 tickets I bought, but man was it ever long.  It repeated check-in information 8 times between each ticket.  So the email was 95% "fluff" and only 5% relevant info and you had to dig to find each person.

Not sure if that's the case for you, OP, or not, but if your confirmation is like mine, maybe double-check that email to make sure everyone isn't buried in there somewhere.


----------



## hippsmom

PerfessorZ said:


> My confirmation email showed all 4 tickets I bought, but man was it ever long.  It repeated check-in information 8 times between each ticket.  So the email was 95% "fluff" and only 5% relevant info and you had to dig to find each person.
> 
> Not sure if that's the case for you, OP, or not, but if your confirmation is like mine, maybe double-check that email to make sure everyone isn't buried in there somewhere.



So I called Southwest and was told I would get a confirmation email for everyone booked and if I just booked today it may take some time to show up. BUT as of right now she can only see me.  She wants me to verify the amount that I paid for taxes and fees.  Um ok, I will give a little while longer but then I'm calling back.  Totally freaked out because the WGA fares are now showing unavailable.


----------



## disneyeveryyear

mom2elle said:


> I needed to book 6 flights from PHL to MCO on NYE. Seems like only 5 WGA tickets were loaded. We needed to buy in 2 transactions (one with points, one via credit card). We were able to grab 4 of the WGA fares with points, and then when we got all the way to the end of the cc transaction for the remaining 2 flights, I got the message that the flight was no longer available. There were no more WGA fares available at all for the flight; so I booked my DH and DS on a flight that leaves 1.5 hours earlier. Hopefully WGA fares will open up on the other flight and I can rebook but if not, we'll just fly separately and meet up at MCO.
> (Paid $125 for the WGA fares and just under 7500 points).



Those prices are great.  STL to MCO on 12/30, I paid 12,038 points for 4 tickets and $189 for the cash ticket.


----------



## inky dinky doo

Thanks to all of your good advice, all 10 travelers flying with me to WDW on New Year's were able to grab one-way WGA tickets for $122.98 a piece (flying from Columbus, OH). Talk about celebrating!!! But, whew! It sure was stressful! Now, we wait for July 7 to do all this again for our return flights.


----------



## hippsmom

What are the advantages to booking one way flights instead of a round trip flight?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

hippsmom said:


> What are the advantages to booking one way flights instead of a round trip flight?



All Information taken from Flyer Talk: (lots of detail info here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/sout...st-travel-one-way-rather-than-round-trip.html)

By the Way: these guys are the experts on Southwest.  Also - many of these reasons apply to frequent flyers and may not apply to a casual vacationers situation.

nsx says:
"1. If a better fare becomes available in one direction but the fare increased in the other direction it's easy to use Change Reservation or rebook the half that went down. There's no risk of disturbing the good fare on the other half of your trip.

2. If one seat opens at a discount fare you can grab it for one passenger using Change Reservation or rebooking.

3. Points post after each direction rather than only after your return trip.

4. Smaller ticketless fund amounts make it less likely that you will commingle a large amount of new funds with a small early-expiring ticketless fund amount. That would result in early expiration for all your new funds.

5. If you decide to replace one direction of a paid ticket with a standard award booking, or vice versa, it's much easier to do.

6. If you cancel a multi-person booking the ticketless funds on the record locator are separated into invisible buckets, one for each name. This complication does not arise if you originally gave each person his own reservation. Don't underestimate the hassle of dealing with multiple names on one canceled reservation. It even drives our venerable ftnoob nuts.

7. All of the above allow you to change what you need to change without phoning Southwest. Once a phone agent modifies a reservation, that reservation cannot be further modified online. You are locked into phone call mode. Online, the reservation can only be canceled and reboooked.



The main reason to book a round trip and to put multiple people on a reservation is that you have a discount code whose value multiplies by the number of people in the booking and which requires a round trip purchase. On-line check-in is faster if all passengers are on the same reservation, which can be a one-way reservation for that purpose."

FindAWay says:
"*Additional Reasons/Details for One-Way Bookings over Round-Trip*:

Canceling/Changing the outbound one-way without affecting the return or the return without much effort.
Booking multiple options early (at lower fares) for either outbound or return until travel plans are firmed-up (whereupon one can cancel the redundant not-to-be-used one-ways).

*Reasons/Details Why One Might Prefer Round-Trip over One-Way Bookings*:

Promo Codes (as nsx notes) - This is the only reason I ever book round-trip itineraries.
September 11th Security Fees - IIRC, if a round-trip has 5 (or more) segments, the security fees are capped at $10 (whereas one might pay $12.50 or more for the same trip if using one-way bookings).
Irregular Operations (WX, MX, Etc.) - If you have a trip where your return would be affected by a problem with the outbound (e.g., a short trip where there is a weather advisory affecting the outbound), it is easier to deal with if it were booked as a round-trip (however, some have reported not having much of a problem if booked as one-ways)."
Expert 7700 says:
"-If you have a companion pass, your companion may want to fly just the origin or just the return flight. Current system limits the companion to the EXACT same itinerary as your ticket.

-If you are traveling with an lap child, after checking in for the origin, your return flight gets tagged internally +INF, which can cause the same difficulty as a customer service phone change: future changes to flight dates/times require a phone call. This internal tag doesn't save any time, and doesn't avoid the requirement of showing proof of age in person at the airport.

-Funds from cancelled flight segments get applied differently when you use them. Funds from completely canceled tickets (like from a one way) are applied first, before partial funds (like from a price drop or a missed origin or return flight).

-Ability to cancel just your origin segment if your plans change without making a phone call. This can help the airline resell your unneeded seat. This will be even more of an advantage once Southwest implements the no show fee.

-If you establish a regular pattern of one way flights, you are less likely to draw security scrutiny even when buying last minute one ways. (note: I have not seen an SSSS boarding pass in years, but when booking last minute for others, they can sometimes not check in online, and instead get a note saying that restrictions, rules, etc, do not allow for a boarding pass number to be printed online, and you must check in at the airport).

-You are only allowed 2 active boarding passes, per PNR #, at a time. On a same-day turn with a connection on the outbound or return, you are restricted from getting your other boarding passes until you have used up one of the segments. Booking all fights as one ways avoids this hassle."


----------



## hippsmom

Thanks for the info above!  I have another question maybe someone can help me with.  If I change my flight will I lose my ebci and have to repurchase it?  Or the taxes and fees?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

hippsmom said:


> Thanks for the info above!  I have another question maybe someone can help me with.  If I change my flight will I lose my ebci and have to repurchase it?  Or the taxes and fees?



a CHANGE should not affect your EBCI in any way and you will not incur any additional taxes or fees.  

If you CANCEL and REBOOK then you will lose EBCI.  

The only cost to change would be if the price of the new flight is higher than your original flight.  If it was lower you'd end up with a credit that could be used in the future (1 year from original purchase date of flight).


----------



## FabFourteenFamilyFun

Does anyone know- if 3 people are booked on southwest - coming from a cruise in ft. Lauderdale and their time is tight- should you do the 24 hour check in or wait until in port?


----------



## wdwfan1

I would go with Early bird check in if it is available.


----------



## FabFourteenFamilyFun

wdwfan1 said:


> I would go with Early bird check in if it is available.


Thanks


----------



## Krista72

If I book SWA flights and pay with cash can I then use points and get a refund? I recently got the SW Visa and should have enough points to pay for my flights soon but I dont have them yet and would like to book my flights for November now.


----------



## DisDadDVC

Krista72 said:


> If I book SWA flights and pay with cash can I then use points and get a refund? I recently got the SW Visa and should have enough points to pay for my flights soon but I dont have them yet and would like to book my flights for November now.



If you booked a Wanna Get Away fare, then you can not get a refund.  But you can get the value of the flight as a travel credit that needs to be used within 1 year of your booking date.


----------



## pschro1

So the cost of our flights just dropped and I would like to get the credits on the flights. However I have some questions. How long do we have to use the credits? And if the price drops again can I get another credit?


----------



## PerfessorZ

pschro1 said:


> So the cost of our flights just dropped and I would like to get the credits on the flights. However I have some questions. How long do we have to use the credits? And if the price drops again can I get another credit?



From everything I've read, you have up to 1 year from the date your originally purchased the tickets.  More specifically, the travel you purchase with your credit must be completed by 1 year from the original purchase date.

And as far as I know, you can get another credit if it drops again.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

pschro1 said:


> So the cost of our flights just dropped and I would like to get the credits on the flights. However I have some questions. How long do we have to use the credits? And if the price drops again can I get another credit?





PerfessorZ said:


> From everything I've read, you have up to 1 year from the date your originally purchased the tickets.  More specifically, the travel you purchase with your credit must be completed by 1 year from the original purchase date.
> 
> And as far as I know, you can get another credit if it drops again.



Both of these answers are 100% accurate.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Prices have dropped for the return trip but they remain high for the flight down. I know I need to just bide my time, but it's a bit nerve-racking what with this being our first time flying as a family and the fact that I need 6 tickets makes me feel I can't afford to wait as long as a person who only needed 2 or something. We've looked into flying other carriers either out of our home airport (dsm) or some neighboring ones (msp, oma, stl) but there aren't obvious benefits so I'm sticking with dsm for now. No questions I guess, just sharing some random thoughts.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Okay, here's a question: The price for one-way flights on Friday is significantly cheaper than Monday right now ($172 vs. $348). Could I go ahead and book the Friday flight just to get something booked and then hope to change it to Monday if those prices fall?


----------



## hippsmom

Can you change just one leg of your trip?  I cannot find how many points each leg was, only a total.  I need to know if I have enough points to make the change.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Iowamomof4 said:


> Okay, here's a question: The price for one-way flights on Friday is significantly cheaper than Monday right now ($172 vs. $348). Could I go ahead and book the Friday flight just to get something booked and then hope to change it to Monday if those prices fall?


Yes - absolutely.  FOR EXAMPLE: If Monday prices came down to say...$202 then you would just owe the extra $30 when you make the change.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

hippsmom said:


> Can you change just one leg of your trip?  I cannot find how many points each leg was, only a total.  I need to know if I have enough points to make the change.


You should be able to - when you go into the change screen you should be able to select which leg you're looking to change.  As long as you don't click all the way through and confirm everything no change will be made and you can see if you have enough points that way.


----------



## hippsmom

The problem is that they had me book the 4 of us separately. I would hate to change some of us and not others.  



SouthFayetteFan said:


> You should be able to - when you go into the change screen you should be able to select which leg you're looking to change.  As long as you don't click all the way through and confirm everything no change will be made and you can see if you have enough points that way.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

hippsmom said:


> The problem is that they had me book the 4 of us separately. I would hate to change some of us and not others.


There are definitely ways for you to determine how many points each leg of each flight cost...and also ways to figure out how many points it would cost to make the change.  Unfortunately I'm not sure I can figure out a way to put those steps into words without physically walking through it.  Basically, If I understand your situation correctly, it would involve a series trial and error - going in to make a change, write down how many points the flight was, searching for 1, 2, 3, and 4 people on the new flights to see if there's any price change on the new flights depending on how many people you book, etc.  Sorry I can't really explain it any better - it can get really complex (especially with the way SW pricing works).  I would profess to be a Southwest Booking expert with well over 100 flights booked in the last decade though and lots of changes made to save points and dollars.  If you want to send me a private message with more specific details about your situation I'd be happy to try to help you a little more.


----------



## hippsmom

Thank you! I was able to get my change done online and the others on the phone.  Got a better flight time and points back! Yay!  Now stalking the flights down for a drop.


----------



## ah10is

Our December return flights dropped today (Orlando to Portland, ME)!  Originally we paid $175 each for return.   This morning they were $10 ($165)cheaper on the return so I changed them.  Then this afternoon they were $35 ($130) less from the morning prices.  So I just changed them again!  So now we have $90 in travel credits to use in the next year!  Will have to figure out a way to go to Disney again before May 19th, 2017!!!!


----------



## PerfessorZ

I purchased tickets for my family to fly from ALB to MCO over Thanksgiving weekend (with points).  I purchased one-way each way, but all 4 family members at the same time.  Since then, the tickets have jumped 80% on the flight down and 100% on the flight back.

In the meantime, I have now qualified for CP.  (I was less than 200 RR pts short at the time I booked).

If I try to use CP here, would I be forced to rebook all 4 tickets or would I be able to have just the points my companion used credited back?

TIA!


----------



## DisDadDVC

PerfessorZ said:


> I purchased tickets for my family to fly from ALB to MCO over Thanksgiving weekend (with points).  I purchased one-way each way, but all 4 family members at the same time.  Since then, the tickets have jumped 80% on the flight down and 100% on the flight back.
> 
> In the meantime, I have now qualified for CP.  (I was less than 200 RR pts short at the time I booked).
> 
> If I try to use CP here, would I be forced to rebook all 4 tickets or would I be able to have just the points my companion used credited back?
> 
> TIA!



You should be able to cancel the ticket for your companion.  And then re-book them as companion.  If you have any troubles doing it online, call in and they can do it for you.


----------



## Anal Annie

I wasn't able to look for our Tues., January 3rd departure until over the weekend so I missed the opening day prices and the 2 flights I was most interested in were at $103 when I first looked this weekend (the first 2 direct flights of the day).  While that's not a terrible price I was hoping for $86 or $89 so I have been watching a couple times a day.  Late this afternoon I searched (but I only left the default of 1 person) and the price was $86 for that 2nd flight of the day!  I was completely elated!!  When I went to book it and I changed it to 3 people it went back up to $103.  Same for 2 people - $103.  The only $86 fare was for 1 person.  Not sure if I made a big mistake or not but I went ahead & snagged the ONE seat although I would have preferred to have them all on one purchase just for check-in ease.  I figured I'd keep hawking the site for another drop on the other 2 seats.  But now I'm wondering if I might find the drop on the FIRST flight of the day rather than the 2nd flight - then we'd be on 2 different flights.  They don't always change prices on ALL flights.  Now I'm second guessing my choice to jump on the ONE tix.  DOH!!!    I've really gone & complicated things in more ways than one haven't I?!


----------



## DisDadDVC

Anal Annie said:


> I wasn't able to look for our Tues., January 3rd departure until over the weekend so I missed the opening day prices and the 2 flights I was most interested in were at $103 when I first looked this weekend (the first 2 direct flights of the day).  While that's not a terrible price I was hoping for $86 or $89 so I have been watching a couple times a day.  Late this afternoon I searched (but I only left the default of 1 person) and the price was $86 for that 2nd flight of the day!  I was completely elated!!  When I went to book it and I changed it to 3 people it went back up to $103.  Same for 2 people - $103.  The only $86 fare was for 1 person.  Not sure if I made a big mistake or not but I went ahead & snagged the ONE seat although I would have preferred to have them all on one purchase just for check-in ease.  I figured I'd keep hawking the site for another drop on the other 2 seats.  But now I'm wondering if I might find the drop on the FIRST flight of the day rather than the 2nd flight - then we'd be on 2 different flights.  They don't always change prices on ALL flights.  Now I'm second guessing my choice to jump on the ONE tix.  DOH!!!    I've really gone & complicated things in more ways than one haven't I?!



I would just go ahead and book the other two tix for $103.  It is not THAT much more than $86, and the price could go up a lot more, or you could end up on diff flights.  Not worth the $17 savings IMO.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

DisDadDVC said:


> I would just go ahead and book the other two tix for $103.  It is not THAT much more than $86, and the price could go up a lot more, or you could end up on diff flights.  Not worth the $17 savings IMO.


On the other hand...if they grabbed the last $86 ticket they could be one cancellation away from finding ANOTHER ticket at $86.  It's all risk reward though...


----------



## DisDadDVC

SouthFayetteFan said:


> On the other hand...if they grabbed the last $86 ticket they could be one cancellation away from finding ANOTHER ticket at $86.  It's all risk reward though...



Right.  In my mind the reward is $17, and the risk is $50+.  And given that at least southwest gives travel credit, you may even be able to use the $17 if/when they release more low fare buckets.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

DisDadDVC said:


> Right.  In my mind the reward is $17, and the risk is $50+.  And given that at least southwest gives travel credit, you may even be able to use the $17 if/when they release more low fare buckets.


Yep - the real risk is I guess technically even worse...flight sells out for some reason and you're out cold!


----------



## Iowamomof4

How long do we think it will be before we start seeing WGA fares for the Sunday after Thanksgiving?


----------



## DisDadDVC

Iowamomof4 said:


> How long do we think it will be before we start seeing WGA fares for the Sunday after Thanksgiving?



2-3 more weeks probably


----------



## Anal Annie

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Yep - the real risk is I guess technically even worse...flight sells out for some reason and you're out cold!



The flight was JUST released last week so I think it's probably still far from selling out.  And it's for January 3rd which I seriously doubt is a big seller of a day.   I booked our Sept. flights several weeks back but still watch them daily if I can just to be sure that I A) don't miss a credit and B) to confirm to myself that I pulled the trigger at the right time.  I booked JetBlue down and SW home.  SO FAR the ONE DAY that I booked both of them was THE ONLY DAY that my $82 & $83 prices were available on both airlines.  The day AFTER I booked our SW return flight it went up from $83 to $218 and it sat there at that price for about 10 days!!  So weird.  It has since dropped back to around $103 for the most part.  But there certainly is a LOT of fluctuation so I am going to HOPE the flight I want going down for this January trip drops again & that I catch it.  It's still very early into the schedule release.  I need 2 more seats so the $17 is really $34 but you're right it's not a HUGE amount.  But I like to pay for them if I can out of my PayPal balance so the cheaper they are the easier that is to achieve.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Anal Annie said:


> The flight was JUST released last week so I think it's probably still far from selling out.  And it's for January 3rd which I seriously doubt is a big seller of a day.   I booked our Sept. flights several weeks back but still watch them daily if I can just to be sure that I A) don't miss a credit and B) to confirm to myself that I pulled the trigger at the right time.  I booked JetBlue down and SW home.  SO FAR the ONE DAY that I booked both of them was THE ONLY DAY that my $82 & $83 prices were available on both airlines.  The day AFTER I booked our SW return flight it went up from $83 to $218 and it sat there at that price for about 10 days!!  So weird.  It has since dropped back to around $103 for the most part.  But there certainly is a LOT of fluctuation so I am going to HOPE the flight I want going down for this January trip drops again & that I catch it.  It's still very early into the schedule release.  I need 2 more seats so the $17 is really $34 but you're right it's not a HUGE amount.  But I like to pay for them if I can out of my PayPal balance so the cheaper they are the easier that is to achieve.


I agree with you...I'm the guy that actually would wait to save the $17. 


SouthFayetteFan said:


> On the other hand...if they grabbed the last $86 ticket they could be one cancellation away from finding ANOTHER ticket at $86.  It's all risk reward though...



I was just responding when DisDadDVC said the risk was $50+ more.  Again...the real (and HIGHLY remote) risk is the flight sells out.  And the reward is the $17...


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Data Point:
I was booking flights from PIT - MCO for Nov 12th through Nov 15th.  Booked the morning of release (which I typically don't do...usually book within a few days though).  $131 each way.  Since then...flight there went up to $242 and it went up in steps so it increased every day or 2!!  Flight home went down to $112.  

In 100+ flights on Southwest I'd never seen one shoot up like $242 one did.  Fortunately we have over 400k Southwest points so everything we book is on points and I was able to take advantage of the down.  BUT if I were booking cash and had waited I would be sick to my stomach.


----------



## DisDadDVC

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Data Point:
> I was booking flights from PIT - MCO for Nov 12th through Nov 15th.  Booked the morning of release (which I typically don't do...usually book within a few days though).  $131 each way.  Since then...flight there went up to $242 and it went up in steps so it increased every day or 2!!  Flight home went down to $112.
> 
> In 100+ flights on Southwest I'd never seen one shoot up like $242 one did.  Fortunately we have over 400k Southwest points so everything we book is on points and I was able to take advantage of the down.  BUT if I were booking cash and had waited I would be sick to my stomach.



This is a tactic that SW now employs.  They want to make people fear its going to go even higher.  I guarantee that $242 flight will drop back down.  However, many people don't know that and are afraid so they will go ahead and book it.  These people often don't fly often, and may have difficulty making use of the travel credit when the flight goes down in price.


----------



## perthgirl

My DD and I will be flying from LAX to MCO in January and then from MCO to SFO.  Southwest looks like the best option for us as they don't charge for bags and as we are coming from Australia we will have baggage!   Can you suggest when the best time to book would be?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

DisDadDVC said:


> This is a tactic that SW now employs.  They want to make people fear its going to go even higher.  I guarantee that $242 flight will drop back down.  However, many people don't know that and are afraid so they will go ahead and book it.  These people often don't fly often, and may have difficulty making use of the travel credit when the flight goes down in price.


I think on this particular one what they are trying to do is even out the passengers on each flight since they make the run 4 times daily.  If you're willing to fly out at 3:30 or 5:30 you can get it for $123...If you want the morning flights you can pay $242.  BUT I've also seen the strategy you've mentioned too in some instances.  

The thing I've learned through tracking flight prices over the past decade or so is there is no rhyme or reason.  These articles that say 3:00 on Tuesday or...47 days in advance...while maybe statistically accurate have nothing to do with your particular situation.  I've seen flights that are cheapest on day 1 of release, 3-4 months prior, 1-2 months prior, less than 1 week prior and everything in between.  Sometimes they're cheapest on Sunday morning, sometimes Tuesday, and sometimes Friday, and every other day too.  AND just when you figure it out and think that same scenario will repeat itself...on your next trip the rules and pattern all change.  The best strategy I've seen as a customer is to figure out how to get your hands on some major Southwest Points and you can always have the cheapest flight without the hassle of the travel credit.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

perthgirl said:


> My DD and I will be flying from LAX to MCO in January and then from MCO to SFO.  Southwest looks like the best option for us as they don't charge for bags and as we are coming from Australia we will have baggage!   Can you suggest when the best time to book would be?


See my post just above yours...you may be able to get some anecdotal evidence from a frequent LAX traveler who flies that route and has documented it...but short of being able to predict the future it's hard to say.  I like to look at the flexible fare calendar and make some predictions using that...or if you're looking for a simple answer (that is likely inaccurate) I'd say about 3 months prior.


----------



## DisDadDVC

SouthFayetteFan said:


> I think on this particular one what they are trying to do is even out the passengers on each flight since they make the run 4 times daily.  If you're willing to fly out at 3:30 or 5:30 you can get it for $123...If you want the morning flights you can pay $242.  BUT I've also seen the strategy you've mentioned too in some instances.
> 
> The thing I've learned through tracking flight prices over the past decade or so is there is no rhyme or reason.  These articles that say 3:00 on Tuesday or...47 days in advance...while maybe statistically accurate have nothing to do with your particular situation.  I've seen flights that are cheapest on day 1 of release, 3-4 months prior, 1-2 months prior, less than 1 week prior and everything in between.  Sometimes they're cheapest on Sunday morning, sometimes Tuesday, and sometimes Friday, and every other day too.  AND just when you figure it out and think that same scenario will repeat itself...on your next trip the rules and pattern all change.  The best strategy I've seen as a customer is to figure out how to get your hands on some major Southwest Points and you can always have the cheapest flight without the hassle of the travel credit.



yup...


----------



## Iowamomof4

I went back through old emails and discovered I received an email from SW about their 44th birthday last year on Tuesday, June 16. Should I anticipate a similar sale sometime soon for their 45th birthday? If so, that's coming up!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Iowamomof4 said:


> I went back through old emails and discovered I received an email from SW about their 44th birthday last year on Tuesday, June 16. Should I anticipate a similar sale sometime soon for their 45th birthday? If so, that's coming up!



Southwest has typically done some sort of birthday sale.  The routes and prices however have varied widely over the years, some have been great, others have been duds.  Not sure if they'll look at "45" as a Big Year or not.

ETA: By Big year I mean...if they consider 45 a milestone they may do a deeper deal.  For example the 40th anniversary sale was a $40, $80, $120 sale with crazy amounts of routes available.


----------



## Huff

OUCH!  SW is currently showing $550/RT PHX-MCO for late Sept-early Oct.  Am hoping they will drop in the next month or two.


----------



## perthgirl

Thanks. I ended up booking a Virgin America Select seat at (wait for it.....) less than the economy (ie without Select) seat for the LAX to Orlando trip.  Since then they have increased the prices by $500! per seat for Select as they only have flexible left - but business is cheaper!   hey also now have cheaper economy seats but frankly by the time we add luggage and food etc we only paid around $50 more which is ok with me.   The LAX to MCO was good timing - we arrive in LAX from Australia at 6am and depart for Orlando at 9am (which I assume is enough time given we are US citizens and therefore should get through immigration quickly).  It is a direct flight to MCO which is also attractive given we would have already been travelling for something like 26 hours.

MCO to SFO is a different story - II don't mind cheap and cheerful and we are flexible on the time of day so will keep watching SW.  Anyone have a clue what a 'reasonable' fare might be for January?  




SouthFayetteFan said:


> See my post just above yours...you may be able to get some anecdotal evidence from a frequent LAX traveler who flies that route and has documented it...but short of being able to predict the future it's hard to say.  I like to look at the flexible fare calendar and make some predictions using that...or if you're looking for a simple answer (that is likely inaccurate) I'd say about 3 months prior.


----------



## JadeDarkstar

Outch the 550 price hurts to read.  Is that round trip? we will be going from PHX to MCO too so wow. Hope some prices drop.


----------



## momof2cuties

I'm flying with my 3 kids..,18, 16 and 4.  My plan and hope is to sit with the 16 and 4 year old with the 18 year old next to us.  
Thinking it may make sense to do the early bird check in for the two teens so they can find an area and then I can do family boarding with 4 year old.

Does that seem to make sense to get us all together?


----------



## squirrelsquad

I just want to say thank you to the helpful people in this thread. I was able to save $60 on our upcoming flights due to the information I received here. We booked one-way flights and our return flight dropped by $30/ticket. Thank you!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

The Southwest Fall sale is here...they aren't calling it the anniversary or birthday sale but it seems like it is.  Fares at $49, $64, $79, $99, etc. depending on city pairing.  Late August through Early December dates.


----------



## Disneytam

Just saw the sale and changed our flights from Albany NY to MCO with a $79 return, but I noticed the ECBI was now $15 one way instead of $12.50. When did that happen??


----------



## DisDadDVC

Disneytam said:


> Just saw the sale and changed our flights from Albany NY to MCO with a $79 return, but I noticed the ECBI was now $15 one way instead of $12.50. When did that happen??



About a month ago.


----------



## mgpan

DisDadDVC said:


> About a month ago.



Most days for the low rates for us are mid week days.  Kind of hard to get time off across two weeks for us, much prefer Saturday to Saturday.  Might be going for the business more than leisure traveller on this sale.


----------



## Huff

Latest sale didn't help me much.  Still over $500rt for phx-mco 9/29-10-9.  Am hoping SW or other airlines drop.  Hopper app that predicts says to wait and expects an $80 drop in the next month or so.


----------



## DisDadDVC

Reminder for anyone travelling next weekend, June 18th is free drink day (Southwest Birthday) as well as June 19th (Father's Day).  I'll be travelling to MCO on the 19th!


----------



## pfeifer14

Can you call and change the ticket if the fare drop the price before the departure?  I am waiting for them to drop the price for 11/28.  Should I go ahead and book one way ticket for my return trip 12/4 and continue to wait on 11/28?  Or should I book round trip ticket and see if I can get price adjusted if the price drop?


----------



## DisDadDVC

pfeifer14 said:


> Can you call and change the ticket if the fare drop the price before the departure?  I am waiting for them to drop the price for 11/28.  Should I go ahead and book one way ticket for my return trip 12/4 and continue to wait on 11/28?  Or should I book round trip ticket and see if I can get price adjusted if the price drop?



You don't need to call (but can).  You can change your ticket online.  Assuming you are buying a "Wanna Get Away" fare, you will receive the difference in price as "travel funds".  This credit must be used by the original passenger within 12 months of the BOOKING date.

note:  for various reasons, I always book my SW flights as 2 one ways, not round trip.


----------



## pfeifer14

Great Thanks!   I may be using my points to purchase the tickets.  Should I go ahead and book 12/4 one way first and wait for them to release WGA points for 11/28?


----------



## DisDadDVC

pfeifer14 said:


> Great Thanks!   I may be using my points to purchase the tickets.  Should I go ahead and book 12/4 one way first and wait for them to release WGA points for 11/28?



Points?  Absolutely.  Points do not have the same refund restrictions as cash.  If you re-fare the flight, you will get the points right back into your account with no restrictions.

As far as the 11/28 flight goes, I would never use points for non-WGA fares.  What is the plan if you are unable to get WGA fare?  If you are going to buy Business Select or Anytime, then I would just go ahead and buy them now to be safe.  Those are 100% refundable.  Then if/when the WGA fares get released, you can book it with your points and cancel your cash flight for 100% refund.


----------



## pfeifer14

My thought is if I can't get a WGA fare (or points) for 11/28, then I can book other airline if fare is cheaper.  Or even rent a car to drive down and fly back.  But good suggestion on Anytime fare, I can keep that in mind too.


----------



## FabFourteenFamilyFun

Thanks to this thread I was able to book our 14 tickets on May 19th for November 12th- 19th. 10 tickets@ $370 and 4 tickets @ $432. A lot more than I was hoping for but... This week our return flight and the only one after us sold out- I think it was people that didn't realize the release date was moved to May 19th! My question- any chance they will add more flights? I guess I won't be able to get a cheaper price!


----------



## DisDadDVC

FabFourteenFamilyFun said:


> Thanks to this thread I was able to book our 14 tickets on May 19th for November 12th- 19th. 10 tickets@ $370 and 4 tickets @ $432. A lot more than I was hoping for but... This week our return flight and the only one after us sold out- I think it was people that didn't realize the release date was moved to May 19th! My question- any chance they will add more flights? I guess I won't be able to get a cheaper price!



More flights?  No.  Release more fares for existing flights?  Yes.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

FabFourteenFamilyFun said:


> Thanks to this thread I was able to book our 14 tickets on May 19th for November 12th- 19th. 10 tickets@ $370 and 4 tickets @ $432. A lot more than I was hoping for but... This week our return flight and the only one after us sold out- I think it was people that didn't realize the release date was moved to May 19th! My question- any chance they will add more flights? I guess I won't be able to get a cheaper price!



One of the reasons Southwest releases flights the way they do - Much later than most major carriers - is that once they release flights they rarely change the schedule.  Unlike major carriers which seem to like to change the flight schedule multiple times, cancel flights, move flights, add flights, etc., this rarely occurs on Southwest in my experience.  

I agree with DisDadDVC though that prices may change on the existing flights.  November is so far out - I'd keep checking daily and the sold out flights may become available again and may even become less expensive.  This is not uncommon on Southwest.


----------



## momto3boys+aprincess

Just booked $36 from MCO to DAL(love field) our returning flight!!!! YEAH, now I need a really good price for the flight down. It is a really early departure 6:20am, but it gets us into Dallas at 8:10am which is good as we have a 5 hour drive home. Getting so excited for this Nov. trip!!!!


----------



## Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL

momto3boys+aprincess said:


> Just booked $36 from MCO to DAL(love field) our returning flight!!!! YEAH, now I need a really good price for the flight down. It is a really early departure 6:20am, but it gets us into Dallas at 8:10am which is good as we have a 5 hour drive home. Getting so excited for this Nov. trip!!!!



That's awesome!

Heck, a taxi ride to the airport costs more than that.

Well done!!!


----------



## Malibustyle23

Is there a way to tell if we are the first flight of the day?  We have a very early flight  from BWI to MCO.  I don't think there are overnight flights on SW but Idk.

Also is there way to see how full our flight is?

We haven't flown since 2007.  Our son was 3 at the time so we did family boarding with a car seat.  It will be our dd7s first time flying.  Can you give me a quick cliff notes of what I have missed in the past 9 years of not flying and what I need to know?


----------



## mom2rtk

Still hoping to do better for our November trip to DLR. We got our outbound leg last week, but return flights are still really high. I was hoping maybe last week's sale wasn't the big anniversary sale and something else would happen this week. I guess not.


----------



## Iowamomof4

mom2rtk said:


> Still hoping to do better for our November trip to DLR. We got our outbound leg last week, but return flights are still really high. I was hoping maybe last week's sale wasn't the big anniversary sale and something else would happen this week. I guess not.



Yeah, me too.


----------



## DisDadDVC

Just went through my emails from last Thanksgiving.

6/11/15: WGA fares released for my 29NOV15 return.  11pm flight - 19,583 pts (Bad time.  Only flight that had WGA fares)
7/3/15:  WGA fares released for my 29NOV15 return.  3pm flight - 24,373 pts (Better time, wasn't available on 6/11)
9/9/15:  3pm flight above down to 22,486 pts
11/9/15:  3pm flight down to 21,396 pts
11/25/15:  3pm flight down to 17,313 pts

So, don't give up hope yet!


----------



## Iowamomof4

DisDadDVC said:


> Just went through my emails from last Thanksgiving.
> 
> 6/11/15: WGA fares released for my 29NOV15 return.  11pm flight - 19,583 pts (Bad time.  Only flight that had WGA fares)
> 7/3/15:  WGA fares released for my 29NOV15 return.  3pm flight - 24,373 pts (Better time, wasn't available on 6/11)
> 9/9/15:  3pm flight above down to 22,486 pts
> 11/9/15:  3pm flight down to 21,396 pts
> 11/25/15:  3pm flight down to 17,313 pts
> 
> So, don't give up hope yet!



Thank you so much, that helps a lot!

EDIT: I have a feeling SW will not be competitive from my airport, but I'm hoping by them releasing their WGA fares for Thanksgiving weekend it will create some competition and help drive down prices on Delta and United. Is that a possibility?


----------



## DisDadDVC

Iowamomof4 said:


> Thank you so much, that helps a lot!
> 
> EDIT: I have a feeling SW will not be competitive from my airport, but I'm hoping by them releasing their WGA fares for Thanksgiving weekend it will create some competition and help drive down prices on Delta and United. Is that a possibility?



In my experience, it is usually the other way around.  SW will fare match a Delta sale.  But it seems the legacy carriers aren't as concerned with matching what SW does.  But anything is possible.

I would expect WGA returns from MCO on 11/27 to be around ~$300 on SW to most airports.


----------



## DisDadDVC

Since I'm bored waiting for my trip on Sunday, here is 2014:

5/19/14: No WGA fare.  Booked BS on 5:25pm flights - $488
7/14/14:  WGA fares released.  - 19,470 pts
8/14/14:  Flight went down.  Switched to cash reservation - $313.10
9/1/14:  Flight went down.  - $270.10


----------



## Iowamomof4

DisDadDVC said:


> In my experience, it is usually the other way around.  SW will fare match a Delta sale.  But it seems the legacy carriers aren't as concerned with matching what SW does.  But anything is possible.
> 
> I would expect WGA returns from MCO on 11/27 to be around ~$300 on SW to most airports.



We'll be traveling to MCO from DSM. We have some flexibility though, and will take the cheapest flight we can get on from 11/26-11/28. So far, SW has been awful for that weekend compared to Delta and United. I bought our return flight for about $640 for the 6 of us on United (12/7) so we're locked into flying now. Hoping to spend less than $1000 to get us down to Orlando!


----------



## DisDadDVC

Iowamomof4 said:


> We'll be traveling to MCO from DSM. We have some flexibility though, and will take the cheapest flight we can get on from 11/26-11/28. So far, SW has been awful for that weekend compared to Delta and United. I bought our return flight for about $640 for the 6 of us on United (12/7) so we're locked into flying now. Hoping to spend less than $1000 to get us down to Orlando!



I would think 11/28 will be your best bet.  I'm surprised that day is that high now.  Prices fall off a cliff the next day....


----------



## Iowamomof4

DisDadDVC said:


> I would think 11/28 will be your best bet.  I'm surprised that day is that high now.  Prices fall off a cliff the next day....



I know...


----------



## Iowamomof4

SW just released some WGA fares for 11/28! The evening flight is well within my price range. Here's my question: Can I book us on the evening flight and then monitor the price of the morning flight with the hopes that we could switch to that flight later? The evening flight (arrives after 11 in Orlando) would cost $1031 but the morning flight (arrives before noon) would be over $1400. Prices are only beginning to drop today, but I would really like to get something booked soon if possible.


----------



## DisDadDVC

Iowamomof4 said:


> SW just released some WGA fares for 11/28! The evening flight is well within my price range. Here's my question: Can I book us on the evening flight and then monitor the price of the morning flight with the hopes that we could switch to that flight later? The evening flight (arrives after 11 in Orlando) would cost $1031 but the morning flight (arrives before noon) would be over $1400. Prices are only beginning to drop today, but I would really like to get something booked soon if possible.



Glad to hear it.  Yes, you can do that.  In the event the morning flight is CHEAPER than $1031, you would receive travel funds in the different in price tied to each travelers name.  There is no fee to change.  So if it went down $200 total and you had 4 people, each would have $50 travel credit.  Diff people can NOT combine their travel credits.

I would go ahead and book that night flight now, and monitor the AM one.  Bird in hand....

ETA:  Make sure you check the AM flight for just 1 person.  All people get booked at the HIGHEST fare.  So if there are 3 tix at $150 and 1 tix at $200, EVERYONE gets charged $200 if you book all 4 at once.  So, you might want to book the 3 at lower price, then book 1 at higher price.


----------



## Iowamomof4

DisDadDVC said:


> Glad to hear it.  Yes, you can do that.  In the event the morning flight is CHEAPER than $1031, you would receive travel funds in the different in price tied to each travelers name.  There is no fee to change.  So if it went down $200 total and you had 4 people, each would have $50 travel credit.  Diff people can NOT combine their travel credits.
> 
> I would go ahead and book that night flight now, and monitor the AM one.  Bird in hand....



If I book EBCI with that night flight, can that transfer to the morning flight if we switch?


----------



## DisDadDVC

Iowamomof4 said:


> If I book EBCI with that night flight, can that transfer to the morning flight if we switch?



Only if you do it as a CHANGE.  If you cancel/re-book you will lose it.


----------



## Iowamomof4

DisDadDVC said:


> Only if you do it as a CHANGE.  If you cancel/re-book you will lose it.



So would you recommend I hold off on EBCI for now? Or how do I do it as a change vs. cancel/re-book?

EDIT: And thank you so much for your prompt responses! I'm hoping to grab this before it slips through my fingers.


----------



## DisDadDVC

Iowamomof4 said:


> So would you recommend I hold off on EBCI for now? Or how do I do it as a change vs. cancel/re-book?
> 
> EDIT: And thank you so much for your prompt responses! I'm hoping to grab this before it slips through my fingers.



I would get EBCI now.  It is first come first serve.  The earlier you buy, the better number you will get.

Change vs Cancel:  After you have your flight booked, you will see 2 different options.  One is change.  One is cancel.  If you cancel, you will get the entire cost of the flight as a travel credit.  You could then use that travel credit to book another flight.  You will lose EBCI if you do this.  If you click change, it will bring you into flight search.  You can change it to ANYTHING.  Different dates.  Different airports. etc.  If you go through the change process, you should not lose EBCI.

If you are concerned about it, you can always do change over the phone.  They will ensure you do not lose it.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Done! Thank you so much for all of your help and for sharing your knowledge with all of us, @DisDadDVC !


----------



## DisDadDVC

FYI, Southwest has released a number of WGA fares for the 11/27 flights from MCO.  Get 'em while they're hot!  They have also cut prices on a number of flights TO MCO earlier in the week.

Check your fares.


----------



## scard192

DisDadDVC said:


> FYI, Southwest has released a number of WGA fares for the 11/27 flights from MCO.  Get 'em while they're hot!  They have also cut prices on a number of flights TO MCO earlier in the week.
> 
> Check your fares.


our flights from PVD 11/12 to 11/19 went down by $18! not a ton but I will take it. $336RT + $30 EBCI = $366.

we paid ~ $450 RT on JetBlue in October 2013. did not expect to pay LESS than last trip

** was curious so looked up my credit card statement from 2013, we paid $469 pp rt. even happier with my SW fare**


----------



## toocherie

Dumb question:  what is EBCI?


----------



## mom2rtk

toocherie said:


> Dumb question:  what is EBCI?


 

Early Bird Check-in.


----------



## toocherie

Thank  you!


----------



## KNJWDW

I would love some opinions on EBCI.  We are going to WDW towards the end of July.  We had planned on driving, but now I see some pretty good SW fares out of Chicago.  Since we are so late to book the flights, does it make sense to book EBCI?  From what I have read, those who book first, get seat assignments first through EBCI.  My concern about seats is that our two kids are nervous fliers, so I want us to sit together.


----------



## leebee

KNJWDW said:


> I would love some opinions on EBCI.  We are going to WDW towards the end of July.  We had planned on driving, but now I see some pretty good SW fares out of Chicago.  Since we are so late to book the flights, does it make sense to book EBCI?  From what I have read, those who book first, get seat assignments first through EBCI.  My concern about seats is that our two kids are nervous fliers, so I want us to sit together.



It always makes sense to book EBCI if you are worried about sitting together. I look at it like this: Two-thirds of the seats are preferred window or aisle seats. Middle seats will ALWAYS be chosen last (except for families who want to sit with their kids, which actually gives you a better chance at a preferred/middle seating). Booking EBCI will put you ahead of everyone who doesn't want to pay extra, doesn't care where they sit, etc. Even if you get a "B" boarding position, chances are very good that you'll get a middle and either an aisle or window seat, so as long as you have one adult per child, you shouldn't have to have the kids sit "alone" without an adult. 

Also, if you have to change flights, EBCI will check you in 36 hours ahead of your originating flight, which puts you at 36+two or more hours ahead of the connecting flight... so you are in the queue ahead of the EBCI people who are originating at the airport from where you'll be connecting. 

If you are worried about having to sit with the kids, I'd book the EBCI. You will still be ahead of anyone who hasn't yet booked EBCI, as well as those who won't be booking EBCI.


----------



## KNJWDW

leebee said:


> It always makes sense to book EBCI if you are worried about sitting together. I look at it like this: Two-thirds of the seats are preferred window or aisle seats. Middle seats will ALWAYS be chosen last (except for families who want to sit with their kids, which actually gives you a better chance at a preferred/middle seating). Booking EBCI will put you ahead of everyone who doesn't want to pay extra, doesn't care where they sit, etc. Even if you get a "B" boarding position, chances are very good that you'll get a middle and either an aisle or window seat, so as long as you have one adult per child, you shouldn't have to have the kids sit "alone" without an adult.
> 
> Also, if you have to change flights, EBCI will check you in 36 hours ahead of your originating flight, which puts you at 36+two or more hours ahead of the connecting flight... so you are in the queue ahead of the EBCI people who are originating at the airport from where you'll be connecting.
> 
> If you are worried about having to sit with the kids, I'd book the EBCI. You will still be ahead of anyone who hasn't yet booked EBCI, as well as those who won't be booking EBCI.



Thanks!  Makes total sense.   I just booked it!


----------



## PrincessWithABlaster

DisDadDVC said:


> I would get EBCI now.  It is first come first serve.  The earlier you buy, the better number you will get.
> 
> Change vs Cancel:  After you have your flight booked, you will see 2 different options.  One is change.  One is cancel.  If you cancel, you will get the entire cost of the flight as a travel credit.  You could then use that travel credit to book another flight.  You will lose EBCI if you do this.  If you click change, it will bring you into flight search.  You can change it to ANYTHING.  Different dates.  Different airports. etc.  If you go through the change process, you should not lose EBCI.
> 
> If you are concerned about it, you can always do change over the phone.  They will ensure you do not lose it.



Can you use change to get a lower fare on the same flight and get the rest as credit or do you have to cancel and rebook for that?  If you cancel/rebook, how long does it take the credit to show up so you can rebook?


----------



## macraven

You can do that online in the sw website

But I always call and have it done with the sw rep

Twice I found a drop in my fall flight
I called, they made the correction and applied the credits to my RR account in ooints


----------



## DisDadDVC

PrincessWithABlaster said:


> *Can you use change to get a lower fare on the same flight and get the rest as credit* or do you have to cancel and rebook for that?  *If you cancel/rebook, how long does it take the credit to show up so you can rebook?*



Yes, you can do that with a change.

If you cancel, the credit is available immediately.


----------



## Cars2006

Hello

Just need some clarification on points.  I purchased 10 one way tickets back in March on my husband account using his points (we all have rewards but he had enough to cover all of us.  Price went lower on 5 tickets (10k points).  Does the points go back into his account or the tickets holders account? Just trying to figure out what to do with those points since we have to use them by March 2017.


----------



## Jennny

Still very high for my flights in August out of buffalo


----------



## mom2rtk

No budge in our November prices.


----------



## momto3boys+aprincess

Still waiting for a drop on our flights down in Nov. Nothing on this fall sale... After such  amazing $36 flights home, I guess I am wanting to be wowed again.Last year they dropped to $44 at the end of July. Hoping it drops a little sooner....


----------



## thornton0511

Do the SW flights normally drop for Nov around Thanksgiving week or do they stay as high as they are now?


----------



## JustMeFran

Waiting for 7 July for travel dates to be extended into 2017 (Travel 7-14 Jan).
Gonig to try SW for the first time this trip.
Anyone here fly out of MHT?
One the first day of fare release, what kind of fare should I expect?
Just me and my DD9 traveling, should I buy the Early Bird Check-in?
Thank you!


----------



## PerfessorZ

While researching flights from NY to LA, I found a 1-way flight for $187 that had a plane change in Las Vegas.  Out of curiosity, I decided to see how much just the direct flight to Las Vegas would cost.  $261 for the exact same leg on the same day/time!  

I guess some sort of price war?  I'm trying to wrap my head around why they're charging $74 less for the entire flight to passengers flying another leg.

That's got to annoy the people who just want to fly to Las Vegas, too.


----------



## DisDadDVC

Cars2006 said:


> Hello
> 
> Just need some clarification on points.  I purchased 10 one way tickets back in March on my husband account using his points (we all have rewards but he had enough to cover all of us.  Price went lower on 5 tickets (10k points).  Does the points go back into his account or the tickets holders account? Just trying to figure out what to do with those points since we have to use them by March 2017.



His account.  Why do you have to use them by March 2017?


----------



## DisDadDVC

PerfessorZ said:


> While researching flights from NY to LA, I found a 1-way flight for $187 that had a plane change in Las Vegas.  Out of curiosity, I decided to see how much just the direct flight to Las Vegas would cost.  $261 for the exact same leg on the same day/time!
> 
> I guess some sort of price war?  I'm trying to wrap my head around why they're charging $74 less for the entire flight to passengers flying another leg.
> 
> That's got to annoy the people who just want to fly to Las Vegas, too.



There is something called "hidden city" ticketing.  This is where you book that connecting flight to Vegas, but get off in Vegas and never take the 2nd leg.  You will usually lose any points you would earn, but it is a way to find cheaper flights sometimes.


----------



## DisDadDVC

thornton0511 said:


> Do the SW flights normally drop for Nov around Thanksgiving week or do they stay as high as they are now?



Depends.  The super early/late flights usually do.  The prime time ones not as often.


----------



## Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL

DisDadDVC said:


> There is something called "hidden city" ticketing.  This is where you book that connecting flight to Vegas, but get off in Vegas and never take the 2nd leg.  You will usually lose any points you would earn, but it is a way to find cheaper flights sometimes.


Just curious. But is there a way to have your luggage removed from the plane if not taking the 2nd leg?


----------



## DisDadDVC

Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL said:


> Just curious. But is there a way to have your luggage removed from the plane if not taking the 2nd leg?



Not really.  Short of coming up with a lie why you have to get off.  Sick, etc.


----------



## DisDadDVC

Also, here is a site where you can look for hidden city fares:

https://skiplagged.com/


----------



## Cars2006

DisDadDVC said:


> His account.  Why do you have to use them by March 2017?



I taught you have to use the refunded point within in a year of ticket purchase. Maybe I am confused with the cash options refund vs the points refund.  I just didnt want to lose so much points.


----------



## DisDadDVC

Cars2006 said:


> I taught you have to use the refunded point within in a year of ticket purchase. Maybe I am confused with the cash options refund vs the points refund.  I just didnt want to lose so much points.



Points go back into your account and do NOT expire in a year.  If your account doesn't have any activity for 24 months they all expire.


----------



## JustMeFran

SO, previous experience...
With dates being extended into 2017 next week, are fares really cheapest on release day?
I have the credit card ready to go!


----------



## Cars2006

DisDadDVC said:


> Points go back into your account and do NOT expire in a year.  If your account doesn't have any activity for 24 months they all expire.


Thank you


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

JustMeFran said:


> SO, previous experience...
> With dates being extended into 2017 next week, are fares really cheapest on release day?
> I have the credit card ready to go!


The historical answer to this question is dependent on your city pairings, day of the week, time of the flight, and time of the year.  My answer to your question is YES and NO.  It's really hard to make any prediction without a ton of facts.  As an example: a flight from Connecticut to Disney in early February likely will behave differently than a flight from Michigan to Disney over MLK weekend.


----------



## JustMeFran

SouthFayetteFan said:


> The historical answer to this question is dependent on your city pairings, day of the week, time of the flight, and time of the year.  My answer to your question is YES and NO.  It's really hard to make any prediction without a ton of facts.  As an example: a flight from Connecticut to Disney in early February likely will behave differently than a flight from Michigan to Disney over MLK weekend.


Well if you do have a magic ball, or even all the historical data, I can give you all the details 
MHT -> MCO - EARLY morning non-stop flight Saturday 7 January - 2 adults (1 really a 9 year old)
MCO -> MHT - Mid afternoon non-stop flight Saturday 14 January (MLK weekend) - 2 adults (1 really a 9 year old)
That said, I don't expect exacts...just a general rule


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

JustMeFran said:


> Well if you do have a magic ball, or even all the historical data, I can give you all the details
> MHT -> MCO - EARLY morning non-stop flight Saturday 7 January - 2 adults (1 really a 9 year old)
> MCO -> MHT - Mid afternoon non-stop flight Saturday 14 January (MLK weekend) - 2 adults (1 really a 9 year old)
> That said, I don't expect exacts...just a general rule



I'm a Pittsburgh flyer and have traveled in that time frame before on a few occasions (we now go in late January/1st week of February each year).  My experience has been that flights from PIT during that time frame were NOT cheapest at release date and got cheaper in the late August/September purchase time period.  Somebody with MHT experience may have some additional (and possibly contradictory) info.  The early morning flights do tend to be more popular for departure so that one could actually get more expensive rather than cheaper if it starts to fill up.  IF your flight home is NOT the last non-stop of the day it probably won't be as likely to rise as I've seen the last flight of the day tend to be popular to max out that Disney magic.

ETA: Last year Southwest had some sort of sale in late July and that is when I locked in our flight prices.  I booked on Friday July 24th for Early February.


----------



## hygienejean

I am waiting for tomorrow's fares to be released.  Do they go up at 6:00 am?  I need 5 but am I better off to search in groups of 2 for the lower fare?  should I put in for 5?  this will be for Feb school vac, prob leaving on the Wed before to get the lower pricing.    Thanks!!!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

hygienejean said:


> I am waiting for tomorrow's fares to be released.  Do they go up at 6:00 am?  I need 5 but am I better off to search in groups of 2 for the lower fare?  should I put in for 5?  this will be for Feb school vac, prob leaving on the Wed before to get the lower pricing.    Thanks!!!


I would search for 1 person and see what the prices are.  Then search for 5 people and see if the prices are the same.  If they are - you are fine to book all 5 at once.  If not...you may need to split the bookings up to secure the lowest prices available.


----------



## Islamom

What time tomorrow do SW fares open for the new dates? Thank you very much!


----------



## DisDadDVC

Islamom said:


> What time tomorrow do SW fares open for the new dates? Thank you very much!



Around 6:30 AM EST.  Give or take 10 min.


----------



## cmarsh31

Waiting anxiously for tomorrows release as well!


----------



## JustMeFran

Waiting here, too!  
Fingers crossed for amazing fares (and EBCI spot) for January from Manchester! =)


----------



## hygienejean

Wow it is early!  who is up? I keep refreshing but nothing yet.


----------



## cmarsh31

Thank goodness for coffee! Got to get flights from Albany during Feb break - I know of at least 3 close friends doing the exact same thing right now, so I can't imagine how many others are out there!


----------



## disneyeveryyear

Got all 5 on Wanna Get Away Fares!


----------



## cmarsh31

I got WGAF too, but $300 one way for our return flight. The $200 fares sold out from under me as I was typing. It sucked. Bye-bye Beach Club. Oh well, POR will be fine and we're going to Disney World!


----------



## Sherrkel

Booked for DH and I, Feb 24th until Mar 8th....Thank you SW for extending your schedule one more day than advertised...12 nights at Disney, our longest trip yet.YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## JustMeFran

Was on RIGHT when they added the dates.  Not cheaper, for sure.  Pretty much normal prices for me....I'm going to wait and see if the other carriers will come down now that SW released their fares.


----------



## catfan98

I have never flown before and will be looking to book our flights when the next schedule is released.  I see that under the "wanna get away" it shows reusable funds and under the "anytime" it shows refundable and reusable.  Does this mean on the "anytime" that you can cancel a flight once booked and receive a cash refund?  It is not a credit to be used later?  Also, if prices come down, under the "anytime" can you be credited the difference in cash or is it a credit for future use only?


----------



## DisDadDVC

catfan98 said:


> Does this mean on the "anytime" that you can cancel a flight once booked and receive a cash refund?  It is not a credit to be used later?  Also, if prices come down, under the "anytime" can you be credited the difference in cash or is it a credit for future use only?



1)  Does this mean on the "anytime" that you can cancel a flight once booked and receive a cash refund?  Yes
2)  It is not a credit to be used later?  Correct
3)  Also, if prices come down, under the "anytime" can you be credited the difference in cash or is it a credit for future use only?  Credited in cash


----------



## catfan98

DisDadDVC said:


> 1)  Does this mean on the "anytime" that you can cancel a flight once booked and receive a cash refund?  Yes
> 2)  It is not a credit to be used later?  Correct
> 3)  Also, if prices come down, under the "anytime" can you be credited the difference in cash or is it a credit for future use only?  Credited in cash



Thank you so much!


----------



## sersee05

My daughter is going with a friend and I am trying to help her out.  I don't know much about flying because we tend to drive(my son is scared spitless). I have helped my dd check sw.  The fares are ok.  They are going 12/21-12/23.  Is it best to have them grab the lowest fares now?  Will they go up?  Does Southwest have another sale coming?


----------



## macraven

Book when the fare seems reasonable for them

I use sw and book when I know it is a decent fare
I was checking it frequently before I booked

Original cost one way was going at $70 to 87

When fares started dropping, I booked at $49 a way

Fares will go up and down depending on airport and dates

Last flight I had in June I got skunked
I waited to long and booked the flight at $187 rt


----------



## sersee05

Right now it's about $270 rt pp.  I was hoping it might go down.  Maybe it will just go up higher.  Can you change if they go lower?


----------



## macraven

_yes, you can change it if it lowers.
but, if you paid with cc, you would get a credit to your Rapid Rewards account in points. (no credit back on the cc)
those points would expire one year from the time you made the reservation.

i paid cc for my June 1 trip.
i also had booked the sept/oct trip back in early May but with points.
only paid the $11.20 fees (or number in near that amount)

in june when fares dropped for my fall flight, i called and had my booked sept/oct flight modified.
i received points back and those points don't expire in a one year period.

i originally paid $70 and $87 for the sept/oct flights.

when it dropped to $49 each way, i jumped on that and modified my rate._


----------



## CaliTex

macraven, its like watching the commodities markets, lol.  I have only gotten skunked once, but boy did it sting since it was 5 tickets, round trip. I'm still smarting, thinking about it now.  It's a bit of a game for me.

Sometimes when I call SW to change, they actually sigh.   

sersee05, I'd be nervous about waiting too long on flights that are so  close to Christmas.


----------



## cmarsh31

All WGA non-stop flights Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Albany-MCO Presidents weekend are unavailable/sold out. All non-stop returns the following weekend and ALL WGA flights on Sunday are sold out/unavailable. While 300 each way sucked - it's better than the $500 that's the only option now, and we're going to Disney World!


----------



## catfan98

I saw that SW will release their next flight schedule on August 4th.  What time is it released?  I plan to be up and ready to book when they go on sale.


----------



## DisDadDVC

catfan98 said:


> I saw that SW will release their next flight schedule on August 4th.  What time is it released?  I plan to be up and ready to book when they go on sale.



Around 6:30am EST usually.


----------



## JustMeFran

catfan98 said:


> I saw that SW will release their next flight schedule on August 4th.  What time is it released?  I plan to be up and ready to book when they go on sale.


This last release was at 6:15am eastern.


----------



## Huff

Any other west coasters looking at fall dates?  So far PHX-MCO for 1st week of OCT. is still around $540+RT.  OUCH!  Been looking for the past couple months and still has not dropped.  Other airlines aren't much better.


----------



## Malibustyle23

Is there a way to tell if we are the first flight of the day for our plane or even are a connecting flight?  We fly out of bwi Tuesday after labor day around 610 am. 

Is there a way to tell how full the plane is?


----------



## Iowamomof4

We're currently planning to fly down to MCO the Monday after Thanksgiving. We have a 50-minute window in which to make our connection in STL and the STL-MCO leg is the last flight of the night for SW. How nervous would you be that you would end up stuck in STL overnight (keeping in mind this is the end of November, so weather and holiday travel delays could all factor in)? We're considering switching to a couple nights earlier just to give ourselves a travel buffer, but maybe the likelihood of problems happening is very low so I wanted to ask people who fly on a semi-regular basis. Thanks!


----------



## DLmama

catfan98 said:


> I saw that SW will release their next flight schedule on August 4th.  What time is it released?  I plan to be up and ready to book when they go on sale.



Does anyone know the dates that will be released on Aug. 4th?  I'm looking for June 16-25, 2017 specifically.  I know it's a long way off, but I like to plan.


----------



## catfan98

DLmama said:


> Does anyone know the dates that will be released on Aug. 4th?  I'm looking for June 16-25, 2017 specifically.  I know it's a long way off, but I like to plan.



https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/index.html?clk=GFOOTER-FLY-FLTSCHEDULES

The flight schedule says through April 24th.  Check that link regularly, it tells you the on sale date and what dates open up.


----------



## ajenks22

TinkerBellToo2 said:


> Hi am traveling to WDW in Dec....Are there any SW codes for that time...Would appreciate your help.....Thanks



Did you get one? I need one too! Anyone?


----------



## Iowamomof4

DisDadDVC said:


> I would get EBCI now.  It is first come first serve.  The earlier you buy, the better number you will get.
> 
> Change vs Cancel:  After you have your flight booked, you will see 2 different options.  One is change.  One is cancel.  If you cancel, you will get the entire cost of the flight as a travel credit.  You could then use that travel credit to book another flight.  You will lose EBCI if you do this.  If you click change, it will bring you into flight search.  You can change it to ANYTHING.  Different dates.  Different airports. etc.  If you go through the change process, you should not lose EBCI.
> 
> If you are concerned about it, you can always do change over the phone.  They will ensure you do not lose it.



Okay, I went through the process the CHANGE my flight from Monday night to Saturday night (leaving 2 days earlier). Is there a way for me to verify we still have EBCI?

EDIT: I found it, never mind!  EBCI transferred no problem.


----------



## Jennny

Omg.. I haven't pulled the trigger b/c I feel as though prices are way higher than I normally book. I'm just under 4 weeks out for a return flight home. Do I bite the bullet, or give it a few more days ??? Eeek!!


----------



## macraven

I would book very soon and before I would be 21 days out

On my flights, I still pull them up and look at them
I have a rock bottom price but curious on what i could have paid if I did not book earlier

I always tell myself to book at the price I can live with

I would dread having to book a seat on a greyhound bus if my needed flight would sell out


----------



## Jennny

I agree... Sadly I didn't book at 144 one way b/c that's where it started and I thought it would go down ...I don't usually pay more than 120 one way.  Now it's been sitting at 164 for what seems like forever -but for 4 people that's an extra 100 American ( dollar for us is crummy). But I need to look at it as I guess I CAN live with this price... And a greyhound would be very expensive for me back to Canada. Lol


----------



## cel_disney

Hi - we need to buy tickets on Thursday when flights open up and considering purchasing some gift cards.

How easy is it to use gift cards to purchase on SW?   Is there a number that can be placed on a given order?  I expect that I will need to be SUPER fast at this purchase before the prices skyrocket over Easter - I don't want them to slow us down, but with raise/target stacked discounts, I could get some $$ to cover EBCI!


----------



## PerfessorZ

cel_disney said:


> Hi - we need to buy tickets on Thursday when flights open up and considering purchasing some gift cards.
> 
> How easy is it to use gift cards to purchase on SW?   Is there a number that can be placed on a given order?  I expect that I will need to be SUPER fast at this purchase before the prices skyrocket over Easter - I don't want them to slow us down, but with raise/target stacked discounts, I could get some $$ to cover EBCI!



I haven't tried using gift cards yet, but from everything I've read, you can only use 4 forms of payment per purchase.  That can be any combination of gift cards, credit card, and travel vouchers.  Each gift card & voucher counts as 1 form of payment.  So you could do 3 gift cards plus a credit card or 2 vouchers plus 2 gift cards, etc.

If the gift cards you have are too small a denomination to completely pay for your reservation, you can always book one person at a time and round trip tickets as separate one-way tickets.


----------



## lindsmom

PerfessorZ said:


> I haven't tried using gift cards yet, but from everything I've read, you can only use 4 forms of payment per purchase.  That can be any combination of gift cards, credit card, and travel vouchers.  Each gift card & voucher counts as 1 form of payment.  So you could do 3 gift cards plus a credit card or 2 vouchers plus 2 gift cards, etc.
> 
> If the gift cards you have are too small a denomination to completely pay for your reservation, you can always book one person at a time and round trip tickets as separate one-way tickets.




This is correct - I did it last time and it was a pita.  I preferred to keep our ressie together, so didn't book separately and ended up with a couple $25 GC's left over cause of the limit.  You certainly could break the order down a lot to accommodate several smaller amounts but I won't do it again, cause it will be a time suck when I'm trying to get the easter tix reserved tomorrow.


----------



## cel_disney

lindsmom said:


> This is correct - I did it last time and it was a pita.  I preferred to keep our ressie together, so didn't book separately and ended up with a couple $25 GC's left over cause of the limit.  You certainly could break the order down a lot to accommodate several smaller amounts but I won't do it again, cause it will be a time suck when I'm trying to get the easter tix reserved tomorrow.



I always do our inbound and outbound flights on different reservations so that we can more easily take advantage or fare drops, so this doesn't bother me as much.  I was looking at the $200 egift cards on target.com


----------



## mfly

cel_disney said:


> I always do our inbound and outbound flights on different reservations so that we can more easily take advantage or fare drops, so this doesn't bother me as much.  I was looking at the $200 egift cards on target.com


Be aware that you can no longer purchase egift cards with Target gift cards on Target's website.


----------



## PerfessorZ

New dates are available as of 6:40 EDT, give or take.


----------



## DisneylandDarling

Sorry for sounding ignorant, but what are Southwest codes? Are they discount codes? I don't think I've ever heard of them before.

We're trying to book on Southwest for our upcoming trip, and are looking for any deals to be had 

TIA!


----------



## JerseyGirl

My Southwest airfare went down by $290 for my family! They could only offer me credit for future travel...which I won't be able to use...does anyone know if I can use towards early bird check in?


----------



## mom2rtk

After weeks and weeks of checking twice a day...... my return flight finally went down! From $191 to $151. I was SO tired of looking and seeing no change!

Thank goodness the long national nightmare is over.  



JerseyGirl said:


> My Southwest airfare went down by $290 for my family! They could only offer me credit for future travel...which I won't be able to use...does anyone know if I can use towards early bird check in?


 
I believe I had a message pop up as I was booking my return flights saying I could not use credits toward EBCI (I was using credits from my outbound flight going down a couple months ago).


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

JerseyGirl said:


> My Southwest airfare went down by $290 for my family! They could only offer me credit for future travel...which I won't be able to use...does anyone know if I can use towards early bird check in?


No - sorry.


----------



## JerseyGirl

SouthFayetteFan said:


> No - sorry.


Bummer! I thought so...We have two weddings this fall and then the holidays just don't know if I can squeeze a long weekend in somewhere.... Thanks for the replies!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

JerseyGirl said:


> Bummer! I thought so...We have two weddings this fall and then the holidays just don't know if I can squeeze a long weekend in somewhere.... Thanks for the replies!


When we used to have travel credits like this I was always torn on whether to rebook or not - especially when we weren't sure if we could use the credit.  By rebooking we basically earned less points then would let the travel credit go to waste.  But if a special trip popped up we'd have a credit to help offset the cost - it was always hard to decide.


----------



## prettypatchesmsu

These are stupid questions I'm sure, but it's our 1st time flying Southwest. 
1. We bought early bird checkin, how do we see it in our trip itinerary? Is it the sun symbol by our names?

2. With early bird checkin, do I have to do anything else at all? Or am I all set and we just show up at the airport and can print our boarding passes out there? 

3. Will I get an email from Southwest at the Early Bird Checkin time saying I've been checked in or anything, boarding numbers etc?

Thanks! I'm so confused.


----------



## JustMeFran

prettypatchesmsu said:


> These are stupid questions I'm sure, but it's our 1st time flying Southwest.
> 2. With early bird checkin, do I have to do anything else at all? Or am I all set and we just show up at the airport and can print our boarding passes out there?


I would like to add a question here:
2a.  With Early Bird Check-in, do I need to have printed off boarding pass or can I use one on my phone ap, and if so, will the phone ap pass get us through security just fine?


----------



## mom2rtk

JustMeFran said:


> dummy
> 
> I would like to add a question here:
> 2a.  With Early Bird Check-in, do I need to have printed off boarding pass or can I use one on my phone ap, and if so, will the phone ap pass get us through security just fine?


 

With EBCI, the boarding pass and boarding process isn't any different. Southwest just checks in for you so you can get a better boarding group/number.


----------



## barb969

I've seen people use their cellphones instead of a printed boarding pass.  They scan the barcode from the phone.


----------



## tinkerbella16

We arrive tomorrow morning! Flying from PHL to MCO. We purchased EBCI, so I just printed our boarding passes and we got A-16 through A-20! Very pleased with that!!! Disney here we come!!


----------



## prettypatchesmsu

It's our 1st time flying Southwest.  I'd asked these before weeks ago but nobody answered them.  I'd appreciate anyone throwing some help my way, I'm pretty nervous about it all.

With early bird checkin purchased for both of us, do I have to do anything else at all? Or am I all set and we just show up at the airport and can print our boarding passes out there? (No printer at home)

Will I get an email from Southwest at the Early Bird Checkin time saying I've been checked in or anything, boarding numbers etc?

Thanks! I'm so confused.


----------



## barb969

You're all set.
No email from SWA. 24 hours before flight, you can view your boarding numbers on their website, then print when you check in at the airport.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

DisneylandDarling said:


> Sorry for sounding ignorant, but what are Southwest codes? Are they discount codes? I don't think I've ever heard of them before.
> 
> We're trying to book on Southwest for our upcoming trip, and are looking for any deals to be had
> 
> TIA!


Back when this tread was started SWA email and mailed out discount codes. It has been 7 years since they last did this


----------



## Jennny

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> Back when this tread was started SWA email and mailed out discount codes. It has been 7 years since they last did this


I got one two years ago... So they are out there .... Somewhere!


----------



## jerseygal

Flying with DH for our October F&W trip, and I "check" the prices all the time. Only 1 of our fares was able to be reduced by $22 this morning, only 1 seat available at the lower flight. Hey, why not, I'll take the $22 credit, since we booked about 6 months ago, we got another reduction about a month ago, $17 each. Why not, I'll take the credit, $39 travel credit for one of us, $17 the other! Pays to watch fares!


----------



## tinkerbella16

jerseygal said:


> Flying with DH for our October F&W trip, and I "check" the prices all the time. Only 1 of our fares was able to be reduced by $22 this morning, only 1 seat available at the lower flight. Hey, why not, I'll take the $22 credit, since we booked about 6 months ago, we got another reduction about a month ago, $17 each. Why not, I'll take the credit, $39 travel credit for one of us, $17 the other! Pays to watch fares!


Gotta love the credits! it is so worth checking for price reductions. I was able to book a Feb trip because I had a big SW credit to use by February 17th, from our September flights.


----------



## jerseygal

tinkerbella16 said:


> Gotta love the credits! it is so worth checking for price reductions. I was able to book a Feb trip because I had a big SW credit to use by February 17th, from our September flights.


Good for you! It all counts!


----------



## FabFourteenFamilyFun

2 questions please! 1) do miles expire when you have the Southwest Visa card? Just got it
                             2) do you use the resort airline checkin for your luggage? My plan is to do the normal online 
                                 Southwest checkin 24 hours before- not getting early bird- would cost $210. Then early the 
                                 next morning take all of our luggage to resort airline checkin. I read somewhere that this
                                 Doesn't work with Southwest once you have done online check in. 
                               Thanks so much!


----------



## jerseygal

FabFourteenFamilyFun said:


> 2 questions please! 1) do miles expire when you have the Southwest Visa card? Just got it
> 2) do you use the resort airline checkin for your luggage? My plan is to do the normal online
> Southwest checkin 24 hours before- not getting early bird- would cost $210. Then early the
> next morning take all of our luggage to resort airline checkin. I read somewhere that this
> Doesn't work with Southwest once you have done online check in.
> Thanks so much!


I believe that Southwest miles do expire. DH is the holder of the SW Visa card and he travels for business so not a problem with generating air miles. I do recall my DS and my Southwest reward mileage did expire because we didn't have recent trip activity a few years ago. We check in on line 24 hours and then use the resort check in on return trip and also gong down to MCO  bring bags to resort counter on morning of flight indicatiing they will be sent DIRECTLY to resort by using that yellow tag provided that you receive through DME when you receive info in mail.


----------



## FabFourteenFamilyFun

jerseygal said:


> I believe that Southwest miles do expire. DH is the holder of the SW Visa card and he travels for business so not a problem with generating air miles. I do recall my DS and my Southwest reward mileage did expire because we didn't have recent trip activity a few years ago. We check in on line 24 hours and then use the resort check in on return trip and also gong down to MCO  bring bags to resort counter on morning of flight indicatiing they will be sent DIRECTLY to resort by using that yellow tag provided that you receive through DME when you receive info in mail.


Thanks- can you clarify this for me? I need to check in to Southwest 24 hours before for our seats AND then go to resort AIRLINE check in the following morning To get rid of our checked luggage?


----------



## jerseygal

FabFourteenFamilyFun said:


> Thanks- can you clarify this for me? I need to check in to Southwest 24 hours before for our seats AND then go to resort AIRLINE check in the following morning To get rid of our checked luggage?


Yes, we check in on line with SW 24 hours before our departing MCO flight, then the next morning we bring our bags to the area at the resort for airline check in. We use a carry on bag the last day if we are swimming, catch the DME 3 hours before departure time from our resort, board bus, then BEGIN planning next trip, LOL!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

FabFourteenFamilyFun said:


> 2 questions please! 1) do miles expire when you have the Southwest Visa card?



Southwest rapid rewards points expire if you have no earning activity for 24 months. If you have the Rapid Rewards credit card from Chase, even if you do not use the card, you will owe the annual fee each year. Along with the annual fee you are given a bonus of 3,000 or 6,000 points (Depending on which version of the card you have) which will count as activity and reset that clock. So - if you have the card and keep it open by paying the fee each year your points will not expire.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

FabFourteenFamilyFun said:


> 2 questions please! 1) do miles expire when you have the Southwest Visa card?





SouthFayetteFan said:


> Southwest rapid rewards points expire if you have no earning activity for 24 months. If you have the Rapid Rewards credit card from Chase, even if you do not use the card, you will owe the annual fee each year. Along with the annual fee you are given a bonus of 3,000 or 6,000 points (Depending on which version of the card you have) which will count as activity and reset that clock. So - if you have the card and keep it open by paying the fee each year your points will not expire.


Another comment here - there are other (cheaper) ways to keep your points active vs the credit card. The easiest is buying something through the southwest shopping portal at Walmart or Best Buy, etc. even earning 5 points will reset the 24 month clock on all your points. This is also a useful strategy for rapid rewards accounts tied to children if they don't fly often.


----------



## jenseib

I always use early bird and check my bags in at the resort.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

I always check myself in 24 hrs before the flight and then take my luggage to the RAC desk the next morning. Never any problems


----------



## DisDadDVC

Those of you flying out of the Northeast for Thanksgiving on SW, check your flights.  Some decent price drops today from BDL and PVD.  Usually only 2 tix at a time, so don't hesitate.


----------



## thepops

More SW fare sales today!  I saved $133 for the two of us for our January trip


----------



## mla973

I feel like SW always knows when I want to travel and jacks up the price! Looking at end of January 2017. I checked a few days ago, and now each flight is about $25 more. It's currently at $810 for three tickets, which is still not bad, I guess (considering free bags and such). Too bad my departure city isn't a part of their big sale.


----------



## linjohn

Does anyone know when end of April 2017 for Southwest will open up for booking?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

We are currently accepting air reservations through April 24, 2017. On November 1, 2016 we will open our schedule for sale through May 8, 2017. This date is subject to change. Please check back frequently.

Source: https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/index.html


----------



## linjohn

Thanks.


----------



## Iowamomof4

For SW, do we each need our own Rapid Rewards number in order to save our points? Currently, I'm the only one with a # in our family of 6.


----------



## barb969

Yes, everyone needs a RR number.


----------



## catfan98

If I bought airfare under my username and login for our group and now one of them isn't coming, is there a way to transfer that ticket to an account for them so that they can use the credit in the future?


----------



## DisDadDVC

catfan98 said:


> If I bought airfare under my username and login for our group and now one of them isn't coming, is there a way to transfer that ticket to an account for them so that they can use the credit in the future?



They should just be able to create their own rapid rewards account, and use the confirmation number associated with the cancelled flight.  If they have any issue, call SW and they will take care of it.


----------



## Ktreat627

On our way home from disney we ended up with an unplanned 5 hour layover and received $200 luv vouchers per person. They must be used by 10/17. Is there anyway around this? We would really really rather travel in 1/18.


----------



## Meeko5

Seating for a family of 4, kids ages 2 (without a car seat) and 7...what seating arrangement do you recommend? Can both kids sit in the same row with 1 parent or will the kids need to sit in separate rows? 

Only time we flew in past we had the littlest as a lap child so we all sat in the same row...

Thanks!


----------



## macraven

Kids can sit in one row with a parent 
Other adult could sit in aisle seat in the row across you 


Or one parent one child in a row


----------



## catfan98

Quick question...on the SW website it says a person can have a carryon and a small personal type item.  Would a backpack or a small drawstring type bag be considered a small personal type item?


----------



## kamik86

catfan98 said:


> Quick question...on the SW website it says a person can have a carryon and a small personal type item.  Would a backpack or a small drawstring type bag be considered a small personal type item?


Yes on SW planes my full size laptop carrying backback fits under the seat as a personal item. I can't have anything on the side s(like a water bottle) unless its in the middle seat though (the middle seat has a wider under seat space)


----------



## catfan98

kamik86 said:


> Yes on SW planes my full size laptop carrying backback fits under the seat as a personal item. I can't have anything on the side s(like a water bottle) unless its in the middle seat though (the middle seat has a wider under seat space)



Thank you!  My son will have a rolling carryon suitcase, but I was hoping he could take a backpack too.  Thanks for the info!


----------



## kamik86

catfan98 said:


> Thank you!  My son will have a rolling carryon suitcase, but I was hoping he could take a backpack too.  Thanks for the info!


Just so you know if your son is taller this does cut down on your leg room. If your 5'4" like me that isn't a huge deal because I didn't really need the leg room anyway.


----------



## Iowamomof4

kamik86 said:


> Just so you know if your son is taller this does cut down on your leg room. If your 5'4" like me that isn't a huge deal because I didn't really need the leg room anyway.



The bag only has to be stowed during take off and landing though, right? My dh is 6'5" and ds and dd are both tall as well. I had been planning on all of us having backpacks though.


----------



## kamik86

Iowamomof4 said:


> The bag only has to be stowed during take off and landing though, right? My dh is 6'5" and ds and dd are both tall as well. I had been planning on all of us having backpacks though.


Yes but I'm not sure where else you are going to put it that would be more comfortable when the plane in in the air. You can take the bag out after take off if you want to get something from it though.


----------



## catfan98

kamik86 said:


> Just so you know if your son is taller this does cut down on your leg room. If your 5'4" like me that isn't a huge deal because I didn't really need the leg room anyway.



He's 13 and only about 5'5 now...after he grew almost 5 inches just this past summer!  So...who knows by next April, lol.


----------



## Iowamomof4

kamik86 said:


> Yes but I'm not sure where else you are going to put it that would be more comfortable when the plane in in the air. You can take the bag out after take off if you want to get something from it though.



Good food for thought. I might need to consider other packing plans.


----------



## DisDadDVC

Ktreat627 said:


> On our way home from disney we ended up with an unplanned 5 hour layover and received $200 luv vouchers per person. They must be used by 10/17. Is there anyway around this? We would really really rather travel in 1/18.



There is a roundabout way to do this.  

- Assuming you have 2, book a single flight for $400 anywhere in one persons name.  The purpose of this is to combine the vouchers.  It does not matter that the vouchers are in other peoples names
- After 24 hrs, cancel the flight
- You will now have $400 in travel funds tied to that persons name expiring 10/17.
- Once it expires, call SW and they will re-issue the funds for 6 months after the expiration date.  They charge $100 for this.
- You now have a single $300 luv voucher that can be used on anyone

OR

- Sell them to me for $150 each...


----------



## Ktreat627

DisDadDVC said:


> There is a roundabout way to do this.
> 
> - Assuming you have 2, book a single flight for $400 anywhere in one persons name.  The purpose of this is to combine the vouchers.  It does not matter that the vouchers are in other peoples names
> - After 24 hrs, cancel the flight
> - You will now have $400 in travel funds tied to that persons name expiring 10/17.
> - Once it expires, call SW and they will re-issue the funds for 6 months after the expiration date.  They charge $100 for this.
> - You now have a single $300 luv voucher that can be used on anyone
> 
> OR
> 
> - Sell them to me for $150 each...


Thank you!!! We had all of my (6) kids so we have $1600 in vouchers! We will want to use them for the entire family when we rebook so I will have to do each person with their own voucher I believe?

Is there anyway to get beyond the 10/17 expiration without the $100 charge? Like if I wait and book for sometime this summer (say July) then wait until June to cancel the tickets? Do they still expire 10/17 since that was my original expiration or does it go by my cancellation?


----------



## DisDadDVC

Ktreat627 said:


> Thank you!!! We had all of my (6) kids so we have $1600 in vouchers! We will want to use them for the entire family when we rebook so I will have to do each person with their own voucher I believe?
> 
> Is there anyway to get beyond the 10/17 expiration without the $100 charge? Like if I wait and book for sometime this summer (say July) then wait until June to cancel the tickets? Do they still expire 10/17 since that was my original expiration or does it go by my cancellation?



There is no other way around the 10/17 expiration.  You are charged $100 for EACH voucher that you extend.  If you extend each voucher separately, you will lose $800.  You will want to combine your vouchers into as few tickets as possible.  My guess is you will probably have to book 3 Business Select fares for $500+ each.   Then you will only lose $300 of the $1600 to fees.


----------



## eeyoreland

This is kind of sensitive and the last thing I want to do is offend anyone. I'm hoping this is even a good forum to post my question/concern. I'm going to be booking a SW flight for my daughter and her fiance'. He's a rather large fella. Not tall, but round . He's never flown. I'm very concerned about him being comfortable, but also the people around him being comfortable. Can anyone offer words of wisdom, personal experience, etc. to put my mind at rest. We have gone to a professional baseball game together, as well as movies. He seems a little uncomfortable and fidgets a lot, but he does do those things. And again, I'm also concerned about whoever might sit next to him.


----------



## mfly

eeyoreland said:


> This is kind of sensitive and the last thing I want to do is offend anyone. I'm hoping this is even a good forum to post my question/concern. I'm going to be booking a SW flight for my daughter and her fiance'. He's a rather large fella. Not tall, but round . He's never flown. I'm very concerned about him being comfortable, but also the people around him being comfortable. Can anyone offer words of wisdom, personal experience, etc. to put my mind at rest. We have gone to a professional baseball game together, as well as movies. He seems a little uncomfortable and fidgets a lot, but he does do those things. And again, I'm also concerned about whoever might sit next to him.


Southwest will reimburse you for booking an extra seat for a "Customer of Size." I would highly suggest you do so - it will make the trip far more comfortable for both him and whatever passenger would otherwise be seated next to him. 

Here's a link to Southwest's page on the topic: https://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/extra-seat/?clk=GFOOTER-CUSTOMER-COS

I've never had a need for this, so I can't speak to the process, but I'm sure you could call and they would happily explain/set it up. 

My understanding is that he will be guaranteed an extra seat, free of charge (reimbursed), even if the flight is completely full or overbooked.


----------



## eeyoreland

mfly said:


> Southwest will reimburse you for booking an extra seat for a "Customer of Size." I would highly suggest you do so - it will make the trip far more comfortable for both him and whatever passenger would otherwise be seated next to him.
> 
> Here's a link to Southwest's page on the topic: https://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/extra-seat/?clk=GFOOTER-CUSTOMER-COS
> 
> I've never had a need for this, so I can't speak to the process, but I'm sure you could call and they would happily explain/set it up.
> 
> My understanding is that he will be guaranteed an extra seat, free of charge (reimbursed), even if the flight is completely full or overbooked.



Thank you for that information. Now to figure out a delicate way to mention it to my daughter.


----------



## O-so-good Disney Mama

There are great deals out of Buffalo to Orlando for Black Friday with southwest right now in January - $79 one way!  Would love to see these rates in the fall!!!


----------



## CoachT

Does anyone happen to have drink vouchers for SW that they cant use before they expire, and want to spread some holiday cheer .  We fly out December 16th.  Thanks in advance guys!


----------



## hulagirl87

So I have found out the hard way that travel funds expire.   We had our Disney trip planned for last month but DD got mono and we had to reschedule.   I had no idea that the day that you book your flight is the date they use and then give you a year to use your funds if you need to cancel or reschedule.   They have always advertised that there are no change fees and things aren't a hassle with them, but they never mention expiration.   It's that fine print that will get you!    I've talked to them through email and phone, but they say there is nothing to be done until after the expiration date, then I can ask for an extension for a fee.   Well my expiration date is in March and we are flying in May.  I don't want to wait that long as there might be nothing left.

So my question is this.... has anyone ever had any luck trying to use travel funds that have expired/are expiring?

Also, I know that you can board with children between groups A and B.   I was told on the phone that it was kids 5 and under, but the website says 6 and under.   DD is 6 and DS is 3.   Will we all be able to board together or will I have to get on with DS and DH wait to board with DD if the "rule" is 5.   And will they "proof" her for her age?


----------



## cmarsh31

hulagirl87 said:


> So I have found out the hard way that travel funds expire.   We had our Disney trip planned for last month but DD got mono and we had to reschedule.   I had no idea that the day that you book your flight is the date they use and then give you a year to use your funds if you need to cancel or reschedule.   They have always advertised that there are no change fees and things aren't a hassle with them, but they never mention expiration.   It's that fine print that will get you!    I've talked to them through email and phone, but they say there is nothing to be done until after the expiration date, then I can ask for an extension for a fee.   Well my expiration date is in March and we are flying in May.  I don't want to wait that long as there might be nothing left.



Oooh, I need to figure this out too. Flights go on sale in Jan for our July 8th trip out west. DH has travel funds. The first expires in May the second not until July 9th. I suspect I'm going to have to call and beg. From what I'm reading, does this mean I won't be able to book flights for July until the day after the May expiration date (at which point it will cost me $100 of the travel funds and the May voucher is only worth $98). I wonder if I can book his flights with the other two confirmation numbers and not put in the May one in Jan? Ugg. 

Anyone experience this?


----------



## jenseib

cmarsh31 said:


> Oooh, I need to figure this out too. Flights go on sale in Jan for our July 8th trip out west. DH has travel funds. The first expires in May the second not until July 9th. I suspect I'm going to have to call and beg. From what I'm reading, does this mean I won't be able to book flights for July until the day after the May expiration date (at which point it will cost me $100 of the travel funds and the May voucher is only worth $98). I wonder if I can book his flights with the other two confirmation numbers and not put in the May one in Jan? Ugg.
> 
> Anyone experience this?



I am pretty confusedby your post, but if some expire in May they need to be used before the exp. date. You can use any of the conf.s you want. I use which ever has the bigest credit and or what is about to expire the soonest if I am using refunded credits


----------



## cmarsh31

jenseib said:


> I am pretty confusedby your post, but if some expire in May they need to be used before the exp. date. You can use any of the conf.s you want. I use which ever has the bigest credit and or what is about to expire the soonest if I am using refunded credits



Ok good. I kept reading that all travel funds were lumped together and expired with the earliest expiration date, so I was really confused by that. Only one out of 3 expires in May and the other 2 in July, the day after we fly, which a lot of stuff online made it sound like all 3 would then expire by May. So I'm just going to lose the May one, bc it's for $98, but can hopefully use the two July ones before they expire. If you call to extend them, the day after they expire, is it $100 per travel fund vouncher/confirmation number or $100 total?


----------



## DisDadDVC

cmarsh31 said:


> Ok good. I kept reading that all travel funds were lumped together and expired with the earliest expiration date, so I was really confused by that. Only one out of 3 expires in May and the other 2 in July, the day after we fly, which a lot of stuff online made it sound like all 3 would then expire by May. So I'm just going to lose the May one, bc it's for $98, but can hopefully use the two July ones before they expire. If you call to extend them, the day after they expire, is it $100 per travel fund vouncher/confirmation number or $100 total?



$100 per voucher.


----------



## DisDadDVC

hulagirl87 said:


> So I have found out the hard way that travel funds expire.   We had our Disney trip planned for last month but DD got mono and we had to reschedule.   I had no idea that the day that you book your flight is the date they use and then give you a year to use your funds if you need to cancel or reschedule.   They have always advertised that there are no change fees and things aren't a hassle with them, but they never mention expiration.   It's that fine print that will get you!    I've talked to them through email and phone, but they say there is nothing to be done until after the expiration date, then I can ask for an extension for a fee.   Well my expiration date is in March and we are flying in May.  I don't want to wait that long as there might be nothing left.
> 
> So my question is this.... has anyone ever had any luck trying to use travel funds that have expired/are expiring?
> 
> Also, I know that you can board with children between groups A and B.   I was told on the phone that it was kids 5 and under, but the website says 6 and under.   DD is 6 and DS is 3.   Will we all be able to board together or will I have to get on with DS and DH wait to board with DD if the "rule" is 5.   And will they "proof" her for her age?



There is zero chance you can use expired travel funds.
You can not extend them until they have expired.


----------



## Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL

Ok off topic but this will be our first time flying Southwest.  Checked in for flight and got A 18-21 boarding positions.  How do the boarding positions work?  Will we be able to sit together for certain? Thanks!


----------



## DisDadDVC

Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL said:


> Ok off topic but this will be out first time flying Southwest.  Checked in for flight and got A 18-21 boarding positions.  How do the boarding positions work?  Will we be able to sit together for certain? Thanks!



Uhh, yeah.  You will have your choice of just about any seat on the plane.  Positions A1-15 are reserved for Business Select and people who pay $40 at the gate to upgrade their seat.  On flights to MCO, A1-15 is usually almost completely empty.  A18-21 will put you in the first 10 people boarding most likely (other than medical pre-boards).


----------



## Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL

DisDadDVC said:


> Uhh, yeah.  You will have your choice of just about any seat on the plane.  Positions A1-15 are reserved for Business Select and people who pay $40 at the gate to upgrade their seat.  On flights to MCO, A1-15 is usually almost completely empty.  A18-21 will put you in the first 10 people boarding most likely (other than medical pre-boards).


Ok thanks for the good news.  We're traveling with 8 and 2yo, so sitting together was important to us.  One less thing to stress about now!


----------



## StarlitNight05

Mods please delete this - thanks!


----------



## biochemgirl

So nervous about check in and trying to sit with my son! I need to check in for an 8:30 am departure on a Wednesday on March 22 out of Portland, OR. If I'm 15 minutes late the previous day getting to a computer, will it bump us to group B?


----------



## macraven

biochemgirl said:


> So nervous about check in and trying to sit with my son! I need to check in for an 8:30 am departure on a Wednesday on March 22 out of Portland, OR. If I'm 15 minutes late the previous day getting to a computer, will it bump us to group B?



Set up and pay for EBCI and don't worry about issues for sitting with your  son


----------



## richmo

biochemgirl said:


> So nervous about check in and trying to sit with my son! I need to check in for an 8:30 am departure on a Wednesday on March 22 out of Portland, OR. If I'm 15 minutes late the previous day getting to a computer, will it bump us to group B?



As mentioned in the last post, you could go for EBCI.

And if you do get bumped into an early B (like B1 thru about 20), you will still get to sit next to your son, pretty much no matter what.  It just may be a little further back in the plane than if you boarded in A.


----------



## mom2rtk

biochemgirl said:


> So nervous about check in and trying to sit with my son! I need to check in for an 8:30 am departure on a Wednesday on March 22 out of Portland, OR. If I'm 15 minutes late the previous day getting to a computer, will it bump us to group B?



I'm a cheapskate but I always get EBCI. Just consider it part of the fare.


----------



## biochemgirl

richmo said:


> As mentioned in the last post, you could go for EBCI.
> 
> And if you do get bumped into an early B (like B1 thru about 20), you will still get to sit next to your son, pretty much no matter what.  It just may be a little further back in the plane than if you boarded in A.


Trying to balance saving money with also getting what I want! My inner cheapskate is alive and well  I'm thinking I'll try checking in myself for the flight to Florida, but then have EBCI for the return leg since we'll be busy with activities and I don't want to accidently miss the window.


----------



## mom2rtk

biochemgirl said:


> Trying to balance saving money with also getting what I want! My inner cheapskate is alive and well  I'm thinking I'll try checking in myself for the flight to Florida, but then have EBCI for the return leg since we'll be busy with activities and I don't want to accidently miss the window.




I used to do that too. Then a couple times I was so busy getting ready to leave on our trip, I still forgot to check in 24 hours out. That cured me.


----------



## PerfessorZ

biochemgirl said:


> Trying to balance saving money with also getting what I want! My inner cheapskate is alive and well  I'm thinking I'll try checking in myself for the flight to Florida, but then have EBCI for the return leg since we'll be busy with activities and I don't want to accidently miss the window.



My last trip, I set alarms for 5 minutes before, 1 minute before, and for the precise time to check in.  I had 2 phones ready and my wife had 2 phones ready so we could all check in together (the way I bought the tickets required separate check-ins for each family member).  We ended up with single-digit Bs (I think a fair number of people on that flight sprang for EBCI), but that was plenty fine.  We were able to set together and there were still plenty of unoccupied rows left.  I felt it was worth it to save $60 each way.  $120 - that's a nice TS dinner for the family!


----------



## richmo

biochemgirl said:


> Trying to balance saving money with also getting what I want! My inner cheapskate is alive and well  I'm thinking I'll try checking in myself for the flight to Florida, but then have EBCI for the return leg since we'll be busy with activities and I don't want to accidently miss the window.



My inner cheapskate is the same way...and I take it a step further in that I haven't done EBCI returning either.  For one, I have a smartphone, so I just use that to check-in and I've been pretty good about stopping and taking a minute to do that.  The other thing to consider is, for the most part, people are flying into Orlando for a vacation, then flying home from Orlando.  What I'm getting at is that there are a lot of people in the same situation that aren't sitting on their home computer waiting for the exact second to hit the check-in button...result being that the boarding spot competition returning from MCO doesn't seem quite as intense.  I've had pretty good luck getting low A's or high B's checking in for the return flight in the first minute or two after the clock hits 24 hr.


----------



## jenseib

richmo said:


> My inner cheapskate is the same way...and I take it a step further in that I haven't done EBCI returning either.  For one, I have a smartphone, so I just use that to check-in and I've been pretty good about stopping and taking a minute to do that.  The other thing to consider is, for the most part, people are flying into Orlando for a vacation, then flying home from Orlando.  What I'm getting at is that there are a lot of people in the same situation that aren't sitting on their home computer waiting for the exact second to hit the check-in button...result being that the boarding spot competition returning from MCO doesn't seem quite as intense.  I've had pretty good luck getting low A's or high B's checking in for the return flight in the first minute or two after the clock hits 24 hr.



I find the majority use the early bird coming home. Or they are a family that can board between A & B.  For that reason alone I do the early bird coming home because getting a B in Orlando is not the greatest since so many families can board before B.


----------



## biochemgirl

jenseib said:


> I find the majority use the early bird coming home. Or they are a family that can board between A & B.  For that reason alone I do the early bird coming home because getting a B in Orlando is not the greatest since so many families can board before B.


About family boarding: if a group has one qualifying child, they all board together after group a?  I would think that has a huge effect on MCO given the number of families there just for vacation!


----------



## jenseib

biochemgirl said:


> About family boarding: if a group has one qualifying child, they all board together after group a?  I would think that has a huge effect on MCO given the number of families there just for vacation!



I do believe their is a limit but I also think it depends on who is working. There are also times when they won't do the family boarding at all.


----------



## DisDadDVC

biochemgirl said:


> So nervous about check in and trying to sit with my son! I need to check in for an 8:30 am departure on a Wednesday on March 22 out of Portland, OR. If I'm 15 minutes late the previous day getting to a computer, will it bump us to group B?



MCO flights have the most EBCI purchases of any flights.  15 minutes late is probably going to be a problem.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

biochemgirl said:


> About family boarding: if a group has one qualifying child, they all board together after group a?  I would think that has a huge effect on MCO given the number of families there just for vacation!


Their announcement said the child and one adult. And they go on to say no Aunts, Uncle, no Brother or Sisters.


----------



## Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> Their announcement said the child and one adult. And they go on to say no Aunts, Uncle, no Brother or Sisters.


Hmm.  We flew SW on Sat. and I seem to remember them saying no more than 2 parents.  We used EBCI so I wasn't really paying close attention.  I could be wrong but for some reason that is stuck in my head.


----------



## DisDadDVC

Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL said:


> Hmm.  We flew SW on Sat. and I seem to remember them saying no more than 2 parents.  We used EBCI so I wasn't really paying close attention.  I could be wrong but for some reason that is stuck in my head.



Family boarding varies greatly depending on the agent (and the destination).  They tend to be more strict with MCO flights, but some agents just don't care and will allow anything.


----------



## Puffy2

FYI, just booked flight for May...rates dropped from Atlanta to MCO..I was able to get $65 each way.


----------



## ms.ojo

QUESTION:  Haven't traveled SWA in awhile...when they open new fares for the summer months...at what time will that be on the given day???  Midnight EST?  5am EST?  Thanks so much!!


----------



## Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL

ms.ojo said:


> QUESTION:  Haven't traveled SWA in awhile...when they open new fares for the summer months...at what time will that be on the given day???  Midnight EST?  5am EST?  Thanks so much!!


When we booked our flights for this past December they became available at about 6:15~6:30 am EST.  Not sure if this is true for every time SW releases flights.  Just sharing our experience.


----------



## ms.ojo

Thanks, that is helpful


----------



## mrsstats

I find the fares usually come out between 6 am and 7 am est


----------



## DLmama

How important is it to book as soon as the fares come out?  I know which flights I want and I have an idea of approximate cost, but I don't really want to wake up at 3am if I don't have to.


----------



## macraven

I book the first day they come out 


A few times I forgot to book immediately and found rates for my dates dropped when I did book a week later

I got lucky


----------



## PerfessorZ

DLmama said:


> How important is it to book as soon as the fares come out?  I know which flights I want and I have an idea of approximate cost, but I don't really want to wake up at 3am if I don't have to.



Depends if you're booking with cash or points.  If you're booking with points, there's no risk in jumping on the first fare that comes out since you can be refunded the pts difference if the fare ever goes down.


----------



## DisDadDVC

DLmama said:


> How important is it to book as soon as the fares come out?  I know which flights I want and I have an idea of approximate cost, but I don't really want to wake up at 3am if I don't have to.



Depends.  I would say >50% of the time I get the best prices when the fares are first released.


----------



## jenseib

I have never once had the lowest prices come out for me on opening day


----------



## macraven

Me too.......

Usually the week or two after for the better price for my flying locations


----------



## DisDadDVC

jenseib said:


> I have never once had the lowest prices come out for me on opening day



I should say that vacations/holidays are often the exception to this.  I fly about 50 times a year, so many of my trips are NOT on school holidays, etc.  Hence my >50% numbers.  I would say for times like Thanksgiving, I often get a lower price the closer we get to the trip.


----------



## jenseib

DisDadDVC said:


> I should say that vacations/holidays are often the exception to this.  I fly about 50 times a year, so many of my trips are NOT on school holidays, etc.  Hence my >50% numbers.  I would say for times like Thanksgiving, I often get a lower price the closer we get to the trip.



I don't fly during holidays either. Probably for that situation I would look and possibly book when they came out.


----------



## flowergirl45

Good morning. Does anyone know if southwest at lambert field in St. Louis has a place to check bag weight, before you get to the counter? Thank you!


----------



## jenseib

flowergirl45 said:


> Good morning. Does anyone know if southwest at lambert field in St. Louis has a place to check bag weight, before you get to the counter? Thank you!



Just get one of those portable luggage scales. they are pretty close to accurate and so nice to have both ways.


----------



## flowergirl45

Agreed jenseib, and I have one at home. But I'm not home and cannot purchase another right now. Hoping someone will have the answer!


----------



## jenseib

darn.


----------



## pmaurer74

Looking forward to SW release dates for summer. I have been waiting for so long. I cannot finish planning my trip until the flights schedules and pricing are released.


----------



## bjscheel

I just got an email that I qualified for Companion Pass.  I know I did at the end of 2015 and used it in 2016, but I didn't think I was even close this year.  When I click on a link in the email to name my companion, the site tells me I haven't qualified.  So I guess I'll not get excited until they get their end of year things sorted out.  Wasn't planning on flying this year, in order to save points for 2018, but this may tip the scales if it's true.  We could plan a vacation according to where the low fares are...

Anybody else get one that may be in error?


----------



## elgerber

bjscheel said:


> I just got an email that I qualified for Companion Pass.  I know I did at the end of 2015 and used it in 2016, but I didn't think I was even close this year.  When I click on a link in the email to name my companion, the site tells me I haven't qualified.  So I guess I'll not get excited until they get their end of year things sorted out.  Wasn't planning on flying this year, in order to save points for 2018, but this may tip the scales if it's true.  We could plan a vacation according to where the low fares are...
> 
> Anybody else get one that may be in error?



The Points Guy just posted a story on Facebook that SW did send a bunch of these out mistakenly.


----------



## bjscheel

elgerber said:


> The Points Guy just posted a story on Facebook that SW did send a bunch of these out mistakenly.



I figured as much.  Too bad.


----------



## pens4821

Do you need to be a rapid rewards member to use a travel credit, or will it be linked to each persons name (there will be multiple people flying)?  Taking a trip to Denver in the summer, not sure whether to book today or wait a bit.  I wouldn't expect a big drop anyway but even $20/30 each way for 5 people makes a big difference.  I thought they always said flights go down a bit after first released.  We won't be flying anywhere, but there is a slight possibility that we may make a Disney trip next January (if not, it'll be after the year purchasing date).


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

Travel credit on SWA is always linked to each individual person and can only be used by the person whose name is listed on the the original ticket. In other words you could not use a credit that has someone elses name on it to purchase a ticket in your name. Having a RR acct is a great idea and it is free to join. RR acct will keep track of each passenger flight itinerary provided you sign into that person acct or add that person RR number to the itinerary and it is a good tool to locate the credit if you need to call customer service.  Flights a usually 90% cheaper the day they are releases because SWA will allocate a certain number of seats at the rock bottom prices ie: the first 25 seats bought maybe the cheapest you ever see for that flight. so its up to you as to when you want to buy


----------



## pinkgirlmommy

Shelly, is there a way to add my daughter's itinerary so that I can see it when I am logged in?  I have my trip and on of my daughter's booked with my account so they both show up when I log in, but my other daughter's trip was booked with my husbands points, so I have to use his log in to see it.  Is there a way to add it to my trip/itinerary as well?  We are all on the same flight!  Thanks!



Shelly F - Ohio said:


> Travel credit on SWA is always linked to each individual person and can only be used by the person whose name is listed on the the original ticket. In other words you could not use a credit that has someone elses name on it to purchase a ticket in your name. Having a RR acct is a great idea and it is free to join. RR acct will keep track of each passenger flight itinerary provided you sign into that person acct or add that person RR number to the itinerary and it is a good tool to locate the credit if you need to call customer service.  Flights a usually 90% cheaper the day they are releases because SWA will allocate a certain number of seats at the rock bottom prices ie: the first 25 seats bought maybe the cheapest you ever see for that flight. so its up to you as to when you want to buy


----------



## richmo

Is the restriction of four forms of payment per person or per itinerary (confirmation #)?  For example, two of us are flying: each of us has an LUV voucher from a delayed flight last year + I have two credits from fare drops that I'd like to use + there will still be some balance, so I'll use a credit card for that.  So the 2 vouchers, 2 credits and the credit card add up to 5 payment methods.  Will that work, or will I need to split us into two different itineraries?


----------



## pinkgirlmommy

DisDadDVC said:


> MCO flights have the most EBCI purchases of any flights.  15 minutes late is probably going to be a problem.


 We always get group B but the first half, and we can usually get 3 seats together closer to the back.


----------



## jenseib

richmo said:


> Is the restriction of four forms of payment per person or per itinerary (confirmation #)?  For example, two of us are flying: each of us has an LUV voucher from a delayed flight last year + I have two credits from fare drops that I'd like to use + there will still be some balance, so I'll use a credit card for that.  So the 2 vouchers, 2 credits and the credit card add up to 5 payment methods.  Will that work, or will I need to split us into two different itineraries?



split. 4  things includes the credit card


----------



## DisDadDVC

pinkgirlmommy said:


> We always get group B but the first half, and we can usually get 3 seats together closer to the back.



Generally the EBCI will end somewhere in the low B's for most MCO flights.  If you can check in at exactly T-24, you will likely get a low B (right after the EBCI).  You will sometimes get lucky and get a "fill the gap" number like A24 if an a-lister or EBCI had cancelled their flight.  If you check in at t-23.75, you will likely get high B's.


----------



## scorpsfan

OK, does anyone understand the WDWRESORT promo code on Southwest Vacations? Go to Southwest.com and go up to "special offers" then click on "vacations" and see the "Limited time at Disney World theme parks" click on that and read the special offer. When you enter your information with that promo code are you not getting the package deal which includes flight +hotel + magic tickets?? because you cannot add them separately. These are different than the usual park tickets. The promo says it is applied to my reservation (which I haven't booked yet- because I NEED TO KNOW what exactly this promo code means!) Can anyone shed some light on this?


----------



## poochie

So when will SW release summer pricing? They currently they have the sale only thru May 31. I got a decent pricing going down in end of June but horrible pricing for returns in July.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

They do have their birthday sale in mid to late May but other than that there is no so called "summer pricing"  The news said airfare this summer would be higher than normal so I don't see the prices going down.


----------



## magickingdomprincess

Any ideas/guestimates of when booking for mid Oct will be open?  It appears you can book through the first week of Aug. now.  Or is there an historical calendar/website to check this?  TIA!


----------



## catfan98

magickingdomprincess said:


> Any ideas/guestimates of when booking for mid Oct will be open?  It appears you can book through the first week of Aug. now.  Or is there an historical calendar/website to check this?  TIA!



You can check here for the next release date.
https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/index.html?clk=GFOOTER-FLY-FLTSCHEDULES

We are currently accepting air reservations through August 14, 2017. On February 23, 2017 we will open our schedule for sale through September 29, 2017. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


----------



## pens4821

So, to get a credit do I just click on change flight, put in the info and pick the same flight?  Prices went down about $20 and just want to make sure and not want to mess something up.

EDIT- well, it's not going to work anyway.  It only went down for 1 ticket, but having 5 tickets they actually went up.


----------



## DisDadDVC

pens4821 said:


> So, to get a credit do I just click on change flight, put in the info and pick the same flight?  Prices went down about $20 and just want to make sure and not want to mess something up.
> 
> EDIT- well, it's not going to work anyway.  It only went down for 1 ticket, but having 5 tickets they actually went up.



You can call and have them reprice one ticket over the phone.  Also, this is why I always book all flights separately.  5 PNR's can be a pain, but easier to reprice.


----------



## TinkQueen

We are planing on flying with SW in March 2018 (to WDW of course!), so I know it'll be Octoberish before I will be able to book our flights. My question is, should I book as soon as the dates are released for our times traveling or watch and wait to see if the prices go down? If I book right away and then the prices go down can I call in and get a credit? If so, how do I get the credit? Back to my original charging CC or will it be credit through SW that I will have to redeem within a certain amount of time? We are not frequent fliers, so unsure how that all works. Thanks!!


----------



## Vijoge

TinkQueen said:


> We are planing on flying with SW in March 2018 (to WDW of course!), so I know it'll be Octoberish before I will be able to book our flights. My question is, should I book as soon as the dates are released for our times traveling or watch and wait to see if the prices go down? If I book right away and then the prices go down can I call in and get a credit? If so, how do I get the credit? Back to my original charging CC or will it be *credit through SW that I will have to redeem within a certain amount of time*? We are not frequent fliers, so unsure how that all works. Thanks!!


This, unless, I believe, you re-book within 24 hours of the initial booking.  I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.


----------



## poochie

Traveling to MCO 6/26 and returning 7/2. The return flights were outrageous so I only booked the flight down one way so I could watch pricing on return flight.    Has anyone noticed that when you show round trip there is a huge difference on the pricing for the return trip from one way. Almost $60.00 each ticket.  totally crazy. We need a non stop flight has my DH will not do connecting flights.    Just when I though the pricing went down. Is this the norm?


----------



## jenseib

poochie said:


> Traveling to MCO 6/26 and returning 7/2. The return flights were outrageous so I only booked the flight down one way so I could watch pricing on return flight.    Has anyone noticed that when you show round trip there is a huge difference on the pricing for the return trip from one way. Almost $60.00 each ticket.  totally crazy. We need a non stop flight has my DH will not do connecting flights.    Just when I though the pricing went down. Is this the norm?



It's always the same price for me


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

poochie said:


> Traveling to MCO 6/26 and returning 7/2. The return flights were outrageous so I only booked the flight down one way so I could watch pricing on return flight.    Has anyone noticed that when you show round trip there is a huge difference on the pricing for the return trip from one way. Almost $60.00 each ticket.  totally crazy. We need a non stop flight has my DH will not do connecting flights.    Just when I though the pricing went down. Is this the norm?


Could you potentially be searching for different numbers of tickets when you do the searches?  i.e. 1 adult vs. 2 adults?  Sometimes there is only one ticket at a certain price.  Otherwise, the prices should be the same regardless of one way vs round trip.


----------



## DisDadDVC

poochie said:


> Traveling to MCO 6/26 and returning 7/2. The return flights were outrageous so I only booked the flight down one way so I could watch pricing on return flight.    Has anyone noticed that when you show round trip there is a huge difference on the pricing for the return trip from one way. Almost $60.00 each ticket.  totally crazy. We need a non stop flight has my DH will not do connecting flights.    Just when I though the pricing went down. Is this the norm?



No.  Southwest never charges more for round trip than they do for two one ways.


----------



## poochie

DisDadDVC said:


> No.  Southwest never charges more for round trip than they do for two one ways.


I thought I was always searching for 2 fares. But maybe only had one.  Okay glad to hear they never change from one way or round trip.   Thank you.


----------



## scorpsfan

What are SW codes and how do you get them...


----------



## richmo

scorpsfan said:


> What are SW codes and how do you get them...



There is a place on SW's reservations for a promo code, but they're very, very rare.  I kind of remember they had a sale a weekend few years back (maybe more) that had a code, and I don't recall seeing one since.  The best thing to do is sign up for rapid rewards and get on their mailing list and keep an eye out for sales, which they do run on a fairly regular basis (they can happen any time, but Tuesday is a frequent start day).  The other thing to remember with Southwest is that you can rebook your flights if a lower price comes along and keep the difference as a credit for a future flight that flies within one year of your original booking date.


----------



## DisDadDVC

scorpsfan said:


> What are SW codes and how do you get them...



They are few and far between.  Recently (in the last year), they gave out a bunch of 50% off ones for people who were impacted by the IT meltdown.


----------



## LynnB

My group of 6 is flying southwest tomorrow to Orlando. I purchased early bird checkin for each person in the group. We didn't all purchase together so I had 3 separate reservations.  I checked in and got our boarding passes this morning and we all have really high B numbers (B 38 39 40 51 52 59).  I realize an A is not guaranteed with early bird but wasn't expecting such high numbers. What are my chances of getting 3 seats together so we can have 1 adult with the kids?


----------



## cassie58

LynnB said:


> My group of 6 is flying southwest tomorrow to Orlando. I purchased early bird checkin for each person in the group. We didn't all purchase together so I had 3 separate reservations.  I checked in and got our boarding passes this morning and we all have really high B numbers (B 38 39 40 51 52 59).  I realize an A is not guaranteed with early bird but wasn't expecting such high numbers. What are my chances of getting 3 seats together so we can have 1 adult with the kids?



That seems really odd, as we always check in right at 24hr mark, and have never gotten lower than middway through B.  I guess it's possible that a lot of people on your flight paid for EBC if you got the very end of B when they are checking you in at 36 hrs.! I would not be happy if I had paid extra money to be right before C group, but also can't imagine if I was checking in at 24 hr. and got seats on C.

Are there 2 adults and 4 kids or you meant 1 adult with 2 kids and other 3 adults? How old? Any that would qualify for family boarding? If so one adult could board with them between A and B. If not, whoever the first three to board in the middle of B shouldn't have a problem getting 3 seats, probably toward the back. You can try and put someone in the row behind and save seats since the others are not far behind. If not, the first three can swap out with others as needed when they get on.


----------



## jenseib

LynnB said:


> My group of 6 is flying southwest tomorrow to Orlando. I purchased early bird checkin for each person in the group. We didn't all purchase together so I had 3 separate reservations.  I checked in and got our boarding passes this morning and we all have really high B numbers (B 38 39 40 51 52 59).  I realize an A is not guaranteed with early bird but wasn't expecting such high numbers. What are my chances of getting 3 seats together so we can have 1 adult with the kids?



No that is not normal. Are you sure you got all of you early bird for both ways?


----------



## richmo

LynnB said:


> ...I purchased early bird checkin for each person in the group....we all have really high B numbers (B 38 39 40 51 52 59).  I realize an A is not guaranteed with early bird but wasn't expecting such high numbers....





cassie58 said:


> That seems really odd, as we always check in right at 24hr mark, and have never gotten lower than middway through B....





jenseib said:


> No that is not normal. Are you sure you got all of you early bird for both ways?



That was my reaction too. My personal experience is that I never buy EBCI and going to Orlando I'm pretty good about checking in at the 24 hour mark and I'm often a low A (40-60) or a high B (1-about 20).  I realize there's randomness in the number of EBCI's, but getting those low B's (38-59) seems like EBCI didn't kick in somehow.  The only thing I can think of is maybe some large group bought a bunch of tickets and paid for EBCI for everyone.  When checking in at the airport, I'd ask if EBCI was applied when doing the online checkin.


----------



## DisDadDVC

LynnB said:


> My group of 6 is flying southwest tomorrow to Orlando. I purchased early bird checkin for each person in the group. We didn't all purchase together so I had 3 separate reservations.  I checked in and got our boarding passes this morning and we all have really high B numbers (B 38 39 40 51 52 59).  I realize an A is not guaranteed with early bird but wasn't expecting such high numbers. What are my chances of getting 3 seats together so we can have 1 adult with the kids?



How recently did you purchase the EBCI?


----------



## Anal Annie

catfan98 said:


> You can check here for the next release date.
> https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/index.html?clk=GFOOTER-FLY-FLTSCHEDULES
> 
> We are currently accepting air reservations through August 14, 2017. *On February 23, 2017 we will open our schedule for sale through September 29, 2017*. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.



JUST THE ANSWER I CAME HERE LOOKING FOR!!   We're planning on going down on either 9/23 or 9/24 for 4 or 5 nights for F&W and I was hoping I could compare flight pricing first to help decide our exact dates (along with comparing DVC availability)!!


----------



## wishinon3stars

My DH and I are planning a trip in October.  We like direct flights to and from MHT to MCO.  We have always taken direct first thing in the morning and returned later in the evening.  I noticed that starting sometime in June SW only has one direct flight home which leaves at 930am.
That means ME would pick us up around 6:30 am 
Does anyone know if this is a just a summer schedule or their new schedule.  It looks like not only is there a stop but you have to change planes in BWI.
And actually there is only one direct flight to Orlando too the early 6am flight which is the one we usually take.
I hope they bring back more direct flights


----------



## wishinon3stars

..


----------



## KSR0330

I'm sure people are sick of this question, but I'm just trying to clarify.  The 4 members of my family (me, hubs, and 2 kids) have our own RR number.  How do I use the other's points?  It seems I would have to transfer them to my account (which costs money) or could I book as them (even if they're minors?) and pay with my credit card?  If I did this, I would have to book separately, correct?  Can I please have suggestions on the best way to do this?  Thanks!


----------



## jenseib

KSR0330 said:


> I'm sure people are sick of this question, but I'm just trying to clarify.  The 4 members of my family (me, hubs, and 2 kids) have our own RR number.  How do I use the other's points?  It seems I would have to transfer them to my account (which costs money) or could I book as them (even if they're minors?) and pay with my credit card?  If I did this, I would have to book separately, correct?  Can I please have suggestions on the best way to do this?  Thanks!



Make an account for them with their rewards number and you will see their points. You can book anyone on those points. It can be them or you or all of you with one persons points. I book my daughter and I all the time with my points.


----------



## KSR0330

jenseib said:


> Make an account for them with their rewards number and you will see their points. You can book anyone on those points. It can be them or you or all of you with one persons points. I book my daughter and I all the time with my points.



We all have accounts with points from previous trips.  I'm wondering how I use the kid's points, since It's my understanding that I can only use my points when booking our flights.


----------



## jenseib

KSR0330 said:


> We all have accounts with points from previous trips.  I'm wondering how I use the kid's points, since It's my understanding that I can only use my points when booking our flights.



you would make a log in account (if you don't have one already) for each person and then book them separately using their points or if they have more than enough for 2 flights, book 2 people.  If they don't have enough for 1 flight yet, then either pay to transfer them or wait till they accumulate more.


----------



## KSR0330

jenseib said:


> you would make a log in account (if you don't have one already) for each person and then book them separately using their points or if they have more than enough for 2 flights, book 2 people. If they don't have enough for 1 flight yet, then either pay to transfer them or wait till they accumulate more.



Got it, thanks!


----------



## prettypatchesmsu

Well, the flight schedule for SW opened this morning for flights till the end of September, and I was able to book our flights.  It was a huge mess as although the message changed to saying the schedule was open, and you could select the dates.  But when you searched there were no flights available.  SW kept tweeting that it could take hours for the flights schedules to finish loading.  I started checking at 6am, the message changed at around 6:30am.  But could not see flights for September until 8:15am.

Everything worked out ok though, we got great priced flights with good times that are nonstop both ways.  So we are tickled!


----------



## TNKim

Southwest posted the next release of dates, which is what I need for my October trip:

We are currently accepting air reservations through September 29, 2017. On March 16, 2017 we will open our schedule for sale through November 3, 2017. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


----------



## MIChessGuy

prettypatchesmsu said:


> Well, the flight schedule for SW opened this morning for flights till the end of September, and I was able to book our flights.  It was a huge mess as although the message changed to saying the schedule was open, and you could select the dates.  But when you searched there were no flights available.  SW kept tweeting that it could take hours for the flights schedules to finish loading.  I started checking at 6am, the message changed at around 6:30am.  But could not see flights for September until 8:15am.
> 
> Everything worked out ok though, we got great priced flights with good times that are nonstop both ways.  So we are tickled!



I had a similar experience with the 'no flights available' until a little after 8:00 am EST, when they became available.  I was able to get a pretty good deal to/from LAX for first trip to DLR in 33 years.  By an odd coincidence, yesterday I got an email from Southwest offering a 40% bonus on points purchased for cash.  That purchase plus my existing points worked out to a roundtrip DTW-LAX for about $231 (including the 'security fee').


----------



## Anal Annie

I also got up to start checking at 6:20.  Then again at 7:00.  Finally they were there around 8:00.  Slightly higher than last time we booked at opening but managed to settle on non-stops going down for well under $100 (just not our first choice of times).  Now we have to wait for March 16th to book our return flights on Oct 1st.


----------



## tinkerbella16

Today was interesting lol. I work from home, so it wasn't too bad but still annoying having to refresh and check the page for over 2 hours. The website was still glitchy even making the purchase. We ended up booking exactly the times we hoped for and the price wasn't as bad as we thought. $134 each way from PHL to MCO, both nonstop flights. We got the 6:05am going and 2pm going home. I was surprised to see how few nonstop flights they had this year. The earliest nonstop going home was at 2pm, last year they had a 9am flight but we wanted a little bit of a later flight coming home this time anyway. Glad we got them booked and we purchased EBCI. Now it is really official!


----------



## O-so-good Disney Mama

I too had the no flights available issue but I was not happy with the prices!  In April from BUF to MCO you can get flights as low as $79 each way. In September, the cheapest flight was $132 each way . Not happy!


----------



## cassie58

tinkerbella16 said:


> Today was interesting lol. I work from home, so it wasn't too bad but still annoying OOPhaving to refresh and check the page for over 2 hours. The website was still glitchy even making the purchase. We ended up booking exactly the times we hoped for and the price wasn't as bad as we thought. $134 each way from PHL to MCO, both nonstop flights. We got the 6:05am going and 2pm going home. I was surprised to see how few nonstop flights they had this year. The earliest nonstop going home was at 2pm, last year they had a 9am flight but we wanted a little bit of a later flight coming home this time anyway. Glad we got them booked and we purchased EBCI. Now it is really official!



Looking at new dates released this morning, I am not happy about less nonstops overall and no evening nonstops from PHL to MCO(and EWR) and back.  While I am not planning a trip currently, I am helping my cousin, who wants to fly down early and back late to get the most out of arrival and departure days, as we usually do.  I saw 6:00 am flight out of EWR in late Aug. for $82 (awesome!) which he was able to book , but there were no nonstops after 4 pm in either direction. A year ago in Dec. we flew back around 5:30 pm. Not thrilled if this is their new schedule, since we always fly SW for the luggage and no change fees, and do not want to have to take 4-5 hrs to get to MCO, and possibly lose luggage along the way, just to be able to fly at the times we want. Have usually found them to be the best price and times have been good choices as well.  Sorry - just had to vent!


----------



## Jennny

O-so-good Disney Mama said:


> I too had the no flights available issue but I was not happy with the prices!  In April from BUF to MCO you can get flights as low as $79 each way. In September, the cheapest flight was $132 each way . Not happy!


Especially not happy when we come from Canada and the dollar is crummy!


----------



## richmo

cassie58 said:


> Looking at new dates released this morning, I am not happy about less nonstops overall and no evening nonstops from PHL to MCO(and EWR) and back.  While I am not planning a trip currently, I am helping my cousin, who wants to fly down early and back late to get the most out of arrival and departure days, as we usually do.  I saw 6:00 am flight out of EWR in late Aug. for $82 (awesome!) which he was able to book , but there were no nonstops after 4 pm in either direction. A year ago in Dec. we flew back around 5:30 pm. Not thrilled if this is their new schedule, since we always fly SW for the luggage and no change fees, and do not want to have to take 4-5 hrs to get to MCO, and possibly lose luggage along the way, just to be able to fly at the times we want. Have usually found them to be the best price and times have been good choices as well.  Sorry - just had to vent!



I was a bit disappointed also that there were no SW nonstops posted on a weekday evening from PHL to MCO.  We're going at almost the exact same time that we did last year in late September and then we had a Southwest flight that was scheduled for about 7:00 (on a side note, that flight wound up leaving at 10:30, but SW gave us each $200 vouchers, which is part of the reason I want to fly Southwest this time).  For this year, we wound up taking an extra half day vacation and will leave at 4:00, which is SW's last direct flight of the day.

I should also point out that not long after the Southwest schedule came out, American magically changed their fares to match Southwest and there is (at least was) a couple flights leaving PHL in the evening.  Of course, you have to pay luggage, but it isn't awful.  If I didn't have the voucher to use, I'd probably go down on American and back on Southwest.


----------



## cassie58

richmo said:


> I was a bit disappointed also that there were no SW nonstops posted on a weekday evening from PHL to MCO.  We're going at almost the exact same time that we did last year in late September and then we had a Southwest flight that was scheduled for about 7:00 (on a side note, that flight wound up leaving at 10:30, but SW gave us each $200 vouchers, which is part of the reason I want to fly Southwest this time).  For this year, we wound up taking an extra half day vacation and will leave at 4:00, which is SW's last direct flight of the day.
> 
> I should also point out that not long after the Southwest schedule came out, American magically changed their fares to match Southwest and there is (at least was) a couple flights leaving PHL in the evening.  Of course, you have to pay luggage, but it isn't awful.  If I didn't have the voucher to use, I'd probably go down on American and back on Southwest.



Good to know! Thanks!  Yes, we have also previously flown late going down to check in on the last day of free dining promo, and were able to fly around 7 - as you mentioned, easier to avoid work/school timing issues.


----------



## KSR0330

The lack of non-stop flights back really concerns me!  We usually get an evening non-stop in order to have as much of the day at Disney as possible.  It also means 5 1/2 hours of travel vs 2 1/2 hours.  And I HATE taking off in the plane, so a non-stop has always been a must.  Now I'll have to weigh staying later vs. ease of getting home!


----------



## Elizakapeka

Can someone clear this up for me?  If I purchase EBCI do I have to log in and do the check in or does the SW system automatically check me in?


----------



## mom2rtk

Elizakapeka said:


> Can someone clear this up for me?  If I purchase EBCI do I have to log in and do the check in or does the SW system automatically check me in?



System checks you in, but you still need to log in and print the boarding passes.


----------



## Elizakapeka

mom2rtk said:


> System checks you in, but you still need to log in and print the boarding passes.


thank you.  I purchased EBCI in 2014 for our first wdw trip and I manually had to check in, not sure if I gooded up or what, but that lead to my confusion.


----------



## awfpack

We just got our SW card in Jan... we got the 50,000 points.  We are trying to get companion pass,  We are about book a flight for the summer..... do we need to pay with the card to get more points or can we pay with our points and still get points toward our companion pass?


----------



## jenseib

awfpack said:


> We just got our SW card in Jan... we got the 50,000 points.  We are trying to get companion pass,  We are about book a flight for the summer..... do we need to pay with the card to get more points or can we pay with our points and still get points toward our companion pass?



Only get points on purchases..not when booked on points


----------



## awfpack

jenseib said:


> Only get points on purchases..not when booked on points


Ok...Thanks


----------



## sandam1

After finalizing our end of April to MCO, I started looking ahead to a September trip. I was surprised (and pretty disappointed) to find that Southwest had eliminated most of the non-stop flights to and from BUF. I decided to e-mail Southwest about this below is the reply that I received:

"I’m sorry to know that you’re disappointed with our recent flight schedule releases with regard to the one-way flights offered between Buffalo and Orlando. I’m happy to have an opportunity to offer some insight in to our decision-making process.

A big contributing factor to our ability (or inability) to achieve a return on invested capital is our flight schedule. Like any business, we have to analyze supply and demand in each market in order to determine sustainable service levels.

In the past few months, very few Customers traveled locally (on a point-to-point basis) between Orlando and Buffalo each day. Since local Passengers generate a large percentage of the revenue for any given flight, operating one-way service between those two cities without the support of enough local Passengers became more of a liability than an asset.

I know that an explanation does not solve the problem of getting you from point A to point B. Please know that we always want to offer the very best service to our Customers, whether it’s in the air, at the airport, or on the web. We know that the feedback we receive from Customers allows us an opportunity to review and improve the overall product we offer, and we appreciate your suggestions. We will be sure and pass them along in our monthly summary, which is distributed to our Senior Leadership."

Personally, I find the logic hard to believe as, whenever I have flown the early morning down and late evening back flights, they have been full or very close to it. But it does appear that they listen (in some ways) to customer feedback so my advice to those of you who are unhappy with the declining number of non-stop Southwest flights from your home airport would be to CONTACT THEM!! If enough people ask for it, maybe they will listen.


----------



## PrincessArlena'sDad

sandam1 said:


> After finalizing our end of April to MCO, I started looking ahead to a September trip. I was surprised (and pretty disappointed) to find that Southwest had eliminated most of the non-stop flights to and from BUF. I decided to e-mail Southwest about this below is the reply that I received:
> 
> "I’m sorry to know that you’re disappointed with our recent flight schedule releases with regard to the one-way flights offered between Buffalo and Orlando. I’m happy to have an opportunity to offer some insight in to our decision-making process.
> 
> A big contributing factor to our ability (or inability) to achieve a return on invested capital is our flight schedule. Like any business, we have to analyze supply and demand in each market in order to determine sustainable service levels.
> 
> In the past few months, very few Customers traveled locally (on a point-to-point basis) between Orlando and Buffalo each day. Since local Passengers generate a large percentage of the revenue for any given flight, operating one-way service between those two cities without the support of enough local Passengers became more of a liability than an asset.
> 
> I know that an explanation does not solve the problem of getting you from point A to point B. Please know that we always want to offer the very best service to our Customers, whether it’s in the air, at the airport, or on the web. We know that the feedback we receive from Customers allows us an opportunity to review and improve the overall product we offer, and we appreciate your suggestions. We will be sure and pass them along in our monthly summary, which is distributed to our Senior Leadership."
> 
> Personally, I find the logic hard to believe as, whenever I have flown the early morning down and late evening back flights, they have been full or very close to it. But it does appear that they listen (in some ways) to customer feedback so my advice to those of you who are unhappy with the declining number of non-stop Southwest flights from your home airport would be to CONTACT THEM!! If enough people ask for it, maybe they will listen.



Thanks for that report.  It seems Southwest did massive changes to their flight schedules.  While DCA to MCO didn't lose any nonstop  (there were only 2), and BWI still has a whole bunch, the flight times are very different.  The flight I wanted home is an hour earlier than I had thought, and preferred.


----------



## cassie58

sandam1 said:


> After finalizing our end of April to MCO, I started looking ahead to a September trip. I was surprised (and pretty disappointed) to find that Southwest had eliminated most of the non-stop flights to and from BUF. I decided to e-mail Southwest about this below is the reply that I received:
> 
> "I’m sorry to know that you’re disappointed with our recent flight schedule releases with regard to the one-way flights offered between Buffalo and Orlando. I’m happy to have an opportunity to offer some insight in to our decision-making process.
> 
> A big contributing factor to our ability (or inability) to achieve a return on invested capital is our flight schedule. Like any business, we have to analyze supply and demand in each market in order to determine sustainable service levels.
> 
> In the past few months, very few Customers traveled locally (on a point-to-point basis) between Orlando and Buffalo each day. Since local Passengers generate a large percentage of the revenue for any given flight, operating one-way service between those two cities without the support of enough local Passengers became more of a liability than an asset.
> 
> I know that an explanation does not solve the problem of getting you from point A to point B. Please know that we always want to offer the very best service to our Customers, whether it’s in the air, at the airport, or on the web. We know that the feedback we receive from Customers allows us an opportunity to review and improve the overall product we offer, and we appreciate your suggestions. We will be sure and pass them along in our monthly summary, which is distributed to our Senior Leadership."
> 
> Personally, I find the logic hard to believe as, whenever I have flown the early morning down and late evening back flights, they have been full or very close to it. But it does appear that they listen (in some ways) to customer feedback so my advice to those of you who are unhappy with the declining number of non-stop Southwest flights from your home airport would be to CONTACT THEM!! If enough people ask for it, maybe they will listen.



Thanks for sharing! I noticed the same thing with nonstops from both PHL and EWR to MCO being cut way back, as I posted a few pages back. I was thinking of sending an email like you did, and I definitely will now, and hopefully others affected will too, and like you said, maybe they will take notice.


----------



## FBandA

When will October open up for flights just booked Disney for my Birthday! And so excited to start the watching of prices for flights!

I did notice that in Sept. some dates only have 2 non-stop from PHL  this does concern me. I  maybe contacting them I could also go out of BWI but prefer PHL. Also the ones that have stops are more expensive.


----------



## richmo

FBandA said:


> When will October open up for flights...



March 16


----------



## TNKim

I am waiting for March 16 when October flights will be released.  This will be my first time booking a SW flight for 4 people, usually just me and my mom.  Is it better to just book the full trip for all 4 tickets in one transaction or would it be better to do in two separate transactions - book the flight to MCO and pay for it, then book the return flight and pay for it?  I think I've read on this thread it is easier to book this way in case you need to change flights? Also, I think I've read that you can find cheaper rates when searching for 2 tickets instead of 4.  Is this correct?  If so, it might be better to book 2 flights, then the other 2 flights.  Do you think tickets will be cheaper on March 16 or should I wait?  I'm a little concerned that there are only 2 morning direct flights to MCO and I want to try to get one of those direct flights, so if I wait for better rates, those flights may get filled.  Thanks for your advice and comments.


----------



## richmo

I don't think you'll find cheaper flights round trip vs. one way.  AFAIK, all Southwest fares are one way.  Some do like to have different itineraries each direction and that's more personal preference than anything. 

I would probably look at the prices for four people and two (or even one).  If they're all the same, I'd book them all in  one block.  If not, take a look at the price for one and increase by one person to see when the rate goes up.  I know some airlines will charge you the higher rate for all four people if you book them as a block; I had thought Southwest didn't do that, but I'm not sure.  Of course, the more itineraries you have, the longer it takes to checkin, unless you also do EBCI.  Another thing I hadn't thought of is I wonder if its harder to rebook after a price drop if you have a larger group in the same confirmation number? Again, it goes to the number of seats available at the price drop.

One other comment: I suspect that "free" PreChecks happen more often with a round trip itinerary, as opposed to a one way.  Of course, free TSA PreChecks are supposedly getting greatly reduced anyway...


----------



## PrincessArlena'sDad

TNKim said:


> I am waiting for March 16 when October flights will be released.  This will be my first time booking a SW flight for 4 people, usually just me and my mom.  Is it better to just book the full trip for all 4 tickets in one transaction or would it be better to do in two separate transactions - book the flight to MCO and pay for it, then book the return flight and pay for it?  I think I've read on this thread it is easier to book this way in case you need to change flights? Also, I think I've read that you can find cheaper rates when searching for 2 tickets instead of 4.  Is this correct?  If so, it might be better to book 2 flights, then the other 2 flights.  Do you think tickets will be cheaper on March 16 or should I wait?  I'm a little concerned that there are only 2 morning direct flights to MCO and I want to try to get one of those direct flights, so if I wait for better rates, those flights may get filled.  Thanks for your advice and comments.



If you book when flights open first thing in the morning, then it will be the same fare for 2 or 4 people. 

The difference comes when there are only x number of cheap seats left, and you want more than x.  Then you get charged the higher fare for all.  But, if you are booking first thing in the morning on the first day, there will be 4 of the cheapest fares available for you.

I would also do the round trip.  It used to be the case that if you wanted to change one leg of a round trip (including if there is a price drop), it was difficult.  However, that is no longer the case; changing just one leg for a round trip is just as easy as if it were a one way.

By making multiple booking, you are increasing the possibility that someone could jump in there and get the cheapest bookings before you make your final booking. Unlikely, but technically possible.

Just do it all at once.  It's easier and won't cost a penny more.


----------



## edk35

So how do people get SW codes???? I would love one but I don't know how people get them. Please advise.  Thanks!!!


----------



## MiracleCream

I booked tickets last month and checked today to see departure flight price went down. I tried changing flights to pick same flight to get credit for price difference but it won't let me, it says unable to price flight selected and please select different flight or call them. I read it on here you could do this to get price difference adjustment. Could anyone help or should I keep waiting in hold with Southwest Airlines phone call?


----------



## mom2rtk

MiracleCream said:


> I booked tickets last month and checked today to see departure flight price went down. I tried changing flights to pick same flight to get credit for price difference but it won't let me, it says unable to price flight selected and please select different flight or call them. I read it on here you could do this to get price difference adjustment. Could anyone help or should I keep waiting in hold with Southwest Airlines phone call?



Are there enough seats available at the lower price?


----------



## richmo

edk35 said:


> So how do people get SW codes???? I would love one but I don't know how people get them. Please advise.  Thanks!!!



Southwest very, very rarely has public codes.  There was one a few years ago, I think during a quiet period but I haven't seen one since. 

What you do see mentioned are codes for:
Travel funds: These are generally credits if someone cancels a trip or rebooks at a lower rate.  This is one of the big plusses of Southwest...most airlines severely penalize you for doing this.  The travel funds are good for flight for one year from the original booking date.  They are not transferable.
LUV vouchers: My experience is these are sometimes given if your flight is delayed due to Southwest's fault (most likely due to mechanical issues, crew issues, etc.).  For example, we were given $200 LUV Vouchers last year because our flight was delayed about 3.5 hours due to a mechanical issue.


----------



## TNKim

PrincessArlena'sDad said:


> If you book when flights open first thing in the morning, then it will be the same fare for 2 or 4 people.
> 
> The difference comes when there are only x number of cheap seats left, and you want more than x.  Then you get charged the higher fare for all.  But, if you are booking first thing in the morning on the first day, there will be 4 of the cheapest fares available for you.
> 
> I would also do the round trip.  It used to be the case that if you wanted to change one leg of a round trip (including if there is a price drop), it was difficult.  However, that is no longer the case; changing just one leg for a round trip is just as easy as if it were a one way.
> 
> By making multiple booking, you are increasing the possibility that someone could jump in there and get the cheapest bookings before you make your final booking. Unlikely, but technically possible.
> 
> Just do it all at once.  It's easier and won't cost a penny more.



Thanks for your advice, and also to richmo.  Another question.  I'm taking my cousin and her sons for their first Disney trip in October.  We have been waiting on their school system to release dates for their fall break.  We "think" it will be the second week of October, or Columbus Day week, but it could very well be the first week in October.  We will be flying from Nashville, and as of now, there are only 2 direct morning flights to MCO, and only 1 late afternoon flight on SW.  No other airlines offer direct flights to MCO, and I want to avoid changing planes in Atlanta or Charlotte.  SW will release the fall flights next week on March 16.  My cousin told me last night her school system may not release next year's calendar until April.  I really would like to go ahead and get our flights on March 16 so we can have a direct morning flight.  MCO is a popular destination, this week will be fall breaks for most of Tennessee, so it may sell out if I wait until April to get the flights.  So would you take a chance and get tickets on March 16, knowing you might have to change dates if the fall break dates are not what we believe they will be, or would you wait and possibly have to take a flight that is connecting and will take longer travel time? I've never had to change a flight, so don't know how difficult it is to do.  If it was any airline other than SW, I wouldn't even consider purchasing flights until our dates were set in stone, but I'm leaning toward just doing it to get those morning direct flights.  What would you do?


----------



## edk35

T


richmo said:


> Southwest very, very rarely has public codes.  There was one a few years ago, I think during a quiet period but I haven't seen one since.
> 
> What you do see mentioned are codes for:
> Travel funds: These are generally credits if someone cancels a trip or rebooks at a lower rate.  This is one of the big plusses of Southwest...most airlines severely penalize you for doing this.  The travel funds are good for flight for one year from the original booking date.  They are not transferable.
> LUV vouchers: My experience is these are sometimes given if your flight is delayed due to Southwest's fault (most likely due to mechanical issues, crew issues, etc.).  For example, we were given $200 LUV Vouchers last year because our flight was delayed about 3.5 hours due to a mechanical issue.


Thanks


----------



## pens4821

A flight I've booked for the summer went down ($62), and I changed the flight.  Now I'm curious how to use the credit when it comes time.  It will come in handy as it expires January 6th, and that's when we're going to leave for Disney.  I booked 5 flights to Denver, none of us have rapid rewards.  When we go to Disney only 3 will go.  Do I just input the confirmation number when I book for the 3 of us and it'll take off ($186), am I going to have to book all 3 separate, or will there be issues since 3 will be flying not 5?  I know it's still a few months away before I book, but I'm curious.


----------



## MiracleCream

mom2rtk said:


> Are there enough seats available at the lower price?


Yes there was. I ended up having to call the,  something ago reservations after may 28 is in new system but I got it credited. They also added infant son to both reservations but now I can't change the other one in case price goes down so I have to call again. Also the credit has to be used up within year of when I booked it, not within the actual date of ticket like I thought


----------



## msjprincess

sandam1 said:


> After finalizing our end of April to MCO, I started looking ahead to a September trip. I was surprised (and pretty disappointed) to find that Southwest had eliminated most of the non-stop flights to and from BUF. I decided to e-mail Southwest about this below is the reply that I received:
> 
> "I’m sorry to know that you’re disappointed with our recent flight schedule releases with regard to the one-way flights offered between Buffalo and Orlando. I’m happy to have an opportunity to offer some insight in to our decision-making process.
> 
> A big contributing factor to our ability (or inability) to achieve a return on invested capital is our flight schedule. Like any business, we have to analyze supply and demand in each market in order to determine sustainable service levels.
> 
> In the past few months, very few Customers traveled locally (on a point-to-point basis) between Orlando and Buffalo each day. Since local Passengers generate a large percentage of the revenue for any given flight, operating one-way service between those two cities without the support of enough local Passengers became more of a liability than an asset.
> 
> I know that an explanation does not solve the problem of getting you from point A to point B. Please know that we always want to offer the very best service to our Customers, whether it’s in the air, at the airport, or on the web. We know that the feedback we receive from Customers allows us an opportunity to review and improve the overall product we offer, and we appreciate your suggestions. We will be sure and pass them along in our monthly summary, which is distributed to our Senior Leadership."
> 
> Personally, I find the logic hard to believe as, whenever I have flown the early morning down and late evening back flights, they have been full or very close to it. But it does appear that they listen (in some ways) to customer feedback so my advice to those of you who are unhappy with the declining number of non-stop Southwest flights from your home airport would be to CONTACT THEM!! If enough people ask for it, maybe they will listen.


They did the same from Islip to MCO. We've always taken the latest nonstop flight home. It was always full. The only nonstops home now are 9am or 12pm.  The flights on the down are just as crappy. I'm thinking of flying down a night early and staying near the airport.


----------



## TNKim

I've been debating which flight to book when the October dates are released tomorrow.  I will be flying Nashville to MCO on a Saturday morning, and as of now, they offer only 2 direct morning flights, one at 6:35, arriving at 9:25, and the other at 9:20, arriving at 12:10.  We will be staying at an airport hotel the night before with shuttle service to the airport.  I just looked on the SW site and it is recommended in Nashville that you arrive 120 minutes prior to your flight.  I haven't flown out of Nashville in years, so my question is what is your experience with Nashville (or any other airport) when leaving on an early morning flight, do you really need to get to the airport 2 hours early?  If we take the 6:35 flight, we would need to BE at the airport by 4:30, which would require us leaving the hotel on the shuttle by 4:15 or possibly even 4:00, depending on when the shuttle runs.  I really wanted to get to MCO early so we would be able to get to our resort before noon.  If we take the 9:20 flight, we probably won't be at our resort until 2:30.  But I'm not sure we can get to the airport by 4:30 a.m.!  And anyone who has flown this early, did you find you were just worn out all day?  I've got to make a decision before tomorrow when the October flights are released!


----------



## lindsayjs

While I've never flown out of Nashville, I always do super early flights. I find the trip excitement is enough to get me and my kids through most of the day. I don't plan for late nights on travel day and we play it by ear. Sometimes it's park immediately and sometimes it's resort lunch, swim and nap then head to the park for the evening.


----------



## macraven

I flew out of Nashville once last year

For early morning flights it was not crowded at all for me
Had a lot of sit down and wait time for boarding

And also did a later flight out at evening time

Once I got thru security check point, had hours prior to boarding

But you never know when lines will be jammed so check with the airport hours prior to guide you if line tie ups are happening


----------



## QueenGsMama

I was wondering what was happening with the SW flights, thanks for posting! I was looking at ALB-MCO and there was one available and a ton of connecting flights. Makes sense now, but what a bummer!


----------



## jenseib

TNKim said:


> I've been debating which flight to book when the October dates are released tomorrow.  I will be flying Nashville to MCO on a Saturday morning, and as of now, they offer only 2 direct morning flights, one at 6:35, arriving at 9:25, and the other at 9:20, arriving at 12:10.  We will be staying at an airport hotel the night before with shuttle service to the airport.  I just looked on the SW site and it is recommended in Nashville that you arrive 120 minutes prior to your flight.  I haven't flown out of Nashville in years, so my question is what is your experience with Nashville (or any other airport) when leaving on an early morning flight, do you really need to get to the airport 2 hours early?  If we take the 6:35 flight, we would need to BE at the airport by 4:30, which would require us leaving the hotel on the shuttle by 4:15 or possibly even 4:00, depending on when the shuttle runs.  I really wanted to get to MCO early so we would be able to get to our resort before noon.  If we take the 9:20 flight, we probably won't be at our resort until 2:30.  But I'm not sure we can get to the airport by 4:30 a.m.!  And anyone who has flown this early, did you find you were just worn out all day?  I've got to make a decision before tomorrow when the October flights are released!



I would still be there 90 minutes early.  You need to have bags checked in by a certain time for all flights and you don't want to chance the TSA lines to be long. I have flown out of Detroit and been to the airport that early a couple of times and there has always been quite a line for that time of the morning. Nashville is a busier and bigger airport. Remember that all the people on your flight will be there plus what ever flights that will be going out in a similar time frame.
You would be amazed at how early you can get up when it means you are heading to Disney!  My next flight leaves at 5:30 AM.  Not super excited about the time, but the price was about $60 less per person. For that savings I can handle it.


----------



## cmarsh31

QueenGsMama said:


> I was wondering what was happening with the SW flights, thanks for posting! I was looking at ALB-MCO and there was one available and a ton of connecting flights. Makes sense now, but what a bummer!



ALB anywhere on SW has been lousy lately. All of the non-stop Vegas flights are completely gone. We ended up with a connecting flight last October because the only non-stop was 7am out of MCO.


----------



## QueenGsMama

cmarsh31 said:


> ALB anywhere on SW has been lousy lately. All of the non-stop Vegas flights are completely gone. We ended up with a connecting flight last October because the only non-stop was 7am out of MCO.


Interesting! We ended up with a connecting down and a nonstop home, not thrilled about the times for either.

You would think they would be trying a little harder to compete with Jet Blue. At least the bags are still free.


----------



## wishinon3stars

Yesterday I booked our flights from MHT to MCO on SW.
At Manchester NH our direct flights have been cut way back too to one a day.
I booked around 5pm and got $133 direct for the outbound flights for both DH and I.
When booking our return flight it was listed at $133.  I booked my flight and then went in
to book my DH and it had gone up to $156.  I looked this morning and that same direct flight
home is $203.

FWIW, I book our flights separately each way.  The reason I do that is because I do check SW pretty
regularly and like to change if the price goes down on our flights.  By having each way booked
separately I know exactly  what I paid for each flight.  The first time I had applied for credits, I
had booked round trip and the price I paid was listed as a total cost; The price had changed a couple
of times, at different times, for both outgoing and return flights.  I couldn't remember exactly what
I had paid each way since I had already gotten credits.  This alleviates that problem for me.

It's probably not necessary to book them separately but it makes it easier for me to remember exactly
what I paid
Glad I booked yesterday and I still will be lurking and watching SW for any type of change in price


----------



## TNKim

I booked my October Nashville to Orlando non-stop flights yesterday morning. I was on SW website at 6:00 a.m. and dates had not been posted. I kept refreshing and still at 6:15, no dates. I checked back at 6:30 and there they were.  The flights I selected were $156 out of Nashville and $135 return, which I thought was decent. However, I was buying 4 tickets and by the time I typed in all the info and double checked it, when I clicked to complete the transaction, a message popped up that said the rates were no longer available! I thought once you select flights, those fares stay in your cart until the transaction is completed. So I went back and was still able to choose the same non-stop flights but the price had jumped to $195 each way! Our flights cost $400 more than the original flights I had in my cart 10 minutes after the flight times were released!  I was not a happy camper, but at this point I am just happy I was able to get the non-stop flights I wanted.  I checked SW throughout the day and those same flights increased to $220, then $260 each way! And this morning those flights are sold out.  I searched for 1 and 2 persons instead of 4, and prices were the same. I never received the confirmation email and checked my account online and though I could see the trip listed, I couldn't access the details.  Last night I called SW and spoke to an agent who said their system is being changed in May and some people have received duplicate confirmation numbers.  It took her over 40 minutes to "fix" it and issue a new confirmation number for my trip.  I asked her about the price changing during check out and she said that sometimes happens even when she is booking flights.  While changing my trip info to the new confirmation number, she said she had noticed the huge price increases on these flights, but she was able to keep my prices the same as what I originally booked.  I asked her since it had taken so long to correct the situation, if SW could give me the original price of the flights, but she said she wasn't allowed to do that!  So if you don't receive your confirmation email from SW, or if you can't access your trip online, you need to call SW.


----------



## MiracleCream

TNKim said:


> I booked my October Nashville to Orlando non-stop flights yesterday morning. I was on SW website at 6:00 a.m. and dates had not been posted. I kept refreshing and still at 6:15, no dates. I checked back at 6:30 and there they were.  The flights I selected were $156 out of Nashville and $135 return, which I thought was decent. However, I was buying 4 tickets and by the time I typed in all the info and double checked it, when I clicked to complete the transaction, a message popped up that said the rates were no longer available! I thought once you select flights, those fares stay in your cart until the transaction is completed. So I went back and was still able to choose the same non-stop flights but the price had jumped to $195 each way! Our flights cost $400 more than the original flights I had in my cart 10 minutes after the flight times were released!  I was not a happy camper, but at this point I am just happy I was able to get the non-stop flights I wanted.  I checked SW throughout the day and those same flights increased to $220, then $260 each way! And this morning those flights are sold out.  I searched for 1 and 2 persons instead of 4, and prices were the same. I never received the confirmation email and checked my account online and though I could see the trip listed, I couldn't access the details.  Last night I called SW and spoke to an agent who said their system is being changed in May and some people have received duplicate confirmation numbers.  It took her over 40 minutes to "fix" it and issue a new confirmation number for my trip.  I asked her about the price changing during check out and she said that sometimes happens even when she is booking flights.  While changing my trip info to the new confirmation number, she said she had noticed the huge price increases on these flights, but she was able to keep my prices the same as what I originally booked.  I asked her since it had taken so long to correct the situation, if SW could give me the original price of the flights, but she said she wasn't allowed to do that!  So if you don't receive your confirmation email from SW, or if you can't access your trip online, you need to call SW.


As I was reading your post, I was hoping by the end they would honor the original price if they saw the time you were trying to book the tickets. Thanks for the explanation of systems being changed I. May. That will help a lot of ppl here going through same thing like I did.


----------



## KSR0330

Southwest's non-stop flights are so disappointing!  Why have they cut them back so much?  We always flew out early and flew home late, both non-stop.  We've never taken connecting flights, but it seems like such a hassle!


----------



## DisDadDVC

TNKim said:


> I booked my October Nashville to Orlando non-stop flights yesterday morning. I was on SW website at 6:00 a.m. and dates had not been posted. I kept refreshing and still at 6:15, no dates. I checked back at 6:30 and there they were.  The flights I selected were $156 out of Nashville and $135 return, which I thought was decent. However, I was buying 4 tickets and by the time I typed in all the info and double checked it, when I clicked to complete the transaction, a message popped up that said the rates were no longer available! I thought once you select flights, those fares stay in your cart until the transaction is completed. So I went back and was still able to choose the same non-stop flights but the price had jumped to $195 each way! Our flights cost $400 more than the original flights I had in my cart 10 minutes after the flight times were released!  I was not a happy camper, but at this point I am just happy I was able to get the non-stop flights I wanted.  I checked SW throughout the day and those same flights increased to $220, then $260 each way! And this morning those flights are sold out.  I searched for 1 and 2 persons instead of 4, and prices were the same. I never received the confirmation email and checked my account online and though I could see the trip listed, I couldn't access the details.  Last night I called SW and spoke to an agent who said their system is being changed in May and some people have received duplicate confirmation numbers.  It took her over 40 minutes to "fix" it and issue a new confirmation number for my trip.  I asked her about the price changing during check out and she said that sometimes happens even when she is booking flights.  While changing my trip info to the new confirmation number, she said she had noticed the huge price increases on these flights, but she was able to keep my prices the same as what I originally booked.  I asked her since it had taken so long to correct the situation, if SW could give me the original price of the flights, but she said she wasn't allowed to do that!  So if you don't receive your confirmation email from SW, or if you can't access your trip online, you need to call SW.



It is very common for prices to rapidly change on the morning flights are released due to the low number of fares available in each "bucket".  When you put the 4 tickets in your cart, you may have selected the only 4 fares available at that price.  Since many people are aware when SW releases new flights, many others were probably looking at that same flight.  If someone booked ONE ticket, then you can't book your 4.  You MAY have been able to go back and book 3 at the original price and 1 at the higher price.  When you buy tickets together, they are ALL priced at the higher price, even if there are 3 tickets left at lower price.

I usually book my tickets one at a time on extension day.  I will load up 3 diff browsers logged into 3 different accounts (IE, Firefox, Chrome) and book them 1 at a time, but I try to do them all at the same time, switching back and forth between windows.  It's a bit of a pain, and not always needed, but it would help avoid your situation.


----------



## JJJDisneyBuckeyes

I was up at 6 am on Thursday when they released the next wave of flights. I had to keep refreshing until about 6:15 when they were finally available. I ended up paying $146 each way for myself, DW and DS from CMH to MCO nonstop. Then Thursday night the flight down was up to $166, and last night the flight back was also $166. It's crazy to think that in over a day, the total price was $120 more. I also agree that SW is cutting back on nonstops. This time there was only a 6 am and 2 pm down, and an 11:45 am and 6 pm back. Usually there is a third nonstop sometime. Good news is that we are heading to Disney as a family, and that's priceless!!


----------



## bethbuchall

I'm pretty much a rookie when it comes to flying, and I've never flown Southwest before.  I've tried reading through this thread, but I'm still confused.

We're planning to fly BUF to MCO in September.  Are prices likely to drop from what they are now or do they pretty much stay the same? How soon do they usually sell out? I'm not planning to fly again in the next year, so having a credit won't do me any good.  Right now, the non-stop flight I'm looking at going down is $252 and the return flight is $157.  Is that a typical/decent price that I might as well just go ahead and book?

Thanks for any help!  I know these are probably stupid questions, but I've tried reading several different things, and I'm more confused than ever.


----------



## macraven

the best i could get out of atlanta to mco was $245.87 for non stop flights.
last year for the same dates i paid $133


----------



## Bernie23

bethbuchall said:


> I'm pretty much a rookie when it comes to flying, and I've never flown Southwest before.  I've tried reading through this thread, but I'm still confused.
> 
> We're planning to fly BUF to MCO in September.  Are prices likely to drop from what they are now or do they pretty much stay the same? How soon do they usually sell out? I'm not planning to fly again in the next year, so having a credit won't do me any good.  Right now, the non-stop flight I'm looking at going down is $252 and the return flight is $157.  Is that a typical/decent price that I might as well just go ahead and book?
> 
> Thanks for any help!  I know these are probably stupid questions, but I've tried reading several different things, and I'm more confused than ever.



Your flight down is really high. But you might not do better on Southwest at this point. Have you looked at JetBlue? 

Even your return flight is high but it may be the best you can do at this point. I would look at some of the other airlines because even with baggage fees, you would probably do better


----------



## bethbuchall

Bernie23 said:


> Your flight down is really high. But you might not do better on Southwest at this point. Have you looked at JetBlue?
> 
> Even your return flight is high but it may be the best you can do at this point. I would look at some of the other airlines because even with baggage fees, you would probably do better



Thank you.  I've checked JetBlue, Delta, American, and United.  They are all about the same price right now when accounting for one bag for each of us. Jet Blue would save us about $54 for the two tickets. Southwest and Jet Blue are the only two that have non-stop service, though that isn't a deal breaker (but it would be nice). I'll keep checking.


----------



## PrincessArlena'sDad

There just isn't enough competition anymore. 

Look at how many airlines we lost in the last decade or so: 
Northwest
America West
Airtram
US Airways

And national airlines remaining 
Southwest
Jet blue 
American
United
Delta

That's almost half! And there are quite a few that left in the previous decade or two.

I think we are particularly being hurt now by the AA and US Airlines merger.


----------



## Cloudy

My Southwest flight for May has just dropped again.  CMH to MCO has dropped from $135 to $70 and now my return flight RSW to CMH has dropped from $144 to $109 which I found odd as it was all the way up to $250 just yesterday.  I now have $98 in credits x 4 that I am not sure what I am going to do with but I am still happy I booked when I did as I am traveling with an autistic child and am picky about my flights/times.


----------



## PrincessArlena'sDad

Ours went down also.  From $116 to $83.

However we got them for $83 on release day so no credit (yet) 

But seems many prices dropped today so everyone check!


----------



## bethbuchall

PrincessArlena'sDad said:


> Ours went down also.  From $116 to $83.
> 
> However we got them for $83 on release day so no credit (yet)
> 
> But seems many prices dropped today so everyone check!



Thanks!  I checked earlier today, and they were the same price.  I just checked again now, and they've dropped.  Is it too early to buy for September? Should I just bite the bullet?


----------



## prettypatchesmsu

bethbuchall said:


> Thanks!  I checked earlier today, and they were the same price.  I just checked again now, and they've dropped.  Is it too early to buy for September? Should I just bite the bullet?


We have already bought for September for our trip.  I bought on release day.  And ours have only gone higher.  If yours have dropped, I personally would consider it.

Last year, I also bought on release day for our Sept/Oct trip, and the flights were never cheaper than what we bought on that first day.  They only went up.  I think it depends on where you are flying out of.  For us, the cheapest is $151 each per flight, and incredibly the nonstop was the cheapest which was what we wanted anyways.  This price was cheaper than last years, so I had no hesitation on booking right away.  I would say, if it's a price you can live with, book it!

I wish we had an airport near us that flew southwest that offered some of the prices I see people booking on here!  I wish we could get ours so cheap, but I think it really depends on your airport.


----------



## bethbuchall

prettypatchesmsu said:


> We have already bought for September for our trip.  I bought on release day.  And ours have only gone higher.  If yours have dropped, I personally would consider it.
> 
> Last year, I also bought on release day for our Sept/Oct trip, and the flights were never cheaper than what we bought on that first day.  They only went up.  I think it depends on where you are flying out of.  For us, the cheapest is $151 each per flight, and incredibly the nonstop was the cheapest which was what we wanted anyways.  This price was cheaper than last years, so I had no hesitation on booking right away.  I would say, if it's a price you can live with, book it!
> 
> I wish we had an airport near us that flew southwest that offered some of the prices I see people booking on here!  I wish we could get ours so cheap, but I think it really depends on your airport.



Thanks.  It's done.  Now I remember why I like driving so much.   But at least it's only two tickets this time.


----------



## Cloudy

bethbuchall said:


> Thanks!  I checked earlier today, and they were the same price.  I just checked again now, and they've dropped.  Is it too early to buy for September? Should I just bite the bullet?


 


prettypatchesmsu said:


> We have already bought for September for our trip.  I bought on release day.  And ours have only gone higher.  If yours have dropped, I personally would consider it.
> 
> Last year, I also bought on release day for our Sept/Oct trip, and the flights were never cheaper than what we bought on that first day.  They only went up.  I think it depends on where you are flying out of.  For us, the cheapest is $151 each per flight, and incredibly the nonstop was the cheapest which was what we wanted anyways.  This price was cheaper than last years, so I had no hesitation on booking right away.  I would say, if it's a price you can live with, book it!
> 
> I wish we had an airport near us that flew southwest that offered some of the prices I see people booking on here!  I wish we could get ours so cheap, but I think it really depends on your airport.


 
I agree, If you have plans made in advance it is usually best to buy tickets early for the best price if it is a price you can live with.  It seems they mostly increase in prices.

My prices on flights seem on the lower side.  I think this is because I am flying on off days: Saturday and Tuesday.


----------



## tj4ua

Any idea when Dec and Jan will open ?


----------



## Poohs Pal

tj4ua said:


> Any idea when Dec and Jan will open ?[/QUOTE
> 
> I believe I saw May 18th


----------



## Elizakapeka

my flight prices for june have fluctuated between $69 and $377!  They keep going up and down like a yo-yo  I missed opening but prices just kept going up so I panicked and booked.  we are up to a $98 credit for each person in our party of 5.  Thats a ton of money wasted, not sure we will travel again within the next year.


----------



## PrincessArlena'sDad

Elizakapeka said:


> my flight prices for june have fluctuated between $69 and $377!  They keep going up and down like a yo-yo  I missed opening but prices just kept going up so I panicked and booked.  we are up to a $98 credit for each person in our party of 5.  Thats a ton of money wasted, not sure we will travel again within the next year.



I wonder if that is SW's new strategy.  Get people to pay inflated prices, and then lower prices to lock people into flying SW on their next price through these credits.


----------



## jenseib

PrincessArlena'sDad said:


> I wonder if that is SW's new strategy.  Get people to pay inflated prices, and then lower prices to lock people into flying SW on their next price through these credits.



It's never been at it's cheapest for me on opening day. I always wait it out


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

PrincessArlena'sDad said:


> I wonder if that is SW's new strategy.  Get people to pay inflated prices, and then lower prices to lock people into flying SW on their next price through these credits.





jenseib said:


> It's never been at it's cheapest for me on opening day. I always wait it out



The thing to remember is that there is no truly global strategy in play here.  The pricing patterns are dependent on the city pairings, time of year, holidays, events in those cities on those dates, booking volume after release, promotions (both announced and hidden), and a whole bunch of other factors.  People try to post anecdotal evidence as gospel and it's just not applicable to somebody with even one difference in those variables.  I'm very well versed in how Southwest prices flights to Orlando from Pittsburgh in Jan/Feb and Oct/Nov (see my signature) but that knowledge means nothing to somebody traveling from Chicago to Orlando in July.  Heck my knowledge probably means nothing to somebody traveling from Pittsburgh to Orlando in March (just the difference of one month).

That being said - In tracking hundreds of Southwest flights (and watching them daily from release to my travel date) I'd say they are typically cheapest about 6-8 weeks ahead of the flight.  This evidence is based on leisure and business travel over the last decade.  BUT based on my earlier statement...that comment MEANS NOTHING because if your situation is different than mine your outcome will also be entirely different, lol!


----------



## FBandA

Wish Southwest had more non stop flights from Philadelphia to Orlando. Not happy with their changes.


----------



## KSR0330

FBandA said:


> Wish Southwest had more non stop flights from Philadelphia to Orlando. Not happy with their changes.



I agree!  They went down to one nonstop flight in the middle of the afternoon both there and back!  We loved flying out first thing in the morning and coming home late in the evening.  It looks like those days may be over .


----------



## jimmiej

I'm really bummed flights from Austin are so high for early Nov.  $340/pp!  Hoping they'll come down a bit.  I have a $76 credit to use, but even with that, it's too high.  I think I paid under $200/pp last November.


----------



## catfan98

Probably a silly question, but I have only flown once and only had a carry-on, then.  We have Magical Express tags to put on our checked luggage.  I received an email about "self tagging" for our flight with SW.  So do we print another tag to put on our checked bags at the airport plus the ME tag?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

catfan98 said:


> Probably a silly question, but I have only flown once and only had a carry-on, then.  We have Magical Express tags to put on our checked luggage.  I received an email about "self tagging" for our flight with SW.  So do we print another tag to put on our checked bags at the airport plus the ME tag?


Yes - you will need the official airport tag to get the bag to MCO (Orlando airport) and the ME tag to send them on to your resort.


----------



## wishinon3stars

I have been checking the SW website almost daily  since I bought our tickets for our October trip on the day SW released them.  They have fluctuated up and down over $100 per ticket. It is crazy.  They have not gone down to the $133 per ticket I paid; the closest I have seen is $156. But right now they are $231 which they have been before for a day or so and then they go back down.  It just doesn't seem right


----------



## TNKim

wishinon3stars said:


> I have been checking the SW website almost daily  since I bought our tickets for our October trip on the day SW released them.  They have fluctuated up and down over $100 per ticket. It is crazy.  They have not gone down to the $133 per ticket I paid; the closest I have seen is $156. But right now they are $231 which they have been before for a day or so and then they go back down.  It just doesn't seem right



I've also been checking SW daily for our October trip and our flights have not gone down at all either.  In fact, they are listed as "Sold Out," which I understand is not the entire flight sold out, but just tickets at those prices.  It's crazy.  Still hoping prices will go down in June when SW has their "sale."


----------



## jenseib

TNKim said:


> I've also been checking SW daily for our October trip and our flights have not gone down at all either.  In fact, they are listed as "Sold Out," which I understand is not the entire flight sold out, but just tickets at those prices.  It's crazy.  Still hoping prices will go down in June when SW has their "sale."



Last year the Oct flights were crazy! I ended up changing my arrival day 1 day earlier for a price I could live with and then extended my stay for a price I could live with.  But I didn't get them bought till mid to late summer as they were high constantly and they when they went lower it was like for an hour and then went right back up.


----------



## wishinon3stars

. Wrong thread  oops


----------



## Cloudy

Is there a limit to how many times you can change your tickets?  My return flight has decreased again to $109 but when I try to change it online for a credit it says "flight cannot be changed online, please call Southwest".


----------



## PrincessArlena'sDad

Cloudy said:


> Is there a limit to how many times you can change your tickets?  My return flight has decreased again to $109 but when I try to change it online for a credit it says "flight cannot be changed online, please call Southwest".


Did you try calling?


----------



## Cloudy

PrincessArlena'sDad said:


> Did you try calling?



I hate calling.  I tried again today and everything went through fine.  Must have just been a computer glitch yesterday.  Either mine or theirs.


----------



## old feller

When will sw release for nov 4th on


----------



## KSR0330

old feller said:


> When will sw release for nov 4th on



According to their website: 

We are currently accepting air reservations through November 3, 2017. On May 18, 2017 we will open our schedule for sale through
January 7, 2018. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


----------



## msjprincess

Prices have dropped for many early September flights. We're flying home on Labor Day weekend. Originally all of the flights I checked flying into NY were $225 and up. I booked a flight into Reagan for $116 and was going to rent a car to drive to LI. Last night I checked prices and was able to switch to a flight into LGA for $117.


----------



## bethbuchall

msjprincess said:


> Prices have dropped for many early September flights. We're flying home on Labor Day weekend. Originally all of the flights I checked flying into NY were $225 and up. I booked a flight into Reagan for $116 and was going to rent a car to drive to LI. Last night I checked prices and was able to switch to a flight into LGA for $117.



Our flights from Buffalo really dropped, too. We were able to use a credit from the return flight dropping to get an earlier flight to MCO. Then the next day that dropped drastically, so I guess we'll have a credit (that we may never use).


----------



## disneyfanatic60

We are trying to plan a trip third week in August and the flight prices have still been very high.  More so, I hate that they have reduced the number of nonstop flights from Buffalo.  They changed their flight schedule to put layovers in Baltimore and Chicago some of which have 2 stops.  Sadly, I think gone are the days of a cheap early morning nonstop flight and the same late nonstop flights home.  Those flights made a short trip worth taking.  Not so much now.


----------



## KSR0330

disneyfanatic60 said:


> We are trying to plan a trip third week in August and the flight prices have still been very high. More so, I hate that they have reduced the number of nonstop flights from Buffalo. They changed their flight schedule to put layovers in Baltimore and Chicago some of which have 2 stops. Sadly, I think gone are the days of a cheap early morning nonstop flight and the same late nonstop flights home. Those flights made a short trip worth taking. Not so much now.



I totally agree.  I recently e-mailed them and complained about it.  I know others have, too.  Maybe if enough people complain (and mention looking at other airlines with more convenient schedules) they will bring back some non-stop flights.


----------



## richmo

KSR0330 said:


> I totally agree.  I recently e-mailed them and complained about it.  I know others have, too.  Maybe if enough people complain (and mention looking at other airlines with more convenient schedules) they will bring back some non-stop flights.



They'll send you a polite response, but Southwest has been adding several locations, many of them international (Caribbean, Mexico, etc.), without a big bump in the number of jets and personnel to cover those locations.  As a result, there's been a noticeable drop in direct service to non-hub cities across the board.  In my case, a weekday evening flight that was popular from PHL to MCO is gone.  I expect the smaller markets will get an even bigger hit, instead flying mostly to Southwest hubs like BWI.


----------



## SalandJeff

When SW opens their schedule for next set of dates, when do they show online?  Is it a certain time, first thing in the morning (i.e., 8:00 am EST), randomly on that date???  Thanks for any help.


----------



## JJJDisneyBuckeyes

When I booked our flights on the last release date, March 16, I was up at 6 am. I had to keep refreshing and around 6:15 they were released. I guess it probably depends on how long it takes for everything to get uploaded.


----------



## chell

We fly home 11/4 & are torn between waiting for SW to open or just booking Allegiant now. 

If we wait for SW & they have a price drop what do you do to get a credit of the difference?


----------



## richmo

chell said:


> We fly home 11/4 & are torn between waiting for SW to open or just booking Allegiant now.
> 
> If we wait for SW & they have a price drop what do you do to get a credit of the difference?



Personally, I'd wait for Southwest, since you get the flexibility and much less potential for change and all those Allegiant fees, but that's just my opinion.

If SW has a price drop, you just do a 'Modify flight' and pick the same flight.  The price difference will be credited to you by your confirmation number.  Those travel funds would then be available for the same person(s) for flights taking place up to a year from your original booking (not the flight date).  Travel funds are not transferable.


----------



## QueenGsMama

The flights prices keep going up and down for Labor Day week. I had already booked our flights with a connection flight down and a nonstop return, but when I went to book my parents' flights, the nonstop down had dropped, so we used points to get on the nonstop, but in the course of finalizing the change, the price on the nonstop shot up! The SW agent was very gracious to not impose the jump on us, which would have resulted into having to buy points to get on the nonstop with my parents. Phew!


----------



## JadeDarkstar

I am trying to wait but SW needs to open up Nov and Dec now... I can't wait a month. 
Lol naw for real. I've been stalking the site for months now. Also, wish they would have a few earlier flights than what I see on other days. I'd be ok leaving here early and getting to wdw resort and hour or two early.


----------



## richmo

JadeDarkstar said:


> I am trying to wait but SW needs to open up Nov and Dec now... I can't wait a month.
> Lol naw for real. I've been stalking the site for months now. Also, wish they would have a few earlier flights than what I see on other days. I'd be ok leaving here early and getting to wdw resort and hour or two early.



Yeah, its hard to wait.  Personally, I would hang on until you can book on May 18, unless you see some other fare that you just can't pass up.  It is a little frustrating sometimes waiting for Southwest to open booking, but you get the benefit of a stable schedule and the ability to change, rebook and cancel as you wish.


----------



## goofy4tink

richmo said:


> Yeah, its hard to wait.  Personally, I would hang on until you can book on May 18, unless you see some other fare that you just can't pass up.  It is a little frustrating sometimes waiting for Southwest to open booking, but you get the benefit of a stable schedule and the ability to change, rebook and cancel as you wish.


Have to agree. I fly Jetblue a lot. But, for my June trip to WDW, I booked with SW..got better flight times and fares. I'm so glad I did!!! I've been able to change the flights twice since booking!!!!


----------



## Lisa75

Good afternoon.  I just changed my flights for early May from PHL (preferred airport) to BWI (not my favorite) and saved $228 on Southwest!  The travel funds are from two different confirmation numbers as I had booked down separately from the return originally.

When the schedule open up for Thanksgiving dates and I book our flights can I apply the travel fund from the two different confirmation numbers to the November tickets in one transaction?

Thank you!

ETA same passengers both flights thanks. 

Lisa


----------



## Disneytam

I'm sure if I look hard enough I will find the answer to my question but I'm hoping you can help out a busy person. I'm booking flights for a family member using my points and they have an infant that will be just a year old. They don't want to book her a seat saying she will sit in their laps but is there anything I have to do when I book them to let the airline know they will be flying with a baby? Kind of like when booking a restaurant at Disney under three doesn't have to pay for the meal but you have to tell them they will be at the table. Also will she need any ID at the airport? Can you tell it's been a long time since I have had little ones flying with me. TIA.


----------



## jenseib

https://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/family/baby-on-board-pol.html


----------



## Disneytam

jenseib said:


> https://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/family/baby-on-board-pol.html


Thank you! Just what I was looking for.


----------



## moreisgood

I have always gate checked my stroller with SW.  Although my kids are getting older, it's a life saver in trying to get to the gate, and for use at WDW.  Especially for bringing groceries into the hotel!  I noticed on the last couple of trips that they checked to see that I had a ticketed child on the flight.  At what age will they stop allowing a gate checked stroller?


----------



## PrincessArlena'sDad

moreisgood said:


> I have always gate checked my stroller with SW.  Although my kids are getting older, it's a life saver in trying to get to the gate, and for use at WDW.  Especially for bringing groceries into the hotel!  I noticed on the last couple of trips that they checked to see that I had a ticketed child on the flight.  At what age will they stop allowing a gate checked stroller?



I would be EXTREMELY surprised if there was any type of age limit on strollers.  Children can have medical reasons for needing a stroller at all ages, and it would be illegal for them to even ask about any type of disability and need of the stroller. 

The policy could be that they want to make sure the person for whom the stroller is used is a passenger on the plane.


----------



## moreisgood

PrincessArlena'sDad said:


> I would be EXTREMELY surprised if there was any type of age limit on strollers.  Children can have medical reasons for needing a stroller at all ages, and it would be illegal for them to even ask about any type of disability and need of the stroller.
> 
> The policy could be that they want to make sure the person for whom the stroller is used is a passenger on the plane.



Good point.  When we adopted our child, we gate checked all kinds of baby gear - without having a baby with us.  But, that was in the "olden days"  - 8 years ago!


----------



## traveljunkie

Lisa75 said:


> Good afternoon.  I just changed my flights for early May from PHL (preferred airport) to BWI (not my favorite) and saved $228 on Southwest!  The travel funds are from two different confirmation numbers as I had booked down separately from the return originally.
> 
> When the schedule open up for Thanksgiving dates and I book our flights can I apply the travel fund from the two different confirmation numbers to the November tickets in one transaction?
> 
> Thank you!
> 
> ETA same passengers both flights thanks.
> 
> Lisa



You can use 2 confirmation numbers for Travel Funds & 1 gift card or credit card.  I had a frustrating experience last week.  I booked my Florida trip awhile ago and I booked as two separate transactions because we are flying into one city and out of another.   I've gotten 3 credits between the two flights. Two credits were for the same confirmation number.  I went to purchase tickets for the same ppl to California and I was trying to use my credits.  It wouldn't allow me to do this even though it was technically 2 travel fund confirmation numbers, it split it into 3 separate travel fund entries.  I had to split up my travel funds using 2 on one leg and 1 on the other.  I ended up paying out of pocket and still have a small credit left to use on something else because even their customer service lady on the phone took 30 minutes trying to get it to work.  I love adjusting and getting credits but I was really frustrated after that!  I learn something new every time.


----------



## BraveLittleToaster2

Ugghh! Why are the prices for flights in August so high? Last year we paid much less. Now the cheapest nonstop flight is like $178. 

Will they get cheaper or only more expensive at this point?


----------



## PrincessArlena'sDad

BraveLittleToaster2 said:


> Ugghh! Why are the prices for flights in August so high? Last year we paid much less. Now the cheapest nonstop flight is like $178.
> 
> Will they get cheaper or only more expensive at this point?


Who knows.  Prices for our Aug flights have never been less than they were on release day.  However, today they went down to their lowest price since a few days after release day.  Whether they will keep going down or pop back up is completely unknown.


----------



## disneyfanatic60

I think we may end up booking a later non-stop flight than we want because it's $50 cheaper.   Prices have been so high this August compared to last year.  I always pay for early bird check in.  I am hoping the earlier flight we really want drops price and I can cancel and rebook the earlier flight.  My question is, can I transfer the early bird check in or do I have to purchase another one if I do end of up getting the earlier flight down the road.


----------



## traveljunkie

You will lose your early bird if you change flights


----------



## moreisgood

disneyfanatic60 said:


> I think we may end up booking a later non-stop flight than we want because it's $50 cheaper.   Prices have been so high this August compared to last year.  I always pay for early bird check in.  I am hoping the earlier flight we really want drops price and I can cancel and rebook the earlier flight.  My question is, can I transfer the early bird check in or do I have to purchase another one if I do end of up getting the earlier flight down the road.


Up until yesterday, I thought you would lose the Early Bird fee you have already paid.  But, then just yesterday I saw something on the SW Forum.  It said that as long as you make the change a minimum of 36 hours before the earlier flight, the Early Bird will transfer to the new flight.  I told a friend who had a flight in June, and she called today to change the flight, and indeed, her Early Bird did transfer.  If you totally cancel a flight, you would lose the Early Bird fees.


----------



## Meeko5

Is there a place/way to see historical flights/past year info? I know they were reducing the number of nonstops from my closest airports but I don't see any at all now  wondering if they add them seasonally or if they are gone for good...

Trying to plan ahead for our December trip!


----------



## jenseib

traveljunkie said:


> You will lose your early bird if you change flights



That's not true at all. I change flights all the time (for price and times) and the early bird always transfers with the flight.


----------



## traveljunkie

traveljunkie said:


> You will lose your early bird if you change flights





moreisgood said:


> Up until yesterday, I thought you would lose the Early Bird fee you have already paid.  But, then just yesterday I saw something on the SW Forum.  It said that as long as you make the change a minimum of 36 hours before the earlier flight, the Early Bird will transfer to the new flight.  I told a friend who had a flight in June, and she called today to change the flight, and indeed, her Early Bird did transfer.  If you totally cancel a flight, you would lose the Early Bird fees.





jenseib said:


> That's not true at all. I change flights all the time (for price and times) and the early bird always transfers with the flight.



I apologize for the misinformation!  I usually don't chime in but I thought for sure I knew this answer!!  I don't typically purchase early bird but one of the couple times I did, I had to call to make a change because it wasn't working online--the customer service person told me it wouldn't transfer (and it didn't) this was many, many years ago and I assumed it was the case.  Glad to hear it WILL transfer--it may change my mind about purchasing EB (I frequently change my flight times or rates).  Thanks for posting the correct answer!


----------



## moreisgood

traveljunkie said:


> I apologize for the misinformation!  I usually don't chime in but I thought for sure I knew this answer!!  I don't typically purchase early bird but one of the couple times I did, I had to call to make a change because it wasn't working online--the customer service person told me it wouldn't transfer (and it didn't) this was many, many years ago and I assumed it was the case.  Glad to hear it WILL transfer--it may change my mind about purchasing EB (I frequently change my flight times or rates).  Thanks for posting the correct answer!



Thanks for summing that up!  I think that SW changed their policy (I have no idea of when) because I was also told no on the phone years ago.  Good news for those of us who change things around!

Also, I bought EB for a flight returning after Easter - a busy time.  I didn't add the EB till about a month before the flight.  So, when I got a boarding position of B12 (yes, B!) I thought I had made a horrible mistake by waiting too long.  And there were a gazillion families with young kids boarding before us.  I was happily surprised that we were able to choose seats (2 in one row, and 2 in the next row), and we were still over the wing of the plane, toward the back of the plane.  On the flight down to Orlando, we had A25 boarding position, and sat over the wing, towards the back.  So, our seats weren't all that different, although our boarding positions sure were!


----------



## Alice Sr.

BraveLittleToaster2 said:


> Ugghh! Why are the prices for flights in August so high? Last year we paid much less. Now the cheapest nonstop flight is like $178.
> 
> Will they get cheaper or only more expensive at this point?





PrincessArlena'sDad said:


> Who knows.  Prices for our Aug flights have never been less than they were on release day.  However, today they went down to their lowest price since a few days after release day.  Whether they will keep going down or pop back up is completely unknown.



I have been following the prices because I am trying to get some insight for our Dec trip and I thought the same thing, wow flights seem really high right now. I have never been one to purchase tickets the day the window opens so am not aware of the pricing pattern.  It sounds like from @PrincessArlena'sDad 's comments that my best bet is to purchase the day they open on 5/18.  Does the initial sale price last more than one day? or is it usually just the day they open? I will have points that I want to use, but my cc closes on 5/18 meaning the points will not become available for use for 2-4 days later.  If it were just 1 or 2 tickets I would be more casual about it, but I need 5 so the difference could really add up.  I have enough for one way now and it seems that SW does not charge extra or increase the seat cost if you only purchase 1-way vs r/t like most other airlines that I have checked.  If that is true that may help offset an increase after opening day.


----------



## moreisgood

Alice Sr. said:


> I have been following the prices because I am trying to get some insight for our Dec trip and I thought the same thing, wow flights seem really high right now. I have never been one to purchase tickets the day the window opens so am not aware of the pricing pattern.  It sounds like from @PrincessArlena'sDad 's comments that my best bet is to purchase the day they open on 5/18.  Does the initial sale price last more than one day? or is it usually just the day they open? I will have points that I want to use, but my cc closes on 5/18 meaning the points will not become available for use for 2-4 days later.  If it were just 1 or 2 tickets I would be more casual about it, but I need 5 so the difference could really add up.  I have enough for one way now and it seems that SW does not charge extra or increase the seat cost if you only purchase 1-way vs r/t like most other airlines that I have checked.  If that is true that may help offset an increase after opening day.



Southwest prices can change more than once per day. I have bought tickets on opening morning, and changed them to a lower points amount twice more that same day.  But, that doesn't mean they won't be lower in two months.  That's the beauty of booking with points.  You just get the points back, and don't need to worry about their expiration date.

If you don't have enough points for round trip, you might want to purchase one way tickets with the available points, and then purchase the return trip once you get the points.  And take a screen shot so you remember exactly what you paid for the tickets.  It's helpful later when looking to see if the prices have dropped.  I now purchase every ticket individually, as one way tickets, and one reservation per person.  More reservation numbers to remember, but a better chance of getting the best price when changes flights.


----------



## PrincessArlena'sDad

Alice Sr. said:


> I have been following the prices because I am trying to get some insight for our Dec trip and I thought the same thing, wow flights seem really high right now. I have never been one to purchase tickets the day the window opens so am not aware of the pricing pattern.  It sounds like from @PrincessArlena'sDad 's comments that my best bet is to purchase the day they open on 5/18.  Does the initial sale price last more than one day? or is it usually just the day they open? I will have points that I want to use, but my cc closes on 5/18 meaning the points will not become available for use for 2-4 days later.  If it were just 1 or 2 tickets I would be more casual about it, but I need 5 so the difference could really add up.  I have enough for one way now and it seems that SW does not charge extra or increase the seat cost if you only purchase 1-way vs r/t like most other airlines that I have checked.  If that is true that may help offset an increase after opening day.


I bought the hour they were released.  By lunch time the price increased and has not cone down to opening price since.


----------



## Alice Sr.

Thank you @moreisgood and @PrincessArlena'sDad very helpful information!


----------



## MISSYLEXI

I am going in August this year.  In the first half hour of the tickets going on sale,  I was in the process of purchasing them, (5 tickets round trip), the price changed on the flight down.  So I had to go back in and start over again.  So the price can change in the first 5 minutes of them going on sale. 

I do check back to see if the prices have changed, and they have, sometimes the same and some times higher, but I haven't seen them cheaper than what I paid for them.


----------



## richmo

MISSYLEXI said:


> I am going in August this year.  In the first half hour of the tickets going on sale,  I was in the process of purchasing them, (5 tickets round trip), the price changed on the flight down.  So I had to go back in and start over again.  So the price can change in the first 5 minutes of them going on sale.
> 
> I do check back to see if the prices have changed, and they have, sometimes the same and some times higher, but I haven't seen them cheaper than what I paid for them.



Yes, that can happen, but probably not too often.  What I've seen happen is that airlines that compete on the same route often magically lower their prices when Southwest releases their new schedule.  Southwest may then react to that and adjust their fare.  This mini price war can happen in the first couple hours after Southwest has their release, so its not a bad idea to check back after you purchase.


----------



## SalandJeff

Does anyone know if SW historically keeps the same flight schedules on holidays?  For example, if we fly on Christmas Day, which is a Monday, will the SW schedule for Christmas be the usual Monday flights. TU.


----------



## DontRushMe

In an effort to get ready for The next release dates, is there a way I can preload my LUV vouchers as payment like I do for a credit card? Or do I have to enter them as I purchase and risk my prices going up as I enter?


----------



## ToddlerMom311

Anyone know what time Southwest will post the new flights on Thursday?  Is it midnight or sometime in the actual morning like 6 or 7?


----------



## dvc at last !

Would like to know this also.


----------



## Tall Todd

ToddlerMom311 said:


> Anyone know what time Southwest will post the new flights on Thursday?  Is it midnight or sometime in the actual morning like 6 or 7?



It's usually in the morning, Eastern time, anywhere from 6-8.


----------



## Tall Todd

Southwest just started a fare sale for October and the first few days of November.  Our ticket went down about $13. Hoping it goes down further, every little bit helps.

Good luck to everyone booking tomorrow when the new calendar opens.


----------



## blbrodger1

Does anyone know when flights for December will be released? Thanks for any information.


----------



## ToddlerMom311

blbrodger1 said:


> Does anyone know when flights for December will be released? Thanks for any information.



Tomorrow morning


----------



## ToddlerMom311

What is the best way to monitor the prices?  Just booked my trip and I know Southwest will credit back to me if the prices go down.


----------



## OhanaMomma

Just booked my flight for November!! Starting to feel real!! Yay!

Found this article with links to different airline ticket price trackers....
http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2016...t-could-save-you-money-on-your-next-trip.html


----------



## OhanaMomma

ToddlerMom311 said:


> What is the best way to monitor the prices?  Just booked my trip and I know Southwest will credit back to me if the prices go down.



Just read this on an airline search site:

"Southwest prefers to distribute its prices through direct sales channels and rarely authorizes an outside entity to interface with its Web site for automated price checking. However, you can monitor their prices by visiting southwest.com. If the price drops below what you paid, you may be able to obtain a refund by calling Southwest customer service at 1-800-435-9792."


----------



## ToddlerMom311

OhanaMomma said:


> Just read this on an airline search site:
> 
> "Southwest prefers to distribute its prices through direct sales channels and rarely authorizes an outside entity to interface with its Web site for automated price checking. However, you can monitor their prices by visiting southwest.com. If the price drops below what you paid, you may be able to obtain a refund by calling Southwest customer service at 1-800-435-9792."



OK thanks. Looks like I'll be obsessively stalking their website for the next few months


----------



## VeronicaZS

Do I need early check in to ensure seats together on flights to Orlando on SW? We are a family of 5, (Me, DH, DS8, DS6, DS6) and it seems like doing family boarding between the A & B groups would ensure we get 3 and 2 seats together but when flying to Orlando I assume most of the passengers are families. Can I be reasonably assured to get seats together with family boarding or do I need to pay the $15 early boarding?

Never flown SW and the flights that were released today are significantly cheaper ($294 Wash DC - MCO) than the ones I have been tracking for 5 months plus no baggage fee! The seating is my only concern at this point. Any insight would be appreciated!


----------



## JadeDarkstar

they are sold out for my nov date so now I think we have to fly in one airline (american) and then back on southwest.


----------



## PrincessArlena'sDad

VeronicaZS said:


> Do I need early check in to ensure seats together on flights to Orlando on SW? We are a family of 5, (Me, DH, DS8, DS6, DS6) and it seems like doing family boarding between the A & B groups would ensure we get 3 and 2 seats together but when flying to Orlando I assume most of the passengers are families. Can I be reasonably assured to get seats together with family boarding or do I need to pay the $15 early boarding?
> 
> Never flown SW and the flights that were released today are significantly cheaper ($294 Wash DC - MCO) than the ones I have been tracking for 5 months plus no baggage fee! The seating is my only concern at this point. Any insight would be appreciated!


It would be rare for family boarding to result in not getting a row to yourselves.  That's whey they have it.  If family boarding didn't result in sitting with your  kids, they wouldn't bother doing it.


----------



## amandaleigh2

Does anyone know when the next batch of flights will be released?  We're going at the end of January...


----------



## KSR0330

https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/index.html?clk=GFOOTER-FLY-FLTSCHEDULES

We are currently accepting air reservations through January 7, 2018. On June 22, 2017 we will open our schedule for sale through
March 7, 2018. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


----------



## KSR0330

I can't believe how much flights have gone up since this morning!  I got nonstop for about $230 each, and now those tickets are up to just over $300!


----------



## 5DisneyNuts

We have been going around Thanksgiving for the past few years and I learned to book when the schedule opens.  I had to break my party into 4 different confirmations to get the best prices.  Last year my flight there went down $29 I think but that was it.  WGA runs out within hours and over the course of 4 hours today my flight from NY to MCO went up over $300 each.

Flights this year were way up and schedules not as good.


----------



## traveljunkie

I have 3 people traveling --all on one itinerary (each flight direction on different itinerary).  Never had to do this on one itinerary ......Can this be done: change flights so 2 people fly a different day going to Orlando?  I have a feeling I would have to rebook all three people?


----------



## palhockeymomof2

Prices dropped for me today on flights in September, October & December   from ISP to MCO, got over 10,000 points BAck in my  RR account


----------



## mymankeith

When you purchase a ticket on Southwest, when do the points show up in your account?  Is it when you buy the ticket, or after you have flown? Thanks for any info.


----------



## mfly

mymankeith said:


> When you purchase a ticket on Southwest, when do the points show up in your account?  Is it when you buy the ticket, or after you have flown? Thanks for any info.


After you've flown.


----------



## mymankeith

mfly said:


> After you've flown.



Thank you


----------



## hsmamato2

SWA questions.... maybe this has to do with updating the systems recently? I booked travel with points in Feb- for a May date. I got the email stating they used that number of points 'redeemed'. Now I'm finally taking a look at my acct page, and I see the points were 'redeemed' the day after I traveled,months later. What is happening- I don't see any points activity on my page from the date I 'redeemed' them,in Feb anymore(and I didn't check back then)  any info?
....Also- this one- I usually in the past used to book us all separately with different conf. #'s so that I could change a fare easily. Now my most recent booking, I booked me and DH,and got just one conf.# for us both. I added a companion also. When our fare dropped a little I went to try and change dh fare since mine had the companion attached. Nope- now both have the cp attached. Is this new? So I dropped the cp off mine,went back in,and tried to do a change. I knew already that just one fare could go lower. But system wouldn't allow me to change just one anymore,now it just showed two fares together,and couldn't get the drop. IS this the new setup now? If so,I need to book more carefully next time.


----------



## disneymagicgirl

hsmamato2 said:


> SWA questions.... maybe this has to do with updating the systems recently? I booked travel with points in Feb- for a May date. I got the email stating they used that number of points 'redeemed'. Now I'm finally taking a look at my acct page, and I see the points were 'redeemed' the day after I traveled,months later. What is happening- I don't see any points activity on my page from the date I 'redeemed' them,in Feb anymore(and I didn't check back then)  any info?
> ....Also- this one- I usually in the past used to book us all separately with different conf. #'s so that I could change a fare easily. Now my most recent booking, I booked me and DH,and got just one conf.# for us both. I added a companion also. When our fare dropped a little I went to try and change dh fare since mine had the companion attached. Nope- now both have the cp attached. Is this new? So I dropped the cp off mine,went back in,and tried to do a change. I knew already that just one fare could go lower. But system wouldn't allow me to change just one anymore,now it just showed two fares together,and couldn't get the drop. IS this the new setup now? If so,I need to book more carefully next time.



Oh no! That's not good! I noticed it generating just one conf # now but hadn't tried editing any flights yet.


----------



## jenseib

hsmamato2 said:


> I usually in the past used to book us all separately with different conf. #'s so that I could change a fare easily. Now my most recent booking, I booked me and DH,and got just one conf.# for us both.



If you book both at the same time on one account, then yes you will only get 1 confirmation. As far as I know it's always been that way...at least for 5 or 6 years that I have been flying SW.


----------



## disneymagicgirl

jenseib said:


> If you book both at the same time on one account, then yes you will only get 1 confirmation. As far as I know it's always been that way...at least for 5 or 6 years that I have been flying SW.


with points we always got separate conf #. I am not just booking each person separately so I still get diff conf numbers so I can easily get a refund for one seat if that is all that is avail at a lower price, etc.


----------



## disneymagicgirl

If I book 2 diff legs to get to my destination for less than SW wants for the same route, can they somehow link my 2 legs together so we don't have to get our bags, recheck them for the 2nd leg, and go back through security again? Hoping they could somehow transfer them for me to the second flight. If not, we could just try and do carry-ons I guess.


----------



## jenseib

disneymagicgirl said:


> If I book 2 diff legs to get to my destination for less than SW wants for the same route, can they somehow link my 2 legs together so we don't have to get our bags, recheck them for the 2nd leg, and go back through security again? Hoping they could somehow transfer them for me to the second flight. If not, we could just try and do carry-ons I guess.



Try by going in and booking a one way to the first destination and then when the page loads hit the button add a flight and put it for that same date.(under return date). I have done it that way and gotten cheaper flights and also the layover airport I wanted.



disneymagicgirl said:


> with points we always got separate conf #. I am not just booking each person separately so I still get diff conf numbers so I can easily get a refund for one seat if that is all that is avail at a lower price, etc.



Thats odd. You use one persons points for all? I book about half my travel with my daughter on points, usually from my account and we always get one conf. #


----------



## disneymagicgirl

jenseib said:


> Try by going in and booking a one way to the first destination and then when the page loads hit the button add a flight and put it for that same date.(under return date). I have done it that way and gotten cheaper flights and also the layover airport I wanted.
> 
> 
> 
> Thats odd. You use one persons points for all? I book about half my travel with my daughter on points, usually from my account and we always get one conf. #



I will try that, thank you!

Yes, using one person's points to book, mine, it always generated a diff conf number for each person. Was a pain to keep up with and check people in but was easy to get refund if just one seat avail with a point drop. Probably in the last 6-9 mths it has given me a single conf # for everyone.


----------



## hsmamato2

well then I guess it must be recent.... I will book separately next time. I prefer it that way.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

For those of you interested - the EXACT time of the release of the schedule extension this morning was 8:11 am Eastern Time.


----------



## barb969

Just got a great price BWI - MCO  in January 3335going 4402 returning. You have to play with the days of the week to get the best price.l


----------



## Lvsdisney

I am researching for next April but I was looking at the March flights today and SW only offers 3 NS flights from PHL.  All 3 are times that I am not interested (too early or too late).  What are the chances of them change their times for the next release? And why so few NS from PHL anymore?  I feel like I had 5 or more to choose from prior years.

ETA:  Has anyone experienced SW changing flight times closer to actual flight date?  I know other airlines (AA for example) will start with an initial time and then change it closer to take off.  Does SW do that too or are they good about staying with the initially advertised time?


----------



## jenseib

Lvsdisney said:


> Has anyone experienced SW changing flight times closer to actual flight date? I know other airlines (AA for example) will start with an initial time and then change it closer to take off. Does SW do that too or are they good about staying with the initially advertised time?



no I have never had them change a flight time, but I have been delayed


----------



## Lvsdisney

jenseib said:


> no I have never had them change a flight time, but I have been delayed



Thanks!  Delays are inevitable. But I'm glad to hear they try to stick with the initially released flight time.  I flew AA this April and my time changed so drastically I arrived at my destination before my initial flight was supposed to take off!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Lvsdisney said:


> ETA:  Has anyone experienced SW changing flight times closer to actual flight date?  I know other airlines (AA for example) will start with an initial time and then change it closer to take off.  Does SW do that too or are they good about staying with the initially advertised time?



I've experienced minimal changes with Southwest schedules after they are released.  Probably 3 or 4 times changed (and one time cancelled) over the course of hundreds of flights.  Changes were never more than an hour.

EDIT: Just for clarity I mean *announced changes and cancellations days or weeks ahead of the flight*, not same day delays which obviously are much more frequent


----------



## jenseib

Lvsdisney said:


> Thanks!  Delays are inevitable. But I'm glad to hear they try to stick with the initially released flight time.  I flew AA this April and my time changed so drastically I arrived at my destination before my initial flight was supposed to take off!



Delta is famous for changing theirs about 100 times. LOL. It's annoying because for some they pick a flight because of the departure or landing time and it is important to stick to that.


----------



## richmo

Lvsdisney said:


> I am researching for next April but I was looking at the March flights today and SW only offers 3 NS flights from PHL.  All 3 are times that I am not interested (too early or too late).  What are the chances of them change their times for the next release? And why so few NS from PHL anymore?  I feel like I had 5 or more to choose from prior years.
> 
> ETA:  Has anyone experienced SW changing flight times closer to actual flight date?  I know other airlines (AA for example) will start with an initial time and then change it closer to take off.  Does SW do that too or are they good about staying with the initially advertised time?



I've noticed the same thing with a gradual reduction of Southwest flights between PHL and MCO.  Its really hard to predict what will be available for the next release as they adjust their schedules seasonally. I've seen the number of direct PHL-MCO flights go down to 2 or 3 a day, which is unfortunate since the planes were usually pretty full, so I doubt its lack of interest.  My guess is that Southwest has been adding new cities pretty aggressively lately, including international locations without a corresponding increase in the size of their fleet, at least not yet.  As a result, the number of flights in other places has to go down.  Although Southwest has a large presence in both Philadelphia and Orlando, neither is a Southwest hub city, so that direct route is an easy one for cuts.  (If you want to see a lot more direct flight choice, take a look at an Orlando flight list from a hub city (Baltimore - BWI)).

One thing Southwest is very good about is sticking to their original posted flight times.  Since they post their future flights later than most, their plans can be pretty firm.  I can't remember Southwest ever changing their planned departure times after I've booked...


----------



## Shrfleen

My aunt booked her flight last week for our trip in November and as I was checking for our return flight, I noticed that her flight time had changed from leaving at 2:20pm to leaving at 3:30pm. She has not received an email letting her know the departure time has changed but it has changed because the flight number matches her previous departure time. Is this normal? Should she have received an email? 

Now we definitely won't be making our 6:20pm dinner reservation lol


----------



## disneydarling07

I booked our flight already and just noticed the prices dropped by $200.  How do I go about getting some money back?  Do I call them or do I have to cancel / rebook the flight at the new prices?  

TIA!


----------



## mom2rtk

disneydarling07 said:


> I booked our flight already and just noticed the prices dropped by $200.  How do I go about getting some money back?  Do I call them or do I have to cancel / rebook the flight at the new prices?
> 
> TIA!


You don't get money back. But you can get a credit that is good for travel completed by 1 year from the date you originally booked. Or you can get points back if that's what you used to book.

Just go into your existing reservation and work through the "change" function.


----------



## old feller

Hi all...going to wdw in dec  out of bwi.. would love a code if anyone can spare...thanks


----------



## goofy4tink

old feller said:


> Hi all...going to wdw in dec  out of bwi.. would love a code if anyone can spare...thanks


To be honest, I haven't seen a SW code in a long time!! I could be wrong, and someone please correct me, but I'm not at all sure they're a 'thing' anymore.


----------



## richmo

goofy4tink said:


> To be honest, I haven't seen a SW code in a long time!! I could be wrong, and someone please correct me, but I'm not at all sure they're a 'thing' anymore.



Totally agree. Southwest public codes are pretty much non-existent. All I've seen lately are unused travel funds that are no longer transferable and LUV vouchers, which are. The LUV vouchers are given out, for example, when a Southwest flight is delayed for a reason that is under Southwest's control (like mechanical issues, crew rest issues, but NOT weather delays/cancellations or general airport issues).  Those vouchers are codes that can be transferred, but you'd have to find someone willing to give them or sell them to you (which may or may not be allowed).

Last time I recall a public Southwest code was several years ago...I think they had some kind of promo for a short time during the summer.  Wouldn't be surprised if it was 5 years ago or so, and I don't recall one since.


----------



## macraven

_3rd on a match for my reply........

codes seem to be long gone...._


----------



## goofy4tink

I think I may just change the title of this thread....way too confusing.


----------



## old feller

We missed opening day for Southwest flights we are going December 7th Thru the 16th I wonder if anyone would know about when the prices would drop again or when is it typically best to buy tickets late like 2 months out


----------



## PrincessArlena'sDad

old feller said:


> We missed opening day for Southwest flights we are going December 7th Thru the 16th I wonder if anyone would know about when the prices would drop again or when is it typically best to buy tickets late like 2 months out


Ticket prices will go up and down randomly.  Just keep checking, and not necessarily the same time each day either.  I've seen the lowest price for our flight first thing in the morning, and also mid afternoon. 

There really is no way to predict when the price will drop, and if it does, for how long it will stay down.

I've been watching our flight regularly for price drops.  Haven't gotten anything lower than what we paid, but I've seen up go up and down like a yo-yo.


----------



## eeyoreland

We're not going to Disney over Christmas, but we are going to the Orlando area to visit family. Currently most of the "wanna get away" fares on SW are listed as Sold Out. The planes obviously aren't full because there are seats available at the higher prices. Does anyone with any experience know if it's likely they'll open more seats at the wanna get away fares? Sure hoping we won't spend $500 one way to get there.


----------



## jenseib

eeyoreland said:


> We're not going to Disney over Christmas, but we are going to the Orlando area to visit family. Currently most of the "wanna get away" fares on SW are listed as Sold Out. The planes obviously aren't full because there are seats available at the higher prices. Does anyone with any experience know if it's likely they'll open more seats at the wanna get away fares? Sure hoping we won't spend $500 one way to get there.



Not usually


----------



## mom2rtk

eeyoreland said:


> We're not going to Disney over Christmas, but we are going to the Orlando area to visit family. Currently most of the "wanna get away" fares on SW are listed as Sold Out. The planes obviously aren't full because there are seats available at the higher prices. Does anyone with any experience know if it's likely they'll open more seats at the wanna get away fares? Sure hoping we won't spend $500 one way to get there.


They were showing two flights on the date I'm looking at as sold out but recently added back more Wanna Get Away fares. So keep watching.


----------



## jenseib

mom2rtk said:


> They were showing two flights on the date I'm looking at as sold out but recently added back more Wanna Get Away fares. So keep watching.




ooh are you planning a trip???? LOL


----------



## mousestruck

mom2rtk said:


> They were showing two flights on the date I'm looking at as sold out but recently added back more Wanna Get Away fares. So keep watching.


Same here.  Check daily!


----------



## eeyoreland

mousestruck said:


> Same here.  Check daily!



Thank you. That's encouraging .


----------



## Jajone

What time of the day do the new dates open?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Jajone said:


> What time of the day do the new dates open?



FYI



SouthFayetteFan said:


> For those of you interested - the EXACT time of the release of the schedule extension this morning was 8:11 am Eastern Time.


----------



## richmo

Jajone said:


> What time of the day do the new dates open?



As seen in the previous post, don't think of it as an exact point in time. They could come out at 6:00 Eastern, but the last time I booked, they came out about 8:30 because it apparently took them a long time to load the servers. I believe SW has since gone to a new reservation system, so who knows?


----------



## mom2rtk

jenseib said:


> ooh are you planning a trip???? LOL


Ever hopeful.


----------



## Lvsdisney

Im not flying until end of april, but im loving the flight times released today. I hope they are similar next release!


----------



## LadyBeBop

Lvsdisney said:


> Im not flying until end of april, but im loving the flight times released today. I hope they are similar next release!



When is the next release?

Just missed the dates for last release.  Leaving April 7, and coming home April 15.  We are actually fiying into Fort Lauderdale for a cruise.


----------



## Lvsdisney

LadyBeBop said:


> When is the next release?
> 
> Just missed the dates for last release.  Leaving April 7, and coming home April 15.  We are actually fiying into Fort Lauderdale for a cruise.



Right now they are stating August 28 for the next release. I need end of April!


----------



## LadyBeBop

Lvsdisney said:


> Right now they are stating August 28 for the next release. I need end of April!


Thanks.  Hope we get what we want.


----------



## no one

I was just looking at the SW website for offers and I noticed they have 25% off purchasing points.  Minimum 5,000 points.  For example 20,000 points you save $135, cost is $413.  I am traveling April vacation from MA and two years ago the fares were horrendous so this might help a little.


----------



## PerfessorZ

no one said:


> I was just looking at the SW website for offers and I noticed they have 25% off purchasing points.  Minimum 5,000 points.  For example 20,000 points you save $135, cost is $413.  I am traveling April vacation from MA and two years ago the fares were horrendous so this might help a little.



I generally find that purchasing miles is never a good deal.  There are circumstances where it may make sense, but I believe the value of SW pts are roughly 1.6 cents each, so 20,000 pts would buy you about $320 of airfare (give or take).  So even with the special, it would cost you about $413 to buy $320 worth of points.


----------



## no one

PerfessorZ said:


> I generally find that purchasing miles is never a good deal.  There are circumstances where it may make sense, but I believe the value of SW pts are roughly 1.6 cents each, so 20,000 pts would buy you about $320 of airfare (give or take).  So even with the special, it would cost you about $413 to buy $320 worth of points.


My bad, sorry you are correct.  I guess it only makes sense if you need to top off your points to fully redeem a flight and at that point is not that much of a savings.  Thanks,


----------



## disneymagicgirl

I can't get thru to SW today. Apparently they cancelled and delayed tons of flights. Maybe ya'll can help me...

I was a dummy and for once booked round trip instead of one ways because it was a last minute trip and i didn't think i'd make any changes. sigh. wrong.

So our outbound tomorrow is sold out. I want to change my return to a couple hours later. Problem is my CP person needs to be cancelled, my ticket changed, and CP rebooked. Well, that cancels her ticket on our sold out outbound flight tomorrow. Can the phone reps possibly get around this if I can ever get ahold of them or should I forget it and stick with the 3:45am DME pickup I am facing on Monday morning.

ETA: Could I just wait until after our flight tomorrow am and then make the change to our return? That way I am past the sold out portion of the flight. Or will I not be able to make a change at that point since I would have already traveled one leg?


----------



## TNKim

I have a question about printing boarding passes.  I purchased Early Bird boarding so I understand that means you don't have to be online to print boarding passes 24 hours before your flight.  Our flight leaves at 9:30 a.m.  Since I have the early bird, does this mean I can print my boarding passes at any time the day before we leave and this won't affect which the boarding zone we are assigned?


----------



## mfly

TNKim said:


> I have a question about printing boarding passes.  I purchased Early Bird boarding so I understand that means you don't have to be online to print boarding passes 24 hours before your flight.  Our flight leaves at 9:30 a.m.  Since I have the early bird, does this mean I can print my boarding passes at any time the day before we leave and this won't affect which the boarding zone we are assigned?


If you purchased EBCI, the time you print your boarding pass has no bearing on your boarding number. You can print your boarding pass off at any time.


----------



## TNKim

mfly said:


> If you purchased EBCI, the time you print your boarding pass has no bearing on your boarding number. You can print your boarding pass off at any time.



Thanks for the reply.  Just wanted to be sure I understood!


----------



## OnThisMagicNight

old feller said:


> We missed opening day for Southwest flights we are going December 7th Thru the 16th I wonder if anyone would know about when the prices would drop again or when is it typically best to buy tickets late like 2 months out



Our trip dates are similar (12/8 - 12/15) and I haven't been able to book our flight home yet due to the high prices.  (I did luck out and get our arriving flight for $90 at one point during my constant checking.)  I've been checking the 15th and 16th every day since the flights were released (I didn't get a chance to look until opening _night_ actually) and haven't seen them go lower than $173 for MCO to PHL.  I'm starting to get discouraged and wonder if I should book another airline.  I keep thinking surely the prices have to drop at some point...I'm not sure how much longer to hold out!  I could get Frontier for $85, but they don't participate in Resort Airline check-in and we'd have to pay all the baggage fees.


----------



## meanviking

Hi yall- looking for advice on airline tix. SW is having a sale, and I so far have enough points for one way, but not the round trip. I am thinking about getting the one-way there now, then building up more points and hoping for another sale to buy the trip home. I should be able to build enough points with bonuses coming soon, but if not I'll buy the balance. Good idea, or should I wait and buy round trip? Thanks-


----------



## mfly

meanviking said:


> Hi yall- looking for advice on airline tix. SW is having a sale, and I so far have enough points for one way, but not the round trip. I am thinking about getting the one-way there now, then building up more points and hoping for another sale to buy the trip home. I should be able to build enough points with bonuses coming soon, but if not I'll buy the balance. Good idea, or should I wait and buy round trip? Thanks-


There is no advantage to purchasing a roundtrip flight with SW rather than 2 one-ways. (In fact, for various reasons, many people argue that 2 one-ways are better than a RT). 

I'd purchase your one leg now and then do the other once your points come in. If the fare decreases, you can always get the point difference back, so you have nothing to lose.


----------



## crazymomof4

Hi
I am due to get a companion pass soon (waiting for points to transfer to RR acct)  I've been watching SW flights for our Jan trip but waiting to book so I can use the companion pass. WELL..... the 4:15pm flight we wanted to take home SOLD OUT overnight last night.  Grrrrr.

QUESTION: if flights on a given day start selling out months before does SW ever add more flights?

Also... if I book now.... before my companion pass is granted me... is there a way to then use my companion pass for this trip once it shows in my acct?


----------



## PerfessorZ

crazymomof4 said:


> Hi
> I am due to get a companion pass soon (waiting for points to transfer to RR acct)  I've been watching SW flights for our Jan trip but waiting to book so I can use the companion pass. WELL..... the 4:15pm flight we wanted to take home SOLD OUT overnight last night.  Grrrrr.
> 
> QUESTION: if flights on a given day start selling out months before does SW ever add more flights?



Can't say with 100% certainty, but in my quite limited experience, they haven't.



crazymomof4 said:


> Also... if I book now.... before my companion pass is granted me... is there a way to then use my companion pass for this trip once it shows in my acct?



Yes.  You may have to call SW directly to get this done, but it's definitely doable.  Although once you change your reservation by _calling_, any further changes also have to be made by calling.  Again - in my limited experience, anyway.


----------



## mom2rtk

crazymomof4 said:


> Hi
> I am due to get a companion pass soon (waiting for points to transfer to RR acct)  I've been watching SW flights for our Jan trip but waiting to book so I can use the companion pass. WELL..... the 4:15pm flight we wanted to take home SOLD OUT overnight last night.  Grrrrr.
> 
> QUESTION: if flights on a given day start selling out months before does SW ever add more flights?
> 
> Also... if I book now.... before my companion pass is granted me... is there a way to then use my companion pass for this trip once it shows in my acct?


Are all fares for that flight sold out? Or just a certain type of fare?


----------



## crazymomof4

mom2rtk said:


> Are all fares for that flight sold out? Or just a certain type of fare?


Sry. I wasn't clear
Just the wanna get away type is sold out
LOL I'm so used to ONLY looking at those prices, I'm blind to the rest!


----------



## crazymomof4

PerfessorZ said:


> Can't say with 100% certainty, but in my quite limited experience, they haven't.


ya. That's been my experience too. But mine is limited also so I thought maybe it happens but I just never noticed.



PerfessorZ said:


> Yes.  You may have to call SW directly to get this done, but it's definitely doable.  Although once you change your reservation by _calling_, any further changes also have to be made by calling.  Again - in my limited experience, anyway.



ok Good to know!


----------



## mfly

crazymomof4 said:


> Sry. I wasn't clear
> Just the wanna get away type is sold out
> LOL I'm so used to ONLY looking at those prices, I'm blind to the rest!


As long as there's any single seat on the flight at any price/level, you can add your companion to the flight.


----------



## Shrfleen

crazymomof4 said:


> Hi
> I am due to get a companion pass soon (waiting for points to transfer to RR acct)  I've been watching SW flights for our Jan trip but waiting to book so I can use the companion pass. WELL..... the 4:15pm flight we wanted to take home SOLD OUT overnight last night.  Grrrrr.
> 
> QUESTION: if flights on a given day start selling out months before does SW ever add more flights?



We recently had Southwest add more Wanna Get Away Fares after the fares were sold out for a few months. We booked in May for our November Trip and in July they released more fares (I think those are the correct months lol)


----------



## mom2rtk

crazymomof4 said:


> Sry. I wasn't clear
> Just the wanna get away type is sold out
> LOL I'm so used to ONLY looking at those prices, I'm blind to the rest!


I've been watching some fares for our upcoming trip. First there were "wanna get away" fares, then they showed for a few weeks as sold out. Then fares showed up again. So keep watching.  I didn't book because ours are still too high. But I was surprised to see more fares show up.


----------



## crazymomof4

Oh it's good to hear that others have seen fares listed as "sold out" only to be restocked!!   I kind of had a suspicion that it was odd to be sold out this early for a slow(er) travel season like end of Jan.

I checked late last night and the wanna get away fare had jumped from $173 to well over $200. I thought, "I'm certainly not booking tonight!"  Then I checked early this morn and that's when it showed as SOLD OUT.


----------



## mfly

crazymomof4 said:


> Oh it's good to hear that others have seen fares listed as "sold out" only to be restocked!!   I kind of had a suspicion that it was early to be sold out this early for a slow(er) travel season like end of Jan.
> 
> I checked late last night and the wanna get away fare had jumped from $173 to well over $200. I thought, "I'm certainly not booking tonight!"  Then I checked early this morn and that's when it showed as SOLD OUT.


Will you be booking with points or with cash? If you're booking with points, I'd suggest always booking (at a reasonable price) as you can easily get a refund of points if the flight cost goes down. 

Of course you can always get a refund when paying with cash, but then you're dealing with expiring travel funds.


----------



## crazymomof4

mfly said:


> As long as there's any single seat on the flight at any price/level, you can add your companion to the flight.



Thanks!
In addition to this Jan trip that this thread is about, I have a round trip SW flight booked departing 2 weeks from today.  *If* (big IF) these points show up and the CP is granted me soon enough, I might try calling to see if my daughter can be my "companion" on this trip and have the points I used for her flight returned to my RR.  Worth a try, via phone call.


----------



## crazymomof4

mfly said:


> Will you be booking with points or with cash? If you're booking with points, I'd suggest always booking (at a reasonable price) as you can easily get a refund of points if the flight cost goes down.
> 
> Of course you can always get a refund when paying with cash, but then you're dealing with expiring travel funds.


I currently don't have enough to book with points (used a lot for this upcoming trip) but I have a ton of points coming to me soon.  I met my spending requirements for 2 SW RR credit cards this month. Statement closing on both is today. I know the points don't appear immediately in your RR acct but I forget (its been a while) how long it takes. So it's a waiting game at this point.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

They usually post the day after your statement closes


----------



## old feller

Any Disers with experience traveling  early December  s.w.prices from mco to bwi ....is 185 dollars non stop on a Saturday high


----------



## bwbuddy5

Sorry, guys, first time I've posted to this thread, and I read many of the 133 pages, but I have these questions:

1) When does SW normally post new flights - it's currently around 8 months ahead - it's Aug 16, 2017, and flights are posted through 1st week of April, 2018.  We're flying first week of June 2018.

2)  Pardon my ignorance, but what are the codes everyone here is talking about?

Thanks so much, here's hoping I followed protocol!


----------



## belle2008

bwbuddy5 said:


> Sorry, guys, first time I've posted to this thread, and I read many of the 133 pages, but I have these questions:
> 
> 1) When does SW normally post new flights - it's currently around 8 months ahead - it's Aug 16, 2017, and flights are posted through 1st week of April, 2018.  We're flying first week of June 2018.
> 
> 2)  Pardon my ignorance, but what are the codes everyone here is talking about?
> 
> Thanks so much, here's hoping I followed protocol!



According to their website on August 28th they are releasing flights through June 1st.  The past few months they've been releasing some at a time, so hopefully in September they'll release the rest of June but they haven't actually said yet.


----------



## Hatwriter456

bwbuddy5 said:


> Sorry, guys, first time I've posted to this thread, and I read many of the 133 pages, but I have these questions:
> 
> 1) When does SW normally post new flights - it's currently around 8 months ahead - it's Aug 16, 2017, and flights are posted through 1st week of April, 2018.  We're flying first week of June 2018.
> 
> 2)  Pardon my ignorance, but what are the codes everyone here is talking about?
> 
> Thanks so much, here's hoping I followed protocol!


 
Southwest has been releasing flights earlier than they did last year. We are flying on June 12, 2018 and that week for June 2017 got released around January 5, 2017 - so based on what they have currently released it's earlier now. I also noticed that flights (at least from CA to MCO) are about $40 more each way in 2018 than 2017 .


----------



## goofy4tink

bwbuddy5 said:


> Sorry, guys, first time I've posted to this thread, and I read many of the 133 pages, but I have these questions:
> 
> 1) When does SW normally post new flights - it's currently around 8 months ahead - it's Aug 16, 2017, and flights are posted through 1st week of April, 2018.  We're flying first week of June 2018.
> 
> 2)  Pardon my ignorance, but what are the codes everyone here is talking about?
> 
> Thanks so much, here's hoping I followed protocol!


And as far as #2 goes, there really aren't any codes anymore. Seems to be a thing of the past. That's why I changed the title of this thread. You'll see old posts that talk about codes but nothing in recent memory.


----------



## McKelly

Wondering if anyone knows how to get around this.  When I went to purchase airfare on SW for Xmas, I selected my tickets and by the time I got everyone's info in, the prices had skyrocketed.  In fact, we are not even going now, the airfare was so high.  Is there a way to type in all traveler's info in before you select flights?


----------



## Queen of the WDW Scene

I bought wanna get away tickets a few weeks ago and the fare went down by $33. 
I have a couple questions...
How would I go about getting travel credit?
What would the expiration date of the travel credit be?
Do I just have to book before the expiration date or do I have to TRAVEL by the expiration date?


----------



## DVC-Don

Online at the Southwest site enter your confirmation code/number and select change flight, then follow the prompts and select the same flight.  
Your SW credit will be the original confirmation code/number.
The expiration for that credit will be one year from the original booking date.
The flight must be completed before that date.


----------



## Queen of the WDW Scene

DVC-Don said:


> Online at the Southwest site enter your confirmation code/number and select change flight, then follow the prompts and select the same flight.
> Your SW credit will be the original confirmation code/number.
> The expiration for that credit will be one year from the original booking date.
> The flight must be completed before that date.



Thanks for the response. I guess I'll skip it because I will not be flying again before  the expiration date.


----------



## mastermind307

Planning a trip for May 29-June 5 and SW is set to release fares through June 1 on Aug. 28.  I've never booked each way separetly, but it looks like I'll have to this time.  Besides having 2 confirmation numbers, is there anything else I need to know or worry about?  

I also have a question about the no change fees.  My sister recently moved to Ft. Myers so I'm thinking about going and visiting her for a few days before or after our Disney trip, but I won't know by next Monday when SW released the flights.  If I book a flight from Indianapolis to MCO for May 29, but then decide to fly into Ft. Myers on May 25 instead, can I change my flight?  I know I'll pay the difference if the flight to Ft. Myers is higher, but will there be any other fees? Is that even allowed or doable?


----------



## jhoannam

I know August 28th they will open booking thru June 1, 2018, but what time does booking open?


----------



## jhoannam

mastermind307 said:


> Planning a trip for May 29-June 5 and SW is set to release fares through June 1 on Aug. 28.  I've never booked each way separetly, but it looks like I'll have to this time.  Besides having 2 confirmation numbers, is there anything else I need to know or worry about?
> 
> I also have a question about the no change fees.  My sister recently moved to Ft. Myers so I'm thinking about going and visiting her for a few days before or after our Disney trip, but I won't know by next Monday when SW released the flights.  If I book a flight from Indianapolis to MCO for May 29, but then decide to fly into Ft. Myers on May 25 instead, can I change my flight?  I know I'll pay the difference if the flight to Ft. Myers is higher, but will there be any other fees? Is that even allowed or doable?



*Nope, it's super simple. I always do it this way because if there is a price change it's easier to price adjust. Specially if one route goes down but the other route goes up. If one goes down $30, but the other goes up $30 you don't get any savings if booked as a round trip. But if you book them separately you can take advantage of the $30. Just note that you have to use the credit one year from when it was booked, so when you book your May 29th on August 28th, you'll have to use the credit by August 28, 2018.  *
*
No change fee at all, just the price difference. *


----------



## wedowdw17

Has anyone ever had an experience where the price for a flight is lower when they call SW as opposed to booking online?  This morning, I noticed that our flight price had gone down by about $90 from when we booked earlier this year.  I've never done the price adjustment through the 'change flight' online so I decided to call instead and have someone make the change on my behalf so I didn't mess something up.  I gave the customer service rep my confirmation # and told her what flight was now cheaper.  She came back a min later and said my credit would be $125 per person....super awesome, but as I thought about it more, even with the tax lowering a bit, the numbers don't quite add up to the price I saw listed online.  I got the confirmation email for the change and it still lists the exact same flight, so the flight didn't change.  The only explanation I can think of is that the price she had access to was lower than what was listed online.  I'm certainly not complaining....just confused.  Thoughts?


----------



## crazymomof4

wedowdw17 said:


> Has anyone ever had an experience where the price for a flight is lower when they call SW as opposed to booking online?    Thoughts?



I had a similar experience and was wondering about it....
Yesterday my flight price dropped as well.  Went down to $124 when I did a general Southwest search for flights.  I made the change to the lower price online BUT>>>> the available price online was $134.  I repriced at that and got it but all day I was wondering if I would call would I get the lower price of $124?


----------



## crazymomof4

Early Bird Check-in question........

I've always used EBCI and we've always gotten in the A boarding group.  Printed boarding passes just now and we are in B. (4 & 5 of the B group tho).  
I'm wondering if EBCI is worth the extra $ anymore or if, at least for our flights down, I should just checkin myself at exactly 24hrs before.

My concern is being seated together with my teen daughter. We make a nice time of the flight, watching a Disney movie on the flights (makes it go faster) and would not be as much fun if we had to sit separately

What's your success with self-checkin?


----------



## no one

jhoannam said:


> I know August 28th they will open booking thru June 1, 2018, but what time does booking open?


It looks like the last time they released the time was 8:11am est, according to some one posting a couple of pages back.  When I booked in 2015 for an April 2016 trip I was waiting at 6am and it was released at 6:45am.  So basically I think you just have to be prepared for early morning.


----------



## Moramoon

Sorry for being a noob. It's been 9 years since I've flown and it's never been with Southwest. I had a few questions I was hoping some of you experts could help with. Right now the plan is to fly from IND to MCO on May 3. I'm trying to get an idea of when flights are. My son will be in school that day so I'm hoping to surprise him when he gets home by going straight to the airport and taking off, but we also have a little one so we're hoping for something that's not too late so we can get to our hotel at a decent time. I was looking at the times for what's out now for April and noticed the depart times for nonstop are all the same. Do you think they will be the same for May as well or will they add more flights? From what I see there's one leaving at about 2pm then the next one is 7. I'm thinking flights for Thursday will probably be cheaper that flights on Friday, but if need be we could always cut a day off our reservation and fly out Friday. Also I should have enough points for at least 1 of our tickets. My initial plan was to pay for our flights there then wait on the return flights in case the price goes down so we could use the credit on the return home. Would it be best to use those points on our flight from IND to MCO or save them for when we book the return? Since there's only enough points for 1 ticket will I have to book that separate or can I do them all together? Right now our stay is May 3- May 13 (Thursday - Sunday), but we're fine flying either Thursday or Friday out and Sunday or Saturday for the return, preference to whichever is cheaper.


----------



## Lvsdisney

Moramoon said:


> Sorry for being a noob. It's been 9 years since I've flown and it's never been with Southwest. I had a few questions I was hoping some of you experts could help with. Right now the plan is to fly from IND to MCO on May 3. I'm trying to get an idea of when flights are. My son will be in school that day so I'm hoping to surprise him when he gets home by going straight to the airport and taking off, but we also have a little one so we're hoping for something that's not too late so we can get to our hotel at a decent time. I was looking at the times for what's out now for April and noticed the depart times for nonstop are all the same. Do you think they will be the same for May as well or will they add more flights? From what I see there's one leaving at about 2pm then the next one is 7. I'm thinking flights for Thursday will probably be cheaper that flights on Friday, but if need be we could always cut a day off our reservation and fly out Friday. Also I should have enough points for at least 1 of our tickets. My initial plan was to pay for our flights there then wait on the return flights in case the price goes down so we could use the credit on the return home. Would it be best to use those points on our flight from IND to MCO or save them for when we book the return? Since there's only enough points for 1 ticket will I have to book that separate or can I do them all together? Right now our stay is May 3- May 13 (Thursday - Sunday), but we're fine flying either Thursday or Friday out and Sunday or Saturday for the return, preference to whichever is cheaper.



Flights for your dates will be released Monday if you can wait til then!


----------



## eeyoreland

McKelly said:


> Wondering if anyone knows how to get around this.  When I went to purchase airfare on SW for Xmas, I selected my tickets and by the time I got everyone's info in, the prices had skyrocketed.  In fact, we are not even going now, the airfare was so high.  Is there a way to type in all traveler's info in before you select flights?


I would call. That what I did. I was booking for six people and two were using points. The lady at SW was very helpful and the price was the same had I done it online.


----------



## 123Dis4Me

I am checking in for southwest flights this afternoon. There are two of us flying, do I check-in once for both of us or is it two separate check-ins? Thanks - I don't fly much!


----------



## richmo

123Dis4Me said:


> I am checking in for southwest flights this afternoon. There are two of us flying, do I check-in once for both of us or is it two separate check-ins? Thanks - I don't fly much!



Once if you're on the same itinerary (confirmation number). Chances are you are.


----------



## 123Dis4Me

Great, thanks!


----------



## 123Dis4Me

So, I got B19 and B20 for my flight.  I am hoping we will be able to sit together.  Thoughts?


----------



## goofy4tink

Shouldn't be an issue.


----------



## Duck143

Does any one have any idea what time of day SW releases the new flights?  We're looking for May, so Monday is the big day....just wondering if there is a good time to jump on the computer.  I'm so excited, I don't even care if its the middle of the night.


----------



## Girlyanne

I'm wondering if any of us waiting for the flights to release will be able to sleep tonight!!   What time are you going to start checking the website????


----------



## mastermind307

Girlyanne said:


> I'm wondering if any of us waiting for the flights to release will be able to sleep tonight!!   What time are you going to start checking the website????



I'm excited because I'm hoping they offer an early morning direct flight at a good price, but nervous because I can only book our flight down.  I worry that when the schedule opens for the rest of June when we need to fly home, the prices will be high.  I could drive, but if I already purchased flights down, I'm kind of stuck with flying.  

I'll start checking the website at 6am and hope the schedule is released before I go to work at 1:30.


----------



## mastermind307

Anybody find good prices?  I didn't have any luck.  $133 for one way is a little more than I want to pay so I'll keep checking, but there's a good chance I'll end up driving the 16 hours.


----------



## dreamer17555

$74 one way which worked out perfectly. I did not want to do the 8-10 hour drive.


----------



## Lvsdisney

Gah!!!

As of right now there are only 3 WGA fares left for my preferred flight down and the flight home that would be perfect is already SOLD OUT in all fares, not just WGA.  The kicker is I'm due for bonus points for opening the SW card but I won't get them til the 12th, so I don't want to book anything right now. Wah!!!!


----------



## bwbuddy5

I knew I would just miss the cut, we're traveling from my area June 3-9, 2018, but I'm encouraged by some of the rates I'm seeing, less than $300 round trip for the times we want to leave.

Where on the SW site do I go to see when flights for my week will be released?


----------



## dreamer17555

bwbuddy5 said:


> I knew I would just miss the cut, we're traveling from my area June 3-9, 2018, but I'm encouraged by some of the rates I'm seeing, less than $300 round trip for the times we want to leave.
> 
> Where on the SW site do I go to see when flights for my week will be released?




October 26th is the next release. They will open up flight schedules through August 10th.


----------



## bwbuddy5

I've noticed that it will let me choose up to 8 people, but my party will be 9.  So, I guess that means I'm calling instead of booking online?  How early can I call on October 26 (when the next batch of flights opens)?


----------



## Hatwriter456

I guess I will need to wait until October 26th to book my flights for mid-June. But I have a couple of questions for you all that have flown Southwest. But first here is some background to my question.

I have not flown with my kids on SW before and its been about 7 years since I've flown anywhere. We are a family of 5: DH, myself, DD(16), DS(13), and DS(9). My youngest has never even been on a plane before. We will be flying from CA to Orlando.

The choices for flights that I have (based on May 2018) are:

- 5:30am-10:45 change planes in DAL 1:25-4:55pm $231
- 6:15-9:35am change planes in DEN 10:40-4:15pm $231
- 6:30am-6:10pm - 2 stops in Austin and Ft. Lauderdale, no plane change $127
- 7:15am-8:35am change planes in Las Vegas 930-5:00pm $231
-11:45am-7:50pm nonstop flight to MCO $119

When I first starting looking at flights I just wanted to get to Orlando as early as possible because of the 3 hour time change. But, then I started looking at the airports where I had to change planes and was wondering how much time I need to get to one plane to another?

Then I started to worry about my group getting seats together. My 2 oldest kids are fine to sit next anyone and probably prefer not sit with their parents. But, my youngest has ADHD and has never flown before and I don't know how he will do - as long as he has a charged ipad he should be fine - but, I need to sit next to him. If I took the flight that had the 2 stops I was thinking that we can change seats in Austin and be able to sit all together.

The idea of a non-stop flight is nice too, but we will get there later. The price is good for that flight too (BTW, I have enough RR points to cover all 5 flights but using less would be nice too).

So, any recommendations out there on what flights you might pick if you were my family?


----------



## eeyoreland

I was very happy to go online today and see I could get an earlier flight for the same price. This is for December. We now get into MCO at 2 PM instead of 10 PM. Will work out much better for my young grandson's sleep schedule, and my father as he'll now get to watch the Packers game. Go Pack!


----------



## FabFourteenFamilyFun

Hatwriter456 said:


> I guess I will need to wait until October 26th to book my flights for mid-June. But I have a couple of questions for you all that have flown Southwest. But first here is some background to my question.
> 
> I have not flown with my kids on SW before and its been about 7 years since I've flown anywhere. We are a family of 5: DH, myself, DD(16), DS(13), and DS(9). My youngest has never even been on a plane before. We will be flying from CA to Orlando.
> 
> The choices for flights that I have (based on May 2018) are:
> 
> - 5:30am-10:45 change planes in DAL 1:25-4:55pm $231
> - 6:15-9:35am change planes in DEN 10:40-4:15pm $231
> - 6:30am-6:10pm - 2 stops in Austin and Ft. Lauderdale, no plane change $127
> - 7:15am-8:35am change planes in Las Vegas 930-5:00pm $231
> -11:45am-7:50pm nonstop flight to MCO $119
> 
> When I first starting looking at flights I just wanted to get to Orlando as early as possible because of the 3 hour time change. But, then I started looking at the airports where I had to change planes and was wondering how much time I need to get to one plane to another?
> 
> Then I started to worry about my group getting seats together. My 2 oldest kids are fine to sit next anyone and probably prefer not sit with their parents. But, my youngest has ADHD and has never flown before and I don't know how he will do - as long as he has a charged ipad he should be fine - but, I need to sit next to him. If I took the flight that had the 2 stops I was thinking that we can change seats in Austin and be able to sit all together.
> 
> The idea of a non-stop flight is nice too, but we will get there later. The price is good for that flight too (BTW, I have enough RR points to cover all 5 flights but using less would be nice too).
> 
> So, any recommendations out there on what flights you might pick if you were my family?


I love flying on Southwest- usually land earlier than expected! If you check in exactly 24 hours you shouldn't have any problem sitting together- if it's a real concern get the early bird for you and your son. My opinion is the less stops the better- less chance of delays,etc. I have to tell you too- I was watching flights January-March until they released my dates for April. Flight times changed month to month!! I really wouldn't want to get into Disney at night (we took our 16 family members in 2013 and 2016) Have you thought about coming in the night before and taking Uber to Disney the next day? You could hang out at the pool or take the bus to Disney Springs until check in! If you are on disboards I know you are a planner and you will have a great vacation!!! If it were me  I would take the nonstop and go a day early!!


----------



## jo-jo

Anyone having issues with the website this morning?  I went to check flights that we had book for May in case prices changes and the site is saying only booking until April.


----------



## Moramoon

jo-jo said:


> Anyone having issues with the website this morning?  I went to check flights that we had book for May in case prices changes and the site is saying only booking until April.


I got that as well. We only booked our departing flight in case prices go down so we could use the credit towards our return. I went to check any changes, but it says they're only booking to April. I logged in an was still able to see our departing flight in May though.


----------



## focusondisney

Our flight from Orlando to Buffalo in mid December dropped around 10 am today. It was still at $275 at around 6:30, checked again a little after 10 & it was $109! Also, some flights that were showing no WGA fares have them back.  

Anyone with flights in December might want to check.


----------



## jenseib

mastermind307 said:


> Anybody find good prices?  I didn't have any luck.  $133 for one way is a little more than I want to pay so I'll keep checking, but there's a good chance I'll end up driving the 16 hours.



Where are you flying from? For me 133 one way is a decent price.


----------



## mastermind307

jenseib said:


> Where are you flying from? For me 133 one way is a decent price.


We're flying out of Indianapolis.  When I was doing research to figure out when we wanted to go, I choose to fly out on a Tuesday because the flights were $100 or less. We're flying out on May 29, the day after memorial day so maybe that's why it's higher on that Tuesday.  I decided to go ahead and book it at $133.  It will just be me and my DD11 going and I really didn't want to drive it, especially since it's a holiday weekend and traffic could be heavy.  I keep checking and hoping that the price will drop and I can get a credit to use when I book our return flight.  

I booked a non-stop flight that departs at 5:30am and arrives at 7:45am, but now a non-stop flight that departs at 10:35am and arrives at 12:45pm is now the same price.  I can't decide whether or not to switch.


----------



## AnotherWDWtrip

I am new to using SW. If you do the early bird check in and your trip has two legs (ROC to BWI and then BWI to MCO) does the fee include both legs of the trip?  Meaning $15 for ebci all the way to Orlando for both flights?


----------



## TNKim

AnotherWDWtrip said:


> I am new to using SW. If you do the early bird check in and your trip has two legs (ROC to BWI and then BWI to MCO) does the fee include both legs of the trip?  Meaning $15 for ebci all the way to Orlando for both flights?


No, it is $15 one way.


----------



## focusondisney

AnotherWDWtrip said:


> I am new to using SW. If you do the early bird check in and your trip has two legs (ROC to BWI and then BWI to MCO) does the fee include both legs of the trip?  Meaning $15 for ebci all the way to Orlando for both flights?




Yes, the $15 fee is for your total one way travel from Rochester to Orlando. So you will be checked in for both of your flights 36 hours before your first flight.  You will just have to go thru the "log in" page on the SW site to print your boarding passes anytime after your 24 hour mark.


----------



## focusondisney

TNKim said:


> No, it is $15 one way.




I think you misunderstood the question. She is not asking if it covers her return trip, just both legs of her flight to Orlando. And it does.


----------



## TNKim

focusondisney said:


> I think you misunderstood the question. She is not asking if it covers her return trip, just both legs of her flight to Orlando. And it does.


You're correct - I didn't fully read what she asked.


----------



## AnotherWDWtrip

Thank you!  I thought that was the case but wanted to be sure!


----------



## Lvsdisney

edit: nevermind


----------



## bwbuddy5

I apologize if I've missed this, but are there still SW discounts for minors (4yo specifically), and what are the ID requirements for minors at SW checkin?


----------



## MalkaR

I'm looking to fly Southwest for the first time time in January from Newark to Orlando. Is $100 roundtrip a good price or should I wait a little longer? Thanks so much!


----------



## richmo

MalkaR said:


> I'm looking to fly Southwest for the first time time in January from Newark to Orlando. Is $100 roundtrip a good price or should I wait a little longer? Thanks so much!



If you can get $100 roundtrip EWR-MCO, I'd jump on that fast! That's not even bad one way.


----------



## MalkaR

richmo said:


> If you can get $100 roundtrip EWR-MCO, I'd jump on that fast! That's not even bad one way.


I bought it! Times are a bit early but I got it!


----------



## bwbuddy5

Ok, I tried to do several searches of the thread, but not finding exactly what I need.  What recommendations do you have for a party of 9, that includes 8 adults and one 4yo girl?  I assume I'll need to call as soon as flights are available (or can I still book on line with a party that large?).  What type of ID is needed for the 4yo?  When we check-in, how can I increase my chances that we all sit together?  Thanks.


----------



## Lvsdisney

bwbuddy5 said:


> Ok, I tried to do several searches of the thread, but not finding exactly what I need.  What recommendations do you have for a party of 9, that includes 8 adults and one 4yo girl?  I assume I'll need to call as soon as flights are available (or can I still book on line with a party that large?).  What type of ID is needed for the 4yo?  When we check-in, how can I increase my chances that we all sit together?  Thanks.



I think you can only book max 8 at a time so you may want to break up t he booking. 

As far as ID for the  4 year old, I have never had to present ID for my kids. The TSA may ask her her name at security but that's it.


----------



## MalkaR

MalkaR said:


> I bought it! Times are a bit early but I got it!


And now it's sold out! I'm so glad I got it.


----------



## jenseib

MalkaR said:


> I'm looking to fly Southwest for the first time time in January from Newark to Orlando. Is $100 roundtrip a good price or should I wait a little longer? Thanks so much!



That is beyond amazing in price!


----------



## BStew

We bought tickets when they were first released to land at our home airport around midnight. My husband just found out that he has an audit at work the following day starting at 6am so we are hoping to switch our flights to one that lands earlier. My question is this: Does SWA ever add flights to their posted days? Currently, there are either very early AM flights (which don't work as we are coming back from our Disney Cruise) or the midnight landing. I could book at a further away airport and drive home to save a couple hours but don't want to do that if there is hope that a mid-day flight might be added. TIA!


----------



## Fangorn

SW rarely, if ever, adds flights once their schedule has been published. The circumstances would have to be extraordinary for them to do that. 

Steve


----------



## sbarisch

Fangorn said:


> SW rarely, if ever, adds flights once their schedule has been published. The circumstances would have to be extraordinary for them to do that.
> 
> Steve


I actually just booked flights that were added to our dates the week before Christmas. I'd been stalking the Southwest site, hoping the flights would go down, and there were flights that weren't there the day before and at the lower prices I was hoping for.  Now this is a one time experience for me, and we almost always fly Southwest, but it does happen.


----------



## Fangorn

sbarisch said:


> I actually just booked flights that were added to our dates the week before Christmas. I'd been stalking the Southwest site, hoping the flights would go down, and there were flights that weren't there the day before and at the lower prices I was hoping for.  Now this is a one time experience for me, and we almost always fly Southwest, but it does happen.



You're right,  it does happen. I've seen it once before myself - also at Christmas. But it's very, very rare. Highly dependent on the market and timing. 

Steve


----------



## Kimberly1

When is the next release date? Or where do I find it on the website?


----------



## Fangorn

On November 1, they will open through August 10, 2018.

The next release date can be found under Flight Schedules.

Steve


----------



## Lvsdisney

I have the patience of a 3 year old!!  I thought my SWCC statement would post today and I'd get my 60k bonus miles so I can book my flight and NOTHING!  

They'll probably post tomorrow but I want them now!!!

*Childish rant complete*


----------



## MIChessGuy

After years of checking my reservations for a fare reduction, I finally found one today.  My late January outbound flight to MCO went down by $50.  I rebooked and got a $50 travel credit.  DTW-MCO, nonstop both ways, for about $228 all-inclusive, just about the best flight deal I've ever had.


----------



## Lvsdisney

Well my flight home is booked - Yay!!  All it cost me was the 9/11 fees and the EBCI (I don't know where we'll be at the 24 hour mark and I'd rather be safe).
The bad news is that it cost ~45000 points due - Boo!   But I won't complain since I have a NS AND it's late enough to give us PLENTY of park time on departure day. 

I will try and stalk the prices to see if the points drop and rebook.  Any recommendation on best days to check?  Or is it just luck?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Lvsdisney said:


> I will try and stalk the prices to see if the points drop and rebook.  Any recommendation on best days to check?  Or is it just luck?


I'd do a morning and an afternoon check everyday.  There is truly no rhyme or reason to when those prices may drop (and I speak from experience of tracking hundreds of Southwest flights daily over the past decade).


----------



## mastermind307

We are going to Disney, May 29-June 5.  I was able to book our flight down when the scheduled opened, but at that time it only opened through June 1.  Now I looked and the schedule shows through June 5.  So now I can book our return flight, however, I'm debating on whether to go ahead and book it or wait.  Our flight went down $10 last night, not a lot, but I was excited since I check several times a day.  So now I have a $10 credit for each of us I can use when I book our return flight.  But I'm hoping it goes down more and then if it does, I'll have a bigger credit to put towards our flight home.  I know I'll have until next August to use the credits, but I'm not sure if we'll be flying anywhere.  I did not add EBC to our first flight, if I have a credit can it be applied toward adding it?  Right now our flight into MCO is $123 and the flights I'm looking at to come home are $103.  I'll add EBC to our flight home because I don't want to worry about checking in 24 hours before our flight while at Disney.  

Should I book our return flight now, or wait?


----------



## prettypatchesmsu

mastermind307 said:


> We are going to Disney, May 29-June 5.  I was able to book our flight down when the scheduled opened, but at that time it only opened through June 1.  Now I looked and the schedule shows through June 5.  So now I can book our return flight, however, I'm debating on whether to go ahead and book it or wait.  Our flight went down $10 last night, not a lot, but I was excited since I check several times a day.  So now I have a $10 credit for each of us I can use when I book our return flight.  But I'm hoping it goes down more and then if it does, I'll have a bigger credit to put towards our flight home.  I know I'll have until next August to use the credits, but I'm not sure if we'll be flying anywhere.  I did not add EBC to our first flight, if I have a credit can it be applied toward adding it?  Right now our flight into MCO is $123 and the flights I'm looking at to come home are $103.  I'll add EBC to our flight home because I don't want to worry about checking in 24 hours before our flight while at Disney.
> 
> Should I book our return flight now, or wait?


I had credit from our cancelled vacation flights from Irma, but when we rebooked for October it wouldn't let me use the credit for the EBCI, just the flights part. So now I have some credit remaining that will probably go to waste and had to pay $60 for EBCI. Hope that helps.


----------



## bwbuddy5

I know I've read it, sorry I can't find it.  With a party of 9 including one 4yo, will any of the party be allowed to board early?  And, if we want everyone to be reasonably close, should I spring for EBCI for the entire party?


----------



## Lvsdisney

bwbuddy5 said:


> I know I've read it, sorry I can't find it.  With a party of 9 including one 4yo, will any of the party be allowed to board early?  And, if we want everyone to be reasonably close, should I spring for EBCI for the entire party?



1 person will be able to board with the 4 year old


----------



## eeyoreland

Lvsdisney said:


> 1 person will be able to board with the 4 year old



I believe the child and immediate family can board together. I know both my daughter and son-in-law boarded with the baby.


----------



## Lvsdisney

eeyoreland said:


> I believe the child and immediate family can board together. I know both my daughter and son-in-law boarded with the baby.



It's technically only 1 adult as per their website. They may make exceptions for an additional adult, but the OP should not expect all 9 in the party to board with the one child


----------



## eeyoreland

Lvsdisney said:


> It's technically only 1 adult as per their website. They may make exceptions for an additional adult, but the OP should not expect all 9 in the party to board with the one child



Oh, definitely not all 9. I think by immediate family they mean the mom, dad and siblings...not grandparents, etc.


----------



## bwbuddy5

eeyoreland said:


> Oh, definitely not all 9. I think by immediate family they mean the mom, dad and siblings...not grandparents, etc.



I actually knew that, that's why I also asked if you felt it worthwhile to buy EBCI if we all wanted to be close.


----------



## lolobug

Hi there... can anyone tell me what the best credit card promo for SW is? Either personal or business and any idea when it might be offered. thanks!


----------



## mfly

lolobug said:


> Hi there... can anyone tell me what the best credit card promo for SW is? Either personal or business and any idea when it might be offered. thanks!


Right now SW is offering a 60,000 point signup bonus with all three of their Visas: Personal Premier ($99 Annual Agee), Personal Plus ($69 AF), and Business Premier ($99 AF). Each card has a minimum spend of $2,000 to earn the sign-up bonus. 

They have never offered a public bonus higher than this. Typically they are 50k. I would suggest you act now, as the 60k bonuses are rumored to be going away as soon as October 1st. 

If you applied for 2 of the cards (e.g. Personal Premier and Plus), you would earn 120,000 points, which would mean you'd have $1600+ worth of points, and you'd automatically earn Companion Pass. If you play your cards right, you may potentially be able to earn CP for 2018 and 2019 by opening the two cards now - there are quite a few blog posts about this right now if you care to read more.


----------



## Moramoon

mastermind307 said:


> We are going to Disney, May 29-June 5.  I was able to book our flight down when the scheduled opened, but at that time it only opened through June 1.  Now I looked and the schedule shows through June 5.  So now I can book our return flight, however, I'm debating on whether to go ahead and book it or wait.  Our flight went down $10 last night, not a lot, but I was excited since I check several times a day.  So now I have a $10 credit for each of us I can use when I book our return flight.  But I'm hoping it goes down more and then if it does, I'll have a bigger credit to put towards our flight home.  I know I'll have until next August to use the credits, but I'm not sure if we'll be flying anywhere.  I did not add EBC to our first flight, if I have a credit can it be applied toward adding it?  Right now our flight into MCO is $123 and the flights I'm looking at to come home are $103.  I'll add EBC to our flight home because I don't want to worry about checking in 24 hours before our flight while at Disney.
> 
> Should I book our return flight now, or wait?


Hi mastermind! I don't have an answer for you, but I wanted to say hi as we're going to be flying out of Indy as well for our trip for May 3-12. I'm kind of in the same boat as you. It's 4 of us flying though. I've booked our flights out (manage to score tickets for $73 each!) and 2 of the return flights at $103 each, but I'm waiting on to book the last 2 in case prices go down so I can use the credit towards those. I don't think we'll be flying anywhere else either before August so it would be ideal to use them towards that. Just have to hope prices go down a little more.


----------



## focusondisney

Moramoon said:


> Hi mastermind! I don't have an answer for you, but I wanted to say hi as we're going to be flying out of Indy as well for our trip for May 3-12. I'm kind of in the same boat as you. It's 4 of us flying though. I've booked our flights out (manage to score tickets for $73 each!) and 2 of the return flights at $103 each, but I'm waiting on to book the last 2 in case prices go down so I can use the credit towards those. I don't think we'll be flying anywhere else either before August so it would be ideal to use them towards that. Just have to hope prices go down a little more.



Just an FYI: if you booked those 2 return flights with cash  not points, the credits you might get on them can only be used for the SAME person.  So you could not take a credit on a ticket in your husband's name & apply it to your child's ticket, for example. If your husband travels again within the year of original booking, he would use that credit.  Now if those 2 tickets are purchased with SW points, then  the points return to the travel bank & can be used to book in any name.  

Sorry if I am reading your post wrong, just don't want you to be surprised if you do get a credit & can't use it as you planned.


----------



## Moramoon

I didn't know that. This is our first time booking Southwest so I'm still learning all the in's and out's. Thank you for letting me know!


----------



## mastermind307

Moramoon said:


> Hi mastermind! I don't have an answer for you, but I wanted to say hi as we're going to be flying out of Indy as well for our trip for May 3-12. I'm kind of in the same boat as you. It's 4 of us flying though. I've booked our flights out (manage to score tickets for $73 each!) and 2 of the return flights at $103 each, but I'm waiting on to book the last 2 in case prices go down so I can use the credit towards those. I don't think we'll be flying anywhere else either before August so it would be ideal to use them towards that. Just have to hope prices go down a little more.



I haven't booked our return flights yet, but I check daily to see if the price has dropped.  When I check on on my phone, when I select the flight price I want, it shows if there are a limited amount of seat left at that price.  If the flight I want ever shows there's only 5 seats left or less, I'll probably go ahead and book it.  I wanted to spend $500 or less for us to fly and if I book with the prices today, I'll be under that, but I'd still like to save more.  I also feel like I'm taking a chance every day that goes by that I don't go ahead and book it.


----------



## X and G's mom

Does anyone know/Has anyone ever done this.......
I currently have a flight from MKE - MCO on December 9 at 8 am. There is a 6:30am flight. Chances are I will be there waiting before 6:30am. (I always plan to be super early in the winter months!) Do you think SWA would let me take the 6:30am flight even though I'm booked on the 8am flight??? Of course I would expect to be the last on the plane (which is fine). The 6:30 am flight is cheaper than the 8 am flight.
TIA!!!!


----------



## Fangorn

X and G's mom said:


> Does anyone know/Has anyone ever done this.......
> I currently have a flight from MKE - MCO on December 9 at 8 am. There is a 6:30am flight. Chances are I will be there waiting before 6:30am. (I always plan to be super early in the winter months!) Do you think SWA would let me take the 6:30am flight even though I'm booked on the 8am flight??? Of course I would expect to be the last on the plane (which is fine). The 6:30 am flight is cheaper than the 8 am flight.
> TIA!!!!



IF there is an empty seat on the 6:30 flight that morning,  then yes,  you COULD change to that flight. But it depends on the type of fare you purchased. If your original ticket is either a Business Select or Anytime fare, then you can do standby for the earlier flight at no additional cost.  If you have a Wanna Get Away fare,  then you will have to pay the difference between your original ticket and the Anytime fare. 

Steve


----------



## jenseib

X and G's mom said:


> Does anyone know/Has anyone ever done this.......
> I currently have a flight from MKE - MCO on December 9 at 8 am. There is a 6:30am flight. Chances are I will be there waiting before 6:30am. (I always plan to be super early in the winter months!) Do you think SWA would let me take the 6:30am flight even though I'm booked on the 8am flight??? Of course I would expect to be the last on the plane (which is fine). The 6:30 am flight is cheaper than the 8 am flight.
> TIA!!!!



If the 6:30 flight is cheaper....then why don't you just change to it now?

And just and FYI...I flew out at 5:30 AM in June and I was thinking the plane would have to be pretty empty that early...who else is that crazy....nope...every seat was filled.


----------



## elgerber

jenseib said:


> If the 6:30 flight is cheaper....then why don't you just change to it now?
> 
> And just and FYI...I flew out at 5:30 AM in June and I was thinking the plane would have to be pretty empty that early...who else is that crazy....nope...every seat was filled.


I flew out of MSP at 6:30 earlier this month, same thing, both airport and plane PACKED!


----------



## bwbuddy5

Is there a general rule of thumb as to the percentage of Wanna Get Away fares per flight, or does it vary widely based on popularity of the route?


----------



## bwbuddy5

My dilemma:  Bookings now open through June 5, 2018.  Our flight currently includes an open departure date, but not an open return date.

I will be booking for a party of 9 (probably 5 and 4).  Is there any reason to go ahead and book my departure date though June 5, to lock in as many WGA fares for departure date as possible, and then change return dates when able to?


----------



## Fangorn

bwbuddy5 said:


> My dilemma:  Bookings now open through June 5, 2018.  Our flight currently includes an open departure date, but not an open return date.
> 
> I will be booking for a party of 9 (probably 5 and 4).  Is there any reason to go ahead and book my departure date though June 5, to lock in as many WGA fares for departure date as possible, and then change return dates when able to?



Just buy the one way tickets for your departure date. Then buy the return later when that date is opened. There is no $$ penalty nor advantage to booking one way vs roundtrip.

Steve


----------



## bwbuddy5

Fangorn said:


> Just buy the one way tickets for your departure date. Then buy the return later when that date is opened. There is no $$ penalty nor advantage to booking one way vs roundtrip.
> 
> Steve



That makes total sense, to the point I can't believe I hadn't figured it out on my own.  Can cash bookings later be converted to points (I expect to have enough points mid-October, waiting on my credit card acknowledgment).


----------



## focusondisney

bwbuddy5 said:


> My dilemma:  Bookings now open through June 5, 2018.  Our flight currently includes an open departure date, but not an open return date.
> 
> I will be booking for a party of 9 (probably 5 and 4).  Is there any reason to go ahead and book my departure date though June 5, to lock in as many WGA fares for departure date as possible, and then change return dates when able to?



Oh my gosh. With that many tickets, book the 1st leg now if you are happy with the price. SW is not opening the next dates til November I think. Those outbound flights could increase a lot before that.  And the advantage is, just in case they do go down, you will have credits to use for your return trip.   The only draw back to booking the trips seperatly is that you'll have different confirmation numbers & that is certainly no big deal!


----------



## Fangorn

bwbuddy5 said:


> That makes total sense, to the point I can't believe I hadn't figured it out on my own.  Can cash bookings later be converted to points (I expect to have enough points mid-October, waiting on my credit card acknowledgment).


 
Cash bookings can't be converted to points. You'd have to cancel the original reservations and rebook with points. But that would leave you with credits you might not be able to fully use before they expire. I wouldn't suggest doing it. If you do the return as a separate one-way reservation,  and you should have your points by the time they open the return flights,  you'll be able to use the points to book that leg at least. 

Steve


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## BabyPotatoHead

I have been watching SWA fares for my upcoming trip next month. Flight was originally booked with points. One leg went down in points so I went in to the reservation to modify and go this message: "Before you Modify...By modifying this flight, your originally refundable fare will become non-refundable. Alternately, you may cancel this flight, request a refund and rebook."

I have only done this one other time a couple of years ago and don't remember this. Thoughts??


----------



## X and G's mom

jenseib said:


> If the 6:30 flight is cheaper....then why don't you just change to it now?
> 
> And just and FYI...I flew out at 5:30 AM in June and I was thinking the plane would have to be pretty empty that early...who else is that crazy....nope...every seat was filled.



The 6:30am flight is still about $50 higher than what I originally paid for the 8am flight. I'm still hoping the 6:30am flight drops in price to what I originally paid for the 8am flight, then I will for sure switch it! I was just curious if they would let someone ride if there were open seats.

Whew!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

BabyPotatoHead said:


> I have been watching SWA fares for my upcoming trip next month. Flight was originally booked with points. One leg went down in points so I went in to the reservation to modify and go this message: "Before you Modify...By modifying this flight, your originally refundable fare will become non-refundable. Alternately, you may cancel this flight, request a refund and rebook."
> 
> I have only done this one other time a couple of years ago and don't remember this. Thoughts??


This is a new limitation of Southwest's new computer system.  The $5.60 fee you pay to book on points used to be fully refundable.  IF you modify your flight the $5.60 won't be refundable anymore, it turns into a travel credit.  *The Points are 100% absolutely refundable still regardless of what you do though,* so don't worry about that.

If for some reason you aren't sure if you'd go on the trip and really want to ensure the $5.60 is still refundable then instead of modifying you should cancel and rebook the flight.  If you're definitely going or you are just not worried about $5.60 then just do the change.


----------



## BabyPotatoHead

SouthFayetteFan said:


> This is a new limitation of Southwest's new computer system.  The $5.60 fee you pay to book on points used to be fully refundable.  IF you modify your flight the $5.60 won't be refundable anymore, it turns into a travel credit.  *The Points are 100% absolutely refundable still regardless of what you do though,* so don't worry about that.
> 
> If for some reason you aren't sure if you'd go on the trip and really want to ensure the $5.60 is still refundable then instead of modifying you should cancel and rebook the flight.  If you're definitely going or you are just not worried about $5.60 then just do the change.



Thank you for explaining this! I feel much better. Not too worried about the $5.60. It's for 5 tickets but still not worth the chance of not being able to rebook the seats.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

BabyPotatoHead said:


> Thank you for explaining this! I feel much better. Not too worried about the $5.60. It's for 5 tickets but still not worth the chance of not being able to rebook the seats.


You're welcome Baby Potato Head...and yes I just wanted to say Baby Potato Head.  I giggle a little each time I say it...


----------



## TNKim

I just checked in for my flight tomorrow - we had early bird & got boarding in A48-A51. I noticed on each reservation it said TSA Pre on it. Does this mean we can use the pre check line? We never have purchased the TSA pre check since we don't fly that often. Is this just random or what else would TSA pre mean?

Also, I wanted the boarding passes sent to my mobile instead of printing but there was no option to do that, only print, which means I will have to do it at the airport since I don't have a printer at home. I tried to find the mobile option on the app, my iPad, and laptop, and there was no mobile option. Anyone else have this happen?


----------



## eeyoreland

TNKim said:


> I just checked in for my flight tomorrow - we had early bird & got boarding in A48-A51. I noticed on each reservation it said TSA Pre on it. Does this mean we can use the pre check line? We never have purchased the TSA pre check since we don't fly that often. Is this just random or what else would TSA pre mean?
> 
> Also, I wanted the boarding passes sent to my mobile instead of printing but there was no option to do that, only print, which means I will have to do it at the airport since I don't have a printer at home. I tried to find the mobile option on the app, my iPad, and laptop, and there was no mobile option. Anyone else have this happen?



Yes, you can go through the TSA pre-check line. Normally you don't have to remove your shoes or coat . You also shouldn't have to remove your quart bag of liquids. I don't know what to tell you about the boarding pass. I also check in on my phone and then save my boarding pass to my photos.


----------



## eeyoreland

Does anyone have any experience with purchasing points? I'm a couple thousand points short for my February trip and don't know if it pays to purchase points. In the big scheme of things, I'd rather spend $75 to purchase the points then have to pay $400 for the flight. But I also don't want to make a huge mistake by purchasing points.


----------



## Fangorn

TNKim said:


> I just checked in for my flight tomorrow - we had early bird & got boarding in A48-A51. I noticed on each reservation it said TSA Pre on it. Does this mean we can use the pre check line? We never have purchased the TSA pre check since we don't fly that often. Is this just random or what else would TSA pre mean?
> 
> Also, I wanted the boarding passes sent to my mobile instead of printing but there was no option to do that, only print, which means I will have to do it at the airport since I don't have a printer at home. I tried to find the mobile option on the app, my iPad, and laptop, and there was no mobile option. Anyone else have this happen?



Yes, if the boarding pass says TSA Pre on it then you can use that line at the airport. "Random" selection for TSA Pre with Southwest has been a consistent thing for years, and while SW doesn't make the final determination (TSA does that), they do provide TSA with a list of recommended passengers. Be grateful!

As for not being able to download the boarding pass to your phone,  not all SW locations and gates have the necessary equipment at the gate. If your gate doesn't have the scanner, the option to download to your phone does not show up on the app. This will happen if SW is using (or thinks they might be using) a temporary gate that isn't one of their official gates. It happened here in Portland awhile back when SW was acquiring an additional gate. They were using it,  but it didn't "officially" belong to them yet and the necessary equipment wasn't in place. 

Getting a boarding pass at the airport though is super simple - just use any SW kiosk to print out out. Takes all of 30 seconds. I find the printout to be simpler than using the phone anyway. 

Steve


----------



## TNKim

Fangorn said:


> Yes, if the boarding pass says TSA Pre on it then you can use that line at the airport. "Random" selection for TSA Pre with Southwest has been a consistent thing for years, and while SW doesn't make the final determination (TSA does that), they do provide TSA with a list of recommended passengers. Be grateful!
> 
> As for not being able to download the boarding pass to your phone,  not all SW locations and gates have the necessary equipment at the gate. If your gate doesn't have the scanner, the option to download to your phone does not show up on the app. This will happen if SW is using (or thinks they might be using) a temporary gate that isn't one of their official gates. It happened here in Portland awhile back when SW was acquiring an additional gate. They were using it,  but it didn't "officially" belong to them yet and the necessary equipment wasn't in place.
> 
> Getting a boarding pass at the airport though is super simple - just use any SW kiosk to print out out. Takes all of 30 seconds. I find the printout to be simpler than using the phone anyway.
> 
> Steve



Yay for the pre-check! So having the random pre check on our departure flight, does this mean our return flight will also be TSA pre check??  I really hope so after reading about how difficult it is to get through security at MCO.


----------



## Fangorn

eeyoreland said:


> Does anyone have any experience with purchasing points? I'm a couple thousand points short for my February trip and don't know if it pays to purchase points. In the big scheme of things, I'd rather spend $75 to purchase the points then have to pay $400 for the flight. But I also don't want to make a huge mistake by purchasing points.



Generally,  buying a small number of points to combine with existing points isn't too bad of a deal. You're still paying more per point than they are worth in trade,  but with a small number as in your case,  it becomes a decision of how much do you want to spend out of pocket right now.

The cost of buying points is about $0.27 - $0.36 per point, depending on the amount purchased. The cost of using points vs cash for a flight is between $0.50 and $1 EX: a $93 flight takes 4701 points. You'd have to purchase 5000 points for $137.50, so it would cost you $44.50 more to purchase points. Paying the $93 would also earn you an additional 392 points.

The one serious advantage that points have over cash is in cancelling a flight. With points,  they just go back into your account - no credit hassles and restrictions. For some people,  that benefit is very important.

Steve


----------



## Fangorn

TNKim said:


> Yay for the pre-check! So having the random pre check on our departure flight, does this mean our return flight will also be TSA pre check??  I really hope so after reading about how difficult it is to get through security at MCO.



Not necessarily. Each leg is separate. But your odds are much higher, since you obviously have been through the selection process already. 

Steve


----------



## mhf

I just printed my boarding passes for tomorrow too (BWI departure) and there was no option for phone boarding passes either.  I like to have both.  As BWI is such a hub for SW I wonder what is up.  We got Global Entry 2 years ago so got the Pre-Check auto-magically.


----------



## dreamer17555

Does anyone know if Southwest allows pre boarding for children with autism? My son has flown before but it is stressful for him and being able to get settled (get his headphones on and a favorite plush out of his bag) without dealing with a crush of people has helped him a lot. United and American have both accommodated him but unsure about Southwest.

Note: I have already purchase EBCI for our entire party so this is not about trying to save. Just trying to help him have a wonderful (and calm) trip.


----------



## Lvsdisney

dreamer17555 said:


> Does anyone know if Southwest allows pre boarding for children with autism? My son has flown before but it is stressful for him and being able to get settled (get his headphones on and a favorite plush out of his bag) without dealing with a crush of people has helped him a lot. United and American have both accommodated him but unsure about Southwest.
> 
> Note: I have already purchase EBCI for our entire party so this is not about trying to save. Just trying to help him have a wonderful (and calm) trip.



Based on a quick google search it appears you can.  You have to get a pre-board authorization pass from the customer service agent and you should be good to go!

ETA:  It looks like you can edit your reservation to include information regarding your son's autism to make it easier once you are at the airport.


----------



## dreamer17555

Lvsdisney said:


> Based on a quick google search it appears you can.  You have to get a pre-board authorization pass from the customer service agent and you should be good to go!
> 
> ETA:  It looks like you can edit your reservation to include information regarding your son's autism to make it easier once you are at the airport.



Thank you. I will look at my reservation and see how to add it.


----------



## marymaya

Sorry for probably asking this for the millionth time, but I just can't find it on here...flying Sw on a Tuesday  with my kids ages 7 and 9. Flying out of Dulles (D.C.). If I purchase early bird check in are we promised a seat together? Meaning, will our boarding passes (A or B assignment) be together.  I don't even care where we sit...it's short flight. Am I better off buying it just for one of the flights? If so, which one? We're flying there at 2:30 on a Tuesday and coming home our flight leaves at 10 am on a Saturday. Not sure how packed those kinds of flights are. We have never flown Sw before. Totally willing to buy it if necessary but happy not to since where on the plane we are sitting isn't important. Lastly, if I do the 24 hour checkin and our passes (ABCD) are not together, can I buy the early checkin afterward? Just starting to freak out a little that we might not be together. Younger DD is anxious and won't deal well with that. Thanks


----------



## Lvsdisney

marymaya said:


> Sorry for probably asking this for the millionth time, but I just can't find it on here...flying Sw on a Tuesday  with my kids ages 7 and 9. Flying out of Dulles (D.C.). If I purchase early bird check in are we promised a seat together? Meaning, will our boarding passes (A or B assignment) be together.  I don't even care where we sit...it's short flight. Am I better off buying it just for one of the flights? If so, which one? We're flying there at 2:30 on a Tuesday and coming home our flight leaves at 10 am on a Saturday. Not sure how packed those kinds of flights are. We have never flown Sw before. Totally willing to buy it if necessary but happy not to since where on the plane we are sitting isn't important. Lastly, if I do the 24 hour checkin and our passes (ABCD) are not together, can I buy the early checkin afterward? Just starting to freak out a little that we might not be together. Younger DD is anxious and won't deal well with that. Thanks



When you check in,  whether manually at 24 hours or with EBCI, everyone in your party is checked in at the same time,  so y you'll get sequential boarding numbers. The closer to 24 hours,  the better chance of boarding position. There is no "buying" EBCI at the airport, though I believe you can upgrade your tickets to a business ticket which would move your boarding # to the high As.  

I usually will check us in manually at exactly 24 hours for our flight to Florida and pay for EBCI for the flight home since I don't want to have to worry about it while we're in the parks,  having fun.


----------



## marymaya

Lvsdisney said:


> When you check in,  whether manually at 24 hours or with EBCI, everyone in your party is checked in at the same time,  so y you'll get sequential boarding numbers. The closer to 24 hours,  the better chance of boarding position. There is no "buying" EBCI at the airport, though I believe you can upgrade your tickets to a business ticket which would move your boarding # to the high As.
> 
> I usually will check us in manually at exactly 24 hours for our flight to Florida and pay for EBCI for the flight home since I don't want to have to worry about it while we're in the parks,  having fun.


Thanks. That clears up a lot of my confusion. I will check in 24 hours early because I'll be able to, but I will pay for early check on for the flight home. Thank you!!


----------



## mom2rtk

marymaya said:


> Thanks. That clears up a lot of my confusion. I will check in 24 hours early because I'll be able to, but I will pay for early check on for the flight home. Thank you!!


Just be aware that everyone who does buy EBCI will be checked in ahead of you. If it's important that you sit together, you should buy the EBCI. You will get sequential numbers on your boarding passes, but those do not equate to seats next to each other. It only means you can board together to look for seats.


----------



## marymaya

mom2rtk said:


> Just be aware that everyone who does buy EBCI will be checked in ahead of you. If it's important that you sit together, you should buy the EBCI. You will get sequential numbers on your boarding passes, but those do not equate to seats next to each other. It only means you can board together to look for seats.


Ohhhh right. Forgot about that. I figured if I checked in online at 24 hours, and got there early, if we had the sequential boarding numbers, we'd get a good spot in line and have better chances. I'll probably just pay for early bird check in....unless anyone can convince me otherwise. Thank you!


----------



## goofy4tink

marymaya said:


> Ohhhh right. Forgot about that. I figured if I checked in online at 24 hours, and got there early, if we had the sequential boarding numbers, we'd get a good spot in line and have better chances. I'll probably just pay for early bird check in....unless anyone can convince me otherwise. Thank you!


If you buy EBCI at this point, you all will be at the end of the group that bought EBCI before you did. No way of knowing where that will put you in the line up. It all depends on how many bought it.


----------



## marymaya

goofy4tink said:


> If you buy EBCI at this point, you all will be at the end of the group that bought EBCI before you did. No way of knowing where that will put you in the line up. It all depends on how many bought it.


That's true too. I'm freaking out, picturing the worst case scenario in my head. All of us sitting across the plane from each other...the kids crying...lesson learned. It's our first time flying without my husband and our first time flying SW. I'm still leaning toward purchasing the EBCI but I'd be so upset if I spent the money on it and then didn't sit next to my kids- like I said, I don't care where on the plane we're sitting. My 7 year old just missed the cut off for family boarding too- she just turned 7. I'll call tomorrow and see about adding it on. Thanks for the info.


----------



## goofy4tink

marymaya said:


> That's true too. I'm freaking out, picturing the worst case scenario in my head. All of us sitting across the plane from each other...the kids crying...lesson learned. It's our first time flying without my husband and our first time flying SW. I'm still leaning toward purchasing the EBCI but I'd be so upset if I spent the money on it and then didn't sit next to my kids- like I said, I don't care where on the plane we're sitting. My 7 year old just missed the cut off for family boarding too- she just turned 7. I'll call tomorrow and see about adding it on. Thanks for the info.


Ok...try to relax. You're probably going to be able to find three seats together. It's usually those that are in the C group that have an issue. By the time you board, you will most likely have to head to the back of the plane, but you should be able to find an empty row.


----------



## marymaya

goofy4tink said:


> Ok...try to relax. You're probably going to be able to find three seats together. It's usually those that are in the C group that have an issue. By the time you board, you will most likely have to head to the back of the plane, but you should be able to find an empty row.


Do you think??? I don't even care if it's a row. Just together somewhat. Like across an aisle or something. What happened with that bill that got passed where kids under 13 must sit with an adult who is traveling with them? I googled it, and it was effective in July.


----------



## Shrfleen

Will Disney check us in for our departure flight with Southwest 24 hours before or should be do it ourselves?


----------



## mfly

Shrfleen said:


> Will Disney check us in for our departure flight with Southwest 24 hours before or should be do it ourselves?


Disney will not check you in. You’ll have to do it yourselves. If you want to be automatically checked in, I’d suggest purchasing EBCI.


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## Moramoon

I have a question. I'm pretty sure I won't be able to, but I thought I'd ask. When we booked out flights to MCO I didn't have enough points for a ticket. They were $73 at the time so I went ahead and paid for our 4 tickets. I've booked 2 of the tickets for our return flight and have been waiting on the last 2. Those tickets are now $106. Thanks to the summer shop promo and the dining promo for being a new sign up I have more point, but I'm still a little shy of being able to buy one of the last 2 we need. Am I able to change my payment method to points from one of the $73 tickets and use the credit from that towards one of the $106 tickets? Does this make sense?


----------



## Lvsdisney

Moramoon said:


> I have a question. I'm pretty sure I won't be able to, but I thought I'd ask. When we booked out flights to MCO I didn't have enough points for a ticket. They were $73 at the time so I went ahead and paid for our 4 tickets. I've booked 2 of the tickets for our return flight and have been waiting on the last 2. Those tickets are now $106. Thanks to the summer shop promo and the dining promo for being a new sign up I have more point, but I'm still a little shy of being able to buy one of the last 2 we need. Am I able to change my payment method to points from one of the $73 tickets and use the credit from that towards one of the $106 tickets? Does this make sense?



I dont think you can combine points with another form of payment.  It has to be all or nothing. Is that what you're asking?  

Also, I know buying points isn't a good value, but I'm not sure how short you are and if it would make sense financially to purchase the remaining you need.  It may be cheaper than paying for the seats.


----------



## Moramoon

No, I was hoping to use points to pay for a ticket I already bought (one of the $73 tickets) then use the credit from that towards one of the return tickets I still need. It's not too big of a deal if I can't. I'm about 600 points away from paying for one of them which with the holidays coming up I'm sure I could get to pretty quickly. I figure it's not possible, but thought I'd ask.


----------



## Lvsdisney

Moramoon said:


> No, I was hoping to use points to pay for a ticket I already bought (one of the $73 tickets) then use the credit from that towards one of the return tickets I still need. It's not too big of a deal if I can't. I'm about 600 points away from paying for one of them which with the holidays coming up I'm sure I could get to pretty quickly. I figure it's not possible, but thought I'd ask.



I guess you could cancel your flights, and then get a credit to use to the other flight, but I believe the credit can only be used by the person whose name is on the original flight. Then you can take the chance to book with points that the flights are still there at the point level you want. 

I would just wait to earn more points...  maybe others have another idea.


----------



## Moramoon

I don't really want to do that. I doubt I'd be able to re-book at the same price. I'll just wait. I've been antsy about getting our last 2 tickets, but I'm so close.


----------



## Lvsdisney

Moramoon said:


> I don't really want to do that. I doubt I'd be able to re-book at the same price. I'll just wait. I've been antsy about getting our last 2 tickets, but I'm so close.



I know what you mean! I've already booked our return flights but I'm waiting for American's price to drop before I book our flights there! (SW NS flights are not at ideal times...)


----------



## linjohn

If I book a refundable fare on Southwest and a wanna get away fare becomes available Can I change to the lesser fare and get a refund?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

linjohn said:


> If I book a refundable fare on Southwest and a wanna get away fare becomes available Can I change to the lesser fare and get a refund?


I'd book the wanna get away fare first separately then cancel your other ticket for a refund.


----------



## Lvsdisney

Just want to say thanks for all the useful info here on this thread!  I have been checking the times for my flight home and my ideal flight has been sold out pretty much since it was released.  Well, I persisted and finally found it available to book tonight.  It cost me a few more RR points, but completely worth it since DH has to work the next morning and I didn't want to get home too late!  Your info also assured me my EBCI would transfer (it did) and that all I had to do was change the flight instead of cancelling and booking a new one.  Thanks again!  I'm still 6 months away, but I'm feeling excited!!

ETA:  A quick question though.... say I get even luckier and the points for the flight go down, can I rebook again?  How many times can you change a flight using RR points?


----------



## marymaya

Lvsdisney said:


> Just want to say thanks for all the useful info here on this thread!  I have been checking the times for my flight home and my ideal flight has been sold out pretty much since it was released.  Well, I persisted and finally found it available to book tonight.  It cost me a few more RR points, but completely worth it since DH has to work the next morning and I didn't want to get home too late!  Your info also assured me my EBCI would transfer (it did) and that all I had to do was change the flight instead of cancelling and booking a new one.  Thanks again!  I'm still 6 months away, but I'm feeling excited!!
> 
> ETA:  A quick question though.... say I get even luckier and the points for the flight go down, can I rebook again?  How many times can you change a flight using RR points?


I’ve rebooked at least 4 times and my flights are covered with points.  I was refunded over 12000 points total.


----------



## TNKim

The price of my ticket changed 2 times before my trip, so each time I changed the ticket to the lower price, generating a refund to my account to be used in the next year.  In looking at my account online, I can't find how much the credited refunds were.  Can you direct me to where on the website I can see the amount of my credit?


----------



## Shrfleen

TNKim said:


> The price of my ticket changed 2 times before my trip, so each time I changed the ticket to the lower price, generating a refund to my account to be used in the next year.  In looking at my account online, I can't find how much the credited refunds were.  Can you direct me to where on the website I can see the amount of my credit?



This is what I use: https://www.southwest.com/flight/travel-funds-search.html 

You will need the original confirmation #


----------



## Queen of the WDW Scene

Points/refund/rebook question. 

Hopefully I explain this correctly. 
If I want to purchase flights with points but don't have enough so I purchase enough that I can then pay for the round trip flight with POINTS and then after booking have to cancel for some reason do I get the POINTS back? 
If so do those points have to be used within 1 year of the date I originally booked the flight? 
 Say I book today for February and then I need to cancel due to a family member being sick and me having to stay home to assist them would I have to book and take a flight by October 29th 2018 or can the points be used later than that? Like December 2018?

(Background is my mom just found out she has lymphoma but they still need to do testing to decide for sure if its slow growing or aggressive but that likely won't be figured out for a month or two. Meanwhile i'd like to book some very cheap flights on SW for a February trip but if it turns out its aggressive cancer she'll need treatment right away and may need assistance when I'm wanting to go on vacation so I'd stay home. I am also taking a trip December 2018. I realize that if I pay with $$$ I only have 1 year from the original booking date which is why I considered buying points to pay for this trip and then if I need to cancel the flights I wanted to know if the points also expire after 1 year or if I could book for December 2018 with those points)


----------



## PerfessorZ

Queen of the WDW Scene said:


> Points/refund/rebook question.
> 
> Hopefully I explain this correctly.
> If I want to purchase flights with points but don't have enough so I purchase enough that I can then pay for the round trip flight with POINTS and then after booking have to cancel for some reason do I get the POINTS back?



Yes



Queen of the WDW Scene said:


> If so do those points have to be used within 1 year of the date I originally booked the flight?



No



Queen of the WDW Scene said:


> Say I book today for February and then I need to cancel due to a family member being sick and me having to stay home to assist them would I have to book and take a flight by October 29th 2018 or can the points be used later than that? Like December 2018?



No.  The points can be used at any time in the future.


----------



## Queen of the WDW Scene

PerfessorZ said:


> Yes
> 
> 
> 
> No
> 
> 
> 
> No.  The points can be used at any time in the future.


Thank you for the clear and concise answer. I feel a lot better.


----------



## mastermind307

Will Southwest ever have a sale that goes past May 23?  I keep waiting to book our return flights in hopes there will be a sale.  But every time a sale is announced, the travel days are never later than May 23.  I don't know if I should keep waiting or go ahead and book.


----------



## richmo

mastermind307 said:


> Will Southwest ever have a sale that goes past May 23?  I keep waiting to book our return flights in hopes there will be a sale.  But every time a sale is announced, the travel days are never later than May 23.  I don't know if I should keep waiting or go ahead and book.



They will eventually, but your fare could also go up in the meantime, or even get sold out. If you're flying again within a year (from now), you could always book and take the credit if there's a fare drop.


----------



## bwbuddy5

Ok, just booked for a party of 9, and had to do it as 7 and 2.  Different reservation numbers obviously, but made both while logged in under my rapid rewards account.

I got both email confirmations, and if I click My Itinerary in either email, it displays everything properly on the website.  However, if I just go directly to the website (not from the email), it looks like it's only showing the one reservation that contained my name.

Is that something to be concerned about?  Will it make checking in 24 prior cumbersome?


----------



## jenseib

bwbuddy5 said:


> Ok, just booked for a party of 9, and had to do it as 7 and 2.  Different reservation numbers obviously, but made both while logged in under my rapid rewards account.
> 
> I got both email confirmations, and if I click My Itinerary in either email, it displays everything properly on the website.  However, if I just go directly to the website (not from the email), it looks like it's only showing the one reservation that contained my name.
> 
> Is that something to be concerned about?  Will it make checking in 24 prior cumbersome?



No because you will check in using conf. numbers


----------



## hsmamato2

I've noticed this too...I book 3 separate flights thru my acct- and when I pull up the page I see only mine listed.... it's kind of annoying b/c I'd like to see all 3 linked there....I have to pull them up singly to view them. Is there a way to link the 3 so I can see them all on the acct?


----------



## weluvdisneyx4

I need some advice from people familiar with SW pricing.  I believe rates are coming out tomorrow for our dates (mid-June).  What is a normal procedure for SW...lowest fares right when released or do they start out a little higher and go down in a couple of weeks?  I know it isn't anything in stone, but I was just wondering if I should be prepared to purchase ASAP or do I have a couple of weeks.  Looking at flights about 2 weeks earlier than our planned time, the rates on the particular flights we want are the cheapest for our travel days, so I am hoping that stays true.  

TIA!


----------



## bwbuddy5

weluvdisneyx4 said:


> I need some advice from people familiar with SW pricing.  I believe rates are coming out tomorrow for our dates (mid-June).  What is a normal procedure for SW...lowest fares right when released or do they start out a little higher and go down in a couple of weeks?  I know it isn't anything in stone, but I was just wondering if I should be prepared to purchase ASAP or do I have a couple of weeks.  Looking at flights about 2 weeks earlier than our planned time, the rates on the particular flights we want are the cheapest for our travel days, so I am hoping that stays true.
> 
> TIA!



Buy now, change later. I remember one post where someone said they changed 8 times


----------



## mastermind307

richmo said:


> They will eventually, but your fare could also go up in the meantime, or even get sold out. If you're flying again within a year (from now), you could always book and take the credit if there's a fare drop.



I guess I'll just keep checking and hope for the best.  I may go ahead and book it soon, but we don't plan on going anywhere else so I wouldn't be able to use the credits.


----------



## mastermind307

weluvdisneyx4 said:


> I need some advice from people familiar with SW pricing.  I believe rates are coming out tomorrow for our dates (mid-June).  What is a normal procedure for SW...lowest fares right when released or do they start out a little higher and go down in a couple of weeks?  I know it isn't anything in stone, but I was just wondering if I should be prepared to purchase ASAP or do I have a couple of weeks.  Looking at flights about 2 weeks earlier than our planned time, the rates on the particular flights we want are the cheapest for our travel days, so I am hoping that stays true.
> 
> TIA!



The Southwest website shows Nov. 2 as the next release day, which will be Thursday, not tomorrow.  

As far as when to book, it all just depends.  I booked our departure flight the day Southwest released my dates.  My flight went down $10, so I changed it and have a $10 credit.  That same flight is now $50 more.  I plan to use the $10 credit to book our return flight, but have been waiting to see if that flight will go down.  
I also looked at flights a couple weeks before my dates were released.  I felt good that I decided to fly out on a Tuesday, the cheaper flights were on Tuesday.  But the Tuesday I chose, May 29, didn't have the cheaper flights, probably because of Memorial Day.


----------



## weluvdisneyx4

Thanks for the advice.  I did see where the release date was the 2nd.  I guess I will just wait and see what the prices  come out as.  I am so hoping for a good deal on this flight.  It might be the only deal I get on this trip! LOL!


----------



## Kimberly1

Is there an approximate time that Southwest usually releases fares? I want to be ready to purchase tomorrow as I've found that for our airports and because we travel during school holidays, the release date is usually the cheapest flights.


----------



## WDWFan0813

Kimberly1 said:


> Is there an approximate time that Southwest usually releases fares? I want to be ready to purchase tomorrow as I've found that for our airports and because we travel during school holidays, the release date is usually the cheapest flights.


Based on what I have seen on other threads / blogs, recently it usually happens sometime around 6AM EST, but it may take a little time before you're able to book the flights.  May just need to keep an eye out if you are able.  

I was personally excited to book our flights to MCO for our next trip in Aug., but it looks like they have changed the end of this schedule release from Aug. 12th to Aug. 6th.   

Good luck with booking yours!


----------



## Kimberly1

WDWFan0813 said:


> Based on what I have seen on other threads / blogs, recently it usually happens sometime around 6AM EST, but it may take a little time before you're able to book the flights.  May just need to keep an eye out if you are able.
> 
> I was personally excited to book our flights to MCO for our next trip in Aug., but it looks like they have changed the end of this schedule release from Aug. 12th to Aug. 6th.
> 
> Good luck with booking yours!



Thanks. Earlier I had looked and the book date was today so I got up this morning all excited only to login and see that it's been moved to tomorrow.


----------



## bwbuddy5

Maybe I'm lucky to live in a more rural area.  I waited to book 9 departure tickets for June 3 until this week, and Wanna Get Away was still available.  Is that unusual?


----------



## disneymagicgirl

bwbuddy5 said:


> Maybe I'm lucky to live in a more rural area.  I waited to book 9 departure tickets for June 3 until this week, and Wanna Get Away was still available.  Is that unusual?



Not unusual at all.


----------



## Fangorn

hsmamato2 said:


> I've noticed this too...I book 3 separate flights thru my acct- and when I pull up the page I see only mine listed.... it's kind of annoying b/c I'd like to see all 3 linked there....I have to pull them up singly to view them. Is there a way to link the 3 so I can see them all on the acct?



THIS is just the way their system works. The account used to book a reservation is NOT necessarily the account the reservation is attached to. Reservations will only show up in the accounts of the people on the reservation. So if I book separate reservations for DW and I each through my account, I will only see mine as a planned trip. DW's shows up in her account. I can pull either up via the confirmation number, of course. I've called several times over the years and asked if there's a way to merge things so I can see everything from my account. The answer had always been "no". They have no plans to change it, either,  as it's based off of the RR # of the passenger,  not who booked the flight.

It can definitely be a pain.  

Steve


----------



## bwbuddy5

If I bought flights for 9 (7+2) people using my Sw rapid rewards card, while logged into my account, when should I expect to see my points for the flights loaded to my account?


----------



## disneymagicgirl

bwbuddy5 said:


> If I bought flights for 9 (7+2) people using my Sw rapid rewards card, while logged into my account, when should I expect to see my points for the flights loaded to my account?



The points on the purchase will show up after your card statement closes.

The points for the actual flight (if you paid cash and not points) will show up after the flight is complete.


----------



## bwbuddy5

disneymagicgirl said:


> The points on the purchase will show up after your card statement closes.
> 
> The points for the actual flight (if you paid cash and not points) will show up after the flight is complete.



So, my cost for each ticket was $135. I used the Visa that gives 2 for 1 points. Next to each flight it says est. points earned is 638; how is that possible, and how many of those points are awarded after statement close vs after flight is taken?


----------



## disneymagicgirl

bwbuddy5 said:


> So, my cost for each ticket was $135. I used the Visa that gives 2 for 1 points. Next to each flight it says est. points earned is 638; how is that possible, and how many of those points are awarded after statement close vs after flight is taken?


270 after statement closes
638 after flight complete

ETA: the 638 are points that anyone gets for taking the flight. It is not related to using the credit card.


----------



## pmaurer74

WDWFan0813 said:


> Based on what I have seen on other threads / blogs, recently it usually happens sometime around 6AM EST, but it may take a little time before you're able to book the flights.  May just need to keep an eye out if you are able.
> 
> I was personally excited to book our flights to MCO for our next trip in Aug., but it looks like they have changed the end of this schedule release from Aug. 12th to Aug. 6th.
> 
> Good luck with booking yours!


In my experience they are released around 6:15am... nothing yet as of 6:07am


----------



## Momoftwins+1

pmaurer74 said:


> In my experience they are released around 6:15am... nothing yet as of 6:07am


Yeah they came out shortly after your post.
Higher than I would have preferred  but got early flight down that we wanted being west coast. Will wait on return for a bit and see what they do as we don't care the time we arrive home.


----------



## pmaurer74

Momoftwins+1 said:


> Yeah they came out shortly after your post.
> Higher than I would have preferred  but got early flight down that we wanted being west coast. Will wait on return for a bit and see what they do as we don't care the time we arrive home.


I went to use my credit and couldn't they expire in January so now I am scrambling.... not happy about it. They were slightly lower than I expected but till higher than I usually pay.


----------



## bwbuddy5

btw, I checked flights for Jun 9, and all flights had WGA cash options, but when I clicked points, half of the flights said sold out.  But, I refreshed the screen, and then all flights were available with points-- strange.

I also noticed the flights I booked yesterday for June 3 went up $20 each - I bought 9 tickets, so good for me!


----------



## weluvdisneyx4

I am really disappointed with the schedule for our dates.  They don't have the non-stop flights I had been looking at and the prices are a little higher.  I might hold out for a few days to see if anything changes.  Our departure date is the big concern, there was a 12:00 pm (or around there) non-stop flight I was hoping for that isn't on there like it had been in May.  I guess maybe this is their summer schedule.


----------



## bwbuddy5

weluvdisneyx4 said:


> I am really disappointed with the schedule for our dates.  They don't have the non-stop flights I had been looking at and the prices are a little higher.  I might hold out for a few days to see if anything changes.  Our departure date is the big concern, there was a 12:00 pm (or around there) non-stop flight I was hoping for that isn't on there like it had been in May.  I guess maybe this is their summer schedule.



Do you mind me asking if you are from a big or small metropolitan area?  Our area actually had several direct flight options, more so than the previous week's flights - not a small airport, but not huge.


----------



## mom2missmous

We were disappointed too in prices, times, and lack of direct flights.  Usually we have more direct flights to choose from from BDL to MCO in July, but not this time!  We will have to get up at 2am to catch our flight, but heh seen worse and we are going to Disney!


----------



## weluvdisneyx4

bwbuddy5 said:


> Do you mind me asking if you are from a big or small metropolitan area?  Our area actually had several direct flight options, more so than the previous week's flights - not a small airport, but not huge.



I am in SW Va, near Roanoke, but flying out of RDU.  It is worth the drive and even spending the night to fly SW from there compared to flying out of Roanoke.


----------



## weluvdisneyx4

Now the SW site shows everything sold out or unavailable.  Guess they are having issues.


----------



## ClanHarrison

Huh.....

Anybody else getting this strange error message today on Southwest.com?




I also couldn't seem to get any rate listings for the month of July 2018 thru Aug. 6, 2018



Then, I tried again and got this:




Then it went back to the no rates listed again. Are they glitching because of the new date releases???


----------



## weluvdisneyx4

They have taken down anything past the June 5th date now.   ClanHarrison, I will have to check BWI if RDU doesn't have exactly what I am looking for.  Those $70.00 flights look nice!


----------



## ClanHarrison

Ha...yeah, they did...didn't they. Good luck! Oh, we were posting at the same time about the glitch lol...


----------



## Kimberly1

I bought airfare this morning. Decided I wanted to see about staying one more day. Went to look and it's gone. 

I scored $90 each way for Dallas to Los Angeles


----------



## pmaurer74

so I am losing $103 in airfare credit that needs to be used by Jan. 5. They won;t let me rebook with the old credits and use new credits for a future flight. She said it would all have an Jan. 5 expiration date anyway. I cannot transfer them either. I am really bummed. Too bad I cannot use it for early bird check in.


----------



## bwbuddy5

If you get the Sold Out message, it will often change just by refreshing your screen.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

pmaurer74 said:


> so I am losing $103 in airfare credit that needs to be used by Jan. 5. They won;t let me rebook with the old credits and use new credits for a future flight. She said it would all have an Jan. 5 expiration date anyway. I cannot transfer them either. I am really bummed. Too bad I cannot use it for early bird check in.


Travel funds expire within 1 year of original purchase date of the airline ticket. It doesn't matter if you've rebooked multiple times to get a lower rate because your time period to use them is always from 1 year of original purchase date of the ticket..that's the date you have to keep in mind rather than thinking about it from the date you rebooked at the lower rate.


----------



## iivye

pmaurer74 said:


> so I am losing $103 in airfare credit that needs to be used by Jan. 5. They won;t let me rebook with the old credits and use new credits for a future flight. She said it would all have an Jan. 5 expiration date anyway. I cannot transfer them either. I am really bummed. Too bad I cannot use it for early bird check in.



That's one thing that is frustrating.  If you pay even a small portion of ticket with an old credit the expiration date for the entire ticket is the expiration date of the oldest credit.  I also wish they would just group all the credits together.  I recently rolled over a bunch of little credits into three different tickets to combine them.  It took a little effort but well worth it to make sure I can use all the credits before they expire.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

iivye said:


> If you pay even a small portion of ticket with an old credit the expiration date for the entire ticket is the expiration date of the oldest credit.


It's from when you originally purchased your plane ticket. It doesn't have to do with how old your oldest credit is. At least they give you credits back rather than you just eating the cost of paying a higher plane ticket.



iivye said:


> I also wish they would just group all the credits together.


Again they are based off of when you purchased your original plane ticket. If they grouped them all together they would have to change their policy on expiration dates. The way they do it now with the confirmation numbers is how they keep track of your credits. Grouping them together would only work for those who travel one time in a 365 day period from the date of their original purchase of the plane ticket. If you fly more than that and have travel funds from more than one flight then grouping them together wouldn't work under the current policy.

I believe you can extend your travel funds for something like $100 fee which is taken out of the balance of the travel funds? Don't know if that is still the case.


----------



## iivye

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> It's from when you originally purchased your plane ticket. It doesn't have to do with how old your oldest credit is. At least they give you credits back rather than you just eating the cost of paying a higher plane ticket.
> 
> 
> Again they are based off of when you purchased your original plane ticket. If they grouped them all together they would have to change their policy on expiration dates. The way they do it now with the confirmation numbers is how they keep track of your credits. Grouping them together would only work for those who travel one time in a 365 day period from the date of their original purchase of the plane ticket. If you fly more than that and have travel funds from more than one flight then grouping them together wouldn't work under the current policy.



I should have been more specific.  I know that the expiration date is from when you originally purchased your plane ticket.  My point was if you have a $5 credit that expires 1/1/2018 and you buy a $200 ticket today and apply that $5 credit the new ticket will still expire 1/1/2018 even though 98% of ticket was paid with cash today.

In my case my credits were all expiring the same date so I wouldn't even mind if they combined them by date.  I guess most people don't rebook the lower rate as often as I do or move tickets as often.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

iivye said:


> I should have been more specific.  I know that the expiration date is from when you originally purchased your plane ticket.  My point was if you have a $5 credit that expires 1/1/2018 and you buy a $200 ticket today and apply that $5 credit the new ticket will still expire 1/1/2018 even though 98% of ticket was paid with cash today.
> 
> In my case my credits were all expiring the same date so I wouldn't even mind if they combined them by date.  I guess most people don't rebook the lower rate as often as I do or move tickets as often.


Your ticket you purchased today wouldn't expire 1/1/2018--your $5 credit would though assuming you originally bought the ticket where the $5 credit came from on 1/1/2017. 

What ticket you apply your credit to is up to you so long as you use it by the expiration date or extend it via the fee.

You could purchase a $200 ticket today for a flight next July and in 3 months a sale comes along and you rebook for a lower fare. Random number but let's say you get a $25 credit. You would now have until 11/2/2018 to use that $25 credit.

You could purchase a $200 ticket this Saturday for a flight happening on Christmas but use the $5 credit you had that expires 1/1/2018. That ticket for Christmas that was partially bought with the $5 travel funds wouldn't have any bearing on the July flight as that $25 credit would still have a 11/2/2018 expiration date. It's why you need the confirmation number of your flight to apply travel funds.


----------



## iivye

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Your ticket you purchased today wouldn't expire 1/1/2018--your $5 credit would though assuming you originally bought the ticket where the $5 credit came from on 1/1/2017.



In my experience, the entire ticket (if unused) takes the expiration date of 1/1/2018. Any future credits from rebooking, such as the $25 credit you mention, would also have an expiration date of 1/1/2018.   I've rolled over several tickets this year (to new dates) and each time the credits have all had the same expiration date even when I had to add extra cash to cover the new ticket.  It also states on their website that if multiple forms of payment are used (cash & a previous credit) the earliest expiration date of all forms of payment applies. Perhaps you have had a different experience.  Either way I'm only sharing my experience with Southwest credits from multiple flights in 2017.


----------



## Fangorn

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Your ticket you purchased today wouldn't expire 1/1/2018--your $5 credit would though assuming you originally bought the ticket where the $5 credit came from on 1/1/2017.
> 
> What ticket you apply your credit to is up to you so long as you use it by the expiration date or extend it via the fee.
> 
> You could purchase a $200 ticket today for a flight next July and in 3 months a sale comes along and you rebook for a lower fare. Random number but let's say you get a $25 credit. You would now have until 11/2/2018 to use that $25 credit.
> 
> You could purchase a $200 ticket this Saturday for a flight happening on Christmas but use the $5 credit you had that expires 1/1/2018. That ticket for Christmas that was partially bought with the $5 travel funds wouldn't have any bearing on the July flight as that $25 credit would still have a 11/2/2018 expiration date. It's why you need the confirmation number of your flight to apply travel funds.



In the scenario you've outlined,  you are correct, but I believe that iivye may be thinking of a different scenario. 

If you buy a $200 Christmas ticket today and use that $5 credit that expires on 1/1/18, all is fine, as you stated, UNTIL you cancel that Christmas flight for some reason. At that point, you'll get a $200 credit,  but the credits (comprised of a $5 credit and a $195 credit) will both have an expiration date of 1/1/18. Expiration dates for all credits on a reservation pick up the date of the oldest credit used on the reservation, OR one year from the date of the original purchase if no credits were used. 

Steve


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

abc Channel 12 News is stating the Southwest is saying good bye to Flint, Michigan - Bishop International airport(FNT).
June 6,2018.
Sad , people always packed at the gates. More so than the other airlines there.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

iivye said:


> In my experience, the entire ticket (if unused) takes the expiration date of 1/1/2018. Any future credits from rebooking, such as the $25 credit you mention, would also have an expiration date of 1/1/2018.   I've rolled over several tickets this year (to new dates) and each time the credits have all had the same expiration date even when I had to add extra cash to cover the new ticket.  It also states on their website that if multiple forms of payment are used (cash & a previous credit) the earliest expiration date of all forms of payment applies. Perhaps you have had a different experience.  Either way I'm only sharing my experience with Southwest credits from multiple flights in 2017.


 You don't have to get snarky (your last line). I was just commenting on my understanding (we've used travel funds before ourselves). In the end it could be like Fangorn was explaining in that we were talking about two different scenarios.



Fangorn said:


> In the scenario you've outlined,  you are correct, but I believe that iivye may be thinking of a different scenario.
> 
> If you buy a $200 Christmas ticket today and use that $5 credit that expires on 1/1/18, all is fine, as you stated, UNTIL you cancel that Christmas flight for some reason. At that point, you'll get a $200 credit,  but the credits (comprised of a $5 credit and a $195 credit) will both have an expiration date of 1/1/18. Expiration dates for all credits on a reservation pick up the date of the oldest credit used on the reservation, OR one year from the date of the original purchase if no credits were used.
> 
> Steve


Thanks that makes a bit more sense  That's probably where the misunderstanding was coming from as our line of thinking was in two different ways.


----------



## pmaurer74

iivye said:


> That's one thing that is frustrating.  If you pay even a small portion of ticket with an old credit the expiration date for the entire ticket is the expiration date of the oldest credit.  I also wish they would just group all the credits together.  I recently rolled over a bunch of little credits into three different tickets to combine them.  It took a little effort but well worth it to make sure I can use all the credits before they expire.


I was going to do that but I would have a new $85 credit generated with the same Jan. 5 expiration date. I guess I would "save" $20 in credits that way but likely pointless. I guess I learned this lesson today.


----------



## pmaurer74

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> It's from when you originally purchased your plane ticket. It doesn't have to do with how old your oldest credit is. At least they give you credits back rather than you just eating the cost of paying a higher plane ticket.
> 
> Again they are based off of when you purchased your original plane ticket. If they grouped them all together they would have to change their policy on expiration dates. The way they do it now with the confirmation numbers is how they keep track of your credits. Grouping them together would only work for those who travel one time in a 365 day period from the date of their original purchase of the plane ticket. If you fly more than that and have travel funds from more than one flight then grouping them together wouldn't work under the current policy.
> 
> I believe you can extend your travel funds for something like $100 fee which is taken out of the balance of the travel funds? Don't know if that is still the case.


Yes, they told me about the extension idea but that would give them $3 in credits.


----------



## pmaurer74

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Travel funds expire within 1 year of original purchase date of the airline ticket. It doesn't matter if you've rebooked multiple times to get a lower rate because your time period to use them is always from 1 year of original purchase date of the ticket..that's the date you have to keep in mind rather than thinking about it from the date you rebooked at the lower rate.


I purchased a ticket for July on Jan. 5... I rebooked the July ticket on July 2 for a lower rate and had travel funds. I used those travel funds for my Dec. 20 ticket.. I thought the date would be July 2 and not Jan. 5. Lesson learned the hard way...


----------



## iivye

pmaurer74 said:


> I purchased a ticket for July on Jan. 5... I rebooked the July ticket on July 2 for a lower rate and had travel funds. I used those travel funds for my Dec. 20 ticket.. I thought the date would be July 2 and not Jan. 5. Lesson learned the hard way...



Sorry it worked out like that for you.  I also have some leftover credits that have to be used by Feb so I think I'm going to just add a quick weekend trip somewhere to use them but I know not everyone has that option as it usually incurs additional costs for hotels/food or a higher priced flight.


----------



## FabFourteenFamilyFun

SouthFayetteFan said:


> You're welcome Baby Potato Head...and yes I just wanted to say Baby Potato Head.  I giggle a little each time I say it...


You are the expert! The answer is probably here somewhere but could you help me? We have round trip tickets booked to Fort Lauderdale for a cruise. I booked using all points- friends booked using a gift card and charge. My question- the flight down has gone down $67 per person, the return flight is sold out!- can we get a refund for the outbound flight without touching the return flight? We booked online. TIA!!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

FabFourteenFamilyFun said:


> You are the expert! The answer is probably here somewhere but could you help me? We have round trip tickets booked to Fort Lauderdale for a cruise. I booked using all points- friends booked using a gift card and charge. My question- the flight down has gone down $67 per person, the return flight is sold out!- can we get a refund for the outbound flight without touching the return flight? We booked online. TIA!!


You should be able to - go into the "change flight" screen and it should let you select only one leg.  Before confirming it should show you how many points you'll be refunded.


----------



## corn princess

Question about change credits.  If I book a trip on Southwest and then change the trip to a cheaper fare at a later time, with wanna get away fares, will they credit my credit card or give me travel credit through them?


----------



## mfly

corn princess said:


> Question about change credits.  If I book a trip on Southwest and then change the trip to a cheaper fare at a later time, with wanna get away fares, will they credit my credit card or give me travel credit through them?


They’ll issue a travel credit (even if you booked with a SW credit card). The travel credit will expire 1 year from the original date of booking (not travel). 

If you book with points, your points just go back to your points bank.


----------



## Wdw1015

Tigger2ntinkerbell said:


> abc Channel 12 News is stating the Southwest is saying good bye to Flint, Michigan - Bishop International airport(FNT).
> June 6,2018.
> Sad , people always packed at the gates. More so than the other airlines there.


Well that would make sense then why I can’t find any flights for our trip on June 9th...erg!! Really disappointed in the options out of Grand Rapids and Detroit.


----------



## Meeko5

Wdw1015 said:


> Well that would make sense then why I can’t find any flights for our trip on June 9th...erg!! Really disappointed in the options out of Grand Rapids and Detroit.



We loved the non stop options from flint and GR, now it looks like GR is down to 1 per week most of the year. Boo SWA, boo!


----------



## bwbuddy5

Are the number of WGA fares that SW assigns to each flight based on % of seats, or pretty much just random or marketing driven based on history?  I was surprised that one of the return flights I was interested in filled their WGA seats within 24 hours of their release, since it's returning to a smaller city.  There are around 12 other flights, some of which are nonstop, that are still available.  Caught me off guard, so I'm snoozing and losing.


----------



## focusondisney

bwbuddy5 said:


> Are the number of WGA fares that SW assigns to each flight based on % of seats, or pretty much just random or marketing driven based on history?  I was surprised that one of the return flights I was interested in filled their WGA seats within 24 hours of their release, since it's returning to a smaller city.  There are around 12 other flights, some of which are nonstop, that are still available.  Caught me off guard, so I'm snoozing and losing.



I am certainly no expert since I only fly on vacations 2 or 3 times a year, but I can give you my experience with the WGA fares disappearing. We fly Buffalo to Orlando. We flew SW in May & have upcoming trips in December & April. 

 For both the May & December trips, I did not book on opening day. While I was watching for fares I was comfortable with, I saw most WGA fares listed as sold out/ not available for our dates. This was several months before our trips both times. I couldn't believe that so many flights from Buffalo could be sold out that far in advance. At the same time, other posters were reporting the same thing. So I started checking flights to & from other random cities for the same dates & I noticed that most cities I checked had the same thing showing. I randomly checked probably 12-15 other cities & all showed a majority of their flights with unavailable WGA fares. I kept watching & several weeks later, all the WGA fares came back -- to Buffalo & all the other cities I had checked. This happened for both our May & December trips. I eventually got round trips for both trips booked with WGA fares that were even lower than opening day prices. Non stop flights too. 

For our trip next April, I booked our fares on opening day a few weeks ago. But of course, I am still keeping an eye on rates. When I checked a few days ago, I noticed that again, many of the flights are showing WGA as sold out. This is for April 14 & 21, so 2 weeks after Easter & school breaks in our area. I also checked several other cities & again, every city I checked has many flights without WGA fares. 

At this point, I am thinking this is SW's new way of doing  business.  Their way to scare people into booking @ higher prices fares or less popular flights. If you have time & patience, I wouldn't be surprised to see the WGA fares return to your flights.


----------



## Hatwriter456

bwbuddy5 said:


> Are the number of WGA fares that SW assigns to each flight based on % of seats, or pretty much just random or marketing driven based on history?  I was surprised that one of the return flights I was interested in filled their WGA seats within 24 hours of their release, since it's returning to a smaller city.  There are around 12 other flights, some of which are nonstop, that are still available.  Caught me off guard, so I'm snoozing and losing.



SW has a certain number of WGA seats and within those seats they have a certain amount listed at the cheapest price, more expensive, and even more. For example, 15 WGA seats are available and they are listed as $150. They sell 5 of those seats and the price increases to $175. Then 5 more seats are sold and price goes to $200 - after the last 5 seats are sold then the WGA shows 'sold out'. This is a hypothetical scenario. 

So, yes it is best to buy your tickets as soon as they are released since the price will go up as more seats are sold. But, if they aren't selling the more expensive tickets they can push more seats available to the WGA.

We are flying out of Boston the day after the marathon and I waited 1 week after my husband's registration date (to confirm his spot) and the price went up over $70 for our tickets . All of the WGA tickets are now sold out and I don't expect more to be released.


----------



## Hatwriter456

I noticed that the flights from the West Coast to MCO went up again . Each time new flights have been released it has gone up. But, I able to book a new nonstop flight to/from SMF/MCO for a surprisingly low amount of points for 5 people. I would have thought that the nonstop flights would have been more $ than the flights with connections - is this because they are new?

I have noticed that the tickets seem to selling quickly for WGA so if anyone needs to get tickets I would do it sooner than later.


----------



## Murray29

We have never flown Southwest and I have a question about their "Wanna get away" fare.  We plan on going over our spring break, however since I am a teacher and live in upstate NY there is always the possibility of losing part of our break due to snow days. This is why we are planning to fly southwest out of Rochester or Buffalo so if needed we can reschedule for summer.  My understanding is the fare is not refundable, but can be changed if needed.  We found a flight out of Buffalo at a decent price, however my husband would prefer that we fly out of Rochester (45 min. closer).  My 1st question ~ If I book the BUF flight, but then find a reasonable ROC flight can we switch, or do you still have to fly out of the original airport you booked out of?  Any advice or insight is appreciated.  Thanks so much!


----------



## barb969

You can use your credit to fly anywhere.


----------



## Fangorn

Murray29 said:


> My 1st question ~ If I book the BUF flight, but then find a reasonable ROC flight can we switch, or do you still have to fly out of the original airport you booked out of?  Any advice or insight is appreciated.  Thanks so much!



You're correct in that the fare is not refundable. if you need to reschedule,  you have 2 choices:  
1) cancel the existing flight, get the credit (which is attached to the original confirmation number,  so make note of that somewhere), then book a new flight using the credit. 
OR
2) you can just change the existing reservation to something else. 

In either case,  you can change airports. The only thing you cannot change is the person flying - all credits are associated with the original passenger and can only be used for a flight for that person. 

Sounds like you're probably aware of this,  but credits must be used (trip completed)  within one year of the original PURCHASE date, not the date of the original flight.

One of the great things about SWA is the ease with which you can make changes. 

Steve


----------



## cinderella'smommy

Hello!  We have been away from WDW for a while; our last trip was June 2015.  We are planning a Thanksgiving break trip in 2018.  I am wondering if people had opinions, in general, about TG week fares on SW. We would be flying out of Chicago.  I am wondering if it makes sense to wait for those fares to come out.  Are they significantly better than fares on the other airlines?


----------



## mastermind307

I booked our return flight and now a later flight is the same price so I'm thinking about switching it.  I bought EBC for the return flight, do I keep it if I change flights?  I am not canceling, but just modifying it.  I think I do, but want to check with the experts before making the change.


----------



## Fangorn

mastermind307 said:


> I booked our return flight and now a later flight is the same price so I'm thinking about switching it.  I bought EBC for the return flight, do I keep it if I change flights?  I am not canceling, but just modifying it.  I think I do, but want to check with the experts before making the change.



If you change the reservation, you will not lose EBCI. If you cancel and rebook, you will lose EBCI.

Steve


----------



## mastermind307

Fangorn said:


> If you change the reservation, you will not lose EBCI. If you cancel and rebook, you will lose EBCI.
> 
> Steve



Thank you!


----------



## Lvsdisney

Weird question... If I book fully on points and have to cancel, will I get the 9/11 security fees refunded? I know I'll get the points back.


----------



## Fangorn

The 9/11 Security Fee will automatically be refunded as a credit and associated with the original confirmation number and is usable only by the original passenger. You can request a refund to your CC and it will typically be honored. But you do have to request it.  

If you just change the flight but still use points (even if the number of points for the new flight is different), the security fee will just be transferred to the new flight.

Steve


----------



## Lvsdisney

Fangorn said:


> The 9/11 Security Fee will automatically be refunded as a credit and associated with the original confirmation number and is usable only by the original passenger. You can request a refund to your CC and it will typically be honored. But you do have to request it.
> 
> If you just change the flight but still use points (even if the number of points for the new flight is different), the security fee will just be transferred to the new flight.
> 
> Steve


Thank you for the information!


----------



## Lvsdisney

Came here to post that SW has some $37 each way flights from PHL to PBI (Palm Beach) in Jan and Feb.  Not sure if they have good deals any other airports (I just happened to be looking for a winter getaway).  I clicked on the monthly view and there they were!  And decent flight times too.  Had enough miles that I booked 4 round trip tickets for $44!   Wanted to give a heads up in case anyone out wanted to plan a getaway.  May even be worth it to rent a car and drive from PBI to WDW if that's what you wanted to do.


----------



## Jods313

Hi all,
Any info or advice would be greatly appreciated! Looking at prices for mid April and they are super high or sold out. Is this something we need to book immediately or do prices tend to drop in the new year? We have never traveled this time of year and I’m fearful bc it is Spring break in some areas. Help!! Thoughts?!


----------



## BeHappyNeverSad

Hi! We are flying SW from New Orleans to MCO Thursday 1/25 and returning Wednesday 1/31. It will be me, DH, and our 3 year old. We have never flown with her before. Which is better, early bird check in or family boarding? We don’t care where we sit on the plane, we just want to sit together. 

Would both of us be able to go through family boarding with her?

I’ve read that family boarding can be crazy at MCO, and sometimes they don’t even do it. Any thoughts if that would be a problem on a Wednesday flight in the morning? 

Also is it possible to do early bird check in on our flight home only?

Any thoughts and advice is appreciated!


----------



## WDWFan0813

BeHappyNeverSad said:


> Hi! We are flying SW from New Orleans to MCO Thursday 1/25 and returning Wednesday 1/31. It will be me, DH, and our 3 year old. We have never flown with her before. Which is better, early bird check in or family boarding? We don’t care where we sit on the plane, we just want to sit together.
> 
> Would both of us be able to go through family boarding with her?
> 
> I’ve read that family boarding can be crazy at MCO, and sometimes they don’t even do it. Any thoughts if that would be a problem on a Wednesday flight in the morning?
> 
> Also is it possible to do early bird check in on our flight home only?
> 
> Any thoughts and advice is appreciated!



As for which is better, it is difficult to say, sometimes the early bird will get you an A boarding pass, sometimes it will be in B.  Since family boarding is after A, obviously it would be better than a B boarding pass.

As for both of you going through with her, I have never experienced nor heard of a case of two parents not being allowed to board with one child, however please note Southwest policy:
*An *adult traveling with a child six years old or younger may board during Family Boarding, which occurs after the “A” group has boarded and before the “B” group begins boarding. If the child and the adult are both holding an “A” boarding pass, they should board in their assigned boarding position.

Also, yes, it is possible to just do early bird check in on the flight home.  Many people will do this for the simple reason that they don't want to have to worry about checking in right at the 24-hour mark when they are on vacation.


----------



## kbmartin

I checked in for our flight, and our boarding passes (Southwest) are not looking like they used to. I feel like something is wrong with them, but maybe they have changed since I last flew (August 2017). There is no bar code on them. Is that correct? Also, does one pass work for my DH and me? I'm really confused!


----------



## richmo

kbmartin said:


> I checked in for our flight, and our boarding passes (Southwest) are not looking like they used to. I feel like something is wrong with them, but maybe they have changed since I last flew (August 2017). There is no bar code on them. Is that correct? Also, does one pass work for my DH and me? I'm really confused!



As far as I know, they should have bar codes. Sometimes browsers mess up downloading pictures, so I'm wondering if there's an issue there. Shouldn't be a problem, but when you go to the kiosk at the airport, I'd reprint them.


----------



## luvdisney00

Is there any way to know when August 2018 fares will be released? I want to book as soon as they open those flights but for a few weeks now it stops at 8/6.


----------



## WDWFan0813

luvdisney00 said:


> Is there any way to know when August 2018 fares will be released? I want to book as soon as they open those flights but for a few weeks now it stops at 8/6.



If you Google "Southwest fare release date" the first link that comes up is from there website listing the next release date and when the schedule will open through at that time.  This is what it currently says:

We are currently accepting air reservations through *August 6, 2018*. On *February 8, 2018* we will open our schedule for sale through *September 28, 2018*. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


----------



## bwbuddy5

Mistakenly booked flights with first and last name, forgetting that that should match our passports exactly (including middle name).  I can't figure out if there is a way to correct names within the Southwest site, or should I even be concerned about it?


----------



## Lvsdisney

Question about connecting flights and boarding #.  It's been awhile since we've been on a connecting SWA flight.

When I check-in and get a boarding # (for ex: B16) do I have that position for both flights?  Or do they give you a boarding # for each leg (for ex: 1st leg B16, second leg C8).

I'm looking at flights to MCO and I can get "free" flights connecting through Nashville using my miles, vs having to pay OOP for 2 out of 4 seats for a NS flight.  Trying to way the pros and cons.


----------



## mfly

Lvsdisney said:


> Question about connecting flights and boarding #.  It's been awhile since we've been on a connecting SWA flight.
> 
> When I check-in and get a boarding # (for ex: B16) do I have that position for both flights?  Or do they give you a boarding # for each leg (for ex: 1st leg B16, second leg C8).
> 
> I'm looking at flights to MCO and I can get "free" flights connecting through Nashville using my miles, vs having to pay OOP for 2 out of 4 seats for a NS flight.  Trying to way the pros and cons.


You’ll be given a different boarding position for each leg of the flight, but you’ll only have to check in once.


----------



## Lvsdisney

mfly said:


> You’ll be given a different boarding position for each leg of the flight, but you’ll only have to check in once.



Thanks!  It's easily been 6+ years since I've connected on SW and I just couldn't remember!


----------



## GPC0321

Did EBCI and got our boarding positions today. A29, A30, A31. I was happy to see "A". I've never flown Southwest before, so I'm not exactly sure how it all works. So...how does it work? LOL


----------



## cassie58

GPC0321 said:


> Did EBCI and got our boarding positions today. A29, A30, A31. I was happy to see "A". I've never flown Southwest before, so I'm not exactly sure how it all works. So...how does it work? LOL



When you arrive at the gate you will see signs near boarding that say A 1-30, A 31-60(changing for B and C when it is their turn) that have space in between - when they call A to line up, you will get in line in your correct order(at the end of A 1-30 for you).  You will board in that order, and pick any seat you would like that is open.  With that spot, you will have many choices.


----------



## Fangorn

GPC0321 said:


> Did EBCI and got our boarding positions today. A29, A30, A31. I was happy to see "A". I've never flown Southwest before, so I'm not exactly sure how it all works. So...how does it work? LOL



The gate agents do a good job of walking you through the process (provided people are listening, of course). 

The following is from the Southwest website: 

*How does the boarding process work?*
You will be assigned a boarding group (A, B, or C) and position (1-60+) upon check in. Your unique group and position combination (for example: A35) will be displayed on your boarding pass and represents a reserved spot in the boarding group at the gate. Numbered posts in each of our gate areas indicate where to line up. When your boarding group is called, find your designated place in line and board the aircraft in numerical order with your boarding group.


*Do I have an assigned seat?*
Southwest-operated flights have open seating. Once onboard, simply choose any available seat and stow your carryon items in the overhead bin or under the seat in front of you.

*How will I know when it's my turn to board the plane?*
Our friendly Agents will make an announcement in the gate area for each boarding group to assemble. When your group is called, line up in numerical order by the column that represents your boarding position (columns are labeled in groups of five), and board the airplane. There are also monitors at the front of the lines that display the group that is currently boarding.​

It's really not difficult - it's just different. And a lot more efficient overall. With those boarding numbers you will have virtual any seat on the plane to choose from. 
Caveat - if your flight is not originating from your airport, there will could well be a number of passengers already on the plane as "through passengers" and your seat options will be correspondingly fewer. It still won't be a problem finding seats together though. 

Steve


----------



## GPC0321

That sounds easy enough! Thanks, guys!


----------



## Lvsdisney

Does SW follow the  "best time to buy tickets" timeframe of the 60 days in advance? More asking out of curiosity.


----------



## Fangorn

Not particularly. It all depends on the market you're in, the city-pair you're traveling and the demand for that route.  SW changes prices frequently (sometimes multiple times a day). 

From Oregon, I've found there is no "best" time,  but some of the best fares I've had were around the 30 day mark. Once I have a rough idea of dates, I start checking on a regular basis to get an idea of the trends. Flying on Tuesday or Wednesday will typically get you the lowest fares - but not always. On a fairly regular basis (again, it depends on the market) SW will have a 3 day "sale" that may be a great deal - or not so much. 

You just have to keep watching

Steve


----------



## Disneytam

My brothers daughter will turn two during their vacation. Southwest policy(I think) is that she can fly for free on one of their laps if she is two or under. Will she be able to fly for free on the return flight if she has turned two during the trip? They don't know if they can just purchase round trip flights for themselves and she can ride for free or will they have to purchase a ticket for her for the return trip. Any ideas?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Disneytam said:


> My brothers daughter will turn two during their vacation. Southwest policy(I think) is that she can fly for free on one of their laps if she is two or under. Will she be able to fly for free on the return flight if she has turned two during the trip? They don't know if they can just purchase round trip flights for themselves and she can ride for free or will they have to purchase a ticket for her for the return trip. Any ideas?


They will need to purchase a one way return ticket for the child.


----------



## ClosetDisMom

Any guesses as to when the next $45 one way fares will be? I am looking to book for July 2018.


----------



## mcd2745

Lvsdisney said:


> Does SW follow the  "best time to buy tickets" timeframe of the 60 days in advance? More asking out of curiosity.




I've found that for my market, (NY) looking to fly out/in of Islip, if both your departing and return flights are not on a Tuesday, you need to book as soon as they are released. I'll be on my computer very early the morning of February 8.


----------



## cmarsh31

mcd2745 said:


> I've found that for my market, (NY) looking to fly out/in of Islip, if both your departing and return flights are not on a Tuesday, you need to book as soon as they are released. I'll be on my computer very early the morning of February 8.



Same for Upstate NY. I think we don't have enough flights to meet demand so the prices just continue to go up.


----------



## RysMomma

Anyone flying to EWR in July from MCO during the week? I'm looking at the flights from South West (my dates haven't been released yet) and I only see the one non-stop flight they have going out is 7:55 in the morning?  We're going to be coming off the cruise on a Friday in August and I'm just wondering if this is something I'm going to see when they finally release the dates we're going?  Is this typical?


----------



## Fangorn

RysMomma said:


> Anyone flying to EWR in July from MCO during the week? I'm looking at the flights from South West (my dates haven't been released yet) and I only see the one non-stop flight they have going out is 7:55 in the morning?  We're going to be coming off the cruise on a Friday in August and I'm just wondering if this is something I'm going to see when they finally release the dates we're going?  Is this typical?



Possibly, but it's almost impossible to say. SW almost always completely reconfigures their schedule when they release a new set of flights, and is one of their core strengths as an airline. SW's business model is a full on implementation of the hub and spoke model,  meaning that as a percentage of the total number of flights between city-pairs, non-stop flights are very very few, and unless you're going between two of their hub cities (which neither MCO nor EWR is) you will be fortunate if there is even one non-stop. And those are typically early morning or late evening flights. 

It's certainly possible that the offerings in August will be more to your liking. But there's no telling at this point. It all depends on what SW feels makes the most financial/logistical sense for the overall system. 

Steve


----------



## RysMomma

Fangorn said:


> Possibly, but it's almost impossible to say. SW almost always completely reconfigures their schedule when they release a new set of flights, and is one of their core strengths as an airline. SW's business model is a full on implementation of the hub and spoke model,  meaning that as a percentage of the total number of flights between city-pairs, non-stop flights are very very few, and unless you're going between two of their hub cities (which neither MCO nor EWR is) you will be fortunate if there is even one non-stop. And those are typically early morning or late evening flights.
> 
> It's certainly possible that the offerings in August will be more to your liking. But there's no telling at this point. It all depends on what SW feels makes the most financial/logistical sense for the overall system.
> 
> Steve



Thank you so much for your opinion! I  appreciate it!


----------



## SL6827

Any info, tips on the Atlanta market to Orlando?  What is a really good fare direct during the 
Fall time frame?  Any experiences with that?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Fangorn said:


> SW's business model is a full on implementation of the hub and spoke model,  meaning that as a percentage of the total number of flights between city-pairs, non-stop flights are very very few, and unless you're going between two of their hub cities (which neither MCO nor EWR is) you will be fortunate if there is even one non-stop. And those are typically early morning or late evening flights.


Southwest is actually one of the few airlines that DO NOT use the hub and spoke model.  They use the *point-to-point model *(many articles online about this including one written today: https://airlinegeeks.com/2017/12/29/2-2-billion-two-ways-to-run-a-profitable-airline/).

Now perhaps your particular airport does not have a nonstop flight they you desire and at times you may go thru one of Southwest's numerous mini-hubs BUT on popular routes in well serviced Southwest cities they may be the only airline with nonstop service between cities.  Example: Southwest runs 4-6 nonstops between MCO and PIT daily while for many years no other airline even offered a single nonstop.

At any rate, as far as major domestic nationwide airlines go, Southwest is the furthest from a hub and spoke of all of them.

A second article mentioning the model found here https://seekingalpha.com/article/41...ble-long-term-price-dividend-growth-potential from earlier this month.


----------



## SL6827

Reading through the past post it seems like the fares for October of this year weren't that great.  But didn't see anything specific about the Atlanta market.  But I did learn how to go in and book one person and then see if they have the same fare for 3 or more people.  They did for three but when I tried for four, the fare ticked up about $15-$20.   So that was a learning moment there. 

Does Southwest limit how many people can get the EBCI?   And are the extremely early flights, like 5:30-6:30 in the morning, are they that popular with families that have the under 6 kids with them?  I wouldn't have a problem with a 5:30 morning take off, but I don't have any very small kids anymore.


----------



## jenseib

SL6827 said:


> Reading through the past post it seems like the fares for October of this year weren't that great.  But didn't see anything specific about the Atlanta market.  But I did learn how to go in and book one person and then see if they have the same fare for 3 or more people.  They did for three but when I tried for four, the fare ticked up about $15-$20.   So that was a learning moment there.
> 
> Does Southwest limit how many people can get the EBCI?   And are the extremely early flights, like 5:30-6:30 in the morning, are they that popular with families that have the under 6 kids with them?  I wouldn't have a problem with a 5:30 morning take off, but I don't have any very small kids anymore.



In the past year I have done 2 extremely early flights in that 5:30-6:30 range. I was amazed at how many others also were flying at that crazy time in the morning.  Actually security lines were longer for those morning flights than any other flight I have done from the airport I usually fly out of. I have TSA pre-check and even that line was long.

Both times, the flights were full and yes, lots of kids of all ages too.


----------



## SL6827

jenseib said:


> In the past year I have done 2 extremely early flights in that 5:30-6:30 range. I was amazed at how many others also were flying at that crazy time in the morning.  Actually security lines were longer for those morning flights than any other flight I have done from the airport I usually fly out of. I have TSA pre-check and even that line was long.
> 
> Both times, the flights were full and yes, lots of kids of all ages too.


Oh, ok.   Surprising.  Thanks for the info.


----------



## disneygal55

i am planning a trip to Aulani but we are planning on a day in Disneyland first so are trying to book flights from Hartford to LAX using SW.
If I look at the flight for one person the rate is nearly 3000 points cheaper per person then when I change it to 2 people. We have enough points if we get the one person rate but not if we choose the 2 person option. I'm afraid to book one person at a time in case the rate changes when I try to book the second person's flight. There are 6 in our party from three different households and our trip is in May so getting nervous.


----------



## mfly

disneygal55 said:


> i am planning a trip to Aulani but we are planning on a day in Disneyland first so are trying to book flights from Hartford to LAX using SW.
> If I look at the flight for one person the rate is nearly 3000 points cheaper per person then when I change it to 2 people. We have enough points if we get the one person rate but not if we choose the 2 person option. I'm afraid to book one person at a time in case the rate changes when I try to book the second person's flight. There are 6 in our party from three different households and our trip is in May so getting nervous.


What’s happening is that SW currently only has 1 flight available at that lower fare. When you change to 2 people, you’re seeing the higher fare because that’s the lowest fare available for a party of two. [Note that this is why you should always check for a party of 1 when booking your flights].  

You can book 1 person at that lowest fare, but unless SW opens up more seats at that fare level, the rest of you will be paying the higher fare that you’re seeing when you select 2 people.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

disneygal55 said:


> i am planning a trip to Aulani but we are planning on a day in Disneyland first so are trying to book flights from Hartford to LAX using SW.
> If I look at the flight for one person the rate is nearly 3000 points cheaper per person then when I change it to 2 people. We have enough points if we get the one person rate but not if we choose the 2 person option. I'm afraid to book one person at a time in case the rate changes when I try to book the second person's flight. There are 6 in our party from three different households and our trip is in May so getting nervous.


That means there is only one flight left at that price. * You should at a minimum book the one flight now - because if somebody else snags that flight BOTH will be at the higher price.*  Do you have enough points to book one flight at the lower price and one at the higher?


----------



## disneygal55

SouthFayetteFan said:


> That means there is only one flight left at that price. * You should at a minimum book the one flight now - because if somebody else snags that flight BOTH will be at the higher price.*  Do you have enough points to book one flight at the lower price and one at the higher?




We probably would just have enough at one lower and one higher priced flights...that would be over 70,000 points! The problem is that both of my sons and their wives will be booking also and at that higher point use they probably would run short. May take a chance that fares will drop. I'll keep checking.
Thank you.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

disneygal55 said:


> We probably would just have enough at one lower and one higher priced flights...that would be over 70,000 points! The problem is that both of my sons and their wives will be booking also and at that higher point use they probably would run short. May take a chance that fares will drop. I'll keep checking.
> Thank you.


There is a chance that fares can drop.  Also there is no penalty to CANCEL a points reservation so if you have enough to book some tickets now might as well do that.  You can always cancel later and you get the points back immediately and they'll refund the $5.60 tax/fees to your credit card.


----------



## Fangorn

disneygal55 said:


> We probably would just have enough at one lower and one higher priced flights...that would be over 70,000 points! The problem is that both of my sons and their wives will be booking also and at that higher point use they probably would run short. May take a chance that fares will drop. I'll keep checking.
> Thank you.



Have you checked the fares into Orange County (SNA)? Sometimes fares are cheaper going in to one of the other 4 airports in the area. (SNA is closest to Disneyland, then Long beach, LAX, Ontario, and finally Burbank). All will require renting a car or getting some other form of transportation to DL.

Steve


----------



## disneygal55

I did check all of the other airports. There is only one flight out to each of them and the points are even higher! We may try to take a later flight out to save points. Thanks for your suggestion though.


----------



## bbak30

Hi all,
I"m sorry if this was already asked/answered--if you purchase EBCI do they check you in based on when you purchased your tickets? Meaning if I purchased the day they were released vs someone who purchased 2 months later, I would get a higher boarding position?


----------



## shoreward

bbak30 said:


> Hi all,
> I"m sorry if this was already asked/answered--if you purchase EBCI do they check you in based on when you purchased your tickets? Meaning if I purchased the day they were released vs someone who purchased 2 months later, I would get a higher boarding position?


It goes by when you purchased EBCI, not when you purchased your ticket.


----------



## bbak30

shoreward said:


> It goes by when you purchased EBCI, not when you purchased your ticket.



Got it. Thanks so much!


----------



## jenseib

shoreward said:


> It goes by when you purchased EBCI, not when you purchased your ticket.



That being said, I purchased mine about a month before my mom did hers and she had a better boarding number than me. I never could figure out why.


----------



## Lvsdisney

jenseib said:


> That being said, I purchased mine about a month before my mom did hers and she had a better boarding number than me. I never could figure out why.



Maybe they follow "age before beauty"?


----------



## lovin'fl

In Oct I booked a flight for in-laws. Flight is for March trip to Disney. Used some travel vouchers I got on June 1 for my flight that was cancelled. Paid the additional cost with CC. MIL IS dealing with illness and cannot go on March trip.

Can we switch inlaws names to our names as well as switch flights and departure airports? But same dates. 

If I cannot switch to our names, what is cancel policy? When do I need to do it by and when do they need to use the funds by? Also what about the vouchers I used for this, that had to be used by June 1, 2018?


----------



## richmo

lovin'fl said:


> In Oct I booked a flight for in-laws. Flight is for March trip to Disney. Used some travel vouchers I got on June 1 for my flight that was cancelled. Paid the additional cost with CC. MIL IS dealing with illness and cannot go on March trip.
> 
> Can we switch inlaws names to our names as well as switch flights and departure airports? But same dates.
> 
> If I cannot switch to our names, what is cancel policy? When do I need to do it by and when do they need to use the funds by? Also what about the vouchers I used for this, that had to be used by June 1, 2018?



No, you can't switch names.

Not sure what the policy on the itineraries paid partially with vouchers. I would imagine the funds used by the vouchers would expire on their original expiration date and the funds you used to pay the additional cost would expire one year from date of purchase. In general, travel funds expire one year from the date of original booking.


----------



## sluggozmom

I am waiting for the flights to be release for August on 2/8..  .I want to book MHT/MCO rt for dd15 and myself with miles. I am not a frequent flyer, I opened up the SW cc and got the 40k free  miles. I've flown SW once, 2 years ago and I can't remember the booking procedures. Those flights were not booked on release day.
  I am trying to figure out if i should take the day off to get this done. and I sooooo overthink everything!
Is this something I need to be at my laptop to do? Would I be able to get it done on my iphone app on the side of the road? Will I need to enter just dd's name, or will it be address too? I have been to the SW web site trying to get a glimpse.. I was looking for a place to put my CC info in.
I 'm guessing time is of the essence as soon as they drop... Any advice?


----------



## luvdisney00

Hi,
I'm wondering if one of you SW experts can help me.  I purchased 2 RT tickets to Ft Lauderdale in March and bought EBCI for both. Now my flight there has dropped by $50 but the return flight is sold out. Can I get a credit for the difference without losing my EBCI or my spots on the sold out flight? I am waiting for the August flights to come out to buy 5 RT tickets to orlando so any credit would be useful.
TIA


----------



## focusondisney

luvdisney00 said:


> Hi,
> I'm wondering if one of you SW experts can help me.  I purchased 2 RT tickets to Ft Lauderdale in March and bought EBCI for both. Now my flight there has dropped by $50 but the return flight is sold out. Can I get a credit for the difference without losing my EBCI or my spots on the sold out flight? I am waiting for the August flights to come out to buy 5 RT tickets to orlando so any credit would be useful.
> TIA



You can do this. Just go in to the change flight link. Do not cancel! You would lose your EBCI. You select the flight you want to change. Then you just select the same flight again. It gives you the new price & the other leg stays the same.  You will then have the credits to use later. Just remember the credit must be used by the same person & travel must be within one year of original purchase.


----------



## luvdisney00

focusondisney said:


> You can do this. Just go in to the change flight link. Do not cancel! You would lose your EBCI. You select the flight you want to change. Then you just select the same flight again. It gives you the new price & the other leg stays the same.  You will then have the credits to use later. Just remember the credit must be used by the same person & travel must be within one year of original purchase.



Thank you


----------



## scrappinginontario

lovin'fl said:


> In Oct I booked a flight for in-laws. Flight is for March trip to Disney. Used some travel vouchers I got on June 1 for my flight that was cancelled. Paid the additional cost with CC. MIL IS dealing with illness and cannot go on March trip.
> 
> Can we switch inlaws names to our names as well as switch flights and departure airports? But same dates.
> 
> If I cannot switch to our names, what is cancel policy? When do I need to do it by and when do they need to use the funds by? Also what about the vouchers I used for this, that had to be used by June 1, 2018?



Did you use vouchers for your in-laws tickets or pay fir them?

If you paid for them I would call SW directly and ask what their process is for cancelling tickets due to illness.  

In 2016 we were scheduled to fly but due to hip replacement surgery my mil was not allowed to fly.  We provided a doctors note with some specifics SW requested and in that case they fully refunded the cost of their flights to my CC.  

Not sure if illness and surgery are treated the same but it is worth calling SW.  there was a special area that deals with issues like this.  I do remember being told that their decisions were discretionary so I figured I’d do my best and ask after providing what they requested.  In our case it worked out.



sluggozmom said:


> I am waiting for the flights to be release for August on 2/8..  .I want to book MHT/MCO rt for dd15 and myself with miles. I am not a frequent flyer, I opened up the SW cc and got the 40k free  miles. I've flown SW once, 2 years ago and I can't remember the booking procedures. Those flights were not booked on release day.
> I am trying to figure out if i should take the day off to get this done. and I sooooo overthink everything!
> Is this something I need to be at my laptop to do? Would I be able to get it done on my iphone app on the side of the road? Will I need to enter just dd's name, or will it be address too? I have been to the SW web site trying to get a glimpse.. I was looking for a place to put my CC info in.
> I 'm guessing time is of the essence as soon as they drop... Any advice?


  I can answer some of your questions.

I believe SW only requests name, dob, gender of passengers when booking flights.  To be on the safe side, before Feb 8 you could sign each of you up as Rapid Rewards members so all of your address details, etc would already be on file with them.

SW flights seem to load the system over a few hours on release dates.  Yours may be early in the morning or they may be later.  

Sorry, I don’t have an answer about booking on the app as I have only done it on a computer.  You could try booking some dummy dates on the app and see how far you get before they request payment information.  Until you give them payment information you’re not actually booking anything.


----------



## ruadisneyfan2

I am sorry if this SW change has been discussed already but I can't find anything about it in a search.  I've been flying SWA for over 13 yrs., long-time RR members, RR credit cardholder, etc.  New CP holder since summer. 
The one aspect I have always loved about booking with SWA points is how easy it is to cancel a flight or change flights and if you get a better rate or need to cancel, points simply return to your bank.  

Well dh and I have a flight booked for this weekend on points and I am booked on a companion pass, which is relatively new to us.  I do know that to make changes to a ticket with a companion, one must cancel the companion first, make the changes, then add the companion.  Fine.  When I booked the flight in dh's name, I only bought EBCI for him, in case I need to cancel my CP and change/rebook dh's ticket.  When I noticed a price drop, I began the change process and a big alert popped up warning me that if I change flights, it will convert to non-refundable fare.    Which means if I need to cancel or change again in the future, those points will not go back to our bank.  ugh!  When did this start? 

I discovered this while making changes for ds17 who is also flying next weekend but going with a friend's family to WDW, hence our mad dash to have a childless escape anywhere in FL.   

Unfortunately, I've been battling a longer than expected illness (mono with reactive arthritis) and I could probably drag myself there but I'm really not myself.  The fatigue is awful; like I am trying to swim in a pool of shampoo, and I've been out of work since early December. 

So before I got sick, I had already made a change to this flight so these points are now non-refundable.  Since I already paid for RT EBCI, I'd hate to cancel the reservation and I only have a few more days to do SOMETHING with it. 

If I change it to a lower-priced flight for now until we figure out when we can actually fly, do I still retain my original # of points that are "locked in"?  If I change it to a cheaper flight now, let's say in May, and then perhaps in March when I'm feeling better and I move it to a March flight, do my original "locked in" points stay with that confirmation #? 

I don't mind if we end up flying a more expensive flight; we have a lot of points.  I just want to make sure we don't somehow "lose" points as we make changes.  

Lesson learned.  Next time I will not book EBCI until a week prior so if I want to make a change, I will simply cancel and rebook.   Also I am going back to my old way of booking separate one way tickets.  RT makes everything more complicated.   

Thanks for any tips, feedback, advice...


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

ruadisneyfan2 said:


> I am sorry if this SW change has been discussed already but I can't find anything about it in a search.  I've been flying SWA for over 13 yrs., long-time RR members, RR credit cardholder, etc.  New CP holder since summer.
> The one aspect I have always loved about booking with SWA points is how easy it is to cancel a flight or change flights and if you get a better rate or need to cancel, points simply return to your bank.
> 
> Well dh and I have a flight booked for this weekend on points and I am booked on a companion pass, which is relatively new to us.  I do know that to make changes to a ticket with a companion, one must cancel the companion first, make the changes, then add the companion.  Fine.  When I booked the flight in dh's name, I only bought EBCI for him, in case I need to cancel my CP and change/rebook dh's ticket.  When I noticed a price drop, I began the change process and a big alert popped up warning me that if I change flights, it will convert to non-refundable fare.    Which means if I need to cancel or change again in the future, those points will not go back to our bank.  ugh!  When did this start?
> 
> I discovered this while making changes for ds17 who is also flying next weekend but going with a friend's family to WDW, hence our mad dash to have a childless escape anywhere in FL.
> 
> Unfortunately, I've been battling a longer than expected illness (mono with reactive arthritis) and I could probably drag myself there but I'm really not myself.  The fatigue is awful; like I am trying to swim in a pool of shampoo, and I've been out of work since early December.
> 
> So before I got sick, I had already made a change to this flight so these points are now non-refundable.  Since I already paid for RT EBCI, I'd hate to cancel the reservation and I only have a few more days to do SOMETHING with it.
> 
> If I change it to a lower-priced flight for now until we figure out when we can actually fly, do I still retain my original # of points that are "locked in"?  If I change it to a cheaper flight now, let's say in May, and then perhaps in March when I'm feeling better and I move it to a March flight, do my original "locked in" points stay with that confirmation #?
> 
> I don't mind if we end up flying a more expensive flight; we have a lot of points.  I just want to make sure we don't somehow "lose" points as we make changes.
> 
> Lesson learned.  Next time I will not book EBCI until a week prior so if I want to make a change, I will simply cancel and rebook.   Also I am going back to my old way of booking separate one way tickets.  RT makes everything more complicated.
> 
> Thanks for any tips, feedback, advice...


Admittedly I didn't read your whole comment because that's a ton of words, sorry lol!...But I'll just say this - that warning only applies to the $5.60 fees (which become no refundable if you CHANGE a reservation).  The points are still 100% refundable regardless of what you do (change, cancel, etc.)


----------



## ruadisneyfan2

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Admittedly I didn't read your whole comment because that's a ton of words, sorry lol!...But I'll just say this - that warning only applies to the $5.60 fees (which become no refundable if you CHANGE a reservation).  The points are still 100% refundable regardless of what you do (change, cancel, etc.)



Thank you!  Sorry, that is so long.  Since I've been sick my head is in a fog.   Either that or my kids are correct in that I tend to go on and on.


----------



## DaisyDuck001

SW says when they will publish fares through September. But, does anyone know when the October fares will be available?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

DaisyDuck001 said:


> SW says when they will publish fares through September. But, does anyone know when the October fares will be available?


They won't publish that date until after the next release.  I'd expect a subsequent release to occur 6-12 weeks after the Sept release.


----------



## DaisyDuck001

SouthFayetteFan said:


> They won't publish that date until after the next release.  I'd expect a subsequent release to occur 6-12 weeks after the Sept release.


Thanks.


----------



## WINTER

when is the next release date, anyone know?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

WINTER said:


> when is the next release date, anyone know?


Feb 8th for flights thru Sept 28th


----------



## kenly777

EBCI question. I know that when I change a reservation made with points to credit points back, my reservation still shows the EBCI, but I am wondering if I “lose my place on line” so to speak. Am I still in the place that I was from when I originally purchased or from the modified date? 
Thanks for any help that you can offer.


----------



## CMNJ

kenly777 said:


> EBCI question. I know that when I change a reservation made with points to credit points back, my reservation still shows the EBCI, but I am wondering if I “lose my place on line” so to speak. Am I still in the place that I was from when I originally purchased or from the modified date?
> Thanks for any help that you can offer.


While I have no official confirmation I do believe that any time the reservation is changed (like rebooking for a credit) your EBCI takes on the modified date. We bought 3 tickets together the day booking opened and had changes to 2 of the 3 tickets at a later. When we  went online to print our boarding passes the day before the flight the one ticket that hadn’t been modified had a low A # whereas the two that had been modified were in the 50s


----------



## MalkaR

So I checked us in for our flight tomorrow and got a message back with my boarding position (A-36) and that my three kids have to be checked in at the airport. I called and they said they don't have any further information, but my kids can board with me. They said that there isn't any info missing like date of birth or anything that usually causes this. Why doesn't their help desk have any further information than what I myself can access? I don't really understand the point of a help line that is limited to viewing what the passenger themselves can view. Has anyone had to do this, check in kids separately? I hope it doesn't take a long time!


----------



## kenly777

CMNJ said:


> While I have no official confirmation I do believe that any time the reservation is changed (like rebooking for a credit) your EBCI takes on the modified date. We bought 3 tickets together the day booking opened and had changes to 2 of the 3 tickets at a later. When we  went online to print our boarding passes the day before the flight the one ticket that hadn’t been modified had a low A # whereas the two that had been modified were in the 50s


That makes things interesting. The amount of points refunded needs to then be enough to make it worthwhile to change your EBCI place. Hmm


----------



## mcd2745

WINTER said:


> when is the next release date, anyone know?





SouthFayetteFan said:


> Feb 8th for flights thru Sept 28th




They pushed it back a week. It is now Feb 15.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

mcd2745 said:


> They pushed it back  week. It is now Feb 15.


Thanks for the update!

For those wondering where we find this information: https://www.southwest.com/html/travel-tools/index.html?int=

If you can't remember the link just google "Southwest Travel Tools"


----------



## bwbuddy5

I've read most of the stroller comments - to confirm, I can use our stroller with a child in the airport up to the gate, and then I need to check it?  And, I later pick it up at baggage claim?  So, then, if we're doing Disney Magical Express, we would still have to go to baggage claim to get our stroller?  Or, just put one of the DME tags on the stroller itself?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

bwbuddy5 said:


> I've read most of the stroller comments - to confirm, I can use our stroller with a child in the airport up to the gate, and then I need to check it?  And, I later pick it up at baggage claim?  So, then, if we're doing Disney Magical Express, we would still have to go to baggage claim to get our stroller?  Or, just put one of the DME tags on the stroller itself?


If you check a stroller at the gate it will be returned to you at the gate in Orlando.  When you exit the plan you'll want on the Jet Bridge and they'll bring your stroller and probably a few dozen others up too


----------



## ILoveMyDVC

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Thanks for the update!
> 
> For those wondering where we find this information: https://www.southwest.com/html/travel-tools/index.html?int=
> 
> If you can't remember the link just google "Southwest Travel Tools"



HA!

I thought it was a Magic 8 Ball painted with the SW colors!


----------



## mrsgthatsme

I am considering booking one leg of an upcoming flight to Orlando because the price is so good right now, but  I may not stick with the flight depending on a number of factors and may change my mind to book a more expensive fare the next day. Just wanted to clarify the credit policy before I make the leap... if we end up deciding to take a different flight to Orlando, I can cancel this one and apply the cost of the leg I would be booking today to a new flight time the following day with no penalty, correct?


----------



## CMNJ

mrsgthatsme said:


> I am considering booking one leg of an upcoming flight to Orlando because the price is so good right now, but  I may not stick with the flight depending on a number of factors and may change my mind to book a more expensive fare the next day. Just wanted to clarify the credit policy before I make the leap... if we end up deciding to take a different flight to Orlando, I can cancel this one and apply the cost of the leg I would be booking today to a new flight time the following day with no penalty, correct?


Yes you can cancel it and get a flight credit that is good from 1 year from the date of the original purchase (so you’d be fine for a flight 1 day later). If you buy early bird check in and cancel that fee is not refunded (but if you change it to the following day it might transfer).


----------



## mrsgthatsme

CMNJ said:


> Yes you can cancel it and get a flight credit that is good from 1 year from the date of the original purchase (so you’d be fine for a flight 1 day later). If you buy early bird check in and cancel that fee is not refunded (but if you change it to the following day it might transfer).


Thank you!


----------



## sandam1

Can someone confirm tha Rapid Rewards points in one account can be used to buy a ticket for someone else? I currently have a SW Visa card, but if I referred my mom to get one, she could get the bonus point (and I could get a referral bonus) and then she could purchase tickets for me with her points. Am I correct?


----------



## mfly

sandam1 said:


> Can someone confirm tha Rapid Rewards points in one account can be used to buy a ticket for someone else? I currently have a SW Visa card, but if I referred my mom to get one, she could get the bonus point (and I could get a referral bonus) and then she could purchase tickets for me with her points. Am I correct?


Yes, you can use your RR points to book flights for anyone else.


----------



## sandam1

mfly said:


> Yes, you can use your RR points to book flights for anyone else.



Thanks for the confirmation! Time for some strategic planning...


----------



## Mainemama

I have never flown Southwest before. I am looking at flying by myself with my 3 kids, 6, 10, and 13. Would the 10 and 13 year old be allowed to board with me if there was family boarding? Both of them have sat without me in a plane before, and I don't care about carry-on storage, but I would not be comfortable leaving older kids in boarding area, and the 6 yo definitely needs to be next to me. Just trying to decide if we can make it work, or if it is worth booking my usual JetBlue where I can choose the seats (more expensive at the moment.)


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Mainemama said:


> Would the 10 and 13 year old be allowed to board with me if there was family boarding?


If reviewing SWA's policies no they would not.

Family Boarding is the following:




Mainemama said:


> but I would not be comfortable leaving older kids in boarding area, and the 6 yo definitely needs to be next to me.


You do not have to do that. You can board all together as a family. However you need to Board in the lowest Boarding position your traveling party got.

If your traveling party got B boarding positions you would board during that time rather than utilize Family Boarding for your 6 year old which is between A and B. See SWA's example regarding A16 vs A45 below:





Mainemama said:


> Just trying to decide if we can make it work, or if it is worth booking my usual JetBlue where I can choose the seats (more expensive at the moment.)


If you absolutely have to have seats together book with JetBlue. If you want to increase your chances of getting seats together due to available seats left on the plane board all together using the above 'Can groups assigned to different boarding positions board together' guideline pasted above and consider getting EBCI ($15 per way per ticket).

EBCI is the following:


*Note EBCI doesn't guarantee Boarding position A.


----------



## Mainemama

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> If reviewing SWA's policies no they would not.
> 
> Family Boarding is the following:
> View attachment 299299
> 
> You do not have to do that. You can board all together as a family. However you need to Board in the lowest Boarding position your traveling party got.
> 
> If your traveling party got B boarding positions you would board during that time rather than utilize Family Boarding for your 6 year old which is between A and B. See SWA's example regarding A16 vs A45 below:
> View attachment 299300
> 
> 
> If you absolutely have to have seats together book with JetBlue. If you want to increase your chances of getting seats together due to available seats left on the plane board all together using the above 'Can groups assigned to different boarding positions board together' guideline pasted above and consider getting EBCI ($15 per way per ticket).
> 
> EBCI is the following:
> View attachment 299301
> 
> *Note EBCI doesn't guarantee Boarding position A.


Thank you. How do people find the odds of getting two seats next to each other if I were to board later with kids? My older kids can sit alone. Honestly the 6 year old would be happy to, as well, but the people next to her wouldn't be!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Mainemama said:


> Thank you. How do people find the odds of getting two seats next to each other if I were to board later with kids? My older kids can sit alone. Honestly the 6 year old would be happy to, as well, but the people next to her wouldn't be!


Each flight is different since it's made up of different passengers. Sometimes you have more Business Select (which is boarding positions A1-A15), sometimes you have more pre-boards, sometimes you are on a connecting flight where there are already passengers on board, etc.

Seems from most peoples experience that generally speaking heading towards the back of the plane gives you more seating options. It does help though that your older kids can sit alone if they had to as generally speaking finding 2 seats together is easier. Seating is 3 seats by 3 seats so with 4 total people in your traveling party at least one will be in a different row even if you were to able to all sit right by each other.


----------



## eeyoreland

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Each flight is different since it's made up of different passengers. Sometimes you have more Business Select (which is boarding positions A1-A15), sometimes you have more pre-boards, sometimes you are on a connecting flight where there are already passengers on board, etc.
> 
> Seems from most peoples experience that generally speaking heading towards the back of the plane gives you more seating options. It does help though that your older kids can sit alone if they had to as generally speaking finding 2 seats together is easier. Seating is 3 seats by 3 seats so with 4 total people in your traveling party at least one will be in a different row even if you were to able to all sit right by each other.



I agree with the statement that every flight is different based on the reasons you cited. FWIW, all of those reasons aside, my husband and I have boarded in the mid to late B's and have never had a problem sitting next to each other.


----------



## Leeba

i am hesitating on pulling the trigger on flights during the end of March / beginning of April. I'm just under 60 days out today. if i were to wait until SW releases its new schedule on 2/15, would that in any way affect the availasbility of fares for my 3/30 & 4/7 flights?

IDK if that makes any sense. it's a spring break week, and the hopper & kayak apps are both telling me to wait, but i am getting nervous over here. 

The flights are to Orlando from either PHL or TTN.


----------



## richmo

Leeba said:


> i am hesitating on pulling the trigger on flights during the end of March / beginning of April. I'm just under 60 days out today. if i were to wait until SW releases its new schedule on 2/15, would that in any way affect the availasbility of fares for my 3/30 & 4/7 flights?
> 
> IDK if that makes any sense. it's a spring break week, and the hopper & kayak apps are both telling me to wait, but i am getting nervous over here.
> 
> The flights are to Orlando from either PHL or TTN.


With Easter on 4/1, I'd definitely jump on any fares that you find acceptable now. I'm a little surprised much of anything is even available. And, of course, if you go from PHL on Southwest, you still have the option of rebooking and taking the credit if you fly again within a year (from now).


----------



## Leeba

Thanks .... there's actually a ton of stuff still available, it's just crazy expensive. Frontier just dropped down to $600 round trip ($741 with "the works" so we can choose seats & bring luggage), each. Southwest is $750 round trip from PHL.


----------



## kenly777

Leeba said:


> Thanks .... there's actually a ton of stuff still available, it's just crazy expensive. Frontier just dropped down to $600 round trip ($741 with "the works" so we can choose seats & bring luggage), each. Southwest is $750 round trip from PHL.


My flights from Albany NY just dropped the outbound flight to $98!! Week before Easter.  Good luck


----------



## Leeba

kenly777 said:


> My flights from Albany NY just dropped the outbound flight to $98!! Week before Easter.  Good luck



Whoa, that's nice! What airline?


----------



## kenly777

Leeba said:


> Whoa, that's nice! What airline?


Southwest


----------



## Leeba

Oh, yeah it is a SW thread.  Haha. That is seriously amazing - good for you. I just checked again and while they haven't  dropped any fares, they did release more "wanna get away" fares for the return leg of the trip, so here's hoping it's a trend. Frontier is down a little again, down to $505 round trip (without bags or seats though), so I'm not out of hope.


----------



## 5DisneyNuts

Hi all.  I'm sorry if this has been addressed somewhere here.  I tried searching but only came up with old threads.

It's been some time since booking SWA with TTF.  A competitive airline moved into my small airport and the fares I bought for Thanksgiving week when they first came out continued to drop.  I re-booked the flights multiple times and as a result I now have 8 ticketless travel funds under the same confirmation # (last 4 digits appended to the conf # are different).  

I thought since it was one confirmation number, I would be able to use all the funds when booking a new flight.  Instead two are applied and the rest say maximum number of travel funds reached.  Would I be able to call and have the funds rolled into one?  If not, can I still do the re-booking/cancel game until I have all funds under 2 new confirmation numbers?

Thanks for any assistance!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

5DisneyNuts said:


> Hi all.  I'm sorry if this has been addressed somewhere here.  I tried searching but only came up with old threads.
> 
> It's been some time since booking SWA with TTF.  A competitive airline moved into my small airport and the fares I bought for Thanksgiving week when they first came out continued to drop.  I re-booked the flights multiple times and as a result I now have 8 ticketless travel funds under the same confirmation # (last 4 digits appended to the conf # are different).
> 
> I thought since it was one confirmation number, I would be able to use all the funds when booking a new flight.  Instead two are applied and the rest say maximum number of travel funds reached.  Would I be able to call and have the funds rolled into one?  If not, can I still do the re-booking/cancel game until I have all funds under 2 new confirmation numbers?
> 
> Thanks for any assistance!


Rebook and cancel trick still will works to my knowledge.

ETA: all of your TTFs should have the same expiration date - for anybody else reading this keep in mind that when combining through the rebook and cancel trick, all combined funds will inherit the earliest expiration date.


----------



## 5DisneyNuts

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Rebook and cancel trick still will works to my knowledge.
> 
> ETA: all of your TTFs should have the same expiration date - for anybody else reading this keep in mind that when combining through the rebook and cancel trick, all combined funds will inherit the earliest expiration date.



Thank you!  I appreciate the quick reply.  Do you think it would be worth it to call Customer Relations to see if the agent is able to combine?  Since I am starting with 4 people, each with 8 TTFs, the rebooking/cancelling will take quite a while LOL, but the $ amounts are worth it.

Yes, you are correct all the expiration dates are the same in my case, but I have read the stories of people getting burned when all funds switched to the earliest date.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Rebook and cancel trick still will works to my knowledge.





5DisneyNuts said:


> Thank you!  I appreciate the quick reply.  Do you think it would be worth it to call Customer Relations to see if the agent is able to combine?  Since I am starting with 4 people, each with 8 TTFs, the rebooking/cancelling will take quite a while LOL, but the $ amounts are worth it.
> 
> Yes, you are correct all the expiration dates are the same in my case, but I have read the stories of people getting burned when all funds switched to the earliest date.


I've never experienced quite the number of TTFs you are tryouts to combine lol so I'm not sure if there is a better way or not.  I bet somebody at Southwest can do it - your challenge would be getting to somebody who is capable and understands what you're asking.  Haha.


----------



## 5DisneyNuts

Hahaha, perhaps I went a little re-fare crazy.  I did save a few hundred per ticket though!  I've never seen the fares drop like that before during a holiday time.

I called Guest Relations and no, no way to combine.  Oh well, time to crack open my spreadsheet and start re-booking.  I'll report back on the experience.  Thanks again.


----------



## chloelovesdisney

I haven't flown on Southwest in several years.  We have a 7:45a flight, am I right I have to try and check in at 7:45am the day before?  Do folks do this on an app these days?


----------



## shoreward

chloelovesdisney said:


> I haven't flown on Southwest in several years.  We have a 7:45a flight, am I right I have to try and check in at 7:45am the day before?  Do folks do this on an app these days?


If you did not pay to add Early Bird to your reservation, you need to do online check-in EXACTLY 24 hours before scheduled departure of your flight. Yes, this can be done on the app, if you like.  Get your confirmation number and name entered on the check-in page about five minutes ahead of time and watch the clock hit 7:44 and keep selecting the check-in box, till it accepts your check-in.  This will get you the lowest possible boarding number.

This is all based on the assumption that you did not book a Business Select fare, which would automatically assign you a boarding number of A1-A15.


----------



## jerseygal

Could have sworn that one of the threads on here said that the new booking window beyond beginning of August would have opened today. Just called Southwest Airlines and new booking window through sometime in September opens NEXT THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15th. HOPING to get a reasonable flight for an elderly family member for DS wedding mid August! She will be traveling from Ft.Lauderdale to Albany.


----------



## WDWFan0813

jerseygal said:


> Could have sworn that one of the threads on here said that the new booking window beyond beginning of August would have opened today. Just called Southwest Airlines and new booking window through sometime in September opens NEXT THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16th. HOPING to get a reasonable flight for an elderly family member for DS wedding mid August! She will be traveling from Ft.Lauderdale to Albany.



It WAS supposed to open today, but they recently pushed it back.


----------



## jerseygal

WDWFan0813 said:


> It WAS supposed to open today, but they recently pushed it back.


Hope that it is not pushed back again! Anxious to see rates.


----------



## WDWFan0813

jerseygal said:


> Hope that it is not pushed back again! Anxious to see rates.



Agreed, although I am more anxious to actually book our flights for our August trip.  Fingers crossed that rates aren't to out of line with where they have been!


----------



## jerseygal

WDWFan0813 said:


> Agreed, although I am more anxious to actually book our flights for our August trip.  Fingers crossed that rates aren't to out of line with where they have been!


  Here is to HOPING..after these rates have my eye on October rates to Orlando for Food and Wine trip, can' t WAIT! Hope that rates are reasonable!


----------



## focusondisney

jerseygal said:


> Could have sworn that one of the threads on here said that the new booking window beyond beginning of August would have opened today. Just called Southwest Airlines and new booking window through sometime in September opens NEXT THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16th. HOPING to get a reasonable flight for an elderly family member for DS wedding mid August! She will be traveling from Ft.Lauderdale to Albany.



I know you mean next Thursday, one week from today. But just want to clarify for anyone else reading that it is Thursday Feb  15th, not the 16th. And booking will open to October 1 per the website.


----------



## jerseygal

focusondisney said:


> I know you mean next Thursday, one week from today. But just want to clarify for anyone else reading that it is Thursday Feb  15th, not the 16th. And booking will open to October 1 per the website.


THANK u for clarification! I edited the post!


----------



## luvdisney00

I knew someone here would know!  I was up at 6 am hoping to book my August flights. Thank you for posting.  I guess I will have to wait another week!


----------



## jerseygal

bwbuddy5 said:


> Mistakenly booked flights with first and last name, forgetting that that should match our passports exactly (including middle name).  I can't figure out if there is a way to correct names within the Southwest site, or should I even be concerned about it?


I did the same thing with a United flight for our son. It was very easy I called United, they added his middle name and it was easy. Very important that name on e ticket reservation matches exactly to either passport if you are flying internationally or if using a Verified Drivers License if you are flying domestically. Never hurts to cross your "t"s and dot your "i"s!


----------



## lisagirl88

I am so excited!  I am such a procrastinator and have been waiting to book my flight for our family of 6 for spring break(beginning of March).  I jumped on tonight and my flight from a few weeks ago is now $540 cheaper!!!  Needless to say I jumped on it.  Sometimes booking last minute pays off


----------



## hhbettymu

I’m wondering when I should book flights for our September trip. In the past I have been able to get great deals around 6 months out so I’m trying to decide if I should wait awhile after they release the dates on the 15th. The difference this time is we already have our lodging reserved by renting points and dates locked in.


----------



## jerseygal

lisagirl88 said:


> I am so excited!  I am such a procrastinator and have been waiting to book my flight for our family of 6 for spring break(beginning of March).  I jumped on tonight and my flight from a few weeks ago is now $540 cheaper!!!  Needless to say I jumped on it.  Sometimes booking last minute pays off


WOW! Substantial savings, great for you!


----------



## eeyoreland

Hopefully this is okay to ask here. And I'm just asking out of curiosity. I'm not trying to "work" the system! My husband has a SW VISA for which he received points upon opening it. We don't use the card because yes, we opened it only for the points. If we cancel the card, and at some point decide we want to re-apply, would he get the sign on points again?


----------



## mfly

eeyoreland said:


> Hopefully this is okay to ask here. And I'm just asking out of curiosity. I'm not trying to "work" the system! My husband has a SW VISA for which he received points upon opening it. We don't use the card because yes, we opened it only for the points. If we cancel the card, and at some point decide we want to re-apply, would he get the sign on points again?


He’s eligible for the bonus on that card again once 24 months have elapsed since he received the bonus. 

If he has only had one type of SW Visa, he would be eligible now for the bonus on the other (i.e. Plus or Premier).


----------



## Smilelea

Can anyone tell me what time we can start booking flights for the window opening in the morning?


----------



## focusondisney

Smilelea said:


> Can anyone tell me what time we can start booking flights for the window opening in the morning?



They usually show up sometime between 6 - 8:30 am eastern time.  Have to kind of keep checking.


----------



## Smilelea

focusondisney said:


> They usually show up sometime between 6 - 8:30 am eastern time.  Have to kind of keep checking.


Thank you!


----------



## mcd2745

now we wait... 


you can't book yet, however, on the Flight Schedules page you are able to see the flight times


----------



## Tall Todd

Booking right now.


----------



## eeyoreland

mfly said:


> He’s eligible for the bonus on that card again once 24 months have elapsed since he received the bonus.
> 
> If he has only had one type of SW Visa, he would be eligible now for the bonus on the other (i.e. Plus or Premier).



Thank you!


----------



## Leoj12

Booked Sept flights just now...no issues.

Just FYI I did price comparisons yesterday on SW for most "non-premium", mid-week dates like we are flying. From what I looked at that I felt was comparable, prices for 4 round trip tickets were up $80 for the new released dates. They also removed one of the non-stop flights that had always been there from our city. They now now offer an early morning and evening non-stop and the mid-day non stop was no longer available.

Still a WAY better value than legacy carriers especially with bag fees.

Happy flight hunting!


----------



## tamerbelles

Booked for September! So freaking happy. We're saving at least $232 ... maybe more depending on how many bags we check. That's going to cover MNSSHP tickets for us.


----------



## richmo

Booked a long August weekend from PHL this morning...$100 each person each flight.  Not bad, not great. Had enough points to make one way free, paid the other direction

My DW didn't have enough points for it to make a difference, but if she did, would there have been a way to pull her points in on the same reservation? I didn't see a way to do that.


----------



## kenly777

richmo said:


> Booked a long August weekend from PHL this morning...$100 each person each flight.  Not bad, not great. Had enough points to make one way free, paid the other direction
> 
> My DW didn't have enough points for it to make a difference, but if she did, would there have been a way to pull her points in on the same reservation? I didn't see a way to do that.


No, unfortunately you can't combine that way, but you could book for each one of you from your separate log-ins.  I've had to do that when we were taking a large group of people.


----------



## britt54311

I am trying to prepare for the next flight date that opens March 8 and I have a few questions.
1. There are 9 of us flying (7 adult and 2 children) that need airfare plus infant flying on lap. How would I go about this for booking because you are only allowed to book 8 at a time? Looking for the easiest and most cost efficient way. Should I book in 2 group? Or call Southwest to book? Do they offer a child rate?
2. How do I apply gift cards? When I was playing around on the site this morning got to where you would enter info and payment but I did not see a spot for gift cards.
3. How many gift cards can I use? Is it 2 per reservation or 2 per person?
Thank you for any input you can give me.


----------



## DrFacilier

I had never tried to book this early but because of a lot of talk about great deals around here I went on to book our August trip today around 6:50 when the flights posted.  The WTGA prices for the dates I am looking for weren't anything special.  Did I miss something or does this work best for flexible dates/ times?  At this point I think I'm going to wait until the end of the month when my RR points post and I'll have enough to pay for our trip.


----------



## Flayre

britt54311 said:


> I am trying to prepare for the next flight date that opens March 8 and I have a few questions.
> 1. There are 9 of us flying (7 adult and 2 children) that need airfare plus infant flying on lap. How would I go about this for booking because you are only allowed to book 8 at a time? Looking for the easiest and most cost efficient way. Should I book in 2 group? Or call Southwest to book? Do they offer a child rate?
> 2. How do I apply gift cards? When I was playing around on the site this morning got to where you would enter info and payment but I did not see a spot for gift cards.
> 3. How many gift cards can I use? Is it 2 per reservation or 2 per person?
> Thank you for any input you can give me.



Just my opinion from when I worked in reservations for Southwest.

1) Split the reservation up. You'll have two different confirmation numbers for the two groups, but the only other way to get around it is go through a group desk booking which is probably too much hassle. Lap child (under 2) will fly free and you just need to tell the Southwest res agent on the phone which pax is going to have the lap child and they'll note it on the PNR. As far as child rates, only off of the Anytime (Y Class) full fare and it typically isn't that much of a discount.

2) Should be on the payment portion of the screen as another option.

3) Each reservation can have a maximum of two payment methods when done online.


----------



## Flayre

DrFacilier said:


> I had never tried to book this early but because of a lot of talk about great deals around here I went on to book our August trip today around 6:50 when the flights posted.  The WTGA prices for the dates I am looking for weren't anything special.  Did I miss something or does this work best for flexible dates/ times?  At this point I think I'm going to wait until the end of the month when my RR points post and I'll have enough to pay for our trip.



There are two larger fare sales per year. One should be coming up in March, the other is typically in early Fall. This is when you'll see the biggest discounting take place.  There are other spot sales that target highly competitive markets or ones with a lot of excess capacity to get planes filled, but they are pretty limited in scope.  Always keep in mind if you fly Southwest more than once per year, you can always book now then change your flight to a lower fare later. Then use the flight credit towards a future reservation that is with in 12 months of the original reservation's booking date (not travel date).


----------



## britt54311

Flayre said:


> Just my opinion from when I worked in reservations for Southwest.
> 
> 1) Split the reservation up. You'll have two different confirmation numbers for the two groups, but the only other way to get around it is go through a group desk booking which is probably too much hassle. Lap child (under 2) will fly free and you just need to tell the Southwest res agent on the phone which pax is going to have the lap child and they'll note it on the PNR. As far as child rates, only off of the Anytime (Y Class) full fare and it typically isn't that much of a discount.
> 
> 2) Should be on the payment portion of the screen as another option.
> 
> 3) Each reservation can have a maximum of two payment methods when done online.



Ok thanks for the quick response. I did find where to enter gift cards. I was looking around where you enter credit card info and not realizing it was under travel funds section. When I clicked on that this is what it states "Up to three forms of payment per Passenger may be applied, which includes one credit card or PayPal account per transaction". So this statement I take to read that if I have 4 on a reservation I can use up to 8 giftcards. Is this correct?
Thank you


----------



## britt54311

Flayre said:


> Just my opinion from when I worked in reservations for Southwest.
> 
> 1) Split the reservation up. You'll have two different confirmation numbers for the two groups, but the only other way to get around it is go through a group desk booking which is probably too much hassle. Lap child (under 2) will fly free and you just need to tell the Southwest res agent on the phone which pax is going to have the lap child and they'll note it on the PNR. As far as child rates, only off of the Anytime (Y Class) full fare and it typically isn't that much of a discount.
> 
> 2) Should be on the payment portion of the screen as another option.
> 
> 3) Each reservation can have a maximum of two payment methods when done online.


Also is there away I can enter everyones info ahead of time so I don't lose the rate and airfare we want.


----------



## Flayre

britt54311 said:


> Ok thanks for the quick response. I did find where to enter gift cards. I was looking around where you enter credit card info and not realizing it was under travel funds section. When I clicked on that this is what it states "Up to three forms of payment per Passenger may be applied, which includes one credit card or PayPal account per transaction". So this statement I take to read that if I have 4 on a reservation I can use up to 8 giftcards. Is this correct?
> Thank you



It might be different now with the new reservation system they have in place compared to the dinosaur we used when I was there (4 years ago). If it says per passenger, I would go off of that. You could always call reservations and confirm.



britt54311 said:


> Also is there away I can enter everyones info ahead of time so I don't lose the rate and airfare we want.



There is not. Southwest won't hold the fare class until you actually pay for it. Even when we held reservations over the phone as a 24-hour courtesy, the fare class wasn't held and the price could be lost. One trick if you see it go up, decrease the number of pax on the reservation. It very well there could be say 5 seats at that price, but you put in 6, and it'll only show the fare for the next lowest fare class that has 6 seats available.


----------



## pens4821

We didn't book yet, we actually aren't sure where we are flying out of.  We were going to fly out of Pittsburgh, but may end up needing to fly out of Richmond to get my nephew who we thought would be here in Pittsburgh but now most likely won't be.  Although we still aren't sure so don't know what to book.  The prices out of Richmond aren't that great, and they really jumped since morning too.  This morning it was 112 to MCO, now it's 222 (I'll drive before I pay that per person).  The trip home is the same as it was this morning at 141.  The rates seem to be about 145 each way in the past.

Out of curiosity I was looking at nearby airports.  Dulles had 77 each way (it's up to 96 there now, still 77 back).  We figured that we could save over $400 (now a little less than 400) by making the 2-2.5 hour drive.  By the time we add the gas it'll take to go there and back, the extra meals for the extra day we'll be out, and possibly a hotel for the return night (we were just going to fly into richmond, drop him off, then drive home), I don't know if it'd be really worth it.

What does everyone else think?  Would it be worth it to save $100-$200 after the added expenses?  Or would it just be easier to spend the extra 400 on the flight but not have the added expenses if the price out of richmond drops back down (which I would assume it will level out)?


----------



## DrFacilier

Ok.  So I’m still waiting for my 52, 000 RR points to post at the end of the month so we can purchase our tickets for our 8/19 trip. Not only have the WTGA points increased by about $300 but there are only 4 left.  The return flight we wanted is now sold out.  Trying not to freak out here as booking this way is new to me.  What are the chances they will release more WTGA tickets?  Do they always do this?


----------



## Flayre

DrFacilier said:


> Ok.  So I’m still waiting for my 52, 000 RR points to post at the end of the month so we can purchase our tickets for our 8/19 trip. Not only have the WTGA points increased by about $300 but there are only 4 left.  The return flight we wanted is now sold out.  Trying not to freak out here as booking this way is new to me.  What are the chances they will release more WTGA tickets?  Do they always do this?



If the plane still has a lot of available capacity as you get closer, you'll see some more lower fare buckets opened up. When the next big sale happens in June, that would be a good time to check. If you already have it booked by then, if the fare drops you can get the points difference refunded back.


----------



## DrFacilier

Flayre said:


> If the plane still has a lot of available capacity as you get closer, you'll see some more lower fare buckets opened up. When the next big sale happens in June, that would be a good time to check. If you already have it booked by then, if the fare drops you can get the points difference refunded back.


. Can I get the points difference on a WTGA (if another pops up) if I book an Anytime Fare?  I know exactly what flights I want for our trip.  I don’t mind waiting a bit but I want to make sure we get on those flights.


----------



## Koz

Grinning from ear to ear.

Purchased our 5 RT tix ISPMCO for travel in late August when fares were released last week.  I work for another airline and know that  with the ISP market on SW, you tend to get the best fares right out of the gate, which is why I awoke at 4AM on the morning that fares were released and continued refreshing the page.  By around 7AM and after alot of  waiting, fares were available for 2 preferred nonstops @ $136 each.  Total for our group was around $1,350.  Checked 4 days later, and those same segments were now $496 each way, for a total just shy of $5,000 RT for the 5 of us.  There's absolutely no way that I could justify spending 5 grand for 5 of us to head to Florida, so we certainly lucked out with timing.  Frontier is also now an option in our market and I've flown them once already, but after all of the ad-ons it may be a little less than SW but without the same level of service.


----------



## Flayre

DrFacilier said:


> . Can I get the points difference on a WTGA (if another pops up) if I book an Anytime Fare?  I know exactly what flights I want for our trip.  I don’t mind waiting a bit but I want to make sure we get on those flights.



Yes. If you change an Anytime fare and grab a WGA fare, you'll get the points refunded.


----------



## Flayre

Koz said:


> Grinning from ear to ear.
> 
> Purchased our 5 RT tix ISPMCO for travel in late August when fares were released last week.  *I work for another airline* and know that  with the ISP market on SW, you tend to get the best fares right out of the gate, which is why I awoke at 4AM on the morning that fares were released and continued refreshing the page.  By around 7AM and after alot of  waiting, fares were available for 2 preferred nonstops @ $136 each.  Total for our group was around $1,350.  Checked 4 days later, and those same segments were now $496 each way, for a total just shy of $5,000 RT for the 5 of us.  There's absolutely no way that I could justify spending 5 grand for 5 of us to head to Florida, so we certainly lucked out with timing.  Frontier is also now an option in our market and I've flown them once already, but after all of the ad-ons it may be a little less than SW but without the same level of service.



Don't want to risk nonrev to Florida?


----------



## Koz

Flayre said:


> Don't want to risk nonrev to Florida?


Bwahahaha, no, the horror......


----------



## DrFacilier

Flayre said:


> Yes. If you change an Anytime fare and grab a WGA fare, you'll get the points refunded.


Thanks!  I totally screwed this up and I’m kicking myself.  I had about 53,000 points on the 15th when the flights were released.  It wasn’t enough to get the 4 tickets I needed but I should have gotten 3 and added a 4th when my wife gets her companion pass which should be around April or May.  Would this have worked?


----------



## Flayre

DrFacilier said:


> Thanks!  I totally screwed this up and I’m kicking myself.  I had about 53,000 points on the 15th when the flights were released.  It wasn’t enough to get the 4 tickets I needed but I should have gotten 3 and added a 4th when my wife gets her companion pass which should be around April or May.  Would this have worked?



From memory, yes it would have worked as long as there was still a seat available on the flight.


----------



## Penmac

I have been watching Southwest fares out of Providence for a while now. We are a large family debating on whether to drive or fly in late June. It appears that there are many $99 fares over the next couple of months. Once late June hits the fares climb and the very few $99 fares available are at inconvenient times for a family with small children.  Does anyone know if Southwest typically drops these fares closer to the dates? Flights leaving within the next 8 weeks have many more reasonably priced options.  I am hopeful that these fares will drop, but also worried that maybe because it is considered a peak season at Disney and also being close to 7/4 holiday that they will get higher rather than drop.  Anyone have experience or advice?  Renting a car to drive will be almost as pricey since we don't want to take our own car this year.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

DrFacilier said:


> Thanks!  I totally screwed this up and I’m kicking myself.  I had about 53,000 points on the 15th when the flights were released.  It wasn’t enough to get the 4 tickets I needed but I should have gotten 3 and added a 4th when my wife gets her companion pass which should be around April or May.  Would this have worked?


Companions can always be added to a flight so long as there is a seat left on the flight. I've been added only a few days before a flight before.


----------



## a1tinkfans

Sw related....
My ds n dh traveling SW today 
Used miles, so free flights but I purchased early bird to make it easier..

Arrived hour before flight, easily thru security... boarded then
Delay... told light on, taxied back to gate, delayed then 
Deplaned..
830am flight finally left at 1:25pm
They were comped.. 

hotel said no prob for late ck in but 
Car rental went UP despite having it Less time ( Costco said at whim of market if change made on time) 
Rebooked with another rental co
But they be basically lost the entire day and the appts they had 
Well.. better safe and late..

But made me wonder what Airlines typically comp for delays etc?


----------



## richmo

a1tinkfans said:


> ...They were comped..
> 
> hotel said no prob for late ck in but
> Car rental went UP despite having it Less time ( Costco said at whim of market if change made on time)
> Rebooked with another rental co
> But they be basically lost the entire day and the appts they had
> Well.. better safe and late..
> 
> But made me wonder what Airlines typically comp for delays etc?



Don't quite get everything you said here, but...

I'm a little surprised that your car rental went up. Did you put the airline and flight number in your car rental reservation? It can be important to do that. I think rental companies usually honor airline delays as long as that info is in the reservation. If not, I can see where the rental would go up...sometimes people try making their reservation longer just to bump themselves into a weekly rate, for example.

Southwest seems to be pretty good about comping for delays that are caused by their problems (mechanical, crew, etc.). We were given $200 vouchers a year or so ago for I think a 4 hour delay. If its a weather issue, no comp.  Other airlines may or may not do that, but I think Southwest is much better than most giving comps out. And unlike credits you may get for booking lower fares, these vouchers are transferable.


----------



## a1tinkfans

richmo said:


> Don't quite get everything you said here, but...
> 
> I'm a little surprised that your car rental went up. Did you put the airline and flight number in your car rental reservation? It can be important to do that. I think rental companies usually honor airline delays as long as that info is in the reservation. If not, I can see where the rental would go up...sometimes people try making their reservation longer just to bump themselves into a weekly rate, for example.
> 
> Southwest seems to be pretty good about comping for delays that are caused by their problems (mechanical, crew, etc.). We were given $200 vouchers a year or so ago for I think a 4 hour delay. If its a weather issue, no comp.  Other airlines may or may not do that, but I think Southwest is much better than most giving comps out. And unlike credits you may get for booking lower fares, these vouchers are transferable.



Had not put airline info on car rental the first time. ( will for future rentals) Not sure it would have made a difference in this case, We called when told 2 hr delay.. then when another 2 hour delay was told New cost. Booked thru Costco, ( called them after increase told by Budget) who indicated that once there is Any change to a reservation, it must be Re-booked to new res. Then old one canceled. So, rate is the prevailing rate.( If the rate jump had been nominal, probably would have kept it, but it was not, and a short rental overall. )That is their contract with rental companies, not within their control. 
I canceled Budget, went with Alamo For a better rate. 

Apparently mechanical... SW Comped, and didn’t know transferable..thx for ur thoughts.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

a1tinkfans said:


> Had not put airline info on car rental the first time. ( will for future rentals) Not sure it would have made a difference in this case, We called when told 2 hr delay.. then when another 2 hour delay was told New cost. Booked thru Costco, ( called them after increase told by Budget) who indicated that once there is Any change to a reservation, it must be Re-booked to new res. Then old one canceled. So, rate is the prevailing rate.( If the rate jump had been nominal, probably would have kept it, but it was not, and a short rental overall. )That is their contract with rental companies, not within their control.
> I canceled Budget, went with Alamo For a better rate.
> 
> Apparently mechanical... SW Comped, and didn’t know transferable..thx for ur thoughts.


That stinks honestly. We landed something like an hr late because we left an hr late in September due to MCO prohibiting airlines from coming in at certain times while they were trying to get as many people out. We landed Sep 8th just before Irma so that was why.

Anyways we had a Costco reservation and never got charged an increase. We were 1 1/2hrs late to our reservation. We didn't call avis rental car or Costco though.

Were you basically 4 hours late to your reservation?


----------



## a1tinkfans

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> That stinks honestly. We landed something like an hr late because we left an hr late in September due to MCO prohibiting airlines from coming in at certain times while they were trying to get as many people out. We landed Sep 8th just before Irma so that was why.
> 
> Anyways we had a Costco reservation and never got charged an increase. We were 1 1/2hrs late to our reservation. We didn't call avis rental car or Costco though.
> 
> Were you basically 4 hours late to your reservation?



Flight finally departed at 1:25pm, it was supposed to be at 8:30am! That’s why we called as soon as they said the xtra 2 hours then another2.. it just went on and on...
So ultimately a Long Delay...
They arrived Safely, it’s all good in my book..my original curiosity/Q was about what comps are typically given, if any.


----------



## RysMomma

When Southwest releases their next batch (which I see will be next week), do they sometimes alter already released airfare and prices?  Just curious! Thanks!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

RysMomma said:


> When Southwest releases their next batch (which I see will be next week), do they sometimes alter already released airfare and prices?  Just curious! Thanks!


They can and do alter prices at anytime.  If you check prices daily (or even multiple times a day) you may see huge variations in pricing in the months leading up to your flight.  Sometimes flights even show up briefly as sold out and then return.  It's a very fluid situation so anybody's specific experience with it is purely anecdotal and your experience may coincidentally match theirs or may be entirely different.  

They _typically _will not adjust the actual flight routes and schedule after they are released.


----------



## RysMomma

Thanks!


----------



## britt54311

I am booking flights for 7 adults and 2 children and we also will have a lap child that will be 1 at the time of travel. I know I will need everyones name exactly as stated on their drivers license or birth certificate but what else will I need to book travel? Birthdates? Home address for each person? Anything else? I know I will need birth certificate for the one year old at time of flight but what about the other children?

I read where someone said to create rapid rewards account for each person as this will make it go quicker at check out. Is this true? Can children have an account? 

This is the first time I am booking online and this all makes me nervous having such a large group. I know I will have to split it into at least 2 groups as you can only book up to 8 people. Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated.

Part of our party is a single mom that has the 2 children ages 4 and 8 at time of travel. If they do the family boarding will they allow the 8 year old to board with them or will they make her wait with the rest of the group even though we are not the parents.

I plan to do early bird for our flight back home for the rest of us but debating for our flight down to orlando. Trying to save money where we can with such a large group.

Sorry such a long post. Again any feedback would greatly be appreciated.
Thank you


----------



## WDWFan0813

britt54311 said:


> I am booking flights for 7 adults and 2 children and we also will have a lap child that will be 1 at the time of travel. I know I will need everyones name exactly as stated on their drivers license or birth certificate but what else will I need to book travel? Birthdates? Home address for each person? Anything else? I know I will need birth certificate for the one year old at time of flight but what about the other children?
> 
> I read where someone said to create rapid rewards account for each person as this will make it go quicker at check out. Is this true? Can children have an account?
> 
> This is the first time I am booking online and this all makes me nervous having such a large group. I know I will have to split it into at least 2 groups as you can only book up to 8 people. Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated.
> 
> Part of our party is a single mom that has the 2 children ages 4 and 8 at time of travel. If they do the family boarding will they allow the 8 year old to board with them or will they make her wait with the rest of the group even though we are not the parents.
> 
> I plan to do early bird for our flight back home for the rest of us but debating for our flight down to orlando. Trying to save money where we can with such a large group.
> 
> Sorry such a long post. Again any feedback would greatly be appreciated.
> Thank you



I just booked a few days ago, and I don't believe having a RR account made it any quicker, but it certainly doesn't hurt to have them.  And yes children can have a RR account.  My DD6 & DD3 both have one, which are linked to my email address.  In order to book, you are required to have names as they appear on gov't issued ID as well as birthdate and gender.  Optional info is RR Account #; Redress #; and Known Traveler # if any of those apply.  Best of luck getting great fares!


----------



## Fangorn

britt54311 said:


> I am booking flights for 7 adults and 2 children and we also will have a lap child that will be 1 at the time of travel. I know I will need everyones name exactly as stated on their drivers license or birth certificate but what else will I need to book travel? Birthdates? Home address for each person? Anything else? I know I will need birth certificate for the one year old at time of flight but what about the other children?
> 
> I read where someone said to create rapid rewards account for each person as this will make it go quicker at check out. Is this true? Can children have an account?
> 
> This is the first time I am booking online and this all makes me nervous having such a large group. I know I will have to split it into at least 2 groups as you can only book up to 8 people. Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated.
> 
> Part of our party is a single mom that has the 2 children ages 4 and 8 at time of travel. If they do the family boarding will they allow the 8 year old to board with them or will they make her wait with the rest of the group even though we are not the parents.
> 
> I plan to do early bird for our flight back home for the rest of us but debating for our flight down to orlando. Trying to save money where we can with such a large group.
> 
> Sorry such a long post. Again any feedback would greatly be appreciated.
> Thank you



Family boarding will allow the mom and the two kids to all board together - but the rest of your group can't tag along. Whoever has the lap child (both mom and dad) and can use family boarding as well.

As you say, you will have to have multiple reservations since the max is 8 people. You may want to consider more than two reservations. The reason being the way SW does their fares. When you check for fares the default is for a single passenger and that will show you the lowest fare currently available. But you don't know at that point how many seats are available at that fare. There could be 12 or there could be only 1. If there are 3 seats at that fare and you make a reservation for 4 people, you will not get the 3 lowest fares - all 4 will be booked at the next higher fare that has 4 available seats. In this case, you would need to do a reservation for 3 and a reservation for 1 to get the lowest available price. It can take some effort, especially with larger groups. 

Everyone having a RR number doesn't speed up the process. But you having one can. Make sure that prior to the day you're planning on booking, you set up your account and save all credit cards that you plan on using, onto that account. Then when you check out, all you have to do is select the appropriate card and hit enter - no time spent entering CC numbers. It will save you a lot of time with multiple reservations. 

As for EBCI. This is a personal choice and any perceived need to use it is highly subjective and depends greatly on the airport you're using, the time of day you're flying and your ability to check-in at exactly the 24 hour mark the previous day. You won't really need it for those that can take advantage of family boarding. Getting it for the others will greatly increase the odds that everyone will be able to sit in a group, if that's important to you. We always get EBCI for the return flight just because I don't want to have to think about it while I'm at WDW. 

I hope this helps some. 

Steve


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Fangorn said:


> Family boarding will allow the mom and the two kids to all board together - but the rest of your group can't tag along.


Well Family Boarding is for those with a child 6 and under. 



Thus the mom that has both a 4 and 8 year old would be allowed to board with the 4 year old.


----------



## WDWFan0813

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Well Family Boarding is for those with a child 6 and under.
> 
> View attachment 305292
> 
> Thus the mom that has both a 4 and 8 year old would be allowed to board with the 4 year old.



This is the formal policy, but never in my experience have I seen SW break up a family who attempt to use family boarding even if some don't qualify.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

WDWFan0813 said:


> This is the formal policy, but never in my experience have I seen SW break up a family who attempt to use family boarding even if some don't qualify.


I understand but it's what SWA's published rules are. I'd rather give the poster what the rules are. Gate agents can make the decision if they want to but are under no obligation to do so and at least the poster has the understanding of what the rules are.

The proper way would be the mom with the 4 year old boards with the 4 and 8 year old in the 8 year old's Boarding position (assuming the 8 year olds is the worse of the Boarding positions) rather than rely on the gate agent making an exception to published rules. Boarding with Family Boarding when you don't qualify for it isn't the only way to do it (i.e. relying on the gate agent).


----------



## focusondisney

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I understand but it's what SWA's published rules are. I'd rather give the poster what the rules are. Gate agents can make the decision if they want to but are under no obligation to do so and at least the poster has the understanding of what the rules are.
> 
> The proper way would be the mom with the 4 year old boards with the 4 and 8 year old in the 8 year old's Boarding position (assuming the 8 year olds is the worse of the Boarding positions) rather than rely on the gate agent making an exception to published rules. Boarding with Family Boarding when you don't qualify for it isn't the only way to do it (i.e. relying on the gate agent).



Nope. The 8 year old will be allowed to board with the mom & 4 year old during family boarding.  That is the way it works. Just like there is no written rule about seat saving, there is no written rule that says a single adult can't take their other minor children during family boarding.  It will not be relying on the gate agent. It will be using the system as allowed.

We just flew SW home on Feb 1st. The gate agent was very loud & clear in his announcement about family boarding. Parents *&* *siblings* of a child 6 & under could board with family boarding.  Grandparents, aunts, uncles & other family could not.  He made sure to get everyone's attention & be very clear about it.

I have never seen SW deny siblings being allowed to board with family boarding, nor have I read any reports of it either.  And you know someone would be here posting if it happened to them.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

focusondisney said:


> Nope. The 8 year old will be allowed to board with the mom & 4 year old during family boarding.  That is the way it works. Just like there is no written rule about seat saving, there is no written rule that says a single adult can't take their other minor children during family boarding.  It will not be relying on the gate agent. It will be using the system as allowed.
> 
> We just flew SW home on Feb 1st. The gate agent was very loud & clear in his announcement about family boarding. Parents *&* *siblings* of a child 6 & under could board with family boarding.  Grandparents, aunts, uncles & other family could not.  He made sure to get everyone's attention & be very clear about it.
> 
> I have never seen SW deny siblings being allowed to board with family boarding, nor have I read any reports of it either.  And you know someone would be here posting if it happened to them.


Nope. The way the rule is written is it's for children 6 and under. It doesn't say "6 and under as well as siblings" in their actual official rules (see pic above).

And while you may have not had it happen when you've flown I've had it happen several times where the gate agents remind people that it's only for age 6 and under and if you have children older than that you cannot use Family Boarding. I've seen older siblings denied for sure in the Family Boarding procedure. I've also seen many parents not use Family Boarding and instead board with their actual position. I've seen gate agents not care who uses Family Boarding, etc. However, I was advising the poster of the official rules rather than giving them the expectation of what a gate agent may or may not do.

There is no rule whatsoever about seat saving (only that they employ an open seating policy) but there is a rule about qualifications for Family Boarding-don't try and use seat saving as the same thing as Family Boarding because it isn't.

And FWIW this issue is found within this thread in the past and the rule has been around for a while:



As always gate agents can be wishy washy-thus why you have had a different experience than me:


----------



## shoreward

britt54311 said:


> I am booking flights for 7 adults and 2 children and we also will have a lap child that will be 1 at the time of travel. I know I will need everyones name exactly as stated on their drivers license or birth certificate but what else will I need to book travel? Birthdates? Home address for each person? Anything else? I know I will need birth certificate for the one year old at time of flight but what about the other children?
> 
> This is the first time I am booking online and this all makes me nervous having such a large group. I know I will have to split it into at least 2 groups as you can only book up to 8 people. Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated.



My suggestion, as you have a sizeable task and no prior experience booking online, is to call Southwest (800-435-9792), and let them book the flights for you.  There is no extra cost to do so, and you will have somebody who can immediately answer any questions you might have.  Just have all of your information at hand - your travel dates, passenger names and information, etc.   They can enail the confirmations to you.

The only drawback to booking on the phone, vs. online, is that any changes will also need to be done by calling Southwest; you will not be able to do so online. 

The Southwest agents are generally very helpful.


----------



## Lvsdisney

I just checked my flights and they went down in RR points again!  I love SWA.  

When I first booked our flight home (I actually booked this before our flight _to _MCO) our seats were 11,438 per person (4 of us).  I rebooked those 2 times and have gotten it down to 7079 per person!  That savings (and an itinerary change) allowed me to book our flights to MCO at 6744 per person, but today the flight dropped to 5739 per person, which saved me 4020 points!  

Because of this thread I have learned to randomly check the flights, so I am so appreciative of all the info everyone here has provided.  Thanks!


----------



## 2binak

I have several LUV vouchers that I plan to use to book 3 tickets for upcoming travel.  I’ve never used LUV vouchers before though so I’m curuous how it works. Once I enter the 1st voucher & PIN number on the payment page, what happens to allow me to enter the rest of the vouchers?  Does another voucher space pop up?


----------



## richmo

2binak said:


> I have several LUV vouchers that I plan to use to book 3 tickets for upcoming travel.  I’ve never used LUV vouchers before though so I’m curuous how it works. Once I enter the 1st voucher & PIN number on the payment page, what happens to allow me to enter the rest of the vouchers?  Does another voucher space pop up?



I think that is correct, but I believe there is a limit on the number of payment methods you can use on one itinerary, and I think it is 3. So you may wind up having to split your tickets into multiple itineraries if you have several vouchers to use.


----------



## britt54311

Thank you to the people who responded to my questions earlier.

I called Southwest regarding the use of gift cards and the person I talked to, said you can use as many as 2 gift cards per passenger but only one credit card to complete reservation. So I asked a scenario "So if I have 4 people flying I could use 7 gift cards and 1 credit card to complete my reservation" and he said yes.

Just thought I would let people know, as I learn so much from these boards. Wish every luck tomorrow on getting the flights they need at a great price .


----------



## Katie1697

We (family of 4) are planning a trip to WDW late Nov 2018 and plan to fly SW. What credit card to you recommend to earn points for airline tickets- SW Rapid Rewards Card or another?  Any advice on saving $$ on flights is appreciated!


----------



## 2binak

richmo said:


> I think that is correct, but I believe there is a limit on the number of payment methods you can use on one itinerary, and I think it is 3. So you may wind up having to split your tickets into multiple itineraries if you have several vouchers to use.



Thank you. A SW rep told me that I can use 2 vouchers per person on the itinerary. We have 6 vouchers so we’ll be able to use them all.


----------



## DrFacilier

britt54311 said:


> Just thought I would let people know, as I learn so much from these boards. Wish every luck tomorrow on getting the flights they need at a great price .


. Is something going on tomorrow that I should know about?  I would love to get a ”great price”.  Looking to book with SW for late August but the prices are way to high right now.

EDIT: just saw that’s sw is opening more dates.  It won’t help me but good luck to everyone else


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Flights are up...I haven't tracked release "times" recently but they were up and bookable by 6:55am Eastern today.  

You can book flights now through *November 3rd.*

Also - for those looking beyond 11/3...the next release is listed as *May 31, 2018* so we have a looooong wait.  That's a big release as it will cover Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Sometimes they change that release date and you can track that here: https://www.southwest.com/html/travel-tools/index.html


----------



## Lori74

Any idea when the fall sale comes out?


----------



## msjprincess

I need flights 11/20-11/18. I'm not happy with such  a long wait. I can't figure them out. The last 2 release dates were only a month apart. Now we have to wait more than 2 1/2 months.


----------



## RolloTomasi

I'm looking for a flight on 11/5, so I juuuuuuuust missed the cutoff this time around lol.


----------



## DrFacilier

I’m watching the departing and returning flights we are planning to book for our (family of 4) 8/19-8/25 trip.  I currently have a little over 110,000 RR points and just earned a Companion Pass.  The 3 round trip nonstop flights we are looking for are priced over $400 each way while the other less appealing options are between $100-$200.  How difficult is it to rebook our flights?  Should we book our second choice in case we don’t get a price we can work with on our 1st choice nonstops or should we just wait for our chosen flights price to drop?  I don’t want to be stuck with a 3rd or 4th choice and we have never booked with points (and waiting for the prices to drop) before.


----------



## DrFacilier

Katie1697 said:


> We (family of 4) are planning a trip to WDW late Nov 2018 and plan to fly SW. What credit card to you recommend to earn points for airline tickets- SW Rapid Rewards Card or another?  Any advice on saving $$ on flights is appreciated!


We just did the strategy that is outlined in the link below and ended up with 110,000 points plus a companion pass for the rest of 2018 and 2019.  It’s your best bet if you’re flying SW. https://thepointsguy.com/2018/01/southwest-companion-pass-bonuses/


----------



## Lvsdisney

DrFacilier said:


> I’m watching the departing and returning flights we are planning to book for our (family of 4) 8/19-8/25 trip.  I currently have a little over 110,000 RR points and just earned a Companion Pass.  The 3 round trip nonstop flights we are looking for are priced over $400 each way while the other less appealing options are between $100-$200.  How difficult is it to rebook our flights?  Should we book our second choice in case we don’t get a price we can work with on our 1st choice nonstops or should we just wait for our chosen flights price to drop?  I don’t want to be stuck with a 3rd or 4th choice and we have never booked with points (and waiting for the prices to drop) before.



It is super easy to rebook with points.  You click on the flight you want to change, select "change flight" and then select the flight you want to change it to.  If your current flight has gone down in points, you can select the current flight and rebook at the lesser points.  The points are usually returned within 24 hours.   I've done this several times since booking my flight originally since I check every once in awhile to see if the points have gone down for the flights I'm on.  The fees you paid will transfer to the new flight, as will the EBCI if you purchased it with the original flight.


----------



## shoreward

Just a word of warning, if there is any possibility that your trip might be cancelled, all together.

Since Southwest's reservation system changed in May 2017, any flight "changed," instead of "cancelled," will hold fees and taxes paid.  The "change" method of refaring will not refund those taxes and fees, but will retain them, under the original confirmation number; those funds must be applied toward the cost of future travel on Southwest within one year from original booking date, and must be used by the same person listed on that ticket.  If you cancel and rebook, the taxes and fees can be refunded, except for Early Bird fee, which will be forfeited.  If "changed," EBCI will carry over to new flight.


----------



## suzydisney971

Long story short, I changed my flights going down to MCO in July (purchased with points) to last weekend.  However, I purchased my return flights instead of changing the July flights.  (I was on my phone in middle of a nor'easter trying to find a flight out to make it for a wedding so I wasn't thinking clearly).  I had already planned on moving our vacation to November but that may not seem possible anymore.  So my question is, if I cancel those returning flights, will Southwest refund me the cost?  My expiration date is 12/5/18 and I don't think I'll be able to travel before that.  Can you change a flight before expiration for travel after the expiration date?

Any help would be appreciated.  This is what happens when you plan early but life gets in the way  lol

Thanks
Suzy


----------



## shoreward

suzydisney971 said:


> Long story short, I changed my flights going down to MCO in July (purchased with points) to last weekend.  However, I purchased my return flights instead of changing the July flights.  (I was on my phone in middle of a nor'easter trying to find a flight out to make it for a wedding so I wasn't thinking clearly).  I had already planned on moving our vacation to November but that may not seem possible anymore.  So my question is, if I cancel those returning flights, will Southwest refund me the cost?  My expiration date is 12/5/18 and I don't think I'll be able to travel before that.  Can you change a flight before expiration for travel after the expiration date?
> 
> Any help would be appreciated.  This is what happens when you plan early but life gets in the way  lol
> 
> Thanks
> Suzy


Southwest's policy on paid flights (not points booking) is that any unused funds from the cancelled flight(s) must be used for travel completed by the fund's expiration date (one year from date original travel was booked).  Those funds must be used by the person named on the ticket.

If you think that you won't be able to make another trip to Orlando before the expiration date, what about using the funds for a short trip someplace else?  That way, you will at least be getting use out of the funds and will also earn some RR points.

There is a way of extending the expiration date, but it's usually on a case by case basis.

After the funds expire, call Customer Relations at 855-234-4654 and ask for the expired travel funds to be reissued as a LUV Voucher. There is a $100 fee to do this, which will be deducted from the travel funds balance. You will have six months from the expiration date to make the request, and the voucher will be valid for use by anyone, not just the original ticketed passenger, for six months, from the date of issue.

This is not an official policy, and it's provided on a case by case basis, subject to change, at any time.


----------



## eeyoreland

Flayre said:


> If the plane still has a lot of available capacity as you get closer, you'll see some more lower fare buckets opened up. When the next big sale happens in June, that would be a good time to check. If you already have it booked by then, if the fare drops you can get the points difference refunded back.



Hi! Just curious. Really not trying to start something . In an earlier post you referenced a big sale coming up in March. In this post you mention a big sale in June. I'm just trying to get the lowest fare possible like everyone else so I'm wondering if I should still be looking for something this month, or wait until June???


----------



## richmo

eeyoreland said:


> Hi! Just curious. Really not trying to start something . In an earlier post you referenced a big sale coming up in March. In this post you mention a big sale in June. I'm just trying to get the lowest fare possible like everyone else so I'm wondering if I should still be looking for something this month, or wait until June???



Sales seem to be pretty random these days and Southwest, along with everyone else, is careful about what they put on sale. My advice would be to book when you see fares that you can live with. Yes, its possible there might be a price drop (not sure what your time frame is), but its at least equally likely the fare may go up or go to sold out status.  Recently (February) I booked flights at $100 that went to $176 later that day, then to I think $256 a couple days later and is sold out now. At least with Southwest you can take a credit for future use if the fare does go down. My observations, in general, is that waiting for price drops is pretty risky.


----------



## bobbiwoz

Ugg, between last night and now, our SW MCO to Philadelphia went up over 1000 points!!


----------



## britt54311

I know prices can be different when released but looking at the Sunday dates from MCO to MDW in Oct. I am not liking the prices for the flights to come home. So now we are thinking on coming home on a saturday, late night flight. My question now is, do we purchase EBCI seeing how its 5 days out since tickets have been released or take our chances and check in 24 hrs ahead of time? We will have 2 moms using family check in, in our group. We will be at Magic Kingdom the night of checking in. What would you do?
Thank you


----------



## DrFacilier

eeyoreland said:


> Hi! Just curious. Really not trying to start something . In an earlier post you referenced a big sale coming up in March. In this post you mention a big sale in June. I'm just trying to get the lowest fare possible like everyone else so I'm wondering if I should still be looking for something this month, or wait until June???



I'm also trying to figure this out.  I've gotten some good information so far on this thread but I need to clarify before I buy the cheap tickets I don't really want.  Any insight from people who have experience would be greatly appreciated.

Flights I want for our August 19th-25th trip:
Departing non-stop 7am-9:50 PVD to MCO
Returning non-stop 7:25-10:05 MCO to PVD
They are each almost $500 per person.  The Wanna Get Away price recently has been $412 while other less-desirable flights (with anytime fares that are also $500) are as low as $152.  I know no one has a crystal ball but is it safe to assume that most people are not buying these tickets between $400-$500 and I will have a chance to book at a lower price before the flights are sold out?  IMO they are likely not dropping the price much right now for these flights because they are much more desirable for most people going to Disney and they are trying to get the most money out of as many people as they can.

The flights I can afford with our 110,000 RR points right now are
Departing 1 stop 6:30am-1:10pm
Returning 1 stop 11:30am-5:05pm

If I understand this SW booking thing correctly, I can book the flights I can afford (but really don't want) right now and if (hopefully WHEN) the price drops on the flights I really want we can rebook from the flights I don't want to the flights I do want. 

Is this right?  Sorry to sound redundant but I want to make sure we still have a shot at the non stop flights if I purchase something completely different right now.  This is my first time using points and I don't want to screw this up!


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

DrFacilier said:


> I'm also trying to figure this out.  I've gotten some good information so far on this thread but I need to clarify before I buy the cheap tickets I don't really want.  Any insight from people who have experience would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Flights I want for our August 19th-25th trip:
> Departing non-stop 7am-9:50 PVD to MCO
> Returning non-stop 7:25-10:05 MCO to PVD
> They are each almost $500 per person.  The Wanna Get Away price recently has been $412 while other less-desirable flights (with anytime fares that are also $500) are as low as $152.  I know no one has a crystal ball but is it safe to assume that most people are not buying these tickets between $400-$500 and I will have a chance to book at a lower price before the flights are sold out?  IMO they are likely not dropping the price much right now for these flights because they are much more desirable for most people going to Disney and they are trying to get the most money out of as many people as they can.
> 
> The flights I can afford with our 110,000 RR points right now are
> Departing 1 stop 6:30am-1:10pm
> Returning 1 stop 11:30am-5:05pm
> 
> If I understand this SW booking thing correctly, I can book the flights I can afford (but really don't want) right now and if (hopefully WHEN) the price drops on the flights I really want we can rebook from the flights I don't want to the flights I do want.
> 
> Is this right?  Sorry to sound redundant but I want to make sure we still have a shot at the non stop flights if I purchase something completely different right now.  This is my first time using points and I don't want to screw this up!


Yes you can book the flights you don't want because they are cheaper and wait and see if the flights you do want happen to drop in price. I have done this before with no issues. But I did look and the $412 flight is the non stop so the likelihood of it dropping in price is very very slim. It is priced at $412 because it is popular and the more people book it the higher the price becomes. And I just looked and both the Aug 19 the Aug 25 flight you want are now sold out if you need to book more that one ticket for those flights.


----------



## DrFacilier

So I ended up booking roundtrip flights that I'm not psyched about for about 70,000 points with the hopes that I will be able to book the flights I really want later.  The good news is I've talked my wife into possibly adding a room only night at the end of our trip so we get one more full park day!  It actually wasn't that hard lol.  Still keeping my eye on that 7am nonstop for our arrival day but we will probably keep the return flight I booked since the nonstops for that day are either pretty early or late.  At least we have something booked now!


----------



## scrappinginontario

I am considering extending our stay by one day but the flights on our return date are mostly sold out or very expensive. Does SW ever add additional flights when the available ones fill up?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

scrappinginontario said:


> I am considering extending our stay by one day but the flights on our return date are mostly sold out or very expensive. Does SW ever add additional flights when the available ones fill up?


This is extremely rare with Southwest, I've seen it maybe twice when searching through many many flights.


----------



## shoreward

scrappinginontario said:


> I am considering extending our stay by one day but the flights on our return date are mostly sold out or very expensive. Does SW ever add additional flights when the available ones fill up?


It's very unlikely.  With their older aircraft taken out of service last year and Southwest slowly taking possession of new planes, their fleet is stretched thin, these days.

Your best bet is to check daily, in case some customers have cancelled or changed flights.  You never know what might open up!


----------



## scrappinginontario

Thanks!  It's good to have a realistic view of what might/might not happen!


----------



## Fangorn

It almost never happens. I think I've personally seen it once in 25 years of flying SW. The logistics to add another flight, even if there were sufficient demand, is not a simple exercise. Planes and gates are pretty much fixed in number. The only time I've seen it, or heard of it, has been on holidays such as Christmas or Thanksgiving. On those days they usually have a reduced schedule planned due to lower demand. In that situation they have the ability to add some flights back in to the mix if the demand is there. But it's not going to happen without a whole lot of thought going into the decision. 

Steve


----------



## Iowamomof4

One thing they do occasionally do though is to release more seats for WGA fares, am I right? I know I've checked at times and there are no WGA fares available but then the next day they show up again. I assume it's a matter of shifting seats from one category to another, rather than just cancellations.


----------



## scrappinginontario

That's good to know.  Thanks.  I will keep looking.  It's not a deal breaker if we can't extend.  I've decided to add a MNSSHP to our trip and an additional day would mean we could have a quiet day before the party rather than trying to do 2 big things on the same day.  Thanks for your help everyone.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Iowamomof4 said:


> One thing they do occasionally do though is to release more seats for WGA fares, am I right? I know I've checked at times and there are no WGA fares available but then the next day they show up again. I assume it's a matter of shifting seats from one category to another, rather than just cancellations.


Yes - WGA CAN disappear for multiple reasons and then come back.  If it doesn't come back though, best to have an alternate plan.


----------



## Fangorn

Iowamomof4 said:


> One thing they do occasionally do though is to release more seats for WGA fares, am I right? I know I've checked at times and there are no WGA fares available but then the next day they show up again. I assume it's a matter of shifting seats from one category to another, rather than just cancellations.



It's both. 

They generally start off with X number of seats @ price 1, Y @ price 2, etc. All of which are WGA fares. The rest of the seats are at full fare. Those WGA seats retain their price points, so if someone purchased a seat at P1, but later cancels or changes their flight, that seat will go back into inventory at the original price. (I've verified this with my own reservations a couple of times). This is one way you'll see price fluctuations come and go rapidly. 

The other thing that happens is normal marketplace fluctuations. If all those full fares seats aren't selling as expected,  then SW will reduce prices by moving seats into the WGA category in hopes of selling them. Those types of changes don't usually happen until close in to the day of flight - maybe 6 weeks or so. Timing is dictated by lots of factors including market, date, time, and stuff I'm sure we have no clue about. 

Southwest has always done an exceptional job of balancing fares and maximizing profitability. It's one reason they've been profitable for 45 consecutive years. 

Steve


----------



## BuffaloJim

Just wondering. How often does SW have a points sale where they offer a bonus or sale price on them? I think they had one in January but I didn’t need them then. Actually, I’ve never needed to buy them before, but I think I may want some in the next month or so for the added flexibility with an upcoming reservation.


----------



## areno79

I'm kicking myself because the flight to MCO I was planning on taking in September when up $70 overnight! This is really the only flight time that works for me due to work and it's duration. The return flight I was looking at increased too, but I have more flexibility with that one. What was going to be 40,000 points round trip to book is now closer to 60,000.  

I'm a little under 6 months out...any idea if there's any rhyme or reason to price drops or do I just have to check daily and pray the price goes down?


----------



## scrappinginontario

Not sure if it has been posted before but this link provides information about when the next set of Southwest  flights will be available to be booked.  I find it a really useful link to have.


----------



## shoreward

areno79 said:


> I'm kicking myself because the flight to MCO I was planning on taking in September when up $70 overnight! This is really the only flight time that works for me due to work and it's duration. The return flight I was looking at increased too, but I have more flexibility with that one. What was going to be 40,000 points round trip to book is now closer to 60,000.
> 
> I'm a little under 6 months out...any idea if there's any rhyme or reason to price drops or do I just have to check daily and pray the price goes down?



If you don't have enough points to book the roundtrip, now, I suggest booking one of the flights, to guaranty it won't go any higher in cost.  You then can keep a daily watch on both flights, for a lower fare.  I always book two one-ways - so much easier to work with for changes, etc., or necessary, if I do one way with points and the other with a paid ticket.

Since you will be booking with points, you have nothing to lose, doing this.  You can always cancel, and the points will go back to your RR account and the taxes and fees to your original method of payment; if the fare does get less expensive, don't "change:"  cancel and rebook,  otherwise, your taxes and fees will be non-refundadable and must be used toward another ticket, before the expiration date.  It's so instinctive to just change it, but sometimes a problem to apply those TTFs to future travel, if they accumulate.


----------



## areno79

shoreward said:


> If you don't have enough points to book the roundtrip, now, I suggest booking one of the flights, to guaranty it won't go any higher in cost.  You then can keep a daily watch on both flights, for a lower fare.  I always book two one-ways - so much easier to work with for changes, etc., or necessary, if I do one way with points and the other with a paid ticket.
> 
> Since you will be booking with points, you have nothing to lose, doing this.  You can always cancel, and the points will go back to your RR account and the taxes and fees to your original method of payment (if the fare does get less expensive, don't "change:"  cancel and rebook,  otherwise, your taxes and fees will be non-refunadable and must be used toward another ticket, before the expiration date.  It's so instinctive to just change it, but sometimes a problem to apply those TTFs to future travel, if they accumulate.



I'm kicking myself for not booking the one way fare when I was contemplating it 3 days ago. Grrr.


----------



## shoreward

areno79 said:


> I'm kicking myself for not booking the one way fare when I was contemplating it 3 days ago. Grrr.


Don't kick yourself, just yet.  Keep an eagle eye on the flights.  If you only need one or two seats and are not going till September, you have a good shot at finding a better fare.

Also remember to check for a single seat, at a time, if you need more than one seat.  Sometimes, there is one seat at a lower fare, but not two.  The system always searches for the quantity you enter, at the same fare.


----------



## Childs1stTime2Disney

Does SW offer wifi? DO you have to pay?


----------



## mom2rtk

Childs1stTime2Disney said:


> Does SW offer wifi? DO you have to pay?


Some planes have free TV. You have to pay for regular WiFi. I seem to recall $8, but don't know if that has gone up.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Childs1stTime2Disney said:


> Does SW offer wifi? DO you have to pay?


. Most of their planes have wifi.  They have about 10 TV channels you can watch for free.  There are also a few games that can be played.

Wifi for watching their movies is a fee.  $8 sounds right @mom2rtk.

We find the free offerings work well for us as our flight is less than 3 hours.


----------



## shoreward

Childs1stTime2Disney said:


> Does SW offer wifi? DO you have to pay?


All aircaft are equipped for Wi-Fi, now, but a few routes may not offer it, due to regulations.  The fee is $8.00.
Free live TV (selected networks) and TV series are available to watch with your own device.

https://www.southwest.com/html/air/products/wifi-access.html?CLK=SWAEXP-INTHEAIR


----------



## WelshDH@98CPAlum

If I book a Southwest Flight paying in Dollars (not points) and the cost goes down - can I get that $$ back (even as a SW "credit")?  How would I do that?


----------



## shoreward

WelshDH@98CPAlum said:


> If I book a Southwest Flight paying in Dollars (not points) and the cost goes down - can I get that $$ back (even as a SW "credit")?  How would I do that?


If you booked on their website, sign in to your account and locate your reservation (click on My Account to see your reservations).  Select "Change flight" and continue as if you were booking a new reservation.  Check the same date and flight originally reserved, if you are not changing that, and keep clicking "continue," till you see the  "Air Itinerary and Pricing" page.  There, you will see the current fare for your flight.  DO NOT accept, unless that current fare is lower than your original ticket.  If it's higher, either just close the page or go back.  If it's lower, then accept.  Your savings will be held as a credit to be used for future travel, which must be completed within one year from date of original purchase.  Make sure that you keep a record of that confirmation number and amount of credit.  You must know this to book your future flight for which you want to use that travel funds balance.  BTW, only the person named on the original ticket can use that credit.  There is no fee or charge for re-faring on Southwest.


----------



## sweetpeakaris

I just checked into my Southwest Flight via mobile app, it says I'm checked in and gives me boarding details. However, on Southwest.com I'm still seeing the option to check in, I'm afraid that I'll get reassigned boarding if I click it? Any idea? I want to print my boarding passes.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

sweetpeakaris said:


> I just checked into my Southwest Flight via mobile app, it says I'm checked in and gives me boarding details. However, on Southwest.com I'm still seeing the option to check in, I'm afraid that I'll get reassigned boarding if I click it? Any idea? I want to print my boarding passes.


Once you're checked in your boarding position is assigned. Clicking "Check In" in order to obtain your boarding pass does not reassign your boarding position.


----------



## shoreward

sweetpeakaris said:


> I just checked into my Southwest Flight via mobile app, it says I'm checked in and gives me boarding details. However, on Southwest.com I'm still seeing the option to check in, I'm afraid that I'll get reassigned boarding if I click it? Any idea? I want to print my boarding passes.



Any time you open a reservation on southwest.com within 24 hours of scheduled departure, it will show the "Check-in" option, whether you purchased Early Bird Check-in, or already manually checked in on either the mobile app or website.  You will not lose your boarding number by checking in again.  When printing your boarding pass, there is a small number at the bottom left-hand corner  When an "R" appears after the number, it stands for reprint.  The "R" will be added if you have already been checked in - it won't affect anything at all.


----------



## Crazyhorse

Question for SW experts.  Is round trip transportation usually cheaper when neither departure day nor return day is a weekend day?  I currently have hotel reservations arriving on a Saturday, leaving the following Friday....round trip, from Midway to Orlando, arriving first Saturday in December.  If I wanted the cheapest options flying, should I change my reservation to arrival and departure for days during the week?  In other words, maybe arriving Orlando on a Wednesday, returning to Midway on the following Tuesday...still early December though...???


----------



## areno79

Crazyhorse said:


> Question for SW experts.  Is round trip transportation usually cheaper when neither departure day nor return day is a weekend day?  I currently have hotel reservations arriving on a Saturday, leaving the following Friday....round trip, from Midway to Orlando, arriving first Saturday in December.  If I wanted the cheapest options flying, should I change my reservation to arrival and departure for days during the week?  In other words, maybe arriving Orlando on a Wednesday, returning to Midway on the following Tuesday...still early December though...???



Typically it's cheapest to fly on Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday. With that said, SW has analysts who determine pricing for popular flights and adjusts prices accordingly, so it's a possibility you could get cheaper flights flying outside of those days.


----------



## scrappinginontario

If you go on to the SW site you can look at flights a month at a time.  It’s subject to what is available at the time you look but might give you an overview of possible trends if you look at a month as far away as you can.

You need to do this online, not on the app.  Enter your cities, some departure and return dates.  Initially fares for your dates will appear.  On the top, right of the fare option is a box that says ‘Flexible Dates?’  If you click that it will show all flights for the month you’ve chosen.

Hope this helps


----------



## Crazyhorse

scrappinginontario said:


> If you go on to the SW site you can look at flights a month at a time.  It’s subject to what is available at the time you look but might give you an overview of possible trends if you look at a month as far away as you can.
> 
> You need to do this online, not on the app.  Enter your cities, some departure and return dates.  Initially fares for your dates will appear.  On the top, right of the fare option is a box that says ‘Flexible Dates?’  If you click that it will show all flights for the month you’ve chosen.
> 
> Hope this helps



Great info, Thank you!  I pulled up the month of October....and absolutely saw that at least at this time, it's clearly cheaper to fly on weekdays, v.s. weekends.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Crazyhorse said:


> Great info, Thank you!  I pulled up the month of October....and absolutely saw that at least at this time, it's clearly cheaper to fly on weekdays, v.s. weekends.


Yeah - that's not uncommon with the Southwest flights to Orlando   Of course this can vary depending on the city pairings and time of year but given the number of people who go on Sat-Sat or Sun-Sun trips the weekday flights can often provide some savings.


----------



## MarBee

I have a companion pass question for you experts.

DH has companion pass.  I do not.  Our daughter is listed as his companion.  I have about 75,000 points.  If I book flights for us using my points but enter in his RR number when putting in his passenger information, can I then use his companion pass to book my daughter?
Or-because we are using my points- are we unable to use his companion pass?
Thank you!


----------



## mfly

MarBee said:


> I have a companion pass question for you experts.
> 
> DH has companion pass.  I do not.  Our daughter is listed as his companion.  I have about 75,000 points.  If I book flights for us using my points but enter in his RR number when putting in his passenger information, can I then use his companion pass to book my daughter?
> Or-because we are using my points- are we unable to use his companion pass?
> Thank you!


As long as your husband has a “paid” flight of any type (points, voucher, cash, etc.), regardless of who is paying, he can add his companion to his flight after his flight is booked. 

In the unlikely event that he’d ever have a flight booked as someone else’s companion, however, then he couldn’t add his own companion to the flight. 

Does that make sense?


----------



## MarBee

mfly said:


> As long as your husband has a “paid” flight of any type (points, voucher, cash, etc.), regardless of who is paying, he can add his companion to his flight after his flight is booked.
> 
> In the unlikely event that he’d ever have a flight booked as someone else’s companion, however, then he couldn’t add his own companion to the flight.
> 
> Does that make sense?


Crystal clear!  Thank you so much!


----------



## linjohn

I am at Disney World now and know about RAC but am wondering do I check us in online and then RAC prints boarding passes?  I have EBCI.


----------



## kenly777

linjohn said:


> I am at Disney World now and know about RAC but am wondering do I check us in online and then RAC prints boarding passes?  I have EBCI.



If you have EBCI, you will have your boarding passes delivered to your room on the morning of check-out. I believe that ours were there around eight o'clock. They also include what looks like your bag tags, but you they tore those off of my bags when I brought them downstairs and put the correct ones on, so don't bother wasting your time to attach them.


----------



## linjohn

kenly777 said:


> If you have EBCI, you will have your boarding passes delivered to your room on the morning of check-out. I believe that ours were there around eight o'clock. They also include what looks like your bag tags, but you they tore those off of my bags when I brought them downstairs and put the correct ones on, so don't bother wasting your time to attach them.


So, you didn’t do online checking?


----------



## JayhawkFans

I initially had a question about modifying our SW flights but I have since found the answer but didn't know how to delete my posting.


----------



## MarBee

I have a question about cancelling flights.  I booked a flight on points.  I may want to cancel it depending on weather, but I’m holding out till last minute.
What is the latest I can cancel and still be refunded my points? I’m reading conflicting things online and figured you experts would prob know best
Thanks in advance!


----------



## shoreward

MarBee said:


> I have a question about cancelling flights.  I booked a flight on points.  I may want to cancel it depending on weather, but I’m holding out till last minute.
> What is the latest I can cancel and still be refunded my points? I’m reading conflicting things online and figured you experts would prob know best
> Thanks in advance!


Technically, Southwest states that cancellation must be at least ten minutes, prior to scheduled departure.  I always say one hour, to be on safe side.  Southwest has a practice of departing up to ten minutes early, if the plane is fully boarded and ready to depart.  For points bookings, I think that no-shows automatically have the points deposited back into the RR account, originally charged.


----------



## kenly777

linjohn said:


> So, you didn’t do online checking?



I looked at my info online, but as I had EBCI, it was already done for me, and my printed boarding passes were delivered to my room in the am.


----------



## eeyoreland

I have a question. Not about a SW flight, but about the SW credit card. Hoping someone can answer it for me. I notice in the fine print it says “your points don’t expire as long as your credit card is open.” Does that mean I’ll lose whatever points I’ve earned if I close the account? I thought the points just transfer into my Rapid Rewards account and stay that. I don’t see anything in my RR account about points with an expiration date.


----------



## mfly

eeyoreland said:


> I have a question. Not about a SW flight, but about the SW credit card. Hoping someone can answer it for me. I notice in the fine print it says “your points don’t expire as long as your credit card is open.” Does that mean I’ll lose whatever points I’ve earned if I close the account? I thought the points just transfer into my Rapid Rewards account and stay that. I don’t see anything in my RR account about points with an expiration date.


You keep your points even if you close your SW credit card. You’ll lose your RR points if you don’t have any earning activity on your Rapid Rewards account in 24 months.


----------



## eeyoreland

mfly said:


> You keep your points even if you close your SW credit card. You’ll lose your RR points if you don’t have any earning activity on your Rapid Rewards account in 24 months.


Thank you. That's what I thought/assumed. So is that a scare tactic? "As long as your credit card is open."


----------



## mfly

eeyoreland said:


> Thank you. That's what I thought/assumed. So is that a scare tactic? "As long as your credit card is open."


I personally don’t see it as a scare tactic as much as an explanation of benefits - just the fact that you keep a card with SW ensures your points will never expire. It’s not saying they will expire if you don’t keep your card, although I can see how it could be interpreted that way (which I’m sure they don’t mind, if it means people keep their SW credit card).


----------



## shoreward

eeyoreland said:


> I have a question. Not about a SW flight, but about the SW credit card. Hoping someone can answer it for me. I notice in the fine print it says “your points don’t expire as long as your credit card is open.” Does that mean I’ll lose whatever points I’ve earned if I close the account? I thought the points just transfer into my Rapid Rewards account and stay that. I don’t see anything in my RR account about points with an expiration date.


Your Rapid Rewards points will not expire, as long as you have at least one RR transaction post every two years.  That can include earning from a flight or even from a small purchase through the shopping portal.  If you have no activity, but have the credit card, I believe that having the credit card keeps your RR points from expiring.


----------



## eeyoreland

shoreward said:


> Your Rapid Rewards points will not expire, as long as you have at least one RR transaction post every two years.  That can include earning from a flight or even from a small purchase through the shopping portal.  If you have no activity, but have the credit card, I believe that having the credit card keeps your RR points from expiring.


Thank you. That kind of makes more sense.


----------



## DrFacilier

Just wanted to thank the folks on here who have given me solid advice on how to get the most out of booking with SW!  I just rebooked our flights for the 4th time tonight and recovered about 38,000 RR points.  Not only that but we now have the exact nonstop flight times into and out MCO we were hoping for at pretty ridiculous rates.  The good news is that I don't feel like I have to stalk the SW website daily anymore... but I probably will to see if I can squeeze any more points out of our return trip lol.


----------



## B. Shoe

I'm a total flight newbie, so hopefully there is some sage advice here that can help me make a wise decision:

DD and I are traveling to MCO on 10/21, returning on 10/26. There are two flights that are perfect for us to travel on ($161/ea., on a 4:55 takeoff to MCO; $211/ea. on a 7pm takeoff to STL. Total cost for us is approx. $740 for round trip)

These are the times that would be most opportune for us with our schedule. I'm fearful that if I don't just go ahead and grab them now, I'll lose the chance at them. However, like everyone else here, I'd like to travel as inexpensive as possible. The Wanna Get Away rates aren't cash refundable, and I'm honestly unsure if I'd make another flight trip somewhere in the window allowed to redeem the difference in rate.

Am I worrying over nothing? Should I just pull the trigger and be content with having flights I know I want, even if I end up paying more than I could have if I waited it out? Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!


----------



## richmo

B. Shoe said:


> ...Am I worrying over nothing? Should I just pull the trigger and be content with having flights I know I want, even if I end up paying more than I could have if I waited it out? Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!



Good questions and no easy answers, unfortunately. If you were flying again within the window, I'd have said go ahead and book and take the credit if there's a drop. But you're probably not.  Yes, there's a chance the flights may go down. Mid October doesn't sound like a particularly busy time, but all it takes is some school group (music, sports, cheer, etc.)(or even individuals) to grab up whatever is left on a flight. There's some that say the best fares are about 2 months out and you're not there yet...but thats just a rule of thumb that you can't count on.  My advice would probably be that if you're reasonably comfortable with the fares the way they are, go ahead and book them. If there's any chance you might fly somewhere within a year, check back now and then and take the credits, if they happen...otherwise, book it and don't look back.


----------



## Mommy Poppins

I booked flights on points for June travel for 5 of us.  I now need to cancel as DH will be traveling out of the country for work and not sure when we will be able to reschedule our Disney trip.  I know the points will go back into our account, but it doesn't seem to give me the option to refund the fees to the original payment form.  Is that no longer available?  It just says they will be held for as future travel funds.


----------



## B. Shoe

richmo said:


> My advice would probably be that if you're reasonably comfortable with the fares the way they are, go ahead and book them. If there's any chance you might fly somewhere within a year, check back now and then and take the credits, if they happen...otherwise, book it and don't look back.



I probably could take another flight. My family keeps a winter home in Daytona and I could always take another weekend trip, I guess. It's whether DD would be able to travel along to make sure I used up all of the travel credit.

I don't feel uncomfortable about the price, as I'd originally figured it would cost us somewhere in the *$630-680* range for airfare. I've explored Frontier and Allegiant for the trips to Orlando, but there's no real difference in price for us. And they can't really drop *too* much, can they? I mean, am I going to wake up one morning and see a flight ticket drop from $211 to $100? A realistic drop is more like $180, maybe? It seems like a lot of pacing, waiting and constant hunting to save $60 in the grand scheme of it all, if so.


----------



## shoreward

Mommy Poppins said:


> I booked flights on points for June travel for 5 of us.  I now need to cancel as DH will be traveling out of the country for work and not sure when we will be able to reschedule our Disney trip.  I know the points will go back into our account, but it doesn't seem to give me the option to refund the fees to the original payment form.  Is that no longer available?  It just says they will be held for as future travel funds.


If you made any changes, since the flights were originally booked, the taxes and fees are not refundable and will be held to use for future travel, within one year of original booking.  You must save the confirmation numbers, which will be needed to use the credits in the future.  If you have not made any changes, check to see if you can open the drop-down menu; it should give the option for a refund.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Mommy Poppins said:


> I booked flights on points for June travel for 5 of us.  I now need to cancel as DH will be traveling out of the country for work and not sure when we will be able to reschedule our Disney trip.  I know the points will go back into our account, but it doesn't seem to give me the option to refund the fees to the original payment form.  Is that no longer available?  It just says they will be held for as future travel funds.


How did you pay for the fees originally?  Have you made any change to those flights (i.e. "rebooking" to save points) since you originally booked the flights?


----------



## Mommy Poppins

Got it!  Thanks!


----------



## B. Shoe

B. Shoe said:


> I probably could take another flight. My family keeps a winter home in Daytona and I could always take another weekend trip, I guess. It's whether DD would be able to travel along to make sure I used up all of the travel credit.
> 
> I don't feel uncomfortable about the price, as I'd originally figured it would cost us somewhere in the *$630-680* range for airfare. I've explored Frontier and Allegiant for the trips to Orlando, but there's no real difference in price for us. And they can't really drop *too* much, can they? I mean, am I going to wake up one morning and see a flight ticket drop from $211 to $100? A realistic drop is more like $180, maybe? It seems like a lot of pacing, waiting and constant hunting to save $60 in the grand scheme of it all, if so.



UPDATE: I bit the bullet and took the fare rates as current. Maybe they'll fall a ton, maybe not. Either way, I know I have the arrival and departure times I really wanted so we can do a quick overnight stay at a nearby hotel on Sunday, roll into Disney on Monday morning (our check-in day), and be able to at least hang around until 3 p.m. or so on Friday (our check-out day).

And hey, if the fares do dramatically drop, I'll re-book and have a good reason to take DD to Daytona and enjoy the beach for an extended weekend. (Which will involve a lot less planning than this trip involves!)


----------



## jerseygal

I feel bad even posting this in light of the trauma that the travelers went through recently as well as the woman who passed away on the NY to Dallas Flight, stopping in Phil.
So tragic, may prayers and thoughts of many comfort this womans family as well as the injured on the flight.
I am VERY DISAPPOINTED in SW customer service. This past Saturday, attempted to transfer 2,000 points on line  from my RR account to my DH RR account, using the SW site for $20(I intended on using my SW Visa RR Credit Card to pay for the $20 fee to transfer).  The site alerted me that "Sorry something went wrong with the transaction, your credit card was not charged". So, I tried again, same message came up. Ok, I know that this card is fine, so I called SW Visa and they told me that the $20 was charged TWICE. I called SW back again and the points were not transferred, but now I have TWO $20 inappropriate charges on my A/C. The reason for my outrage is this happened at 7:45AM on Saturday and was told that NOTHING could be done until Southwest Customer Relations opened up in Texas until Monday morning at 8am. I explained my dissatisfaction to a Supervisor that from 7:45Am for a corporation that is a 24 hour a day business, that IF something went wrong with their website, that SW Customer Relations is NOT servicing customers 24 hours, but instead operates in a Mon thru Friday mode. When I called back Monday morning, I explained the situation and explained that I had wanted to transfer the 2,000 points over the weekend to make flight reservations for my DH and me. I explained I was "held captive" by what I believed was a lack of customer service and that I was in a holding pattern all weekend and could not make the reservations because I was booking on points and needed the 2,000 point transfer to book the reservation. I asked if because of the practically 2 or 3 hours of wasted time, I would like the $20 to be considered "GRATIS" due to my inconvenience. Unfortunately, I went through two layers of Customer Relations in Texas, they were UNABLE TO OFFER ANYTHING, not even a lousy $20 free transaction fee to transfer my points for our inconvenience.  As of Today, these TWO $20 charges which were erroneously charged are still pending. I just spent another half hour speaking to yet a third Customer Relations Person in Texas and was upset that these 2 $20 charges are still pending as of today and these charges dates back to Saturday, April 14th. So, after spending another half hour just now, the SW Customer relations Rep finally took the information and will send a Hold and Release Form to Southwest Rapid Rewards Visa. I will have to wait now another 5 to 7 business days for these pending charges to drop off. HERENDOUS customer service for an airline!


----------



## DrFacilier

I know I have plenty of time but I'm looking for some guidance on the best timing to apply for the SW cards to get a CP for 2019-2020.  My wife applied in January of this year and got the CP in March.  I'm looking to get mine as early as possible in 2019.  Also, when should she cancel her current cards so she is eligible for the promotion again in 2020?  Thoughts or links would be much very appreciated.


----------



## eeyoreland

DrFacilier said:


> I know I have plenty of time but I'm looking for some guidance on the best timing to apply for the SW cards to get a CP for 2019-2020.  My wife applied in January of this year and got the CP in March.  I'm looking to get mine as early as possible in 2019.  Also, when should she cancel her current cards so she is eligible for the promotion again in 2020?  Thoughts or links would be much very appreciated.



I'm by no means an expert, but it's my understanding you are eligible for the bonus 24 months after you've received a bonus. I don't believe it has anything to do with when you close the account. 

So...you sound a lot like me. I had a card and got points, then my husband opened a card and got points. We recently cancelled his card. I just opened another card because I had the plus and now added the premier. I'm quite honestly thinking about a rotation between the two cards between my husband and me. We both have excellent credit so I'm guessing our credit scores won't take much of a hit.

Has anyone else ever done this that can poke holes in my thinking???


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

DrFacilier said:


> I know I have plenty of time but I'm looking for some guidance on the best timing to apply for the SW cards to get a CP for 2019-2020.  My wife applied in January of this year and got the CP in March.  I'm looking to get mine as early as possible in 2019.  Also, when should she cancel her current cards so she is eligible for the promotion again in 2020?  Thoughts or links would be much very appreciated.


You may want to check out our "I Love Credit Cards" thread: https://www.disboards.com/threads/i-love-credit-cards-so-much.3528202/page-1204#post-59115599

We discuss Southwest CP and a lot of other CC strategies to make free Disney travel a reality.  It's an awesome community   You may have some questions and you may also be able to contribute and help others too if you have some experience/knowledge.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

eeyoreland said:


> I'm by no means an expert, but it's my understanding you are eligible for the bonus 24 months after you've received a bonus. I don't believe it has anything to do with when you close the account.
> 
> So...you sound a lot like me. I had a card and got points, then my husband opened a card and got points. We recently cancelled his card. I just opened another card because I had the plus and now added the premier. I'm quite honestly thinking about a rotation between the two cards between my husband and me. We both have excellent credit so I'm guessing our credit scores won't take much of a hit.
> 
> Has anyone else ever done this that can poke holes in my thinking???


You also may want to check out the thread I just referenced. _ (https://www.disboards.com/threads/i-love-credit-cards-so-much.3528202/page-1204#post-59115599)_

We can show you just how deep the rabbit hole goes


----------



## DrFacilier

Thanks @SouthFayetteFan I’ll definitely check it out!


----------



## MedicMathes

B. Shoe said:


> I'm a total flight newbie, so hopefully there is some sage advice here that can help me make a wise decision:
> 
> DD and I are traveling to MCO on 10/21, returning on 10/26. There are two flights that are perfect for us to travel on ($161/ea., on a 4:55 takeoff to MCO; $211/ea. on a 7pm takeoff to STL. Total cost for us is approx. $740 for round trip)
> 
> These are the times that would be most opportune for us with our schedule. I'm fearful that if I don't just go ahead and grab them now, I'll lose the chance at them. However, like everyone else here, I'd like to travel as inexpensive as possible. The Wanna Get Away rates aren't cash refundable, and I'm honestly unsure if I'd make another flight trip somewhere in the window allowed to redeem the difference in rate.
> 
> Am I worrying over nothing? Should I just pull the trigger and be content with having flights I know I want, even if I end up paying more than I could have if I waited it out? Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!



I know for me I just usually pull the trigger when I find the flights that work for me and what I want.  Ive read article after article that says the flights are cheapest 3-4 months out.  IF you can wait, and are willing to sacrifice the times then I say wait.  Othewise, pull the trigger and GO FOR IT! 

PS.  Fellow St. Louisan I presume?


----------



## disneyeveryyear

scrappinginontario said:


> Not sure if it has been posted before but this link provides information about when the next set of Southwest  flights will be available to be booked.  I find it a really useful link to have.



Thanks.  This is exactly what I was looking for.


----------



## B. Shoe

MedicMathes said:


> I know for me I just usually pull the trigger when I find the flights that work for me and what I want.  Ive read article after article that says the flights are cheapest 3-4 months out.  IF you can wait, and are willing to sacrifice the times then I say wait.  Othewise, pull the trigger and GO FOR IT!
> 
> PS.  Fellow St. Louisan I presume?



From the St. Louis region. I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the tickets. Both flights have increased in price since we grabbed our seats. Maybe they'll drop at some point, but we have what I wanted, and not too far from my anticipated budget for flight. So I feel good about the decision.


----------



## Moramoon

I have a question. I'm sorry if it's already been asked, but I didn't find anything on a search other than they're slow. I'm trying to get an idea of how long it takes from when you get off the plane to having your bags ready to pick up. We're trying to weigh our options on if we want to pay $90 for parking or if it would make sense to have DH take an Uber to go pick up our car from home (we have a ride to the airport set up, just not back). We have 2 littles in carseats so us all taking an Uber isn't an option unless we split into 2 groups and I'm not really comfortable doing that with how late our flight lands.


----------



## barb969

Moramoon said:


> I have a question. I'm sorry if it's already been asked, but I didn't find anything on a search other than they're slow. I'm trying to get an idea of how long it takes from when you get off the plane to having your bags ready to pick up. We're trying to weigh our options on if we want to pay $90 for parking or if it would make sense to have DH take an Uber to go pick up our car from home (we have a ride to the airport set up, just not back). We have 2 littles in carseats so us all taking an Uber isn't an option unless we split into 2 groups and I'm not really comfortable doing that with how late our flight lands.



It can take 5 - 40 minutes.  Usually 10 -20 minutes. There is no way to tell.  Airport size and how busy doesn’t seem to matter. Good luck!


----------



## Moramoon

barb969 said:


> It can take 5 - 40 minutes.  Usually 10 -20 minutes. There is no way to tell.  Airport size and how busy doesn’t seem to matter. Good luck!


Thanks!


----------



## scrappinginontario

Moramoon said:


> I have a question. I'm sorry if it's already been asked, but I didn't find anything on a search other than they're slow. I'm trying to get an idea of how long it takes from when you get off the plane to having your bags ready to pick up. We're trying to weigh our options on if we want to pay $90 for parking or if it would make sense to have DH take an Uber to go pick up our car from home (we have a ride to the airport set up, just not back). We have 2 littles in carseats so us all taking an Uber isn't an option unless we split into 2 groups and I'm not really comfortable doing that with how late our flight lands.


 Are you asking about your home city airport or Orlando?


----------



## Moramoon

scrappinginontario said:


> Are you asking about your home city airport or Orlando?


Home city.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Moramoon said:


> Home city.


  It really depends on the size of your airport.  

We fly in and out of Buffalo which is a smaller airport.  Normally by the time we get off the plane, stop for a bathroom break and walk to the luggage it’s there and sometimes the belt has already stopped.


----------



## Moramoon

We'll be flying in and out to the Indianapolis airport (IND). It's been 10 years since we've flown so I'm not really sure what to expect.


----------



## mastermind307

Moramoon said:


> I have a question. I'm sorry if it's already been asked, but I didn't find anything on a search other than they're slow. I'm trying to get an idea of how long it takes from when you get off the plane to having your bags ready to pick up. We're trying to weigh our options on if we want to pay $90 for parking or if it would make sense to have DH take an Uber to go pick up our car from home (we have a ride to the airport set up, just not back). We have 2 littles in carseats so us all taking an Uber isn't an option unless we split into 2 groups and I'm not really comfortable doing that with how late our flight lands.





Moramoon said:


> We'll be flying in and out to the Indianapolis airport (IND). It's been 10 years since we've flown so I'm not really sure what to expect.



It's super easy to fly in and out of the Indianapolis airport.  It's so much nicer with the new terminal (although I guess it's not new anymore).   

How far from the airport do you live?  I think it depends on how quickly you want to get home after landing.  We live 30 minutes away (in Danville) and I think I'd rather just pay the $90 vs having to wait over an hour for my DH to go get our car.  Especially if I had two young ones with me who might be tired and cranky since you mentioned your flight lands late.  My DH would probably disagree, he's very particular about our cars and wouldn't leave them parked anywhere overnight.  

Once you get off the place and walk to baggage claim, it shouldn't take too long for the bags to start coming in.  At least with our experience it hasn't taken too long.


----------



## Moramoon

It's about 25 minutes for us. Initially my dad was going to with us in my car then take it back to their house (southeast side around 65 and southport). DH would be picking it up from there if he Uber's. I just don't know about paying the $90 and leaving the car there for so long.


----------



## Lvsdisney

Moramoon said:


> It's about 25 minutes for us. Initially my dad was going to with us in my car then take it back to their house (southeast side around 65 and southport). DH would be picking it up from there if he Uber's. I just don't know about paying the $90 and leaving the car there for so long.



Do you have offsite parking options? At PHL we have them and it can save us up to $4 per day, which adds up.  Also, price out how much it would be to uber/lyft to your house.  It may not be much of a savings vs paying for parking (I think if you go directly to uber's site, you should be able to put in addresses for an estimate cost).


----------



## lynn46356

I apologize if this is the wrong place to ask but we are flying home tomorrow via MCO. I’ve bought some of the large Mickey Head Rice Krispies.  Can they be put in my carryon?? I don’t want them confiscated. Hahaha


----------



## MarBee

lynn46356 said:


> I apologize if this is the wrong place to ask but we are flying home tomorrow via MCO. I’ve bought some of the large Mickey Head Rice Krispies.  Can they be put in my carryon?? I don’t want them confiscated. Hahaha


Unlesssomething has changed since the first weekend in April, your answer is yes!  DH always brings them on the plane as a snack!


----------



## Jajone

My daughter has $90 in travel funds and they expire July 31. We were hoping to book middle of August, is there any way to get this expiration date extended? What if I book, then cancel and rebook? What happens to those finds then?


----------



## shoreward

Jajone said:


> My daughter has $90 in travel funds and they expire July 31. We were hoping to book middle of August, is there any way to get this expiration date extended? What if I book, then cancel and rebook? What happens to those finds then?


Sometimes Customer Relations will extend the date after expiration and issue a LUV voucher, but there is a $100 fee for doing so.
The expiration date of the funds will not change, even if you book and cancel; the funds retain the original expiration date.
Otherwise, if you can book a one-way flight that departs on or before the expiration date, the value will not be lost.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

Moramoon said:


> It's about 25 minutes for us. Initially my dad was going to with us in my car then take it back to their house (southeast side around 65 and southport). DH would be picking it up from there if he Uber's. I just don't know about paying the $90 and leaving the car there for so long.


So it will take your husband 50 minutes roundtrip to go back and get the car and then come back to get you. It won't take 50 minutes for your luggage to appear. I would just pay to park the car because waiting nearly and hour with 2 small kids and then making the drive back home you are then looking at an hour and a 1/2 of your time.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

Jajone said:


> My daughter has $90 in travel funds and they expire July 31. We were hoping to book middle of August, is there any way to get this expiration date extended? What if I book, then cancel and rebook? What happens to those finds then?


They will expire on July 31. The only way around it is to pay the $100 fee to get a 6 month extension. If you book and cancel and rebook the funds will still have the July 31 expiration date.


----------



## CouponGirl

When flying using miles, can feed be paid with a gift card? It sounds like it on their FAQs, but hoping for confirmation from someone that has actually done it. Thanks


----------



## shoreward

CouponGirl said:


> When flying using miles, can feed be paid with a gift card? It sounds like it on their FAQs, but hoping for confirmation from someone that has actually done it. Thanks


From southwest.com:

*"Sales tax, security fees, and passenger facilities charges may be paid for with a Southwest gift card."
*


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

CouponGirl said:


> When flying using miles, can feed be paid with a gift card? It sounds like it on their FAQs, but hoping for confirmation from someone that has actually done it. Thanks


All I could think of reading this was buying cattle feed or something like that!  

I enjoy a good typo/autocorrect


----------



## CouponGirl

SouthFayetteFan said:


> All I could think of reading this was buying cattle feed or something like that!
> 
> I enjoy a good typo/autocorrect


Lol, whoops!!


----------



## rey_rey

Not sure if this is the right place to ask but... Anyone know if i'd be better off buying flights on the release date or waiting for the bday sale? We are flying from detroit (or could do buffalo) in november. Hoping for a direct flight. We have 7 travellers so hoping to snag the best deal!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

rey_rey said:


> Not sure if this is the right place to ask but... Anyone know if i'd be better off buying flights on the release date or waiting for the bday sale? We are flying from detroit (or could do buffalo) in november. Hoping for a direct flight. We have 7 travellers so hoping to snag the best deal!


Anybody advice given on this is purely anecdotal.   I wish you well but nobody truly knows and anybody’s personal experience probably has no bearing on your situation unless they literally have traveled from the exact same cities on the exact same dates in the past.  (And even then their advice/experience still may be meaningless).  Sorry to sound super negative there lol.  

All that said I’d book on release date, haha.


----------



## MarBee

rey_rey said:


> Not sure if this is the right place to ask but... Anyone know if i'd be better off buying flights on the release date or waiting for the bday sale? We are flying from detroit (or could do buffalo) in november. Hoping for a direct flight. We have 7 travellers so hoping to snag the best deal!


When/what is the SW birthday sale?


----------



## rey_rey

MarBee said:


> When/what is the SW birthday sale?



I dont know much about it, never purchased from it, but i have read they have a birthday sale mid june


----------



## scrappinginontario

rey_rey said:


> Not sure if this is the right place to ask but... Anyone know if i'd be better off buying flights on the release date or waiting for the bday sale? We are flying from detroit (or could do buffalo) in november. Hoping for a direct flight. We have 7 travellers so hoping to snag the best deal!


  We fly from Buffalo to Orlando 2 or 3 times a year.  I choose to book on release date and hope for a better price later but not sure that helps you if you’re not able to use the credits.

I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news but I would prepare yourself for higher prices in November.  We normally fly in September and November and I’m often disappointed that the Nov flight prices are significantly higher than other times of the year.  Not sure why but this has been my experience booking Nov flights over the past 7 years.

This year I totally changed things up for us and booked Westjet for our Dec flight when the price was similar to what release day prices normally are for SW.  We’re also gaining 2 days on our trip since we save the time it takes to drive to Buffalo.

One more thought, you may wish to look for tickets on SW for your group of 7 in smaller batches.  SW prices work in a way that as a certain price point fills, the price goes up.  They may have a smaller number of seats at a lower price and then more at a greater price.  Something to keep in mind.

When is the bday sale?

Hope you find prices and flight times that work for you.


----------



## jenseib

rey_rey said:


> Not sure if this is the right place to ask but... Anyone know if i'd be better off buying flights on the release date or waiting for the bday sale? We are flying from detroit (or could do buffalo) in november. Hoping for a direct flight. We have 7 travellers so hoping to snag the best deal!



Detroit rarely has direct flights to MCO.  I typically drive to Columbus to fly from there as they have many direct options (I do have family there though so I can stay with them the night before.).


----------



## rey_rey

jenseib said:


> Detroit rarely has direct flights to MCO.  I typically drive to Columbus to fly from there as they have many direct options (I do have family there though so I can stay with them the night before.).



Oh darn! The last time we flew spirit. It was direct but we were hoping for a better airline this time around


----------



## rey_rey

scrappinginontario said:


> We fly from Buffalo to Orlando 2 or 3 times a year.  I choose to book on release date and hope for a better price later but not sure that helps you if you’re not able to use the credits.
> 
> I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news but I would prepare yourself for higher prices in November.  We normally fly in September and November and I’m often disappointed that the Nov flight prices are significantly higher than other times of the year.  Not sure why but this has been my experience booking Nov flights over the past 7 years.
> 
> This year I totally changed things up for us and booked Westjet for our Dec flight when the price was similar to what release day prices normally are for SW.  We’re also gaining 2 days on our trip since we save the time it takes to drive to Buffalo.
> 
> One more thought, you may wish to look for tickets on SW for your group of 7 in smaller batches.  SW prices work in a way that as a certain price point fills, the price goes up.  They may have a smaller number of seats at a lower price and then more at a greater price.  Something to keep in mind.
> 
> When is the bday sale?
> 
> Hope you find prices and flight times that work for you.



We arent flying anywhere again for about a year and a half. Im sure the credit would expire before that. 

Good suggestion on the smaller amount of seats. Maybe i could even buy some on release date then if they drop use the credit towards the rest on sale day. Although i guess that could backfire too amd i could end up paying more for the rest. So hard! Lol

From what ive read the sale is mid june


----------



## Lvsdisney

rey_rey said:


> We arent flying anywhere again for about a year and a half. Im sure the credit would expire before that.
> 
> Good suggestion on the smaller amount of seats. *Maybe i could even buy some on release date then if they drop use the credit towards the rest on sale day.* Although i guess that could backfire too amd i could end up paying more for the rest. So hard! Lol
> 
> From what ive read the sale is mid june



I might be wrong, but I think if you get credit for a flight dropping in price, the credit has to be used by the person named on the ticket.  So you wouldn't be able too apply those funds to a ticket for another person.


----------



## richmo

Lvsdisney said:


> I might be wrong, but I think if you get credit for a flight dropping in price, the credit has to be used by the person named on the ticket.  So you wouldn't be able too apply those funds to a ticket for another person.



That is correct.


----------



## rey_rey

Lvsdisney said:


> I might be wrong, but I think if you get credit for a flight dropping in price, the credit has to be used by the person named on the ticket.  So you wouldn't be able too apply those funds to a ticket for another person.





richmo said:


> That is correct.



Oh good point. Never thought of that.


----------



## eeyoreland

I'm pretty excited. SW announced a "sale of the summer." Seems like I get an email just about every day with a sale, or low fares, or whatever, but this time it paid off. I had been eyeing a trip to Florida over Labor Day weekend and for the longest time it had been 135 down and 120 back. Then a couple of weeks ago the 120 back went up to 135. Today I got it for 135 down, but 99 back! Plus...I had enough points to cover the 99, which means more spending money when I'm there . Our daughter and her family live down there so I like to take 1 or 2 short trips a year to see them.


----------



## **Courtney**

I have attempted to read through all 156 pages of this but I cannot get through it all! We are considering flying Southwest as their fares are looking like they may be the cheapest (with free bags to boot), Delta is almost double what I am pricing right now. Last year we flew Delta, but could not use RAC because we didn't have seats assigned before we got to the airport. Since Southwest doesn't assign seats, I can still use RAC correct because I would have the boarding number? I am thinking of using the Wanna Get Away fare selection (would rather spend money at Disney instead of transportation to get there), but can I still get Early Bird Check In with those tickets? Saving $400 or more is so worth a layover (no plane change)! Thanks in advance everyone!


----------



## scrappinginontario

Sorry, what is RAC? Resort Airline Checkin?  If so, yes you can do that with Southwest.

And yes, all seat purchases are eligible to add Early Bird Check-in to.


----------



## **Courtney**

scrappinginontario said:


> Sorry, what is RAC? Resort Airline Checkin?  If so, yes you can do that with Southwest.
> 
> And yes, all seat purchases are eligible to add Early Bird Check-in to.




Thanks!!! Now to wait for May 31st!!


----------



## rey_rey

Does anyone know what time flights are released?


----------



## scrappinginontario

rey_rey said:


> Does anyone know what time flights are released?


  Unfortunately there isn’t a set time and they don’t seem to release all at the same time.  Seems to roll out over time the morning new flights open up.  I’ve found our flights as early as 6am and other times after 8am.  You just need to keep checking.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

rey_rey said:


> Does anyone know what time flights are released?


Anywhere from 6:00 a.m to 6:30 a.m EST has been the time period in the past


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> Anywhere from 6:00 a.m to 6:30 a.m EST has been the time period in the past


FYI this isn't necessarily accurate.  A range of 6am - 8:30am is probably more accurate.  The two exact release times I've tracked recently were June 2017 at 8:11am and one of the releases earlier in 2018 at 6:55am (I can't remember which one, lol).  I haven't specifically tracked every release, but I don't ever recall any being later than 8:30 (not saying there has't been...just not that I can remember).

I just didn't want anybody getting worried if the new flights aren't up by 6:30...


----------



## scrappinginontario

SouthFayetteFan said:


> FYI this isn't necessarily accurate.  A range of 6am - 8:30am is probably more accurate.  The two exact release times I've tracked recently were June 2017 at 8:11am and one of the releases earlier in 2018 at 6:55am (I can't remember which one, lol).  I haven't specifically tracked every release, but I don't ever recall any being later than 8:30 (not saying there has't been...just not that I can remember).
> 
> I just didn't want anybody getting worried if the new flights aren't up by 6:30...



Looks like you and I have had similar experiences time wise! 

I distinctly remember one time looking for November flights back in May of 2014 when we were on vacation.  I checked before we left our hotel at 6:30 and they weren't posted.  Since I didn't have a data plan for the US I remember pulling off the road at various McDonald's, etc and checking to see if the flights had dropped.  They finally did that particular time shortly after 8am and it was nice to book and finally be on our way home without the frequent pit stops.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

scrappinginontario said:


> Looks like you and I have had similar experiences time wise!
> 
> I distinctly remember one time looking for November flights back in May of 2014 when we were on vacation.  I checked before we left our hotel at 6:30 and they weren't posted.  Since I didn't have a data plan for the US I remember pulling off the road at various McDonald's, etc and checking to see if the flights had dropped.  They finally did that particular time shortly after 8am and it was nice to book and finally be on our way home without the frequent pit stops.


Hey there!  Hope you’re doing well  Haven’t run into you on the boards for awhile without a Stay Play Dine deal to debate. LOL!


----------



## DisneyBoundMomof3

My husband is a COS, so he purchases 2 tickets for SW flights.  We're using ME for our return to MCO, do we check our bags still at our resort. Or will we have to wait till we get to the airport.  I saw this question before but cant find it now.


----------



## scrappinginontario

DisneyBoundMomof3 said:


> My husband is a COS, so he purchases 2 tickets for SW flights.  We're using ME for our return to MCO, do we check our bags still at our resort. Or will we have to wait till we get to the airport.  I saw this question before but cant find it now.


  Sorry, what is a COS?

Depending on the time of your flight, it is possible to check your bags for a Southwest flight at your resort.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Just a heads up that the next block of Southwest flights is schedule to be released 1 week from today, *Thurs, May 31, 2018.*


----------



## DisneyBoundMomof3

scrappinginontario said:


> Sorry, what is a COS?
> 
> Depending on the time of your flight, it is possible to check your bags for a Southwest flight at your resort.


Hi COS, (Customer of Size)


----------



## Piglet

EBCI question ---  If I purchase my flights the day they come out and get EBCI with them, but later change the flights?  Will that change my order for EBCI?


----------



## shoreward

Piglet said:


> EBCI question ---  If I purchase my flights the day they come out and get EBCI with them, but later change the flights?  Will that change my order for EBCI?


Supposedly, yes, as when you change, Southwest is actually cancelling out your original reservation to make a new one.  The single benefit of "changing" is that you don't lose the value of EBCI, as you do when _you_ "cancel."


----------



## MarcIsMe

DisneyBoundMomof3 said:


> My husband is a COS, so he purchases 2 tickets for SW flights.  We're using ME for our return to MCO, do we check our bags still at our resort. Or will we have to wait till we get to the airport.  I saw this question before but cant find it now.


We used this service a week ago.  The bags need to be at the resort check-in before the ME bus departs which is usually 3 hours in advance of the flight.  We took ours down in the morning, had breakfast then caught the bus.  With SouthWest and their other preferred airlines, they will hang your boarding passes on the door in the morning (unless you have early bird check-in, I would still check in at the 24 hour mark).


----------



## georgina

DisneyBoundMomof3 said:


> My husband is a COS, so he purchases 2 tickets for SW flights.  We're using ME for our return to MCO, do we check our bags still at our resort. Or will we have to wait till we get to the airport.  I saw this question before but cant find it now.



Are you asking if there is a difference because he has 2 tickets? I don't know that answer, but be aware that RAC desk closes at noon, so if your flight is later be sure to get your bags there after you check out of your room.


----------



## shoreward

DisneyBoundMomof3 said:


> My husband is a COS, so he purchases 2 tickets for SW flights.  We're using ME for our return to MCO, do we check our bags still at our resort. Or will we have to wait till we get to the airport.  I saw this question before but cant find it now.


According to southwest.com:



> *Domestic U.S. Travel:* Customers in need of Extra Room/Seat may check in online or at a Self-Service Check-in kiosk to reserve their boarding positions, but they must see a Customer Service Agent to receive the required documents and be eligible for a refund after the flight.



So, it sounds like you can check in at T-24 for your boarding position, but you will need to get the boarding pass(es) at the airport.  I would think that you would still be able to check your bags at the resort, though, as you will already be checked in for the flight, if you did online check in.


----------



## ktate82

We are flying out of Indianapolis in July on a 5:00 a.m. flight.  I talked to Southwest and they said the luggage desk and security opens two hours before the first flight.  But last year, they said the same and we flew out at 6:00 a.m., but the desk didn't open till 5:00 a.m.  Is there somewhere I can call the desk directly at Indy to ask when they would open?  I just don't want to get kids up three hours early, and then sitting waiting an hour for the desk to open.  Teens are already mean enough without the "you woke me up an hour early for nothing" stink eye.


----------



## Shanti

scrappinginontario said:


> Unfortunately there isn’t a set time and they don’t seem to release all at the same time.  Seems to roll out over time the morning new flights open up.  I’ve found our flights as early as 6am and other times after 8am.  You just need to keep checking.


Do you know which months will open for booking tomorrow?


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

ktate82 said:


> We are flying out of Indianapolis in July on a 5:00 a.m. flight.  I talked to Southwest and they said the luggage desk and security opens two hours before the first flight.  But last year, they said the same and we flew out at 6:00 a.m., but the desk didn't open till 5:00 a.m.  Is there somewhere I can call the desk directly at Indy to ask when they would open?  I just don't want to get kids up three hours early, and then sitting waiting an hour for the desk to open.  Teens are already mean enough without the "you woke me up an hour early for nothing" stink eye.


Is Skycap available at that time? IDK about security though. I can't imagine the SWA counter or security would open at 5am if there is a flight at 5am. Last year when you went was 6am the earliest flight SWA operated that day or your airport for that matter since you spoke about security?


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Shanti said:


> Do you know which months will open for booking tomorrow?


Looks like from their website it's reservations through January 6th, 2019:


----------



## kenly777

Does anyone have a feeling about which is better/ quicker to book through? PC/ laptop/ iphone/ iPad ?? Have done this on many occasions, and can’t remember which loads more reliably...


----------



## shoreward

ktate82 said:


> We are flying out of Indianapolis in July on a 5:00 a.m. flight.  I talked to Southwest and they said the luggage desk and security opens two hours before the first flight.  But last year, they said the same and we flew out at 6:00 a.m., but the desk didn't open till 5:00 a.m.  Is there somewhere I can call the desk directly at Indy to ask when they would open?  I just don't want to get kids up three hours early, and then sitting waiting an hour for the desk to open.  Teens are already mean enough without the "you woke me up an hour early for nothing" stink eye.


If you have not done so, I suggest sending a tweet.  They are usually very responsive.
https://twitter.com/SouthwestAir/with_replies

Southwest's website states that they open at IND 90 minutes before the first scheduled departure.


----------



## jenseib

ktate82 said:


> We are flying out of Indianapolis in July on a 5:00 a.m. flight.  I talked to Southwest and they said the luggage desk and security opens two hours before the first flight.  But last year, they said the same and we flew out at 6:00 a.m., but the desk didn't open till 5:00 a.m.  Is there somewhere I can call the desk directly at Indy to ask when they would open?  I just don't want to get kids up three hours early, and then sitting waiting an hour for the desk to open.  Teens are already mean enough without the "you woke me up an hour early for nothing" stink eye.




From my experiences when looking I could never find that answer at the airport I wanted to fly out of.  I think it depends on the airport and the airline. I got an email to arrive 3 hours early for my international flight...and I did at 3 AM and the desk didn't even open till 4. There was a huge line by the time they opened because so many people arrived when told to.


----------



## dnbent

Anyone patiently waiting for the next booking window to open???


----------



## cmarsh31

dnbent said:


> Anyone patiently waiting for the next booking window to open???



Me! I've got a JetBlue flight going down bc it was the right time & nonstop but need a good flight home!


----------



## Kelly25

Me!! Me!!


----------



## tinkerbella16

dnbent said:


> Anyone patiently waiting for the next booking window to open???


Yup! Ready and waiting!!!


----------



## McKelly

I'm up and waiting for Xmas flights!


----------



## dnbent

tick, tock, tick, tock......


----------



## AuroraluvsPhillip

Sitting at work extra early waiting to book in December with my points.


----------



## dnbent

AuroraluvsPhillip said:


> Sitting at work extra early waiting to book in December with my points.



Saving our points for Aulani......


----------



## AuroraluvsPhillip

Says it's open, when I put in my dates, I get an error message.  I signed out and tried again, same thing.


----------



## McKelly

Same thing is happening to me.


----------



## dnbent

I think it's getting closer....


----------



## cmarsh31

But I can't see the dates on Firefox or the app, just Chrome. Get it together Southwest, I need to go to work!


----------



## Tall Todd

Weekly schedule is loaded, so you can at least look at your flights....


----------



## WDWFan0813

dnbent said:


> Anyone patiently waiting for the next booking window to open???


No, nothing patient about my waiting at all.


----------



## AuroraluvsPhillip

Low fare calendar isn't up yet either.


----------



## AuroraluvsPhillip

Historically, how late can they be with opening up flights?  I've never done this SW "rope drop" and I need to start getting ready to work.


----------



## Kelly25

i think I am going to need more coffee for this .....


----------



## 5DisneyNuts

Still getting error message


----------



## dnbent

Last time I did this I think that I booked flights about now.  

Thanks to someone here mentioning the weekly schedule I think that I know what flights I want.  

Not sure that I will do SW rope drop again.


----------



## Kelly25

dnbent said:


> Last time I did this I think that I booked flights about now.
> 
> Thanks to someone here mentioning the weekly schedule I think that I know what flights I want.
> 
> Not sure that I will do SW rope drop again.




how do you find the weekly schedule?


----------



## cmarsh31

I need to leave for work in 10 minutes... then I'm on the road for 30 and have homeroom until 8:10. If SW doesn't get loaded soon, it'll be over an hour. Grumble. Glad I got up early this morning.


----------



## msjprincess

dnbent said:


> Last time I did this I think that I booked flights about now.
> *
> Thanks to someone here mentioning the weekly schedule *I think that I know what flights I want.
> 
> Not sure that I will do SW rope drop again.



Me too. Especially since the schedule is completely different than the months and months before the dates I need.


----------



## dnbent

Kelly25 said:


> how do you find the weekly schedule?



I didn't know how to find it either.....

But 

Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and in the list of things to do you will see "Flight Schedules"


----------



## msjprincess

Kelly25 said:


> how do you find the weekly schedule?


Click up top where it says Flight, Hotel... Under Flights it will say Flight Schedule, click on that


----------



## AuroraluvsPhillip

To check the actual flights, click on "flights" then "flight schedules" and put in your airports and dates, click on "weekly".


----------



## Jennny

Mine isn’t available yet... maybe some cities are . I’m in same situation leaving for work soon!


----------



## IluvMGM

I want to go back to sleep so bad, was really hoping to be done with it quickly. Oh well. lol


----------



## Kelly25

nice! thanks


----------



## McKelly

I took a half day off of work today, only because I remember how stressed I was last time trying to refresh the page and get ready for work and get the kids ready for school all at the same time!


----------



## dnbent

Jennny said:


> Mine isn’t available yet... maybe some cities are . I’m in same situation leaving for work soon!



I couldn't get the daily schedule to work but the weekly schedule is working.  Try that.


----------



## Jennny

Ah... yes/ weekly! Thanks


----------



## K8Melf

Thanks for the tip on the schedule, I was worried about the dwindling number of nonstop flights from our area, but now I see some!!!

This is a lot less fun than a month ago when I did the early morning refresh refresh refresh for free dining!!!!!


----------



## IluvMGM

K8Melf said:


> Thanks for the tip on the schedule, I was worried about the dwindling number of nonstop flights from our area, but now I see some!!!
> 
> This is a lot less fun than a month ago when I did the early morning refresh refresh refresh for free dining!!!!!



That was a lot less fun for me. I woke up every 1/2 an hour checking for free dining. Was so tired I couldn't function all day.


----------



## dnbent

IluvMGM said:


> That was a lot less fun for me. I woke up every 1/2 an hour checking for free dining. Was so tired I couldn't function all day.



And to think ..... I had to give up coffee a few weeks ago.....  It's going to be a very looooong day...


----------



## McKelly

The last few times I booked SW, it feels like the flights opened up by now...


----------



## khmorgan

I'm starting to think going back to sleep sounds better than eating turkey with the inlaws.


----------



## 4luv2cdisney

Ugh.  Is anybody getting flights?  Nothing from Chicago yet....


----------



## McKelly

I'm watching from Chicago or Milwaukee - nothing yet.


----------



## dnbent

No Milwaukee flights yet.


----------



## mombrontrent

4luv2cdisney said:


> Ugh.  Is anybody getting flights?  Nothing from Chicago yet....


I saw someone in a Facebook group called and they said it would be closer to 7-7:30 central time before they are released, so another half hour to an hour.


----------



## IluvMGM

mombrontrent said:


> I saw someone in a Facebook group called and they said it would be closer to 7-7:30 central time before they are released, so another half hour to an hour.



Thank you, was wondering if anyone called. Guess I am not going back to sleep. Better make coffee.


----------



## 4luv2cdisney

While we're waiting....

We are a group of 5. 
Using points.
Somewhat flex schedule, so always tweaking for best fares.
I know sometimes you can snag lower fares for less people.

I can't remember....can I make changes to single flights under 1 res or should I book maybe 2 together and 3 together to make "price adjustments" later easier. 
(First time flying 5 at a time.  Occasionally 4 of us, typically 2-3 of us.  Sometimes I've booked all separately, sometimes all together.  Mind is foggy.)


----------



## luvgoing2disney

I thought I would check in to see if anyone has any updates and saw the 7-7:30 CST schedule.  Mind if I wait with you?  Misery loves company.


----------



## dnbent

Just booked.


----------



## McKelly

on-line?


----------



## luvgoing2disney

dates are still blocked for me


----------



## K8Melf

4luv2cdisney said:


> While we're waiting....
> 
> We are a group of 5.
> Using points.
> Somewhat flex schedule, so always tweaking for best fares.
> I know sometimes you can snag lower fares for less people.
> 
> I can't remember....can I make changes to single flights under 1 res or should I book maybe 2 together and 3 together to make "price adjustments" later easier.
> (First time flying 5 at a time.  Occasionally 4 of us, typically 2-3 of us.  Sometimes I've booked all separately, sometimes all together.  Mind is foggy.)



We’re also 5, booking with points for my husband and teenager on their own reservation and the 2 younger ones with me.  Even planning on doing all one way tickets for the most flexibility! Price may go down for a few tickets, but not usually all 5, this way I can tweak it any time for as many tickets as possible


----------



## Up4travel

Just booked as well!


----------



## kenly777

Booked Albany NY to MCO


----------



## luvgoing2disney

I just booked using their mobile app.


----------



## IluvMGM

Booked. Not as cheap as I was hoping for, but glad to have flights taken care of.


----------



## Fern

The dates are blocked on my phone, but not on the desktop site for me. Flights are not nearly as cheap as I was expected- almost double what they were on JB out of Boston on their drop day, actually.


----------



## IluvMGM

Fern said:


> The dates are blocked on my phone, but not on the desktop site for me. Flights are not nearly as cheap as I was expected- almost double what they were on JB out of Boston on their drop day, actually.



I think in the past when I flew to Disney I always paid around $79 for a ticket. I was amazed at how much they have gone up.


----------



## 5DisneyNuts

Booked all but 2 return flights - price way too high - will watch in July for sale.


----------



## 4luv2cdisney

chicago flights open
booked as one ways - split my group (2&3)

Definitely will be stalking for cheaper flights.  I used at least 20,000 more points than I'd anticipated.


----------



## 4luv2cdisney

Also, saw many flights as "2 seats left" etc

Had to pay a lot more for return flights for 2 of my group as the lower fare was gone when I went back after booking 3


----------



## McKelly

Is that very stressful for anybody else?  The prices always change by the time I get everybody's info in!  Well, got my flights, still cheaper than all the other airlines right now.  Didn't get the flight times I wanted, but still not horrible flights.  But when I received the confirmation e-mail it says I am flying to and out of different cities?  But on the Southwest website, it says MCO. Did that happen to anybody else?


----------



## tinkerbella16

We are all booked. Flying out of PHL 11/10-11/18. Ended up paying $272/person roundtrip, non-stop. We only paid a few dollars less last year in September so I was pleasantly surprised.


----------



## IluvMGM

McKelly said:


> Is that very stressful for anybody else?  The prices always change by the time I get everybody's info in!  Well, got my flights, still cheaper than all the other airlines right now.  Didn't get the flight times I wanted, but still not horrible flights.  But when I received the confirmation e-mail it says I am flying to and out of different cities?  But on the Southwest website, it says MCO. Did that happen to anybody else?



My cities are correct. It is cheaper than the other airlines and now I don't have to worry about the flight, so one less thing to be concerned with.


----------



## Crazyhorse

Booked for December, Wednesday to Wednesday, out of Midway.  I'm pretty happy with $116.00 each way, round trip, though last year I think we got $95.00 on one leg of the trip......


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

For those who always ask *"when" Southwest flights will be available*:

The release times that I've tracked recently have been 6:55am; 8:10am; and today was approx. 7:35am eastern. I think a range of 7am - 8:30am continues to be a reasonable expectation...but Southwest can do whatever they want.
There were some reports of people unable to book via mobile first when they first released this morning while others were fine booking on the desktop site. (I also noticed the ability to search were different on the two versions initially)
The *next release* is: _On June 28, 2018 we will open our schedule for sale through March 6, 2019._ That could change and you can track it here


----------



## Kelly25

I used points but cash wouldn't have been bad either. 108 each way out of philly for dec. still way cheaper than the other airlines right now. 215 round trip.


----------



## 4luv2cdisney

We've paid less than 7000 points *R/T* for flights before (lowest was 5000).  Now my lowest *1 way* was over 7000.  I knew it would be more for Dec and not flying out mid-week.  However.....eek!  I'm guessing prices will come down at least once, its just the fact that now I have to add "check flight prices" to my daily "to do" list that sucks.


----------



## princesspiglet

Booked Thanksgiving week and it is very expensive.  BWI-MCO 11/16-11/26.  The flight down leaves at 9:35pm and was $164 pp.  The flights back are ridiculous- starting at $250 pp!!  I think I will hold off on the return a little.


----------



## 4luv2cdisney

princesspiglet said:


> Booked Thanksgiving week and it is very expensive.  BWI-MCO 11/16-11/26.  The flight down leaves at 9:35pm and was $164 pp.  The flights back are ridiculous- starting at $250 pp!!  I think I will hold off on the return a little.


This is why I'm worried about the flights I just booked for December.  Next year we will need Thanksgiving flights and I know they will be ridiculous.  Need to conserve points!


----------



## IluvMGM

The flight I booked this morning just went up $45, so glad I was able to get it cheaper.


----------



## ktate82

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Is Skycap available at that time? IDK about security though. I can't imagine the SWA counter or security would open at 5am if there is a flight at 5am. Last year when you went was 6am the earliest flight SWA operated that day or your airport for that matter since you spoke about security?


It was one of the first flights out that day, but they had several leaving within 20 minutes after 6.  I wouldn't imagine they would open at 5, but wondered if they would wait and open at 4.  We just didn't want to get there at 3 and be waiting.



shoreward said:


> If you have not done so, I suggest sending a tweet.  They are usually very responsive.
> https://twitter.com/SouthwestAir/with_replies
> 
> Southwest's website states that they open at IND 90 minutes before the first scheduled departure.



We don't tweet, but 90 minutes sounds like that may be the good spot to try for.



jenseib said:


> From my experiences when looking I could never find that answer at the airport I wanted to fly out of.  I think it depends on the airport and the airline. I got an email to arrive 3 hours early for my international flight...and I did at 3 AM and the desk didn't even open till 4. There was a huge line by the time they opened because so many people arrived when told to.



That's what happened to us last year.  We got there at 4, there was a long line, and they opened at 5.  Thanks for all the replies.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

For those that may find this useful:
*
Historical Southwest Release Dates for the past year:*

May 18th - travel through January 7th, 2017

June 22nd - travel through March 7th, 2017
July 27th - travel through April 6th, 2017
Aug 28th - travel through June 1st, 2017
Nov 2nd - travel through August 6th, 2017
Feb 15th - travel through October 1st, 2017
March 8th - travel through November 3rd, 2017
May 31st - travel through January 6th, 2018
_NEXT RELEASE:_ June 28th travel through March 6th, 2018


----------



## scrappinginontario

Historically November flight prices seem to be some of the highest all year.


----------



## princesspiglet

scrappinginontario said:


> Historically November flight prices seem to be some of the highest all year.




Yes, and they keep going up!!!  I was going to book our return on Nov 26 this morning, but the lowest was $210 pp, so I decided to wait it out.  I just checked (3 hours later) and the cheapest flight is now $344 pp. A jump of $134 pp in 3 freaking hours!!!!


----------



## Shanti

Got reasonable prices for flights for our New Year's cruise.


----------



## McKelly

princesspiglet said:


> Yes, and they keep going up!!!  I was going to book our return on Nov 26 this morning, but the lowest was $210 pp, so I decided to wait it out.  I just checked (3 hours later) and the cheapest flight is now $344 pp. A jump of $134 pp in 3 freaking hours!!!!


I booked Xmas flights - I paid 400/pp, which honestly, was less than I thought I would be paying.  The same flight I booked is now up to 620/pp.  I will keep watching for it to go down too, or at least get an earlier flight, but I am not going to hold my breath!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

scrappinginontario said:


> Historically November flight prices seem to be some of the highest all year.





princesspiglet said:


> Yes, and they keep going up!!!  I was going to book our return on Nov 26 this morning, but the lowest was $210 pp, so I decided to wait it out.  I just checked (3 hours later) and the cheapest flight is now $344 pp. A jump of $134 pp in 3 freaking hours!!!!





McKelly said:


> I booked Xmas flights - I paid 400/pp, which honestly, was less than I thought I would be paying.  The same flight I booked is now up to 620/pp.  I will keep watching for it to go down too, or at least get an earlier flight, but I am not going to hold my breath!


Sorry to those of you who have not had favorable pricing conditions on today's release.   This is where those that are able to book using SW points have such a big advantage because you can book immediately with no risks...If it goes down, rebook and you don't have to be deal with the travel credit.  If you aren't sure of your dates, book what you think is best for now and hope it works.  I'm not saying this to "throw salt in a wound" but IF you're able to accrue SW points (be it through business travel, the CCs, whatever) you have a definitive booking advantage in situations like this.


----------



## G719

Can I check anywhere to make sure I put the correct birthday for each passenger?  I'm being paranoid that I messed something up.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

G719 said:


> Can I check anywhere to make sure I put the correct birthday for each passenger?  I'm being paranoid that I messed something up.


It likely doesn't matter and it won't appear on your boarding pass


----------



## shoreward

G719 said:


> Can I check anywhere to make sure I put the correct birthday for each passenger?  I'm being paranoid that I messed something up.


I would call Southwest (not today - they are super busy) and make sure the birth dates are correct.  If the pax are of the age where legal I.D.s must be presented to TSA, it's better to be safe than sorry.  A phone call to confirm should be easy enough to do; just have all info at-hand, when you call Southwest.


----------



## G719

SouthFayetteFan said:


> It likely doesn't matter and it won't appear on your boarding pass


Ok.  Thanks!  Now to book magical express and that is giving me trouble online now.


----------



## scrappinginontario

If you are using *this online form* to submit Magical Express requests, you will receive an error when you hit the final acceptance that all information provided is correct. 

Even though you get the error, if you receive a confirmation email from DME then your information was recorded with DME and you do not need to contact them again.  Seems to be a glitch in their system.

I just contacted Disney to advise them of the website error.


----------



## eeyoreland

I’m so frustrated with my family! We have three sets of family members “probably” traveling to visit another family member in Florida for Christmas. I kept telling everyone, I WANT DECISIONS by May 31 so we can book immediately. Well one family member (my son-in-law) can’t make up his mind in regards to when he’ll celebrate Christmas with his family so here we sit with no decision. I found great flights at good times for about $300 round trip. I’m afraid to even look at how much they may have gone up by now. When did booking SW flights become like booking FastPasses or making Rope Drop??? This is nuts!


----------



## scrappinginontario

eeyoreland said:


> I’m so frustrated with my family! We have three sets of family members “probably” traveling to visit another family member in Florida for Christmas. I kept telling everyone, I WANT DECISIONS by May 31 so we can book immediately. Well one family member (my son-in-law) can’t make up his mind in regards to when he’ll celebrate Christmas with his family so here we sit with no decision. I found great flights at good times for about $300 round trip. I’m afraid to even look at how much they may have gone up by now. When did booking SW flights become like booking FastPasses or making Rope Drop??? This is nuts!


  Will you be going whether or not your SIL goes?  If so I'd book what you can now as prices will only continue to go up.  They may drop again later but they may not.

At least if you book what you can now you will only need to pay the higher fare for one person and not the entire group.

I have a SIL whom I love dearly but she is terrible at making decisions.  I used to invite her to do things but then we all lost out waiting for her to decide.  Sadly now she's the one who loses out as I just don't invite her to many things any more so that we don't all have to wait for her to decide one way or the other.


----------



## eeyoreland

scrappinginontario said:


> Will you be going whether or not your SIL goes?  If so I'd book what you can now as prices will only continue to go up.  They may drop again later but they may not.
> 
> At least if you book what you can now you will only need to pay the higher fare for one person and not the entire group.
> 
> I have a SIL whom I love dearly but she is terrible at making decisions.  I used to invite her to do things but then we all lost out waiting for her to decide.  Sadly now she's the one who loses out as I just don't invite her to many things any more so that we don't all have to wait for her to decide one way or the other.



That's the problem. We won’t go unless everyone can go. I thought about booking at least DH and me because we would always use the credit if we cancel, but at the time I was busy prepping for a meeting, plus I just didn’t know if it was worth the hassle. Now I really wish I had.

P.S. I did just check and sure enough, flight is up $100 :-(.


----------



## scrappinginontario

eeyoreland said:


> That's the problem. We won’t go unless everyone can go. I thought about booking at least DH and me because we would always use the credit if we cancel, but at the time I was busy prepping for a meeting, plus I just didn’t know if it was worth the hassle. Now I really wish I had.
> 
> P.S. I did just check and sure enough, flight is up $100 :-(.



  Sorry this happened.  When you do book (hoping this is the case) it is sometimes better financially to book tickets in smaller groups to get better prices.  The challenge with this is that unless you purchase the Early Bird Seating, getting Boarding Numbers at the 24 hour mark becomes much more challenging as you have numerous Confirmation numbers to enter.


----------



## eeyoreland

scrappinginontario said:


> Sorry this happened.  When you do book (hoping this is the case) it is sometimes better financially to book tickets in smaller groups to get better prices.  The challenge with this is that unless you purchase the Early Bird Seating, getting Boarding Numbers at the 24 hour mark becomes much more challenging as you have numerous Confirmation numbers to enter.



Haha! This I know. Last year I was at work with my computer and my phone, while my BFF was sitting next to me with her computer for the third confirmation number!!! It’s really okay if each family can be seated together. If the three families are separated, that’s not a big deal.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

I decided to wait.  Flights are not sold out even if they say so. SW does this all the time.  I think SW may set price high on initial offering.  At least I have a price point.  I'll check everyday, it's what I do.


----------



## eeyoreland

Can I get clarification on booking with points? I know I could Google it, but that wouldn’t be fun! If you book with points and change or cancel, do those points go back into your account and they don’t have to be used within a year? If that’s the case, now I’m really mad that I didn’t book DH and me…UGH!!!


----------



## eeyoreland

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> I decided to wait.  Flights are not sold out even if they say so. SW does this all the time.  I think SW may set price high on initial offering.  At least I have a price point.  I'll check everyday, it's what I do.



Good luck - both you and I!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

eeyoreland said:


> Can I get clarification on booking with points? I know I could Google it, but that wouldn’t be fun! If you book with points and change or cancel, do those points go back into your account and they don’t have to be used within a year? If that’s the case, now I’m really mad that I didn’t book DH and me…UGH!!!


Correct. Your points simply go back into your SWA RR account to be used whenever.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

eeyoreland said:


> Can I get clarification on booking with points? I know I could Google it, but that wouldn’t be fun! If you book with points and change or cancel, do those points go back into your account and they don’t have to be used within a year? If that’s the case, now I’m really mad that I didn’t book DH and me…UGH!!!


When you book on points you will owe the $5.60 fee each way.  When you cancel...not only do the points go IMMEDIATELY back into your account for future use...you even can get a refund of the $5.60 back to your credit card.  It is the ULTIMATE flexibility in flight booking.


----------



## 5DisneyNuts

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> I decided to wait.  Flights are not sold out even if they say so. SW does this all the time.  I think SW may set price high on initial offering.  At least I have a price point.  I'll check everyday, it's what I do.



I booked everything but 2 returns from MCO to NY. After I booked 3, Wanna Get Away was sold out and the flights were $500 each one way.  Ugh, Thanksgiving weekend.  Last year I had luck stalking the site and rebooking lower fares especially around July, so fingers crossed for this year!

Good luck everyone.


----------



## 4luv2cdisney

5DisneyNuts said:


> I booked everything but 2 returns from MCO to NY. After I booked 3, Wanna Get Away was sold out and the flights were $500 each one way.  Ugh, Thanksgiving weekend.  Last year I had luck stalking the site and rebooking lower fares especially around July, so fingers crossed for this year!
> 
> Good luck everyone.



Exactly.  I have always re-booked for a lower price (often many times!).  I just secure what I can immediately, so that I know I have something.  I wouldn't book for $500 though either because there's no way I'd pay that!  I'm almost always using points, though, not cash and I wouldn't pay the points equivalent either!


----------



## Tall Todd

4luv2cdisney said:


> Exactly.  I have always re-booked for a lower price (often many times!).  I just secure what I can immediately, so that I know I have something.  I wouldn't book for $500 though either because there's no way I'd pay that!  I'm almost always using points, though, not cash and I wouldn't pay the points equivalent either!



Just got caught by only being able to use two of the price reductions on this trip, be careful....


----------



## cmarsh31

luvgoing2disney said:


> dates are still blocked for me



Me too - when are we going?  Why is it always SOOOO expensive to fly out of Albany? Ugg.


----------



## 4luv2cdisney

cmarsh31 said:


> Me too - when are we going?  Why is it always SOOOO expensive to fly out of Albany? Ugg.



I don't know, but I love the Albany airport!  So easy to navigate!  At least you have that going for you!  lol


----------



## 4luv2cdisney

@Tall Todd 

So, you mean your flights only went down in price briefly and you were only able to snag for 2 people? 

How far out did you book? 

I sometimes end up with everyones prices being different, but usually I get everything reduced a bit.  I'm hoping to "shave off" 20,000 points from 5 flights that are currently costing 80,000 points.  Yikes.


----------



## 5DisneyNuts

4luv2cdisney said:


> Exactly.  I have always re-booked for a lower price (often many times!).  I just secure what I can immediately, so that I know I have something.  I wouldn't book for $500 though either because there's no way I'd pay that!  I'm almost always using points, though, not cash and I wouldn't pay the points equivalent either!



I was out of points already and was definitely not going to buy extra to cover those prices.  At least when you buy with points they get immediately get refunded.  As much as I hate the stress of schedule extension morning, they really have an incredibly flexible policy



Tall Todd said:


> Just got caught by only being able to use two of the price reductions on this trip, be careful....



Do you mean only being able to use 2 of your travel funds when purchasing your new airfare?  If so, there is a way around that involving booking *refundable* airfare using two of the funds,  then cancelling the flight which will combine the original 2 funds into a new confirmation number.  Repeat the process until you have 2 travel funds left to book the new airfare.  Be cautious however if your funds have different expiration dates.  All combined funds will revert to the *earliest* expiration date.


----------



## Tall Todd

5DisneyNuts said:


> I was out of points already and was definitely not going to buy extra to cover those prices.  At least when you buy with points they get immediately get refunded.  As much as I hate the stress of schedule extension morning, they really have an incredibly flexible policy
> 
> 
> 
> Do you mean only being able to use 2 of your travel funds when purchasing your new airfare?  If so, there is a way around that involving booking *refundable* airfare using two of the funds,  then cancelling the flight which will combine the original 2 funds into a new confirmation number.  Repeat the process until you have 2 travel funds left to book the new airfare.  Be cautious however if your funds have different expiration dates.  All combined funds will revert to the *earliest* expiration date.


Ooo good tip. Yes, I think.... I have one flight that has had four or five price reductions, shop I was only allowed to use two of them. I booked WGA fares though, so I think I'm outta lock unless I call.


----------



## 5DisneyNuts

Tall Todd said:


> Ooo good tip. Yes, I think.... I have one flight that has had four or five price reductions, shop I was only allowed to use two of them. I booked WGA fares though, so I think I'm outta lock unless I call.



Will your new flights (the ones you booked yesterday) be completed before the earliest expiration of the travel funds you have?  If so you would be able use the re-booking feature.  I just want to stress ALL funds (even ones from yesterday's booking) will revert to the earliest travel fund expiration when combined.  You can take a look at flyer talk for more information on this or feel free to PM me too.  It can be confusing and the last thing you want is to have a new combined travel fund with an expiration of tomorrow .

Depending on what the remaining travel funds are worth, you can still do the re-booking to combine the funds not used yesterday, wait for them to expire, and call Guest Relations to request a one time extension.  SWA will give you a voucher for the remaining funds less a $100 processing fee, so the funds have to be significant enough to warrant all of this. The voucher will take 3-4 weeks to be processed and be good for 6 months from the date processed.

Hope that helps!


----------



## WDW_Diane

cmarsh31 said:


> Me too - when are we going?  Why is it always SOOOO expensive to fly out of Albany? Ugg.


 Same for me flying out of Oklahoma City, we never get the good fares I see other people getting. We are not a major hub of Southwest Airlines. We get price punished!


----------



## eeyoreland

Well, son-in-law gave the go-ahead on the trip and will spend Christmas with his family before we leave. Needless to say, prices today aren't as good as what they were first thing yesterday, but I went ahead and booked. Round trip MKE to MCO for $437 a person. More than I was hoping, but I'll keep watching and hope they drop a bit.


----------



## crazymomof4

I remember a while back reading somewhere that if you are using your CP (companion flying with you) and you need to make a change to your flight, you have to do it via phone -Cust Service call.

Does that still hold?

I booked flights (companion added) and now want to cancel those and rebook totally different flights bc I decided to fly in to a different airport.  Don't want to attempt to do anything online and have it not work and possibly make it more complicated for a phone rep to then help me with the changes.


----------



## shoreward

Just cancel the flights online (not change), and then rebook your new flights.  If you have not yet done so, check out availability for 2 seats for your new itinerary, before cancelling the original.


----------



## crazymomof4

shoreward said:


> Just cancel the flights online (not change), and then rebook your new flights.  If you have not yet done so, check out availability for 2 seats for your new itinerary, before cancelling the original.


Thanks. Will the cancelation automatically cancel the CP ressie too, or is that a seperate step?  I've many times made changes to SW flights, just never ones that had a CP attached.


----------



## shoreward

crazymomof4 said:


> Thanks. Will the cancelation automatically cancel the CP ressie too, or is that a seperate step?  I've many times made changes to SW flights, just never ones that had a CP attached.


Cancel the CP booking first, and then wait about 10 minutes.  You can then cancel your reservation.  Sign into your RR account to cancel both.


----------



## crazymomof4

shoreward said:


> Cancel the CP booking first, and then wait about 10 minutes.  You can then cancel your reservation.  Sign into your RR account to cancel both.


Thanks. Good tip!  I've been busy with yardwork today so haven't done it yet. Glad I read this before I tried!


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

DD had to cancel her flight. SW told her she had to rebook a new flight no later than 1-29-2019. 
Q: can she travel any time with in the 2019 year? 
TIA


----------



## 5DisneyNuts

Tigger2ntinkerbell said:


> DD had to cancel her flight. SW told her she had to rebook a new flight no later than 1-29-2019.
> Q: can she travel any time with in the 2019 year?
> TIA



If the original flight was non-refundable, when your DD cancelled travel funds for the price of the trip were put on the confirmation number given when she booked the trip.  Make sure she holds onto this confirmation number since it will have to be used to book the new flight, and almost impossible to find if she loses it.

The travel funds will expire one year from the day she booked the original flight, and travel has to be completed by that date (not booked).  You can call guest relations to request a one time extension after the funds expire.  SWA will deduct $100 processing fee and the LUV voucher will be good for 6 months from the date the voucher is processed (again travel completed by that date).


----------



## Gentry2004

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> I decided to wait.  Flights are not sold out even if they say so. SW does this all the time.  I think SW may set price high on initial offering.  At least I have a price point.  I'll check everyday, it's what I do.



Me too. I have never ever paid more than $250 RT to MCO (from the DC area) including spring break and the week before Christmas. I don’t plan to start now with Jersey Week of all times! The legacy airline prices are crazy right now too - just going to wait it out. Still hoping for SW because we have the CP through 12/31/18.


----------



## eeyoreland

Gentry2004 said:


> Me too. I have never ever paid more than $250 RT to MCO (from the DC area) including spring break and the week before Christmas. I don’t plan to start now with Jersey Week of all times! The legacy airline prices are crazy right now too - just going to wait it out. Still hoping for SW because we have the CP through 12/31/18.


I really worry that those days are gone. Last year we paid just over $400 for the week of Christmas (Milwaukee to MCO). Same for this year. I almost expect it for Christmas, but I'm pretty sure we paid well into the 300's for our flight the last week of February this year. I going to keep watching as I'd love to get a credit for the Christmas flight.


----------



## IluvMGM

Checked my flight today since people say Tuesday is cheaper and it went up $145 since I booked last week. So glad I booked last week.


----------



## eeyoreland

I just can't believe how many Wanna Get Away flights are sold out for 12/30. Flying from MCO to MKE. We paid what we paid, but I'd sure like a different time to open back up. Checking at least twice a day every day...it's crazy!


----------



## Crazyhorse

Just saved $148.00 round trip on 2 tickets.  Didn't actually cancel, used the change option.  WGA fares went from $116 to $79.00!  Whoo Hoo!


----------



## eeyoreland

Crazyhorse said:


> Just saved $157 round trip on 2 tickets.  Didn't actually cancel, used the change option.  WGA fares went from $116 to $79.00!  Whoo Hoo!


Good for you!!! My Labor Day weekend went down $12 on Sunday, but nothing different today. $12 isn't much, but SW makes it sooooo easy to change, so why not???


----------



## Gentry2004

Crazyhorse said:


> Just saved $148.00 round trip on 2 tickets.  Didn't actually cancel, used the change option.  WGA fares went from $116 to $79.00!  Whoo Hoo!



Lucky!!!


----------



## areno79

I checked my flights and they didn't budge at all.  
If I had paid using money, they'd be $300 r/t, but luckily I had enough points for the flights. I spent over 19000 points for each of us, but still a little bummed they didn't go down.


----------



## wuzzle02

My baby is due in 2 weeks.  He hasn't been named yet, and obviously we don't yet know his birth date.  

I booked a seat for him (so he could ride in his car seat) for a flight in December.  I made up a birthday and named him "Baby LastName."

I intended to call Southwest after the birth to update the name and the birthdate, but the rep I just spoke to advised me that this is not allowed.  She said that I cannot book a seat for him until he is actually born.  Does anyone have any additional information or advice?  Thank you.


----------



## scrappinginontario

wuzzle02 said:


> My baby is due in 2 weeks.  He hasn't been named yet, and obviously we don't yet know his birth date.
> 
> I booked a seat for him (so he could ride in his car seat) for a flight in December.  I made up a birthday and named him "Baby LastName."
> 
> I intended to call Southwest after the birth to update the name and the birthdate, but the rep I just spoke to advised me that this is not allowed.  She said that I cannot book a seat for him until he is actually born.  Does anyone have any additional information or advice?  Thank you.


  First, congratulations!!  Exciting days for you as you await the birth of your son!

It sounds like you will need to wait and book his seat as soon as he is born so that you have actual date of birth and name to attach to the ticket.  I would guess you should be able to keep the rest of your current reservation but just cancel his ticket and then rebook once your sweet baby boy has arrived!


----------



## richmo

wuzzle02 said:


> My baby is due in 2 weeks.  He hasn't been named yet, and obviously we don't yet know his birth date.
> 
> I booked a seat for him (so he could ride in his car seat) for a flight in December.  I made up a birthday and named him "Baby LastName."
> 
> I intended to call Southwest after the birth to update the name and the birthdate, but the rep I just spoke to advised me that this is not allowed.  She said that I cannot book a seat for him until he is actually born.  Does anyone have any additional information or advice?  Thank you.



Congrats in advance...

I think you'll need to call Southwest again and see if they'll make an exception and cancel that baby ticket for you and then you can rebook it after the birth.  The problem with what @scrappinginontario  suggested is that when you cancel a ticket, you get a credit, but that credit is not name transferable -- in your case from "Baby LastName". I think what you're trying to do is not standard policy, but I would hope they'd give you a refund since "Baby LastName" does not and will not exist.


----------



## scrappinginontario

richmo said:


> Congrats in advance...
> 
> I think you'll need to call Southwest again and see if they'll make an exception and cancel that baby ticket for you and then you can rebook it after the birth.  The problem with what @scrappinginontario  suggested is that when you cancel a ticket, you get a credit, but that credit is not name transferable -- in your case from "Baby LastName". I think what you're trying to do is not standard policy, but I would hope they'd give you a refund since "Baby LastName" does not and will not exist.


  Good point!  I hadn't thought of the 'non transferrable' portion.  Thanks for catching that.


----------



## shoreward

wuzzle02 said:


> My baby is due in 2 weeks.  He hasn't been named yet, and obviously we don't yet know his birth date.
> 
> I booked a seat for him (so he could ride in his car seat) for a flight in December.  I made up a birthday and named him "Baby LastName."
> 
> I intended to call Southwest after the birth to update the name and the birthdate, but the rep I just spoke to advised me that this is not allowed.  She said that I cannot book a seat for him until he is actually born.  Does anyone have any additional information or advice?  Thank you.


This link for Southwest has info for flying with infants and children.  Some of this info may be helpful.
https://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/family/children-pol.html
Congrats on your new addition!


----------



## pixiegoose

So, I booked our flights for December last week, at $112 per person each way, and paid for ebci. Now they’re down to $99. How can I change to the cheaper price and keep my ebci? Do I just click on the “change” flight button and rechoose the same flights to get the new price but keep my ebci? I’ve never had prices go down before so I’m clueless!


----------



## barb969

I always call when prices go down.  You will keep your ebci.   1-800-IFLYSWA


----------



## LisaS

pixiegoose said:


> So, I booked our flights for December last week, at $112 per person each way, and paid for ebci. Now they’re down to $99. How can I change to the cheaper price and keep my ebci? Do I just click on the “change” flight button and rechoose the same flights to get the new price but keep my ebci? I’ve never had prices go down before so I’m clueless!


Yes. Use the "Change" option and then select the same flight at the new, lower price. You will get Travel Funds in the amount of the difference in the fare, or points back if you booked with points.

By using the "Change" option, your confirmation number stays the same. EBCI is tied to the confirmation number, so your EBCI will still be connected to your reservation. If you cancel and rebook, you get a new reservation with a number confirmation number and your EBCI will be lost.

ETA: That should read "you get a new reservation with a NEW confirmation number", not "number confirmation number".


----------



## pixiegoose

LisaS said:


> Yes. Use the "Change" option and then select the same flight at the new, lower price. You will get Travel Funds in the amount of the difference in the fare, or points back if you booked with points.
> 
> By using the "Change" option, your confirmation number stays the same. EBCI is tied to the confirmation number, so your EBCI will still be connected to your reservation. If you cancel and rebook, you get a new reservation with a number confirmation number and your EBCI will be lost.



Thank you! I successfully changed it and got a $103 credit! Woohoo! And it still shows my ebci, so nothing weird happened, thank goodness.


----------



## LisaS

pixiegoose said:


> Thank you! I successfully changed it and got a $103 credit! Woohoo! And it still shows my ebci, so nothing weird happened, thank goodness.


Great!  Be sure to save that confirmation number. You will need it in the future when you want to access the Travel Funds you earned by repricing your flight.


----------



## CouponGirl

If wanna get away is showing up as sold out, does that mean there is no chance of seeing the price on that particular flight go down? Didn’t want to waste my time continuously checking, but also didn’t want to miss out if sometimes additional spots are added for whatever reason!


----------



## shoreward

CouponGirl said:


> If wanna get away is showing up as sold out, does that mean there is no chance of seeing the price on that particular flight go down? Didn’t want to waste my time continuously checking, but also didn’t want to miss out if sometimes additional spots are added for whatever reason!


It partially depends on how much advance notice you are thinking of.  Normally, WGA fares will not be available for booking a flight only a few days in advance of departure date; the exception is when there are many unsold seats on the flight.  If thinking of booking with more advance notice, WGA fares could again be available if some customers change or cancel their plans, and those WGA slots become available again.  There is really no way of knowing.

If you are looking for more than one seat, try searching for one seat at a time; there might be a small number of WGA seats available.  Also, just because a fare is marketed as WGA does not mean it's low cost.  It will be the lowest available fare for the flight, but not necessarily low for the route/date.  Other flights/carriers might be lower in cost.

Flights during high demand times/holiday periods normally sell out of low fares very quickly.


----------



## pixiegoose

pixiegoose said:


> Thank you! I successfully changed it and got a $103 credit! Woohoo! And it still shows my ebci, so nothing weird happened, thank goodness.



We had to call to get the credit for our friend, who we’re traveling with. We bought our tickets the same day for the same price but when we went to the change flights and then looked at the “new” options, it showed $0 fare difference between old and new even though the price had gone down. So, she called last night while we were having our adr planning session (today’s our 180! And, of course, dining was down until 7:45 because we both were ready at 6 am!) to get the credit, which she did. Crazy how online works for some and bit others, even with the exact same flights.


----------



## Lvsdisney

wuzzle02 said:


> My baby is due in 2 weeks.  He hasn't been named yet, and obviously we don't yet know his birth date.
> 
> I booked a seat for him (so he could ride in his car seat) for a flight in December.  I made up a birthday and named him "Baby LastName."
> 
> I intended to call Southwest after the birth to update the name and the birthdate, but the rep I just spoke to advised me that this is not allowed.  She said that I cannot book a seat for him until he is actually born.  Does anyone have any additional information or advice?  Thank you.



I've never had to present any identifying information for either of my children, so really, I could put whatever I want for their DOB/name (TSA asks them their name, but obviously your little one won't be able to answer).  If you already booked it, I wouldn't worry about it. There is always a chance they'd ask for a birth certificate, but I think they do that more for the babies who are close to 2 (or look 2) and are booked as lap infants.


----------



## eeyoreland

Lvsdisney said:


> I've never had to present any identifying information for either of my children, so really, I could put whatever I want for their DOB/name (TSA asks them their name, but obviously your little one won't be able to answer).  If you already booked it, I wouldn't worry about it. There is always a chance they'd ask for a birth certificate, but I think they do that more for the babies who are close to 2 (or look 2) and are booked as lap infants.


My grandson flew at 4, 11, 12 and 17 months and each time my daughter had to show his birth certificate. Maybe it depends on the airport???


----------



## Lvsdisney

eeyoreland said:


> My grandson flew at 4, 11, 12 and 17 months and each time my daughter had to show his birth certificate. Maybe it depends on the airport???



Possibly. Was he a lap baby?


----------



## eeyoreland

Lvsdisney said:


> Possibly. Was he a lap baby?


Yes. But I also just remembered we recently booked flights for December when he'll be 24+ months so he needs his own seat and SW told me we still need to show a copy of his birth certificate.


----------



## jerseygal

SO HAPPY this morning that I booked 3 one ways on points for our pre Christmas trip to Universal! WOW, 4,000 point increase this morning per person, that's significant, 12,000 points for all 3 of us. Always a win-win to book, so easy to adjust if it goes down as it typically does if you book well in advance.  Looking forward to relaxing before the hustle bustle of Christmas, King Kong(It was opening one month after our last trip, missed it) and seeing the Christmas decorations at Universal. Hopefully, getting some nice weather before the LONG WINTER MONTHS!


----------



## GPC0321

Anyone else having issues with Southwest's website this morning? Every time I try to log in, it just loads and loads and then times out. Same happens when I try to click on "Contact Us" at the bottom of the page. I tried calling them, and the wait time is 112 minutes! 

I made a typo on my traveling companion's name for our June trip, and I was trying to call in to see if that could be fixed. I even sent a direct message via Twitter about 20 minutes ago and haven't heard anything yet. 

I did manage to add Early Bird Check-in via the mobile app. 

Weird.


----------



## F&W_CRAVERS

Does the RAC or DME process automatically check you in on SW (for return flight home)? It's been a few years since I used DME and RAC from the Boardwalk to MCO, but I seem to recall that I was automatically checked-in on Southwest and was given my boarding pass the day I was checking out from the Boardwalk.
Also, if I am auto-checked-in, do I get decent boarding group number or would I be better off checking myself in at the 24 hour mark?


----------



## shoreward

F&W_CRAVERS said:


> Does the RAC or DME process automatically check you in on SW (for return flight home)? It's been a few years since I used DME and RAC from the Boardwalk to MCO, but I seem to recall that I was automatically checked-in on Southwest and was given my boarding pass the day I was checking out from the Boardwalk.
> Also, if I am auto-checked-in, do I get decent boarding group number or would I be better off checking myself in at the 24 hour mark?


I don't think that you are automatically checked in, unless you have Early Bird check-in.  I've always had my phone in-hand, shortly before      T-24, unless I had A-List or Early Bird.  You will, however, be able to receive a boarding pass at the resort.


----------



## scrappinginontario

F&W_CRAVERS said:


> Does the RAC or DME process automatically check you in on SW (for return flight home)? It's been a few years since I used DME and RAC from the Boardwalk to MCO, but I seem to recall that I was automatically checked-in on Southwest and was given my boarding pass the day I was checking out from the Boardwalk.
> Also, if I am auto-checked-in, do I get decent boarding group number or would I be better off checking myself in at the 24 hour mark?


  you will want to check b at the very second of T -24:00:00 for any hope of getting a good boarding number.  If you don’t check yourself in you will be assigned a BP # when you check in at Pop.

I have learned the hard way that it’s worth the $$ to me to pay for EBC on my way home as more than once I’ve been having way too much fun at Disney and missed my window.


----------



## focusondisney

New sale today, even better for my dates than last weeks. So now I have a companion pass question: DH is flying on points, I am his companion. We both have early bird check in. His flights are now about 2400 less points. Is there anyway to change his & save points without me losing my EBCI? I'm thinking no, but thought I'd ask just in case. I am ok with what we paid & don't think having to repay the $30 to get me EBCI again would be worth saving 2400 points.  Thanks!


----------



## barb969

Call and they will refund the points and keep EBCI.  1-800-IFLYSWA


----------



## leitadisneyfan

Hey guys,  If I purchase 5 tickets  for my family and the cost goes down I can call and get a credit for the differance. Now here is the question can I use that credit for just one person? So example if I  get $20.00 a ticket that would $100 can I use that $100. on a ticket just for me?


----------



## shoreward

leitadisneyfan said:


> Hey guys,  If I purchase 5 tickets  for my family and the cost goes down I can call and get a credit for the differance. Now here is the question can I use that credit for just one person? So example if I  get $20.00 a ticket that would $100 can I use that $100. on a ticket just for me?


No, each credit only can be used by the ticketed passenger who got the credit.  The travel funds will be saved and must be used within one year from the date the trip was booked (travel must be completed, not just reserved).  To use the credit, you must have the original confirmation number.


----------



## barb969

No, you can only use the refund for person whose flight was canceled.


----------



## IluvMGM

I have to thank you guys so much for the advice that flights are cheapest when they first come out. I am so glad I booked when I did. Today if I booked it would cost me over $2,000 instead of the $600 I paid on drop day. It's so crazy.


----------



## 5DisneyNuts

Quick question regarding booking a refundable fare using a cc and LUV voucher.  If the flight goes down I will book the cheaper flights and cancel the current flight.  I know my cc will be refunded, but will the rest go back on the voucher or become travel funds?

TIA!


----------



## shoreward

5DisneyNuts said:


> Quick question regarding booking a refundable fare using a cc and LUV voucher.  If the flight goes down I will book the cheaper flights and cancel the current flight.  I know my cc will be refunded, but will the rest go back on the voucher or become travel funds?
> 
> TIA!


Here are the T&Cs for LUV vouchers:


Southwest LUV Vouchers are valid as a form of payment toward future air fare only on Southwest Airlines through Southwest.com, toll-free Reservations 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792), or at any Southwest Airlines Ticket Counter.
Southwest LUV Vouchers must be redeemed and all travel completed by the expiration date indicated. If applied in conjunction with any other accepted form(s) of payment, the earliest expiration date of all payments applies. Validity of Southwest LUV Vouchers will not be extended and any unused value will be forfeited upon expiration.
Southwest LUV Vouchers are not redeemable as payment toward Government-imposed segment fees, Passenger Facility Charges, or September 11th Security Fees or as payment toward miscellaneous charges, Southwest Airlines Group tickets, Southwest Airlines Vacations packages, or travel either wholly or in part on other air carriers.
Southwest LUV Vouchers and travel issued in exchange for Southwest LUV Vouchers have no cash value and cannot be exchanged for cash or other monetary consideration. Southwest LUV Vouchers will not be replaced if lost, stolen, or destroyed.
To redeem a Southwest LUV Voucher, purchaser must have a Southwest LUV Voucher number and associated security code. If a balance remains after redemption, please retain this Southwest LUV Voucher number and security code for future use.
Southwest LUV Vouchers are VOID if sold, altered, purchased, brokered, and/or bartered.


----------



## Curlylocks02

shoreward said:


> Here are the T&Cs for LUV vouchers:
> 
> 
> Southwest LUV Vouchers are valid as a form of payment toward future air fare only on Southwest Airlines through Southwest.com, toll-free Reservations 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792), or at any Southwest Airlines Ticket Counter.
> Southwest LUV Vouchers must be redeemed and all travel completed by the expiration date indicated. If applied in conjunction with any other accepted form(s) of payment, the earliest expiration date of all payments applies. Validity of Southwest LUV Vouchers will not be extended and any unused value will be forfeited upon expiration.
> Southwest LUV Vouchers are not redeemable as payment toward Government-imposed segment fees, Passenger Facility Charges, or September 11th Security Fees or as payment toward miscellaneous charges, Southwest Airlines Group tickets, Southwest Airlines Vacations packages, or travel either wholly or in part on other air carriers.
> Southwest LUV Vouchers and travel issued in exchange for Southwest LUV Vouchers have no cash value and cannot be exchanged for cash or other monetary consideration. Southwest LUV Vouchers will not be replaced if lost, stolen, or destroyed.
> To redeem a Southwest LUV Voucher, purchaser must have a Southwest LUV Voucher number and associated security code. If a balance remains after redemption, please retain this Southwest LUV Voucher number and security code for future use.
> Southwest LUV Vouchers are VOID if sold, altered, purchased, brokered, and/or bartered.


Here is what I’m not sure of. If I pay with my cc and my flight cost goes down and I rebook twice is that two travel funds applied when I apply those funds to an entirely new different  flight? 
Or since it is attached to the same confirmation number do they combine them as one travel file bc voucher ? 

I ask bc I know you are limited in how many vouchers that you can apply per trip ( I usually buy as 2 one ways to allow for easier repurchase)


----------



## iivye

Curlylocks02 said:


> If I pay with my cc and my flight cost goes down and I rebook twice is that two travel funds applied when I apply those funds to an entirely new different flight?
> Or since it is attached to the same confirmation number do they combine them as one travel file bc voucher ?



You will have two travel funds.  They don't combine them.


----------



## shoreward

Curlylocks02 said:


> Here is what I’m not sure of. If I pay with my cc and my flight cost goes down and I rebook twice is that two travel funds applied when I apply those funds to an entirely new different  flight?
> Or since it is attached to the same confirmation number do they combine them as one travel file bc voucher ?
> 
> I ask bc I know you are limited in how many vouchers that you can apply per trip ( I usually buy as 2 one ways to allow for easier repurchase)



I believe that the travel funds balance under one confirmation number will be a single lump sum.  As a reminder, when applying mulitple travel funds from different confirmation numbers to a single reservation, the travel funds will take on the expiration date of the oldest credit. For example, you use one credit from 10 months ago along with a credit from one month ago - the newest credit will then take on the expiration date of the credit from 10 months ago.


----------



## Curlylocks02

shoreward said:


> I believe that the travel funds balance under one confirmation number will be a single lump sum.  As a reminder, when applying mulitple travel funds from different confirmation numbers to a single reservation, the travel funds will take on the expiration date of the oldest credit. For example, you use one credit from 10 months ago along with a credit from one month ago - the newest credit will then take on the expiration date of the credit from 10 months ago.


Thank you. I knew about the expiration date. We will be flying twice within the one year time window from when I originally purchased the flights so that part I’m good with. 
I was just worried about rebooking more than once and then having to forfeit a travel fund under the same reservation


----------



## 5DisneyNuts

shoreward said:


> Here are the T&Cs for LUV vouchers:
> 
> 
> Southwest LUV Vouchers are valid as a form of payment toward future air fare only on Southwest Airlines through Southwest.com, toll-free Reservations 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792), or at any Southwest Airlines Ticket Counter.
> Southwest LUV Vouchers must be redeemed and all travel completed by the expiration date indicated. If applied in conjunction with any other accepted form(s) of payment, the earliest expiration date of all payments applies. Validity of Southwest LUV Vouchers will not be extended and any unused value will be forfeited upon expiration.
> Southwest LUV Vouchers are not redeemable as payment toward Government-imposed segment fees, Passenger Facility Charges, or September 11th Security Fees or as payment toward miscellaneous charges, Southwest Airlines Group tickets, Southwest Airlines Vacations packages, or travel either wholly or in part on other air carriers.
> Southwest LUV Vouchers and travel issued in exchange for Southwest LUV Vouchers have no cash value and cannot be exchanged for cash or other monetary consideration. Southwest LUV Vouchers will not be replaced if lost, stolen, or destroyed.
> To redeem a Southwest LUV Voucher, purchaser must have a Southwest LUV Voucher number and associated security code. If a balance remains after redemption, please retain this Southwest LUV Voucher number and security code for future use.
> Southwest LUV Vouchers are VOID if sold, altered, purchased, brokered, and/or bartered.



Thank you,  this is helpful.  I'm curious if anyone had experience cancelling a refundable flight paid for with a voucher. Is the original voucher refunded (and therefore transferrable) or is the refund a travel fund (only good for the person on the reservation)?



shoreward said:


> I believe that the travel funds balance under one confirmation number will be a single lump sum.  As a reminder, when applying mulitple travel funds from different confirmation numbers to a single reservation, the travel funds will take on the expiration date of the oldest credit. For example, you use one credit from 10 months ago along with a credit from one month ago - the newest credit will then take on the expiration date of the credit from 10 months ago.



If you modify flights when the price decreases the original confirmation stays in tact, but will be appended with a 4 digit ticket #.  If you have done this more than 2x,  when you pay for your new flight using travel funds,  the system will only allow you to use 2 (conf# and 4 digit ticket #) and will pick which ones will be used.
The only way around this is to combine the travel funds until you only have two left ( conf# and 4 digit ticket # ). Or as the PP mentioned, book separately.

Totally agree about the earliest expiration! Plenty of reports of folks that got stuck with that.


----------



## jenseib

Curlylocks02 said:


> Here is what I’m not sure of. If I pay with my cc and my flight cost goes down and I rebook twice is that two travel funds applied when I apply those funds to an entirely new different  flight?
> Or since it is attached to the same confirmation number do they combine them as one travel file bc voucher ?
> 
> I ask bc I know you are limited in how many vouchers that you can apply per trip ( I usually buy as 2 one ways to allow for easier repurchase)



Don't cancel, just modify


----------



## IluvMGM

Just curious, is there actually any kind of entertainment you don't have to pay for on the flight? I see you can pay for wifi for $8, and can watch videos or something if you download their app? I used to fly AirTran and it was nice, they had headphones and free music you could listen to. Doesn't look like Southwest has anything like that for free?


----------



## eeyoreland

IluvMGM said:


> Just curious, is there actually any kind of entertainment you don't have to pay for on the flight? I see you can pay for wifi for $8, and can watch videos or something if you download their app? I used to fly AirTran and it was nice, they had headphones and free music you could listen to. Doesn't look like Southwest has anything like that for free?


If your flight has wi-fi, there are things you can watch for free including live TV. I don't believe they have ABC, but they do have CBS and NBC as well as the Disney channel, I think ESPN, and other channels. Not sure about music.


----------



## shoreward

IluvMGM said:


> Just curious, is there actually any kind of entertainment you don't have to pay for on the flight? I see you can pay for wifi for $8, and can watch videos or something if you download their app? I used to fly AirTran and it was nice, they had headphones and free music you could listen to. Doesn't look like Southwest has anything like that for free?


You'll need to bring your own device, but you will be able to watch free live TV, as well as past episodes of popular series.  There is also flight tracking.  A new option is iHeart Radio.

All Southwest aircraft are now equipped with Wi-Fi, which is always available, unless it's down for tech issues.

https://www.southwestaircommunity.c...es/Introducing-iHeartRadio-Onboard/ba-p/73767

https://www.southwest.com/html/travel-experience/in-the-air.html?CLK=SWAEXP-BOARDING


----------



## OurLaughingPlace

Posting question for another family going to Disney for their first trip and flying SW out of MCO.  3 adults (2 parents and a grandparent), children ages 4,7,11.  The 11 year old is in a wheelchair / just beat cancer, but in wheelchair. He can be lifted out of chair by parent, but cannot walk on his own yet.  How does it work for them with boarding? Can one parent board before everyone else with 11 year old (I've seen people who are in wheelchairs board early as they need more time / assistance to get into seat)?  Can the other parent and grandparent board after A boarding group (family boarding?)  My family is all adult/older teens so we either get EBCI or just sit wherever and I've never really paid much attention to people boarding early or family boarding.  TIA


----------



## shoreward

OurLaughingPlace said:


> Posting question for another family going to Disney for their first trip and flying SW out of MCO.  3 adults (2 parents and a grandparent), children ages 4,7,11.  The 11 year old is in a wheelchair / just beat cancer, but in wheelchair. He can be lifted out of chair by parent, but cannot walk on his own yet.  How does it work for them with boarding? Can one parent board before everyone else with 11 year old (I've seen people who are in wheelchairs board early as they need more time / assistance to get into seat)?  Can the other parent and grandparent board after A boarding group (family boarding?)  My family is all adult/older teens so we either get EBCI or just sit wherever and I've never really paid much attention to people boarding early or family boarding.  TIA


Yes, you have the scenario correct.  The 11 year old's special needs should be noted on the reservation (either online or by phone).  At least one adult will board with him - the agent might allow two adults, if told the circumstances, and that they will lift him into a seat.  Kids six and under can board with one adult, per child, in Family Boarding, which is after "A" group and before "B" group.

I hope you all have a wonderful trip.


----------



## OurLaughingPlace

shoreward said:


> Yes, you have the scenario correct.  The 11 year old's special needs should be noted on the reservation (either online or by phone).  At least one adult will board with him - the agent might allow two adults, if told the circumstances, and that they will lift him into a seat.  Kids six and under can board with one adult, per child, in Family Boarding, which is after "A" group and before "B" group.
> 
> I hope you all have a wonderful trip.


Thank you very much. After reading your response I just found the SW phone number for them to call to add it to their reservation. Appreciate your feedback.


----------



## IluvMGM

shoreward said:


> You'll need to bring your own device, but you will be able to watch free live TV, as well as past episodes of popular series.  There is also flight tracking.  A new option is iHeart Radio.
> 
> All Southwest aircraft are now equipped with Wi-Fi, which is always available, unless it's down for tech issues.
> 
> https://www.southwestaircommunity.c...es/Introducing-iHeartRadio-Onboard/ba-p/73767
> 
> https://www.southwest.com/html/travel-experience/in-the-air.html?CLK=SWAEXP-BOARDING



I think you would have to pay $8 for their wifi service though to use those things.


----------



## shoreward

IluvMGM said:


> I think you would have to pay $8 for their wifi service though to use those things.


There is only a charge for the Wi-Fi if you want to use a browser, check email etc.; otherwise, the other entertainment is free - you don't need to sign in to Wi-Fi.  The only other charge is to watch a movie.


----------



## McKelly

Probably already answered somewhere in this thread, but I can't find it specifically.  I have canceled SW flights when paid with cash but I have never canceled a flight when I have purchased them all with points.  Just wanted to double check, those points go back into my account and do *NOT* have a year expiration on them like canceled cash reservations do, correct?


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

McKelly said:


> Probably already answered somewhere in this thread, but I can't find it specifically.  I have canceled SW flights when paid with cash but I have never canceled a flight when I have purchased them all with points.  Just wanted to double check, those points go back into my account and do *NOT* have a year expiration on them like canceled cash reservations do, correct?


Yes they go back to your RR acct and do not expire as long as your acct is not inactive for more than 24 months.


----------



## McKelly

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> Yes they go back to your RR acct and do not expire as long as your acct is not inactive for more than 24 months.


Thanks.


----------



## jenseib

What happens to the tax and early bird if you booked on points but have to cancel.


----------



## eeyoreland

jenseib said:


> What happens to the tax and early bird if you booked on points but have to cancel.


I believe those are credited back to the original form of payment. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.


----------



## shoreward

jenseib said:


> What happens to the tax and early bird if you booked on points but have to cancel.


As long as you have not made any changes to your reservation since booking, there will be a drop-down box giving you the option of taxes/fee refunded to original form of payment or to keep as a credit to be used within one year of booking (travel completed within one year).

However, according to Southwest:



> All EarlyBird Check-In purchases are nonrefundable. Customers who cancel their flight will forfeit the previously purchased EarlyBird Check-In option for that particular flight. In the event that a flight is cancelled by Southwest, the EarlyBird Check-In purchased for the cancelled flight will be refunded


----------



## eeyoreland

shoreward said:


> As long as you have not made any changes to your reservation since booking, there will be a drop-down box giving you the option of taxes/fee refunded to original form of payment or to keep as a credit to be used within one year of booking (travel completed within one year).
> 
> However, according to Southwest:



Oh my. Sorry for providing wrong information. Thanks for clarifying for the OP.


----------



## shoreward

eeyoreland said:


> Oh my. Sorry for providing wrong information. Thanks for clarifying for the OP.


I wasn't sure myself about EBCI refunds, so I had to look it up.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Unpleasant/unfair experience on Southwest flight the other day....I purchased the Early Bird and also got boarding pass A25 so Felt confident I would get a seat close to front of plane.  However when I boarded plane there were numerous family members boarding with wheel chairs (even though I heard announcement that only one family member could board with a wheel chair) then when I actually boarded there were 2 people who had placed hats and a few bags on the seats in the rows in front, in back and across from them basically saving 15 seats!!! This is crazy and when the passenger boarding in front of me complained the people just ignored her. She called out to the airline attendendant and they simply replied asking her to please select her seat so boarding could be completed!!!!

I don't see why the airline does not address these situations why is it ok for those of us who pay the Early Bird fee to be ignored while 2 people can pay the fee and save multiple seats for passengers not paying the Early Bird fee!


----------



## scrappinginontario

Lsdolphin said:


> Unpleasant/unfair experience on Southwest flight the other day....I purchased the Early Bird and also got boarding pass A25 so Felt confident I would get a seat close to front of plane.  However when I boarded plane there were numerous family members boarding with wheel chairs (even though I heard announcement that only one family member could board with a wheel chair) then when I actually boarded there were 2 people who had placed hats and a few bags on the seats in the rows in front, in back and across from them basically saving 15 seats!!! This is crazy and when the passenger boarding in front of me complained the people just ignored her. She called out to the airline attendendant and they simply replied asking her to please select her seat so boarding could be completed!!!!
> 
> I don't see why the airline does not address these situations why is it ok for those of us who pay the Early Bird fee to be ignored while 2 people can pay the fee and save multiple seats for passengers not paying the Early Bird fee!


  I can understand your frustration as what they did was really unfair!  You paid for Early Bird.  If they wanted their family close every single one of them should have paid for EBCI too.


----------



## Huff

I've only bought EBCI once from a flight out of Baltimore.  The flight was cancelled due to a 1/4" of snow.  All SW flights were cancelled despite it clearing up with blue skies.  Was told it was because Baltimore did not have adequate deicing for the number of planes. We rescheduled a flight out of Dulles the next morning.  SW would not transfer ECBI to the new reservation.  Was told we would have to purchase separately for the new flight and call SW to request a refund.  We purchased ECBI again.  Tried calling SW for a refund.  Was told it would be a flight credit on our account, they could not do a cash refund.  Have tried calling numerous times, but it has never showed up on our accounts.  Never bothered with ECBI again, always check in at 24 hours and have not had any trouble getting seats together.


----------



## shoreward

Lsdolphin said:


> I don't see why the airline does not address these situations why is it ok for those of us who pay the Early Bird fee to be ignored while 2 people can pay the fee and save multiple seats for passengers not paying the Early Bird fee!



The "seat saving" issue is nothing new with Southwest.  There is no written policy about seat saving, so flight attendants will not get in the middle.  Customers have been known to just sit in a seat being "saved" for someone else and move the item set on a seat.  I suppose it all depends on how much you want a particular seat, and if you want a confrontation with another customer.

With 143 or 175 seats on the aircraft and A25 boarding number, you still should have had selection of a very good seat, if not your first choice.  It can be very difficult to guaranty an open bulkhead seat or seat in the first few rows; even those who buy Business Select tickets, have an A1 position, and easily pay 4x the cost of WGA fares, are not guaranteed a particular seat on Southwest.  Southwest always states that EBCI does not guaranty a particular boarding group, position, or seat location.  It just assures that you will automatically be checked in at T-36.  There is another scenario where the flight originates in another city, and those boarding find many seats occupied by thru passengers.

There are those who do not like Southwest's open seating policy, so they fly other carriers.  Then, again, there are others who either don't mind it or like the policy.  It's all a matter of preference and personal choice.


----------



## Herbatlees

I'm so disturbed by SW prices to FL for Thanksgiving this year. I have been stalking the site since it was released and prices have been $700- $800 RT from al three of the WAS area airports - FLL. I can't believe prices are nearly 4x the price they were when we took this trip in 2016. Is there any hope of WGA fares will become available again or dropping to anywhere near $250?? Or should we just look at other carriers?
FWIW even Spirit has been $600+

This is insane.


----------



## AngieInOH

I'll be flying with 2 adults and 2 children (each 9 yr) in Jan.  Can I pay for early bird on the adult tickets and they'll let the children on?  I'm guessing the answer is no but thought I would check if this is "legal". 

I hate spending the extra money on early boarding.  We don't care if we're split up but each of my girls want a window seat.


----------



## shoreward

AngieInOH said:


> I'll be flying with 2 adults and 2 children (each 9 yr) in Jan.  Can I pay for early bird on the adult tickets and they'll let the children on?  I'm guessing the answer is no but thought I would check if this is "legal".
> 
> I hate spending the extra money on early boarding.  We don't care if we're split up but each of my girls want a window seat.


Unfortunately, no.  Kids six years old and younger can board between A and B boarding groups along with one adult, each, with Family Boarding; however, kids older than six must follow the normal boarding guidelines.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

AngieInOH said:


> I'll be flying with 2 adults and 2 children (each 9 yr) in Jan.  Can I pay for early bird on the adult tickets and they'll let the children on?  I'm guessing the answer is no but thought I would check if this is "legal".
> 
> I hate spending the extra money on early boarding.  We don't care if we're split up but each of my girls want a window seat.


No they can not board with you.


----------



## suzydisney971

So I waited too long to book flights for August (still not sure if we are going, hence the waited too long) and flights keep rising.  Any chance they may come down as it gets closer?  We have flights going down on 8/13 but need return flights on 8/18 or 8/19.  I was hoping to get a late flight on 8/18 since we are there for a short time but that is at $249 today.  I would stay an extra day but Sunday flights aren't any better.  Any experienced opinions?  Should I just book now and cross my fingers that they come down and I get a credit.  I'm flying out of Providence, RI.  There are 3 of us.

TIA


----------



## shoreward

suzydisney971 said:


> So I waited too long to book flights for August (still not sure if we are going, hence the waited too long) and flights keep rising.  Any chance they may come down as it gets closer?  We have flights going down on 8/13 but need return flights on 8/18 or 8/19.  I was hoping to get a late flight on 8/18 since we are there for a short time but that is at $249 today.  I would stay an extra day but Sunday flights aren't any better.  Any experienced opinions?  Should I just book now and cross my fingers that they come down and I get a credit.  I'm flying out of Providence, RI.  There are 3 of us.
> 
> TIA


If you won't have a problem using a credit within one year, I'd advise booking now, then checking daily for any fare reductions.  Your travel dates are during a very popular time, as families want to get a trip in, before school starts for the fall term.  Also, you are flying out of a smaller market, so there are not as many flights.  Have you thought about a different departure airport?

You may want to check for one seat at a time, if you have not been doing so, as Southwest will quote the lowest available fare for all in your party.  So, if you check for three seats, they may have one or two at a lower fare, but not three, therefore pricing all three at the same higher fare.

To get a rough idea about available seats on the flights you are checking. search for 8 seats and see what shows.


----------



## cmarsh31

Am I the only one up & waiting for Feb flights??


----------



## rileyz

cmarsh31 said:


> Am I the only one up & waiting for Feb flights??



Nope


----------



## cmarsh31

rileyz said:


> Nope



Good! It was really quiet in here compared to normal! We leave for the airport in an hour to head on our first Alaskan cruise...I need these to release asap!


----------



## rileyz

cmarsh31 said:


> Good! It was really quiet in here compared to normal! We leave for the airport in an hour to head on our first Alaskan cruise...I need these to release asap!



Cruised Alaska twice, have a great time!


----------



## amandaleigh2

cmarsh31 said:


> Am I the only one up & waiting for Feb flights??


I'm here too.  Booking for winter break in February.  A lot of people from Michigan take trips at this time.


----------



## kimj88

Me too


----------



## rileyz

I need coffee ️


----------



## cmarsh31

T-45 min til we leave for the airport...come on SW! Last release was a mess, let's get this right!


----------



## kimj88

Can I combine points and money on one reservation or do I need enough points to cover the whole thing?


----------



## rileyz

kimj88 said:


> Can I combine points and money on one reservation or do I need enough points to cover the whole thing?



I think it makes you buy more miles


----------



## shoreward

kimj88 said:


> Can I combine points and money on one reservation or do I need enough points to cover the whole thing?


If booking a roundtrip and wanting to do one flight with points and the other with $$, you need to book as two one-ways.


----------



## MarBee

Still nothing...


----------



## GZanta77

Its live......


----------



## AngieInOH

Ohhhh why, had to get kiddo to doctor this morning.  Got on real quick several times this morning to check for Jan 2019 to be released.  In a matter of minutes the flight I wanted on Jan 27 went from $151 to $241.  We need 4 tickets so that adds up!

Has anyone seen them come back down?  I can only assume a bunch sold at the lower price??


----------



## shoreward

AngieInOH said:


> Ohhhh why, had to get kiddo to doctor this morning.  Got on real quick several times this morning to check for Jan 2019 to be released.  In a matter of minutes the flight I wanted on Jan 27 went from $151 to $241.  We need 4 tickets so that adds up!
> 
> Has anyone seen them come back down?  I can only assume a bunch sold at the lower price??


Did you try searching for a smaller number or just for four together?  If you just looked for four, at a time, try searching for one or 2 seats at a time.  There may be a few lower- fare seats available, but not all four; that could give you some savings, if you did not try that.


----------



## AngieInOH

shoreward said:


> Did you try searching for a smaller number or just for four together?  If you just looked for four, at a time, try searching for one or 2 seats at a time.  There may be a few lower- fare seats available, but not all four; that could give you some savings, if you did not try that.



Yep I initially always just put in 1 person.  So none available at the lower price. 

I didn't get my first choice of flights but I did get my second choice for $1048 for 4 round trip tickets.  I don't think that's too bad at all.

That quick price change scared me into booking my second choice before that went up too.  I figure if the rates come back down I can cancel what I booked and rebook.  Yea no change fees with SW!!!!


----------



## Huff

2019 is too early to book to me.  Some routes might have a decent price on release day.  I find almost always the price will then jump up, and then periodically over the months drop dramatically but only for 1 or 2 days.

I have a trip planned for end of August I booked just over a month ago.  This morning I found that one way of our trip dropped $50.  Pays to check almost every day.  There was no sale etc.  Fares go up and down daily.


----------



## thepops

went to look this morning for flights and they discontinued the one direct flight from Dulles to Orlando! YUK!  I don't know why.  Every time I took it the flight was sold out!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

thepops said:


> went to look this morning for flights and they discontinued the one direct flight from Dulles to Orlando! YUK!  I don't know why.  Every time I took it the flight was sold out!


By direct do you mean non-stop? What's your dates?


----------



## thepops

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> By direct do you mean non-stop? What's your dates?


Yes non-stop.  We are going the last week in January.  Looks like it stops about Jan 8th or so.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

thepops said:


> Yes non-stop.  We are going the last week in January.  Looks like it stops about Jan 8th or so.


Yeah that's what I was wondering if it was more of a seasonal thing. That's a bummer for you


----------



## thepops

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Yeah that's what I was wondering if it was more of a seasonal thing. That's a bummer for you


Certainly not a seasonal thing. They've had direct flights during that timeframe before. Just a change of schedule.


----------



## lookame

I booked our flights Jan 4 and Jan 12, Jan 4 is a gross flight-we'll be arriving in Orlando at 12:10 am on Jan 5th. The kids will be super tired (good thing I had 2 build in days of hanging out at the resort...we orginially planned to drive) Anyway...I got them for a decent price both flights are nonstop and for 4 people it cost $886. I plan to keep checking prices but if the price goes down, how would I go about getting the lower fare? We plan to go back to Florida Jan 2020 for a cruise so if it's a credit for a future flight that would also work out ok.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

thepops said:


> Certainly not a seasonal thing. They've had direct flights during that timeframe before. Just a change of schedule.


Ah I gotcha


----------



## AngieInOH

I was so excited yesterday getting decent RT tickets..... Until I logged in today and realized I had enough points to get two of the RT tickets FREE!!  I had no idea we had accumulated points last year. 

Does anyone know if there is a way to use the points instead?  I don't want to cancel and rebook because it's probably unlikely I would use the credit within a year.


----------



## shoreward

AngieInOH said:


> I was so excited yesterday getting decent RT tickets..... Until I logged in today and realized I had enough points to get two of the RT tickets FREE!!  I had no idea we had accumulated points last year.
> 
> Does anyone know if there is a way to use the points instead?  I don't want to cancel and rebook because it's probably unlikely I would use the credit within a year.


There is a 24 hour grace period, by law, during which you can cancel for a full refund.  If that's not doable, try calling Southwest.


----------



## AngieInOH

shoreward said:


> There is a 24 hour grace period, by law, during which you can cancel for a full refund.  If that's not doable, try calling Southwest.



Awe man, outside of the 24 hr period by a few hours. Called and there is nothing they can do. $500+ mistake. I'm kicking myself.


----------



## shoreward

AngieInOH said:


> Awe man, outside of the 24 hr period by a few hours. Called and there is nothing they can do. $500+ mistake. I'm kicking myself.


Just think of it this way - you'll be earning more RR points to use for a trip next time.  You're really not losing anything, just postponing using the RR points.


----------



## AngieInOH

shoreward said:


> Just think of it this way - you'll be earning more RR points to use for a trip next time.  You're really not losing anything, just postponing using the RR points.



This is what I keep telling myself...over and over.


----------



## patch508

Thanks


----------



## eeyoreland

Dang...I've been away for a few days so didn't even realize the next release came out. Not quite ready to commit to February so hopefully I don't miss out on any good pricing. On the positive side, I rechecked our Christmas flights and they went down $58 so that got me under $400 which I feel a lot better about.


----------



## eeyoreland

Two questions: 1) Does anyone know how soon after my SW credit card is hit with the annual fee that the points post to my RR account? And 2) I was refunded some money because my flight went down (it was a senior fare so that's why it was fully refundable). Does anyone know how soon I should see that refund come through on my credit card?


----------



## lookame

My flight back has been going up $10 a day...so I’m happy I purchased flights on opening day.


----------



## JayhawkFans

Non Disney related but … we try to always fly SW but in looking at the schedule for January they don't have a 
non-stop option from FLL to STL mid-day the day we get off our cruise.  I called and inquired about whether or not
they ever add additional flights and the agent stated no they do not.  Just curious if anyone has experienced this before
as I don't want to go with another airline only to find SW adds what we need later.  It worked perfect this past January ...


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

JayhawkFans said:


> Non Disney related but … we try to always fly SW but in looking at the schedule for January they don't have a
> non-stop option from FLL to STL mid-day the day we get off our cruise.  I called and inquired about whether or not
> they ever add additional flights and the agent stated no they do not.  Just curious if anyone has experienced this before
> as I don't want to go with another airline only to find SW adds what we need later.  It worked perfect this past January ...


Southwest releases their schedule later than other airlines by design.  They rarely will add or cancel flights...and I mean RARELY!  I'd say the chances of them adding a flight for you are < 1% based on my anecdotal experience tracking hundreds of flights over the years.


----------



## Lvsdisney

Hypothetical:

If I booked a one-way that has a layover in MCO and get off at MCO instead of the real destination, would that make SWA mad at me?  (Meaning, would I be on the naughty list?)  I know we'd have to have carry-ons vs checked because our luggage wouldn't come with us.  Just wondering about the rules...  And if you're wondering why, it's cheaper points wise to book to the other destination vs booking to MCO directly


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

if you booked a roundtrip ticket they will cancel you return ticket
If you book it as a one way you will be fine just remember to take only carry on because your luggage will go on to the final destination


----------



## shoreward

Lvsdisney said:


> Hypothetical:
> 
> If I booked a one-way that has a layover in MCO and get off at MCO instead of the real destination, would that make SWA mad at me?  (Meaning, would I be on the naughty list?)  I know we'd have to have carry-ons vs checked because our luggage wouldn't come with us.  Just wondering about the rules...  And if you're wondering why, it's cheaper points wise to book to the other destination vs booking to MCO directly



When you deplane at MCO, inform the ops agent at the gate what you are doing.


----------



## Lvsdisney

To add on to my previous question... I'll want to bring our stroller and gate check it. We usually have non stop flights so I have no idea what happens to gate check items on connecting flights,  especially if there is a plane change.  Would they automatically move it to the other plane,  or do people pick it up at the gate and take it their next flight? I just want to make sure I'd be able to collect it at MCO. If not,  I'll look into renting a stroller and avoid the headache.


----------



## clutter

Dumb question - if I purchase EBCI for a connecting flight, do you get numbers for both flights?  We have a short hop out of MCO (Ft Lauderdale), so its the connecting flight I care about.


----------



## Fangorn

clutter said:


> Dumb question - if I purchase EBCI for a connecting flight, do you get numbers for both flights?  We have a short hop out of MCO (Ft Lauderdale), so its the connecting flight I care about.



Yes, you'll get boarding passes and numbers for each segment of the flight at the time you check in for the first one. This is true whether or not you have EBCI.

This can be an advantage or disadvantage; based on if your flight covers more than one time zone, the direction of travel, and if the layover time is short or long. 

Steve


----------



## clutter

Fangorn said:


> Yes, you'll get boarding passes and numbers for each segment of the flight at the time you check in for the first one. This is true whether or not you have EBCI.
> 
> This can be an advantage or disadvantage; based on if your flight covers more than one time zone, the direction of travel, and if the layover time is short or long.
> 
> Steve



Thanks.  One person is staying on the continuing on the same plane from the stop.  Do they usually get to stay on the plane, so will she pretty much get her pick of seats for that leg, no matter her boarding number?  (it's a 50 minute stop)

thx


----------



## Fangorn

clutter said:


> Thanks.  One person is staying on the continuing on the same plane from the stop.  Do they usually get to stay on the plane, so will she pretty much get her pick of seats for that leg, no matter her boarding number?  (it's a 50 minute stop)
> 
> thx



Yes, she will get to stay on the plane (99.8% of the time). They will ask "through passengers" to remain in their seats until everyone deplanes and the flight attendant counts the through passengers. Once that's done, she will be able to change seats.

Steve


----------



## scrappinginontario

clutter said:


> Thanks.  One person is staying on the continuing on the same plane from the stop.  Do they usually get to stay on the plane, so will she pretty much get her pick of seats for that leg, no matter her boarding number?  (it's a 50 minute stop)
> 
> thx


Weve stayed on and enjoyed moving up to the front row for the final leg of our trip!


----------



## HollywoodTowerHotel

We have decided on booking a Thanksgiving trip.  The fares do not seem too bad considering the time of year, but I am wondering if it is likely that they would decrease at all as it gets closer.  What is the likelihood of that?  Would the fares be more likely to increase?  How long do you think I have to book before that happens?

Thanks!


----------



## Huff

HollywoodTowerHotel said:


> We have decided on booking a Thanksgiving trip.  The fares do not seem too bad considering the time of year, but I am wondering if it is likely that they would decrease at all as it gets closer.  What is the likelihood of that?  Would the fares be more likely to increase?  How long do you think I have to book before that happens?
> 
> Thanks!



Depends on your dates of travel.  Flying on friday-sunday after Thanksgiving are likely to see high fares that won't go down much if at all.  If you will fly somewhere else in the next year then its safe to book SW now.  Then watch fares daily.  If they drop rebook at the new rate and you'll have a credit for the difference towards another flight.


----------



## HollywoodTowerHotel

Huff said:


> Depends on your dates of travel.  Flying on friday-sunday after Thanksgiving are likely to see high fares that won't go down much if at all.  If you will fly somewhere else in the next year then its safe to book SW now.  Then watch fares daily.  If they drop rebook at the new rate and you'll have a credit for the difference towards another flight.



Looking at leaving for MCO on Wednesday, November 21 and returning on Monday, November 26.  That Wednesday is the most traveled day in the year they say, so it seems that $209 isn’t too bad...that’s to get the time I want.


----------



## karen4546

Help please!  I am in Louisiana and I could fly out of New Orleans, Dallas (Love Field), or Little Rock   My trip is Dec. 16-21,2018 -when do the discounted flights get released or when should i start looking if i going to fly Southwest?  I need to buy tickets for 6 adults and 3 kids -  I would love to keep it under $250 each or my husband is going to make us drive       He said he will drive the 4-5 hrs to fly if i could keep it under $250 PLUS my grandson is obsessed with space and really wants to fly in the clouds (he is 4)-please let me know when i should check? and/or  if it is possible to get a flight for that price and any other info. i may need.  TIA


----------



## eeyoreland

karen4546 said:


> Help please!  I am in Louisiana and I could fly out of New Orleans, Dallas (Love Field), or Little Rock   My trip is Dec. 16-21,2018 -when do the discounted flights get released or when should i start looking if i going to fly Southwest?  I need to buy tickets for 6 adults and 3 kids -  I would love to keep it under $250 each or my husband is going to make us drive       He said he will drive the 4-5 hrs to fly if i could keep it under $250 PLUS my grandson is obsessed with space and really wants to fly in the clouds (he is 4)-please let me know when i should check? and/or  if it is possible to get a flight for that price and any other info. i may need.  TIA



Have you been on Southwest's website to check prices? Looks like a lot of the cheaper flights are already sold out. I don't know that the prices will get any cheaper so you may want to think about booking sooner rather than later.


----------



## scrappinginontario

karen4546 said:


> Help please!  I am in Louisiana and I could fly out of New Orleans, Dallas (Love Field), or Little Rock   My trip is Dec. 16-21,2018 -when do the discounted flights get released or when should i start looking if i going to fly Southwest?  I need to buy tickets for 6 adults and 3 kids -  I would love to keep it under $250 each or my husband is going to make us drive       He said he will drive the 4-5 hrs to fly if i could keep it under $250 PLUS my grandson is obsessed with space and really wants to fly in the clouds (he is 4)-please let me know when i should check? and/or  if it is possible to get a flight for that price and any other info. i may need.  TIA


  The least expensive prices are often on release date (especially for prime holiday flight time which I think you are so close to Christmas.  SW released their December flights more than a month ago so like @eeyoreland saud, I would recommend booking now if you can find SW flights in your price range.  I’m not convinced prices will come down further.  
(We are flying in 6 weeks.  I booked opening day and prices have never come down on our flights.  Sometimes they do but there is no guarantee.)


----------



## shan981

Does SW ever add Wanna Get Away fares after that category is “sold out” for a date? Right now we are booked to fly into and out of TPA because it was so much cheaper, but really would love to switch to MCO. Flying Saturday after thanksgiving so that’s not helping our cause...


----------



## scrappinginontario

shan981 said:


> Does SW ever add Wanna Get Away fares after that category is “sold out” for a date? Right now we are booked to fly into and out of TPA because it was so much cheaper, but really would love to switch to MCO. Flying Saturday after thanksgiving so that’s not helping our cause...


  if someone with those flights changes/cancels I believe it can open but it doesn’t happen often.


----------



## Iowamomof4

shan981 said:


> Does SW ever add Wanna Get Away fares after that category is “sold out” for a date? Right now we are booked to fly into and out of TPA because it was so much cheaper, but really would love to switch to MCO. Flying Saturday after thanksgiving so that’s not helping our cause...



I've definitely seen WGA fares added.


----------



## 5DisneyNuts

WGA fares for my flight just opened  back up today.  WGA has been sold out since about an hour after the schedule was released.  That morning I bought 3 fares but needed 2 more.  We are flying the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I've been stalking the site and today it paid off. 
Good luck!


----------



## shan981

5DisneyNuts said:


> WGA fares for my flight just opened  back up today.  WGA has been sold out since about an hour after the schedule was released.  That morning I bought 3 fares but needed 2 more.  We are flying the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I've been stalking the site and today it paid off.
> Good luck!



This gives me hope! I'm checking daily and ready to change if they open back up. They've been sold out since the day they were released for me also.


----------



## cindilouwho76

shan981 said:


> Does SW ever add Wanna Get Away fares after that category is “sold out” for a date? Right now we are booked to fly into and out of TPA because it was so much cheaper, but really would love to switch to MCO. Flying Saturday after thanksgiving so that’s not helping our cause...



Last week Wanna Get Away fares were added to the flight and days that I was watching for the both to and from MCO.  As soon as I saw them, and the price was acceptable, I grabbed them.


----------



## shan981

cindilouwho76 said:


> Last week Wanna Get Away fares were added to the flight and days that I was watching for the both to and from MCO.  As soon as I saw them, and the price was acceptable, I grabbed them.



How far out from your trip were you? We are still 18 weeks out, so I am checking daily but it's nerve wracking. I guess absolute worst case we will stick with our original/current plan of flying in and out of TPA, so I shouldn't be stressing about it, but I am.


----------



## Sandiz08

shan981 said:


> How far out from your trip were you? We are still 18 weeks out, so I am checking daily but it's nerve wracking. I guess absolute worst case we will stick with our original/current plan of flying in and out of TPA, so I shouldn't be stressing about it, but I am.


 You're not alone, we are currently flying out of JAX, hopeful TPA or MCO come through for our flight back home.


----------



## tink1957

We are considering adding a night to our trip.
If I change the return flight on my rt reservation will it just adjust the price of the return leg or both flights? I  also have a flight credit due to an earlier price reduction and I'm wondering if I can use it on the same flights.

Thanks for any suggestions.


----------



## scrappinginontario

tink1957 said:


> We are considering adding a night to our trip.
> If I change the return flight on my rt reservation will it just adjust the price of the return leg or both flights? I  also have a flight credit due to an earlier price reduction and I'm wondering if I can use it on the same flights.
> 
> Thanks for any suggestions.


  you will go in to your reservation and select change beside your return flight.  This will allow you to change that flight and only affect the price difference of that flight.  If you have flight credits to apply, I believe if it’s for a different reservation number there will be space you can enter that confirmation number to apply the funds.  If the funds are for the confirmation you are changing they should automatically be applied if you are signed into hour RR account.


----------



## focusondisney

shan981 said:


> Does SW ever add Wanna Get Away fares after that category is “sold out” for a date? Right now we are booked to fly into and out of TPA because it was so much cheaper, but really would love to switch to MCO. Flying Saturday after thanksgiving so that’s not helping our cause...



Yes, I have seen this happen many times in the last 2 years  or so.  Seems like the new way that are operating: release WGA fares on opening day, raise them quickly, list them as sold out & then release them again a few months later.  I travel from Buffalo but when it has happened to me, I have also checked many random cities & found the same thing in every city.  I have posted about it before too., if you want to search for those posts.    I did not check holiday weeks tho, because I don’t travel at major holidays.


----------



## cindilouwho76

shan981 said:


> How far out from your trip were you? We are still 18 weeks out, so I am checking daily but it's nerve wracking. I guess absolute worst case we will stick with our original/current plan of flying in and out of TPA, so I shouldn't be stressing about it, but I am.



We are flying over Thanksgiving - Nov 17-24 - which is about 17 weeks from now.


----------



## leitadisneyfan

Our flight has gone down $20.00 if I call sw they give me a credit?  Can I use that credit to pay for the early check in?


----------



## mom2rtk

leitadisneyfan said:


> Our flight has gone down $20.00 if I call sw they give me a credit?  Can I use that credit to pay for the early check in?


You can change your reservation from the old flight to the new flight at the lower price online and will then receive the credit. It cannot be used to purchase EBCI.


----------



## klo1335

My exact flight that I booked last week dropped by $20.  Is there anything I can do to get the lower price?  It would save us $80.

Thanks!


----------



## klo1335

klo1335 said:


> My exact flight that I booked last week dropped by $20. Is there anything I can do to get the lower price? It would save us $80.
> 
> Thanks!



Cancel.  I figured it out   Very easy to to.


----------



## scrappinginontario

klo1335 said:


> My exact flight that I booked last week dropped by $20.  Is there anything I can do to get the lower price?  It would save us $80.
> 
> Thanks!


  You can sign into your RR account (if you have one) and select to 'change' your flight.  You will receive $20 credits for each person.  These credits will be non-transferable and must be used for travel completed by your original booking date.


----------



## JayhawkFans

We have EBCI for our flight this Saturday and just received email from SW about various things INCLUDING needing to check-in 24 hrs prior.  I assume that email goes out to everyone whether or not they have EBCI.  Definitely don’t want to mess anything up


----------



## scrappinginontario

JayhawkFans said:


> We have EBCI for our flight this Saturday and just received email from SW about various things INCLUDING needing to check-in 24 hrs prior.  I assume that email goes out to everyone whether or not they have EBCI.  Definitely don’t want to mess anything up


  Yes, this is a standard email.  If you have already purchased EBCI you will be checked in 36 hours prior to the flight.  (Not sure if you can see your boarding pass # at that point or if you need to wait until 24 hours out.  Have never tried looking.)

Enjoy your trip!


----------



## Fangorn

JayhawkFans said:


> We have EBCI for our flight this Saturday and just received email from SW about various things INCLUDING needing to check-in 24 hrs prior.  I assume that email goes out to everyone whether or not they have EBCI.  Definitely don’t want to mess anything up



Yes, typically everyone gets the email. You can't mess anything up. With EBCI you'll be checked in automatically 36 hours before your flight - meaning your boarding number is assigned at that time. The only way to see your boarding assignment is to go through the "check-in" process again once you're inside the 24 hour mark. Doing so will not change anything. You can "check-in" as many times as you want. 

Steve


----------



## cindilouwho76

Our flight over Thanksgiving, just dropped in price for their Wanna Get Away fares.  They dropped almost $100 each!  The flight prices this morning were back in line to the price it was the minute the fares were released in May.


----------



## ToxicRoyalty

Those who have used a wheelchair when flying Southwest- did you board with your boarding group from check in? Did they board you early?


----------



## shoreward

ToxicRoyalty said:


> Those who have used a wheelchair when flying Southwest- did you board with your boarding group from check in? Did they board you early?


Those with wheelchairs or other special needs are allowed to preboard, before the general boarding.  Make sure your reservation has the wheelchair noted on it.


----------



## georgina

cindilouwho76 said:


> Our flight over Thanksgiving, just dropped in price for their Wanna Get Away fares.  They dropped almost $100 each!  The flight prices this morning were back in line to the price it was the minute the fares were released in May.



That's great! Our flights home on the Monday after Thanksgiving are all still showing WGA fares sold out, and while the flights to MCO on Sunday the 18th have WGA fares they are still higher that what we booked.


----------



## capegirl

We have an 11 year old with a boot and crutches. Do I have to notify Southwest in advance to arrange for wheelchair assistance to the gate?


----------



## scrappinginontario

According to the SW website:  
*
Wheelchair assistance*

Wheelchair assistance is available from the airport curb to/from gates and between gates for connecting flights. Note: Because we have no means to identify Customers who require assistance on sight, Customers who have requested assistance must identify themselves as needing our help upon arrival to the airport, at any connection points, and upon arrival to their destination.

This link should probably help you:  https://www.southwest.com/html/cust...el-needs/customers-with-disabilities-pol.html


----------



## shoreward

capegirl said:


> We have an 11 year old with a boot and crutches. Do I have to notify Southwest in advance to arrange for wheelchair assistance to the gate?


Make sure to add the wheelchair request to their reservation, if you have not done so.  That way, a wheelchair will be waiting at the gate upon arrival, as well as have their boarding pass notated with wheelchair and preboard.


----------



## Lvsdisney

I am looking at a later connecting flight on a Tuesday (leaves MCO 7:40 pm). it connects through ATL and it seems like a 45 Min layover. it's going to be me and my 2 kids (8,5) so I would like to be seated with them.

 what do you think the chances are of getting off the plane in time to board with whatever group I'm assigned to (I hope no less than B)?

and I know this has been asked prior, but if I have a connection, is my boarding position the same as first flight or do they assign different positions? i don't remember.


----------



## shoreward

Lvsdisney said:


> I am looking at a later connecting flight on a Tuesday (leaves MCO 7:40 pm). it connects through ATL and it seems like a 45 Min layover. it's going to be me and my 2 kids (8,5) so I would like to be seated with them.
> 
> what do you think the chances are of getting off the plane in time to board with whatever group I'm assigned to (I hope no less than B)?
> 
> and I know this has been asked prior, but if I have a connection, is my boarding position the same as first flight or do they assign different positions? i don't remember.


If there have been weather delays around the country, the later in the day the flights, the more chance of delays, which can affect connections.  So, there is really no way of knowing in advance if your flights will be affected.  The good news is that the Southwest gates at ATL are all in the same area, same concourse, unlike DL.

With the five year old, you qualify for Family Boarding (thru age six).  If it's just you and the two kids, a friendly ops agent at the gate might let you do Family Boarding with both kids (you can always nicely ask in advance).

When you check in for your reservation, both the originating and connecting flight boarding positions are assigned together.


----------



## Lvsdisney

shoreward said:


> If there have weather delays around the country, the later in the day the flights, the more chance of delays, which can affect connections.  So, there is really no way of knowing in advance if your flights will be affected.  The good news is that the Southwest gates at ATL are all in the same area, same concourse, unlike DL.
> 
> With the five year old, you qualify for Family Boarding (thru age six).  If it's just you and the two kids, a friendly ops agent at the gate might let you do Family Boarding with both kids (you can always nicely ask in advance).
> 
> When you check in for your reservation, both the originating and connecting flight boarding positions are assigned together.



I know weather can be a factor, I've just never been to ATL so good to know the gates are close!  I'll keep my fingers crossed they'll allow family boarding (and that I get there in time for it).


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Lvsdisney said:


> but if I have a connection, is my boarding position the same as first flight or do they assign different positions? i don't remember.


Your boarding positions will be assigned once you check in for your first flight but your actual boarding position may or may not be the same number (normally they aren't) for both flights.

For example when we flew to Newark in December we had to stop in Chicago (as there was not a non-stop option to Newark at that time from my home airport). On the way from my home airport to Chicago my Boarding position was A60 and from Chicago to Newark it was A44.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Lvsdisney said:


> if I have a connection, is my boarding position the same as first flight or do they assign different positions? i don't remember.


  Normally the second flight works to your advantage because when you check in 24 hours prior to your MCO flight it is still more than 24 hours before your ATL flight so those guests are not able to check in yet.  Your Boarding Number should be right after those assigned to the EBCI guests.  If you receive A boarding pass numbers you can board with the A's and if they're B's you can do family boarding.  I cannot for a second imagine that SW would ask your 8yo to remain in the airport and board with their boarding group!  If you're boarding with families I would take them with you and just not ask.  If they question you mention you are the only adult with both the children.

It's personal but to be safe I always choose to pay for EBCI on our returning flights when leaving Disney as I find even though I have reminders pop up on my phone, it's not always convenient to stop and check in right at 24 hours or, I don't see the reminder until later and we've just been having too much fun to even consider that the following day we have to go home.


----------



## capegirl

shoreward said:


> Make sure to add the wheelchair request to their reservation, if you have not done so.  That way, a wheelchair will be waiting at the gate upon arrival, as well as have their boarding pass notated with wheelchair and preboard.





scrappinginontario said:


> According to the SW website:
> *
> Wheelchair assistance*
> 
> Wheelchair assistance is available from the airport curb to/from gates and between gates for connecting flights. Note: Because we have no means to identify Customers who require assistance on sight, Customers who have requested assistance must identify themselves as needing our help upon arrival to the airport, at any connection points, and upon arrival to their destination.
> 
> This link should probably help you:  https://www.southwest.com/html/cust...el-needs/customers-with-disabilities-pol.html




Thanks for your help! I will call SW to add the wheelchair request.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

scrappinginontario said:


> Normally the second flight works to your advantage because when you check in 24 hours prior to your MCO flight it is still more than 24 hours before your ATL flight so those guests are not able to check in yet.


I feel like that is completely dependent on each flight. Maybe more often than not you get a better position but it's always a toss up.

For example that same flight I spoke about in my comment just above yours for that December flight on the way from Newark to St. Louis (as we flew through STL on the way home instead of through MDW) my Boarding position was A44 but from STL to my home airport it was B2.

The composition of each flight becomes different (number of A-listers, number of EBCI purchased, number of Anytime fares purchased, etc).


----------



## scrappinginontario

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I feel like that is completely dependent on each flight. Maybe more often than not you get a better position but it's always a toss up.
> 
> For example that same flight I spoke about in my comment just above yours for that December flight on the way from Newark to St. Louis (as we flew through STL on the way home instead of through MDW) my Boarding position was A44 but from STL to my home airport it was B2.
> 
> The composition of each flight becomes different (number of A-listers, number of EBCI purchased, number of Anytime fares purchased, etc).


  And that's the reason why the very first word in my response was '_normally_'.  Every situation is different but she will still be assigned a boarding number before all the guests that need to wait to check in at the 24 hour mark.  What will make the difference is how many people purchased EBCI for her second flight.


----------



## Lvsdisney

thank you @shoreward @Mackenzie Click-Mickelson @scrappinginontario !!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

scrappinginontario said:


> And that's the reason why the very first word in my response was '_normally_'.  Every situation is different but she will still be assigned a boarding number before all the guests that need to wait to check in at the 24 hour mark.  What will make the difference is how many people purchased EBCI for her second flight.


Yup just sharing my experience for informational purposes


----------



## crcurton

mom2rtk said:


> You can change your reservation from the old flight to the new flight at the lower price online and will then receive the credit. It cannot be used to purchase EBCI.


How long do you have to do this?


----------



## mom2rtk

crcurton said:


> How long do you have to do this?


Not sure if there's a deadline. But flights tend to have lower prices further out, so much harder to find a better deal closer to your day of travel.

The credit must be used for travel within a year of the original date of purchase.


----------



## shoreward

crcurton said:


> How long do you have to do this?


There is no deadline to refare before departure, so it can pay to check on a regular basis.


----------



## scrappinginontario

crcurton said:


> How long do you have to do this?


. Personally I do it each time I see lower prices as there is no guarantee how long those prices will be available.


----------



## klo1335

I am still on the fence about purchasing EBCI.  I don't want to spend the extra $120 and I really don't care where we sit but I don't want to be seperated from the kids.


----------



## AngieInOH

klo1335 said:


> I am still on the fence about purchasing EBCI.  I don't want to spend the extra $120 and I really don't care where we sit but I don't want to be seperated from the kids.



Same with me.


----------



## mom2rtk

klo1335 said:


> I am still on the fence about purchasing EBCI.  I don't want to spend the extra $120 and I really don't care where we sit but I don't want to be seperated from the kids.





AngieInOH said:


> Same with me.



The longer you wait, the less value you get for your money since I believe numbers are assigned in the order purchased. So either jump in with both feet or try it without.


----------



## scrappinginontario

klo1335 said:


> I am still on the fence about purchasing EBCI.  I don't want to spend the extra $120 and I really don't care where we sit but I don't want to be seperated from the kids.





AngieInOH said:


> Same with me.



I used to be the same but after my experience in January I've changed my tune, at least for the return flight home from Disney.

At the exact 24 hour mark we were tied up at Disney so I was delayed in getting our check-ins done.  When I did so I was quite comfortable as we were in the B50's.  Not ideal but I wasn't concerned.

All that changed when my 8yo DD and I boarded the plane only to find out that there were no 2 seats together ANYWHERE in the entire plane!!  We stood at the back with her gently crying into my chest as the flight attendants requested (a few times) if anyone was willing to move seats.  I was fully prepared (and already asking the flight attendant) if we could get off and take a later flight if they couldn't find us seats together.

Thankfully after a few calls on the PA system (and what felt like an eternity to my DD and I) someone offered to move seats so that we could sit together.

I NEVER want to experience that again so for myself, buying the EBCI for the return flight is an easy decision.  On the way down I'm not as distracted and busy so can arrange to be online exactly at the 24 hour mark to check us in.  I just won't risk it on the way home again though.  For us, lesson learned the hard way!


----------



## morrismhs

The answer is probably no  - I made a reservation for myself, DH and DD.  Two months later we decided to take a friend of DD and I made a reservation for her on the same flight.  Is there any way to combine the single confirmation into mine?  We have TSA Pre and want her to have it too.  I was hoping someone would have experience with this before I call.  TIA


----------



## mcd2745

we've always purchased EBCI for all our return flights. I can't be bothered interrupting the last day of our vacation to make sure i'm online checking in. for the flights down, it depends on the date and time of the flight, and whether or not i think it will be an issue checking in at the 24-hour mark.


----------



## Cherrychip

New to flying with SW and I want to make sure I understand the policy if you cancel a Wanna Get Away ticket.  If you paid with cash, you can cancel and receive a voucher good for 1 year from the date you originally booked the flight, correct? 


If you paid with points, the points go back to your SW account, correct?  Do you have to then use the points within 1 year of when you originally booked the date, or will they remain indefinitely (provided the account is kept active?)


----------



## shoreward

Cherrychip said:


> New to flying with SW and I want to make sure I understand the policy if you cancel a Wanna Get Away ticket.  If you paid with cash, you can cancel and receive a voucher good for 1 year from the date you originally booked the flight, correct?
> 
> 
> If you paid with points, the points go back to your SW account, correct?  Do you have to then use the points within 1 year of when you originally booked the date, or will they remain indefinitely (provided the account is kept active?)


If you paid with a credit card (or gift card, etc.) for the flight and cancel, you need to retain that confirmation number to apply the travel funds to future travel; the new travel must be completed within one year from date of original booking.  If you had EBCI, that value will be lost.  There is no voucher involved, so keep that conf. number in a safe place.

Flights that are booked with RR points and cancelled are much simpler.  The points will be returned to the original account, and the taxes and fees will be credited back to your credit card.  There is no time frame, whatsoever, involved with a points booking.  Just be sure to cancel the flight before departure.


----------



## Herbatlees

shoreward said:


> If you paid with a credit card (or gift card, etc.) for the flight and cancel, you need to retain that confirmation number to apply the travel funds to future travel;* the new travel must be completed within one year from date of original booking.*  If you had EBCI, that value will be lost.  There is no voucher involved, so keep that conf. number in a safe place.



Does SW ever bend on this rule? 
I have travel funds and would like to use them towards an upcoming trip, but the travel funds expire in Feb and the trip is later than that.  Can I book a flight now  for February and then cancel and rebook again?

Seems a bit unfair. IF you find a lower fare two days before your flight, but you booked 9-10months out, your travel funds would expire within days.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Herbatlees said:


> Seems a bit unfair. IF you find a lower fare two days before your flight, but you booked 9-10months out, your travel funds would expire within days.


Obviously you're just venting and I can understand the frustration.  It's worth noting that Southwest already has the best policy in non-refundable fares that they give the credit in the first place.  With other major carriers...non-refundable = NON-refundable.  SW does clearly state the limitations of using their credit.

Also it's not possible that someone booked 10 months out (at least based on recent history).  Historically speaking (over the past 470 days) Southwest has on average 223 days of schedule released which is 7.3 months at any given time.  On two occasions, their releases included a full 9 months of dates meaning that they only had 9 months of schedule available on 10 out of the previous 470 days and the other 460 days were < 9 months.  (For those interested, their lowest point was 5.2 months of schedule available which occurred this year prior to their holiday release).  Typically their releases go 7.5 - 8.5 months out.

I'm somewhat of a SW release date historian, so just figured I'd share this info for those interested


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

For those wondering where that analysis and info comes from...Here are the historical release dates in recent history:

5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019

_NEXT RELEASE:_ 8/16/18 - travel through April 5th, 2019
This could also be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases as they seem to follow a fairly steady pattern from year to year.


----------



## iivye

Herbatlees said:


> Does SW ever bend on this rule?
> I have travel funds and would like to use them towards an upcoming trip, but the travel funds expire in Feb and the trip is later than that. Can I book a flight now for February and then cancel and rebook again?



Southwest won't extend the expiration date of travel funds. You can wait until they expire and then call Customer Relations and ask for them to be reissued as a LUV Voucher. The fee for this is $100, which will be deducted from the funds balance.


----------



## Iowamomof4

SouthFayetteFan said:


> For those wondering where that analysis and info comes from...Here are the historical release dates in recent history:
> 
> 5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
> 6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
> 7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
> 8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
> 11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
> 2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
> 3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
> 5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
> 6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
> 
> _NEXT RELEASE:_ 8/16/18 - travel through April 5th, 2019
> This could also be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases as they seem to follow a fairly steady pattern from year to year.



Yikes! Our next trip (if we can make it happen) would be from about August 5-August 15, 2019. Based on your chart, we might be able to book our outgoing flight in early November, but would then have to wait 3 months (!!!) to book our return flight?! Ouch.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Iowamomof4 said:


> Yikes! Our next trip (if we can make it happen) would be from about August 5-August 15, 2019. Based on your chart, we might be able to book our outgoing flight in early November, but would then have to wait 3 months (!!!) to book our return flight?! Ouch.


  it’s pretty common for people to experience this.  It’s hapoened to me in the past and just meant I had 2 confirmation numbers rather than one and I needed to be ready gurvreleasses twice.

Really wasn’t a problem at all.


----------



## Iowamomof4

scrappinginontario said:


> it’s pretty common for people to experience this.  It’s hapoened to me in the past and just meant I had 2 confirmation numbers rather than one and I needed to be ready gurvreleasses twice.
> 
> Really wasn’t a problem at all.



I'm just complaining about the possibility of only being able to see one leg of my trip for a few months before the whole thing comes available. Booking when the flights open has not been a good strategy for my route, my flights tend to go way down in price when we get to the 2-3 month point, so I have to wait anyway. But I always feel better when I'm close enough that I can see both flights as I monitor prices.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Iowamomof4 said:


> I'm just complaining about the possibility of only being able to see one leg of my trip for a few months before the whole thing comes available. Booking when the flights open has not been a good strategy for my route, my flights tend to go way down in price when we get to the 2-3 month point, so I have to wait anyway. But I always feel better when I'm close enough that I can see both flights as I monitor prices.


You're right that it can be frustrating...and I think for those that are somewhat flexible with their dates it can be extremely frustrating.  We used to go in on a Tues, Wed, or Thurs and stay for 6 or 7 nights and a split release in that scenario was my nightmare.  I wanted to plan around the least expensive flights and only seeing half of it was maddening haha!  Now that we are in a "set date" mode (we do Sat - Sat now) I find a split release much less worrisome.


----------



## DrFacilier

We will be headed to WDW in March 17th-23rd and plan to purchase our tickets with RR points over the next few months.  DW has a CP so we only need to buy 3 tickets for our family of 4.  My plan is to earn a CP myself by February.  If we buy 3 tickets with points and I earn a CP (so we would only need 2 purchased tickets) can we just get our points back for that ticket or do we have to rebook the trip with only 2 purchased tickets and the 2 CPs?


----------



## shoreward

DrFacilier said:


> We will be headed to WDW in March 17th-23rd and plan to purchase our tickets with RR points over the next few months.  DW has a CP so we only need to buy 3 tickets for our family of 4.  My plan is to earn a CP myself by February.  If we buy 3 tickets with points and I earn a CP (so we would only need 2 purchased tickets) can we just get our points back for that ticket or do we have to rebook the trip with only 2 purchased tickets and the 2 CPs?


If you purchase the tickets with separate reservations for you and the person flying on your CP, it will be easy to just cancel out that person and get a complete points refund; then immediately go in and add that person back, using your CP.


----------



## shan981

We are traveling with two 1yos who will have their own seats. We paid for early bird check-in, but the SW rep said that we could do that only for the adult and older child travelers, and not for the 1yos since they have to board with us anyway. Is this accurate? I'm nervous that we will not be allowed to board with the A group if our entire party, including the ticketed 1yos, doesn't have an A boarding pass.  (Side note, I realize that early bird doesn't guarantee "A" boarding, but I'm operating under the assumption that it will.)


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

yes the baby can board with you!


----------



## shan981

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> yes the baby can board with you!



And they won't make us wait until the regular family boarding if we have "A" passes but babies have "B" or "C"? Also, do I need to online check-in for babies at 24 hours? Ours will be done automatically.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

If you all have EBCI you do not have to check in at the 24 hour mark. SWA will check you in 36 hrs before your flight. You will however have to print your boarding passes anytime after the 24hr mark.  If the babies do not have EBCI the rule with SWA is that you can board as a group with the person who has the highest boarding position. or in your case between the A & B boarding if someone has a B or C position.  And yes if the babies do not have EBCI you will have to check in at the 24 hr mark


----------



## shan981

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> If you all have EBCI you do not have to check in at the 24 hour mark. SWA will check you in 36 hrs before your flight. You will however have to print your boarding passes anytime after the 24hr mark.



Only DH, me, and my 10yo have EBCI. My two toddlers do not, but they do have their own seats/tickets.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> If you all have EBCI you do not have to check in at the 24 hour mark. SWA will check you in 36 hrs before your flight. You will however have to print your boarding passes anytime after the 24hr mark.  If the babies do not have EBCI the rule with SWA is that you can board as a group with the person who has the highest boarding position. or in your case between the A & B boarding if someone has a B or C position.  And yes if the babies do not have EBCI you will have to check in at the 24 hr mark


  Has this been your personal experience?  It doesn’t quite make sense since OP says they are not allowed to purchase EBCI fir the babies.


----------



## shan981

scrappinginontario said:


> Has this been your personal experience?  It doesn’t quite make sense since OP says they are not allowed to purchase EBCI fir the babies.



They didn't say we weren't allowed to purchase EBCI for the babies, they just said we didn't need to since the babies will board with us regardless. I'm leaning toward spending the extra $$ and buying it for them anyway because I don't trust that's true. But my DH seems to think that since an agent said it, it will be fine. I don't want to stress about it from now until November though.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

shan981 said:


> They didn't say we weren't allowed to purchase EBCI for the babies, they just said we didn't need to since the babies will board with us regardless. I'm leaning toward spending the extra $$ and buying it for them anyway because I don't trust that's true. But my DH seems to think that since an agent said it, it will be fine. I don't want to stress about it from now until November though.


You've brought up a very interesting question...If those were lap children, they would absolutely board with you.  Since they are ticketed passengers that will occupy a seat...I'd say you technically need EBCI for them to board with you.  The "reason" they need to board with you is because you can't leave a 1 year old at the gate to board by themselves later.  However, I also can't leave my 4 year old at the gate to be board by herself later...and they aren't letting her get on with me in the A group if she has a B group pass.  There doesn't seem to be any difference in those two situations...  I'd say you might get away with it because of their age (not saying you're trying to "get away" with anything...just describing it as such)...but that agent is not correct IMO.


----------



## scrappinginontario

shan981 said:


> They didn't say we weren't allowed to purchase EBCI for the babies, they just said we didn't need to since the babies will board with us regardless. I'm leaning toward spending the extra $$ and buying it for them anyway because I don't trust that's true. But my DH seems to think that since an agent said it, it will be fine. I don't want to stress about it from now until November though.


  Thanks for clarifying.  I misunderstood the first time.

Did you speak with more than one agent?  I'd be tempted to call again....and maybe even again and find out what kind of answer(s) I'm receiving.  If you get 3 the same then I don't think you would need EBCI for your 1 yo's but as @SouthFayetteFan said, a slightly older child would require EBCI.  If they have a seat assigned to them I'm surprised that they wouldn't need EBCI if you wish to load before the Family Boarding.


----------



## Chip_Dale

Will not have data on my phone. If I check in while I have WIFI and do a screen print of my boarding pass to my phone.  Will that working going through security and boarding the plane. Or will I need somewhere to print the pass.


----------



## Lvsdisney

Chip_Dale said:


> Will not have data on my phone. If I check in while I have WIFI and do a screen print of my boarding pass to my phone.  Will that working going through security and boarding the plane. Or will I need somewhere to print the pass.



You have a few options... If you are staying on site and are using RAC, they'll print out the boarding pass, if you check-in your luggage at the airport, they'll probably print one for you (I've printed out BPs before and still had them hand me ones at the counter...).  I also think there are kiosks to print out BPs.  

I have never done digital BPs so I can't answer that question.


----------



## DMOMof3

Just saw this on the SW site. Looks like they changed the next release date!

We are currently accepting air reservations through March 6, 2019. On August 30,2018 we will open our schedule for sale through April 5, 2019. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


----------



## cmarsh31

DMOMof3 said:


> Just saw this on the SW site. Looks like they changed the next release date!
> 
> We are currently accepting air reservations through March 6, 2019. On August 30,2018 we will open our schedule for sale through April 5, 2019. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.



Thanks! I'm waiting for March training dates that aren't out yet, and the 8/16 was giving me panic attacks! Hopefully we'll have dates by the 30th!


----------



## eeyoreland

Does anyone have any experience with the Nashville airport? Wondering if a 45 minute layover is enough time.


----------



## scrappinginontario

eeyoreland said:


> Does anyone have any experience with the Nashville airport? Wondering if a 45 minute layover is enough time.


  I haven’t been to Nashville but to many other airports that service SW flights.  My experience has been that because their gate layout is specialized with the numbered pillars and tv monitors the gates are all close together.  I was once worried as we had a 25 min layover to change gates and did so with no trouble.


----------



## DMOMof3

cmarsh31 said:


> Thanks! I'm waiting for March training dates that aren't out yet, and the 8/16 was giving me panic attacks! Hopefully we'll have dates by the 30th!


8/16 was having me panic too! My daughters getting married on 8/17 and I need to buy flights for my March solo trip. This gives me a little more time.


----------



## jenseib

eeyoreland said:


> Does anyone have any experience with the Nashville airport? Wondering if a 45 minute layover is enough time.



As long as flights are on time you will be fine.  I have been there a few times for lay overs and most of the gates are very close to each other for SW.


----------



## pd1138

I checked in this morning at the 24 hour mark and we have mid Bs.  I did not buy EBCI when I bought my flights six months ago, but I did panic and added it three months ago.  Now I know next time if I decide to add it to do that when I purchased the tickets.  Hard lesson.  So I’m repacking my kids’ carry on so if they have to sit on their own they will have plenty to do.  I am asking  even though I purchased ECBI can I still board with family boarding for me and my three year old?  Then husband and three other kids can just find seats where they can when they finally board.  I guess a lot of people purchase EBCI now.  For the $90 it was a waste for me to have purchased it after I bought the tickets. We may still be split up just as we would have been had I not purchased it.  Oh well.


----------



## scrappinginontario

pd1138 said:


> I checked in this morning at the 24 hour mark and we have mid Bs.  I did not buy EBCI when I bought my flights six months ago, but I did panic and added it three months ago.  Now I know next time if I decide to add it to do that when I purchased the tickets.  Hard lesson.  So I’m repacking my kids’ carry on so if they have to sit on their own they will have plenty to do.  I am asking  even though I purchased ECBI can I still board with family boarding for me and my three year old?  Then husband and three other kids can just find seats where they can when they finally board.  I guess a lot of people purchase EBCI now.  For the $90 it was a waste for me to have purchased it after I bought the tickets. We may still be split up just as we would have been had I not purchased it.  Oh well.


  I’m sorry to hear you ended up mid B’s even with EBCI.  That’s unfortunate for sure!!  I find mire and more people seem to be purchasing it for the MCO trips as families want to sit together.

Yes, you and your 3yo can still check-in with the family boarding.  How old are you other children?


----------



## AngieInOH

pd1138 said:


> I checked in this morning at the 24 hour mark and we have mid Bs.  I did not buy EBCI when I bought my flights six months ago, but I did panic and added it three months ago.  Now I know next time if I decide to add it to do that when I purchased the tickets.  Hard lesson.



Does it matter when you purchase it?


----------



## pd1138

@scrappinginontario My DH is not as worried.  He said I should do family with the three year old, put her in window with car harness and sit in window,  no one should get super excited about that middle seat.  Then when he boards in middle B group he’ll give me 7 year old to put in middle seat and he thinks he’ll find three together for him and two others age 8 and 9...worse case I talked to them and they are ok if they have to sit on own,  only two hours.  I’ll be sure to report here tomorrow what actually happened.  DH reminded me we are first flight at 6 am so no one should already be on the plane.....


----------



## scrappinginontario

AngieInOH said:


> Does it matter when you purchase it?


 Yes.  EBCI numbers are assigned in the order that you purchase it therefore those purchasing first are assigned A16, A17, etc.  The longer you wait to purchase it the more opportunity there is for others to purchase it before you.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

AngieInOH said:


> Does it matter when you purchase it?


Yes, it is based on when you purchased and your fare purchased.

People who purchase Anytime fares along with EBCI for example are put ahead of those who purchased Wanna Get Away with EBCI. And for that matter people who purchase Anytime fares without EBCI are put ahead of those who purchased Wanna Get Away fares (ETA: without EBCI).


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

scrappinginontario said:


> Yes.  EBCI numbers are assigned in the order that you purchase it therefore those purchasing *first are assigned A16, A17,* etc.  The longer you wait to purchase it the more opportunity there is for others to purchase it before you.


That's not exactly how they would assign that.

A-listers are ahead of those who purchased EBCI and the other fares with the exception of Business Select (whose slots are A1-A15). What position you get with EBCI will always depend on each and every flight and the passengers that each flight is comprised of.

Simply put EBCI will assign you an earlier Boarding position than not purchasing EBCI (random flukes aside). There are those rare occassions that happen to someone when they did not purchase EBCI but someone who purchased it or an A-lister cancels under 36hrs from the flight and their Boarding position is assigned to someone else thus suddenly they may have a very good Boarding position-happed to my sister-in-law one time where she got an A16 this way even with some A-listers on Board.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Chip_Dale said:


> Will not have data on my phone. If I check in while I have WIFI and do a screen print of my boarding pass to my phone.  Will that working going through security and boarding the plane. Or will I need somewhere to print the pass.


I just send it as a text (which is one of the options) and then save it to my phone (I you have Android). Whenever I do mobile boarding pass it goes as a Download to my Gallery app and then when it's time I just pull it up like I were any other photo. You should have your screen brightness up though for both TSA and the SWA gate agent should you choose to use mobile boarding pass.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

pd1138 said:


> @scrappinginontario My DH is not as worried.  He said I should do family with the three year old, put her in window with car harness and sit in window,  no one should get super excited about that middle seat.  Then when he boards in middle B group he’ll give me 7 year old to put in middle seat and he thinks he’ll find three together for him and two others age 8 and 9...worse case I talked to them and they are ok if they have to sit on own,  only two hours.  I’ll be sure to report here tomorrow what actually happened.  DH reminded me we are first flight at 6 am so no one should already be on the plane.....


Generally speaking middle seats are not wanted lol and only taken towards the end when the other options have been exhausted.

The going advice seems to be head towards the back if trying to find multiple seats together as they are less likely to have been taken. Given that Family Boarding is between A and B and you guys got middle B's you may not find it's a big big deal between the availability of seats you have and the availability of seats your husband has once he boards with your other two children (though of course that depends on other passengers) but I would still say that front of the plane and around the exit rows are typically of higher value and taken earlier on.


----------



## AngieInOH

scrappinginontario said:


> Yes.  EBCI numbers are assigned in the order that you purchase it therefore those purchasing first are assigned A16, A17, etc.  The longer you wait to purchase it the more opportunity there is for others to purchase it before you.





Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Yes, it is based on when you purchased and your fare purchased.
> 
> People who purchase Anytime fares along with EBCI for example are put ahead of those who purchased Wanna Get Away with EBCI. And for that matter people who purchase Anytime fares without EBCI are put ahead of those who purchased Wanna Get Away fares (ETA: without EBCI).



Thanks, this makes sense and now I'm somewhat kicking myself for not making a decision on it when I purchased.  Flight not till Jan so I'll decide soon!

Good info thanks!


----------



## MarBee

Question about purchasing EBCI.  I booked flights for February but may need to change my dates/times later.  If I were to purchase EBCI for my family of 4 now, do I get refunded if I switch flights?  Or will the EBCI “transfer” to the new flight?


----------



## shoreward

MarBee said:


> Question about purchasing EBCI.  I booked flights for February but may need to change my dates/times later.  If I were to purchase EBCI for my family of 4 now, do I get refunded if I switch flights?  Or will the EBCI “transfer” to the new flight?


As long as you "change" and not "cancel," EBCI moves to your new flight.  If you "cancel," EBCI is lost and the cost will not be refunded.


----------



## jerseygal

Not bad...Flight on points booked for 3 of us on June 9 into Orlando, one way in December...Flight has dropped twice since then, total of 798 points.. For three, got back 2,394 into the account for just monitoring the flight!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

pd1138 said:


> I checked in this morning at the 24 hour mark and we have mid Bs.  I did not buy EBCI when I bought my flights six months ago, but I did panic and added it three months ago.  Now I know next time if I decide to add it to do that when I purchased the tickets.  Hard lesson.  So I’m repacking my kids’ carry on so if they have to sit on their own they will have plenty to do.  I am asking  even though I purchased ECBI can I still board with family boarding for me and my three year old?  Then husband and three other kids can just find seats where they can when they finally board.  I guess a lot of people purchase EBCI now.  For the $90 it was a waste for me to have purchased it after I bought the tickets. We may still be split up just as we would have been had I not purchased it.  Oh well.





pd1138 said:


> @scrappinginontario My DH is not as worried.  He said I should do family with the three year old, put her in window with car harness and sit in window,  no one should get super excited about that middle seat.  Then when he boards in middle B group he’ll give me 7 year old to put in middle seat and he thinks he’ll find three together for him and two others age 8 and 9...worse case I talked to them and they are ok if they have to sit on own,  only two hours.  I’ll be sure to report here tomorrow what actually happened.  DH reminded me we are first flight at 6 am so no one should already be on the plane.....


I would just attempt to board as a family during family boarding.  Apparently this has only just occurred to me that perhaps we weren't within "formal policy" but my, my wife, my 4 year old and my 8 year old always board together during family boarding.  I see tons of families with _some _kids over 6 boarding during family boarding because they have _at least_ one kid under 6.  Upon reviewing the rules again, I guess a gate agent could send the older kids back to the regular line but in practice on tons of flights (i.e. 60+ flights), I've never seen that occur.


----------



## Livelovedance

shoreward said:


> If you paid with a credit card (or gift card, etc.) for the flight and cancel, you need to retain that confirmation number to apply the travel funds to future travel; the new travel must be completed within one year from date of original booking.  If you had EBCI, that value will be lost.  There is no voucher involved, so keep that conf. number in a safe place.
> 
> Flights that are booked with RR points and cancelled are much simpler.  The points will be returned to the original account, and the taxes and fees will be credited back to your credit card.  There is no time frame, whatsoever, involved with a points booking.  Just be sure to cancel the flight before departure.



I was just reading on another thread about this and the poster stated that they think SW doesn’t refund the fees to your credit card anymore, but they would be credited to your RR account as cash. Does anyone have any recent experience with this process? I don’t want to cause any drama - I’m just trying to figure out exactly what would happen if we needed to cancel a flight booked with points, and what we could afford to lose. If the fees are credited to your RR account, would they be subject to the 1 year from booking expiration?


----------



## MarBee

Livelovedance said:


> I was just reading on another thread about this and the poster stated that they think SW doesn’t refund the fees to your credit card anymore, but they would be credited to your RR account as cash. Does anyone have any recent experience with this process? I don’t want to cause any drama - I’m just trying to figure out exactly what would happen if we needed to cancel a flight booked with points, and what we could afford to lose. If the fees are credited to your RR account, would they be subject to the 1 year from booking expiration?


I just cancelled today and the funds were credited back to my credit card.


----------



## Livelovedance

MarBee said:


> I just cancelled today and the funds were credited back to my credit card.


Perfect, thank you!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Livelovedance said:


> I was just reading on another thread about this and the poster stated that they think SW doesn’t refund the fees to your credit card anymore, but they would be credited to your RR account as cash. Does anyone have any recent experience with this process? I don’t want to cause any drama - I’m just trying to figure out exactly what would happen if we needed to cancel a flight booked with points, and what we could afford to lose. If the fees are credited to your RR account, would they be subject to the 1 year from booking expiration?


If you book a flight on points - initially the fees are refundable back to your credit card.  Effective May 2017 when Southwest launched their new computer system, IF you CHANGE or RE-BOOK a points flight the fees then become non-refundable.  If you need to change your flight OR are looking to re-book to save some points, the advice is to CANCEL, request a refund of your fees, and book a new flight.  

If you've already changed or rebooked a flight on points and now try to cancel, your funds will NOT be refunded and will become a travel credit for use ONLY by that traveler for 1 year from the date you initially booked the flight.

This change occurred in May 2017, so anything you see written online prior to that may not reference this advice.


----------



## MarBee

Another question about funds being credited...
Are the $5.60 fees I pay for my companion on a companion pass supposed to be credited?  I’m noticing the last couple times I cancelled and then rebooked that they weren’t...


----------



## shoreward

Livelovedance said:


> I was just reading on another thread about this and the poster stated that they think SW doesn’t refund the fees to your credit card anymore, but they would be credited to your RR account as cash. Does anyone have any recent experience with this process? I don’t want to cause any drama - I’m just trying to figure out exactly what would happen if we needed to cancel a flight booked with points, and what we could afford to lose. If the fees are credited to your RR account, would they be subject to the 1 year from booking expiration?


When cancelling, there will be a drop-down box for how the value of the taxes and fees are treated.  Make sure to select the option to refund to your credit card.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

MarBee said:


> Another question about funds being credited...
> Are the $5.60 fees I pay for my companion on a companion pass supposed to be credited?  I’m noticing the last couple times I cancelled and then rebooked that they weren’t...


If you request a refund of the $5.60 by checking that box then it will be refunded.  If you don't, then they will become a travel credit for that person.  CP fees should ALWAYS be refundable because it is not possible to "change" or "re-book" a companion ticket.  

See this comment for context on my last sentence above:
_If you book a flight on points - initially the fees are refundable back to your credit card. Effective May 2017 when Southwest launched their new computer system, IF you CHANGE or RE-BOOK a points flight the fees then become non-refundable. If you need to change your flight OR are looking to re-book to save some points, the advice is to CANCEL, request a refund of your fees, and book a new flight. 

If you've already changed or rebooked a flight on points and now try to cancel, your funds will NOT be refunded and will become a travel credit for use ONLY by that traveler for 1 year from the date you initially booked the flight.

This change occurred in May 2017, so anything you see written online prior to that may not reference this advice._


----------



## MarBee

SouthFayetteFan said:


> If you request a refund of the $5.60 by checking that box then it will be refunded.  If you don't, then they will become a travel credit for that person.  CP fees should ALWAYS be refundable because it is not possible to "change" or "re-book" a companion ticket.
> 
> See this comment for context on my last sentence above:
> _If you book a flight on points - initially the fees are refundable back to your credit card. Effective May 2017 when Southwest launched their new computer system, IF you CHANGE or RE-BOOK a points flight the fees then become non-refundable. If you need to change your flight OR are looking to re-book to save some points, the advice is to CANCEL, request a refund of your fees, and book a new flight.
> 
> If you've already changed or rebooked a flight on points and now try to cancel, your funds will NOT be refunded and will become a travel credit for use ONLY by that traveler for 1 year from the date you initially booked the flight.
> 
> This change occurred in May 2017, so anything you see written online prior to that may not reference this advice._


So when I have been cancelling my flights that also have a companion, there’s never been a separate option for how to refund companions.  It will have the three of us that are booked on points, and I choose the refund to card option (it always is refunded).
But there is nothing for me to get our fourth person, the companion.  I never have done a separate cancellation for the companion (I assumed it was done automatically), and now I’m seeing that the companions $5.60 haven’t always been refunded. Is there a way to get it refunded without calling?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

MarBee said:


> So when I have been cancelling my flights that also have a companion, there’s never been a separate option for how to refund companions.  It will have the three of us that are booked on points, and I choose the refund to card option (it always is refunded).
> But there is nothing for me to get our fourth person, the companion.  I never have done a separate cancellation for the companion (I assumed it was done automatically), and now I’m seeing that the companions $5.60 haven’t always been refunded. Is there a way to get it refunded without calling?


I always cancel the companion flight first before touching the points flights.  (Granted - I haven't done this recently) But I recall being given the option online to request a refund.  Maybe somebody here has a more recent DP (datapoint) on that?


----------



## Livelovedance

SouthFayetteFan said:


> If you book a flight on points - initially the fees are refundable back to your credit card.  Effective May 2017 when Southwest launched their new computer system, IF you CHANGE or RE-BOOK a points flight the fees then become non-refundable.  If you need to change your flight OR are looking to re-book to save some points, the advice is to CANCEL, request a refund of your fees, and book a new flight.
> 
> If you've already changed or rebooked a flight on points and now try to cancel, your funds will NOT be refunded and will become a travel credit for use ONLY by that traveler for 1 year from the date you initially booked the flight.
> 
> This change occurred in May 2017, so anything you see written online prior to that may not reference this advice.





shoreward said:


> When cancelling, there will be a drop-down box for how the value of the taxes and fees are treated.  Make sure to select the option to refund to your credit card.



Thank you so much! This is what I needed to know. I definitely will be booking all of our future flights with points, the perks are so much better!


----------



## emol123

How is the transportation at French quarters?


----------



## scrappinginontario

emol123 said:


> How is the transportation at French quarters?


  Not sure this is where you meant to post this as discussion here pertains to Southwest airlines.


----------



## DrFacilier

Might be a stupid question but we have never flown during Christmas:
We are scheduled to fly from PVD-MCO on 12/23-1/1.  Waited to book WTGA flights until we had enough points so they were purchased for 23,058 ($332) and 23,783 ($342).  I’ve checked multiple times a day since booking and one has stayed the same while the other has gone up.  How much Hope should I have that the price will drop and I can get some points back?  We’ve never paid this much for flights. Not sure if this is just how it is over the holidays.  I will keep checking, just wondering what I should expect.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

DrFacilier said:


> Might be a stupid question but we have never flown during Christmas:
> We are scheduled to fly from PVD-MCO on 12/23-1/1.  Waited to book WTGA flights until we had enough points so they were purchased for 23,058 ($332) and 23,783 ($342).  I’ve checked multiple times a day since booking and one has stayed the same while the other has gone up.  How much Hope should I have that the price will drop and I can get some points back?  We’ve never paid this much for flights. Not sure if this is just how it is over the holidays.  I will keep checking, just wondering what I should expect.



Well I'd say your dates def have an impact being that it's right before Christmas and coming back on New Years day.

That being said I just did a check and there are 2 seats left for a WGA fare for $260 each going down it's just that flight is the last one out and doesn't arrive until nearly 1am the next day and also contains a stop so I'd say another part is the flight you've opted for (though generally speaking from my airport the non-stop flight are the cheapest though not always--Providence that may not be the same case).

On your way back there's a flight in the morning that's $247 (non-stop too) each but there's only 1 seat left at that price (don't know what the price would be for the other person). There's also the last flight out (also non-stop) that gets you back home at nearly 1 am the next day that's also $247 each person. So again it could very well be the flight time you've opted for.

It looks like a decent amount WGA fares both down there and back are presently 'Sold Out' and being right around those two holidays I can understand why.

To answer your question there's no harm in continuing to check to see if they drop but given that's right around those holidays and so many WGA fares already listed as 'Sold Out' I'd be keeping a realistic (i.e. probably not likely) outlook. But never say never though there's that possibility.


----------



## pd1138

SouthFayetteFan said:


> I would just attempt to board as a family during family boarding.  Apparently this has only just occurred to me that perhaps we weren't within "formal policy" but my, my wife, my 4 year old and my 8 year old always board together during family boarding.  I see tons of families with _some _kids over 6 boarding during family boarding because they have _at least_ one kid under 6.  Upon reviewing the rules again, I guess a gate agent could send the older kids back to the regular line but in practice on tons of flights (i.e. 60+ flights), I've never seen that occur.


Ok, so we flew down to MCO yesterday!  Great trip and no issues.  We were the only ones on the entire sold our flight to even gate check a stroller or car seat ( we gate checked both).  Our three year old was the youngest on the flight. We spoke with the gate agent and she told us to all go with our youngest to family board.  Mom dad and four kids.  Then when they annouceced boarding they said children 6 and younger and their immediate families.  Only three families boarded during family boarding,  we sat four rows from the back.  Maybe because so few young kids were on the flight.


----------



## DrFacilier

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Well I'd say your dates def have an impact being that it's right before Christmas and coming back on New Years day.
> 
> That being said I just did a check and there are 2 seats left for a WGA fare for $260 each going down it's just that flight is the last one out and doesn't arrive until nearly 1am the next day and also contains a stop so I'd say another part is the flight you've opted for (though generally speaking from my airport the non-stop flight are the cheapest though not always--Providence that may not be the same case).
> 
> On your way back there's a flight in the morning that's $247 (non-stop too) each but there's only 1 seat left at that price (don't know what the price would be for the other person). There's also the last flight out (also non-stop) that gets you back home at nearly 1 am the next day that's also $247 each person. So again it could very well be the flight time you've opted for.
> 
> It looks like a decent amount WGA fares both down there and back are presently 'Sold Out' and being right around those two holidays I can understand why.
> 
> To answer your question there's no harm in continuing to check to see if they drop but given that's right around those holidays and so many WGA fares already listed as 'Sold Out' I'd be keeping a realistic (i.e. probably not likely) outlook. But never say never though there's that possibility.


Yeah.  I know part of the problem is that we have kids and try to fly nonstop/ try not to fly to late.  Our dates are not super flexible either so I know beggars can’t be choosers.  I guess I can hope they will still drop a little bit we’ll see.  Thanks for your insight.


----------



## buzzrelly

Am I crazy? I thought I saw that SW was opening their flight schedule through April 5, 2018 on August 16th….now it's saying they will open the schedule on August 30th? Did they change it? Does anyone think it will change back, or change again? I hate to miss the opening day. We want to fly down on April 3, 2019.


----------



## richmo

buzzrelly said:


> Am I crazy? I thought I saw that SW was opening their flight schedule through April 5, 2018 on August 16th….now it's saying they will open the schedule on August 30th? Did they change it? Does anyone think it will change back, or change again? I hate to miss the opening day. We want to fly down on April 3, 2019.



Nope, I don't think you're crazy. I think they did originally have August 16th as the day, but, as it says on their website, the date is subject to change...and it changed.  At this late date, I doubt it'll change again, but it never hurts to check.


----------



## buzzrelly

richmo said:


> Nope, I don't think you're crazy. I think they did originally have August 16th as the day, but, as it says on their website, the date is subject to change...and it changed.  At this late date, I doubt it'll change again, but it never hurts to check.




Thanks, I guess I'll just have to check daily!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

buzzrelly said:


> Am I crazy? I thought I saw that SW was opening their flight schedule through April 5, 2018 on August 16th….now it's saying they will open the schedule on August 30th? Did they change it? Does anyone think it will change back, or change again? I hate to miss the opening day. We want to fly down on April 3, 2019.



Typically if you watch this thread somebody will report that.

In this case @DMOMof3 reported it for us a week ago   There are a bunch of us who watch this pretty closely.



DMOMof3 said:


> Just saw this on the SW site. Looks like they changed the next release date!
> 
> We are currently accepting air reservations through March 6, 2019. On August 30,2018 we will open our schedule for sale through April 5, 2019. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


----------



## McKelly

When I booked our flights I booked all four of us as one grouping/booking, paid cash.  If one of the party cannot go, do I have to cancel the whole group or can I just cancel one person off the booking and leave the other three flights alone?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

McKelly said:


> When I booked our flights I booked all four of us as one grouping/booking, paid cash.  If one of the party cannot go, do I have to cancel the whole group or can I just cancel one person off the booking and leave the other three flights alone?


You can cancel one person.  If you’re not able to do it online for some reason then call in and they’ll assist you.


----------



## McKelly

SouthFayetteFan said:


> You can cancel one person.  If you’re not able to do it online for some reason then call in and they’ll assist you.


Thanks for the help.


----------



## TheyCallMeStacey

This will be our first time flying SW, and I'm looking for dates in early May.  Is there much of a chance that those dates will be available when the Aug 30th release date comes around?  I am itching to get flights booked!  Do you know about what time they release the schedule? I want to be sure I get a good option, and there aren't many from where we're located.  I am feeling like this is going to be another FP+ or ADR morning!


----------



## Cinderumbrella

TheyCallMeStacey said:


> This will be our first time flying SW, and I'm looking for dates in early May.  Is there much of a chance that those dates will be available when the Aug 30th release date comes around?  I am itching to get flights booked!  Do you know about what time they release the schedule? I want to be sure I get a good option, and there aren't many from where we're located.  I am feeling like this is going to be another FP+ or ADR morning!



Nope. But May will probably be out within a month or so of that release. On August 30, they will probably announce the dates for the next release in the travel tools section.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

TheyCallMeStacey said:


> This will be our first time flying SW, and I'm looking for dates in early May.  Is there much of a chance that those dates will be available when the Aug 30th release date comes around?  I am itching to get flights booked!  Do you know about what time they release the schedule? I want to be sure I get a good option, and there aren't many from where we're located.  I am feeling like this is going to be another FP+ or ADR morning!


They will release flights they Apr 5th that day.  A subsequent release should occur in Sept or Oct that includes your travel dates. The new flights are released for booking in the morning typically between 7 and 8:30 am eastern (that’s an approximate guess based on previous patterns).


----------



## Gentry2004

What boarding number would you say is the difference between a family of 4 sitting together and not? Late B? Early C?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Gentry2004 said:


> What boarding number would you say is the difference between a family of 4 sitting together and not? Late B? Early C?


Are you boarding an empty plane, or a plane with thru passengers?

If empty plane...I'd say Early-Mid B if there is a strong contingent of family boarders.  If thru passengers, impossible to really calculate.


----------



## scrappinginontario

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Are you boarding an empty plane, or a plane with thru passengers?
> 
> If empty plane...I'd say Early-Mid B if there is a strong contingent of family boarders.  If thru passengers, impossible to really calculate.


 Last trip we were B50’s and when we boarded in Orlando there were only single seats left.  I’m not saying this is the norm but it took 5 mins of the flight attendants requesting people to move if they were willing for us to get 2 seats together.

Lesson learned the hard way for us and I now pay for EBCI coming home in case we’re busy at the 24 hour mark.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

scrappinginontario said:


> Last trip we were B50’s and when we boarded in Orlando there were only single seats left.  I’m not saying this is the norm but it took 5 mins of the flight attendants requesting people to move if they were willing for us to get 2 seats together.
> 
> Lesson learned the hard way for us and I now pay for EBCI coming home in case we’re busy at the 24 hour mark.


Yep - I'd agree that B50 would be rough if you're looking for seats together.  Depending on which type of plane you're on here's what you're looking at boarding:

118 Aisle and Window Seats: https://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Southwest_Airlines/Southwest_Airlines_Boeing_737-800_new.php
118 Aisle and Window Seats: https://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Southwest_Airlines/Southwest_Airlines_Boeing_737_Max_8.php
96 Aisle and Window Seats: https://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Southwest_Airlines/Southwest_Airlines_Boeing_737-700_new.php

At B50 you'd figure 109 people will board the flight before you.  Even if you're on the smaller 143 seat setup which has 96 Aisle and Window seats, you feel like you should be fine.  BUT of course...how many are doing family boarding?  That's the real wildcard...If a bunch of people family board, those seats together can get eaten up real quick.  I don't even think B29 and B30 is guaranteed seats together...but that's about as far as I'd even remotely feel comfortable.


----------



## klo1335

Just want to double check, with EBCI I do not need to check in at all.  They will do it for me and email me the information.


----------



## scrappinginontario

klo1335 said:


> Just want to double check, with EBCI I do not need to check in at all.  They will do it for me and email me the information.


  Information will not be emailed to you unless this is something new.  I normally check-in at a kiosk at the airport to see boarding pass numbers.  Normally print a copy of my boarding pass at that time.


----------



## shoreward

klo1335 said:


> Just want to double check, with EBCI I do not need to check in at all.  They will do it for me and email me the information.


You can check in, if you like, anytime, starting 24 hours before scheduled departure time.  At that point, you will have automatically been checked in at T-36, and your boarding numbers will already have been assigned.  If you check in, online, you can see your boarding numbers, as well as print, text, or email the boarding pass(es); the system will ask which option you'd like  (you can request all three, if you like).


----------



## scrappinginontario

shoreward said:


> You can check in, if you like, anytime, starting 24 hours before scheduled departure time.  At that point, you will have automatically been checked in at T-36, and your boarding numbers will already have been assigned.  *If you check in, online, you can see your boarding numbers, as well as print, text, or email the boarding pass(es); the system will ask which option you'd like  (you can request all three, if you like).*


  Thanks for posting this part.  I haven't flown SW since Jan and so much has changed.  Good to know about these options!


----------



## shoreward

Southwest has announced changes in service and emotional support animal policies:


> Effective for travel beginning September 17, 2018, Southwest is changing our policies for accepting emotional support animals (ESAs) on our flights. A Customer must still comply with all documentation requirements set forth by federal regulations. Additionally, Southwest is implementing the following changes:
> 
> The ESA must be either a dog or a cat.
> Each Customer may bring only one ESA on the flight.
> The ESA must be in a carrier that can be stowed under the seat in front of the Customer or on a leash at all times while in the airport and onboard the aircraft.
> Also, the following changes are being made in regard to trained service animals:
> 
> Effective for travel beginning September 17, 2018, Southwest is making changes to our existing policies for accommodating Customers with disabilities who seek to travel with a fully trained service animal in the cabin. Customers with disabilities seeking to travel with a trained service animal must still provide credible verbal assurance that the animal is a trained service animal. Additionally, note the following changes to our policy:
> 
> Southwest will only accept the following species of animals in our cabin as trained service animals – dogs, cats and miniature horses.
> Southwest will accept fully trained psychiatric service animals as trained service animals


https://www.southwestaircommunity.c...icy-Changes-Effective-September-17/ba-p/78566


----------



## lynnzrae

britt54311 said:


> Thank you to the people who responded to my questions earlier.
> 
> I called Southwest regarding the use of gift cards and the person I talked to, said you can use as many as 2 gift cards per passenger but only one credit card to complete reservation. So I asked a scenario "So if I have 4 people flying I could use 7 gift cards and 1 credit card to complete my reservation" and he said yes.
> 
> Just thought I would let people know, as I learn so much from these boards. Wish every luck tomorrow on getting the flights they need at a great price .


Thank you for this, I was just trying to make sure I understood the policy.  I thought the deal was 3 methods of payment per person per reservation, so I could use three gift cards if it covers the entire cost or 2 plus a credit card if I don't have enough money on gift cards to cover the entire cost.

Has anyone actually booked a multiple person reservation using more than 3 gift cards per transaction to in fact confirm that it you can use more than 3 gift cards if you have more than one person on the reservation?  I want to make sure I am clear before I run out buying $50 Southwest gift cards using Swagbucks.  I don't want to get stuck with them.

Thank you.


----------



## eeyoreland

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Are you boarding an empty plane, or a plane with thru passengers?
> 
> If empty plane...I'd say Early-Mid B if there is a strong contingent of family boarders.  If thru passengers, impossible to really calculate.



This is probably a stupid question, but is it possible to know in advance if it's an empty plane or one with thru passengers?


----------



## britt54311

lynnzrae said:


> Thank you for this, I was just trying to make sure I understood the policy.  I thought the deal was 3 methods of payment per person per reservation, so I could use three gift cards if it covers the entire cost or 2 plus a credit card if I don't have enough money on gift cards to cover the entire cost.
> 
> Has anyone actually booked a multiple person reservation using more than 3 gift cards per transaction to in fact confirm that it you can use more than 3 gift cards if you have more than one person on the reservation?  I want to make sure I am clear before I run out buying $50 Southwest gift cards using Swagbucks.  I don't want to get stuck with them.
> 
> Thank you.



Yes I booked 5 of us using 4 gift cards and a credit card for one reservation. I booked online without problems


----------



## barb969

eeyoreland said:


> This is probably a stupid question, but is it possible to know in advance if it's an empty plane or one with thru passengers?


When you are at the airport look for your fl # on the arrival screen. If it is there , there might be thru passengers.
 You can also figure out if the flight is continuing or originating on flightaware.com.   I can’t tell you how to do this.  I just put the fl # in and play with it until I get the info I want. You can find the on time record for your flight for the past month.  They show all the fights that are in the air on a map.
However, SWA can switch planes anytime. If you have plane with a stop but no plane change, it can change to plane change.


----------



## DrFacilier

Our youngest daughter turned 7 in March.  We have obviously taken advantage of family boarding in the past.  I didn't think about purchasing EBCI because we hadn't done it in the past but about a week ago I added it on.  Well, our flight leaves tomorrow at 7am and our boarding positions are B45-B48.  I am concerned that it will be the middle seats that are left and we will not be able to sit together.  I have heard the flight attendants sometimes ask for volunteers to make room for adults with kids.  How do I request that?


----------



## MarBee

Question about EBCI- if I cancel my flight will the cost of EBCI be refunded?  Or do I lose that?

What if I change the flight instead of cancelling?  Will it automatically go to the new flight?


----------



## focusondisney

MarBee said:


> Question about EBCI- if I cancel my flight will the cost of EBCI be refunded?  Or do I lose that?
> 
> What if I change the flight instead of cancelling?  Will it automatically go to the new flight?



EBCI will carry over to a new flight if you change it. You will lose it with no refund if you cancel.


----------



## focusondisney

DrFacilier said:


> Our youngest daughter turned 7 in March.  We have obviously taken advantage of family boarding in the past.  I didn't think about purchasing EBCI because we hadn't done it in the past but about a week ago I added it on.  Well, our flight leaves tomorrow at 7am and our boarding positions are B45-B48.  I am concerned that it will be the middle seats that are left and we will not be able to sit together.  I have heard the flight attendants sometimes ask for volunteers to make room for adults with kids.  How do I request that?




I have no personal experience with that boarding position, but from everything I have read here, you should be ok with those numbers. You will likely be in the back of the plane, but you should get 2 seats together.

I know the subject of asking people to move for you often gets hot around here. From what I know, they will not make anyone move for you. Nor should they.  You should prepare to be separated, prep your daughter etc, just in case. If you are seriously concerned, SW does offer up positions 1-15 for sale at the gate, if there are spots open. It is like $45 each. But you would certainly get seats together that way.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

lynnzrae said:


> Thank you for this, I was just trying to make sure I understood the policy.  I thought the deal was 3 methods of payment per person per reservation, so I could use three gift cards if it covers the entire cost or 2 plus a credit card if I don't have enough money on gift cards to cover the entire cost.
> 
> Has anyone actually booked a multiple person reservation using more than 3 gift cards per transaction to in fact confirm that it you can use more than 3 gift cards *if you have more than one person on the reservation*?  I want to make sure I am clear before I run out buying $50 Southwest gift cards using Swagbucks.  I don't want to get stuck with them.
> 
> Thank you.


Paying with more than 3 gift cards when booking for multiple people IS possible.  The bolded statement however is your problem.  You will be booking separate reservations for each person if you're trying to achieve using more than 3 gift cards.  Each person will be on their own reservation - while that may sound needlessly complex, it's actually how most SW pros book all their flights (I always book everybody on their own reservation - for numerous reasons).


----------



## richmo

Gentry2004 said:


> What boarding number would you say is the difference between a family of 4 sitting together and not? Late B? Early C?



Came back to Philly last night and I've never seen so many pre-boarders and family boarding. I did see one group of 8 people trying to family board -- consisted of 2 parents,  3 middle/high school age kids, 2 grandparents and 1 baby. The grandparents got kicked back to their boarding pass position, the others did the family boarding.  Anyway, my group of 3 was able to sit together in row 28 (of 31 I think - it was a 737-800, I believe) and our boarding positions were B 8, B 19 and B 20. (we had 2 itineraries). Our B 8 snagged the spot for us, but I was a bit surprised how far back in the plane we had to go to get it.


----------



## buzzrelly

I just saw on the news this morning that Southwest will be charging more for EBCI, depending on where the flight is and the popularity of the flight. I thought it was a great deal when it first started, but I don't know how much more I'd be willing to pay for it. My kids are older now and it wouldn't be the worst thing for us to be separated.

Any thoughts on how much the price will go up?


----------



## CMNJ

buzzrelly said:


> I just saw on the news this morning that Southwest will be charging more for EBCI, depending on where the flight is and the popularity of the flight. I thought it was a great deal when it first started, but I don't know how much more I'd be willing to pay for it. My kids are older now and it wouldn't be the worst thing for us to be separated.
> 
> Any thoughts on how much the price will go up?


https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.usatoday.com/amp/1040502002
According to this article some flights will stay at $15 but others will rise to $20 or $25
I could see MCO being $25 for many flights. With the sheer volume of family boarding on those flights having an A boarding position is key to keeping families with older kids together. We still qualify for family boarding (this is our last year) and I am always shocked at how many groups try to board with the entire extended family. I’ve witnesses multiple families with several small kids send one kid with each set of adults in order to circumvent the rules (ie a family with 3 smaller kids send 1 kid with the grandparents, 1 with the parents, and 1 with the aunt and uncle so now a family of 5 has just gotten 6 adults on the plane early instead of 2). Of course I’v also seen one member of a family trying to save multiple rows of seats which is also ridiculous. Honestly I used to love southwest boarding procedures for loading the plane so quickly but I’m sick of the free for all headed to Orlando. I really wish they could figure out a way to do assigned seating even if it wasn’t assigned until 24 hrs out  (when you checked in). I’m just so sick of the whole thing. I’ve paid for EBCI before where we got B numbers and still wound up doing family boarding b/c the family boarding line was so long and a B boarding position didn’t guarantee seats together. I am not looking forward to when my son turns 7. I absolutely will speak up if there are family boarders or EBCI ahead of me who boarded ahead of me are trying to hold seats and there aren’t seats left together for my family.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

buzzrelly said:


> I just saw on the news this morning that Southwest will be charging more for EBCI, depending on where the flight is and the popularity of the flight. I thought it was a great deal when it first started, but I don't know how much more I'd be willing to pay for it. My kids are older now and it wouldn't be the worst thing for us to be separated.
> 
> Any thoughts on how much the price will go up?


Honestly? It was a great deal when not too many people used it. I think SWA sees that too many people use it and thus are 1) trying to gain more profit 2) potentially curtailing how many people use it

The complaint "I paid for EBCI and got B whatever" is something I see enough on the Boards and it's sorta no wonder as the going advice, especially with children, is to pay for EBCI to increase odds of more seats being open near each other (though it presents a problem when you board a connecting flight with passengers already on board).


----------



## scrappinginontario

I fall into the category of 1 adult with a child (no longer qualify for family boarding) so I choose to purchase EBCI as soon as I book our flights which is often on release date.  It's worth the extra for me after having mid B's one time and almost being separated until a kind couple offered to move so that we could sit together.

I think I'm going to think of EBCI as my 'baggage fee' that I'm not paying when flying other airlines and just budget it into our trips for now.

I do wish SW had a way to distribute family boarding cards based on the number of qualifying children in their party.  If a family has 2 children they get 4 family boarding passes.  If a parent needs to stay back and board with older children while 1 parent boards with the 2 younger, so be it.

Far too many people abuse the system especially when flying home from Orlando.  I don't seem to face as many challenges when flying to Orlando which doesn't really make sense but is just my experience.


----------



## Livelovedance

focusondisney said:


> I know the subject of asking people to move for you often gets hot around here. From what I know, they will not make anyone move for you. Nor should they.  You should prepare to be separated, prep your daughter etc, just in case. If you are seriously concerned, SW does offer up positions 1-15 for sale at the gate, if there are spots open. It is like $45 each. But you would certainly get seats together that way.


On a recent SW flight one of the flight attendants said that the flight would not leave until someone moved for a family. I don't know if this was policy, or just a threat, but I was pretty shocked. It's unfortunate that this would be a situation, especially when there are people that pay to board earlier and get a better chance of a choice of seats.


----------



## focusondisney

Livelovedance said:


> On a recent SW flight one of the flight attendants said that the flight would not leave until someone moved for a family. I don't know if this was policy, or just a threat, but I was pretty shocked. It's unfortunate that this would be a situation, especially when there are people that pay to board earlier and get a better chance of a choice of seats.




I have read other reports of that too.  I think SW leaves a lot of boarding issues up to it’s flight attendants.  So it is also not a guarantee that they will intervene to help a family.  Since  we always pay for EBCI & will still pay the new increased price, I will not be moving voluntarily.   If I was forced to move, I would, because ultimately I need to be on that plane and wouldn’t want to risk being thrown off for disobeying a crew instruction.  But I would certainly be taking it up with SW management after the flight.   And for just the reason you said. I buy EBCI for an earlier boarding position which entitles me to choose my seat earlier.  No way should I pay then be forced to move to the least desirable seat on the plane.  

Offers of free drinks won’t entice us either, since we don’t drink.  I would expect money refunded for both of us at the very least. Luckily, I don’t think that they have to force people to move very often as there is usually someone willing to move.


----------



## mfly

Livelovedance said:


> On a recent SW flight one of the flight attendants said that the flight would not leave until someone moved for a family. I don't know if this was policy, or just a threat, but I was pretty shocked. It's unfortunate that this would be a situation, especially when there are people that pay to board earlier and get a better chance of a choice of seats.


They did this once for our family (we didn’t know or ask them to, but we were grateful). I have a sibling with special needs who requires constant care; he could absolutely not fly without a member of our family next to him. 

This was on our second flight - our initial flight was delayed, so we were the last to board. After we boarded, we found out that the flight attendants had made a similar announcement to the one made on your flight on our behalf. 

All that to say - it may not always be as clear-cut as it seems. Ours had nothing to do with our boarding position and everything to do with a delayed flight and a disability.


----------



## Livelovedance

mfly said:


> They did this once for our family (we didn’t know or ask them to, but we were grateful). I have a sibling with special needs who requires constant care; he could absolutely not fly without a member of our family next to him.
> 
> This was on our second flight - our initial flight was delayed, so we were the last to board. After we boarded, we found out that the flight attendants had made a similar announcement to the one made on your flight on our behalf.
> 
> All that to say - it may not always be as clear-cut as it seems. Ours had nothing to do with our boarding position and everything to do with a delayed flight and a disability.



Please don’t think my post was meant to be condescending - I completely understand. We all come from different walks of life and we don’t know everyone’s background or story. I don’t want this to turn into a debate, I just was posting my experience on a recent flight. It was a shock to us, and if policies are inconsistent it can cause problems for people who have paid to board earlier. In the end it’s the chance we take when booking an airline without assigned seats!


----------



## captaindavidhook

Does anyone know when sw might release April fly dates.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

captaindavidhook said:


> Does anyone know when sw might release April fly dates.



Through April 7th this Thursday. They will announce the release date for the next group of dates that day or the day after

https://www.southwest.com/html/travel-tools/index.html


----------



## cruisin5

captaindavidhook said:


> Does anyone know when sw might release April fly dates.



This Thursday!


----------



## captaindavidhook

Cinderumbrella said:


> Through April 7th this Thursday. They will announce the release date for the next group of dates that day or the day after
> 
> https://www.southwest.com/html/travel-tools/index.html


Thanks I am hoping they go past mid april.  although I have noticed that some of their flights or earlier ones are not listed after January 6 usually have a 6 or 7 a.m. that leaves to Orlando and I've been noticing they only have some listed as the first flight out around 11 so I guess they're taking time posting those earlier flights hopefully when they post on this Thursday I'll be able to get a chance to see it.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

captaindavidhook said:


> Thanks I am hoping they go past mid april.  although I have noticed that some of their flights or earlier ones are not listed after January 6 usually have a 6 or 7 a.m. that leaves to Orlando and I've been noticing they only have some listed as the first flight out around 11 so I guess they're taking time posting those earlier flights hopefully when they post on this Thursday I'll be able to get a chance to see it.


They will not go past mid April.  If you look at the link, it specifically says they will release flights through April 7th.  If you're looking for later than then, you will be waiting another month or more.  Sorry!


----------



## mfly

Livelovedance said:


> Please don’t think my post was meant to be condescending - I completely understand. We all come from different walks of life and we don’t know everyone’s background or story. I don’t want this to turn into a debate, I just was posting my experience on a recent flight. It was a shock to us, and if policies are inconsistent it can cause problems for people who have paid to board earlier. In the end it’s the chance we take when booking an airline without assigned seats!


Ahh no - I didn’t think it was condescending - I totally understand what you’re saying! I was just trying to present a different perspective, not to make you feel bad or start an argument. I should know better than to respond to something before my brain is awake enough!


----------



## Livelovedance

mfly said:


> Ahh no - I didn’t think it was condescending - I totally understand what you’re saying! I was just trying to present a different perspective, not to make you feel bad or start an argument. I should know better than to respond to something before my brain is awake enough!


No worries!! I wasn’t upset or anything, it was just that I’ve seen enough posts to know that sometimes innocent comments come off the wrong way (the joys of the internet lol). I just wanted to clarify what I meant. I know it’s a hot topic, so I didn’t want anyone to misunderstand what I meant!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

mfly said:


> Ahh no - I didn’t think it was condescending - I totally understand what you’re saying! I was just trying to present a different perspective, not to make you feel bad or start an argument. I should know better than to respond to something before my brain is awake enough!





Livelovedance said:


> No worries!! I wasn’t upset or anything, it was just that I’ve seen enough posts to know that sometimes innocent comments come off the wrong way (the joys of the internet lol). I just wanted to clarify what I meant. I know it’s a hot topic, so I didn’t want anyone to misunderstand what I meant!


I'm loving all this respect and kindness on a message board   If only all threads could behave this way!


----------



## Grace&Carolinesmom

I am going to be booking flights on Thursday morning for our late March 2019 trip to WDW.  I have tried to find the answer on SW website to no avail.  I am looking to purchase the tix using credits from 2 different travel funds conf#s and a credit card for the diff.  Is this possible?  I would be booking the tickets 2x2 meaning myself and DD17 on one transaction and DH and DD20 on the other transaction (for a variety of reasons) and I book the flights one way not round trip.  SO each transaction would have 2 travel funds per person and a single credit card for the remaining balance.  Is this doable?  Or am I limited to one travel funds per person (which would equal 2 for the transaction) plus a credit card for the balance?

TIA


----------



## princesscate

Just booked EBCI and it's now $20 each way ....
For us it's still worth it - for now .....


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

princesscate said:


> Just booked EBCI and it's now $20 each way ....
> For us it's still worth it - for now .....


FYI: Early Bird Check-In is now on a dynamic pricing model and can vary between $15 and $25 each way.  

https://www.doctorofcredit.com/sout...ving-to-dynamic-pricing-15-25-on-august-29th/


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Grace&Carolinesmom said:


> I am going to be booking flights on Thursday morning for our late March 2019 trip to WDW.  I have tried to find the answer on SW website to no avail.  I am looking to purchase the tix using credits from 2 different travel funds conf#s and a credit card for the diff.  Is this possible?  I would be booking the tickets 2x2 meaning myself and DD17 on one transaction and DH and DD20 on the other transaction (for a variety of reasons) and I book the flights one way not round trip.  SO each transaction would have 2 travel funds per person and a single credit card for the remaining balance.  Is this doable?  Or am I limited to one travel funds per person (which would equal 2 for the transaction) plus a credit card for the balance?
> 
> TIA


I'm not sure I have enough details to answer because if the travel funds are tied to multiple passengers that adds a layer of complexity.  It sounds like you have a travel fund for each person so you when you say:  _each transaction would have 2 travel funds per person and a single credit card_ that means you actually will have 5 forms of payment on the transaction (person 1: 2 travel funds; person 2: 2 travel funds & Credit Card) and that likely will not work.  

I would just book each ticket on its own as a one way (one traveler at a time) and what you are trying to do will absolutely work.


----------



## BlueFairy

Can someone tell me what they think is going on with SW this morning.  I have done the wake-up-early-and-book game before for other destinations.  Last night I looked at late Feb/early March flight schedules and found non stop flight times that made sense.  Today I'm seeing none of those flights.  Almost everything has 1 stop, making a quick hop to MCO now take half the day.  The prices are really high.  And even those have most Wanna Get Away fares marked Sold Out.  Is this normal?  Does it usually change?  Should I modify my planned dates AND pay more than we budgeted now and hope that things change in the next few days? 

Please offer whatever insight you have.  Thanks!


----------



## cmarsh31

I'm seeing a mess too. Non-stop flight times are bad, sold out WGA fares...and I can only see them on the website noy the app or mobile. Same thing happened last month too.


----------



## Crazyhorse

Not related to buying tickets but a just an odd SW story.  My hubby left Midway this morning on a 6am flight.   We purchase EB, he had A41.  He sent me a text that he was seated in the 3rd row.  I was so impressed...until he told me that they called A30-60 before loading A1-30.  He said a lot of people were pissed off!  Now why would they do that?  He said clearly there were people waiting to board A1-30.......yet they boarded after A30-60.......odd.


----------



## Grace&Carolinesmom

SouthFayetteFan said:


> I'm not sure I have enough details to answer because if the travel funds are tied to multiple passengers that adds a layer of complexity.  It sounds like you have a travel fund for each person so you when you say:  _each transaction would have 2 travel funds per person and a single credit card_ that means you actually will have 5 forms of payment on the transaction (person 1: 2 travel funds; person 2: 2 travel funds & Credit Card) and that likely will not work.
> 
> I would just book each ticket on its own as a one way (one traveler at a time) and what you are trying to do will absolutely work.




Well, as it turned out, it worked.  I think because the travel funds for each of the two passengers I was booking at a time had the same Conf#.  For example, when I went to forms of payment, I clicked on travel funds, put my DH's name and conf# and it populated the travel funds for both him and DD20. I added another conf# to the same purchase and a credit card so it worked perfect.  I did the same for me and DD17.  I think it would have been an issue had the two passengers been under different conf#s.


----------



## TheyCallMeStacey

I was actually hoping that by some miracle there would be May dates in today's schedule opening.  Alas - no dice - so I thought i would see what the availability was like a month out from our trip.  What I saw for available flights out of our home airport was laughable....2 flights.  REALLY?  Hoping that there's just some weirdness that will clear out - or that when our dates do come there's much more availability.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

TheyCallMeStacey said:


> I was actually hoping that by some miracle there would be May dates in today's schedule opening.  Alas - no dice - so I thought i would see what the availability was like a month out from our trip.  What I saw for available flights out of our home airport was laughable....2 flights.  REALLY?  Hoping that there's just some weirdness that will clear out - or that when our dates do come there's much more availability.


Just so you are aware, Southwest will (tentatively) open up their schedule for flights through June 8, 2019 on Sept 27th (that date is subject to change).


----------



## TheyCallMeStacey

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Just so you are aware, Southwest will (tentatively) open up their schedule for flights through June 8, 2019 on Sept 27th (that date is subject to change).



 I have that date in my calendar  with loads of reminders!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*Historical Southwest Release Dates *(for planning purposes)

5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019

8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
_NEXT RELEASE: 9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019_
This could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the same pattern (as you can see above).


----------



## captaindavidhook

I just got off the phone with Southwest Airlines. The flights I wanted to depart on April 4th and 5th I always you take the earlier flight everything was already sold out the first light to 6:30 a.m. flight. To me that's a complete joke I was not informed or under the impression that everything would be sold out. Very frustrating dealing with these people. And the only reason I'm going to fly with them again is cuz I have $200 vouchers otherwise I look for other airlines. They do have a 8:45 flight on the day I want to leave but it's for 164 which I think is a total joke and the last time I took a flight at that time was last year before my race and it was delayed 6 hours! So frustrated now.


----------



## cmarsh31

FYI, same thing happened this morning as last release. I was able to book flights on on the website almost an hour before the app or mobile site. By the time the app loaded, a bunch if WGA fares were already sold out, including one I got on the website.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

captaindavidhook said:


> I just got off the phone with Southwest Airlines. The flights I wanted to depart on April 4th and 5th I always you take the earlier flight everything was already sold out the first light to 6:30 a.m. flight. To me that's a complete joke I was not informed or under the impression that everything would be sold out. Very frustrating dealing with these people. And the only reason I'm going to fly with them again is cuz I have $200 vouchers otherwise I look for other airlines. They do have a 8:45 flight on the day I want to leave but it's for 164 which I think is a total joke and the last time I took a flight at that time was last year before my race and it was delayed 6 hours! So frustrated now.





cmarsh31 said:


> FYI, same thing happened this morning as last release. I was able to book flights on on the website almost an hour before the app or mobile site. By the time the app loaded, a bunch if WGA fares were already sold out, including one I got on the website.


In many instances, if WGA fares are not showing available the morning of a release, that may be because Southwest feels those particular flights are in demand and they don't need to offer that fare bucket to entice travelers.  Tickets with SW are a VERY dynamic thing, you could check back in a few weeks and you may see WGA fares now available for flights previously showing "sold out".  The "Sold Out" term may better be understood as "currently unavailable" - now this is also NO guarantee that WGA fares will ever be available for those flights. 

Fortunately SW has a very generous change and cancellation policy but that can still be a stressful game to play. 

I don't want to trivialize anybody's complaint over flights costs, etc. but it's important to realize that the demand for air travel continues to grow in the US.  What once may have been viewed as a luxury is now commonplace for many travelers.  I feel that I personally am one such example, I took 3 total roundtrip flights before I turned 18.  My 8 year old has taken 17 round trip flights.  (Perhaps I am an extreme example , LOL!)

I think that as this demand has increased, Airlines have taken notice and realize that higher demand can support higher prices.  They are not having an issue selling out these and Southwest has generated a loyal following.  It is rare to fly with Southwest on a plane with many (if any) empty seats.  Additionally, many of the busiest airports in the US are operating at or beyond the intended capacity.  In some situations, they can't just add more planes and flights to support this increased demand, which again can help support higher prices.  Of course the airlines are also analyzing their schedules and flights to make sure they are maximizing their revenue and income as well. 

I know that doesn't make people feel any better (nor should it) but if air travel is an important piece of somebody's vacation plans, they need to expect to budget for future increases  (while also hoping for great deals )


----------



## cmarsh31

SouthFayetteFan said:


> In many instances, if WGA fares are not showing available the morning of a release, that may be because Southwest feels those particular flights are in demand and they don't need to offer that fare bucket to entice travelers.  Tickets with SW are a VERY dynamic thing, you could check back in a few weeks and you may see WGA fares now available for flights previously showing "sold out".  The "Sold Out" term may better be understood as "currently unavailable" - now this is also NO guarantee that WGA fares will ever be available for those flights.
> 
> Fortunately SW has a very generous change and cancellation policy but that can still be a stressful game to play.
> 
> I don't want to trivialize anybody's complaint over flights costs, etc. but it's important to realize that the demand for air travel continues to grow in the US.  What once may have been viewed as a luxury is now commonplace for many travelers.  I feel that I personally am one such example, I took 3 total roundtrip flights before I turned 18.  My 8 year old has taken 17 round trip flights.  (Perhaps I am an extreme example , LOL!)
> 
> I think that as this demand has increased, Airlines have taken notice and realize that higher demand can support higher prices.  They are not having an issue selling out these and Southwest has generated a loyal following.  It is rare to fly with Southwest on a plane with many (if any) empty seats.  Additionally, many of the busiest airports in the US are operating at or beyond the intended capacity.  In some situations, they can't just add more planes and flights to support this increased demand, which again can help support higher prices.  Of course the airlines are also analyzing their schedules and flights to make sure they are maximizing their revenue and income as well.
> 
> I know that doesn't make people feel any better (nor should it) but if air travel is an important piece of somebody's vacation plans, they need to expect to budget for future increases  (while also hoping for great deals )



I actually was able to get the WGA fares but it's very strange that for the past two releases now, SW has released flights on the website almost an hour before the APP/Mobile. So much so that the WGA fares are sold out before they're on the app.


----------



## DrFacilier

Anyone else feel that families with younger children (over 6) are getting screwed by the new pricing structure for EBCI?  Personally, I am fine sitting anywhere on a plane if I am solo.  However, I will not let my DD7 and DD9 sit next to strangers unaccompanied so we are forced to pay EBCI.  Even if we check in early on a busy flight we may not be able sit with them unless we shell out 200 for EBCI.  Not happy about the $80 I have to add for every trip from here on out.


----------



## AngieInOH

DrFacilier said:


> Anyone else feel that families with younger children (over 6) are getting screwed by the new pricing structure for EBCI?  Personally, I am fine sitting anywhere on a plane if I am solo.  However, I will not let my DD7 and DD9 sit next to strangers unaccompanied so we are forced to pay EBCI.  Even if we check in early on a busy flight we may not be able sit with them unless we shell out 200 for EBCI.  Not happy about the $80 I have to add for every trip from here on out.



I'm in the same boat and yes it stinks but I can't get prices even close to what SW offers even after factoring in EBCI.


----------



## Shanti

BlueFairy said:


> Can someone tell me what they think is going on with SW this morning.  I have done the wake-up-early-and-book game before for other destinations.  Last night I looked at late Feb/early March flight schedules and found non stop flight times that made sense.  Today I'm seeing none of those flights.  Almost everything has 1 stop, making a quick hop to MCO now take half the day.  The prices are really high.  And even those have most Wanna Get Away fares marked Sold Out.  Is this normal?  Does it usually change?  Should I modify my planned dates AND pay more than we budgeted now and hope that things change in the next few days?
> 
> Please offer whatever insight you have.  Thanks!


I recommend waiting and seeing if availability and pricing improve. SW prices fluctuate a lot. Also check out other airlines, especially Jet Blue. SWA is not always the best deal in town these days.


----------



## Shanti

DrFacilier said:


> Anyone else feel that families with younger children (over 6) are getting screwed by the new pricing structure for EBCI?  Personally, I am fine sitting anywhere on a plane if I am solo.  However, I will not let my DD7 and DD9 sit next to strangers unaccompanied so we are forced to pay EBCI.  Even if we check in early on a busy flight we may not be able sit with them unless we shell out 200 for EBCI.  Not happy about the $80 I have to add for every trip from here on out.


I'm hoping the pricing reduces the use of it, so that purchsing it will make more of a difference in the future. I'm sick of getting high A assignments most of the time, with the occasional low B, despite booking it months in advance.


----------



## buzzrelly

So I booked our fare from BDL to MCO for April 3. The fare was the nest price I've seen in April in a LONG time…$111/pp. I hesitated for about a second when I saw that they are now charging us $25 pp  for EBCI. However, I ended up adding it for all of us because it still brought the fare totals to $136, which is much less than we usually pay for just the fare.

It'll be interesting to see what we get for our flights home when those open up. I think the fact that Easter is much later in 2019 and our Spring Break stays the second week in April is really helping us out!


----------



## BlueFairy

EBCI - If I buy it when I buy my tickets with points but I find a lower fare later, is the EBCI refundable?  Or at least moved to the new purchase?  Obviously I would lose my place in the EBCI queue.


----------



## DrFacilier

BlueFairy said:


> EBCI - If I buy it when I buy my tickets with points but I find a lower fare later, is the EBCI refundable?  Or at least moved to the new purchase?  Obviously I would lose my place in the EBCI queue.


I did this yesterday to recoup some points.  I was told that if you change flights instead of cancelling and rebooking you should have the same confirmation number and will not lose EBCI.  I recommend doing it over the phone just to make sure.


----------



## DrFacilier

AngieInOH said:


> I'm in the same boat and yes it stinks but I can't get prices even close to what SW offers even after factoring in EBCI.



I hear ya.  SW pricing is usually the best we can find at our local airport even after EBCI.  I just hate that it's always going to be an extra $200 instead of $120 from now on.  Oh well.


----------



## BlueFairy

DrFacilier said:


> I did this yesterday to recoup some points.  I was told that if you change flights instead of cancelling and rebooking you should have the same confirmation number and will not lose EBCI.  I recommend doing it over the phone just to make sure.


Ok.  That's really good to know.  But if I do lose ECBI, then is it refundable?


----------



## DrFacilier

BlueFairy said:


> Ok.  That's really good to know.  But if I do lose ECBI, then is it refundable?


I'm pretty sure I saw that it is non-refundable.  As I said your best bet is to do it over the phone so you don't lose it by accident.


----------



## shoreward

BlueFairy said:


> Ok.  That's really good to know.  But if I do lose ECBI, then is it refundable?


If you "change" a reservation, the EBCI remains with the new flights.  If you "cancel," the value of EBCI is lost and non-refundable.


----------



## jenseib

buzzrelly said:


> So I booked our fare from BDL to MCO for April 3. The fare was the nest price I've seen in April in a LONG time…$111/pp. I hesitated for about a second when I saw that they are now charging us $25 pp  for EBCI. However, I ended up adding it for all of us because it still brought the fare totals to $136, which is much less than we usually pay for just the fare.
> 
> It'll be interesting to see what we get for our flights home when those open up. I think the fact that Easter is much later in 2019 and our Spring Break stays the second week in April is really helping us out!



Whoa!! I missed this...They went from 15 to 25? When? I just flew them last month and it was 15.


----------



## DrFacilier

jenseib said:


> Whoa!! I missed this...They went from 15 to 25? When? I just flew them last month and it was 15.


I was lucky enough to hear it on a podcast and booked EBCI for 15 the day before they went to the new pricing structure.  We have flights in March that we booked yesterday and will have to pay $25 for the same route.


----------



## buzzrelly

jenseib said:


> Whoa!! I missed this...They went from 15 to 25? When? I just flew them last month and it was 15.



This is literally JUST happening. The change went into effect this week.  And it’s not always 25...I think it ranges from 15-25 depending on the route and the popularity of the flight. I guess CT to Orlando over April break is popular, so we have to pay the most


----------



## DrFacilier

buzzrelly said:


> This is literally JUST happening. The change went into effect this week.  And it’s not always 25...I think it ranges from 15-25 depending on the route and the popularity of the flight. I guess CT to Orlando over April break is popular, so we have to pay the most


$25 from PVD to MCO too but we are also going during spring break time.  It would be great if we didn’t have to pay $25 all the time but time will tell.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

EBCI for my MDW to MCO flights went up to $20 each way. HTH someone


----------



## darly2004

We have 3, 8, and 11 year olds with us for our trip in March.  Should we be worried that we won't be able to board together during family boarding in March?  When we have flown before, they have always let us board together.  If we do get to board for family boarding, are the chances of us sitting together pretty high?  We are okay if we are separated into groups of 2 and 3.  Our kids, even the older ones, will not be okay if not sitting next to one of us.  If we purchase EBCI now (our flight was just released 2 day ago, I think), what group would we likely get, A or B?  I don't really want to spend money if we are going to end up in B group anyway.


----------



## scrappinginontario

darly2004 said:


> We have 3, 8, and 11 year olds with us for our trip in March.  Should we be worried that we won't be able to board together during family boarding in March?  When we have flown before, they have always let us board together.  If we do get to board for family boarding, are the chances of us sitting together pretty high?  We are okay if we are separated into groups of 2 and 3.  Our kids, even the older ones, will not be okay if not sitting next to one of us.  If we purchase EBCI now (our flight was just released 2 day ago, I think), what group would we likely get, A or B?  I don't really want to spend money if we are going to end up in B group anyway.


 Per the Southwest website, Family  Boarding is for 1 adult + 1 child 6 and under.  The rest of the family should board with their boarding group.  I would recommend purchasing EBCI for 1 adult plus the 8 and 11yo ASAP.  The sooner you purchase the better the boarding number you will receive.

There really is no way to tell if you will get As or Bs but reality is the earlier you purchase the better.

I wish SW would start enforcing the family boarding based on what is published on their website.  They have each child’s age associated to their ticket.  It would be easy for them to create 2 family boarding passes (1A, 1C) for each child 6 and under.  In cases where a parent may be flying with 2 children (1 older than 6) they could be issued a special pass.

 I was frustrated last week when a family on our flight had one (tall) 6 yo and boarding with that child was both of his parents plus his 3 teen siblings.  Until SW starts to enforce their family boarding or comes up with a better method, people are going to continue to abuse it because they can!


----------



## LMHB

I do think that the gate agents have complete discretion when deciding which groups are allowed with family or early boarding.  We never pay for ED and just check in at 24 hours.  On a recent trip to CA, the gate agent was joking around with everyone and after calling for families and military announced "and anyone with a pink bag!"....I happened to be carrying a pink bag and my husband nudged me up there.  The gate agent was serious!  I said "really" and he said "sure!" so I got to board early....but I insisted that the military guy go before me....and then he insisted that I go before him and he wouldn't budge.  All in all a fun and friendly flight for me!  It was a lucky pink bag!


----------



## captaindavidhook

Just want to give everyone a heads up. When Early April dates came out a lot of flights from philly to Orlando were sold out for some reason. Now they have changed and there are openings. I changed my flight again to my desired date. Happy it changed but wondering why there were 15 flights sold out from 5 am to 9 am on opening. Doesn't make sense but thought I give you all a heads up.


----------



## scrappinginontario

captaindavidhook said:


> Just want to give everyone a heads up. When Early April dates came out a lot of flights from philly to Orlando were sold out for some reason. Now they have changed and there are openings. I changed my flight again to my desired date. Happy it changed but wondering why there were 15 flights sold out from 5 am to 9 am on opening. Doesn't make sense but thought I give you all a heads up.


SW doesn’t open all routes at the same time the day new dates are added.  Your experience seems similar to what many shared here. 

Sounds like they might have opened up routes without opening all available price structures at the same time but have since added them.

Glad you were able to switch to what you wanted.  Hopefully others are having success too!


----------



## captaindavidhook

scrappinginontario said:


> SW doesn’t open all routes at the same time the day new dates are added.  Your experience seems similar to what many shared here.
> 
> Sounds like they might have opened up routes without opening all available price structures at the same time but have since added them.
> 
> Glad you were able to switch to what you wanted.  Hopefully others are having success too!


Its truly frustrating that this happens. Something interstign I would like to share, the 630 flight I booked cost$107, then I look last night and it was already moved to $127. Wow what a joke.

Also another thing that I am peeved about. My flight cost $87 and there is a 20 dollar tax fee. Well I have vouchers, and I cannot use them for the taxes only the 87 dollars. I was ready to lose it when I told the agent that. I am not sure whats going on with sw lately but I am getting plenty angry.


----------



## shoreward

captaindavidhook said:


> Its truly frustrating that this happens. Something interstign I would like to share, the 630 flight I booked cost$107, then I look last night and it was already moved to $127. Wow what a joke.
> 
> Also another thing that I am peeved about. My flight cost $87 and there is a 20 dollar tax fee. Well I have vouchers, and I cannot use them for the taxes only the 87 dollars. I was ready to lose it when I told the agent that. I am not sure whats going on with sw lately but I am getting plenty angry.


The fare most likely increased since the time you booked, as there's only a fixed number of seats for each fare bucket - maybe 4-6 seats.  So, each time the seats available for the lowest fare sell out, the next lowest fare is available for booking.  That's why it's always good to check your flights, as a customer may have canceled a flight and opened up a lower-cost seat that you can take.

Also, the taxes and fees, usually $5.60 per person, per flight, are turned over to the government, not kept by Southwest.  They are only a pass-through and don't make any profit on that portion of the fare.  It used to be that the taxes and fees would be added on when actually booking a ticket and not be included in the quoted fare, but the government changed the regulations a few years back, so that the taxes and fees are included.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

captaindavidhook said:


> Also another thing that I am peeved about. My flight cost $87 and there is a 20 dollar tax fee. Well I have vouchers, and I cannot use them for the taxes only the 87 dollars. I was ready to lose it when I told the agent that. I am not sure whats going on with sw lately but I am getting plenty angry.


You're going to run into taxes everywhere. Have you flown before? 

Just ran a random flight from my airport to LA and here is the blurb on the taxes that SWA gives me plain and clear:



Is the $20.00 comprised of just the 9/11 fees? If so don't get mad at SWA. That's something the Federal Government requires and everyone pays that including those flying on Companion Passes, those flying on RR Pts redemptions, etc.


----------



## captaindavidhook

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> You're going to run into taxes everywhere. Have you flown before?
> 
> Just ran a random flight from my airport to LA and here is the blurb on the taxes that SWA gives me plain and clear:
> 
> View attachment 348031
> 
> Is the $20.00 comprised of just the 9/11 fees? If so don't get mad at SWA. That's something the Federal Government requires and everyone pays that including those flying on Companion Passes, those flying on RR Pts redemptions, etc.


yes I have flown before. My complaint is not about the taxes so much but why cant I use the voucher to pay for the flight plus the tax. Flight was listed at $107. I have no problem with that but 20 of that is taxes and they say you cannot use voucher on entire $107. Taxes must be paid separately. That is what my beef is.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

captaindavidhook said:


> yes I have flown before. My complaint is not about the taxes so much but why cant I use the voucher to pay for the flight plus the tax. Flight was listed at $107. I have no problem with that but 20 of that is taxes and they say you cannot use voucher on entire $107. Taxes must be paid separately. That is what my beef is.


I can understand the frustration but is the $20.00 the September 11th Security Fee (often referred to as the 9/11 fee)?

Like I said everyone pays that and it's not the airlines requiring it, it's the Federal Government. It doesn't go to the airlines at all. It goes to TSA (and I'm totally not trying to open that can of worms lol just trying to say where the money goes to). According to TSA's website: 

*Under the assumption this is the fee you're talking about. If it's another fee please advise.


----------



## captaindavidhook

I don't know where the fee comes from. They sw said it $20 in taxes. That's all I got. No clarification from any of the 3 agents I spoke with.


----------



## shoreward

captaindavidhook said:


> I don't know where the fee comes from. They sw said it $20 in taxes. That's all I got. No clarification from any of the 3 agents I spoke with.


If you are interested in knowing the cost breakdown of your ticket, it's clearly shown on your emailed confirmation.  A receipt can be resent sent to you, if you can't locate the original, which shows the detailed info on the purchase, including taxes and fees.  Just complete the three boxes on the form found here:

https://www.southwest.com/air/manage-reservation/index.html?clk=GSUBNAV-AIR-MNGRES

Looking at one of my receipts from a paid flight, not booked with RR points, I see the following:

*Excise Taxes*
* September 11th Security Fee*
* Segment Fee*
* Passenger Facility Charge *


----------



## Bellabully

Just checked Southwest and looks like they changed release date again to November 15th for flights April 8th through June 7th. Last time I looked they were scheduled to release flights on September 27th. The only positive thing about this is gives me more time to save up more points.


----------



## PerfessorZ

Bellabully said:


> Just checked Southwest and looks like they changed release date again to November 15th for flights April 8th through June 7th. Last time I looked they were scheduled to release flights on September 27th. The only positive thing about this is gives me more time to save up more points.



Where did you see that?  I'm still seeing Sep 27 on a few places on their website.  

There are some things I love about SW, but their scheduling leaves quite a bit to be desired.

Also, as far as I can tell, they've all but done away with direct flights from Newark to Orlando next year. *sad face*  Right now, they only show 1 non-stop on weekends only.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

Bellabully said:


> Just checked Southwest and looks like they changed release date again to November 15th for flights April 8th through June 7th. Last time I looked they were scheduled to release flights on September 27th. The only positive thing about this is gives me more time to save up more points.



Not sure where you are seeing this, but per the travel tool section on their website, the release date is 9/27/18 for flights through 6/8/19


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Bellabully said:


> Just checked Southwest and looks like they changed release date again to November 15th for flights April 8th through June 7th. Last time I looked they were scheduled to release flights on September 27th. The only positive thing about this is gives me more time to save up more points.





PerfessorZ said:


> Where did you see that?  I'm still seeing Sep 27 on a few places on their website.
> 
> There are some things I love about SW, but their scheduling leaves quite a bit to be desired.
> 
> Also, as far as I can tell, they've all but done away with direct flights from Newark to Orlando next year. *sad face*  Right now, they only show 1 non-stop on weekends only.





Cinderumbrella said:


> Not sure where you are seeing this, but per the travel tool section on their website, the release date is 9/27/18 for flights through 6/8/19



I check this information in 3 spots:

THIS LINK: https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/ says: _We are currently accepting air reservations through April 7, 2019. On *November 15, 2018* we will open our schedule for sale *through June 7, 2019*. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently._

THIS LINK: https://www.southwest.com/html/travel-tools/index.html still says: _We are currently accepting air reservations through April 7, 2019. On September 27, 2018 we will open our schedule for sale *through June 8, 2019*. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.
_
The other spot I look is on the advanced search screen there is a text that says: _Now accepting reservations through April 07, 2019_ And then you click the little "i" logo and it says: _On September 27, 2018, we will open our schedule for sale through June 08, 2019. (Date is subject to change; please check back frequently.)_

It is not atypical for Southwest to update this date - and the information on these 3 spots doesn't always match.  Although not a definitive answer - I'm inclined to believe the later date at this point BUT for the sanity of most people booking flights, I hope that is incorrect.


----------



## shoreward

SouthFayetteFan said:


> It is not atypical for Southwest to update this date - and the information on these 3 spots doesn't always match.  Although not a definitive answer - I'm inclined to believe the later date at this point BUT for the sanity of most people booking flights, I hope that is incorrect.


Southwest is stating that the November 15 date is correct for schedule extension thru 06.08.19 and references the flight schedule search page for updates.

I wonder if the date might be pushed back due to the Hawaii flights.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

FYI - I tweeted a tongue in cheek comment to Southwest today and got confirmation that the (current) correct info is *NOVEMBER 15th, 2018 release* for *flights through JUNE 7th, 2019.  *They also advised that THIS site: https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/index.html?clk=GSUBNAV-AIR-SCHEDULES is actually the best place to find this info.  I know many of us consult travel tools, but I would stick with the flight schedule link going forward.  

They also have still not updated the travel tools so it is still showing the wrong information, lol.


----------



## shoreward

SouthFayetteFan said:


> FYI - I tweeted a tongue in cheek comment to Southwest today and got confirmation that the (current) correct info is *NOVEMBER 15th, 2018 release* for *flights through JUNE 7th, 2019.  *They also advised that THIS site: https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/index.html?clk=GSUBNAV-AIR-SCHEDULES is actually the best place to find this info.  I know many of us consult travel tools, but I would stick with the flight schedule link going forward.
> 
> They also have still not updated the travel tools so it is still showing the wrong information, lol.


I tweeted the same question two days ago (per post 3566) and received exactly the same reply.  They did not address the posted date on Travel Tools, at all.  At least they are consistent in their replies.


----------



## BOST99

Just wanted to share our experience.  Flew home MCO to PVD on 8/25. Bought EBCI for all 4 of us for both flights on the date flights were released. Got A30s on way down  

We got mid Bs for our return flight which was frustrating and felt like a waste of $60. We boarded with family boarding since kids are 6 and under.  

I did change my flights once when it dropped in price.  My understanding is EBCI status is suppose to transfer with you but with our boarding position it didnt feel that way.


----------



## shoreward

BOST99 said:


> Just wanted to share our experience.  Flew home MCO to PVD on 8/25. Bought EBCI for all 4 of us for both flights on the date flights were released. Got A30s on way down
> 
> We got mid Bs for our return flight which was frustrating and felt like a waste of $60. We boarded with family boarding since kids are 6 and under.
> 
> I did change my flights once when it dropped in price.  My understanding is EBCI status is suppose to transfer with you but with our boarding position it didnt feel that way.


My understanding is that when you change a flight, the EBCI transfers to the new flight (the value is not lost, as it is when canceling), but you lose your original place in line.  So, essentially, your place in line for boarding number assignment was updated when you changed your flight.  That could be why you ended up in the mid-Bs.  I have heard this happen to others.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

shoreward said:


> My understanding is that when you change a flight, the EBCI transfers to the new flight (the value is not lost, as it is when canceling), but you lose your original place in line.  So, essentially, your place in line for boarding number assignment was updated when you changed your flight.  That could be why you ended up in the mid-Bs.  I have heard this happen to others.


 This is how I understand it to work to.  People feel frustrated/confused by it because in their mind they just "changed" their flight to save some money/points.  Despite the fact they use the term "Change Flight", In Southwest's system they essentially cancelled your original flight (and place in line for EBCI) and booked your new flight (assigning you a new place in line) despite the fact that you remained on the same exact flight.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*The November 15th next release is now #FakeNews.
*
Apparently Southwest also gave bad information to me and @shoreward on twitter. 

*All 3 sites now state that the next release will be SEPTEMBER 27th, 2018 for flights through JUNE 8th, 2019.  *Sorry for the false alarm here folks!

h/t to Reddit User u/redblue949 on r/churning for bringing this to my attention!


----------



## Iowamomof4

SouthFayetteFan said:


> *The November 15th next release is now #FakeNews.
> *
> Apparently Southwest also gave bad information to me and @shoreward on twitter.
> 
> *All 3 sites now state that the next release will be SEPTEMBER 27th, 2018 for flights through JUNE 8th, 2019.  *Sorry for the false alarm here folks!
> 
> h/t to Reddit User u/redblue949 on r/churning for bringing this to my attention!



Wow, SW. Get your act together!


----------



## shoreward

SouthFayetteFan said:


> *The No   vember 15th next release is now #FakeNews.
> *
> Apparently Southwest also gave bad information to me and @shoreward on twitter.
> 
> *All 3 sites now state that the next release will be SEPTEMBER 27th, 2018 for flights through JUNE 8th, 2019.  *Sorry for the false alarm here folks!
> 
> h/t to Reddit User u/redblue949 on r/churning for bringing this to my attention!


Oh, no.  Thanks for checking this out.  November did seem so far out for the next schedule extension.
Here are the tweets - mine to Southwest and their reply:



> Travel Tools states "On September 27, 2018 we will open our schedule for sale through June 8, 2019," while the Check Flight Schedules page states "On November 15, 2018 we will open our schedule for sale through June 7, 2019." Which statement is correct?
> 
> 
> 
> *Southwest Airlines*‏Verified account @SouthwestAir
> Hi, there! On November 15 we will open our schedule for sale through June 7, 2019. You can find this information and stay up to date on our schedules here: https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/index.html?clk=GFOOTER-FLY-FLTSCHEDULES …. -Bethany
> 
> 7:33 PM - 4 Sep 2018


----------



## BOST99

SouthFayetteFan said:


> This is how I understand it to work to.  People feel frustrated/confused by it because in their mind they just "changed" their flight to save some money/points.  Despite the fact they use the term "Change Flight", In Southwest's system they essentially cancelled your original flight (and place in line for EBCI) and booked your new flight (assigning you a new place in line) despite the fact that you remained on the same exact flight.



Ah makes sense thinking about it.  We didnt change flights but did rebook the same flight when the fair dropped.  Since it was the same flight I didnt think it would be reassigned.   All to save $45


----------



## leitadisneyfan

Question
My printer is not working. Will a picture of it on my phone work as boarding pass?


----------



## scrappinginontario

leitadisneyfan said:


> Question
> My printer is not working. Will a picture of it on my phone work as boarding pass?


  Yes


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

leitadisneyfan said:


> Question
> My printer is not working. Will a picture of it on my phone work as boarding pass?


To utilize a Boarding Pass on your phone here's the directions from SWA- https://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/airport-experience/mobile-boarding-pass.html


----------



## focusondisney

Does anyone know if there is a limit of how many companion pass flights you can have booked at any one time?  We currently have 3 flights booked. When I booked a return flight for my DH, it won’t let me add the companion.  Keep getting an “unspecified error”. Tried to call as per the error message, but hold time is currently 40 minutes, can’t stay on that long right now as we have a 7am flight tomorrow.  Will have to call some other time. Thanks!


----------



## mfly

focusondisney said:


> Does anyone know if there is a limit of how many companion pass flights you can have booked at any one time?  We currently have 3 flights booked. When I booked a return flight for my DH, it won’t let me add the companion.  Keep getting an “unspecified error”. Tried to call as per the error message, but hold time is currently 40 minutes, can’t stay on that long right now as we have a 7am flight tomorrow.  Will have to call some other time. Thanks!


I currently have 4 round-trip flights booked with my companion. I think I’ve had more in the past.


----------



## shoreward

focusondisney said:


> Does anyone know if there is a limit of how many companion pass flights you can have booked at any one time?  We currently have 3 flights booked. When I booked a return flight for my DH, it won’t let me add the companion.  Keep getting an “unspecified error”. Tried to call as per the error message, but hold time is currently 40 minutes, can’t stay on that long right now as we have a 7am flight tomorrow.  Will have to call some other time. Thanks!


CP bookings should not have any limit.  If you can't get through on the phone, you might want to inquire at:
https://twitter.com/SouthwestAir/with_replies
Another option would be to clear your history/cache or use incognito mode and try again.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Just curious.  I have heard a lot of talk of companion passes.  May I ask what they are?


----------



## shoreward

scrappinginontario said:


> Just curious.  I have heard a lot of talk of companion passes.  May I ask what they are?


Everything there is to know about Southwest's Companion Pass:
https://upgradedpoints.com/southwest-companion-pass-ultimate-guide/


----------



## scrappinginontario

Thanks so much @shoreward.  Looks like a great program although we would never be able to qualify.  I don’t fly anything close to 100 flight in a year (lol, or 5!) and as Canadians we are not eligible for a SW credit card. Thanks for the info though.  Glad there are others who can take advantage of this great opportunity!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

scrappinginontario said:


> Thanks so much @shoreward.  Looks like a great program although we would never be able to qualify.  I don’t fly anything close to 100 flight in a year (lol, or 5!) and as Canadians we are not eligible for a SW credit card. Thanks for the info though.  Glad there are others who can take advantage of this great opportunity!


Yeah - I had thought of mentioning it to you before but the whole Canada thing.....bummer!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

shoreward said:


> Everything there is to know about Southwest's Companion Pass:
> https://upgradedpoints.com/southwest-companion-pass-ultimate-guide/


Hey @shoreward - not sure if you're into the CC churning game but if you even dabble in it (or are interested) consider joining us in this thread: 

https://www.disboards.com/threads/i-love-credit-cards-so-much.3528202/page-2393


----------



## focusondisney

mfly said:


> I currently have 4 round-trip flights booked with my companion. I think I’ve had more in the past.





shoreward said:


> CP bookings should not have any limit.  If you can't get through on the phone, you might want to inquire at:
> https://twitter.com/SouthwestAir/with_replies
> Another option would be to clear your history/cache or use incognito mode and try again.


. Thank you both! I will try again later. Just wanted to make sure that wasn’t the issue.


----------



## shoreward

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Hey @shoreward - not sure if you're into the CC churning game but if you even dabble in it (or are interested) consider joining us in this thread:
> 
> https://www.disboards.com/threads/i-love-credit-cards-so-much.3528202/page-2393


Thanks for the invite, @SouthFayetteFan.  I don't churn CC.  It's been quite awhile, since even signing up for a new card.    However, I might just pop over to the thread to see what everyone is up to.


----------



## herewego1

NEVER have flown SW before but it literally is our only option (well if we don't want to pay a fortune) since we need a late flight.  It is a direct flight and we will purchase the EBCI.  What are the chances of getting  2 sets of 2 seats together so a parent can sit with each child (they are over 6)?  We don't even need to have the 2 sets of  2 seats near each other-just each parent with one child. 

I have to purchase soon since we leave Nov. 27, but don't want to stress over these stupid seats until then and then again for our flight home.

Thanks!


----------



## shoreward

herewego1 said:


> NEVER have flown SW before but it literally is our only option (well if we don't want to pay a fortune) since we need a late flight.  It is a direct flight and we will purchase the EBCI.  What are the chances of getting  2 sets of 2 seats together so a parent can sit with each child (they are over 6)?  We don't even need to have the 2 sets of  2 seats near each other-just each parent with one child.
> 
> I have to purchase soon since we leave Nov. 27, but don't want to stress over these stupid seats until then and then again for our flight home.
> 
> Thanks!


With EBCI, your chances of getting 2 sets of 2 seats together are fairly good.  However, keep in mind the EBCI boarding numbers are assigned in the chronological order in which purchased.  So, the sooner you purchase, the better.  As this is over Thnksgiving break, the flights will be full.  Sometimes a flight will originate in another city and have thru pax onboard, when you board.  Most will want to sit toward the front of the plane, so your best chance of getting 2 or 4 seats togther is toward the rear of the aircraft.
If you book Southwest with EBCI now, you should be fine to sit together.


----------



## Livelovedance

herewego1 said:


> NEVER have flown SW before but it literally is our only option (well if we don't want to pay a fortune) since we need a late flight.  It is a direct flight and we will purchase the EBCI.  What are the chances of getting  2 sets of 2 seats together so a parent can sit with each child (they are over 6)?  We don't even need to have the 2 sets of  2 seats near each other-just each parent with one child.
> 
> I have to purchase soon since we leave Nov. 27, but don't want to stress over these stupid seats until then and then again for our flight home.
> 
> Thanks!


Also remember that those flights have probably been open for awhile, so you're buying EBCI after those who purchased it since the day the flight schedules opened. I still recommend purchasing it, and planning to sit towards the back as the previous poster suggested.


----------



## herewego1

shoreward said:


> With EBCI, your chances of getting 2 sets of 2 seats together are fairly good.  However, keep in mind the EBCI boarding numbers are assigned in the chronological order in which purchased.  So, the sooner you purchase, the better.  As this is over Thnksgiving break, the flights will be full.  Sometimes a flight will originate in another city and have thru pax onboard, when you board.  Most will want to sit toward the front of the plane, so your best chance of getting 2 or 4 seats togther is toward the rear of the aircraft.
> If you book Southwest with EBCI now, you should be fine to sit together.





Livelovedance said:


> Also remember that those flights have probably been open for awhile, so you're buying EBCI after those who purchased it since the day the flight schedules opened. I still recommend purchasing it, and planning to sit towards the back as the previous poster suggested.




Thank you both for your replies!


----------



## focusondisney

mfly said:


> I currently have 4 round-trip flights booked with my companion. I think I’ve had more in the past.





shoreward said:


> CP bookings should not have any limit.  If you can't get through on the phone, you might want to inquire at:
> https://twitter.com/SouthwestAir/with_replies
> Another option would be to clear your history/cache or use incognito mode and try again.



So I tried again last night in my iPad & was able to add the companion pass no problem.  Never needed to call so not sure what the problem was. But thankful it was resolved without having to call & sit in hold. Thanks again for your help!


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

herewego1 said:


> Thank you both for your replies!


And remember the price for EBCI just increased on Aug 30 to $25 per person each way.


----------



## FCDub

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> And remember the price for EBCI just increased on Aug 30 to $25 per person each way.



I believe it's dynamic, no? It COULD be $25, but it could also be $15 or anywhere in between.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

FCDub said:


> I believe it's dynamic, no? It COULD be $25, but it could also be $15 or anywhere in between.


This is correct.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Can someone please help me understand something?

I just received a 'special offer' from SW that says if I purchase 10,000 points or more I get 40% extra points, 'free'.

I looked up the offer and 10,000 points plush the bonus 4,000 points is $275 to purchase.  I would get 14,000 points in total for $275.

Out of curiosity I went online and looked for flights that cost approx 7000 points and I found a flight that would cost me 7,111 points.  If I was to pay case for that flight the price is listed as $121.  So, a round trip flight using 14,222 points would cost me $242.

As I calculate it, I would pay $33 less if I purchased the flight with cash than I would if I purchased points for the exact same flight.

Where is the savings?  Why would I ever choose to purchase points, even with this 40% 'bonus'?  Unless someone is short only a few points and really wants to use points rather than having to pay for the full flight, where is the advantage?  Am I missing something?

Also, when I pay cash for a flight, I earn points.  In the above example a total of 1,094 points.  If I use points I don't believe I qualify to earn any points for that flight.  Still can't figure out the advantage!


----------



## PerfessorZ

scrappinginontario said:


> Can someone please help me understand something?
> 
> I just received a 'special offer' from SW that says if I purchase 10,000 points or more I get 40% extra points, 'free'.
> 
> I looked up the offer and 10,000 points plush the bonus 4,000 points is $275 to purchase.  I would get 14,000 points in total for $275.
> 
> Out of curiosity I went online and looked for flights that cost approx 7000 points and I found a flight that would cost me 7,111 points.  If I was to pay case for that flight the price is listed as $121.  So, a round trip flight using 14,222 points would cost me $242.
> 
> As I calculate it, I would pay $33 less if I purchased the flight with cash than I would if I purchased points for the exact same flight.
> 
> Where is the savings?  Why would I ever choose to purchase points, even with this 40% 'bonus'?  Unless someone is short only a few points and really wants to use points rather than having to pay for the full flight, where is the advantage?  Am I missing something?
> 
> Also, when I pay cash for a flight, I earn points.  In the above example a total of 1,094 points.  If I use points I don't believe I qualify to earn any points for that flight.  Still can't figure out the advantage!



Buying points is almost *never* a cost savings over paying 'cash' for a flight.  There are a couple instances where it _might_ make sense, however.

One, if you book a flight with points and you have to cancel, you get all the points back and have no restrictions on when you must use them by or whose ticket they must be applied to.

Two, (as you surmised) you may be a few thousand points short on being able to book a flight for you and/or your family and being able to buy the last few points you need to complete the booking makes sense.


----------



## scrappinginontario

PerfessorZ said:


> Buying points is almost *never* a cost savings over paying 'cash' for a flight.  There are a couple instances where it _might_ make sense, however.
> 
> One, if you book a flight with points and you have to cancel, you get all the points back and have no restrictions on when you must use them by or whose ticket they must be applied to.
> 
> Two, (as you surmised) you may be a few thousand points short on being able to book a flight for you and/or your family and being able to buy the last few points you need to complete the booking makes sense.



Thanks!  I wasn't sure if I was missing something as i just couldn't make the numbers work!  Thanks for your help!


----------



## shoreward

scrappinginontario said:


> Can someone please help me understand something?
> 
> I just received a 'special offer' from SW that says if I purchase 10,000 points or more I get 40% extra points, 'free'.
> 
> !



FYI - I believe that all active RR members received the same email message.  It's a promotion to get customers to purchase points.

If doing a points booking with your account slightly short, purchasing the points to top off your account may be the only option available.  Otherwise, a 40% discount, under the current Southwest redemption value, is not a great deal.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*Chase may have ended one of the SW companion pass strategies...
*
I know a lot of people around here have earned or shown interest in earning a SW CP (companion pass) by signing up for 2 SW credit cards.  A few months ago they implemented a "1 SW personal card" rule.  This meant you could only get 1 SW personal card and so to earn the CP you had 2 options:
1) Signup and get approved for 2 SW personal cards on the SAME DAY (this got around the 1 SW personal rule)
2) Signup for 1 SW Biz card and 1 SW personal card

Option 2 is still working...Option 1...reports are that if you try a "double dip" (meaning sign up for 2 SW personal cards on the same day) Chase may call and ask you to close one as you can't have both.  

For those that aren't interested in this - you can disregard this message LOL!  If you have any more questions though let me know or come join our discussion in the I Love Credit cards thread here on the DIS.


----------



## jenseib

SouthFayetteFan said:


> *Chase may have ended one of the SW companion pass strategies...
> *
> I know a lot of people around here have earned or shown interest in earning a SW CP (companion pass) by signing up for 2 SW credit cards.  A few months ago they implemented a "1 SW personal card" rule.  This meant you could only get 1 SW personal card and so to earn the CP you had 2 options:
> 1) Signup and get approved for 2 SW personal cards on the SAME DAY (this got around the 1 SW personal rule)
> 2) Signup for 1 SW Biz card and 1 SW personal card
> 
> Option 2 is still working...Option 1...reports are that if you try a "double dip" (meaning sign up for 2 SW personal cards on the same day) Chase may call and ask you to close one as you can't have both.
> 
> For those that aren't interested in this - you can disregard this message LOL!  If you have any more questions though let me know or come join our discussion in the I Love Credit cards thread here on the DIS.



I don't think this is new.  When I signed up for my last card over a year ago I had the same rules....one card with points can be gotten in a certain time period.  I think it was 2 years.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

jenseib said:


> I don't think this is new.  When I signed up for my last card over a year ago I had the same rules....one card with points can be gotten in a certain time period.  I think it was 2 years.


You are talking about the 24 month rule which has been in effect for a very long time.  This is a much different and much more complex loophole that was actively being exploited in churning communities.  It was a response to the "One Southwest Card" rule which was enacted in April 2018.  At any rate, for those who knew of the loophole and were planning to utilize it, it has closed.

*EDIT:*_ If I sound crazy and you have no idea what I'm talking about just ignore me  LOL!  This is definitely something that was being done on the "fringe" so to speak so if you weren't aware of it, don't worry._


----------



## GPC0321

shoreward said:


> FYI - I believe that all active RR members received the same email message.  It's a promotion to get customers to purchase points.
> 
> If doing a points booking with your account slightly short, purchasing the points to top off your account may be the only option available.  Otherwise, a 40% discount, under the current Southwest redemption value, is not a great deal.



Yep, I just caved and bought the 10k+4k last night because I'm nervous that I won't have enough points by the time they release flights for my dates next summer. I've been shoveling UR points over to RR every month, but unless the flights are considerably cheaper than what I'm expecting, I fear I'll be coming up short. So I bought the freaking points, LOL.


----------



## shoreward

GPC0321 said:


> Yep, I just caved and bought the 10k+4k last night because I'm nervous that I won't have enough points by the time they release flights for my dates next summer. I've been shoveling UR points over to RR every month, but unless the flights are considerably cheaper than what I'm expecting, I fear I'll be coming up short. So I bought the freaking points, LOL.


I understand.  A few months ago I needed to purchase tickets for family travel to FL for a wedding.  Checking minute-by-minute, anxiously watching for the flights to be bookable on a release date, I was finally able to search and purchase.  While under pressure to grab those seats, a little message popped up, saying that I was slightly short on points for my flight; so I, too, caved in and bought the points - at the normal price.  It was the first time I ever had to do that, and it was not a good feeling.  Of course, now my points balance is built back up, so I'm not looking to do that again.

There really is that sense of urgency, when booking on the release date, especially to destinations subject to heavy bookings at certain times of the year.


----------



## TNKim

I have a question about purchasing multiple Southwest tickets when the April flights are released.  I usually just purchase a single ticket for myself, but for my April trip I will be buying tickets for myself and 3 others. Last year when I purchased 4 tickets at the same time (the first time buying more than a single ticket), I picked the arrival/departure flights that worked for me and placed the 4 tickets in my cart.  By the time I typed in each name and rapid reward numbers, the price of the tickets in my cart had increased.  Is there a way to just place all 4 tickets in your cart, pay, then go back and add all the personal info for each passenger later? Also, I plan to use points to purchase my ticket, but need to pay with credit card for the other 3. Should I purchase the 1 ticket with points, then in a separate transaction purchase the other 3?  I'm not a frequent flyer, so trying to buy seats the morning flights are released is stressful!  Thanks for your help!


----------



## barb969

TNKim said:


> I have a question about purchasing multiple Southwest tickets when the April flights are released.  I usually just purchase a single ticket for myself, but for my April trip I will be buying tickets for myself and 3 others. Last year when I purchased 4 tickets at the same time (the first time buying more than a single ticket), I picked the arrival/departure flights that worked for me and placed the 4 tickets in my cart.  By the time I typed in each name and rapid reward numbers, the price of the tickets in my cart had increased.  Is there a way to just place all 4 tickets in your cart, pay, then go back and add all the personal info for each passenger later? Also, I plan to use points to purchase my ticket, but need to pay with credit card for the other 3. Should I purchase the 1 ticket with points, then in a separate transaction purchase the other 3?  I'm not a frequent flyer, so trying to buy seats the morning flights are released is stressful!  Thanks for your help!



If you are buying only 1 ticket with points, do not make it your ticket.  If you pay for your ticket you will earn more points.  If you use points you do not earn points.

I would suggest calling for multiple reservations.  I think the agent might have more time than you get to type in the info.

If you are doing it online only put in the required info to speed it up.  Rapid reward numbers can be added later.

You can put the 3 cash reservations on one reservation.  The point ressie must be alone.

Have a great trip!


----------



## shoreward

TNKim said:


> I have a question about purchasing multiple Southwest tickets when the April flights are released.  I usually just purchase a single ticket for myself, but for my April trip I will be buying tickets for myself and 3 others. Last year when I purchased 4 tickets at the same time (the first time buying more than a single ticket), I picked the arrival/departure flights that worked for me and placed the 4 tickets in my cart.  By the time I typed in each name and rapid reward numbers, the price of the tickets in my cart had increased.  Is there a way to just place all 4 tickets in your cart, pay, then go back and add all the personal info for each passenger later? Also, I plan to use points to purchase my ticket, but need to pay with credit card for the other 3. Should I purchase the 1 ticket with points, then in a separate transaction purchase the other 3?  I'm not a frequent flyer, so trying to buy seats the morning flights are released is stressful!  Thanks for your help!


If all of the people you are booking have Rapid Rewards accounts, and you log in to their accounts to book, all of the pertinent info will automatically be filled in.  So, you can save time by opening up several browser windows, one for each person you are booking.  Then, all you will need to do is book yourself, then move to each of the other windows and select the same flights.  Sometimes, there will be 1, 2, or 3 seats at the lowest fare, but maybe not 4.  The system always searches for the lowest fare available for the number of customers you are booking at one time.  So, by searching for 3 or 4 you may be missing the lower fare only available for 2.

If the others in your group do not have RR accounts, set them up now.  If you add the credit card number to the profiles, the bookings will go through very quickly (assuming Southwest's IT is not having problems).


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Does anybody here know if the TA that shall not be named codes as travel on certain cards?

Perhaps you could answer our friend here on that Disney UR reddit thread - https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/c...packages_no_longer_available_through/e684a36/

I'll be sure to upvote any responses from our friends here


----------



## DMOMof3

My December flights went down early this morning, was able to get a 600 credit in points for my return flight!!!!!


----------



## 2DisPrincesses

DMOMof3 said:


> My December flights went down early this morning, was able to get a 600 credit in points for my return flight!!!!!



My flight for October went down today too. Got 1450 points back!!!


----------



## jerseygal

DMOMof3 said:


> My December flights went down early this morning, was able to get a 600 credit in points for my return flight!!!!!


Super!
Our December flight decreased by 653 points, 3 of us, 1,959 points saved. This is the second point reduction! Definitely pays to watch!


----------



## CJK

New situation for us! Checked in for our flight, and dh got A60 and I got B1! Lol I'm assuming I won't be able to board with him, correct? I'll have to wait until.sftrr family boarding? He can save me a seat.


----------



## scrappinginontario

CJK said:


> New situation for us! Checked in for our flight, and dh got A60 and I got B1! Lol I'm assuming I won't be able to board with him, correct? I'll have to wait until.sftrr family boarding? He can save me a seat.


 He can board with A's if he chooses but technically he cannot save you a seat as the family boarding will happen between A and B.  This happened to us last month.  We chose to both wait and board together with the B's.


----------



## TNKim

shoreward said:


> If all of the people you are booking have Rapid Rewards accounts, and you log in to their accounts to book, all of the pertinent info will automatically be filled in.  So, you can save time by opening up several browser windows, one for each person you are booking.  Then, all you will need to do is book yourself, then move to each of the other windows and select the same flights.  Sometimes, there will be 1, 2, or 3 seats at the lowest fare, but maybe not 4.  The system always searches for the lowest fare available for the number of customers you are booking at one time.  So, by searching for 3 or 4 you may be missing the lower fare only available for 2.
> 
> If the others in your group do not have RR accounts, set them up now.  If you add the credit card number to the profiles, the bookings will go through very quickly (assuming Southwest's IT is not having problems).



Sorry, just one more question!  Can I add MY credit card with my name to their profiles?  I plan to pay for all their flights with my travel credit card to earn rewards.  Will there be any issue with the credit card linked to their profile having a different name from theirs?  Two of the passengers are minors.


----------



## eeyoreland

jerseygal said:


> Super!
> Our December flight decreased by 653 points, 3 of us, 1,959 points saved. This is the second point reduction! Definitely pays to watch!



I'm not having any luck with my December flights going down :-(.


----------



## shoreward

TNKim said:


> Sorry, just one more question!  Can I add MY credit card with my name to their profiles?  I plan to pay for all their flights with my travel credit card to earn rewards.  Will there be any issue with the credit card linked to their profile having a different name from theirs?  Two of the passengers are minors.


Yes, you can have your card in their profiles.  Do that when you set up their accounts.  If you have kids older than six traveling with you, I  suggest buying Early Bird check-in with the flights.
Hope this all works out for you.
BTW, each passenger earns their own RR points. no matter who pays.  You obviously will earn credit card points on their tickets, though.


----------



## jerseygal

eeyoreland said:


> I'm not having any luck with my December flights going down :-(.


Keep checking!


----------



## PerfessorZ

eeyoreland said:


> I'm not having any luck with my December flights going down :-(.





jerseygal said:


> Keep checking!



Agreed.  

I don't have any current reservations, but in the past, I would watch my fares like an investor in the stock market.  It was interesting to see it jump up and down, depending on bookings and cancellations, my own included.  There's no guarantee they will go down, but as plans change, people switch flights, availability pops up on some flights and the price goes down.

And if you're like me and live within a 2-hour drive of 4 airports SW flies out of, there can be a good handful flights to check each day!


----------



## eeyoreland

I feel like I've read about this here, but hoping someone can confirm. I received an email from Southwest that says it's a special invitation to sign up for "rewards for opinions." I think this is legit, but want to get opinions. Thank you!


----------



## Livelovedance

eeyoreland said:


> I feel like I've read about this here, but hoping someone can confirm. I received an email from Southwest that says it's a special invitation to sign up for "rewards for opinions." I think this is legit, but want to get opinions. Thank you!


I got that email also and signed up. I don't usually do survey websites so I don't know if my experience is normal, but I tried to do a bunch of surveys and was ineligible for a lot of them. I got one to go through and earned 3 points  but I'm interested to see if they count it and actually give me the 500 point credit for completing my first survey. If it does I might give the website a try every once in awhile...


----------



## eeyoreland

Livelovedance said:


> I got that email also and signed up. I don't usually do survey websites so I don't know if my experience is normal, but I tried to do a bunch of surveys and was ineligible for a lot of them. I got one to go through and earned 3 points  but I'm interested to see if they count it and actually give me the 500 point credit for completing my first survey. If it does I might give the website a try every once in awhile...



Thank you.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

eeyoreland said:


> I feel like I've read about this here, but hoping someone can confirm. I received an email from Southwest that says it's a special invitation to sign up for "rewards for opinions." I think this is legit, but want to get opinions. Thank you!





Livelovedance said:


> I got that email also and signed up. I don't usually do survey websites so I don't know if my experience is normal, but I tried to do a bunch of surveys and was ineligible for a lot of them. I got one to go through and earned 3 points  but I'm interested to see if they count it and actually give me the 500 point credit for completing my first survey. If it does I might give the website a try every once in awhile...



I just got the e-mail today as well though I haven't done anything with it. Good information though about not being eligible for a lot of them at least I can go in expecting that lol.


----------



## barb969

eeyoreland said:


> I feel like I've read about this here, but hoping someone can confirm. I received an email from Southwest that says it's a special invitation to sign up for "rewards for opinions." I think this is legit, but want to get opinions. Thank you![/QUOTE
> 
> 
> My husband received an invitation too. I am wondering the same thing.  I intend to call Southwest.


----------



## barb969

I just called SWA. The agent said it’s legit. She got it too.


----------



## jenseib

eeyoreland said:


> I feel like I've read about this here, but hoping someone can confirm. I received an email from Southwest that says it's a special invitation to sign up for "rewards for opinions." I think this is legit, but want to get opinions. Thank you!



Yep totally legit. I do them and earn points for flights.  It's not a lot, but for me every little bit counts.  I also do e-rewards for SW points. I average at least 7500 points a year and I am not diligent at doing the surveys.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Got a $120 credit for our Christmas fare. And wouldn't you know, some sold out flights are now open for wanna get away.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Got another $30 credit.


----------



## Dawn68PA

I'm only about 10 pages into this thread but I've seen people booking one way fares instead of round trip.  Is that a better buy usually?


----------



## DMOMof3

i find it's easier to modify or change a flight if booked separately.


----------



## shoreward

Dawn68PA said:


> I'm only about 10 pages into this thread but I've seen people booking one way fares instead of round trip.  Is that a better buy usually?


It's easier to make changes and allows more flexibility.  Also, some customers book the outbound with points, and the return with credit card, or vice versa; you can't combine those two types of purchases on a roundtrip ticket.

The standard in the industry usually was for roundtrips to price with lower fares.  That is no longer always true, and is not true with Southwest; Southwest's fares do not change if booking one-way vs. roundtrip.


----------



## chupacabra

This may have already been asked but when traveling with my 9yr old on Southwest do I need to bring a birth certificate for ID or is that not required? We are both on a wanna get away fare btw not a child fare.


----------



## shoreward

chupacabra said:


> This may have already been asked but when traveling with my 9yr old on Southwest do I need to bring a birth certificate for ID or is that not required? We are both on a wanna get away fare btw not a child fare.


No, you do not need an ID or birth certificate.


----------



## chupacabra

shoreward said:


> No, you do not need an ID or birth certificate.



Thanks


----------



## mlittig

What time in the morning (Eastern time zone) have the new Southwest fares been getting released  I haven't booked in a while so I want to make sure I am on when they are released as I have found that the fares are lowest then


----------



## shoreward

mlittig said:


> What time in the morning (Eastern time zone) have the new Southwest fares been getting released  I haven't booked in a while so I want to make sure I am on when they are released as I have found that the fares are lowest then


I would start checking at 6:00 A.M., but it could be an hour or so later.  There is never a set time.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

mlittig said:


> What time in the morning (Eastern time zone) have the new Southwest fares been getting released  I haven't booked in a while so I want to make sure I am on when they are released as I have found that the fares are lowest then


My general advice is between 6:30am and 8:30am Eastern. I know that's a large and frustrating window but it really varies A LOT from release to release.


----------



## TheyCallMeStacey

I've been trying to read through the 180+ pages of this thread, but wanted to ask for some advice...  My family of four will be traveling SW for the first time, and the idea of non-assigned seats has me a bit nervous that we won't be able to sit together.  I'm a nervous flyer, but I do my best not to let it show around the kids, and I like to have all the I's dotted and T's crossed to help me feel as prepared and calm as possible. ANYWAY. my DS will be 7 and DD will be 5 when we fly.  Can you help me out for the best plan? Should I buy early boarding for us? We're trying to use points...  Is saved seating frowned upon if we don't buy early boarding for everyone (I'm guessing yes)? Will we qualify for family boarding (both kids aren't under the threshold)?

Thanks in advance for your words of wisdom!


----------



## MarBee

TheyCallMeStacey said:


> I've been trying to read through the 180+ pages of this thread, but wanted to ask for some advice...  My family of four will be traveling SW for the first time, and the idea of non-assigned seats has me a bit nervous that we won't be able to sit together.  I'm a nervous flyer, but I do my best not to let it show around the kids, and I like to have all the I's dotted and T's crossed to help me feel as prepared and calm as possible. ANYWAY. my DS will be 7 and DD will be 5 when we fly.  Can you help me out for the best plan? Should I buy early boarding for us? We're trying to use points...  Is saved seating frowned upon if we don't buy early boarding for everyone (I'm guessing yes)? Will we qualify for family boarding (both kids aren't under the threshold)?
> 
> Thanks in advance for your words of wisdom!



You can most certainly buy EBCI for peace of mind.  However, boarding order goes like this: handicapped folks, A group (usually people who purchase EBCI get A or early B), families with children under 6 (that’s you), then B, then C.
We have always just done family boarding and have always found seats together.  
Any time we were on a flight where a family was unable to sit together (they probably didn’t board at the right time), the flight attendants asked people to move so that they could.
So, I don’t think it’s necessaey to but EBCI, but if you’re super anxious and it will help you, go for it.


----------



## princesspiglet

>wrong date


----------



## serenitynow

MarBee said:


> You can most certainly buy EBCI for peace of mind.  However, boarding order goes like this: handicapped folks, A group (usually people who purchase EBCI get A or early B), families with children under 6 (that’s you), then B, then C.
> We have always just done family boarding and have always found seats together.
> Any time we were on a flight where a family was unable to sit together (they probably didn’t board at the right time), the flight attendants asked people to move so that they could.
> So, I don’t think it’s necessaey to but EBCI, but if you’re super anxious and it will help you, go for it.


One of Southwest’s ongoing issues - people who pay for early bird seating to select their seats vs. passengers who don’t want to spend the extra money for EBCI, but once they board the plane simply have to sit with their family, in essence selecting their seats. 

Most people who paid for EBCI don’t want to trade seats with passengers who didn’t pay for EBCI and thus don’t volunteer to switch seats. Then a flight attendant has to threaten to hold up the plane until the family can all be seated together.

Officially, Southwest has NO policy on seat saving. A passenger can sit in any open seat, even if someone has put something in it to try and save it. The last couple of Southwest flights I have been on there has been an argument over seat saving on the plane. On two of those occasions, the person just sat down in the “saved” seat, regardless. 

I suspect now that Southwest has raised the pricing on EBCI, we can look forward to seeing more of these seating scuffles. Some of the other airlines going to “budget” tickets don’t allow seat selection as an option. These tickets say the passenger cannot pick their own seat on the budget option and families won’t be seated together.

On a side note, the back of the plane usually has more open seating options on Southwest for those who chose to gamble on not purchasing EBCI.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*PSA:* Southwest Airlines' schedule release tomorrow (9/27/18). They will release flights from April 8, 2019 through June 8, 2019.

The release _typically_ occurs somewhere between 6:30am and 8:30am Eastern.


----------



## georgina

TheyCallMeStacey said:


> I've been trying to read through the 180+ pages of this thread, but wanted to ask for some advice...  My family of four will be traveling SW for the first time, and the idea of non-assigned seats has me a bit nervous that we won't be able to sit together.  I'm a nervous flyer, but I do my best not to let it show around the kids, and I like to have all the I's dotted and T's crossed to help me feel as prepared and calm as possible. ANYWAY. my DS will be 7 and DD will be 5 when we fly.  Can you help me out for the best plan? Should I buy early boarding for us? We're trying to use points...  Is saved seating frowned upon if we don't buy early boarding for everyone (I'm guessing yes)? Will we qualify for family boarding (both kids aren't under the threshold)?
> 
> Thanks in advance for your words of wisdom!



Some things also depend on the day, time, and whether or not your flight is a connecting one. First flight of the morning will be empty when everyone boards, so easier to find seats. A flight from a hub like BWI may have passengers already on the plane from previous flights, so fewer available. SW does not have a no seat saving policy, but some people get nasty about it. I always ask before I sit if the person there is saving a seat for someone. You could buy 2 early bird for one adult and the 7 year old and have the other 2 do family boarding. Have the first to board head toward the back if they need to save seats for a bit.


----------



## Bellabully

Waiting


----------



## TexasChick123

Bellabully said:


> Waiting



Me too!


----------



## thelegacy27

Me three! 

This is so stressful because I'm at work right now and my fear is that the fares will come out as I'm driving home☹


----------



## TexasChick123

I'm about to go back to sleep and just deal with this when I wake up...


----------



## Bellabully

thelegacy27 said:


> Me three!
> 
> This is so stressful because I'm at work right now and my fear is that the fares will come out as I'm driving home☹


That is stressful!!! Are you working 11-7 shift? I used to do 12-8 shifts at VA (I am RN) and it made it sooo difficult. Thankfully, the other nurses knew how important it was and would cover me. Hang in there and I hope it works out. Have a magical vacation!!!


----------



## shoreward

I was able to book end of April by 6:10 EDT, by trying to work around system, but now can't book anything else.


----------



## cmarsh31

Remember everyone waiting, for the last two releases, the website was active, if you typed in the dates, at least an hour before the app.


----------



## Bellabully

cmarsh31 said:


> Remember everyone waiting, for the last two releases, the website was active, if you typed in the dates, at least an hour before the app.


Thank you!! I am on website. Refreshing every few minutes. Good luck everyone


----------



## Bellabully

shoreward said:


> I was able to book end of April by 6:10 EDT, by trying to work around system, but now can't book anything else.


Wow! Didn't even know that was possible. That's fantastic that you were able to book something. How were the prices?


----------



## Bellabully

TexasChick123 said:


> I'm about to go back to sleep and just deal with this when I wake up...


Hope you can make it. Sometimes there is a big jump in prices and sometimes not so much. I wish I could figure it out, it would sure make this whole process a little smoother...


----------



## focusondisney

cmarsh31 said:


> Remember everyone waiting, for the last two releases, the website was active, if you typed in the dates, at least an hour before the app.



Yes!! Thank you!! Do this everyone! I was able to book Easter week! Used points, have never traveled a major holiday week before so not sure how to compare the cost. But I don’t care, it’s booked, I’m traveling free on a companion pass, my hotel is booked with discounts! Yea!!


----------



## Bellabully

focusondisney said:


> Yes!! Thank you!! Do this everyone! I was able to book Easter week! Used points, have never traveled a major holiday week before so not sure how to compare the cost. But I don’t care, it’s booked, I’m traveling free on a companion pass, my hotel is booked with discounts! Yea!!


So you were able to book already? Still showing me dates aren't up. Help?


----------



## TexasChick123

When the last batch came out, I was refreshing on the app while I made coffee.  The app still showed my dates as unavailable to book.  When I sat back down at the computer, they were ready to book.  I agree that the app didn't refresh at the same time as the website.


----------



## buzzrelly

Argh! I’m sitting in my car and have to be in work in 10 minutes! This wait is killing me! And if it opens right at 7, I’ll be getting report (another RN here) so I’ll be lucky to look again before 10.


----------



## shoreward

Bellabully said:


> Wow! Didn't even know that was possible. That's fantastic that you were able to book something. How were the prices?


I'm still trying to book another flight, but no luck.

The fares were not the lowest I've seen, but okay.  I think I'll be able to get about 1,000 points back on each one-way, if I keep checking, over the next 7 months.


----------



## TexasChick123

Bellabully said:


> So you were able to book already? Still showing me dates aren't up. Help?



I can't book yet either...


----------



## Jestocost

Go to the Main Page (not the Book Flights page), manually enter the dates (ignore the pop-up calendars) and force it to book. I just got April 27/May 2.


----------



## focusondisney

Bellabully said:


> So you were able to book already? Still showing me dates aren't up. Help?



Yes. Do what jestocost & cmarsh said.  Click into the date box & type in the new date.  It only worked on the main page for me.  But yes, I am all booked for our trip April 20 - 27!


----------



## Bellabully

Jestocost said:


> Go to the Main Page (not the Book Flights page), manually enter the dates (ignore the pop-up calendars) and force it to book. I just got April 27/May 2.


I tried this, still not working


----------



## KSR0330

Wow, typed dates in and it worked!  Hoping prices would be a bit lower then they were, but flight times are pretty good.


----------



## Bellabully

KSR0330 said:


> Wow, typed dates in and it worked!  Hoping prices would be a bit lower then they were, but flight times are pretty good.


Ugh! Still not working for me. Do you think they release states in random order or everything at once? I have logged out, refreshed, tried from main screen and book flight, still showing only through 4/7/19. I have never had this much difficulty!!!


----------



## KSR0330

I booked end of May.  I went to the main page, signed in, put in my airports and travel dates (month/date) and hit enter.  Sorry it's not working for you!


----------



## TNKim

How do you get to the main page? I need to book my return flight & cant get back to that page, only the book flight page comes up.


----------



## focusondisney

TNKim said:


> How do you get to the main page? I need to book my return flight & cant get back to that page, only the book flight page comes up.




southwest.com


----------



## TexasChick123

It worked for me.  Go to southwest.com and type in the date.  Good luck!


----------



## shoreward

The booking calendar and low fare calendar are now working.

Wow - some WGA fares are almost sold out!


----------



## focusondisney

Yep, calendar is working. My flights are up 4000 points from when I booked  at 6:40. FYI, many WGA fares were “sold out” for Easter week even when I got in early.  I think SW just didn’t release WGA fares on many flights for the holiday week.  I have seen this before for other weeks where they added them weeks later. I have never followed a major holiday week tho, so not sure what will happen because of that.


----------



## shoreward

Next schedule extension (subject to change):


> On November 15, 2018 we will open our schedule for sale through August 5, 2019. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently


----------



## buzzrelly

Booked! Yay! MCO-BDL April 13, $583 for 4 tickets, including EBCI which was $25/pp. I’m happy with next year’s SB prices


----------



## katallo

Tried for April dates from BWI but very expensive.  I think even with these rates I would have booked if flight times were decent (not flights after 5pm) but they're not.


----------



## Bellabully

Whew! Glad that is over. Was finally able to book. PVD-MCO RT 303. plus EBCI 25.00. Not great, but not too bad considering holiday/spring break. Now, going to grab some coffee, tea was NOT enough today


----------



## Bellabully

Bellabully said:


> Whew! Glad that is over. Was finally able to book. PVD-MCO RT 303. plus EBCI 25.00. Not great, but not too bad considering holiday/spring break. Now, going to grab some coffee, tea was NOT enough today


Just adding on, a LOT of flights showed up sold out.


----------



## TexasErin

Very disappointed.  I really don't think the points go very far.  I had to spend a ton of money to buy more points and also to transfer points between the four of us.  Plus I lost a lot of sleep getting up can hour before the flights were actually released since it's impossible to know when they will actually start being available for booking.  So tired.  And spent so much more money than I had planned.  Sigh.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Got in tried to apply travel funds to a round trip and of course that didn't work. Probably too many funds. I was able to book each of us a one way ticket with the funds and that worked. Now the other leg of the flight is up $10.


----------



## StephanieV

I was able to book 3 tickets right at 6:03 for Easter week, but some fares were already showing up as unavailable. I think they released them later though, because I see them now. Paid $331 pp, plus EBCI, which was about what I was hoping for. I checked again an hour later and the same trip had gone up by $120! So worth getting up early for, although DH thought I was nuts. Worth it!


----------



## TexasChick123

I needed a ticket to fly somewhere other than WDW, and it was a little pricey, miles wise. I was surprised. Oh well. I guess that gives me something else to obsessively check so I can cancel and rebook when the price goes down.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

I know it's release day but I thought I would share my recent good experience with SWA.

We went to Jamaica from 8/24-9/1. We connected in BWI on our way to Jamaica and somewhere between our airport, BWI or at the Jamaican airport our 1 checked luggage (30inch) got damaged. We're not sure what happened but it had to have been slammed hard on it's top part where the extendable handle comes out and squished so there's a big crease in the middle and the enxtendable handle will not come out no matter how much force you apply it's just stuck in the down position. It was with enough force where my liquid foundation leaked out/sorta exploded (which has never happened before) though it was in a bag so it didn't mess with our other belongings.

Anyways it was sorta chaotic inside the Jamaican airport by the time you got through Customs and getting your luggage that we completely missed the SWA counter-I have no clue where it was anyways as I didn't immediately see it-so we ended up calling SWA and they sent us a claim form for the luggage; we filled it out and sent pictures along with it as well as looked up the approximate value of the luggage destroyed (which was $80). 

The timeframe given for a response was up to 30 days and it was just under 30 days when we received notification that they were giving us a transferable expires within 1 year $50 credit as well as sent us a website that a few other airlines use to pick out new luggage. There was only 2 real comparable options with the softsided luggage like the one that got messed up but we picked the one that had better reviews on Amazon (as we could find the luggage there). The value of the piece we select was like $78/$79 on Amazon so close enough to what our destroyed one was worth. That was on Thursday. We just received the luggage yesterday and opened it up and it looks good. Just hoping it lasts lol

So yeah that's our good story with SWA  Ironic I suppose but the luggage that got destroyed was actually replacement luggage that Delta gave us 2 years ago when we went to Hawaii as the one we brought with us got caught on a conveyor belt and ripped the front pocket beyond usage and scrapped up the back and the sides really bad. Delta was awesome in the Hawaii airport and when we went up to the counter, told them the issue, they wheeled out a replacement luggage and said "what about this one, will this work?". Having never had issues prior to 2016 with luggage getting messed up I'm hoping our streak with them getting messed up is done lol. 

*Sorry long post  *


----------



## TJA

I have been flying JetBlue for the last several years, but am back to SW because of the flight times.  I actually forgot this morning! but remembered just now and still was able to snag PIT-MCO flights for Easter week 106 each way, plus I bought the early bird.  Happy with that!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment:


*NEXT RELEASE: 11/15/18 - travel through August 5th, 2019 FYI this is subject to change*
9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019
8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
This could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above).

EDIT: _Reversed the dates since the list was getting pretty long - made it go from newest to oldest _


----------



## amandaleigh2

Ugh.  We're going to California at the end of May.  Southwest's prices are HORRIBLE this time around.  It would be cheaper for us to book direct flights on Delta rather than have layovers using Southwest.  For the first time ever I'm going to wait and see if prices drop.


----------



## irt9206

Bellabully said:


> Whew! Glad that is over. Was finally able to book. PVD-MCO RT 303. plus EBCI 25.00. Not great, but not too bad considering holiday/spring break. Now, going to grab some coffee, tea was NOT enough today


Just wondering if you could share date and times of your flights. We're going at the end of June and were trying to decide between Saturday or Sunday flights. Just found out I have to wait till November 15th


----------



## Elizakapeka

darn, I set a reminder on my phone but I set it wrong and completely forgot.  around 10 am I got mdw to mco 4-19 to 4-26 for 5 people for 81,111 points.  Im thinking I could have done better but I could have done alot worse!


----------



## focusondisney

Elizakapeka said:


> darn, I set a reminder on my phone but I set it wrong and completely forgot.  around 10 am I got mdw to mco 4-19 to 4-26 for 5 people for 81,111 points.  Im thinking I could have done better but I could have done alot worse!



I think you did pretty darn good. I booked at 6:40 this morning. I booked 4/20 from Buffalo & return on 4/27.  Both nonstop, 6 am down, 9 pm return.  It was over 33000 points for 1 person. So 81000 for 5 people sounds great.


----------



## cmarsh31

Just a little note for those hoping for flights to drop after booking. Over a year I've flown or will fly 13 flights with Southwest (March to March). Out of all of those, with very regular checking, exactly two ever dropped in price. One of those two I didn't book opening day/minute. So, really I've had exactly one flight drop in price lower than what I saw opening day. One leg of a trip and not even for all 4 of us (luckily I followed the directions here to book separate legs & separate tickets for everyone). OblO one trip was overa major holiday week, and that oneso been sold out (not unavailable, straight s/o) for months.

So good luck...and try not to count on ticket drops. I used to have tons of luck but not recently.


----------



## Lvsdisney

Two-part question:

1) My parents bought us tickets for spring break week.  If the prices somehow go down (I doubt it but you never know) can I rebook, or do I need to bother my mom?  I've rebooked before, but only using points, so not sure how it works with a CC purchase (my mom sent us the flight info and conf# so I have that)

2) IF I am lucky enough to get some flight credit, can I use it with a points purchase (i.e. partial points, partial credit)?  I assume, no, but you never know!

Sidenote: My mom was VERY happy with the flight cost non-stop to TPA from PHL, less than $300 per person round trip when we were looking at close to $500 for AA with a layover (not basic economy, my kids are too young for that).


----------



## TexasChick123

cmarsh31 said:


> Just a little note for those hoping for flights to drop after booking. Over a year I've flown or will fly 13 flights with Southwest (March to March). Out of all of those, with very regular checking, exactly two ever dropped in price. One of those two I didn't book opening day/minute. So, really I've had exactly one flight drop in price lower than what I saw opening day. One leg of a trip and not even for all 4 of us (luckily I followed the directions here to book separate legs & separate tickets for everyone). OblO one trip was overa major holiday week, and that oneso been sold out (not unavailable, straight s/o) for months.
> 
> So good luck...and try not to count on ticket drops. I used to have tons of luck but not recently.



I've only been back to flying SWA for a couple of years after a LONG break from them.  I won't get into why we didn't fly them for years because that's a long story and not too interesting.  I booked our tickets for our trip next month on release day, and both legs have dropped.  I booked our winter ski trip tickets on release day, and those haven't dropped despite me thinking they were high at the time.  I booked our spring break tickets on release day, and those haven't dropped.  I just booked some summer one-way tickets this morning (DH and daughter are driving a few days before and will pick us up) on release day, but I am fairly confident this one WILL drop.  The October and spring tickets are for Orlando.  The others are not.  I will say that the tickets I booked this morning are the same (too high) price as they were at 6am.  I should've slept in!


----------



## TexasChick123

Lvsdisney said:


> Two-part question:
> 
> 1) My parents bought us tickets for spring break week.  If the prices somehow go down (I doubt it but you never know) can I rebook, or do I need to bother my mom?  I've rebooked before, but only using points, so not sure how it works with a CC purchase (my mom sent us the flight info and conf# so I have that)
> 
> 2) IF I am lucky enough to get some flight credit, can I use it with a points purchase (i.e. partial points, partial credit)?  I assume, no, but you never know!
> 
> Sidenote: My mom was VERY happy with the flight cost non-stop to TPA from PHL, less than $300 per person round trip when we were looking at close to $500 for AA with a layover (not basic economy, my kids are too young for that).



You can change them and the credit will go back to the account used to pay for them and will need to be used within 1 year.  She cannot change your tickets unless she is on the reservation.  She will get the "refund" of the difference in the way of travel funds which must be used within 1 year.  Make sure she keeps the confirmation number of the flight changed as that is the only way to use the funds.  Tickets are either bought with points or dollars.  There are no partial purchases.


----------



## focusondisney

TexasChick123 said:


> You can change them and the credit will go back to the account used to pay for them and will need to be used within 1 year.  She cannot change your tickets unless she is on the reservation.  She will get the "refund" of the difference in the way of travel funds which must be used within 1 year.  Make sure she keeps the confirmation number of the flight changed as that is the only way to use the funds.  Tickets are either bought with points or dollars.  There are no partial purchases.




Just want to clarify this a little. The poster’s mother will not really get the refund.  The person who is named as the passenger will. Travel credits can only be used by the named passenger. So her mother will get no benefit whatsoever if the price drops, unless she is a passenger too.  The credit is specifically tied to the reservation number & passenger name.

Now if the purchase had been made with the mother’s reward points, the returned credits would have all  gone back to the mother’s account. But not for a cash booking.


----------



## TexasChick123

focusondisney said:


> Just want to clarify this a little. The poster’s mother will not really get the refund.  The person who is named as the passenger will. Travel credits can only be used by the named passenger. So her mother will get no benefit whatsoever if the price drops, unless she is a passenger too.  The credit is specifically tied to the reservation number & passenger name.
> 
> Now if the purchase had been made with the mother’s reward points, the returned credits would have all  gone back to the mother’s account. But not for a cash booking.



Thanks for clarifying. I didn’t know that as I usually book with points. I booked my tickets with the points in my DH’s account because that’s where we put all of our SWA points. We have a lot of different designated accounts between cc points, different Airlines, hotels, etc. When I went to cancel because I decided to fly into a different airport, it did return the points to his account. I just got a refund of the whopping $11.20 for the taxes back on my cc since it was within 24 hours. The point being that he isn’t in the reservation, but the points would’ve gone back to his account. That’s good to know it is different for travel funds as they are tied to the specific person traveling.


----------



## buzzrelly

Ugh, I'm so embarrassed about what I'm about write…I was here yesterday so excited that I paid $583 for our flights home in April. Well, I checked my email last night at 9pm, and realized I MESSED UP BIG TIME. In my haste to get those opening day/opening minute prices (I literally booked while taking report at work, knowing that I wasn't getting to look again all day. Thankfully, my co-worker was super understanding), I booked the WRONG WAY!  So, so stupid. So last night I looked at my email and realized I now possess one-way tickets BDL to MCO on April 6th and April 13th 

I am ready to cry and I am really kicking myself about this! I called SW this morning and ended up changing our flights, but on the day we want to come home the flights START at $350/pp  so I ended up booking us out the next morning, April 14th at 8 am for $233/pp. This is really not what we wanted and I guess I'll be stalking the website to see if any of the prices go down. I guess I'm going to end up paying more no matter what because we get off our cruise April 13th and now we'll have to rent a car and get a hotel for the night. I almost think maybe I should just change and pay the exorbitant April 13th prices. 

Anyway, I feel REALLY dumb and will never make the mistake of trying to book in such a rush ever again. I used to make sure I took off the mornings of these releases and I will definitely be going back to doing that again


----------



## TexasChick123

buzzrelly said:


> Ugh, I'm so embarrassed about what I'm about write…I was here yesterday so excited that I paid $583 for our flights home in April. Well, I checked my email last night at 9pm, and realized I MESSED UP BIG TIME. In my haste to get those opening day/opening minute prices (I literally booked while taking report at work, knowing that I wasn't getting to look again all day. Thankfully, my co-worker was super understanding), I booked the WRONG WAY!  So, so stupid. So last night I looked at my email and realized I now possess one-way tickets BDL to MCO on April 6th and April 13th
> 
> I am ready to cry and I am really kicking myself about this! I called SW this morning and ended up changing our flights, but on the day we want to come home the flights START at $350/pp  so I ended up booking us out the next morning, April 14th at 8 am for $233/pp. This is really not what we wanted and I guess I'll be stalking the website to see if any of the prices go down. I guess I'm going to end up paying more no matter what because we get off our cruise April 13th and now we'll have to rent a car and get a hotel for the night. I almost think maybe I should just change and pay the exorbitant April 13th prices.
> 
> Anyway, I feel REALLY dumb and will never make the mistake of trying to book in such a rush ever again. I used to make sure I took off the mornings of these releases and I will definitely be going back to doing that again



Don’t beat yourself up over it. When I had a newborn and was sleep deprived, I booked our flight for the wrong days. We didn’t realize it until a week or so later. That was a $600 mistake just to change flights.  At least with SW, you can get the money back if you make a mistake or flights go down in price. It’ll probably go down if it’s crazy high right now.


----------



## zilp

buzzrelly, don't be too hard on yourself.  Buying SW tickets for NE April break is so incredibly stressful. I've only been buying April vacation airfare for the last few years since my oldest was in middle (and now high school).  I actually feel a bit sick rushing to make on the spot decisions and buy those tickets. I was actually _thisclose_ to buying RT tickets yesterday, but in the wrong direction like you.  "wasting" those precious seconds trying to think and plan means you lose seats right in front of your eyes. You did the best you could, I think we all did.


----------



## TJA

focusondisney said:


> I think you did pretty darn good. I booked at 6:40 this morning. I booked 4/20 from Buffalo & return on 4/27.  Both nonstop, 6 am down, 9 pm return.  It was over 33000 points for 1 person. So 81000 for 5 people sounds great.



We usually fly BUF, but for Easter next year I booked PIT because the flight times and costs were better for us.  We've been on a long hiatus from Southwest Airlines, but last trip booked it due to better flight times for us and we really liked it!  We seemed to have a "newer" plane on the way down.  An older/usual plane on our way back.  My girls missed the TV's that we have on JetBlue but agreed we had good flights.  We will be there similar dates as you - our school has first day of break on the 18th so we leave that morning.


----------



## shoreward

TJA said:


> We usually fly BUF, but for Easter next year I booked PIT because the flight times and costs were better for us.  We've been on a long hiatus from Southwest Airlines, but last trip booked it due to better flight times for us and we really liked it!  We seemed to have a "newer" plane on the way down.  An older/usual plane on our way back.  My girls missed the TV's that we have on JetBlue but agreed we had good flights.  We will be there similar dates as you - our school has first day of break on the 18th so we leave that morning.


Don't forget that there is free TV (both live and popular series) on Southwest.  You just have to use your own device (tablet, laptop, phone).


----------



## TheyCallMeStacey

I DID IT! I booked our flight this morning, AND the points were less than what they were yesterday.  I'm hoping that our 50 minute layovers in Dallas and Houston will be enough time to change plans, but I guess we'll worry about that later.   I actually have leftover points, and don't plan to use them on a future flight...are there fun extras that you've used points for on your flights before? Just looking for some extra specials for my little ones. I'm pretty sure they don't remember when they flew last time so why not have some fun if we can use points to do it


----------



## scrappinginontario

shoreward said:


> Don't forget that there is free TV (both live and popular series) on Southwest.  You just have to use your own device (tablet, laptop, phone).


  I could be the last one to learn this but did you know that some devices are also able to text free of charge during flights?  

Friends were flying from Buffalo to MCO last week and I texted them that I was watching their flight online.  I didn't expect to hear from them for a few hours until they had landed so was surprised when I started receiving texts as they were flying.  I guess there is an option to text for free from some devices while hooked into the free onboard wifi.  Just wanted to mention it in case others were not aware of this either.



TheyCallMeStacey said:


> I DID IT! I booked our flight this morning, AND the points were less than what they were yesterday.  I'm hoping that our 50 minute layovers in Dallas and Houston will be enough time to change plans, but I guess we'll worry about that later.   I actually have leftover points, and don't plan to use them on a future flight...are there fun extras that you've used points for on your flights before? Just looking for some extra specials for my little ones. I'm pretty sure they don't remember when they flew last time so why not have some fun if we can use points to do it


  We have had as little as a 25 minute connection and not had a problem making it.  Because the SW gates are designed in a specific way they are close together so easier to make connections.  Also, I've found SW to be the most dependable airline I use when it comes to flights being ontime.


----------



## shoreward

scrappinginontario said:


> I could be the last one to learn this but did you know that some devices are also able to text free of charge during flights?
> 
> Friends were flying from Buffalo to MCO last week and I texted them that I was watching their flight online.  I didn't expect to hear from them for a few hours until they had landed so was surprised when I started receiving texts as they were flying.  I guess there is an option to text for free from some devices while hooked into the free onboard wifi.  Just wanted to mention it in case others were not aware of this either.



Texting is available onboard for a $2.00 fee, per device, unless you have either paid the $8.00 WiFi fee or have A-List Preferred status.



> For $2 per day, per device, you can access pre-downloaded messaging apps (iMessage, WhatsApp and Viber) to stay in contact with friends and family using the same apps. Messaging access is automatically included as part of the purchase of full access WiFi.


----------



## scrappinginontario

shoreward said:


> Texting is available onboard for a $2.00 fee, per device, unless you have either paid the $8.00 WiFi fee or have A-List Preferred status.


  I'll double check but he said he didn't pay anything and he'd have remembered entering is cc.  They fly home tomorrow so I'll ask again.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

scrappinginontario said:


> I could be the last one to learn this but did you know that some devices are also able to text free of charge during flights?
> 
> Friends were flying from Buffalo to MCO last week and I texted them that I was watching their flight online.  I didn't expect to hear from them for a few hours until they had landed so was surprised when I started receiving texts as they were flying.  I guess there is an option to text for free from some devices while hooked into the free onboard wifi.  Just wanted to mention it in case others were not aware of this either.
> 
> We have had as little as a 25 minute connection and not had a problem making it.  Because the SW gates are designed in a specific way they are close together so easier to make connections.  Also, I've found SW to be the most dependable airline I use when it comes to flights being ontime.





shoreward said:


> Texting is available onboard for a $2.00 fee, per device, unless you have either paid the $8.00 WiFi fee or have A-List Preferred status.





scrappinginontario said:


> I'll double check but he said he didn't pay anything and he'd have remembered entering is cc.  They fly home tomorrow so I'll ask again.


FYI...https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...ssaging-texting-imessage-whatsapp/1410277002/

The Southwest website doesn't reflect it yet...but messaging IS now free


----------



## scrappinginontario

SouthFayetteFan said:


> FYI...https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...ssaging-texting-imessage-whatsapp/1410277002/
> 
> The Southwest website doesn't reflect it yet...but messaging IS now free


Woot woot!  They assured me they hadn't paid anything.  Great to know this is available!


----------



## Bellabully

irt9206 said:


> Just wondering if you could share date and times of your flights. We're going at the end of June and were trying to decide between Saturday or Sunday flights. Just found out I have to wait till November 15th


Sure. We are flying Tuesday, 4/9/19 at 6:45 am and returning Saturday, 4/20/19 flying 8:45pm. Hope this helps!


----------



## Bellabully

buzzrelly said:


> Ugh, I'm so embarrassed about what I'm about write…I was here yesterday so excited that I paid $583 for our flights home in April. Well, I checked my email last night at 9pm, and realized I MESSED UP BIG TIME. In my haste to get those opening day/opening minute prices (I literally booked while taking report at work, knowing that I wasn't getting to look again all day. Thankfully, my co-worker was super understanding), I booked the WRONG WAY!  So, so stupid. So last night I looked at my email and realized I now possess one-way tickets BDL to MCO on April 6th and April 13th
> 
> I am ready to cry and I am really kicking myself about this! I called SW this morning and ended up changing our flights, but on the day we want to come home the flights START at $350/pp  so I ended up booking us out the next morning, April 14th at 8 am for $233/pp. This is really not what we wanted and I guess I'll be stalking the website to see if any of the prices go down. I guess I'm going to end up paying more no matter what because we get off our cruise April 13th and now we'll have to rent a car and get a hotel for the night. I almost think maybe I should just change and pay the exorbitant April 13th prices.
> 
> Anyway, I feel REALLY dumb and will never make the mistake of trying to book in such a rush ever again. I used to make sure I took off the mornings of these releases and I will definitely be going back to doing that again


Please don't beat yourself up, this release was the craziest ever. The flights were booking so fast, before you could purchase, you would get bumped out. It was absolutely insane. I am so sorry this happened and hope that everything evens out of you. Most of all, I hope you and your family have a wonderful trip! p.s. I am impressed you managed to book WHILE taking report, that is dedication to vacation (one RN to another).


----------



## buzzrelly

TexasChick123 said:


> Don’t beat yourself up over it. When I had a newborn and was sleep deprived, I booked our flight for the wrong days. We didn’t realize it until a week or so later. That was a $600 mistake just to change flights.  At least with SW, you can get the money back if you make a mistake or flights go down in price. It’ll probably go down if it’s crazy high right now.



Thank you   It is pretty far away, so I do have some time to keep checking. 



zilp said:


> buzzrelly, don't be too hard on yourself.  Buying SW tickets for NE April break is so incredibly stressful. I've only been buying April vacation airfare for the last few years since my oldest was in middle (and now high school).  I actually feel a bit sick rushing to make on the spot decisions and buy those tickets. I was actually _thisclose_ to buying RT tickets yesterday, but in the wrong direction like you.  "wasting" those precious seconds trying to think and plan means you lose seats right in front of your eyes. You did the best you could, I think we all did.



Thank you. I'm kind of glad it's not just me getting super stressed out on these mornings, but happy for you that you made your tickets in the right direction! 



Bellabully said:


> Please don't beat yourself up, this release was the craziest ever. The flights were booking so fast, before you could purchase, you would get bumped out. It was absolutely insane. I am so sorry this happened and hope that everything evens out of you. Most of all, I hope you and your family have a wonderful trip! p.s. I am impressed you managed to book WHILE taking report, that is dedication to vacation (one RN to another).



Aw, thank you. Was it really? I couldn't really tell because I was on and off very quickly (dumb dumb dumb). But I do keep thinking that maybe the fares started out this crazy high. At least we now have tickets in the right direction, albeit a day later than I wanted. Maybe (hopefully) the prices will go down..I'll keep stalking the website. 

Did you get was you wanted?

Thankfully, I was taking report on babies I already knew so it wasn't going to take long anyway and the night nurse was still done by 7:30 am


----------



## imp&pixie

I haven't done a lot of travelling on Southwest, but recently they have added many more flights from my home airport (SJC).  I booked our round-trip flights on Thursday when the dates were released for late April.  I just went back to look today and there were better flight times for less money so I went onto my Southwest and clicked the "Change" button.  IT WAS SO EASY!!  Anyone who is hesitant to try changing their flights - don't be!!  I saved $50 which is now in my account for future travel (and I have to book an early June trip when those dates are released, so YEAH!!)


----------



## irt9206

Bellabully said:


> Sure. We are flying Tuesday, 4/9/19 at 6:45 am and returning Saturday, 4/20/19 flying 8:45pm. Hope this helps!


Thanks


----------



## Bellabully

buzzrelly said:


> Thank you   It is pretty far away, so I do have some time to keep checking.
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you. I'm kind of glad it's not just me getting super stressed out on these mornings, but happy for you that you made your tickets in the right direction!
> 
> 
> 
> Aw, thank you. Was it really? I couldn't really tell because I was on and off very quickly (dumb dumb dumb). But I do keep thinking that maybe the fares started out this crazy high. At least we now have tickets in the right direction, albeit a day later than I wanted. Maybe (hopefully) the prices will go down..I'll keep stalking the website.
> 
> Did you get was you wanted?
> 
> Thankfully, I was taking report on babies I already knew so it wasn't going to take long anyway and the night nurse was still done by 7:30 am


I think the flights were released with high prices. I did get the times and days I wanted, but had to pay cash instead of points. The flights were booking so quick, that I couldn't coordinate the use of points for 2 flights and cash for one, so bit the bullet and paid for all. Oh well, at least we have a great vacation to look forward to, right


----------



## buzzrelly

Bellabully said:


> I think the flights were released with high prices. I did get the times and days I wanted, but had to pay cash instead of points. The flights were booking so quick, that I couldn't coordinate the use of points for 2 flights and cash for one, so bit the bullet and paid for all. Oh well, at least we have a great vacation to look forward to, right



Exactly! And we'll have long forgotten about this crazy stress of booking the tickets!


----------



## katallo

Bellabully said:


> I think the flights were released with high prices. I did get the times and days I wanted, but had to pay cash instead of points. The flights were booking so quick, that I couldn't coordinate the use of points for 2 flights and cash for one, so bit the bullet and paid for all. Oh well, at least we have a great vacation to look forward to, right



I did the same thing plus prices are so high that points don't go very far.  They need to reevaluate their points program for the SW credit card.


----------



## shoreward

katallo said:


> I did the same thing plus prices are so high that points don't go very far.  They need to reevaluate their points program for the SW credit card.


Points have been devalued several times over the past few years, so I really don't think that the value of points will get any better.


----------



## DMOMof3

My December flight home went down $2, credit of 145 point. I'll take it!


----------



## Tigerlulu

I booked a flight last night to dc and today it’s on sale. My question is since I added early bird, and it’s not showing in the refund amount when I looked at canceling, will I lose the early bird? I don’t care if they refund it because I’ll rebook the exact same flight, I just don’t want to have to buy it again.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

Yes you will lose the EBCI  you can try calling and seeing if they will transfer it.


----------



## barb969

Tigerlulu said:


> I booked a flight last night to dc and today it’s on sale. My question is since I added early bird, and it’s not showing in the refund amount when I looked at canceling, will I lose the early bird? I don’t care if they refund it because I’ll rebook the exact same flight, I just don’t want to have to buy it again.


Don't cancel.  Call and CHANGE flight.  You might be able to save your early bird that way.  1-800- IFLYSWA

Good luck


----------



## scrappinginontario

Tigerlulu said:


> I booked a flight last night to dc and today it’s on sale. My question is since I added early bird, and it’s not showing in the refund amount when I looked at canceling, will I lose the early bird? I don’t care if they refund it because I’ll rebook the exact same flight, I just don’t want to have to buy it again.


  I agree with @barb969.  Call back and request the new price as opposed to cancelling.  I've done this often.


----------



## Tigerlulu

barb969 said:


> Don't cancel.  Call and CHANGE flight.  You might be able to save your early bird that way.  1-800- IFLYSWA
> 
> Good luck





scrappinginontario said:


> I agree with @barb969.  Call back and request the new price as opposed to cancelling.  I've done this often.



Thank you!!! I’m going to do that now. Didn’t even occur to me!


----------



## TexasChick123

Tigerlulu said:


> Thank you!!! I’m going to do that now. Didn’t even occur to me!



You should be able to change it yourself online.


----------



## KSR0330

I booked both flights to and from MCO on the same transaction.  I believe one way has decreased in price, but I can't find where I wrote the amounts I paid down, and the website is lumping both ways together so I can't see how much I paid for each leg.  Is there a way to get this info short of calling in?  Also, can I change just one way easily if I do change for the cheaper price/credit?  Can you transfer the EBCI if you make the change on-line?


----------



## Scootypuffjr

I just changed my flight today because of a sale fare. I did it online and EBCI transferred over autotmatically. As long as you modify and the confirmation number stays the same, you don’t lose EBCI.


----------



## Tigerlulu

TexasChick123 said:


> You should be able to change it yourself online.



If I do the change online, which it’s letting me, will it keep my earlybird?


----------



## mom2rtk

Tigerlulu said:


> If I do the change online, which it’s letting me, will it keep my earlybird?


Yes.


----------



## captaindavidhook

Price are rather high. I am not sure how they are "selling" out so fast. It is kind of shady bs. I am trying to book flight back after trip but I'm not paying 377 dollars for a 2 and a half hour flight. Really SW? what a joke. I'll wait it out.


----------



## Nancyg56

captaindavidhook said:


> Price are rather high. I am not sure how they are "selling" out so fast. It is kind of shady bs. I am trying to book flight back after trip but I'm not paying 377 dollars for a 2 and a half hour flight. Really SW? what a joke. I'll wait it out.



My husband asked me to book a while ago because he saw airline fuel had gone higher in price. I was waiting for a better rate for our return trip but booked it after he voiced his concerns. I believe the higher prices in generally are due in part to the increased fuel costs.


----------



## captaindavidhook

Nancyg56 said:


> My husband asked me to book a while ago because he saw airline fuel had gone higher in price. I was waiting for a better rate for our return trip but booked it after he voiced his concerns. I believe the higher prices in generally are due in part to the increased fuel costs.


im going to be patient and wait for that price to come down. No way im paying 377 dollars. That's a joke.


----------



## Nancyg56

captaindavidhook said:


> im going to be patient and wait for that price to come down. No way im paying 377 dollars. That's a joke.



I snapped up our leg going to MCO when the price went down a whole back, but that return leg was high. It did go down some and I through I would wait it out a while longer. Well, it never went back to that rate, so as soon as it went to $154 I snapped it up. We are paying $275 RT. I would cringe with the $377. We have 5 people heading out of our airport for this one.


----------



## captaindavidhook

Nancyg56 said:


> I snapped up our leg going to MCO when the price went down a whole back, but that return leg was high. It did go down some and I through I would wait it out a while longer. Well, it never went back to that rate, so as soon as it went to $154 I snapped it up. We are paying $275 RT. I would cringe with the $377. We have 5 people heading out of our airport for this one.


I don't mind 154 but like you said 377 is a joke. No desire for that nonsense.


----------



## Nancyg56

captaindavidhook said:


> I don't mind 154 but like you said 377 is a joke. No desire for that nonsense.



I know. I try to keep our travel to $300 per person. I am really concerned about a planned trip in July to Aruba. We like Delta for that one and right now it is over $1100 per person. Thank goodness we have not told our DGD that we want this trip to celebrate her graduation from HS. I am not going to pay that much for airfare, so I am stalking the site. I will be checking SW as they open their dates.


----------



## scrappinginontario

What are other airlines charging for that flight?  I find sometimes it’s a higher price one leg of our flight with all airlines.  E.g. going to mco in Dec the flights down are not bad but coming back it’s the first day of Christmas break for many and the flights are higher across the board for many airlines.  I booked earlier so am okay hut to book now would be costly.


----------



## captaindavidhook

scrappinginontario said:


> What are other airlines charging for that flight?  I find sometimes it’s a higher price one leg of our flight with all airlines.  E.g. going to mco in Dec the flights down are not bad but coming back it’s the first day of Christmas break for many and the flights are higher across the board for many airlines.  I booked earlier so am okay hut to book now would be costly.


The reason I'm flying Southwest says because I like them and the other factors is because I have a $200 voucher for them so that's why I'm doing this. After this group I'm a switch because this is getting ridiculous with the prices and the last few flights are flown on them have been delays so I don't know what's up with them as a company but this is getting ridiculous.


----------



## wisteria1019

This is my first experience with Early Bird check in. Tonight at 6:15 pm will be my 36 hour check in - will they send me a boarding assignment around that time?


----------



## scrappinginontario

wisteria1019 said:


> This is my first experience with Early Bird check in. Tonight at 6:15 pm will be my 36 hour check in - will they send me a boarding assignment around that time?


You will need to go online to see your boarding number.  I have never tried going in before the 24 hour mark but I don’t believe you’ll be able to see it until 24 hours before your flight.


----------



## captaindavidhook

wisteria1019 said:


> This is my first experience with Early Bird check in. Tonight at 6:15 pm will be my 36 hour check in - will they send me a boarding assignment around that time?


you sign in 24 hours before your flight...example if flight is at 7 am on a Friday you sign in with confirmation number at thrus at 7 am and sign in...they do it automatically for you check you in that is and when at Disney just have them print it for you at desk when leaving its simple or use sw app and sign in that way...


----------



## captaindavidhook

if I buy a seat at a price of say 200$ and it goes lower then that in 3 months may I try and get the discounted seat for lower? I don't think sw works that way but im asking anyways lol


----------



## focusondisney

captaindavidhook said:


> if I buy a seat at a price of say 200$ and it goes lower then that in 3 months may I try and get the discounted seat for lower? I don't think sw works that way but im asking anyways lol



Yes, SW is one of the very rare airlines that will give you a credit if the fare goes down. You can change it yourself online. You just pick “change/ modify” your flight. Then just pick the same flight again & you will get the new fare.  You will keep the same number & early bird check in if you bought that.


Some important things  to know:

The credit can only be used by the person named on the reservation, you can’t give the credit to anyone else.   You can get the credit anytime the price goes down, no restriction on when or how many times you can rebook for a better price.

The credit must be used by one year from the original booking.  This means the flight must take place by the 1 year mark, not that you just need to book by 1 year.  You have to travel by 1 year.

The credit is tied to the original confirmation number, so make sure you keep track of that.

Don’t cancel & rebook or you will lose the early bird check in.


----------



## shoreward

captaindavidhook said:


> if I buy a seat at a price of say 200$ and it goes lower then that in 3 months may I try and get the discounted seat for lower? I don't think sw works that way but im asking anyways lol



You can keep checking for a lower fare, than originally booked, by accessing your reservation by confirmation number, selecting "change," and looking at the fare showing for your flight.  If your flight has gone down in cost, continue the process to change to the lower-cost seat.  There will not be a refund of any difference in cost for a paid ticket (not a points booking), but Southwest will hold the savings as a credit under your confirmation number, to be used for future travel.  Those travel funds must be used only by the ticketed passenger, within one year (travel completed) from date of original purchase.

To use the credit, it's important to save that confirmation number, which gets entered on the payment page of the trip booked within one year.

Southwest will not notify you of any fare reductions.  It's the customer's resposibility to keep checking.  It can happen - you just need to be vigilant in monitoring the fares.


----------



## captaindavidhook

shoreward said:


> You can keep checking for a lower fare, than originally booked, by accessing your reservation by confirmation number, selecting "change," and looking at the fare showing for your flight.  If your flight has gone down in cost, continue the process to change to the lower-cost seat.  There will not be a refund of any difference in cost for a paid ticket (not a points booking), but Southwest will hold the savings as a credit under your confirmation number, to be used for futrue travel.  Those travel funds must be used only by the ticketed passenger, within one year (travel completed) from date of original purchase.
> 
> To use the credit, it's important to save that confirmation number, which gets entered on the payment page of the trip booked within one year.
> 
> Southwest will not notify you of any fare reductions.  It's the customer's resposibility to keep checking.  It can happen - you just need to be vigilant in monitoring the fares.


trust me im  looking every day


----------



## Kt75

Any luck with calling in the lower fare found when changing the flight?  I am getting this long random error code


----------



## captaindavidhook

Okay so I talk to a Southwest agent today. So I will try to explain this slowly. If I buy a ticket that is valued at $300 and 2 months later it becomes cheaper I can take the cheaper one and will be modified. But with that said it doesn't go back to your credit card the difference of the money. All it is is a credit and you have up to a year to use that credit. Hopefully that explains everything and I think someone explain that to me as well.


----------



## shoreward

captaindavidhook said:


> Okay so I talk to a Southwest agent today. So I will try to explain this slowly. If I buy a ticket that is valued at $300 and 2 months later it becomes cheaper I can take the cheaper one and will be modified. But with that said it doesn't go back to your credit card the difference of the money. All it is is a credit and you have up to a year to use that credit. Hopefully that explains everything and I think someone explain that to me as well.



Yes, that is the same information provided in the two above replies to your original post.


----------



## Kt75

Update to my q...I called southwest and they updated the flights for me.  I did get the refund as I should , just couldn’t do it on my own. All set now!


----------



## scrappinginontario

Kt75 said:


> Update to my q...I called southwest and they updated the flights for me.  I did get the refund as I should , just couldn’t do it on my own. All set now!


  Just to clarify, you received a travel credit rather than a refund to your credit card.


----------



## Kt75

Yes thank for clarifying.


----------



## richmo

captaindavidhook said:


> Okay so I talk to a Southwest agent today. So I will try to explain this slowly. If I buy a ticket that is valued at $300 and 2 months later it becomes cheaper I can take the cheaper one and will be modified. But with that said it doesn't go back to your credit card the difference of the money. All it is is a credit and you have up to a year to use that credit. Hopefully that explains everything and I think someone explain that to me as well.



You are correct that any price decrease does not go back to your credit card. It goes into "travel funds" that are tied to each individual.  A couple things to remember:
- The "travel funds" credit is good for a year, but it is a year from when you originally booked the ticket(s). Using your example, let's suppose you bought your $300 ticket on October 11, 2018 for lets say a January 15, 2019 flight.  Suppose on December 1, that fare goes down to $250. You modify your reservation and get a $50 credit.  To use that credit, you must fly (not just reserve) again by October 11, 2019.
- Even though you may have more than one on your itinerary, the credits stay with the individual and can not be transferred.  Using the same example, if there are two of you flying, you would each have a $50 credit. If, for example, you were flying by yourself before the credit deadline, you can not combine the two credits for $100 off your flight; you'd only be able to use your own $50 credit.


----------



## scrappinginontario

richmo said:


> You are correct that any price decrease does not go back to your credit card. It goes into "travel funds" that are tied to each individual.  A couple things to remember:
> - The "travel funds" credit is good for a year, but it is a year from when you originally booked the ticket(s). Using your example, let's suppose you bought your $300 ticket on October 11, 2018 for lets say a January 15, 2019 flight.  Suppose on December 1, that fare goes down to $250. You modify your reservation and get a $50 credit.  To use that credit, you must fly (not just reserve) again by October 11, 2019.
> - Even though you may have more than one on your itinerary, the credits stay with the individual and can not be transferred.  Using the same example, if there are two of you flying, you would each have a $50 credit. If, for example, you were flying by yourself before the credit deadline, you can not combine the two credits for $100 off your flight; you'd only be able to use your own $50 credit.


 

The other thing to remember is that a credit is tied to a confirmation number.  The only way to access it is to have that 6 digit code so this needs to be recorded somewhere too.


----------



## captaindavidhook

richmo said:


> You are correct that any price decrease does not go back to your credit card. It goes into "travel funds" that are tied to each individual.  A couple things to remember:
> - The "travel funds" credit is good for a year, but it is a year from when you originally booked the ticket(s). Using your example, let's suppose you bought your $300 ticket on October 11, 2018 for lets say a January 15, 2019 flight.  Suppose on December 1, that fare goes down to $250. You modify your reservation and get a $50 credit.  To use that credit, you must fly (not just reserve) again by October 11, 2019.
> - Even though you may have more than one on your itinerary, the credits stay with the individual and can not be transferred.  Using the same example, if there are two of you flying, you would each have a $50 credit. If, for example, you were flying by yourself before the credit deadline, you can not combine the two credits for $100 off your flight; you'd only be able to use your own $50 credit.


I am going back to Disney in August later that year. So about 4 months from April on be going back with family this time instead. So for me and might be a good deal to do. I'm also contemplating staying an extra day because there is a morning flight around 10 or so that is at a low fare and all I would have to do is wake up and just take Magical Express and I'll be on my way to the airport I'm considering it but not sure I want to add an extra day to my Disney trip currently which is already paid off for.


----------



## scrappinginontario

captaindavidhook said:


> I am going back to Disney in August later that year. So about 4 months from April on be going back with family this time instead. So for me and might be a good deal to do. I'm also contemplating staying an extra day because there is a morning flight around 10 or so that is at a low fare and all I would have to do is wake up and just take Magical Express and I'll be on my way to the airport I'm considering it but not sure I want to add an extra day to my Disney trip currently which is already paid off for.


  LOL - It would need to be one doozie of a flight price drop to compensate for an extra night's room costs.


----------



## captaindavidhook

scrappinginontario said:


> LOL - It would need to be one doozie of a flight price drop to compensate for an extra night's room costs.


Agreed that's why I told somebody why would I pay $130 or 1:50 whatever it is for one extra night to sleep and then basically I wake up catch Magical Express and then take the flight to me it just doesn't add up. Sounds like fun but I just don't think I would want to do something like that. I'm looking for opinions of people do that but usually when I leave I usually like to take a mid evening or the last flight going so I can enjoy a relaxing day.


----------



## dmdj232

Does anyone have any info or updates on Non-Stop flights from Newark to Orlando?  I looked for June and there are no Non-Stop flights.  I have called Southwest and they said they may or may not add Non-Stop flights.


----------



## scrappinginontario

captaindavidhook said:


> Agreed that's why I told somebody why would I pay $130 or 1:50 whatever it is for one extra night to sleep and then basically I wake up catch Magical Express and then take the flight to me it just doesn't add up. Sounds like fun but I just don't think I would want to do something like that. I'm looking for opinions of people do that but usually when I leave I usually like to take a mid evening or the last flight going so I can enjoy a relaxing day.


  the earlier flight in the day is what we normally do because when we fly SW we have a 3 hour drive home once we land.

I will say we enjoy making the very most of our last day at Disney.  I tend to do the majority of our packing the second last night we are there so that the final day we can go to the parks from open to close.  Our travel day we’re up, tuck last things into our suitcases, check luggage, grab breakfast if time permits then board Disney’s sad-gical Express back to the airport.  This is our regular routine and it works well.

I will say in December we’re fkying to Toronto on  9:30pm flight which is completely new to us.  I wonder what our last day will feel like as I’ll have our return flight in my mind the entire day as I’ll need to leave time for checking and picking up luggage from luggage services.  

I understand how we get into routines so trying something new is different.


----------



## captaindavidhook

scrappinginontario said:


> the earlier flight in the day is what we normally do because when we fly SW we have a 3 hour drive home once we land.
> 
> I will say we enjoy making the very most of our last day at Disney.  I tend to do the majority of our packing the second last night we are there so that the final day we can go to the parks from open to close.  Our travel day we’re up, tuck last things into our suitcases, check luggage, grab breakfast if time permits then board Disney’s sad-gical Express back to the airport.  This is our regular routine and it works well.
> 
> I will say in December we’re fkying to Toronto on  9:30pm flight which is completely new to us.  I wonder what our last day will feel like as I’ll have our return flight in my mind the entire day as I’ll need to leave time for checking and picking up luggage from luggage services.
> 
> I understand how we get into routines so trying something new is different.


I always feel I try different things at Disney every visit. My question to you is do you feel like staying one extra day and then leaving in the morning the flying looking at that's cheaper now is like at 10:40 10:40 flight and basically I'd be paying for a full day at a hotel that I'm basically kind of just staying in for about 7 hours or so. In your opinion would that make good sense to you or was it something you would not do? Just looking for opinions as always and thank you again.


----------



## scrappinginontario

captaindavidhook said:


> I always feel I try different things at Disney every visit. My question to you is do you feel like staying one extra day and then leaving in the morning the flying looking at that's cheaper now is like at 10:40 10:40 flight and basically I'd be paying for a full day at a hotel that I'm basically kind of just staying in for about 7 hours or so. In your opinion would that make good sense to you or was it something you would not do? Just looking for opinions as always and thank you again.


 Like you we love to try new things each trip!  This next trip will be my 9yo's 19th Disney trip even though we live in Canada.  We've already chosen some new things to try this trip and are excited about them!

I guess the question about value for staying the extra night at Disney vs flying home, to me would come down to what do I intend to do with the time I would normally be travelling home on the first day?

Let's say the flight home would be at 7pm therefore DME pickup at 4pm, leaving last park/Disney Springs at 2:30.  What would I plan to do from 2:30 until bed that night?  

If I'm going to be enjoying the parks or Disney Springs into the late evening then for me staying the extra night would be totally worth it!!!  Making the most of every single moment we're there!

If I was more likely to head back to the resort early, pack up and just kinda be hanging out in the hotel room before bed then I'd take the flight home that evening as I wouldn't really be getting the fullest from my extra night there and I'd also have the next day home to begin unpacking, etc.

It really is personal choice.  My dd and I are open to close park people and normally head home from Disney completely exhausted, almost needing a vacation after our vacation but with huge smiles on our faces and tons of new memories so it's totally worth it to us!  

I hope this helps even a little.  Bottom line is, what do you intend to do with the extra hours you've gained in the evening if you fly home the next day?  I'd say stay and party on!!


----------



## captaindavidhook

scrappinginontario said:


> Like you we love to try new things each trip!  This next trip will be my 9yo's 19th Disney trip even though we live in Canada.  We've already chosen some new things to try this trip and are excited about them!
> 
> I guess the question about value for staying the extra night at Disney vs flying home, to me would come down to what do I intend to do with the time I would normally be travelling home on the first day?
> 
> Let's say the flight home would be at 7pm therefore DME pickup at 4pm, leaving last park/Disney Springs at 2:30.  What would I plan to do from 2:30 until bed that night?
> 
> If I'm going to be enjoying the parks or Disney Springs into the late evening then for me staying the extra night would be totally worth it!!!  Making the most of every single moment we're there!
> 
> If I was more likely to head back to the resort early, pack up and just kinda be hanging out in the hotel room before bed then I'd take the flight home that evening as I wouldn't really be getting the fullest from my extra night there and I'd also have the next day home to begin unpacking, etc.
> 
> It really is personal choice.  My dd and I are open to close park people and normally head home from Disney completely exhausted, almost needing a vacation after our vacation but with huge smiles on our faces and tons of new memories so it's totally worth it to us!
> 
> I hope this helps even a little.  Bottom line is, what do you intend to do with the extra hours you've gained in the evening if you fly home the next day?  I'd say stay and party on!!


Thanks and some things I would recommend done trying if you get a chance are some of the tours if you haven't done it before most of them that I've done or a lot of fun.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

captaindavidhook said:


> I always feel I try different things at Disney every visit. My question to you is do you feel like staying one extra day and then leaving in the morning the flying looking at that's cheaper now is like at 10:40 10:40 flight and basically I'd be paying for a full day at a hotel that I'm basically kind of just staying in for about 7 hours or so. In your opinion would that make good sense to you or was it something you would not do? Just looking for opinions as always and thank you again.


I'll throw my 2 cents in here...

On 9 of our 10 on-site trips we have hit the parks and taken the last flight home (all trips in Jan/Feb/Mar)
One the other trip we took an early-afternoon flight and did not hit the parks on the last day (trip in Jan/Feb)
On our 1 off-site trip we hit the parks and took the last flight home (Trip in June)
We had always taken the latest flight on our first 5 trips so it was our 6th trip where we decided to not go to the parks and take an early afternoon flight home.  To us, waking up to head home felt a little sad.  We wondered around our resort trying to kill time, ate some breakfast and truly felt a little down.  We did it because we were flying home midweek and our older daughter had school the next day.  

Since then we've stuck with our last flight plan on the subsequent 3 trips and we like that a lot better!  It just feels good to get our last 6 hours of park time in!  It costs so little to add that last day to our tickets vs. the enormous cost we spent on the room, it feels like we'd waste money to take an earlier flight.

One other comment: The off-site trip in June, I wish we had not taken the last flight home.  It was VERY hot (of course, lol, it's JUNE!) and we were sweaty and tired and it was just not a good last day.  I recall us sitting at a quick service restaurant in Hollywood Studios wishing the day was over, which is so unlike us at Disney.  I think it was a combination of a) the heat, b) staying off-site which we found more tiring, c) going for 9 days, d) being our 3rd trip in 6 months (it was the one time we bought APs).  I would potentially reconsider my "last park day" theory if going in the summer heat again.

Hopefully this insight is somewhat helpful!  If you are an ALWAYS last-flight family, not doing that may feel strange/slightly depressing.


----------



## scrappinginontario

captaindavidhook said:


> Thanks and some things I would recommend done trying if you get a chance are some of the tours if you haven't done it before most of them that I've done or a lot of fun.


  What ones that you've done would a child enjoy?  I'd like to try one sometime but cost and enjoyable for her are 2 things that have kept me from booking anything....yet.  That being said, she's watched a lot of stuff on Disney Parks and other sites on YouTube and has shown some interest in taking a tour.  She has a great attention span so that doesn't concern me.


----------



## scrappinginontario

SouthFayetteFan said:


> I'll throw my 2 cents in here...
> 
> On 9 of our 10 on-site trips we have hit the parks and taken the last flight home (all trips in Jan/Feb/Mar)
> One the other trip we took an early-afternoon flight and did not hit the parks on the last day (trip in Jan/Feb)
> On our 1 off-site trip we hit the parks and took the last flight home (Trip in June)
> We had always taken the latest flight on our first 5 trips so it was our 6th trip where we decided to not go to the parks and take an early afternoon flight home.  To us, waking up to head home felt a little sad.  We wondered around our resort trying to kill time, ate some breakfast and truly felt a little down.  We did it because we were flying home midweek and our older daughter had school the next day.
> 
> Since then we've stuck with our last flight plan on the subsequent 3 trips and we like that a lot better!  It just feels good to get our last 6 hours of park time in!  It costs so little to add that last day to our tickets vs. the enormous cost we spent on the room, it feels like we'd waste money to take an earlier flight.
> 
> One other comment: The off-site trip in June, I wish we had not taken the last flight home.  It was VERY hot (of course, lol, it's JUNE!) and we were sweaty and tired and it was just not a good last day.  I recall us sitting at a quick service restaurant in Hollywood Studios wishing the day was over, which is so unlike us at Disney.  I think it was a combination of a) the heat, b) staying off-site which we found more tiring, c) going for 9 days, d) being our 3rd trip in 6 months (it was the one time we bought APs).  I would potentially reconsider my "last park day" theory if going in the summer heat again.
> 
> Hopefully this insight is somewhat helpful!  If you are an ALWAYS last-flight family, not doing that may feel strange/slightly depressing.


  If we didn't have the long drive home from the airport I can totally see this being our touring style too!  Looking forward to trying this in December as I finally found a reasonable flight from Toronto so departing at 9:30pm.  If we were within an hour of the airport we would totally adopt your style of touring and flights!!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

scrappinginontario said:


> If we didn't have the *long drive home from the airport *I can totally see this being our touring style too!  Looking forward to trying this in December as I finally found a reasonable flight from Toronto so departing at 9:30pm.  If we were within an hour of the airport we would totally adopt your style of touring and flights!!


Oops!  I always forget about the airport drive time some people have to deal with.  We are totally spoiled that we can be home from the airport in 30 minutes and my parents come pick us up in our van so it's cleaned off and warm in winter.  (It does take 45 minutes then though since we have to drop them off at their house on the way home)   LOL!


----------



## scrappinginontario

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Oops!  I always forget about the airport drive time some people have to deal with.  We are totally spoiled that we can be home from the airport in 30 minutes and my parents come pick us up in our van so it's cleaned off and warm in winter.  (It does take 45 minutes then though since we have to drop them off at their house on the way home)   LOL!


  That's a huge treat!  So nice of them to help you out and also saves the cost of parking.  

As the bird flies we're not very far from the Buffalo airport but we need to drive around Lake Ontario which makes our driving portion (including going through customs back into Canada) 3+ hours for us.  That being said, normally the cheaper SW flights make the drive totally worth it!!


----------



## captaindavidhook

scrappinginontario said:


> What ones that you've done would a child enjoy?  I'd like to try one sometime but cost and enjoyable for her are 2 things that have kept me from booking anything....yet.  That being said, she's watched a lot of stuff on Disney Parks and other sites on YouTube and has shown some interest in taking a tour.  She has a great attention span so that doesn't concern me.


I know the wild trek at ak was a lot of fun. I went horse back riding at Fort Wilderness which was my 1st time ever and really loved it. I would also recommend keys to the kingdom at Magic Kingdom but I don't know if there's a certain age bracket for kids and maybe sometimes with some of the stuff to show you might ruin the magic for a youngsters. I hope that helps a little.


----------



## scrappinginontario

captaindavidhook said:


> I know the wild trek at ak was a lot of fun. I went horse back riding at Fort Wilderness which was my 1st time ever and really loved it. I would also recommend keys to the kingdom at Magic Kingdom but I don't know if there's a certain age bracket for kids and maybe sometimes with some of the stuff to show you might ruin the magic for a youngsters. I hope that helps a little.


  Thanks!  I will consider the first 2 for some trip.  At some point we will do KttK tour but I believe 16 in the minimum age.  I would not do it now even if she was old enough as she is still completely in awe of all the Disney Magic!!


----------



## captaindavidhook

Just a give everyone an update but the day I wanted to leave in April now has been sold out. The flight status is that I wanted that were non-stop all them are sold out except for the 6:30 a.m. which I have no desire to take. Completely frustrated not sure I want to add an extra day. Hopefully something will turn up in these next few months but this is a little bit ridiculous.


----------



## shoreward

captaindavidhook said:


> Just a give everyone an update but the day I wanted to leave in April now has been sold out. The flight status is that I wanted that were non-stop all them are sold out except for the 6:30 a.m. which I have no desire to take. Completely frustrated not sure I want to add an extra day. Hopefully something will turn up in these next few months but this is a little bit ridiculous.


If you are talking about Spring Break, flights sell out very quickly to/from Orlando.  People stalk the Southwest booking sites on the date/time the schedule is extended to book those flights.  There are only so many seats per plane and so many planes available.  The airline business is very good, these days, with most flights going out full.

There is always the possibility that someone may cancel or change their plans, so it's certainly worth checking every day.


----------



## TNKim

Help, I need to know a.s.a.p. - my return flight just went down significantly.  I booked with points.  If I modify the flight to the new point/price, will my Early Bird transfer to the new flight (though it's the same flight, different price)?  Or do I lose the Early Bird fee I paid and have to repurchase?  Thanks!


----------



## captaindavidhook

shoreward said:


> If you are talking about Spring Break, flights sell out very quickly to/from Orlando.  People stalk the Southwest booking sites on the date/time the schedule is extended to book those flights.  There are only so many seats per plane and so many planes available.  The airline business is very good, these days, with most flights going out full.
> 
> There is always the possibility that someone may cancel or change their plans, so it's certainly worth checking every day.


I have been looking day after day and nothing has changed as far as the prices and now I see sold out on the 5:30 and 8 p.m. .


----------



## shoreward

TNKim said:


> Help, I need to know a.s.a.p. - my return flight just went down significantly.  I booked with points.  If I modify the flight to the new point/price, will my Early Bird transfer to the new flight (though it's the same flight, different price)?  Or do I lose the Early Bird fee I paid and have to repurchase?  Thanks!


In order to retain the EBCI, you must "CHANGE" your reservation.  Do not cancel and rebook.


----------



## scrappinginontario

TNKim said:


> Help, I need to know a.s.a.p. - my return flight just went down significantly.  I booked with points.  If I modify the flight to the new point/price, will my Early Bird transfer to the new flight (though it's the same flight, different price)?  Or do I lose the Early Bird fee I paid and have to repurchase?  Thanks!


  If you make a change to your original booking and keep the same confirmation number your EBCI will stay.  If you cancel and re-book you will forfeit your EBCI and need to pay again.


----------



## TNKim

scrappinginontario said:


> If you make a change to your original booking and keep the same confirmation number your EBCI will stay.  If you cancel and re-book you will forfeit your EBCI and need to pay again.


Thanks for your replies.  I panicked when I saw how much the flight had dropped and didn't want to lose my Early Bird.  I took a moment to find the info on the Southwest site.  You were both correct:  "It depends. EarlyBird Check-In is tied to the Customer’s reservation for which the EarlyBird Check-In purchase was made and will be transferred to the Customer’s new flight if he/she changes the flight at least 25 hours prior to the original flight’s scheduled departure time and so long as the change is to a flight that will depart in more than 25 hours. Since EarlyBird Check-In is associated with a reservation, any changes must be made within the same reservation record (same confirmation number) in which the Customer purchased EarlyBird Check-In."  Thanks again!


----------



## PerfessorZ

dmdj232 said:


> Does anyone have any info or updates on Non-Stop flights from Newark to Orlando?  I looked for June and there are no Non-Stop flights.  I have called Southwest and they said they may or may not add Non-Stop flights.



I'm pretty disappointed too that SW has dropped direct flights from EWR to MCO - that was my "go to" route.

I'd suggest looking at other local airports for direct flights, if that's what's most important to you.  On the FL end, expand your scope to include Tampa.  On the northern end, there are a variety of airports to consider, depending on where you're located.  There's Philadelphia, Albany, LaGuardia, Islip, and even Hartford.  My best option for our April trip turned out to be Islip.  I hate driving out to the Island, but it was significantly fewer points than any other airport around me and it's a direct flight into MCO too.


----------



## captaindavidhook

Fyi prices went up today for April lol


----------



## irt9206

Well I originally didn't want to wait until Nov 15th to be able to book our June 23rd-30th flights, but with the way prices are going up, it turns out to be a good thing as my points hit on the 12th of the month. If I fall short, the plan will be to a reservation for each way,( PVD-MCO, MCO-PVD) book the most expensive with points and pay cash for the cheaper. And then just hope the one I booked with the points goes down. I wish Sunday-Sunday flights weren't my only option but it is what it is. I'll be up early that day and hopefully well get lucky.


----------



## Lsdolphin

I have been flying with SWA for years and have never had any problems....until today!  I received a text message at 6:35 am this morning that my direct flight from BWI to MCO scheduled for 10:35 am "now departs at 1:45 pm. We're sorry for the delay."

Well I thought that's just crazy if I wanted to arrive at 4:15 in the afternoon I would have booked a later flight.  So I immediately called and requested that I be re-booked for an earlier flight. The person I spoke with insisted I would have to pay $256 to change my flight which was the cost of the flight. I told him first of all I had already paid for a flight which was no longer available through no fault of of mine but he insisted that I would have to pay. I hung up and called back and had a similar conversation with next person I spoke with only they were nicer but insisted that I would have to pay the $87 difference the flights.  I refused and asked to speak to a supervisor this guy gave me another number to call.  This third call got me to customer relations and the woman had me re-booked and checked in in 5 minutes.  Of course I had paid for EB and ended up with a Boarding Pass with C59!!!


----------



## captaindavidhook

Lsdolphin said:


> I have been flying with SWA for years and have never had any problems....until today!  I received a text message at 6:35 am this morning that my direct flight from BWI to MCO scheduled for 10:35 am "now departs at 1:45 pm. We're sorry for the delay."
> 
> Well I thought that's just crazy if I wanted to arrive at 4:15 in the afternoon I would have booked a later flight.  So I immediately called and requested that I be re-booked for an earlier flight. The person I spoke with insisted I would have to pay $256 to change my flight which was the cost of the flight. I told him first of all I had already paid for a flight which was no longer available through no fault of of mine but he insisted that I would have to pay. I hung up and called back and had a similar conversation with next person I spoke with only they were nicer but insisted that I would have to pay the $87 difference the flights.  I refused and asked to speak to a supervisor this guy gave me another number to call.  This third call got me to customer relations and the woman had me re-booked and checked in in 5 minutes.  Of course I had paid for EB and ended up with a Boarding Pass with C59!!!


I think the service has been getting pretty crappy lately in my opinion every time it seems like I get a flight out of Orlando back to Philadelphia it still laid. Last trip I was delayed over 6 to 7 hours just to get a flight to Orlando. You don't really get a lot of answers but more excuses in my opinion. I love to fly them but this is getting a little ridiculous with everything.


----------



## jerseygal

Hey, I'll take it, SW points dropped yesterday for our December trip by a small amount...pays to check it...that's the 3rd point drop since booking it July 10th, not bad!


----------



## jerseygal

Lsdolphin said:


> I have been flying with SWA for years and have never had any problems....until today!  I received a text message at 6:35 am this morning that my direct flight from BWI to MCO scheduled for 10:35 am "now departs at 1:45 pm. We're sorry for the delay."
> 
> Well I thought that's just crazy if I wanted to arrive at 4:15 in the afternoon I would have booked a later flight.  So I immediately called and requested that I be re-booked for an earlier flight. The person I spoke with insisted I would have to pay $256 to change my flight which was the cost of the flight. I told him first of all I had already paid for a flight which was no longer available through no fault of of mine but he insisted that I would have to pay. I hung up and called back and had a similar conversation with next person I spoke with only they were nicer but insisted that I would have to pay the $87 difference the flights.  I refused and asked to speak to a supervisor this guy gave me another number to call.  This third call got me to customer relations and the woman had me re-booked and checked in in 5 minutes.  Of course I had paid for EB and ended up with a Boarding Pass with C59!!!


Happy for you that the 3rd Customer Relations Advisor rebooked you at no cost..over 3 hour difference in departure time, that's significant when planning a trip, if you wanted an afternoon flight, you would have chose it to begin with..pays to be persistent!


----------



## eeyoreland

jerseygal said:


> Hey, I'll take it, SW points dropped yesterday for our December trip by a small amount...pays to check it...that's the 3rd point drop since booking it July 10th, not bad!


I'm just not getting that lucky, but we fly out on Christmas Eve. I wouldn't think that many people fly in Christmas Eve, but I guess they do.


----------



## jerseygal

eeyoreland said:


> I'm just not getting that lucky, but we fly out on Christmas Eve. I wouldn't think that many people fly in Christmas Eve, but I guess they do.


Hope for you that fares drop!


----------



## 4luv2cdisney

G719 said:


> Can I check anywhere to make sure I put the correct birthday for each passenger?  I'm being paranoid that I messed something up.



Did you call to verify?  I'm having the same paranoia.  I've changed our flights about a million times and it's usually at 1 am when I'm up with insomnia and stumble upon better prices.  I wish you could see the info you you've submitted.  I also know sometimes I booked with middle names/initials and sometimes I just left them off.  Ugh.


----------



## G719

4luv2cdisney said:


> Did you call to verify?  I'm having the same paranoia.  I've changed our flights about a million times and it's usually at 1 am when I'm up with insomnia and stumble upon better prices.  I wish you could see the info you you've submitted.  I also know sometimes I booked with middle names/initials and sometimes I just left them off.  Ugh.


No.  I found other things to worry about instead.  We go on the 9th so we will see soon if it's an issue.


----------



## scrappinginontario

G719 said:


> No.  I found other things to worry about instead.  We go on the 9th so we will see soon if it's an issue.


  I would recommend checking sooner than later.  I have a friend who goes by her middle name.  I put her given first name on the ticket.  They almost would not let her fly as the names did not match.  I found out at the airport that even her passport was in her middle name!  Anyway, yours probably would not be as hard to prove (she didn't have any documentation with her showing both names) so it caused a great deal of stress and time at the airport.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

4luv2cdisney said:


> Did you call to verify?  I'm having the same paranoia.  I've changed our flights about a million times and it's usually at 1 am when I'm up with insomnia and stumble upon better prices.  I wish you could see the info you you've submitted.  I also know sometimes I booked with middle names/initials and sometimes I just left them off.  Ugh.


Names can be a problem.

Birthdays are not a problem.  It won't appear on your boarding pass and they will not check it in any way shape or form.  The only reason you'd need to make sure it was right is if you were on some age-restricted fare (i.e. child fare, senior fare, etc.) most of which make no sense on SW as they are more expensive than WGA.


----------



## 4luv2cdisney

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Names can be a problem.
> 
> Birthdays are not a problem.  It won't appear on your boarding pass and they will not check it in any way shape or form.  The only reason you'd need to make sure it was right is if you were on some age-restricted fare (i.e. child fare, senior fare, etc.) most of which make no sense on SW as they are more expensive than WGA.



So, I ended up calling and all the b-days were correct.  

My biggest concern was my DH is a "Jr" and it wasn't showing up.  The phone agent said that the "Jr" was on there and that that IS a big deal.  But the middle initials or middle names that are on our licenses but were not on our flight reservation were not necessary at all she said.  She said it's better to leave them off than to input them wrong but they don't print on the boarding pass and basically they don't matter.  So, I read them to her, but I really don't know if she added them or not.


----------



## GPC0321

Non-stop flights between RDU and MCO for that first week in June sure are cheap. I hope the trend continues throughout the month, but I have a feeling that's wishful thinking. I should have somewhere around 58-59k points. That would get the three of us there and back with plenty of points to spare at the early June rates. I'm just praying for less than 10k points each way per person (though having about 20k points left over would solidify my top secret plan to go on a solo trip next year...hee hee!)

Trying to decide if I need to take November 15th off from work. My doctor wants me to get some blood work done. I think that might take the entire day (after I book my flights)


----------



## Melissa1977

I apologize if this has been asked but I can't get through all 190 pages to find my answer  If i book a flight for all 4 of my family members (wanna get away) from my own RR points account and the cost of the flight goes down (points wise) can i get a refund on the points?  And is there a restriction on those points (must be used within a year, or by the person who the ticket is for)?  I know if you are paying with $ that you can modify your flight and get a refund in the form of a credit for the difference in cost but that refund has to be used by the person who the ticket was purchased for and must be used 1 yr from the date of purchase.  I just don't know how it works for points.  thanks


----------



## barb969

Melissa1977 said:


> I apologize if this has been asked but I can't get through all 190 pages to find my answer  If i book a flight for all 4 of my family members (wanna get away) from my own RR points account and the cost of the flight goes down (points wise) can i get a refund on the points?  And is there a restriction on those points (must be used within a year, or by the person who the ticket is for)?  I know if you are paying with $ that you can modify your flight and get a refund in the form of a credit for the difference in cost but that refund has to be used by the person who the ticket was purchased for and must be used 1 yr from the date of purchase.  I just don't know how it works for points.  thanks



The points will be credited to your account with NO restrictions.


----------



## L_MD

I just want to mention on this thread that it seems to me that modifying your flight if you have EarlyBird DOES affect your position. I always read/thought/assumed it didn't, but my experience suggests otherwise.

My reasoning below, hoping it saves someone some questions in the future:

1. I bought my original flight for 10/22/18 on May 8, 2018. I paid for EarlyBird at that time.
2. On May 16, 2018, I modified my flight as I found a slightly cheaper fare.
3. On June 7, 2018, I added a day to my flight to make my departure date 10/21/18
4. On June 8, 2018, I modified my flight AGAIN as I found a slightly cheaper fare.
5. On August 10, 2018, I modified my flight for the last time as I found a slightly cheaper fare.
6. When I checked in for my flight, I received a B-19 position

While this was happening for me, my Mom decided to join me.

1. On July 3, 2018, she purchased the same flight as me + Early Bird. She did not modify this at all.
2. When she checked in for her flight, she had an A-36 position

To me, this illustrates that I was indeed bumped down in the EarlyBird queue every time I modified. Because, if I wasn't, there's no way she should have had an A position while I had a B position.

On the flight back she had A-29 and I had A-31. So, not as much of a difference on our 'going there' flight.

Anyway, this is just my experience, and I don't know if it holds water for everyone, but I definitely won't be modifying my flight near as much and ONLY if I see a significant savings.


----------



## siren0119

L_MD said:


> I just want to mention on this thread that it seems to me that modifying your flight if you have EarlyBird DOES affect your position. I always read/thought/assumed it didn't, but my experience suggests otherwise.
> 
> My reasoning below, hoping it saves someone some questions in the future:
> 
> 1. I bought my original flight for 10/22/18 on May 8, 2018. I paid for EarlyBird at that time.
> 2. On May 16, 2018, I modified my flight as I found a slightly cheaper fare.
> 3. On June 7, 2018, I added a day to my flight to make my departure date 10/21/18
> 4. On June 8, 2018, I modified my flight AGAIN as I found a slightly cheaper fare.
> 5. On August 10, 2018, I modified my flight for the last time as I found a slightly cheaper fare.
> 6. When I checked in for my flight, I received a B-19 position
> 
> While this was happening for me, my Mom decided to join me.
> 
> 1. On July 3, 2018, she purchased the same flight as me + Early Bird. She did not modify this at all.
> 2. When she checked in for her flight, she had an A-36 position
> 
> To me, this illustrates that I was indeed bumped down in the EarlyBird queue every time I modified. Because, if I wasn't, there's no way she should have had an A position while I had a B position.
> 
> On the flight back she had A-29 and I had A-31. So, not as much of a difference on our 'going there' flight.
> 
> Anyway, this is just my experience, and I don't know if it holds water for everyone, but I definitely won't be modifying my flight near as much and ONLY if I see a significant savings.




If you think about it, it makes sense because when you buy early bird you are buying it for a specific flight, not a changing reservation. Every time you modify, you go to the back of the line of people who booked your new flight the first time, and paid for early bird on that flight.


----------



## L_MD

siren0119 said:


> If you think about it, it makes sense because when you buy early bird you are buying it for a specific flight, not a changing reservation. Every time you modify, you go to the back of the line of people who booked your new flight the first time, and paid for early bird on that flight.


It makes sense, but doesn't make me happy. Oh well, it's good to know for the future.


----------



## scrappinginontario

siren0119 said:


> If you think about it, it makes sense because when you buy early bird you are buying it for a specific flight, not a changing reservation. Every time you modify, you go to the back of the line of people who booked your new flight the first time, and paid for early bird on that flight.


  I could be wrong but I think they only changed flights once and the rest of the time just modified the same flight they were already booked on.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I've always anticipated that when I've booked EBCI and change flights that I move to the back of their EBCI line.  If I modify the price on a flight (not changing the flight, just the price) I didn't realize it affected my place in the EBCI line.


----------



## siren0119

scrappinginontario said:


> I could be wrong but I think they only changed flights once and the rest of the time just modified the same flight they were already booked on.
> 
> Please correct me if I'm wrong.
> 
> I've always anticipated that when I've booked EBCI and change flights that I move to the back of their EBCI line.  If I modify the price on a flight (not changing the flight, just the price) I didn't realize it affected my place in the EBCI line.



Nope you're right, and it's probably the one flight change that bumped him to the end of the EB line.


----------



## L_MD

siren0119 said:


> Nope you're right, and it's probably the one flight change that bumped him to the end of the EB line.



Maybe, except: my one flight change (where I added the day) was still a whole month before my mom bought her ticket. If that was the only thing messing with my EB position, I should still have had an earlier position than her. Instead, I really do think it was that final 'modify price' in August that did me in. Which obviously goes against everything we/I've held true about EB and modifying to get a cheaper price.

PS, I'm a 'her'


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

L_MD said:


> Maybe, except: my one flight change (where I added the day) was still a whole month before my mom bought her ticket. If that was the only thing messing with my EB position, I should still have had an earlier position than her. Instead, I really do think it was that final 'modify price' in August that did me in. Which obviously goes against everything we/I've held true about EB and modifying to get a cheaper price.
> 
> PS, I'm a 'her'


Wonder if the software and policy updates in May of last year adjusted things?

Did both of you have WGA fares?


----------



## L_MD

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Wonder if the software and policy updates in May of last year adjusted things?
> 
> Did both of you have WGA fares?


Yup.


----------



## Iowamomof4

L_MD said:


> I just want to mention on this thread that it seems to me that modifying your flight if you have EarlyBird DOES affect your position. I always read/thought/assumed it didn't, but my experience suggests otherwise.
> 
> My reasoning below, hoping it saves someone some questions in the future:
> 
> 1. I bought my original flight for 10/22/18 on May 8, 2018. I paid for EarlyBird at that time.
> 2. On May 16, 2018, I modified my flight as I found a slightly cheaper fare.
> 3. On June 7, 2018, I added a day to my flight to make my departure date 10/21/18
> 4. On June 8, 2018, I modified my flight AGAIN as I found a slightly cheaper fare.
> 5. On August 10, 2018, I modified my flight for the last time as I found a slightly cheaper fare.
> 6. When I checked in for my flight, I received a B-19 position
> 
> While this was happening for me, my Mom decided to join me.
> 
> 1. On July 3, 2018, she purchased the same flight as me + Early Bird. She did not modify this at all.
> 2. When she checked in for her flight, she had an A-36 position
> 
> To me, this illustrates that I was indeed bumped down in the EarlyBird queue every time I modified. Because, if I wasn't, there's no way she should have had an A position while I had a B position.
> 
> On the flight back she had A-29 and I had A-31. So, not as much of a difference on our 'going there' flight.
> 
> Anyway, this is just my experience, and I don't know if it holds water for everyone, but I definitely won't be modifying my flight near as much and ONLY if I see a significant savings.



Thanks for the data points. Very helpful!


----------



## Disneytam

If anyone is flying before the end of the year I have 2 drink coupons that expire at the end of the year. The first one to give me their address can have them. We flew home last night and because it was a holiday we had our cocktails for free so I have two coupons left.


----------



## FCDub

Disneytam said:


> If anyone is flying before the end of the year I have 2 drink coupons that expire at the end of the year. The first one to give me their address can have them. We flew home last night and because it was a holiday we had our cocktails for free so I have two coupons left.



Very kind of you! Hope someone going somewhere fun grabs them.


----------



## Disneytam

FCDub said:


> Very kind of you! Hope someone going somewhere fun grabs them.


I hated to see them go to waste. They have found a new home


----------



## shoreward

Southwest has expanded its free inflight entertainment options to include movies, as well as inflight messaging.

https://www.southwest.com/wifi/?src=PREMTWT20181105&linkId=59210518

WiFi is still available at a cost of $8 per day, except for A+ members, who receive free WiFi.


----------



## scrappinginontario

shoreward said:


> Southwest has expanded its free inflight entertainment options to include movies, as well as inflight messaging.
> 
> https://www.southwest.com/wifi/?src=PREMTWT20181105&linkId=59210518
> 
> WiFi is still available at a cost of $8 per day, except for A+ members, who receive free WiFi.


A friend texted me while in flight in August.  To say I was shocked is an understatement!

Great to know about the movies.  Wish they’d toss in a couple of children’s Movies.


----------



## Huff

scrappinginontario said:


> A friend texted me while in flight in August.  To say I was shocked is an understatement!



How were they able to text unless they paid for WiFi?  Southwest does offer free messaging using the iMessage or WhatsApp but both them and yourself must be using the same app.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Huff said:


> How were they able to text unless they paid for WiFi?  Southwest does offer free messaging using the iMessage or WhatsApp but both them and yourself must be using the same app.


  I wasn't on the flight (I was at home here in Canada) when suddenly messages began to appear from both the husband and the wife while I knew they were in flight!   I had sent them a text saying I'd was following their flight on flight tracker so I was shocked when suddenly they both started to text me back.  We were all on iPhones and Shawn said there was something on the screen about being able to message so he tried and it worked!  i don't know details other than we were able to communicate while they were in flight both on the way down and on their flight home also.  This is a new, free service offered by Southwest and actually was not formally announced until a few days after they found it by accident during their flight.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...ssaging-texting-imessage-whatsapp/1410277002/


----------



## elgerber

scrappinginontario said:


> I wasn't on the flight (I was at home here in Canada) when suddenly messages began to appear from both the husband and the wife while I knew they were in flight!   I had sent them a text saying I'd was following their flight on flight tracker so I was shocked when suddenly they both started to text me back.  We were all on iPhones and Shawn said there was something on the screen about being able to message so he tried and it worked!  i don't know details other than we were able to communicate while they were in flight both on the way down and on their flight home also.  This is a new, free service offered by Southwest and actually was not formally announced until a few days after they found it by accident during their flight.
> 
> https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...ssaging-texting-imessage-whatsapp/1410277002/


Delta offers this also, free iMessages in flight, without a wi-fi package.  As long as you all have iPhones you can text for free.


----------



## Pixiedustspreader

Just rebooked and received a credit for my Sunday after Thanksgiving return.  Always a high ticket cost / busy travel day.  Every bit helps!  Have stalked the prices ever since I booked the day they released the dates (May31).  Second time I've rebooked the exact flight - now up to $121 credit to use for a future trip.  Keep checking those fares!


----------



## PrincessArlena'sDad

Anyone know how much early bird costs for the dca-mco route?

I’m trying to come up with a total price to compare with jet blue.

Thanks!


----------



## Iowamomof4

PrincessArlena'sDad said:


> Anyone know how much early bird costs for the dca-mco route?
> 
> I’m trying to come up with a total price to compare with jet blue.
> 
> Thanks!



I've checked 2 or 3 different airports and all have been $25 each way to Orlando. I'm just guessing that's going to be the standard price for that (POPULAR) destination.
Edit #1:Oops! I just checked a flight from dca-mco and saw that it was $20. So ignore me. Does anyone know if it's always the same though?
Edit #2: Okay, the first flight I checked was in November and it was $20. I checked another flight in February and got the same price.


----------



## pickypiratepete

Hi. Southwest opens up flights this week for our 7/4 vacation. For the last couple of months BDL-MCO has had direct  weekday flights at 6:00 am, 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm. Is there any historical info or any way to know if this schedule will remain or do they change things around for summer?  I’m trying to be ready to book right away, but I’m not loving these times. Thanks so much!


----------



## Fangorn

pickypiratepete said:


> Hi. Southwest opens up flights this week for our 7/4 vacation. For the last couple of months BDL-MCO has had direct  weekday flights at 6:00 am, 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm. Is there any historical info or any way to know if this schedule will remain or do they change things around for summer?  I’m trying to be ready to book right away, but I’m not loving these times. Thanks so much!



Past schedules are not a good indication of future schedules. SWA changes things virtually everytime they open a new block of flights. This is due to how SWA manages and schedules their aircraft. A reduction in flights at one airport or the addition of flights at others has a ripple effect throughout the entire system. It's all based on demand and how best to use the aircraft they have. 

I've flown SW for over 20 years (not just to MCO) and I can't recall ever having schedules stay the same from one release to the next. Often close, but just as often radically different. 

Steve


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

pickypiratepete said:


> Hi. Southwest opens up flights this week for our 7/4 vacation. For the last couple of months BDL-MCO has had direct  weekday flights at 6:00 am, 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm. Is there any historical info or any way to know if this schedule will remain or do they change things around for summer?  I’m trying to be ready to book right away, but I’m not loving these times. Thanks so much!


Along with what the other poster mentioned SWA also has seasonal flight times so you might see the exact same flight times like clockwork for months and then it changes to different flight times. Not always drastic flight changes though.

My husband went through that when he was on a field assignment in MD and went through BWI. He was doing that for 8 1/2 months from Jan through mid-August. The flight times were the exact same time and time again but then after a few months it switched to different flight times. It wasn't a release-related flight schedule change it was a seasonal shift.

In any case the crux is the schedules are not set in stone but there's no guarantee that you'll get the flight time you really want.


----------



## TNKim

A question about using Southwest credits.  I purchased a flight on 9/27/18, then a few weeks later, the price dropped significantly on one of the legs.  I jumped on the new price and now have $178 in Southwest credit to use by 9/27/19.  When I book a brand new flight to new destination (using the $178 credit and paying the balance of the flight by credit card), if this new flight drops in price, resulting in another SW credit, will I have to use this new credit by 9/27/19 also, or do I have a year from the date of the second transaction to use the new credit?  Hope this isn't too confusing!


----------



## shoreward

TNKim said:


> A question about using Southwest credits.  I purchased a flight on 9/27/18, then a few weeks later, the price dropped significantly on one of the legs.  I jumped on the new price and now have $178 in Southwest credit to use by 9/27/19.  When I book a brand new flight to new destination (using the $178 credit and paying the balance of the flight by credit card), if this new flight drops in price, resulting in another SW credit, will I have to use this new credit by 9/27/19 also, or do I have a year from the date of the second transaction to use the new credit?  Hope this isn't too confusing!


When you combine funds from changed/canceled tickets, there will be one year from ORIGINAL booking date to complete your travel.

It's usually best to book your travel as one-ways, so that there is more flexibility to use funds.


----------



## Fangorn

TNKim said:


> A question about using Southwest credits.  I purchased a flight on 9/27/18, then a few weeks later, the price dropped significantly on one of the legs.  I jumped on the new price and now have $178 in Southwest credit to use by 9/27/19.  When I book a brand new flight to new destination (using the $178 credit and paying the balance of the flight by credit card), if this new flight drops in price, resulting in another SW credit, will I have to use this new credit by 9/27/19 talso, or do I have a year from the date of the second transaction to use the new credit?  Hope this isn't too confusing!



Think of it this way: When you use a credit for a new flight, the "booking date" of that flight becomes the date you booked the flight that got you the credit. (If you use credits from two flights,  it's the oldest date). So in your case, and new credits that might come from the new flight will also have a 9/27/19 expiration date. 

Steve


----------



## huskies90

Has anyone ever seen this message? I tried to re-book a flight that was booked on points because the price went down. I have done this literally dozens of times as I am sure many of you have. What does this message mean?  Screenshot:


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

huskies90 said:


> Has anyone ever seen this message? I tried to re-book a flight that was booked on points because the price went down. I have done this literally dozens of times as I am sure many of you have. What does this message mean?  Screenshot:
> 
> View attachment 364887


Yes i have seen this many times. You are okay to rebook it will not affect your points at all.  If after you rebook you decide to cancel the ticket the points will go back to your RR acct and they will not have an expiration date.  So go ahead and make the change you will be fine.


----------



## cassie58

I just got the same message, but trying to modify with credit card, not points.  But if I am in a Wanna Get Away fare, wasn't it already non-refundable?  I mean if I cancel I get that 1 year credit in my account, but wouldn't get a refund anyway, do is this just for the higher fare categories?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

huskies90 said:


> Has anyone ever seen this message? I tried to re-book a flight that was booked on points because the price went down. I have done this literally dozens of times as I am sure many of you have. What does this message mean?  Screenshot:
> 
> View attachment 364887


This is related to a system limitation that used to exist (and was recently repaired but the fix was not retroactively applied to old reservations).  On points reservations is specifically is referring to the $5.60 fee which would become non-refundable IF you changed your flight AND your flight was originally booked prior to 10/10/2018.

Basically...if you went through with it, your $5.60 probably isn't refundable now.  Other than that, no worries.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

cassie58 said:


> I just got the same message, but trying to modify with credit card, not points.  But if I am in a Wanna Get Away fare, wasn't it already non-refundable?  I mean if I cancel I get that 1 year credit in my account, but wouldn't get a refund anyway, do is this just for the higher fare categories?


With regards to "cash" fares you are correct, it would only apply to the higher fare categories where by changing a flight one could actually turn a refundable ticket (i.e. Biz Select) into non-refundable.  This has since been fixed so it should not be an issue going forward.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

With a release coming on Thursday...Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment:


*NEXT RELEASE: 11/15/18 - travel through August 5th, 2019*
9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019
8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
This could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above).  We should know the next release date Thursday - unfortunately if they follow last year’s pattern that next release may not occur for 3 months.


----------



## Iowamomof4

I am constantly checking flight prices as we haven't booked yet for our May trip, but I'm wondering if SW ever has particularly good deals that post around Black Friday/Thanksgiving week? Just curious if anyone has noticed a pattern.


----------



## scrappinginontario

SouthFayetteFan said:


> With a release coming on Thursday...Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment:
> 
> 
> *NEXT RELEASE: 11/15/18 - travel through August 5th, 2019*
> 9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019
> 8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
> 6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
> 5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
> 3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
> 2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
> 11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
> 8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
> 7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
> 6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
> 5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
> This could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above).  We should know the next release date Thursday - unfortunately if they follow last year’s pattern that next release may not occur for 3 months.


  Thank you for this!  We are booked to visit again in Sept 2019 so it’s goid to know April timeframe when out flights may be released.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

SouthFayetteFan said:


> This is related to a system limitation that used to exist (and was recently repaired but the fix was not retroactively applied to old reservations).  On points reservations is specifically is referring to the $5.60 fee which would become non-refundable IF you changed your flight AND your flight was originally booked prior to 10/10/2018.
> 
> Basically...if you went through with it, your $5.60 probably isn't refundable now.  Other than that, no worries.


Yes the $5.60 will be refunded. Just select the refund option when canceling. I just did this last week and it work as it has in the past with no issues I got the money refunded.


----------



## GPC0321

SouthFayetteFan said:


> With a release coming on Thursday...Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment:
> 
> 
> *NEXT RELEASE: 11/15/18 - travel through August 5th, 2019*
> 9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019
> 8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
> 6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
> 5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
> 3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
> 2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
> 11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
> 8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
> 7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
> 6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
> 5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
> This could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above).  We should know the next release date Thursday - unfortunately if they follow last year’s pattern that next release may not occur for 3 months.



Any idea what time tomorrow the new block of flights open for booking?


----------



## richmo

GPC0321 said:


> Any idea what time tomorrow the new block of flights open for booking?



There's no hard time. They could be available 6 AM, sometimes I've seen it pushed out to as late as 8:30 or so.  I've also observed that it isn't always an "all at once".  It must take some time for everything to get loaded. I don't know if I'd set an alarm for this, but check as soon as you can and keep looking throughout the day (and even the next) as mini price wars may break out with their competition.


----------



## buzzrelly

Iowamomof4 said:


> I am constantly checking flight prices as we haven't booked yet for our May trip, but I'm wondering if SW ever has particularly good deals that post around Black Friday/Thanksgiving week? Just curious if anyone has noticed a pattern.



I've been watching for May also and haven't pulled the trigger because I haven't been happy with these prices. $340 RT from BDL 

I fully expect to pay that in April, but why is May now so expensive??


----------



## scrappinginontario

buzzrelly said:


> I've been watching for May also and haven't pulled the trigger because I haven't been happy with these prices. $340 RT from BDL
> 
> I fully expect to pay that in April, but why is May now so expensive??


It seems more and more schools are starting their summer break in May.  At least, that's what I observe from Canada.  Our kids go to school until June 27th!  If you are looking late May, could it be because summer pricing is in effect?


----------



## buzzrelly

scrappinginontario said:


> It seems more and more schools are starting their summer break in May.  At least, that's what I observe from Canada.  Our kids go to school until June 27th!  If you are looking late May, could it be because summer pricing is in effect?



I was looking for May 3-6th. I would think I'd be safe from Spring Break crowds and most out-of-school crowds


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

buzzrelly said:


> I've been watching for May also and haven't pulled the trigger because I haven't been happy with these prices. $340 RT from BDL
> 
> I fully expect to pay that in April, but why is May now so expensive??





buzzrelly said:


> I was looking for May 3-6th. I would think I'd be safe from Spring Break crowds and most out-of-school crowds



Are you talking BDL to MCO? For one ticket I'm seeing the cheapest is $240 RT


----------



## buzzrelly

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Are you talking BDL to MCO? For one ticket I'm seeing the cheapest is $240 RT



I saw that, but those flights get me in late on the 3rd and leaving early on the 6th. I want the opposite.


----------



## PrincessArlena'sDad

For us, the cheapest summer fares have been available between Christmas and MLK day, more or less. I don’t know if it’s just my route (dc-mco), my particular-but not the usual- experience, or a general trend.

Jet blue release for the July is insanely high.  If SW doesn’t have anything good, I’ll just wait.  At least I’ll accrue more credit card points to help pay for the higher fare.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

buzzrelly said:


> I saw that, but those flights get me in late on the 3rd and leaving early on the 6th. I want the opposite.


I figured. Your question was why are flights so expensive during that time period. Well the truth is you can save $100 it's just the flights aren't at the time you want. I certaintly understand wanting to get in early though because I would too  

So the question becomes less about "what's so special about May 3rd-May 6th" in your case and more about this flight time over that flight time is $X amount and the truth is supply and demand and particular markets impact that part a lot. I understand for sure not wanting to pay that much though!


----------



## GPC0321

richmo said:


> There's no hard time. They could be available 6 AM, sometimes I've seen it pushed out to as late as 8:30 or so.  I've also observed that it isn't always an "all at once".  It must take some time for everything to get loaded. I don't know if I'd set an alarm for this, but check as soon as you can and keep looking throughout the day (and even the next) as mini price wars may break out with their competition.


Ah, gotcha! I've booked flights with SW on previous occasions, but for some reason I'm anxious about it this time. I'm just praying that I have enough points! *fingers crossed
Thanks for the info!


----------



## PrincessArlena'sDad

GPC0321 said:


> Ah, gotcha! I've booked flights with SW on previous occasions, but for some reason I'm anxious about it this time. I'm just praying that I have enough points! *fingers crossed
> Thanks for the info!


I’ll be on line early tomorrow mornig with you.  Hoping for good prices at the times i want.


----------



## shoreward

New Southwest booking window is now open. It went live shortly after 6:00 AM, ET.



> We are currently accepting air reservations through August 5, 2019. On February 7, 2019 we will open our schedule for sale through September 2, 2019. This date is subject to change!


----------



## PrincessArlena'sDad

Anyone get good rates?

Mine were not only higher than I wanted, they shifted the times to something we can't make.


----------



## shoreward

PrincessArlena'sDad said:


> Anyone get good rates?
> 
> Mine were not only higher than I wanted, they shifted the times to something we can't make.


Somewhat similar experience, as schedules greatly changed, with more off-peak departures - very early or very late on most nonstops.  I booked a roundtrip with points, knowing that I can always change.

The fare for a connecting flight was reasonable, while the fare on a prime time nonstop was much higher.  I know that fares will probably rise and fall between now and next summer, but there won't be any additional flights added, so I booked now.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

With today's Southwest release complete...Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment:

FYI - this next release is a loooong way away BUT that is typical for this time of year.

*NEXT RELEASE: 2/7/19 - travel through September 2nd, 2019*
11/15/18 - travel through August 5th, 2019
9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019
8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
This could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above). We should know the next release date Thursday - unfortunately if they follow last year’s pattern that next release may not occur for 3 months.


----------



## scrappinginontario

I just checked the next release date.  It will be Feb 7, 2019 but I'm surprised it will only be for 4 additional weeks of flights.  Not sure I understand that one!



> We are currently accepting air reservations through *August 5, 2019*. On February 7, 2019 we will open our schedule for sale through *September 2, 2019*.



I am looking to book flights for our Sep 7, 2019 trip and was anticipating a Feb/March release date.  Now not too sure when they'll be released.  Oh well, more time to save!


----------



## GPC0321

PrincessArlena'sDad said:


> Anyone get good rates?
> 
> Mine were not only higher than I wanted, they shifted the times to something we can't make.


Aw, that stinks, I'm sorry. 

I lucked out. I was checking prior to 6am this morning. Nothing was showing unless I did the best fare calendar and then I could see all of June. I was anxious and booked right away, though I wasn't happy with the departure time (too early) and had just enough points to cover the flights. About 30 minutes later I logged in and they had the flights fully released and I saw exactly the time I wanted for departure at about 10,000 less points overall for the three of us, so I changed my flight and got exactly what I wanted: non-stop from RDU to MCO on 6/22 at 6:15pm and our return is non-stop from MCO on 6/27 at 5:45pm. Really couldn't have asked for any better, and points were about 6,000 for departure flight and 7,000 for return flight. Went ahead and got EBCI for us, so hopefully we'll have great boarding positions too. Only glitch was my info was auto-filled on SW's site and had just my middle initial instead of my full middle name. I messaged SW vita Twitter and had that fixed in about 15 minutes. All good to go now! Whew! Now to just save up for food and souvenirs! Yay!

Good luck to everyone booking flights!


----------



## KNJWDW

PrincessArlena'sDad said:


> Anyone get good rates?
> 
> Mine were not only higher than I wanted, they shifted the times to something we can't make.


Got ok rates.  I was only able to book our flight to Orlando for August 2.  Have to wait until February for the return flight.  I think the rates will drop so I will be checking frequently. I booked on points so it is not problem.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

scrappinginontario said:


> I just checked the next release date.  It will be Feb 7, 2019 but I'm surprised it will only be for 4 additional weeks of flights.  Not sure I understand that one!
> 
> 
> 
> I am looking to book flights for our Sep 7, 2019 trip and was anticipating a Feb/March release date.  Now not too sure when they'll be released.  Oh well, more time to save!


This is one I'd keep an eye on.  Given that it's 3 months away, this one is asking for a "change".  They could move the release date up or back, and they could add to the release time frame and go out through the rest of Sept.  Last year the Feb release went through Oct 1.


----------



## scrappinginontario

SouthFayetteFan said:


> This is one I'd keep an eye on.  Given that it's 3 months away, this one is asking for a "change".  They could move the release date up or back, and they could add to the release time frame and go out through the rest of Sept.  Last year the Feb release went through Oct 1.


  I was thinking the same thing.  We've been going to Disney in September for a number of years now and as far as I cam remember our dates were always included in the next release date.  Will be watching it carefully as I would not be surprised at all that it's a typo and possibly next release should go through to Oct 7?  Time will tell....


----------



## thelegacy27

Quick question, I've been watching flights for early May and today I saw an outbound flight for $106, which is the lowest I've seen so far. Problem is, it's not the exact time that I want but would deal with it if my ideal time stays high. Now my question is, if I went ahead and booked the outgoing flight but at some point my IDEAL flight went down, would I be able to modify to the new flight or have to cancel and rebook? 

I've never flown southwest so that's why I'm curious. I just don't wanna miss out on a good deal on something else waiting for something else

Thanks


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

scrappinginontario said:


> I was thinking the same thing.  We've been going to Disney in September for a number of years now and as far as I cam remember our dates were always included in the next release date.  Will be watching it carefully as I would not be surprised at all that it's a typo and possibly next release should go through to Oct 7?  Time will tell....


In analyzing all the data I present...At the time of release the LEAST number of days inventory SW had over the past 12 releases was 220 days which occured on the 5/31/18 release.  The average release is 247 days of inventory.  This next release is projecting to be just 207 days (well below the average and less than the lowest by almost 2 weeks of flights).  It seems strange and as we discussed, almost indicates it may be tweaked at a future date.

It does seem to be a trend that SW is releasing slightly less inventory lately though.  Each of the last 5 releases have had on average 18 less days of flights available.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Thanks for your analysis @SouthFayetteFan !


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

scrappinginontario said:


> Thanks for your analysis @SouthFayetteFan !


You're welcome.  For those loyal to ONLY Southwest this is nothing more than a slight delay/small frustration.  

For those that consider Southwest *AND* other airlines (BLASPHEMY in my house ) this can definitely be a large frustration.  Waiting an additional 2-3 weeks to book your flights once you're nearing that 6 month mark (from your dates of travel) can be difficult.


----------



## PrincessArlena'sDad

The rt flights for our dates went up $100 pp from this morning!

We did not purchase, as the times really are not good for us, and they were more than we were hoping to pay by about $300 total (for the family).  Jet Blue has much better times for us, so I'm hoping they come down.


----------



## Huff

thelegacy27 said:


> Quick question, I've been watching flights for early May and today I saw an outbound flight for $106, which is the lowest I've seen so far. Problem is, it's not the exact time that I want but would deal with it if my ideal time stays high. Now my question is, if I went ahead and booked the outgoing flight but at some point my IDEAL flight went down, would I be able to modify to the new flight or have to cancel and rebook?
> 
> I've never flown southwest so that's why I'm curious. I just don't wanna miss out on a good deal on something else waiting for something else
> 
> Thanks



If you book flight A, and flight B later drops you would change flight A and select the flight B time.  The amount you paid for flight A is credited towards flight B.  If flight B is cheaper than A then you'll get a credit for the balance to be used on another flight at a later date.  There is no need to cancel flight A, just select change.


----------



## katallo

PrincessArlena'sDad said:


> The rt flights for our dates went up $100 pp from this morning!
> 
> We did not purchase, as the times really are not good for us, and they were more than we were hoping to pay by about $300 total (for the family).  Jet Blue has much better times for us, so I'm hoping they come down.



Over the years, I have found for a few days following a release or extension of the schedule fares increase.  Then they will re-adjust.  For us, it happens every time.


----------



## Iowamomof4

katallo said:


> Over the years, I have found for a few days following a release or extension of the schedule fares increase.  Then they will re-adjust.  For us, it happens every time.



Same here. Frankly, flight prices fluctuate so much deciding when to purchase is a bit like playing the stock market!


----------



## Avery&Todd

so I've already purchased flights for DH and I for our February trip with my SW points - I have a SW cc, and I had a Companion Pass for DH this year but I needed a little bit more to push me into next year and I just earned that last night!!  

The "book a companion pass" button just appeared on my flight information but do I need to cancel DH's flight booked with points before I can book his companion pass flight?

Right now there are seats available..

thanks!


----------



## klo1335

Hi guys, I just had to stop by to say thank you!  We haven't flown in over 10 years and decided to fly for our trip this November.  I purchased tickets in July and Early Bird.  I was able to update my flight in August to a time I wanted more.  I was so nervous about the boarding location.  My kids are 11 and 8 and have never flown and I would hate to have us all separated.  I am happy to say that I just checked in and we are boarding group A!  So happy!  My kids will be so relieved.  We are ok with splitting up 2 and 2 but now we might be able to sit near each other . You guys have great information!


----------



## iivye

Just wanted to share something that happened to us recently.  We were flying home from MCO to STL and our flight was delayed two hours.  I didn't complain to anyone in person or on social media but when I got home we had received an email with a $100 voucher for each person ($200 total for us). I was pretty surprised since we have had delayed flights in the past but have never had this happen.   Just another reason Southwest is my go to.


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## irt9206

I was able to book flights for our June 23-30 trip right at 6am.  Very happy with the price and time of the flight home and also the price of the flight down. What was odd is that the earliest non-stop flight was at 10:50am which was almost twice as much as the flight we booked at 5:50pm. I checked the other Sunday schedules, and with exception of the 16th and the 23rd, there is a 5:15am non-stop for every Sunday in the booking window they just released. I'm going to be checking everyday to see if they add the 5:15am flight to my departure day. My question is has this happened to anyone before and does Southwest have a history of adding flights to a current schedule?


----------



## georgina

iivye said:


> Just wanted to share something that happened to us recently.  We were flying home from MCO to STL and our flight was delayed two hours.  I didn't complain to anyone in person or on social media but when I got home we had received an email with a $100 voucher for each person ($200 total for us). I was pretty surprised since we have had delayed flights in the past but have never had this happen.   Just another reason Southwest is my go to.



Wow, that's nice. My DD was delayed 2 hours earlier this week, probably due to all the smoke in SFO area, she didn't get any compensation. She's flying tomorrow out of OAK and I am concerned she will be delayed again for smoke.


----------



## Lsdolphin

iivye said:


> Just wanted to share something that happened to us recently.  We were flying home from MCO to STL and our flight was delayed two hours.  I didn't complain to anyone in person or on social media but when I got home we had received an email with a $100 voucher for each person ($200 total for us). I was pretty surprised since we have had delayed flights in the past but have never had this happen.   Just another reason Southwest is my go to.




My 10:00 am flight the morning of 10/19 out of BWI was cancelled and I received a text message that I had been rescheduled for a 4:30 pm flight. I immediately called SWA and told them that I needed an earlier flight out I was told I would have to pay the price increase and I told them no way they were the ones who cancelled the flight and if I had wanted a 4:00 pm flight I would have scheduled one. They refused to do anything without my paying a price increase so I hung up and called again.  I repeated my story and again insisted I should not not have to pay extra when the situation was not my fault.  At that point I was given a customer service number to call and that person immediately booked me for what she said was the last seat on plane.  I believe her since my boarding pass was C60 I think. Luckily for me I happened to be helping a woman in a wheel chair pick up something she had dropped and help rearrange her carry on when they started boarding and the SWA agent thought I was with her. I started to tell them I wasn't with her but the woman told me to just walk down with her. I had never met the woman before but I did actually carry her bag for her and ended up sitting across the aisle from her.  I didn't feel at all guilty since I had actually paid for Early Bird and ended up not getting it!!! No compensation for any of my "anxiety"....I still do love SWA...although it does seem like this last visit to Disney was filled with drama from my flight to my ticket trouble later!


----------



## richmo

iivye said:


> Just wanted to share something that happened to us recently.  We were flying home from MCO to STL and our flight was delayed two hours.  I didn't complain to anyone in person or on social media but when I got home we had received an email with a $100 voucher for each person ($200 total for us). I was pretty surprised since we have had delayed flights in the past but have never had this happen.   Just another reason Southwest is my go to.





georgina said:


> Wow, that's nice. My DD was delayed 2 hours earlier this week, probably due to all the smoke in SFO area, she didn't get any compensation...



I'm a little surprised you received the compensation via email. The two times that has happened to me I was given a physical card at the departure airport. Keep in mind that if the compensation is in the form of a "LUV voucher", as opposed to travel funds, the LUV voucher is transferable.

I could be mistaken, but I believe the policy on giving out LUV vouchers is that if a two hour or so plus delay is caused by something in the control of Southwest (that is, the plane itself or crew), they generally will give out the vouchers.  If it is something out of Southwest's control (weather, or in this case, smoke), no voucher.


----------



## holden

Is anyone here familiar with the flights out of Philly? I'm waiting to book our summer trip (dates not opened yet).  When I looked at the available times close to our dates, the times are horrible...5:30am, 11:45pm, etc.  Does anyone know if SW adds flight times?  Thanks


----------



## PrincessArlena'sDad

holden said:


> Is anyone here familiar with the flights out of Philly? I'm waiting to book our summer trip (dates not opened yet).  When I looked at the available times close to our dates, the times are horrible...5:30am, 11:45pm, etc.  Does anyone know if SW adds flight times?  Thanks


In general, no.  Though, it probably has happened at some point in the past, I would not count on it, or expect it.


----------



## richmo

holden said:


> Is anyone here familiar with the flights out of Philly? I'm waiting to book our summer trip (dates not opened yet).  When I looked at the available times close to our dates, the times are horrible...5:30am, 11:45pm, etc.  Does anyone know if SW adds flight times?  Thanks



Its kind of hard to predict...but as Southwest has added cities and continue to, it seems many of the direct flights from non-Southwest hub cities get dropped. There used to be 4 or so direct flights to MCO from PHL...and I always liked one that seemed to be around 7 PM, but most times they're down to two now. This summer they were running a 6 AM, which in a way was nice because you get a full day at WDW, but I'm a little surprised they're running one at 11:45 Pm.  I guess anything to get the planes where they need to be for the following morning...


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

holden said:


> Is anyone here familiar with the flights out of Philly? I'm waiting to book our summer trip (dates not opened yet).  When I looked at the available times close to our dates, the times are horrible...5:30am, 11:45pm, etc.  Does anyone know if SW adds flight times?  Thanks


Since you are asking if they will change the flight times or add more flights when they open up the booking window for your travel dates its hard to say?


----------



## rileyz

Any chance the February dates will go on sale?  My daughter wants her friend to come with us for feb vacation but the tix are now $499 each way!  What’s so frustrating is that my husband is longer coming but we can’t use his ticket for her, how I miss the good old days of Southwest.


----------



## shoreward

rileyz said:


> Any chance the February dates will go on sale?  My daughter wants her friend to come with us for feb vacation but the tix are now $499 each way!  What’s so frustrating is that my husband is longer coming but we can’t use his ticket for her, how I miss the good old days of Southwest.


If the lowest one-way fare is $499, it sounds like the Wanna Get Away fares (lowest fare type) are sold out, leaving only Anytime and Business Select seats, which are never discounted, but 100% refundable.  If you are traveling during a busy period, such as President's Day weekend or school break, there just may not be many seats left for your travel dates; those seats sell very quickly, as soon as they can be booked.  The best advice is to keep checking, every day.  People do cancel (as you are aware) and change plans all the time.


----------



## scrappinginontario

rileyz said:


> Any chance the February dates will go on sale?  My daughter wants her friend to come with us for feb vacation but the tix are now $499 each way!  What’s so frustrating is that my husband is longer coming but we can’t use his ticket for her, how I miss the good old days of Southwest.


 Depending on how old your daughter’s friend is, can she fly on a different flight?  We did this earlier this year when my parents decided closer to our trip to join us.  We went to the airport together, took separate flights then met up later in Orlando.  Not the best but s better option than paying for expensive flights.


----------



## scrappinginontario

rileyz said:


> Any chance the February dates will go on sale?  My daughter wants her friend to come with us for feb vacation but the tix are now $499 each way!  What’s so frustrating is that my husband is longer coming but we can’t use his ticket for her, how I miss the good old days of Southwest.


Another thought, if your husband definitely is not going are you cancelling his flight?  If so, is there a chance it will free up 1 seat at a lower price? 

 Don’t know how this works with SW, just trying to think of options.


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## MarBee

Is this what normally happens?
I had a 9:30 flight home booked.  The points were a little high for me.  A 6:30 flight opened up for super cheap points so I booked it just to hold it.  I was debating with my husband on whether or not the earlier time would be worth the savings. 
Later that day, I got a cancellation email from Southwest saying that my account had been credited with my 9:30 flight points since my itinerary had changed.
I often book multiple flights one way until I can finalize my itinerary, but I guess I’ve never had ones on the same day before this.
Will SW cancel two flights booked on the same day?


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

MarBee said:


> Is this what normally happens?
> I had a 9:30 flight home booked.  The points were a little high for me.  A 6:30 flight opened up for super cheap points so I booked it just to hold it.  I was debating with my husband on whether or not the earlier time would be worth the savings.
> Later that day, I got a cancellation email from Southwest saying that my account had been credited with my 9:30 flight points since my itinerary had changed.
> I often book multiple flights one way until I can finalize my itinerary, but I guess I’ve never had ones on the same day before this.
> *Will SW cancel two flights booked on the same day?*


Yes they can.

From an article I was reading about it (from June 2018):

"Don’t book multiple Southwest reservations at the same time. According to the Flyertalk thread, Southwest’s system generally auto-cancels duplicate bookings sometime between 24-48 hours after making the duplicate reservation and they cancel just after midnight central time. It is unpredictable as to whether they will cancel the first booking you made or the second, so you can’t count on one or the other to be cancelled. Furthermore, making bookings that you don’t intend to fly is against Southwest’s program terms, so there is also the risk of shut down if Southwest perceives you to be abusing its system. I’ve personally cancelled plenty of Southwest bookings without issue, but it’s worth a note of caution."

In May 2017 they did a software and policy-type change. Looks like that's when they started doing more checking on multiple bookings among other things.


----------



## traveljunkie

MarBee said:


> Is this what normally happens?
> I had a 9:30 flight home booked.  The points were a little high for me.  A 6:30 flight opened up for super cheap points so I booked it just to hold it.  I was debating with my husband on whether or not the earlier time would be worth the savings.
> Later that day, I got a cancellation email from Southwest saying that my account had been credited with my 9:30 flight points since my itinerary had changed.
> I often book multiple flights one way until I can finalize my itinerary, but I guess I’ve never had ones on the same day before this.
> Will SW cancel two flights booked on the same day?



Yes, this happened to me -- even though it was two different cities but the same day. We were all going to Orlando spring break but coming home I booked my daughter one for MCO-home and another one Ft Lauderdale -home (she was trying to work out a college girlfriend plan).  SW cancelled the Ft Lauderdale one. I rebooked it using a different account with points. That one stayed until I cancelled it when her plans didn't work out. Never realized it was against their terms but makes sense.


----------



## dmdj232

What happened to the Soutwest Non-Stop flights from Newark to Orlando???!!!  I would think this is one of the most high in demand flights.  I called Southweet and got the same ol answer that "it can change at anytime....etc..."


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

dmdj232 said:


> What happened to the Soutwest Non-Stop flights from Newark to Orlando???!!!  I would think this is one of the most high in demand flights.  I called Southweet and got the same ol answer that "it can change at anytime....etc..."


As SWA begins service in new cities, IE: Hawaii and so forth,  they study the current routes they have and decisions are made that best meet their business needs.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

MarBee said:


> Is this what normally happens?
> I had a 9:30 flight home booked.  The points were a little high for me.  A 6:30 flight opened up for super cheap points so I booked it just to hold it.  I was debating with my husband on whether or not the earlier time would be worth the savings.
> Later that day, I got a cancellation email from Southwest saying that my account had been credited with my 9:30 flight points since my itinerary had changed.
> I often book multiple flights one way until I can finalize my itinerary, but I guess I’ve never had ones on the same day before this.
> Will SW cancel two flights booked on the same day?


Yes. You use to be able to book more than one ticket for the same day. About 3 yrs ago SWA announced they would be cancelling duplicate same day tickets they found in their system.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

dmdj232 said:


> What happened to the Soutwest Non-Stop flights from Newark to Orlando???!!!  I would think this is one of the most high in demand flights.  I called Southweet and got the same ol answer that "it can change at anytime....etc..."


Do any of the other area airports still do non-stop to Orlando?

For us LaGuardia is the only airport that SWA flies non-stop to from my home airport. Having said that we flown into Newark when we've flown to the NYC area (only been twice so far) even though it means having to make stops.


----------



## ChrisCross27

Why does Disney Go not allow Southwest flights? If I want to fly Southwest should I just book everything through them? I have a toddler and want to keep things as simple as possible.


----------



## scrappinginontario

ChrisCross27 said:


> Why does Disney Go not allow Southwest flights? If I want to fly Southwest should I just book everything through them? I have a toddler and want to keep things as simple as possible.


Sorry, who is Disney Go?


----------



## ChrisCross27

scrappinginontario said:


> Sorry, who is Disney Go?


Sorry, I just mean the Disney booking website. Southwest is not an airline choice.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Thanks!  It's totally a personal preference but I find booking the flights separately allows me to choose flight times and prices that better meet our travel needs.  Is there an advantage to using Disney?  You're still able to check luggage for SW at your resort, etc.


----------



## ChrisCross27

I just want to make sure I can still use Magic Express and have bags sent to the hotel if I use SW.


----------



## scrappinginontario

ChrisCross27 said:


> I just want to make sure I can still use Magic Express and have bags sent to the hotel if I use SW.


 Oh you can for sure!!  DME is available for all, regardless of airline and how you book it.  Also, when you're leaving, SW is one of the airlines that is available for checking your luggage at the resort.  We've used both of these services many, many times flying with SW and I have never booked flights via Disney.  (LOL - I guess that's obvious since Disney and SW are not linked as an airline option when booking flights with Disney.)

Between our few trips and the 5 or so others that I've booked for family and friends this year, we have all used DME and had our luggage delivered to our resorts and none of us purchased flights with our Disney package.  They were all purchased separately.


----------



## ChrisCross27

Awesome! Thank you so much scrappinginontario for your help. I’ve been to WDW many times but not with a toddler so I’m trying to iron out all details ahead of time .


----------



## scrappinginontario

ChrisCross27 said:


> Awesome! Thank you so much scrappinginontario for your help. I’ve been to WDW many times but not with a toddler so I’m trying to iron out all details ahead of time .


  Totally off topic but when I used to fly with my daughter as a toddler, the very best thing I took on a flight to entertain her was a little doll and band-aids!  It entertained her for a good portion of our 2+ hour flight.  My SIL did the same with a stuffed animal when my nephew was a baby.


----------



## PrincessArlena'sDad

ChrisCross27 said:


> Awesome! Thank you so much scrappinginontario for your help. I’ve been to WDW many times but not with a toddler so I’m trying to iron out all details ahead of time .


For flying, look into the CARES flight harness, and see if your toddler fits the recommendations.  So much better than lugging a car seat on the plane, and our kids loved it.


----------



## irt9206

I have a flight on 6/23 PVD-MCO that I would like to change to a PVD-TAMPA. I purchased early bird for the flight. Just wondering if the early bird would carry over to the new flight or would I lose it if I changed it. Ive made changes before but it was always the same flight, just changed to a cheaper fare. And I've read that as long as the reservation number stays the same, the early bird transfers over. I guess I need to know if changing the destination city would change the reservation number?  Thanks


----------



## scrappinginontario

irt9206 said:


> I have a flight on 6/23 PVD-MCO that I would like to change to a PVD-TAMPA. I purchased early bird for the flight. Just wondering if the early bird would carry over to the new flight or would I lose it if I changed it. Ive made changes before but it was always the same flight, just changed to a cheaper fare. And I've read that as long as the reservation number stays the same, the early bird transfers over. I guess I need to know if changing the destination city would change the reservation number?  Thanks


My understanding is that if you change your existing reservation from Orlando to Tampa and keep the same reservation number that you will also keep your EBCI. 

If you cancel your existing flight and book a new flight with a new reservation number, you will lose what you paid for EBCI and need to repurchase.

A note, if you change flights and still keep your existing EBCI (scenario 1) something to keep in mind is that you will be considered a new EBCI puchase and get in line behind all those who have already purchased EBCI for your new flight.  Hope this makes sense. If not, please let me know and I will try to clarify.


----------



## shoreward

irt9206 said:


> I have a flight on 6/23 PVD-MCO that I would like to change to a PVD-TAMPA. I purchased early bird for the flight. Just wondering if the early bird would carry over to the new flight or would I lose it if I changed it. Ive made changes before but it was always the same flight, just changed to a cheaper fare. And I've read that as long as the reservation number stays the same, the early bird transfers over. I guess I need to know if changing the destination city would change the reservation number?  Thanks


As long as you keep the same confirmation number (CHANGE reservation, do not cancel), the EBCI will remain intact.  Beware, however, that your place in line for a boarding number will be changed to as if you were purchasing a new ticket (not as good a boarding number as original flight).  But, you will retain the EBCI on your reservation - it will not be lost.


----------



## irt9206

Thank you both for your help.


----------



## WDW dreaming

Thanks everyone for all the useful info on this thread. I could use a little advice please: 

1. My husband and I don't fly Southwest much because it doesn't fly out of our small local airport. However we are planning a trip from another airport (Little Rock, AR) to take our (then 13 year old) niece to Orlando in May. Southwest has a flight from LR to MCO at a good price/miles but our concern is there is only a 50 minute layover in St. Louis. As a general rule, we try to keep layover time to a minimum of an hour and usually a tad longer than that. The three of us are all pretty good at getting around fairly quickly so the issue would really just be if the departing flight was late although we would probably also want enough cushion time for a bathroom break too. I've searched online and have seen reports that 50 minutes is long enough at that particular airport (St Louis) but am just hoping for a little more insight if anyone were to have it. 

2. We would also have checked bags and I have read that sometimes that can be an issue with a short layover with airlines getting the bags transferred to the connecting flight. Perhaps someone more familiar with Southwest than me has some insight as to whether that is something I should be concerned about with a Southwest 50 minute layover at a smaller airport such as this?

3. Also can anyone report experiences as to whether Southwest is pretty good at getting you on another flight fairly quickly if their delay causes a missed connection, especially at a smaller airport? 

4. From this thread and other similar ones, I get the feeling many of you would recommend early bird check in. As long as either myself or my husband can sit with our niece we're not worried about the other adult sitting alone. Any recommendations as to whether EBCI would be appropriate for at least two of us? (Perhaps it would also be warranted for all three of us to help with sitting closer to the front to make the connection.) Not having flown Southwest in years, I don't remember the particulars of boarding and I was flying solo so it wasn't much of a concern at that time!

Thanks in advance for any and all help!


----------



## Iowamomof4

WDW dreaming said:


> Thanks everyone for all the useful info on this thread. I could use a little advice please:
> 
> 1. My husband and I don't fly Southwest much because it doesn't fly out of our small local airport. However we are planning a trip from another airport (Little Rock, AR) to take our (then 13 year old) niece to Orlando in May. Southwest has a flight from LR to MCO at a good price/miles but our concern is there is only a 50 minute layover in St. Louis. As a general rule, we try to keep layover time to a minimum of an hour and usually a tad longer than that. The three of us are all pretty good at getting around fairly quickly so the issue would really just be if the departing flight was late although we would probably also want enough cushion time for a bathroom break too. I've searched online and have seen reports that 50 minutes is long enough at that particular airport (St Louis) but am just hoping for a little more insight if anyone were to have it.
> 
> 2. We would also have checked bags and I have read that sometimes that can be an issue with a short layover with airlines getting the bags transferred to the connecting flight. Perhaps someone more familiar with Southwest than me has some insight as to whether that is something I should be concerned about with a Southwest 50 minute layover at a smaller airport such as this?
> 
> 3. Also can anyone report experiences as to whether Southwest is pretty good at getting you on another flight fairly quickly if their delay causes a missed connection, especially at a smaller airport?
> 
> 4. From this thread and other similar ones, I get the feeling many of you would recommend early bird check in. As long as either myself or my husband can sit with our niece we're not worried about the other adult sitting alone. Any recommendations as to whether EBCI would be appropriate for at least two of us? (Perhaps it would also be warranted for all three of us to help with sitting closer to the front to make the connection.) Not having flown Southwest in years, I don't remember the particulars of boarding and I was flying solo so it wasn't much of a concern at that time!
> 
> Thanks in advance for any and all help!



We flew SW from Des Moines to Orlando in 2016, with a connecting flight in St. Louis. All the SW gates in STL (and pretty much every airport, from what I gather) are right next to each other. You will walk off your plane, go a few yards, and be at your next gate. As to bathrooms, I'd suggest getting to your gate and then decide if you have enough time. As to getting your checked bags, when we were waiting for our flight to leave STL last time, the pilot specifically mentioned that we were just waiting for a few more pieces of luggage to get loaded before we would be ready for take-off. That made me feel better. As to your last question, if you have concerns about making the second leg and having time to go to the bathroom, I would definitely get Earlybird. It will give you a better chance of sitting close to the front on your first leg, which will get you off the plane quicker and give you more time to breathe before getting on your connecting flight.

Cheers!


----------



## WDW dreaming

Iowamomof4 said:


> We flew SW from Des Moines to Orlando in 2016, with a connecting flight in St. Louis. All the SW gates in STL (and pretty much every airport, from what I gather) are right next to each other. You will walk off your plane, go a few yards, and be at your next gate. As to bathrooms, I'd suggest getting to your gate and then decide if you have enough time. As to getting your checked bags, when we were waiting for our flight to leave STL last time, the pilot specifically mentioned that we were just waiting for a few more pieces of luggage to get loaded before we would be ready for take-off. That made me feel better. As to your last question, if you have concerns about making the second leg and having time to go to the bathroom, I would definitely get Earlybird. It will give you a better chance of sitting close to the front on your first leg, which will get you off the plane quicker and give you more time to breathe before getting on your connecting flight.
> 
> Cheers!



Thanks for the info. I appreciate it.


----------



## scrappinginontario

WDW dreaming said:


> Thanks everyone for all the useful info on this thread. I could use a little advice please:
> 
> 1. My husband and I don't fly Southwest much because it doesn't fly out of our small local airport. However we are planning a trip from another airport (Little Rock, AR) to take our (then 13 year old) niece to Orlando in May. Southwest has a flight from LR to MCO at a good price/miles but our concern is there is only a 50 minute layover in St. Louis. As a general rule, we try to keep layover time to a minimum of an hour and usually a tad longer than that. The three of us are all pretty good at getting around fairly quickly so the issue would really just be if the departing flight was late although we would probably also want enough cushion time for a bathroom break too. I've searched online and have seen reports that 50 minutes is long enough at that particular airport (St Louis) but am just hoping for a little more insight if anyone were to have it.
> 
> 2. We would also have checked bags and I have read that sometimes that can be an issue with a short layover with airlines getting the bags transferred to the connecting flight. Perhaps someone more familiar with Southwest than me has some insight as to whether that is something I should be concerned about with a Southwest 50 minute layover at a smaller airport such as this?
> 
> 3. Also can anyone report experiences as to whether Southwest is pretty good at getting you on another flight fairly quickly if their delay causes a missed connection, especially at a smaller airport?
> 
> 4. From this thread and other similar ones, I get the feeling many of you would recommend early bird check in. As long as either myself or my husband can sit with our niece we're not worried about the other adult sitting alone. Any recommendations as to whether EBCI would be appropriate for at least two of us? (Perhaps it would also be warranted for all three of us to help with sitting closer to the front to make the connection.) Not having flown Southwest in years, I don't remember the particulars of boarding and I was flying solo so it wasn't much of a concern at that time!
> 
> Thanks in advance for any and all help!



We have flown with SW many, many times (they are are go-to airline 95% of the time) and I have had similar concerns to yours but now, would not.

1.  Due to the nature of SW gates being a unique layout for boarding, all of their gates are close together.  You will easily be able to move from one gate to another.  I find SW flights leave ontime the majority of the time and they seem to build in a good cushion on the other end.  We fly from Buffalo to MCO often and it's not unusual for us to land 20-30 minutes prior to our anticipated arrival time.  You should have time and also have time for a bathroom break.  I agree with @Iowamomof4 and would get to your next gate before going to the bathroom just to be safe.

2.  Our baggage has always been moved between flights when we've had connecting flights.  Again, since SW gates are close together this eases the transfer of bags.   We once had flights only 40 mins apart and I was also concerned but we had ample time to get from one flight to the next.

3.  I was once 4 hours late for a flight (!!!) when the Canada/US border was at a standstill.  SW put me on the next flight (to a new airport) and then helped me find a connecting flight at the next airport.  They did not charge me a penny for all of this.  Not sure if this is normal but was my experience.  I was more than impressed as in the end this error had nothing at all to do with SW but problems at our local border.  (I have a feeling others before me had faced similar problems as the SW agents were well familiar with my story that day.)

4.  EBCI is basically up to each person.  If it's important that you or your husband sit with your niece then I would recommend purchasing it.  Earlier this year I checked in at 24 hours (flying were myself and my then 8yo dd) but we were given mid B boarding numbers.  I wasn't concerned but then when we boarded there weren't any 2 seats left together!  They eventually found us seats together when people offered to move but I vowed after that that I would never put us (or other guests who worked just as hard to get early boarding numbers) so since then I have purchased EBCI for us.  It's not worth the stress to me.  

Hope this helps.


----------



## WDW dreaming

scrappinginontario said:


> We have flown with SW many, many times (they are are go-to airline 95% of the time) and I have had similar concerns to yours but now, would not.
> 
> 1.  Due to the nature of SW gates being a unique layout for boarding, all of their gates are close together.  You will easily be able to move from one gate to another.  I find SW flights leave ontime the majority of the time and they seem to build in a good cushion on the other end.  We fly from Buffalo to MCO often and it's not unusual for us to land 20-30 minutes prior to our anticipated arrival time.  You should have time and also have time for a bathroom break.  I agree with @Iowamomof4 and would get to your next gate before going to the bathroom just to be safe.
> 
> 2.  Our baggage has always been moved between flights when we've had connecting flights.  Again, since SW gates are close together this eases the transfer of bags.   We once had flights only 40 mins apart and I was also concerned but we had ample time to get from one flight to the next.
> 
> 3.  I was once 4 hours late for a flight (!!!) when the Canada/US border was at a standstill.  SW put me on the next flight (to a new airport) and then helped me find a connecting flight at the next airport.  They did not charge me a penny for all of this.  Not sure if this is normal but was my experience.  I was more than impressed as in the end this error had nothing at all to do with SW but problems at our local border.  (I have a feeling others before me had faced similar problems as the SW agents were well familiar with my story that day.)
> 
> 4.  EBCI is basically up to each person.  If it's important that you or your husband sit with your niece then I would recommend purchasing it.  Earlier this year I checked in at 24 hours (flying were myself and my then 8yo dd) but we were given mid B boarding numbers.  I wasn't concerned but then when we boarded there weren't any 2 seats left together!  They eventually found us seats together when people offered to move but I vowed after that that I would never put us (or other guests who worked just as hard to get early boarding numbers) so since then I have purchased EBCI for us.  It's not worth the stress to me.
> 
> Hope this helps.



It sure does help - thanks so much for the thoughtful & detailed response!


----------



## AmyAnne

I have a question about SW travel credits. I have tickets on SW for December and have changed our flights once because the price dropped ($30 per ticket). Now I see that the price has dropped another $10. If I change the flight again, will I have two separate credits (one for $30 and one for $10) or will the credits get combined? I'm asking because IIRC you can only use a certain number of payment methods for a SW flight, so I'm wondering if I should wait to see if the price drops further before rebooking, so I don't end up with credits I can't use. (We don't fly SW much because their schedule from our home airport is usually pretty awful.)


----------



## focusondisney

AmyAnne said:


> I have a question about SW travel credits. I have tickets on SW for December and have changed our flights once because the price dropped ($30 per ticket). Now I see that the price has dropped another $10. If I change the flight again, will I have two separate credits (one for $30 and one for $10) or will the credits get combined? I'm asking because IIRC you can only use a certain number of payment methods for a SW flight, so I'm wondering if I should wait to see if the price drops further before rebooking, so I don't end up with credits I can't use. (We don't fly SW much because their schedule from our home airport is usually pretty awful.)




The credits will all be tied to that particular reservation number.  So it becomes all 1 credit when you use it.  Don’t forget tho that you must use it (not just book it) by the date you booked the original flight.


----------



## AmyAnne

focusondisney said:


> The credits will all be tied to that particular reservation number.  So it becomes all 1 credit when you use it.  Don’t forget tho that you must use it (not just book it) by the date you booked the original flight.



Thank you!


----------



## sandam1

Does anyone know if you can purchase Rapid Rewards points with a SW gift card?


----------



## katallo

I have the same question.  We have a RR account with our credit card points and the flights are so expensive this year we can't pay for 2 tickets.  My other option is to transfer points from my account but I think there is a fee for that as well.


----------



## 4luv2cdisney

Can you still buy A1-15 boarding at the gate?  I thought I read somewhere that something was happening with this, but I cannot recall....


----------



## kmermaid

Yes you can.  DH traveled this past Sunday.  Back in May when I made the reservations for him (using RR points) and three buddies (paid with credit card) I purchased EBCI for all four.  When I checked them in the three paid in cash received A18, A20 & A21 and DH was B40.  I didn't make any changes to any of the reservations if they went down in points or $.   DH went to the boarding desk and purchased and received A3.  Though even with that he was 6 rows back to get his preferred window seat.  Buying EBCI won't be done by us anymore since we use points.  A boarding passes seem to be a thing of the past for passengers using points and traveling to popular areas such as Orlando.


----------



## shoreward

sandam1 said:


> Does anyone know if you can purchase Rapid Rewards points with a SW gift card?



That is not allowed.


katallo said:


> I have the same question.  We have a RR account with our credit card points and the flights are so expensive this year we can't pay for 2 tickets.  My other option is to transfer points from my account but I think there is a fee for that as well.


I'm not quite sure what your question is.  If you are wondering if your RR points can be used for purchasing your ticket, only,  that is not the case.  Rapid Rewards points can be used to purchase a ticket for anyone you want.  If there are not enough points for a roundtrip, purchase one way with points and the other  with cash.  It is not a good value to pay the transfer fee.  The normal fee is one cent per point, unless there is a promotion running.


----------



## TNKim

I'm looking at SW flights in early June.  Historically, does SW have any major sales in January or February that might lower the prices for June flights?


----------



## PrincessArlena'sDad

TNKim said:


> I'm looking at SW flights in early June.  Historically, does SW have any major sales in January or February that might lower the prices for June flights?


I've gotten a winter sale for summer flights before. So, it is definitely possible.  But, even if they have one, your dates may or may not be included in the sale.

So, if you like the price, and don't book now, the price in Jan or Feb could be more.  Or it could be less.  Or it could be the same.  

Good luck!  Airfare these days really is a crap shoot.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

First time I changed a flight for a lower fare and now have a credit to use. When using that credit to book a new flight, could I use a combination of points and travel credit? I might never end up using mine but figure hubs probably will when he wants to visit buddies in other states.


----------



## mfly

CookieandOatmeal said:


> First time I changed a flight for a lower fare and now have a credit to use. When using that credit to book a new flight, could I use a combination of points and travel credit? I might never end up using mine but figure hubs probably will when he wants to visit buddies in other states.


No, unfortunately. 

Points bookings can only be booked using 100% points. 

If you’re paying with any form of cash (credit card, travel fund, LUV voucher, etc.), you cannot use points.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

CookieandOatmeal said:


> First time I changed a flight for a lower fare and now have a credit to use. When using that credit to book a new flight, could I use a combination of points and travel credit? I might never end up using mine but figure hubs probably will when he wants to visit buddies in other states.





mfly said:


> No, unfortunately.
> 
> Points bookings can only be booked using 100% points.
> 
> If you’re paying with any form of cash (credit card, travel fund, LUV voucher, etc.), you cannot use points.


@mfly is correct.  However, you COULD use a credit to pay the $5.60 security fee if you have enough points to pay for the flight in full with points.


----------



## DebbieB

focusondisney said:


> The credits will all be tied to that particular reservation number.  So it becomes all 1 credit when you use it.  Don’t forget tho that you must use it (not just book it) by the date you booked the original flight.



One thing to think about - the flight that you use the credit on will also retain the date of the original flight of the credit.     So even if you use a $10 credit, the new flight will have the earlier date (the entire amount).    May not be worth it if you are not 100% positive you will be using it.    You will not have a year from the date of the new ticket purchase.

https://thepointsguy.com/2018/03/sw-travel-funds-mistake-story/


----------



## focusondisney

DebbieB said:


> One thing to think about - the flight that you use the credit on will also retain the date of the original flight of the credit.     So even if you use a $10 credit, the new flight will have the earlier date (the entire amount).    May not be worth it if you are not 100% positive you will be using it.    You will not have a year from the date of the new ticket purchase.
> 
> https://thepointsguy.com/2018/03/sw-travel-funds-mistake-story/




Not quite sure why you quoted me, but that is exactly what I said.  The credits will still need to be used by the date the original flight was booked.

The poster I was answering wanted to know if it multiple credits would count as more than 1 payment method.  And I also pointed out that all credits would retain the original date.


----------



## DebbieB

focusondisney said:


> Not quite sure why you quoted me, but that is exactly what I said.  The credits will still need to be used by the date the original flight was booked.
> 
> The poster I was answering wanted to know if it multiple credits would count as more than 1 payment method.  And I also pointed out that all credits would retain the original date.


 
I was providing additional information that I don’t think people are aware of, that if you book a new ticket for a future date with the credits, the entire new ticket retains the date of the oldest credit even if the credit was a partial amount of the new ticket.  Ive seen posts from people who got burned by that, they have a new ticket with a short expiration because they used a small credit.


----------



## MarBee

Companion pass question: We have a companion pass until 2019. 
If I booked a flight while still in 2019 but it was for a 2020 date, would I be able to use the companion pass option?  Or would I need to pay?


----------



## focusondisney

MarBee said:


> Companion pass question: We have a companion pass until 2019.
> If I booked a flight while still in 2019 but it was for a 2020 date, would I be able to use the companion pass option?  Or would I need to pay?



This is my first experience with companion pass also. But my understanding is  you must have a valid CP to fly free.  And companion passes are valid for the calendar year, expiring at the end of the year unless status is renewed.   My CP also expires after 2019. So after Dec 31, 2019, I can no longer fly free.  Doesn’t matter when the flight was booked, only when it is taken. I expect to pay for any 2020 trip, no matter when I book it.  

I doubt the CP option will even show up for flights after 12/31/19 (for us, since we won’t requalify).


----------



## jameyh

We don't fly often, so I need some clarification on something. 4 tickets, so do we get 4 quart size bags of liquid items, Or is it limited to the number of carry on bags?  
So if we have 2 carry on suitcases and 4 backpacks how many quart size bags do we get?


----------



## georgina

jameyh said:


> We don't fly often, so I need some clarification on something. 4 tickets, so do we get 4 quart size bags of liquid items, Or is it limited to the number of carry on bags?
> So if we have 2 carry on suitcases and 4 backpacks how many quart size bags do we get?



One per person, does not depend on suitcases vs backpacks. So, 4 in this case. (Medications and baby formula are exempt from this rule.)


----------



## jameyh

georgina said:


> One per person, does not depend on suitcases vs backpacks. So, 4 in this case. (Medications and baby formula are exempt from this rule.)


Great thanks, that's what I was hoping for


----------



## Gman76

jameyh said:


> We don't fly often, so I need some clarification on something. 4 tickets, so do we get 4 quart size bags of liquid items, Or is it limited to the number of carry on bags?
> So if we have 2 carry on suitcases and 4 backpacks how many quart size bags do we get?



The liquid thing has nothing to do with airlines at all. It is TSA thing.  And, you still have the 3 oz rule for item. TSA website will help.


----------



## MarBee

Any guesses as to when December airfare will open up?


----------



## scrappinginontario

SouthFayetteFan said:


> With a release coming on Thursday...Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment:
> 
> 
> *NEXT RELEASE: 11/15/18 - travel through August 5th, 2019*
> 9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019
> 8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
> 6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
> 5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
> 3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
> 2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
> 11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
> 8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
> 7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
> 6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
> 5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
> This could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above).  We should know the next release date Thursday - unfortunately if they follow last year’s pattern that next release may not occur for 3 months.





MarBee said:


> Any guesses as to when December airfare will open up?


  The quote above lists historical data although there has been one or more releases since then.  Also, the next release (Feb 7th) is only supposed to be releasing airfare up until Sep 2nd with is a departure from prior years that went into October flights.


----------



## garnwr32229

So we decided to book with southwest. We typically don’t fly but decided to this time. My biggest worry is seating. There will be 7 of us 4 adults 3 kids. My kids will be 3,9,9 when we travel. How does this work I was told there was family seating but I’m not clear on what that means. I honestly don’t expect for us all to sit together. Even my 9yr old daughter would be fine sitting not directly by us (she loves chatting it up with people). My biggest concern is my boys. My 3yr old well bc he is 3. And my 9yr old son will have a panic attack if he isn’t by an adult he knows. I’m worried that I should have gotten early check in or something. 

Also is anyone familiar with the Pittsburgh airport? Is it big? My needs a cane to walk and long distances wear her out. Are there wheel chairs you can use just at the airport? We will be renting one for the Disney parks but didn’t really think about the airports.


----------



## shoreward

garnwr32229 said:


> So we decided to book with southwest. We typically don’t fly but decided to this time. My biggest worry is seating. There will be 7 of us 4 adults 3 kids. My kids will be 3,9,9 when we travel. How does this work I was told there was family seating but I’m not clear on what that means. I honestly don’t expect for us all to sit together. Even my 9yr old daughter would be fine sitting not directly by us (she loves chatting it up with people). My biggest concern is my boys. My 3yr old well bc he is 3. And my 9yr old son will have a panic attack if he isn’t by an adult he knows. I’m worried that I should have gotten early check in or something.
> 
> Also is anyone familiar with the Pittsburgh airport? Is it big? My needs a cane to walk and long distances wear her out. Are there wheel chairs you can use just at the airport? We will be renting one for the Disney parks but didn’t really think about the airports.


Make sure that you attach a wheelchair request to the reservation for the person who uses a cane.  That will allow that person + one additional member of your party to preboard, before all other passengers.  Each child 6 years and under can board with one other family member, under Family Boarding, which is between the "A" boarding group (the first 60 or fewer customers to board, after preboards), and the next group, which is the "B" group.  Your 9 year old son could board with the wheelchair passenger, and the 3 year old with an adult in Family Boarding.  That leaves your 9 year old daughter and two adults left to board.  You could purchase the "Early Bird" option for those three, which usually prices at $25 per person, each way, and which automatically checks you in with a preferred boarding number; or, just make sure to check in EXACTLY at 24 hours before scheduled departure.  The EB option would be a good choice for you, especially if you don't fly often, and you want to make things easier.  The sooner you purchase the EB, the better the boarding number you receive.

When you arrive at the airport, just let a skycap or Southwest agent know that you need a wheelchair.  There should be a tip to the person who pushes the wheelchair to the gate, just like you tip skycaps for curbside check-in or baggage handling.

This can be a lot to handle.  You can call Southwest, and they will gladly help you with all of these requests.

Enjoy your trip!


----------



## scrappinginontario

Great response @shoreward!  I agree with all said and also recommend purchasing EBCI for the 3 remaining passengers who are not part of the family boarding or the 1 in a wheelchair plus the child boarding with them.

Once all have boarded and found seats, you can switch around so that the 9yo who is more timid can sit with a parent rather than with the person in the wheelchair if that would be more comfortable for him.  Or, just have the person who will actually be sitting with the wheelchair family member enter with them and purchase the EBCI for 1 parent plus the 2 9yo's.


----------



## garnwr32229

shoreward said:


> Make sure that you attach a wheelchair request to the reservation for the person who uses a cane.  That will allow that person + one additional member of your party to preboard, before all other passengers.  Each child 6 years and under can board with one other family member, under Family Boarding, which is between the "A" boarding group (the first 60 or fewer customers to board, after preboards), and the next group, which is the "B" group.  Your 9 year old son could board with the wheelchair passenger, and the 3 year old with an adult in Family Boarding.  That leaves your 9 year old daughter and two adults left to board.  You could purchase the "Early Bird" option for those three, which usually prices at $25 per person, each way, and which automatically checks you in with a preferred boarding number; or, just make sure to check in EXACTLY at 24 hours before scheduled departure.  The EB option would be a good choice for you, especially if you don't fly often, and you want to make things easier.  The sooner you purchase the EB, the better the boarding number you receive.
> 
> When you arrive at the airport, just let a skycap or Southwest agent know that you need a wheelchair.  There should be a tip to the person who pushes the wheelchair to the gate, just like you tip skycaps for curbside check-in or baggage handling.
> 
> This can be a lot to handle.  You can call Southwest, and they will gladly help you with all of these requests.
> 
> Enjoy your trip!


Thanks! And I can add early checkin to my already purchased tickets??


----------



## scrappinginontario

garnwr32229 said:


> Thanks! And I can add early checkin to my already purchased tickets??


  Yes, you can for sure!  Go into your reservation and you will find the option to purchase it there for any guests that you select.


----------



## shoreward

garnwr32229 said:


> Thanks! And I can add early checkin to my already purchased tickets??


You can add the Early Bird for as few or many as you like.  No sense adding it for the preboards, as they are first on - before the EB customers.  But, you can add for any of the others.  Sometimes, the EB customers end up after the Family Boarding - there is no guaranty of what group or number they will get; it could be as low as A16 or anything higher.  Again, the sooner you purchase EB, the lower (better) the number you'll get.

It can be tricky to find where to add EB to an existing reservation.  I would just call Southwest at 800-435-9792 and have them add it for you;it will go quickly.  Just have your confirmation numbers handy, if you call.


----------



## scrappinginontario

I'm sure the answer is going to be but figure it's worth asking.

Situation:  Opening day I 'purchase' a flight using points.  At a later date I want to change the flight to purchasing it using $$.

Will I pay the opening day price that the flight was offered at and the day I secured the flight using points or, would I need to pay the going rate in $$ on the day I change it to paying cash?

I'm guessing it's the latter but want to check.

I'm keeping an eye out for mid-September flights that won't be out until sometime after Feb 7th.  At the same time I'm looking for prices for flights at our local airport that is 90 mins closer than the airport I need to fly out of if I fly with SW.

The delayed offering of September flights will work in my favour as it will give me extra time to watch for price drops.


----------



## shoreward

scrappinginontario said:


> I'm sure the answer is going to be but figure it's worth asking.
> 
> Situation:  Opening day I 'purchase' a flight using points.  At a later date I want to change the flight to purchasing it using $$.
> 
> Will I pay the opening day price that the flight was offered at and the day I secured the flight using points or, would I need to pay the going rate in $$ on the day I change it to paying cash?
> 
> I'm guessing it's the latter but want to check.
> 
> I'm keeping an eye out for mid-September flights that won't be out until sometime after Feb 7th.  At the same time I'm looking for prices for flights at our local airport that is 90 mins closer than the airport I need to fly out of if I fly with SW.
> 
> The delayed offering of September flights will work in my favour as it will give me extra time to watch for price drops.



It depends; if you cancel out your original reservation, that seat (fare bucket) may go back into open inventory for another customer to purchase, if general fares did not change.  Otherwise, you pay the fare at time of purchase, in real time - you can't convert from a previous points purchase to a cash purchase.  It's a completely new transaction.


----------



## scrappinginontario

shoreward said:


> It depends; if you cancel out your original reservation, that seat (fare bucket) may go back into open inventory for another customer to purchase, if general fares did not change.  Otherwise, you pay the fare at time of purchase, in real time - you can't convert from a previous points purchase to a cash purchase.  It's a completely new transaction.


  Thanks!  That's what I was guessing but figured it was worth asking.  SW flights come out earlier than flight prices drop so it's always a guess as to which to purchase.  Love SW, just wish our closest airport wasn't 2 1/2 hours from home.


----------



## jenseib

scrappinginontario said:


> I'm sure the answer is going to be but figure it's worth asking.
> 
> Situation:  Opening day I 'purchase' a flight using points.  At a later date I want to change the flight to purchasing it using $$.
> 
> Will I pay the opening day price that the flight was offered at and the day I secured the flight using points or, would I need to pay the going rate in $$ on the day I change it to paying cash?
> 
> I'm guessing it's the latter but want to check.
> 
> I'm keeping an eye out for mid-September flights that won't be out until sometime after Feb 7th.  At the same time I'm looking for prices for flights at our local airport that is 90 mins closer than the airport I need to fly out of if I fly with SW.
> 
> The delayed offering of September flights will work in my favour as it will give me extra time to watch for price drops.




it will be the going rate that day if you cancel and rebook or even if you change the flight in any way. Could be more, could be less.


----------



## mcd2745

Anyone know where on SW's website if there's a page to see how much you paid for your upcoming flights?  I know I can go to "My Trips" to see the flight information, but I wanted to see exactly what we paid (for insurance purposes).


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

mcd2745 said:


> Anyone know where on SW's website if there's a page to see how much you paid for your upcoming flights?  I know I can go to "My Trips" to see the flight information, but I wanted to see exactly what we paid (for insurance purposes).


I'm trying to remember here but maybe check your e-mail confirmation assuming you had one sent to your e-mail. Maybe that would have it on there.


----------



## jameyh

Im sure it will be obvious by my question that we dont fly often but trying to prepare for our weekend flight. 
We are flying southwest and plan on only having carry on bags, do we have to go to the main counter to check in or can we skip it and go straight thru security to our gate? 
Thanks


----------



## mcd2745

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I'm trying to remember here but maybe check your e-mail confirmation assuming you had one sent to your e-mail. Maybe that would have it on there.



Doesn't seem like there is a spot on the website to see it. However, if you can't find your original email receipt/confirmation (turns out my wife did the booking this time - but she could't find the email), you can have it re-sent from the "Manage Reservations" page.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

mcd2745 said:


> Doesn't seem like there is a spot on the website to see it. However, if you can't find your original email receipt/confirmation (turns out my wife did the booking this time - but she could't find the email), you can have it re-sent from the "Manage Reservations" page.


Good to know.


----------



## scrappinginontario

mcd2745 said:


> Anyone know where on SW's website if there's a page to see how much you paid for your upcoming flights?  I know I can go to "My Trips" to see the flight information, but I wanted to see exactly what we paid (for insurance purposes).


I don’t  believe this is available and even on the initial receipt.  The receipt only includes a combined price.

If I really want to know what I paid each direction I’ve carefully tried to ‘change’ each leg of the trip.  As you step through the process (being very careful to not accept the change) you will be able to determine your original price by seeing what the additional cost/credit would be compared to the current pricing.


----------



## Iowamomof4

scrappinginontario said:


> I don’t  believe this is available and even on the initial receipt.  The receipt only includes a combined price.
> 
> If I really want to know what I paid each direction I’ve carefully tried to ‘change’ each leg of the trip.  As you step through the process (being very careful to not accept the change) you will be able to determine your original price by seeing what the additional cost/credit would be compared to the current pricing.


Or you can take the total paid divided by the number of tickets.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Iowamomof4 said:


> Or you can take the total paid divided by the number of tickets.



Then again, I book each leg separately so I guess having to figure out the price paid for each leg for a round trip is a bit different. Sorry.


----------



## MarBee

jameyh said:


> Im sure it will be obvious by my question that we dont fly often but trying to prepare for our weekend flight.
> We are flying southwest and plan on only having carry on bags, do we have to go to the main counter to check in or can we skip it and go straight thru security to our gate?
> Thanks


If you have your boarding passes preprinted or on your phone, you can go right through to security.  Have a great trip!


----------



## mcd2745

**** FYI Everyone ****

SW amended the next fare release. It was opening up Feb 7 for flights through Sep 2.

They moved it up a week. Now, it is Jan 31 (this Thursday) and for fares through October 1.


----------



## CJK

mcd2745 said:


> **** FYI Everyone ****
> 
> SW amended the next fare release. It was opening up Feb 7 for flights through Sep 2.
> 
> They moved it up a week. Now, it is Jan 31 (this Thursday) and for fares through October 1.


Thanks so much for letting us know!!! I checked last week about the next release, and figured we were in the clear for September trips for at least a few weeks. Now I'll know to check Thursday. Thanks soooo much!!


----------



## scrappinginontario

mcd2745 said:


> **** FYI Everyone ****
> 
> SW amended the next fare release. It was opening up Feb 7 for flights through Sep 2.
> 
> They moved it up a week. Now, it is Jan 31 (this Thursday) and for fares through October 1.


  Thanks so much for posting this!!  As of Friday it was still Sep 2nd flights on Feb 7th.  Appreciate you sharing this updated information.

Woot woot....time to buy flights Thursday!!


----------



## CJK

Hi all! Does anyone know what time the flight schedules are generally released in the morning? I think I read that it tends to vary. What's the earliest time we should start checking??


----------



## shoreward

CJK said:


> Hi all! Does anyone know what time the flight schedules are generally released in the morning? I think I read that it tends to vary. What's the earliest time we should start checking??


It has been as early as 6:00 AM, EST, and sometimes as late as 7:30 or 8:30 AM.


----------



## SaraJR

Does anyone have any promo codes for tomorrow?


----------



## shoreward

SaraJR said:


> Does anyone have any promo codes for tomorrow?


Southwest does not issue promo codes, except once in awhile for their most expensive fare type, Business Select.


----------



## SaraJR

Oh shows how much i know lol


----------



## scrappinginontario

CJK said:


> Hi all! Does anyone know what time the flight schedules are generally released in the morning? I think I read that it tends to vary. What's the earliest time we should start checking??


Im going to start checking in 10-15 min intervals starting at 6am.


----------



## shoreward

SaraJR said:


> Oh shows how much i know lol


It never hurts to ask.


----------



## scrappinginontario

7am and no new dates yet.  With temps of -36° right now I sooooo want to book flights and think of sun, palm trees and Mickey!!!


----------



## CJK

scrappinginontario said:


> 7am and no new dates yet. With temps of -36° right now I sooooo want to book flights and think of sun, palm trees and Mickey!!!


YES!! Come on Southwest!!


----------



## OurLaughingPlace

scrappinginontario said:


> 7am and no new dates yet.  With temps of -36° right now I sooooo want to book flights and think of sun, palm trees and Mickey!!!


I know!  I'm in Ontario too - sooooo cold.  Waiting (not so patiently) to book our August flights!   Good luck everyone!


----------



## han22735

If you are flying in August you can use the low fare finder to book your flights now.


----------



## val1234

han22735 said:


> If you are flying in August you can use the low fare finder to book your flights now.


Yes I just booked End of August by using low fare calendar, 114 each way nonstop out of ISP.


----------



## 123Dis4Me

Yay! I got my flight, not the one I expected but arriving at MCO early enough!


----------



## tink1957

han22735 said:


> If you are flying in August you can use the low fare finder to book your flights now.


It's working for September too!


----------



## CJK

Booked! Woohoo!!! Hope everyone is happy with their flights!!!


----------



## shoreward

Southwest changed flight times for my route; ended up booking connecting flights, both ways.  Ugh!!!

Next booking window opens 03/13/2019 for flights through 11/02/2019 (subject to change).


----------



## Geomom

Booked our August return flights to MHT, $5 cheaper than our rates to MCO...in line with what I expected based on their summer prices.  Happy with the time as well!


----------



## 1DISNEYLVR

han22735 said:


> If you are flying in August you can use the low fare finder to book your flights now.


What is the low fare finder?


----------



## PerfessorZ

1DISNEYLVR said:


> What is the low fare finder?



It allows you to see all the lowest fares for each day in a month.


----------



## runnermama78

Fares released for my dates....but I don’t fly enough to know if it’s a good price or not!  They’re at $134 each way, from Maine. I know the last trip, I didn’t book on release day and I was eventually able to get one way at $97. Of course the other way was $170.


----------



## shoreward

1DISNEYLVR said:


> What is the low fare finder?


On the booking page, after entering your itinerary to search, there will be a small green box, to the right of the date range.  Clicking on that will open up a calendar, showing the lowest fares for each day of the month, for your itinerary.


----------



## Geomom

runnermama78 said:


> Fares released for my dates....but I don’t fly enough to know if it’s a good price or not!  They’re at $134 each way, from Maine. I know the last trip, I didn’t book on release day and I was eventually able to get one way at $97. Of course the other way was $170.


I'd consider it a good price.  We're flying from Manchester, NH--$159 to Orlando, $154 home, in August.  I consider those good prices...$313 round trip.  Last Thanksgiving was $570/person roundtrip out of Hartford, CT.


----------



## scrappinginontario

I was able to book us too and very happy!  $106 each way direct from Buffalo.  Good flight times too.  Gets us there early and home at a reasonable time even with the 3 hour drive home from the airport.

Was on a roll so just booked our night before using parksleepfly.com and paying the same amount for hotel and parking as I would for parking alone.  It's all coming together!  

Next step, 180 mark to book meals in March.


----------



## scrappinginontario

runnermama78 said:


> Fares released for my dates....but I don’t fly enough to know if it’s a good price or not!  They’re at $134 each way, from Maine. I know the last trip, I didn’t book on release day and I was eventually able to get one way at $97. Of course the other way was $170.


 Those sound like pretty good prices.  They might go down but there is no guarantee that they will.


----------



## lynzi2004

Needing some info regarding airport arrival times. Was hoping for a departure from STL around 1-2pm instead there is an 11:55am or a 5:05pm. We can get to the airport by 11am but not much earlier. SW suggests an arrival time 90 min before departure. If I book the 11:55am that’s just not giving enough time right? Or would we be ok as long as we hustle? It’s a Sunday direct flight if that makes a difference. We’ve flown out of Memphis but haven’t flown out of STL in years. I’m just trying to decide whether is worth it to risk or not?? I understand the repercussions if we don’t make it, but I’m also trying to be realistic and understand that they try to get you there way ahead! Help or others experiences please!


----------



## jerseygal

shoreward said:


> Southwest changed flight times for my route; ended up booking connecting flights, both ways.  Ugh!!!
> 
> Next booking window opens 03/13/2019 for flights through 11/02/2019 (subject to change).


 Hoping for good prices for October, thanks for the heads up!


----------



## JJJDisneyBuckeyes

Got our return flight booked for $114, which was the same price going to Orlando. Only had two nonstop, 9 am and 5:50 pm to Columbus. Not exactly what I wanted, but an evening flight with more time at Disney isn't all bad!!


----------



## G719

lynzi2004 said:


> Needing some info regarding airport arrival times. Was hoping for a departure from STL around 1-2pm instead there is an 11:55am or a 5:05pm. We can get to the airport by 11am but not much earlier. SW suggests an arrival time 90 min before departure. If I book the 11:55am that’s just not giving enough time right? Or would we be ok as long as we hustle? It’s a Sunday direct flight if that makes a difference. We’ve flown out of Memphis but haven’t flown out of STL in years. I’m just trying to decide whether is worth it to risk or not?? I understand the repercussions if we don’t make it, but I’m also trying to be realistic and understand that they try to get you there way ahead! Help or others experiences please!



11:55 is the time the flight is leaving the airport.  Boarding will begin as early as 30 minutes before.  

What's keeping you from arriving earlier?  You could consider staying at a hotel near airport the night before.


----------



## scrappinginontario

lynzi2004 said:


> Needing some info regarding airport arrival times. Was hoping for a departure from STL around 1-2pm instead there is an 11:55am or a 5:05pm. We can get to the airport by 11am but not much earlier. SW suggests an arrival time 90 min before departure. If I book the 11:55am that’s just not giving enough time right? Or would we be ok as long as we hustle? It’s a Sunday direct flight if that makes a difference. We’ve flown out of Memphis but haven’t flown out of STL in years. I’m just trying to decide whether is worth it to risk or not?? I understand the repercussions if we don’t make it, but I’m also trying to be realistic and understand that they try to get you there way ahead! Help or others experiences please!


 We fly out of what I consider to be a smaller airport and there is no way I would arrive less than an hour before a flight.  You will need to check baggage (possibly), go through security, get to your gate and board.  Boarding will most likely begin at 11:25 for a 11:55 flight as 11:55 is when they plane pushes back from a gate.  90 mins min for us and often 2 hours.  It's just not worth the stress.

Is there any way possible you can get to the airport before 11am?


----------



## lynzi2004

G719 said:


> 11:55 is the time the flight is leaving the airport.  Boarding will begin as early as 30 minutes before.
> 
> What's keeping you from arriving earlier?  You could consider staying at a hotel near airport the night before.





scrappinginontario said:


> We fly out of what I consider to be a smaller airport and there is no way I would arrive less than an hour before a flight.  You will need to check baggage (possibly), go through security, get to your gate and board.  Boarding will most likely begin at 11:25 for a 11:55 flight as 11:55 is when they plane pushes back from a gate.  90 mins min for us and often 2 hours.  It's just not worth the stress.
> 
> Is there any way possible you can get to the airport before 11am?



Thank you all for the quick replies and pretty much confirming what I was already afraid of! lol 

We were going to church that morning as it was a Sunday. We would be done around 10:30 hence the 15-20 drive to the airport with an 11am arrival. No biggie, the later flight (5pm) will work just not ideal! Thanks again for the quick reply!


----------



## AngieInOH

My husband is driving to Orlando and I will be flying down.  We may or may not need to fly back (might be driving it).  We won't know until the last minute.  I was thinking I should go ahead and book the flights back (before the Wanna Get Away prices are gone).  We will be paying with points.  If I do this how far in advance do I need to cancel in order to be refunded my points?  Also, would it be better for me to book round trip for myself or book each flight individually?


----------



## 123Dis4Me

AngieInOH said:


> My husband is driving to Orlando and I will be flying down.  We may or may not need to fly back (might be driving it).  We won't know until the last minute.  I was thinking I should go ahead and book the flights back (before the Wanna Get Away prices are gone).  We will be paying with points.  If I do this how far in advance do I need to cancel in order to be refunded my points?  Also, would it be better for me to book round trip for myself or book each flight individually?


I have canceled  the day prior to flights with no issues at all. The points went immediately back to my account. When canceling one part of an itinerary but keeping the rest, I had to call to cancel. There was no way (that I could figure out) to cancel part of it online.


----------



## Daisybell911

WOOT!  I didn’t know they changed the dates and I randomly checked today and my mid August flight was available. $114 rt nonstop from Baltimore at the exact time I wanted. I’ll take it!  (And I’m glad I didn’t wait until next week to check)


----------



## AngieInOH

I think I'll book them separately.  After checking my points I'm going to have to anyway since I dont have enough points to cover everything.


----------



## cmarsh31

$132 each way for August. Flight down is perfect, arriving at 4pm. Flight home isn't great, leaving MCO at 10:40am but I only wanted direct flights. Had enough in points & credits to cover 7 out of 8 - only had to pay $ for my flight there (booked 4 one way tickets)


----------



## mcd2745

A lot of complaints on SW's Twitter & FB about how they seem to have eliminated many flights, not just to MCO, but all Florida airports. I wonder where all these flights are being re-routed to.


----------



## dboughner

Does anyone know if I originally book a flight with cash, can I later pay with points and get my money refunded? I signed up for one of southwest's credit card promotions and i'm not sure if the bonus points will be put on my account before southwest opens up their next round of flights. Any suggestions? Thanks!


----------



## scrappinginontario

mcd2745 said:


> A lot of complaints on SW's Twitter & FB about how they seem to have eliminated many flights, not just to MCO, but all Florida airports. I wonder where all these flights are being re-routed to.


  Interesting.  Hadn’t really thought about it but will say I can see the same in one direction but return flight options are identical:

Buffalo - Orlando this Sat: 17 flights (incl 6 direct)
Buffalo - Orlando Sat Sept 7: 14 flights (incl 3 direct)

Orlando - Buffalo this Sun: 12 flights (incl 2 direct)
Orlando - Buffalo Sun Sep 8: 12 flights (incl 2 direct)

It must be disappointing if flights people are used to taking are no longer available.

My experience with SW flights is almost every one of our BUF/MCO flights are completely full or only 1 or 2 empty seats.  Not uncommon to be over sold.  Do others find the same on your flights to/from MCO?


----------



## scrappinginontario

dboughner said:


> Does anyone know if I originally book a flight with cash, can I later pay with points and get my money refunded? I signed up for one of southwest's credit card promotions and i'm not sure if the bonus points will be put on my account before southwest opens up their next round of flights. Any suggestions? Thanks!


 No.

 If you purchase s ticket with $ you can get a flight credit for that amount.  Travel must be completed within 365 days of purchase date.  They do not refund $.


----------



## cmarsh31

ALB went from 2 nonstop per day to one. If I didn't have SW points, I would have booked JetBlue... Used up all my points so I think it's time to get a JetBlue card and leave SW behind.


----------



## runnermama78

Geomom said:


> I'd consider it a good price.  We're flying from Manchester, NH--$159 to Orlando, $154 home, in August.  I consider those good prices...$313 round trip.  Last Thanksgiving was $570/person roundtrip out of Hartford, CT.





scrappinginontario said:


> Those sound like pretty good prices.  They might go down but there is no guarantee that they will.



Thanks! I ended up booking!


----------



## dboughner

scrappinginontario said:


> No.
> 
> If you purchase s ticket with $ you can get a flight credit for that amount.  Travel must be completed within 365 days of purchase date.  They do not refund $.


That's disappointing to hear. Thanks for the info. Guess I'll have to hope my bonus points come through first!


----------



## PerfessorZ

There's been a noticeable (to me) reduction in direct flights to MCO this year, compared to years past.  I have five airports between 1 and 2.5 hrs of me that Southwest flies out of, and I used to have 1-4 direct flights each per day from all of them to choose from, but now generally have 0-2 to choose from.  As a result, the flights book up faster and deals are hard to come by.

I do wonder if Southwest is anticipating a lot of demand for their Hawaiian routes they plan to open up this year and is adjusting their fleet to meet that demand.


----------



## IluvMGM

I missed the boat, just found out about the flights tonight. Hope I can still get a decent boarding position with Earlybird. Last trip we had A 17 & 18 on the way down and A 21 & 22 on the way home, but I booked the moment they were released for them.


----------



## Micharlotte

I didn’t realize that flights were released  I missed out on better pricing for a morning flight. I might just wait, but I’m bummed about that he lack of flights compared to now. There are no direct evening flights to buffalo in early September like I was hoping. So now I’m trying to convince my sister to stay an extra night! Wish me luck!


----------



## Iowamomof4

Last year they had a spring fare sale over Valentine's Day with fares as low as $49. Definitely hoping for the same this year (though not holding my breath, of course). We have flights booked, but I'm not crazy about the time of our flight to Orlando and would like to have the morning time instead or the day before. Fingers crossed!


----------



## han22735

Iowamomof4 said:


> Last year they had a spring fare sale over Valentine's Day with fares as low as $49. Definitely hoping for the same this year (though not holding my breath, of course). We have flights booked, but I'm not crazy about the time of our flight to Orlando and would like to have the morning time instead or the day before. Fingers crossed!



I'm hoping for a sale as well.  We did book but I'd like to get some points back.  This was the most I've used for a flight to Disney yet.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Micharlotte said:


> I didn’t realize that flights were released  I missed out on better pricing for a morning flight. I might just wait, but I’m bummed about that he lack of flights compared to now. There are no direct evening flights to buffalo in early September like I was hoping. So now I’m trying to convince my sister to stay an extra night! Wish me luck!


Just keep checking over time in terms of price. Sales are a common enough occurrance with SWA.

Back in 2017 for our Sep trip we booked on release day and a little over a month later a sale came along and our flights dropped. That's not to say it will always happen but just keep an eye out as it's a possibility.


----------



## Micharlotte

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Just keep checking over time in terms of price. Sales are a common enough occurrance with SWA.
> 
> Back in 2017 for our Sep trip we booked on release day and a little over a month later a sale came along and our flights dropped. That's not to say it will always happen but just keep an eye out as it's a possibility.


I went ahead and booked our return flight, I was able to convince my sister to stay an extra day!! I was happy with the return flight and time, just not the flight price for the way there. I'm going to just keep an eye on the flights and hopefully they go down $30 or so, but if not i think it will be worth the money to get there a bit earlier in the day anyway.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

I was in WDW this week so I didn't do this update on Thursday...Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment:


*NEXT RELEASE: 3/13/19 - travel through November 2nd, 2019*
1/31/19 - travel through October 1st, 2019
11/15/18 - travel through August 5th, 2019
9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019
8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
This could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above).


----------



## Lsdolphin

Daisybell911 said:


> WOOT!  I didn’t know they changed the dates and I randomly checked today and my mid August flight was available. $114 rt nonstop from Baltimore at the exact time I wanted. I’ll take it!  (And I’m glad I didn’t wait until next week to check)




Was that $114 RT or $114 each way?


----------



## Iowamomof4

To those of you still looking for flights, I wanted to quickly share my recent cash purchase experience:

I don't book flights on opening day because most of the time I don't know my wdw dates yet AND for my airport, DSM (Des Moines), opening day flight prices are good but not usually the best they'll ever be. So my way of checking for flights is to leave a tab open on my laptop and on my phone with my month and route pulled up and just refresh that through the day (my phone in the morning and at night while I'm in bed and on my laptop throughout the day). I'll check it probably at least 10x/day if not more, especially Monday-Wednesday. Anyway, on January 3 I found a great price for dates that would work for us and booked the flights. My only concern was that our flight down was going to be on a Sunday night and it would mean getting to our resort around midnight. I really didn't like that, but the morning flights at the time were just too expensive. So I booked the flight but kept checking just in case I would get to switch that night flight. Last night, at about 8:20 central time, a Saturday morning flight finally dropped to $129 (I had paid $120 for our Sunday night flight). I double-checked to make sure I could get that price for all 7 of us and once I determined I could, I started talking to our group to make sure everyone was okay with switching to Saturday morning. In less than an hour I had the go-ahead from everyone and was able to make the switch. 

I went into our Sunday night flight reservation through my SW account and clicked on "change flight", then I selected the Saturday morning one I wanted, added my credit card information since I was going to owe about $60 for the switch, and confirmed the change. Because I did a "change flight", my Earlybird Check-in purchase switched to our new flights just fine. 

So keep hunting! Flight prices can change at any time. I'm going to continue to check though, because the flight I switched us to on Saturday morning has 2 stops (only one plane change), and I'd rather take the other flight with only 1 stop. Otherwise, we're all set! And, as for now, we should arrive at our resort at about 6:00 pm -- so much better than midnight!


----------



## Cinderumbrella

I agree to keep looking. I just changed an evening flight to an AM flight for next week and still got credit this late (despite the original purchase being very low for holiday travel)


----------



## V.I.N.CENT.

Looking for flights from Oakland to Orlando for November, realize they are not released yet. Checking rough flight times in August/September, looks like they severely reduced the number of non-stop flights. Is it dependent on the time of year? Anyway to check flight schedules from November 2018?


----------



## PerfessorZ

V.I.N.CENT. said:


> Looking for flights from Oakland to Orlando for November, realize they are not released yet. Checking rough flight times in August/September, looks like they severely reduced the number of non-stop flights. Is it dependent on the time of year? Anyway to check flight schedules from November 2018?



I wouldn't count on November 2019 to follow November 2018.  SW flights at my local airports have completely have been changing every 3-4 months and are nothing like they were last year.


----------



## V.I.N.CENT.

PerfessorZ said:


> I wouldn't count on November 2019 to follow November 2018.  SW flights at my local airports have completely have been changing every 3-4 months and are nothing like they were last year.


 Unfortunately it was the only direct flight to Orlando from Oakland  Trying hard to get a direct flight.


----------



## scrappinginontario

V.I.N.CENT. said:


> Looking for flights from Oakland to Orlando for November, realize they are not released yet. Checking rough flight times in August/September, looks like they severely reduced the number of non-stop flights. Is it dependent on the time of year? Anyway to check flight schedules from November 2018?


 It appears from discussions here and elsewhere that SW has greatly changed their routing and there appear to be far less direct routes available compared to last year.  I don't think looking back at Nov 2018 schedules will help you as the changes appear to be fairly recent.


----------



## Claudia1

Just snagged a decent Wanna Get Away price for Spring Break 6 weeks out.   That has been my experience for a couple of years.... that they release a few seats about 6 weeks out.   These were available on a Saturday, which is unusual for our market.

Don't give up!   Keep searching!


----------



## Livelovedance

When is the latest you could cancel a flight booked with points and get your points back?


----------



## AngieInOH

Livelovedance said:


> When is the latest you could cancel a flight booked with points and get your points back?



I need to know this exact same thing!


----------



## barb969

Livelovedance said:


> When is the latest you could cancel a flight booked with points and get your points back?



You don’t need to cancel, they will refund your points automatically and email you. I have done this a couple of times by accident. To be safe at least 10 minutes before departure time.


----------



## mfly

barb969 said:


> You don’t need to cancel, they will refund your points automatically and email you. I have done this a couple of times by accident. To be safe at least 10 minutes before departure time.


Please don’t do this though unless you need to! It holds a spot on the flight that someone else may need/want to book.


----------



## MarBee

So I’m an idiot...
I forgot to book my daughter on my DH’s companion pass and now the flight is sold out.
To change to another flight is unaffordable.
Would SW let me change my husband’s ticket to my daughter’s name?  And if so, would there be a fee?
I’m thinking of flying with my kids on the flight and sending my husband on Spirit by himself...


----------



## PerfessorZ

MarBee said:


> So I’m an idiot...
> I forgot to book my daughter on my DH’s companion pass and now the flight is sold out.
> To change to another flight is unaffordable.
> Would SW let me change my husband’s ticket to my daughter’s name?  And if so, would there be a fee?
> I’m thinking of flying with my kids on the flight and sending my husband on Spirit by himself...



I'm confused.  Who has companion pass status?  Your husband?  Wouldn't it make more sense for _you_ to rebook on another flight and still have your daughter fly for free as his companion?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

MarBee said:


> So I’m an idiot...
> I forgot to book my daughter on my DH’s companion pass and now the flight is sold out.
> To change to another flight is unaffordable.
> Would SW let me change my husband’s ticket to my daughter’s name?  And if so, would there be a fee?
> I’m thinking of flying with my kids on the flight and sending my husband on Spirit by himself...


Wow...I don’t know if SW can accommodate that change but If the flight isn’t oversold it could work. I think @PerfessorZ’s comment makes a lot of sense though. 

I am so sorry you’re in this position!  I always get super panicky that I’ll mess something up like this sometime and I can understand how it happens when you’re juggling multiple flights (especially on points) and companion pass reservations.


----------



## MarBee

PerfessorZ said:


> I'm confused.  Who has companion pass status?  Your husband?  Wouldn't it make more sense for _you_ to rebook on another flight and still have your daughter fly for free as his companion?





SouthFayetteFan said:


> Wow...I don’t know if SW can accommodate that change but If the flight isn’t oversold it could work. I think @PerfessorZ’s comment makes a lot of sense though.
> 
> I am so sorry you’re in this position!  I always get super panicky that I’ll mess something up like this sometime and I can understand how it happens when you’re juggling multiple flights (especially on points) and companion pass reservations.



Logically it makes much more sense to have me fly separately.  However, I’m the worrying overprotective mama who won’t fly separate from our kids.  DH is much more laid back  

I am blaming DH for my mess up  He was the one rushing me out the door as I was booking. (Okay, okay we were late because I was booking flights, but I’m blaming him nonetheless  )

If worse comes to worst I can cancel all of our flights and book one the next day and hope for no snow when we fly out.  I’d just rather us get there the night before...
I will call tomorrow I guess, but in the meantime I will obsessively stalk that flight to see if anyone cancels.


----------



## shoreward

MarBee said:


> So I’m an idiot...
> I forgot to book my daughter on my DH’s companion pass and now the flight is sold out.
> To change to another flight is unaffordable.
> Would SW let me change my husband’s ticket to my daughter’s name?  And if so, would there be a fee?
> I’m thinking of flying with my kids on the flight and sending my husband on Spirit by himself...


 
Watching for a seat to open is always an option.  If you have enough RR points, you could always cover yourselves by booking the flight for the following day, while watching for one seat to open for your preferred date.  You would just need to cancel the date you don’t need and get a refund of the points/fees.  Keep in mind that once you are about three weeks from your departure date, the fare will keep increasing in cost, due to minimum purchase requirements for WGA fares.


----------



## MarBee

shoreward said:


> Watching for a seat to open is always an option.  If you have enough RR points, you could always cover yourselves by booking the flight for the following day, while watching for one seat to open for your preferred date.  You would just need to cancel the date you don’t need and get a refund of the points/fees.  Keep in mind that once you are about three weeks from your departure date, the fare will keep increasing in cost, due to minimum purchase requirements for WGA fares.


Thanks!  The flight I’m stalking is for Monday.  I originally planned to fly out Wednesday, but they’re calling for snow as of now.  I booked this flight as a back up of sorts.  Just totally forgot about the companion ticket though.


----------



## shoreward

MarBee said:


> Thanks!  The flight I’m stalking is for Monday.  I originally planned to fly out Wednesday, but they’re calling for snow as of now.  I booked this flight as a back up of sorts.  Just totally forgot about the companion ticket though.


There have been so many Southwest travel advisories, lately, where they let you rebook for a different date, at the same fare, subject to seat availability.  You may want to keep an eye on their website, to see if your date is affected.

I wish you good luck with your plans.  Just focus on escaping the miserable weather at home!


----------



## shoreward

A reminder for those who are flying Southwest on February 14...

The LUV airline will offer free drinks onboard, in honor of the holiday.  As they don’t always make an announcement, just ask when beverage service begins.


----------



## jenseib

Livelovedance said:


> When is the latest you could cancel a flight booked with points and get your points back?



I had to cancel my husband about 30 hours before we were to fly a few weeks ago.  I got all points refunded. I thought the policy was 24 hours, but I could be wrong.


----------



## mcd2745

shoreward said:


> A reminder for those who are flying Southwest on February 14...
> 
> The LUV airline will offer free drinks onboard, in honor of the holiday.  As they don’t always make an announcement, just ask when beverage service begins.




Of course, we're flying on the 15th.


----------



## Livelovedance

jenseib said:


> I had to cancel my husband about 30 hours before we were to fly a few weeks ago.  I got all points refunded. I thought the policy was 24 hours, but I could be wrong.


Thank you! If I cancelled it would probably be a couple days before, so I'm safe either way.


----------



## 123Dis4Me

SW experts - I do not fly much but will be flying SW quite a few times this year.  I have a B10 boarding pass for tomorrow - hoping that the two of us flying (me and husband) will be able to sit together.  From your experiences does it seem likely? Thanks!


----------



## Claudia1

123Dis4Me said:


> SW experts - I do not fly much but will be flying SW quite a few times this year.  I have a B10 boarding pass for tomorrow - hoping that the two of us flying (me and husband) will be able to sit together.  From your experiences does it seem likely? Thanks!



If it is a continuing flight and passengers are already on board, you will have trouble.   If not, you might be able to sit together but it will be in the back.  The Orlando flights have lots of families which will board between A and B that take up side-by-side seats.   We sometimes splurge on the $50 upgrade at the gate to the first A positions.


----------



## 123Dis4Me

Do you know how can I tell if it is an originating flight or a continuing flight?


----------



## Claudia1

123Dis4Me said:


> Do you know how can I tell if it is an originating flight or a continuing flight?



There may be an easier way but I go to Flight Aware and search for the flight.  (Enter the airline and flight number on the main page.)   When the search page comes up, you will see upcoming flights in the activity log below the map.   If is not a continuing light, it should only have your flight listed.   If it is a continuing flight, you will see another  flight listed that leaves from another city but lands at your city before your flight takes off.   It will also indicate the type of plane.   Continuing flights use the same aircraft.   Please note that having the flights listed with the same flight numbers and aircraft may not be positive proof it is a continuing flight but there is a high probability that there will be people already on it when you board.

You could also use the old-school method of calling the airline and asking a real person.   Radical idea, tho, in this electronic age.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Claudia1 said:


> There may be an easier way but I go to Flight Aware and search for the flight.  (Enter the airline and flight number on the main page.)   When the search page comes up, you will see upcoming flights in the activity log below the map.   If is not a continuing light, it should only have your flight listed.   If it is a continuing flight, you will see another  flight listed that leaves from another city but lands at your city before your flight takes off.   It will also indicate the type of plane.   Continuing flights use the same aircraft.   Please note that having the flights listed with the same flight numbers and aircraft may not be positive proof it is a continuing flight but there is a high probability that there will be people already on it when you board.
> 
> You could also use the old-school method of calling the airline and asking a real person.   Radical idea, tho, in this electronic age.


SWA generally uses the same types of planes so it's not really indicative of continuing flights using the same aircraft.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

123Dis4Me said:


> Do you know how can I tell if it is an originating flight or a continuing flight?


Well there's a difference in a connection flight with a plane change and a connection flight without a plane change.

The PP is speaking towards a flight without a plane change where there are already passengers aboard the plane meaning less seats available for incoming passengers.

I know you can look up the flight path to see if there are connections along the way but I don't know that you can necessarily look up to see if a particular flight is a connection without a plane change. Generally speaking though if a flight number hasn't changed it denotes no plane change but that is not an absolute. Sometimes mechanical issues or other things necessitate a plane change too when no plane change was originally scheduled.


----------



## 123Dis4Me

Thanks - it looks like it is an originating flight so I am feeling a bit better about this!!!


----------



## scrappinginontario

123Dis4Me said:


> SW experts - I do not fly much but will be flying SW quite a few times this year.  I have a B10 boarding pass for tomorrow - hoping that the two of us flying (me and husband) will be able to sit together.  From your experiences does it seem likely? Thanks!


Personally, with B10 I would not be concerned.  My recommendation though is that you scan towards the back of the plane.  If it’s filling up I’d recommend you take one of the first pairs of seats you see even if it’s not the configuration you want.  E.g aisle & middle or, middle and window.  That could make the difference if getting seats together.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

I've read through the stroller comments, but I'm not seeing anything, so here goes: 

We'd like to counter check our strollers on the way to Disney. We don't have park time scheduled on our arrival day, and the kids are old enough to walk through the airport, so I'd rather just let ME deliver the stroller to my hotel.

I'm bringing a double jogger and a single umbrella. Because I'm counter checking and using ME, I want the strollers to be bagged. I purchased a large stroller bag, which does fit both the double and single in it. However, the combined weight is 52lb.

So, my very long-winded question is, does anyone have experience with whether they enforce weight limits on counter checked strollers? It's another $10 to get a second bag for the umbrella stroller, which I can certainly spend if I have to. 

For that matter, has anyone counter checked a stroller and then used ME delivery on it? I assumed I would want it bagged for that kind of trip, but hubby says we should just send it through bagless. Thoughts?


----------



## 123Dis4Me

scrappinginontario said:


> Personally, with B10 I would not be concerned.  My recommendation though is that you scan towards the back of the plane.  If it’s filling up I’d recommend you take one of the first pairs of seats you see even if it’s not the configuration you want.  E.g aisle & middle or, middle and window.  That could make the difference if getting seats together.


Surprisingly, we were able to get two seats together in the 4th row of the plane (with B10 boarding number) Thanks for the help everyone!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

123Dis4Me said:


> Surprisingly, we were able to get two seats together in the 4th row of the plane (with B10 boarding number) Thanks for the help everyone!


Each and every trip can be different,  makes it hard to know ahead of time the impact to the Boarding position lol.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Each and every trip can be different,  makes it hard to know ahead of time the impact to the Boarding position lol.


I agree!!  Last year we had B30’s and couldn’t get seats together!  Since that experience I pay for EBCI.


----------



## McNs

We are going to book SW for our flight from MCO to LAS later this year. My preference is to book with an airline that allows us to seat select (kids 13 & 10 won't like sitting next to a stranger) however the alternatives aren't great - longer and significantly more expensive with connections or direct with super budget airlines with bad departure times. I'm going to book on the release date and purchase EBCI. I have also checked inbound flights in the weeks before we will be travelling, and if booked through SW it wasn't common for the flights from the inbound origin to route through MCO to our destination, so doubt there will be many people staying on the plane. I've also started prepping the kids for the just in case scenario, so comfortable that we can manage if for some reason we aren't able to sit with the kids.

Apart from the concern around seating, I'm looking forward to travelling with SW!


----------



## scrappinginontario

McNs said:


> We are going to book SW for our flight from MCO to LAS later this year. My preference is to book with an airline that allows us to seat select (kids 13 & 10 won't like sitting next to a stranger) however the alternatives aren't great - longer and significantly more expensive with connections or direct with super budget airlines with bad departure times. I'm going to book on the release date and purchase EBCI. I have also checked inbound flights in the weeks before we will be travelling, and if booked through SW it wasn't common for the flights from the inbound origin to route through MCO to our destination, so doubt there will be many people staying on the plane. I've also started prepping the kids for the just in case scenario, so comfortable that we can manage if for some reason we aren't able to sit with the kids.
> 
> Apart from the concern around seating, I'm looking forward to travelling with SW!


if you purchase EBCI, especially on release date, I really don’t see you being separated on your flight.  Are you a party of 3 or 4?  If you can be real unto 2 groups of 2 if necessary yourchsnces are even greater of being seated together.  

We have flown with SW on over 50 flights and only once were almost seated separately and that was when we did not purchase EBCI.


----------



## barb969

McNs said:


> We are going to book SW for our flight from MCO to LAS later this year. My preference is to book with an airline that allows us to seat select (kids 13 & 10 won't like sitting next to a stranger) however the alternatives aren't great - longer and significantly more expensive with connections or direct with super budget airlines with bad departure times. I'm going to book on the release date and purchase EBCI. I have also checked inbound flights in the weeks before we will be travelling, and if booked through SW it wasn't common for the flights from the inbound origin to route through MCO to our destination, so doubt there will be many people staying on the plane. I've also started prepping the kids for the just in case scenario, so comfortable that we can manage if for some reason we aren't able to sit with the kids.
> 
> Apart from the concern around seating, I'm looking forward to travelling with SW!



You should be fine. A couple of things:

1.  Book your fights as early as possible, usually available around 7 or 8am. Add EBCI immediately. This is easy if your are all,on the reservation. If you need to do everyone separately, book EBCI as you do each one.  Your boarding position depends on when you purchase EBCI. A few minutes can make a difference. Since you will not have consecutive numbers have an adult board with each charge taking place in line with the higher number.  Also you can use each other’s passes.

2. Do not take advantage of price decreases or make any other changes. Your place in line for EBCI will be placed at the of th line. We did this do my husbands’s Thicket and he went fro A23 to B32

Have a great trip.


----------



## scrappinginontario

barb969 said:


> You should be fine. A couple of things:
> 
> 1.  Book your fights as early as possible, usually available around 7 or 8am. Add EBCI immediately. This is easy if your are all,on the reservation. If you need to do everyone separately, book EBCI as you do each one.  Your boarding position depends on when you purchase EBCI. A few minutes can make a difference. Since you will not have consecutive numbers have an adult board with each charge taking place in line with the higher number.  Also you can use each other’s passes.
> 
> 2. Do not take advantage of price decreases or make any other changes. Your place in line for EBCI will be placed at the of th line. We did this do my husbands’s Thicket and he went fro A23 to B32
> 
> Have a great trip.


  Just curious, how can you see what his original number would have been?


----------



## barb969

scrappinginontario said:


> Just curious, how can you see what his original number would have been?



Usually you can't. We had gotten a companion pass. When I switched him to companion, only his EBCI changed. I kept my original.


----------



## focusondisney

barb969 said:


> Usually you can't. We had gotten a companion pass. When I switched him to companion, only his EBCI changed. I kept my original.



So he had a purchased ticket & you changed to make him a companion?  That is different than changing a ticket when the price drops.  You  cancelled his original ticket & “purchased” a new one with the companion pass.  Thus his place in line changed to the new date.  When there is a price drop, you can just change your original ticket. Everything remains in place & you still have your original purchase date.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

barb969 said:


> Usually you can't. We had gotten a companion pass. When I switched him to companion, only his EBCI changed. I kept my original.


I agree with PP. Companion is a whole 'nother thing when it comes to Boarding position. Also when fares drop and you're looking to get the lower price you actually have to physically cancel the Companion's ticket. Also if you had an assigned Boarding position already with EBCI previously purchased that means you were making changes under 36 hours...that's disadvantageous no matter what. That's like someone purchasing EBCI right then.

In any case B32 is not a bad Boarding position at all IMO for making changes _that_ close to the flight.

I'll give my slight experience with Companion. I flew multiple times. It was extremely common for me to be pretty far back from my husband who had A-list. We never ever had Boarding positions near each other when I was on Companion. Simply put Companion is taken into account in terms of SWA's Boarding position assignment algorithm. Same thing happened when I flew Delta on points. My husband was Zone 1 with a Delta Skymiles CC and I was Zone 2 flying on pts--on my ticket it was literally coded as flying on points.


----------



## barb969

barb969 said:


> Usually you can't. We had gotten a companion pass. When I switched him to companion, only his EBCI changed. I kept my original.



I just called SWA. They said if you modify tickets because of a price drop, you will go to the end of the line for EBCI.  Can someone else call to verify this, as different agents may give different answers


----------



## Iowamomof4

barb969 said:


> I just called SWA. They said if you modify tickets because of a price drop, you will go to the end of the line for EBCI.  Can someone else call to verify this, as different agents may give different answers



This is what has always been said on this thread as well. I was surprised by the person who said that wouldn't happen when you switch to a lower fare because I think that's the first time I've seen someone say that. I've always been told that changing ANYTHING to your flight would put you at the back of the line for EBCI, even if you were just rebooking a lower fare for the same flight.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

barb969 said:


> I just called SWA. They said if you modify tickets because of a price drop, you will go to the end of the line for EBCI.  Can someone else call to verify this, as different agents may give different answers


I think in reading other people's responses I honestly don't know for sure if it is or isn't-I know people have reported getting Boarding positions farther back than they thought they should get though when they've taken advantage of a price drop. TBH SWA has a complicated system of assigning Boarding positions.

In your case though switching to Companion pass is different than 'rebooking' to take advantage of a price drop. No matter what if you didn't have EBCI your husband's Boarding position would have been impacted because of how SWA treats Companion passes in terms of their Boarding position algorithms.


----------



## barb969

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I think in reading other people's responses I honestly don't know for sure if it is or isn't-I know people have reported getting Boarding positions farther back than they thought they should get though when they've taken advantage of a price drop. TBH SWA has a complicated system of assigning Boarding positions.
> 
> In your case though switching to Companion pass is different than 'rebooking' to take advantage of a price drop. No matter what if you didn't have EBCI your husband's Boarding position would have been impacted because of how SWA treats Companion passes in terms of their Boarding position algorithms.



I don’t think companion has anything to do with boarding position. Last year I was the companion,  We flew to/from MCO and ISP(Long Island) to/fromBWI last fall. We both had numbers in the mid A twenties for 3 of the flights and in the A 30’s for the other.  The companion passes were booked a few minutes later.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

barb969 said:


> I don’t think companion has anything to do with boarding position. Last year I was the companion,  We flew to/from MCO and ISP(Long Island) to/fromBWI last fall. We both had numbers in the mid A twenties for 3 of the flights and in the A 30’s for the other.  The companion passes were booked a few minutes later.


Maybe it's changed IDK I had reached out to SWA something like 2 years ago I think it was regarding Companion and that's what they advised me at that time, that Companion designation comes into play.


----------



## focusondisney

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Maybe it's changed IDK I had reached out to SWA something like 2 years ago I think it was regarding Companion and that's what they advised me at that time, that Companion designation comes into play.



You mentioned your husband had A list status. That gets him preferred boarding which may not convey to the CP.  However, we got CP because of earning enough points in a year. So my DH is booked on points or cash & I am booked with the CP.  We have only had a few flights experience so far.  Our initial trip, I booked him immediately on fare release & added myself about a week later, when we got the CP. We both had EBCI. We were both As & I was only  9 spots behind him.  Twice since  then, I have booked him on opening day then added myself as CP immediately after, again both with EBCI.  We have had consecutive A numbers, mid 20s & low 40s. So in my experience CP has not been an issue when being used without A list status.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

focusondisney said:


> You mentioned your husband had A list status. That gets him preferred boarding which may not convey to the CP.  However, we got CP because of earning enough points in a year. So my DH is booked on points or cash & I am booked with the CP.  We have only had a few flights experience so far.  Our initial trip, I booked him immediately on fare release & added myself about a week later, when we got the CP. We both had EBCI. We were both As & I was only  9 spots behind him.  Twice since  then, I have booked him on opening day then added myself as CP immediately after, again both with EBCI.  We have had consecutive A numbers, mid 20s & low 40s. So in my experience CP has not been an issue when being used without A list status.


When I contacted SWA I discussed with them the A-list part. But what they advised me that Companion designation was included in the Boarding position assignment. The impact they said would obviously be different when you add in EBCI purchase and if the other person was A-list they would be ahead of course because both of those assign at 36 hours whereas Companion is still checking in at 24hr mark. But like I said it was 2 years ago (we had companion from late summer 2016 to end of December 2017). Things could have changed that's for sure. Or it could be I was given misinformation which is absolutely possible


----------



## McNs

scrappinginontario said:


> if you purchase EBCI, especially on release date, I really don’t see you being separated on your flight.  Are you a party of 3 or 4?  If you can be real unto 2 groups of 2 if necessary yourchsnces are even greater of being seated together.
> 
> We have flown with SW on over 50 flights and only once were almost seated separately and that was when we did not purchase EBCI.


Party of 4 (2A 2C) so 2 groups of 2 will work fine. Appreciate the feedback!



barb969 said:


> You should be fine. A couple of things:
> 
> 1.  Book your fights as early as possible, usually available around 7 or 8am. Add EBCI immediately. This is easy if your are all,on the reservation. If you need to do everyone separately, book EBCI as you do each one.  Your boarding position depends on when you purchase EBCI. A few minutes can make a difference. Since you will not have consecutive numbers have an adult board with each charge taking place in line with the higher number.  Also you can use each other’s passes.
> 
> 2. Do not take advantage of price decreases or make any other changes. Your place in line for EBCI will be placed at the of th line. We did this do my husbands’s Thicket and he went fro A23 to B32
> 
> Have a great trip.


Thanks! Definitely planning on booking at release with EBCI. It will be one booking so no issues there. Good tip on avoiding rebooking if there is a price drop - unlikely we would have done that anyway as we are from overseas and the credit would have been difficult to use!


----------



## Cinderumbrella

We flew last week. I purchased original tickets and EBCI in late August. I changed flights about a week before the flight and our boarding was B11-13. For the return flight, also booked in August, we were A26-28.

As for the B boarding, sigh....

There were so many medical preboards (with large parties) and at least 30 families that did family boarding.

My party of 3 got the last group of 3 seats in row 27 of the plane. I was stunned.

It was an originating flight as well.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Cinderumbrella said:


> We flew last week. I purchased original tickets and EBCI in late August. I changed flights about a week before the flight and our boarding was B11-13. For the return flight, also booked in August, we were A26-28.
> 
> As for the B boarding, sigh....
> 
> There were so many medical preboards (with large parties) and at least 30 families that did family boarding.
> 
> My party of 3 got the last group of 3 seats in row 27 of the plane. I was stunned.
> 
> It was an originating flight as well.


  Sadly your experience is not uncommon even with originating flights.  My understanding is that SW pre-boards the medical person plus 1 other person.  I cannot say I've seen this abused.

Where I see people taking advantage of the system is with family boarding.  It is supposed to be 1 adult per 1 child under the age of 7.  But, they do not stand by this and let entire families board with younger siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.  It's not their policy but I don't find they stop people either.  I wish they would as it really is unfair.  You paid an additional fee to be able to sit with your family and almost missed out because people did not obey the rules and SW staff did not stop them. 

As someone who flies to/from FL often, where I believe there are a higher than average number of children on the flights, I really wish SW would begin to enforce their family boarding policy.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

@scrappinginontario 

Family boarding really did appear to just be parents with young kids (no grandparents etc). But there were easily 25 people who went on for medical preboard. So even with a high B number, there were approximately 100 people who boarded before us between the A, medical & family. I’m assuming the C group was empty due to all the early boarding.


----------



## focusondisney

We do get A positions when booking on opening day with EBCI.  The announcements have said 1 person with the medical preboards. But what I have seen inthe last year or 2 is that those preboards are saving a few seats each. One particular instance, the preboard woman & her companion took purses from their travel companions & had 2 more rows saved with those purses.  Ridiculous.


----------



## L_MD

barb969 said:


> I just called SWA. They said if you modify tickets because of a price drop, you will go to the end of the line for EBCI.  Can someone else call to verify this, as different agents may give different answers


 
This definitely happened to me when I went to WDW in October. Not sure how to link it, but I posted a more detailed answer on page 190 (post #3786). Quoting below!



L_MD said:


> I just want to mention on this thread that it seems to me that modifying your flight if you have EarlyBird DOES affect your position. I always read/thought/assumed it didn't, but my experience suggests otherwise.
> 
> My reasoning below, hoping it saves someone some questions in the future:
> 
> 1. I bought my original flight for 10/22/18 on May 8, 2018. I paid for EarlyBird at that time.
> 2. On May 16, 2018, I modified my flight as I found a slightly cheaper fare.
> 3. On June 7, 2018, I added a day to my flight to make my departure date 10/21/18
> 4. On June 8, 2018, I modified my flight AGAIN as I found a slightly cheaper fare.
> 5. On August 10, 2018, I modified my flight for the last time as I found a slightly cheaper fare.
> 6. When I checked in for my flight, I received a B-19 position
> 
> While this was happening for me, my Mom decided to join me.
> 
> 1. On July 3, 2018, she purchased the same flight as me + Early Bird. She did not modify this at all.
> 2. When she checked in for her flight, she had an A-36 position
> 
> To me, this illustrates that I was indeed bumped down in the EarlyBird queue every time I modified. Because, if I wasn't, there's no way she should have had an A position while I had a B position.
> 
> On the flight back she had A-29 and I had A-31. So, not as much of a difference on our 'going there' flight.
> 
> Anyway, this is just my experience, and I don't know if it holds water for everyone, but I definitely won't be modifying my flight near as much and ONLY if I see a significant savings.


----------



## mcd2745

For our flights we just took (round-trip ISP-FLL) last week, we booked these flights and purchased EBCI within minutes of the flights being released. Our boarding numbers were in the A40s each way. easily the worst boarding positions we have ever gotten with EBCI. My guess is more and more people are purchasing EBCI.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

mcd2745 said:


> For our flights we just took (round-trip ISP-FLL) last week, we booked these flights and purchased EBCI within minutes of the flights being released. Our boarding numbers were in the A40s each way. easily the worst boarding positions we have ever gotten with EBCI. My guess is more and more people are purchasing EBCI.


If you're getting A40s that's really pretty darn good. Many people reported getting into the B's sometimes mid-way through with EBCI. It was the hope that the increased/variant pricing of $15-$25 per way depending on demand and route would help lower the amount of people purchasing them.


----------



## shoreward

Check you email for a _targeted promo _from Southwest to purchase a minimum of 10,000 Rapid Rewards points and receive 40% bonus points.

The offer is valid till 03/07/2019 and is not transferable.


----------



## scrappinginontario

mcd2745 said:


> For our flights we just took (round-trip ISP-FLL) last week, we booked these flights and purchased EBCI within minutes of the flights being released. Our boarding numbers were in the A40s each way. easily the worst boarding positions we have ever gotten with EBCI. My guess is more and more people are purchasing EBCI.


Personslly we’d be very happy with A40’s.  I have purchased EBCI on original date flights are available, originating flight and still been in the B’s.  For this reason I choose (for our flight to MCO when I know I can make myself available at exactly 24 hours before the flight) not to purchase EBCI as the boarding numbers are often close to those without EBCI.  

On our return flight when it’s easier to forget to check in due to having fun at WDW, I purchase EBCI.


----------



## mcd2745

We've usually been in the A20s (even A18/19  a couple of times) or low A30s whenever we've purchased EBCI - which we always do for the return flights, and sometimes for the flights down (depending on the time and if we think we may not be able to log in at exactly 24hrs).


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

mcd2745 said:


> We've usually been in the A20s (even A18/19  a couple of times) or low A30s whenever we've purchased EBCI - which we always do for the return flights, and sometimes for the flights down (depending on the time and if we think we may not be able to log in at exactly 24hrs).


You must not have been traveling with many A-listers before.

My husband usually got the A20s-A30s with A-list. I think maybe 1 or 2 times he got lower than A20s when he was A-list Preferred.  That was flying every 2 weeks from Houston back home and from Baltimore back home over many months from 2015-2016. A1-15 is for Business Select or if you did the Upgrade at the gate.

So yeah yours is just an unusual situation I would say. Don't necessarily know that your A40s is indicative of more EBCI purchasers but neither can I say it isn't.


----------



## jenseib

I find it varies with no rhyme or reason.

I have purchased flights for my daughter and I and made no changes with EB and bought my Moms flight a week later with EB and she had an earlier check in than I.

My last flight a few weeks ago I bought EB about 9 days before we flew and then changed it 3 days before we flew (got a lot of points back) and I had A boarding for both of us.


----------



## Livelovedance

shoreward said:


> Check you email for a _targeted promo _from Southwest to purchase a minimum of 10,000 Rapid Rewards points and receive 40% bonus points.
> 
> The offer is valid till 03/07/2019 and is not transferable.


I apologize in advance for this question, but is it worth it to purchase points? I received this email, but I get my SW points from my credit card rewards. How much do they charge for points?


----------



## scrappinginontario

Livelovedance said:


> I apologize in advance for this question, but is it worth it to purchase points? I received this email, but I get my SW points from my credit card rewards. How much do they charge for points?


Personally, unless I only need a few points to purchase a flight using points, I do not find is cost effective to purchase points.  Even in the scenario I mentioned it costs me more, but still less than purchasing an entire flight.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Livelovedance said:


> I apologize in advance for this question, but is it worth it to purchase points? I received this email, but I get my SW points from my credit card rewards. How much do they charge for points?


Even with this 40% promo, It’s a pretty terrible deal.  I personally value SW pts at 1.48cpp.  So with this deal you can 10,000 SW RR pts + 4,000 bonus RR pts for $275. So you get $207 worth of points for $275...if you’re struggling to see the sense there you would not be alone LOL.


----------



## Livelovedance

scrappinginontario said:


> Personally, unless I only need a few points to purchase a flight using points, I do not find is cost effective to purchase points.  Even in the scenario I mentioned it costs me more, but still less than purchasing an entire flight.





SouthFayetteFan said:


> Even with this 40% promo, It’s a pretty terrible deal.  I personally value SW pts at 1.48cpp.  So with this deal you can 10,000 SW RR pts + 4,000 bonus RR pts for $275. So you get $207 worth of points for $275...if you’re struggling to see the sense there you would not be alone LOL.



Perfect, so I won’t feel guilty passing on this one. Thanks lol!


----------



## shoreward

Livelovedance said:


> I apologize in advance for this question, but is it worth it to purchase points? I received this email, but I get my SW points from my credit card rewards. How much do they charge for points?


If you purchase tix using points and do not have enough RR points in your account for an upcoming booking, it is better than buying points at the full price.  This promo is available just in time for the next schedule extension, which is next week, so, it's timing is good for those who want to take advantage of the extended schedule, but are short on points.  If I have a choice between cash bookings and points bookings, I will go with the points, when possible, due to the many advantages.

I will not purchase points, however, unless an immediate need is there.


----------



## Livelovedance

shoreward said:


> If you purchase tix using points and do not have enough RR points in your account for an upcoming booking, it is better than buying points at the full price.  This promo is available just in time for the next schedule extension, which is next week, so, it's timing is good for those who want to take advantage of the extended schedule, but are short on points.  If I have a choice between cash bookings and points bookings, I will go with the points, when possible, due to the many advantages.
> 
> I will not purchase points, however, unless an immediate need is there.


That makes sense. I do like the flexibility of booking with points vs cash. I use my credit card points and transfer them to SW, so purchasing points wouldn’t be beneficial to me. If I didn’t have credit card points though I could see the promo being worthwhile.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*Southwest given formal approval from FAA for Hawaii...*

https://www.doctorofcredit.com/southwest-airlines-announces-will-fly-hawaii/

Southwest has stated they will release details surround ticket sales and inaugural flights in the coming days.


----------



## shoreward

SouthFayetteFan said:


> *Southwest given formal approval from FAA for Hawaii...*
> 
> https://www.doctorofcredit.com/southwest-airlines-announces-will-fly-hawaii/
> 
> Southwest has stated they will release details surround ticket sales and inaugural flights in the coming days.


With the schedule extension presumably coming next week, I wonder if Hawaii will be available for booking.  There certainly is lots of pent up demand among Southwest customers.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

SouthFayetteFan said:


> *Southwest given formal approval from FAA for Hawaii...*
> 
> https://www.doctorofcredit.com/southwest-airlines-announces-will-fly-hawaii/
> 
> Southwest has stated they will release details surround ticket sales and inaugural flights in the coming days.


I'm so excited! It's the one place (well other than Vegas for my husband) that my husband and I are dying to get back to.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

shoreward said:


> With the schedule extension presumably coming next week, I wonder if Hawaii will be available for booking.  There certainly is lots of pent up demand among Southwest customers.


I'm interested in seeing the flight options. There's not going to be non-stop for me so I won't worry about that but I want to know will it be only a handful of flights each day from each airport servicing Hawaii or will they have a wider variety.

One thing that made me nervous about coming home from our honeymoon from St. Lucia was it was a 1 flight there and 1 flight back and only certain days of the week. I'm not expecting Hawaii to be like that especially because St. Lucia was like a 6 gate airport but I'm still interested in how frequent the flights will be and if one airport over another will get more flights or if SWA will have more even amount between the airports servicing Hawaii.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

shoreward said:


> With the schedule extension presumably coming next week, I wonder if Hawaii will be available for booking.  There certainly is lots of pent up demand among Southwest customers.


They've actually said throughout the process that they would not necessarily tie the Southwest Hawaii release to one of their formal releases.  Also - that release is on March 14th so it's actually 2 weeks away   I'm thinking we may see something before then, Southwest wants to release these flights and start flying the routes ASAP I believe.


----------



## shoreward

Southwest just pushed back their schedule extension one week - perhaps due to Hawaii being available for booking at that time!

From Southwest:

We are currently accepting air reservations through October 1 , 2019. On March 14, 2019 we will open our schedule for sale through November 2, 2019. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

SouthFayetteFan said:


> *Southwest given formal approval from FAA for Hawaii...*
> 
> https://www.doctorofcredit.com/southwest-airlines-announces-will-fly-hawaii/
> 
> Southwest has stated they will release details surround ticket sales and inaugural flights in the coming days.



Finally!!!!!!!!!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

shoreward said:


> Southwest just pushed back their schedule extension one week - perhaps due to Hawaii being available for booking at that time!
> 
> From Southwest:
> 
> We are currently accepting air reservations through October 1 , 2019. On March 14, 2019 we will open our schedule for sale through November 2, 2019. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


The original release date was March 13th as per my comment on Feb 3rd.   They then slid it to March 14th.  I don’t ever recall them moving it up to the 7th but I guess I could have missed that...


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

shoreward said:


> Southwest just pushed back their schedule extension one week - perhaps due to Hawaii being available for booking at that time!
> 
> From Southwest:
> 
> We are currently accepting air reservations through October 1 , 2019. On March 14, 2019 we will open our schedule for sale through November 2, 2019. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


It's been March 14th for at least a week now.

On Feb 20th I posted this in another thread and screenshot that it said March 14th.

Could be for Hawaii IDK but it's been at least the 14th for at least a week now.


----------



## Claudia1

focusondisney said:


> We do get A positions when booking on opening day with EBCI.  The announcements have said 1 person with the medical preboards. But what I have seen inthe last year or 2 is that those preboards are saving a few seats each. One particular instance, the preboard woman & her companion took purses from their travel companions & had 2 more rows saved with those purses.  Ridiculous.



Yes..... this.   I find that even when SW sticks to the preboard rules, people save seats so it's the same as having no rules.


----------



## mom2rtk

Claudia1 said:


> Yes..... this.   I find that even when SW sticks to the preboard rules, people save seats so it's the same as having no rules.


Probably even more so now that the cost for EBCI has increased


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*FYI: Southwest Hawaii rumors are circulating on Airliners.net
*
A friend shared this info on another thread:


Pilot schedules posted on Monday
A SW press conference on Monday with additional details
Ticket sales begin Tuesday
Flights beginning 3/17 on some routes
Additional flights phased in over the next 8 months 
Max7 and Max8 Etops planes added AND Red Eye flights coming to SW in November


----------



## ruadisneyfan2

I have a SW question.  I have flown many times on SW but I rarely cancel flights.  Let's say you realize you made an error in the booking process.Do they still allow you to cancel within 24 hours with no penalty? 
Also, are LUV voucher funds still transferrable?   I have a small amount leftover (unused) and wanted to give them to my SIL to use. 
I know in the past it was allowed, but we all know how things keep changing. 

After sitting on hold for almost an hour, I gave up.


----------



## scrappinginontario

ruadisneyfan2 said:


> I have a SW question.  I have flown many times on SW but I rarely cancel flights.  Let's say you realize you made an error in the booking process.Do they still allow you to cancel within 24 hours with no penalty?
> Also, are LUV voucher funds still transferrable?   I have a small amount leftover (unused) and wanted to give them to my SIL to use.
> I know in the past it was allowed, but we all know how things keep changing.
> 
> After sitting on hold for almost an hour, I gave up.


 Sorry, I don’t have answers to your questions but SW has a wonderful callback option you can use.  At some point you are presented with an option to maintain your place in the queue and SW to call you back.  I’ve used this often.  Just enter your phone number, go about your day and when it’s your turn they call back.  It’s excellent  service and works very well!


----------



## ruadisneyfan2

scrappinginontario said:


> Sorry, I don’t have answers to your questions but SW has a wonderful callback option you can use.  At some point you are presented with an option to maintain your place in the queue and SW to call you back.  I’ve used this often.  Just enter your phone number, go about your day and when it’s your turn they call back.  It’s excellent  service and works very well!



They did offer this but the recording initially stated the wait was approximately 20 mins at around 9 pm.  It was getting close to 10 pm when we finally hung up.  I could just cancel online but I wasn't 100% sure it would recognize that we had just booked it and if the 24 hour rule was still in effect.  I don't know if they close the call center but they only offered us the call back option once.


----------



## BelleOftheBall16

ruadisneyfan2 said:


> I have a SW question.  I have flown many times on SW but I rarely cancel flights.  Let's say you realize you made an error in the booking process.Do they still allow you to cancel within 24 hours with no penalty?
> Also, are LUV voucher funds still transferrable?   I have a small amount leftover (unused) and wanted to give them to my SIL to use.
> I know in the past it was allowed, but we all know how things keep changing.
> 
> After sitting on hold for almost an hour, I gave up.



Yes to both questions. You can still cancel within 24 hours & LUV vouchers can be used by anyone.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*SOUTHWEST FLIGHTS TO HAWAII ARE NOW BOOKABLE!*

https://www.southwest.com/hawaii/

It appears flights are bookable for as little as $49 one way!  EBCI available for $25.  Here's some information from another post I read:

*Nonstop Mainland to Hawaii Routes*

OAK-HNL (starting March 17th; prices starting at $49 one way or 1950 RR points)
SJC-HNL (starting May 5th; prices starting at $49 one way or 1950 RR points)
OAK-OGG (starting April 7th; prices starting at $49 one way or 1950 RR points)
SJC-OGG (starting May 26th; prices starting at $49 one way or 1950 RR points)

*Interisland Routes*

HNL-OGG (starting April 28th; prices starting at $29 one way or 1379 RR points)
HNL-KOA (starting May 12th; prices starting at $29 one way or 1379 RR points)


----------



## shoreward

SouthFayetteFan said:


> *SOUTHWEST FLIGHTS TO HAWAII ARE NOW BOOKABLE!*
> 
> https://www.southwest.com/hawaii/
> 
> It appears flights are bookable for as little as $49 one way!  EBCI available for $25.  Here's some information from another post I read:
> 
> *Nonstop Mainland to Hawaii Routes*
> 
> OAK-HNL (starting March 17th; prices starting at $49 one way or 1950 RR points)
> SJC-HNL (starting May 5th; prices starting at $49 one way or 1950 RR points)
> OAK-OGG (starting April 7th; prices starting at $49 one way or 1950 RR points)
> SJC-OGG (starting May 26th; prices starting at $49 one way or 1950 RR points)
> 
> *Interisland Routes*
> 
> HNL-OGG (starting April 28th; prices starting at $29 one way or 1379 RR points)
> HNL-KOA (starting May 12th; prices starting at $29 one way or 1379 RR points)


Some flights are already sold out.  I saw a 5407 points cost double in cost within seconds.

These flights have so much pent up demand and Southwest's introductory fares are hard to beat.  It might be worth keeping an eye on other carriers to watch for price matching.

Two day Hawaiian sale - March 4-5


----------



## scrappinginontario

Whoa!!!! Those are/were amazing prices!!  Happy for those who snapped them up.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

If only my husband could have taken vacation time. He'll be in the LA area starting next month just can't take vacation time 

Those were so amazing fares.


----------



## AlohaNow

SouthFayetteFan said:


> *SOUTHWEST FLIGHTS TO HAWAII ARE NOW BOOKABLE!*




We’ve all waited so very long for this!!!  It will be extremely interesting to see what this does to the overall Hawaii market pricing over time. I know my household will be watching! And uh oh, now when my kids say, “When can we go back to Hawaii?” I can no longer say, “It’s too expensive to fly there.” As someone who used to work in this tourism-dependent state, in the tourism industry, I am so happy for Hawaii! Having these flight routes open up can only mean good things for tourism there! Aloha everybody!


----------



## Lori74

i need to book 10 tickets, with some points and some cash. i can figure out how to split that up, but as far as ticket prices, does anyone have experience with fares related to how many are being booked together. i need to book the first leg of our travels when the new times open up next week, but i dont want to waste a lot of time playing with the configurations when the window opens. i'm sorry if this isn't coming out clear enough. is there generally a cutting off point of when prices tend to go higher by how many tickets you try to buy or is it all just a gamble?


----------



## scrappinginontario

Lori74 said:


> i need to book 10 tickets, with some points and some cash. i can figure out how to split that up, but as far as ticket prices, does anyone have experience with fares related to how many are being booked together. i need to book the first leg of our travels when the new times open up next week, but i dont want to waste a lot of time playing with the configurations when the window opens. i'm sorry if this isn't coming out clear enough. is there generally a cutting off point of when prices tend to go higher by how many tickets you try to buy or is it all just a gamble?


  My understanding is that there are a certain number of seats available at the lowest price and when that fills up, the price goes up.  Same with each tier of pricing.

E.g.  If there are 20 seats (just my number, nothing official) available at the lowest price/points, once those fill the price goes up to the next tier.  The challenge is that there is no way to tell how many are currently filled.  If you want 3 seats and there are currently 18 booked, then when you ask for your price/points it will automatically display the next level up as you are asking for more than the number of seats available at the lowest rate.  If you were to request 2 seats it would show you the lower rate.

Not sure if that's clear but hopefully it's helpful.  Basically, the less number of seats you request, the more likely you are to be able to get them at a lower rate.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Lori74 said:


> i need to book 10 tickets, with some points and some cash. i can figure out how to split that up, but as far as ticket prices, does anyone have experience with fares related to how many are being booked together. i need to book the first leg of our travels when the new times open up next week, but i dont want to waste a lot of time playing with the configurations when the window opens. i'm sorry if this isn't coming out clear enough. is there generally a cutting off point of when prices tend to go higher by how many tickets you try to buy or is it all just a gamble?


SWA has X number of tickets sold at Y price.

It won't be the same so it's hard for anyone to tell you just how many people you can book before the price goes up. It will depend on how many tickets were previously purchased at Y price.

Other than just playing around with how many passengers you search for you can also see this:


In the above example you can see that there are 2 tickets left that can be booked at the price of $205. That was a search done for 1 person.

If I bump my search up to 3 people this is what comes back:


Notice the price goes to $225. In the above example you could book 2 people on one reservation with the price being $205 and the 3rd person could be booked on another reservation at the price of $225. If you booked all 3 people on one reservation you end up payin $225 for *each* passenger.

If you run up into the issue where it tells you there's only X number of tickets left at Y price and you're wanting the lower price for at least some passengers you'll have to split up the reservations and book certain passengers separately from the whole group of 10.


----------



## Lori74

thank you for your responses. i'll end up making 3 reservations. one for my parents, one for points, and the rest cash. i hope the pricing gods are kind through all of that!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

My husband and I were just talking about this-On the Hawaii flights as an FYI SWA is not really marketing flights to Hawaii past the Rockies in Colorado (except Denver airport is included) so if you live east of that you're going to be out of luck.

I'm in Kansas City and you can only book it by calling them it's not available to book online. It's because of how flights are. For instance when we flew home from Hawaii using Delta our flight was at nearly 9pm at night with an overnight flight---SWA is not going to be doing that (and hasn't ever done that) really so travel to places like that where a redeye flight is done is not happening right now.

Sooooooooooooo that is a big bummer and honestly something I hadn't thought of. You basically would have to fly to one of the airports servicing Hawaii and then fly to Hawaii and do the reverse on the way home.

I *think* booking it online may allow the multiple flights needed to be connected together in terms of a reservation but I'm not really sure.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

I can book Chicago to Maui on SW. The connection is in Oakland. No separate bookings required.

Personally, I hope the competition helps keep the costs on the Legacy carriers down as well. I’m afraid the SW planes are too small for comfort for a 6 hour flight (roughly the time from CA to HI).


----------



## MarBee

I referred a friend with my link from my SW Premier card almost 3 months ago.  I have not seen my 10,000 point referral bonus yet.  
How long does it take for a referral bonus to post?
And who should I call about if it hasn’t posted yet?  SW or Chase?


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Cinderumbrella said:


> I can book Chicago to Maui on SW. The connection is in Oakland. No separate bookings required.
> 
> Personally, I hope the competition helps keep the costs on the Legacy carriers down as well. I’m afraid the SW planes are too small for comfort for a 6 hour flight (roughly the time from CA to HI).


That's just what my husband was reading that marketing wise it was not going to be at the moment strong to people in the plains and eastward.

Now Maui might be different than Oahu. But you're going to find a lot more people interested in Oahu.

You can make it but it completely depends on connections and I think people are going to find the issue for going home because of the time change. For instance while I can make it to Oahu from KC via Oakland (we have a non-stop to Oakland) on the way home I have to stay overnight in Oakland because the flights don't work to get me home and SWA doesn't do overnight flights like other airlines do. 

Like I said when I flew Delta the flight from HNL to LAX (where we were connecting) left HNL at nearly 9pm and landed in LAX something like 5-6am. SWA wants to get you home that same day (well midnight-1am or so type deal). Chicago you might have more options than Kansas City but you'll still run into some issues. For instance August would not be a good time to fly back home. Looks like you get 3 days at the beginning of the month from HNL to get back to Chicago in 1 day leaving at 9:30am and getting back to Chicago 12:25am the next day and a few more days available in August to get home from Maui. To get to Chicago on the way home it's like 9:15or so am landing back in Chicago around 12:20am the next day.

We ran into this issue with the Grand Cayman islands too with SWA. I really wanted to go there instead of Jamaica this past August but the issue was getting back home. We could get to the Grand Cayman islands easily but getting home the plane landed in whatever connection city too late to make that connection back home _that_ day. It meant an overnight stay in the connection city.

So while it's possible with Chicago better than with Kansas City it's not the same as other carriers who fly overnight.

But I do hope the pricing goes down for sure though it helps us all out.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> That's just what my husband was reading that marketing wise it was not going to be at the moment strong to people in the plains and eastward.
> 
> Now Maui might be different than Oahu. But you're going to find a lot more people interested in Oahu.
> 
> You can make it but it completely depends on connections and I think people are going to find the issue for going home because of the time change. For instance while I can make it to Oahu from KC via Oakland (we have a non-stop to Oakland) on the way home I have to stay overnight in Oakland because the flights don't work to get me home and SWA doesn't do overnight flights like other airlines do.
> 
> Like I said when I flew Delta the flight from HNL to LAX (where we were connecting) left HNL at nearly 9pm and landed in LAX something like 5-6am. SWA wants to get you home that same day (well midnight-1am or so type deal). Chicago you might have more options than Kansas City but you'll still run into some issues. For instance August would not be a good time to fly back home. Looks like you get 3 days at the beginning of the month from HNL to get back to Chicago in 1 day leaving at 9:30am and getting back to Chicago 12:25am the next day and a few more days available in August to get home from Maui. To get to Chicago on the way home it's like 9:15or so am landing back in Chicago around 12:20am the next day.
> 
> We ran into this issue with the Grand Cayman islands too with SWA. I really wanted to go there instead of Jamaica this past August but the issue was getting back home. We could get to the Grand Cayman islands easily but getting home the plane landed in whatever connection city too late to make that connection back home _that_ day. It meant an overnight stay in the connection city.
> 
> So while it's possible with Chicago better than with Kansas City it's not the same as other carriers who fly overnight.
> 
> But I do hope the pricing goes down for sure though it helps us all out.



I’m merely referring to the fact that I don’t have to book separate flights and I’m east of the Rockies.

And yes, an overnight flight home is definitely the best, but perhaps they haven’t been approved for overnight/over water flights yet? (I’m guessing as I have no knowledge one way or the other).

As for demand to HNL over OGG, that may be true here on the Dis, because of Aulani but I assure you, Maui is definitely a popular destination.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Cinderumbrella said:


> I’m merely referring to the fact that I don’t have to book separate flights and I’m east of the Rockies.


I understand. I was relaying what my husband was reading. You run into the exact same problem as I do here in KC but there's just more options. Getting home is going to be your issue no matter if it's Oahu or Maui; just far more limited the further east you get because of how they operate their flights.



Cinderumbrella said:


> And yes, an overnight flight home is definitely the best, but perhaps they haven’t been approved for overnight/over water flights yet? (I’m guessing as I have no knowledge one way or the other).


I don't think SWA flys overnight in general and I believe they said they don't really plan to. I don't know if it's an approval thing or if they even sought to get approval if that wasn't in their plans.



Cinderumbrella said:


> As for demand to HNL over OGG, that may be true here on the Dis, because of Aulani but I assure you, Maui is definitely a popular destination.


No I wasn't even referring to Disney people at all. Not at all about Aulani. 

Oahu, because of Waikiki, because of North Shore, because of Pearl Harbor, etc. I'm not suggesting people don't want to go to Maui..


----------



## MarBee

A friend of mine used mybreferral link for my SW Premier card almost 3 months ago.  He was approved instantly and even met his spend requirement and got his bonus points. However, I still have not seen the 10,000 points for referring him.
Do you know how long it typically takes for referral points to come through?
If they should’ve posted but didn’t, do I call Chase about it or SW?

Thanks in advance for your help!


----------



## shoreward

MarBee said:


> A friend of mine used mybreferral link for my SW Premier card almost 3 months ago.  He was approved instantly and even met his spend requirement and got his bonus points. However, I still have not seen the 10,000 points for referring him.
> Do you know how long it typically takes for referral points to come through?
> If they should’ve posted but didn’t, do I call Chase about it or SW?
> 
> Thanks in advance for your help!


The bonus points should be credited to your RR account in the next billing cycle, following your friend meeting the spending requirements.

I would contact Chase to inquire.  I once thought the bonus points were missing, but Chase confirmed that the points were indeed credited to my account; I just missed seeing it, among the other points credited.


----------



## huskies90

Question using Travel Funds: 

I have 2 travel fund credits. One for $5 which expires 5/16/19 and another for $110 that expires 9/23/19. I am booking a flight for 5/11/19. If I needed to cancel that flight my entire credit will now expire 5/16/19. Correct?  I am happy I have a chance to use the $5 credit but I am not sure if it is worth it because if I use it, I basically lose my ability to cancel the flight if I need to. I just want to make sure I understand the expiration correctly.


----------



## BelleOftheBall16

huskies90 said:


> Question using Travel Funds:
> 
> I have 2 travel fund credits. One for $5 which expires 5/16/19 and another for $110 that expires 9/23/19. I am booking a flight for 5/11/19. If I needed to cancel that flight my entire credit will now expire 5/16/19. Correct?  I am happy I have a chance to use the $5 credit but I am not sure if it is worth it because if I use it, I basically lose my ability to cancel the flight if I need to. I just want to make sure I understand the expiration correctly.


 
You are correct any mixed funds take on the earliest expiration date. That also applies to any cash you add in. For example if you use the $5 fund, the $110 fund and $85 cash-the entire $200 now has an expiration date of 5/16. I would just eat the $5  unless you are 100% certain you are going to fly on 5/11.


----------



## huskies90

BelleOftheBall16 said:


> You are correct any mixed funds take on the earliest expiration date. That also applies to any cash you add in. For example if you use the $5 fund, the $110 fund and $85 cash-the entire $200 now has an expiration date of 5/16. I would just eat the $5  unless you are 100% certain you are going to fly on 5/11.


Thank You. That is what I thought.

I have a follow up question sorta related to the same trip:

This trip on 5/11 is to pick up my daughter from college in OH. I am flying from Hartford to Cincinnati (she attends the University of Dayton). There are no direct flights so I am connecting thru Chicago's Midway.  The fare is very low - $97 for the one way.

As luck would have it, I have to fly back out the following week to get my other daughter from Notre Dame and I had planned to fly to Midway and drive to South Bend, IN. That fare from BDL to MDW is $210 however the same fare from BDL to CVG connecting thru MDW is again only $97. So my question is, couldn’t I just book the Cincinnati flight and not get on the connection to CVG and save $113?  This would also be a one way flight.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

MarBee said:


> I referred a friend with my link from my SW Premier card almost 3 months ago.  I have not seen my 10,000 point referral bonus yet.
> How long does it take for a referral bonus to post?
> And who should I call about if it hasn’t posted yet?  SW or Chase?


Depending on when they used your link in proximity to your statement close, points should have either been on your next statement or the statement after that.  If you’ve had 2 statements and no points, it didn’t track.  You can attempt to call Chase but be aware this is extremely difficult to get them to concede: I would know your friends’s full name, address, the date they applied before calling if possible.


----------



## PolyAddict

We are 7 1/2 weeks out and need to change return trip by one day.  Right now its $35 extra a person.  Should I do now or is it possible to go down at all?

Thanks


----------



## PolyAddict

Also, can you use points to change flight?


----------



## shoreward

PolyAddict said:


> We are 7 1/2 weeks out and need to change return trip by one day.  Right now its $35 extra a person.  Should I do now or is it possible to go down at all?
> 
> Thanks





PolyAddict said:


> Also, can you use points to change flight?


You can't pay with a combination of cash and points; it's either all cash or all points (except, of course, when a ticket is booked with points and the fees are paid with cash)
There is no way to know if the fares will decrease or not.  You can always change, if the fare goes down, and use the credit for a future flight, within one year from date of original booking.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Anybody else notice a decrease in the number of non stop flights? My market went from four daily to two daily during the fall.


----------



## scrappinginontario

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> Anybody else notice a decrease in the number of non stop flights? My market went from four daily to two daily during the fall.


 Yes.  There was quite a bit of chatter about this earlier in this thread when the last group of flights were released.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

scrappinginontario said:


> Yes.  There was quite a bit of chatter about this earlier in this thread when the last group of flights were released.




Thank you.


----------



## MilwaukeeMom

We are leaving in 2 weeks. Any chance SW will drop their prices before then? My son can’t pay $900 round trip per person so they’re thinking of driving instead.


----------



## MarBee

MilwaukeeMom said:


> We are leaving in 2 weeks. Any chance SW will drop their prices before then? My son can’t pay $900 round trip per person so they’re thinking of driving instead.


I fly out of Philly usually so maybe it’s different in other markets but I always find the prices to go up the closer you get.  Once in a while if it’s an off time flight it will decrease but I doubt it would at this point.  
Is there another airline you can try?


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

MilwaukeeMom said:


> We are leaving in 2 weeks. Any chance SW will drop their prices before then? My son can’t pay $900 round trip per person so they’re thinking of driving instead.


 A lot of their sales require a 21day advance purchase. Generally speaking we find 2 weeks to be the point where at least Wanna Get Away fares no longer decrease and tend to only go up in price from there. As a PP mentioned different markets can operate differently.


----------



## jenseib

MilwaukeeMom said:


> We are leaving in 2 weeks. Any chance SW will drop their prices before then? My son can’t pay $900 round trip per person so they’re thinking of driving instead.



Check every day.  You never know.  I checked mine coming back from San Juan and literally 4 days before coming home it dropped quite a bit and between 2 of us I got 7,000 points back


----------



## DLgal

Is anyone worried about the mechanics issue and the most recent crash of a Boeing 737 Max 8? 

I am booked on SW on a flight to MCO late April/early May. My flight there is on a Max 8. I am starting to worry, because of this issue with the mechanics and all the allegations on both sides of planes being sent into the air with known issues (that the mechanics insist are NOT cosmetic). 

I booked my flights with points, and am considering cancelling them and booking with Delta. Am I being paranoid?


----------



## scrappinginontario

DLgal said:


> Is anyone worried about the mechanics issue and the most recent crash of a Boeing 737 Max 8?
> 
> I am booked on SW on a flight to MCO late April/early May. My flight there is on a Max 8. I am starting to worry, because of this issue with the mechanics and all the allegations on both sides of planes being sent into the air with known issues (that the mechanics insist are NOT cosmetic).
> 
> I booked my flights with points, and am considering cancelling them and booking with Delta. Am I being paranoid?


I am not concerned.  We are flying to and from mco in April.

Updated Mar 13/19:  Now that I've learned more I understand the concern.  At this point I would choose to change flights if that is an option if I were scheduled to fly on a Max 8.  Canada has just banned these planes in Canadian airspace.


----------



## jec6613

DLgal said:


> Is anyone worried about the mechanics issue and the most recent crash of a Boeing 737 Max 8?


All airlines have issues, but I wouldn't hesitate to fly on any US flagged carrier for safety reasons.

The 737MAX8 issue on both occasions (the first almost certainly, the second sounds exactly the same to the letter) stems from an automated system change, and there's a new Boeing bulletin that involves pilot training and all US airlines have completed it.

What occurred is that because of the 737MAX8's big engines, the stall recovery handling is different than on the 737-800, so to assist pilots if it detects the approach of a stall condition it will trim the nose of the aircraft down to avoid it, and continue trimming unless one of the pilots stops it.  If either pitot tube on the aircraft gets blocked, it can also cause this, so the appropriate response is to disconnect the autopilot in the event of an airspeed unreliable event (where the captain and first officer show different airspeed indications because one pitot is blocked or problematic) to prevent this.  This is a, "Memory item," on the type certification for the 737MAX series now, which means it's something that pilots train and are tested on to perform automatically without a checklist in the event of a problem.

The most recent crash specifically stated to ATC that they were having trouble maintaining a nose up attitude, while the previous one was the cause of the Boeing bulletin in the first place and had exactly the same issue.


----------



## DLgal

jec6613 said:


> All airlines have issues, but I wouldn't hesitate to fly on any US flagged carrier for safety reasons.
> 
> The 737MAX8 issue on both occasions (the first almost certainly, the second sounds exactly the same to the letter) stems from an automated system change, and there's a new Boeing bulletin that involves pilot training and all US airlines have completed it.
> 
> What occurred is that because of the 737MAX8's big engines, the stall recovery handling is different than on the 737-800, so to assist pilots if it detects the approach of a stall condition it will trim the nose of the aircraft down to avoid it, and continue trimming unless one of the pilots stops it.  If either pitot tube on the aircraft gets blocked, it can also cause this, so the appropriate response is to disconnect the autopilot in the event of an airspeed unreliable event (where the captain and first officer show different airspeed indications because one pitot is blocked or problematic) to prevent this.  This is a, "Memory item," on the type certification for the 737MAX series now, which means it's something that pilots train and are tested on to perform automatically without a checklist in the event of a problem.
> 
> The most recent crash specifically stated to ATC that they were having trouble maintaining a nose up attitude, while the previous one was the cause of the Boeing bulletin in the first place and had exactly the same issue.



Thank you for this explanation.

I think I am worrying more than normal because I am flying solo and leaving my husband and kids at home this time. I always worry about something happening to me, but more so when I travel solo. This accident this morning just ratcheted up my anxiety,  but I recognize that it's likely not a realistic fear.


----------



## jec6613

DLgal said:


> I recognize that it's likely not a realistic fear.


To put it in perspective and set your mind a bit more at ease, since 2009 there has been one incident inside the US resulting in passenger fatalities - the WN window blowout, resulting in one total fatality in 9 years, during which time over 7 billion passengers flew around the US.  For all of commercial aviation, the only incident to increase that was the 767 cargo jet crash two weeks ago, which brought it up to 4 in 9 years.

Basically, the car ride to the airport, one way, is much more statistically dangerous.  Vending machines kill more people than airlines.  And, actually, I'm pretty certain that eating at the airport is more dangerous, especially when you try out the, "Terminal snack bar," (such a promising name!)


----------



## PolyAddict

DLgal said:


> Thank you for this explanation.
> 
> I think I am worrying more than normal because I am flying solo and leaving my husband and kids at home this time. I always worry about something happening to me, but more so when I travel solo. This accident this morning just ratcheted up my anxiety,  but I recognize that it's likely not a realistic fear.


What was the accident?  Flying late April as well.


----------



## jec6613

PolyAddict said:


> What was the accident?  Flying late April as well.


Ethopian Airlines 302 in a B737M8, the news broke this morning.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl...oeing-737-crash-kills-at-least-150/ar-BBUAuNI


----------



## MarBee

DLgal said:


> Is anyone worried about the mechanics issue and the most recent crash of a Boeing 737 Max 8?
> 
> I am booked on SW on a flight to MCO late April/early May. My flight there is on a Max 8. I am starting to worry, because of this issue with the mechanics and all the allegations on both sides of planes being sent into the air with known issues (that the mechanics insist are NOT cosmetic).
> 
> I booked my flights with points, and am considering cancelling them and booking with Delta. Am I being paranoid?



How can you tell what type of aircraft it will be?  I just don’t see it on my SW app...


----------



## jec6613

MarBee said:


> How can you tell what type of aircraft it will be?  I just don’t see it on my SW app...


They fly exclusively the 737, and their fleet is interchangeable so you can't tell what version.  They also don't use assigned seats specifically so that they can change out aircraft on a whim.  Currently 34 of their 754 aircraft fleet is the MAX8.


----------



## shoreward

MarBee said:


> How can you tell what type of aircraft it will be?  I just don’t see it on my SW app...


When you look at the list of flights on southwest.com, the flight numbers are listed to the right of either ‘nonstop,’ ‘one-stop,’ etc; when you click the flight number(s), it will open a box with all flight info, including aircraft.  Of course, there is always the remote possibility that there will be an aircraft swap, but not likely, under normal circumstances.

*Flight information*
*Flight #* *650
% Ontime arrival* 100%
*% > 30 min late* 0%
*% Cancellation* 0%
*Average delay time* 7 Min
*Aircraft information*
*Aircraft type* Boeing 737 MAX8
*No. of seats* 175
*WiFi & FreeTV available *


----------



## DLgal

shoreward said:


> When you look at the list of flights on southwest.com, the flight numbers are listed to the right of either ‘nonstop,’ ‘one-stop,’ etc; when you click the flight number(s), it will open a box with all flight info, including aircraft.  Of course, there is always the remote possibility that there will be an aircraft swap, but not likely, under normal circumstances.
> 
> *Flight information*
> *Flight #* *650
> % Ontime arrival* 100%
> *% > 30 min late* 0%
> *% Cancellation* 0%
> *Average delay time* 7 Min
> *Aircraft information*
> *Aircraft type* Boeing 737 MAX8
> *No. of seats* 175
> *WiFi & FreeTV available *



Yep, this. Also, my connecting flight is a nonstop from Oakland to MCO. They use the Max8 now on all the transcontinental/long haul non stops.


----------



## DLgal

jec6613 said:


> Ethopian Airlines 302 in a B737M8, the news broke this morning.
> 
> https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl...oeing-737-crash-kills-at-least-150/ar-BBUAuNI



What startled me about this is that this airline has a stellar safety record and is a major airline in Africa. They just accepted delivery of that particular Max8 plane in November, so it was brand new.


----------



## Iowamomof4

I have 7 of us booked on one reservation and would like to switch our flight to take advantage of a better option. It seems like the only way I can change us is as one unit though. This is a problem because there is 1 fare at $147, 3 fares at 154, and then the rest would be at $173. Will I have to call to be able to get these fares or is there just no way to do it since I booked us all together?


----------



## jec6613

DLgal said:


> What startled me about this is that this airline has a stellar safety record and is a major airline in Africa. They just accepted delivery of that particular Max8 plane in November, so it was brand new.


Aviation maintenance is nothing like vehicle maintenance though, so mechanically a 30+ year old bird is still basically brand new.  If you took care of your car the way the airline took care of their aircraft, you'd have your engine rebuilt at least every couple of years, and every 5 years you'd pull the entire thing apart down to the chassis to locate and fix any issues.

A blocked pitot tube can still happen at any time though, it's caused a whole bunch of crashes (Air France was a big one) where the pilots weren't trained properly with how to handle it.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Iowamomof4 said:


> I have 7 of us booked on one reservation and would like to switch our flight to take advantage of a better option. It seems like the only way I can change us is as one unit though. This is a problem because there is 1 fare at $147, 3 fares at 154, and then the rest would be at $173. Will I have to call to be able to get these fares or is there just no way to do it since I booked us all together?


@SouthFayetteFan do you happen to know?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Iowamomof4 said:


> I have 7 of us booked on one reservation and would like to switch our flight to take advantage of a better option. It seems like the only way I can change us is as one unit though. This is a problem because there is 1 fare at $147, 3 fares at 154, and then the rest would be at $173. Will I have to call to be able to get these fares or is there just no way to do it since I booked us all together?





Iowamomof4 said:


> @SouthFayetteFan do you happen to know?


Full disclosure: I have NOT done this with the new system.  My experience with this was with the old system probably 5+ years ago too...

That said, if you call in, they should be able to split those flights on to separate confirmation numbers.  I once had my wife, daughter and I all booked on 1 confirm and had to do that to take advantage of a very similar situation.  If you get the wrong agent though, they'll have no idea what you're talking about, if that's the case say thanks and try calling back, lol!  Once they separate your flights on to separate reservations you'll be able to modify them and do what you need to do.  

If the idea of talking to people doesn't interest you (which I totally get) can you just cancel the flight and book again?  (If they are booked as a round trip though I can see why this wouldn't work).

Side Note to all: Your situation is why I always book every SW flight as one-way, one person.  The ultimate flexibility


----------



## Iowamomof4

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Full disclosure: I have NOT done this with the new system.  My experience with this was with the old system probably 5+ years ago too...
> 
> That said, if you call in, they should be able to split those flights on to separate confirmation numbers.  I once had my wife, daughter and I all booked on 1 confirm and had to do that to take advantage of a very similar situation.  If you get the wrong agent though, they'll have no idea what you're talking about, if that's the case say thanks and try calling back, lol!  Once they separate your flights on to separate reservations you'll be able to modify them and do what you need to do.
> 
> If the idea of talking to people doesn't interest you (which I totally get) can you just cancel the flight and book again?  (If they are booked as a round trip though I can see why this wouldn't work).
> 
> Side Note to all: Your situation is why I always book every SW flight as one-way, one person.  The ultimate flexibility



We would lose our Earlybird if we cancelled, right?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Iowamomof4 said:


> We would lose our Earlybird if we cancelled, right?


Oh yeah - I wasn't thinking about that.  I'd call in and see if they can get you split up then.


----------



## Iowamomof4

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Oh yeah - I wasn't thinking about that.  I'd call in and see if they can get you split up then.



Thanks for your help! I might just wait and see if the price for 7 tickets comes down a bit. We have an option that currently works, but it's a 2-stop flight. This would allow us to change to a 1-stop flight.


----------



## jadephoenixx

I'm 2.5 weeks out from my flight and want to change it to an early flight.  I can login to my account and select change flight, but then I get an error message on the website saying it's unable to process my request.  Is anyone else having problems?  I've never changed my flight so close so I don't know if they lock down changes at a certain period.  Any insights will be appreciated


----------



## shoreward

jadephoenixx said:


> I'm 2.5 weeks out from my flight and want to change it to an early flight.  I can login to my account and select change flight, but then I get an error message on the website saying it's unable to process my request.  Is anyone else having problems?  I've never changed my flight so close so I don't know if they lock down changes at a certain period.  Any insights will be appreciated


Yes, I have been seeing that message for weeks, when I try to refare certain flights.  The error message indicates that if assistance is required, to call Southwest.  I just don't have the time to stay on hold with them, so I have not called.

You can try starting searching for a new flight.  If the flight/date you want is available, cancel your existing, then use those funds to book new flight.  You have the risk, however, that you cancel your flight and then can't book the new date.  I would call Southwest to do this for you; there is no extra cost to do so.


----------



## jadephoenixx

shoreward said:


> Yes, I have been seeing that message for weeks, when I try to refare certain flights.  The error message indicates that if assistance is required, to call Southwest.  I just don't have the time to stay on hold with them, so I have not called.
> 
> You can try starting searching for a new flight.  If the flight/date you want is available, cancel your existing, then use those funds to book new flight.  You have the risk, however, that you cancel your flight and then can't book the new date.  I would call Southwest to do this for you; there is no extra cost to do so.



Thanks.  I wasn't sure if it was me or not.  I don't want to risk losing my flight so I'll call them tonight


----------



## scrappinginontario

shoreward said:


> Yes, I have been seeing that message for weeks, when I try to refare certain flights.  The error message indicates that if assistance is required, to call Southwest.  I just don't have the time to stay on hold with them, so I have not called.
> 
> You can try starting searching for a new flight.  If the flight/date you want is available, cancel your existing, then use those funds to book new flight.  You have the risk, however, that you cancel your flight and then can't book the new date.  I would call Southwest to do this for you; there is no extra cost to do so.


  Also, OP would also lose any fees paid for EBCI if they cancel their original flight.

SW has an option to request a call back so there is no need to sit on hold with them.  I've used this option often and it works perfectly!


----------



## wdwcoltsfan

I was just looking at my mobile boarding pass for in the morning and there was an alert that said one of our flights could be adversely affected by weather, etc and Southwest is offering changes at no charge for the next 14 days. I called to see what this was about and the lady I spoke with said they are letting people switch off the MAX8 to another flight. This would have been for our flight tomorrow and our return flight on 3/20(we aren't on that aircraft). She said they have been inundated with calls from people wanting to know what type of aircraft their flight was and if they could change.


----------



## NYCgrrl

wdwcoltsfan said:


> I was just looking at my mobile boarding pass for in the morning and there was an alert that said one of our flights could be adversely affected by weather, etc and Southwest is offering changes at no charge for the next 14 days. I called to see what this was about and the lady I spoke with said they are letting people switch off the MAX8 to another flight. This would have been for our flight tomorrow and our return flight on 3/20(we aren't on that aircraft). She said they have been inundated with calls from people wanting to know what type of aircraft their flight was and if they could change.



Some airlines are removing the 737 MAX 8 from their fleet for the time being; some airlines are not. 

An up to date article on what US airlines are doing and how to get info about options: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/11/...tion=click&module=Top Stories&pgtype=Homepage


----------



## shoreward

@SouthwestAir tweeted:



> We're hearing from Customers asking if their flight will be operated by the Boeing 737 MAX 8. Our Customer Relations Team is responding to these folks individually, emphasizing our friendly no-change fee policy. That said, we remain confident in the Safety of our fleet.


----------



## mom2elle

For the new schedule being released tomorrow - does it go live at 6am or 7am? I can’t remember!


----------



## shoreward

mom2elle said:


> For the new schedule being released tomorrow - does it go live at 6am or 7am? I can’t remember!


Schedule extension is Thursday; it's usually between about 6:00-7:30 ET.



> On March 14, 2019 we will open our schedule for sale through November 2, 2019. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


----------



## scrappinginontario

mom2elle said:


> For the new schedule being released tomorrow - does it go live at 6am or 7am? I can’t remember!


  There isn't a set time.  I've had our flights released as late as 8:30 EST.  Just keep checking and refreshing as they don't seem to make everything live at the same time.

Also, I just checked and the SW website is still saying the new flights will be released *Thursday*, not tomorrow.


----------



## shoreward

President Trump just grounded all 737 MAX aircraft.

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/boeing-737-max-8-ethiopia-airlines-crash/index.html


----------



## NYCgrrl

shoreward said:


> President Trump just grounded all 737 MAX aircraft.


Actually I believe  Canada's transport minister grounded the plane,  domestically and internationally.

ETA: A little later the President over ruled the FAA  and did the same.
At this point the vast majority of the world's countries with this type of plane in their fleet have grounded them.


----------



## Iowamomof4

I'm relieved. We were scheduled to return home on one in May.


----------



## shoreward

All Southwest 737 MAX8 aircraft in the air are allowed to complete flight in progress.  At that point, the aircraft are grounded by President Trump's order.  I feel sorry for all of the Southwest employees who now have to deal with all of those stranded pax!


----------



## need2travel

Ok, I know I'm an idiot but here goes: we are flying SW in April on a 737-800.  Is that the same plane as a 737-Max8?  Thanks!!


----------



## NYCgrrl

need2travel said:


> Ok, I know I'm an idiot but here goes: we are flying SW in April on a 737-800.  Is that the same plane as a 737-Max8?  Thanks!!


Similar planes but NOT banned and hasn't been any discussion of it. Trust me, I have nooo idea what kind of Amtrak car model I'll next take. There are just some things we all take for granted - until we shouldn't


----------



## need2travel

Thanks NYCgrrl!


----------



## GPC0321

need2travel said:


> Ok, I know I'm an idiot but here goes: we are flying SW in April on a 737-800.  Is that the same plane as a 737-Max8?  Thanks!!


There seem to be three types of 737 in the SW fleet: 737-700, 737-800, and 737-MAX8.


----------



## DLgal

need2travel said:


> Ok, I know I'm an idiot but here goes: we are flying SW in April on a 737-800.  Is that the same plane as a 737-Max8?  Thanks!!



No. All the Max planes have MAX, followed by a number: Max8, Max9, Max10.

737 followed by just a number is a different plane, with different engines, and different software.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Oh goodness, I see my flight that was supposed to be on a Max8 is currently showing "sold out" across the board. I sure hope they find a plane to replace that flight and don't just cancel it outright! 

Have any of you received communication from SW yet?


----------



## georgina

DH is flying tomorrow. Not sure what type of plane it was scheduled but his flight status is showing on time on the SW website.

SW has also changed its new schedule release date to Monday the 18th.


----------



## Livelovedance

georgina said:


> SW has also changed its new schedule release date to Monday the 18th.



Thank you for posting this! I've been checking the date fairly regularly, but because it was supposed to be tomorrow I wouldn't have checked again!


----------



## chicagoshannon

oh wow.  Good to know they changed the release date of the flights. I was planning on booking something tomorrow.

Checked on my May flights and my flights are ok but several others from that day (and the return day) are listed as SOLD OUT now.  Good to know we weren't scheduled on a Max8 and our flight is ok for now.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Southwest schedule:

“On March 18, 2019, we will open our schedule for sale through November 02, 2019. (Date is subject to change; please check back frequently.)”


----------



## shoreward

Southwest’s official statement on grounding of 737 MAX 8, including info for those booked on flights scheduled to operate with MAX aircraft:


*737 MAX 8 Travel Advisory*
*Flexible Accommodation Options Available Through Sunday, March 31*

Currently, we are offering flexible accommodations through Sunday, March 31. Due to high call volumes and extended hold times, we strongly encourage Customers to cancel, rebook, and check flight status at southwest.com.

Customers who are holding reservations may rebook in the original class of service or travel standby (within 14 days of their original date of travel between the original city-pairs and in accordance with our accommodation procedures) without paying any additional charge.

Customers who purchased their itinerary via *Southwest.com* or our mobile app are eligible to reschedule their travel plans online or from their mobile device.

Customers who did not purchase a ticket via *Southwest.com* can call 1-800-435-9792 to speak with a Customer Representative.

Customers in the U.S. scheduled to travel internationally must call 1-800-435-9792 to speak with a Customer Representative for assistance with rebooking.


*NOTE:  Southwest’s system is clearly overloaded right now.  This is what you see when going to the link to rebook:*

*This portion of the Southwest Airlines website is undergoing maintenance and is currently unavailable.*
*Please try again later. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.*
If this issue persists, please contact a Southwest Airlines Customer Representative for assistance at 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792).
*System Issues with Self Service Flight Changes*
We're sorry, the self service flight change feature is unavailable right now. We apologize for any difficulties you may be experiencing while attempting to change your flight on Southwest.com or in our apps. We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible so you can complete your change. In the meantime, you can also contact a Southwest Representative at 1-800-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792) to change your flight.


----------



## irt9206

Iowamomof4 said:


> Oh goodness, I see my flight that was supposed to be on a Max8 is currently showing "sold out" across the board. I sure hope they find a plane to replace that flight and don't just cancel it outright!
> 
> Have any of you received communication from SW yet?


Same here for our June 23rd flights.


----------



## 4fordisneyworld

So as of right now if our flight is past March 31st we don't or cannot rebook for a different flight that is not a Max 8? Our flight to DW is a Max 8 but not our return flight. Ours says it is sold out as well.


----------



## Iowamomof4

4fordisneyworld said:


> So as of right now if our flight is past March 31st we don't or cannot rebook for a different flight that is not a Max 8? Our flight to DW is a Max 8 but not our return flight. Ours says it is sold out as well.


Yeah, that seems to be the case. Hopefully they can shift planes around to cover our flights soon.


----------



## 4fordisneyworld

Iowamomof4 said:


> Yeah, that seems to be the case. Hopefully they can shift planes around to cover our flights soon.


Thank you! We leave two days before you so hoping it is worked out by then.


----------



## Rach3975

What a nightmare for the airlines and anyone traveling in the next few weeks! I was hoping to book tomorrow, but I guess I'll have to check back on the 18th. I wonder if they're going to have significantly fewer flights offered in the next release due to the grounding or if they assume that Boeing will release fixes before then.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Rach3975 said:


> What a nightmare for the airlines and anyone traveling in the next few weeks! I was hoping to book tomorrow, but I guess I'll have to check back on the 18th. I wonder if they're going to have significantly fewer flights offered in the next release due to the grounding or if they assume that Boeing will release fixes before then.



They only have 30-some Max8 planes in their entire fleet, so I can't think it would make a huge difference.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Rach3975 said:


> What a nightmare for the airlines and anyone traveling in the next few weeks! I was hoping to book tomorrow, but I guess I'll have to check back on the 18th. I wonder if they're going to have significantly fewer flights offered in the next release due to the grounding or if they assume that Boeing will release fixes before then.


SW has only 34 Max8 planes and they account for less than 5% of their daily flights. I would expect a very minimal (if any) impact on the flight schedule.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

Question about travel funds: mine expire 8/30. I can still use them for a flight that day, correct?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

SouthFayetteFan said:


> SW has only 34 Max8 planes and they account for less than 5% of their daily flights. I would expect a very minimal (if any) impact on the flight schedule.


And I guess I should add that they are adding a flight schedule for October basically...I’m pretty sure it will have no impact as I’d assume they’ll figure out something with their aircraft within 6 months


----------



## Lori74

Well I checked yesterday afternoon to see if new flights were still being released today and they were. Now I'm wide awake, ready to book and see I have to wait until Monday. How fast things can change!  But I can't be too upset compared to those that are dealing with the max situation.  Good luck to all! I hope your trips get fixed.


----------



## shoreward

Cinderumbrella said:


> Question about travel funds: mine expire 8/30. I can still use them for a flight that day, correct?


Yes.


----------



## Lsdolphin

So I have a flight booked for 6/28 which is now showing "sold out" I checked and the flight is noted as a MAX8 plane.
Do I need to re-book flight or will sWA just be switching that flight to a different model plane and I don't need to do anything??


----------



## chicagoshannon

Lsdolphin said:


> So I have a flight booked for 6/28 which is now showing "sold out" I checked and the flight is noted as a MAX8 plane.
> Do I need to re-book flight or will sWA just be switching that flight to a different model plane and I don't need to do anything??


I"d just wait and see.  That's still over 3 months away.  By then I'd expect Southwest to have it all figured out.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Lsdolphin said:


> So I have a flight booked for 6/28 which is now showing "sold out" I checked and the flight is noted as a MAX8 plane.
> Do I need to re-book flight or will sWA just be switching that flight to a different model plane and I don't need to do anything??



Right now, SW is only extending the super flexible booking options to flights scheduled from now to the end of this month (can't recall the exact date). Anything beyond that it makes sense to just wait and see what they do. Our Max8 flight is scheduled on May 21. I'm guessing they're hoping to have airplanes switched around enough to be able to keep these affected flights on track.


----------



## DisArmyWife215

SouthFayetteFan said:


> SW has only 34 Max8 planes and they account for less than 5% of their daily flights. I would expect a very minimal (if any) impact on the flight schedule.


I just had to change our outgoing to Orlando. Our return wasn't affected.  My original flight was listed as unavailable, not sold out as others are seeing.  I highly recommend anyone using SW in next few weeks to check.  I didn't get an email or anything from them.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

DisArmyWife215 said:


> I just had to change our outgoing to Orlando. Our return wasn't affected.  My original flight was listed as unavailable, not sold out as others are seeing.  I highly recommend anyone using SW in next few weeks to check.  I didn't get an email or anything from them.


I know you were just posting this as a general warning but my comment was specific to the question of the flight schedule release on Monday for travel from Oct 2, 2019 thru Nov 2, 2019.  I don’t believe this issue will have an impact on that schedule.


----------



## DisArmyWife215

SouthFayetteFan said:


> I know you were just posting this as a general warning but my comment was specific to the question of the flight schedule release on Monday for travel from Oct 2, 2019 thru Nov 2, 2019.  I don’t believe this issue will have an impact on that schedule.


Can you tell I'm flustered and not really reading?? Had to change flight, rental car and fastpasses.  

I'd sure hope it wouldn't impact anything that far out!


----------



## jsanders82

I think a lot of these grounded flights are affecting Dallas Love Field. It’s their hub. 

We fly out Saturday at 6am and thankfully we are on a 787-700 plane. Unfortunately, there are 9 grounded flights that day to Orlando. With only about 34 planes in the fleet, 9 were being used that day. 

My husbands boss is flying out to Cali from Dallas Love and his flight is also grounded. I know other areas use these flights but Dallas has quite a few.


----------



## shoreward

It was mentioned by an FAA official, this morning, that there are hopes for a software fix for the 737 MAX by the end of March, at which time, the updates can be processed.

So, unless something else arises, I can't see the grounding lasting very long.


----------



## DLgal

I gues the next question is, if you are scheduled on a Max 8 after March 31, are you going to change to a different flight or airline on your own? I'm not sure I am comfortable with a "software fix" until the full investigations into these two planes are completed, and we know for SURE that the plane wasn't faulty. 

I am almost ready to cancel my SW flights altogether and book on Delta instead.


----------



## Janed

Just checked the SW flight schedule page.  "We are currently accepting air reservations through October 1 , 2019. On March 15, 2019 we will open our schedule for sale through November 2, 2019. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently."  Guess I'm getting up early again tomorrow.


----------



## georgina

Janed said:


> Just checked the SW flight schedule page.  "We are currently accepting air reservations through October 1 , 2019. On March 15, 2019 we will open our schedule for sale through November 2, 2019. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently."  Guess I'm getting up early again tomorrow.



Seriously? SW get your act together!!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*SOUTHWEST CHANGES RELEASE DATE AGAIN - flight release TOMORROW!*
They've updated again now to say releasing tomorrow (FRIDAY) 3/15.

https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/
https://www.southwest.com/html/travel-tools/index.html

Both of those sites show that date now.  The little popup by the search screen says 3/18 but I'd assume it's now wrong...

*EDIT:* Didn't realize this was already posted but I'll leave this here in bold so people take notice.


----------



## SinCityMMAFan

Iowamomof4 said:


> Right now, SW is only extending the super flexible booking options to flights scheduled from now to the end of this month (can't recall the exact date). Anything beyond that it makes sense to just wait and see what they do.* Our Max8 flight is scheduled on May 21. I'm guessing they're hoping to have airplanes switched around enough to be able to keep these affected flights on track.*



I was scheduled to be on a Max8 flight on May 18th leaving MCO heading back to LAS.  I just checked today and they have indeed changed the aircraft to a Boeing 737-800.


----------



## Iowamomof4

SinCityMMAFan said:


> I was scheduled to be on a Max8 flight on May 18th leaving MCO heading back to LAS.  I just checked today and they have indeed changed the aircraft to a Boeing 737-800.



Your message inspired me to check our flight and it has now changed to a 737-800 as well! I know earlier today it was still showing a Max8.


----------



## SinCityMMAFan

Yes when I checked yesterday it was showing a Max8 plane I was tempted to change my flight to a similar flight but instead of non-stop it would make 1 stop in either Dallas or Nashville but I'm happy to see they have changed the aircraft and the flight will go on as expected.


----------



## Lsdolphin

DLgal said:


> I gues the next question is, if you are scheduled on a Max 8 after March 31, are you going to change to a different flight or airline on your own? I'm not sure I am comfortable with a "software fix" until the full investigations into these two planes are completed, and we know for SURE that the plane wasn't faulty.
> 
> I am almost ready to cancel my SW flights altogether and book on Delta instead.




So I decided to be proactive on this one....our trip is not til June but the outbound flight from BWI to MCO does show up as via the MAX8 so I did change our flight to  one an hour later with a different plane.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

They have a lot going on right now. Opening the schedule tomorrow, will make phone hold times longer. Might not be the smartest idea.


----------



## DLgal

Iowamomof4 said:


> Your message inspired me to check our flight and it has now changed to a 737-800 as well! I know earlier today it was still showing a Max8.



Just checked and mine was switched to a 737-800 as well. Whew!


----------



## AlohaNow

So I got my CP today so I went in to add DH to our existing June itinerary. Our flights show as 'sold out' across the board. I double checked the aircraft through flightview.com and saw that both ways are on the Max8. Soooo, I guess I wait for an aircraft update before I can add in DH as my companion. I can't imagine how crazy it is at SW right now making all these changes! This thread also prompted me to check our flights for spring break next week. It appears that we are good on aircraft for those!

And, like so many others, I've been waiting to make October reservations as well. When you go into the schedule page the new release date says 3/15. But when you click the little blue 'i' for information on the 'Book a Flight' page the little blurb that pops up still says 3/18. Only time will tell when the actual release will be! I guess I would be annoyed if I paid a lot of money to SW, but since they give me all my flights for free, I can't complain about this wackiness!


----------



## irt9206

DLgal said:


> Just checked and mine was switched to a 737-800 as well. Whew!


Mine was changed as well but it's still showing no tickets available.


----------



## captaindavidhook

DLgal said:


> No. All the Max planes have MAX, followed by a number: Max8, Max9, Max10.
> 
> 737 followed by just a number is a different plane, with different engines, and different software.


Thank goodness. I am scheduled to be on a 737-700, now I am relived a little. Thanks!


----------



## shoreward

Schedule now open thru Nov. 2.  



> We are currently accepting air reservations through November 2, 2019. On May 23, 2019 we will open our schedule for sale through January 5, 2020. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


----------



## Sherrkel

Ugh, yesterday morning when I went to book for Oct, they said the opening was delayed until March 18th! I'm glad I checked this morning, but I already see SOLD OUT on Wanna get away fares. Come on SW, you're not making me feel the love today!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*FYI - Southwest extended their schedule this morning for flights through November 2nd, 2019.*

Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment:

*NEXT RELEASE: 5/23/19 - travel through January 5th, 2020*
3/15/19 - travel through November 2nd, 2019
1/31/19 - travel through October 1st, 2019
11/15/18 - travel through August 5th, 2019
9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019
8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
*This chart could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above).*


----------



## a1tinkfans

shoreward said:


> Schedule now open thru Nov. 2.




Thx!


----------



## jenseib

DLgal said:


> Just checked and mine was switched to a 737-800 as well. Whew!




I fly Sunday and 1 flight was a Max 8. Yay for today! I see 800 now listed. I have been on pins and needles to see if we were going to have to drive several hours to another airport if we were cancelled and had to switch.



irt9206 said:


> Mine was changed as well but it's still showing no tickets available.



When are you flying?  Mine actually showed sold out before they grounded Max8.


----------



## elgerber

Sherrkel said:


> Ugh, yesterday morning when I went to book for Oct, they said the opening was delayed until March 18th! I'm glad I checked this morning, but I already see SOLD OUT on Wanna get away fares. Come on SW, you're not making me feel the love today!


Not only sold out fares, but really high fares, at least for me!


----------



## Iowamomof4

My May flight that was changed from a Max8 to a 737-800 is also still showing sold out. I know there were still seats available before this all happened.

Also, flight prices that were released today are horrible! I'm glad I'm not trying to go anywhere in October!


----------



## PSUGuy

FWIW this morning, 3/15, I got the outbound leg from PHL to MCO for about what I paid the previous 2 Oct trips, 2017 & 2018 and the time I wanted, 6:10 to 8:35, nonstop on 10/28.

Bill From PA


----------



## thesandra19

Did anyone buy tickets for October when the new flights went up this morning? I purchased my flight to MCO (pricier than expected but still affordable) but my return date is Sunday, November 3rd so I have to wait for the next batch to be released. I'm a little (A LOT!!) concerned at the prices I've seen for Sunday flights leaving MCO. They're like double the price of my first flight! YIKES.


----------



## Daisybell911

There is no way I am paying the prices they want for r/t to Baltimore.  I'll keep checking today and tomorrow, otherwise, I'm flying spirit.


----------



## AlohaNow

thesandra19 said:


> Did anyone buy tickets for October when the new flights went up this morning?



Yes. I worked everything out and booked into MCO and out of FLL. There was a single non-stop that would get us there in time for MNSSHP that night. I was pleasantly surprised at the low points for getting to MCO. That made up for the non-stop out of FLL, but we knew there would only be one that worked for us and that it would be at a premium. I paid for one seat, that will result in a $75 credit back to my Priority card, booked two more on points, and added one seat on my shiny brand new CP. Boy it was fun to hit that 'add my companion' button! We were locked into our dates because of fall break and our already booked cruise and we got exactly what we wanted! I'll keep watching, as I have a feeling the FLL flight may fall and hopefully we can get some points back. I have never booked on opening day before.


----------



## phins_jazy

we booked this morning.  flights were $75 cheaper than American.  For 8 tickets it adds up quick. only down side is a crappy return time of 7am on saturday


----------



## thesandra19

AlohaNow said:


> There was a single non-stop that would get us there in time for MNSSHP that night.


I'm going to MNSSHP that night as well! My first ever! I can't wait!


----------



## AlohaNow

thesandra19 said:


> I'm going to MNSSHP that night as well! My first ever! I can't wait!



Our first ever too! I bought the party tickets moments after I booked the flights! We can't wait!


----------



## DLgal

irt9206 said:


> Mine was changed as well but it's still showing no tickets available.



Mine also shows Sold Out. I wonder what that means. I hope they actually cancel it, because I'd rather have the option of a more direct flight. I booked that one because it was the cheapest (in points) and the one I want was twice as much. Maybe they will let us change flights with no upcharge.


----------



## chicagoshannon

thesandra19 said:


> Did anyone buy tickets for October when the new flights went up this morning? I purchased my flight to MCO (pricier than expected but still affordable) but my return date is Sunday, November 3rd so I have to wait for the next batch to be released. I'm a little (A LOT!!) concerned at the prices I've seen for Sunday flights leaving MCO. They're like double the price of my first flight! YIKES.


I didn't.  We need the same return day.  At this point we're just gonna suck it up and drive.  If a better price comes along we'll fly.


----------



## CouponGirl

I am confused about travel vouchers... is the year from when you purchased the tickets or date you cancelled the flight? I thought they had a section on the website explaining it, but can no longer find it.


----------



## chicagoshannon

CouponGirl said:


> I am confused about travel vouchers... is the year from when you purchased the tickets or date you cancelled the flight? I thought they had a section on the website explaining it, but can no longer find it.


I believe it's original purchase date.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

CouponGirl said:


> I am confused about travel vouchers... is the year from when you purchased the tickets or date you cancelled the flight? I thought they had a section on the website explaining it, but can no longer find it.



Original purchase date. 

BUT

I just bought a flight for June using credit. That new flight now has same expiration date as my credit expiration so plan accordingly.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Fares that were sold out, in my market, across the board are now available to purchase. I agree, prices for opening day are high.


----------



## Livelovedance

A flight I was looking at this morning showed up as completely sold out (all fares), so I booked a different one. I looked this evening and all fares for the first flight were available! It wasn't allowing me to change it online (I kept getting an error message) so I called in.

I definitely agree that the prices were very high today!


----------



## Cinderumbrella

I’m assuming the sold out flights either weren’t loaded yet or related to Max 8 rescheduling (just in case).


----------



## CouponGirl

Cinderumbrella said:


> Original purchase date.
> 
> BUT
> 
> I just bought a flight for June using credit. That new flight now has same expiration date as my credit expiration so plan accordingly.


Meaning that the expiration date for the credit doesn’t change when you book a new flight or even new funds will have the expiration date of the original flight if you cancel?


----------



## Cinderumbrella

CouponGirl said:


> Meaning that the expiration date for the credit doesn’t change when you book a new flight or even new funds will have the expiration date of the original flight if you cancel?



My new flight now has the old expiration.

I bought my tickets 8/30/18. I got credit in January, that expires 8/30/19.

I booked a June flight today (3/15/19) using that credit. If I get credit from this new flight it will still expire 8/30/19, not 3/15/20.


----------



## 4fordisneyworld

My flight in May was changed from a Max 8 and there are still seats for sale. Hopefully this is a good sign that everyone with flights after March 31st will be okay!


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Cinderumbrella said:


> My new flight now has the old expiration.
> 
> I bought my tickets 8/30/18. I got credit in January, that expires 8/30/19.
> 
> I booked a June flight today (3/15/19) using that credit. If I get credit from this new flight it will still expire 8/30/19, not 3/15/20.



That is correct.


----------



## AlohaNow

AlohaNow said:


> This thread also prompted me to check our flights for spring break next week. It appears that we are good on aircraft for those!



I spoke too soon. Our outbound to PHL for Tuesday was just cancelled this morning. Man, you have to act fast if that happens! I was able to rebook us on a flight out the next day, so we lose a day there. We're just going to visit family, but still. We'll change planes in Nashville, and we haven't changed planes in years! So, so spoiled. Seats still show as available for our Saturday return flight, but I wonder if they are doing 'rolling' cancellations and we'll find out three days before that our return flight is cancelled. Only time will tell. I'm kind of old, and I have never had any real travel issues until today! And this after I felt like I've spent the past three days on SW's website because of the whole October opening!


----------



## CouponGirl

Cinderumbrella said:


> My new flight now has the old expiration.
> 
> I bought my tickets 8/30/18. I got credit in January, that expires 8/30/19.
> 
> I booked a June flight today (3/15/19) using that credit. If I get credit from this new flight it will still expire 8/30/19, not 3/15/20.


Thanks for explaining!


----------



## MacDalt

I just checked my flights the other day. My departing flight was a 737-700 and my returning flight was a 737-800.  I went to look at something today and my returning flight is gone. My account ONLY shows my departing flight. My returning flight isn’t even showing up as a choice to purchase. I’ve checked the app and the website. Any ideas about this?  Can anyone else see it?  Maybe it’s a glitch. Orlando to Indianapolis July 25 9:30 pm #0373


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

MacDalt said:


> I just checked my flights the other day. My departing flight was a 737-700 and my returning flight was a 737-800.  I went to look at something today and my returning flight is gone. My account ONLY shows my departing flight. My returning flight isn’t even showing up as a choice to purchase. I’ve checked the app and the website. Any ideas about this?  Can anyone else see it?  Maybe it’s a glitch. Orlando to Indianapolis July 25 9:30 pm #0373


When did you book your flights?

What I'm seeing is the last flight out is 7:35pm that day.

I really haven't experienced SWA getting rid of flights once they've been released but with the MAX issue I guess it's possible they've completely removed it. From what other people are reporting on this thread and other threads out there is the flight has just shown up as SOLD OUT when it's been related to the MAX issue. Perhaps something has changed though?


----------



## MacDalt

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> When did you book your flights?
> 
> What I'm seeing is the last flight out is 7:35pm that day.
> 
> I really haven't experienced SWA getting rid of flights once they've been released but with the MAX issue I guess it's possible they've completely removed it. From what other people are reporting on this thread and other threads out there is the flight has just shown up as SOLD OUT when it's been related to the MAX issue. Perhaps something has changed though?


That’s the last flight out that I’m seeing too.  I booked in January. I checked my confirmation email from when I booked and the flight at 9:30 is on there.  I’m not sure if I should wait to see if they reload it to my account or call to change to the 7:35 flight. I’ve received no notice of cancellation so I’m unsure of what I should do.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

MacDalt said:


> That’s the last flight out that I’m seeing too.  I booked in January. I checked my confirmation email from when I booked and the flight at 9:30 is on there.  I’m not sure if I should wait to see if they reload it to my account or call to change to the 7:35 flight. I’ve received no notice of cancellation so I’m unsure of what I should do.


I'd probably give them a call because my concern is that they've removed the flight entirely and if you waited too long that you'd lose out on seats on the flights showing presently. Maybe they'll be able to explain if they had to remove the flight completely which if they did my guess is the MAX issue.

It could be a glitch but honestly I've just not experienced that with SWA removing a flight like that once their flights are released other than mechanical or weather issues and that's an actual cancellation not a removal of the flight from the itinerary.

That bites that you didn't receive any notification on that though!


----------



## MacDalt

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I'd probably give them a call because my concern is that they've removed the flight entirely and if you waited too long that you'd lose out on seats on the flights showing presently. Maybe they'll be able to explain if they had to remove the flight completely which if they did my guess is the MAX issue.
> 
> It could be a glitch but honestly I've just not experienced that with SWA removing a flight like that once their flights are released other than mechanical or weather issues and that's an actual cancellation not a removal of the flight from the itinerary.
> 
> That bites that you didn't receive any notification on that though!


So i got an email from Southwest at 12:30 last night with my updated changes LOL!  They put us on that 7:35 flight.  I guess they just eliminated that later flight.  It was gone from the days before and after too so maybe they just got rid of it altogether.  Thanks for your help!  I apparently was just a little impatient!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

MacDalt said:


> So i got an email from Southwest at 12:30 last night with my updated changes LOL!  They put us on that 7:35 flight.  I guess they just eliminated that later flight.  It was gone from the days before and after too so maybe they just got rid of it altogether.  Thanks for your help!  I apparently was just a little impatient!


No problem! 

I wouldn't say you are impatient lol I'd be wondering myself what happened since I've never personally had SWA remove a flight like that. 

I'm so glad you were already put on that other flight though and that you got notification in the end from SWA


----------



## Lsdolphin

Schedule up to 11/2 has been open since a little after 5:00 am


----------



## js

Hi. I just saw this thread and hope someone has an answer. 

I was hoping to get a customer service email address other than what is used on their site. I used the Customer Service contact email on their site and not satisifed with the response. To make a long story short, my dh was on the SW flight No. 6, that was hit on the runway, and although he is not seeking additional compensation, he is not fully satisified withthe response from a question he asked. 

I dont have a twitter account and did think I may need to create one but hoped I could contact someone other than the general customer service email on their site before taking it to social media. 

Thank you.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Lsdolphin said:


> Schedule up to 11/2 has been open since a little after 5:00 am


 It opened Friday morning so has been open all weekend.


----------



## Avery&Todd

I know this is first world problems but DH and I booked a trip to the Sandals Bahamas resort for Oct 2020 - and I know flights aren't out for that time period now, but they are for our same dates this year.  I looked at flight times coming and going to see what the travel dates would look like and they seemed reasonable.

Now when I look for flights from RDU to Nassau in mid-October I see flights there but NO flights from Nassau to RDU on any Saturday.  And even stranger, after October there are NO departing flights out of Nassau to RDU...



I guess I don't have to panic quite yet since I have a year and a half but just wondering if they're stopping ALL flights out - and how do you have flights into an airport, but no flights OUT of an airport?


----------



## Lsdolphin

scrappinginontario said:


> It opened Friday morning so has been open all weekend.




That figures! I had been checking everyday then did not check on Friday or weekend!!!!  So I’ve obviously missed the lower fares. Now I’m canceling my Oct trip as I am most definitely not paying the prices now available from BWI to MCO!


----------



## shoreward

js said:


> Hi. I just saw this thread and hope someone has an answer.
> 
> I was hoping to get a customer service email address other than what is used on their site. I used the Customer Service contact email on their site and not satisifed with the response. To make a long story short, my dh was on the SW flight No. 6, that was hit on the runway, and although he is not seeking additional compensation, he is not fully satisified withthe response from a question he asked.
> 
> I dont have a twitter account and did think I may need to create one but hoped I could contact someone other than the general customer service email on their site before taking it to social media.
> 
> Thank you.


Here is the phone contact for Customer Relations, which is dedicated to resolving special issues:

855-234-4654

Otherwise, it may be worth your time to set up a Twitter account to get some immediate assistance/guidance.

The Customer Relations line may have a long wait, due to all of the recent issues, as well as it being Monday.


----------



## js

shoreward said:


> Here is the phone contact for Customer Relations, which is dedicated to resolving special issues:
> 
> 855-234-4654
> 
> Otherwise, it may be worth your time to set up a Twitter account to get some immediate assistance/guidance.
> 
> The Customer Relations line may have a long wait, due to all of the recent issues, as well as it being Monday.



Thank you.

For the Twitter account, after I create the account, do I find SW and then just repost my email I sent to them?
I didn't want to call since I just didn't want to get a random CS person. 

I will also not put too much personal information in the Twitter info. I send, is that correct too?
How will they contact me if I send the information through Twitter?

Thank you SO much!


----------



## elgerber

Lsdolphin said:


> That figures! I had been checking everyday then did not check on Friday or weekend!!!!  So I’ve obviously missed the lower fares. Now I’m canceling my Oct trip as I am most definitely not paying the prices now available from BWI to MCO!


I don't think you missed the lower fares, they were high right off the bat.  None of the ones I have been looking at have changed since Friday, they started high and stayed high.


----------



## Iowamomof4

js said:


> Thank you.
> 
> For the Twitter account, after I create the account, do I find SW and then just repost my email I sent to them?
> I didn't want to call since I just didn't want to get a random CS person.
> 
> I will also not put too much personal information in the Twitter info. I send, is that correct too?
> How will they contact me if I send the information through Twitter?
> 
> Thank you SO much!



I don't think I understand how calling reaches someone MORE random than using twitter or email. I would call in your dh's shoes.


----------



## shoreward

js said:


> Thank you.
> 
> For the Twitter account, after I create the account, do I find SW and then just repost my email I sent to them?
> I didn't want to call since I just didn't want to get a random CS person.
> 
> I will also not put too much personal information in the Twitter info. I send, is that correct too?
> How will they contact me if I send the information through Twitter?
> 
> Thank you SO much!


Set up your account (you can give yourself an alias name for your Twitter handle, even use a longer variation of your DIS name). Then go to www.twitter.com/southwestair.  Make sure that you are logged in to your Twitter account and "Follow" Southwest on Twitter.  Then post a general message about your concern.
You will shortly see a reply, probably asking you to send them a direct (private) message - they may provide a link.  Otherwise, you should see a place on the page to DM them.  Have the original confirmation number available for them to look it up.


----------



## emsstacey

My March 31 is now showing that I can change it but it is also still showing available to book? I don't want to change it unless I have to?!  Anyone else have this happen?


----------



## CouponGirl

Avery&Todd said:


> I know this is first world problems but DH and I booked a trip to the Sandals Bahamas resort for Oct 2020 - and I know flights aren't out for that time period now, but they are for our same dates this year.  I looked at flight times coming and going to see what the travel dates would look like and they seemed reasonable.
> 
> Now when I look for flights from RDU to Nassau in mid-October I see flights there but NO flights from Nassau to RDU on any Saturday.  And even stranger, after October there are NO departing flights out of Nassau to RDU...
> 
> 
> 
> I guess I don't have to panic quite yet since I have a year and a half but just wondering if they're stopping ALL flights out - and how do you have flights into an airport, but no flights OUT of an airport?


They currently only have flights open (for everywhere - unless international is different?) through November 2nd, which is why you aren’t seeing anything available past October.


----------



## CouponGirl

Are toddlers required to have a car seat when flying southwest? I see that they recommend having a seat for infants instead of doing a lap seat, but can’t tell what the policy is for toddlers.


----------



## js

shoreward said:


> Set up your account (you can give yourself an alias name for your Twitter handle, even use a longer variation of your DIS name). Then go to www.twitter.com/southwestair.  Make sure that you are logged in to your Twitter account and "Follow" Southwest on Twitter.  Then post a general message about your concern.
> You will shortly see a reply, probably asking you to send them a direct (private) message - they may provide a link.  Otherwise, you should see a place on the page to DM them.  Have the original confirmation number available for them to look it up.



Thank you very much for the instructions. I appreciate it.


----------



## scrappinginontario

CouponGirl said:


> Are toddlers required to have a car seat when flying southwest? I see that they recommend having a seat for infants instead of doing a lap seat, but can’t tell what the policy is for toddlers.


  Not required by Southwest.  That is all I will say as this is a very controversial topic.


----------



## CouponGirl

scrappinginontario said:


> Not required by Southwest.  That is all I will say as this is a very controversial topic.


Thanks. I can see how the topic could quickly become controversial.  

I’d love if someone would PM me their personal experiences flying with toddlers, whether or not they used a car seat, if they used a car seat - how they determined if theirs would work on the plane - or if they used some other type of child restraint made for airplanes.


----------



## Letsbgoofy

How do you find out when SW is going to open the next set of dates?  We are traveling mid November.


----------



## shoreward

Letsbgoofy said:


> How do you find out when SW is going to open the next set of dates?  We are traveling mid November.



“We are currently accepting air reservations through November 2, 2019. On May 23, 2019 we will open our schedule for sale through January 5, 2020. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.”


----------



## Lori74

Letsbgoofy said:


> How do you find out when SW is going to open the next set of dates?  We are traveling mid November.


Go to southwest page.  Go to the bottom and under the Flying Southwest section click on flight schedules.  This will tell you, and make sure to check regularly.  This last release the date changed from opening Monday to last Friday.


----------



## G-jamamama

I have a question about using points. I will be booking in May for our November trip. I’m not sure if I have enough points for round trip fare for four of us out of Albuquerque. Can I pay with points and cash? What are my options? Thanks!


----------



## shoreward

G-jamamama said:


> I have a question about using points. I will be booking in May for our November trip. I’m not sure if I have enough points for round trip fare for four of us out of Albuquerque. Can I pay with points and cash? What are my options? Thanks!


You can use points for one flight and cash for the other.  If you only will be slightly short of points, they can be purchased, but they are not a good value. Since you have a couple of months before booking, other options include signing up for the Chase Southwest VISA credit card, as well as earning points thru the Southwest shopping portal or thru Southwest partners when booking rental cars or hotels thru Southwest’s site.

https://www.southwest.com/rapidrewards/how-to-earn?clk=GSUBNAV-RR-EARN


----------



## G-jamamama

shoreward said:


> You can use points for one flight and cash for the other.  If you only will be slightly short of points, they can be purchased, but they are not a good value. Since you have a couple of months before booking, other options include signing up for the Chase Southwest VISA credit card, as well as earning points thru the Southwest shopping portal or thru Southwest partners when booking rental cars or hotels thru Southwest’s site.




Thank you! I do have the SW Visa. I’ll have to check out the shopping portal.

If I have enough points for all of our flights out and then for only one or two to fly back, can I pay in both cash and points in one transaction? I don’t know why I’m worrying about this, it probably isn’t as complicated as it feels to me right now.

Also, sometimes I get emails to buy points on sale, is that a good deal?


----------



## shoreward

G-jamamama said:


> Thank you! I do have the SW Visa. I’ll have to check out the shopping portal.
> 
> If I have enough points for all of our flights out and then for only one or two to fly back, can I pay in both cash and points in one transaction? I don’t know why I’m worrying about this, it probably isn’t as complicated as it feels to me right now.
> 
> Also, sometimes I get emails to buy points on sale, is that a good deal?


You can’t combine tickets purchased with cash with tickets purchased with points under a single confirmation number.  They must be two separate transactions.

Points purchased are not usually a good deal, unless you just need to top off your account.  Make sure you are signed up to receive Southwest emails with special offers.  You can usually purchase Southwest gift cards at a discount, which would help a bit on the cash portion.  Unfortunately, you can’t use SW gift cards to purchase points.
There was recently a 30% bonus on RR points purchase, so watch for similar offers, if you prefer buying tix with points.  Again, it is not the best value, plus you won’t earn any points for the flight.

Also, remember to check for lower fare available for perhaps one or two, but not all of your party.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Letsbgoofy said:


> How do you find out when SW is going to open the next set of dates?  We are traveling mid November.


I post this chart after every single release.  If you ever want to find it just do a search on this thread for the word *RELEASE* with my username 

It will help you approximate when your dates may come available.  Then just regularly check these pages to see officially what Southwest has announced:

https://www.southwest.com/html/travel-tools/index.html
https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/



SouthFayetteFan said:


> *FYI - Southwest extended their schedule this morning for flights through November 2nd, 2019.*
> 
> Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment:
> 
> *NEXT RELEASE: 5/23/19 - travel through January 5, 2020*
> 3/15/19 - travel through November 2nd, 2019
> 1/31/19 - travel through October 1st, 2019
> 11/15/18 - travel through August 5th, 2019
> 9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019
> 8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
> 6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
> 5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
> 3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
> 2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
> 11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
> 8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
> 7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
> 6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
> 5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
> *The next release may be of particular interest since it covers the holiday season!
> 
> This chart could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above).


----------



## Letsbgoofy

shoreward said:


> “We are currently accepting air reservations through November 2, 2019. On May 23, 2019 we will open our schedule for sale through January 5, 2020. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.”



I looked for 15 minutes and couldn't find that!  Thank you


----------



## Avery&Todd

CouponGirl said:


> They currently only have flights open (for everywhere - unless international is different?) through November 2nd, which is why you aren’t seeing anything available past October.



Right, but where they were flights out of Nassau on Saturdays in October, there are none, it just says "unavailable" when you look at the low-fair calendar, and for the first Saturday in November it shows "unavailable" as well..it's like they are no longer flying out of Nassau on Saturdays - even though you can fly into Nassau on Saturday..


----------



## scrappinginontario

Avery&Todd said:


> Right, but where they were flights out of Nassau on Saturdays in October, there are none, it just says "unavailable" when you look at the low-fair calendar, and for the first Saturday in November it shows "unavailable" as well..it's like they are no longer flying out of Nassau on Saturdays - even though you can fly into Nassau on Saturday..


 I would call SW.  I don’t think anyone here can answer those questions.


----------



## js

Does anyone on here every sell their LUV Vouchers? If so, where do you do this that you have had success.
Thank you.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Avery&Todd said:


> Right, but where they were flights out of Nassau on Saturdays in October, there are none, it just says "unavailable" when you look at the low-fair calendar, and for the first Saturday in November it shows "unavailable" as well..it's like they are no longer flying out of Nassau on Saturdays - even though you can fly into Nassau on Saturday..


If it's operating like anything else it means they aren't flying from Nassau to RDU on Saturdays. They fly that route every day of the month in October but Saturdays.

My guess is connections no longer work on Saturdays along with a seasonal shift in flight times/routes.

Take a look at the LOW FARE CALENDAR prior to your October dates and you will notice that there are seasonal routes from Nassau to RDU.

March you're good
April you're good (except the last Saturday)
May you're good
June starting the 10th it doesn't fly home Monday-Friday and *only* flies on the weekend
July is the same exact story as June but it's the entire month it's that way of not flying M-F and *only* flies on the weekend
August starts back up a normal schedule starting Tuesday the 6th and is available again 7 days a week (except the last weekend of the month)
September you're good (except the 1st of the month)
October they stop flying on Saturdays but fly the rest of the week

It's seasonal route adjustments along with connection time adjustments. Flying to a place doesn't have any bearing on flying back to your home destination.

Now November 2nd is a Saturday and presently November 2nd is the last day you can book right now. When the next release opens up and you can see more months I would check again to see if Saturdays, well actually if any one specific day of the week, is Unavailable in November and beyond and I'm going to guess it's because they can't make the connections work and/or they switched into a new seasonal flight time/route.

Your short answer if you're still wanting to book with SWA for your trip is to come home on a different day of the week other than Saturday.

BTW this isn't a SWA only issue. We've experienced it elsewhere too.

ETA: Your trip isn't until 2020 BUT I would expect seasonal routes/connection differences to continue unless SWA announces otherwise for your desired destination and home airport. Just when those seasonal routes/connection differences fall (as in the days of the week and months they exist) can change.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> If it's operating like anything else it means they aren't flying from Nassau to RDU on Saturdays. They fly that route every day of the month in October but Saturdays.
> 
> My guess is connections no longer work on Saturdays along with a seasonal shift in flight times/routes.
> 
> Take a look at the LOW FARE CALENDAR prior to your October dates and you will notice that there are seasonal routes from Nassau to RDU.
> 
> March you're good
> April you're good (except the last Saturday)
> May you're good
> June starting the 10th it doesn't fly home Monday-Friday and *only* flies on the weekend
> July is the same exact story as June but it's the entire month it's that way of not flying M-F and *only* flies on the weekend
> August starts back up a normal schedule starting Tuesday the 6th and is available again 7 days a week (except the last weekend of the month)
> September you're good (except the 1st of the month)
> October they stop flying on Saturdays but fly the rest of the week
> 
> It's seasonal route adjustments along with connection time adjustments. Flying to a place doesn't have any bearing on flying back to your home destination.
> 
> Now November 2nd is a Saturday and presently November 2nd is the last day you can book right now. When the next release opens up and you can see more months I would check again to see if Saturdays, well actually if any one specific day of the week, is Unavailable in November and beyond and I'm going to guess it's because they can't make the connections work and/or they switched into a new seasonal flight time/route.
> 
> Your short answer if you're still wanting to book with SWA for your trip is to come home on a different day of the week other than Saturday.
> 
> BTW this isn't a SWA only issue. We've experienced it elsewhere too.
> 
> ETA: Your trip isn't until 2020 BUT I would expect seasonal routes/connection differences to continue unless SWA announces otherwise for your desired destination and home airport. Just when those seasonal routes/connection differences fall (as in the days of the week and months they exist) can change.



I totally get the seasonal flights not leaving from Nassau but I'm totally confused about is I am able to fly INTO Nassau on a Saturday, but I can't fly OUT of Nassau on a Saturday...which makes NO sense..

We'd be flying from RDU to NAS and vice versa...

I told DH that if they keep up that same schedule that we'd just need to stay another night and come back on Sunday!

HA!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Avery&Todd said:


> I totally get the seasonal flights not leaving from Nassau but I'm totally confused about is I am able to fly INTO Nassau on a Saturday, *but I can't fly OUT of Nassau on a Saturday...which makes NO sense..*
> 
> We'd be flying from RDU to NAS and vice versa...
> 
> I told DH that if they keep up that same schedule that we'd just need to stay another night and come back on Sunday!
> 
> HA!


It's all about how the airlines do flights.

For instance on Sunday October 6th the connections are BWI before you can go to RDU. If you put in BWI instead of RDU all your Saturdays become available. If you selected Friday October 4th the connection is FLL. If you input FLL your Saturdays also open up. SWA has determined that for different parts of the year to position their flight times to where they don't work to get home to your airport (RDU). 

To give another airline example if right now I wanted to go to St. Lucia (where I honeymooned at) with Delta I cannot fly back home Tuesdays or Wednesdays in September, for October I cannot fly back home on Tuesdays.

Even with flights that don't require stops (meaning they are non-stop flights) it's common for airlines to do seasonal routes for some of their destinations. 

I know it's frustrating though. It's happened to me before.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> It's all about how the airlines do flights.
> 
> For instance on Sunday October 6th the connections are BWI before you can go to RDU. If you put in BWI instead of RDU all your Saturdays become available. If you selected Friday October 4th the connection is FLL. If you input FLL your Saturdays also open up. SWA has determined that for different parts of the year to position their flight times to where they don't work to get home to your airport (RDU).
> 
> To give another airline example if right now I wanted to go to St. Lucia (where I honeymooned at) with Delta I cannot fly back home Tuesdays or Wednesdays in September, for October I cannot fly back home on Tuesdays.
> 
> Even with flights that don't require stops (meaning they are non-stop flights) it's common for airlines to do seasonal routes for some of their destinations.
> 
> I know it's frustrating though. It's happened to me before.


oh, and here is something weird - I can actually piece meal together a flight home!! I can fly out on that Saturday from Nassau to FLL, and then from FLL to RDU....as 2 separate flights..

strange, but at least I know I can make it work!

Thanks!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Avery&Todd said:


> oh, and here is something weird - I can actually piece meal together a flight home!! I can fly out on that *Saturday from Nassau to FLL, and then from FLL to RDU....as 2 separate flights..*
> 
> strange, but at least I know I can make it work!
> 
> Thanks!


Yes that can happen too. We looked at doing that for a different destination before settling on Jamaica for our trip last year. If it's still like that next year you may be able to call and see if you can connect the reservations together or if they are able to book it for you and do one reservation rather than two separate ones. While I've seen flights work out in timing to book separately to get home I've not done it myself personally so I don't know how it would work on calling them just offering up that as a suggestion.


----------



## Lucky'sMom

Companion Pass question:  While we are waiting to spend the dollar amount needed to get the pass- Can we book our summer flights now, and then cancel mine and add it as a companion to my husband's already booked flight once we get the pass?  The reason I want to do this is so that we can be sure and get the only direct flight that is offered on our travel days.  Thanks!


----------



## georgina

Lucky'sMom said:


> Companion Pass question:  While we are waiting to spend the dollar amount needed to get the pass- Can we book our summer flights now, and then cancel mine and add it as a companion to my husband's already booked flight once we get the pass?  The reason I want to do this is so that we can be sure and get the only direct flight that is offered on our travel days.  Thanks!



Sure you can, but unless you book yours with points you will have a travel credit from the cancellation. (Or I guess you could book the higher priced fully refundable fare for you.) You should definitely book his, you would be able to add a companion seat on the plane as long as any seat is available, even if the wanna get away fares are sold out, there just has to be an open seat. Are you concerned that the flight will totally sell out?


----------



## Lori74

fyi   i noticed for my airport prices dropped for oct and nov early this morning. i booked 3 reservations.  i watched the prices (and points) change 3 times in one hour.  i have a question. when i see my flight go lower in price/points, and i go to 'change' it so i can get some points back, is there a risk of while changing, the flight becoming sold out?  good luck to all and hope you see this in your area


----------



## Lucky'sMom

georgina said:


> Sure you can, but unless you book yours with points you will have a travel credit from the cancellation. (Or I guess you could book the higher priced fully refundable fare for you.) You should definitely book his, you would be able to add a companion seat on the plane as long as any seat is available, even if the wanna get away fares are sold out, there just has to be an open seat. Are you concerned that the flight will totally sell out?



Yes, I was a little bit concerned about that since there are only one, non-stop flights each way of our travel dates.  Thanks for your reply, I wasn't sure if I could add the companion flight at a later date than when the main flyer's flight is booked.


----------



## Fangorn

Lori74 said:


> fyi   i noticed for my airport prices dropped for oct and nov early this morning. i booked 3 reservations.  i watched the prices (and points) change 3 times in one hour.  i have a question. when i see my flight go lower in price/points, and i go to 'change' it so i can get some points back, is there a risk of while changing, the flight becoming sold out?  good luck to all and hope you see this in your area



Thank you for posting this. It prompted me to look. For our trip in September, there was one flight (and a reasonable one too) going down that was $89. We're talking Portland, OR to Orlando on a Saturday. Booked it! 

Steve


----------



## thesandra19

Yay! My late October flight dropped $20 per person so I “changed” my flight and rebooked the same flight for cheaper and now have $40 credit for my one way flight back.


----------



## chicagoshannon

Our would be flight dropped $60 which is awesome but the rest of my family doesn't want to book until we see the return flights (we're coming home on Nov 3).  UGH


----------



## Lori74

chicagoshannon said:


> Our would be flight dropped $60 which is awesome but the rest of my family doesn't want to book until we see the return flights (we're coming home on Nov 3).  UGH


yes we leave for vacation on nov 2 and coming back a week later. my parents didn't want to book one way, i said, 'suit yourself, but we're booking' it took us convincing them that there will be flights when we are ready to return. lol  got them booked


----------



## chicagoshannon

Lori74 said:


> yes we leave for vacation on nov 2 and coming back a week later. my parents didn't want to book one way, i said, 'suit yourself, but we're booking' it took us convincing them that there will be flights when we are ready to return. lol  got them booked


I wish we could do that but we all either fly together or drive together.  So us booking won't do any good if my parents decide the return flight is too high.  We'd end up having to cancel.  We're seeing them tomorrow do maybe I can convince them.


----------



## thesandra19

Meant to quote chicagoshannon.


----------



## Livelovedance

Lori74 said:


> fyi   i noticed for my airport prices dropped for oct and nov early this morning. i booked 3 reservations.  i watched the prices (and points) change 3 times in one hour.  i have a question. when i see my flight go lower in price/points, and i go to 'change' it so i can get some points back, is there a risk of while changing, the flight becoming sold out?  good luck to all and hope you see this in your area


Thank you for posting this! I was checking but started to slack off on it after awhile. I checked this morning after reading your post and found our prices dropped as well! I saved over 9,000 points today!


----------



## thesandra19

chicagoshannon said:


> Our would be flight dropped $60 which is awesome but the rest of my family doesn't want to book until we see the return flights (we're coming home on Nov 3).  UGH


Yeah, our return date is November 3rd as well. We are going to book that one way flight back when SW releases the next batch of flights. I'm hoping the prices will be affordable but at least we'll have the $40 credit from our flight to MCO.


----------



## huskies90

Question: Is there a way to apply 3 travel funds to a reservation? I am getting an error when I add the 3rd travel fund. It is actually 2 confirmation numbers but one of the confirmations I have rebooked twice and it shows up as two separate travel funds.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

huskies90 said:


> Question: Is there a way to apply 3 travel funds to a reservation? I am getting an error when I add the 3rd travel fund. It is actually 2 confirmation numbers but one of the confirmations I have rebooked twice and it shows up as two separate travel funds.


I believe you can do up to 4 (at least I thought you could).

Are all the travel funds still good? meaning they haven't expired yet


----------



## huskies90

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I believe you can do up to 4 (at least I thought you could).
> 
> Are all the travel funds still good? meaning they haven't expired yet


It is not allowing me to add 3. I can only add 2.  And yes, they are all good. Not expired.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

huskies90 said:


> Question: Is there a way to apply 3 travel funds to a reservation? I am getting an error when I add the 3rd travel fund. It is actually 2 confirmation numbers but one of the confirmations I have rebooked twice and it shows up as two separate travel funds.


You can use up to 3 total forms of payment. If your 3 credits don’t completely cover the cost then you can’t use them all.  A way around this would be to find an inexpensive flight to combine credits.  Then cancel and book the flight you want with then1 (or 2) remaining credit(s) and a credit card.  It can become a fairly complex process but if you’re creative and detailed enough you can achieve anything haha.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

SouthFayetteFan said:


> You can use up to 3 total forms of payment. If your 3 credits don’t completely cover the cost then you can’t use them all.  A way around this would be to find an inexpensive flight to combine credits.  Then cancel and book the flight you want with then1 (or 2) remaining credit(s) and a credit card.  It can become a fairly complex process but if you’re creative and detailed enough you can achieve anything haha.


I'm thinking they adjusted how many methods of payment you could use when they did that big software system update back in 2017.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

huskies90 said:


> It is not allowing me to add 3. I can only add 2.  And yes, they are all good. Not expired.


I think the PP is right it's now only 3 methods of payment so if your travel funds don't cover the cost of your flight and you're making up the difference with a different method of payment that's likely why the system isn't allowing you to add that 3rd one.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I'm thinking they adjusted how many methods of payment you could use when they did that big software system update back in 2017.


Yes - that is correct. It was an unfortunate change for those who reprice flights often.


----------



## jerseygal

May 23rd is the release date of Nov and Dec fares?? Jet Blue just released theirs early morning I believe. It is difficult if you want to travel during the Holidays and have to "gamble" that SW will be lower. Oh, what to do! Wish SW would release fares earlier than that!


----------



## huskies90

Have any of you booked a one way / one stop flight to destination B that connects through destination A and then not get on the connecting flight because destination A was your actual destination?

Southwest flights direct to Chicago (destination A) are expensive but flights to other cities that connect through Chicago are much cheaper.

It is a one way flight (we are driving back) and there will be no checked bags.


----------



## chicagoshannon

huskies90 said:


> Having any of you booked a one way / one stop flight to destination B that connects through destination A and then not get on the connecting flight because destination A was your actual destination?
> 
> Southwest flights direct to Chicago (destination A) are expensive but flights to other cities that connect through Chicago are much cheaper.
> 
> It is a one way flight (we are driving back) and there will be no checked bags.


Haven't done it since 911. But in the past it was fine.  Maybe call the airline and ask.


----------



## shoreward

huskies90 said:


> Have any of you booked a one way / one stop flight to destination B that connects through destination A and then not get on the connecting flight because destination A was your actual destination?
> 
> Southwest flights direct to Chicago (destination A) are expensive but flights to other cities that connect through Chicago are much cheaper.
> 
> It is a one way flight (we are driving back) and there will be no checked bags.


It's called Hidden City Ticketing.  Most airlines now have rules against it, though, like many questionable practices, I don't believe that Southwest has any.

However, if you do not want to fly the continuing or connecting flight to your ticketed final destination, notify the agent at the gate of the next flight that you will not be boarding.  If you would normally earn points for the flight, don't count on any, unless you continue to the final destination of the booking.


----------



## shoreward

Due to the 737 Max 8 aircraft being grounded, Southwest is canceling about 3.25% of their flights, due to an aircraft shortage.  Canceled flights not only are those scheduled to be flown with a Max aircraft; some aircraft are being reassigned to flights that were to be flown with the Max.  Customers are very upset.  They are being told, in some instances, that their flight was canceled due to a "maintenance issue."

Some recent cancellations have been the day before date of travel.  Southwest now says that they will cancel with a five day notice.  Unfortunately, coming into peak travel season, there will be very few open seats, booking five days in advance.

With no end in sight, Southwest began ferrying the 737 Max 8 aircraft to the Mojave Desert on Saturday, to wait it out.

For those with upcoming Southwest flights, don't assume your flight will operate, since it was not scheduled with a 737 Max 8.  This is a very unfortunate situation, which is not Southwest's fault.


----------



## huskies90

shoreward said:


> It's called Hidden City Ticketing.  Most airlines now have rules against it, though, like many questionable practices, I don't believe that Southwest has any.
> 
> However, if you do not want to fly the continuing or connecting flight to your ticketed final destination, notify the agent at the gate of the next flight that you will not be boarding.  If you would normally earn points for the flight, don't count on any, unless you continue to the final destination of the booking.


Thanks. The trip would be booked with Travel Funds so not sure if I would be getting points anyway. The only drawback I can see if for some reason they changed the route or canceled the flight.


----------



## PolyAddict

Question

I have changed my flight once because we are flying back a day earlier.  I looked at it today and I can get a $20 bc price dropped.  Can I chose it as a price drop and get the credit?  Can I use the credit to add early bird?

Thanks


----------



## PolyAddict

shoreward said:


> Due to the 737 Max 8 aircraft being grounded, Southwest is canceling about 3.25% of their flights, due to an aircraft shortage.  Canceled flights not only are those scheduled to be flown with a Max aircraft; some aircraft are being reassigned to flights that were to be flown with the Max.  Customers are very upset.  They are being told, in some instances, that their flight was canceled due to a "maintenance issue."
> 
> Some recent cancellations have been the day before date of travel.  Southwest now says that they will cancel with a five day notice.  Unfortunately, coming into peak travel season, there will be very few open seats, booking five days in advance.
> 
> With no end in sight, Southwest began ferrying the 737 Max 8 aircraft to the Mojave Desert on Saturday, to wait it out.
> 
> For those with upcoming Southwest flights, don't assume your flight will operate, since it was not scheduled with a 737 Max 8.  This is a very unfortunate situation, which is not Southwest's fault.



We have a flight at the end of April.  Should I call and ask or would they not know right now?


----------



## mom2rtk

PolyAddict said:


> Question
> 
> I have changed my flight once because we are flying back a day earlier.  I looked at it today and I can get a $20 bc price dropped.  Can I chose it as a price drop and get the credit?  Can I use the credit to add early bird?
> 
> Thanks


You can rebook and get the credit. But for whatever reason, you can't use it to add EBCI.


----------



## emsstacey

I was supposed to fly out Sunday morning and just found out this morning that my flight was canceled.  I had almost no options for the same day and ended up changing to the day before and am now out additional hotel costs. 

What do I do about ME?  Can I still use the same tags?  I’ll be arriving 12 hours earlier?  Not sure if I need to call, or what.


----------



## shoreward

PolyAddict said:


> We have a flight at the end of April.  Should I call and ask or would they not know right now?


You can certainly try to be proactive and call.  They are supposed to notify people, but by the time you are notified, there may not be much choice available.  I honestly have not seen anywhere how far in advance they are modifying their schedules.

I can suggest that you check the model of aircraft being used for your flight.  You can do this by going on the website, as if you were booking a new reservation for your date and flight.  Click on the blue hyperlink flight number on the page of available flights.  A box will open, that will display the type of aircraft for the flight.  If it shows 737-700, there is less of a chance that your flight will be cancelled and used for a different flight; if it's a 737-800, there is a slight chance of cancellation, as the seating capacity is the same as on the grounded 737 Max 8 aircraft and a candidate for a swap of flights.



emsstacey said:


> I was supposed to fly out Sunday morning and just found out this morning that my flight was canceled.  I had almost no options for the same day and ended up changing to the day before and am now out additional hotel costs.
> 
> What do I do about ME?  Can I still use the same tags?  I’ll be arriving 12 hours earlier?  Not sure if I need to call, or what.


You are fine.  Just call them at (866) 599-0951 to advise them of your change.  I presume you have the same resort confirmation number.

At the worst case, you may need to not attach the yellow tags, but just hand the CM at ME check-in line your airline bag tags.  They will make sure your bags are collected and delivered to your resort.


----------



## Iowamomof4

emsstacey said:


> I was supposed to fly out Sunday morning and just found out this morning that my flight was canceled.  I had almost no options for the same day and ended up changing to the day before and am now out additional hotel costs.
> 
> What do I do about ME?  Can I still use the same tags?  I’ll be arriving 12 hours earlier?  Not sure if I need to call, or what.



WOW! That sucks! I'm so sorry this is happening to people and I REALLY hope things settle down by the time we have our trip in May.


----------



## AngieInOH

Our flight on April 14 showed up as completely sold out the other day.  Checked flight and it shows 737-800. Ugh only flight of the day with the 800.  Wondering if I should call to see if I can get it switched.  It looks like any flight with 800 is showing sold out.


----------



## thesandra19

AngieInOH said:


> Our flight on April 14 showed up as completely sold out the other day.  Checked flight and it shows 737-800. Ugh only flight of the day with the 800.  Wondering if I should call to see if I can get it switched.  It looks like any flight with 800 is showing sold out.



I believe an 737-800 flight does not mean it is a MAX 8 aircraft, if I recall correctly.


----------



## shoreward

AngieInOH said:


> Our flight on April 14 showed up as completely sold out the other day.  Checked flight and it shows 737-800. Ugh only flight of the day with the 800.  Wondering if I should call to see if I can get it switched.  It looks like any flight with 800 is showing sold out.


I think they are able to see 5-7 days ahead for possible cancellation.  Even if it's the 800 series (not Max 8), due to aircraft swap, there is a very slight chance of cancellation.  I'm sure that Southwest would be glad to check and give you whatever info is available.

Due to time of year, cancellations, and smaller fleet, many flights are "sold out."


----------



## DLgal

AngieInOH said:


> Our flight on April 14 showed up as completely sold out the other day.  Checked flight and it shows 737-800. Ugh only flight of the day with the 800.  Wondering if I should call to see if I can get it switched.  It looks like any flight with 800 is showing sold out.



My flight is on April 30 and was originally on a Max, but then switched to a 737-800. A few days ago, it was listed as "sold out" across the board, but as of today, it's bookable again. So, I'm pretty confident that it won't get cancelled.


----------



## GPC0321

(Empty) Southwest Boeing 737 Makes Emergency Landing in Orlando
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/26/sou...landing-at-orlando-international-airport.html

Seems its a MAX 8 that they were taking to store in California, but soon after taking off from MCO the crew detected engine trouble and had to turn right around and land again. Article says the issue is unrelated to the earlier problems with the two fatal crashes of the MAX 8's.


----------



## richmo

AngieInOH said:


> Our flight on April 14 showed up as completely sold out the other day.  Checked flight and it shows 737-800. Ugh only flight of the day with the 800.  Wondering if I should call to see if I can get it switched.  It looks like any flight with 800 is showing sold out.





thesandra19 said:


> I believe an 737-800 flight does not mean it is a MAX 8 aircraft, if I recall correctly.



I had been under that impression too, but my understanding is that a 737-800 is not a 737 MAX 8.  737-800's are still flying.

I also hear that Boeing has a software upgrade about ready to go that should address the issue, so hopefully the grounding will end sooner than later. I don't think the incident in Orlando last night is related as that was more an engine issue, so that shouldn't delay things further.


----------



## PolyAddict

Just tried to reprice my flight to get a $50 credit and I got an error code.  It just said cannot choose this flight at this time.  Flight is at the end of April and not on max 8  Has anyone experienced this before?

edit-i got it to work!


----------



## shoreward

PolyAddict said:


> Just tried to reprice my flight to get a $50 credit and I got an error code.  It just said cannot choose this flight at this time.  Flight is at the end of April and not on max 8  Has anyone experienced this before?


Yes, I had this problem and ended up tweeting @SouthwestAir.

I sent a DM regarding the problem, and they asked me to send screenshots of the page showing the available savings, as well as the page showing the error.  Make sure to provide the confirmation number, as well, with everything sent in a Private Message - do not publicly post this info.

They were able to refare and redeposit the saved points to my RR account.

I find tweeting this type of issue, rather than calling in, works much more quickly and with a good resolution to reasonable concerns.

https://twitter.com/SouthwestAir/with_replies


----------



## HannaLeAnn

I tried to scroll through the thread, but there are so many pages, so here it goes:

Family boarding vs. Early Bird

We will have two parents, two grandparents, and a two year old, and we would not like to be split up. Should we spend the $200 for early boarding or use family boarding?


----------



## FCDub

HannaLeAnn said:


> I tried to scroll through the thread, but there are so many pages, so here it goes:
> 
> Family boarding vs. Early Bird
> 
> We will have two parents, two grandparents, and a two year old, and we would not like to be split up. Should we spend the $200 for early boarding or use family boarding?



Welcome to the DIS!

The official line from Southwest is: "*An adult *traveling with a child six years old or younger may board during Family Boarding, which occurs after the 'A' group has boarded and before the 'B' group begins boarding."

Some travelers have reported being able to board with more than just a single adult. BUT, whether they will allow your entire party to board during family boarding is not a guarantee and hard to predict. You're likely to be able to find good seats together in the back of the plane without EBCI, but it's always helpful to prepare for the possibility of splitting up.


----------



## HannaLeAnn

FCDub said:


> Welcome to the DIS!
> 
> The official line from Southwest is: "*An adult *traveling with a child six years old or younger may board during Family Boarding, which occurs after the 'A' group has boarded and before the 'B' group begins boarding."
> 
> Some travelers have reported being able to board with more than just a single adult. BUT, whether they will allow your entire party to board during family boarding is not a guarantee and hard to predict. You're likely to be able to find good seats together in the back of the plane without EBCI, but it's always helpful to prepare for the possibility of splitting up.




If we paid for Early Boarding, is it guaranteed that we would be able to board together before the family boarding group or do they board first? Also, I don't understand the A and B groups.


----------



## FCDub

HannaLeAnn said:


> If we paid for Early Boarding, is it guaranteed that we would be able to board together before the family boarding group or do they board first? Also, I don't understand the A and B groups.



No, EBCI doesn't guarantee you an A boarding pass. It only means you'll be checked in 12 hours before non-EBCI people.

Here's how it works on Southwest:
- First medical pre-boarders board
- Then, A 1-15. These are Business Select fares, as well as people who have paid for upgraded boarding (which is different than EBCI). Sometimes there will only be a few boarders in this group.
- Next, A 16-60. There are 60 spots in the A group.  The earlier you check in, the earlier your assigned spot in line will be. This is where EBCI is handy, because you'll be automatically checked in 12 hours before non EBCI people. BUT, there's no limit to the amount of EBCI sold. So there could be 70 people who've purchased it, kicking some into the B group.
- FAMILY BOARDING
- B group. The next 60 people to check in.
- C group. The final 60 people to check in.


----------



## HannaLeAnn

FCDub said:


> No, EBCI doesn't guarantee you an A boarding pass. It only means you'll be checked in 12 hours before non-EBCI people.
> 
> Here's how it works on Southwest:
> - First medical pre-boarders board
> - Then, A 1-15. These are Business Select fares, as well as people who have paid for upgraded boarding (which is different than EBCI). Sometimes there will only be a few boarders in this group.
> - Next, A 16-60. There are 60 spots in the A group.  The earlier you check in, the earlier your assigned spot in line will be. This is where EBCI is handy, because you'll be automatically checked in 12 hours before non EBCI people. BUT, there's no limit to the amount of EBCI sold. So there could be 70 people who've purchased it, kicking some into the B group.
> - FAMILY BOARDING
> - B group. The next 60 people to check in.
> - C group. The final 60 people to check in.




Thank you!!! Would it be reasonable to say that if I were very committed to checking in exactly at the 24 hour mark, like I do for ADR and FP+, I would be good to get in the A group with Early Boarding purchased?


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

HannaLeAnn said:


> Thank you!!! Would it be reasonable to say that if I were very committed to checking in exactly at the 24 hour mark, like I do for ADR and FP+, I would be good to get in the A group with Early Boarding purchased?



If you purchase Early Bird Check In (EBCI) the system will automatically check you in at 36hours prior to your flight time (though you will still select the "Check In" button to get your Boarding Pass and to find out your Boarding position). That will not guarantee you an A Boarding.

If you don't purchase EBCI you will need to physically check in 24 hours prior to your flight time. That will not guarantee you an A Boarding.

There are 2 ways to guarantee you A Boarding:
1) Purchase Business Select fare which is Boarding Positions A1-A15-most expensive fare class
2) if available, purchase the Upgraded Boarding when at the gate--there is a fee to do this and is subject to availability to positions left within the A1-A15.


----------



## scrappinginontario

HannaLeAnn said:


> Thank you!!! Would it be reasonable to say that if I were very committed to checking in exactly at the 24 hour mark, like I do for ADR and FP+, I would be good to get in the A group with Early Boarding purchased?



*Question*:  Did you purchase a ticket for your 2 year old?  If so, you will need to purchase EBCI for all 5 of you, not just the adults if you all want to board at the same time.

If you would like to all board together, the best thing to do is either:
a) spend the $250 to purchase EBCI for all 5 of you and then board with the latest boarding pass number.  EBCI boarding passes are assigned basically in order that they are purchased.  The longer after the tickets go on sale that EBCI is purchased, basically the higher the boarding number will be.  
b) not spend the $250, check-in at 24 hours and still board with the latest board pass number

With a group of 5, even if you purchase EBCI there is a possibility that you could be assigned 1 or more boarding passes in Group A and the others in Group B.  (I've had this happen even when there are only 2 of us.  Once go A60 and the other B1)  When we were assigned A60 and B1 we waited and both boarded together with the B's.

We have purchased EBCI and been assigned A group and B group.  It really depends on how many purchase it.  There is no guarantee what group you will be assigned.  And, personal history after many SW flights is that I find the Orlando flights seem to have many people who purchase EBCI because families do not want to risk not being able to sit together.

It sounds more confusing than it really is.  It goes quite smoothly at the gate.


----------



## HannaLeAnn

scrappinginontario said:


> *Question*:  Did you purchase a ticket for your 2 year old?  If so, you will need to purchase EBCI for all 5 of you, not just the adults if you all want to board at the same time.
> 
> If you would like to all board together, the best thing to do is either:
> a) spend the $250 to purchase EBCI for all 5 of you and then board with the latest boarding pass number.  EBCI boarding passes are assigned basically in order that they are purchased.  The longer after the tickets go on sale that EBCI is purchased, basically the higher the boarding number will be.
> b) not spend the $250, check-in at 24 hours and still board with the latest board pass number
> 
> With a group of 5, even if you purchase EBCI there is a possibility that you could be assigned 1 or more boarding passes in Group A and the others in Group B.  (I've had this happen even when there are only 2 of us.  Once go A60 and the other B1)  When we were assigned A60 and B1 we waited and both boarded together with the B's.
> 
> We have purchased EBCI and been assigned A group and B group.  It really depends on how many purchase it.  There is no guarantee what group you will be assigned.  And, personal history after many SW flights is that I find the Orlando flights seem to have many people who purchase EBCI because families do not want to risk not being able to sit together.
> 
> It sounds more confusing than it really is.  It goes quite smoothly at the gate.



I did purchase a ticket for our son. I think I'm going to go ahead and pay for early boarding, and just see what happens. Thank you!


----------



## scrappinginontario

HannaLeAnn said:


> I did purchase a ticket for our son. I think I'm going to go ahead and pay for early boarding, and just see what happens. Thank you!


  When are you flying?


----------



## HannaLeAnn

scrappinginontario said:


> When are you flying?


 September 15-21


----------



## Livelovedance

PolyAddict said:


> Just tried to reprice my flight to get a $50 credit and I got an error code.  It just said cannot choose this flight at this time.  Flight is at the end of April and not on max 8  Has anyone experienced this before?
> 
> edit-i got it to work!





shoreward said:


> Yes, I had this problem and ended up tweeting @SouthwestAir.
> 
> I sent a DM regarding the problem, and they asked me to send screenshots of the page showing the available savings, as well as the page showing the error.  Make sure to provide the confirmation number, as well, with everything sent in a Private Message - do not publicly post this info.
> 
> They were able to refare and redeposit the saved points to my RR account.
> 
> I find tweeting this type of issue, rather than calling in, works much more quickly and with a good resolution to reasonable concerns.
> 
> https://twitter.com/SouthwestAir/with_replies



I know you already got it to work, but just figured I’d chime in with my experiences. I’ve had this happen to me twice since the last flight schedule release date. Both times I called in and they were able to make the change for me over the phone. The first time was a little nerve-wracking because the wait time was over a half an hour (the first day the flight schedules opened) so I left my phone number for them to call me back. The second time I got someone right away. I like the idea of getting it resolved via Twitter, but the phone call was very easy too. They just needed my confirmation number and the flight information I was “changing” to. For the first time ever I had prices drop and saved a lot of points!


----------



## scrappinginontario

HannaLeAnn said:


> September 15-21


  since you’re still 5 1/2 months from your flights, if it were me I would go ahead and purchase the EBCI.  If you were weeks away and could be online 24 hours in advance I might have not but at 5 1/2 months I would.


----------



## focusondisney

HannaLeAnn said:


> I did purchase a ticket for our son. I think I'm going to go ahead and pay for early boarding, and just see what happens. Thank you!



Just to make sure you know what you are paying for: it is not “early boarding”.  You are paying for SW to check you in automatically at the 36 hour mark. You get assigned a boarding number at that time.  The order they check you in depends on which fare category ticket you bought & when you added  the early bird check in.  Some posters have gotten B group even when purchasing EBCI. It often depends how many people purchased it before you. The earlier you purchase it, the better your number should be.  You then board in numeric order by groups as was posted above.

When you buy EBCI, you still go in & check yourself in. It does not matter when you do this. The boarding position number you were assigned at the 36 hour mark will not change based on when you do this. You check in so you can print your boarding pass. You can do this at home or after you get to the airport.  I do it at home to check our numbers & then print a boarding pass at the airport when I check in our bags.

As for family boarding, I have flown SW several times in the last year. For every flight, the gate agent has announced family boarding for families with children under 6 as immediate  families only. They have specifically said no grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins etc. So I would not count on the grandparents being allowed to board  with you if you use family boarding.


----------



## HannaLeAnn

We went ahead and purchased the EBCI. Now just praying we are all able to sit together! That's all we really want.


----------



## happ

I just got a text that my upcoming (next week) flight is cancelled! It's not one of the max planes either. I made reservations months ago and the flight has been showing as sold out for days. The strange thing is that it's not showing as canceled in my reservations online. How do you know if it is really canceled?


----------



## scrappinginontario

If the text came from SW I would believe that it is correct.  I would call them ASAP to find out what your options are.

If you don't mind, could you please share what you find out?  We fly 4 weeks from today and I'll admit to getting a bit concerned.

So far our flight is showing but the 2 after us are now showing as sold out.  I'm going to watch things closely.


----------



## emsstacey

Mine was canceled on Tuesday... when I searched, it was completely gone.  Mine was not a Max8, but evidently canceled to help with other grounded flights.  It was a huge inconvenience... my best advice is rebook asap.  I saw every available flight near it sell out in minutes after my email.


----------



## happ

scrappinginontario said:


> If the text came from SW I would believe that it is correct.  I would call them ASAP to find out what your options are.
> 
> If you don't mind, could you please share what you find out?  We fly 4 weeks from today and I'll admit to getting a bit concerned.
> 
> So far our flight is showing but the 2 after us are now showing as sold out.  I'm going to watch things closely.


It is canceled! I'm beyond frustrated. There is no more availability on any nonstop flights and very limited availability on the few flights left that day. I checked the airport that's farther away and it's the same situation. I was told that they reshuffled their inventory of planes (or something like that) due to the grounding of the max planes. So, even though my flight was not that type of plane it didn't matter because they chose to cancel the flight. My only feasible option is to go with a different airline. Of course, that is going to cost more than it should because my flight is so close.


----------



## happ

emsstacey said:


> Mine was canceled on Tuesday... when I searched, it was completely gone.  Mine was not a Max8, but evidently canceled to help with other grounded flights.  It was a huge inconvenience... my best advice is rebook asap.  I saw every available flight near it sell out in minutes after my email.


Unfortunately, there is nothing left that will work that day. I will have to pay more to fly another airline. I know that I'll get my points back, but I don't want a travel voucher for the taxes. Is there any way around that since they are the ones that canceled my flight?


----------



## firstwdw

We fly in 2.5 weeks on Southwest. We currently do not have travel insurance. One way was paid with points and the other way we used an old voucher and paid the rest in cash. Should we buy travel insurance and would SWA be covered if were unlucky and had flight cancellations due to the MAX 8?

There are other flights with layovers the same morning showing as completely sold out-which I kind of doubt so maybe those are the cancelled ones?


----------



## Livelovedance

happ said:


> Unfortunately, there is nothing left that will work that day. I will have to pay more to fly another airline. I know that I'll get my points back, but I don't want a travel voucher for the taxes. Is there any way around that since they are the ones that canceled my flight?


I’m so sorry to hear about what happened with your flight! I’ve never had a flight cancelled on me before, but I cancelled a flight myself last month that I had booked on points. The points were returned to my account and the $5.60 fee per ticket was refunded to my credit card. Hopefully someone else can chime in but I’d imagine that would happen for you as well.


----------



## Iowamomof4

scrappinginontario said:


> If the text came from SW I would believe that it is correct.  I would call them ASAP to find out what your options are.
> 
> If you don't mind, could you please share what you find out?  We fly 4 weeks from today and I'll admit to getting a bit concerned.
> 
> So far our flight is showing but the 2 after us are now showing as sold out.  I'm going to watch things closely.



I'm getting so concerned as well! We don't fly until May, but we're only 6 weeks away as of today and I'm just not happy to hear how SW is handling this. I can't believe they're waiting this late to cancel flights! Why not do it sooner so people have a better chance of getting a decent price and have time to figure out what to do? I'm envisioning them canceling our return flight while we're at Disney and then I end up having to spend part of my vacation time figuring out a solution. Yuck. I really feel for the passengers. Southwest's reputation has to be taking a nosedive (poor word choice, I suppose) in the midst of all of this, at least among those whose flights have been affected. 

To anyone who might know:
Is there a way to find out if we have a flight that is at risk? All of our flights are currently still for sale, but as I said before we're still 6 weeks away from our trip.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Iowamomof4 said:


> I'm getting so concerned as well! We don't fly until May, but we're only 6 weeks away as of today and I'm just not happy to hear how SW is handling this. I can't believe they're waiting this late to cancel flights! Why not do it sooner so people have a better chance of getting a decent price and have time to figure out what to do? I'm envisioning them canceling our return flight while we're at Disney and then I end up having to spend part of my vacation time figuring out a solution. Yuck. I really feel for the passengers. Southwest's reputation has to be taking a nosedive (poor word choice, I suppose) in the midst of all of this, at least among those whose flights have been affected.
> 
> To anyone who might know:
> Is there a way to find out if we have a flight that is at risk? All of our flights are currently still for sale, but as I said before we're still 6 weeks away from our trip.


@shoreward shared fantastic advice and on your exact question just 2 pages ago:


shoreward said:


> Due to the 737 Max 8 aircraft being grounded, Southwest is canceling about 3.25% of their flights, due to an aircraft shortage.  Canceled flights not only are those scheduled to be flown with a Max aircraft; some aircraft are being reassigned to flights that were to be flown with the Max.  Customers are very upset.  They are being told, in some instances, that their flight was canceled due to a "maintenance issue."
> 
> Some recent cancellations have been the day before date of travel.  Southwest now says that they will cancel with a five day notice.  Unfortunately, coming into peak travel season, there will be very few open seats, booking five days in advance.
> 
> With no end in sight, Southwest began ferrying the 737 Max 8 aircraft to the Mojave Desert on Saturday, to wait it out.
> 
> For those with upcoming Southwest flights, don't assume your flight will operate, since it was not scheduled with a 737 Max 8.  This is a very unfortunate situation, which is not Southwest's fault.





shoreward said:


> You can certainly try to be proactive and call.  They are supposed to notify people, but by the time you are notified, there may not be much choice available.  I honestly have not seen anywhere how far in advance they are modifying their schedules.
> 
> I can suggest that you check the model of aircraft being used for your flight.  You can do this by going on the website, as if you were booking a new reservation for your date and flight.  Click on the blue hyperlink flight number on the page of available flights.  A box will open, that will display the type of aircraft for the flight.  If it shows 737-700, there is less of a chance that your flight will be cancelled and used for a different flight; if it's a 737-800, there is a slight chance of cancellation, as the seating capacity is the same as on the grounded 737 Max 8 aircraft and a candidate for a swap of flights.


----------



## chicagoshannon

This morning I saw on the news that Southwest will not be using the Max planes through May.  So I looked at our flights and our flight back home is now showing as SOLD OUT.  UGH UGH UGH.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Our only flight segment that was at all affected was the first leg of our flight home, MCO>STL. It was originally scheduled on a Max 8 and is now scheduled on a 737-800. Every other flight we're on is supposed to be a 737-700. So, I guess we'll wait and see for now. They are still selling seats on that flight (May 21) as of today. What a mess.


----------



## emsstacey

Mine on a 737-800 is what was canceled even after I inquired about it. Mine with a 737-700 hasn’t been canceled. I read they are trying to give at least 5 days notice. Mine was exactly 5.


----------



## Fangorn

emsstacey said:


> Mine on a 737-800 is what was canceled even after I inquired about it. Mine with a 737-700 hasn’t been canceled. I read they are trying to give at least 5 days notice. Mine was exactly 5.



It makes sense that only flights with 737-800 aircraft are potentially candidates for cancellation due to aircraft being reassigned.  The 737-700 aircraft have 145 seats, while both the 737-800 and the Max8 have 175 seats. Much more difficult to replace a flight that was using a Max8 with a smaller capacity aircraft. 

Steve


----------



## Iowamomof4

I hope that they can extend the cancellation notice beyond 5 days now that they've decided to extend the Max 8 grounding through May. Five days before our 737-800 flight, we'll be at Disney! I don't want to have to deal with this while we're in the middle of our vacation.


----------



## chicagoshannon

Iowamomof4 said:


> I hope that they can extend the cancellation notice beyond 5 days now that they've decided to extend the Max 8 grounding through May. Five days before our 737-800 flight, we'll be at Disney! I don't want to have to deal with this while we're in the middle of our vacation.


I agree.  They seem to already know that they'll cancel since they seem to mark them as sold out.  The next closest flight to the one we are supposed to be on says only 3 seats left.  I'd change it now except it costs more than our original tickets.  So frustrating.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

chicagoshannon said:


> I agree.  They seem to already know that they'll cancel since they seem to mark them as sold out.  The next closest flight to the one we are supposed to be on says only 3 seats left.  I'd change it now except it costs more than our original tickets.  So frustrating.


I've seen though people mention that some of the Sold Out flights have shown up available again.

I guess whenever I saw SOLD OUT I assumed it was related to Max 8 issues but I didn't assume it meant it would be cancelled. 

I think a lot of the issue is moving planes around. Some flights are going to be cancelled because there's not enough planes to go around to swap out but other flights they may be able to swap in another plane. BUT they show it as Sold Out to prevent subsequent people from booking them while they work on what to do with that particular flight.

In any case I'm sure it's extremely difficult to do this because while most of us are focused on Max 8 cancellations there still exists weather cancellations and other normal maintenance issues with non-Max 8 planes that get added to the mix. I do wish you had more than 5 days notice no matter if I get the difficulty in doing all this for SWA.


----------



## scrappinginontario

We fly 4 weeks from today so I’ve decided I’m going to check our flights on a daily basis just to be pro-active.  I noticed 2 flights after us are already showing as Sold Out.  I checked their planes and they’re both 700 and 800. 

For anyone flying while the MAXs are grounded, I recommend you check often.  I’m going by doing this, if they cancel our flight I might beat the crowd to rebooking.


----------



## PolyAddict

scrappinginontario said:


> We fly 4 weeks from today so I’ve decided I’m going to check our flights on a daily basis just to be pro-active.  I noticed 2 flights after us are already showing as Sold Out.  I checked their planes and they’re both 700 and 800.
> 
> For anyone flying while the MAXs are grounded, I recommend you check often.  I’m going by doing this, if they cancel our flight I might beat the crowd to rebooking.


Thanks for the advice, we are 4 weeks and 2 days away.


----------



## emsstacey

Fwiw, mine was never “sold out” and was still canceled. I even asked about it a week before it was canceled.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

Has it only been the Max and 800s?

We don’t fly until early June so I’m hopeful the Boeing update will fix it by then. Both our flights are currently scheduled for 700s.


----------



## scrappinginontario

emsstacey said:


> Fwiw, mine was never “sold out” and was still canceled. I even asked about it a week before it was canceled.


 Thank you!  Not ‘worried’ but concerned as we have a short trip.


----------



## Jenny-momof3

I’m pretty nervous about all this canceling of flights.  I’m flying out April 12 with my 2 year old by myself!  He’s flown many many times but he’s still a challenge and I’ve never done it by myself.  I have a direct flight and REALLY need that direct flight with him.   As of right now, 12 of the 14 flights that day are being shown as sold out.  Yesterday only 2 were . 

I went ahead and booked the first flight of the morning the next day as well. And I have companion pass for him. That flight was showing sold out all day yesterday, but today it’s $100 cheaper than what I paid. 

My daughter is doing the Disney college program right now and I really want to spend as much time as possible with her!  Here’s hoping I get out on the original flight!!


----------



## PolyAddict

scrappinginontario said:


> Thank you!  Not ‘worried’ but concerned as we have a short trip.


We are in the same boat.  We fly out on first and last flights Monday and Thursday.


----------



## irt9206

For those of you who unfortunately had their flights cancelled, were you given the option of rebooking a more expensive flight with southwest at no additional charge?


----------



## firstwdw

irt9206 said:


> For those of you who unfortunately had their flights cancelled, were you given the option of rebooking a more expensive flight with southwest at no additional charge?


It hasn't happened to me......yet. However a friend had her Boston to Orlando flight cancelled and SWA moved her to a flight the day before at the same time of day. She had just under 2 weeks notice. There were no other flights open on the same day or travel and no flights available the following 2 days. However, I do think they are moving to more expensive flights if available. She tried to change cities and that was not allowed.


----------



## Iowamomof4

firstwdw said:


> It hasn't happened to me......yet. However a friend had her Boston to Orlando flight cancelled and SWA moved her to a flight the day before at the same time of day. She had just under 2 weeks notice. There were no other flights open on the same day or travel and no flights available the following 2 days. However, I do think they are moving to more expensive flights if available. *She tried to change cities and that was not allowed*.



That's disappointing. Man, they'd better get this fixed soon. Somehow.


----------



## Firepath

A friend's return home Sunday was cancelled 5 days out and they had to stay an extra night. My husband's flight to MCO was cancelled 5 days out. We were able to quickly rebook for arrival 3 hrs later. 5 days from today I have a flight home. Just waiting for the dreaded text. I proactively booked another night hotel which I can cancel at the end of the day if my flight is still on. It's really hard to get a room last minute during spring break!


----------



## Iowamomof4

For this supposedly affecting a very small percentage of their total flights, we're sure getting a lot of reports on here!


----------



## PerfessorZ

My parents’ flight on 4/11 was cancelled and automatically rebooked on a later flight the same day.  I’m checking almost daily for their return flight and our upcoming trip in a couple weeks.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Thanks for the info @Firepath.  I'm carefully watching our flights.  I received and email today but thankfully it was just to change the flight number of our flight home and nothing else.  Flight times remained the same.

I will admit to being concerned because our flight to Orlando is now showing as 'Sold out'.  For those with first hand experience, when you flight was cancelled, did you notice it showed as 'Sold Out' first?

Has anyone had a 'sold out' flight later go back to being available?

Between this and the MDE update, preparing for this trip is more stressful than normal.  Also, normally it's just my 10yo and I so we can easily go with the flow and adjust as needed.  This trip we're going with my parents who are both in their mid-70's so we've done everything we can to keep the stress low.  LOL - this is not what I'd qualify as 'low', especially as I'm not sharing any of this with them!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Iowamomof4 said:


> For this supposedly affecting a very small percentage of their total flights, we're sure getting a lot of reports on here!


I'm thinking it's just because we have a way to share experiences collectively on the same topic. It probably makes it seem more amplified.


----------



## firstwdw

PerfessorZ said:


> My parents’ flight on 4/11 was cancelled and automatically rebooked on a later flight the same day.  I’m checking almost daily for their return flight and our upcoming trip in a couple weeks.


When did they get notified? And from what airport? Checking our flights daily.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I'm thinking it's just because we have a way to share experiences collectively on the same topic. It probably makes it seem more amplified.


I hope you're right.


----------



## chicagoshannon

scrappinginontario said:


> Thanks for the info @Firepath.  I'm carefully watching our flights.  I received and email today but thankfully it was just to change the flight number of our flight home and nothing else.  Flight times remained the same.
> 
> I will admit to being concerned because our flight to Orlando is now showing as 'Sold out'.  For those with first hand experience, when you flight was cancelled, did you notice it showed as 'Sold Out' first?
> 
> Has anyone had a 'sold out' flight later go back to being available?
> 
> Between this and the MDE update, preparing for this trip is more stressful than normal.  Also, normally it's just my 10yo and I so we can easily go with the flow and adjust as needed.  This trip we're going with my parents who are both in their mid-70's so we've done everything we can to keep the stress low.  LOL - this is not what I'd qualify as 'low', especially as I'm not sharing any of this with them!


I think most of the flights canceled were the ones marked sold out especially if your flight was NOT on a max 8.  The Max 8 flights listed as Sold out originally did come back online for sale.


----------



## scrappinginontario

chicagoshannon said:


> I think most of the flights canceled were the ones marked sold out especially if your flight was NOT on a max 8.  The Max 8 flights listed as Sold out originally did come back online for sale.


  This is my concern as we're booked on a 737-700 flight that as of today is showing 'Sold out'.  I'm going to give them a call and see if they know anything more about this flight.

*Update*:  Called SW.  So far my flights are still okay.  Time will tell as we're still 26 days from flying.


----------



## chicagoshannon

scrappinginontario said:


> This is my concern as we're booked on a 737-700 flight that as of today is showing 'Sold out'.  I'm going to give them a call and see if they know anything more about this flight.


Let us know.  Our return flight went to SOld OUT on Saturday but our flight isn't until May so I don't think we can do anything at this point.  Our flight is scheduled on an 800.


----------



## elle101me

scrappinginontario said:


> This is my concern as we're booked on a 737-700 flight that as of today is showing 'Sold out'.  I'm going to give them a call and see if they know anything more about this flight.


I noticed everything on my flight day, April 10th, was sold out yesterday. It wasn’t like that a few days ago. They don’t have any nonstops from my area and none were scheduled on the Max. Ugh. Now I’ll stress until next Wednesday.


----------



## shoreward

As aircraft are being swapped, customers are being rebooked on other flights.  So, if a flight is “sold out,” it could be that the flight is indeed sold out.


----------



## scrappinginontario

shoreward said:


> As aircraft are being swapped, customers are being rebooked on other flights.  So, if a flight is “sold out,” it could be that the flight is indeed sold out.


 Good point!  

I called to confirm my flights are still scheduled and the rep I spoke with confirmed out outbound flight is indeed sold out (as it is showing) and our return flight has 8 or more seats available.  (That one still showing as available).

If I remember correctly (I've looked at these flights so often recently!!) I think there used to be 2 flights later than ours and now there is only 1 flight.  If that's the case, some of those originally scheduled on a later flight may have swapped to our flight.


----------



## DLgal

Here is my theory. The flights originally scheduled on Max 8 planes are "high priority routes" and have been largely rescheduled with 737-800 aircraft. Since 737-700 has a different capacity, my guess is that those originally scheduled on them will go as planned, but anything originally scheduled on a 737-800 is game for being cancelled, since they are replacing the Max flights with 737-800 aircraft.

It would be interesting to know what percentage of cancelled flights were originally assigned 737-800 aircraft.


----------



## Iowamomof4

DLgal said:


> Here is my theory. The flights originally scheduled on Max 8 planes are "high priority routes" and have been largely rescheduled with 737-800 aircraft. Since 737-700 has a different capacity, my guess is that those originally scheduled on them will go as planned, but anything originally scheduled on a 737-800 is game for being cancelled, since they are replacing the Max flights with 737-800 aircraft.
> 
> It would be interesting to know what percentage of cancelled flights were originally assigned 737-800 aircraft.


If you are correct, we should be fine. All of our flights were originally on 737-700's, except one that was on a Max 8. That flight has been switched to a 737-800 and for now is not sold out. It's a flight from MCO>STL on May 21.


----------



## scrappinginontario

DLgal said:


> Here is my theory. The flights originally scheduled on Max 8 planes are "high priority routes" and have been largely rescheduled with 737-800 aircraft. Since 737-700 has a different capacity, my guess is that those originally scheduled on them will go as planned, but anything originally scheduled on a 737-800 is game for being cancelled, since they are replacing the Max flights with 737-800 aircraft.
> 
> It would be interesting to know what percentage of cancelled flights were originally assigned 737-800 aircraft.


  As much as that would be nice, there are some who have had their flights cancelled even when they were originally scheduled on 737-700 aircraft.


----------



## Iowamomof4

scrappinginontario said:


> As much as that would be nice, there are some who have had their flights cancelled even when they were originally scheduled on 737-700 aircraft.



Ugh, seriously? I missed that somehow.


----------



## DLgal

scrappinginontario said:


> As much as that would be nice, there are some who have had their flights cancelled even when they were originally scheduled on 737-700 aircraft.



Well, yes, obviously that has happened. However, I am inclined to believe that the original Max 8 routes will stay intact, at the very least. The fact that they had Max 8 aircraft assigned to those routes means they are long distance, higher passenger capacity flights that could use the 737-800 instead. I imagine 700s were swapped in for some shorter legs, thus creating a domino effect with other 700s. 

My flight is on April 30 and return is May 5. Both long distance cross country flights originally assigned Max 8 with short connector flights on 700s. I am more worried about my short connector flights being cancelled and missing the connections onto the longer haul flights. As of now, all my flights still have seats for sale, so I hope I'm good.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

scrappinginontario said:


> As much as that would be nice, there are some who have had their flights cancelled even when they were originally scheduled on 737-700 aircraft.





Iowamomof4 said:


> Ugh, seriously? I missed that somehow.


There is somewhat of a trickle down affect that can occur.

Southwest has 34 MAX planes grounded right now which is slightly less than 5% of their fleet.
~27% of their fleet is the 737-800 which is the ideal target for a cancellation/swap here.
The other 68% of the fleet are the 737-700 planes.
So 2 factors are in favor of the 737-700 routes remaining intact:
 1) The 737-800 has the same # of seats as the MAX and so they are more likely to be swapped
 2) Even if SW affects a 737-700, because they are 68% of the fleet, your odds of being affected are far lower

Is anybody truly safe from a cancellation - probably not.  I would personally feel much more secure if my flight was on a 737-700 though.

EDIT: I would also agree that the early sell-outs on the 700 planes could (in some situations) merely be SW holding back capacity for displaced passengers.  They need some seats right now to move people around from the flights that are cancelled.


----------



## shoreward

Another factor involved with flight cancellation is where that aircraft and crew need to be physically located for first flight out, the next morning, as well as for all of the flights scheduled on that new day.

This is a very complicated problem, as there is no known end in sight.  Although Boeing has stated that there is a software fix, the FAA must approve it, and pilots must be trained.  That does not take into consideration any other actions required, but unannounced.

It is understandable why it may be difficult for Southwest to announce changes more than a week in advance; I think they just don't know how long this process will take.  I am sure that they are anxious to get the MAX aircraft back in the air, once all parties involved are sure that the aircraft is safe to fly.  This is costing Southwest big time $$$$, not to mention future business from disgruntled customers.

I honestly believe that Southwest is doing the best they can, under the circumstances.

BTW, I have upcoming travel booked on Southwest, so I do have a personal interest in this matter.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

shoreward said:


> Another factor involved with flight cancellation is where that aircraft and crew need to be physically located for first flight out, the next morning, as well as for all of the flights scheduled on that new day.
> 
> This is a very complicated problem, as there is no known end in sight.  Although Boeing has stated that there is a software fix, the FAA must approve it, and pilots must be trained.  That does not take into consideration any other actions required, but unannounced.
> 
> It is understandable why it may be difficult for Southwest to announce changes more than a week in advance; I think they just don't know how long this process will take.  I am sure that they are anxious to get the MAX aircraft back in the air, once all parties involved are sure that the aircraft is safe to fly.  This is costing Southwest big time $$$$, not to mention future business from disgruntled customers.
> 
> I honestly believe that Southwest is doing the best they can, under the circumstances.
> 
> BTW, I have upcoming travel booked on Southwest, so I do have a personal interest in this matter.


I too think SWA and other airlines are doing what they can.

My husband is about to be flying every 2 weeks (come home and going back to where he is at for his field assignement) through at least the end of October. We for sure have a personal interest it in. When he comes home it's for 2 1/2 days so any time lost is a big deal since it will be nearly 2 weeks after that that I'll see him again. 

I feel like they are trying but it's super frustrating for all involved because they just don't know if they will be impacted.


----------



## PerfessorZ

firstwdw said:


> When did they get notified? And from what airport? Checking our flights daily.


Last Wednesday.  They are flying out of Orlando.


----------



## SinCityMMAFan

(CNN)Boeing's 737 MAX jets will remain grounded for weeks after the Federal Aviation Administration said Monday afternoon that the plane maker continues to work on a software fix.

Boeing had said it would submit the fix to the FAA last week, and it had gathered hundreds of industry representatives at its Seattle-area facilities last Wednesday to demonstrate the software changes.

But the FAA said Monday that the company concluded "additional work" is needed.

"The FAA expects to receive Boeing's final package of its software enhancement over the coming weeks for FAA approval," the agency said in a statement. "Time is needed for additional work by Boeing as the result of an ongoing review of the 737 MAX Flight Control System to ensure that Boeing has identified and appropriately addressed all pertinent issues."

Boeing acknowledged the new timeline, saying in a statement that the software change would be "completed in the coming weeks." It did not say why the timeline had changed.

"Safety is our first priority, and we will take a thorough and methodical approach to the development and testing of the update to ensure we take the time to get it right," the company said.

American Airlines said Monday afternoon that it was aware the MAX "may be further delayed" in returning to service. It has been forced to cancel dozens of flights daily while the planes await a fix.

American operates 24 MAX 8 airplanes and Southwest operates 34. United Airlines operates 14 of the larger 737 MAX 9 jets.

Capt. Dennis Tajer of the Allied Pilots Association, which represents American Airlines pilots, said the group was encouraged by Boeing's recent "sense of energy" to produce a fix but also realized the timeline was ambitious.

"We were disregarding that because having the pilots fully engaged, as they are, and all the information, and knowing what the training will be all put this out as more of a distant timeline for getting the aircraft flying," Tajer told CNN.

The FAA followed other countries' aviation authorities in grounding the MAX on March 13 following the second crash in less than five months. The agency said it had reviewed satellite data and physical evidence that showed similarities between the Lion Air flight that crashed in October and the Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed days earlier in March.
A preliminary report on the Ethiopian accident is expected in the coming days.

Software designers, Boeing engineers and test pilots had worked out a set of changes to a stabilization system known as MCAS that has been under scrutiny from investigators piecing together the Lion Air crash, according to a company official. The fix brings in multiple layers of protection and is accompanied by a training regimen.

Tajer, of the Allied Pilots Association, said the software changes Boeing demonstrated last week "directly addressed the concerns that we voiced to Boeing" following the October crash.

The FAA statement said the software changes would require a "rigorous safety review."

"The FAA will not approve the software for installation until the FAA is satisfied with the submission," the agency said.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/01/politics/boeing-737-max/index.html


----------



## DLgal

I read an article yesterday where a Southwest spokesman said they had reworked their flight schedule through the end of May without the Max 8 plane. I would expect that if this is true, we won't see many more last minute cancellations.


----------



## scrappinginontario

DLgal said:


> I read an article yesterday where a Southwest spokesman said they had reworked their flight schedule through the end of May without the Max 8 plane. I would expect that if this is true, we won't see many more last minute cancellations.


 I’m hoping that’s true!  That being said, the rep I spoke with today said they are working about 2 weeks ahead on their rescheduling.  Not sure how accurate that information is.  Hoping yours is the better response!!


----------



## chicagoshannon

We will still see last minute cancellations.  We called yesterday to try to swap our flight since our flight number is sold out every day until the end of May.  They wouldn't do  it.  SO they are NOT automatically switching people to other flights and will still be doing it last minute.  The excuse they gave for not switching us was "they might put it back into rotation".  

SO we're still in a wait and see for our flight.  Meanwhile we're watching prices and will switch it ourselves if another flight comes down in price.  However the next best flight for us has only 2 seats left so we'll probably be out of luck and have to fly home either a lot earlier than we wanted OR a LOT later than we want.  We'll make it work but it's frustrating they won't switch our flight when it's currently cancelled.


----------



## bearybubba

I got an email last Wednesday morning letting us know that our flight # and times were changed for our trip home from MCO on 4/8. We were supposed to land at 9:35am but got bumped to landing at 5:15pm the same day. We had to scramble to add an extra day on at the kennel for our dog.


----------



## scrappinginontario

chicagoshannon said:


> We will still see last minute cancellations.  We called yesterday to try to swap our flight since our flight number is sold out every day until the end of May.  They wouldn't do  it.  SO they are NOT automatically switching people to other flights and will still be doing it last minute.  The excuse they gave for not switching us was "they might put it back into rotation".
> 
> SO we're still in a wait and see for our flight.  Meanwhile we're watching prices and will switch it ourselves if another flight comes down in price.  However the next best flight for us has only 2 seats left so we'll probably be out of luck and have to fly home either a lot earlier than we wanted OR a LOT later than we want.  We'll make it work but it's frustrating they won't switch our flight when it's currently cancelled.



Our April 27th flight is also showing as 'Sold Out'.  I may be naive but I'm choosing to look at it as a flight SW wants to fly for sure so they have blocked any additional seats that may still be open to accommodate people on other flights that get cancelled.

Not sure it's going to happen this way but it's helping my stress level.


----------



## DLgal

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston...est-airlines-pulling-boeing-737-max-from.html

Here is an article similar to the one I read on Sunday.


----------



## Iowamomof4

This quote from the article is interesting:
"We're publishing a revised schedule for April and May that is built around the currently available Southwest fleet and intend to drastically reduce last-minute trip disruptions and same-day cancellations, which have affected our customers and employees since the grounding of the Max," a Southwest spokesman told the Chicago Business Journal April 1.

So, WHEN will they publish this revised schedule? And is that something they will make public or is it more of an internal schedule? I guess I'm just curious what they really mean and how it will look for those of us with booked flights.


----------



## mrsstats

Our flight to Las Vegas was cancelled 5 days prior to take off.  We were not scheduled to fly on the Max.  Also, flights I have for September to Texas were changed (just the flight #'s) so I assume they were on the Max.


----------



## scrappinginontario

It _would_ be good to know @Iowamomof4 WHEN the new revised schedule is published.  

To see if it helps us at all, I've taken screen shots of what my flight schedule currently looks like it.  It's a pretty busy day (14 options to go from Buffalo - Orlando on Apr 27th and, 13 to return from Orlando to Buffalo on May 2nd.)  I'm hoping with such a busy schedule that if they revise it greatly it would become evident.  Not sure, but hoping this is the case.

Also, noticed that my BUF - MCO flight that was displaying as 'Sold Out' yesterday 

Is showing to have some availability today:


LOL - Guess that means I shouldn't put much weight to the SW person I spoke with yesterday who said the flight was full.


----------



## Iowamomof4

scrappinginontario said:


> It _would_ be good to know @Iowamomof4 WHEN the new revised schedule is published.
> 
> To see if it helps us at all, I've taken screen shots of what my flight schedule currently looks like it.  It's a pretty busy day (14 options to go from Buffalo - Orlando on Apr 27th and, 13 to return from Orlando to Buffalo on May 2nd.)  I'm hoping with such a busy schedule that if they revise it greatly it would become evident.  Not sure, but hoping this is the case.
> 
> Also, noticed that my BUF - MCO flight that was displaying as 'Sold Out' yesterday View attachment 392244
> 
> Is showing to have some availability today:
> View attachment 392245
> 
> LOL - Guess that means I shouldn't put much weight to the SW person I spoke with yesterday who said the flight was full.


Well, it looks like only a very few seats left (1 or 2, maybe?), so maybe a couple people cancelled.


----------



## Firepath

DLgal said:


> Well, yes, obviously that has happened. However, I am inclined to believe that the original Max 8 routes will stay intact, at the very least. The fact that they had Max 8 aircraft assigned to those routes means they are long distance, higher passenger capacity flights that could use the 737-800 instead. I imagine 700s were swapped in for some shorter legs, thus creating a domino effect with other 700s.
> 
> My flight is on April 30 and return is May 5. Both long distance cross country flights originally assigned Max 8 with short connector flights on 700s. I am more worried about my short connector flights being cancelled and missing the connections onto the longer haul flights. As of now, all my flights still have seats for sale, so I hope I'm good.


All 3 flights I know of that were cancelled were originally through Las Vegas and were the longer cross country flight.


----------



## DLgal

Firepath said:


> All 3 flights I know of that were cancelled were originally through Las Vegas and were the longer cross country flight.



Yep, it appears Vegas is a target for cancelled flights (flights originating or ending there). When I look at the flight schedule for my route (SNA-MCO) out a few weeks, all the ones that connect in Vegas are showing "sold out" across the board. 

It also seems that flights with 2 stops/connections are also getting cancelled.

Thankfully I am not on one of those.


----------



## Iowamomof4

DLgal said:


> Yep, it appears Vegas is a target for cancelled flights (flights originating or ending there). When I look at the flight schedule for my route (SNA-MCO) out a few weeks, all the ones that connect in Vegas are showing "sold out" across the board.
> 
> *It also seems that flights with 2 stops/connections are also getting cancelled.*
> 
> Thankfully I am not on one of those.



Now, now... don't tell me that. But in some ways, that doesn't make a lot of sense. I mean, we have 2 stops but also 2 planes. So, although OUR flight is DSM > STL > MKE > MCO, it's really two routes: DSM>STL and STL>MKE>MCO. So if they cancel that flight, the folks at MKE (Milwaukee), won't be able to have their nonstop flight to MCO.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

FWIW, I had family who had a flight canceled right when the mess was starting (mid March). They were notified Friday that their first of the day nonstop flight on Monday out of MDW was cancelled. They were rebooked the day before. They had no issue with their last of the day nonstop return flight. They were not scheduled on a max plane for any of these flights.


----------



## DLgal

Iowamomof4 said:


> Now, now... don't tell me that. But in some ways, that doesn't make a lot of sense. I mean, we have 2 stops but also 2 planes. So, although OUR flight is DSM > STL > MKE > MCO, it's really two routes: DSM>STL and STL>MKE>MCO. So if they cancel that flight, the folks at MKE (Milwaukee), won't be able to have their nonstop flight to MCO.



It does make sense if they need to use the 737-700 plane elsewhere. If they have to cancel one leg of your flight, they will cancel your whole itinerary. They could cancel the DSM-STL without cancelling the STL-MKE-MCO. 

Then you would need to be accommodated on another route.


----------



## DLgal

I almost pulled the trigger on a Delta flight to replace my SW flights, but I decided that I don't want to spend the money if I dont have to, although I am standing by to pay an exorbitant amount of $$$ if my SW flight(s) get cancelled. I cannot spare an extra day on either side of my trip because my husband is taking off from work to stay with the kids and he absolutely has to be back at work the day after I am scheduled to come back. Thankfully I have a few major airports to choose from should my flight get cancelled and I need to make other arrangements.


----------



## Iowamomof4

DLgal said:


> It does make sense if they need to use the 737-700 plane elsewhere. If they have to cancel one leg of your flight, they will cancel your whole itinerary. They could cancel the DSM-STL without cancelling the STL-MKE-MCO.
> 
> Then you would need to be accommodated on another route.



I guess my point is I don't see why routes with 2 stops would be targeted differently than routes with only 1 stop. Because routes with 2 stops are usually just 2, 1-stop routes put together.


----------



## DLgal

Iowamomof4 said:


> I guess my point is I don't see why routes with 2 stops would be targeted differently than routes with only 1 stop. Because routes with 2 stops are usually just 2, 1-stop routes put together.



I don't know, but that's what I saw on MY route. The ones with 2 stops are "sold out." The others are not. You can check your route to see if the one you are booked on is showing "sold out" across the board. If it is, you might be in trouble. Check for next week, same route. Or the week after.

Also, sometimes it's one long route. Sometimes, the stops are just stops and not plane changes.


----------



## Iowamomof4

DLgal said:


> I don't know, but that's what I saw on MY route. The ones with 2 stops are "sold out." The others are not. You can check your route to see if the one you are booked on is showing "sold out" across the board. If it is, you might be in trouble. Check for next week, same route. Or the week after.
> 
> Also, sometimes it's one long route. Sometimes, the stops are just stops and not plane changes.



Okay. Thanks for thinking it through with me!


----------



## serenitynow

Iowamomof4 said:


> Okay. Thanks for thinking it through with me!


Sometimes the stops are for crew changes.


----------



## Firepath

Iowamomof4 said:


> Now, now... don't tell me that. But in some ways, that doesn't make a lot of sense. I mean, we have 2 stops but also 2 planes. So, although OUR flight is DSM > STL > MKE > MCO, it's really two routes: DSM>STL and STL>MKE>MCO. So if they cancel that flight, the folks at MKE (Milwaukee), won't be able to have their nonstop flight to MCO.


If its any consolation, my husband's flight through Vegas today was cancelled so I rebooked it thru Milwaukee and it's in the air right now. Hopefully yours will go as well.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Firepath said:


> If its any consolation, my husband's flight through Vegas today was cancelled so I rebooked it thru Milwaukee and it's in the air right now. Hopefully yours will go as well.



When was the flight cancelled? Glad you were able to find an alternative though!


----------



## DLgal

Firepath said:


> If its any consolation, my husband's flight through Vegas today was cancelled so I rebooked it thru Milwaukee and it's in the air right now. Hopefully yours will go as well.



Poor Las Vegas...


----------



## shoreward

Iowamomof4 said:


> Now, now... don't tell me that. But in some ways, that doesn't make a lot of sense. I mean, we have 2 stops but also 2 planes. So, although OUR flight is DSM > STL > MKE > MCO, it's really two routes: DSM>STL and STL>MKE>MCO. So if they cancel that flight, the folks at MKE (Milwaukee), won't be able to have their nonstop flight to MCO.





Firepath said:


> If its any consolation, my husband's flight through Vegas today was cancelled so I rebooked it thru Milwaukee and it's in the air right now. Hopefully yours will go as well.


For those not familiar with MKE, it's a great compact airport with easy connections (at most, about a 3 minute walk to the farthest gate for Southwest connections).  Everyone is very low-key and friendly - that Midwest hospitality.  There are a few spots near the gates for a quick drink or bite to eat, as well as an airport shop and restrooms nearby.

It has to be among the best airports for Southwest customers to connect - even in winter, believe it or not.


----------



## AngieInOH

Flight on Apr 14 was switched to the 15 three days ago with no notification just happened to notice it tonight.  Just got through to SW after a 50 min wait.  They were able to get me on another flight on the 14.  Be sure to check your flight daily!


----------



## scrappinginontario

AngieInOH said:


> Flight on Apr 14 was switched to the 15 three days ago with no notification just happened to notice it tonight.  Just got through to SW after a 50 min wait.  They were able to get me on another flight on the 14.  Be sure to check your flight daily!


  Whoa, that’s  Scary!!  Had they previously emailed you flight information?  I’ve received emails for things as little  as flight number changes. (Received one of these earliervthis week.)  I’m shocked they would change the date of your flight and not email you immediately!!

Thanks for the heads up!  I will continue to monitor our flights daily, now adding logging in to our account and verifying my confirmed flight and day!

Glad they were able to switch you back to your original day!!


----------



## PerfessorZ

Based on the anecdotal information here, it seems like their look-ahead window has been about 2 weeks.

As to which flights are most likely to get cancelled, I think we'd need a crystal ball to figure that one out.  There are a lot of factors besides what type of aircraft was originally supposed to service that flight.  I think variables such as plane location, how much of its capacity was already booked, time of day, availability of crew, and ability to reschedule all come into play.


----------



## AngieInOH

scrappinginontario said:


> Whoa, that’s  Scary!!  Had they previously emailed you flight information?  I’ve received emails for things as little  as flight number changes. (Received one of these earliervthis week.)  I’m shocked they would change the date of your flight and not email you immediately!!
> 
> Thanks for the heads up!  I will continue to monitor our flights daily, now adding logging in to our account and verifying my confirmed flight and day!
> 
> Glad they were able to switch you back to your original day!!



I've received 2 emails for this flight, a confirmation email and another email trying to get me to book a hotel through them.  Customer service said they tried to call but my voice mail was full (it's not).  When they looked at my account they said it's marked for text message notifications (yes, that's what I selected), but I didn't get one of those either.  Customer service couldn't say why I didn't get a text or email.  I love SW and Customer Service was great once I got them on the line, but this really irritates me.  If I wasn't vigilant about checking I would have never known.  My brother in law also didn't get notified on this same flight.


----------



## scrappinginontario

AngieInOH said:


> I've received 2 emails for this flight, a confirmation email and another email trying to get me to book a hotel through them.  Customer service said they tried to call but my voice mail was full (it's not).  When they looked at my account they said it's marked for text message notifications (yes, that's what I selected), but I didn't get one of those either.  Customer service couldn't say why I didn't get a text or email.  I love SW and Customer Service was great once I got them on the line, but this really irritates me.  If I wasn't vigilant about checking I would have never known.  My brother in law also didn't get notified on this same flight.


  Thanks for the update!  Due to being Canadians I can only get emails from SW so I will continue to monitor those.  I've also checked my confirmation online today and so far we're okay but we're also 3 1/2 weeks away from flying.  Still plenty of time for things to change.  Thankfully we have flexibility on both ends of our trip if we need to stay longer but we really don't want our trip cut shorter so I'm watching carefully.

Glad it all worked out for you!  Hoping nothing more changes for you.


----------



## Gman76

no matter what airline - always keep an eye on your reservation.  They ALL make changes - even before this 737Max thing.


----------



## Gman76

For those looking for a "revised schedule" - do not expect such a thing.  *They have 4,000 flights per day*.  They are adjusting on the fly.  Anything sent out would be out of date before they even hit the "send" button.


----------



## nelsonkg

AngieInOH said:


> Flight on Apr 14 was switched to the 15 three days ago with no notification just happened to notice it tonight.  Just got through to SW after a 50 min wait.  They were able to get me on another flight on the 14.  Be sure to check your flight daily!


This happened to me as well my 17 yr old sons flight was cancelled it was his first time flying alone and meeting us. We received no call no email nothing. I discovered it when I happened to go on to create our trip itinerary to leave for my husband. When I called they would only book him on a connecting flight which I was not comfortable with but took because they gave me no choice and our trip was less than two weeks away. They could not explain why we were not notified or why they did not book him on another flight and they had the correct email as they had communicated with us for confirmation. We fly SWA every year for the last 17 years so I was disappointed that it was handled this way we have always found the service good. Anyway I stalked the flights for hours on my own and finally got him on a nonstop. I learned a lesson to always monitor for changes I will not rely on them communicating with me. I have always loved SWA and will view this as one bad experience but I  hope it never happens again


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

AngieInOH said:


> I've received 2 emails for this flight, a confirmation email and another email trying to get me to book a hotel through them.  Customer service said they tried to call but my voice mail was full (it's not).  When they looked at my account they said it's marked for text message notifications (yes, that's what I selected), but I didn't get one of those either.  Customer service couldn't say why I didn't get a text or email.  I love SW and Customer Service was great once I got them on the line, but this really irritates me.  If I wasn't vigilant about checking I would have never known.  My brother in law also didn't get notified on this same flight.





Gman76 said:


> no matter what airline - always keep an eye on your reservation.  They ALL make changes - even before this 737Max thing.


This is a good point.  I’ve had experiences with AA and United rebooking flights and no notification to me for weeks (if ever - as when I catch it I call immediately to address it).  It’s a shame but seems like an industry wide problem. 

In this day and age it’s crazy that FedEx can tell me my package is delayed by 45 minutes yet major airlines can’t tell me that a flight 4 months from now has been changed/adjusted.


----------



## ZoeBell

Hoping someone can ease my mind.. our SW return flight takes off at 7am. So we’ll be responsible for our own luggage on DME. With DME picking up 3 hrs before(so 4am?), that’s enough time to get from side B to side A, check in our luggage, print our boarding passes, get thru security, ride the tram and be at our gate by 630 or before?

I didn’t realize I needed a flight after 8am for Disney to take our luggage. So I’m kicking myself. There is a later morning flight which would have been perfect.

To add to all this, our 7am flight is showing “sold out”...so we might end up on a different flight anyway, maybe?. Our trip isn’t until May, but it’s stressing me out. I wish SW would let me rebook soon so I could update DME.


----------



## SinCityMMAFan

ZoeBell said:


> Hoping someone can ease my mind.. our SW return flight takes off at 7am. So we’ll be responsible for our own luggage on DME. With DME picking up 3 hrs before(so 4am?), that’s enough time to get from side B to side A, check in our luggage, print our boarding passes, get thru security, ride the tram and be at our gate by 630 or before?
> 
> I didn’t realize I needed a flight after 8am for Disney to take our luggage. So I’m kicking myself. There is a later morning flight which would have been perfect.
> 
> To add to all this, our 7am flight is showing “sold out”...so we might end up on a different flight anyway, maybe?. Our trip isn’t until May, but it’s stressing me out. I wish SW would let me rebook soon so I could update DME.



That's plenty of time to arrive and be at your gate.   Getting through security that early in the morning shouldn't be an issue at all.  I've left Orlando on early flights like yours and it's usually not to be unless it's a holiday.  

I feel your pain on your flight showing sold out and that's happening a lot across the board.  I was watching my own flight that I'm scheduled to be on in May going from Las Vegas to Orlando non-stop and that flight was getting cancelled every single day so I ended up cancelling my flight going and booked on United and just kept my return flight on Southwest because that flight hasn't been affected.  Had to pay extra but it gave me piece of mind.  

Hope all works out for you!


----------



## Gman76

#1 - If they pick you up at 4am, you will surely be at the airport by 5, if delayed 5:30.  You will be just fine. Walking across the airport is not that bad.  You do NOT need to print boarding passes. You can do all of that on your phone.

#2 - Sold out flights.  Many of those that show sold out are due to schedule shuffling.  In many cases, they are "blocking" sale so they can move people to your flight from cancelled flights.

#3 - WHEN are you traveling?

We have 10 flights on WN between now and late June.  We have no worry about flights.   

Southwest has 4,000 flights per day. They will get your there.


----------



## Elizakapeka

SinCityMMAFan said:


> that flight was getting cancelled every single day



How did you track every day?  did you check the flight status every day or is there a site where you can see the history?


----------



## ZoeBell

Gman76 said:


> #1 - If they pick you up at 4am, you will surely be at the airport by 5, if delayed 5:30.  You will be just fine. Walking across the airport is not that bad.  You do NOT need to print boarding passes. You can do all of that on your phone.
> 
> #2 - Sold out flights.  Many of those that show sold out are due to schedule shuffling.  In many cases, they are "blocking" sale so they can move people to your flight from cancelled flights.
> 
> #3 - WHEN are you traveling?
> 
> We have 10 flights on WN between now and late June.  We have no worry about flights.
> 
> Southwest has 4,000 flights per day. They will get your there.



I’m traveling with 4 other people, so no mobile boarding passes, right? Otherwise I’d love to not have to worry about printing.
I traveled to and from MCO mid March when all the Max planes were grounded. Neither one of my planes were Max, yet I was given the chance to reschedule my flights.  Was hoping for that this time around, mostly because I like the later morning flight. But not worth the points to switch it on my own at this point.

And my travel date back from MCO is on Tuesday May 21st.


----------



## DLgal

Elizakapeka said:


> How did you track every day?  did you check the flight status every day or is there a site where you can see the history?



Southwest can show you a 3 day window of flights that have been or will be cancelled.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

ZoeBell said:


> I’m traveling with 4 other people, so no mobile boarding passes, right? Otherwise I’d love to not have to worry about printing.
> I traveled to and from MCO mid March when all the Max planes were grounded. Neither one of my planes were Max, yet I was given the chance to reschedule my flights.  Was hoping for that this time around, mostly because I like the later morning flight. But not worth the points to switch it on my own at this point.
> 
> And my travel date back from MCO is on Tuesday May 21st.



You can print the passes when you self check the luggage at MCO. It’s easy.


----------



## ZoeBell

Cinderumbrella said:


> You can print the passes when you self check the luggage at MCO. It’s easy.


Thanks


----------



## SinCityMMAFan

Elizakapeka said:


> How did you track every day?  did you check the flight status every day or is there a site where you can see the history?


https://flightaware.com/ then just enter in the flight # and origin and destination airports.


----------



## Gman76

As mentioned, Flightaware is a great site.

And, if traveling with 4 people...everyone needs a boarding pass.  They can all have them on their phone.

And, if you are checking bags, printing a  boarding pass and luggage tags takes about 1 minute.  At the airport.


----------



## shoreward

ZoeBell said:


> I’m traveling with 4 other people, so no mobile boarding passes, right? Otherwise I’d love to not have to worry about printing.
> I traveled to and from MCO mid March when all the Max planes were grounded. Neither one of my planes were Max, yet I was given the chance to reschedule my flights.  Was hoping for that this time around, mostly because I like the later morning flight. But not worth the points to switch it on my own at this point.
> 
> And my travel date back from MCO is on Tuesday May 21st.


If you are checking in online or paid for EarlyBird check-in, anyone at the front desk of your resort will gladly print your boarding passes for you at T-24.  You just need to give them your confirmation number(s) and passenger names.


----------



## ZoeBell

shoreward said:


> If you are checking in online or paid for EarlyBird check-in, anyone at the front desk of your resort will gladly print your boarding passes for you at T-24.  You just need to give them your confirmation number(s) and passenger names.


 I’ve been reading the front desk can print, but I’ve also been reading sometimes the boarding passes printed at the front desk don’t scan well at the airport.


----------



## shoreward

ZoeBell said:


> I’ve been reading the front desk can print, but I’ve also been reading sometimes the boarding passes printed at the front desk don’t scan well at the airport.


I have sometimes had poor-quality print-offs from the RAC  desk, when I drop my bags at the resort, but never from the front desk.  I suppose they can always be low on printer ink, etc.,  but I personally never had a problem with BPs from the front desk.  As a matter of fact, one time I asked the front desk to reprint the BP, as the one from RAC was barely legible.


----------



## ZoeBell

shoreward said:


> I have sometimes had poor-quality print-offs from the RAC  desk, when I drop my bags at the resort, but never from the front desk.  I suppose they can always be low on printer ink, etc.,  but I personally never had a problem with BPs from the front desk.  As a matter of fact, one time I asked the front desk to reprint the BP, as the one from RAC was barely legible.


Good to know.. thank you!


----------



## Gman76

STOP

THERE IS ALMOST ZERO REASON TO PRINT BOARDING PASSES AT HOTEL.

Yes, I am yelling.

If you are checking bags, there is one simple, little easy step to also print boarding passes right there.
  (or just have them on your phone)

NO REASON TO DO PRINTED BOARDING PASSES AT HOTEL.

NONE
ZIP
ZERO


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

People go to the front desk to print boarding passes...


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

So I know this thread is about SWA just thought I would mention it looks like AA is having to extend the time period for its cancellations

https://www.kmbc.com/article/americ...to-june-because-of-737-max-grounding/27066079

The salient aspect of the article: "{AA}will cancel about 90 flights daily through June 5. American had previously canceled flights through late April."


----------



## chicagoshannon

Got an email over night that our flight on May 21 (the one marked SOLD OUT) has been changed to an earlier time.  We now have a stop instead of direct which isn't ideal but I guess we'll deal with it.  Glad they notified us finally and didn't wait until 5 days before the flight like some others have reported.


----------



## shoreward

Gman76 said:


> STOP
> 
> THERE IS ALMOST ZERO REASON TO PRINT BOARDING PASSES AT HOTEL.
> 
> Yes, I am yelling.
> 
> If you are checking bags, there is one simple, little easy step to also print boarding passes right there.
> (or just have them on your phone)
> 
> NO REASON TO DO PRINTED BOARDING PASSES AT HOTEL.
> 
> NONE
> ZIP
> ZERO


For those who do not check bags at the airport or feel more comfortable having a paper boarding pass with all travel docs before arriving at airport, it is a one minute process at front desk.  I have been a fairly frequent flyer thru the years and get a mobile BP, but I always want that paper BP, as well, when I board ME.  Until this unstable period of last-minute cancellations changes, I want to have something in writing showing my flight’s active status/gate, before heading to airport, so that if there is a problem, I will have something in-hand when calling/tweeting Southwest.  For those with physical limitations or extra family in tow, it also makes things easier.

To each their own.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

chicagoshannon said:


> Got an email over night that our flight on May 21 (the one marked SOLD OUT) has been changed to an earlier time.  We now have a stop instead of direct which isn't ideal but I guess we'll deal with it.  Glad they notified us finally and didn't wait until 5 days before the flight like some others have reported.



Wow! I’m amazed they gave you that much notice.


----------



## TyRy

We also just got a notification that our flight home from Ft. Myers (heading there after Disney) on May 8th has been cancelled and they moved us to an earlier flight.  Guess they are working ahead.


----------



## Iowamomof4

chicagoshannon said:


> Got an email over night that our flight on May 21 (the one marked SOLD OUT) has been changed to an earlier time.  We now have a stop instead of direct which isn't ideal but I guess we'll deal with it.  Glad they notified us finally and didn't wait until 5 days before the flight like some others have reported.





TyRy said:


> We also just got a notification that our flight home from Ft. Myers (heading there after Disney) on May 8th has been cancelled and they moved us to an earlier flight.  Guess they are working ahead.



These are very encouraging updates! Not encouraging that your flights were changed, of course, but encouraging that they're starting to make more permanent decisions and get things organized further ahead which will help ALL of us feel more at ease.


----------



## DLgal

Iowamomof4 said:


> These are very encouraging updates! Not encouraging that your flights were changed, of course, but encouraging that they're starting to make more permanent decisions and get things organized further ahead which will help ALL of us feel more at ease.



I agree. I am happy to hear they are working this far ahead of schedule. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for my flights and hope if anything changes, it's done enough ahead of time that I don't have to stress about it during my vacation.


----------



## Dan C

Our flight to MCO on 5/5 and return on 5/15 was also changed today. Only got an email notification of the change to the 5/5 flight.


----------



## Elizakapeka

SinCityMMAFan said:


> https://flightaware.com/ then just enter in the flight # and origin and destination airports.



thank you for this, its super informative, there is a ton of info to navigate


----------



## Iowamomof4

I just want to ask to be sure about something. For one of our flights, we make a stop but don't have to change planes. Specifically, we fly from STL to MKE and then to MCO, but don't change planes in MKE. We don't have to get off the plane in Milwaukee, right? We just sit tight while passengers get off and new passengers get on?


----------



## FCDub

Iowamomof4 said:


> I just want to ask to be sure about something. For one of our flights, we make a stop but don't have to change planes. Specifically, we fly from STL to MKE and then to MCO, but don't change planes in MKE. We don't have to get off the plane in Milwaukee, right? We just sit tight while passengers get off and new passengers get on?



Correct. They'll let all the other passengers get off, do a head count, then let you switch seats if you want before the next flight boards.


----------



## SinCityMMAFan

*(Reuters) - Southwest Airlines Co said on Monday it was pulling out all Boeing Co's 737 MAX jets from its flight schedules swa.is/2FRH8Ow through June 7, extending its earlier timeline by a week.*

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...eing-737-max-pull-out-by-a-week-idUSKCN1RK1ND


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

SinCityMMAFan said:


> *(Reuters) - Southwest Airlines Co said on Monday it was pulling out all Boeing Co's 737 MAX jets from its flight schedules swa.is/2FRH8Ow through June 7, extending its earlier timeline by a week.*
> 
> https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...eing-737-max-pull-out-by-a-week-idUSKCN1RK1ND


I thought they probably would. AA extended it through June 5th. They have the same issues too of trying to accommodate existing schedules figuring out which ones they can move and adjust and shift passengers around. Just a big task to do IMO.

I'm just hoping that it's not the whole summer folks have to worry about with their flights!


----------



## SinCityMMAFan

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I thought they probably would. AA extended it through June 5th. They have the same issues too of trying to accommodate existing schedules figuring out which ones they can move and adjust and shift passengers around. Just a big task to do IMO.
> 
> I'm just hoping that it's not the whole summer folks have to worry about with their flights!



Yeah...it's a shame for everyone involved in this whole ordeal.  It's good that they are at least working on moving things around a month in advance and letting people know that their flights are being moved around if needed.  I know people get upset with SW but I do believe they are doing their best with what they have to work with.


----------



## Huff

Iowamomof4 said:


> I just want to ask to be sure about something. For one of our flights, we make a stop but don't have to change planes. Specifically, we fly from STL to MKE and then to MCO, but don't change planes in MKE. We don't have to get off the plane in Milwaukee, right? We just sit tight while passengers get off and new passengers get on?



Usually you stay on the plane.  However, if the 2nd flight has a different flight # then you may have to de-board and board again.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Huff said:


> Usually you stay on the plane.  However, if the 2nd flight has a different flight # then you may have to de-board and board again.



SW tells me "no plane change" at MKE. Also, it's one flight number from STL through MKE and on to MCO.


----------



## Huff

Iowamomof4 said:


> SW tells me "no plane change" at MKE. Also, it's one flight number from STL through MKE and on to MCO.



Then you'll stay on the plane.  

We've had to de-board and board again even when it was the same physical plane.  The flight #'s had changed with new crew and we could not stay on board.


----------



## Jenny-momof3

Got an email at 2am that my flight was changed for May 22. Hopefully this means that my flights this week and next are good to go.  Those flights I’m flying by myself with my 2 year old and really need those direct flights!

I have 6 trips booked with them from May through August.  Really hoping my summer flights don’t get changed


----------



## Kaleidodad

We just received notice that our June 7th flight home was switched to another flight three hours later: "This was done proactively due to a Southwest flight schedule change on your day of travel."

We also had our flight home cancelled by SWA on March 17 - while were were in Epcot on March 15! - so a 3-hour delay is definitely preferable to that 30-hour delay.


----------



## mrsstats

I have a flight to Texas in September that the flight #'s changed so I assume that they changed planes.  Everything else stayed the same


----------



## princess927

My kids and I are flying to Disney this Friday and my husband is flying in on Sunday. How can I see if our flights have been canceled? It does show. both of our flights are sold out but I know that doesn’t necessarily mean they are canceled.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

I've been checking my husband's flights (I don't know if he's even checking on it himself lol).

And so far the 3 flights he has actually booked 

4/11 from LAX to KC
4/14 from KC to LAX
5/24 Omaha to KC......haven't changed ***knocking on wood here***

In terms of very near future he still has to book flights for 
4/25 LAX to KC
4/28 KC to LAX
5/9 LAX to KC
5/12 KC to LAX
5/27 KC to LAX

His next flight after Memorial Day weekend would be 6/6 which is just before SWA has presently extended and then after that 6/9. I'll be keeping an eye out to see if they extend it again. I feel like I'm more nervous about him flying from KC to LAX because there isn't really a good time for non-stop that gets him back to LAX in a reasonable time so he needs to take connecting flights. I think he may be more connecting in Phoenix but there is an option for connecting in Denver. I feel like Denver was one of the cities more impacted from what people were saying (and I do see a flight option on 4/14 connecting through Denver showing SOLD OUT) so perhaps that wouldn't be good to flying through there.


----------



## scrappinginontario

FCDub said:


> Correct. They'll let all the other passengers get off, do a head count, then let you switch seats if you want before the next flight boards.


  We've used this opportunity in the past to move to the front rows after the head count was done.  Quick exit when the plane landed!  



princess927 said:


> My kids and I are flying to Disney this Friday and my husband is flying in on Sunday. How can I see if our flights have been canceled? It does show. both of our flights are sold out but I know that doesn’t necessarily mean they are canceled.


  I've been going to the actual confirmation online to ensure our flights are still active, not going by the schedule.  If they cancel or change a flight I'm sure it will show up on my confirmation page when I enter my confirmation number.

They changed the flight number of our May 2nd flight last Monday and that change was reflected when I logged in and viewed our itinerary.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Is there an easy way to check on your flight if you don't have a SW account? I booked ds and his gf separate from us and so their return flight doesn't show when I log into my account. I have their confirmation number, but I can't check it by flight status because the flight is in May. I've checked once by clicking the "change/cancel flight" button, but that makes me nervous because I don't want to risk doing anything, I just want to be able to SEE their flight.


----------



## DLgal

Iowamomof4 said:


> Is there an easy way to check on your flight if you don't have a SW account? I booked ds and his gf separate from us and so their return flight doesn't show when I log into my account. I have their confirmation number, but I can't check it by flight status because the flight is in May. I've checked once by clicking the "change/cancel flight" button, but that makes me nervous because I don't want to risk doing anything, I just want to be able to SEE their flight.



Just pretend you want to book the flights they are on. That way you can see if it still shows up.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Iowamomof4 said:


> Is there an easy way to check on your flight if you don't have a SW account? I booked ds and his gf separate from us and so their return flight doesn't show when I log into my account. I have their confirmation number, but I can't check it by flight status because the flight is in May. I've checked once by clicking the "change/cancel flight" button, but that makes me nervous because I don't want to risk doing anything, I just want to be able to SEE their flight.



I found it! I'll include a picture in case it helps anyone else. On the SW home page, along the top is a row that says Flight/Hotel/Car/Vacations. If you click that, it pulls up a menu that has a "Manage Reservations" option. When you click that, you can search by confirmation# and first/last name.


----------



## Corwin

I got an email early this morning that our May 15th flight from Hartford to Orlando had been cancelled and rebooked. We originally had a one hour layover in Baltimore, but the second leg was apparently cancelled. The rebooked flight involved an extra stop, going from Hartford to Baltimore to Rochester (NY) to Orlando. 

Another alternative was a 3-1/2 hour layover in Baltimore instead of going to Rochester.

I looked at all the other options and ultimately requested they book us on a nonstop out of Providence, which took them forever to change, but they finally did it for us. 

There was a 75 minute wait on the phone to get a SW agent, but thankfully they will put you in a virtual queue so you don't have to wait on hold the whole time. Instead, they call you back. (Then I had to call back for another 60 minute wait, because according to the second agent, the first agent made a mistake and missed a step on the rebooking.)

The downsides to this itinerary change are that we now have to drive to Providence (which is a longer drive for us than Hartford), and I also had to switch the return flight to Providence, which gets back much later than our original flight (after midnight).

At least both flights are now nonstop direct flights, so that will hopefully minimize the chances of any further hiccups.

P.S. Whenever I started to get upset about the situation, I thought of the passengers and crew of the planes that crashed. There are worse things than being inconvenienced while on vacation...


----------



## zuzu310

I received an email at 2:45am that Southwest had changed our flights between CMH and MCO for 5/10 and 5/15. The first flight was only changed by 5 minutes so no big deal, but the return one was cancelled and they rebooked us on the next non-stop 3 hours later. I hope there are no more changes for those flights because we are taking our kids on a surprise trip to universal immediately after school. We come back on a Wednesday and they go to school the next day, so I don't want those times to be much later. at night In addition, we have a trip in July for our 15th anniversary and our annual Disney family vacation in September. Now I am super nervous about what is going to happen. For one thing, if they do get the MAX planes up and running, who really wants to fly on one now?


----------



## ZoeBell

I didn’t receive an email but I noticed my return flight May 21@ 0705 from mco to buffalo was no longer showing up as an option. Checked my rapid reward and noticed SW switch our flight to May 20@1030 pm.
 I called and was able to switch my flight back to our original flight, but the only non stop available was 1030pm. Not ideal, but I’ll take it. I was hoping for the 1055am flight.. oh well

I originally purchased my flights in September and booked early bird as well. So here it is almost 30 days before and EB is essentially a waste of my money. Since everyone else booked on the flight who purchased before me will be “ahead” of us.

My parents were going down a day before us and leaving a day earlier. I noticed their return flight early morning on Monday 20th is showing as no longer available. I’ll be dealing with this again tomorrow with my mother.


----------



## littlestar

Got word today that our direct Southwest flight on April 26 had been cancelled and we were rescheduled on a flight that arrived the following day. Called the special number provided and was able to reschedule it to the day before our original flight, but they made no promise it would not be cancelled too. Ugh.


----------



## scrappinginontario

littlestar said:


> Got word today that our direct Southwest flight on April 26 had been cancelled and we were rescheduled on a flight that arrived the following day. Called the special number provided and was able to reschedule it to the day before our original flight, but they made no promise it would not be cancelled too. Ugh.


 I’m sorry this happened!  I was hoping with so many reporting changes today to their  May trips that they might be done altering their Apr flights.  Guess I will continue to monitor our flights daily.

Glad you were able to change yours to a date that works better for you.  Thankfully we have some flexibility on either side if we need it for flight changes.


----------



## jvncnt

We have had three flights change now between CMH and MCO.  Both our May and April trips have kept us on nonstop flights, but times are not what we wanted.  In checking SW's site, it looks like they have simply removed the flight times that we normally have taken for the last several years.  Probably going to kill our EBCI group, but not much we can do about that.


----------



## Iowamomof4

I so appreciate all of the crowd sourcing we have going on here! Thank you to everyone who has reported flight changes in the last few days! 

I'll be curious to see if we continue to get reports or if they settle down now. Sure seemed like there was a lot of activity overnight Sunday into Monday. Our flights haven't changed at all (yet), so I'm starting to feel some hope that we may be okay.


----------



## jbethel77

There has been a lot of activity the past couple days! At least people are getting a little more notice.

I’m also wondering if the people with more recent cancellations/reschedules knew what kind of aircraft they were originally scheduled on?
Curious if the theory is true.. that it’s the 737-800 flights that are getting cancelled & not the 737-700’s..
Both of our flights are 700’s, so that assumption & the fact that you can still book my flights is giving me hope we’ll be okay


----------



## zuzu310

jvncnt said:


> We have had three flights change now between CMH and MCO.  Both our May and April trips have kept us on nonstop flights, but times are not what we wanted.  In checking SW's site, it looks like they have simply removed the flight times that we normally have taken for the last several years.  Probably going to kill our EBCI group, but not much we can do about that.



Our May flights between CMH and MCO were also changed. The outgoing flight was only a 5 minute difference but our incoming flight was cancelled and rescheduled three hours later on the next direct flight. What normal flight times do you guys take? We have flights in July and September also so I am super curious. Mostly we fly out early morning and come back afternoon, but this year our flight times were kind of all over the place.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

jbethel77 said:


> There has been a lot of activity the past couple days! At least people are getting a little more notice.
> 
> I’m also wondering if the people with more recent cancellations/reschedules knew what kind of aircraft they were originally scheduled on?
> Curious if the theory is true.. that it’s the 737-800 flights that are getting cancelled & not the 737-700’s..
> Both of our flights are 700’s, so that assumption & the fact that you can still book my flights is giving me hope we’ll be okay


I think because the 737-700 has less seating capacity they probably will try as hard as possible to switch out with a 737-800. That won't always work of course but it would likely be the preferable one. I'm sure they also looked at how many seats were sold at that point for the legs they've needed or decided to cancel. Less seats sold easier to switch to a 737-700 series.


----------



## chicagoshannon

jbethel77 said:


> There has been a lot of activity the past couple days! At least people are getting a little more notice.
> 
> I’m also wondering if the people with more recent cancellations/reschedules knew what kind of aircraft they were originally scheduled on?
> Curious if the theory is true.. that it’s the 737-800 flights that are getting cancelled & not the 737-700’s..
> Both of our flights are 700’s, so that assumption & the fact that you can still book my flights is giving me hope we’ll be okay


our flight was on an 800.


----------



## Huff

jbethel77 said:


> There has been a lot of activity the past couple days! At least people are getting a little more notice.
> 
> I’m also wondering if the people with more recent cancellations/reschedules knew what kind of aircraft they were originally scheduled on?
> Curious if the theory is true.. that it’s the 737-800 flights that are getting cancelled & not the 737-700’s..
> Both of our flights are 700’s, so that assumption & the fact that you can still book my flights is giving me hope we’ll be okay



Our original flight was on the 737-800 Max 8.  They then changed it to a 737-800 a few weeks ago.  This week it was changed to 30 minutes earlier on a 737-700.


----------



## shoreward

Weather disruptions are possible this week with possible blizzard conditions in the upper midwest.

https://www.southwest.com/html/advisories/swa_travel_advisory_2019391554838211987.html


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

shoreward said:


> Weather disruptions are possible this week with possible blizzard conditions in the upper midwest.
> 
> https://www.southwest.com/html/advisories/swa_travel_advisory_2019391554838211987.html


I was telling my husband we are soooo dang lucky. Here in KC we are just below the impact area. We are supposed to get winds potentially damaging winds but if it was going to be a blizzard like up north my husband wouldn't be coming home this weekend. He'd have to cancel and switch to a different weekend.

I feel bad for all those having to even think about a blizzard much less how much snow some areas might get.


----------



## elgerber

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I was telling my husband we are soooo dang lucky. Here in KC we are just below the impact area. We are supposed to get winds potentially damaging winds but if it was going to be a blizzard like up north my husband wouldn't be coming home this weekend. He'd have to cancel and switch to a different weekend.
> 
> I feel bad for all those having to even think about a blizzard much less how much snow some areas might get.


I wish I was below it, we are just outside the bullseye.  We are looking at 12-18 inches.  I can't even...not two years in a row.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

elgerber said:


> I wish I was below it, we are just outside the bullseye.  We are looking at 12-18 inches.  I can't even...not two years in a row.


Ugh that sucks. I'm sorry.

It's been a crazy winter for us. We had 3 years in a row with way below average snowfall..like just about nothing. This year that went away. Just the mention of snow these days will get you dirty looks; it's the word that shall not be mentioned out loud lol. We need the nicer weather to repair the immense amount of potholes in the area. 

Well fingers crossed for you it's not as bad as it's predicted


----------



## chicagoshannon

We had 75 degree temps yesterday and lucky if it hits 40 tomorrow with possible snow but I don't think 12 inches or anything.  It would be nice if just one year we'd have an actual spring of 60ish degrees for a couple of weeks.


----------



## MinnieMSue

jvncnt said:


> We have had three flights change now between CMH and MCO.  Both our May and April trips have kept us on nonstop flights, but times are not what we wanted.  In checking SW's site, it looks like they have simply removed the flight times that we normally have taken for the last several years.  Probably going to kill our EBCI group, but not much we can do about that.



We are flying the 6am flight Sunday June 2 and returning a 2:15 flight Sunday June 16. Both nonstop CMH to MCO. Are these close to the days of week or times of your flights that were changed - feeling very nervous about this


----------



## Jules123

Our flight in July is showing sold out today which makes me nervous. My son’s flight home disappeared from the website yesterday but is back again on there this morning


----------



## Kamy04

MinnieMSue said:


> We are flying the 6am flight Sunday June 2 and returning a 2:15 flight Sunday June 16. Both nonstop CMH to MCO. Are these close to the days of week or times of your flights that were changed - feeling very nervous about this



We are CMH to MCO too!  We leave early on June 5 and return June 12.  Nervous.  Plus I hate flying anyway so I need things to go smoothly!  (Literally and figuratively lol)


----------



## cdepauli

We're traveling June 22-29 and haven't booked flights yet (we live in south central PA). We normally fly SW out of Baltimore. I'm really nervous we're not going to even be able to book something within our typical expected budget (usually less than $250 RT). I swear, we're just going to end up driving if Frontier out of Philly doesn't come down in price! 

I'm so sorry to everyone who has had unexpected/unwanted changes!


----------



## Cinderumbrella

My June 11 flight just switched to sold out (and that same flight is sold out that entire week). Looks like they are getting ready to move things again. 

They have not changed my flight yet, it’s just not being sold anymore. FWIW, it’s a late night, nonstop on a 737-700.


----------



## Corwin

littlestar said:


> Got word today that our direct Southwest flight on April 26 had been cancelled and we were rescheduled on a flight that arrived the following day. Called the special number provided and was able to reschedule it to the day before our original flight, but they made no promise it would not be cancelled too. Ugh.


That's what I get for quickly reading the email I received from Southwest while half-asleep. I never noticed that there was dedicated phone number to call.


----------



## Iowamomof4

I've noticed a couple newer updates on SW's page here: https://www.southwest.com/html/air/737-MAX-8.html?clk=737MAX8_190408
I bolded a couple pertinent statements in the paragraphs below from that link:

All Boeing MAX 8 aircraft have been removed from our schedule through June 7, 2019. *Our adjusted schedule is already in effect on Southwest.com. *Customers who have been impacted by this amended schedule are being proactively notified to adjust their travel plans. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Also this from the FAQ: 
Our goal is to operate our planned schedule with as few cancellations and as minimal an impact to our Customers as possible. To support our Customers, our Teams have worked diligently to increase reliability and reduce the amount of last-minute flight changes caused by the MAX 8 grounding.

*Currently, we have amended our flight schedule through June 7, 2019, to incorporate flight changes that will occur as a result of our 34 MAX 8 aircraft being taken out of service. We are taking steps to proactively notify Customers affected by these changes.*

Please know that there are still other factors to consider when traveling that have potential to impact a scheduled flight on any given day. These factors include but are not limited to, weather, unscheduled maintenance, operational delays, etc. As your flight date approaches, you can track the status of your flight using our Flight Status Tool on Southwest.com.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

Iowamomof4 said:


> I've noticed a couple newer updates on SW's page here: https://www.southwest.com/html/air/737-MAX-8.html?clk=737MAX8_190408
> I bolded a couple pertinent statements in the paragraphs below from that link:
> 
> All Boeing MAX 8 aircraft have been removed from our schedule through June 7, 2019. *Our adjusted schedule is already in effect on Southwest.com. *Customers who have been impacted by this amended schedule are being proactively notified to adjust their travel plans. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
> 
> Also this from the FAQ:
> Our goal is to operate our planned schedule with as few cancellations and as minimal an impact to our Customers as possible. To support our Customers, our Teams have worked diligently to increase reliability and reduce the amount of last-minute flight changes caused by the MAX 8 grounding.
> 
> *Currently, we have amended our flight schedule through June 7, 2019, to incorporate flight changes that will occur as a result of our 34 MAX 8 aircraft being taken out of service. We are taking steps to proactively notify Customers affected by these changes.*
> 
> Please know that there are still other factors to consider when traveling that have potential to impact a scheduled flight on any given day. These factors include but are not limited to, weather, unscheduled maintenance, operational delays, etc. As your flight date approaches, you can track the status of your flight using our Flight Status Tool on Southwest.com.



I was obviously just reading this too, lol. My flight to MCO is 6/4. There are no sold out flights that day, or the days surrounding it (until 6/7 and beyond). So I’m going to ASSume that flight is safe.

I just hope they cancel that 6/11 flight in the next week while there are still plenty of flights and times available. I am fortunate with MDW as my destination since there are 20+ flights daily there. Plus, the earlier they move us, the safer my EBCI number is.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*IMPORTANT Update From Southwest President Tom Nealon released today at 4:15pm
https://www.southwestaircommunity.c...n-An-Update-from-Our-President-Tom/ba-p/89805*

2 Key Excerpts:

...we’ve now modified our schedule through August 5, 2019 to add further stability for Customers booking their summer travel...
...Customers...affected by this amended schedule, are being proactively notified so that we can reaccommodate their flight plans well in advance of their travel date...
I'd recommend logging in to check if your flights are still there AND checking to see if your flight still shows up for sale.  That's just my opinion though as I'm not entirely sure how you'd figure out if you have an issue until they "proactively" notify you.

Hopefully this ends the constant and unfortunate drama of "will my flight be affected roulette".  I believe based on the way this press release is worded, these changes are already completed now.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

Per my DM with them, the next round of cancelations will be 4/14 and 4/23

So we wait to see if our sold out flights are indeed canceled...


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Well shoot, again not that I blame them, but it does suck to have to deal with the concern for even longer and they just announced I thought through June something.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Well shoot, again not that I blame them, but it does suck to have to deal with the concern for even longer and they just announced I thought through June something.


FYI: I read this announcement to say that all modifications are done now.  So if your flights thru Aug 5th are still intact you can (maybe, likely?) assume you are safe now.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

@Mackenzie Click-Mickelson and others they may be interested... 



It’s still hard to 100% believe this (because...well...It’s Southwest...)...but there it is for what it’s worth


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

SouthFayetteFan said:


> @Mackenzie Click-Mickelson and others they may be interested...
> 
> View attachment 394021
> 
> It’s still hard to 100% believe this (because...well...It’s Southwest...)...but there it is for what it’s worth


Thanks for asking them for clarification! Much appreciated


----------



## elgerber

SouthFayetteFan said:


> @Mackenzie Click-Mickelson and others they may be interested...
> 
> View attachment 394021
> 
> It’s still hard to 100% believe this (because...well...It’s Southwest...)...but there it is for what it’s worth


Not to mention that typo LOL


----------



## shoreward

SouthFayetteFan said:


> FYI: I read this announcement to say that all modifications are done now.  So if your flights thru Aug 5th are still intact you can (maybe, likely?) assume you are safe now.


I was told that notice could still be received regarding a change to my itineraries, and that I should keep checking, myself.  It looks like they are trying to cover their tail.


----------



## Iowamomof4

shoreward said:


> I was told that notice could still be received regarding a change to my itineraries, and that I should keep checking, myself.  It looks like they are trying to cover their tail.



Right, but isn't that just because they can never guarantee ANY flight with 100% certainty? I mean, it's true that we should always be checking our flights because you never know when weather or mechanical issues could lead to last-minute delays or cancellations. It does seem like the Max 8 issue has been settled through June 7 and is currently being settled through August 5. I guess time will tell, but I'm already feeling a lot better about our flights in May.


----------



## shoreward

Iowamomof4 said:


> Right, but isn't that just because they can never guarantee ANY flight with 100% certainty? I mean, it's true that we should always be checking our flights because you never know when weather or mechanical issues could lead to last-minute delays or cancellations. It does seem like the Max 8 issue has been settled through June 7 and is currently being settled through August 5. I guess time will tell, but I'm already feeling a lot better about our flights in May.



I agree that things appear to be more secure, with the latest announcement.  When I contacted them, I mentioned that I understood about routine cancellations, but was wondering about the continued cancellations, due to the MAX 8 issues.

This was the reply from @SouthwestAir:



> As mentioned in the correspondence we sent earlier today, we're hopeful that the impact will be minimal, but if there are any changes to your flights, we'll notify you via the contact method you selected during booking. In the meantime, you can also routinely check your itinerary and it's status leading up to your departure date.



I think that their Twitter team can use some spelling lessons.


----------



## PolyAddict

I have not received an email saying ours is cancelled but nothing shows up under our account anymore.  It shows on the app though and the flight still looks bookable as business class.  We fly out April 29 and back May 2nd.


----------



## scrappinginontario

PolyAddict said:


> I have not received an email saying ours is cancelled but nothing shows up under our account anymore.  It shows on the app though and the flight still looks bookable as business class.  We fly out April 29 and back May 2nd.


  I’m guessing you’ve done this but I would take a screen shot of what you’re seeing on the app if nothing is showing up online.  Hopefully today is better and you can see your confirmation both online and on the app.  If it’s not displaying in one location I would call if it were me just to ensure tge SW agent can see your confirmed flights linked to you.


----------



## cmarsh31

Thanks everyone! I've been following diligently. Flights on 7/15-7/19 and 8/8-8/12. Just checked the July ones. My non-stop on the 19th is still available but 6 out of 10 MCO to ALB (all connections in BWI) are marked as sold out now! Definitely weren't 3 days ago. The irony is that I booked this flight using vouchers from the mechanic debacle in Feb/March... which was originally booked with vouchers from a July flight that was inexplicably cancelled... feeling like those vouchers are cursed!


----------



## Cinderumbrella

Not to disregard what anyone is saying, but the agent told me point blank that they have only notified people with flights 6/7 or before. If yours is between 6/8 and 8/5, they will begin making visible changes on 4/14 & 4/23 and notifying people then. 

I inquired about my now sold out flight on 6/11. That flight is sold out from 6/10 to 8/5. It is a 700 plane. She said that it is a flight that they will be switching people to (although I’m not really sure I believe her, lol).

My point is, don’t assume your flight is safe if it’s after 6/7 and you haven’t heard yet.


----------



## PolyAddict

scrappinginontario said:


> I’m guessing you’ve done this but I would take a screen shot of what you’re seeing on the app if nothing is showing up online.  Hopefully today is better and you can see your confirmation both online and on the app.  If it’s not displaying in one location I would call if it were me just to ensure tge SW agent can see your confirmed flights linked to you.


On the phone now and I can finally see my reservations online.


----------



## PolyAddict

So far so good on our flight.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Cinderumbrella said:


> Not to disregard what anyone is saying, but the agent told me point blank that they have only notified people with flights 6/7 or before. If yours is between 6/8 and 8/5, they will begin making visible changes on 4/14 & 4/23 and notifying people then.
> 
> I inquired about my now sold out flight on 6/11. That flight is sold out from 6/10 to 8/5. It is a 700 plane. She said that it is a flight that they will be switching people to (although I’m not really sure I believe her, lol).
> 
> My point is, don’t assume your flight is safe if it’s after 6/7 and you haven’t heard yet.


  It's a personal decision but I'll choose to believe an email message I received from the SW President over a phone agent.  If he says, '...we've now modified our schedule through August 5, 2019, to add further stability for Customers booking their summer travel.' I believe him.

I went online and checked my flights.  I believe what I'm seeing is my flights after the adjustments have been made.   I'm not saying that people may not still receive modification notifications in the future, I just think those modifications will already be reflected against your confirmation number if you go in and check now.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

I’m not saying they aren’t changing things. I’m saying that they aren’t telling anyone until 4/14 what exactly it is.

That being said, an agent moved me from my 11pm sold out flight to the next closest nonstop (8pm) at no cost to me. But I was given the caveat to pay attention to my email on 4/14 in case this flight ends up being affected as well.

ETA: I’m talking specifically about flights between 6/8 and 8/5.


----------



## mrsstats

My brother left Islip this morning to fly to Atlanta via Baltimore.  Last week SW changed his flight to include an additional stop in Ohio.  He left Islip at 6 am and has been stuck in Baltimore with a plane issue.  They are now changing planes and hopefully he will get out soon so he can make his ballgame tonight.  They did give him $100 voucher.


----------



## Seabean

Is there anyone else here going in late July?  We always do, and we usually book about 6-8 weeks before (although one year we grabbed a freakish low price about 10 weeks out).

We usually book both the outbound and returning flights (round trip) at the same time while on the SW website, but this year we found an unusually low price coming home, so we booked that as a one-way, about 17 weeks out. 

So you'd think all we'd have to do now is wait for a good one way price for the outbound flight, right?  Suddenly in this past week we're seeing flights in our ballpark time range suddenly selling out, why would that be happening this far in advance? 

Is there anyone else out there also planning on flying SW around late July, and what are your thoughts on all this?


----------



## Cinderumbrella

The schedule this summer is a mess right now as they are still shifting Max 8 planes out and moving others to accommodate.

They also just had a great fare sale on many routes, so some sell outs may be just that (for now).

If you can wait until next week to start looking, the scheduling mess should look a lot better.


----------



## shoreward

Has anyone else had problems, after logging in, accessing the info on their Rapid Rewards account over the last couple of days?


----------



## Cinderumbrella

Here’s a fun new thing to worry about:
Anyone seeing a red banner on the app saying you can change your flight because you may be scheduled on a disrupted flight?


----------



## chicagoshannon

Cinderumbrella said:


> Here’s a fun new thing to worry about:
> Anyone seeing a red banner on the app saying you can change your flight because you may be scheduled on a disrupted flight?


That usually means something is going on with the weather.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

chicagoshannon said:


> That usually means something is going on with the weather.



For a flight in June?


----------



## chicagoshannon

Cinderumbrella said:


> For a flight in June?


ok. lol


----------



## Cinderumbrella

I’ll just be relieved when the flight changes are resolved. Then I can focus on thunderstorms and early season hurricanes


----------



## shoreward

Cinderumbrella said:


> Here’s a fun new thing to worry about:
> Anyone seeing a red banner on the app saying you can change your flight because you may be scheduled on a disrupted flight?


Thread addressing this:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/s...can-change-your-flight.3744850/#post-60498422


----------



## Cinderumbrella

shoreward said:


> Thread addressing this:
> https://www.disboards.com/threads/s...can-change-your-flight.3744850/#post-60498422



I saw it. Just checking if anyone else in here is seeing it too.


----------



## DLgal

Cinderumbrella said:


> I saw it. Just checking if anyone else in here is seeing it too.



I'm not seeing it. Scheduled to fly April 30 and May 5 on routes originally scheduled on Max planes. My flights haven't changed at all.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

DLgal said:


> I'm not seeing it. Scheduled to fly April 30 and May 5 on routes originally scheduled on Max planes. My flights haven't changed at all.



Thanks! I don’t see it for my June 4 flight (since those flights should have been adjusted already if needed). I do see it for my June 11 flight, but that flight is still bookable right now. The OP of the thread referenced above has same situation.


----------



## scrappinginontario

shoreward said:


> Has anyone else had problems, after logging in, accessing the info on their Rapid Rewards account over the last couple of days?


  Haven’t experienced this and am checking daily as we fly to Mickey’s House 2 weeks from today!


----------



## Nohal

When I booked my flight I typed in my name backwards (last name first, first name last) DH is correct.  I called to make it correct and the agent told me to wait until I'm 30 days out because the change would lock my flight.  I'm confused why that would happen.  I'm really concerned because I got an email asking me to join the frequent flyer program which I already have.  I'm also concerned because I am TSA precheck which will be messed up if I wait.  Since I've gotten wrong info from so many call center people I'm wondering what everyone thinks?


----------



## Lori74

Where can you see on your account how much of a travel credit you have?


----------



## Nohal

Lori74 said:


> Where can you see on your account how much of a travel credit you have?[/QUOT
> I don't have a travel credit.  I'm just trying to change my name because it's backwards.  I just called again and was told they would have to cancel my flight and rebook at the current prices which are higher than I paid.  I'm pretty sure there is another option.  She told me to call Customer Service (which is who I thought I was talking to) on Monday.  So once again the call center people are really not informed.


----------



## Lori74

I'm wondering for myself lol  but good luck to you


----------



## scrappinginontario

@Nohal i would wait and call Monday for sure.  I once purchased a flight for a friend using the name she goes by, not knowing it was different from her passport, etc.  I called customer service and they switched it at no additional cost.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Lori74 said:


> I'm wondering for myself lol  but good luck to you


----------



## Nohal

Lori74 said:


> I'm wondering for myself lol  but good luck to you



Oh my goodness.    I thought you were answering my 
post  Goes right along with the fact that I couldn't even fill out my flight information correctly.


----------



## Nohal

scrappinginontario said:


> @Nohal i would wait and call Monday for sure.  I once purchased a flight for a friend using the name she goes by, not knowing it was different from her passport, etc.  I called customer service and they switched it at no additional cost.



Thanks I feel a little better now.  A few years ago I forgot to put Jr. after my DH name and had no trouble adding it.


----------



## Lori74

Nohal said:


> Oh my goodness.    I thought you were answering my
> post  Goes right along with the fact that I couldn't even fill out my flight information correctly.


No worries, we've all been there lol


----------



## Cinderumbrella

Anybody get notified today about changes to their 6/8-8/5 flights?

I did not but the 11pm flight I stressed about did indeed disappear from the schedule. I’m very glad they agreed to move me a few days early. That flight is still on the schedule (but currently sold out of wanna get away fares so I’m guessing that’s where most from the 11pm were moved to).


----------



## Iowamomof4

Cinderumbrella said:


> Anybody get notified today about changes to their 6/8-8/5 flights?
> 
> I did not but the 11pm flight I stressed about did indeed disappear from the schedule. I’m very glad they agreed to move me a few days early. That flight is still on the schedule (but currently sold out of wanna get away fares so I’m guessing that’s where most from the 11pm were moved to).


Last time there were mass notifications, it seemed like they sent them overnight from Sunday into Monday.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

Iowamomof4 said:


> Last time there were mass notifications, it seemed like they sent them overnight from Sunday into Monday.



I know, but 4 agents told me 4/14 was the day and for my routes, there have been quite a few changes. Some flights removed, a few slight time changes (but new flight numbers).
(Again to clarify this is for 6/8 to 8/5)


----------



## Spetha

Cinderumbrella said:


> I know, but 4 agents told me 4/14 was the day and for my routes, there have been quite a few changes. Some flights removed, a few slight time changes (but new flight numbers).
> (Again to clarify this is for 6/8 to 8/5)



Just to let you know I did receive an email that my flights had been changed for that time period.  I received the email just before midnight last night.  One of the new flights I was placed on is now showing to be sold out.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

Spetha said:


> Just to let you know I did receive an email that my flights had been changed for that time period.  I received the email just before midnight last night.  One of the new flights I was placed on is now showing to be sold out.



Across all categories or just wanna get away? (My new one will still allow business class bookings)


----------



## PolyAddict

the flight i want to switch to is sold out in my category.  Was anyone about to book a different category under the new banner?


----------



## Spetha

Cinderumbrella said:


> Across all categories or just wanna get away? (My new one will still allow business class bookings)


For the one that I am on it is sold out across all categories. I did check the rest of the week for the same flight and a couple days were completely sold out with others only having anytime or business available.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

PolyAddict said:


> the flight i want to switch to is sold out in my category.  Was anyone about to book a different category under the new banner?



Did you get an email with a different CS number? I know people with the April-May flights did. Probably worth a phone call to check your options.


----------



## PolyAddict

Cinderumbrella said:


> Did you get an email with a different CS number? I know people with the April-May flights did. Probably worth a phone call to check your options.


what is the CS number?  We fly our April 29th.  I have the red banner above my reservations.


----------



## PolyAddict

Cinderumbrella said:


> Did you get an email with a different CS number? I know people with the April-May flights did. Probably worth a phone call to check your options.


I just did it and was able to chose another category.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

PolyAddict said:


> what is the CS number?  We fly our April 29th.  I have the red banner above my reservations.



Wow. I’m surprised they are still adjusting flights! Was yours canceled or did you just decide to move?


----------



## PolyAddict

Cinderumbrella said:


> Wow. I’m surprised they are still adjusting flights! Was yours canceled or did you just decide to move?


wanna get away showed as sold out but when i switched it still shows as wanna get away.  No as far as we know we hadn't been cancelled but since it is such a short trip we booked the day before just to be safe.  On the phone with Disney trying to add the day now.


----------



## Livelovedance

Is there a limit to the number of times you can change a flight? I’ve changed a couple times to save points, now I’m looking into a flight time change (points are equivalent).

edited to add: I did make the change. I was just curious if there were restrictions on how often you can make a change. I’m not sure if I’ve asked this question already!


----------



## cavepig

I searched but couldn't find it.  On Southwest do Travel Funds all stay separate or do they combine into one amount per reservation number?   Like if I get a travel credit now of say $20 then in a month the flight changes again and I get another $20, Is that 2 $20 Credits or 1 $40?


----------



## Cinderumbrella

cavepig said:


> I searched but couldn't find it.  On Southwest do Travel Funds all stay separate or do they combine into one amount per reservation number?   Like if I get a travel credit now of say $20 then in a month the flight changes again and I get another $20, Is that 2 $20 Credits or 1 $40?


2 credits


----------



## cavepig

Cinderumbrella said:


> 2 credits


Thanks, that's what I thought but wanted to make sure.


----------



## cavepig

And it's 3 forms of payment per passenger right?   So I could use 2 credits (mine) & credit card for me and 2 credits (2nd passengers) and credit card for 2nd passenger?


----------



## Cinderumbrella

cavepig said:


> And it's 3 forms of payment per passenger right?   So I could use 2 credits (mine) & credit card for me and 2 credits (2nd passengers) and credit card for 2nd passenger?



Yes. I just did the exact thing last month (I believe it’s actually more than 3).


----------



## WDW_Diane

Cinderumbrella said:


> Here’s a fun new thing to worry about:
> Anyone seeing a red banner on the app saying you can change your flight because you may be scheduled on a disrupted flight?


This happened to me for my March flight.  They said it was because of the MAX8 situation even though my planes were not that type.  I did nothing and my flights were fine and on time.
However, I have an upcoming flight in June that has disappeared from the schedule which I recall *may* have been a MAX8 flight but I am not entirely sure.  I am concerned that they might move me to another undesirable flight with multiple layovers or something.  I might be calling today to see what's up.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

WDW_Diane said:


> This happened to me for my March flight.  They said it was because of the MAX8 situation even though my planes were not that type.  I did nothing and my flights were fine and on time.
> However, I have an upcoming flight in June that has disappeared from the schedule which I recall *may* have been a MAX8 flight but I am not entirely sure.  I am concerned that they might move me to another undesirable flight with multiple layovers or something.  I might be calling today to see what's up.



For your June flight: what does it show when you check that reservation?


----------



## focusondisney

cavepig said:


> I searched but couldn't find it.  On Southwest do Travel Funds all stay separate or do they combine into one amount per reservation number?   Like if I get a travel credit now of say $20 then in a month the flight changes again and I get another $20, Is that 2 $20 Credits or 1 $40?




Actually, the travel funds will be associated with your confirmation number. So doesn’t matter how many times you rebook for a lower price. When you go to use the credit, you will put in your confirmation number & it will show the whole amount as 1 credit.  Make sure to keep your confirmation number, you will need it to use the credit.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

focusondisney said:


> Actually, the travel funds will be associated with your confirmation number. So doesn’t matter how many times you rebook for a lower price. When you go to use the credit, you will put in your confirmation number & it will show the whole amount as 1 credit.  Make sure to keep your confirmation number, you will need it to use the credit.



You are exactly right. I didn’t realize op was talking about multiple credits from a single flight.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

cavepig said:


> And it's 3 forms of payment per passenger right?   So I could use 2 credits (mine) & credit card for me and 2 credits (2nd passengers) and credit card for 2nd passenger?





Cinderumbrella said:


> Yes. I just did the exact thing last month (I believe it’s actually more than 3).


Unfortunately they are now down to just 3 forms of payment now (it was part of the system upgrade a year or so ago).  If somebody ends up with multiple credits you have to do some strange trickery where you book cheap flights to combine credits and then cancel those flights.  It's do-able but hard to explain (and luckily not necessary for this poster).  Just sharing for somebody else who sees this.


----------



## cavepig

focusondisney said:


> Actually, the travel funds will be associated with your confirmation number. So doesn’t matter how many times you rebook for a lower price. When you go to use the credit, you will put in your confirmation number & it will show the whole amount as 1 credit.  Make sure to keep your confirmation number, you will need it to use the credit.


  Oh okay, this is what I was hoping for      I've gotten travel funds before, but never more than once per confirmation number. 




Cinderumbrella said:


> You are exactly right. I didn’t realize op was talking about multiple credits from a single flight.


Yes, sorry, same confirmation number.  

Thank you everyone!


----------



## twinprincesses09

My return flight from MCO to CMH on 6/27 was changed.  I got the email Sunday morning.  We were departing MCO at 9:50pm and got moved to a 11:05pm flight.  Not that big of a deal, but wish it wasn't so late.  But the only option to change it that was nonstop was around 3:45pm, and we didn't want it that early as we have plans for that day visiting family in the area.  However, I did notice it said we could change either our departing flight (that wasn't affected) or the return flight by 14 days before or after the original booked flight.  I used the opportunity to change our departing flight that was scheduled for 8:25am with 1 stop, to a nonstop flight that leaves at 11:15am (direct), that had been more expensive when I booked.  I had to call to do so as it wouldn't let me change anything online (maybe because we booked with points?).  But he had no trouble changing it, even though the wanna get away fare we originally booked under was not available for the new flight.


----------



## SinCityMMAFan

A step in the right direction: 

*(Reuters) - A review by a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration panel into Boeing Co’s grounded 737 MAX aircraft found a planned software update and training revisions to be “operationally suitable,” the agency said Tuesday, an important milestone in getting the planes back in the air.*

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...perationally-suitable-faa-panel-idUSKCN1RS1ZR


----------



## MinnieMSue

Anyone else get an error message when trying to look at the flight details on an upcoming flight?  I cannot see my flight info going to Orlando at all. No matter how I try to pull it up on the app or the website. I just get an error message. I can see I have a flight but that is all (on the app). I can see the details of my return flight. I called and they verified my flight info but if I wanted to change anything I can’t because I have absolutely no way to pull up my reservation. I just hope I can check in for the flight - although I guess it isn’t a big deal since we did early bird (thankfully!)


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

MinnieMSue said:


> Anyone else get an error message when trying to look at the flight details on an upcoming flight?  I cannot see my flight info going to Orlando at all. No matter how I try to pull it up on the app or the website. I just get an error message. I can see I have a flight but that is all (on the app). I can see the details of my return flight. I called and they verified my flight info but if I wanted to change anything I can’t because I have absolutely no way to pull up my reservation. I just hope I can check in for the flight - although I guess it isn’t a big deal since we did early bird (thankfully!)


I just check my husband's 3 flights he has booked right now and they appear to be showing fine. It could be a random glitch though that doesn't make the situation better


----------



## MinnieMSue

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I just check my husband's 3 flights he has booked right now and they appear to be showing fine. It could be a random glitch though that doesn't make the situation better



Yea. I have had it for at least a couple of months and it probably is random. I did modify that flight shortly after booking because the price dropped but it is annoying to be completely unable to see the reservation. Especially with all the flight issues and changes they have had. I know I would get an email if they do make a change at least.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

MinnieMSue said:


> Yea. I have had it for at least a couple of months and it probably is random. I did modify that flight shortly after booking because the price dropped but it is annoying to be completely unable to see the reservation. Especially with all the flight issues and changes they have had. I know I would get an email if they do make a change at least.


ugh a couple of months to not be able to see it sounds awful. Sorry


----------



## dboughner

Can someone please tell me if the points refunded after changing a flight expire? I know with cash bookings you get a travel voucher that expires in 1 year. I'm wondering if refunded points expire in 1 year as well. Thanks!


----------



## shoreward

dboughner said:


> Can someone please tell me if the points refunded after changing a flight expire? I know with cash bookings you get a travel voucher that expires in 1 year. I'm wondering if refunded points expire in 1 year as well. Thanks!


There is no expiration date, as long as you have activity in your RR account at least once in a 24 month period (the same policy as all points in your RR account).


----------



## dboughner

shoreward said:


> There is no expiration date, as long as you have activity in your RR account at least once in a 24 month period (the same policy as all points in your RR account).



Thanks!


----------



## dboughner

shoreward said:


> There is no expiration date, as long as you have activity in your RR account at least once in a 24 month period (the same policy as all points in your RR account).



Thank you!


----------



## ZoeBell

Has anyone have insight into EB booking with SW switching flights around? I know generally you go to the bottom of the list when you switch flights but with SW being the one cancelling and rescheduling, I was hoping it wouldn’t effect my group to much. I paid for EB when I purchased our flights back in October, cancelled and rebooked a few weeks back. Huge time difference.


----------



## Jules123

I received an email last night saying our flights on 7/17 were changed and I was given the opportunity to change them. But the only thing that looks like  it was changed was the flight number. The times are still the same. ‍


----------



## Iowamomof4

It sure feels like all the cancellations are done for now. I keep checking our flights and they all still have tickets for sale.


----------



## cmarsh31

Email for 7/15 flight this am - luckily only changed the time by about 10 minutes.


----------



## JJJDisneyBuckeyes

Jules123 said:


> I received an email last night saying our flights on 7/17 were changed and I was given the opportunity to change them. But the only thing that looks like  it was changed was the flight number. The times are still the same. ‍


I got this same email. Our 8/3 flight to MCO changed flight numbers, but kept the same time.


----------



## Jules123

JJJDisneyBuckeyes said:


> I got this same email. Our 8/3 flight to MCO changed flight numbers, but kept the same time.


We have been wanting to change our flight to an earlier time that day anyway so we may just take advantage of the change option lol.


----------



## G719

MinnieMSue said:


> Anyone else get an error message when trying to look at the flight details on an upcoming flight?  I cannot see my flight info going to Orlando at all. No matter how I try to pull it up on the app or the website. I just get an error message. I can see I have a flight but that is all (on the app). I can see the details of my return flight. I called and they verified my flight info but if I wanted to change anything I can’t because I have absolutely no way to pull up my reservation. I just hope I can check in for the flight - although I guess it isn’t a big deal since we did early bird (thankfully!)


Having the same issue with a flight that I also modified to a cheaper price.  I can see the reservation on the desktop site but can't do anything to do.  If I click change reservation, I get an error code with a long error code.  I can't see it on the app either.  Another flight I have is fine.  

I actually just called and tried to add middle names to those tickets but he said to do it when we were 30 days out.  I didn't mention the issue of the app. I needed to add the middle names because we just applied for precheck and I will need to add our numbers to our tickets and the names have to have the middle names.

From doing some digging on Google, I read that we may not be able to check in online.  We also have early bird so hopefully that works like it should.  I guess we would have to print boarding passes at the airport.  Someone online mentioned you could call in and making sure you are checked in at the 24 hour mark.

This is just making me worry because that's what I do!


----------



## MinnieMSue

G719 said:


> Having the same issue with a flight that I also modified to a cheaper price.  I can see the reservation on the desktop site but can't do anything to do.  If I click change reservation, I get an error code with a long error code.  I can't see it on the app either.  Another flight I have is fine.
> 
> I actually just called and tried to add middle names to those tickets but he said to do it when we were 30 days out.  I didn't mention the issue of the app. I needed to add the middle names because we just applied for precheck and I will need to add our numbers to our tickets and the names have to have the middle names.
> 
> From doing some digging on Google, I read that we may not be able to check in online.  We also have early bird so hopefully that works like it should.  I guess we would have to print boarding passes at the airport.  Someone online mentioned you could call in and making sure you are checked in at the 24 hour mark.
> 
> This is just making me worry because that's what I do!



Interesting. I feel exactly like you do. Good thing we have early bird!


----------



## shoreward

To those who are having Southwest concerns and issues and are not able to get resolution by calling Southwest or simply can't wait on hold too long, you may be able to get more prompt assistance on Twitter.  They can't resolve all issues, but I have had success, recently, with a problem.

Be prepared to DM your confirmation number and the problem or question for which you need assistance.  They usually respond to your initial tweet very quickly.

https://twitter.com/SouthwestAir/with_replies


----------



## MinnieMSue

shoreward said:


> To those who are having Southwest concerns and issues and are not able to get resolution by calling Southwest or simply can't wait on hold too long, you may be able to get more prompt assistance on Twitter.  They can't resolve all issues, but I have had success, recently, with a problem.
> 
> Be prepared to DM your confirmation number and the problem or question for which you need assistance.  They usually respond to your initial tweet very quickly.
> 
> https://twitter.com/SouthwestAir/with_replies



Good idea. I just sent them a message


----------



## G719

MinnieMSue said:


> Good idea. I just sent them a message


Let us know what you find out.  I just used Facebook messenger to add middle names to our SW accounts because I read if they aren't on there it could mess up precheck. Now just to wait until 30 days out to add the middle names to the tickets.


----------



## MinnieMSue

G719 said:


> Let us know what you find out.  I just used Facebook messenger to add middle names to our SW accounts because I read if they aren't on there it could mess up precheck. Now just to wait until 30 days out to add the middle names to the tickets.



I will comment if I hear anything from them.


----------



## MinnieMSue

MinnieMSue said:


> I will comment if I hear anything from them.



Someone named Heather just confirmed that we were still scheduled for the flight but she didn’t address the error message. I did then comment that I can probably assume the error message will always be there and ask if she thinks I can check in for the flight and she hasn’t replied to that yet. I am not hopeful for an answer since she probably has no idea but if she does say anything about it I will post her reply


----------



## scrappinginontario

G719 said:


> Let us know what you find out.  I just used Facebook messenger to add middle names to our SW accounts because I read if they aren't on there it could mess up precheck. Now just to wait until 30 days out to add the middle names to the tickets.


 We have flown with Southwest over a hundred times and never entered our middle names.  Never had any problems.  We use our Nexus cards to check in and they do have our middle names on them but I've never used them with Southwest.


----------



## marsh0013

ZoeBell said:


> Has anyone have insight into EB booking with SW switching flights around? I know generally you go to the bottom of the list when you switch flights but with SW being the one cancelling and rescheduling, I was hoping it wouldn’t effect my group to much. I paid for EB when I purchased our flights back in October, cancelled and rebooked a few weeks back. Huge time difference.



Here was my experience. When southwest changed our flight, EB was dropped from both my and my companions flights (flight April 21, MCO-ISP). I called because they changed us to flights that didn't work, and got us switched to a different acceptable flight. I told the agent we had paid for early bird and she told me she could see that and that it would be put back on the flights. I expressed concern about our place in line and she basically told me she didn't know if it would backdate to when we originally purchased. Nice.

Well when I went to check our new flights, EB wasn't showing up for either of us. Great. I should have called back right away but couldn't take the time at work. Mine ended up reconnecting on its own, but my husband's never did. I had to call back to get his fixed.

Long story short, I got A22 and he got A46. So I think because mine connected itself, it backdated, but because his was done manually, it didn't. Who knows though. And yes both of our EB were purchased originally at the same time.

Edit to add: we had no issue getting our preferred exit row. The guy that ended up in the aisle seat next to me boarded in the C group. That was nuts!


----------



## PrncessA

Has Southwest changed their policies? I went to change my flight, because the price dropped and it will only let me change it, but I can't get a credit any longer. These are Wanna Get Away flights that I have previously changed and gotten a credit on.


----------



## focusondisney

PrncessA said:


> Has Southwest changed their policies? I went to change my flight, because the price dropped and it will only let me change it, but I can't get a credit any longer. These are Wanna Get Away flights that I have previously changed and gotten a credit on.View attachment 397002View attachment 397003




That looks like a message for people who are changing because of the max 8 issues.  They can change their flights without paying an increase in flight price.  If you are changing to a lower price, the policy is still the same.  No change fee & credit  must be used by 1 year from original purchase date.


----------



## shoreward

*Next schedule extension pushed back




On May 29, 2019 we will open our schedule for sale through January 5, 2020. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.

Click to expand...

*


----------



## chicagoshannon

shoreward said:


> *Next schedule extension pushed back
> *


oh that's awful for those of us waiting to book our Nov 3 flights home.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

chicagoshannon said:


> oh that's awful for those of us waiting to book our Nov 3 flights home.


Well...it’s just 6 more days lol.  Awful seems like a strong word


----------



## cassie58

shoreward said:


> *Next schedule extension pushed back
> *



Thank you for posting!


----------



## shoreward

I know that customers are really angry at Southwest for impacting their travel plans, changing flight schedules - some with a few weeks notice, but others only with a one day notice or less.  Southwest offers to change the dates/flights to other times, within a set window, for those affected.  With many customers being stuck at an airport, away from home, they are incurring additional expenses for overnight accommodations, food, etc., which Southwest will not cover.  Southwest does offer refunds for any portion of an itinerary not flown and affected by a Southwest change, due to  the MAX 8 situation.

All of this mess is on Boeing; Southwest only is the middleman.  I feel sorry for the customers, and I feel for Southwest and its employees on the front line, who must deal with the wrath of the customers and not being able to offer any exceptional compensation.  Southwest and American, the two U.S. carriers with the greatest number of MAX aircraft, have been losing millions and millions of dollars, since March, with no known end in sight.

It's too bad that there had to be multiple losses of lives, before the aircraft defects were recognized.

I would not be surprised if the schedule extension has been delayed, due to MAX 8 grounding being further extended.

It makes you wonder how many customers will refuse to fly the MAX 8, once the aircraft is deemed safe to fly, again.


----------



## Iowamomof4

shoreward said:


> I know that customers are really angry at Southwest for impacting their travel plans, changing flight schedules - some with a few weeks notice, but others only with a one day notice or less.  Southwest offers to change the dates/flights to other times, within a set window, for those affected.  With many customers being stuck at an airport, away from home, they are incurring additional expenses for overnight accommodations, food, etc., which Southwest will not cover.  Southwest does offer refunds for any portion of an itinerary not flown and affected by a Southwest change, due to  the MAX 8 situation.
> 
> All of this mess is on Boeing; Southwest only is the middleman.  I feel sorry for the customers, and I feel for Southwest and its employees on the front line, who must deal with the wrath of the customers and not be able to offer any exceptional compensation.  Southwest and American, the two U.S. carriers with the greatest number of MAX 8 aircraft, have been losing millions and millions of dollars, since March, with no known end in sight.
> 
> It's too bad that there had to be multiple losses of lives, before the aircraft defects were recognized.
> 
> I would not be surprised if the schedule extension has been delayed, due to MAX 8 grounding being further extended.
> 
> *It makes you wonder how many customers will refuse to fly the MAX 8, once the aircraft is deemed safe to fly, again*.



 Maybe not "refuse", but certainly I won't be very happy to fly on one until a few years have passed without anymore trouble.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

That is were paying with a credit card that has trip interrupted coverage comes in handy.


----------



## thesandra19

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Well...it’s just 6 more days lol.  Awful seems like a strong word


lol I'm a November 3rd-er. It's annoying to wait more but I, personally, wouldn't call it awful.


----------



## Tall Todd

Southwest Giftcards are about 12.5% off at BJ's right now.


----------



## katallo

Thanks, Tall Todd.  Does anyone know how many gift cards you can use when purchasing tickets?


----------



## SinCityMMAFan

katallo said:


> Thanks, Tall Todd.  Does anyone know how many gift cards you can use when purchasing tickets?



*Southwest gift cards – A maximum of three Southwest gift cards can be applied per passenger on each reservation.  If your purchase exceeds the amount available on the three Southwest gift cards, you will only be allowed to use two Southwest gift cards and another form of payment will be required for the difference. 

https://www.southwest.com/html/air/products/gift-card-terms-and-conditions.html*


----------



## aokeefe

I just checked the flight schedules and the release date for flights up to Jan 5th have been pushed out until June 20th now


----------



## shoreward

aokeefe said:


> I just checked the flight schedules and the release date for flights up to Jan 5th have been pushed out until June 20th now


This has to be from the MAX 8 situation.



> We are currently accepting air reservations through November 2, 2019. On June 20, 2019 we will open our schedule for sale through January 5, 2020. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


----------



## cdepauli

Not that I had the expectation that this would be honored, but Southwest will not do courtesy extensions of travel credits (I had one from booking last spring for late last summer and planned to use it by now to book for my upcoming June trip) due to the Max 8 groundings affecting both schedules and flight costs. I figured the worst they could say is no, and they did! HA!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

shoreward said:


> This has to be from the MAX 8 situation.


Agreed - It seems odd to delay a release of flights that far out but I'd guess they just don't want to have to reconfigure the schedule either to remove those planes or add them back later.

For those who are planning to fly Southwest no matter what during those busy months, this is probably a minor frustration.  (It's not like anybody else is beating you to those flights).  Unfortunately, for those hoping to price SW against other airlines, this is a pretty major delay.  They could be faced to make a decision to go elsewhere as holiday travel plans need to be finalized.


----------



## Frwinkley

Companion pass question:

Can you only have 1 companion booked at a time?


Here’s my dilemma: Travel booked June 20-28. DH is my companion. We’re all set. 

I now want to take a trip with DD June 9-13. I didn’t realize I could only have 1 trip booked at a time using the pass. 

Would this strategy work? Cancel DH as companion (leave my flight alone since I paid with points). Add DD as companion and take trip June 9-13. After that trip is complete, add DH back on.

Travel dates can’t be changed, so that’s not an option.


----------



## katallo

For those who are planning to fly Southwest no matter what during those busy months, this is probably a minor frustration. (It's not like anybody else is beating you to those flights). Unfortunately, for those hoping to price SW against other airlines, this is a pretty major delay. They could be faced to make a decision to go elsewhere as holiday travel plans need to be finalized.




This is well said.  We are trying to finalize plans during the holidays and will start looking at other airlines.  Understand why they are doing it but it certainly is making things like reservations and car rentals difficult.


----------



## chicagoshannon

katallo said:


> For those who are planning to fly Southwest no matter what during those busy months, this is probably a minor frustration. (It's not like anybody else is beating you to those flights). Unfortunately, for those hoping to price SW against other airlines, this is a pretty major delay. They could be faced to make a decision to go elsewhere as holiday travel plans need to be finalized.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is well said.  We are trying to finalize plans during the holidays and will start looking at other airlines.  Understand why they are doing it but it certainly is making things like reservations and car rentals difficult.


It's a major issue for us.  My family won't book our flight on October 25 until the return flight on Nov 3(or whatever that first Sunday in NOv is.) is available to book.   So we miss out on any deals for that Oct 25 flight.  Looks like we'll be driving for sure.


----------



## barb969

Frwinkley said:


> Companion pass question:
> 
> Can you only have 1 companion booked at a time?
> 
> 
> Here’s my dilemma: Travel booked June 20-28. DH is my companion. We’re all set.
> 
> I now want to take a trip with DD June 9-13. I didn’t realize I could only have 1 trip booked at a time using the pass.
> 
> Would this strategy work? Cancel DH as companion (leave my flight alone since I paid with points). Add DD as companion and take trip June 9-13. After that trip is complete, add DH back on.
> 
> Travel dates can’t be changed, so that’s not an option.



SWA rules used to say you can change your companion once.  I think your plan would be counted as twice.  Things could have changed.  Call and ask.


----------



## jvncnt

zuzu310 said:


> Our May flights between CMH and MCO were also changed. The outgoing flight was only a 5 minute difference but our incoming flight was cancelled and rescheduled three hours later on the next direct flight. What normal flight times do you guys take? We have flights in July and September also so I am super curious. Mostly we fly out early morning and come back afternoon, but this year our flight times were kind of all over the place.



Sorry I missed this.  We typically have taken the 4:50 flight down to MCO and a 4:35 back.  Both flights cancelled and changed times.


----------



## shoreward

Frwinkley said:


> Companion pass question:
> 
> Can you only have 1 companion booked at a time?
> 
> 
> Here’s my dilemma: Travel booked June 20-28. DH is my companion. We’re all set.
> 
> I now want to take a trip with DD June 9-13. I didn’t realize I could only have 1 trip booked at a time using the pass.
> 
> Would this strategy work? Cancel DH as companion (leave my flight alone since I paid with points). Add DD as companion and take trip June 9-13. After that trip is complete, add DH back on.
> 
> Travel dates can’t be changed, so that’s not an option.



If you can, I would change companion to your daughter, from your husband, but also try to book a fully refundable ticket for your husband's trip.  After your daughter's flights are completed, you can change your companion back to your husband.  You can then call Southwest to have them change your husband's travel to a companion ticket and refund the paid ticket.  With flights being full, lately, and with all of the changes and disruptions due to the MAX 8 scenario, I would make sure that there is an available seat for your husband's flights and not take a chance with just cancelling his travel and planning on booking, once your daughter's travel is completed.  Doing it this way, you should not be at any risk of there being no seats available for your husband.

There might be some delay till Companion Pass is changed in Southwest's system, though.  I would call Southwest, when you are ready to change.

https://www.southwestaircommunity.c...gnation-Change-how-long-to-process/td-p/76861


----------



## VeronicaZS

SouthFayetteFan said:


> For those who are planning to fly Southwest no matter what during those busy months, this is probably a minor frustration. (It's not like anybody else is beating you to those flights). Unfortunately, for those hoping to price SW against other airlines, this is a pretty major delay. They could be faced to make a decision to go elsewhere as holiday travel plans need to be finalized.


This is the situation we are in. I think we have decided to go with another airline for our flight from DCA to MCO on 11/2 because the 6:15am flight is too early and the 12:30 is too late. However, do you SW experts know if SW typically keeps the same flight schedule for each day of the week? We want to fly home after our cruise on Friday 11/8 and SW has a direct MCO - DCA flight at 12:30 which would be perfect timing assuming they have the same schedule as 11/1. Is it safe to assume the flight would be around the same time as the week before? I would be willing to wait until June to book the return flight.


----------



## Frwinkley

Since I booked my trip ((DH as companion) using points, (and got such a great deal), I don’t want pay cash at all. 

I think I’m just going to hope for the best!


----------



## Jenny-momof3

Frwinkley said:


> Since I booked my trip ((DH as companion) using points, (and got such a great deal), I don’t want pay cash at all.
> 
> I think I’m just going to hope for the best!


If your trips were further apart, I would take the chance too.  But with them being so close together combined with the max 8 issue of fewer flights you run the risk of not being able to add him.  I personally ran into these a few weeks ago. I simply forgot to book the companion flight for my son.At 13 days out I realized it. Went to add him and it was sold out of wanna get away fares for my flight ( which is what I had purchased for myself.  So it wouldn’t let me add him!  Because I was so close to the trip, I had 2 choices. Buy him an anytime fare at $417 or switch to a different flight.  I switched to a different flight a day later which still ended up costing me an additional $140 but then I could add him. I lucked out getting that lower fare.... but lost a day on my trip.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

VeronicaZS said:


> This is the situation we are in. I think we have decided to go with another airline for our flight from DCA to MCO on 11/2 because the 6:15am flight is too early and the 12:30 is too late. However, do you SW experts know if SW typically keeps the same flight schedule for each day of the week? We want to fly home after our cruise on Friday 11/8 and SW has a direct MCO - DCA flight at 12:30 which would be perfect timing assuming they have the same schedule as 11/1. Is it safe to assume the flight would be around the same time as the week before? I would be willing to wait until June to book the return flight.


Within a specific scheduling block? I would say yes on average they stay the same (on average key word). The difference is seasonal changes can happen.

For example from April through October (edited: corrected month) we've checked and my husband's flights from LA area to KC change 3 different times in terms of the flight time. Right now he lands in KC at 1:25am, another seasonal shift has him landing at 1:55am and another seasonal shift has him landing at 12:55am. Flights going back to LA also shift though I don't know the times off the top of my head.

TBH it's just hard to be able to give concrete answer that the flight times won't change for you between 11/2 and 11/8. They may absolutely stay the same or they may change. I know that makes it incredibly difficult to make a decision; it's unfortunate that they've extended the release so long.


----------



## Frwinkley

I thought as long as there was an empty seat on the flight, you could add your companion; it doesn’t matter what class of service you booked in. At least that’s been my understanding.


----------



## Jenny-momof3

Frwinkley said:


> I thought as long as there was an empty seat on the flight, you could add your companion; it doesn’t matter what class of service you booked in. At least that’s been my understanding.


That was my understanding as well.  But after multiple phone calls escalating to a supervisor and manager, I found out the hard expensive way that there had to be a seat available in the fare that you booked.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Jenny-momof3 said:


> That was my understanding as well.  But after multiple phone calls escalating to a supervisor and manager, I found out the hard expensive way that there had to be a seat available in the fare that you booked.


Hmm that does not line up with my experience. I've been added onto a flight where WGA fares were sold out when that was the fare my husband booked in the first place. I don't *think* the program has changed though it could have since my last flight as a Companion in Dec 2017.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

barb969 said:


> SWA rules used to say you can change your companion once.  I think your plan would be counted as twice.  Things could have changed.  Call and ask.


You can change up to 3 times.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Frwinkley said:


> Companion pass question:
> 
> Can you only have 1 companion booked at a time?
> 
> 
> Here’s my dilemma: Travel booked June 20-28. DH is my companion. We’re all set.
> 
> I now want to take a trip with DD June 9-13. I didn’t realize I could only have 1 trip booked at a time using the pass.
> 
> Would this strategy work? Cancel DH as companion (leave my flight alone since I paid with points). Add DD as companion and take trip June 9-13. After that trip is complete, add DH back on.
> 
> Travel dates can’t be changed, so that’s not an option.


According to SWA: "Any reservation with the current Companion Pass would need to be cancelled before changing his/her designated Companion."


----------



## Jenny-momof3

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Hmm that does not line up with my experience. I've been added onto a flight where WGA fares were sold out when that was the fare my husband booked in the first place. I don't *think* the program has changed though it could have since my last flight as a Companion in Dec 2017.


I’ve never run into this issue before.... but I’ve also not seen sooo many sold out flights either. This whole max 8 issue has really changed things up!  I couldn’t add it myself. So I called and the cs agent couldn’t add him either, kept saying due to the wga fare being sold out.  So called back later hoping maybe if I got someone different they could do it.... nope.  So then spoke to a supervisor and later a manager. No one could ( or would) add him.  I was offered to change my flight to an later one the same day at no additional fee.... but I was flying by myself with my 2 year old. I needed magical express to get my luggage.  So I just paid for the flight the next day instead


----------



## Frwinkley

This is directly from SW website:

Companion Pass travel has no blackout dates or seat restrictions.

There is no mention of fare restrictions.


----------



## Jenny-momof3

Frwinkley said:


> This is directly from SW website:
> 
> Companion Pass travel has no blackout dates or seat restrictions.
> 
> There is no mention of fare restrictions.


I just wanted to let you know my experience at trying to add it 13 days out. Since your trip is even less time in between, I didn’t want you to get stuck like I did. I don’t know why it was an issue for my flight.... but it was. Obviously others have had a different experience, thankfully!  So hopefully yours works out in your favor as well 

I know for me, next time I book and I’m not adding the companion right away, I will book their flight on points.  Then when I can add the companion pass I will cancel and get the points back.  Worry it for my peace of mind.


----------



## mcd2745

aokeefe said:


> I just checked the flight schedules and the release date for flights up to Jan 5th have been pushed out until June 20th now



I don't like that. My fear now is for the following release after that, which will probably cover Feb 2020 (we need President's week flights), it could end up being at the end of August while we are on a cruise and we can't book the flights. If that happens, may have to splurge for WiFi for the first time.


----------



## Frwinkley

I need some advice regarding my upcoming companion pass dilemma as previously noted. All of it is a gamble! DH and I are scheduled to go to DEN June 20-28. I booked this roundtrip flight with points (less than 23,000 RT, non-stop flights from Pittsburgh). Same flights now are more than double the points (which I don't have). I don't want to spend $800 to get us out there (this is the price of the Anytime fare roundtrip). I realize this is fully refundable, but I'd hate for this to be my only option.

So here's what I'm thinking: Remove DH as companion (but keep the flight that I booked for less than 23,000 points). Add DD for the trip to MCO June 9-13. I'll pay cash for that flight and she'll travel as my companion. Flights are reasonable priced. 

Once that trip is over, remove DD as companion and add DH. With any luck, I add him to my existing reservation. If that flight is unavailable, I cancel by original flight and points are deposited back into my account. I than rebook (there are 3 non-stops from PIT to DEN and back), but I might have to settle for less than convenient flight times.

Thoughts?


----------



## Jenny-momof3

Frwinkley said:


> I need some advice regarding my upcoming companion pass dilemma as previously noted. All of it is a gamble! DH and I are scheduled to go to DEN June 20-28. I booked this roundtrip flight with points (less than 23,000 RT, non-stop flights from Pittsburgh). Same flights now are more than double the points (which I don't have). I don't want to spend $800 to get us out there (this is the price of the Anytime fare roundtrip). I realize this is fully refundable, but I'd hate for this to be my only option.
> 
> So here's what I'm thinking: Remove DH as companion (but keep the flight that I booked for less than 23,000 points). Add DD for the trip to MCO June 9-13. I'll pay cash for that flight and she'll travel as my companion. Flights are reasonable priced.
> 
> Once that trip is over, remove DD as companion and add DH. With any luck, I add him to my existing reservation. If that flight is unavailable, I cancel by original flight and points are deposited back into my account. I than rebook (there are 3 non-stops from PIT to DEN and back), but I might have to settle for less than convenient flight times.
> 
> Thoughts?


Take a look at what those flights look like right now for next week.  Glancing at them I don’t see any sold out so you might be just fine. Of course June travel will probably be a bit busier than May.....but hopefully not a huge difference


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

mcd2745 said:


> I don't like that. My fear now is for the following release after that, which will probably cover Feb 2020 (we need President's week flights), it could end up being at the end of August while we are on a cruise and we can't book the flights. If that happens, may have to splurge for WiFi for the first time.


That will likely not be true.  Historical trends indicate that a subsequent release of flights through early March should follow this release in approx. 1 month.  Here are each of the past 2 years:

6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019

6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
Also, given the fact that this release was pushed back, it's possible the next release will come even sooner if they get long range plans figured out.


----------



## shoreward

I just noticed that a message is now displayed when clicking on the flight number hyperlink, addressing aircraft type:



> *Boeing 737-MAX8 Aircraft are currently grounded by the FAA. Until the MAX8 aircraft returns to service, Southwest plans to operate MAX8 flights with a different aircraft type. Flight schedules and aircraft type remain subject to change per the Contract of Carriage.


----------



## Iowamomof4

I got us checked in for our flights tomorrow (we had EB) and our boarding positions are A 21-27 on our first flight and A 32-38 on our second. Remind me who all will be in the boarding positions ahead of us?


----------



## Gary2T

Iowamomof4 said:


> I got us checked in for our flights tomorrow (we had EB) and our boarding positions are A 21-27 on our first flight and A 32-38 on our second. Remind me who all will be in the boarding positions ahead of us?



Preboard Passengers (numbers can vary wildly from flight to flight)
A1-15 = Business Select (usually not more than a few people total)
A16 up to your A numbers should be one person per number.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Gary2T said:


> Preboard Passengers (numbers can vary wildly from flight to flight)
> A1-15 = Business Select (usually not more than a few people total)
> A16 up to your A numbers should be one person per number.



So from our tiny Des Moines airport, we're pretty likely to have only 6-10 people boarding ahead of us.


----------



## focusondisney

Iowamomof4 said:


> I got us checked in for our flights tomorrow (we had EB) and our boarding positions are A 21-27 on our first flight and A 32-38 on our second. Remind me who all will be in the boarding positions ahead of us?



Medical preboards/ passengers who need extra help down the jetway.  Then A 1- 15. They announce A listers then too, but AFAIK, they would all have those 1-15 numbers, unless they were a late check in. That would be a very small number, if any, so don’t worry about that.  Then it’s A 16- 30 & A 31 - 60.  Family boarding doesn’t happen until after the As.  You will be in good shape!


----------



## focusondisney

Iowamomof4 said:


> So from our tiny Des Moines airport, we're pretty likely to have only 6-10 people boarding ahead of us.



Maybe, but I wouldn’t count on that.  Medical preboards can include several people. Each preboard can take 1 person with them. And I have seen whole families with young children preboard too. Not as family boarding, but as medical preboards.  You just never know how many people will preboard.  The 1-15 slots are also available for an upgrade purchase at the gate too. So if someone got a B or C, they can pay to upgrade to those spots. Since they started this, I have seen more people in that group.  You will still be fine, but I would expect more than 6 people in front of you.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Dumb question time.

If we have to go to the counter to check our luggage anyway, can I just have them print our boarding passes at that time as well? If I plan to do that, can they look us up by name or do I need our confirmation number in hand?


----------



## PerfessorZ

Iowamomof4 said:


> Dumb question time.
> 
> If we have to go to the counter to check our luggage anyway, can I just have them print our boarding passes at that time as well? If I plan to do that, can they look us up by name or do I need our confirmation number in hand?


I’m pretty sure I’ve done exactly that.  They should be able to look you up by name, but it doesn’t hurt to have the res # on your phone, just in case.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Iowamomof4 said:


> Dumb question time.
> 
> If we have to go to the counter to check our luggage anyway, can I just have them print our boarding passes at that time as well? If I plan to do that, can they look us up by name or do I need our confirmation number in hand?





PerfessorZ said:


> I’m pretty sure I’ve done exactly that.  They should be able to look you up by name, but it doesn’t hurt to have the res # on your phone, just in case.



It is pretty much all self-service now.  There will be a number of terminals for SW at your airport.  There are a couple of options to enter to access your reservation but I always use my confirmation number so am not sure what the other options are.

At the kiosk you will confirm the number of bags you're checking and print boarding passes if you need them.  The kiosk will print both the boarding passes and the actual luggage tags.  You are responsible to tag your own bags and keep track of the portion your take off the luggage tag as  that has your tracking information on it.

Once you've done all that you will go to the counter.  They will check ID of all adults and weigh then take your luggage.  That is all the agents do any longer.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Might have been mentioned, but it looks like holiday travel isn't released until June 20. That's a big difference from May 23. Maybe the Max 8 issue is causing the delay.


----------



## cmarsh31

Last minute (for me) trip to Seattle in Aug. Only 3 flight options each way. Guessing the rest were Max8 cancellations. Probably going to end up flying a different airline. United has much better options. I'm guessing this, and the June 20th delay, is where this all starts to hurt southwest. We were waiting to book Nov flights but we're just going to book JetBlue next week (waiting for plans to be finalized with a group). Not waiting until the end of June to find out the options are lousy...plus I was expecting to hook our Feb flights in June. Cruise is booked,  again we'll fly JB.


----------



## katallo

cmarsh31 said:


> Last minute (for me) trip to Seattle in Aug. Only 3 flight options each way. Guessing the rest were Max8 cancellations. Probably going to end up flying a different airline. United has much better options. I'm guessing this, and the June 20th delay, is where this all starts to hurt southwest. We were waiting to book Nov flights but we're just going to book JetBlue next week (waiting for plans to be finalized with a group). Not waiting until the end of June to find out the options are lousy...plus I was expecting to hook our Feb flights in June. Cruise is booked,  again we'll fly JB.



We are doing the same.  Trying to book a car rental and confirm lodging is too difficult.  Plus we are traveling with friends so a lot of coordination.  June 20th is late and lately, SW opening fares have been expensive.


----------



## cmarsh31

katallo said:


> We are doing the same.  Trying to book a car rental and confirm lodging is too difficult.  Plus we are traveling with friends so a lot of coordination.  June 20th is late and lately, SW opening fares have been expensive.



I definitely wonder how many people are going to jump ship (plane?) - we've been flying almost exclusively Southwest with exactly one Jetblue Flight in the last 5 years, now we're looking at our next 4-5 trips on other airlines because of this. I'm just glad I got a JetBlue CC a few months ago and have the bonus points to use. My flight to Seattle, just for me, if I used my SW points is almost 70k point or $800 round trip. United is $370 round-trip. Even paying for my bags, that's not even close. Add in the fact that SW has 3 flights, 6am, 7am, and 8am the day my cruise comes back - so clearly I can't take any of those, and United's are at night. If I fly SW, I'd have to pay for a hotel room but United I don't. Not good at all...


----------



## shoreward

Is anyone else seeing a MAX8 aircraft scheduled for their upcoming flights?  I wonder if Southwest is assuming that the MAX8 will be released for flying by a certain date, and thereby scheduling it after that date, though nothing publicly announced.


----------



## shoreward

The Wall Street Journal is reporting:



> Boeing Co.’s grounded 737 MAX planes recently were expected to fly again well before the end of the summer travel season. Now their return appears unlikely before mid to late August, posing more headaches for airlines that rely on the jets.


----------



## scrappinginontario

shoreward said:


> The Wall Street Journal is reporting:


  I'm sorry if this further delays flight releases but better safe than sorry.  Glad they are ensuring these planes are safe and fully tested before putting them in the air again!


----------



## aokeefe

Next schedule of release has been moved back up to May 30th.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Boeing says it has completed 737 MAX software fix.

https://www-m.cnn.com/2019/05/16/politics/737-max-boeing-software-fix/index.html

It appears there is no clarity yet on a timeline (or additional steps needed) of when commercial flights could resume.


----------



## huskies90

Quick question: I was about to check in for my flight to Chicago tomorrow from Hartford and was given the option to change my flight for free. I do not see any travel advisories. Why would this be occurring?


----------



## old feller

Flying down to Orlando from balto/Washington (bwi). In september...we purchased our flights down and are waiting to buy return.  What is a good price to you .non-stop btw


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

huskies90 said:


> Quick question: I was about to check in for my flight to Chicago tomorrow from Hartford and was given the option to change my flight for free. I do not see any travel advisories. Why would this be occurring?


Because your orginal flight was on a MAX 8 Airplane that they are now not using.  Max 8 seat 178 - 220 people. now that they are not using them the max number of people SWA fleet will hold is 143-175. So they are probably hoping someone will switch to another flight for free rather than having to pay people to take a different flight


----------



## huskies90

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> Because your original flight was on a MAX 8 Airplane that they are now not using.  Max 8 seat 178 - 220 people. now that they are not using them the max number of people SWA fleet will hold is 143-175. So they are probably hoping someone will switch to another flight for free rather than having to pay people to take a different flight


That is what I thought at first as I know this flight was originally a Max 8 and has since been changed to an 800.  But as of now the flight is not sold out so I would think if they were trying to get folks off the plane it would be listed as sold out, right?  It could be because there are severe thunderstorms predicted in the Midwest tomorrow but have they ever offered a free change for predicted thunderstorms?


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

huskies90 said:


> That is what I thought at first as I know this flight was originally a Max 8 and has since been changed to an 800.  But as of now the flight is not sold out so I would think if they were trying to get folks off the plane it would be listed as sold out, right?  It could be because there are severe thunderstorms predicted in the Midwest tomorrow but have they ever offered a free change for predicted thunderstorms?


Total guess but you might still be covered under their MAX 8 Update message here:

https://www.southwest.com/html/advisories/swa_travel_advisory_20192141552591016643.html

If you know your flight was originally on a MAX 8 that would be my guess. 

And by changing for free I'm assuming you're meaning you aren't being required to pay the fare difference if there is one because SWA does not have change fees they just make you (normally) pay the fare difference if there is one.


----------



## MinnieLovesMickey

cmarsh31 said:


> I definitely wonder how many people are going to jump ship (plane?) - we've been flying almost exclusively Southwest with exactly one Jetblue Flight in the last 5 years, now we're looking at our next 4-5 trips on other airlines because of this. I'm just glad I got a JetBlue CC a few months ago and have the bonus points to use. My flight to Seattle, just for me, if I used my SW points is almost 70k point or $800 round trip. United is $370 round-trip. Even paying for my bags, that's not even close. Add in the fact that SW has 3 flights, 6am, 7am, and 8am the day my cruise comes back - so clearly I can't take any of those, and United's are at night. If I fly SW, I'd have to pay for a hotel room but United I don't. Not good at all...


We're one of those that will probably jump ship.  Too much uncertainty with SW.  Delta  and American have decent prices for our travel dates and I really don't think SW could beat the prices, whenever they decide to release the fares that is.  Probably will end up booking Delta.


----------



## AgentMama

Southwest's site has two different release dates for flights through January. Anyone know which one is correct? (May 30th and June 20th).

https://www.southwest.com/html/travel-tools/index.html

https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/


----------



## scrappinginontario

AgentMama said:


> Southwest's site has two different release dates for flights through January. Anyone know which one is correct? (May 30th and June 20th).
> 
> https://www.southwest.com/html/travel-tools/index.html
> 
> https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/



I just checked your links and both are now saying May 30th so I'd be prepared for them to open on that date.


----------



## AgentMama

scrappinginontario said:


> I just checked your links and both are now saying May 30th so I'd be prepared for them to open on that date.



So weird, when I copied them they were two different dates. Thanks!


----------



## scrappinginontario

AgentMama said:


> So weird, when I copied them they were two different dates. Thanks!


  I'm guessing you happened to check as they were updating their website.


----------



## PerfessorZ

AgentMama said:


> So weird, when I copied them they were two different dates. Thanks!


That’s happened before.  I think their webmaster is probably overworked


----------



## CouponGirl

Are people still seeing a lot of flights changing? I was looking at a June flight last night and today it’s no where to be found (unless I put in the wrong date, which is definitely possible). Just wondering if I should be on the lookout for flights to still be cancelled/changed at the last minute.


----------



## AgentMama

CouponGirl said:


> Are people still seeing a lot of flights changing? I was looking at a June flight last night and today it’s no where to be found (unless I put in the wrong date, which is definitely possible). Just wondering if I should be on the lookout for flights to still be cancelled/changed at the last minute.



I've put in the wrong order of flights (i.e. putting in the destination first instead of my home airport), then went back to look at the flights again and been confused why not a single flight lined up anymore with what I had in mind. Maybe you did that?


----------



## Iowamomof4

We missed our connection last night in St Louis due to a weather delay. They rebooked us on a Thursday morning flight, but we were able to rent a van and drive home today. How soon do I need to call about a refund of the portion of our flight we won't use? I'm so exhausted, I wish it could wait for tomorrow. But tomorrow is that replacement flight. Do I need to call before that flight takes off?


----------



## scrappinginontario

Iowamomof4 said:


> We missed our connection last night in St Louis due to a weather delay. They rebooked us on a Thursday morning flight, but we were able to rent a van and drive home today. How soon do I need to call about a refund of the portion of our flight we won't use? I'm so exhausted, I wish it could wait for tomorrow. But tomorrow is that replacement flight. Do I need to call before that flight takes off?


  Depending on what category of flight you booked, 'Wanna Get Away' etc, they may/may not be willing to offer you a refund since they rebooked you on a flight that you chose not to take.  I understand you just wanting to get home but I wouldn't assume you'd receive a refund unless they guaranteed that to you when you spoke to them. What did SW say to you about refunding a portion of your flight when you spoke to them about driving home?


----------



## shoreward

I wonder if Southwest will be as accommodating.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...cb20&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

Southwest was to open travel passed Nov 2,2019 to the end of the year today and nothing. Still showing Availability up to Nov2,2019.
 Has the release date then changed?


----------



## New Hamp

Tigger2ntinkerbell said:


> Southwest was to open travel passed Nov 2,2019 to the end of the year today and nothing. Still showing Availability up to Nov2,2019.
> Has the release date then changed?


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

New Hamp said:


> View attachment 402446



After being on hold for 45min with SW, that's what I was told. But thank you anyway.


----------



## Iowamomof4

scrappinginontario said:


> Depending on what category of flight you booked, 'Wanna Get Away' etc, they may/may not be willing to offer you a refund since they rebooked you on a flight that you chose not to take.  I understand you just wanting to get home but I wouldn't assume you'd receive a refund unless they guaranteed that to you when you spoke to them. What did SW say to you about refunding a portion of your flight when you spoke to them about driving home?


I called this morning before our flight was to leave St. Louis and they were able to refund the entire ticket, including Earlybird but excluding fees. I'm very happy! She said basically since they were unable to get us from point A to point B, we could get a refund. YMMV, of course.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Iowamomof4 said:


> I called this morning before our flight was to leave St. Louis and they were able to refund the entire ticket, including Earlybird but excluding fees. I'm very happy! She said basically since they were unable to get us from point A to point B, we could get a refund. YMMV, of course.


  That is GREAT news!



Tigger2ntinkerbell said:


> After being on hold for 45min with SW, that's what I was told. But thank you anyway.


  The release dates do fluctuate, especially with the current uncertainty with the Max 8's.  You may want to bookmark this link as it will give you up-to-date information about the next release date:  https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/.


----------



## tarak

I'm getting a really weird error message (400620347) on both the SW app and the website and wondered if anyone else had this issue.  I have two flights this summer and it's only appearing for one.  On the app, I can't even look on the reservation when I click on it.  On the website, I can click on the website but then can't change anything (add EBC, change the flight, etc.).  I called and the CS rep said there's no issue with the flight or reservation.  I googled and it seems it's an issue with a number of people on the SW forum but there's no solution.  Deleted and reinstalled the app and same thing happens.  My big worry is that I won't be able to check in for the flight or print my boarding passes.  We're still two weeks out and I'll call back and try to talk to someone in IT.  But I just was posting here in case someone else had this issue.


----------



## scrappinginontario

tarak said:


> I'm getting a really weird error message (400620347) on both the SW app and the website and wondered if anyone else had this issue.  I have two flights this summer and it's only appearing for one.  On the app, I can't even look on the reservation when I click on it.  On the website, I can click on the website but then can't change anything (add EBC, change the flight, etc.).  I called and the CS rep said there's no issue with the flight or reservation.  I googled and it seems it's an issue with a number of people on the SW forum but there's no solution.  Deleted and reinstalled the app and same thing happens.  My big worry is that I won't be able to check in for the flight or print my boarding passes.  We're still two weeks out and I'll call back and try to talk to someone in IT.  But I just was posting here in case someone else had this issue.


Weird question but, do you have a long password for your SW account?


----------



## AgentMama

tarak said:


> I'm getting a really weird error message (400620347) on both the SW app and the website and wondered if anyone else had this issue. I have two flights this summer and it's only appearing for one. On the app, I can't even look on the reservation when I click on it. On the website, I can click on the website but then can't change anything (add EBC, change the flight, etc.). I called and the CS rep said there's no issue with the flight or reservation. I googled and it seems it's an issue with a number of people on the SW forum but there's no solution. Deleted and reinstalled the app and same thing happens. My big worry is that I won't be able to check in for the flight or print my boarding passes. We're still two weeks out and I'll call back and try to talk to someone in IT. But I just was posting here in case someone else had this issue.



You don't have to log into your SW account to check in for your flights or print your boarding passes, so if you're still having issues, you can check in with just your confirmation number and passenger names. 

I'm not having issues with my account on the app or online.


----------



## tarak

scrappinginontario said:


> Weird question but, do you have a long password for your SW account?



It's ten characters, which I don't think is too terribly long.  I saw on the SW community site that some folks changed the password and it fixed the issues.  What confuses me is that it's only an issue with one of the flights I have booked.



AgentMama said:


> You don't have to log into your SW account to check in for your flights or print your boarding passes, so if you're still having issues, you can check in with just your confirmation number and passenger names.
> 
> I'm not having issues with my account on the app or online.



Thank you!  And that makes sense now that I think about it, as not everyone will have the online account or rapid rewards.  I emailed SW about the issue and will update if I get an answer.  I logged in to my daughter's account and had the same error code pop up.

ETA: I can’t access the reservation at all, even if I’m not logged in and just looking up the reservation information. Still the the error message. Hopefully there’s a fix for this. It’s just the one reservation, which is strange.  At least the reservation still exists - at one point the message was that it couldn’t be found at all. Really glad I have two weeks before we leave!


----------



## scrappinginontario

tarak said:


> It's ten characters, which I don't think is too terribly long.  I saw on the SW community site that some folks changed the password and it fixed the issues.  What confuses me is that it's only an issue with one of the flights I have booked.


  You're right, 10 isn't overly long.  Like you, I googled the error code and that was the only solution I saw suggested.  Hopefully this gets resolved for you.

If you do decide to update your password, it would be interesting to see if this fixes anything.


----------



## tarak

scrappinginontario said:


> You're right, 10 isn't overly long.  Like you, I googled the error code and that was the only solution I saw suggested.  Hopefully this gets resolved for you.
> 
> If you do decide to update your password, it would be interesting to see if this fixes anything.


I changed the password and still no dice. It seems related to that specific reservation some how. Very weird.


----------



## scrappinginontario

tarak said:


> I changed the password and still no dice. It seems related to that specific reservation some how. Very weird.


 This is an example when I hope tomorrow's upgrade the boards are getting would allow me to add a .  Hope you can find a resolution!


----------



## tarak

scrappinginontario said:


> This is an example when I hope tomorrow's upgrade the boards are getting would allow me to add a .  Hope you can find a resolution!



Thank you! I called again and it seems they are aware of the problem and are working on a solution. I was told to check the site again in a few days and hopefully it’s fixed by then.


----------



## MinnieMSue

tarak said:


> I'm getting a really weird error message (400620347) on both the SW app and the website and wondered if anyone else had this issue.  I have two flights this summer and it's only appearing for one.  On the app, I can't even look on the reservation when I click on it.  On the website, I can click on the website but then can't change anything (add EBC, change the flight, etc.).  I called and the CS rep said there's no issue with the flight or reservation.  I googled and it seems it's an issue with a number of people on the SW forum but there's no solution.  Deleted and reinstalled the app and same thing happens.  My big worry is that I won't be able to check in for the flight or print my boarding passes.  We're still two weeks out and I'll call back and try to talk to someone in IT.  But I just was posting here in case someone else had this issue.



Yep that’s me!  I fly June 2 and that flight - no matter how I try I cannot access my info. My return is fine. I did modify my original flight and I believe that is the problem. Ever since I did that I have no access to it. Just get the error message. I called and they confirmed my flight for me so I know it is ok. They didn’t seem to care at all about the issue. I also did twitter chat and she confirmed my flight but also didn’t care at all about the issue.


----------



## MinnieMSue

MinnieMSue said:


> Yep that’s me!  I fly June 2 and that flight - no matter how I try I cannot access my info. My return is fine. I did modify my original flight and I believe that is the problem. Ever since I did that I have no access to it. Just get the error message. I called and they confirmed my flight for me so I know it is ok. They didn’t seem to care at all about the issue. I also did twitter chat and she confirmed my flight but also didn’t care at all about the issue.



I should add that my issue has been going on for months. They don’t seem to really be working to fix the issue in my opinion.


----------



## tarak

MinnieMSue said:


> I should add that my issue has been going on for months. They don’t seem to really be working to fix the issue in my opinion.



Have they offered any solution as far as being able to check in and print your boarding passes? I went to the southwest site, made sure I was logged out, and looked up the reservation. I still got the error message and couldn’t access it.  The reservation I’m having issues with was never modified, but the second reservation was modified and I’m having no trouble at all. It seems somewhat random.


----------



## MinnieMSue

tarak said:


> Have they offered any solution as far as being able to check in and print your boarding passes? I went to the southwest site, made sure I was logged out, and looked up the reservation. I still got the error message and couldn’t access it.  The reservation I’m having issues with was never modified, but the second reservation was modified and I’m having no trouble at all. It seems somewhat random.



Nope. Both the person on the phone and the person on chat said it “should be fine”. Hopefully so but thankfully I have early bird so I can check in at the airport if it doesn’t work. I will post on here June 1 if I was able to check in at home. They both said my situation was weird but both didn’t seem to think it was a big deal or say that tech people would look at the problem. They both just confirmed my flight was as booked.


----------



## Nohal

I'm so annoyed with Southwest.  I'm flying tomorrow and tried to check in at the 24hr mark to get an error message the site was down.  This was at 9:30am est.  Logged out and back in and same error.  Finally logged out and back in and got through but landed in seats B33 and B34.  I would have gotten a lower number if not for the error.  Anyone else have that problem this morning?  Also how far back are these?


----------



## tarak

MinnieMSue said:


> Nope. Both the person on the phone and the person on chat said it “should be fine”. Hopefully so but thankfully I have early bird so I can check in at the airport if it doesn’t work. I will post on here June 1 if I was able to check in at home. They both said my situation was weird but both didn’t seem to think it was a big deal or say that tech people would look at the problem. They both just confirmed my flight was as booked.



I got a canned emailed response to my first inquiry, which just annoyed me, so I sent another inquiry through their website. I didn’t bother with early bird boarding because it would have been $160 for both legs of the trip - that seemed excessive considering my total flight cost for 4 round trip flights was only $645.  But if I wanted to add it now, I couldn’t. I mentioned trying it on the app, the mobile site, and the desktop site using safari, explorer, and Firefox and I get the same error message. Signed in or signed out, I get the message. I don’t care if they rebook the trip under a different reservation or if they check me in at 24 hours and email the boarding passes, but unless they fix the error message I don’t see how I’ll be able to do it myself.  I got a call back today but was unfortunately vacuuming so I missed it. They’re supposed to call back Tuesday, so I’ll update with their response. 


Nohal said:


> I'm so annoyed with Southwest.  I'm flying tomorrow and tried to check in at the 24hr mark to get an error message the site was down.  This was at 9:30am est.  Logged out and back in and same error.  Finally logged out and back in and got through but landed in seats B33 and B34.  I would have gotten a lower number if not for the error.  Anyone else have that problem this morning?  Also how far back are these?



These aren’t your seats, it’s just the order in which you board. That’s a fairly decent number.  When it’s your turn to board, you grab the first seats available that suit you. It seems weird but I actually prefer it to selecting specific seats.


----------



## SinCityMMAFan

tarak said:


> I got a canned emailed response to my first inquiry, which just annoyed me, so I sent another inquiry through their website. I didn’t bother with early bird boarding because it would have been $160 for both legs of the trip - that seemed excessive considering my total flight cost for 4 round trip flights was only $645.  But if I wanted to add it now, I couldn’t. I mentioned trying it on the app, the mobile site, and the desktop site using safari, explorer, and Firefox and I get the same error message. Signed in or signed out, I get the message. I don’t care if they rebook the trip under a different reservation or if they check me in at 24 hours and email the boarding passes, but unless they fix the error message I don’t see how I’ll be able to do it myself.  I got a call back today but was unfortunately vacuuming so I missed it. They’re supposed to call back Tuesday, so I’ll update with their response.
> 
> 
> These aren’t your seats, it’s just the order in which you board. *That’s a fairly decent number.*  When it’s your turn to board, you grab the first seats available that suit you. It seems weird but I actually prefer it to selecting specific seats.



This really depends on how many wheelchairs and how many take advantage of family boarding.  Was just on a flight from Orlando to Vegas last weekend and we had A50 and A51 and by the time we boarded the plane many rows were already taken and we sat towards the back of the plane.  This usually isn't the norm but were quite surprised we were so far back (past the wing) just to have two seats together.  It is what it is I guess and it has becoming more and more common.


----------



## tarak

SinCityMMAFan said:


> This really depends on how many wheelchairs and how many take advantage of family boarding.  Was just on a flight from Orlando to Vegas last weekend and we had A50 and A51 and by the time we boarded the plane many rows were already taken and we sat towards the back of the plane.  This usually isn't the norm but were quite surprised we were so far back (past the wing) just to have two seats together.  It is what it is I guess and it has becoming more and more common.



Very true. We usually fly out of BWI and since it’s non-stop to Orlando, I’d bet more than half the flight is family boarding.


----------



## katallo

tarak, totally agree.  We also primarily use BWI.  I truly understand the need for a parent to board with a child but not the entire group traveling together.  Our last trip had one child about 7 years old and 6 adults.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Friendly reminder:

*Southwest Airline’s next schedule release will occur TOMORROW morning (Thursday 5/30)*. This release goes through Jan 5th and covers Thanksgiving and Christmas. In my experience, flights typically go “live” between 7am and 9am Eastern. This release date has been moved multiple times but tomorrow has been consistently published for the past 2 weeks.


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

Still waiting for SW to post travel to WDW for December .

I was told they(agents) start looking at 6amEST,. So far nothing, so maybe 7am EST


----------



## phillymummer

Tigger2ntinkerbell said:


> Still waiting for SW to post travel to WDW for December



 Me too!  Although I need Nov!  Did they change the release time?


----------



## Elle23

Waiting impatiently....


----------



## phillymummer

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Friendly reminder:
> 
> *Southwest Airline’s next schedule release will occur TOMORROW morning (Thursday 5/30)*. This release goes through Jan 5th and covers Thanksgiving and Christmas. In my experience, flights typically go “live” between *7am and 9am Eastern*. This release date has been moved multiple times but tomorrow has been consistently published for the past 2 weeks.



7am-9am??  Ugh!!  The last couple of times I made reservations, it was between 6-6:30am.   This is going to be a problem! ugh


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

Just got off the phone with SW, and they are opening new day is at 7am


----------



## mlittig

Tigger2ntinkerbell said:


> Just got off the phone with SW, and they are opening new dayes at 7am



Thanks! In the past Southwest flight have opened around 6 AM Eastern time


----------



## cmarsh31

I've seen it as late at 9am (last June, for Feb  dates). We were flying out for a cruise, ended up booking flights in the car while DH drove to the airport.


----------



## Minniekins

Tigger2ntinkerbell said:


> Just got off the phone with SW, and they are opening new dayes at 7am


7 am eastern or central time?


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

Eastern


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

I need coffee


----------



## katallo

Wonderful.  I leave at 7.


----------



## Elle23

My trip doesn’t feel real until the flights are booked!


----------



## Elle23

katallo said:


> Wonderful.  I leave at 7.



I get off work then. Hopefully I can make a speedy exit!


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

Me too. The wait is driving me goofy


----------



## elaine amj

*yawn* I am up and refreshing constantly.  I have flown SW for years but first time doing this morning refresh thing. Normally I check and book midmorning.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Tigger2ntinkerbell said:


> Just got off the phone with SW, and they are opening new day is at 7am



I do hope so I can’t be late for work and I have to leave by 7:30...


----------



## Lsdolphin

Gonna be a long 7 min


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

Yep, refreshing.  Made more coffee


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

Its 7am and nothing.


----------



## katallo

Unfortunately, I'm out.  Have to work.  This has been one frustrating morning!


----------



## hjic15102

i called   they said 9 eastern


----------



## katallo

But they also said 7.


----------



## focusondisney

SW phone agents probably don’t know much more than Disney phone agents  about timing issues.


----------



## elaine amj

I think they don't know - it will appear when it appears. Still refreshing!


----------



## NOLA_Tink

Woke up for the 6 am (central time) release and...nothing! Come on, Southwest!


----------



## focusondisney

elaine amj said:


> I think they don't know - it will appear when it appears. Still refreshing!



Exactly!


----------



## Mrs~Incredible

On my second cup


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

I'm on hold with SW. trying to find out if they moved the time again. this is every frustrating


----------



## phillymummer

I am very thankful that I live close to my work (2 miles away) and I can stalk the website at work.


----------



## Mrs~Incredible

Last year at this time flights came out around 8:00 am EST.....


----------



## AgentMama

Still nothing...sigh


----------



## Mrs~Incredible

Tigger2ntinkerbell said:


> I'm on hold with SW. trying to find out if they moved the time again. this is every frustrating


Keep us posted!


----------



## phillymummer




----------



## dnbent

Joining if you don't mind....

I look so forward to this day and then it becomes so frustrating....

Soon please....


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

It would be nice if they did what they say, you can book at 7 am .... but no they changed it and now its 8,9,10 take your pick. I think I need more coffee. Now I'm grumpy.

Im still on hold with SW, my 6min hold is now over 9


----------



## focusondisney

You know despite what folks are being told in the phone, there is no official release time. That’s why a time is never posted on the website, just the date.  Be patient. At least no one else is booking your flights!


----------



## Mrs~Incredible

Tigger2ntinkerbell said:


> It would be nice if they did what they say, you can book at 7 am .... but no they changed it and now its 8,9,10 take your pick. I think I need more coffee. Now I'm grumpy.
> 
> Im still on hold with SW, my 6min hold is now over 9


Thank you for posting here. If it’s 9 ET I have to get to work and hope I can hide with my mobile somewhere


----------



## crazywig

Last year  for this opening had loading issues and it would show times but you couldn't book. Finally opened at 7:30 est (yes I just searched my posts lol).


----------



## Mrs~Incredible

Question. Is it likely to be released on the hour (7, 8, 9, etc) or could it be anything at all?


----------



## Tall Todd

Unlikely anyone you speak to actually knows when the release will be. Look at SW's Twitter feed, every time the question is asked the answer is something like "it's a rolling schedule and it will happen when it happens."


----------



## elaine amj

Mrs~Incredible said:


> Question. Is it likely to be released on the hour (7, 8, 9, etc) or could it be anything at all?



From what I have read on live reports...its any time at all. I much prefer a pre-announced specific time than this refreshing thing.


----------



## focusondisney

Mrs~Incredible said:


> Question. Is it likely to be released on the hour (7, 8, 9, etc) or could it be anything at all?



Anytime at all.


----------



## mlittig

I'm sorry but in this day and age with the technology that is available, there is no excuse for Southwest not to post a time and stick to it


----------



## Mrs~Incredible

I hope the prices make it worth it...


----------



## dnbent

crazywig said:


> Last year  for this opening had loading issues and it would show times but you couldn't book. Finally opened at 7:30 est (yes I just searched my posts lol).



We're getting closer to 7:30 est.  That's a good thing.


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

Officially according to Hector ,its now 8 am EST. I'm still going to keep refreshing just incase it opens at 7:30a.


----------



## Elle23

mlittig said:


> I'm sorry but in this day and age with the technology that is available, there is no excuse for Southwest not to post a time and stick to it



Well we should be used to this type of thing. This is a Disney board after all!


----------



## cmarsh31

Well,  I've made it to work and am settled at my desk, so at least I didn't miss anything. Giving tests all morning, thank goodness!


----------



## Janed

With the number of times I've refreshed this morning it gives a new meaning to "Please check back frequently ."


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

By the way. Good morning all


----------



## Elle23

Tigger2ntinkerbell said:


> By the way. Good morning all



Howdy!


----------



## Janed

Tigger2ntinkerbell said:


> By the way. Good morning all


Bright suns! ( I'm learning a new language for our trip)


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

Lost my coffee, hang on I'll be right back.

Ok, found it.... good thing thought my whole day was going to be ruined


----------



## mlittig

Just had the Southwest call back and was told 8 Central, 9 Eastern time. But she qualified that time by saying "approximately"


----------



## Mrs~Incredible

Has anyone seen the new Alladin? I had low expectations but the whole family loved it. Can’t wait to see it agin.


----------



## dnbent

I think that the last time I was setting here waiting for flights to open was during our flooding in August of last year.

Got to our business (Assisted Living and Memory Care) and found no power.  It was out for about 8 hours.  Tickets ended up becoming a mute point.  Later that morning when I was finally able to remember them our tickets from Milwaukee to San Diego were over $700 per person.☹  Bought them anyway as we had a Disney cruise booked.  Rebooked over the next couple of weeks saving $300 per person.

So patiently I wait.....


----------



## NOLA_Tink

Tigger2ntinkerbell said:


> By the way. Good morning all



Mornin', y'all!   Where is everyone traveling from & when are you try to fly? (We're flying from NOLA for Thanksgiving week.)


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

NOLA_Tink said:


> Mornin', y'all!   Where is everyone traveling from & when are you try to fly? (We're flying from NOLA for Thanksgiving week.)


We'll be flying(if I can get it booked) from Detroit to Orlando for a short trip before Christmas(12/18-12/23).


----------



## NOLA_Tink

Mrs~Incredible said:


> Has anyone seen the new Alladin? I had low expectations but the whole family loved it. Can’t wait to see it agin.


I haven't seen it, but plan to bring the kids this weekend! It looks really cute!  I also can't wait for Lion King & Frozen 2!!  Frozen 2 comes out on the first day of our DCL cruise in November & I am really excited about seeing that on board.


----------



## PSUGuy

MCO to Phl, Nov 6, if they ever open the window. Do I have to completely refresh the page each time I try?

Bill From PA


----------



## Janed

NOLA_Tink said:


> Mornin', y'all!   Where is everyone traveling from & when are you try to fly? (We're flying from NOLA for Thanksgiving week.)


We leave Buffalo, NY on October 30 which is already booked.  I'm waiting to book our return flight on November 8.  Seems I always pick dates which span two SW booking windows.


----------



## Elle23

[





NOLA_Tink said:


> Mornin', y'all!   Where is everyone traveling from & when are you try to fly? (We're flying from NOLA for Thanksgiving week.)



We are coming from Texas. Looking to travel from 11/16-11/25.


----------



## dnbent

Booking Milwaukee to Orlando Nov 6 - 14 for hubby and self.
Booking Milwaukee to Orlando Dec 13 - 21 for daughter and son in law for honeymoon.  Disney Cruise.


----------



## HockeyMomNH

Boston for the first weekend in December here.  Going for a friend's wedding, but bringing my daughter as her Christmas present.  She's in college in the city, otherwise we would usually fly out of Manchester, NH.


----------



## Alessandra Gabriel

Flying out of Raleigh to MCO Nov 9-17th.


----------



## elaine amj

Tigger2ntinkerbell said:


> We'll be flying(if I can get it booked) from Detroit to Orlando for a short trip before Christmas(12/18-12/23).



Similar 

Detroit to mco Dec 21 - Jan 7


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

Question My DH has 1 LUV voucher and I have 2. Do I need to book these flights separate?? Anyone know???


----------



## Mrs~Incredible

Shouldn’t be too much longer now- I have to leave for work at 8 and I am sure they will be realeased during my commute...


----------



## Drnifer

Chicago to Houston on Thanksgiving for our Disney Cruise


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

12mins and hoping


----------



## elaine amj

7:52am and nothing.


----------



## hjic15102

Being on here at least lets me know I've not screwed up and we are all waiting together


----------



## mlittig

From Manchester, NH November 12th to the 22nd  Funny side note ~ I normally travel the Tuesday after Thanksgiving but with the Star Wars Land opening originally scheduled for "late fall" I wanted to avoid that. So I booked for before Thanksgiving this year and wouldn't you know, Disney is opening it early in August


----------



## Elle23

mlittig said:


> From Manchester, NH November 12th to the 22nd  Funny side note ~ I normally travel the Tuesday after Thanksgiving but with the Star Wars Land opening originally scheduled for "late fall" I wanted to avoid that. So I booked for before Thanksgiving this year and wouldn't you know, Disney is opening it early in August



I had originally booked the week before Thanksgiving  to avoid SWGE AND Food and Wine. That didn’t go too well!


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

4mins and hoping


----------



## mlittig

Elle23 said:


> Lots of stares
> 
> 
> I had originally booked the week before Thanksgiving  to avoid SWGE AND Food and Wine. That didn’t go too well!



Looks like we had the same plan, Elle23 and it backfired on us both


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

8am, nothing. Anyone else


----------



## Alessandra Gabriel

nothing...ugh!!!


----------



## Elle23

Just an FYI....

I tend to stress post in these types of threads. Sorry about that.


----------



## Mrs~Incredible

Nope. I’m sure it will open during my 60 min commute, leaving now.

Good luck everyone!


----------



## mlittig

Nothing


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell




----------



## tinkerbell615

NOLA_Tink said:


> Mornin', y'all!   Where is everyone traveling from & when are you try to fly? (We're flying from NOLA for Thanksgiving week.)


CVG to Orlando in early November. Possibly Columbus to MCO if the rates are cheaper.


----------



## 4 DZNY NUTZ

The stress is killing me!!


----------



## aokeefe

Looking to fly Providence to MCO 11/7-11/11. Quick short trip that we are only booking bc we got vouchers from our last SW trip bc we were delayed. Have no flexibility with the dates so hoping for a very good deal!


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

I'm going to need avacation from all the stress from SW


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

WOW, SW wants to call me back!!, UGGGGGG this is nuts


----------



## shoreward

Make sure that you are still logged in to your RR account.  The log-in will disappear, after awhile of refreshing the page.


----------



## NOLA_Tink

My plan to quietly book at 6 am, while savoring my hot coffee, has been thwarted by the awakening of a lively and refreshed 5-year-old!


----------



## Alessandra Gabriel

Im highly annoyed...why cant they just release the dates already?!?!?


----------



## TexasChick123

It’s the last day of school today, so I’m tied up with school parties all morning. Not too happy they aren’t out yet.


----------



## shamrock30

Like shoreward said, I've had to log back in several times since sitting here at 6:00. So aggravating.


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

This is beyond frustrating. What is going on??


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

Shamrock30, Ive been doing the same thing..... Waiting


----------



## dnbent

Commute done and now setting in my office...

Anyone think that I will get anything done until these flights are booked???

Uh, doubt it!!


----------



## Elle23

My cat is having a cuddle attack on my lap. At least it’s making the wait a little more bearable.


----------



## goofy4tink

Between waiting for new dates to open, and waiting to register for runDisney Princess Weekend, I'm getting pretty stressed out!!! Why did they both have to happen today!!!!  SW will open their new dates at 10:00, the exact time I have to be on runDisney's site!!!!


----------



## CMouser

A few facebook groups and the go to travel girl are reporting 8am CT


----------



## mlittig

Elle23 said:


> My cat is having a cuddle attack on my lap. At least it’s making the wait a little more bearable.



Your car or your cat is on your lap, Elle23


----------



## Steamboat Girlie

Has it been established that today is the day?  They've been known to push it out in the past!


----------



## Spunky946

This is getting ridiculous.  I should have booked already in plenty of time to get my daughter ready for school.


----------



## mlittig

I swear I read car!


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

Please help. I posted this early but reivced no answer. I'm also a RR can use these??

Question My DH has 1 LUV voucher and I have 2. Do I need to book these flights separate?? Anyone know???


----------



## dnbent

mlittig said:


> I swear I read car!



And you're going to book flights....  Good Luck!!!


----------



## Elle23

mlittig said:


> Your car or your cat is on your lap, Elle23



I edited it, but not quickly enough, obviously!


----------



## PSUGuy

goofy4tink said:


> SW will open their new dates at 10:00, the exact time I have to be on runDisney's site!!!!



Do you know something I don't? 10 am Eastern? The Travel Tools page still says May 30.

Bill From PA


----------



## focusondisney

Sorry tigger, no idea about vouchers


----------



## shamrock30

SWA Twitter says to keep an eye out "through the morning" for the dates to open. Yikes.


----------



## Elle23

mlittig said:


> I swear I read car!



Ha ha! Your eyes are in good working order!


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

ok, got off the phone again, and SW agent said they have no idea when they are going to release the dates today. 
WHAT


----------



## dnbent

Tigger2ntinkerbell said:


> Please help. I posted this early but reivced no answer. I'm also a RR can use these??
> 
> Question My DH has 1 LUV voucher and I have 2. Do I need to book these flights separate?? Anyone know???



I know that when I booked using Southwest Credits they only accepted 3 forms of payment on the transaction.  I ended up having to call to get help.  I wish you lots of luck.


----------



## dnbent

Tigger2ntinkerbell said:


> ok, got off the phone again, and SW agent said they have no idea when they are going to release the dates today.
> WHAT



WONDERFUL!!!  NOT!!!


----------



## Roborn

I understand some people are getting upset about this but it has been historically difficult to pinpoint the exact release time. Anywhere from 6am-9am est and beyond. Happy thoughts people.


----------



## mlittig

Elle23 said:


> I edited it, but not quickly enough, obviously!



You gave me a huge chuckle with that one, Elle23 and with all the frustration with Southwest, it was a pleasant relief so thank you  I did have some fun images going through my head


----------



## hoffmejo

Tigger2ntinkerbell said:


> Please help. I posted this early but reivced no answer. I'm also a RR can use these??
> 
> Question My DH has 1 LUV voucher and I have 2. Do I need to book these flights separate?? Anyone know???


Is it leftover funds from a previous flight?  Like a refund because the cost went down?


----------



## cmarsh31

I think they've said that in the past too. I've done way too many of these release dates... I'm only booking SW this time because I have to - otherwise, JetBlue is already released with no issue, and good prices for non-stop flights.


----------



## elaine amj

8:22am. I give up. I have to head out now and busy for most of of the morning. Looks like I will end up doing what I always do and booking later in the day.

Wasted 2 hours of slep *waaaahhhh*


----------



## Elle23

mlittig said:


> You gave me a huge chuckle with that one, Elle23 and with all the frustration with Southwest, it was a pleasant relief so thank you  I did have some fun images going through my head



I don’t think my minivan was in the snuggling mood today!


----------



## focusondisney

Roborn said:


> I understand some people are getting upset about this but it has been historically difficult to pinpoint the exact release time. Anywhere from 6am-9am est and beyond. Happy thoughts people.



Exactly, they do NOT announce a time. Never have. They just appear. And the chance of it being exactly on the hour is about the same as the chance I will win powerball


----------



## dnbent

focusondisney said:


> Exactly, they do NOT announce a time. Never have. They just appear. And the chance of it being exactly on the hour is about the same as the chance I will win powerball


----------



## buckeev




----------



## SaintsManiac

Someone on Facebook called and they were told 8am Central.


----------



## PerfessorZ

The issues with the 737 MAX planes isn't making their scheduling any easier.  I suspect they've been crossing their fingers for months that the FAA/Boeing would have a time where they could get these planes back in the sky to help.  The people in charge of scheduling have probably had to come up with multiple contingencies, on top of all the overtime they've been putting in rescheduling all the previous MAX flights.


----------



## Jestocost

SaintsManiac said:


> Someone on Facebook called and they were told 8am Central.


A Disney bus driver just told me it will be 8:45 a.m. ET.


----------



## SaintsManiac

Jestocost said:


> A Disney bus driver just told me it will be 8:45 a.m. ET.




It's your choice whether to believe them or not. I'll wait and judge at 8am.


----------



## focusondisney

Jestocost said:


> A Disney bus driver just told me it will be 8:45 a.m. ET.



Well there you go, now we can all relax for awhile!


----------



## thesandra19

Jestocost said:


> A Disney bus driver just told me it will be 8:45 a.m. ET.


As the kids say, I’m dead


----------



## Mrs~Incredible

Some pixie dust for the commute and I got in quickly! Now sitting at my desk waiting!!


----------



## TexasChick123

I had an alarm set for 5:20am.  I turned it off last night because I was feeling tired and figured I would just take my chances when I got up at 6:45am.  Then, I wake up and the flights haven't loaded yet.  Thank goodness for small favors.


----------



## Elle23

Mrs~Incredible said:


> Some pixie dust for the commute and I got in quickly! Now sitting at my desk waiting!!



I am barely hanging in there. Got off work at 6 and am fading fast.


----------



## phillymummer

I need to buy a ticket for my 13yo daughter during Jersey Week.   She will be visiting my parents.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Flights are starting to load.


----------



## Elle23

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Flights are starting to load.



I thought I saw something!


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

I had to stop refreshing the page. Getting tried of this


----------



## SaintsManiac

Yeah at 8am...


----------



## TexasChick123

Any particular webpage we should be looking at other than the main one?


----------



## thesandra19

Elle23 said:


> I thought I saw something!


What????? I’ve been refreshing and NADA.


----------



## TexasChick123

thesandra19 said:


> What????? I’ve been refreshing and NADA.



Same


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

nope, nothing


----------



## SaintsManiac

There are some appearing on the low fare calendar. I'm waiting for a full upload, though.


----------



## shamrock30

I don't see anything yet either.


----------



## Neelloc

Check the low fare calendar... it’s wonky but the flights are there! I saw flights for all of November!


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

Low Fare only goes to Nov 2


----------



## Crazyhorse

So far, only November...and they aren't cheap....


----------



## kaddjr

Nothing here.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Woohoo - All Booked  *For those wondering how some are seeing flights, you have to find a backdoor way in through the low fare calendar or modifying your search URL*.  They should be up on the main search page soon.  Good Luck folks!


----------



## thesandra19

Nothing low fare from what I’m seeing. I think it just may be cheaper to move to Orlando at this point because I don’t want to pay so much for my return flight home.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Crazyhorse said:


> So far, only November...and they aren't cheap....


We flew to MCO for a number of years in November and flights that month were always much higher than our April and September flights.


----------



## SaintsManiac

I know they aren't sold out for my dates already, so I am guessing the low fare calendar isn't completely updated yet.


----------



## MrsBooch

I called SW and was told 9am EST....
LIES.


----------



## Mrs~Incredible

Do different times appear on the regular calendar (rather than low fare)??


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

MrsBooch said:


> I called SW and was told 9am EST....
> LIES.


DRAMA


----------



## Ariel620

Did anyone see anything for Dec yet?  I can only see through Nov 30 on low fare.


----------



## Sarabi's Cubs

I was just able to book my return flight for Wine & Dine in November.  Still waiting on December for the family trip.


----------



## focusondisney

Only loaded thru the end of November for me


----------



## AsDreamersDo

Ariel620 said:


> Did anyone see anything for Dec yet?  I can only see through Nov 30 on low fare.


Not yet, only November


----------



## Crazyhorse

No December yet on my end either.


----------



## dnbent

Flights for November booked.  December not yet available.


----------



## Mrs~Incredible

Don’t love the times on low fare calendar- will different times be available on the regular calendar?


----------



## Jestocost

The Low Fare feature only lets me see through November but I need tickets for January so still waiting.


----------



## TexasChick123

Soooo expensive!


----------



## Trinity88

I'm seeing up to Jan 5th now


----------



## Crazyhorse

December is showing up on the low fare!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*As of 9:20am Eastern I believe the main page now allows a full search to Jan 5th.  Good luck all...*


----------



## jcarwash

Mrs~Incredible said:


> Don’t love the times on low fare calendar- will different times be available on the regular calendar?



No, there's only one schedule. The Low Fare Calendar is just an interface.


----------



## SaintsManiac

Man I had to pay double what I usually do for our flight to Orlando. That's what I get for needing a specific time before a holiday week!!!!


----------



## TexasChick123

25K miles RT for us.


----------



## SaintsManiac

I haven't booked our return flight yet. Waiting to see if the times get better.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*FYI - Southwest extended their schedule this morning for flights through January 5th, 2019.*

Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment:

*NEXT RELEASE: 7/10/19 - travel through March 6th, 2020*
5/30/19 - travel through January 5th, 2020
3/15/19 - travel through November 2nd, 2019
1/31/19 - travel through October 1st, 2019
11/15/18 - travel through August 5th, 2019
9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019
8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
*This chart could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above).*

If you want to search back for this post in the future - just search my name and "release".  You could also bookmark this comment on the new DIS somehow (or so I heard).


----------



## lvdis

It's there now. Higher prices than I expected.


----------



## MrsBooch

booked for our december trip!! we got it under 1k - that's all i wanted...


----------



## kmermaid

Wow!  Super happy I got DH RR tix and my CP tix out of PHL.  There was only 2 available for first NS now only one.  Later NS are sold out.  Returning to PHL last NS is sold out.


----------



## Jenny-momof3

Holy sh*t prices are nuts!

I always fly Christmas week and never pay anywhere near this!  Round trip for my family of 7 will cost over 3 grand from Ohio.  WHen we drive it’s $300. Road trip it is!


----------



## New Hamp

Crazyhorse said:


> No December yet on my end either.


Just booked December!


----------



## VeronicaZS

Score! $500 cheaper than the American flight I was going to book and at a better time!


----------



## Crazyhorse

Yep..all booked for December.  Will keep an eagle eye out for one of those elusive 3 day sales Southwest sometimes has..maybe knock a few sheckles off the total.


----------



## Elle23

Whew...all booked and ready to go!


----------



## thesandra19

I'm shooketh as to how much a one way back to Chicago was. $500! There were cheaper flights but those were at either 6am or arriving at past midnight. I guess a midnight flight is it.


----------



## SaintsManiac

Does anyone have experience with WGA fares being completely sold out the instant they release the flight schedule? That seems really odd to me.


----------



## Elle23

thesandra19 said:


> I'm shooketh as to how much a one way back to Chicago was. $500! There were cheaper flights but those were at either 6am or arriving at past midnight. I guess a midnight flight is it.



Was that for one person???


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

SaintsManiac said:


> Does anyone have experience with WGA fares being completely sold out the instant they release the flight schedule? That seems really odd to me.


It's fairly common around the holidays.  Some flights may show WGA availability at a later date.  Some may never show it.  The consolation (if it is any) is you can book one of those tickets that are available and it's fully refundable if your plans change or WGA becomes available later.


----------



## KerryCM

Got my flights booked for December! Much higher than in the past from Nashville. I did use points and booked the fights separate, so will hope for price drops along the way. Got great times though, so we are very happy.


----------



## PCFriar80

Waiting for January [after 1/5] as well.  Here are our dates.

*On July 10, 2019 we will open our schedule for sale through March 6, 2020. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.*


----------



## Elle23

Ours were $165 per person for one flight and $188 per person for the return one (could have done $165, but it was at 6...a little too early). I had points to cover the first flight, so it wasn’t too bad.

Got EBCI too. Have to have that!


----------



## SaintsManiac

SouthFayetteFan said:


> It's fairly common around the holidays.  Some flights may show WGA availability at a later date.  Some may never show it.  The consolation (if it is any) is you can book one of those tickets that are available and it's fully refundable if your plans change or WGA becomes available later.




There are 2 times available and they both really suck. I'm on the fence about what to do. I cannot believe how high these fares are.


----------



## 5DisneyNuts

SaintsManiac said:


> Does anyone have experience with WGA fares being completely sold out the instant they release the flight schedule? That seems really odd to me.



My WGA fare was showing sold out even through the back door low fare calendar as soon as it loaded (returning the Sunday after Thanksgiving).  So I am looking at $511 pp one way, yikes! 

I have had luck previous years with the WGA fare opening, usually around mid-July if I recall correctly.  Keep checking, that's what I am going to do.
Good Luck!


----------



## MaryKatesMom

I kept refreshing and logging in.  LGA to MCO all the WGA fares GONE for to get me DD to MCO and no direct flights.  It is going to cost me $1000 to get her down there with us.  PITT to MCO wasn't completely gone and at least they are direct flights.  $600 for that DD.


----------



## Elle23

5DisneyNuts said:


> My WGA fare was showing sold out even through the back door low fare calendar as soon as it loaded (returning the Sunday after Thanksgiving).  So I am looking at $511 pp one way, yikes!
> 
> I have had luck previous years with the WGA fare opening, usually around mid-July if I recall correctly.  Keep checking, that's what I am going to do.
> Good Luck!





MaryKatesMom said:


> I kept refreshing and logging in.  LGA to MCO all the WGA fares GONE for to get me DD to MCO and no direct flights.  It is going to cost me $1000 to get her down there with us.  PITT to MCO wasn't completely gone and at least they are direct flights.  $600 for that DD.



Already sold out? That is crazy!!!


----------



## tinkerbell615

I am a little aggravated that there are no nonstop flights to MCO from Cincinnati. We will have to go from Indy or Columbus for nonstop flights.


----------



## Mrs~Incredible

Very happy. Got our flights for 400 pp round trip from Philly, about same price as last year. Times not the best, but I’ll live to save $500-plus compared to the other carriers....


----------



## NOLA_Tink

Whew, so glad that's over!  Booked our pre-cruise & post-park flights and we're ready to go! Glad I can finally take a deep breath & relax knowing our ADR & park itinerary will work as we planned!
Best wishes to everyone else!!


----------



## thesandra19

Elle23 said:


> Was that for one person???


It was! But apparently it was not for the WGA fare. It was the Anytime fare. But still $386 for one person one way, which IS the WGA fare, is crazy to me, .


----------



## crazywig

PVD-MCO
11/29 - 12-7
$190 down 
$123 return

I paid in pts, 20,633 each which is the highest I've ever paid for this time but with only 3 direct outbound we wanted the earliest.


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

Got my flights book!!!!!
Did 1 ways, used my Luv vouchers.
Saved $150, total for 2 $220.
Then used my RR to fly home that cost me $11.20
For a Grand Total $231.20!!!!!!!


----------



## Nicole722

So happy I booked right away this morning. Had just enough points for my family of 6. Round trip from Buffalo... prices have already increased!


----------



## keishashadow

PIT - MCO

Compared to prices last year same dates (friday after thanksgiving), rates were significantly lower when I got page to load.  Have been refreshing periodically since i woke @ 3:45 am lol

What really annoys me is the site was so wonky. Note that I always log into my account first JIK i’m Going to use points.

Had first RT combo in cart, adding in the Mr’s KTN,  hit submit and get dreaded error message they can’t book the flight.

Reprice & see the lower fare on 29th went poof, ok, still not too bad...rinse & lather...same error message when checking out

Grrr

Settle upon a very late flight into MCO to point where we will likely just stay @ airport hotel & pick up rental car the next am.

Wind up with $159 to & $147 home.  $611 all in, less than where my Oct trip will land

Just glanced at email confirmation and my name is spelled wrong.  how??? I was signed into my account & it self populated the form for my info.  Name is hybrid of my real name & then the last 2 letters repeated.

Called & elected for return call in a hour to discuss

Seriously, SWA, between the multiple flight cancellations (Boeing, including one only a few hours ahead of time earlier this month) & today’s mess, I’m losing faith in you.  Get it together!


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

Nicole722 said:


> So happy I booked right away this morning. Had just enough points for my family of 6. Round trip from Buffalo... prices have already increased!


I was thinking the same thing, if I didn't have my vouchers and enough RR points I'd be sunk.


----------



## Iowamomof4

@SouthFayetteFan I noticed the wrong May, 2019 date on your chart. Might want to fix it before you forget later.


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

I'm sooooo glad to have this done and over with .
Now everything is done.
Now I can Relax!!!!
Have a good day everyone


----------



## hsmamato2

SaintsManiac said:


> I haven't booked our return flight yet. Waiting to see if the times get better.


Honestly I book my returns first.... I've noticed the patterns lately are High or sellout prices on Saturdays and Sundays,so I grab those before I grab my inbound flights Thanks @SouthFayetteFan  for the tip on low fare calendar it worked!


----------



## SaintsManiac

hsmamato2 said:


> Honestly I book my returns first.... I've noticed the patterns lately are High or sellout prices on Saturdays and Sundays,so I grab those before I grab my inbound flights Thanks @SouthFayetteFan  for the tip on low fare calendar it worked!




Our timing for getting there is more important than our timing for coming home.


----------



## shoreward

My preferred flight is on a MAX8; I booked it.

Does anyone have any concerns about flying on that aircraft?  

For those who booked today, did you check the aircraft scheduled for your flights?

Presumably, the FAA will deem the MAX8 to be airworthy by late fall, but if not, will there likely be the same problem with cancellations, as over the past several months?  I can”t imagine Southwest scheduling MAX8 flights, unless they had a strong indication that the planes would be released by the FAA, by then.


----------



## SinCityMMAFan

shoreward said:


> My preferred flight is on a MAX8; I booked it.
> 
> Does anyone have any concerns about flying on that aircraft?
> 
> For those who booked today, did you check the aircraft scheduled for your flights?
> 
> Presumably, the FAA will deem the MAX8 to be airworthy by late fall, but if not, will there likely be the same problem with cancellations, as over the past several months?  I can”t imagine Southwest scheduling MAX8 flights, unless they had a strong indication that the planes would be released by the FAA, by then.



Just booked a 1 way return flight from MCO to LAS and mine is a max 8 as well.  Not really worried about it.  Im certain southwest has already planned for the worst case scenarios with the Max8.


----------



## kaddjr

Booked our WGA flights with points. Not the greatest prices, but not terrible considering it’s December. NS flight down from IND was $155, ns flight back from MCO was $122. Could’ve booked the last flight out on our return date for $99, but didn’t want to take a chance on bad weather back home that time of year, plus we wouldn’t arrive home until about 2:00 am and DD has to work the next day. Overall pretty happy with what we got.


----------



## elaine amj

OK - so after getting up at 6am and refreshing until 8:30am, I gave up and went for my aquafit class. Got home at 11:30am and booked.

Detroit to Orlando
Dec 21 nonstop 2pm - 4:45pm - $177
Orlando to Detroit
Jan 4 nonstop 12:45pm - 3:25pm - $220

I paid in points.

Anyone else see prices from Detroit to Orlando in late December? Really curious to know prices were like at 9am.


----------



## Crazyhorse

SinCityMMAFan said:


> Just booked a 1 way return flight from MCO to LAS and mine is a max 8 as well.  Not really worried about it.  Im certain southwest has already planned for the worst case scenarios with the Max8.


How do you know what aircraft you're flying?


----------



## Spunky946

Just booked Pit-FLL for our christmas cruise.  Prices were high and the flight down is earlier then we wanted, but I'm not flying Pit-MCo-fll., so the kids will have to miss the last couple of hours of school.  At least a decent return time on the way back.  Wiped out most of my points, but I'm glad to have them.


----------



## shoreward

Crazyhorse said:


> How do you know what aircraft you're flying?


You have to look on the website, not the app.  When you are on the search result page for the date and city pairs you want,  click on the blue hyperlink for the flight number you select (on the left side).  A box will open, which shows the aircraft, capacity, and the on-time performance for that flight number.

This is typically what you will see:

*Flight information*

Flight #3342% Ontime arrivalN/A% > 30 min lateN/A% CancellationN/AAverage delay timeN/A
*Aircraft information*

Scheduled Aircraft*Boeing 737 MAX8No. of seats175WiFi & FreeTV available
*Boeing 737-MAX8 Aircraft are currently grounded by the FAA. Until the MAX8 aircraft returns to service, Southwest plans to operate MAX8 flights with a different aircraft type. Flight schedules and aircraft type remain subject to change per the Contract of Carriage


----------



## Crazyhorse

shoreward said:


> You have to look on the website, not the app.  When you are on the search result page for the date and city pairs you want,  click on the blue hyperlink for the flight number you select (on the left side).  A box will open, which shows the aircraft, capacity, and the on-time performance for that flight number.


Gotcha...found it.  Does this mean Max 8......... Boeing 737-800 ?   Wait..I think I answered my own question..sez it seats 175.  Our return flight shows Boeing 737-700 which seats 145.  My guess is the first flight is a Max 8.  Hopefully by December everyone will have figured things out.....


----------



## shoreward

Crazyhorse said:


> Gotcha...found it.  Does this mean Max 8......... Boeing 737-800 ?   Wait..I think I answered my own question..sez it seats 175.  Our return flight shows Boeing 737-700 which seats 145.  My guess is the first flight is a Max 8.  Hopefully by December everyone will have figured things out.....


No, 737-800 is currently flying.  It's not the same as the grounded 737-800 MAX


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Iowamomof4 said:


> @SouthFayetteFan I noticed the wrong May, 2019 date on your chart. Might want to fix it before you forget later.


Thank you so much!!  I just edited using the last one and totally forgot about how they moved today’s release


----------



## focusondisney

We fly from Buffalo. I booked our preferred early morning down, evening return, both nonstops. Booked with points & companion pass. It was about $134/ $165 if I paid cash.   There are cheaper options, ($101 each)  but those are for late evening flights to Orlando & an early morning flight home.  That is like losing 2 days of vacation.   It was worth a little extra to be there longer.


----------



## goofy4tink

All booked for Dec 7-13....PVD to MCO. Flying SW down, using points, but JB home, again using points. SW just didn’t have return times I needed.


----------



## carone0318

Sooo... I immediately booked my return flight home, I never book RT tickets, I thought it was a good rate, like 116pp for MCO to PHL on Friday 11/8.  I thought the pricing was high for going down PHL to MCO for Sunday, 11/3.  I thought 217pp was high for the first NS flight out at like 6am.  I didn't want to fly that early and their afternoon NS flight was same price but it would have been too late for our plans that day.  I decided to shop around, look at other carriers.  In the end what we decided to do and is always an option... we are flying into Tampa (TPA) on Southwest, it is an easy hour drive to Disney and we got the flight for 128pp, much better than the 217pp and it leaves 1.5 hrs later than that 6am flight.  I was planning to rent a car anyways.  Glad airline tickets are taken care of!


----------



## elaine amj

Tigger2ntinkerbell said:


> We'll be flying(if I can get it booked) from Detroit to Orlando for a short trip before Christmas(12/18-12/23).



Did you manage to book at 9am? Do you remember what prices were like?

When I booked at 11:30am, it was $177 DTW to MCO on Sat, Dec 21. More expensive before and after.


----------



## tinkerbell615

When I look at the price for early bird check in, it says $15-25. What is the difference? We have only flown a couple of times,. Both times SW, so we are really are not very  knowledgeable on all of these things. This time it will be myself, DH and DGS who is 6.


----------



## scrappinginontario

tinkerbell615 said:


> When I look at the price for early bird check in, it says $15-25. What is the difference? We have only flown a couple of times,. Both times SW, so we are really are not very  knowledgeable on all of these things. This time it will be myself, DH and DGS who is 6.


EBCI prices are now tiered.  Personally I've always been charged $25.  Buffalo and Orlando flights.


----------



## Llama mama

Does anyone know what time the self serve kiosks and bag check in starts at Midway airport for Southwest?  We have a 5:30 am flight and was planning on arriving between 3:30-3:45 am. But someone posted they don’t start the check in kiosks until 4:30am. That doesn’t leave a lot of time to get bags checked and through security. Has anyone flown this early flight that can confirm? The Midway website states Security starts at 3:30 am. Thanks


----------



## Lori74

am i the only one seeing $400 tix? unfortunately i will have to wait and hope they go down in price.


----------



## shoreward

tinkerbell615 said:


> When I look at the price for early bird check in, it says $15-25. What is the difference? We have only flown a couple of times,. Both times SW, so we are really are not very  knowledgeable on all of these things. This time it will be myself, DH and DGS who is 6.


Two adults traveling with a child, who is six years old or younger, are allowed to board bewteen the "A" and "B" boarding groups, at no additional cost.  That will place you in about the first 30-40% of the boarding passengers, if the flight is full.  With Early Bird Check-in that is purchased well in advance of the departure date (4-6 months or so), you could be in the first 15-20% to board.  For the three of you, the EBCI could cost you a total extra cost of $75 each way.


----------



## SaintsManiac

Lori74 said:


> am i the only one seeing $400 tix? unfortunately i will have to wait and hope they go down in price.




Mine were close to that.


----------



## tinkerbell615

shoreward said:


> Two adults traveling with a child, who is six years old or younger, are allowed to board bewteen the "A" and "B" boarding groups, at no additional cost.  That will place you in about the first 30-40% of the boarding passengers, if the flight is full.  With Early Bird Check-in that is purchased well in advance of the departure date (4-6 months or so), you could be in the first 15-20% to board.  For the three of you, the EBCI could cost you a total extra cost of $75 each way.


So, chances are,  we would probably all get to sit together anyway? To be honest, we are going back and forth between choosing Delta and SW. We will have to drive an hour and a half for the non stop flights for SW, and we were doing it because of the baggage fees on the others, but even paying for baggage, on the other the prices are the same with getting to pick a seat. I just can't decide which to choose!


----------



## Elle23

scrappinginontario said:


> EBCI prices are now tiered.  Personally I've always been charged $25.  Buffalo and Orlando flights.



Ours were $20 per person each way.


----------



## MDIME

Lori74 said:


> am i the only one seeing $400 tix? unfortunately i will have to wait and hope they go down in price.


 $600 RT Portland ME to MCO for 11/8-15. 
I’m wondering if the high prices are due to the fact that they still have no idea when the Max 8 planes will be back in service?


----------



## thesandra19

Llama mama said:


> Does anyone know what time the self serve kiosks and bag check in starts at Midway airport for Southwest?  We have a 5:30 am flight and was planning on arriving between 3:30-3:45 am. But someone posted they don’t start the check in kiosks until 4:30am. That doesn’t leave a lot of time to get bags checked and through security. Has anyone flown this early flight that can confirm? The Midway website states Security starts at 3:30 am. Thanks


I'm flying out of Midway for a 6:30 am flight and this will be my first time at this airport so I'm very interested in any replies you may get.


----------



## Lori74

MDIME said:


> $600 RT Portland ME to MCO for 11/8-15.
> I’m wondering if the high prices are due to the fact that they still have no idea when the Max 8 planes will be back in service?


yes thats pretty steep. im seeing $400 one way from fll to grr in nov  ☹


----------



## scrappinginontario

tinkerbell615 said:


> So, chances are,  we would probably all get to sit together anyway? To be honest, we are going back and forth between choosing Delta and SW. We will have to drive an hour and a half for the non stop flights for SW, and we were doing it because of the baggage fees on the others, but even paying for baggage, on the other the prices are the same with getting to pick a seat. I just can't decide which to choose!


  I missed originally that your child will be 6 when you fly.  You will be eligible for family boarding with a 6yo so you will all be able to sit together.


MDIME said:


> $600 RT Portland ME to MCO for 11/8-15.
> I’m wondering if the high prices are due to the fact that they still have no idea when the Max 8 planes will be back in service?


Historically November flights tend to be higher than other times of the year.  Not sure why but it's a trend I've noticed.  If you go back in this thread to the last time November flights were opened you will see exactly the same scenarios repeating.  Higher prices in November.


----------



## elaine amj

It was really interesting to see when I logged on at 11:30 that ALL Wanna Getaway prices for Dec 26 (the entire day) were sold out for Detroit to Orlando.


----------



## shoreward

tinkerbell615 said:


> So, chances are,  we would probably all get to sit together anyway? To be honest, we are going back and forth between choosing Delta and SW. We will have to drive an hour and a half for the non stop flights for SW, and we were doing it because of the baggage fees on the others, but even paying for baggage, on the other the prices are the same with getting to pick a seat. I just can't decide which to choose!


Yes, you should certainly be able to sit together.  Southwest has two different seating capacities - the 737-700 has 143 seats and the 737-800 and MAX8 have 175 seats.  With Family Boarding, you could be anywhere between about #60-80 in boarding, depending on how many Preboards and other families there may be.  Also, if the flight originates in another city, you might have a few continuing passengers already in their seats.  Even so, you could figure on about half of the seats being open on a Southwest flight. 

If flying when there could be weather issues, i.e. snow, hurricanes, etc., I always prefer a nonstop flight.


----------



## Coreyjohnson2007

thesandra19 said:


> I'm flying out of Midway for a 6:30 am flight and this will be my first time at this airport so I'm very interested in any replies you may get.


 We fly out of Indy and always take the 6am direct to Mco... we usually get there around 445 and the kiosk and curb checks are always running.  Can’t speak for other airports but we curb check every time, THEN go park the car in economy lot, shuttle back to airport...


----------



## Lsdolphin

Well got my flight but certainly not a great price!  What a difference a day makes 12/19 double the price of 12/18!


----------



## Memorymakerfor4

Wow that was painful. Over $1K/person. But rooms are locked in and we don't have a choice. We had over 100,000 points and thought that would be enough, but only covered one person. I don't know if we can afford to fly this time of year again, it definitely wasn't in my budget to spend quite this much.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

Llama mama said:


> Does anyone know what time the self serve kiosks and bag check in starts at Midway airport for Southwest?  We have a 5:30 am flight and was planning on arriving between 3:30-3:45 am. But someone posted they don’t start the check in kiosks until 4:30am. That doesn’t leave a lot of time to get bags checked and through security. Has anyone flown this early flight that can confirm? The Midway website states Security starts at 3:30 am. Thanks



It’s at least 4am. We usually take the 5:30 out and both curbside and self check are always up and running when we arrive at 4


----------



## tarak

MinnieMSue said:


> Nope. Both the person on the phone and the person on chat said it “should be fine”. Hopefully so but thankfully I have early bird so I can check in at the airport if it doesn’t work. I will post on here June 1 if I was able to check in at home. They both said my situation was weird but both didn’t seem to think it was a big deal or say that tech people would look at the problem. They both just confirmed my flight was as booked.



It took about an hour and a half, but I got a new reservation number for my June trip.  They basically had to cancel and rebook the whole thing.  I don't get the error message when I check the new reservation, so you might want to call and inquire about that.  Although I think you said you had early bird checkin, right?  So the checking in part might not matter as much.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

Anyone heard any rumors about the next 72 hour sale? Historically it should be in the next week or so


----------



## Crazyhorse

shoreward said:


> No, 737-800 is currently flying.  It's not the same as the grounded 737-800 MAX


So the Max 8 planes actually say Max.  Good to know. Thank you!


----------



## Crazyhorse

Cinderumbrella said:


> Anyone heard any rumors about the next 72 hour sale? Historically it should be in the next week or so


That’s what I’m waiting for. Just a few shekels off would make me happy.


----------



## 5DisneyNuts

elaine amj said:


> It was really interesting to see when I logged on at 11:30 that ALL Wanna Getaway prices for Dec 26 (the entire day) were sold out for Detroit to Orlando.



I started refreshing around 6am ET until the schedule opened at around 9:15am ET and there were no WGA fares for my return trip, the best was Anytime for $511 pp one way.




Memorymakerfor4 said:


> Wow that was painful. Over $1K/person. But rooms are locked in and we don't have a choice. We had over 100,000 points and thought that would be enough, but only covered one person. I don't know if we can afford to fly this time of year again, it definitely wasn't in my budget to spend quite this much.



Us too, we are renting DVC points.  Definitely keep checking.  There is always the good chance the flights will go down especially around the mid July time.  Your points will be refunded to use for another trip. One of the best reasons to stick with SWA even after a frustrating day. Good luck.


----------



## cmarsh31

$400 RT Alb to MCO, Thanksgiving week. No worse than what we pay for President's Week. Softened the blow by booking JetBlue down with points and half of the SW flights too, $600 oop for people,  not bad but now it'll be a while til I have enough points again to make a difference.


----------



## MinnieMSue

tarak said:


> It took about an hour and a half, but I got a new reservation number for my June trip.  They basically had to cancel and rebook the whole thing.  I don't get the error message when I check the new reservation, so you might want to call and inquire about that.  Although I think you said you had early bird checkin, right?  So the checking in part might not matter as much.



Thank you!  I am not going to get a new reservation number because I don’t want my early bird checkin to go to the bottom of the list. I assume I probably won’t be able to print a boarding pass or even get it online ahead of time. I always give my bags to the skycap at the drop off area so I assume they can print it for me. I would hope I can get a boarding pass at the airport without issue. Hopefully they can access my stuff since the people always can when I call. Jeez I don’t need this to worry about.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Checked airfare around 7:30 CT, as I do daily, and saw nothing about November flights. My DH tells me at dinner a co-worker booked flights for Thanksgiving. I was like . Took his phone right away, we were out and mine was in the car, to check pricing. The way down is $5 more than I've been seeing. The return is $24 higher than I like. Got home booked the way down with a LUV voucher. I'm holding out on the return flight. Hoping it will go down at some point.


----------



## a1tinkfans

Thx for posting... was able to grab a decent one way for Xmas visit home ... 
now just need mid Jan return...


----------



## Elle23

MinnieMSue said:


> Thank you!  I am not going to get a new reservation number because I don’t want my early bird checkin to go to the bottom of the list. I assume I probably won’t be able to print a boarding pass or even get it online ahead of time. I always give my bags to the skycap at the drop off area so I assume they can print it for me. I would hope I can get a boarding pass at the airport without issue. Hopefully they can access my stuff since the people always can when I call. Jeez I don’t need this to worry about.



So if you just change a reservation to a different flight it doesn’t mess with your early bird standing? For some reason I thought it did.


----------



## elaine amj

Memorymakerfor4 said:


> Wow that was painful. Over $1K/person. But rooms are locked in and we don't have a choice. We had over 100,000 points and thought that would be enough, but only covered one person. I don't know if we can afford to fly this time of year again, it definitely wasn't in my budget to spend quite this much.



OUCH. That would definitely hurt. Hope u catch a better price later on in the year!


----------



## Iowamomof4

Elle23 said:


> So if you just change a reservation to a different flight it doesn’t mess with your early bird standing? For some reason I thought it did.



It would.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Memorymakerfor4 said:


> Wow that was painful. Over $1K/person. But rooms are locked in and we don't have a choice. We had over 100,000 points and thought that would be enough, but only covered one person. I don't know if we can afford to fly this time of year again, it definitely wasn't in my budget to spend quite this much.


Was that WGA or Anytime or Business Select?

I don't often find WGA being that high but def. for Anytime or Business Select. Our Anytime and Business Selects seem to be super high for a while now..like mid-to high $500 per way for Anytime and sometimes $600 per way for Anytime.


----------



## Corwin

So I needed to book our flights over the Christmas holidays not to WDW (which we actually just returned from only yesterday)...but instead from Hartford to Salt Lake City (for a ski trip) to Las Vegas (to visit family), and back to Hartford. (I'm posting here because the DISBoards are my go-to place for posting about vacations, and because I spent the morning waiting for the flight schedule to load, too.) 

My stepson picked the dates for the ski trip, and I knew they were going to be awful -- we are traveling the Friday before Christmas, and returning the following weekend.

I ended up paying more than I ever have for Southwest tickets. It was $557pp one way from BDL to SLC (for a WGA fare!), and $394pp for the return leg from LAS to BDL.  For comparison, I flew out there this past January, and paid just $343pp round trip.

At least the SLC-LAS leg was cheap ($99pp), though the time is very late in the evening.

I thought about waiting for prices to possibly drop, but our dates are fixed and prices are even higher on the legacy carriers, so I bit the bullet and booked. I guess that was the right thing to do, since the WGA fare for my flight is now indicating "Sold Out," but I'm still in sticker shock.


----------



## Elle23

Iowamomof4 said:


> It would.



That’s what I thought.

Last summer, I booked early bird on a flight from California months ahead. I ended up changing the flight the day before to another airport and booked a new flight for my son at the same time. We ended up with boarding numbers right next to each other. That made me think I got bumped when I changed.


----------



## MinnieMSue

Elle23 said:


> So if you just change a reservation to a different flight it doesn’t mess with your early bird standing? For some reason I thought it did.



That’s why I am not doing anything to my reservation now. I did change the flight shortly after I booked it which may have bumped me down a little but no way will I do what the previous poster did to fix his inability to pull up his flight since I have early bird. He didn’t so he actually needed to fix the problem or he would be at the back of the boarding.


----------



## Elle23

MinnieMSue said:


> That’s why I am not doing anything to my reservation now. I did change the flight shortly after I booked it which may have bumped me down a little but no way will I do what the previous poster did to fix his inability to pull up his flight since I have early bird. He didn’t so he actually needed to fix the problem or he would be at the back of the boarding.



That makes sense. I think I must have mis-read your other post and thought you said you could change a reservation without losing your EBCI spot (thinking it wouldn’t trigger a new reservation number to change instead of cancel/ rebook).


----------



## MinnieMSue

This is so weird but good. I was actually on twitter chat with Southwest about my inability to access my reservation. She didn’t even have time to do anything and I went back to the app (5 min after trying to access my reservation) and suddenly I can now access it - 2 days exactly minus 30 minutes before my flight. No more error messages (currently). Maybe I will be able to get my boarding passes tomorrow after all.


----------



## Elle23

MinnieMSue said:


> This is so weird but good. I was actually on twitter chat with Southwest about my inability to access my reservation. She didn’t even have time to do anything and I went back to the app (5 min after trying to access my reservation) and suddenly I can now access it - 2 days exactly minus 30 minutes before my flight. No more error messages (currently). Maybe I will be able to get my boarding passes tomorrow after all.



Great news!


----------



## MinnieMSue

Elle23 said:


> Great news!



Yes I was somewhat worried I would have airport problems which I didn’t want at 4:30 am. I am pretty darn happy right now (mainly because soon I’m going to Disney World)


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

elaine amj said:


> OK - so after getting up at 6am and refreshing until 8:30am, I gave up and went for my aquafit class. Got home at 11:30am and booked.
> 
> Detroit to Orlando
> Dec 21 nonstop 2pm - 4:45pm - $177
> Orlando to Detroit
> Jan 4 nonstop 12:45pm - 3:25pm - $220
> 
> I paid in points.
> 
> Anyone else see prices from Detroit to Orlando in late December? Really curious to know prices were like at 9am.


I booked around 9am.
I paid the $177 going from DTW on Dec 18 to MCO, but use points on our return on Dec 23.
If I had to pay not using my $150 in vouchers and points, the total for 2 would have been $980.00. So I saved $748.80.
So now I have more money for my Disney trip!!
(I just put in the correct date, sorry)


----------



## elaine amj

Tigger2ntinkerbell said:


> I booked around 9am.
> I paid the $177 going from DTW on Dec 21 to MCO, but use points on our return on Dec 23.
> If I had to pay not using my $150 in vouchers and points, the total for 2 would have been $980.00. So I saved $748.80.
> So now I have more money for my Disney trip!!



Thanks so much for reporting back! Now I can get to tell DH I didn't miss anything by going to aquafit lol. He was not too happy when he found out I missed the first two hours haha! It was $177 at 9am and was still $177 when I booked at 11:30am. 

Did you end up shortening your trip? I remember you had wanted to fly down on Dec 18.


----------



## a1tinkfans

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Was that WGA or Anytime or Business Select?
> 
> I don't often find WGA being that high but def. for Anytime or Business Select. Our Anytime and Business Selects seem to be super high for a while now..like mid-to high $500 per way for Anytime and sometimes $600 per way for Anytime.


Our last 3 flights were 508-510 each way. Bus select and mid tier were so close we opted for Bus.  to get the xtra mikes n perk/drink.
Flights are crazy of late.


----------



## Iowamomof4

I'm tentatively planning our adult getaway to Disney for late January or early February 2020, so I'll be watching for the next flight release! We should have a Disney reservation booked by the time it rolls around.


----------



## Memorymakerfor4

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Was that WGA or Anytime or Business Select?
> 
> I don't often find WGA being that high but def. for Anytime or Business Select. Our Anytime and Business Selects seem to be super high for a while now..like mid-to high $500 per way for Anytime and sometimes $600 per way for Anytime.



It was for Anytime tickets. WGA was already sold out by the time I got on (first time that's happened to me), but a friend of mine was on right at release and said they many were also already gone for her too... so I don't know how that happened. There was one WGA flight available, but it was the last one of the day, getting in super late. Not an option with young kids. Plus I hate to give up an entire day in the parks. We'll keep checking for more flights and discounts.


----------



## Memorymakerfor4

Corwin said:


> So I needed to book our flights over the Christmas holidays not to WDW (which we actually just returned from only yesterday)...but instead from Hartford to Salt Lake City (for a ski trip) to Las Vegas (to visit family), and back to Hartford. (I'm posting here because the DISBoards are my go-to place for posting about vacations, and because I spent the morning waiting for the flight schedule to load, too.)
> 
> My stepson picked the dates for the ski trip, and I knew they were going to be awful -- we are traveling the Friday before Christmas, and returning the following weekend.
> 
> I ended up paying more than I ever have for Southwest tickets. It was $557pp one way from BDL to SLC (for a WGA fare!), and $394pp for the return leg from LAS to BDL.  For comparison, I flew out there this past January, and paid just $343pp round trip.
> 
> At least the SLC-LAS leg was cheap ($99pp), though the time is very late in the evening.
> 
> I thought about waiting for prices to possibly drop, but our dates are fixed and prices are even higher on the legacy carriers, so I bit the bullet and booked. I guess that was the right thing to do, since the WGA fare for my flight is now indicating "Sold Out," but I'm still in sticker shock.



We are in the same boat. We HAD to fly those days and I was shocked at how fast the WGA flights had sold out.


----------



## SaintsManiac

Memorymakerfor4 said:


> We are in the same boat. We HAD to fly those days and I was shocked at how fast the WGA flights had sold out.




I honestly don't think they even released WGA for many of these flights. There is NO WAY they were sold out the second they were released.


----------



## georgina

So, what is the latest I can cancel a flight and still get my points back? Is it OK to cancel if we are already checked in? DH and I will be moving my DD from her grad student apt back to her home state, and I have a flight booked for DH in case we can't fit him in the car! Probably won't know until a few hours before the flight.


----------



## Corwin

Corwin said:


> So I needed to book our flights over the Christmas holidays not to WDW (which we actually just returned from only yesterday)...but instead from Hartford to Salt Lake City (for a ski trip) to Las Vegas (to visit family), and back to Hartford. (I'm posting here because the DISBoards are my go-to place for posting about vacations, and because I spent the morning waiting for the flight schedule to load, too.)
> 
> My stepson picked the dates for the ski trip, and I knew they were going to be awful -- we are traveling the Friday before Christmas, and returning the following weekend.
> 
> I ended up paying more than I ever have for Southwest tickets. It was $557pp one way from BDL to SLC (for a WGA fare!), and $394pp for the return leg from LAS to BDL.  For comparison, I flew out there this past January, and paid just $343pp round trip.
> 
> At least the SLC-LAS leg was cheap ($99pp), though the time is very late in the evening.
> 
> I thought about waiting for prices to possibly drop, but our dates are fixed and prices are even higher on the legacy carriers, so I bit the bullet and booked. I guess that was the right thing to do, since the WGA fare for my flight is now indicating "Sold Out," but I'm still in sticker shock.





Memorymakerfor4 said:


> We are in the same boat. We HAD to fly those days and I was shocked at how fast the WGA flights had sold out.


Actually I did get WGA fares for our outbound flight (at $557pp!), but realized this morning that the Anytime fares were just $34pp more. Immediately before the 24 hour mark, I canceled the WGA fares and rebooked the Anytime fares. The Anytime fares are fully refundable, so if cheaper flights come out at a later date I can cancel and rebook. If not, at least I'm getting more RR points this way.


----------



## Tigger2ntinkerbell

elaine amj said:


> Thanks so much for reporting back! Now I can get to tell DH I didn't miss anything by going to aquafit lol. He was not too happy when he found out I missed the first two hours haha! It was $177 at 9am and was still $177 when I booked at 11:30am.
> 
> Did you end up shortening your trip? I remember you had wanted to fly down on Dec 18.


Oops, didn't pay attention to the date. No we booked Dec 18 to 23. I dont know why I was thinking the 21st.


----------



## G719

MinnieMSue said:


> This is so weird but good. I was actually on twitter chat with Southwest about my inability to access my reservation. She didn’t even have time to do anything and I went back to the app (5 min after trying to access my reservation) and suddenly I can now access it - 2 days exactly minus 30 minutes before my flight. No more error messages (currently). Maybe I will be able to get my boarding passes tomorrow after all.


That's great!  I'm still getting the same error but maybe it will heal itself like yours before the end of July.


----------



## barb969

georgina said:


> So, what is the latest I can cancel a flight and still get my points back? Is it OK to cancel if we are already checked in? DH and I will be moving my DD from her grad student apt back to her home state, and I have a flight booked for DH in case we can't fit him in the car! Probably won't know until a few hours before the flight.



You will get your points back even if you don’t cancel.  I don’t recommend this, as when you cancel you open up a spot for someone else.


----------



## georgina

barb969 said:


> You will get your points back even if you don’t cancel.  I don’t recommend this, as when you cancel you open up a spot for someone else.


Huh. I had no idea. I would definitely cancel, good to know we can do it relatively close to flight time. DD seems to think she has sold enough stuff and taken some home earlier that we can fit 3 people in the car. I drove her there by myself 2 years ago.


----------



## MinnieMSue

G719 said:


> That's great!  I'm still getting the same error but maybe it will heal itself like yours before the end of July.



I hope it does. I can’t believe mine did. I can still see my reservation. Will hopefully have my boarding passes around 6am eastern. Just under 48 hours before flight is when it fixed itself


----------



## elaine amj

WOW! It is now 11pm (12 hrs since I booked). The fares of my flights have jumped since I booked at 11:30am.

Detroit to Orlando
Dec 21 booked at $177, now at $220 (not many left)

Orlando to Detroit
Jan 4 booked at $220, now at $466. Oh wait a second, just rechecked and few more WannaGetAway tix popped up for $240.



Tigger2ntinkerbell said:


> Oops, didn't pay attention to the date. No we booked Dec 18 to 23. I dont know why I was thinking the 21st.



Oh Wednesday is much cheaper. I am still seeing $177/$185 on that day. So sounds like prices stayed pretty stable through the day.


----------



## cmarsh31

elaine amj said:


> WOW! It is now 11pm (12 hrs since I booked). The fares of my flights have jumped since I booked at 11:30am.
> 
> Detroit to Orlando
> Dec 21 booked at $177, now at $220 (not many left)
> 
> Orlando to Detroit
> Jan 4 booked at $220, now at $466. Oh wait a second, just rechecked and few more WannaGetAway tix popped up for $240.
> 
> 
> 
> Oh Wednesday is much cheaper. I am still seeing $177/$185 on that day. So sounds like prices stayed pretty stable through the day.



All the WGA fares on my flights are gone, so $207 to $436 one way...but that's because our group booked 70 tickets. If you see a large group of boys in military dress uniforms at MCO near Thanksgiving, wave to me


----------



## elaine amj

Prices ONE DAY LATER!
Updated post below with prices on Sat, June 1. 



elaine amj said:


> WOW! It is now 11pm (12 hrs since I booked). The fares of my flights have jumped since I booked at 11:30am.
> 
> Detroit to Orlando
> Dec 21 booked at $177, now at $220 (not many left) , Sat June 1: $277
> 
> Orlando to Detroit
> Jan 4 booked at $220, now at $466. Oh wait a second, just rechecked and few more WannaGetAway tix popped up for $240., Sat June 1: $466 (no more WGA tix)


----------



## Livelovedance

Friendly reminder - keep checking your flight prices! I booked with points when they were released, and I’ve been randomly checking and hoping for price decreases.

I just found one of our flights decreased over 6,000 points per person!


----------



## Day-Day

Wow on the family boarding.  We boarded yesterday at MCO and there were way more adults in the family boarding line than there were 6-year-olds and younger.  Maybe some adults, older kids, and late teens had A-boarding or some other higher priority and elected to wait for family boarding but it doesn't make sense.  I never heard an announcement of the rule for using family boarding but I'm pretty sure there was one when we boarded for our departure flight out of my home airport.

There was one group traveling with an infant in which the others were 3 adults and a young-adult or older teenager.  There were plenty of families with kids that looked well over 6 which had no kids that looked under.


----------



## Peaseblossom36

If I’m purchasing early bird check in do I still need to worry about checking in? Will it just automatically check me in and send me a boarding pass? 

We’ve already purchased the tickets with EB check in for both ways. I won’t have access to WiFi for awhile before our return flight since we will be cruising. Thanks!


----------



## scrappinginontario

Day-Day said:


> Wow on the family boarding.  We boarded yesterday at MCO and there were way more adults in the family boarding line than there were 6-year-olds and younger.  Maybe some adults, older kids, and late teens had A-boarding or some other higher priority and elected to wait for family boarding but it doesn't make sense.  I never heard an announcement of the rule for using family boarding but I'm pretty sure there was one when we boarded for our departure flight out of my home airport.
> 
> There was one group traveling with an infant in which the others were 3 adults and a young-adult or older teenager.  There were plenty of families with kids that looked well over 6 which had no kids that looked under.


This is one of the many reasons why we purchase EBCI for our return flights home from MCO.  Even with mid-B boarding passes we had to wait for someone to offer to move (which I felt bad about!) for my 8yo and I to sit together.  Since then I’ve purchased EBCI to hopefully avoid this in the future.  Family boarding at MCO seems to be whomever wishes to board together, can.


----------



## Fangorn

Peaseblossom36 said:


> If I’m purchasing early bird check in do I still need to worry about checking in? Will it just automatically check me in and send me a boarding pass?
> 
> We’ve already purchased the tickets with EB check in for both ways. I won’t have access to WiFi for awhile before our return flight since we will be cruising. Thanks!



You'll be checked in automatically at 36 hours before your flight. You do not have to do anything. You will NOT receive any sort of notice or your boarding pass. But your boarding number is assigned.  
Any time after the 24 hour mark, you can log in to see your boarding number (just go through the checkin procedure to see the boarding pass - don't worry,  though,  you're already checked-in!) If you're not able to get on line before your flight, you can just print out your boarding pass at the airport.  EBCI is definitely the way to go when you don't have internet access the day before. 

Steve


----------



## Peaseblossom36

Fangorn said:


> You'll be checked in automatically at 36 hours before your flight. You do not have to do anything. You will NOT receive any sort of notice or your boarding pass. But your boarding number is assigned.
> Any time after the 24 hour mark, you can log in to see your boarding number (just go through the checkin procedure to see the boarding pass - don't worry,  though,  you're already checked-in!) If you're not able to get on line before your flight, you can just print out your boarding pass at the airport.  EBCI is definitely the way to go when you don't have internet access the day before.
> 
> Steve



Perfect! That’s exactly what I was hoping for! Thank you


----------



## shoreward

Another possible aircraft issue from Boeing, affecting 737-700, 800, and MAX 8 series, which make up Southwest's fleet.  The fix, however, is apparently a quick one.  However, with Southwest already short on aircraft, will this mean additional cancellations, till the repairs are completed?

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/02/business/boeing-faa-737-slat-track-assemblies/index.html


----------



## tinkerbell615

Day-Day said:


> Wow on the family boarding.  We boarded yesterday at MCO and there were way more adults in the family boarding line than there were 6-year-olds and younger.  Maybe some adults, older kids, and late teens had A-boarding or some other higher priority and elected to wait for family boarding but it doesn't make sense.  I never heard an announcement of the rule for using family boarding but I'm pretty sure there was one when we boarded for our departure flight out of my home airport.
> 
> There was one group traveling with an infant in which the others were 3 adults and a young-adult or older teenager.  There were plenty of families with kids that looked well over 6 which had no kids that looked under.



This makes me a little nervous. DH and I will be traveling with our 6 year old grandson, and I don't want to risk not sitting with him. Maybe we should purchase the EBCI.


----------



## SinCityMMAFan

Day-Day said:


> Wow on the family boarding.  We boarded yesterday at MCO and there were way more adults in the family boarding line than there were 6-year-olds and younger.  Maybe some adults, older kids, and late teens had A-boarding or some other higher priority and elected to wait for family boarding but it doesn't make sense.  I never heard an announcement of the rule for using family boarding but I'm pretty sure there was one when we boarded for our departure flight out of my home airport.
> 
> There was one group traveling with an infant in which the others were 3 adults and a young-adult or older teenager.  There were plenty of families with kids that looked well over 6 which had no kids that looked under.


I witnessed this a few weeks ago when we were traveling form MCO to LAS.  I felt bad for anyone who purchased EBCI then ended up with B group boarding as I highly doubt they were able to get seats together because we had A50 and A51 and for us to get seats together we had to go past the wing area which I never had been so far back and when we were boarding the "family boarding" line was very long and there seemed to be a lot of adults in line as well.  I think more and more people are trying to take advantage of SW's boarding procedure when it comes to family boarding especially to and from MCO.  I did hear an announcement by the gate agent that said 1 member of a family can board with 1 child however it's unclear if they actually followed that rule or not as we had already boarded the plane by the time they let those in the family boarding line board the plane.  I think some gate agents are strict and follow the policy and others do not.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

SinCityMMAFan said:


> I did hear an announcement by the gate agent that said 1 member of a family can board with 1 child


I don't know when, though it was very recent, it was updated but SWA very quietly updated their policy to include 2 adults rather than just 1 (which I'm sure can def. have an impact on the number of people boarding the plan during Family Boarding). This may have been after you flew though IDK on that part.


----------



## scrappinginontario

tinkerbell615 said:


> This makes me a little nervous. DH and I will be traveling with our 6 year old grandson, and I don't want to risk not sitting with him. Maybe we should purchase the EBCI.


When do you fly?

Since your grandson will be 6 at the time of travel you will qualify for family boarding.  When my daughter was young enough that we qualified for family boarding I would head towards the location where families would line up 35-40 mins before flight time since boarding often begins 30 mins before flight time.  I would hover there as long as I wasn’t in the way of people exiting the plane.  I was securing us a place early in the family boarding. 

 This might be another option if you choose not to purchase EBCI.


----------



## Day-Day

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I don't know when, though it was very recent, it was updated but SWA very quietly updated their policy to include 2 adults rather than just 1 (which I'm sure can def. have an impact on the number of people boarding the plan during Family Boarding). This may have been after you flew though IDK on that part.



I did no realize SW had bumped it up to two.  Probably a factor as to why I saw so many adults since two are now allowed per child.  I'm pretty sure some of the kids were over 6 years old.  Also, appeared like some folks divided the kids up so grandparents could go in with one while parents went in with another.

If traveling as a lone adult, I really can't see the adult boarding with a child six or under and leaving a 7 year old in the regular boarding line so I'd expect the older child to go along though SW doesn't really state that as an option.  That's about the only leeway I would give if I had control...

*Boarding the Plane*


----------



## Lsdolphin

SinCityMMAFan said:


> I witnessed this a few weeks ago when we were traveling form MCO to LAS.  I felt bad for anyone who purchased EBCI then ended up with B group boarding as I highly doubt they were able to get seats together because we had A50 and A51 and for us to get seats together we had to go past the wing area which I never had been so far back and when we were boarding the "family boarding" line was very long and there seemed to be a lot of adults in line as well.  I think more and more people are trying to take advantage of SW's boarding procedure when it comes to family boarding especially to and from MCO.  I did hear an announcement by the gate agent that said 1 member of a family can board with 1 child however it's unclear if they actually followed that rule or not as we had already boarded the plane by the time they let those in the family boarding line board the plane.  I think some gate agents are strict and follow the policy and others do not.




Even when 1 adult boards with a child they immediately throw stuff on seats to save additional seats for other family members...I'm so tired of paying for Early Bird while so many people "work the system"!!! I can't even how many families or groups will pay for one person to do Early Bird and they proceed to save seats all around them!


----------



## Lsdolphin

Definitely check your flights! When I looked last night my flight from BWI to MCO was the same but I got a credit back of $75 on my return flight


----------



## Crazyhorse

Lsdolphin said:


> Even when 1 adult boards with a child they immediately throw stuff on seats to save additional seats for other family members...I'm so tired of paying for Early Bird while so many people "work the system"!!! I can't even how many families or groups will pay for one person to do Early Bird and they proceed to save seats all around them!


I don't hesitate at all telling people to move their stuff.  When I get a little pushback, I've threatened to grab a flight attendant who will be glad to explain that there is NO saving seats.  They move their stuff and there is no further drama.


----------



## MarkinNM

Crazyhorse said:


> I don't hesitate at all telling people to move their stuff.  When I get a little pushback, I've threatened to grab a flight attendant who will be glad to explain that there is NO saving seats.  They move their stuff and there is no further drama.



Especially if you are paying to EBCI, and policy states no saving but then those people seem to think that policy is not for them......


EDIT........

Just checked the SW web on boarding and this is what it states.....

_Do families get to preboard?
Two adults traveling with a child six years old or younger may board during Family Boarding, which occurs after the “A” group has boarded and before the “B” group begins boarding. If the child and the adult are both holding an “A” boarding pass, they should board in their assigned boarding position._


----------



## shoreward

Crazyhorse said:


> I don't hesitate at all telling people to move their stuff.  When I get a little pushback, I've threatened to grab a flight attendant who will be glad to explain that there is NO saving seats.  They move their stuff and there is no further drama.


You do know that there is almost no FA who will tell passengers they can't save seats.   Southwest states that they neither have, nor don't have an official policy regarding saving of seats.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Crazyhorse said:


> I don't hesitate at all telling people to move their stuff.  When I get a little pushback, I've threatened to grab a flight attendant who will be glad to explain that there is NO saving seats.  They move their stuff and there is no further drama.


Technically SWA has a no policy for or against seat saving at the present moment. What FAs say are a case by case basis not part of official policy.

They are considered open seating. I wouldn't create drama personally nor would I threaten to go get an FA for your specific situation. You can of course just sit down in an unoccupied seat. This is assuming you want their seat they are saving. If you don't want the seat I wouldn't even say anything that is me personally.


----------



## FCDub

Round and round we go with the seat saving debate.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

FCDub said:


> Round and round we go with the seat saving debate.


Yup, unfortunately it's a neverending cycle on that one.


----------



## Crazyhorse

shoreward said:


> You do know that there is almost no FA who will tell passengers they can't save seats.   Southwest states that they neither have, nor don't have an official policy regarding saving of seats.


Actually, more than once I've seen a FA tell someone who wouldn't move their stuff to move their stuff and let someone sit down.  It's in the interest of getting the plane boarded quickly.  While it's not their job to police seating, I believe they will do whatever it takes to get the plane boarded quickly.   Not looking to debate anyone here.


----------



## Memorymakerfor4

Day-Day said:


> Wow on the family boarding.  We boarded yesterday at MCO and there were way more adults in the family boarding line than there were 6-year-olds and younger.  Maybe some adults, older kids, and late teens had A-boarding or some other higher priority and elected to wait for family boarding but it doesn't make sense.  I never heard an announcement of the rule for using family boarding but I'm pretty sure there was one when we boarded for our departure flight out of my home airport.
> 
> There was one group traveling with an infant in which the others were 3 adults and a young-adult or older teenager.  There were plenty of families with kids that looked well over 6 which had no kids that looked under.



We traveled with 4 adults and two kids last summer. My husband and I accompanied the kids on and the grandmas boarded with their tickets later. Going to and from MCO it almost doesn't make sense to do family boarding anymore, so many families are doing it.


----------



## tinkerbell615

You still need to print your boarding pass 24 hours in advance if you are doing family boarding, correct?


----------



## chicagoshannon

tinkerbell615 said:


> You still need to print your boarding pass 24 hours in advance if you are doing family boarding, correct?


You still need to check in 24 hours in advance especially if you want to try for an A boarding group.  You can print the actual pass at the airport if you need to.  If you don't check in they'll check you in at the airport when you drop off your baggage.  You need a boarding pass to get through security.


----------



## focusondisney

tinkerbell615 said:


> You still need to print your boarding pass 24 hours in advance if you are doing family boarding, correct?



Even if you plan to do family boarding, you should still check in at 24 hours. There have been reports that  there were so many families on a flight that the gate agents did not do family boarding. So you will still want to have as early boarding positions as possible, just in case.  And of course as PP said, you need a boarding pass to get them security & to board the plane. So you do have to print one, either at home or the airport.


----------



## scrappinginontario

chicagoshannon said:


> You still need to check in 24 hours in advance especially if you want to try for an A boarding group.  You can print the actual pass at the airport if you need to.  If you don't check in they'll check you in at the airport when you drop off your baggage.  You need a boarding pass to get through security.


I recommend ALWAYS checking in as early as possible for a flight.

One trip when we were going on our first Disney cruise I was so looking forward to our cruise that I forgot to check in for our flight.  I remembered late in the evening less than 12 hours before our flight. I went in at that time and was unable to check in as SW had oversold our flight and all boarding pass numbers had been allocated! Talk about stress!!!  Thankfully some people did not show up for our flight so there was still room for us to fly but that’s a stress I would not wish on anyone.


----------



## tinkerbell615

A


chicagoshannon said:


> You still need to check in 24 hours in advance especially if you want to try for an A boarding group.  You can print the actual pass at the airport if you need to.  If you don't check in they'll check you in at the airport when you drop off your baggage.  You need a boarding pass to get through security.





chicagoshannon said:


> You still need to check in 24 hours in advance especially if you want to try for an A boarding group.  You can print the actual pass at the airport if you need to.  If you don't check in they'll check you in at the airport when you drop off your baggage.  You need a boarding pass to get through security.





focusondisney said:


> Even if you plan to do family boarding, you should still check in at 24 hours. There have been reports that  there were so many families on a flight that the gate agents did not do family boarding. So you will still want to have as early boarding positions as possible, just in case.  And of course as PP said, you need a boarding pass to get them security & to board the plane. So you do have to print one, either at home or the airport.





scrappinginontario said:


> I recommend ALWAYS checking in as early as possible for a flight.
> 
> One trip when we were going on our first Disney cruise I was so looking forward to our cruise that I forgot to check in for our flight.  I remembered late in the evening less than 12 hours before our flight. I went in at that time and was unable to check in as SW had oversold our flight and all hoarding pass numbers had been allocated! Talk about stress!!!  Thankfully some people did not show up for our flight so there was still room for us to fly but that’s a stress I would now wish on anyone.



That is what I thought. Thanks you all!!


----------



## Crazyhorse

Just an FYI.  We booked our December flights when the schedule came out last week.  I just checked the schedule again and our flights dropped $11.00 each way, Wanna Get Away.  I changed our flights, receiving a $44.00 credit.  I'm gonna keep checking periodically.  I don't think $113.00 each way is a bad fare at all, Chicago/Orlando.   
However, since I used a $20.00 travel fund credit on the original purchase of the tickets, this latest credit has to be used by that expiration date, v.s. a year from when I bought these tickets.  That kinda sucks....cuz I doubt we'll be flying again prior to the expiration.  Wonder if I should have just cancelled these flights and rebooked at the new rate?  Thoughts?


----------



## tinkerbell615

Crazyhorse said:


> Just an FYI.  We booked our December flights when the schedule came out last week.  I just checked the schedule again and our flights dropped $11.00 each way, Wanna Get Away.  I changed our flights, receiving a $44.00 credit.  I'm gonna keep checking periodically.  I don't think $113.00 each way is a bad fare at all, Chicago/Orlando.


If you find your rates lower than you paid, how do you go about getting the lower rates? Do you have to re-book the flight, or do you call SW? I am so sorry to be asking so many questions, but this flying stuff is really foreign to me. lol We always drive.


----------



## Crazyhorse

tinkerbell615 said:


> If you find your rates lower than you paid, how do you go about getting the lower rates? Do you have to re-book the flight, or do you call SW? I am so sorry to be asking so many questions, but this flying stuff is really foreign to me. lol We always drive.


I just went through the "change flight" process.  It's very simple.  Go to your account and look at your flights, there should be a change/cancel flight option.


----------



## tinkerbell615

Crazyhorse said:


> I just went through the "change flight" process.  It's very simple.  Go to your account and look at your flights, there should be a change/cancel flight option.



Thank you!


----------



## Farro

Hi!

Is there a time of day for flying where you are more likely to be seated together?

It's just the two of us and I really don't enjoy flying, so I'd like to be seated next to him.

If we fly Southwest we plan to purchase the early bird check in, but maybe first or last flight of day has better chance for us to be together?


----------



## scrappinginontario

Farro said:


> Hi!
> 
> Is there a time of day for flying where you are more likely to be seated together?
> 
> It's just the two of us and I really don't enjoy flying, so I'd like to be seated next to him.
> 
> If we fly Southwest we plan to purchase the early bird check in, but maybe first or last flight of day has better chance for us to be together?


I have flown SW all times of the day and night and flights tend to but full or almost full regardless of flight time.  

Your best options will be to book as close to flights being released as possible and purchasing EBCI immediately.


----------



## Farro

scrappinginontario said:


> I have flown SW all times of the day and night and flights tend to but full or almost full regardless of flight time.
> 
> Your best options will be to book as close to flights being released as possible and purchasing EBCI immediately.



oh god, it all sounds so stressful! I'm not good at getting on deals right away, I have horrible luck!


----------



## chicagoshannon

Crazyhorse said:


> Just an FYI.  We booked our December flights when the schedule came out last week.  I just checked the schedule again and our flights dropped $11.00 each way, Wanna Get Away.  I changed our flights, receiving a $44.00 credit.  I'm gonna keep checking periodically.  I don't think $113.00 each way is a bad fare at all, Chicago/Orlando.
> However, since I used a $20.00 travel fund credit on the original purchase of the tickets, this latest credit has to be used by that expiration date, v.s. a year from when I bought these tickets.  That kinda sucks....cuz I doubt we'll be flying again prior to the expiration.  Wonder if I should have just cancelled these flights and rebooked at the new rate?  Thoughts?


That's about as good as it gets from midway to MCO.  I think we managed to get one leg for $99 for our May trip.  We are driving in October but were looking at flying and the cheapest is $154 for like 1 flight and others are over $300!  If I could find $113 I'd book and make my family do the same. lol


----------



## scrappinginontario

Farro said:


> oh god, it all sounds so stressful! I'm not good at getting on deals right away, I have horrible luck!


Just keep checking here and you will know the exact day new flights are supposed to drop.  Be ready to jump between 6am and 10am and it will all be good.  It's not stressful, just takes being prepared.  You can do it!


----------



## SaintsManiac

Farro said:


> oh god, it all sounds so stressful! I'm not good at getting on deals right away, I have horrible luck!




No need to stress. Look at the schedule now and see what times work for you. They keep them very similar all year. Then you can have a plan ready.

ETA: We are currently accepting air reservations through January 5, 2020. On July 10, 2019 we will open our schedule for sale through March 6, 2020. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently


----------



## PerfessorZ

Farro said:


> oh god, it all sounds so stressful! I'm not good at getting on deals right away, I have horrible luck!



Don't stress.  I've never purchased EBCI and I've always been able to sit next to someone I'm travelling with.  I do, however, make sure to check in right at the 24-hr mark prior to my flight.

Now I'm not guaranteeing you'll be able to find 2 seats next to each other without EBCI, but the odds of you not finding adjacent seats with it are rather small, I'd say.  Don't stress


----------



## Farro

PerfessorZ said:


> Don't stress.  I've never purchased EBCI and I've always been able to sit next to someone I'm travelling with.  I do, however, make sure to check in right at the 24-hr mark prior to my flight.
> 
> Now I'm not guaranteeing you'll be able to find 2 seats next to each other without EBCI, but the odds of you not finding adjacent seats with it are rather small, I'd say.  Don't stress



Thank you!


----------



## TyRy

Farro said:


> oh god, it all sounds so stressful! I'm not good at getting on deals right away, I have horrible luck!



I HATE to fly, but usually try to make it into a road trip, but my DH has more limited vacation time so flying saves us a couple of days.  I've been on four round trips in the past year or so and all but one were sold out.  The non sold out one had a whole 7 seats open.  Granted I fly out of Midway/Chicago, and into Orlando, Tampa or Ontario, CA.  We always get the EBCI and even when we've been the last couple in the A group we've gotten seats together.  This includes when we flew home from Burbank, CA and the gate agent took it upon herself to stop boarding after A1-A15 and let the families all board in the middle of the group.  Basically made our A position into a B as there were a ton of families and we still got seats together.


----------



## Farro

TyRy said:


> I HATE to fly, but usually try to make it into a road trip, but my DH has more limited vacation time so flying saves us a couple of days.  I've been on four round trips in the past year or so and all but one were sold out.  The non sold out one had a whole 7 seats open.  Granted I fly out of Midway/Chicago, and into Orlando, Tampa or Ontario, CA.  We always get the EBCI and even when we've been the last couple in the A group we've gotten seats together.  This includes when we flew home from Burbank, CA and the gate agent took it upon herself to stop boarding after A1-A15 and let the families all board in the middle of the group.  Basically made our A position into a B as there were a ton of families and we still got seats together.



We would be flying out of MIdway too!  Normally we fly out of O'hare, so it's all going to be new to me if we fly Southwest.


----------



## Lvsdisney

So I think I messed up... When I booked our flights I booked them as a RT. Now I'd like to move our departure date back one day. Am I going to have to rebook the whole thing??


----------



## focusondisney

Lvsdisney said:


> So I think I messed up... When I booked our flights I booked them as a RT. Now I'd like to move our departure date back one day. Am I going to have to rebook the whole thing??




Not at all. When you sign in, open your account. There is a button to change flight.  Then you pick whichever flight you want to change. You don’t have to change both legs, just whichever one you want.


----------



## TheyCallMeStacey

Quick question: On our recent flight home from MCO we had some flight issues that I thought at the time were pretty minor.  Anyway, for the inconvenience of that flight, SW gave each of us (4 travelers) vouchers for use on a future flight.  I'm wondering if these vouchers can all be combined into one future flight, and if they're name specific (like if it would only apply to the original ticket holder).  This was our first trip on SW so I'm not sure the protocol for these things!


----------



## richmo

TheyCallMeStacey said:


> Quick question: On our recent flight home from MCO we had some flight issues that I thought at the time were pretty minor.  Anyway, for the inconvenience of that flight, SW gave each of us (4 travelers) vouchers for use on a future flight.  I'm wondering if these vouchers can all be combined into one future flight, and if they're name specific (like if it would only apply to the original ticket holder).  This was our first trip on SW so I'm not sure the protocol for these things!



You probably received LUV vouchers. Unlike credits you may receive for flight booking due to price decreases, LUV vouchers are transferable and not tied to a certain passenger.  However, keep in mind I think you are still restricted to the number of payment methods you can use on one itinerary.  For example if you received four $100 LUV vouchers, you could use two of them plus $200 of your own for a $400 flight (I think the number of payment methods per itinerary is 3 these days(?)).  If there's more than one of you flying somewhere, you might need to break up into a couple separate itineraries in order to use them all....   But, yes, they're transferable.


----------



## TheyCallMeStacey

richmo said:


> However, keep in mind I think you are still restricted to the number of payment methods you can use on one itinerary.


I didn't realize this. Shoot, I have 4 of those LUV vouchers and was hoping to put them all together since we're likely not flying SW in the near future (and only needing one ticket).


----------



## G719

TheyCallMeStacey said:


> I didn't realize this. Shoot, I have 4 of those LUV vouchers and was hoping to put them all together since we're likely not flying SW in the near future (and only needing one ticket).



If you are booking 1 round trip ticket, then just book 2 one way trips for each portion of your trip and use 2 vouchers for each way.


----------



## Memorymakerfor4

When does Southwest usually post their sales? I've been checking daily and our flights have only gone up in price.


----------



## scrappinginontario

G719 said:


> If you are booking 1 round trip ticket, then just book 2 one way trips for each portion of your trip and use 2 vouchers for each way.


  Clever!  This idea had never crossed my mind!


Memorymakerfor4 said:


> When does Southwest usually post their sales? I've been checking daily and our flights have only gone up in price.


They had a sale on from Tues - Thurs of this week as I received daily emails.  Do you get their emails?  It's a great way to find out about their sales and discounts.


----------



## Memorymakerfor4

scrappinginontario said:


> Clever!  This idea had never crossed my mind!
> They had a sale on from Tues - Thurs of this week as I received daily emails.  Do you get their emails?  It's a great way to find out about their sales and discounts.



I thought I was, but I didn't see this. I'll sign up again, thanks!


----------



## TheyCallMeStacey

G719 said:


> If you are booking 1 round trip ticket, then just book 2 one way trips for each portion of your trip and use 2 vouchers for each way.


Thanks! i was just wondering about the viability of that option!


----------



## SinCityMMAFan

For those who like to keep up with the Boeing MAX news:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...t-for-three-years-u-s-lawmakers-idUSKCN1T8284
Pretty disturbing news to say the least.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Maybe a road trip is not such a bad idea and I'm not trying to be funny....


----------



## eeyoreland

I'll try to make a long story short. Called SW to book a flight for my daughter and me. She's in the process of getting her name changed to her married name on her account so it's a mess and we couldn't use her points. The rep I talked to said we could book with my points and once her name is straightened out, we can transfer points from her to me. Didn't end up booking during that call, but then I called back a few days later and that person said there's no such thing as one person transferring points to another. Does anyone have any experience with this?


----------



## barb969

eeyoreland said:


> I'll try to make a long story short. Called SW to book a flight for my daughter and me. She's in the process of getting her name changed to her married name on her account so it's a mess and we couldn't use her points. The rep I talked to said we could book with my points and once her name is straightened out, we can transfer points from her to me. Didn't end up booking during that call, but then I called back a few days later and that person said there's no such thing as one person transferring points to another. Does anyone have any experience with this?


You can transfer points between people but there is a fee of $5 for 500 points with a minimum of 2000 pts.

You can book her trip with your points


----------



## scrappinginontario

eeyoreland said:


> I'll try to make a long story short. Called SW to book a flight for my daughter and me. She's in the process of getting her name changed to her married name on her account so it's a mess and we couldn't use her points. The rep I talked to said we could book with my points and once her name is straightened out, we can transfer points from her to me. Didn't end up booking during that call, but then I called back a few days later and that person said there's no such thing as one person transferring points to another. Does anyone have any experience with this?


You can transfer points but it will be expensive.  
Mid what @barb969 said is possible (I don’t know) Can you purchase a flight for her now and she can book a flight for you later?


----------



## Iowamomof4

Wait a minute, LUV vouchers are transferrable???!!! Holy cow! That's a game changer! We each got a $50 LUV voucher due to some baggage issues we experienced with our flight home that turned into a drive home when we missed our connection in St Louis. Anyway, out of the 7 of us, dh and I are the only ones who really anticipate travelling again in the coming year. If we were able to make use of more than 2 of those vouchers, that would be amazing!


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

Iowamomof4 said:


> Wait a minute, LUV vouchers are transferrable???!!! Holy cow! That's a game changer! We each got a $50 LUV voucher due to some baggage issues we experienced with our flight home that turned into a drive home when we missed our connection in St Louis. Anyway, out of the 7 of us, dh and I are the only ones who really anticipate travelling again in the coming year. If we were able to make use of more than 2 of those vouchers, that would be amazing!


Yep 100% transferable.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Iowamomof4 said:


> Wait a minute, LUV vouchers are transferrable???!!! Holy cow! That's a game changer! We each got a $50 LUV voucher due to some baggage issues we experienced with our flight home that turned into a drive home when we missed our connection in St Louis. Anyway, out of the 7 of us, dh and I are the only ones who really anticipate travelling again in the coming year. If we were able to make use of more than 2 of those vouchers, that would be amazing!


Yeah - you can even sell them if you can’t use them on certain sites.  LUV vouchers are much more flexible than travel credits


----------



## Shannon G

I know this is a subject that has been discussed over and over, but I'm debating whether to purchase EBCI. I wasn't going to, and now we're a month out from our trip and I'm second guessing myself. It has gotten so expensive & it kills me to spend that much for it. Plus I wonder how much good it will do us to book it so close to our flights. I'm traveling with my two teen daughters, so it's not the end of the world if we get separated, but I know they would greatly prefer to at least sit together, even if I can't get a seat with them. I am contemplating just buying EBCI for them, and having them look for an empty row & take the window and aisle, and hopefully no one will take that middle seat before I board.  But since we're only a month from our flight, are we likely to get high B even with ECBI at this point? Flying Hartford to MCO and back, both times on a Thursday, mid-day departure out of Hartford, late afternoon departure from MCO.


----------



## Crazyhorse

Shannon G said:


> I know this is a subject that has been discussed over and over, but I'm debating whether to purchase EBCI. I wasn't going to, and now we're a month out from our trip and I'm second guessing myself. It has gotten so expensive & it kills me to spend that much for it. Plus I wonder how much good it will do us to book it so close to our flights. I'm traveling with my two teen daughters, so it's not the end of the world if we get separated, but I know they would greatly prefer to at least sit together, even if I can't get a seat with them. I am contemplating just buying EBCI for them, and having them look for an empty row & take the window and aisle, and hopefully no one will take that middle seat before I board.  But since we're only a month from our flight, are we likely to get high B even with ECBI at this point? Flying Hartford to MCO and back, both times on a Thursday, late afternoon departure.



When you check in 24 hours prior, if you get a lousy boarding assignment, you can always upgrade to business select or whatever it's called...A1-15 when you get to the airport...if it's offered for your flights.  It does usually cost $10.00 more than EBCI though.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Shannon G said:


> I know this is a subject that has been discussed over and over, but I'm debating whether to purchase EBCI. I wasn't going to, and now we're a month out from our trip and I'm second guessing myself. It has gotten so expensive & it kills me to spend that much for it. Plus I wonder how much good it will do us to book it so close to our flights. I'm traveling with my two teen daughters, so it's not the end of the world if we get separated, but I know they would greatly prefer to at least sit together, even if I can't get a seat with them. I am contemplating just buying EBCI for them, and having them look for an empty row & take the window and aisle, and hopefully no one will take that middle seat before I board.  But since we're only a month from our flight, are we likely to get high B even with ECBI at this point? Flying Hartford to MCO and back, both times on a Thursday, mid-day departure out of Hartford, late afternoon departure from MCO.


Are you able to be online exactly 24 hours before your departure time?  Since you're travelling with teens and only a month out from your flights, if it were me I would choose not to purchase the EBCI if I knew I could be online right at the 24 hour mark.  It's a personal decision but the later you book the EBCI the less valuable it becomes.


----------



## Shannon G

Crazyhorse said:


> When you check in 24 hours prior, if you get a lousy boarding assignment, you can always upgrade to business select or whatever it's called...A1-15 when you get to the airport...if it's offered for your flights.  It does usually cost $10.00 more than EBCI though.



Good point! I could always just upgrade the girls at that point if we have a high boarding number and there are a lot of families.



scrappinginontario said:


> Are you able to be online exactly 24 hours before your departure time?  Since you're travelling with teens and only a month out from your flights, if it were me I would choose not to purchase the EBCI if I knew I could be online right at the 24 hour mark.  It's a personal decision but the later you book the EBCI the less valuable it becomes.



Thanks for confirming - that's where I was leaning, but started to second guess myself. And yes, I always have my phone handy and can check in right at the 24 hour mark.


----------



## SinCityMMAFan

Shannon G said:


> I know this is a subject that has been discussed over and over, but I'm debating whether to purchase EBCI. I wasn't going to, and now we're a month out from our trip and I'm second guessing myself. It has gotten so expensive & it kills me to spend that much for it. Plus I wonder how much good it will do us to book it so close to our flights. I'm traveling with my two teen daughters, so it's not the end of the world if we get separated, but I know they would greatly prefer to at least sit together, even if I can't get a seat with them. I am contemplating just buying EBCI for them, and having them look for an empty row & take the window and aisle, and hopefully no one will take that middle seat before I board.  But since we're only a month from our flight, are we likely to get high B even with ECBI at this point? Flying Hartford to MCO and back, both times on a Thursday, mid-day departure out of Hartford, late afternoon departure from MCO.



Total crapshoot with EBCI.  From past experiences I have purchased EBCI a whole 6 months prior to flying and ended up with A50 and then have purchased EBCI 2 months out and ended up with A36.  It just depends on how many people have purchased it ahead of you.  I would wait until you check in 24 hours in advance and then upgrade to a better boarding position at the airport if sitting together is really a major concern for you.  Best wishes!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

SinCityMMAFan said:


> Total crapshoot with EBCI.  From past experiences I have purchased EBCI a whole 6 months prior to flying and ended up with A50 and then have purchased EBCI 2 months out and ended up with A36.  It just depends on how many people have purchased it ahead of you.


It also depends on how many A-listers are on a given flight and how many people purchased EBCI with Anytime Fare if you've purchased WGA Fare.


----------



## SinCityMMAFan

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> It also depends on how many A-listers are on a given flight and how many people purchased EBCI with Anytime Fare if you've purchased WGA Fare.



Yup and of course SW can't/won't release that info to you so it's a guessing game.

I purchased my one way ticket out of Orlando for my next trip in December on the day the flights were released and purchased EBCI curious to see how good of a number I will get.  I have never bought tickets on the release date before.


----------



## shoreward

The current thought is that the 737 MAX will be flying again by December.  If that prediction is accurate, that means continued Southwest cancellations.  Southwest has assigned MAX aircraft to lots of fall 2019 flights...perhaps prematurely.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...be-flying-again-by-december-faa-official-says


----------



## G719

MinnieMSue said:


> This is so weird but good. I was actually on twitter chat with Southwest about my inability to access my reservation. She didn’t even have time to do anything and I went back to the app (5 min after trying to access my reservation) and suddenly I can now access it - 2 days exactly minus 30 minutes before my flight. No more error messages (currently). Maybe I will be able to get my boarding passes tomorrow after all.


My glitch is gone!  Just clicked on the trip in the app and no error!  Yay!  We fly July 30


----------



## G719

I'm getting the message for a flight I have in August that I can change it for no cost due to factors beyond their control that may adversely affect my flight. It is a flight on a Thursday out of panama city beach and it's the only flight that day.  I can't decide if I should go ahead and move it to Saturday or keep what we have for now and see what happens.  The departure time on Saturday is much better than the 7 am departure on Thursday.  We would just need to extend the car rental as we are staying at our family's place. I just would like to get home on Thursday to have a few days before back to work.

Has anyone received this message and the flight been fine?  Anyone receive this message and then end up with the flight canceled?


----------



## shoreward

G719 said:


> I'm getting the message for a flight I have in August that I can change it for no cost due to factors beyond their control that may adversely affect my flight. It is a flight on a Thursday out of panama city beach and it's the only flight that day.  I can't decide if I should go ahead and move it to Saturday or keep what we have for now and see what happens.  The departure time on Saturday is much better than the 7 am departure on Thursday.  We would just need to extend the car rental as we are staying at our family's place. I just would like to get home on Thursday to have a few days before back to work.
> 
> Has anyone received this message and the flight been fine?  Anyone receive this message and then end up with the flight canceled?


I see this message for September flights.  Southwest states:



> Even though Southwest® is offering the opportunity to make these changes, the Customer's original flight(s) may operate as scheduled, so changing travel dates and/or flight times is completely voluntary and not required



I think that Southwest does not know, this far in advance.  This is all related to the grounding of MAX aircraft and Southwest needing to swap equipment; if the MAX is not back in the air, there just are not enough aircraft to fly all of the scheduled flights.


----------



## Elle23

shoreward said:


> I see this message for September flights.  Southwest states:
> 
> 
> 
> I think that Southwest does not know, this far in advance.  This is all related to the grounding of MAX aircraft and Southwest needing to swap equipment; if the MAX is not back in the air, there just are not enough aircraft to fly all of the scheduled flights.



Where do you see that message for September flights? I have a flight scheduled in mid September on the MAX.


----------



## Elle23

Never mind. I found it.

I guess I need to change my flight to a non Max flight while I have the opportunity?


----------



## Elle23

I’m confused because it is allowing me to switch to another MAX 8 flight. What would be the point of that?


----------



## Zo Zo

I am on two non- Max flights and still got that alert for both of them. I’m not moving anything yet as we have the perfect flights but I’m not entirely confident that they won’t get cancelled. Oye.


----------



## Elle23

Zo Zo said:


> I am on two non- Max flights and still got that alert for both of them. I’m not moving anything yet as we have the perfect flights but I’m not entirely confident that they won’t get cancelled. Oye.



I’m just confused. 

Why would you get the alert if you’re not on MAX 8 flights? Why is it allowing me to modify to another MAX 8 flight?


----------



## shoreward

Elle23 said:


> I’m just confused.
> 
> Why would you get the alert if you’re not on MAX 8 flights? Why is it allowing me to modify to another MAX 8 flight?


They swap aircraft from one flight to another, for various reasons, including not having enough aircraft being available.  The 800 has the same seating capacity as the MAX 8, so some 800 flights could be vulnerable for swap.  They usually attribute those flight cancellations to “maintenance issues.”


----------



## Elle23

shoreward said:


> They swap aircraft from one flight to another, for various reasons, including not having enough aircraft being available.  The 800 has the same seating capacity as the MAX 8, so some 800 flights could be vulnerable for swap.  They usually attribute those flight cancellations to “maintenance issues.”



So anything “available” has less chance of getting canceled? I guess I’m trying to figure out the benefit of switching flights this far out.


----------



## Lsdolphin

SinCityMMAFan said:


> Yup and of course SW can't/won't release that info to you so it's a guessing game.
> 
> I purchased my one way ticket out of Orlando for my next trip in December on the day the flights were released and purchased EBCI curious to see how good of a number I will get.  I have never bought tickets on the release date before.



I bought my tickets for my March trip on release day within 5 minutes of the release and purchased the Early Bird at same time. I was shocked when I checked in to find I had A49 leaving BWI and then A47 returning from MCO. Also there were a ton of people preboarding and people boarding of me who were saving seats. I had to go quite away  ack to find a window seat.


----------



## cmarsh31

Got the letter for one of my 4 August flights. There's a later flight I wanted but was twice as expensive...so I'll be switching  as soon as I can today.


----------



## PerfessorZ

Lsdolphin said:


> I bought my tickets for my March trip on release day within 5 minutes of the release and purchased the Early Bird at same time. I was shocked when I checked in to find I had A49 leaving BWI and then A47 returning from MCO. Also there were a ton of people preboarding and people boarding of me who were saving seats. I had to go quite away  ack to find a window seat.


Perhaps that flight originated elsewhere, so you had two groups of people purchasing EBCI for that flight?  Just taking a stab in the dark - I don’t fly out of BWI, but I know it’s a major hub.


----------



## scrappinginontario

PerfessorZ said:


> Perhaps that flight originated elsewhere, so you had two groups of people purchasing EBCI for that flight?  Just taking a stab in the dark - I don’t fly out of BWI, but I know it’s a major hub.


This would make a lot of sense.  When we have a connecting flight and I have booked EBCI, the system appears to check me in 36 hours before my first flight.  While I might be assigned A52 for my flight out of Buffalo, it’s always a better boarding number for the second leg of my flight.  I’d never considered how this would adversely affect those whose first flight is out of my second airport.  Those people have all EBCI people from other locations in front of them before their 36 hour arrives.


----------



## katallo

I've tried to research this a bit but we are booked on 737 700 planes.  Are they Max 8's?


----------



## Elle23

katallo said:


> I've tried to research this a bit but we are booked on 737 700 planes.  Are they Max 8's?



No


----------



## Elle23

I guess I could take this as an opportunity to fly into SNA instead of LAX. But there is only 1 nonstop flight per day flying into SNA, and if it got canceled I’d be up a creek! (They are all 700s so I doubt they would get canceled, but it still worries me.)


----------



## katallo

Thank you Elle23


----------



## Elle23

katallo said:


> Thank you Elle23



 No problem! Hopefully you won’t have any issues being booked on the 700!


----------



## TyRy

Just saw this...
*MAX Flight Schedule Revision: An Update From SVP and Chief Marketing Officer Ryan Green*
‎06-13-2019 09:45 AM



rgreen1




EMPLOYEE

Southwest Airlines continues to await guidance from Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the impending 737 MAX software enhancements and training requirements. We are encouraged by the reported progress and proposed path forward for returning the aircraft to service, and we remain confident that, once certified by the FAA, the enhancements will support the safe operation of the MAX.

In April, we revised our flight schedule by removing the MAX through Aug. 5 to offer reliability to our operation and stability for our Customers during the busy summer travel months. With the timing of the MAX’s return-to-service still uncertain, we are again revising our plans to remove the MAX from our schedule through Sept. 2.

By proactively removing the MAX from scheduled service, we can reduce last-minute flight cancellations and unexpected disruptions to our Customers’ travel plans. We will proactively contact all Customers whose itineraries will be impacted by the revision to offer them maximum flexibility and re-accommodate them well in advance of their travel date. The revision will proactively remove roughly 100 daily flights from our schedule out of our total peak-day schedule of more than 4,000 daily flights.

We offer our apologies to our Customers impacted by this change, and we thank them for their continued patience. 


https://www.southwestaircommunity.c...tXKKCOl_HGyYCLCe057BayjWOlPrUMqObtjiY1Auz4Sgg


----------



## ffcheff

Any idea when SW will open up dates after Jan 5th for booking?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

ffcheff said:


> Any idea when SW will open up dates after Jan 5th for booking?


July 10th 


SouthFayetteFan said:


> *FYI - Southwest extended their schedule this morning for flights through January 5th, 2019.*
> 
> Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment:
> 
> *NEXT RELEASE: 7/10/19 - travel through March 6th, 2020*
> 5/30/19 - travel through January 5th, 2020
> 3/15/19 - travel through November 2nd, 2019
> 1/31/19 - travel through October 1st, 2019
> 11/15/18 - travel through August 5th, 2019
> 9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019
> 8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
> 6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
> 5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
> 3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
> 2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
> 11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
> 8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
> 7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
> 6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
> 5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
> *This chart could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above).*
> 
> If you want to search back for this post in the future - just search my name and "release".  You could also bookmark this comment on the new DIS somehow (or so I heard).


----------



## ffcheff

Thanks


----------



## sommergirl25

I have a message on my flights for late September saying that we can change flights. Is this message on everyone’s flights or just flights that are on Max 8’s? I thought my flights were on 737-700.


----------



## Elle23

Well I changed our flights. I made sure and not book any Max planes. 

Of course, in true Elle23 fashion, I used the flight changes as an excuse to tack on 2 nights to my trip!


----------



## kymickeyfan717

I think this is on everyone’s flights.  I had those on mine in July.  I tried to rebook but when I did the flights I changed too still had the same banner message so  I called them about it.  They stated everything is fine that my flights weren’t affected but they were taking preventative measures for all flights.  Eventually it was gone a couple weeks later.  Now my late September flights have it too.  I’m just going to wait it out this time.  I had checked the equipment when I booked and it’s 737-700


----------



## cmarsh31

So the banner is on all of my flights between 7/24 - ?, but I received an email about my 8/24 flight specifically. My original 10:55am flight is completely gone. I tried to rebook myself using the link they sent in the email and through my account, but ended up having to call. So, that was a pain. As was the fact that I kept getting disconnected and then was on hold for 20 minutes (afraid the call was going to drop again). But, done and at least there was another decent option.


----------



## 123Dis4Me

sommergirl25 said:


> I have a message on my flights for late September saying that we can change flights. Is this message on everyone’s flights or just flights that are on Max 8’s? I thought my flights were on 737-700.


I got this message today on my late August flight. Also, it said they made flight changes. The flight has a new number but leaves and arrives at the same time, and to and from the same place. It is not on a MAX.  I am hoping that they sent this out just to let me know my flight number changed, but I do not really understand why they would tell me I could change flights at no charge. I guess it is an automatic message when they change anything, even just the flight number?


----------



## MinnieMSue

G719 said:


> My glitch is gone!  Just clicked on the trip in the app and no error!  Yay!  We fly July 30



Yay!  So glad yours is fixed too!  It is quite a relief isn’t it?!


----------



## G719

MinnieMSue said:


> Yay!  So glad yours is fixed too!  It is quite a relief isn’t it?!


Definitely!


----------



## chicagoshannon

Southwest should just eliminate the Max 8's from their schedule.  Leave them off the schedule and add them in if/when they get the issues fixed.  IMO that's better than having to reschedule everyone's flights over and over.


----------



## mommy-3

I really need some advice.
I have flights booked for October from Columbus Ohio to MCO. The arrival flight is on a Max the departure is not. Should I switch the arrival flight? If I do, do I lose my EBCI?
This would also create a snowball effect since I would have to add an additional night to our reservation.
Thanks for any help or insight!


----------



## CodeStitch28

mommy-3 said:


> I really need some advice.
> I have flights booked for October from Columbus Ohio to MCO. The arrival flight is on a Max the departure is not. Should I switch the arrival flight? If I do, do I lose my EBCI?
> This would also create a snowball effect since I would have to add an additional night to our reservation.
> Thanks for any help or insight!



I had to switch my departure flight since they completely removed the flight I was originally on. They moved me to a flight with a stop, which I really didn't want as I will be travelling alone with my son. I had to call in to change it, as the website kept giving me errors when I tried to do it there. I had EBCI purchased for this flight, and the person I spoke with on the phone told me it would transfer to the new flight.


----------



## scrappinginontario

mommy-3 said:


> I really need some advice.
> I have flights booked for October from Columbus Ohio to MCO. The arrival flight is on a Max the departure is not. Should I switch the arrival flight? If I do, do I lose my EBCI?
> This would also create a snowball effect since *I would have to add an additional night to our reservation.*
> Thanks for any help or insight!


 If you're staying at Disney, you may wish to check availability.  I wanted to add a night to our stay in September but in doing so I need to change resorts for the final night of our stay as there is nothing available at all at my first resort.


----------



## scrappinginontario

cmarsh31 said:


> *So the banner is on all of my flights between 7/24 - ?*, but I received an email about my 8/24 flight specifically. My original 10:55am flight is completely gone. I tried to rebook myself using the link they sent in the email and through my account, but ended up having to call. So, that was a pain. As was the fact that I kept getting disconnected and then was on hold for 20 minutes (afraid the call was going to drop again). But, done and at least there was another decent option.


Thanks for posting this!  We are booked in mid-September but I wasn't aware this was available to all until I read your post.  I was able to change our return flight to later in the day for no additional cost.  It saves us from getting up at 4am after 10 busy days at Disney!  Thanks @cmarsh31!!


----------



## Cinderumbrella

I booked one leg of our Labor Day trip this AM before I saw the latest schedule memo. I haven’t booked our 9/3 flight yet simply because of pricing, but it is a Max 8. I hope if it needs to be swapped later that the flight stays with a new plane. I’m very disappointed in how few late day Nonstop flights to MDW these days.


----------



## prettypatchesmsu

scrappinginontario said:


> Thanks for posting this!  We are booked in mid-September but I wasn't aware this was available to all until I read your post.  I was able to change our return flight to later in the day for no additional cost.  It saves us from getting up at 4am after 10 busy days at Disney!  Thanks @cmarsh31!!


Thank you and @cmarsh31 as I would have never known about this!!!  I didn't get an email, but after I read this on here I went to SW and I got the banner after I went in to try and change my flights.  We saved ourselves from our horrible 7:25am!!! flight out of Orlando home to a 1:05pm.  Whew!  So Happy!!


----------



## Jenny-momof3

Okay SW experts I need your help!  

I have a flight booked that I’m going to need to cancel. Round trip flight, booked each leg separately, so 2 confirmation numbers.  I used a credit to book this that expires mid August. All of my June and July flights are already booked so the $250 credit won’t be used.

This is the tricky part I need help on and I just can’t figure out how to make it work. I’m already out the money for the flight I’m going to cancel, but I thought maybe I could at least earn more points on another flight by using those credits to buy an anytime fare vs the wga I have currently booked. Can I use both credits toward that flight? Or is there a way to combine the credits so I can use them?


----------



## shoreward

Jenny-momof3 said:


> Okay SW experts I need your help!
> 
> I have a flight booked that I’m going to need to cancel. Round trip flight, booked each leg separately, so 2 confirmation numbers.  I used a credit to book this that expires mid August. All of my June and July flights are already booked so the $250 credit won’t be used.
> 
> This is the tricky part I need help on and I just can’t figure out how to make it work. I’m already out the money for the flight I’m going to cancel, but I thought maybe I could at least earn more points on another flight by using those credits to buy an anytime fare vs the wga I have currently booked. Can I use both credits toward that flight? Or is there a way to combine the credits so I can use them?


You can use two travel fund credits, per reservation.  You might want to check Business Select fares, which are usually not much higher, and will earn more points, give you a free premium beverage, and A1-A15 boarding position.

You can combine unused funds by booking any refundable fare trip, and then canceling.  You will have a single credit under the new confirmation  number.

From Southwest.com:

You may use a maximum of three forms of payments per passenger, which includes one credit card or PayPal account per transaction. The following forms of payment are accepted at *Southwest.com*®, through Southwest Airlines® Reservations, and at Southwest Airlines Ticket Counter locations: Credit Cards, Unused Ticketless Travel Funds, Southwest® gift cards, and Southwest® LUV Vouchers. Cash is accepted only at Southwest Airlines Ticket Counters. PayPal® is only accepted at *Southwest.com*. Find out more details on our list of payment options.


----------



## la79al

So I got the chase sw card a few weeks ago with the 60,000 sign up. We want to use these to book 5 flights in February.  I just saw on SW website that schedules for next spring are currently set to be released July 10. I have been reading that you will get the cheapest fares right after the schedule is released and I won't have my points by July. Tell me I'm panicking for no reason!


----------



## scrappinginontario

Sorry, wrong thread


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

la79al said:


> So I got the chase sw card a few weeks ago with the 60,000 sign up. We want to use these to book 5 flights in February.  I just saw on SW website that schedules for next spring are currently set to be released July 10. I have been reading that you will get the cheapest fares right after the schedule is released and I won't have my points by July. Tell me I'm panicking for no reason!


If you can I do recommend booking at release day simply so you have tickets booked but just a cautionary thing. Release day is not the be-it-all cheapest price. SWA has frequent sales and it is possible a sale comes along and drops the price. It's a possibility just as it is a possibility that the price will be the lowest at release day and just goes up from there.

In your situation as it would be for any situation it's a gamble. 

The difference here is points are far more flexible than cash. Points, if your trip needs to be cancelled, will just go back into your bank of points with no expiration attached to it (well so long as you keep your RR account active every 24months). A fare drop (in this case it would be a points cost drop) would just go back into your bank of points with no restrictions. 

Cash, if your trip needs to be cancelled, will have travel funds available (assuming you're booking WGA fares which are technically non-refundable) for 1 year from when you booked so there's more restrictions to that. This works the same if you book at release day and find the fare has dropped. You can get the difference in cash back however it goes as a travel fund (assuming you're booking WGA fares) which again expires 1 year from when you booked.


----------



## Farro

I know I'm annoying with these questions, sorry!

It says on July 10 Southwest will release flights through March 6, 2020. Does that mean around September (ish) would be when May flights would be released? What if only my arrival date is out at a time?

I'm used to flying United out of O'hare. This would be my first time out of Midway and waiting to buy flights, etc.,...

thanks!


----------



## G719

Farro said:


> I know I'm annoying with these questions, sorry!
> 
> It says on July 10 Southwest will release flights through March 6, 2020. Does that mean around September (ish) would be when May flights would be released? What if only my arrival date is out at a time?
> 
> I'm used to flying United out of O'hare. This would be my first time out of Midway and waiting to buy flights, etc.,...
> 
> thanks!


My last 3 trips on southwest I've booked two one way trips because the return date wasn't open yet.  It's no big deal to book a trip this way.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Farro said:


> I know I'm annoying with these questions, sorry!
> 
> It says on July 10 Southwest will release flights through March 6, 2020. Does that mean around September (ish) would be when May flights would be released? What if only my arrival date is out at a time?
> 
> I'm used to flying United out of O'hare. This would be my first time out of Midway and waiting to buy flights, etc.,...
> 
> thanks!


This might interest you...


SouthFayetteFan said:


> *FYI - Southwest extended their schedule this morning for flights through January 5th, 2019.*
> 
> Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment:
> 
> *NEXT RELEASE: 7/10/19 - travel through March 6th, 2020*
> 5/30/19 - travel through January 5th, 2020
> 3/15/19 - travel through November 2nd, 2019
> 1/31/19 - travel through October 1st, 2019
> 11/15/18 - travel through August 5th, 2019
> 9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019
> 8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
> 6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
> 5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
> 3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
> 2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
> 11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
> 8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
> 7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
> 6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
> 5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
> *This chart could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above).*
> 
> If you want to search back for this post in the future - just search my name and "release".  You could also bookmark this comment on the new DIS somehow (or so I heard).


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

la79al said:


> So I got the chase sw card a few weeks ago with the 60,000 sign up. We want to use these to book 5 flights in February.  I just saw on SW website that schedules for next spring are currently set to be released July 10. I have been reading that you will get the cheapest fares right after the schedule is released and I won't have my points by July. Tell me I'm panicking for no reason!


You might find this thread: https://www.disboards.com/threads/i...v2-0-see-first-page-for-addl-details.3729982/ to be a more helpful place to discuss earning and using points.


----------



## Farro

Very helpful, thanks guys!!!


----------



## connie254

So I just checked my app and said my flights may be affected.  I checked the website and the first flight is on a 737-700 and the second is on a 737-800.  Both are nonstop which is what I truly prefer.  The first one doesn't seem to be affected by the Max8 issue, but I'm not sure about the second flight. Am I correct?  I know they can adjust flight times because of the aircraft issue.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

It all the years we have never gotten the EBCI and always sit together.  We check in right at the 24hr mark. In April we got A 50 and B3 for our Easter trip


----------



## shoreward

connie254 said:


> So I just checked my app and said my flights may be affected.  I checked the website and the first flight is on a 737-700 and the second is on a 737-800.  Both are nonstop which is what I truly prefer.  The first one doesn't seem to be affected by the Max8 issue, but I'm not sure about the second flight. Am I correct?  I know they can adjust flight times because of the aircraft issue.


The 800 series is not the MAX 8 aircraft.  I believe that all customers booked to fly within a defined window see the banner message about the “free” rebooking option, when reviewing their upcoming reservations.  You do not have to make any changes, unless you want to.  Some customers are using the opportunity to change to what would have been a more expensive flight, at the time of original booking, but is now available at no additional cost.


----------



## katallo

SW sent their Birthday Sale email.  For us, no savings but someone else may benefit.


----------



## scrappinginontario

katallo said:


> SW sent their Birthday Sale email.  For us, no savings but someone else may benefit.


This is often one of Southwest's better sales so as @katallo mentioned, it might be a good time for those looking for flights to check.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

No help for me either (neither was the 72 hour sale 2 weeks ago).


----------



## vinmar4

Hello to all,
I have a questions about prices .
This is our first time going to the world for Christmas , we will get there either on the 21st or 22nd and returning on the 29th.
We will have a 1.5 y/o , so initially we were going to take the 6am flight from Dallas on the 21st, but then I was thinking that it was going to be brutal for the child and the parents to flight at that time, so we are considering  instead ,to take the Sat night flight and just go to sleep when we get there almost at midnight , and be rested for Sunday. My question is is you guys think that the prices may decrease in the future for the time of the year.
thank you in advance


----------



## scrappinginontario

Question:

Is there anyone who has purchased flights in the last week or two?  If so, are you being given the red banner option to change your flights at no additional cost?


----------



## scrappinginontario

vinmar4 said:


> Hello to all,
> I have a questions about prices .
> This is our first time going to the world for Christmas , we will get there either on the 21st or 22nd and returning on the 29th.
> We will have a 1.5 y/o , so initially we were going to take the 6am flight from Dallas on the 21st, but then I was thinking that it was going to be brutal for the child and the parents to flight at that time, so we are considering  instead ,to take the Sat night flight and just go to sleep when we get there almost at midnight , and be rested for Sunday. My question is is you guys think that the prices may decrease in the future for the time of the year.
> thank you in advance


They could but nobody really knows.  Flight prices are ever changing and it really is a best guess in my opinion.

One thing to check is availability for the extra night wherever you are staying.  I tried to find 1 night at Pop in mid-September 4 months before our trip and the resort was completely full.  I'm having to change resorts the final night of our trip (not a problem to us) but just something else to consider.  Often it's not easy to just 'add an additional night', especially during busier times of the year.


----------



## Jennny

I did!  After I booked, I saw that alert and panicked. When I called SW they said we were fine, that banner is there for all flights up to a date in September . If anything it works in your favor if you need to change or find a cheaper flight and then change as all flights will show the option


----------



## Lsdolphin

scrappinginontario said:


> Question:
> 
> Is there anyone who has purchased flights in the last week or two?  If so, are you being given the red banner option to change your flights at no additional cost?




Yes I have a flight leaving 8/28-9/3 and I am thinking of changing to an earlier flight...why are the doing this?????


----------



## Cinderumbrella

scrappinginontario said:


> Question:
> 
> Is there anyone who has purchased flights in the last week or two?  If so, are you being given the red banner option to change your flights at no additional cost?



Yes


----------



## vinmar4

Does anybody have a code that could PM me?
Please


----------



## PerfessorZ

Lsdolphin said:


> Yes I have a flight leaving 8/28-9/3 and I am thinking of changing to an earlier flight...why are the doing this?????


The Boeing MAX planes in SW’s fleet are still grounded, so they’ve had to shuffle their schedule.  They’re offering the option to switch as both a good will gesture and perhaps to help balance demand.


----------



## SinCityMMAFan

scrappinginontario said:


> Question:
> 
> Is there anyone who has purchased flights in the last week or two?  If so, are you being given the red banner option to change your flights at no additional cost?



Not in the last week or two, but I purchased a flight that I have in September that's going from Las Vegas to Reno and we had that red banner pop up.  I checked the flights and they were both available to purchase and neither was on a Max plane so no idea what it's all about.  I have a flight in October that's going from Las Vegas to San Diego and that flight does not have a red banner.


----------



## scrappinginontario

SinCityMMAFan said:


> Not in the last week or two, but I purchased a flight that I have in September that's going from Las Vegas to Reno and we had that red banner pop up.  I checked the flights and they were both available to purchase and neither was on a Max plane so no idea what it's all about.  I have a flight in October that's going from Las Vegas to San Diego and that flight does not have a red banner.


Thanks!  I had September flights that were not on Max 8’s but the banner was there so took advantage of changing to a later flight at no cost when normally it would have cost almost $200.  Thankful not to have to get up early before we leave!


----------



## sommergirl25

I also took advantage and moved my flight up a day! Getting an extra day at Disney!!!


----------



## GPC0321

Is there something up with Southwest's mobile app? I know I had it on my phone in the past, and I'm sure removed it during an app purge since last year. I went to Google Play to try and download it again, and the only app showing up for Southwest Airlines is SWALife Mobile...which seems to be for Southwest employees and of no use to customers. 

Plenty of other airline apps showing up, and I got MCO's app and Flight Tracker, but I liked having Southwest's app too for communication about possible delays and Early Bird Check-in. I think they send out emails as well, so it's not a huge issue, just curious.


----------



## scrappinginontario

GPC0321 said:


> Is there something up with Southwest's mobile app? I know I had it on my phone in the past, and I'm sure removed it during an app purge since last year. I went to Google Play to try and download it again, and the only app showing up for Southwest Airlines is SWALife Mobile...which seems to be for Southwest employees and of no use to customers.
> 
> Plenty of other airline apps showing up, and I got MCO's app and Flight Tracker, but I liked having Southwest's app too for communication about possible delays and Early Bird Check-in. I think they send out emails as well, so it's not a huge issue, just curious.


I just looked.  My app is functioning and when I go to the App Store I can see the Southwest Airlines app.


----------



## GPC0321

scrappinginontario said:


> I just looked.  My app is functioning and when I go to the App Store I can see the Southwest Airlines app.


Well dang! I'll keep poking around to see what's up. My phone is a little older, but that shouldn't keep the app from showing up in the store. Weird.

Thanks!

ETA: Oops! My phone no longer supports the app. No worries, I can use the mobile site.


----------



## shoreward

The red "free" rebooking banner is no longer appearing.


----------



## scrappinginontario

shoreward said:


> The red "free" rebooking banner is no longer appearing.


It's gone for me too!


----------



## TyRy

katallo said:


> SW sent their Birthday Sale email.  For us, no savings but someone else may benefit.



Same here, I just checked again and the one flight I have booked (MCO to MDW) is now up fifty bucks from opening day.  Haven't booked our flights down yet (flying into RSW), but those haven't moved.  Still around $182.


----------



## PerfessorZ

The ability to re-book online ended June 18th at 11:59.  

My parents' flight was changed with the most recent reschedule; it went from 1 plane transfer to 3 plane transfers, which at any age can be a challenge, but definitely not something I would recommend.  Fortunately, their schedule permitted them to take a later flight with just one stop/plane change.  However, they had to call yesterday as the ability to re-book online ended the night before.


----------



## cmarsh31

Birthday sale, my... 7 booked flights, not ONE has decreased in price.


----------



## SinCityMMAFan

In case anyone was interested, BJ's has $200 Southwest gift cards on their website right now selling for $174.99.  

Decent savings if you have a BJ's membership and are looking to book a Southwest flight.


----------



## MarBee

PerfessorZ said:


> The Boeing MAX planes in SW’s fleet are still grounded, so they’ve had to shuffle their schedule.  They’re offering the option to switch as both a good will gesture and perhaps to help balance demand.


Is it likely my “red banner” flight will be cancelled?  I am flying at the end of September no on a Max 8...


----------



## scrappinginontario

MarBee said:


> Is it likely my “red banner” flight will be cancelled?  I am flying at the end of September no on a Max 8...


I don't think so.  I think flight cancellations have been few and far between considering the number of flights SW handles in a day.  

We have mid-Sep flights booked and I'm not at all concerned about them being cancelled.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

Hard to tell if they will be back in service anytime soon. there are 148 parts that need to be changed out. Software needs upgraded, investigators need to agree on a cause for both crashes which can take along time, FAA has to sign off as to if it is airworthy,  and pilots need to be trained. In the event your flight gets cancelled they will move you to another flight.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

Of course our flight is 9/3 (the first day they are on the schedule) and it’s on a Max. I haven’t purchased yet since I fear outright cancelation vs different plane. Guess it’s time to start looking at MKE instead of MDW to get a night nonstop. Sigh.


----------



## MarBee

This is probably a dumb question but how can you tell what type of plane your flight is?


----------



## Cinderumbrella

MarBee said:


> This is probably a dumb question but how can you tell what type of plane your flight is?



From the full site (not app or mobile) click on the flight number and a pop up box will show it.


----------



## TNKim

I know it's usually cheaper to fly on a holiday versus the day before or after.  Has anyone flown on Memorial Day?  Were the rates cheaper than waiting until after? Planning a trip for 2020 and debating about flying on Monday, Memorial Day, or waiting until Tuesday morning after.  Of course, Southwest won't release flights for next year for ages, and I'm getting ready to book my resort.


----------



## scrappinginontario

TNKim said:


> I know it's usually cheaper to fly on a holiday versus the day before or after.  Has anyone flown on Memorial Day?  Were the rates cheaper than waiting until after? Planning a trip for 2020 and debating about flying on Monday, Memorial Day, or waiting until Tuesday morning after.  Of course, Southwest won't release flights for next year for ages, and I'm getting ready to book my resort.


I'm not sure this is the case.  I just put my regular route (Buffalo-Orlando) into the SW fare calendar and when I look at all of the holidays for the remainder of 2019 (4th of July, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day), the only day that the fares are less expensive on the actual holiday is Thanksgiving.  In all other cases the fares are less expensive before and/or after the holiday.  Personally, I would not book my trip around flying on the holiday as I'm not convinced you'll find the fare to be less.

On the other hand, it does appear that Tuesdays are often less than other days.  You might want to look at the existing fare calendar for your flight's airports and see if you see a trend that might be helpful.


----------



## PerfessorZ

TNKim said:


> I know it's usually cheaper to fly on a holiday versus the day before or after.  Has anyone flown on Memorial Day?  Were the rates cheaper than waiting until after? Planning a trip for 2020 and debating about flying on Monday, Memorial Day, or waiting until Tuesday morning after.  Of course, Southwest won't release flights for next year for ages, and I'm getting ready to book my resort.



I haven't flown on Memorial Day, but I don't think you'll see much of a price break considering a lot of people will use that day to fly back from wherever they went for their 3-day weekend.  I think  Thanksgiving and Christmas tend to be more holidays that people would much rather be at their destination than traveling on.


----------



## SinCityMMAFan

More problems facing the 737 MAX:

WASHINGTON/SEATTLE (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has identified a new potential risk that Boeing Co must address on its 737 MAX before the grounded jet can return to service, the agency said on Wednesday.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...s-new-potential-risk-on-737-max-idUSKCN1TR30J


----------



## Lsdolphin

So Southwest nightmare out of BWI yesterday.   We had 11:00am flight scheduled and received a text from SWA at 4:32 am informing me flight was cancelled and directing me to reschedule online via a link they provided. Link did not work just kept giving me an error message and directing me to call SWA. So called SWA spent 14 min on hold and by time agent answered most flights were no longer available finally she was able to get us on a 2:00pm flight. So get to airport 2 hrs early. tSA pre check line is closed! Notice huge piles of luggage piled up in several places and then hear that due to flooding on lower levels of airport the auto belts that move all the luggage are not working. Flight is late loading and then after everyone has boarded plane they inform us that plane can’t leave until luggage is loaded and so we sat on plane about 45 min waiting for them to get luggage out to plane and loaded. BTW I was told the plane was cancelled due to “mechanical difficulties” then met a family whose flight had also been cancelled due to “mechanical issues”.  Then on Magical express bus there was a family whose flight out of BWI had been cancelled and they were told they would have to fly out of Regan Natl Airport so they drove there and now their car is parked there and their return flight is coming back to BWI.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Lsdolphin said:


> So Southwest nightmare out of BWI yesterday.   We had 11:00am flight scheduled and received a text from SWA at 4:32 am informing me flight was cancelled and directing me to reschedule online via a link they provided. Link did not work just kept giving me an error message and directing me to call SWA. So called SWA spent 14 min on hold and by time agent answered most flights were no longer available finally she was able to get us on a 2:00pm flight. So get to airport 2 hrs early. tSA pre check line is closed! Notice huge piles of luggage piled up in several places and then hear that due to flooding on lower levels of airport the auto belts that move all the luggage are not working. Flight is late loading and then after everyone has boarded plane they inform us that plane can’t leave until luggage is loaded and so we sat on plane about 45 min waiting for them to get luggage out to plane and loaded. BTW I was told the plane was cancelled due to “mechanical difficulties” then met a family whose flight had also been cancelled due to “mechanical issues”.  Then on Magical express bus there was a family whose flight out of BWI had been cancelled and they were told they would have to fly out of Regan Natl Airport so they drove there and now their car is parked there and their return flight is coming back to BWI.


TBH this sounds a lot like a BWI issue not necessarily a SWA issue though it sounds like it wasn't a good experience traveling yesterday  (though the link not working def. sucks when you're needing it to!)

Mechanical difficulties can be the actual descriptor for a particular plane and it can also be used to cover a wider variety of issues. It's possible they cancelled your flight because they needed the plane for other passengers who could have been stranded or otherwise inconvenienced by the flooded airport but I wouldn't expect an airline to announce that to the passengers of the flight that was cancelled.

Recently my husband told me of the huge backup at LAX due to a power outage that happened the day before. He said it was an absolute zoo at the airport even moreso than normal with people for sure people having spent the night at the airport. Luckily he was flying out when things were starting to get back to normal.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

TNKim said:


> I know it's usually cheaper to fly on a holiday versus the day before or after.  Has anyone flown on Memorial Day?  Were the rates cheaper than waiting until after? Planning a trip for 2020 and debating about flying on Monday, Memorial Day, or waiting until Tuesday morning after.  Of course, Southwest won't release flights for next year for ages, and I'm getting ready to book my resort.


My husband just flew back on Memorial Day but unfortunately I can't give you good advice on it because he doesn't book his tickets when he's traveling for business months and months before.

For Memorial Day I know he booked a bit earlier than normal maybe 5 or 6 weeks out rather than the normal 2 weeks or so out and that was because pricing was getting quite high.

It's really hard to guess for you unfortunately but I do agree with others in terms of holidays Memorial Day isn't quite the same as flying back on Thanksgiving or Christmas. I wouldn't want to personally chance some travel delay (especially during wintertime) for Thanksgiving or Christmas but a travel delay (at least a normal one) wouldn't be the end of the world if flying on Memorial Day so I'd be more likely to fly on that day and avoid flying on Thanksgiving or Christmas if I could.


----------



## Elle23

Does anyone know why SW would change a flight number but keep everything else the same?

I got a message that there was a change to my flight and all that changed was the flight number. The departure and arrival times are the same.


----------



## sethschroeder

focusondisney said:


> There have been reports that there were so many families on a flight that the gate agents did not do family boarding



Fly multiple times a month and have witnessed this but it's been around a year since the last time. Even though I board early I still hear them call out family boarding will be after A. 



Farro said:


> We would be flying out of MIdway too! Normally we fly out of O'hare, so it's all going to be new to me if we fly Southwest.



Depending where you are at in the area you might want to check out MKE. It's a breeze to get through and cheaper parking ($4/day off site at the Crowne Plaza). 



Cinderumbrella said:


> Guess it’s time to start looking at MKE instead of MDW to get a night nonstop. Sigh



Personally MKE is a great airport although if you live right by midway I could see the issue.


----------



## shoreward

Elle23 said:


> Does anyone know why SW would change a flight number but keep everything else the same?
> 
> I got a message that there was a change to my flight and all that changed was the flight number. The departure and arrival times are the same.


I believe they have been doing this, due to the MAX 8 situation.


----------



## crazymomof4

https://www.southwest.com/html/air/737-MAX-8.html


----------



## shoreward

crazymomof4 said:


> https://www.southwest.com/html/air/737-MAX-8.html


Travel journalist Peter Greenberg is saying not to expect the MAX back in the air till early 2020.


----------



## elgerber

Elle23 said:


> Does anyone know why SW would change a flight number but keep everything else the same?
> 
> I got a message that there was a change to my flight and all that changed was the flight number. The departure and arrival times are the same.


I got an email with the exact same change to one of my flights.  I don't believe my flight was on a Max either.


----------



## crazymomof4

shoreward said:


> Travel journalist Peter Greenberg is saying not to expect the MAX back in the air till early 2020.


yep.  I've heard and read of others predicting that too.  I keep the page  (link)  as an open tab on my laptop that I refresh at least daily.  I have seen the date pushed back and expect more of those updates.


----------



## shoreward

elgerber said:


> I got an email with the exact same change to one of my flights.  I don't believe my flight was on a Max either.


They are reallocating available aircraft to different flights, and in the process, are changing some flight numbers, but keeping the times the same.  I know of others who have experienced this, as well.  I proactively cancelled a reservation with a connection, as I just had a funny feeling; yesterday, I noticed that my previously-booked flights no longer exist.

Heads up, for those booked on DME.  Double-check your info on your flight numbers, as they may have changed, since booking DME, and you may need to update your Magical Express flight info.


----------



## elgerber

shoreward said:


> They are reallocating available aircraft to different flights, and in the process, are changing some flight numbers, but keeping the times the same.  I know of others who have experienced this, as well.  I proactively cancelled a reservation with a connection, as I just had a funny feeling; yesterday, I noticed that my previously-booked flights no longer exist.
> 
> Heads up, for those booked on DME.  Double-check your info on your flight numbers, as they may have changed, since booking DME, and you may need to update your Magical Express flight info.


luckily this is the first leg of my flight, so it doesn't affect my DME.  My Delta flight in August however, did the same thing, as did my DD's in May, so we both did have to update or DME.


----------



## TyRy

shoreward said:


> Travel journalist Peter Greenberg is saying not to expect the MAX back in the air till early 2020.



UGH!  Now I'm trying to get into the mind of Southwest to book my flight in late Nov from MDW to RSW.  The flight I wanted is on an 800 (not a Max 8) but I'm guessing that may be reallocated.  So now it is a get to the airport at 3am or lose most of the day in Ft. Myers.   When I was flying home from RSW a couple months ago my flight was cancelled and we were moved to a super early flight.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

Thanks for the update! My 9/3 max flight to MDW, was switched to an 800 (I thought it would be canceled). Now I have to decide if I book now or gamble the fare a few more weeks (I don’t need credit since is last trip anywhere for some time).

To the poster who told me MKE is a great airport- thank you! I’m about midway between both but MKE is 20 miles further (not horribly inconvenient but not preferable). Right now the MKE flight is $13 cheaper and lands at same time as MDW flight.


----------



## crazymomof4

shoreward said:


> They are reallocating available aircraft to different flights,   I proactively cancelled a reservation with a connection, as I just had a funny feeling; yesterday, I noticed that my *previously-booked flights no longer exist.*



Yikes!
Thanks for the heads-up. We fly SW to Calif late Oct. I purposely booked NON-Max 8 flights (both legs) but now I know that even _those_ flights are vulnerable to changes as well!  I will keep a close eye out!


----------



## EACarlson

Cinderumbrella said:


> Thanks for the update! My 9/3 max flight to MDW, was switched to an 800 (I thought it would be canceled). Now I have to decide if I book now or gamble the fare a few more weeks (I don’t need credit since is last trip anywhere for some time).
> 
> To the poster who told me MKE is a great airport- thank you! I’m about midway between both but MKE is 20 miles further (not horribly inconvenient but not preferable). Right now the MKE flight is $13 cheaper and lands at same time as MDW flight.


If it's only a 20 mile difference I would definitely go with MKE over MDW.  Not having to drive in CHI traffic will make up the time and MKE just seems better set up than MDW.  Although I haven't flown into MDW in years.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

EACarlson said:


> If it's only a 20 mile difference I would definitely go with MKE over MDW.  Not having to drive in CHI traffic will make up the time and MKE just seems better set up than MDW.  Although I haven't flown into MDW in years.



We always fly out at 6am and return after 10pm, so no Chicago traffic, thank goodness!


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

Looks like Max 8 will not be ready for Sept flights as some of you had hoped for.  They may get the new software issue that come up this week fixed by Sept but they have to test it and get the FAA to sign off as to if they are airworthy.  https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/n...ember/95-97c97a44-9e98-40af-8d93-951c980315c7


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

Elle23 said:


> Does anyone know why SW would change a flight number but keep everything else the same?
> 
> I got a message that there was a change to my flight and all that changed was the flight number. The departure and arrival times are the same.


It could be that they just changed the type of plane for that trip. What was the old flight number and the new flight number I can check for you and what what city are you flying from and the date


----------



## Elle23

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> It could be that they just changed the type of plane for that trip. What was the old flight number and the new flight number I can check for you and what what city are you flying from and the date



Thanks for the offer! I think I figured it out. My flight is September 8, and with the MAX remaining grounded, they are shuffling flights around.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

SouthFayetteFan said:


> *FYI - Southwest extended their schedule this morning for flights through January 5th, 2019.*
> 
> Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment:
> 
> *NEXT RELEASE: 7/10/19 - travel through March 6th, 2020*
> 5/30/19 - travel through January 5th, 2020
> 3/15/19 - travel through November 2nd, 2019
> 1/31/19 - travel through October 1st, 2019
> 11/15/18 - travel through August 5th, 2019
> 9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019
> 8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
> 6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
> 5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
> 3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
> 2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
> 11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
> 8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
> 7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
> 6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
> 5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
> *This chart could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above).*
> 
> If you want to search back for this post in the future - just search my name and "release".  You could also bookmark this comment on the new DIS somehow (or so I heard).


*FYI - Southwest has CHANGED their next release date.   It will now occur on THURSDAY AUGUST 8th.  *It WAS previously supposed to be Wednesday July 10th. 

I would stay posted to this thread as this could change again (either moved back up or moved further back at any time!)

The two primary spots where you can check this:

Southwest Flight Schedules
Southwest Travel Tools
Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment:

*NEXT RELEASE: 8/8/19 - travel through March 6th, 2020*
5/30/19 - travel through January 5th, 2020
3/15/19 - travel through November 2nd, 2019
1/31/19 - travel through October 1st, 2019
11/15/18 - travel through August 5th, 2019
9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019
8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
*This chart could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above).*

If you want to search back for this post in the future - just search my name and "release".  You could also bookmark this comment on the new DIS somehow (or so I heard).


----------



## shoreward

SouthFayetteFan said:


> *FYI - Southwest has CHANGED their next release date.   It will now occur on THURSDAY AUGUST 8th.  *It WAS previously supposed to be Wednesday July 10th.
> 
> I would stay posted to this thread as this could change again (either moved back up or moved further back at any time!)


It was still listed as July 10, earlier on Monday.  It _has_ to be related to the MAX issue.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

shoreward said:


> It was still listed as July 10, earlier on Monday.  It _has_ to be related to the MAX issue.


Yeah - this changed sometime this afternoon.  I had done a whole reminder post about the upcoming release on the credit card churning reddit group I'm in and of course then they changed it LOL! 

They did this last release though too...they moved it back only to move it back up (at the last second if I recall) so I'm definitely going to keep a close eye on those two sites and hope others will as well!


----------



## cmarsh31

Thanks for the update! I messaged JetBlue yesterday and they said 7/13 at noon for their release, so I was annoyed that SW was first - I wanted the option to compare! Now, I'll probably just book JetBlue for our Feb trip and save our SW points for April, because we need to fly into Tampa and can't get there on JetBlue!


----------



## cmarsh31

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Yeah - this changed sometime this afternoon.  I had done a whole reminder post about the upcoming release on the credit card churning reddit group I'm in and of course then they changed it LOL!
> 
> They did this last release though too...they moved it back only to move it back up (at the last second if I recall) so I'm definitely going to keep a close eye on those two sites and hope others will as well!



They moved it back from June, but still a week later than the original (5/30 instead of 5/23) - only know this because we were booking 60+ seats for a high school marching band trip over Thanksgiving. The Band teacher took the day off from work to sit on hold with SW and I monitored social media and subbed her class during my free period


----------



## Livelovedance

Southwest has a new sale! I have flights with lower prices, but it keeps giving me an error message when I try to change the flights to get the lower point price. I'm going to keep trying and if all else fails I'll call.


----------



## shoreward

Livelovedance said:


> Southwest has a new sale! I have flights with lower prices, but it keeps giving me an error message when I try to change the flights to get the lower point price. I'm going to keep trying and if all else fails I'll call.


I've had this happen and have had good luck tweeting @SouthwestAir, which resolved the problem.  You can tweet your general problem, and they will ask you to DM them, including a screenshot.


----------



## cmarsh31

Livelovedance said:


> Southwest has a new sale! I have flights with lower prices, but it keeps giving me an error message when I try to change the flights to get the lower point price. I'm going to keep trying and if all else fails I'll call.



This is where I get all excited - log into my account, check all 7 of my upcoming flights and find that not one is on sale... ready....set... go


----------



## Cinderumbrella

cmarsh31 said:


> This is where I get all excited - log into my account, check all 7 of my upcoming flights and find that not one is on sale... ready....set... go



Mine too! I was almost afraid to look because I don’t need credit. For once it worked in my favor! (And I’m not looking anymore!   )


----------



## cmarsh31

Cinderumbrella said:


> Mine too! I was almost afraid to look because I don’t need credit. For once it worked in my favor! (And I’m not looking anymore!   )



I looked. 7 flights. Not one price change. Just doesn't happen when there's one direct flight a day. Sigh.


----------



## shoreward

For those departing from MCO, there is a "pilot" program that Southwest is trying out.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

What’s the current check in time? (We always use RAC so I’m curious)


----------



## SaintsManiac

I am also trying to get a lower price and keep getting an error. VERY annoying.


----------



## Cinderumbrella

SaintsManiac said:


> I am also trying to get a lower price and keep getting an error. VERY annoying.



Out of curiosity, are your flights in the red banner “you can change your flight” time period?


----------



## SaintsManiac

Cinderumbrella said:


> Out of curiosity, are your flights in the red banner “you can change your flight” time period?




Nope

Now the lower prices are gone, so I guess I am out of luck.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

shoreward said:


> For those departing from MCO, there is a "pilot" program that Southwest is trying out.
> 
> View attachment 413693


I believe their policy already is 45mins ahead and then after that it's labeled late check in.

From their website too they use the following wording: "Although every effort will be made to get late checked baggage on your flight, in the event your baggage does not arrive with you at your destination, Southwest will not assume delivery charges to get your baggage to you."

So what it sounds like from your screenshot is they are trying to tighten up their policy on a pilot program trial for stricter consequences to not getting your luggage checked in on time.

Certainly there are instances where it's out of the passenger's control for why they checked their luggage under the 45mins but I bet they've noticed too many late check-ins which if they really do try to get it on your actual flight could for sure make a delay in push off from the gate.


----------



## Livelovedance

SaintsManiac said:


> Nope
> 
> Now the lower prices are gone, so I guess I am out of luck.


I’m sorry to hear that! I never got the online change feature to work either, I ended up calling and they did the change for me. I’d keep checking every so often. I find some flight prices change at random!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

SouthFayetteFan said:


> *FYI - Southwest has CHANGED their next release date.   It will now occur on THURSDAY AUGUST 8th.  *It WAS previously supposed to be Wednesday July 10th.
> 
> I would stay posted to this thread as this could change again (either moved back up or moved further back at any time!)
> 
> The two primary spots where you can check this:
> 
> Southwest Flight Schedules
> Southwest Travel Tools
> Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment:
> 
> *NEXT RELEASE: 8/8/19 - travel through March 6th, 2020*
> 5/30/19 - travel through January 5th, 2020
> 3/15/19 - travel through November 2nd, 2019
> 1/31/19 - travel through October 1st, 2019
> 11/15/18 - travel through August 5th, 2019
> 9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019
> 8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
> 6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
> 5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
> 3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
> 2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
> 11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
> 8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
> 7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
> 6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
> 5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
> *This chart could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above).*
> 
> If you want to search back for this post in the future - just search my name and "release".  You could also bookmark this comment on the new DIS somehow (or so I heard).


*FYI - Southwest AGAIN changed the release date, now to August 15th.*


----------



## cmarsh31

SouthFayetteFan said:


> *FYI - Southwest AGAIN changed the release date, now to August 15th.*



Well then. Last year, we were on our way to the airport for an Alaskan cruise when Feb break flights opened up (end of June). This year, where will I be on Aug 15th? Yup. Good thing it's an evening flight this time, at least! So, next year, I'll make sure to plan another cruise/flight to Seattle so you all know when to expect Feb flights to be available.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

SouthFayetteFan said:


> *FYI - Southwest AGAIN changed the release date, now to August 15th.*


Also - I would definitely stay posted on this, it could change again at any time.

Their last release was scheduled for May 23rd. On May 6th, they pushed it back to June 20th. Then on May 15th, they moved it back up to May 30th and stuck with that date. It's possible that something similar could happen here again!


----------



## babyruth

oh good lord. LOL. whelp thanks DISers I'll just keep watching for the flights. I had an alarm set for July 10!


----------



## babyruth

wow my ADRs open before flights! that is crazy.


----------



## katallo

Disappointed to see it's postponed again.  We just read the letter on SW about the updates for the rescheduling.  Glad our fall flights are on 737-700's.


----------



## mcd2745

Those looking for flights during that next window (like us for President's week),  if interested, JetBlue is supposed to open up on July 14.


----------



## cmarsh31

mcd2745 said:


> Those looking for flights during that next window (like us for President's week),  if interested, JetBlue is supposed to open up on July 14.



I was told July 13th when I messaged JetBlue.


----------



## rileyz

Southwest left our baggage mostly uncovered in the rain during a 4 hour flight delay last night.  Most of my husbands clothes are destroyed, they say they will reimburse for dry cleaning!  No way some of the color bleed is coming out.  Anyone have tips on who to contact besides baggage team, we filled out a claim at the airport and have a case # but I’m less than optimistic about that.   For the record, these were sent ahead form the Contemporary resort and my cousins family also had their luggage wrecked.  It was negligence on Southwest’s part as the picture shows improperly covered luggage and empty carts nearby.  Just a few pics of the issue:


----------



## Auntrosie

That’s terrible. I hope your husband will receive a decent settlement.
 Thank you for alerting us.  I would not have thought my luggage might be left out in the rain. I’m thing about covers now.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

rileyz said:


> Southwest left our baggage mostly uncovered in the rain during a 4 hour flight delay last night.  Most of my husbands clothes are destroyed, they say they will reimburse for dry cleaning!  No way some of the color bleed is coming out.  Anyone have tips on who to contact besides baggage team, we filled out a claim at the airport and have a case # but I’m less than optimistic about that.   For the record, these were sent ahead form the Contemporary resort and my cousins family also had their luggage wrecked.  It was negligence on Southwest’s part as the picture shows improperly covered luggage and empty carts nearby.  Just a few pics of the issue:


I'm so sorry that's happened 

Question--were you in eye shot of your luggage during that 4hour delay? Like meaning did you see the luggage out there on the tarmac for the full 4 hours without it moving?


----------



## cmarsh31

We watched our luggage sit for 6 hours in the sun (thanks Southwest) years ago - definitely a why you don't put electronics in your checked luggage moment. 

That really sucks - I hope they do more than just dry cleaning - those pictures say it all.


----------



## rileyz

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I'm so sorry that's happened
> 
> Question--were you in eye shot of your luggage during that 4hour delay? Like meaning did you see the luggage out there on the tarmac for the full 4 hours without it moving?



Yes and we complained several times.  They couldn’t go out there due to lightning but the gate supervisor told us it was improperly covered to begin with.  That’s our biggest complaint, I don’t expect people to go out in lightning but had it been covered properly initially it would not have been as wrecked.  The storms were forecast so it’s not as if they didn’t know rain was coming.  Even my daughters suitcase, which is hard covered plastic, had items wrecked including some Disney art lithos she purchased.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

rileyz said:


> Yes and we complained several times.  They couldn’t go out there due to lightning but the gate supervisor told us it was improperly covered to begin with.  That’s our biggest complaint, I don’t expect people to go out in lightning but had it been covered properly initially it would not have been as wrecked.  The storms were forecast so it’s not as if they didn’t know rain was coming.


Ugh I'm sorry that sucks for sure  

As for who to contact if you go to SWA's website you can go to the Contact Us part and there's a spot to e-mail in with a complaint.

I wouldn't lose complete hope but I don't quite know exactly what they'll do for ya. I know when we were in Jamaica and our luggage got ruined (we think it was a very hard drop at the top where the extendable handle comes out) we missed the SWA desk and opted to do a call in to get a case started. They ended up sending us, once they reviewed our case (we sent them pictures too), a website where we just picked a new large suitcase out and they FedEx us a new one. And for us I'm not placing the blame on the luggage on SWA because Delta also ruined our luggage when we went to Hawaii--for that we were able to stop off at the desk and they just gave us a new large luggage right there. Your situation is however different in that it's the belongings inside the luggage that your claim is about


----------



## mcd2745

cmarsh31 said:


> I was told July 13th when I messaged JetBlue.



They told me the 14th in a chat. Guess they are like contacting Disney, each rep gives you a different answer.


----------



## mcd2745

just tried JetBlue again. here is the response...



> _The current schedule is available through February 12, 2020. Our next flight schedule will be released around 12:00PM ET on Sunday, July 14, 2019 for travel through April 28, 2020_


----------



## cmarsh31

mcd2745 said:


> just tried JetBlue again. here is the response...



Thanks!


----------



## prettypatchesmsu

rileyz said:


> Yes and we complained several times.  They couldn’t go out there due to lightning but the gate supervisor told us it was improperly covered to begin with.  That’s our biggest complaint, I don’t expect people to go out in lightning but had it been covered properly initially it would not have been as wrecked.  The storms were forecast so it’s not as if they didn’t know rain was coming.  Even my daughters suitcase, which is hard covered plastic, had items wrecked including some Disney art lithos she purchased.


Wow that's awful! Did you have travel insurance? Might look at a claim through that if SW doesn't reimburse you fully.


----------



## rileyz

prettypatchesmsu said:


> Wow that's awful! Did you have travel insurance? Might look at a claim through that if SW doesn't reimburse you fully.



I’ve never gotten insurance for a Disney trips since we are AP holders and it’s always been DVC but that’s dumb of me.  I always get it for cruises and will for Disney from now on.  Really just stupid on my part.  Still waiting to hear from SW, they said within 30 days


----------



## Lori74

rileyz said:


> I’ve never gotten insurance for a Disney trips since we are AP holders and it’s always been DVC but that’s dumb of me.  I always get it for cruises and will for Disney from now on.  Really just stupid on my part.  Still waiting to hear from SW, they said within 30 days


maybe post some pics on twitter? i know they seem to respond quickly over social media


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

rileyz said:


> Still waiting to hear from SW, they said within 30 days


That's what they told me as well with the Jamaica luggage issue though it didn't take that long for us. 

Personally I wouldn't go to social media just yet. You've got a claim started, let it actually work through the process. If you haven't already certainly make that complaint on their website via the Contact Us page. I'm just not a fan of going to social media for stuff like this so early (it happened Saturday night, it's Wednesday afternoon) but YMMV.


----------



## rileyz

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> That's what they told me as well with the Jamaica luggage issue though it didn't take that long for us.
> 
> Personally I wouldn't go to social media just yet. You've got a claim started, let it actually work through the process. If you haven't already certainly make that complaint on their website via the Contact Us page. I'm just not a fan of going to social media for stuff like this so early (it happened Saturday night, it's Wednesday afternoon) but YMMV.



I contacted them on Twitter the night/morning it happened but via private messaging.  Mostly just to show the photos of the clothes and have it documented even though I was in the SW baggage office at 3 am, lol.  The clothes are all permanently dyed, it’s unbelievable.  I made the formal complaint on Monday and will try patience


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

rileyz said:


> I contacted them on Twitter the night/morning it happened but via private messaging.  Mostly just to show the photos of the clothes and have it documented even though I was in the SW baggage office at 3 am, lol.  The clothes are all permanently dyed, it’s unbelievable.  I made the formal complaint on Monday and will try patience


Its a good idea to spray your luggage with a water proofing product. We use Camp Dry that you can get in the shoe dept at Walmart. Or travel with hardside luggage. We had this same thing happen at MCO and our hard side got slightly damp on the edge by the zipper but others at the luggage claim we soaked.


----------



## rileyz

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> Its a good idea to spray your luggage with a water proofing product. We use Camp Dry that you can get in the shoe dept at Walmart. Or travel with hardside luggage. We had this same thing happen at MCO and our hard side got slightly damp on the edge by the zipper but others at the luggage claim we soaked.



Good tip but even my daughters hardside suitcase had damage inside.  I’ll definitely be packing differently going forward.


----------



## wombat_5606

rileyz said:


> Good tip but even my daughters hardside suitcase had damage inside.  I’ll definitely be packing differently going forward.



I have been packing my clothes in packing cubes, then placing them in the XL Ziploc bags. So far, so good.


----------



## cmarsh31

Waiting for "noon-ish" for JetBlue...


----------



## mcd2745

JetBlue prices are insane. Starts at about $800pp round-trip from NYC to area airports to MCO for the base fare with no bags and goes up from there.

I hate that SW pushed out the next release so far into Aug, but we'll just have to wait.


----------



## cmarsh31

I booked one way on JetBlue - but insanity the prices. I'm assuming they're taking advantage of Southwest having to push their dates and people like me who are taking a cruise and don't want to chance it. Waiting for SW to book our flights home. We just paid one way what we paid round-trip for the exact same dates last year.


----------



## shoreward

AA just extended their 737 MAX cancellations until November 3.   UA previously announced the same delay of placing the aircraft back in their schedule.   Can Southwest be far behind in doing the same?
https://www.apnews.com/2aeacc21db85...AP&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

shoreward said:


> AA just extended their 737 MAX cancellations until November 3.   UA previously announced the same delay of placing the aircraft back in their schedule.   Can Southwest be far behind in doing the same?
> https://www.apnews.com/2aeacc21db85...AP&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter


That is true since the FAA said those planes won't be ready to fly until next year.


----------



## Llama mama

Check your flights .. Both of mine where changed last night . One was changed to a connecting flight ....


----------



## kaytieeldr

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> So what it sounds like from your screenshot is they are trying to tighten up their policy on a pilot program trial for stricter consequences to not getting your luggage checked in on time.


If by stricter consequences you mean *the passenger* will not be able to board the scheduled flight and will have to be put on standby for the next flight, along with their luggage - then yes.


Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Certainly there are instances where it's out of the passenger's control for why they checked their luggage under the 45mins


Possibly, but when standard advice is to arrive at the airport two hours before departure, it's unlikely to take more than an hour and 15 minutes to check luggage.


----------



## PCFriar80

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/southwest-joins-u-rivals-removing-125055439.html


----------



## shoreward

There is now a banner appearing for some additional time frame of flights, allowing changes for no change in fare, for an additional month.  If your flight is flagged with this banner, you will be allowed to change to a different date/flight meeting the parameters, at no additional cost.  That policy previously allowed customers to change to a more expensive flight, at no additional cost, thru about Oct.1.  So, if you booked a flight due to its lower cost, even though it was not your first choice for date, time, number of stops, etc., now is your chance to change, subject to availability.  All of this is tied into the MAX 8 being grounded.  You must have the banner showing when you go in to "change" a confirmed flight in order to be able to do the change at no fare difference.

*You may change your trip date/time at no additional cost if you stay inside the restrictions below.*
*DEPART FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS*

Departure airport must be: Orlando, FL - MCO
Arrival airport must be: XXXXX   XXX
Travel dates are between: 10/XX/2019 to 11/XX/2019
Note: Changes made outside the conditions listed above will not be protected under our established reaccommodation practices and may result in a higher fare.

*Southwest Airlines Reaccommodation Practices and Information:*

When Southwest Airlines® learns of events that may affect our flights' departures such as inclement conditions or airport anomalies that may hinder our Customers' abilities to get to/from a particular airport, we will offer Customers the opportunity to change their travel dates and/or flight times at no additional charge.
Even though Southwest® is offering the opportunity to make these changes, the Customer's original flight(s) may operate as scheduled, so changing travel dates and/or flight times is completely voluntary and not required.
Customers who would like to alter their travel plans may rebook in the original class of service (or fly standby) and travel must take place within 14 days of their original travel date between the original city pairs. (In some cases when a particular airport is affected, and Southwest® serves a "sister airport" or "co-terminal", we will offer the flexibility to depart from/arrive into an alternate airport. For example, if San Francisco International Airport is affected, Customers may be offered the opportunity to change to the San Jose or Oakland airports.)
Only Customers who purchased their ticket(s) on *southwest.com* are eligible to rebook via our online View or Change Your Flight service. All other Customers should call our toll-free number (800) 435-9792 for assistance.
If changes are made for travel outside the parameters of Southwest Airlines' reaccommodation practices, the changes are subject to the original fare restrictions and may result in a higher fare.
Customers who have booked a Business Select Fare may change to another flight with Business Select or may switch to an Anytime Fare when Business Select is unavailable.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

kaytieeldr said:


> If by stricter consequences you mean *the passenger* will not be able to board the scheduled flight and will have to be put on standby for the next flight, along with their luggage - then yes.
> 
> Possibly, but when standard advice is to arrive at the airport two hours before departure, it's unlikely to take more than an hour and 15 minutes to check luggage.


The comment you are quoting is more than 2 weeks old at this point  don't take my lack of response personally


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Not that we didn't expect the 737 issue to continue but it bites too how long it will be having to worry about it.


----------



## MarBee

So I am going to Disney 9/27-10/2 booked on Southwest.  I originally got the banner for my flight out (the last flight of the night) but ignored it because I just assumed it was an error.  I didn’t realize until after reading these boards what it truly was.  I’m now getting it for my return flight (the 5:30 am flight that was only 4K points).
Both of my original times work best for me. 

 Do you think that these flights will wind up being cancelled last minute?  Due to work restrictions if my flights are delayed or cancelled I would prob have to cancel my trip entirely.


----------



## scrappinginontario

MarBee said:


> So I am going to Disney 9/27-10/2 booked on Southwest.  I originally got the banner for my flight out (the last flight of the night) but ignored it because I just assumed it was an error.  I didn’t realize until after reading these boards what it truly was.  I’m now getting it for my return flight (the 5:30 am flight that was only 4K points).
> Both of my original times work best for me.
> 
> Do you think that these flights will wind up being cancelled last minute?  Due to work restrictions if my flights are delayed or cancelled I would prob have to cancel my trip entirely.


I can't see any reason why your flights would be cancelled.  I've flown a couple of times since the MAX problems and have more flights booked for Sept.  They did not change last night (which happened to a poster above) and I have no reason to think they'll be changed or cancelled.  

If I were you I wouldn't give it another thought and just enjoy preparing for your trip.  If something happens last minute it's out of your control but there's also nothing to say that if you change flights something can't happen to that one.  No sense putting the cart before the horse.


----------



## PixiePlns

shoreward said:


> There is now a banner appearing for some additional time frame of flights, allowing changes for no change in fare, for an additional month.  If your flight is flagged with this banner, you will be allowed to change to a different date/flight meeting the parameters, at no additional cost.  That policy previously allowed customers to change to a more expensive flight, at no additional cost, thru about Oct.1.  So, if you booked a flight due to its lower cost, even though it was not your first choice for date, time, number of stops, etc., now is your chance to change, subject to availability.  All of this is tied into the MAX 8 being grounded.  You must have the banner showing when you go in to "change" a confirmed flight in order to be able to do the change at no fare difference.
> 
> *You may change your trip date/time at no additional cost if you stay inside the restrictions below.*
> *DEPART FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS*
> 
> Departure airport must be: Orlando, FL - MCO
> Arrival airport must be: XXXXX   XXX
> Travel dates are between: 10/XX/2019 to 11/XX/2019
> Note: Changes made outside the conditions listed above will not be protected under our established reaccommodation practices and may result in a higher fare.
> 
> *Southwest Airlines Reaccommodation Practices and Information:*
> 
> When Southwest Airlines® learns of events that may affect our flights' departures such as inclement conditions or airport anomalies that may hinder our Customers' abilities to get to/from a particular airport, we will offer Customers the opportunity to change their travel dates and/or flight times at no additional charge.
> Even though Southwest® is offering the opportunity to make these changes, the Customer's original flight(s) may operate as scheduled, so changing travel dates and/or flight times is completely voluntary and not required.
> Customers who would like to alter their travel plans may rebook in the original class of service (or fly standby) and travel must take place within 14 days of their original travel date between the original city pairs. (In some cases when a particular airport is affected, and Southwest® serves a "sister airport" or "co-terminal", we will offer the flexibility to depart from/arrive into an alternate airport. For example, if San Francisco International Airport is affected, Customers may be offered the opportunity to change to the San Jose or Oakland airports.)
> Only Customers who purchased their ticket(s) on *southwest.com* are eligible to rebook via our online View or Change Your Flight service. All other Customers should call our toll-free number (800) 435-9792 for assistance.
> If changes are made for travel outside the parameters of Southwest Airlines' reaccommodation practices, the changes are subject to the original fare restrictions and may result in a higher fare.
> Customers who have booked a Business Select Fare may change to another flight with Business Select or may switch to an Anytime Fare when Business Select is unavailable.


I just did this since my flight was being changed to a crazy different time (landing after midnight - yikes!)  So, I was able to adjust my departing flight differently too (to also leave at an earlier time) so I can hopefully avoid any more changes.  I'm grateful there was no fee since I'm flying over the Columbus day holiday & there aren't a ton of flights left & those that are left are pricey!


----------



## Llama mama

MarBee said:


> So I am going to Disney 9/27-10/2 booked on Southwest.  I originally got the banner for my flight out (the last flight of the night) but ignored it because I just assumed it was an error.  I didn’t realize until after reading these boards what it truly was.  I’m now getting it for my return flight (the 5:30 am flight that was only 4K points).
> Both of my original times work best for me.
> 
> Do you think that these flights will wind up being cancelled last minute?  Due to work restrictions if my flights are delayed or cancelled I would prob have to cancel my trip entirely.


My experiences—
In June I got the red banner offering flight changes if I wanted. I kept what I had and my flights were no problem.
Last night I received an email that both my flights had been changed. This morning I called and had them changed back to acceptable non stop flights. 
I never got a banner just an email regarding both flights this time. 
Two different experiences.
Good luck with whatever you choose. Hope you have a great  vacation.


----------



## shoreward

Info from Southwest, regarding latest MAX 8 developments and effect on schedule, 10.02.2019-11.02.2019:

https://www.southwestaircommunity.c...ision-from-October-2-to-November-2/ba-p/93615


----------



## shoreward

Here are some interesting ideas about protecting the contents of checked bags from water damage:
https://www.johnnyjet.com/line-your-suitcase-dry/


----------



## kaytieeldr

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> The comment you are quoting is more than 2 weeks old at this point  don't take my lack of response personally


So you can tell I don't check this thread every day week? Good


----------



## scrappinginontario

shoreward said:


> Here are some interesting ideas about protecting the contents of checked bags from water damage:
> https://www.johnnyjet.com/line-your-suitcase-dry/


A simple tip but one I think I’ll use as we normally travel to WDW in Sept when afternoon showers are common and we fly out in the afternoon.  Great tip!


----------



## kaytieeldr

You could even get something like this https://www.amazon.com/RoomierLife-...&sprefix=Jumbo+zip,aps,329&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1


----------



## seb65

I hope this is a thread to post this.  It isn't a question...more of an annoyance. 

I purchased early bird for our WDW trip.  Mainly because I am traveling with my elderly mother and I wanted to be certain we could get on early so she didn't have to struggle walking too far.  I messed up purchasing the tickets- I got her an elderly fare when I could have just gotten the normal fare- so two separate reservations instead of one.

Two family members decided to tag along for the trip and also purchased early bird. Their tickets were purchased a couple of weeks after me and the other was purchase a good month, maybe a little more after me.

Today was "check in" day. I kept looking for something showing our boarding passes before and during the time,and nothing. Finally they appeared after I tried "check in". They then appeared. My mom was at 25 and us other four were at 54-57.
Family member who purchased 2 weeks after is 23.
Family member who purchased a month + is at 24. Both purchased early bird because I did.

This doesn't make sense to me. It doesn't matter as obviously the other family members can help my mom board, and at least my kids are with me, but it is the principle of it all. I paid for a service, and I don't think it worked. I called and they confirmed early bird was done by time stamp. I have the confirmation emails. Mine was sent 1/13 at 6:39 pm. My mother's was purchased at 1/21 at 11:12 am, most likely that is when I noticed I messed up buying her fare and she was a separate reservation (because I was giving the first family member our traveling info, which is the day she bought her ticket).  I did not have the emails in front of me when I called.  

Now I am worried for the return trip back, though.


----------



## Llama mama

seb65 said:


> I hope this is a thread to post this.  It isn't a question...more of an annoyance.
> 
> I purchased early bird for our WDW trip.  Mainly because I am traveling with my elderly mother and I wanted to be certain we could get on early so she didn't have to struggle walking too far.  I messed up purchasing the tickets- I got her an elderly fare when I could have just gotten the normal fare- so two separate reservations instead of one.
> 
> Two family members decided to tag along for the trip and also purchased early bird. Their tickets were purchased a couple of weeks after me and the other was purchase a good month, maybe a little more after me.
> 
> Today was "check in" day. I kept looking for something showing our boarding passes before and during the time,and nothing. Finally they appeared after I tried "check in". They then appeared. My mom was at 25 and us other four were at 54-57.
> Family member who purchased 2 weeks after is 23.
> Family member who purchased a month + is at 24. Both purchased early bird because I did.
> 
> This doesn't make sense to me. It doesn't matter as obviously the other family members can help my mom board, and at least my kids are with me, but it is the principle of it all. I paid for a service, and I don't think it worked. I called and they confirmed early bird was done by time stamp. I have the confirmation emails. Mine was sent 1/13 at 6:39 pm. My mother's was purchased at 1/21 at 11:12 am, most likely that is when I noticed I messed up buying her fare and she was a separate reservation (because I was giving the first family member our traveling info, which is the day she bought her ticket).  I did not have the emails in front of me when I called.
> 
> Now I am worried for the return trip back, though.


I always purchase Early Bird too and you are correct it makes no sense. You definitely should have had a higher number than the rest of your family since yours was purchased first. 
Unless you changed a flight it would reset your early bird.
Did SW have an explanation for it?


----------



## seb65

At the time that I called, they told me it was time stamped. I did not have the emails out at the time to comment on that/tell them that mine was ordered before.  It was so long ago, I didn't recall the exact way I did it.  Do you think I should call back?   What is helpful is that they ordered a wheelchair for my mom, so at least someone gets to go with her and we will just board regular.

It really is just the point that I paid for something and it didn't come as it should.  I am just grateful to get my mom on with help.


----------



## Llama mama

seb65 said:


> At the time that I called, they told me it was time stamped. I did not have the emails out at the time to comment on that/tell them that mine was ordered before.  It was so long ago, I didn't recall the exact way I did it.  Do you think I should call back?   What is helpful is that they ordered a wheelchair for my mom, so at least someone gets to go with her and we will just board regular.


It wouldn’t hurt to call back. Maybe they will refund the Early Bird. Obviously it didn’t work correctly. Yes you still barely got A boarding but you purchased way before all other family members. So technically it didn’t work as it should. If they go by time stamps.


----------



## seb65

Thanks- that is my thinking as well.  I had called and asked if it was random or by date of purchase.  that is when she said they went by the time stamp.


----------



## shoreward

seb65 said:


> At the time that I called, they told me it was time stamped. I did not have the emails out at the time to comment on that/tell them that mine was ordered before.  It was so long ago, I didn't recall the exact way I did it.  Do you think I should call back?   What is helpful is that they ordered a wheelchair for my mom, so at least someone gets to go with her and we will just board regular.
> 
> It really is just the point that I paid for something and it didn't come as it should.  I am just grateful to get my mom on with help.


Any time a reservation is changed, it resets the clock.  Sometimes, customers who purchased EBCI late get a break, when somebody cancels a reservation at the last minute and opens up their low boarding numbers to others.

You can "save" seats for the rest of your party. Though many customers look down on "saving seats," Southwest states that they neither do, nor do not, have any policy on seat-saving.

Sometimes, people think that purchasing EBCI assures an "A" boarding number; it does not.  It only guarantees automatic check-in at T-36.


----------



## seb65

Thanks. That makes sense. Perhaps they got “moved up”.  I knew it wasn’t a guarantee- just confused why my group got a late number. No worries- was just concerned with my mom and now she is set


----------



## Fangorn

It is not just the date/time that determines the boarding assignment. The price of the ticket is part of the equation as well. Your Mom's Senior fare was more than your WGA fare, so her placement will be before yours. Same thing with your other family members that booked after you - they probably paid a higher fare than you did, so their boarding number will also come before yours. The timestamp is applicable *within* a fare bracket - it doesn't take precedence over the fare. 
From the SW website: 
"Boarding positions are assigned based on the time stamp of the EarlyBird Check-In purchase *relative to passengers within the same fare class." *

Steve


----------



## Elle23

Fangorn said:


> It is not just the date/time that determines the boarding assignment. The price of the ticket is part of the equation as well. Your Mom's Senior fare was more than your WGA fare, so her placement will be before yours. Same thing with your other family members that booked after you - they probably paid a higher fare than you did, so their boarding number will also come before yours. The timestamp is applicable *within* a fare bracket - it doesn't take precedence over the fare.
> From the SW website:
> "Boarding positions are assigned based on the time stamp of the EarlyBird Check-In purchase *relative to passengers within the same fare class." *
> 
> Steve



I never knew that. Thanks for the explanation.


----------



## Llama mama

A


Fangorn said:


> It is not just the date/time that determines the boarding assignment. The price of the ticket is part of the equation as well. Your Mom's Senior fare was more than your WGA fare, so her placement will be before yours. Same thing with your other family members that booked after you - they probably paid a higher fare than you did, so their boarding number will also come before yours. The timestamp is applicable *within* a fare bracket - it doesn't take precedence over the fare.
> From the SW website:
> "Boarding positions are assigned based on the time stamp of the EarlyBird Check-In purchase *relative to passengers within the same fare class." *
> 
> Steve


After this explanation I will probably never purchase Early Bird again. I purchase my tickets 6 months out at low fares . So basically everyone after me will get a better boarding number. Due to higher fares if purchasing EB. 
This explanation is much more in depth than the ticket agent gave me. She basically said the earlier I buy it the better boarding number I will receive. She never mentioned price of ticket factored in.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Llama mama said:


> A
> 
> After this explanation I will probably never purchase Early Bird again. I purchase my tickets 6 months out at low fares . So basically everyone after me will get a better boarding number. Due to higher fares if purchasing EB.
> This explanation is much more in depth than the ticket agent gave me. She basically said the earlier I buy it the better boarding number I will receive. She never mentioned price of ticket factored in.


The fare class being spoken about in the description from SWA is meaning for example Anytime and Wanna Get Away fare. Someone who purchases Anytime fare with EBCI is put ahead of someone who purchased WGA fare with EBCI. In this particular case we're talking Senior Fare as opposed to WGA fare (assuming it was WGA fare purchased).


----------



## Llama mama

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> The fare class being spoken about in the description from SWA is meaning for example Anytime and Wanna Get Away fare. Someone who purchases Anytime fare with EBCI is put ahead of someone who purchased WGA fare with EBCI. In this particular case we're talking Senior Fare as opposed to WGA fare (assuming it was WGA fare purchased).


So wait you are stating it’s due to the category of ticket purchased. The earlier poster stated it was fare price within a fare bucket and the type of fare are part of the equation.
So a WGA who paid 200 on 1/30 whereas I paid 150 on 1/1 would still be placed after me? Now I am really confused . Everything I ever read was based on fare category WGA , Anytime etc.  Not the price within the same categories.


----------



## Lisa F

Llama mama said:


> So wait you are stating it’s due to the category of ticket purchased. The earlier poster stated it was fare price within a fare bucket and the type of fare are part of the equation.
> So a WGA who paid 200 on 1/30 whereas I paid 150 on 1/1 would still be placed after me? Now I am really confused . Everything I ever read was based on fare category WGA , Anytime etc.  Not the price within the same categories.


I don't believe that to be the case... I've purchased fares on opening day at the lowest WGA price and gotten as low as A17-18


----------



## Llama mama

Lisa F said:


> I don't believe that to be the case... I've purchased fares on opening day at the lowest WGA price and gotten as low as A17-18


That’s how I hope it works. I purchase months in advance at a cheap price.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Llama mama said:


> So wait you are stating it’s due to the category of ticket purchased. The earlier poster stated it was fare price within a fare bucket and the type of fare are part of the equation.
> So a WGA who paid 200 on 1/30 whereas I paid 150 on 1/1 would still be placed after me? Now I am really confused . Everything I ever read was based on fare category WGA , Anytime etc.  Not the price within the same categories.


I think you've gotten it mixed up a bit or I unintentionally confused you (apologies if that's the case  )

What I'm saying is:

The quote: "relative to your fare class" means it assigns it based on time stamp within the same fare class.

Fare Class is meaning Anytime Fare, WGA Fare, Senior Fare, etc.

So for example let's say you have two people who purchased WGA Fare--one person purchased EBCI 6 months ahead of the flight but the other purchased it 5 months ahead of the flight. The person who purchased it 6 months in advanced is assigned the EBCI before the person who purchased it 5 months ahead because the timestamp for the purchase of EBCI _within the same fare class_ is earlier.

However, Anytime fare has higher priority in assignment of Boarding passes than WGA fares. Therefore if you purchased WGA Fare with EBCI 6months out but someone else purchased Anytime Fare let's say 5 months out as well as EBCI at the same time they will have higher priority than you who only purchased WGA fare.

Senior Fares are fully refundable and based on the situation the PP had I would guess Southwest is placing higher priority in terms of assigning Boarding positions to the passenger with the Senior Fare.

As far as price of the ticket----that sure isn't helping my husband out lol. His flights average $500-$700 RT to get from the LA area to KC every two weeks. His tickets however are purchased 2-3 weeks out;mostly 2 weeks out. He's been getting EBCI at that time (his company pays for the plane ticket and the EBCI). He has gotten mid to high A's and into the B's. Today his flight to Phoenix to catch his connection he was A60 and from Phoenix to LAX he was A43. His previous flight was booked further in advance because it was 4th of July weekend. From KC to LAX non-stop this time on 7/7 he was low B's but I don't remember the exact number. Every flight is different numbers; he purchases roughly the same interval as far as about 2 weeks ahead but each flight is comprised of different passengers.


----------



## Llama mama

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I think you've gotten it mixed up a bit or I unintentionally confused you (apologies if that's the case  )
> 
> What I'm saying is:
> 
> The quote: "relative to your fare class" means it assigns it based on time stamp within the same fare class.
> 
> Fare Class is meaning Anytime Fare, WGA Fare, Senior Fare, etc.
> 
> So for example let's say you have two people who purchased WGA Fare--one person purchased EBCI 6 months ahead of the flight but the other purchased it 5 months ahead of the flight. The person who purchased it 6 months in advanced is assigned the EBCI before the person who purchased it 5 months ahead because the timestamp for the purchase of EBCI _within the same fare class_ is earlier.
> 
> However, Anytime fare has higher priority in assignment of Boarding passes than WGA fares. Therefore if you purchased WGA Fare with EBCI 6months out but someone else purchased Anytime Fare let's say 5 months out as well as EBCI at the same time they will have higher priority than you who only purchased WGA fare.
> 
> Senior Fares are fully refundable and based on the situation the PP had I would guess Southwest is placing higher priority in terms of assigning Boarding positions to the passenger with the Senior Fare.
> 
> As far as price of the ticket----that sure isn't helping my husband out lol. His flights average $500-$700 RT to get from the LA area to KC every two weeks. His tickets however are purchased 2-3 weeks out;mostly 2 weeks out. He's been getting EBCI at that time (his company pays for the plane ticket and the EBCI). He has gotten mid to high A's and into the B's. Today his flight to Phoenix to catch his connection he was A60 and from Phoenix to LAX he was A43. His previous flight was booked further in advance because it was 4th of July weekend. From KC to LAX non-stop this time on 7/7 he was low B's but I don't remember the exact number. Every flight is different numbers; he purchases roughly the same interval as far as about 2 weeks ahead but each flight is comprised of different passengers.


Thank you ! That’s how I thought it worked. An earlier post by someone stated her two family members had purchased after her but got better boarding spots. Another poster stated they probably paid more for their fare not clearly stating what class of fare they purchased. I read it as wait ? What? And got really confused. 
So thank you for explaining. I should do pretty good then purchasing 6 months in advance with EBCI with a good boarding spot.


----------



## Lisa F

Llama mama said:


> Thank you ! That’s how I thought it worked. An earlier post by someone stated her two family members had purchased after her but got better boarding spots. Another poster stated they probably paid more for their fare not clearly stating what class of fare they purchased. I read it as wait ? What? And got really confused.
> So thank you for explaining. I should do pretty good then purchasing 6 months in advance with EBCI with a good boarding spot.


yes that is the best you can do basically.  You should get in the A's if you do that.  I have only gotten in the B's when I have purchased somewhere between opening day and the day of the flight.


----------



## Llama mama

One last question please. Southwest changed my flight and I am now leaving an hour earlier on my flight to Disney. The flight number changed too.  That should not affect my EB correct? It should still time/date stamp my original purchase of early May since they did the change not me?


----------



## MarBee

Llama mama said:


> One last question please. Southwest changed my flight and I am now leaving an hour earlier on my flight to Disney. The flight number changed too.  That should not affect my EB correct? It should still time/date stamp my original purchase of early May since they did the change not me?


I don’t know about the EBCI but I did want to say that you should probably call Disney and update magical express just in case you didn’t


----------



## JenluvsDisney

Llama mama said:


> One last question please. Southwest changed my flight and I am now leaving an hour earlier on my flight to Disney. The flight number changed too.  That should not affect my EB correct? It should still time/date stamp my original purchase of early May since they did the change not me?



You should definitely contact Southwest to make sure your EBCI transferred over properly to your new flight time.  This happened to me a couple of years ago.  I bought EBCI for my return flight from MCO.  A couple weeks after I bought my tickets (and EBCI), this return flight was changed by about an hour.  My EBCI was still showing on my account so I didn't think anything of it and just figured, since I was automatically being checked in for my flight at 36 hours out, I would just do my own check-in and print my boarding passes when I arrived at MCO.  BIG mistake.  By the time I arrived at the airport and printed my tickets, me and my family of four were literally assigned the LAST boarding position of the entire flight.  At the customer service desk, they could see that I had purchased EBCI but told me that, sometimes, when a flight time gets changed, the software messes up and doesn't properly assign EBCI to the new flight and that there was nothing they could do.  My only option was to board last, then contact Southwest from home to have the EBCI reimbursed.  We got VERY lucky that it wasn't a full flight and, although, we ended up sitting at the very back of the plane, we were able to sit together, and I did ultimately get my money back for the EBCI, but I would never chance it again.


----------



## pfeifer1990

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I think you've gotten it mixed up a bit or I unintentionally confused you (apologies if that's the case  )
> 
> What I'm saying is:
> 
> The quote: "relative to your fare class" means it assigns it based on time stamp within the same fare class.
> 
> Fare Class is meaning Anytime Fare, WGA Fare, Senior Fare, etc.
> 
> So for example let's say you have two people who purchased WGA Fare--one person purchased EBCI 6 months ahead of the flight but the other purchased it 5 months ahead of the flight. The person who purchased it 6 months in advanced is assigned the EBCI before the person who purchased it 5 months ahead because the timestamp for the purchase of EBCI _within the same fare class_ is earlier.
> 
> However, Anytime fare has higher priority in assignment of Boarding passes than WGA fares. Therefore if you purchased WGA Fare with EBCI 6months out but someone else purchased Anytime Fare let's say 5 months out as well as EBCI at the same time they will have higher priority than you who only purchased WGA fare.
> 
> Senior Fares are fully refundable and based on the situation the PP had I would guess Southwest is placing higher priority in terms of assigning Boarding positions to the passenger with the Senior Fare.
> 
> As far as price of the ticket----that sure isn't helping my husband out lol. His flights average $500-$700 RT to get from the LA area to KC every two weeks. His tickets however are purchased 2-3 weeks out;mostly 2 weeks out. He's been getting EBCI at that time (his company pays for the plane ticket and the EBCI). He has gotten mid to high A's and into the B's. Today his flight to Phoenix to catch his connection he was A60 and from Phoenix to LAX he was A43. His previous flight was booked further in advance because it was 4th of July weekend. From KC to LAX non-stop this time on 7/7 he was low B's but I don't remember the exact number. Every flight is different numbers; he purchases roughly the same interval as far as about 2 weeks ahead but each flight is comprised of different passengers.


I'm confused what EBCI is? We are looking to fly out May 2020 (and impatiently waiting for SW to release those fares). When looking at SW website there isn't a category called EBCI. We would like some of us to be able to sit together (there are 5 of us) due to one in our party not having ever flown!


----------



## Cinderumbrella

pfeifer1990 said:


> I'm confused what EBCI is? We are looking to fly out May 2020 (and impatiently waiting for SW to release those fares). When looking at SW website there isn't a category called EBCI. We would like some of us to be able to sit together (there are 5 of us) due to one in our party not having ever flown!



EBCI= Early Bird Check In. It’s a fee you can pay to be automatically checked in for boarding position 36 hours before your flight. If you choose not to pay for it, you can check in for boarding position 24 hours before your flight.


----------



## pfeifer1990

Cinderumbrella said:


> EBCI= Early Bird Check In. It’s a fee you can pay to be automatically checked in for boarding position 36 hours before your flight. If you choose not to pay for it, you can check in for boarding position 24 hours before your flight.


Thanks! That makes sense we plan on purchasing that when we purchase our tickets.


----------



## scrappinginontario

pfeifer1990 said:


> I'm confused what EBCI is? We are looking to fly out May 2020 (and impatiently waiting for SW to release those fares). When looking at SW website there isn't a category called EBCI. We would like some of us to be able to sit together (there are 5 of us) due to one in our party not having ever flown!


If the 5 of your sitting together is important, the safest way to ensure you'll board earlier (either with A's or B's) is to purchase EBCI for all members of your party.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

pfeifer1990 said:


> Thanks! That makes sense we plan on purchasing that when we purchase our tickets.


Yes it's just like the two other posters said.

The fee varies now in price based on route and demand. It's $15-$25 per person per way.

EBCI also helps for people who would be unable to check in right at 24hours for example if no cell service was available or if they would be otherwise occupied.


----------



## eeyore29

Can I use “travel funds” (credit) on the app or only on the website? And is it still true that if my future flight drops and I get a credit on that, does that credit go back to the original expiration date? If so, for that reason, would it be best to book the future departure/return flights separately?


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

eeyore29 said:


> Can I use “travel funds” (credit) on the app or only on the website? And is it still true that if my future flight drops and I get a credit on that, does that credit go back to the original expiration date? If so, for that reason, would it be best to book the future departure/return flights separately?


Yes you can use the funds on the app. Yes the expiration date will be one year from the dated you originally purchased the tickets. As far as purchasing separately you will still have to follow the rule that the funds will expire one year from the date you purchased each ticket if purchase separately, Just because you purchased one ticket later than the other does not change the expiration date of the ticket bought earlier.


----------



## dfisher9

Another EBCI question.  My wife and I just got TSA precheck.  Unfortunately, my wife's precheck has her whole middle name, while her flight only had her middle initial.  I called Southwest to have her middle name added, and it looks like she got a new ticket number.  Is this going to reset her EBCI order (I originally purchased the tickets the day the flights went on sale).


----------



## shoreward

dfisher9 said:


> Another EBCI question.  My wife and I just got TSA precheck.  Unfortunately, my wife's precheck has her whole middle name, while her flight only had her middle initial.  I called Southwest to have her middle name added, and it looks like she got a new ticket number.  Is this going to reset her EBCI order (I originally purchased the tickets the day the flights went on sale).


It probably did.  I would call and ask.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

dfisher9 said:


> Another EBCI question.  My wife and I just got TSA precheck.  Unfortunately, my wife's precheck has her whole middle name, while her flight only had her middle initial.  I called Southwest to have her middle name added, and it looks like she got a new ticket number.  Is this going to reset her EBCI order (I originally purchased the tickets the day the flights went on sale).


On and to let you know my TSA Precheck has my middle name but my SWA RR acct has just my initial and i never have an issue going through security. Have been flying with Precheck for 3 years on SWA and it has never been a problem


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> Oh and to let you know my TSA Precheck has my middle name but my SWA RR acct has just my initial and i never have an issue going through security. Have been flying with Precheck for 3 years on SWA and it has never been a problem


----------



## G719

shoreward said:


> It probably did.  I would call and ask.


I hope not.  I just did the same thing with 3/4 of my family.


----------



## shoreward

G719 said:


> I hope not.  I just did the same thing with 3/4 of my family.


I would think it would be worth a call to find out if the change in ticket numbers affects your place in line for EBCI.  It certainly would be better to know ASAP, instead of when you are checked in and it's too late to do anything, at that point.  Hopefully, all is okay.


----------



## PCFriar80

For those of you who fly SWA out of Newark (effective 11/3/19):
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/25/sou...th-hit-from-the-boeing-737-max-grounding.html


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

PCFriar80 said:


> For those of you who fly SWA out of Newark (effective 11/3/19):
> https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/25/sou...th-hit-from-the-boeing-737-max-grounding.html


Well that's interesting. In the NYC area Newark from my home airport has been the best option for pricing and flight times the several times we've been up to NYC even though SWA didn't fly non-stop there. Good to know for the future that won't be an option


----------



## Lisa F

PCFriar80 said:


> For those of you who fly SWA out of Newark (effective 11/3/19):
> https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/25/sou...th-hit-from-the-boeing-737-max-grounding.html


i'm guessing you fly out of PVD from your profile pic - I thought I read somewhere that none of the PVD routes were flown by the 737-max planes - still eagerly awaiting the next opening for my February trip and disgusted by the costs to fly on other airlines (I usually pay $500-600 round trip on SW and they are running more like $1300 -$1500 round trip out of boston right now).  I'm thinking even if the max is still out of service it won't affect my flights?


----------



## Iowamomof4

We have 24 hours to cancel flights from the time of purchase, correct? I just got us into the AP preview for SWGE and would love to get our flights secured, but our plans are still a bit up in the air (so to speak).


----------



## mfly

Iowamomof4 said:


> We have 24 hours to cancel flights from the time of purchase, correct? I just got us into the AP preview for SWGE and would love to get our flights secured, but our plans are still a bit up in the air (so to speak).


Yes, you always have 24 hours after booking with any US airline to cancel your flight with no penalty (as long as your flight is at least 7 days out). 

Would you be booking with points with SW? If so, there’s no disadvantage to booking now - you can cancel at any point and your points will be refunded to you.


----------



## Iowamomof4

mfly said:


> Yes, you always have 24 hours after booking with any US airline to cancel your flight with no penalty (as long as your flight is at least 7 days out).
> 
> Would you be booking with points with SW? If so, there’s no disadvantage to booking now - you can cancel at any point and your points will be refunded to you.


Booking with credit card and LUV vouchers.


----------



## TyRy

PCFriar80 said:


> For those of you who fly SWA out of Newark (effective 11/3/19):
> https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/25/sou...th-hit-from-the-boeing-737-max-grounding.html



Wonder how soon the rest of us will see the impact of flight changes due to the grounding through 2020 now.  I'm checking daily as we only had a couple of non-stop flights to choose from and my flight to FL in late November is on is an 737-800 - not the Max 8, but I think that's the one they keep pulling to substitute for it.


----------



## PCFriar80

Lisa F said:


> i'm guessing you fly out of PVD from your profile pic - I thought I read somewhere that none of the PVD routes were flown by the 737-max planes - still eagerly awaiting the next opening for my February trip and disgusted by the costs to fly on other airlines (I usually pay $500-600 round trip on SW and they are running more like $1300 -$1500 round trip out of boston right now).  I'm thinking even if the max is still out of service it won't affect my flights?


Actually, I fly out of BDL.  Went to school in Providence but live in CT!   BDL is not "directly" impacted with the 737-max as they're typically not flown out of there.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Can anyone tell me what it's like to connect through ATL on SW?


----------



## Iowamomof4

Another question:
If I book WGA flights for DH and myself using a credit card and LUV vouchers (I believe we can use up to 3 forms of payment per transaction, correct?) and then we decide to cancel this trip, we can use those funds for a future trip as long as we fly before the original expiration date of the LUV vouchers, right?


----------



## scrappinginontario

Iowamomof4 said:


> Can anyone tell me what it's like to connect through ATL on SW?


Not sure in which sense you're asking?  As with all the airports I've experiences with SW, the gates are close together due to their unique boarding process and gate setup with the pillars.

Can you provide more info?


----------



## Iowamomof4

scrappinginontario said:


> Not sure in which sense you're asking?  As with all the airports I've experiences with SW, the gates are close together due to their unique boarding process and gate setup with the pillars.
> 
> Can you provide more info?



I guess that was what I was asking. How bad is it? How far apart are the gates? Are all the gates located in the same terminal? That sort of thing.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Iowamomof4 said:


> I guess that was what I was asking. How bad is it? How far apart are the gates? Are all the gates located in the same terminal? That sort of thing.


I've flown through ATL and not had problems connecting.  Hopefully this could help you out:  https://www.airport-atl.com/atlanta-airlines/southwest-airlines


----------



## Iowamomof4

scrappinginontario said:


> I've flown through ATL and not had problems connecting.  Hopefully this could help you out:  https://www.airport-atl.com/atlanta-airlines/southwest-airlines



Oh geez, I didn't realize all the terminals/concourses/etc...! I guess we might offload in one concourse and have to get to a different concourse to board our next flight? My anxiety is kicking into high gear already.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Okay, I think I've discovered that SW uses concourse C almost exclusively (meaning they typically don't use other concourses). If that's still true, I'm feeling better.


----------



## mfly

Iowamomof4 said:


> Okay, I think I've discovered that SW uses concourse C almost exclusively (meaning they typically don't use other concourses). If that's still true, I'm feeling better.


I’ve flown SW in/out of ATL many, many times. I don’t think I’ve ever flown out of anything aside from Terminal C with SW. You shouldn’t have any problems - just a normal airport (albeit large). You’ll likely just walk from one SW gate to another in the same area.


----------



## shoreward

TyRy said:


> Wonder how soon the rest of us will see the impact of flight changes due to the grounding through 2020 now.  I'm checking daily as we only had a couple of non-stop flights to choose from and my flight to FL in late November is on is an 737-800 - not the Max 8, but I think that's the one they keep pulling to substitute for it.


One of my upcoming Southwest flights this year still shows the equipment as a MAX. I think I will be proactive and contact Southwest to make sure my flight won't be cancelled.


----------



## Iowamomof4

I purchased flights recently. Since then, I've been able to get a travel funds credit of $35 because the price of one flight dropped. If it drops again, let's say by $10, would I then have a travel funds credit of $45 or would I have 2 separate credits of $35 and $10?

ETA: I didn't purchase EBCI for this particular flight, so no worries about dropping to the end of the line or anything.


----------



## Livelovedance

Is anyone else having difficulty changing flights online? Each time I’ve attempted to change a flight (both on the app and the website) for a price decrease on points it’s given me an error message and I’ve had to call in. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for the price decreases, but it puts me on pins and needles waiting to get them on the phone and hoping the price doesn’t increase while I do!


----------



## shoreward

Livelovedance said:


> Is anyone else having difficulty changing flights online? Each time I’ve attempted to change a flight (both on the app and the website) for a price decrease on points it’s given me an error message and I’ve had to call in. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for the price decreases, but it puts me on pins and needles waiting to get them on the phone and hoping the price doesn’t increase while I do!


That is not necessarily a new issue.  A few months ago, I tweeted Southwest (private message with confirmation number), and they processed the change.  They requested screenshots showing the reduced fare and error.


----------



## jerseygal

Iowamomof4 said:


> I purchased flights recently. Since then, I've been able to get a travel funds credit of $35 because the price of one flight dropped. If it drops again, let's say by $10, would I then have a travel funds credit of $45 or would I have 2 separate credits of $35 and $10?
> 
> ETA: I didn't purchase EBCI for this particular flight, so no worries about dropping to the end of the line or anything.


I believe that the two reductions in price would be issued separately via 2 separate credits. Both would have to be used(New flight booked and flight completed) within 1 year from the date of original purchase! Always fun to catch a reduction!


----------



## jerseygal

HAPPY! Decided to check SW tickets this morning for reductions...Between 3 one way tickets, got a reduction of 8,446 points! Then a round trip travel credit of $74.00 for me and a one travel credit of $32.00. A GREAT DAY! Really pays to price, reprice, and reprice!


----------



## jerseygal

Livelovedance said:


> Is anyone else having difficulty changing flights online? Each time I’ve attempted to change a flight (both on the app and the website) for a price decrease on points it’s given me an error message and I’ve had to call in. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for the price decreases, but it puts me on pins and needles waiting to get them on the phone and hoping the price doesn’t increase while I do!


Hope that you got your price decrease processed!


----------



## mamamelody2

Livelovedance said:


> Is anyone else having difficulty changing flights online? Each time I’ve attempted to change a flight (both on the app and the website) for a price decrease on points it’s given me an error message and I’ve had to call in. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for the price decreases, but it puts me on pins and needles waiting to get them on the phone and hoping the price doesn’t increase while I do!



Yep, this has happened to me a couple times recently.  Including just last night.  So annoying!  It is a small difference in points, so I haven't called about it (I HATE making calls) but if it goes down more, I'll bite the bullet and make the call.


----------



## 123Dis4Me

Any prediction when the next SW sale will be? I need to book one September flight and I am trying to wait til to see if the price drops...I am paying cash (I usually spend points!) for this one for someone who doesn't fly much so a credit won't help us too much.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Friendly reminder that *Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur on Thursday August 15th*.

This schedule release was pushed back twice in early July (it was originally supposed to occur on July 10th). Currently SW is offering flights through 1/5/20 and this release (when it finally occurs) will take their schedule out to 3/6/20.
I would stay posted on this however, as it could change at any time. They have been known to move this date up with very little notice.


----------



## G719

dfisher9 said:


> Another EBCI question.  My wife and I just got TSA precheck.  Unfortunately, my wife's precheck has her whole middle name, while her flight only had her middle initial.  I called Southwest to have her middle name added, and it looks like she got a new ticket number.  Is this going to reset her EBCI order (I originally purchased the tickets the day the flights went on sale).


So here's an update as I checked in today for our flight.  I had sent a message via Twitter asking if it would affect my early bird.  This was the reply: " Thanks for reaching out. The update to your name should have no effect on your EarlyBird purchases. Your boarding pass will still be reserved 36 hours prior to departure. -Grayson"

So my 11 yr old who's ticket was not changed is number A25. A ticket purchased 2 months ago for GMA is A28.  The 3 tickets that I added middle name to are A32, 33, 34. So it seems we were moved down but not very far.  Maybe there weren't many EBCI purchases? This is not a flight to orlando.


----------



## shoreward

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Friendly reminder that *Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur on Thursday August 15th*.
> 
> This schedule release was pushed back twice in early July (it was originally supposed to occur on July 10th). Currently SW is offering flights through 1/5/20 and this release (when it finally occurs) will take their schedule out to 3/6/20.
> I would stay posted on this however, as it could change at any time. They have been known to move this date up with very little notice.


With the grounding of the MAX8 aircraft extended into 2020, Southwest needs to not only rework Q1 of 2020, but also the last couple of months of 2019.  So, we shall see how long that takes.


----------



## Livelovedance

jerseygal said:


> Hope that you got your price decrease processed!





mamamelody2 said:


> Yep, this has happened to me a couple times recently.  Including just last night.  So annoying!  It is a small difference in points, so I haven't called about it (I HATE making calls) but if it goes down more, I'll bite the bullet and make the call.


Mine is a decrease of a little over 400 points. I’m not 100% sure we’ll even be taking this flight (a potential conflict has come up, but it’s not definite yet so I’m holding onto the flight for now). I’ve already called and changed the flight a few times with bigger decreases, and to be honest I just didn’t feel like calling this time. I’ve continued to randomly try online but I keep getting the same error message. Like @mamamelody2, if the price decrease gets bigger I’ll call, but I feel a little guilty frequently calling about this flight that we might not be taking. It’d be so much easier if the app and/or website would work...


----------



## jerseygal

Livelovedance said:


> Mine is a decrease of a little over 400 points. I’m not 100% sure we’ll even be taking this flight (a potential conflict has come up, but it’s not definite yet so I’m holding onto the flight for now). I’ve already called and changed the flight a few times with bigger decreases, and to be honest I just didn’t feel like calling this time. I’ve continued to randomly try online but I keep getting the same error message. Like @mamamelody2, if the price decrease gets bigger I’ll call, but I feel a little guilty frequently calling about this flight that we might not be taking. It’d be so much easier if the app and/or website would work...


Hope that you can take your trip!


----------



## Livelovedance

jerseygal said:


> Hope that you can take your trip!


Thank you! Luckily the conflict is a positive one, so we’ll be pleased either way!


----------



## shoreward

If you don't have TSA PreCheck, but have been thinking of signing up, you can use 9,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points to pay the fee; that will cover five years of PreCheck.  This offer only is valid for Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmembers.
The normal cost is $85 for five years of PreCheck.

https://www.1.awardhq.com/24468SWA0SWARR/product/_/A-05128


----------



## scrappinginontario

shoreward said:


> If you don't have TSA PreCheck, but have been thinking of signing up, you can use 9,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points to pay the fee; that will cover five years of PreCheck.  This offer only is valid for Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmembers.
> The normal cost is $85 for five years of PreCheck.
> 
> https://www.1.awardhq.com/24468SWA0SWARR/product/_/A-05128


9000 points is a lot of points.  I think you get more bang for your buck if you pay the $85.  

I just looked online and a $99 trip would only cost me 5,515 points.  Paying cash for TSA PreCheck is definitely better than paying for it with points.


----------



## shoreward

scrappinginontario said:


> 9000 points is a lot of points.  I think you get more bang for your buck if you pay the $85.
> 
> I just looked online and a $99 trip would only cost me 5,515 points.  Paying cash for TSA PreCheck is definitely better than paying for it with points.


They are many out there who have hundreds of thousand of RR points sitting in their accounts (I know someone like that).  They are those who fly on the more expensive BS fares for business travel and have A+ status; their balances continue to build, as they don't fly on points.  The More Rewards selections offer ways for them to make use of those points.  In the past, when I had a sizeable RR balance and elite status, I cashed in points for Disney gift cards and was happy with my transaction.

There are also those who have no travel planned, before their points expire.  The More Rewards options work for those customers, as well.

Cashing in points for something other than flights is not for everyone, but there are those who make good use of the option.


----------



## scrappinginontario

shoreward said:


> They are many out there who have hundreds of thousand of RR points sitting in their accounts (I know someone like that).  They are those who fly on the more expensive BS fares for business travel and have A+ status; their balances continue to build, as they don't fly on points.  The More Rewards selections offer ways for them to make use of those points.  In the past, when I had a sizeable RR balance and elite status, I cashed in points for Disney gift cards and was happy with my transaction.
> 
> There are also those who have no travel planned, before their points expire.  The More Rewards options work for those customers, as well.
> 
> Cashing in points for something other than flights is not for everyone, but there are those who make good use of the option.


It could be but for people you describe I'm sure they already have TSA-Pre (frequent fliers at least).

I was just trying to point out that dollar for dollar, this is not a good choice for using points.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

scrappinginontario said:


> 9000 points is a lot of points.  I think you get more bang for your buck if you pay the $85.
> 
> I just looked online and a $99 trip would only cost me 5,515 points.  Paying cash for TSA PreCheck is definitely better than paying for it with points.





shoreward said:


> They are many out there who have hundreds of thousand of RR points sitting in their accounts (I know someone like that).  They are those who fly on the more expensive BS fares for business travel and have A+ status; their balances continue to build, as they don't fly on points.  The More Rewards selections offer ways for them to make use of those points.  In the past, when I had a sizeable RR balance and elite status, I cashed in points for Disney gift cards and was happy with my transaction.
> 
> There are also those who have no travel planned, before their points expire.  The More Rewards options work for those customers, as well.
> 
> Cashing in points for something other than flights is not for everyone, but there are those who make good use of the option.


I agree with both of you.

Points-wise SWA isn't very good IME with these types of things meaning redemption (including transfering and purchasing of points) on non-flights. That said it will def. work for some who just don't want to pay cash for whatever reason. 

Maybe they only have 9,000 pts (or roughly that) and feel it's more worth it that way or yes maybe they have a ton of points to burn. That said my husband has 305,000 RR PTS in his account and counting and even though he's got points to burn we're hoarders and wouldn't see the value paying for TSA Precheck with points because we'd rather use that 9,000 towards a flight in the future. But again I do think there are people who would see the value in it


----------



## Letsbgoofy

My flight fare went down and I received a credit.  Can I use that credit to pay for Early Bird check in?


----------



## scrappinginontario

Letsbgoofy said:


> My flight fare went down and I received a credit.  Can I use that credit to pay for Early Bird check in?


 unfortunately no.  You may not use this credit to purchase EBCI.


----------



## MarBee

Just got an email from SW about a sale on buying points.  However, every time I price out the amount for points versus how much the flight costs, it’s way cheaper to pay cash.  For instance, a flight that costs 9,700 points would be $178.50 to buy 10,000 points with the 35% off sale.  The flight only costs $148 paying cash though. 
Is this typical?


----------



## shoreward

MarBee said:


> Just got an email from SW about a sale on buying points.  However, every time I price out the amount for points versus how much the flight costs, it’s way cheaper to pay cash.  For instance, a flight that costs 9,700 points would be $178.50 to buy 10,000 points with the 35% off sale.  The flight only costs $148 paying cash though.
> Is this typical?


Yes - purchasing points are never a good value, unless you need a small number just to top off your points balance to purchase a ticket.


----------



## mom2rose&john

Does anyone know the current price of Early Bird Check In for your flight? I am flying Buf to MCO during President's week break .  I am currently anticipating the flights to open for Feb 2020 and am curious about what to purchase.  Over the summer it was $25 per one way to purchase EBCI for my wanna get away flight from BUF to MCO and another $25 returning.  I am flying over a high demand time and have a funny feeling that the Wanna Get Away fares will be blocked.  If I purchase the Business select (because Priority seating is included) would be cheaper vs. Anytime and purchasing EBCI?  TIA


----------



## shoreward

mom2rose&john said:


> Does anyone know the current price of Early Bird Check In for your flight? I am flying Buf to MCO during President's week break .  I am currently anticipating the flights to open for Feb 2020 and am curious about what to purchase.  Over the summer it was $25 per one way to purchase EBCI for my wanna get away flight from BUF to MCO and another $25 returning.  I am flying over a high demand time and have a funny feeling that the Wanna Get Away fares will be blocked.  If I purchase the Business select (because Priority seating is included) would be cheaper vs. Anytime and purchasing EBCI?  TIA



I would count on EBCI being $25 each way, until they raise the cost again.

If you want to purchase WGA tickets, I suggest that you purchase on August 15, when the schedule is supposed to be extended into March 2020 (subject to change, as Southwest always says).  There are those who sit at their computers before dawn, waiting for the extended schedule to be released for booking.

BS and Anytime fares are extremely high in cost and not worth booking just to get a better boarding position.  Usually, you can purchase upgraded boarding positions (quasi BS) at the gate for about $40-$50, subject to availability.  That will assign you A-1 - A-15.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

mom2rose&john said:


> Does anyone know the current price of Early Bird Check In for your flight? I am flying Buf to MCO during President's week break .  I am currently anticipating the flights to open for Feb 2020 and am curious about what to purchase.  Over the summer it was $25 per one way to purchase EBCI for my wanna get away flight from BUF to MCO and another $25 returning.  I am flying over a high demand time and have a funny feeling that the Wanna Get Away fares will be blocked.  If I purchase the Business select (because Priority seating is included) would be cheaper vs. Anytime and purchasing EBCI?  TIA


It can vary from $15-$25 per person per way as SWA went to dynamic pricing on EBCI not too long ago-I believe factors such as demand for EBCI and route play into the costs.

It does appear anecdotally here on the Boards $25 is the more common amount.


----------



## focusondisney

mom2rose&john said:


> Does anyone know the current price of Early Bird Check In for your flight? I am flying Buf to MCO during President's week break .  I am currently anticipating the flights to open for Feb 2020 and am curious about what to purchase.  Over the summer it was $25 per one way to purchase EBCI for my wanna get away flight from BUF to MCO and another $25 returning.  I am flying over a high demand time and have a funny feeling that the Wanna Get Away fares will be blocked.  If I purchase the Business select (because Priority seating is included) would be cheaper vs. Anytime and purchasing EBCI?  TIA



We fly from Buffalo to Orlando a few times a year. EBCI to Orlando is always $25.


----------



## scrappinginontario

focusondisney said:


> We fly from Buffalo to Orlando a few times a year. EBCI to Orlando is always $25.


Same here.  I’ve never seen anything other than $25 EBCI for the BUF-MCO route.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*Friendly reminder that Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur on THIS Thursday August 15th.*

This schedule release was pushed back twice in early July (it was originally supposed to occur on July 10th). Currently SW is offering flights through 1/5/20 and this release (when it finally occurs) will take their schedule out to 3/6/20.
_In my experience, flights typically go “live” between 7am and 9am Eastern. The last release actually did not go live on the main search screen until 9:20am Eastern._


----------



## Duck143

SouthFayetteFan said:


> *Friendly reminder that Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur on THIS Thursday August 15th.*
> 
> This schedule release was pushed back twice in early July (it was originally supposed to occur on July 10th). Currently SW is offering flights through 1/5/20 and this release (when it finally occurs) will take their schedule out to 3/6/20.
> _In my experience, flights typically go “live” between 7am and 9am Eastern. The last release actually did not go live on the main search screen until 9:20am Eastern._


I've been waiting for this release myself!  It did give us another month to earn SW points, so that was a bonus.  I'm hoping they release closer to 7am.  Has anyone had any experience with them releasing earlier than 7am?


----------



## SaintsManiac

I just got a $408 credit back on my flight out of Orlando. Check your flights!!!


----------



## Livelovedance

Duck143 said:


> I've been waiting for this release myself!  It did give us another month to earn SW points, so that was a bonus.  I'm hoping they release closer to 7am.  Has anyone had any experience with them releasing earlier than 7am?


I have flight confirmations from the March 15th release that were emailed to me at 6:20am.


----------



## Duck143

Livelovedance said:


> I have flight confirmations from the March 15th release that were emailed to me at 6:20am.


Did the flights go on sale at 6:20am?


----------



## TheMick424

What is the best way to search on release day?  Assuming you should login first, and then search from the main page?  I've had trouble in the past getting the flights to appear depending on which screen I start from, so hoping to learn from others who may be more frequent users.


----------



## scrappinginontario

TheMick424 said:


> What is the best way to search on release day?  Assuming you should login first, and then search from the main page?  I've had trouble in the past getting the flights to appear depending on which screen I start from, so hoping to learn from others who may be more frequent users.


In the past  we've found that they often update the fare calendar first so you may wish to look there first.

On the main page, click here:


On the next page enter your 2 airports.   Personally, after that I just click 'Search' and scroll over to see what months are displayed.  I've found in the past that I can see new flight openings here and get to those flights when I can't find them by searching the regular way.

Hope this helps!


----------



## TheMick424

scrappinginontario said:


> In the past  we've found that they often update the fare calendar first so you may wish to look there first.
> 
> On the main page, click here:
> View attachment 425653
> 
> On the next page enter your 2 airports.   Personally, after that I just click 'Search' and scroll over to see what months are displayed.  I've found in the past that I can see new flight openings here and get to those flights when I can't find them by searching the regular way.
> 
> Hope this helps!


Thank you!!


----------



## babyruth

scrappinginontario said:


> In the past  we've found that they often update the fare calendar first so you may wish to look there first.
> 
> On the main page, click here:
> View attachment 425653
> 
> On the next page enter your 2 airports.   Personally, after that I just click 'Search' and scroll over to see what months are displayed.  I've found in the past that I can see new flight openings here and get to those flights when I can't find them by searching the regular way.
> 
> Hope this helps!



Good advice! Thanks!!!


----------



## DisArmyWife215

I changed my flight to an earlier time and it dropped my EBCI. It didn't alert me it was going to change anything and I just happened to see a statement about buying the A1-A15 so I called about that.  They said it was because I changed the flight and the refund was already processed that day. I could buy the EBCI again but it would be today's date and not from the 2.5 months earlier when I originally booked. I passed.

Has this happened to anyone else? I'm wondering if I call back and talk to a supervisor can they back date the EBCI or would I just be told the same thing?


----------



## scrappinginontario

DisArmyWife215 said:


> I changed my flight to an earlier time and it dropped my EBCI. It didn't alert me it was going to change anything and I just happened to see a statement about buying the A1-A15 so I called about that.  They said it was because I changed the flight and the refund was already processed that day. I could buy the EBCI again but it would be today's date and not from the 2.5 months earlier when I originally booked. I passed.
> 
> Has this happened to anyone else? I'm wondering if I call back and talk to a supervisor can they back date the EBCI or would I just be told the same thing?


My understanding (and someone, please correct me if I'm wrong) is that when you change a flight, your EBCI gets moved as if you'd purchased it that date too, not your original purchase date.  I've never had it 'drop' my EBCI if I change my flights though.  Did you keep the same reservation number or were you assigned a new reservation number?

Regardless of which happened, my understanding is that your EBCI date would change to the date you moved your reservation so you'd be no further behind to purchase it today than you would have been if they'd moved it along with your reservation.


----------



## DisArmyWife215

scrappinginontario said:


> My understanding (and someone, please correct me if I'm wrong) is that when you change a flight, your EBCI gets moved as if you'd purchased it that date too, not your original purchase date.  I've never had it 'drop' my EBCI if I change my flights though.  Did you keep the same reservation number or were you assigned a new reservation number?
> 
> Regardless of which happened, my understanding is that your EBCI date would change to the date you moved your reservation so you'd be no further behind to purchase it today than you would have been if they'd moved it along with your reservation.


I had no idea if you changed your flight your EBCI would change dates! I hope that is wrong as I was forced to change our departure return date due to the 787 fiasco still ongoing.  Our reservation number did not change.  And to clarify I'm still departing the same day just at a different time.


----------



## scrappinginontario

DisArmyWife215 said:


> I had no idea if you changed your flight your EBCI would change dates! I hope that is wrong as I was forced to change our departure return date due to the 787 fiasco still ongoing.  Our reservation number did not change.  And to clarify I'm still departing the same day just at a different time.


Did they cancel your original return flight?  Or, did they give you the option to change it if you wish?


----------



## DisArmyWife215

scrappinginontario said:


> Did they cancel your original return flight?  Or, did they give you the option to change it if you wish?


They gave me the option to cancel or change. I'm sure if I didn't change it they would have just cancelled it eventually.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

DisArmyWife215 said:


> I changed my flight to an earlier time and it dropped my EBCI. It didn't alert me it was going to change anything and I just happened to see a statement about buying the A1-A15 so I called about that.  They said it was because I changed the flight and the refund was already processed that day. I could buy the EBCI again but it would be today's date and not from the 2.5 months earlier when I originally booked. I passed.
> 
> Has this happened to anyone else? I'm wondering if I call back and talk to a supervisor can they back date the EBCI or would I just be told the same thing?


I have a clarifying comment:

Regarding A1-A15 statement that's for purchasing Business Select Fare OR Upgraded Boarding (purchased at the gate subject to availability). That is NOT the same as purchasing EBCI.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

In general EBCI is supposed to transfer over to the updated reservation though I have heard every now and then it was dropped for one reason or another.

In terms of a refund--what fare did you purchase? If it was WGA were they meaning the travel credit was processed that day? The cost of EBCI isn't refundable so I'm kinda confused on what they meant by refund there. Also I would mention that there have been a once or twice where my husband thought he purchased EBCI but didn't actually do it--meaning he never had any confirmation on any of his documents/e-mails nor was charged for EBCI. I only mention that to make sure you did indeed purchase it just in case it was like my husband where he forgot to fully go through with the EBCI purchasing process.

I do agree with the PP on average people have been reporting that when a flight is changed (whether reduction in price or different flight) the clock if you will is reset.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Remind me how much it is to purchase upgraded boarding (subject to availability, of course)?

EDIT: Answered my own question: $30, 40, or 50, depending on your itinerary.
https://www.southwest.com/html/travel-experience/boarding-the-plane.html


----------



## DisArmyWife215

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I have a clarifying comment:
> 
> Regarding A1-A15 statement that's for purchasing Business Select Fare OR Upgraded Boarding (purchased at the gate subject to availability). That is NOT the same as purchasing EBCI.
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> In general EBCI is supposed to transfer over to the updated reservation though I have heard every now and then it was dropped for one reason or another.
> 
> In terms of a refund--what fare did you purchase? If it was WGA were they meaning the travel credit was processed that day? The cost of EBCI isn't refundable so I'm kinda confused on what they meant by refund there. Also I would mention that there have been a once or twice where my husband thought he purchased EBCI but didn't actually do it--meaning he never had any confirmation on any of his documents/e-mails nor was charged for EBCI. I only mention that to make sure you did indeed purchase it just in case it was like my husband where he forgot to fully go through with the EBCI purchasing process.
> 
> I do agree with the PP on average people have been reporting that when a flight is changed (whether reduction in price or different flight) the clock if you will is reset.



I did purchase the WGA fair, which is why I was super confused when they lady said the refund was already processed that day.  She didn't specify how the refund was done so I honestly don't know, it was late and I was tired  I haven't seen it hit either my credit card or RR in a travel credit.  Guess I'll have to just call them back after work.

I think with all these reports I'm not going purchase them going forward.  We flew to Baltimore just a few weeks ago and I didn't purchase them cause it was a month out and I figured why bother. I got A60 and my daughter B1 and it was a sold out flight.  Don't think they are worth the price if they don't put a cap on how many they sell.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

DisArmyWife215 said:


> I did purchase the WGA fair, which is why I was super confused when they lady said the refund was already processed that day.  She didn't specify how the refund was done so I honestly don't know, it was late and I was tired  I haven't seen it hit either my credit card or RR in a travel credit.  Guess I'll have to just call them back after work.
> 
> I think with all these reports I'm not going purchase them going forward.  We flew to Baltimore just a few weeks ago and I didn't purchase them cause it was a month out and I figured why bother. I got A60 and my daughter B1 and it was a sold out flight.  Don't think they are worth the price if they don't put a cap on how many they sell.


If you purchased the flights via cash for your WGA fare it would have been a travel credit for your account not posted to your method of payment. I'm completely guessing but she may have meant then that your travel credit for the change was already processed if that was the way you paid. Travel credits are basically tracked through a confirmation number (they don't really make it easy to keep track of those honestly).

If you purchased in RR points it would have been refunded back as RR points to your account.

You might take a look at your e-mails you've been sent from the time you purchased your flight to the time you changed your flight to see if you can piece together at least some things.

In either case I know it can be super frustrating!


----------



## DisArmyWife215

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> If you purchased the flights via cash for your WGA fare it would have been a travel credit for your account not posted to your method of payment. I'm completely guessing but she may have meant then that your travel credit for the change was already processed if that was the way you paid. Travel credits are basically tracked through a confirmation number (they don't really make it easy to keep track of those honestly).
> 
> If you purchased in RR points it would have been refunded back as RR points to your account.
> 
> You might take a look at your e-mails you've been sent from the time you purchased your flight to the time you changed your flight to see if you can piece together at least some things.
> 
> In either case I know it can be super frustrating!


The plot thickens....I called on my lunch. They claim I cancelled the EBCI when I switched our flight time and due to that they are issuing a refund to my credit card used to purchase the flight.  I call bull on that cause they specifically tell you otherwise when you buy EBCI.  I blame a SW glitch and think the morale of this story is for everyone to check their EBCI cause SW is screwy!! Guess I'll see if I get a cc refund in the next week. Thanks all!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

DisArmyWife215 said:


> The plot thickens....I called on my lunch. They claim I cancelled the EBCI when I switched our flight time and due to that they are issuing a refund to my credit card used to purchase the flight.  I call bull on that cause they specifically tell you otherwise when you buy EBCI.  I blame a SW glitch and think the morale of this story is for everyone to check their EBCI cause SW is screwy!! Guess I'll see if I get a cc refund in the next week. Thanks all!


Sorry all that happened!


----------



## Lisa F

scrappinginontario said:


> In the past  we've found that they often update the fare calendar first so you may wish to look there first.
> 
> On the main page, click here:
> View attachment 425653
> 
> On the next page enter your 2 airports.   Personally, after that I just click 'Search' and scroll over to see what months are displayed.  I've found in the past that I can see new flight openings here and get to those flights when I can't find them by searching the regular way.
> 
> Hope this helps!


thank you for posting that reminder!  When you posted it I remembered I'd seen it before but I had ENTIRELY forgotten until you reposted.  Another person eagerly awaiting the schedule to open up, right now Boston -> MCO for my dates is over $1500 for 2 for any decent times.  Rather fly out of PVD anyway and have $400 on SW gift cards to use.  Super eager to book!  I suspect other fares will come down once SW opens up too.


----------



## Livelovedance

Duck143 said:


> Did the flights go on sale at 6:20am?


They must've gone on sale at 6:00 or a little after, because the prices were higher than I anticipated so I had to transfer more points from my credit card to SW first before I could book. I had finished booking our flight and received the email confirmation at 6:20.


----------



## Duck143

Livelovedance said:


> They must've gone on sale at 6:00 or a little after, because the prices were higher than I anticipated so I had to transfer more points from my credit card to SW first before I could book. I had finished booking our flight and received the email confirmation at 6:20.


Ok!   Does anyone know if there is any notification you can get from southwest when they go onsale?  They used to have some sort of a 'ding' app or something? Does it only work for specials and not for when they list new travel dates?  
I may just have to click refresh like a lunatic, like usual....


----------



## mfly

Duck143 said:


> Ok!   Does anyone know if there is any notification you can get from southwest when they go onsale?  They used to have some sort of a 'ding' app or something? Does it only work for specials and not for when they list new travel dates?
> I may just have to click refresh like a lunatic, like usual....


In the past, I’ve done a texting group with fellow dis-ers to notify each other when things like this go live. I’m not interested in the release this time, but maybe some of you who are could exchange numbers and contact the group when it goes live. I know some people just can’t keep constantly refreshing/checking here, so it’s nice to help them out.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Lately it appears not all flights go up at the same time.  They seem to open different airports at different times.  May not be very long between releases but it doesn’t seem to be a one and done either.


----------



## mcd2745

FWIW....I had to call SW a few minutes ago as I was having trouble logging in to my account (in preparation for the release). The person who helped me said the release would not be until 9:15am central time. I'll still be checking relentlessly until it happens.


----------



## TheMick424

mcd2745 said:


> FWIW....I had to call SW a few minutes ago as I was having trouble logging in to my account (in preparation for the release). The person who helped me said the release would not be until 9:15am central time. I'll still be checking relentlessly until it happens.


Thanks for the heads up. I am also checking but no luck yet


----------



## Lisa F

mcd2745 said:


> FWIW....I had to call SW a few minutes ago as I was having trouble logging in to my account (in preparation for the release). The person who helped me said the release would not be until 9:15am central time. I'll still be checking relentlessly until it happens.


geez I hope not!  I'll be on a stupid ferry  I will have to bring my work laptop and phone to use for wifi if that is the case... unless I can do it on the app. Does anyone have any experience with that?


----------



## shoreward

Lisa F said:


> geez I hope not!  I'll be on a stupid ferry  I will have to bring my work laptop and phone to use for wifi if that is the case... unless I can do it on the app. Does anyone have any experience with that?


You can book on the app.


----------



## scrappinginontario

mcd2745 said:


> FWIW....I had to call SW a few minutes ago as I was having trouble logging in to my account (in preparation for the release). The person who helped me said the release would not be until 9:15am central time. I'll still be checking relentlessly until it happens.


I would take this info with a grain of salt and keep checking.  Generally the agents have no better idea of actual release time than we do.


----------



## TheMick424

scrappinginontario said:


> I would take this info with a grain of salt and keep checking.  Generally the agents have no better idea of actual release time than we do.


Definitely wearing out my mouse clicking to refresh over here. Lol! I certainly hope it is earlier than 10 EST!


----------



## shoreward

Tweets from @SouthwestAir regarding today's schedule release:



> We're hoping the schedule update will be completed sometime around ten this morning.


and


> The schedule will be rolling out in increments throughout the day


----------



## Lisa F

Nothing like waiting til the last minute.  It's delayed over a month and they are still working on it this morning???


----------



## scrappinginontario

Lisa F said:


> Nothing like waiting til the last minute.  It's delayed over a month and they are still working on it this morning???


The updates are ready to go and have probably been tested many times in lower, test environments.  They’re not tweaking, but just running s series of many, many jobs that it takes to update a website.  Behind the scenes it’s an extremely complicated web of table updates and jobs running to produce what we see in front of us.


----------



## shoreward

Lisa F said:


> Nothing like waiting til the last minute.  It's delayed over a month and they are still working on it this morning???


I believe that the continuing delays with getting the MAX8 aircraft approved to fly, again, have contributed to the status of the schedule extension.


----------



## TheMick424

Call me a skeptic, but I’m sure the phased rollout is intentional to maximize their bottom line in certain markets. Unfortunately some are more captive than others. Sigh...


----------



## Lisa F

shoreward said:


> I believe that the continuing delays with getting the MAX8 aircraft approved to fly, again, have contributed to the status of the schedule extension.


yes it is easier (and probably more prudent) to delay the schedule extension than it is to book people then have to change it all after being booked.  

It's tough for me, I am going to be in a bad cell area waiting to get on a ferry around 10-10:30am, I'm planning to use gift cards etc.  I was really hoping to have this done before all of that.


----------



## jcarwash

For what it's worth, my notes from the last extension on May 30, 2019:
8:20am ET still no extension
9:10am ET flights through Nov. 30, 2019 appeared on Low Fare Calendar only
9:20am ET all pages updated with calendars through January 5, 2020


----------



## shoreward

And another @SouthwestAir tweet:



> Our schedule is rolling out in increments and should be complete by mid morning


----------



## Lisa F

jcarwash said:


> For what it's worth, my notes from the last extension on May 30, 2019:
> 8:20am ET still no extension
> 9:10am ET flights through Nov. 30, 2019 appeared on Low Fare Calendar only
> 9:20am ET all pages updated with calendars through January 5, 2020


that timing would work better for me.  I'm hoping 10am is eastern time and it's also an overly safe time and they will start rolling stuff out earlier!  fingers crossed!  I am in the middle of a super important thing at work - anyone want to book my tickets for me? lol


----------



## Trinity88

I'm watching this morning too!  Do you know, do I have to refresh the page, or can I have my info entered and just keep checking the dates?


----------



## katallo

Are there any benefits booking senior fares?  Is pricing usually the same?


----------



## sunflowerblooms

Grrr.  I had plans this morning. LOL. I was assuming they'd release by now.  Oh well. Hopefully the nonstop flight from the first choice airport at the times I want will be there when they release tickets.


----------



## shoreward

Senior fares are fully refundable, but almost always higher in cost than WGA fares.  It's a better deal if the lowest fare category, WGA, is sold out.


----------



## katallo

Thanks.  I was wondering.  I might check price for senior and then WGA


----------



## Iowamomof4

Joining in on the wait, though for our airport it usually doesn't pay to book on day 1 as they often have lower prices later on. We haven't even booked our Disney trip yet (going end of January, hopefully) as I've been waiting for flight information AND new discounts to come out.


----------



## Lisa F

@Iowamomof4 sent you a pm


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Iowamomof4 said:


> Joining in on the wait, though for our airport it usually doesn't pay to book on day 1 as they often have lower prices later on. We haven't even booked our Disney trip yet (going end of January, hopefully) as I've been waiting for flight information AND new discounts to come out.


We are also going end of January.  It felt very strange to book my dining reservations before my flights LOL!  I’m used to waiting to book the hotel for the discounts.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Is it just me or do these releases appear to be happening later in the morning than they did in the past?  @SouthFayetteFan, do you track stats like that?  You're our go-to around here for great SW stats and info!!


----------



## Lisa F

SouthFayetteFan said:


> We are also going end of January.  It felt very strange to book my dining reservations before my flights LOL!  I’m used to waiting to book the hotel for the discounts.


I'm going in february the week AFTER president's week (flying down thursday and back the 29th) but there are very few direct flights out of PVD (my preferred airport) beyond southwest and one flight a day from jet blue, but right now out of boston flights are ridiculous (like $1500 round trip for two).  I typically pay $500-550 on SW.  This whole thing has me very anxious, I have a cruise booked!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

scrappinginontario said:


> Is it just me or do these releases appear to be happening later in the morning than they did in the past?  @SouthFayetteFan, do you track stats like that?  You're our go-to around here for great SW stats and info!!


I think the schedule release process has changed with this new computer system and I am also seeing a pattern of later releases although I haven’t been tracking the exact time EXCEPT for the last release which occurred at 9:20.


----------



## wisblue

Still stalking SW site looking to book for Marathon weekend.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Man - if I didn't love Southwest so much, I'd be frustrated right now, lol.  

Somehow I'm still sitting here excited to see what flight times look like for our trip like a kid waiting at the top of the stairs on Christmas morning... Yup, I'm weird!


----------



## MickeyWaffles

SouthFayetteFan said:


> We are also going end of January.  It felt very strange to book my dining reservations before my flights LOL!  I’m used to waiting to book the hotel for the discounts.



Same! I’ve never booked dining before flights. Impatiently waiting this morning ... I’m hoping for a really late flight home on our departure day so we can have time in the morning to pack up, go to a later breakfast ADR and still have a good chunk of time to do a few FP and enjoy the parks before DME picks up. Fingers crossed.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Ok... now I'm getting loopy.  I've started talking to the screen while it refreshes...
_"Give Daddy what he wants...c'mon..."_​​Hopefully my wife doesn't come down, she might get worried about my relationship with Southwest...
_"It's Jake from Southwest"_​_"She sounds hideous..."_​​_ 

   _


----------



## sunflowerblooms

I have no patience. I just booked a back up flight on another airline.  Preferred time and non-stop (BOS to MCO) just not preferred airport and the price $346 per ticket was too good to pass up. I have until tomorrow at midnight to cancel.  Since our travel time is winter break for NH schools this feels like a good decision.  Still hoping for nonstop MHT to MCO.  OK now back to refreshing Southwest website and app.


----------



## TheMick424

sunflowerblooms said:


> I have no patience. I just booked a back up flight on another airline.  Preferred time and non-stop (BOS to MCO) just not preferred airport and the price $346 per ticket was too good to pass up. I have until tomorrow at midnight to cancel.  Since our travel time is winter break for NH schools this feels like a good decision.  Still hoping for nonstop MHT to MCO.  OK now back to refreshing Southwest website and app.



I’m debating the same


----------



## Iowamomof4

10:00 eastern and still no schedule. Wow.


----------



## georgina

I'm giving them 15 more minutes then I have to go out. I will be looking to book on mobile I guess.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Iowamomof4 said:


> 10:00 eastern and still no schedule. Wow.


@scrappinginontario - I think we are entering rare air here.  I believe I only recall once that this lingered beyond 11am - there was a strange botched release 2-3 years ago that actually went into the afternoon and came out in pieces.


----------



## NOLA_Tink

Last time, they released flights there was also a glitch and flights were only available via the low-fare calendar for the first 10 minutes.  (I had to book for that cycle for our Thanksgiving trip and now I'm finding myself in the same anxious state to get great marathon weekend flights, lol.)


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*Things are moving...

I'd expect to see flights VERY soon!*


----------



## Just take my money

sunflowerblooms said:


> I have no patience. I just booked a back up flight on another airline.  Preferred time and non-stop (BOS to MCO) just not preferred airport and the price $346 per ticket was too good to pass up. I have until tomorrow at midnight to cancel.  Since our travel time is winter break for NH schools this feels like a good decision.  Still hoping for nonstop MHT to MCO.  OK now back to refreshing Southwest website and app.


When it finally opens try PVD to MCO on SW to save major $$. We've been priced out of MHT to MCO for school vacation week starting maybe 3 years ago.


----------



## Iowamomof4

It has begun! They are starting to roll out dates now!


----------



## mcd2745

I'm seeing sporadic fares listed now in the low fare calendar for the rest of January. Nothing beyond that yet, and it's not every day in Jan. but a positive sign.


----------



## sunflowerblooms

Just take my money said:


> When it finally opens try PVD to MCO on SW to save major $$. We've been priced out of MHT to MCO for school vacation week starting maybe 3 years ago.


I will. That's a two hour drive for us. We used to fly Norwegian Air to Dublin from there. I love that airport because is so compact but it would have to be a huge money saver for us!


----------



## scrappinginontario

*It's starting!!!

Low fare calendar starting to be populated for January (Buffalo - Orlando routes)*


----------



## NOLA_Tink

They're open via low fare calendar right now!


----------



## Just take my money

sunflowerblooms said:


> I will. That's a two hour drive for us. We used to fly Norwegian Air to Dublin from there. I love that airport because is so compact but it would have to be a huge money saver for us!


It was enough savings for us to give up the Nashua to MHT commute, but we were purchasing for 5.


----------



## sunflowerblooms

Just take my money said:


> It was enough savings for us to give up the Nashua to MHT commute, but we were purchasing for 5.


The 5 tickets does make a huge difference for decision making. We are two tickets so our calculations are a little different.  But the Nashua MHT commute is a thing of beauty when it all works out!


----------



## mcd2745

NOLA_Tink said:


> They're open via low fare calendar right now!




past january? only seeing jan so far.


----------



## dez1978

nothing for me yet.


----------



## cmarsh31

Nothing for ALB yet. Sigh.


----------



## jcarwash

NOLA_Tink said:


> They're open via low fare calendar right now!



At the moment I'm seeing dates to MCO through January 31, 2020 on the Low Fare Calendar. Not seeing dates through March 6 yet.


----------



## Trinity88

Same, only seeing Jan so far


----------



## wisblue

Nothing for me yet from MKE to MCO.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

What a rush...just booked 8 one-way flights using points.  (I still do it that way for ultimate flexibility).

52,787 points and $44.80 has our family of 4 headed to Disney at our preferred times


----------



## JStu

wisblue said:


> Nothing for me yet from MKE to MCO.



through January 31 is available via low fare calendar MKE-MCO....but not Feb/March yet...


----------



## TheMick424

Where is February?????


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

TheMick424 said:


> Where is February?????


It comes after January...


----------



## Livelovedance

I don't see anything past January 5th yet


----------



## dez1978

Done! woohoo!  Total of 89.xx after points.


----------



## MarBee

Livelovedance said:


> I don't see anything past January 5th yet


I can only see it via the low fare calendar


----------



## Iowamomof4

Oof, the MCO > DSM flight schedule sucks. No afternoon/evening flights on any day other than Sunday! Now we have to decide if it's worth it to drive over to Omaha.


----------



## sunflowerblooms

Livelovedance said:


> I don't see anything past January 5th yet


Same. Are folks booking via app or website?


----------



## babyruth

dying. come on february.


----------



## mcd2745

i got Feb using this trick! this will work for one-way fares. Go into the low fare calendar for Jan and pick any date, then in the URL, change the the numbers of the date to the one you want and hit enter.


----------



## jcarwash

10:39am seeing updated calendars through March 6, 2020, all over Southwest, including the Low Fare Calendar plus the Travel Tools page update: "We are currently accepting air reservations through March 6, 2020. On September 26, 2019 we will open our schedule for sale through April 13, 2020. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently."


----------



## Buddy40

Only thru Jan 31 via the low fare calendar.  Waiting for Feb....

Ok, now I see it.  Full schedule posted.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*FYI - Southwest extended their schedule this morning for flights through March 6th, 2020.*

Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment:

*NEXT RELEASE: 9/26/19 - travel through April 13th, 2020*
8/15/19 - travel through March 6th, 2020
5/30/19 - travel through January 5th, 2020
3/15/19 - travel through November 2nd, 2019
1/31/19 - travel through October 1st, 2019
11/15/18 - travel through August 5th, 2019
9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019
8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
*This chart could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above).*

*RELEASE TIMES:*

The release on 5/30/19 went live at 9:20am.
The release on 8/15/19 went live at 10:41am.
If you want to search back for this post in the future - just search my name and "release".  You could also bookmark this comment on the new DIS somehow (or so I heard).


----------



## dez1978

sunflowerblooms said:


> Same. Are folks booking via app or website?


website.  I went in thru the low fares calendar


----------



## indyannamom

Got my January flights, but only can see through the low fare calendar...and it was super glitchy to book


----------



## JStu

check low fare calendar.  MKE - MCO just opened through March 5 minutes ago for me.  5 round trip tickets using miles, only $56!


----------



## Trinity88

Got my Feb flights! Happy with the price and the times.  I didn't buy EBCI for the first time ever since it's just DH and I travelling.  I figure we can check in right at 24 hours and probably sit together.  If not, we'll live if we have to sit apart.


----------



## sunflowerblooms

dez1978 said:


> website.  I went in thru the low fares calendar


thanks. Perfect. Worked for Feb date now waiting for Mar 1 date.


----------



## shoreward

The lowest fares are getting snapped up by the minute.  It is like a feeding frenzy!


----------



## mcd2745

Insane. the flight down I got for 14,271 pts per person. It already jumped first to 26,896, and now already sold out for WGA fares. our return flight already went from 12,312 pts to 26,986 and also sold out.


----------



## Buddy40

WGA fares already sold out for my return date.  After being on sale for only 5 minutes.  How possible??


----------



## sunflowerblooms

Well I am thankful I booked my "back up" flight with preferred times and non-stop but different airport, different airline because the pricing from preferred airport plus flight times did not work out for us.  Good luck to everyone else today.


----------



## NOLA_Tink

That happened to us a few months ago. Then, this week the WGA became available again.


----------



## Livelovedance

Finally done! The website was very glitchy, I kept getting a blank screen! I booked one way on the website and the other on the app.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Anybody seeing Max planes on this schedule release?  I haven't checked much, just wondering if they're still including them in the initial schedule release.


----------



## Lisa F

sunflowerblooms said:


> I have no patience. I just booked a back up flight on another airline.  Preferred time and non-stop (BOS to MCO) just not preferred airport and the price $346 per ticket was too good to pass up. I have until tomorrow at midnight to cancel.  Since our travel time is winter break for NH schools this feels like a good decision.  Still hoping for nonstop MHT to MCO.  OK now back to refreshing Southwest website and app.


PVD is my preference but my boston options with good times were around $1500 for 2 RT so I waited for SW.

SW was half that out of PVD (with early bird).  About $100 higher than last time but my preferred post-cruise flight time was ideal and most of that price difference ($190 per leg)... worth it since I have to catch the ferry back to the vineyard that day.  I had $400 in gift cards to use so only $344 out of pocket and it's done.  The boston flights on jet blue and delta were distressing me!!!!


----------



## shoreward

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Anybody seeing Max planes on this schedule release?  I haven't checked much, just wondering if they're still including them in the initial schedule release.


A 2019 flight of mine is still showing MAX8.  The same departure in today's schedule extension for 2020 shows 800.

I just found a flight showing MAX8 equipment in February (WN2656).


----------



## Buddy40

Any expectation that they may release additional WGA fares for a given date if AT and Business don’t sell well?


----------



## JoJoGirl

Thanks everyone for the updates!

I was able to snag 3 WGA RT fares out of Columbus, nonstop flights at good times.  The booking price was about $50 pp higher than I’d have liked, but at least I know we can rebook later for SW credit if the price drops.  

Southwest is literally the only non-barebones airline within two hours of us that offers decent nonstop flight times to and from MCO, and we pretty much need that when traveling with our disabled son.  So I’m happy today, but will have to keep watching and hoping for a fare drop.  

Good luck to everyone looking!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Buddy40 said:


> Any expectation that they may release additional WGA fares for a given date if AT and Business don’t sell well?


The flight pricing is very dynamic.  

Expectation...no
Possibility...yes

It absolutely could happen, but I would not count on it as you might be disappointed.  It does happen a lot though that WGA can disappear and return to availability down the line.


----------



## dez1978

In the 30 mins since I have booked my flights, the points have gone up over 500 points per person per flight.  Crazy


----------



## Livelovedance

That was probably my most stressful booking 

I just went back to look over the prices again and see if I could've done better booking each person individually (I wasn't chancing it with the way the booking was going). On one of our dates all of the WGA fares are sold out, for every single flight . I'll still be checking for point decreases but I'm so thankful I was able to book when I did!


----------



## shoreward

dez1978 said:


> In the 30 mins since I have booked my flights, the points have gone up over 500 points per person per flight.  Crazy


I am seeing increases of 5,000+ points or WGA sold out.


----------



## dez1978

shoreward said:


> I am seeing increases of 5,000+ points or WGA sold out.


The 1st time I checked it showed all WGA sold out, but then I refreshed and they were all available


----------



## mcd2745

As i posted earlier, my flights basically doubled from the starting point of 12,000 & 14,000 then, went to sold out in mere minutes after opening.


----------



## wisblue

Mine finally came up about 9:45 CDT.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

dez1978 said:


> In the 30 mins since I have booked my flights, the points have gone up over 500 points per person per flight.  Crazy





shoreward said:


> I am seeing increases of 5,000+ points or WGA sold out.


Yeah - did you miss a 0 there?  500 points is only $7 LOL!


----------



## MickeyWaffles

Hope everyone got what they wanted!

We always take the first flight to MCO. The first flight of the day to MCO is a couple hours later than usual which was surprising, but at least we got it!

We did get a 9:30pm flight home which is exactly what we were hoping for so we can enjoy WDW for most of our departure day (and the kids will sleep on the flight!)

WGA is still available for mine but for way more points than what I booked.


----------



## cmarsh31

Wow, the next release is next month, but still doesn't get our Spring Break dates for Tampa. At least that gives me time to bank more points.


----------



## chicagodisneyguy

I don't usually book SW but did today for my extended family.  On the day of the release when all the WGA fares sell out, do they usually come back at some point?  Is it a ploy to make you think later that you are getting a deal at $300 o/w?  Or are they really selling out huge chunks of planes on day 1?  Thanks!


----------



## Livelovedance

chicagodisneyguy said:


> I don't usually book SW but did today for my extended family.  On the day of the release when all the WGA fares sell out, do they usually come back at some point?  Is it a ploy to make you think later that you are getting a deal at $300 o/w?  Or are they really selling out huge chunks of planes on day 1?  Thanks!


WGA fares can come back, but I don't know that it would be likely. You can check regularly to see if the price decreases, but be aware if you do get a refund for the price difference it will be in the form of a voucher that expires a year from today (not a year from the date of the flight). I think the voucher is tied to the flight confirmation number and has to be used by the person on the ticket, but I don't have experience with that so I'm not completely sure!


----------



## Firepath

So disappointed! I waited all morning for January and February flights to be released and got on right away. Their new schedule is very disappointing (3 legs to get from the west coast and arrive after midnight) and pricing is quite a bit higher than all the other big airlines. Guess I'll wait and hope for a winter sale.


----------



## wisblue

JStu said:


> through January 31 is available via low fare calendar MKE-MCO....but not Feb/March yet...



I’ll have to remember this for future reference. I was just going through the regular “Book a Flight” process and didn’t realize flights might become available sooner through the Low Fare Calendar. It couldn’t have made more than a few minutes difference because I booked not long after I posted that, and I probably got the same fare I would  have gotten anyway. But, as long as I’m stalking the site I might as well try any trick possible.


----------



## mcd2745

chicagodisneyguy said:


> I don't usually book SW but did today for my extended family.  On the day of the release when all the WGA fares sell out, do they usually come back at some point?  Is it a ploy to make you think later that you are getting a deal at $300 o/w?  Or are they really selling out huge chunks of planes on day 1?  Thanks!




They usually come back, but it may not be for a two months. I think they have certain percentages that they would would like to hit for each flight with regards to how many seats are sold as WGA , Anytime, and Business Select fares. So they are probably only willing to sell so many seats at WGA fares this early on.


----------



## shoreward

dez1978 said:


> In the 30 mins since I have booked my flights, the points have gone up over 500 points per person per flight.  Crazy





SouthFayetteFan said:


> Yeah - did you miss a 0 there?  500 points is only $7 LOL!


I think it's called sleep deprivation, due to waking up at the crack of dawn for the schedule extension.


----------



## dez1978

shoreward said:


> I think it's called sleep deprivation, due to waking up at the crack of dawn for the schedule extension.


Lots and lots of cold/allergy meds the last few days lol.


----------



## momto3boys+aprincess

I have a question, 2 of the flights I just booked from Feb are the 737-800 these are or are not the max flights? Sorry just a little confused.


----------



## Lisa F

How do you tell what plane is on what flight?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

momto3boys+aprincess said:


> I have a question, 2 of the flights I just booked from Feb are the 737-800 these are or are not the max flights? Sorry just a little confused.


No, the 737-800 is different from the Max8.  Both seat 175 on SW flights though.


Lisa F said:


> How do you tell what plane is on what flight?


Go to the search screen and hit the little flight number link.


----------



## momto3boys+aprincess

SouthFayetteFan said:


> No, the 737-800 is different from the Max8.  Both seat 175 on SW flights though.
> 
> Go to the search screen and hit the little flight number link.


Thank you so much!!! I can stop worrying


----------



## Lisa F

just discovered my flight going out is a MAX 8.  What has been happening to people scheduled on these flights? I'm just wondering if I should ride it out given that I am somewhat flexible on my arrival time of day - had hoped to have the earlier flight.  or just suck it up and deal with $20 more per person for a later flight that's not a MAX8


----------



## katallo

We are on the 737-800 too.  I'm happy to hear this is different than the Max 8.  In all honesty I can't see them adding Max 8 to the new schedule since it seems nothing is getting resolved with their issues.


----------



## Lisa F

I decided to take the later/more expensive flight (still same price as this morning) and not mess with that.


----------



## vetrik

Well that was a stressful release - I would have much preferred to have been able to book more calmly at home before 7:00 am. 

I was actually ok with the times and options for flights for President’s Day week/school vacation - there was a 5:45 pm non-stop from PVD Thursday night before our cruise on the Dream. We’ll stay the night at the airport hotel and take transportation to the port in the morning. That saves us from missing that day of school and work completely. Flying back with a late Friday non-stop since the weekend was very expensive. 

We paid $322/person (booked one of our flights with 21,367 points), which I didn’t think was too bad. I checked the same flights again a couple hours ago and they were up to $693/person!


----------



## katallo

This was one of the worst openings.  We booked one leg of the flight normally.  When trying to book the second we saw a decent price, but when we got to the final step I received an error message.  Tried it again and price increased by 30.00.  I also think someone at SW must have known they were opening the dates incrementally so just post a message to that effect the night before.  It would have saved many from being online at 6 am.  JMO


----------



## mom2rose&john

katallo said:


> This was one of the worst openings.  We booked one leg of the flight normally.  When trying to book the second we saw a decent price, but when we got to the final step I received an error message.  Tried it again and price increased by 30.00.  I also think someone at SW must have known they were opening the dates incrementally so just post a message to that effect the night before.  It would have saved many from being online at 6 am.  JMO



Same with me.  I had 4 Wanna Get Away tickets in my cart loaded all my payment info (mostly autofill because I was in my account and using points) and I hit Purchase and poof flight not available.  We are locked into departing Buf to MCO on 2-14 so I had to end up purchasing three Business select tickets OOP for way more.  Dissappointed but will make the best of it since family vacations are going to become less and less with kids going off to college.


----------



## shoreward

mom2rose&john said:


> Same with me.  I had 4 Wanna Get Away tickets in my cart loaded all my payment info (mostly autofill because I was in my account and using points) and I hit Purchase and poof flight not available.  We are locked into departing Buf to MCO on 2-14 so I had to end up purchasing three Business select tickets OOP for way more.  Dissappointed but will make the best of it since family vacations are going to become less and less with kids going off to college.


The BS tickets are fully refundable.  There is a good chance that less expensive seats will become available.  Constant checking of fares very often yields positive results, so, don't give up.


----------



## shoreward

katallo said:


> This was one of the worst openings.  We booked one leg of the flight normally.  When trying to book the second we saw a decent price, but when we got to the final step I received an error message.  Tried it again and price increased by 30.00.  I also think someone at SW must have known they were opening the dates incrementally so just post a message to that effect the night before.  It would have saved many from being online at 6 am.  JMO


It was mentioned on Twitter by @SouthwestAir, yesterday morning (I did re-post that message, earlier in this thread, before the schedule went live yesterday).
https://www.disboards.com/threads/post-all-sw-questions-concerns-etc-here.2500174/post-60959681

 Twitter is a very good source of up-to-date information for Southwest.


----------



## Lori74

Buddy40 said:


> Any expectation that they may release additional WGA fares for a given date if AT and Business don’t sell well?


when the last set of dates were released, our flights home said all (5 i think) WGA fares sold out immediately. just last week all of those flights came back with WGA fares. there is hope. i was surprised, and now we are 2 months away from our trip, they added flights the day we leave, which i've never noticed that before.


----------



## Iowamomof4

I did my first ever check in on a SW flight this morning as I've always purchased EBCI previously. It went okay, but I didn't anticipate needing to click on two pages, so I clicked/tapped the first "check in" button and then sat happily thinking, "Well good, that's done" and then realized I needed to click on the new page that opened up. Only missed a few seconds, but I'm frustrated with myself. Anyway, we got high A for our first leg and low B for our second. Glad we have EBCI for the return home.


----------



## scrappinginontario

I feel badly for those whose flights start in a major hub!  I think those people are almost forced to purchase EBCI.  

The challenge lies in that every other person who is checking in for their first flight, gets to automatically check in for their second flight out of the hub, earlier than the 24 hour mark hits for hub person.


----------



## shoreward

scrappinginontario said:


> I feel badly for those whose flights start in a major hub!  I think those people are almost forced to purchase EBCI.
> 
> The challenge lies in that every other person who is checking in for their first flight, gets to automatically check in for their second flight out of the hub, earlier than the 24 hour mark hits for hub person.


Yes, that happens.  The other issue is when you are boarding a flight that originates in another city, and there already passengers onboard. 

I find that very early morning flights are the best, as there probably are no connecting passengers and fewer possibilities of flight delays (except for weather, mechanical, and crew rest issues).


----------



## mcd2745

scrappinginontario said:


> I feel badly for those whose flights start in a major hub!  I think those people are almost forced to purchase EBCI.




Yeah, but there are a lot more flights to choose from. BWI has 10 direct flights to MCO on the date we're flying down. Our airport had 2  -7am and 6pm. I'd rather have the added options.


----------



## Iowamomof4

So if we have our boarding passes on our phones and aren't checking a bag, can we just proceed straight to security and our gate? No need to go to the SW counter?


----------



## shoreward

Iowamomof4 said:


> So if we have our boarding passes on our phones and aren't checking a bag, can we just proceed straight to security and our gate? No need to go to the SW counter?


Yes.


----------



## SaintsManiac

shoreward said:


> The BS tickets are fully refundable.  There is a good chance that less expensive seats will become available.  Constant checking of fares very often yields positive results, so, don't give up.




THIS! I was so upset with the fares for Thanksgiving week when I booked in May. I booked Business Select for our flight home as nothing else was available. Just scored WGA fare this week, so I am waiting on a nice credit.


----------



## Buddy40

Lori74 said:


> when the last set of dates were released, our flights home said all (5 i think) WGA fares sold out immediately. just last week all of those flights came back with WGA fares. there is hope. i was surprised, and now we are 2 months away from our trip, they added flights the day we leave, which i've never noticed that before.


Thanks.  Will keep checking fares on SWA and also monitoring fares on other airlines via Kayak alerts.  I’m in NYC metro area, so have a lot of options.  But SWA is much more convenient for me.  I have time, so we’ll see what happens.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

DisArmyWife215 said:


> I changed my flight to an earlier time and it dropped my EBCI. It didn't alert me it was going to change anything and I just happened to see a statement about buying the A1-A15 so I called about that.  They said it was because I changed the flight and the refund was already processed that day. I could buy the EBCI again but it would be today's date and not from the 2.5 months earlier when I originally booked. I passed.
> 
> Has this happened to anyone else? I'm wondering if I call back and talk to a supervisor can they back date the EBCI or would I just be told the same thing?





DisArmyWife215 said:


> I changed my flight to an earlier time and it dropped my EBCI. It didn't alert me it was going to change anything and I just happened to see a statement about buying the A1-A15 so I called about that.  They said it was because I changed the flight and the refund was already processed that day. I could buy the EBCI again but it would be today's date and not from the 2.5 months earlier when I originally booked. I passed.
> 
> Has this happened to anyone else? I'm wondering if I call back and talk to a supervisor can they back date the EBCI or would I just be told the same thing?


You are switching a brand new flight therefore it is only right that your EBCI now be dated for the date you switched your flight.  Its not right for the people who already bought tickets ahead of you on your new flight to be pushed out of the que to allow someone who bought a different flight earlier then they did to take their spot in the EBCI line just because they switched their flights.  How would you feel if you were the one holding a ticket on the flight that someone switched too and they  allowed the other person to cut in front of you


----------



## mamamary

I have a question about my upcoming flight in a few weeks.  I just happened to be checking to see if airfare changed and I proceeded to click on my flight number and I got a dropdown box that mentions % on time arrival is 60% and % cancellation is 40%.  Does this mean that this flight gets cancelled 40% of the time?  Gosh I hope not.  Anyone know?  Thx.


----------



## SaintsManiac

Does anyone know how long it usually takes for Southwest refunds to hit your credit card? I know banks vary. I have a Disney Visa and just curious, as it's been 6 days.


----------



## scrappinginontario

SaintsManiac said:


> Does anyone know how long it usually takes for Southwest refunds to hit your credit card? I know banks vary. I have a Disney Visa and just curious, as it's been 6 days.


For us it’s normally 5-7 business days.  I would anticipate seeing it soon.

That being said, I can only remember 1 time we received a couple of credits from SW, when my parents had to cancel their cruise due to mon’s surgery.

Normally our ‘credits’ are in the form of travel credits and those show up on our RR account immediately.


----------



## SaintsManiac

scrappinginontario said:


> For us it’s normally 5-7 business days.  I would anticipate seeing it soon.
> 
> That being said, I can only remember 1 time we received a couple of credits from SW, when my parents had to cancel their cruise due to mon’s surgery.
> 
> Normally our ‘credits’ are in the form of travel credits and those show up on our RR account immediately.




This is definitely a credit to my card. I can see the travel funds from another credit in my RR account. 

Thank you!


----------



## shoreward

mamamary said:


> I have a question about my upcoming flight in a few weeks.  I just happened to be checking to see if airfare changed and I proceeded to click on my flight number and I got a dropdown box that mentions % on time arrival is 60% and % cancellation is 40%.  Does this mean that this flight gets cancelled 40% of the time?  Gosh I hope not.  Anyone know?  Thx.


This can be misleading.  Sometimes, cancellations are weather-related and seasonal in nature - i.e. flying from a northern city where snowstorms might be responsible for cancellations.  I would check the status of your flight over the next week, or so, for any delays or cancellations, to get a better idea.  The cancellations might also be related to the MAX8 situation, which is pretty much under control, at least for the time being.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

shoreward said:


> This can be misleading.  Sometimes, cancellations are weather-related and seasonal in nature - i.e. flying from a northern city where snowstorms might be responsible for cancellations.  I would check the status of your flight over the next week, or so, for any delays or cancellations, to get a better idea.  The cancellations might also be related to the MAX8 situation, which is pretty much under control, at least for the time being.


I would agree with this as well.  I also think it _could _be a new flight too and thus be based on a very small sample size.  With even numbers like "40%" that seems like maybe 2 out of 5 got cancelled or something and once they have a larger number under their belt things will normalize


----------



## georgina

Just got a notice from SW that they changed one of our November flights due to a change in their schedules. They moved our time up about 1.5 hours, which is better for us, now we will arrive at our home airport at 11:45 PM instead of 12:55 AM. It is the last non-stop of the day. When I logged in and looked at my flights, I had the option to change the flight without penalty, which I found odd since they never have change penalties, I wonder if they would have let me choose another flight without paying the additional cost? Looks like yes -

Went back and reread the email - In the event this new itinerary does not work for you, we are offering the one time opportunity to change your flight date(s) and/or time(s) by up to 14 days from original travel date at no additional cost in accordance with our established reaccommodation practices.


----------



## aokeefe

We got the same email- unfortunately our flight down is pushed out 1.5 hours and last time we took that flight it was significantly delayed but we can't move it up and take more time off from school/work. The good news is that they dropped the prices of the original flights significantly and I was able to get a $535 credit.


----------



## Nicole722

Ours changed too for November out of Buffalo. Our flight down moved from 6:10am to 5:30 am, not too bad but our flight home got moved from 8:30 pm to 10:55 pm! We won’t get home until almost 2!


----------



## SaintsManiac

My flights went down again! Got more credit! wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee


----------



## shoreward

A flight that I booked for a friend was changed, by less than 30 minutes.  The flight number was also changed.


----------



## Relishy57

I’m flying from New Orleans to MCO on 25/9/19. As a UK traveller it’s the first time I have flown domestic flights within the USA. I haven’t purchased the EBCI which is $20. Would you suggest for an 08.15 am flight I should?


----------



## shoreward

Relishy57 said:


> I’m flying from New Orleans to MCO on 25/9/19. As a UK traveller it’s the first time I have flown domestic flights within the USA. I haven’t purchased the EBCI which is $20. Would you suggest for an 08.15 am flight I should?


Yes, I strongly recommend it, ASAP.


----------



## FCDub

Relishy57 said:


> I’m flying from New Orleans to MCO on 25/9/19. As a UK traveller it’s the first time I have flown domestic flights within the USA. I haven’t purchased the EBCI which is $20. Would you suggest for an 08.15 am flight I should?



 Who is traveling in your party? Kids?


----------



## SaintsManiac

Relishy57 said:


> I’m flying from New Orleans to MCO on 25/9/19. As a UK traveller it’s the first time I have flown domestic flights within the USA. I haven’t purchased the EBCI which is $20. Would you suggest for an 08.15 am flight I should?




I don't think EBCI is worth it anymore. Last time we flew out of NOLA we had it and we still got B boarding group. Then 10 entire families boarded ahead of us in family boarding. It was useless.


----------



## MsOnceUponATime

SaintsManiac said:


> I don't think EBCI is worth it anymore. Last time we flew out of NOLA we had it and we still got B boarding group. Then 10 entire families boarded ahead of us in family boarding. It was useless.



I see this each time that I fly now and I fly quite a bit.  When I flew two weeks ago (I upgraded my seat to A1 boarding position that day) I saw three seemingly young couples get on the plane with the wheelchair group, but those couples weren't with anyone the wheelchair group and walked onto the plane.  So you have those who are in wheelchairs and their companions that board early, those who board early for the reason it was that the above couples boarded early and then you have all of the families with multiple children board before the B group. ECBI doesn't seem to be worth it any longer when 40 people board before B group that paid for ECBI. I wish that Southwest would have people board the plane in a different fashion.


----------



## Relishy57

FCDub said:


> Who is traveling in your party? Kids?


Just myself which is why I wasn’t too bothered about seats etc. Just been reading this thread and a little concerned now there may be no seats left.


----------



## mfly

It looks like SW has only updated its schedule to remove the Max8 through November - my December flight is still on a Max 8. It’s the flight I want to take due to timing, so I’m just going to stick with it and hope they replace it with a 737-800.


----------



## Relishy57

SaintsManiac said:


> I don't think EBCI is worth it anymore. Last time we flew out of NOLA we had it and we still got B boarding group. Then 10 entire families boarded ahead of us in family boarding. It was useless.


Did everyone booked get on the plane?


----------



## SaintsManiac

Relishy57 said:


> Did everyone booked get on the plane?




When I tell you that there were maybe 15 people left after family boarding I am not exaggerating. It was a sold out flight.


----------



## georgina

Relishy57 said:


> Just myself which is why I wasn’t too bothered about seats etc. Just been reading this thread and a little concerned now there may be no seats left.


Southwest has a policy to not oversell the number of seats. It still happens on rare occasions when there are cancellations or aircraft changes, but you should get a seat on the plane. Just check in 24 hours ahead. I never get EBCI for just myself or with another adult.


----------



## shoreward

Relishy57 said:


> Just myself which is why I wasn’t too bothered about seats etc. Just been reading this thread and a little concerned now there may be no seats left.


Southwest is different from other airlines, with regard to their boarding procedures.  Customers actually sit waiting for the clock to tick down to T-24, so that they can get the lowest possible boarding number.  If you are unable to do so, those checking in later are usually the last to board the plane and select a seat.  It is not a very long flight.  If you do not mind where you sit on the plane, you probably don't need EBCI. However, if you won't be able to check in online exactly at T-24, the $20 fee might be worth the peace of mind knowing that you will automatically be checked in at T-36.

FYI - https://mobile.southwest.com/boarding-the-plane


----------



## Relishy57

shoreward said:


> Southwest is different from other airlines, with regard to their boarding procedures.  Customers actually sit waiting for the clock to tick down to T-24, so that they can get the lowest possible boarding number.  If you are unable to do so, those checking in later are usually the last to board the plane and select a seat.  It is not a very long flight.  If you do not mind where you sit on the plane, you probably don't need EBCI. However, if you won't be able to check in online exactly at T-24, the $20 fee might be worth the peace of mind knowing that you will automatically be checked in at T-36.
> 
> FYI - https://mobile.southwest.com/boarding-the-plane


I will set my alarm to do the online check in. Thank you for the link to the video it was v helpful.


----------



## MarBee

Relishy57 said:


> Just myself which is why I wasn’t too bothered about seats etc. Just been reading this thread and a little concerned now there may be no seats left.


I personally wouldn’t bother as long as you don’t mind middle seat


----------



## mlittig

I got the dreaded Southwest e-mail this morning   Southwest really screwed the Manchester, NH flights in November  My original flight was nonstop landing around 10 AM and now the only nonstop doesn't land until after 5 PM  So with traffic I will be lucky to get to the Boardwalk by 7 - 7:30 PM  Not a single flight lands until after noon and they all have 1 or 2 stops


----------



## FCDub

mlittig said:


> I got the dreaded Southwest e-mail this morning   Southwest really screwed the Manchester, NH flights in November  My original flight was nonstop landing around 10 AM and now the only nonstop doesn't land until after 5 PM  So with traffic I will be lucky to get to the Boardwalk by 7 - 7:30 PM  Not a single flight lands until after noon and they all have 1 or 2 stops



Are you adamantly opposed to one stop? Seems like it might solve your issue and get you there much faster.


----------



## iivye

mlittig said:


> I got the dreaded Southwest e-mail this morning  Southwest really screwed the Manchester, NH flights in November  My original flight was nonstop landing around 10 AM and now the only nonstop doesn't land until after 5 PM  So with traffic I will be lucky to get to the Boardwalk by 7 - 7:30 PM  Not a single flight lands until after noon and they all have 1 or 2 stops



Can you take the last flight out the night before and just stay at a cheap airport hotel?


----------



## Sandiz08

Are all these cancellations and flight time changes linked to the max 8 airplanes? We fly southwest because they are affordable and reliable. This seems like something new for them.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Sandiz08 said:


> Are all these cancellations a flight time changes linked to the max 8 airplanes? We fly southwest because they are affordable and reliable. This seems like something new for them.


Yes they are related to the Max being removed from the schedule.  The other thing to remember is that all of these complaints voiced here are purely anecdotal and don't necessarily mean that all flights are being affected.  In fact, the vast majority of flights are unaffected or see very little affect.  Most people had no change, Some people had changes which worked better for them.  It also has created opportunities for people to re-book to better (but previously more expensive) flight times at no additional cost.

It _feels_ like it would be rude for me to wax poetically about how the schedule change benefited my family and saved us money, etc., throwing that in the face of people who are facing a challenge due to the schedule change.  I'd guess that others feel the same way, so most people who have experienced no change or positive changes are keeping quiet and you're only seeing the complaints.

I would personally say that Southwest remains affordable and reliable, especially in comparison to some of the other major airlines.

*EDIT:* I don't state this to minimize the concerns some people are facing, I'm merely putting it out there as a statement of fact.  I do feel bad for the people whose plans have been negatively affected by these changes.


----------



## mfly

Sandiz08 said:


> Are all these cancellations a flight time changes linked to the max 8 airplanes? We fly southwest because they are affordable and reliable. This seems like something new for them.


I can’t say yes to *all,* but most are related to the Max 8 issue. Southwest is working to remove the Max 8 from their schedule through the end of the year. It sounds like they’re currently through the end of November - people have been receiving notifications over the past couple days that their flights in November have been changed. They still have yet to get to December (I have a flight scheduled in December that still shows the plane as a Max 8). I’d anticipate another round of changes coming soon for them to remove the Max 8 from the schedule for December flights.


----------



## Sandiz08

Thanks for the clarification, glad its a temporary thing.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

mlittig said:


> I got the dreaded Southwest e-mail this morning   Southwest really screwed the Manchester, NH flights in November  My original flight was nonstop landing around 10 AM and now the only nonstop doesn't land until after 5 PM  So with traffic I will be lucky to get to the Boardwalk by 7 - 7:30 PM  Not a single flight lands until after noon and they all have 1 or 2 stops


Sorry to hear about that 

I agree with the others. I myself vastly prefer non-stop but if it were a situation like this where we're talking hours and hours difference and I was really planning on getting to my destination earlier I would do the stop.

I believe your date was 11/12 (edited:corrected month)--There's 3 flights that get you there 12:15pm and 12:50pm all connecting in BWI with the 2 stops one connecting at another airport after BWI

The 12:15pm has 2 stop so I would probably rule that one out as you're only supposed to get to Orlando a whopping 35mins earlier(barring normal travel issues).

If it were me I would probably choose the 7:15am flight that has a shorter layover in BWI and gets you into Orlando as the same time as the flight that leaves NH a couple hours earlier with the one stop. You'd be on the same flight anyways as the 5:30am 1 stop flight but without having to wake up quite as early and be at BWI as long as the other flight.

Purely my opinion. I hope it all works out for you


----------



## Relishy57

MarBee said:


> I personally wouldn’t bother as long as you don’t mind middle seat


Maybe a chance to make new friends on the way to WDW?


----------



## 123Dis4Me

I am checking in for my flights tomorrow. Two of us are under the same confirmation number - we both have to check in individually, correct? Thanks!


----------



## scrappinginontario

123Dis4Me said:


> I am checking in for my flights tomorrow. Two of us are under the same confirmation number - we both have to check in individually, correct? Thanks!


If you’re under the same confirmation number it will check both of you in together.

I would recommend being online before your 24 hour mark and turning on a clock on another device with seconds showing.  The moment you hit the 24 hour mark (or possibly 24 hours minus 1 second) start trying.  Many people will be doing the same thing and literally every second counts!!


----------



## 123Dis4Me

Thank you so much! I usually book separately so I am glad I asked!


----------



## Letsbgoofy

I rebooked my flight at a lower fare a few weeks ago and got a $26 credit for each ticket.  I might book a flight a day earlier due to the Tropical storm, how do I access that credit?


----------



## shoreward

Letsbgoofy said:


> I rebooked my flight at a lower fare a few weeks ago and got a $26 credit for each ticket.  I might book a flight a day earlier due to the Tropical storm, how do I access that credit?


You will find it under the confirmation number for that reservation.  When you go though the “change” process and are on the payment page, enter that confirmation number in the space to apply travel funds. As you may be aware, travel funds (credits) can only be used for the customer in whose name the original reservation was made.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

Letsbgoofy said:


> I rebooked my flight at a lower fare a few weeks ago and got a $26 credit for each ticket.  I might book a flight a day earlier due to the Tropical storm, how do I access that credit?


You should not have to use that credit if you currently have a SWA flight from Aug 31-Sept 2 to Florida. You can change to any flight for free even if the flight price is higher than what you paid.  Before rebooking our flight I looked to see what was out there. The flight I wanted to move us to was listed at $145 more than I paid. However when I did the change ticket option for our Sept 1 flight, the flight was free to change too so we will arrive before the storm. So you will not have to use that credit.


----------



## shoreward

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> You should not have to use that credit if you currently have a SWA flight from Aug 31-Sept 2 to Florida. You can change to any flight for free even if the flight price is higher than what you paid.  Before rebooking our flight I looked to see what was out there. The flight I wanted to move us to was listed at $145 more than I paid. However when I did the change ticket option for our Sept 1 flight, the flight was free to change too so we will arrive before the storm. So you will not have to use that credit.





Letsbgoofy said:


> I rebooked my flight at a lower fare a few weeks ago and got a $26 credit for each ticket.  I might book a flight a day earlier due to the Tropical storm, how do I access that credit?


If there is a weather advisory issued by Southwest, and your change(s) fall within their requirements, there is no difference in cost to modify.  But, there must be a posted advisory to do so.  The advisories can change on a daily basis.  

https://www.southwest.com/html/advisories/swa_travel_advisory_20197241566693111004.html


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

shoreward said:


> If there is a weather advisory issued by Southwest, and your change(s) fall within their requirements, there is no difference in cost to modify.  But, there must be a posted advisory to do so.  The advisories can change on a daily basis.
> 
> https://www.southwest.com/html/advisories/swa_travel_advisory_20197241566693111004.html


There was not an advisory issued for my SWA flight when I looked yesterday morning, MCO got listed later in the afternoon, but when I went in to change my flight to avoid the storm there was a message that popped up that said I could change my flight because of the storm.  After I changed the flight I went back and looked and it still was not listed on the travel advisory. I also told someone else on another disboard thread who was waiting for MCO to be listed on SWA so he could change his flight, that its not listed but if you try to change the Sept 1 flight you should get a message that you can change it because of the storm. He too looked and saw it was not listed on the travel alert but he got the message he could change his flight because of the storm. So don't rely on the travel advisory alert. I also had this happen in Feb when a snow storm hit. I want to be proactive and change my flight which was not listed on the travel advisory only to get a message on the change flight page that said I could change my flight. It shocked me so now i know to go in and attempted to change the flight and see if the message appears.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Wow!!  It’s so quiet here considering SWGE opens in less than 7 hours!!!

Have the lines started?  Watching closely how things go over the next week to help me form my plan for our visit in less than 2 weeks.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

scrappinginontario said:


> Wow!!  It’s so quiet here considering SWGE opens in less than 7 hours!!!
> 
> Have the lines started?  Watching closely how things go over the next week to help me form my plan for our visit in less than 2 weeks.


Did you mean to post this in the News thread?  I think it’s cool that you posted it in our little SW group here though hah


----------



## scrappinginontario

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Did you mean to post this in the News thread?  I think it’s cool that you posted it in our little SW group here though hah


Lol!!  Yup!  Just saw SW and quickly thought SWGE.  Oops!


----------



## shoreward

As of today, Southwest's travel advisory for Orlando is August 31-September 5.  The dates are subject to change.

https://www.southwest.com/html/advisories/swa_travel_advisory_20197241566693111004.html


> Customers who are holding reservations to/from/through the cities listed above on the corresponding dates, may rebook in the original class of service or travel standby (within 14 days of their original date of travel between the original city-pairs and in accordance with our accommodation procedures) without paying any additional charge.
> 
> Customers who purchased their itinerary via *Southwest.com* or our mobile app are eligible to reschedule their travel plans online or from their mobile device.
> 
> Customers who did not purchase a ticket via *Southwest.com* can call 1-800-435-9792 to speak with a Customer Representative.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Watching closely as we're scheduled to fly Sep 7th.  It's a teeny bit like Deja Vu as we cancelled our 2017 due to Irma.


----------



## herewego1

Hi, all! Like a true planner and first time flying SW, I downloaded the app and can see our reservation but only have option to cancel, change or add early bird. If I click on check in (our flight isn’t until November) by clicking the 3 lines in the upper left hand corner,  a screen comes up with confirmation number and first and last name and retrieve reservation. I get an error message that it can’t be found but I assume this because it’s way more than 24 hours out. My question  is does that “retrieve reservation” yellow button automatically change to “check in” at 24 hours or will I just be able to click “retrieve reservation” at 24 hours and then will check in on another page?  Thanks!


----------



## herewego1

Hi, all! Like a true planner and first time flying SW, I downloaded the app and can see our reservation but only have option to cancel, change or add early bird. If I click on check in (our flight isn’t until November) by clicking the 3 lines in the upper left hand corner,  a screen comes up with confirmation number and first and last name and retrieve reservation. I get an error message that it can’t be found but I assume this because it’s way more than 24 hours out. My question  is does that “retrieve reservation” yellow button automatically change to “check in” at 24 hours or will I just be able to click “retrieve reservation” at 24 hours and then will check in on another page?  Thanks!


----------



## shoreward

herewego1 said:


> Hi, all! Like a true planner and first time flying SW, I downloaded the app and can see our reservation but only have option to cancel, change or add early bird. If I click on check in (our flight isn’t until November) by clicking the 3 lines in the upper left hand corner,  a screen comes up with confirmation number and first and last name and retrieve reservation. I get an error message that it can’t be found but I assume this because it’s way more than 24 hours out. My question  is does that “retrieve reservation” yellow button automatically change to “check in” at 24 hours or will I just be able to click “retrieve reservation” at 24 hours and then will check in on another page?  Thanks!


You can retrieve and review your reservation here:
https://www.southwest.com/air/manage-reservation/index.html?clk=GSUBNAV-AIR-MNGRES
Check-in only is available at T-24, at which point you will be assigned a boarding number, established by the time you check in.  So, if you check in _exactly_ at 24 hours before scheduled departure, you'll receive a better boarding position than someone who checks in at 23 hours and 59 minutes before departure. That assumes you do not purchase EBCI.

The link to check in:
https://www.southwest.com/air/check-in/index.html?clk=GSUBNAV-CHCKIN


----------



## herewego1

shoreward said:


> You can retrieve and review your reservation here:
> https://www.southwest.com/air/manage-reservation/index.html?clk=GSUBNAV-AIR-MNGRES
> Check-in only is available at T-24, at which point you will be assigned a boarding number, established by the time you check in.  So, if you check in _exactly_ at 24 hours before scheduled departure, you'll receive a better boarding position than someone who checks in at 23 hours and 59 minutes before departure. That assumes you do not purchase EBCI.
> 
> The link to check in:
> https://www.southwest.com/air/check-in/index.html?clk=GSUBNAV-CHCKIN



Thank you!  Right now when I click on the check in link above you posted, I get an error message that says reservation cannot be found but I assume it is because we are much more than 24 hours out. However, will the retrieve reservation button automatically change to a check in button at 24 hours or will I still click on retrieve reservation and then another check in button?


----------



## shoreward

herewego1 said:


> Thank you!  Right now when I click on the check in link above you posted, I get an error message that says reservation cannot be found but I assume it is because we are much more than 24 hours out. However, will the retrieve reservation button automatically change to a check in button at 24 hours or will I still click on retrieve reservation and then another check in button?


Yes - you will receive the error message even at 24 hours and 10 seconds prior to departure.  For the fastest check in, I suggest using the check in link, with all of your info pre-filled in advance of T-24.  I just start refreshing the page about one minute in advance, until check in starts to process.  Don't be alarmed if you see the error message, when trying to check in; the system is letting you know that it's not quite time.  Just follow the prompts, once check in connects.


----------



## herewego1

shoreward said:


> Yes - you will receive the error message even at 24 hours and 10 seconds prior to departure.  For the fastest check in, I suggest using the check in link, with all of your info pre-filled in advance of T-24.  I just start refreshing the page about one minute in advance, until check in starts to process.  Don't be alarmed if you see the error message, when trying to check in; the system is letting you know that it's not quite time.  Just follow the prompts, once check in connects.


Thank you SO VERY much!!!


----------



## shoreward

Southwest waives pet fares during travel advisory.



> From Saturday, August 31, through Thursday, September 5, we will waive the $95 pet fare for Customers traveling with small vaccinated domestic dogs or cats to/from the following cities:
> 
> Fort Lauderdale, Florida (FLL)
> Fort Myers, Florida (RSW)
> Jacksonville, Florida (JAX)
> Orlando, Florida (MCO)
> Tampa, Florida (TPA)
> West Palm Beach, Florida (PBI)
> All pet travel is subject to our Pet Policies. All pets must remain in an appropriate carrier at all times, and Customers presenting a pet for travel must check in at the airport ticket counter.
> 
> Customers who are holding reservations to/from/through the cities listed above on the corresponding dates, may rebook in the original class of service or travel standby (within 14 days of their original date of travel between the original city-pairs and in accordance with our accommodation procedures) without paying any additional charge.
> 
> Customers who purchased their itinerary via *Southwest.com* or our mobile app are eligible to reschedule their travel plans online or from their mobile device.


----------



## IluvMGM

Does anyone have experience with Southwest and wheelchair assistance? My boyfriend has a badly sprained ankle (we have an ECV waiting for him at the hotel) and I know there is no way he will be able to walk all the way from the Southwest terminal to the Magical Express. Will Southwest wheel him there? Or do they only take you so far? What are the options? Thanks in advance!


----------



## shoreward

IluvMGM said:


> Does anyone have experience with Southwest and wheelchair assistance? My boyfriend has a badly sprained ankle (we have an ECV waiting for him at the hotel) and I know there is no way he will be able to walk all the way from the Southwest terminal to the Magical Express. Will Southwest wheel him there? Or do they only take you so far? What are the options? Thanks in advance!


Make sure that a wheelchair is listed on his airline reservation.  There will be a wheelchair waiting for him on the jet bridge, just as he exits the flight at MCO. They will wheel him there - just remember to give a nice tip to the person who pushes the wheelchair.


----------



## scrappinginontario

IluvMGM said:


> Does anyone have experience with Southwest and wheelchair assistance? My boyfriend has a badly sprained ankle (we have an ECV waiting for him at the hotel) and I know there is no way he will be able to walk all the way from the Southwest terminal to the Magical Express. Will Southwest wheel him there? Or do they only take you so far? What are the options? Thanks in advance!





shoreward said:


> Make sure that a wheelchair is listed on his airline reservation.  There will be a wheelchair waiting for him on the jet bridge, just as he exits the flight at MCO. They will wheel him there - just remember to give a nice tip to the person who pushes the wheelchair.


Another option if you wish is to use a courtesy wheelchair that is available at all airports and you can push him.  I guess it will depend how far he can walk.

Due to hip replacement surgery my mom can walk but not far.  We used courtesy wheelchairs in Buffalo and Orlando and I pushed her.

Just another option available to you on top of the great information @shoreward shared.


----------



## Memorymakerfor4

SW gave me a few heart attacks this week. Got an email that they'd changed my kid's itineraries, but not for us parents. While I'm online checking this out, it changes back, I guess they found their mistake. But while I'm on there I see that our return flights for everyone have changed and we now have a three hour layover in Dallas. No thanks! Here is where things get good though, I was able to change us to a later departing flight to have more time at Disney and also switch the kids from Anytime fares to WGA and get $300 back. So I guess the heart attack was worth it!


----------



## shoreward

Southwest at MCO today.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Praying everyone stays safe and that Dorian keeps moving out to sea.


----------



## Nohal

We are scheduled to fly into MCO Thursday morning.  How will I find out if my flight has been cancelled?  Does SW send an email?  We booked round trip tickets, will I be given a refund for the entire trip?  I'm hoping I get a refund and not travel funds.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Nohal said:


> We are scheduled to fly into MCO Thursday morning.  How will I find out if my flight has been cancelled?  Does SW send an email?  We booked round trip tickets, will I be given a refund for the entire trip?  I'm hoping I get a refund and not travel funds.


unless your home airport is affected you should be fine with a trip Thursday.  Disney is open regular hours tomorrow with the exception of cancelling EMH.  

It’s possible to book flights for tomorrow into MCO (not possible today) so it appears they think the airport will be open tomorrow.

If your flights are affected, SW will email you.  This happened to us with Irma in 2017 and we received emails.

I don’t know about refunds if flight is cancelled.


----------



## shoreward

Nohal said:


> We are scheduled to fly into MCO Thursday morning.  How will I find out if my flight has been cancelled?  Does SW send an email?  We booked round trip tickets, will I be given a refund for the entire trip?  I'm hoping I get a refund and not travel funds.


This is information I just saw from the FAA:


> Due to *HURRICANE DORIAN EXC EMERG ACFT AND MIL OPS 4 HR PPR*, the *Orlando International Airport (MCO)* was *closed* as of Sep 03 at 01:37 PM EDT.  The date/time when the airport is expected to reopen is Sep 04 at 05:00 PM EDT.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Orlando Airport to resume normal operations at noon today.


----------



## Peaseblossom36

Just received an email about changes to my flight itinerary in December but nothing appears different other than the flight number. Should I be worried? 

It’s offering me the chance to change flights but if there really isn’t a difference I’d rather not. It’s actually giving me the option to change both of them even though the departing flight had no changes.


----------



## shoreward

Peaseblossom36 said:


> Just received an email about changes to my flight itinerary in December but nothing appears different other than the flight number. Should I be worried?
> 
> It’s offering me the chance to change flights but if there really isn’t a difference I’d rather not. It’s actually giving me the option to change both of them even though the departing flight had no changes.


I received the same notification, which I was expecting; my original flight was scheduled on a MAX8, which is grounded through at least the end of 2019.

The flight is now scheduled to depart and arrive 10 minutes earlier, which is just fine.

Some use the one-time offer as the chance to change to a more desirable flight or date, at no additional expense, even if there is no change in their original flight being made by Southwest.


----------



## scrappinginontario

I’ve received a few flight number changes recently.  Not concerned, just seems to be happening with more frequency these days.

I try to keep DME updated but am not overly concerned if I don’t.


----------



## poohbear2

Just got an email of switched flights and really put a damper on our long weekend. If we accept the changes we loose 2 days of a 5 day trip. Got to make some decisions.


----------



## scrappinginontario

poohbear2 said:


> Just got an email of switched flights and really put a damper on our long weekend. If we accept the changes we loose 2 days of a 5 day trip. Got to make some decisions.


That’s disappointing.  Sure hope you can find something better.


----------



## Pooh2

We received an email early this morning that our flight is changed 1 and a half hours earlier. No problem with the time change but I no longer see our early check-in anywhere (paid for both first traveler and companion). 
Does it the early check-in transfer with the time change??


----------



## shoreward

Pooh2 said:


> We received an email early this morning that our flight is changed 1 and a half hours earlier. No problem with the time change but I no longer see our early check-in anywhere (paid for both first traveler and companion).
> Does it the early check-in transfer with the time change??


As long as the confirmation number has not changed, the EBCI_ should_ transfer.  However, if you can no longer see it, I would either call or tweet Southwest to confirm.


----------



## TyRy

shoreward said:


> As long as the confirmation number has not changed, the EBCI_ should_ transfer.  However, if you can no longer see it, I would either call or tweet Southwest to confirm.



Thanks for the reminder.  We also received the your flight has changed, but the only thing that did change was the flight number.  I also logged into my account and still see the little EB symbol.


----------



## Peaseblossom36

So now the other flight has change also, it’s thirty minutes later and went from a nonstop to stopping in Chicago. If I change to another flights will I have to pay the difference in fares? They added another nonstop flight that wasn’t there when we booked but it’s much more expensive since it doesn’t have any WGA fares left. And if they change again would I get the option to change them again? 

Neither of my original flights were on Max 8s so no idea why they changed.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Peaseblossom36 said:


> So now the other flight has change also, it’s thirty minutes later and went from a nonstop to stopping in Chicago. If I change to another flights will I have to pay the difference in fares? They added another nonstop flight that wasn’t there when we booked but it’s much more expensive since it doesn’t have any WGA fares left. And if they change again would I get the option to change them again?
> 
> Neither of my original flights were on Max 8s so no idea why they changed.


I don't believe price changes are in effect when approached with this situation. Your e-mail should state the stipulations though--double check that.

Your original flight doesn't have to be on a MAX 8 for this situation to occur. They have flights they no longer could service with the MAX 8 when they were first removed but it has a snowball effect as they now have to weigh pros and cons to existing remaining flights. Operationally they may see it more beneficial to remove a flight, they may see if more beneficial to add a stop, etc. All three airlines that had the MAX 8 are experiencing continual adjustments and cancellations of flights even though the original removal of the MAX 8 was months and months ago.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Peaseblossom36 said:


> So now the other flight has change also, it’s thirty minutes later and went from a nonstop to stopping in Chicago. If I change to another flights will I have to pay the difference in fares? They added another nonstop flight that wasn’t there when we booked but it’s much more expensive since it doesn’t have any WGA fares left. And if they change again would I get the option to change them again?
> 
> Neither of my original flights were on Max 8s so no idea why they changed.


I recommend calling SW to see what your options are and to try and get them to change you back to a direct flight without paying the increased fee.  I think only they can truly answer your question.


----------



## shoreward

Peaseblossom36 said:


> So now the other flight has change also, it’s thirty minutes later and went from a nonstop to stopping in Chicago. If I change to another flights will I have to pay the difference in fares? They added another nonstop flight that wasn’t there when we booked but it’s much more expensive since it doesn’t have any WGA fares left. And if they change again would I get the option to change them again?
> 
> Neither of my original flights were on Max 8s so no idea why they changed.


The policy is no change in fare, as long as WGA fares are still available for the new flight, if you originally booked a WGA fare.  They may be willing to make an exception; it's worth a call.


----------



## G719

Anybody have a guess of when June 2020 flights will open?  The way they've been releasing I'm thinking it will be sometime in November.


----------



## Alice Sr.

I need flights for the end of March, it appears this window will open 9/26. Does anyone know if the release of a new schedule window has an effect on legacy line pricing (do they try to compete)? Right now my days are $700+/- hoping to find better options with SW but the n/s options out of MDW have been greatly diminished.  We will be a group of 5 adults, 3 kids, one lap baby so I will pay more for the n/s but really hoping for a little competition to give me more reasonable n/s options.  Thank you!


----------



## shoreward

Alice Sr. said:


> I need flights for the end of March, it appears this window will open 9/26. Does anyone know if the release of a new schedule window has an effect on legacy line pricing (do they try to compete)? Right now my days are $700+/- hoping to find better options with SW but the n/s options out of MDW have been greatly diminished.  We will be a group of 5 adults, 3 kids, one lap baby so I will pay more for the n/s but really hoping for a little competition to give me more reasonable n/s options.  Thank you!


Southwest no longer necessarily has the lowest fares in a market; that honor belongs to ULCCs, such as Frontier and Spirit.  So, I would not expect any fare drop from legacy carriers.  Keep in mind that you will be traveling at Spring Break, when there will be high demand for seats.  Ultimately, it comes down to supply and demand. 

If you can fly Southwest, I suggest camping out at your computer very early on schedule release date to book, and keep in mind that there may be fewer than your required number of seats at the lowest fare.


----------



## Alice Sr.

shoreward said:


> Southwest no longer necessarily has the lowest fares in a market; that honor belongs to ULCCs, such as Frontier and Spirit.  So, I would not expect any fare drop from legacy carriers.  Keep in mind that you will be traveling at Spring Break, when there will be high demand for seats.  Ultimately, it comes down to supply and demand.
> 
> If you can fly Southwest, I suggest camping out at your computer very early on schedule release date to book, and keep in mind that there may be fewer than your required number of seats at the lowest fare.


Yes I have noticed the increase and lack of n/s flights available   Spirit or Frontier are not an option.  I plan on treating it like a DVC resv, don't call in one minute late or you will miss the boat. Do you know what time the window is supposed to open?  I did talk to SW the other day to ask what the process was for resv 9 seats.  She did not know what time the window would open only that it would be on the 26th.  Thanks


----------



## shoreward

Alice Sr. said:


> Yes I have noticed the increase and lack of n/s flights available   Spirit or Frontier are not an option.  I plan on treating it like a DVC resv, don't call in one minute late or you will miss the boat. Do you know what time the window is supposed to open?  I did talk to SW the other day to ask what the process was for resv 9 seats.  She did not know what time the window would open only that it would be on the 26th.  Thanks


The online booking system allows a maximum of 8 per reservation.  You can open two windows, browsers, or devices at the same time, if you are doing this by yourself.  

Southwest has no set time for releasing a schedule extension.  It can be super early (6:00 a.m. EDT) or a few hours later than that, like last time.  Keep an eye on https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/index.html?clk=GSUBNAV-AIR-SCHEDULES for any changes in the schedule extension release date.


----------



## Lori74

Alice Sr. said:


> Yes I have noticed the increase and lack of n/s flights available   Spirit or Frontier are not an option.  I plan on treating it like a DVC resv, don't call in one minute late or you will miss the boat. Do you know what time the window is supposed to open?  I did talk to SW the other day to ask what the process was for resv 9 seats.  She did not know what time the window would open only that it would be on the 26th.  Thanks


also keep in mind, the prices fluctuate according to how many you book at one time. it's a bit of work, and stressful, especially if you are trying to book the day they open. i sometimes have 5 on one reservation, and 2 on another just to get the best price. good luck


----------



## Christine

Hi everyone; haven't flown Southwest in years and I'm a little unclear on the credit policy.

I have a trip coming up this November.  Fares have somewhat stunk, but finally my return trip/flight was at $69.  I booked three one-way flights back from MCO (me, DH, and adult DD).  

If for some reason I decide I don't want to do that anymore and just cancel my flights, how does the credit work?  I booked the tickets on my CC.  Does each flyer get their own credit or is the credit pooled to me. 

I guess I want to know is if I get a credit $220 could my daughter use the whole amount for one RT flight or do each of us have to take a flight somewhere?


----------



## Lori74

Christine said:


> Hi everyone; haven't flown Southwest in years and I'm a little unclear on the credit policy.
> 
> I have a trip coming up this November.  Fares have somewhat stunk, but finally my return trip/flight was at $69.  I booked three one-way flights back from MCO (me, DH, and adult DD).
> 
> If for some reason I decide I don't want to do that anymore and just cancel my flights, how does the credit work?  I booked the tickets on my CC.  Does each flyer get their own credit or is the credit pooled to me.
> 
> I guess I want to know is if I get a credit $220 could my daughter use the whole amount for one RT flight or do each of us have to take a flight somewhere?


it goes to original passenger on the ticket to be used within one year of when the ticket was purchased


----------



## Christine

Lori74 said:


> it goes to original passenger on the ticket to be used within one year of when the ticket was purchased



Thanks.  Not what I was hoping for but what can you do!


----------



## FCDub

Christine said:


> Thanks.  Not what I was hoping for but what can you do!



One of the nice reasons to use points, if you've got them. The refunded points aren't tied to any one person.


----------



## Christine

FCDub said:


> One of the nice reasons to use points, if you've got them. The refunded points aren't tied to any one person.



Yep, don't have those...yet.


----------



## la79al

I didn't book flights right when they opened up and I am now kicking myself.  The plan was to pay for all flights with points (only got the card to make this happen).  Now I need to decide if it is worth it to move the trip.  Looking at the last week in February. Any hope of them coming down?


----------



## Alice Sr.

Lori74 said:


> also keep in mind, the prices fluctuate according to how many you book at one time. it's a bit of work, and stressful, especially if you are trying to book the day they open. i sometimes have 5 on one reservation, and 2 on another just to get the best price. good luck


Thank you for this.  I kind or thought that but good to have you reiterate it. Sometimes I don't pay attention to my inner voice.  Then the next thing you know I book a family vacation over the spring break and am facing some serious travel expense


----------



## babyruth

I just learned about a United app where you earn miles for online purchases. Does SW have anything like this for points ( not the credit card ) ? How do y’all earn points besides flights and the cc?


----------



## pooh'smate

babyruth said:


> I just learned about a United app where you earn miles for online purchases. Does SW have anything like this for points ( not the credit card ) ? How do y’all earn points besides flights and the cc?


Yes they do.   https://rapidrewardsshopping.southwest.com/


----------



## shoreward

babyruth said:


> I just learned about a United app where you earn miles for online purchases. Does SW have anything like this for points ( not the credit card ) ? How do y’all earn points besides flights and the cc?


Here are more options for earning:
https://www.southwest.com/rapidrewards/earn-with-partners
When booking rental cars or hotel rooms, check the rates through the Southwest link; sometimes the rates are competitive, and you can earn RR points fairly quickly.


----------



## katallo

We are traveling early February and working on booking a rental car.  Do you think these flight changes from the Max 8 will extend into February?


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

babyruth said:


> I just learned about a United app where you earn miles for online purchases. Does SW have anything like this for points ( not the credit card ) ? How do y’all earn points besides flights and the cc?


Yes there is a SWA shopping portal that you can earn points for shopping. It under the rapid rewards tab on the web page


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

katallo said:


> We are traveling early February and working on booking a rental car.  Do you think these flight changes from the Max 8 will extend into February?


Right now they do not have the issue fixed with the max 8. First it needs to be fixed then it must go through rigorous testing to get the approval from FAA to fly. Right now it is not looking good..


----------



## katallo

Thanks.  Hopefully, it won't cause rate increases with the rental car.  I guess for late Jan early Feb I won't know for a few weeks.


----------



## EACarlson

babyruth said:


> I just learned about a United app where you earn miles for online purchases. Does SW have anything like this for points ( not the credit card ) ? How do y’all earn points besides flights and the cc?


I use the Rapids Rewards Dining.  Register the two cards I use for eating out, when I hit one of the participating restaurants I get 4 points per dollar spent.  Ended up with 50 points for getting lunch, plus what the CC gives me.


----------



## Anthony Vito

Lori74 said:


> also keep in mind, the prices fluctuate according to how many you book at one time. it's a bit of work, and stressful, especially if you are trying to book the day they open. i sometimes have 5 on one reservation, and 2 on another just to get the best price. good luck


I just came in to ask a question related to this - I was wondering whether anyone's done this.  So, for what I'm looking at, we're booking 4 tickets.  There are 3 seats available at $167, if I go with all 4, they're $179.  Our kids are 5 and 7.  

What are any potential issues with booking 3 tickets on a reservation, then just 1 ticket on another?  For $36 total savings, I was thinking it's probably too much of a headache and another variable that I don't know about any potential complications.  What are some difficulties that this would create?


----------



## scrappinginontario

Anthony Vito said:


> I just came in to ask a question related to this - I was wondering whether anyone's done this.  So, for what I'm looking at, we're booking 4 tickets.  There are 3 seats available at $167, if I go with all 4, they're $179.  Our kids are 5 and 7.
> 
> What are any potential issues with booking 3 tickets on a reservation, then just 1 ticket on another?  For $36 total savings, I was thinking it's probably too much of a headache and another variable that I don't know about any potential complications.  What are some difficulties that this would create?


This is doable for sure.  The biggest challenge will be getting boarding passes together unless you purchase EBCI for all.  They can be close, especially if you open two Browsers.

Also, some of your party is eligible for family boarding.


----------



## Fangorn

Anthony Vito said:


> I just came in to ask a question related to this - I was wondering whether anyone's done this.  So, for what I'm looking at, we're booking 4 tickets.  There are 3 seats available at $167, if I go with all 4, they're $179.  Our kids are 5 and 7.
> 
> What are any potential issues with booking 3 tickets on a reservation, then just 1 ticket on another?  For $36 total savings, I was thinking it's probably too much of a headache and another variable that I don't know about any potential complications.  What are some difficulties that this would create?



I do it all the time. The only real "complication" is that you have two reservations and will have to check in separately for each one - not a big deal in my mind.  It is unlikely your boarding positions will all be together (i.e. contiguous numbers), but they'll be close and it won't be a big deal during actual boarding (assuming you checkin right at the 24 hour mark or purchase EBCI).

Steve


----------



## Lori74

I agree with pp   I do it all of the time, and even reprice as well.  You just have more than one check in,  but its not too much work and worth the savings to me.


----------



## Crazyhorse

Just an FYI.  When Flights opened up for December, I quickly booked.  The first non stop flight out of Midway to Orlando was 7:05a so I grabbed it.  A few weeks ago I got an email that our flight times changed for both flights, but by only 10 min so no biggie.  Decided today to just double check that the flights still showed that they were NOT Max 8, all good.  However, I also saw that they added an earlier flight out of Midway, non stop, at 5:50 am.  Needless to say, I changed the 7:05a to the 5:50a.  It looks like EBCI made it over to the new flight and no money changed hands.  A win today!


----------



## Lsdolphin

Crazyhorse said:


> Just an FYI.  When Flights opened up for December, I quickly booked.  The first non stop flight out of Midway to Orlando was 7:05a so I grabbed it.  A few weeks ago I got an email that our flight times changed for both flights, but by only 10 min so no biggie.  Decided today to just double check that the flights still showed that they were NOT Max 8, all good.  However, I also saw that they added an earlier flight out of Midway, non stop, at 5:50 am.  Needless to say, I changed the 7:05a to the 5:50a.  It looks like EBCI made it over to the new flight and no money changed hands.  A win today!




Yes this situation can be advantageous for sure. I booked a flight for 12/18 as it was significantly lower than the same flight on the next day. So I received an email notifying me that flight number had changed while actual flight was the same...this email also offered me an opportunity to rebook within a window at no extra charge. I looked and sure enough the 12/19 as well days even closer to Christmas Day which had much higher fares were now available for me to book with no additional fare increase. So I now have a fight which is exactly what I wanted for more than $200 less.


----------



## KSR0330

If I changed to a Southwest flight that was cheaper, do I receive a credit for the difference the next time I fly?  Do I need to do anything to secure this credit?


----------



## shoreward

KSR0330 said:


> If I changed to a Southwest flight that was cheaper, do I receive a credit for the difference the next time I fly?  Do I need to do anything to secure this credit?


If you did not pay with points, you will receive a "banked" credit, which must be used (complete travel) within one year of original booking date.  To use that credit, you will need to enter the original confirmation number on the payment page, as travel funds.  Keep that number in a safe place!

If you booked with points, the points will automatically be deposited back into your account.


----------



## KSR0330

Thank you!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Friendly reminder that *Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur on Thursday September 26th (1 week from TOMORROW).*

Currently SW is offering flights through 3/6/20 and this release will take their schedule out to 4/13/20 (covering popular spring break dates)
_In my experience, flights typically go “live” between 7am and 9am Eastern. HOWEVER, The last 2 releases actually did not go live until 10:40 and 9:20am Eastern respectively._


----------



## la79al

DH and I sat down and found some flights that aren't super great but will work for our spring trip and will come in under the points we have (deciding factor).  Now I am too nervous to just book it!


----------



## Fangorn

If you're using points, there's no downside to just booking it. If you need tp change or cancel, no big deal. You get all your points back. 

Steve


----------



## tinkerbell615

Our departing and returning flights were changed for November about a month ago. The return flight was a significant time difference. In order to keep our times close to the original, i actually rebooked out of CMH instead of IND. I received a nice credit with the change. How do I make sure the two flights I have now are not Max 8. I don't know if the original flights were or not.


----------



## mfly

tinkerbell615 said:


> Our departing and returning flights were changed for November about a month ago. The return flight was a significant time difference. In order to keep our times close to the original, i actually rebooked out of CMH instead of IND. I received a nice credit with the change. How do I make sure the two flights I have now are not Max 8. I don't know if the original flights were or not.


Southwest has removed the Max 8 from their schedule for November. I believe the schedule is now updated to remove the Max 8 through the end of 2019.


----------



## tinkerbell615

mfly said:


> Southwest has removed the Max 8 from their schedule for November. I believe the schedule is now updated to remove the Max 8 through the end of 2019.



Thank you.


----------



## shoreward

tinkerbell615 said:


> Our departing and returning flights were changed for November about a month ago. The return flight was a significant time difference. In order to keep our times close to the original, i actually rebooked out of CMH instead of IND. I received a nice credit with the change. How do I make sure the two flights I have now are not Max 8. I don't know if the original flights were or not.


Latest info from Southwest:


> We previously revised our flight schedule by removing the MAX through Nov. 2 to offer reliability to our operation and stability for our Customers. With the timing of the MAX’s return-to-service still uncertain, we are extending the MAX-related flight schedule adjustments through Jan. 5, 2020.



There is an easy way to check the aircraft scheduled for your flights. You have to look on the website, not the app, and search as if you are booking a new flight. When on the search result page for the date and city pairs you want, click on the blue hyperlink for your flight number. A box will open, which shows the aircraft, capacity, and the on-time performance for that flight number.


----------



## tinkerbell615

shoreward said:


> Latest info from Southwest:
> 
> 
> There is an easy way to check the aircraft scheduled for your flights. You have to look on the website, not the app, and search as if you are booking a new flight. When on the search result page for the date and city pairs you want, click on the blue hyperlink for your flight number. A box will open, which shows the aircraft, capacity, and the on-time performance for that flight number.



Thank you so much! So if it says Boeing 737-800, we should be okay? Our departing flight does not show any statics? The returning flight does? Is that important?


----------



## shoreward

tinkerbell615 said:


> Thank you so much! So if it says Boeing 737-800, we should be okay? Our departing flight does not show any statics? The returning flight does? Is that important?


The 737-800 is not the MAX.  If there are no stats for your departing flight, that just means either it's a new flight or it has not operated long enough to establish statistics.


----------



## Alice Sr.

Can anyone provide an educated guess if spring break airfare will be more than Christmas week?  I have looked at peak time for Thanksgiving and Christmas, Chicago Midway to MCO and it looks like for 4 it tops out at $4232 for business class or 186,732 points in Wanna Get Away.


----------



## kaytieeldr

I don't think there's any such thing as an educated guess when it comes to airfare.


----------



## Gary2T

Alice Sr. said:


> ...it looks like for 4 it tops out at $4232 for business class or 186,732 points in Wanna Get Away.



Southwest doesn’t have a business class.  The business select fare will put you in the same seats as the wanna get away fare.  You’ll get a few other perks as outlined at the link below, but a roomier seat isn’t one of them.

https://www.southwest.com/html/air/products/business-select.html


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

Spring break fare are normally high because everyone wants to go to Florida. Usually our airfare is $94 eachway and Easter runs around $300 eachway.  We are in Cleveland. Though last year just a few days before Easter the price plummeted to $54 on United so we booked a trip on Wed and started our trip two days later. So no one knows that the prices will be like.


----------



## Alice Sr.

Gary2T said:


> Southwest doesn’t have a business class.  The business select fare will put you in the same seats as the wanna get away fare.  You’ll get a few other perks as outlined at the link below, but a roomier seat isn’t one of them.
> 
> https://www.southwest.com/html/air/products/business-select.html


That's my bad, I used the wrong terminology.  I do understand the difference.  Thank you for your response and the link.


----------



## Alice Sr.

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> Spring break fare are normally high because everyone wants to go to Florida. Usually our airfare is $94 eachway and Easter runs around $300 eachway.  We are in Cleveland. Though last year just a few days before Easter the price plummeted to $54 on United so we booked a trip on Wed and started our trip two days later. So no one knows that the prices will be like.


I know, I am just not able to move my dates.  We dodged the bullet last year by changing the resv to a week later and it worked out great.  This year I can't move it late enough or early enough to get out of that dreaded window  I am going to keep checking through the SW window opening, and maybe even beyond.  United had a lot of open seats on the flights I checked so I may take a gamble if I don't luck out on the SW lotto.  Thank you for providing your DP, much appreciated.


----------



## edk35

Okay So I just found out that the SW flights are being released for March 7th and forward this coming Thursday. We are flying down on the 6th. Should I go ahead and book those as one ways now? I wonder if the 6th will go UP on Thursday or down? UGH!!! We are going down on the 6th from BWI and our son is flying out of Midway Chicago on the 6th. We are at Disney for 8 nights. Decisions decisions.


----------



## scrappinginontario

edk35 said:


> Okay So I just found out that the SW flights are being released for March 7th and forward this coming Thursday. We are flying down on the 6th. Should I go ahead and book those as one ways now? I wonder if the 6th will go UP on Thursday or down? UGH!!! We are going down on the 6th from BWI and our son is flying out of Midway Chicago on the 6th. We are at Disney for 8 nights. Decisions decisions.


This is purely my guess but I would think if anything, Mar 6th flights would go up Thurs.

SW flights go up as the plane fills up.  People who are waiting for the Mar 7th release to book their entire trip may drive up the prices if the flights for Mar 6th and earlier.

It will be interesting to see if others have a different thought.


----------



## la79al

How many times can I change a reservation? For example, I will change if price comes down but then I hope to change again if I can find better times.


----------



## shoreward

la79al said:


> How many times can I change a reservation? For example, I will change if price comes down but then I hope to change again if I can find better times.


There is no limit.


----------



## iivye

Has anyone used their travel funds for a flight on the expiration date?  Mine expire 3/13 and I want to book a flight for 3/13.  I know the wording is "travel must be completed by the expiration date" so I'm not sure if that means the flight would have to take place on 3/12.


----------



## MaggieBags

Planning for tomorrow...we probably have enough points for purchase 2 out of the 4 tickets we will need. This requires two separate transactions correct?  One for the cash tickets and another for the tickets with points?

May the force be will all of you booking bright and early tomorrow!


----------



## scrappinginontario

MaggieBags said:


> Planning for tomorrow...we probably have enough points for purchase 2 out of the 4 tickets we will need. This requires two separate transactions correct?  One for the cash tickets and another for the tickets with points?
> 
> May the force be will all of you booking* bright and early tomorrow!*


Not saying people shouldn't check early but you may also want to be prepared for a later release.  The past 2 releases, updates did not begin showing up until after 9am.


----------



## buzzrelly

scrappinginontario said:


> Not saying people shouldn't check early but you may also want to be prepared for a later release.  The past 2 releases, updates did not begin showing up until after 9am.




And yet, I sit here waiting…

Good thing I have the day off


----------



## scrappinginontario

A reminder that historically the Low Fare Finder calendar will display new flight availability earlier than selecting 2 cities and specific dates.


----------



## buzzrelly

scrappinginontario said:


> A reminder that historically the Low Fare Finder calendar will display new flight availability earlier than selecting 2 cities and specific dates.




Thanks for the tip!

Now…as long as they don't release them from 7-7:30 because I have to drive my DD to school…that would be great!


----------



## BillFromCT

buzzrelly said:


> Thanks for the tip!
> 
> Now…as long as they don't release them from 7-7:30 because I have to drive my DD to school…that would be great!



The flights are showing on the low fare finder calendar now.  I was able to book for mid March.


----------



## jkelly86

BillFromCT said:


> The flights are showing on the low fare finder calendar now.  I was able to book for mid March.


I can't find dates for April on the calendar yet.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

iivye said:


> Has anyone used their travel funds for a flight on the expiration date?  Mine expire 3/13 and I want to book a flight for 3/13.  I know the wording is "travel must be completed by the expiration date" so I'm not sure if that means the flight would have to take place on 3/12.


Yes you can use it for a 3-13 flight according to the SWA person I talked to.


----------



## jcarwash

Wow, 7:15am ET and the calendar extension is already live. So much earlier than the last extension.


----------



## bgula

Flight prices are RIDICULOUS!!!!


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

MaggieBags said:


> Planning for tomorrow...we probably have enough points for purchase 2 out of the 4 tickets we will need. This requires two separate transactions correct?  One for the cash tickets and another for the tickets with points?
> 
> May the force be will all of you booking bright and early tomorrow!


Yes you will need to book 2 separate tickets One for the points and one for the cash tickets.


----------



## Hockeyfan17

Flight prices were very high this year compared to last.


----------



## buzzrelly

scrappinginontario said:


> A reminder that historically the Low Fare Finder calendar will display new flight availability earlier than selecting 2 cities and specific dates.




Thanks again for that tip! I was able to book the flights before 7 am and the regular booking area wasn't showing availability for March yet!

My flight down wasn't terrible, $134, but my flight home was crazy…$251   I could have gotten $20 cheaper, but then wouldn't have gotten home until 11pm.


----------



## KerryCM

Paid way more than I have for other flights, but I am going with my son and his family for my grandchildren’s Spring break!


----------



## JenluvsDisney

I'm traveling from Buffalo to Orlando for our Ontario, Canada Spring Break.  Historically prices are pretty high as all of us Canucks just slightly north of the border book our flights to warmer weather.  By leaving two days before the official start of Spring break I paid $139pp but coming home on the final Saturday of our break I paid a whopping $353pp!!! Granted, I did book non-stop midday flights each way so I did select the priciest flights on offer, but Southwest definitely knows they have a captive (and perhaps desperate?) market for Spring Break.  

Glad to have my flights booked but I'm definitely NOT looking forward to my next Visa bill!!


----------



## michelepa

I can't stand SW!  I went on this morning to book flight down to Orlando from Philly and the two nonstop early flights say "sold out" across all three categories.  Which is a bunch of bs.  I used to love flying this airline and now they're the biggest gamers around.  We fly down for our kids spring break to watch them play with their high school teams at ESPN. This same flight baiting happened last year. I opened up a SW visa card because of these trips but with all the SW gaming of flights I am done and will be looking for a new visa card!  Now I have to check the SW site daily to see when they open up the flight time I need.


----------



## TexasChick123

I had to book flights to/from Austin because flights to/from Houston were more than double to price. Can anyone explain that?!? It looks like we’ll be visiting our old college campus and visiting friends on our way to/from our ski trip!


----------



## lcc2

TexasChick123 said:


> I had to book flights to/from Austin because flights to/from Houston were more than double to price. Can anyone explain that?!? It looks like we’ll be visiting our old college campus and visiting friends on our way to/from our ski trip!



I had the same problem from/to Houston last March. It would have been $2700 for 3 people. We ended up having to do the 13hr drive. I'm not sure why Houston is so expensive.


----------



## Gentry2004

Ugh, just came here to report that prices for our Spring Break flights were the highest they have ever been. $460RT for a less preferred home airport and departure date. We could have had $300 on JetBlue back when they did their release (of course not any longer.) I am so mad at myself for waiting for SW.


----------



## TexasChick123

lcc2 said:


> I had the same problem from/to Houston last March. It would have been $2700 for 3 people. We ended up having to do the 13hr drive. I'm not sure why Houston is so expensive.



Luckily, Austin flights were reasonable, and I haven’t been to Austin in about a year. It’ll be nice to go back and see some friends there. Honestly, Frontier prices weren’t terrible to/from Houston, but the return nonstop flight leaves at 6:20am from Denver. That’s just too darn early!


----------



## Gentry2004

michelepa said:


> I can't stand SW!  I went on this morning to book flight down to Orlando from Philly and the two nonstop early flights say "sold out" across all three categories.  Which is a bunch of bs.  I used to love flying this airline and now they're the biggest gamers around.  We fly down for our kids spring break to watch them play with their high school teams at ESPN. This same flight baiting happened last year. I opened up a SW visa card because of these trips but with all the SW gaming of flights I am done and will be looking for a new visa card!  Now I have to check the SW site daily to see when they open up the flight time I need.



Yes, I am pretty annoyed with SW right now. It used to always pay off to wait for their (ridiculously late) release of flights. But the last 3 trips I have been burned by waiting for them. In each case I would have been better off booking earlier on a different carrier. They only reason we are somewhat loyal to them for now is our points/companion pass. But once both of those are gone (end of 2020) I doubt we'll be flying SW anymore. They were double Jet Blue for spring break. DOUBLE.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*FYI - Southwest extended their schedule this morning for flights through April 13th, 2020.*

Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment:

*NEXT RELEASE: 10/30/19 - travel through June 6th, 2020*
9/26/19 - travel through 4/13/20
8/15/19 - travel through March 6th, 2020
5/30/19 - travel through January 5th, 2020
3/15/19 - travel through November 2nd, 2019
1/31/19 - travel through October 1st, 2019
11/15/18 - travel through August 5th, 2019
9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019
8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
_This chart could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above) They appear to be tightening the inventory a bit this year vs. prior year's releases._

*RELEASE TIMES:*

The release on 5/30/19 went live at 9:20am.
The release on 8/15/19 went live at 10:41am.
The release on 9/26/19 went live at 7:30am.
If you want to search back for this post in the future - just search my name and "release".  You could also bookmark this comment on the new DIS somehow (or so I heard).


----------



## Gentry2004

@SouthFayetteFan any ideas why they have been releasing so late? Ie: on 9/27/18 they released through June. Today they only released through mid April.


----------



## TexasChick123

Gentry2004 said:


> @SouthFayetteFan any ideas why they have been releasing so late? Ie: on 9/27/18 they released through June. Today they only released through mid April.



MAX8 issues.  They are hoping to put those planes back in service, so they wait until the last moment to release the fares once they find out whether or not the planes will be allowed back in.  It's really screwing everything up because all the other airlines keep their prices inflated until SW releases flights.  It's a good time to drive for vacations, if you can.


----------



## Gentry2004

TexasChick123 said:


> MAX8 issues.  They are hoping to put those planes back in service, so they wait until the last moment to release the fares once they find out whether or not the planes will be allowed back in.  It's really screwing everything up because all the other airlines keep their prices inflated until SW releases flights.  It's a good time to drive for vacations, if you can.



I agree its likely the Max8 problems. But JetBlue's release date pricing was actually really competitive in hindsight. Way cheaper than SW and I'm mad I didn't book then. Cost me $150pp extra and a much longer drive to a different home airport.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Gentry2004 said:


> @SouthFayetteFan any ideas why they have been releasing so late? Ie: on 9/27/18 they released through June. Today they only released through mid April.


The only thing I can figure on the surface is that the later releases are related to Max8.  The data seems to supports it...

Southwest has always controlled inventory tighter than other airlines - this is in an effort to reduce changes and cancellations (which SW is better than ANY other airline at this - you rarely see people's flights get removed from the schedule or changed drastically).
In the 12 releases leading up to March 2019, Southwest on average made 249 days of inventory available on release day.
The amount of inventory days released also varied a lot during this time (with a high of 277 and a low of 220)
In the 5 releases since March 2019 (the grounding) the average days of inventory available on release day has plummeted to 215 days.
So we are seeing a reduction (or delay) of about 1 month worth of flights right now.
While the data supports it, SW is still releasing flights showing the Max8 AND then having to revise the schedule down the line to remove and reassign planes (often with the removal of flights).  Perhaps they are using the release to gauge where demand is for certain routes in an effort to service as many passengers as possible. 

It's also possible that this is not related to Max8 and that SW just feels that controlling inventory a little tighter is a better play for them (and there could be any number of passenger/profit motivations behind that).


----------



## MsOnceUponATime

I'm with the complainers!!  Round trip flights, March 9-15 (over spring break), HOU>MCO>HOU $572 or 39,500 points!!! I went ahead and booked two flights using points. Not sure if we'll go, but at least I (likely) paid less than anyone booking these same flights after me!  I do keep my eyes peeled for cheaper flights on the daily once I book with SW... sometimes it pays off!

Edited to add - I'm going to see if we can get a bounce back offer while at WDW next week in hopes that the hotel offer is decently priced for this potential trip!


----------



## greenclan67

JenluvsDisney said:


> I'm traveling from Buffalo to Orlando for our Ontario, Canada Spring Break.  Historically prices are pretty high as all of us Canucks just slightly north of the border book our flights to warmer weather.  By leaving two days before the official start of Spring break I paid $139pp but coming home on the final Saturday of our break I paid a whopping $353pp!!! Granted, I did book non-stop midday flights each way so I did select the priciest flights on offer, but Southwest definitely knows they have a captive (and perhaps desperate?) market for Spring Break.
> 
> Glad to have my flights booked but I'm definitely NOT looking forward to my next Visa bill!!


We fly from buffalo to. And I didnt book March break today. Too high. I just booked my dec 21 to 28th sw flights in Sept 12th and got $208 rt. I will wait it out.


----------



## Gentry2004

greenclan67 said:


> We fly from buffalo to. And I didnt book March break today. Too high. I just booked my dec 21 to 28th sw flights in Sept 12th and got $208 rt. I will wait it out.



That is encouraging to hear that Dec prices came down. I'm definitely watching my spring break flights and hoping to rebook.


----------



## Dawg74

Same thing for us, we love Southwest but they seem to be less and less competitive.  We drive from Toronto and fly from Buffalo two or three times a year.  Looking a head based on the current flight prices its getting harder to justify.  Although if you are flexible on the date/times of day you fly there are still some lower prices but its getting harder for sure.


----------



## scrappinginontario

I think it really depends on when people are flying.  March and early April are prime travel times for some Spring/March Break crowds and the dates released also included Easter weekend.  It will be interesting to see what prices are like for the next release.

We also drove from Toronto and flew from Buffalo to MCO twice this year, each time paying less than $215/pp round trip but we were 'off season' also flying last week of April (after Spring Break and Easter) and then again the second week of September.  

Last year I decided to try flying out of Toronto when I could book something at what I would consider to be a 'comparable cost' to what I anticipated SW flights would be.  In the end I paid approx 30% more flying out of TO once I added in cost of luggage.

Personally, while I've looked into other options for flying, once I take into consideration baggage costs, SW is still less $ for our family.


----------



## katallo

Just saw a brief story on news about Max 8.  There hasn't been any significant changes so I would expect some flight changes for flights into next year.


----------



## Gentry2004

scrappinginontario said:


> I think it really depends on when people are flying.  March and early April are prime travel times for some Spring/March Break crowds and the dates released also included Easter weekend.  It will be interesting to see what prices are like for the next release.
> 
> We also drove from Toronto and flew from Buffalo to MCO twice this year, each time paying less than $215/pp round trip but we were 'off season' also flying last week of April (after Spring Break and Easter) and then again the second week of September.
> 
> Last year I decided to try flying out of Toronto when I could book something at what I would consider to be a 'comparable cost' to what I anticipated SW flights would be.  In the end I paid approx 30% more flying out of TO once I added in cost of luggage.
> 
> Personally, while I've looked into other options for flying, once I take into consideration baggage costs, SW is still less $ for our family.



I agree that flying off season is the way to go. Sadly my oldest child is getting to old to do that, between school and extracurricular activities. Its really cramping my Disney style!


----------



## EACarlson

I booked MKE-DAL this morning for $113 pp each way at the end of March for Spring Break.  That flight in the middle of February was $104, that's not bad, only $9 swing for Break.


----------



## shoreward

I imagine this flight may not be the best to book.  



> *Flight information*
> 
> Flight #1590% Ontime arrival0%% > 30 min late0%% Cancellation100%Average delay time0 Min
> *Aircraft information*
> 
> Scheduled Aircraft*Boeing 737-800No. of seats175WiFi & FreeTV available


----------



## scard192

MsOnceUponATime said:


> I'm with the complainers!!  Round trip flights, March 9-15 (over spring break), HOU>MCO>HOU $572 or 39,500 points!!! I went ahead and booked two flights using points. Not sure if we'll go, but at least I (likely) paid less than anyone booking these same flights after me!  I do keep my eyes peeled for cheaper flights on the daily once I book with SW... sometimes it pays off!
> 
> Edited to add - I'm going to see if we can get a bounce back offer while at WDW next week in hopes that the hotel offer is decently priced for this potential trip!


Bounceback will likely still be FD dates for later in 2020.


----------



## scrappinginontario

MsOnceUponATime said:


> I'm with the complainers!!  Round trip flights, March 9-15 (over spring break), HOU>MCO>HOU $572 or 39,500 points!!! I went ahead and booked two flights using points. Not sure if we'll go, but at least I (likely) paid less than anyone booking these same flights after me!  I do keep my eyes peeled for cheaper flights on the daily once I book with SW... sometimes it pays off!
> 
> Edited to add - *I'm going to see if we can get a bounce back offer while at WDW next week* in hopes that the hotel offer is decently priced for this potential trip!


The current BB offer (from now until Oct 31, 2019 stays) is FD for some 2020 dates.  Details can be found here:  https://www.disboards.com/threads/b...eback-for-2020-dates-read-first-post.3680214/  Details are in the first post.


----------



## MsOnceUponATime

scrappinginontario said:


> The current BB offer (from now until Oct 31, 2019 stays) is FD for some 2020 dates.  Details can be found here:  https://www.disboards.com/threads/b...eback-for-2020-dates-read-first-post.3680214/  Details are in the first post.



Thanks, thanks, thanks!! Thanks so much!


----------



## scrappinginontario

MsOnceUponATime said:


> Thanks, thanks, thanks!! Thanks so much!


You're so welcome!!! 

I'll say that when we were at Pop mid-September the only BB information in the room was the old one that had expired a month earlier.  I asked for written material but they said they didn't have any.

I had the information from the thread above and it matched when I called.  I'd already booked our trip prior to leaving home with exactly what we wanted so the call to the BB number was a quick 10 min call, got exactly what we wanted as they could just add the BB code to our existing reservation and saved $880!!!  I'll take that!


----------



## MsOnceUponATime

scrappinginontario said:


> You're so welcome!!!
> 
> I'll say that when we were at Pop mid-September the only BB information in the room was the old one that had expired a month earlier.  I asked for written material but they said they didn't have any.
> 
> I had the information from the thread above and it matched when I called.  I'd already booked our trip prior to leaving home with exactly what we wanted so the call to the BB number was a quick 10 min call, got exactly what we wanted as they could just add the BB code to our existing reservation and saved $880!!!  I'll take that!



We're staying at CBR this time, but I still wanted to have additional info about bounce backs because I know little to nothing about them!


----------



## kaytieeldr

Questions about bouncebacks in general? Shoot!


----------



## Wish I lived in Fl

Prices too high so haven't booked flight home in March. Seriously considering Delta First class at $563 rather than $489 for Southwest!


----------



## la79al

Are layovers terrible?  We currently have a flight arriving at 5:30 on a Saturday and I would love to move it earlier but all comparable flights have a layover (but no plane change).  DH is completely against them but I'm stressing about this arrival flight being so late.


----------



## mrsstats

We have planes 99% of the time since flying from Islip there are few direct flights to other places.  As long as the layover is not too long we find no problem.  Not having to change planes is even better.  No chance of missing the next flight.


----------



## kaytieeldr

No, not l


la79al said:


> Are layovers terrible?  We currently have a flight arriving at 5:30 on a Saturday and I would love to move it earlier but all comparable flights have a layover (but no plane change).  DH is completely against them but I'm stressing about this arrival flight being so late.


I think the only thing terrible about layovers is that it ups the chance for something to go wrong. Takeoffs and landings are riskier than the actual flights. Oh, and that if your layover is too short, your checked luggage could be delayed.

The advantage is the potential to exit the plane and stretch your legs, and if the layover is long enough, to use the airport facilities and get food.


----------



## scrappinginontario

la79al said:


> Are layovers terrible?  We currently have a flight arriving at 5:30 on a Saturday and I would love to move it earlier but all comparable flights have a layover (but no plane change).  DH is completely against them but I'm stressing about this arrival flight being so late.


When are you flying?  A layover increases the opportunities for weather delays during certain months.


----------



## la79al

scrappinginontario said:


> When are you flying?  A layover increases the opportunities for weather delays during certain months.


February. So now I really want to change it to earlier because I didn't really think about weather but don't want to be on a late flight and have it canceled for snow with no other flights available until the next day.


----------



## scrappinginontario

la79al said:


> February. So now I really want to change it to earlier because I didn't really think about weather but don't want to be on a late flight and have it canceled for snow with no other flights available until the next day.


Yes, but also consider the weather of the city you are adding a stopover at.  I always think I won’t mind a stopover until the day of travel and I kick myself for adding a stopover as it adds so much time and sometimes stress to an already long travel day.  

I’m always happiest with direct flights when it’s an option.


----------



## EACarlson

Got an email this morning, $49 three day sale.  Didn't change either of the flights I have booked but worth looking at.


----------



## Huff

la79al said:


> Are layovers terrible?  We currently have a flight arriving at 5:30 on a Saturday and I would love to move it earlier but all comparable flights have a layover (but no plane change).  DH is completely against them but I'm stressing about this arrival flight being so late.



While I prefer non-stop SW's no plane change layovers are the next best thing.  Usually these layovers are short, 30-45 minutes.  Once landed and everyone else exits the plane you're free to move to a better seat, anywhere on the plane before others are boarded.


----------



## FBandA

What is the most times you have rebooked your flight for a lower price? Going on the 4th time now! Saved over $90 now.


----------



## juju12345

Wanna get away fares were sold out so I had to book the Business Select fare for a flight this weekend. I’ve never done that before- how do I get my free drink? Is there something on the boarding pass that will print out or be on the app boarding pass?


----------



## KerryCM

juju12345 said:


> Wanna get away fares were sold out so I had to book the Business Select fare for a flight this weekend. I’ve never done that before- how do I get my free drink? Is there something on the boarding pass that will print out or be on the app boarding pass?


It will be on your boarding pass when you print it out.


----------



## shoreward

New concerns about 737 aircraft, not related to the MAX series.

https://apple.news/Agbx62-YyQTmSjoDYdjHeyg


----------



## Crazyhorse

FBandA said:


> What is the most times you have rebooked your flight for a lower price? Going on the 4th time now! Saved over $90 now.



I just rebooked for the second time for flights in December.  Flights went down from $113.00 each way to $99.00 this time around, saving $56.00 total.  Initial purchase was in May, when the schedule opened up.  A few weeks later, rebooked and saved $44.00.  Pays to be vigilant.  Also forces another trip prior to next May...to use the credit balance.


----------



## katallo

shoreward said:


> New concerns about 737 aircraft, not related to the MAX series.
> 
> https://apple.news/Agbx62-YyQTmSjoDYdjHeyg



Good grief.  Does SW fly anything else??  Not a great feeling.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

shoreward said:


> New concerns about 737 aircraft, not related to the MAX series.
> 
> https://apple.news/Agbx62-YyQTmSjoDYdjHeyg


Headlines like that and whatnot don't do anything other than to create panic for something that doesn't need. You'd have to read further into the story for the article to even state the 737 NG issue is not related to the MAX issue (something that people won't necessarily think about).

The entire article reads like normal wear and tear concerns. The airlines should already be inspecting these things but I could totally see if the FAA wanted a bit more oversight at the moment with Boeing under higher scrutiny and maybe even more since some of those planes have probably been flown more than originally scheduled to compensate for the MAX grounding.

Wasn't it last year that emergency engine inspections occurred with SWA? They dealt with it then and that seemed way more disrupting than this at least at the moment.

This isn't even emergency either. 165 planes across the airlines that have 737 NG (Next Generation) have to be inspected in a week. The rest of the nearly 2,000 and the order from the FAA was that periodic inspection needs to occur (and I hope they would be doing that already).


----------



## intricatejewel

I am a complete noob when it comes to SW. I just checked in and got assigned A33. Is that good, bad or just ok?


----------



## Lori74

intricatejewel said:


> I am a complete noob when it comes to SW. I just checked in and got assigned A33. Is that good, bad or just ok?


it is good


----------



## scrappinginontario

intricatejewel said:


> I am a complete noob when it comes to SW. I just checked in and got assigned A33. Is that good, bad or just ok?


It is excellent!!  Often A1-15 has little/no people so other than the pre-boards (wheelchairs, etc) you will probably be within the first 20 people to enter the plane.  Guessing you purchased EBCI.  Is this correct?


----------



## intricatejewel

scrappinginontario said:


> It is excellent!!  Often A1-15 has little/no people so other than the pre-boards (wheelchairs, etc) you will probably be within the first 20 people to enter the plane.  Guessing you purchased EBCI.  Is this correct?


 Yes I did purchase EBCI on a Wanna Get Away Fare.  I didn’t realize how good a boarding number it was till you said I might be one of the first 20 people on board. I was really just aiming for the front half of the plane (I like to make a quick getaway after landing due to my anxiety). Even if I’m the 50th person to board, I’m still pleased. 
Lastly, when doing check in, it didn’t ask me how many pieces of luggage I wanted to check. Because everyone is entitled to 2 pieces, does SW not need to know?


----------



## scrappinginontario

intricatejewel said:


> Yes I did purchase EBCI on a Wanna Get Away Fare.  I didn’t realize how good a boarding number it was till you said I might be one of the first 20 people on board. I was really just aiming for the front half of the plane (I like to make a quick getaway after landing due to my anxiety). Even if I’m the 50th person to board, I’m still pleased.
> Lastly, when doing check in, it didn’t ask me how many pieces of luggage I wanted to check. Because everyone is entitled to 2 pieces, does SW not need to know?


You will tell them how many pieces of luggage you're checking when you check in at the kiosk tomorrow and print luggage tags.  You'll attach those to your checked bags and take them to the counter where  they will check your ID, weigh and accept your luggage.  If you're using Disney's Magical Express, you'll also want to attach the yellow tags to your bags before giving them to SW.


----------



## intricatejewel

scrappinginontario said:


> You will tell them how many pieces of luggage you're checking when you check in at the kiosk tomorrow and print luggage tags.  You'll attach those to your checked bags and take them to the counter where  they will check your ID, weigh and accept your luggage.  If you're using Disney's Magical Express, you'll also want to attach the yellow tags to your bags before giving them to SW.


You’re amazing!  Thank you for responding. All that’s left is to wait for 6 am!  Thanks again!!


----------



## scrappinginontario

Happy to help!


----------



## McNs

First SW flight tomorrow from MCO to LAS. EBCI worked well, we have positions in the A20s, so don’t need to worry about sitting together. The question I do have is on food for the 5 hour flight - is there anything available to purchase on board or do we need to bring anything we want to eat?


----------



## EACarlson

I've never done a 5 hour flight on SW, only 3.  All we got were some pretzels and one drink.  I know a few people that pick something up in the airport and eat it on the plane.  I always bring lots of snacks.


----------



## elgerber

McNs said:


> First SW flight tomorrow from MCO to LAS. EBCI worked well, we have positions in the A20s, so don’t need to worry about sitting together. The question I do have is on food for the 5 hour flight - is there anything available to purchase on board or do we need to bring anything we want to eat?


I don’t believe they ever offer food. I would bring it with you. We got pretzels on our short flight and pretzels and ritz bits on our longer flight.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

McNs said:


> First SW flight tomorrow from MCO to LAS. EBCI worked well, we have positions in the A20s, so don’t need to worry about sitting together. The question I do have is on food for the 5 hour flight - is there anything available to purchase on board or do we need to bring anything we want to eat?


I would bring what you want especially if you get thirsty throughout your flight. They don't have meals and whatnot.

As far as snacks go sometimes I've gotten pretzels as well as the Ritz crackers and sometimes just the Ritz crackers. Flight time doesn't seem to be a factor IME but rather just a particular flight attendants choice. Seems to be more common in the late night/last flight out to give both.


----------



## shoreward

McNs said:


> First SW flight tomorrow from MCO to LAS. EBCI worked well, we have positions in the A20s, so don’t need to worry about sitting together. The question I do have is on food for the 5 hour flight - is there anything available to purchase on board or do we need to bring anything we want to eat?


Southwest only sells alcoholic beverages on board.  Other beverages are complimentary.  The F/As will make an initial snack and beverage sweep through the cabin for beverages and snacks.  The snacks are very small pretzel packs and Nabisco 100  calorie packages of snacks.  On longer flights, there should be another pass through the cabin, but you can also request more when they pick up trash.  If my flight is close to normal meal time, I usually pick up a salad or sandwich at my resort, before heading to the airport, and eat it at the airport, pre-security.  As long as the food has no liquids, you can also bring through Security and either eat at the gate or on your flight.  If you want to eat onboard, however, it is nice to be considerate and not bring fish (which many are highly allergic to) or a smelly food.

There are a number of places to eat or purchase food at the airport, both on the land side (before getting on the tram) and air side (where the gates are located).  If you want your own beverages, they can be purchased air side, or you can bring an empty water bottle and fill it up air side.

If you are used to eating at regular intervals, I suggest bringing your own food/snacks onboard.

https://www.southwestaircommunity.com/t5/In-the-Air/Food-for-purchase/td-p/91641


----------



## focusondisney

McNs said:


> First SW flight tomorrow from MCO to LAS. EBCI worked well, we have positions in the A20s, so don’t need to worry about sitting together. The question I do have is on food for the 5 hour flight - is there anything available to purchase on board or do we need to bring anything we want to eat?



SW does sell some very limited “snack pack” type items. Think small cheese cracker & nut type stuff.  Early morning might have a breakfast or granola bar type thing too. There are only about 3 different packs with maybe 3 or 4 items in each pack.  They are only on longer flights. Can‘t remember the cost because we have never bought them.


----------



## McNs

Thanks all for the info on food. Will make sure we all have a decent breakfast at the airport, and have some snacks packed in carry on (thanks leftover credits!)


----------



## piglet1979

Last week was the first time I flew Southwest.  It was just me on this trip and for our next family trip we will be flying Southwest too.  I was hoping to do family boarding since my kids have never flow before but found out they are too old.  We don't necessarily need to sit together but I want each kid to be with a parent.  So my question is first, when I check in 24 hrs in advance will our boarding numbers be in a row/together?  Also, with having 6 of us (4 adults and 2 kids) what would the likelihood that we would get an A or early B boarding?


----------



## scrappinginontario

piglet1979 said:


> Last week was the first time I flew Southwest.  It was just me on this trip and for our next family trip we will be flying Southwest too.  I was hoping to do family boarding since my kids have never flow before but found out they are too old.  We don't necessarily need to sit together but I want each kid to be with a parent.  So my question is first, when I check in 24 hrs in advance will our boarding numbers be in a row/together?  Also, with having 6 of us (4 adults and 2 kids) what would the likelihood that we would get an A or early B boarding?


If you don't purchase EBCI, my experience (especially when MCO airport is involved) is that you will probably receive 'B' boarding passes.  There has been 2 occasions when I've purchased EBCI and still received B boarding passes.

Your numbers may not be sequential (especially as there are 6 involved) but you may find you have something like  B1, B2, B3, B5, B7 and B8.  When that has happened to us, we just line up with the person with the highest boarding number.  so in the example above we would line up with B8 and allow B4 and B6 to get in line in front of us.

Are all of you on one reservation?  If you have 2 reservations there is a far greater chance your numbers will not be sequential as others will be checking in at the same time you are.  If that is the case I would recommend using 2 different browsers or computers and attempting to check in both confirmation numbers as close together as possible.

If you definitely want a child to sit with an adult then the best thing to do is purchase EBCI for at least those 4 people.  If you choose not to do that then there is no guarantee there will be seats together when you board.  Probably yes, but not guaranteed.


----------



## piglet1979

scrappinginontario said:


> If you don't purchase EBCI, my experience (especially when MCO airport is involved) is that you will probably receive 'B' boarding passes.  There has been 2 occasions when I've purchased EBCI and still received B boarding passes.
> 
> Your numbers may not be sequential (especially as there are 6 involved) but you may find you have something like  B1, B2, B3, B5, B7 and B8.  When that has happened to us, we just line up with the person with the highest boarding number.  so in the example above we would line up with B8 and allow B4 and B6 to get in line in front of us.
> 
> Are all of you on one reservation?  If you have 2 reservations there is a far greater chance your numbers will not be sequential as others will be checking in at the same time you are.  If that is the case I would recommend using 2 different browsers or computers and attempting to check in both confirmation numbers as close together as possible.
> 
> If you definitely want a child to sit with an adult then the best thing to do is purchase EBCI for at least those 4 people.  If you choose not to do that then there is no guarantee there will be seats together when you board.  Probably yes, but not guaranteed.




Thank you this is very helpful.  Our flight times are not open yet.  just trying to figure everything out before hand.  We are not going until next summer.  I have just one more questions.  We are buying with points or hoping to to buy all the tickets with points.  If we can't get them all with the points would it be 2 different reservations then?


----------



## scrappinginontario

piglet1979 said:


> Thank you this is very helpful.  Our flight times are not open yet.  just trying to figure everything out before hand.  We are not going until next summer.  I have just one more questions.  We are buying with points or hoping to to buy all the tickets with points.  If we can't get them all with the points would it be 2 different reservations then?


Yes, If you end up buying some tickets with points and others with cash you will have 2 different reservation numbers.

What is working in your favour is that the flights are not open yet so if you purchase both kinds of tickets opening day and add EBCI at that time, your boarding numbers should be quite close together.  

In the past I didn't always purchase EBCI until the one time my 6yo and I almost had to sit separately until some kind people offered to change seats.  After that I've always purchased it because I feel it shouldn't be someone else's responsibility to have to move if I want to sit with my child.  It's important enough to me to budget for and purchase EBCI, and it also provides great peace of mind leading up to our trip!


----------



## piglet1979

scrappinginontario said:


> Yes, If you end up buying some tickets with points and others with cash you will have 2 different reservation numbers.
> 
> What is working in your favour is that the flights are not open yet so if you purchase both kinds of tickets opening day and add EBCI at that time, your boarding numbers should be quite close together.
> 
> In the past I didn't always purchase EBCI until the one time my 6yo and I almost had to sit separately until some kind people offered to change seats.  After that I've always purchased it because I feel it shouldn't be someone else's responsibility to have to move if I want to sit with my child.  It's important enough to me to budget for and purchase EBCI, and it also provides great peace of mind leading up to our trip!



One more questions.  If some are bought on points and others on cash, if we find a lower fare later on and switch to the cheaper on where more can be bought on points what happens?  Will they need to stay separate them? This is all so new.  We normally drive but I had to travel for work this year and have points which will make it cheaper.  Plus my parents are going which they will fly no matter what.


----------



## focusondisney

piglet1979 said:


> One more questions.  If some are bought on points and others on cash, if we find a lower fare later on and switch to the cheaper on where more can be bought on points what happens?  Will they need to stay separate them? This is all so new.  We normally drive but I had to travel for work this year and have points which will make it cheaper.  Plus my parents are going which they will fly no matter what.



If the price goes down, you can change your cash reservation & get a credit. You won’t get money back unless it is within 24 hours of booking or you bought a refundable ticket.  Technically you can cancel the flight & rebook the person with points. But you would end up with a credit that can only be used by that person. And it must be used within one year of the original purchase. 

The tickets booked on points can be rebooked & points will be returned to the account they came from.  NOTE: if you bought EBCI, it will stick if you change the flight reservation. If you cancel & rebook, the EBCI gets cancelled too & must be repurchased. With no refund of the original purchase, btw. So that money would be lost.


----------



## piglet1979

focusondisney said:


> If the price goes down, you can change your cash reservation & get a credit. You won’t get money back unless it is within 24 hours of booking or you bought a refundable ticket.  Technically you can cancel the flight & rebook the person with points. But you would end up with a credit that can only be used by that person. And it must be used within one year of the original purchase.
> 
> The tickets booked on points can be rebooked & points will be returned to the account they came from.  NOTE: if you bought EBCI, it will stick if you change the flight reservation. If you cancel & rebook, the EBCI gets cancelled too & must be repurchased. With no refund of the original purchase, btw. So that money would be lost.




Got it.. Thank you.  This thread has been so helpful.


----------



## shoreward

Southwest grounds two 737 Next Gen (not MAX) aircraft, due to cracks found during inspections.
https://www.republicworld.com/world...Ljd2XVWwjeLuqg5Zj8wBbi0qZb6GfVJoA5ibKB36SuOt0


----------



## erc

I just read an article that said you have to to actually fly before unused travel funds expire, not just apply them to a future flight before they expire.  Is this really the policy?  So if I have unused Southwest travel funds that expire Jan 6, 2020.  I have to actually use them to fly before Jan 6, 2020, and can't use them for a flight scheduled in March?  I always thought you just had to use them before the expiration.  Because you can only book at most 6 months in advance, I didn't think it would be an issue.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

erc said:


> I just read an article that said you have to to actually fly before unused travel funds expire, not just apply them to a future flight before they expire.  Is this really the policy?  So if I have unused Southwest travel funds that expire Jan 6, 2020.  I have to actually use them to fly before Jan 6, 2020, and can't use them for a flight scheduled in March?  I always thought you just had to use them before the expiration.  Because you can only book at most 6 months in advance, I didn't think it would be an issue.


I believe the policy always has been (or at least for quite a long time) that travel must be completed within 1 year of purchase date of the flight that produced the travel credit.

So yes travel in your case must be completed by 1/6/2020.

https://www.southwest.com/flight/travel-funds-search.html


It can really depend on the phone agent from Customer Relations but you can request an extension for the travel funds though $100 IIRC is removed from the overall travel funds available. My mother-in-law did this last year but I know some people have been told no extension.


----------



## scrappinginontario

I've been flying with SW for over 10 years and I believe this has been the case since I started flying with them.  It's not uncommon for us to end up with a credit on a flight but it is uncommon to actually be able to use it.

Also (and if I'm not correct, please advise) if you use travel credits towards a new flight, that entire new flight has a 'purchase date' of the date the travel credit funds were purchased? 

I.e.  If I purchase a flight on Sep 1, 2019 and get a travel credit, that travel must be completed by Sep 1, 2020.  When I apply that travel credit to a new flight purchased Jan 1, 2020, if I'm able to get a travel credit for that second flight too, the new travel credit also expires Sep 1, 2020, not Jan 1, 2021.  Is this correct?


----------



## EACarlson

Correct.  All applicable travel credits will have the shortest expiration of all used.


----------



## Nohal

We are going the end of May and usually book as soon as SW opens up their dates.  How do I find out the dates that Southwest opens up for May?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Nohal said:


> We are going the end of May and usually book as soon as SW opens up their dates.  How do I find out the dates that Southwest opens up for May?


You (and others) may find this comment that I post regularly to be of interest;




SouthFayetteFan said:


> *FYI - Southwest extended their schedule this morning for flights through April 13th, 2020.*
> 
> Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment:
> 
> *NEXT RELEASE: 10/30/19 - travel through June 6th, 2020*
> 9/26/19 - travel through 4/13/20
> 8/15/19 - travel through March 6th, 2020
> 5/30/19 - travel through January 5th, 2020
> 3/15/19 - travel through November 2nd, 2019
> 1/31/19 - travel through October 1st, 2019
> 11/15/18 - travel through August 5th, 2019
> 9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019
> 8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
> 6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
> 5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
> 3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
> 2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
> 11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
> 8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
> 7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
> 6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
> 5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
> _This chart could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above) They appear to be tightening the inventory a bit this year vs. prior year's releases._
> 
> *RELEASE TIMES:*
> 
> The release on 5/30/19 went live at 9:20am.
> The release on 8/15/19 went live at 10:41am.
> The release on 9/26/19 went live at 7:30am.
> If you want to search back for this post in the future - just search my name and "release".  You could also bookmark this comment on the new DIS somehow (or so I heard).


----------



## MarBee

I’ve never booked using cash before (always booked using points).  I just had the flight that I paid money for come down in price.  I will get about $35 credited to me.  
Is it possible to use this $35 to pay the $5.60 tax that I pay when booking on points?  Or does it have to be used solely to purchase a cash ticket?
If it is only used to purchase a cash ticket, does it need to cover the cost of the entire ticket or can I pay using half cash half travel funds?


----------



## mom2rtk

MarBee said:


> I’ve never booked using cash before (always booked using points).  I just had the flight that I paid money for come down in price.  I will get about $35 credited to me.
> Is it possible to use this $35 to pay the $5.60 tax that I pay when booking on points?  Or does it have to be used solely to purchase a cash ticket?
> If it is only used to purchase a cash ticket, does it need to cover the cost of the entire ticket or can I pay using half cash half travel funds?


Has to be for a new flight, completed travel within 1 year of original date of purchase. You can pay partially with travel funds and the balance in cash.


----------



## Fangorn

MarBee said:


> I’ve never booked using cash before (always booked using points).  I just had the flight that I paid money for come down in price.  I will get about $35 credited to me.
> Is it possible to use this $35 to pay the $5.60 tax that I pay when booking on points?  Or does it have to be used solely to purchase a cash ticket?
> If it is only used to purchase a cash ticket, does it need to cover the cost of the entire ticket or can I pay using half cash half travel funds?



You cannot use travel funds (credits) to pay for the $5.60 security fee or EBCI. Travel funds can only be used to pay for actual airfare. 

Steve


----------



## MarBee

Deleting post because asked and answered above but couldn’t read at first bc of the insane redirect ads.

Thank you both for your answers!


----------



## Fangorn

MarBee said:


> Thanks!  I thought I read that previously but never really paid attention since I haven’t used cash.
> Is it possible to pay with part travel funds and the rest cash or points?



Yes. You can use multiple payment methods in one purchase (up to 4, I think - though it may be only 3 now - they've changed it so many times over the years that I don't remember the current number). I could be wrong, but I think you can only use a max of 2 flight credits per transaction. 

Something to keep in mind: the credit is tied to the 6 character confirmation number of three flight that generated the credit. DO NOT lose that number, or you will not be able to use the credit. Credits are not stored in your account, and you can only see or use the credit if you know that confirmation number. Write it down somewhere and put it somewhere where you can get to it. I keep a note on my phone with the various credits and their expiration dates. That way I have ready access to it all. 

Oh, and if the price drops again, you can get another credit for the second reduction. But this is where the limit on the number of payment methods may get you - each credit (even if they are from the same flight) is a separate item, so it's possible that you may not be able to use all your credits to pay on another flight. 

Steve


----------



## shoreward

Fangorn said:


> Yes. You can use multiple payment methods in one purchase (up to 4, I think - though it may be only 3 now - they've changed it so many times over the years that I don't remember the current number). I could be wrong, but I think you can only use a max of 2 flight credits per transaction.
> 
> Something to keep in mind: the credit is tied to the 6 character confirmation number of three flight that generated the credit. DO NOT lose that number, or you will not be able to use the credit. Credits are not stored in your account, and you can only see or use the credit if you know that confirmation number. Write it down somewhere and put it somewhere where you can get to it. I keep a note on my phone with the various credits and their expiration dates. That way I have ready access to it all.
> 
> Oh, and if the price drops again, you can get another credit for the second reduction. But this is where the limit on the number of payment methods may get you - each credit (even if they are from the same flight) is a separate item, so it's possible that you may not be able to use all your credits to pay on another flight.
> 
> Steve


The way to work around multiple credits is to book a flight (refundable, if possible, meaning either Senior, BS, or Anytime fare) using the maximum number of credits; of course, keep in mind that when you combine credits with different expiration dates, all credits applied will take on the expiration date of the oldest credit.  So, for instance, a credit from 30 days ago will expire in 2 months, if combined with a credit from 10 months ago.  After combining credits through a new booking, cancel that booking, saving the confirmation number.  Then, make a new reservation, applying the single credit from the booking just cancelled + another credit you wish to apply.  This process will allow the use of multiple credits, but with the warning that all credits will take on the expiration date of the oldest credit used in this process.  By booking refundable fares in this process, any extra $$ paid on the reservation should be refundable, as long as you request a refund from the drop-down menu during the cancellation process.


----------



## Fangorn

shoreward said:


> The way to work around multiple credits is to book a flight (refundable, if possible, meaning either Senior, BS, or Anytime fare) using the maximum number of credits; of course, keep in mind that when you combine credits with different expiration dates, all credits applied will take on the expiration date of the oldest credit.  So, for instance, a credit from 30 days ago will expire in 2 months, if combined with a credit from 10 months ago.  After combining credits through a new booking, cancel that booking, saving the confirmation number.  Then, make a new reservation, applying the single credit from the booking just cancelled + another credit you wish to apply.  This process will allow the use of multiple credits, but with the warning that all credits will take on the expiration date of the oldest credit used in this process.  By booking refundable fares in this process, any extra $$ paid on the reservation should be refundable, as long as you request a refund from the drop-down menu during the cancellation process.



Yes,  this does (usually) get around the multiple credit issue, but it is a pretty convoluted process - particularly for someone unfamiliar with the whole travel funds concept/restrictions in the first place. 

Steve


----------



## MarBee

Fangorn said:


> Yes. You can use multiple payment methods in one purchase (up to 4, I think - though it may be only 3 now - they've changed it so many times over the years that I don't remember the current number). I could be wrong, but I think you can only use a max of 2 flight credits per transaction.
> 
> Something to keep in mind: the credit is tied to the 6 character confirmation number of three flight that generated the credit. DO NOT lose that number, or you will not be able to use the credit. Credits are not stored in your account, and you can only see or use the credit if you know that confirmation number. Write it down somewhere and put it somewhere where you can get to it. I keep a note on my phone with the various credits and their expiration dates. That way I have ready access to it all.
> 
> Oh, and if the price drops again, you can get another credit for the second reduction. But this is where the limit on the number of payment methods may get you - each credit (even if they are from the same flight) is a separate item, so it's possible that you may not be able to use all your credits to pay on another flight.
> 
> Steve





shoreward said:


> The way to work around multiple credits is to book a flight (refundable, if possible, meaning either Senior, BS, or Anytime fare) using the maximum number of credits; of course, keep in mind that when you combine credits with different expiration dates, all credits applied will take on the expiration date of the oldest credit.  So, for instance, a credit from 30 days ago will expire in 2 months, if combined with a credit from 10 months ago.  After combining credits through a new booking, cancel that booking, saving the confirmation number.  Then, make a new reservation, applying the single credit from the booking just cancelled + another credit you wish to apply.  This process will allow the use of multiple credits, but with the warning that all credits will take on the expiration date of the oldest credit used in this process.  By booking refundable fares in this process, any extra $$ paid on the reservation should be refundable, as long as you request a refund from the drop-down menu during the cancellation process.





Fangorn said:


> Yes,  this does (usually) get around the multiple credit issue, but it is a pretty convoluted process - particularly for someone unfamiliar with the whole travel funds concept/restrictions in the first place.
> 
> Steve


Thank you for the great info!  I had no idea about the confirmation number either- good info to know!


----------



## Lsdolphin

This is really annoying...I got a SWA sale email yesterday so checked my Jan-Feb dates and sure enough fare returning was lower. However when I went and tried to “change my flight” it showed $0 difference. So I guess if I want a credit and to get lower fare I would have to go and cancel my first flight and then buy it again...


----------



## scrappinginontario

MommaBerd said:


> No discernible patterns thus far. That’s the maddening thing about these parties, too. Someone may go on a Friday and experience  very low crowds, and another person may go on a Tuesday and experience crazy crowds.





Lsdolphin said:


> This is really annoying...I got a SWA sale email yesterday so checked my Jan-Feb dates and sure enough fare returning was lower. However when I went and tried to “change my flight” it showed $0 difference. So I guess if I want a credit and to get lower fare I would have to go and cancel my first flight and then buy it again...


This shouldn’t be the case.  If the date is lower it should show a negative number.

One thing to check, are you looking for lower fares with the same number of tickets as on your reservation?  E.g. if your reservation is for 3 people, be sure to check flight prices for 3 people as the number available at the lower price might be less than the number if people in the reservation you are trying to change.

If you’re doing this and it still shows $0, possibly call SW?

Note, if you have purchased EBCI for your flight and cancel it, this money is lost.  You cannot transfer the EBCI if you cancel and rebook.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*TWO MAJOR SOUTHWEST ANNOUNCEMENTS TODAY:

POINTS EXPIRATION POLICY*
Beginning October 17, 2019* Southwest Rapid Rewards points will never expire

SOUTHWEST COMPANION PASS:
Southwest Announced a major change today for 2020 for the SW Companion Pass:*
Beginning January 1, 2020 the *points required to earn a Companion Pass increases from 110,000 to 125,000.*

Unchanged:  A Companion Pass will continue to be valid for the remainder of the year you earned it, plus the entire following calendar year.

Also Unchanged: You can still qualify for a CP by by flying 100 qualifying one-way flights.

These changes DO NOT affect those who earned a CP in 2019 or are attemping to earn a CP prior to 12/31/19 (which would be good through the end of 2020)

*Official Announcement Here*


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

SouthFayetteFan said:


> *TWO MAJOR SOUTHWEST ANNOUNCEMENTS TODAY:
> 
> POINTS EXPIRATION POLICY*
> Beginning October 17, 2019* Southwest Rapid Rewards points will never expire
> 
> SOUTHWEST COMPANION PASS:
> Southwest Announced a major change today for 2020 for the SW Companion Pass:*
> Beginning January 1, 2020 the *points required to earn a Companion Pass increases from 110,000 to 125,000.*
> 
> Unchanged:  A Companion Pass will continue to be valid for the remainder of the year you earned it, plus the entire following calendar year.
> 
> Also Unchanged: You can still qualify for a CP by by flying 100 qualifying one-way flights.
> 
> These changes DO NOT affect those who earned a CP in 2019 or are attemping to earn a CP prior to 12/31/19 (which would be good through the end of 2020)
> 
> *Official Announcement Here*


You beat me to the Companion Pass thing lol. Glad we were able to make usage out of it when we had it. I'm guessing they saw a larger than wanted uptick in people qualifying for Companion Pass.

I didn't hear about the SWA RR PTS not expiring..that's actually quite nice and now mimics the other airline, Delta, that we have flown from time to time in recent enough years.

Another change I heard about last week or this week can't remember is they are eliminating Senior Fares effective December 11, 2019: https://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/unique-travel-needs/seniors/index.html I believe that on average the refundable fare was the main benefit to that because cost-wise WGA Fares were often lower.


----------



## lcc2

SouthFayetteFan said:


> *TWO MAJOR SOUTHWEST ANNOUNCEMENTS TODAY:
> 
> POINTS EXPIRATION POLICY*
> Beginning October 17, 2019* Southwest Rapid Rewards points will never expire
> 
> SOUTHWEST COMPANION PASS:
> Southwest Announced a major change today for 2020 for the SW Companion Pass:*
> Beginning January 1, 2020 the *points required to earn a Companion Pass increases from 110,000 to 125,000.*
> 
> Unchanged:  A Companion Pass will continue to be valid for the remainder of the year you earned it, plus the entire following calendar year.
> 
> Also Unchanged: You can still qualify for a CP by by flying 100 qualifying one-way flights.
> 
> These changes DO NOT affect those who earned a CP in 2019 or are attemping to earn a CP prior to 12/31/19 (which would be good through the end of 2020)
> 
> *Official Announcement Here*


Got the email this morning. Very happy about points not expiring!


----------



## piglet1979

Can some one explain the companion pass to me?  The account is in my name.  Will I be able to get the tickets for my husband and kids on the same account?


----------



## shoreward

Southwest today removed the MAX8 aircraft from their schedules, through 02/08/2020.

https://www.southwest.com/html/air/737-MAX-8.html?clk=737MAX8_190408


----------



## EACarlson

piglet1979 said:


> Can some one explain the companion pass to me?  The account is in my name.  Will I be able to get the tickets for my husband and kids on the same account?


If you hold the companion pass you designate one person to fly with you for free anytime you fly for as long as you hold the pass.  You can change who that person is, but I believe there is a limit to how many times you can change.


----------



## shoreward

Southwest is again offering to make a one-time change to date/flight, due to continued grounding of MAX aircraft.  This time, early January-early February flights may take advantage of this offer.  Check your January/February reservations to see if your flights are eligible.



> *You may change your trip date/time at no additional cost if you stay inside the restrictions below.
> DEPART FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS*
> 
> Departure airport must be: Xxxxxxxxxxx
> Arrival airport must be: Xxxxxxxxxx
> Note: Changes made outside the conditions listed above will not be protected under our established reaccommodation practices and may result in a higher fare.
> 
> *Southwest Airlines Reaccommodation Practices and Information:*
> 
> When Southwest Airlines® learns of events that may affect our flights' departures such as inclement conditions or airport anomalies that may hinder our Customers' abilities to get to/from a particular airport, we will offer Customers the opportunity to change their travel dates and/or flight times at no additional charge.
> Even though Southwest® is offering the opportunity to make these changes, the Customer's original flight(s) may operate as scheduled, so changing travel dates and/or flight times is completely voluntary and not required.
> Customers who would like to alter their travel plans may rebook in the original class of service (or fly standby) and travel must take place within 14 days of their original travel date between the original city pairs. (In some cases when a particular airport is affected, and Southwest® serves a "sister airport" or "co-terminal", we will offer the flexibility to depart from/arrive into an alternate airport. For example, if San Francisco International Airport is affected, Customers may be offered the opportunity to change to the San Jose or Oakland airports.)
> Only Customers who purchased their ticket(s) on *southwest.com* are eligible to rebook via our online View or Change Your Flight service. All other Customers should call our toll-free number (800) 435-9792 for assistance.
> If changes are made for travel outside the parameters of Southwest Airlines' reaccommodation practices, the changes are subject to the original fare restrictions and may result in a higher fare.
> Customers who have booked a Business Select Fare may change to another flight with Business Select or may switch to an Anytime Fare when Business Select is unavailable.


----------



## katallo

If we are affected we have to be emailed by SW correct?


----------



## shoreward

katallo said:


> If we are affected we have to be emailed by SW correct?


Don’t wait for an email; just look up your flight or call.  Even if your flight is not affected, there will be a message, when selecting to change your reservation, that will allow you to make voluntary changes, if you like, at no additional cost.


----------



## katallo

Thanks.  I called but they said it's better to wait for the email.  Maybe they are just getting started with this and they probably work their way through dates.


----------



## scrappinginontario

katallo said:


> Thanks.  I called but they said it's better to wait for the email.  Maybe they are just getting started with this and they probably work their way through dates.


I would recommend checking your flights online or on the app.  I didn't receive any emails from SW but when I went in I was able to move our flight home at no additional cost.  It was so much nicer being picked up by DME at 11:15am rather than the original 4:30am and....it didn't cost us a penny!  I'd recommend looking online even before receiving an email.  Also, if it is an option, you might have a better choice of flights before others start looking too.


----------



## married2grumpy

*Edited to note I just saw the posts regarding the others who received the same notification. Unfortunately there is only one non stop return flight so this really screws up our plans 

I just received a message from SW that they have changed my January return flight from a non stop flight at 8am to a connecting flight getting home 4 hours later than original flight. The only other non stop flight that day won’t get us home until 10:50pm. I’m really disappointed and annoyed by this change.

We may now have to shorten our trip by 1 day so that we can get a better flight time. I need to talk to my husband and daughter to see what works best for everyone’s schedule and then change my ground transportation.

Has this happened to anyone else and what was SW’s response if you complained?  I left a message for them to call me so I can at least find out why they changed the flight times.


----------



## TNKim

I've booked a round trip flight to Vegas, both early morning flights, purchased with points, but keep watching SW for price drops.  I just found a cheaper price leaving the night before. I'm undecided which I'd rather do, arrive late at night, or if I keep the early morning flight, I would have to leave my house by 1:30 a.m. to catch a 2 hour shuttle to Atlanta in order to be at the airport at 4:15, 2 hours before my 6:15 a.m. flight. Since I'm undecided, I'd like to go ahead and purchase the night before flight with points, then make a decision which I want to do. My question is, if I decide to take the night before flight, can I cancel the early morning flight (booked as round trip) without affecting the return flight? My trip is a month away so I have time to decide what to do, but uncertain whether canceling part of a round trip ticket will affect the return flight.


----------



## scrappinginontario

married2grumpy said:


> *Edited to note I just saw the posts regarding the others who received the same notification. Unfortunately there is only one non stop return flight so this really screws up our plans
> 
> I just received a message from SW that they have changed my January return flight from a non stop flight at 8am to a connecting flight getting home 4 hours later than original flight. The only other non stop flight that day won’t get us home until 10:50pm. I’m really disappointed and annoyed by this change.
> 
> We may now have to shorten our trip by 1 day so that we can get a better flight time. I need to talk to my husband and daughter to see what works best for everyone’s schedule and then change my ground transportation.
> 
> Has this happened to anyone else and what was SW’s response if you complained?  I left a message for them to call me so I can at least find out why they changed the flight times.


I'm sorry this happened.  I know that SW has had to change things again this week due to the additional time of the grounded Max 8's.  Could it be your flights were affected by these changes?  Not sure when you're flying so not sure if this is the culprit?  

I will say, when I book flights right now, until the Max 8 situation is fully resolved and the planes are flying again, I consider all of my flight times to be tentative.  It doesn't help with planning but so many people have had their flight times changed after booking that I'm trying to prepare myself that this could happen to me too.


----------



## married2grumpy

scrappinginontario said:


> I'm sorry this happened.  I know that SW has had to change things again this week due to the additional time of the grounded Max 8's.  Could it be your flights were affected by these changes?  Not sure when you're flying so not sure if this is the culprit?
> 
> I will say, when I book flights right now, until the Max 8 situation is fully resolved and the planes are flying again, I consider all of my flight times to be tentative.  It doesn't help with planning but so many people have had their flight times changed after booking that I'm trying to prepare myself that this could happen to me too.


I had no idea this was even a potential problem! We took 4 round trip flights within the last year with no issue. This trip is in January. I honestly think SW just isn’t offering as many direct flights to/from ISP & MCO.  Every time I book there are less direct flights. Sadly now they are only offering one And it’s an evening flight.  Oh well...we will just adjust our plans and come home a day earlier.


----------



## katallo

Scrappinginontario, I'll give it a day and check tomorrow.  You said as soon as I check change flight to look for new dates a pop up appears??


----------



## scrappinginontario

katallo said:


> Scrappinginontario, I'll give it a day and check tomorrow.  You said as soon as I check change flight to look for new dates a pop up appears??



I can't remember exactly what I saw as it's been a few months since this option was offered for the flights we took last month but I remember seeing either a red banner on my confirmation page or red text somewhere.  Honestly I can't remember the exact details other than it was very clear there was an option for me to change flights at no additional cost.


----------



## chicagodisneyguy

Current dates affected are Jan 6th to Feb 8th.  Even if you didn't get an email or your flight didn't change you should be able to move your flights to ANY flight within 14 days either before or after.  Even now you can book a flight in that time frame and after ticketing immediately change +/- 14 days.   My guess is they will shut the ability to move these flights online off probably tonight or tomorrow.  So if you are looking to book January flights for the lowest price then move to more expensive dates I'd do it now


----------



## katallo

[QUOTE
I can't remember exactly what I saw as it's been a few months since this option was offered for the flights we took last month but I remember seeing either a red banner on my confirmation page or red text somewhere.  Honestly I can't remember the exact details other than it was very clear there was an option for me to change flights at no additional cost.

Thanks again for the advice!  I checked this morning online and had the ability to change flights.


----------



## cmarsh31

Checked flights randomly as usual, was able to get back $90 per ticket on our Thanksgiving flights! Shocked!! Considering I'm on a flight with about 100 of my students/families, I'm pretty shocked it isn't sold out!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Here's your *friendly reminder that Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur on Wednesday October 30* (1 week from yesterday).

Currently SW is offering flights through 4/13/20 and this next release will take their schedule out to 6/6/20 (covering the remainder of spring break season as well as Memorial day but narrowly missing the beginning of "summer break" trips).  I'll try to post an additional reminder next week.
For those that care about "release timing" it's been all over the board recently (all times eastern).
- The release on 9/26/19 went live at 7:30am.
- The release on 8/15/19 went live at 10:41am.
- The release on 5/30/19 went live at 9:20am.


----------



## barb969

TNKim said:


> I've booked a round trip flight to Vegas, both early morning flights, purchased with points, but keep watching SW for price drops.  I just found a cheaper price leaving the night before. I'm undecided which I'd rather do, arrive late at night, or if I keep the early morning flight, I would have to leave my house by 1:30 a.m. to catch a 2 hour shuttle to Atlanta in order to be at the airport at 4:15, 2 hours before my 6:15 a.m. flight. Since I'm undecided, I'd like to go ahead and purchase the night before flight with points, then make a decision which I want to do. My question is, if I decide to take the night before flight, can I cancel the early morning flight (booked as round trip) without affecting the return flight? My trip is a month away so I have time to decide what to do, but uncertain whether canceling part of a round trip ticket will affect the return flight.


I’ve done this several times.  You can cancel part of a round trip.  I always do it by phone but others have reported changing online.


----------



## EACarlson

I seem to recall that having a car seat was one of the things that allowed you to preboard.  Am I misremembering?  Or confusing WN with another airline?


----------



## BelleOftheBall16

EACarlson said:


> I seem to recall that having a car seat was one of  the things that allowed you to preboard.  Am I misremembering?  Or confusing WN with another airline?



You are thinking of a different airline. On WN family boarding is after the A group.


----------



## scrappinginontario

EACarlson said:


> I seem to recall that having a car seat was one of the things that allowed you to preboard.  Am I misremembering?  Or confusing WN with another airline?


I flew SW many times with a car seat.  We boarded with the other families after the A’s.


----------



## TNKim

I know October 30 is release day for flights through June 6, but does Southwest ever have Black Friday sales or any other sale that might be better prices than first day release prices? I’m looking for the best rates for late May, early June.


----------



## focusondisney

TNKim said:


> I know October 30 is release day for flights through June 6, but does Southwest ever have Black Friday sales or any other sale that might be better prices than first day release prices? I’m looking for the best rates for late May, early June.




I have never seen or read about any special Black Friday sales


----------



## scrappinginontario

I just did a search of this thread and there was only 1 post of someone seeing good deals on Black Friday and that was back in 2016.


----------



## firstwdw

Booking for a very expensive and popular week on release day using points. Should I book roundtrip all on one confirmation number? Or should I book each way separately in case the fares/points go down and we can get credited? I'm thinking booking all at once is faster although booking separately would be easier to adjust later on if necessary.


----------



## shoreward

firstwdw said:


> Booking for a very expensive and popular week on release day using points. Should I book roundtrip all on one confirmation number? Or should I book each way separately in case the fares/points go down and we can get credited? I'm thinking booking all at once is faster although booking separately would be easier to adjust later on if necessary.


If your are booking for just one, there is no longer any need to book 2 one-ways, if both ways are on points.  When going through the "change" process, the system allows you to change just one flight or roundtrip.  However, if you are booking multiple passengers, you may be able to find lower fares for some in your party, but not all.  In that case, I suggest opening multiple browsers at time of initial booking to check for greatest number of seats available at the lowest fare.


----------



## Crazyhorse

Will there be a mad rush tomorrow?  When the current fares went on sale, I jumped on them on the release date.  Yet several weeks later, the fares that I'd booked took a rate cut...which I was able to capture but obviously in the form of credits v.s. any $$$.  I'm looking for the Wednesday after Easter, MDW/MCO....I'd have to guess that my dates won't sell out...might I be better to wait a bit to see if the rates go down?


----------



## firstwdw

shoreward said:


> If your are booking for just one, there is no longer any need to book 2 one-ways, if both ways are on points.  When going through the "change" process, the system allows you to change just one flight or roundtrip.  However, if you are booking multiple passengers, you may be able to find lower fares for some in your party, but not all.  In that case, I suggest opening multiple browsers at time of initial booking to check for greatest number of seats available at the lowest fare.


I am booking for three passengers all on points under my own account so I could do 3 roundtrips on points or book each way separately.


----------



## mlittig

Waiting on Southwest to open up its next round of flights    Anyone else joining me


----------



## KayW

mlittig said:


> Waiting on Southwest to open up its next round of flights    Anyone else joining me


Me!  The 5 minute drive to work will kill me because I have a feeling that is when it will open.  How is this teacher supposed to teach her morning classes?!?!??!


----------



## elle101me

mlittig said:


> Waiting on Southwest to open up its next round of flights    Anyone else joining me


----------



## Realgrumpy

me!


----------



## aokeefe

Been up since 5:30 so I could be dressed and ready for work before flights release. Now I wait and hope they are released before 8!


----------



## cmarsh31

I'm here. Hopefully nothing between 7-7:30 as I drive to work...


----------



## mlittig

KayW said:


> Me!  The 5 minute drive to work will kill me because I have a feeling that is when it will open.  How is this teacher supposed to teach her morning classes?!?!??!


As a retired teacher and can relate to what you are going through, KayW  It does seem like Southwest used to release the dates closer to 6 AM Eastern time a lot more regularly  Now it seems like the release time is so much more random


----------



## Bellabully

I am here!  Already told my boss I will be late. Thankfully the staff don’t mind postponing the flu vaccine a little bit


----------



## Geomom

I'm waiting too!


----------



## cmarsh31

mlittig said:


> As a retired teacher and can relate to what you are going through, KayW  It does seem like Southwest used to release the dates closer to 6 AM Eastern time a lot more regularly  Now it seems like the release time is so much more random



I have a study hall 1st period so they need to be released before 8:45...I have to teach 2nd period!


----------



## Bellabully

mlittig said:


> As a retired teacher and can relate to what you are going through, KayW  It does seem like Southwest used to release the dates closer to 6 AM Eastern time a lot more regularly  Now it seems like the release time is so much more random


So true! I still get up and log on early hoping they will return to 6:00am timeframe


----------



## KayW

mlittig said:


> As a retired teacher and can relate to what you are going through, KayW  It does seem like Southwest used to release the dates closer to 6 AM Eastern time a lot more regularly  Now it seems like the release time is so much more random


I know!  Loved it when it was between 6 and 6:30.  Now I have to keep refreshing and teaching all at the same time.  This won't be pretty today.  Should have planned the test I am giving for today!


----------



## shoreward

I have been told that schedule goes live, after IT is ready.


----------



## scrappinginontario

For those up and waiting, be sure to watch the fare calendar as historically flights have been published there first.


----------



## elle101me

They're working for me using the low fare calendar, but the prices are atrocious!


----------



## Bellabully

It’s up!,,  Had error message when I went to book, was able to after  a few minutes. In the meantime, flight went from 128 to 174!!! Grabbed it before it was gone. Good luck everyone!


----------



## KayW

Not for my dates yet.... hmmm...


----------



## aokeefe

Just booked! Make sure you check low fare calendar.


----------



## focusondisney

I booked our April 18th return.  Ugh.  Paid waaaay too much.  I loaded them at about 280, had trouble getting gift cards to load. By then the price went to 325 .


----------



## jcarwash

Fares for April 14, 2020 through April 30, 2020 started appearing on the Low Fare Calendar (for April) at 6:44am ET.


----------



## KayW

aokeefe said:


> Just booked! Make sure you check low fare calendar.


THank God I checked this!  I was able to do it through the low fare calendar.  Decent prices out of BDL


----------



## Shelly S

Thanks for the info about the low fare calendar. I was able to book from Hartford 4/19 to 4/26 for only 18602 points pp round trip. This was way better than I thought it would be


----------



## jcarwash

7:15am ET everything looked live and travel tools updated: "We are currently accepting air reservations through June 6, 2020. On December 11, 2019 we will open our schedule for sale through August 10, 2020. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently."


----------



## mlittig

Only opened up until 4/30 so I just booked one way for my trip down  Now waiting for May to open up so I can book my flight home


----------



## mlittig

Finally booked for both ways


----------



## Geomom

Thanks everyone for keeping this updated!  I'm all set!  Very happy!  DH and I are doing an adult only trip from 4/18-4/24 from MHT.  First time using our rewards pts.  For $ amounts, it would have been $352/person roundtrip--which actually isn't bad for a school vacation week!  (It cost us 23,463 pts/person.)


----------



## focusondisney

Geomom said:


> Thanks everyone for keeping this updated!  I'm all set!  Very happy!  DH and I are doing an adult only trip from 4/18-4/24 from MHT.  First time using our rewards pts.  For $ amounts, it would have been $352 roundtrip--which actually isn't bad for a school vacation week!



Great  price! I paid that for 1 way per person from Buffalo.


----------



## KayW

Shelly S said:


> Thanks for the info about the low fare calendar. I was able to book from Hartford 4/19 to 4/26 for only 18602 points pp round trip. This was way better than I thought it would be


We did 4/18-4/26 out of BDL.


----------



## aokeefe

focusondisney said:


> Greta price! I paid that for 1 way per person from Buffalo.


Great price! We are flying out of Providence same week and flights were pretty decent. I did spend a little bit more than I was hoping only bc I chose a later flight home.


----------



## Apopper74

Horrible prices. There are 2 Non-stops from MCO to Philly that have been sold out since release. Hopefully glitch and will open soon and prices are better.


----------



## elle101me

Ugh!! I had 2 pages open and accidentally booked the more expensive flight. It's more expensive and without EBCI.


----------



## shoreward

elle101me said:


> Ugh!! I had 2 pages open and accidentally booked the more expensive flight. It's more expensive and without EBCI.


You know that you can go into reservation and change...hope you can fix.


----------



## focusondisney

Apopper74 said:


> Horrible prices. There are 2 Non-stops from MCO to Philly that have been sold out since release. Hopefully glitch and will open soon and prices are better.



I don’t think it is a glitch per se.  SW has been doing this for a bit now. Many flights show sold out or unavailable for WGA fares at opening.  They always seem to open up, you just have to keep an eye out for when.  It might be hours, days or weeks til they show up.


----------



## elle101me

shoreward said:


> You know that you can go into reservation and change...hope you can fix.


Thanks. I just looked at that and I could get travel funds but I can't use them for EBCI. Now, I have to decide if I want to spend another $150 for EBCI.. I think I'll hold off for a bit.


----------



## shoreward

elle101me said:


> Thanks. I just looked at that and I could get travel funds but I can't use them for EBCI. Now, I have to decide if I want to spend another $150 for EBCI.. I think I'll hold off for a bit.


Reservations are fully refundable if canceled within 24 hours of booking.  Is the lower fare still available?


----------



## elle101me

shoreward said:


> Reservations are fully refundable if canceled within 24 hours of booking.  Is the lower fare still available?


Yes. That you for that info, I didn't realize that! I booked roundtrip and my flight home is sold out. It's the flight down that I messed up on. I'm still thinking about it. It looks like I'll have to call since I can't do it online. That's what I get for booking roundtrip and not 2 one ways.


----------



## Realgrumpy

I could only book one way.  My return flight is June 7th.  Flights stopped at June 6th.  I get to do it all over again in December!


----------



## L_MD

That was more expensive than usual. Booked 4/26 out of PIT, 5/1 back from MCO. I can usually find flights for around $109 but not this time. Plus the first non-stop out of my airport is at 7am when I usually catch one around 5:30-6am.

Which, of course, messes up my arrival day plans. Oh well. I have 6-months to fix my plans up, and I'll check my flights every day to see if they go down a bit. If they do I'll probably purchase EBCI.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*FYI - Southwest extended their schedule this morning for flights through June 6th, 2020.*

Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment:

*NEXT RELEASE: 12/11/19 - travel through August 10th, 2020*
10/30/19 - travel through June 6th, 2020
9/26/19 - travel through April 13th, 2020
8/15/19 - travel through March 6th, 2020
5/30/19 - travel through January 5th, 2020
3/15/19 - travel through November 2nd, 2019
1/31/19 - travel through October 1st, 2019
11/15/18 - travel through August 5th, 2019
9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019
8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
_This chart could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above) They appear to be tightening the inventory a bit this year vs. prior year's releases._

*RELEASE TIMES:*

The release on 10/30/19 went live at 7:15am.
The release on 9/26/19 went live at 7:30am.
The release on 8/15/19 went live at 10:41am.
The release on 5/30/19 went live at 9:20am.
If you want to search back for this post in the future - just search my name and "release".  You could also bookmark this comment on the new DIS somehow (or so I heard).


----------



## firstwdw

Geomom said:


> Thanks everyone for keeping this updated!  I'm all set!  Very happy!  DH and I are doing an adult only trip from 4/18-4/24 from MHT.  First time using our rewards pts.  For $ amounts, it would have been $352/person roundtrip--which actually isn't bad for a school vacation week!  (It cost us 23,463 pts/person.)


That is very good. We are flying from MHT 4/18-4/25 and paid with points but would have been $410 per person. YIKES! But we are flying at good times. and maybe they'll go down and we can get some points back?! I still need to add on early bird check in.


----------



## Geomom

firstwdw said:


> That is very good. We are flying from MHT 4/18-4/25 and paid with points but would have been $410 per person. YIKES! But we are flying at good times. and maybe they'll go down and we can get some points back?! I still need to add on early bird check in.


Even $410/person isn't bad.  We tend to budget $2000-$2400 for the 4 of us, so anything less than that is great.  This is the 1 time I'm not doing early bird since it's just the 2 of us.  We're already paying for DD15's school trip to Japan that week, so we're trying to do this trip as cheap as possible (using Southwest rewards, our DVC pts, and we currently have annual passes.)  We always do early bird when we fly with the kids as they like us near them (even now at 19 and 15.)


----------



## Nohal

Checked flights from PHL on 5/26 around 9:30 this morning and all direct flights to MCO on that date are sold out.  How is this possible when they just opened up?


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Nohal said:


> Checked flights from PHL on 5/26 around 9:30 this morning and all direct flights to MCO on that date are sold out.  How is this possible when they just opened up?


I'm actually seeing a 3rd non-stop option available to book for an 8:30pm flight.

Looking at it Monday the 25th is available for all 3 non-stop options. Wednesday the 27th is available for all 3 non-stop options. That said with Monday being Memorial Day it's possible that is impacting the non-stop options.

It also could be SWA is still adjusting things on their end and blocking the availability of booking those 2 non-stop flights for the day after Memorial Day. Given that it's just that day and 2 out of 3 non-stop flights without the other flights that include stops being shown as sold out that might be the more likely case. Purely my opinion though.


----------



## shoreward

Nohal said:


> Checked flights from PHL on 5/26 around 9:30 this morning and all direct flights to MCO on that date are sold out.  How is this possible when they just opened up?


It's around the holiday and many families and groups book at that time.  Keep checking, as people change and cancel all the time.  Also, sometimes Southwest does not load all seats on release day, for some reason.


----------



## Nohal

shoreward said:


> It's around the holiday and many families and groups book at that time.  Keep checking, as people change and cancel all the time.  Also, sometimes Southwest does not load all seats on release day, for some reason.


I'm hoping that the seats were not all loaded for that day.  I'll keep checking.


----------



## cmarsh31

Wasn't great...got to school at 7:30 so I missed the first 15 minutes. 2 tickets at $196, 1 at $230, last one at $250. 2 with points, had travel funds too, $270 out of pocket but still need ebci.


----------



## Shelly S

I posted this morning that I got such a great deal on points 4/19 to 4/26.  I’m so happy I was booking first thing this morning. The same great non stop flights out of Hartford that I got for only 18602 points pp round trip are now over 52000 pp round trip. I hope those trying for school vacation week were booking early.


----------



## focusondisney

Nohal said:


> Checked flights from PHL on 5/26 around 9:30 this morning and all direct flights to MCO on that date are sold out.  How is this possible when they just opened up?



Is the whole flight sold out, or just the wanna get away fares?  This seems to be the game SW plays now...... release a very small number of WGA fares on opening day.  They end up showing “sold out” really quickly, like within an hour or 2 of release.  There are plenty of seats left, just at the highest rates.  At come point, WGA fares reappear. Could be hours, days or weeks.  You just have to keep checking.

I have watched this for at least the last year & it happens All. The. Time.  This morning   I was online since 6 am.  I had my  flight booked by 7:02.  But even then, the fare jumped about $40 as I was entering my gift cards.  So instead of the 280 I originally saw, I ended up with $325.  One way.   My family member who was booking the same flight ended up booked by 7:18 & paid 354. And by 7:45, the WGA fares on many of the flights that day were gone.  Right now, only 1 out of 15 flights for our travel day show any WGA fares.  *1 out of 15!!*

It is crazy, but it‘s the way SW is doing things now.   It is annoying  for sure.

Edit to add: I was able to see & book the flight just as they were being released.  I selected 2 seats at $280.  I had problems getting my gift cards to load.  I got a message I needed to call to book. Instead,  I went back to start over & the fare had jumped to 325.   So IMHO, there were only 2 seats at that lowest fare. And they were “taken” by my first attempt to book.    No proof, but as I said, I was fully booked by 7:02.  I truly don’t think there were that many people booking that particular flight before me.


----------



## erc

That is interesting.  I have never tried to book Sunday to Sunday flights before during Boston's April vacation time.  I was not going to bother but just keep monitoring the flights as the date got closer but decided to check about 7:45 since I knew the dates were released this morning and panicked when I saw few WGA fares left.  Now I wonder if I keep checking if I will see that I could have waited.  I guess it will be a good lesson for the next time if that is the case.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

focusondisney said:


> Is the whole flight sold out, or just the wanna get away fares?  This seems to be the game SW plays now...... release a very small number of WGA fares on opening day.  They end up showing “sold out” really quickly, like within an hour or 2 of release.  There are plenty of seats left, just at the highest rates.  At come point, WGA fares reappear. Could be hours, days or weeks.  You just have to keep checking.
> 
> I have watched this for at least the last year & it happens All. The. Time.  This morning   I was online since 6 am.  I had my  flight booked by 7:02.  But even then, the fare jumped about $40 as I was entering my gift cards.  So instead of the 280 I originally saw, I ended up with $325.  One way.   My family member who was booking the same flight ended up booked by 7:18 & paid 354. And by 7:45, the WGA fares on many of the flights that day were gone. Right now, only 1 out of 15 flights for our travel day show any WGA fares. *1 out of 15!!*
> 
> It is crazy, but it‘s the way SW is doing things now.   It is annoying  for sure.
> 
> Edit to add: I was able to see & book the flight just as they were being released.  I selected 2 seats at $280.  I had problems getting my gift cards to load.  I got a message I needed to call to book. Instead,  I went back to start over & the fare had jumped to 325.   So IMHO, there were only 2 seats at that lowest fare. And they were “taken” by my first attempt to book.    No proof, but as I said, I was fully booked by 7:02.  I truly don’t think there were that many people booking that particular flight before me.


Not the poster but it's the whole flight:


Down the list though there is still a non-stop available:


Makes me think SWA hasn't quite loaded it yet or figured out what to do with those flights. Given that the days before and the days after do not show this issue at all,none of the other flight times have issues either on that day or any of the days before it or after it, even with the day being 1 day after Memorial Day. Just my guess of course. I'd keep an eye on the flights personally. Could be MAX8 issues, inspections that the FAA instructed, etc.  That would be my hope for the poster that it's just those issues and not a true sold out aspect.


----------



## focusondisney

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Not the poster but it's the whole flight:
> View attachment 448935
> 
> Down the list though there is still a non-stop available:
> View attachment 448936
> 
> Makes me think SWA hasn't quite loaded it yet or figured out what to do with those flights. Given that the days before and the days after do not show this issue at all,none of the other flight times have issues either on that day or any of the days before it or after it, even with the day being 1 day after Memorial Day. Just my guess of course. I'd keep an eye on the flights personally. Could be MAX8 issues, inspections that the FAA instructed, etc.  That would be my hope for the poster that it's just those issues and not a true sold out aspect.



Hmm, never seen the whole flight  fully booked this early. But I have 1 other thought..... is it possible a school group is traveling that day & has booked the whole flight? I know it would be unusual, but it could happen. A few years ago, we were at our gate pretty early. The flight before ours hadn’t boarded yet. There was a large group of high schoolers around the gate area. When they called for that flight to begin boarding, the kids started lining up, along with 3 women traveling together. I heard 1 of the chaperones tell the gate agent to let the 3 women board first, because their group had the whole rest of the plane!  They all just boarded single file, not worried about boarding positions. I have no idea how it gets booked, but I would imagine it is somehow arranged ahead of time.

Just a thought.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

focusondisney said:


> Hmm, never seen the whole flight  fully booked this early. But I have 1 other thought..... is it possible a school group is traveling that day & has booked the whole flight? I know it would be unusual, but it could happen. A few years ago, we were at our gate pretty early. The flight before ours hadn’t boarded yet. There was a large group of high schoolers around the gate area. When they called for that flight to begin boarding, the kids started lining up, along with 3 women traveling together. I heard 1 of the chaperones tell the gate agent to let the 3 women board first, because their group had the whole rest of the plane!  They all just boarded single file, not worried about boarding positions. I have no idea how it gets booked, but I would imagine it is somehow arranged ahead of time.
> 
> Just a thought.


Anything is possible I swear these days with air travel


----------



## Nohal

focusondisney said:


> Hmm, never seen the whole flight  fully booked this early. But I have 1 other thought..... is it possible a school group is traveling that day & has booked the whole flight? I know it would be unusual, but it could happen. A few years ago, we were at our gate pretty early. The flight before ours hadn’t boarded yet. There was a large group of high schoolers around the gate area. When they called for that flight to begin boarding, the kids started lining up, along with 3 women traveling together. I heard 1 of the chaperones tell the gate agent to let the 3 women board first, because their group had the whole rest of the plane!  They all just boarded single file, not worried about boarding positions. I have no idea how it gets booked, but I would imagine it is somehow arranged ahead of time.
> 
> Just a thought.


I'm surprised if it is a school group.  Southern schools will be out for the summer and the northern school will only be in school for 2-3 more weeks.

So the non stop flights have now opened up for my date.  However the WGA fare still says sold out.  I know there is another flight late but I really don't want to pay for a day at Disney only to sleep there.


----------



## DebbieB

My 12/1 flight dropped from $360 to $210!  Sunday after Thanksgiving so it was high.  I had booked 4/19 yesterday with points, so I cancelled, got the points back and paid cash $164-$150 = $14!  Plus I got 10,819 points back!


----------



## Eeyore daily

Does anyone use EBCI? I just bought flights for MCO to IND for the day after thanksgiving and I'm wondering if it would be worth it to get to not worry about checking in exactly 24 hours in advance while I'm at work. Just curious if it's worth it to get at this point.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Eeyore daily said:


> Does anyone use EBCI? I just bought flights for MCO to IND for the day after thanksgiving and I'm wondering if it would be worth it to get to not worry about checking in exactly 24 hours in advance while I'm at work. Just curious if it's worth it to get at this point.


If you want the peace of mind for not having to worry about checking in at T-24 go for it. The earlier you purchase it the more advantage but that doesn't necessarily mean you shouldn't get it if you want to.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Eeyore daily said:


> Does anyone use EBCI? I just bought flights for MCO to IND for the day after thanksgiving and I'm wondering if it would be worth it to get to not worry about checking in exactly 24 hours in advance while I'm at work. Just curious if it's worth it to get at this point.



Yes, many of us purchase EBCI. Others choose not to and are content to check in at 24 hours and take their chances. I've done it both ways, but will probably use EBCI from now on at this point. I didn't like the stress of checking in.


----------



## Fangorn

Eeyore daily said:


> Does anyone use EBCI? I just bought flights for MCO to IND for the day after thanksgiving and I'm wondering if it would be worth it to get to not worry about checking in exactly 24 hours in advance while I'm at work. Just curious if it's worth it to get at this point.



We always get it for the flight home for exactly the reason you mention.  I just don't have to think about checking in if I have EBCI. The physical act of checking in for the flight home just makes the inevitable end of the vacation that much closer. With EBCI, I can eliminate that particular reminder.  Of course, I've already received my notice from DTE (Disney's Tragical Express) earlier that morning, so I don't get to be in complete denial about the end. 

For me, it's worth it.

Steve


----------



## KerryCM

DebbieB said:


> My 12/1 flight dropped from $360 to $210!  Sunday after Thanksgiving so it was high.  I had booked 4/19 yesterday with points, so I cancelled, got the points back and paid cash $164-$150 = $14!  Plus I got 10,819 points back!


My flights dropped big time also. I am flying down on the 5th and flying home on the 12th from Nashville. I booked on points, got back over 7,000 points on two tickets round trip!


----------



## lilaurora

I have a decent credit from a price drop. I’d like to use it on a flight I already purchased with points. Is it possible to rebook the flight using part credit part points? I’m thinking probably not. The credit would still leave me paying a little over $100 for the one-way flight, so I’d rather not pay cash.  Thanks!


----------



## Fangorn

lilaurora said:


> I have a decent credit from a price drop. I’d like to use it on a flight I already purchased with points. Is it possible to rebook the flight using part credit part points? I’m thinking probably not. The credit would still leave me paying a little over $100 for the one-way flight, so I’d rather not pay cash.  Thanks!



Alas, no.  You can't mix credit and points on the same reservation. 

Steve


----------



## mickeynut1

Eeyore daily said:


> Does anyone use EBCI? I just bought flights for MCO to IND for the day after thanksgiving and I'm wondering if it would be worth it to get to not worry about checking in exactly 24 hours in advance while I'm at work. Just curious if it's worth it to get at this point.



We get it for every flight.  It's one less thing to worry about not having to check in right at the 24 hour mark.


----------



## Crazyhorse

mickeynut1 said:


> We get it for every flight.  It's one less thing to worry about not having to check in right at the 24 hour mark.


We always get EBCI.  My husband still doesn't get it...the night before we leave, he's always asking what time he needs to be on the computer.  I, the ever understanding wife (NOT)..have to stop from snapping at him that the 24 hour thing doesn't apply!!!  

On another note....our return flight next month just dropped $7.00....I don't understand how/why fares literally fluctuate on a daily if not hourly basis.  I did change the flight to add another $7.00 to a building credit toward the next flight in April but what a pain in the butt.


----------



## thor369

First time taking SW, travelling with kids under 6, do they still allow family boarding? Should I still check in 24hrs before? does this mean I get a digital boarding pass for all passengers in our group?
How would seat be assigned? we are a party of 4, three on 1 side and the 4th on the isle on the other side? how will I be able to choose this arrangement?


----------



## ultimatefans

thor369 said:


> First time taking SW, travelling with kids under 6, do they still allow family boarding? Should I still check in 24hrs before? does this mean I get a digital boarding pass for all passengers in our group?
> How would seat be assigned? we are a party of 4, three on 1 side and the 4th on the isle on the other side? how will I be able to choose this arrangement?


Yes, still check in 24 hours before.  If you do not have an A boarding position then you will board during family boarding which is between the A and B groups.  Seats are not assigned, you choose from any open seats when you board.  So you can choose 3 on one side and 1 on the other if that is an option - which it should be.


----------



## AngiTN

Eeyore daily said:


> Does anyone use EBCI? I just bought flights for MCO to IND for the day after thanksgiving and I'm wondering if it would be worth it to get to not worry about checking in exactly 24 hours in advance while I'm at work. Just curious if it's worth it to get at this point.


Nope, never.
First, with the app now, it's extremely easy and convenient to check-in online at 24 hours. We've never gotten below mid-Bs
Second, who cares if I can't sit next to DH for a couple of hours. We live together at home and are together on vacation. We can manage apart. We don't chat on the plane anyway. Heck, when we fly with reserved seats, if there's 3 in the row, we don't sit together anyway. He likes window, I like aisle. 
Even if DGD is with us, we go with the no-cost option. She flies alone, so she too can sit away from us. Even before they moved away, I chanced it.
We've never not sat together, be it 2, 3 or 4 of us.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

AngiTN said:


> Nope, never.
> First, with the app now, it's extremely easy and convenient to check-in online at 24 hours. We've never gotten below mid-Bs
> Second, who cares if I can't sit next to DH for a couple of hours. We live together at home and are together on vacation. We can manage apart. We don't chat on the plane anyway. Heck, when we fly with reserved seats, if there's 3 in the row, we don't sit together anyway. He likes window, I like aisle.
> Even if DGD is with us, we go with the no-cost option. She flies alone, so she too can sit away from us. Even before they moved away, I chanced it.
> We've never not sat together, be it 2, 3 or 4 of us.


The poster was just asking about not wanting to worry about checking in while at work  I think we can all understand that happens and may make us feel more comfortable not worrying about it.


----------



## mickeynut1

Crazyhorse said:


> We always get EBCI.  My husband still doesn't get it...the night before we leave, he's always asking what time he needs to be on the computer.  I, the ever understanding wife (NOT)..have to stop from snapping at him that the 24 hour thing doesn't apply!!!
> 
> On another note....our return flight next month just dropped $7.00....I don't understand how/why fares literally fluctuate on a daily if not hourly basis.  I did change the flight to add another $7.00 to a building credit toward the next flight in April but what a pain in the butt.



My DH gets it now, but I've been asked that question many times in the past .

It's crazy how often fares can/do change.  It's nice to be able to build a credit for future travel, but I do agree that it is a pain in the butt!


----------



## scrappinginontario

What I tell people is if it’s important to you that you sit with certain people or preferably in a specific area in the plane, then purchasing EBCI is recommended.  

If you’re ok bring scattered about and sitting anywhere then it’s not necessary.

For our family it’s myself and my 10yo daughter and we want to sit together.  I don’t get the EBCI going down as I make a point of checking us in the second the clock strikes -24:00 before our flight.

I purchase EBCI for the flight home because we’re having too much fun at Disney and I don’t want to be mindful of the clock to check us in.


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## Eeyore daily

Thanks everyone, I think I'll go ahead and get it and not have to worry about manually checking in while I'm at work. I'm not allowed to have my phone and my break is before the check in time so I can't wait around for it. Plus the returning flight is at 5 am so that saves me having to wake up really early just to do that!


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## Realgrumpy

I always get EBCI for our flight home at least.  One family trip, my parents, me and my brother had to all check in using the app on our phones.  Just so happened our check in time was when we were waiting on line for Frozen Ever After.  We thought it might happen while we were still waiting on line, but nope, we were on the ride.  Our picture from the ride is all of us on the ride with me, my brother, and my father looking down at our phones.  Funny memory but I will avoid that from now on.


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## shoreward

Southwest again removes MAX 8 aircraft from its flight schedule.  This time, Southwest extends the grounding from 02/08/2020 - 03/6/2020.  That will almost make it one year, since the MAX was first grounded on 03/13/2019.


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## Iowamomof4

shoreward said:


> Southwest again removes MAX 8 aircraft from its flight schedule.  This time, Southwest extends the grounding from 02/08/2020 - 03/6/2020.  That will almost make it one year, since the MAX was first grounded on 03/13/2019.


Only a year?? Wow, it sure feels like it's been longer.


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## Mome Rath

Just FYI, if you ever just want to wait and see what boarding position you get before paying out money for Early Bird, you can purchase an upgrade to A 1-15 at the gate if you so choose (if available and usually they are).  Yes, _*the purchase is more than Early bird*_, but you may not need it anyway, or may only need it for one leg of the trip. You can also ask how full the flight is and make a decision off of that. I've done it both ways before, it's kind of just playing the odds. To upgrade costs different amounts at different airports, different flights, so you can search around and try to figure out if that works for you or not... just another option.

The only time I did the upgrade was a completely full flight with a ton of kids, and due to a website malfunction, I had a horrible C number boarding pass. With the upgrade I was the first one on the plane after pre-boards. It was lovely. lol


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## shoreward

Travel Advisory from Southwest

https://www.southwest.com/html/advisories/swa_travel_advisory_201910101573406975252.html
Wait - this is supposed to be autumn, not winter!  Being in one of the areas listed in the advisory, it does feel like winter.


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## SinCityMMAFan

Mome Rath said:


> Just FYI, if you ever just want to wait and see what boarding position you get before paying out money for Early Bird, you can purchase an upgrade to A 1-15 at the gate if you so choose (if available and usually they are).  Yes, _*the purchase is more than Early bird*_, but you may not need it anyway, or may only need it for one leg of the trip. You can also ask how full the flight is and make a decision off of that. I've done it both ways before, it's kind of just playing the odds. To upgrade costs different amounts at different airports, different flights, so you can search around and try to figure out if that works for you or not... just another option.
> 
> The only time I did the upgrade was a completely full flight with a ton of kids, and due to a website malfunction, I had a horrible C number boarding pass. With the upgrade I was the first one on the plane after pre-boards. It was lovely. lol



Yes!  Totally agree with this.  If you want to wait it out and play the waiting game you can upgrade to the business class if available.  I have done this before too I think the cost was $40 or $50.  If you get stuck even with a B boarding group flying out of MCO and there's an upgrade available I would highly recommend it.  Last time we flew out of MCO we had A51 and A52 and I kid you not there were so many with early boarding on that flight by the time we boarded the plane we 2/3 rd's of the rows already had people in them.  Lately since I've been getting my tickets the day airfare has been released I've just been purchasing the early bird option for $25 and haven't been stuck with anything worse than A32.


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## Eeyore daily

SinCityMMAFan said:


> Last time we flew out of MCO we had A51 and A52



I didn't even realize it went that high! I thought it was only sections of 30. 

Sorry I haven't flown Southwest in a long time.


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## Crazyhorse

Eeyore daily said:


> I didn't even realize it went that high! I thought it was only sections of 30.
> 
> Sorry I haven't flown Southwest in a long time.


Yeah, A 1-60,B 1-60, C 1-60.  I see NO DOWNSIDE to purchasing Early Bird Check In.  It's totally worth the cost to know you don't have to be available 24 hours prior to flight to check in.  It's simply peace of mind.


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## georgina

Downside for those of us who are cheap is the waste of money. DH and I got B21 and 22 for tomorrow, should be fine from our experience. Since he has a SW priority credit card, he can get reimbursed for upgraded boarding at the airport, I think he used it once in the past year.


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## nkereina

Crazyhorse said:


> I see NO DOWNSIDE to purchasing Early Boarding.



Just to clarify for anyone reading that's not familiar, it's Early Bird Check-In you pay extra for and it should NOT be confused with early boarding. It doesn't guarantee anyone a specific boarding position. It just guarantees that they will check you in and you'll be checked in earlier than 24 hours. We purchase Early Bird Check-In with every Southwest flight we take. We flew last week and had B10 and B11 (after family boarding), and A51 and A52 on the return home. We were towards the middle/back of the place on the way out, since we had to board after pre-boarders, the A group, and family boarding.


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## Crazyhorse

georgina said:


> Downside for those of us who are cheap is the waste of money. DH and I got B21 and 22 for tomorrow, should be fine from our experience. Since he has a SW priority credit card, he can get reimbursed for upgraded boarding at the airport, I think he used it once in the past year.


Totally get what you're saying.  As mentioned, upgrading at the airport, if available, can be the thing to do.  I'm guessing that you're NOT one of those people that complain loudly when either their parties are split up or they are seated WAY in the back


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## Crazyhorse

nkereina said:


> Just to clarify for anyone reading that's not familiar, it's Early Bird Check-In you pay extra for and it should NOT be confused with early boarding. It doesn't guarantee anyone a specific boarding position. It just guarantees that they will check you in and you'll be checked in earlier than 24 hours. We purchase Early Bird Check-In with every Southwest flight we take. We flew last week and had B10 and B11 (after family boarding), and A51 and A52 on the return home. We were towards the middle/back of the place on the way out, since we had to board after pre-boarders, the A group, and family boarding.


Correct!  Sorry...I didn't watch closely to what I was typing. I have edited the post to reflect Early Bird Check In!


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## nkereina

Crazyhorse said:


> Correct!  Sorry...I didn't watch closely to what I was typing. I have edited the post to reflect Early Bird Check In!


No worries! I knew what you meant   That topic gets debated a lot here so just making sure its clear for others who may not know.


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## SinCityMMAFan

nkereina said:


> Just to clarify for anyone reading that's not familiar, it's Early Bird Check-In you pay extra for and it should NOT be confused with early boarding. It doesn't guarantee anyone a specific boarding position. It just guarantees that they will check you in and you'll be checked in earlier than 24 hours. We purchase Early Bird Check-In with every Southwest flight we take. *We flew last week and had B10 and B11 (after family boarding)*, and A51 and A52 on the return home. We were towards the middle/back of the place on the way out, since we had to board after pre-boarders, the A group, and family boarding.



That's one major downfall with the early bird is that it's available for everyone to purchase and there's no limit as to how many are purchased for any particular flight.  Of course the earlier you book your flight the better chance you get as getting a better boarding position.  It's a total crap shoot and some flights hardly anyone purchases the early bird option and then other flights it's filled with early bird purchasers.


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## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

SinCityMMAFan said:


> That's one major downfall with the early bird is that it's available for everyone to purchase and there's no limit as to how many are purchased for any particular flight.  Of course the earlier you book your flight the better chance you get as getting a better boarding position.  It's a total crap shoot and some flights hardly anyone purchases the early bird option and then other flights it's filled with early bird purchasers.


Yeah but you gotta keep in mine A-Listers and then people who purchased Anytime Fare with EBCI. Most of us on the Boards are buying WGA fares and usually only opting to purchase Anytime Fares when WGA fares are sold out.

My husband is A-list and he's getting A20s-A40s at the moment depending on the flight for example.

Absolutey though it's a gamble like anything else because each flight has different makeup of passengers. I will say that's the upside to Upgraded Boarding because you can't purchase it until the gate which means you can get a better idea of your flight and make the decision then.


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## Crazyhorse

*We flew last week and had B10 and B11 (after family boarding)*

I probably would have upgraded at the gate if I'd gotten those boarding numbers.  Yes, then you end up paying twice...so it's not for the faint of heart/pocket book.  I've been delaying purchasing my after Easter April plane tickets, hoping for a price drop but it is true that the earlier one purchases tickets (and EBCI), the better your boarding slot will be.


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## nkereina

SinCityMMAFan said:


> That's one major downfall with the early bird is that it's available for everyone to purchase and there's no limit as to how many are purchased for any particular flight.  Of course the earlier you book your flight the better chance you get as getting a better boarding position.  It's a total crap shoot and some flights hardly anyone purchases the early bird option and then other flights it's filled with early bird purchasers.


I agree, but to be fair, A boarding positions aren't guaranteed with EBCI and they never have been. So while its sometimes a residual perk of being checked in at 36 hours, no one is within their right to complain if they don't get an early or A boarding position with EBCI.



Crazyhorse said:


> *We flew last week and had B10 and B11 (after family boarding)*
> 
> I probably would have upgraded at the gate if I'd gotten those boarding numbers.  Yes, then you end up paying twice...so it's not for the faint of heart/pocket book.  I've been delaying purchasing my after Easter April plane tickets, hoping for a price drop but it is true that the earlier one purchases tickets (and EBCI), the better your boarding slot will be.


I'd respectfully disagree, unless maybe if the flight had continuing passengers. This particular flight didn't. To upgrade at the gate would have cost DH and I $50 each, in addition to the $25 each we already paid for EBCI. I knew with B10 and B11 that we'd get aisle or window seats and most likely seats together, which we did.  So to us, it wasn't worth the cost to upgrade.


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## JessicaW1234

Mome Rath said:


> Just FYI, if you ever just want to wait and see what boarding position you get before paying out money for Early Bird, you can purchase an upgrade to A 1-15 at the gate if you so choose (if available and usually they are).  Yes, _*the purchase is more than Early bird*_, but you may not need it anyway, or may only need it for one leg of the trip. You can also ask how full the flight is and make a decision off of that. I've done it both ways before, it's kind of just playing the odds. To upgrade costs different amounts at different airports, different flights, so you can search around and try to figure out if that works for you or not... just another option.
> 
> The only time I did the upgrade was a completely full flight with a ton of kids, and due to a website malfunction, I had a horrible C number boarding pass. With the upgrade I was the first one on the plane after pre-boards. It was lovely. lol


So you can get this at the desk near where you normally board the plane? If that is not yet staffed (MAgic express 3 hours early....is there anywhere else you can go in MCO that you can do this?


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## JessicaW1234

[QUOTE="georgina, post: 61253695, Since he has a SW priority credit card, he can get reimbursed for upgraded boarding at the airport, I think he used it once in the past year.
[/QUOTE]
Do they cap the amount they reimburse?  What do you have to do to get it reimbursed once it is on your card?


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## EACarlson

JessicaW1234 said:


> Do they cap the amount they reimburse?  What do you have to do to get it reimbursed once it is on your card?


You get reimbursed up to 4 purchases of upgraded boardings per year, to the best of my knowledge it is only available at the gate, if it is not staffed yet you will have to wait until it is.  I did this the last time I came home from WDW in 2017, cost me $50 to go from C18 to A1.


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## CJK

Do those of you travelling on adult-only trips buy EBCI? My dh doesn't let me. lol It's always nerve-wracking checking in at the 24hr mark, but we've always been able to sit together. We usually get high A's or low B's. Once we got B30 or something like that, and just barely got seats together. We're only a party of 2 though. It's just not worth it to us to spend the extra money. It wouldn't be the end of the world if we can't sit together for a short flight to Florida. I can see it being different with children.


----------



## cmarsh31

CJK said:


> Do those of you travelling on adult-only trips buy EBCI? My dh doesn't let me. lol It's always nerve-wracking checking in at the 24hr mark, but we've always been able to sit together. We usually get high A's or low B's. Once we got B30 or something like that, and just barely got seats together. We're only a party of 2 though. It's just not worth it to us to spend the extra money. It wouldn't be the end of the world if we can't sit together for a short flight to Florida. I can see it being different with children.



Depends on where we're going & what we're doing. Sometimes we'll just get it for the flight back if we'll be at a wedding etc at the 24-hour mark and it would be harder to check in. My DH doesn't like the cattle call boarding system, so more often than not, we get it just to know we're probably in the As.


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## nkereina

JessicaW1234 said:


> So you can get this at the desk near where you normally board the plane? If that is not yet staffed (MAgic express 3 hours early....is there anywhere else you can go in MCO that you can do this?


If they have an outbound flight, there will be an agent at the desk. You can even do it 10 minutes before boarding, I don't think there's a cut off as long as its before they start boarding. Be aware that you can only purchase the upgraded A1-15 boarding position if they are available. There are 15 of them. I've seen the price vary - anywhere from $30-$50 per person in my experience. Not sure if it depends on how many boarding positions are available or perhaps how long the flight is.



CJK said:


> Do those of you travelling on adult-only trips buy EBCI? My dh doesn't let me. lol It's always nerve-wracking checking in at the 24hr mark, but we've always been able to sit together. We usually get high A's or low B's. Once we got B30 or something like that, and just barely got seats together. We're only a party of 2 though. It's just not worth it to us to spend the extra money. It wouldn't be the end of the world if we can't sit together for a short flight to Florida. I can see it being different with children.


As I mentioned up-thread, EBCI doesn't guarantee a boarding position. But we do opt to purchase it regardless of our travel party because it automatically checks us in. If we have an early morning flight, I don't have to get up early to check us in. On our last day of vacation, I don't have to set alarms and jump on the app to check us in when I don't know what we'll be doing or where we will be. So that convenience is really what you're paying for. Any other perks of it are unintended extras.


----------



## katallo

We purchased and were glad to get B4 and B5.  Until we saw that minimum 60 people preboarded with children.  I'm all for parents sitting with their children.  However on this flight entire families boarded with them.  The agent tried to tell two women (aunts) they had to go to their designated boarding location.  They both refused and started arguing.  One left and got back in line.  The other just started walking down the jetway.  I don't think the agent was up for more arguing. 

I would really be nice if SW could promote children and parents only.  So our "good seats" put us in the back of the plane in 2 middle seats.  I don't think we will purchase again.


----------



## scard192

katallo said:


> We purchased and were glad to get B4 and B5.  Until we saw that minimum 60 people preboarded with children.  I'm all for parents sitting with their children.  However on this flight entire families boarded with them.  The agent tried to tell two women (aunts) they had to go to their designated boarding location.  They both refused and started arguing.  One left and got back in line.  The other just started walking down the jetway.  I don't think the agent was up for more arguing.
> 
> I would really be nice if SW could promote children and parents only.  So our "good seats" put us in the back of the plane in 2 middle seats.  I don't think we will purchase again.


seems like the agents for SW don't want to fight with people about boarding or seat saving which is kind of irritating for those who actually pay (EBCI) to get a better boarding position/seat.


----------



## disneyjr77

I'm trying to figure out how many points we would need at the end of September.  Is there a way to estimate how many points we may need?  With the 35% off points sale they're having now, it maybe cheaper to buy points than to pay for the flight out right.  I tried looking at sunday's, but of course it depends on the time of year and it ranged from 8,000 points (may 31) to 13,000 points (november)

Do the points expire?  If we get the CC, and get the bonus points, will we be able to use those points in February when September flights are released?


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## SouthFayetteFan

disneyjr77 said:


> I'm trying to figure out how many points we would need at the end of September.  Is there a way to estimate how many points we may need?  With the 35% off points sale they're having now, it maybe cheaper to buy points than to pay for the flight out right.  I tried looking at sunday's, but of course it depends on the time of year and it ranged from 8,000 points (may 31) to 13,000 points (november)
> 
> Do the points expire?  If we get the CC, and get the bonus points, will we be able to use those points in February when September flights are released?


It's really hard to estimate accurately how many points you'll need because there are so many variables.  Like you said, time of year as well as things like holidays and day of the week will affect the flight cost a lot.  

Booking on points is a huge advantage though since you can book immediately at release and then "re-book" to take advantage of any points savings later.  Of course you can also do this on a cash fare but you end up with the pesky travel credits to track (and their expiration dates which can cause issues).

Southwest recently made a change and their points NEVER expire now - so that's awesome news!  The Credit Card is a GREAT way to quickly bolster your points earnings.  You could definitely have those points in hand by February and use them to book a Sept flight.  I'll PM you with some information about the SW Companion Pass too which might warrant consideration.


----------



## disneyjr77

SouthFayetteFan said:


> It's really hard to estimate accurately how many points you'll need because there are so many variables.  Like you said, time of year as well as things like holidays and day of the week will affect the flight cost a lot.
> 
> Booking on points is a huge advantage though since you can book immediately at release and then "re-book" to take advantage of any points savings later.  Of course you can also do this on a cash fare but you end up with the pesky travel credits to track (and their expiration dates which can cause issues).
> 
> Southwest recently made a change and their points NEVER expire now - so that's awesome news!  The Credit Card is a GREAT way to quickly bolster your points earnings.  You could definitely have those points in hand by February and use them to book a Sept flight.  I'll PM you with some information about the SW Companion Pass too which might warrant consideration.



Awesome, thank you for the info!  I went ahead and got the card, i figured it was a win-win if we pay it off every month.  

Just so i understand...if i book the morning they come out and then later the points are lowered, i can rebook?  We usually book the cheapest category (i don't know the name of it) and thought it was non-refundable. 

Also, what about early bird check-in?  Can we pay in points or is it just cash?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

disneyjr77 said:


> Awesome, thank you for the info!  I went ahead and got the card, i figured it was a win-win if we pay it off every month.
> 
> Just so i understand...if i book the morning they come out and then later the points are lowered, i can rebook?  We usually book the cheapest category (i don't know the name of it) and thought it was non-refundable.
> 
> Also, what about early bird check-in?  Can we pay in points or is it just cash?


Yes you can rebook and it’s very easy to do with points.  It is non-refundable but if you look up info on SWs rebooking procedures you’ll see that they are still very flexible AND points flights ARE basically refundable.  

EBCI unfortunately has to be paid in cash.


----------



## AngiTN

JessicaW1234 said:


> So you can get this at the desk near where you normally board the plane? If that is not yet staffed (MAgic express 3 hours early....is there anywhere else you can go in MCO that you can do this?


Nope, just at the gate. But, no one else can buy the upgrade until someone comes to the gate so you aren't behind anyone in buying by waiting till it's staff. 



CJK said:


> Do those of you travelling on adult-only trips buy EBCI? My dh doesn't let me. lol It's always nerve-wracking checking in at the 24hr mark, but we've always been able to sit together. We usually get high A's or low B's. Once we got B30 or something like that, and just barely got seats together. We're only a party of 2 though. It's just not worth it to us to spend the extra money. It wouldn't be the end of the world if we can't sit together for a short flight to Florida. I can see it being different with children.


Nope. Even with DGD we don't. I don't care if it's the back of the plane, all we need is near each other. Flown with them a lot and never not sat together.
Apps make it too easy to check in. They even give you an alert when it's time. Even going home it's just a couple clicks



disneyjr77 said:


> Awesome, thank you for the info!  I went ahead and got the card, i figured it was a win-win if we pay it off every month.
> 
> Just so i understand...if i book the morning they come out and then later the points are lowered, *i can rebook? * We usually book the cheapest category (i don't know the name of it) and thought it was non-refundable.
> 
> Also, what about early bird check-in?  Can we pay in points or is it just cash?


You don't even rebook. You just go through the Change flight process. It will issue the credit, no rebooking needed.


----------



## nkereina

katallo said:


> We purchased and were glad to get B4 and B5.  Until we saw that minimum 60 people preboarded with children.  I'm all for parents sitting with their children.  However on this flight entire families boarded with them.  The agent tried to tell two women (aunts) they had to go to their designated boarding location.  They both refused and started arguing.  One left and got back in line.  The other just started walking down the jetway.  I don't think the agent was up for more arguing.
> 
> I would really be nice if SW could promote children and parents only.  So our "good seats" put us in the back of the plane in 2 middle seats.  I don't think we will purchase again.


That's very frustrating, and unfortunately common on flights to and from Orlando. This is where forgoing EBCI and taking your chances on purchasing an A1-15 position at the gate may come in handy, as PPs were discussing. I'd have a hard time paying double (EBCI AND an upgraded boarding position), but might be willing to roll the dice and just pay for the upgraded boarding at the gate if I was seeing a ton of kids or families lining up. 

Also, EBCI should only be purchased if you value them checking you in on your behalf because you don't want to be inconvenienced at the 24 hour mark, when you'd have to check yourself in. It should never be purchased to achieve an early boarding position, because that's not an advertised perk and its become more of a crapshoot lately with the popularity of it.


----------



## mom2rose&john

If I booked using Southwest gift card and need to cancel a refundable airfare do they give me the refund on the gift card?  Do gift cards have expiration dates if it is a refund?


----------



## la79al

Well, I finally got the 'we changed your flight, you can pick a different one' email from SW. Looking at the other flight options, we would only move an hour earlier.  Not sure if it is worth going through the hassle of changing 2 reservations and the rental car just to gain an hour.  At the same time, flight points went down so technically I could call for a credit but we probably won't fly again for years and years (and I'll probably drop the CC by then) so not sure if it's even worth doing that.


----------



## chicagodisneyguy

Looks like the free changes relating to 737-MAX has now become available tor FEB 8th to March 6th.  Anyone who has flights within that time frame should be able to switch to any flight they want +/- 14 days.  It also should work for new reservations.  Way to get some prime flights at super cheap.   Using an example from the last schedule set change...i was able to cancel an existing flight booked for MLK weekend that was around 10k points a ticket.  I then book a flight 3 days after I wanted to fly home for 3,000 points.  Once ticketed I was able to go in and change the flight to the original date for FREE.


----------



## nkereina

la79al said:


> Well, I finally got the 'we changed your flight, you can pick a different one' email from SW. Looking at the other flight options, we would only move an hour earlier.  Not sure if it is worth going through the hassle of changing 2 reservations and the rental car just to gain an hour.  At the same time, flight points went down so technically I could call for a credit but we probably won't fly again for years and years (and I'll probably drop the CC by then) so not sure if it's even worth doing that.


I don't know if it helps at all, but you can change your arrival day too. We had a schedule change right around the same time we decided to add a night to the start of our trip, so it worked out well to be able to move our flight to the day prior for no additional cost.


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## shoreward

https://www.southwestaircommunity.c...e-Revision-February-8-March-6-2020/ba-p/94937


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## SouthFayetteFan

mom2rose&john said:


> If I booked using Southwest gift card and need to cancel a refundable airfare do they give me the refund on the gift card?  Do gift cards have expiration dates if it is a refund?


I hate to be the bearer of bad news but your refundable fare is not refundable if you used a gift card.   You can only get a travel credit which will carry an expiration date of one year from when you originally booked the travel. 

See here: https://www.southwest.com/html/air/products/gift-card-terms-and-conditions.html

_A *Southwest gift card* redeemed for travel is not *refundable*. If travel is not taken, the funds will be held funds with an expiration date. If applied with any other accepted form(s) of payment, the earliest expiration date of all forms of payment applies._​


----------



## thor369

Can all parties in a group be checked in through the app 24 hours before. Will I get an option to print the tickets. I read somewhere that I can check everyone in but to print boarding pass I will need to print it form the kiosk.


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## Mome Rath

thor369 said:


> Can all parties in a group be checked in through the app 24 hours before. Will I get an option to print the tickets. I read somewhere that I can check everyone in but to print boarding pass I will need to print it form the kiosk.



You can print from a regular printer as long as you have access to one; I print ours out at home, and at Disney they can print them out for you at your hotel, or even in the parks. You can print them at the airport as well at a kiosk.  And, yes, everyone gets checked in that are under the same confirmation number.  If you have more than one confirmation number, they will be done separately.


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## Crazyhorse

Every day I check Southwest for any fare changes to our flights in 2 weeks.  I've slowly been able to whittle the $$$ down.  Imagine my surprise this morning to find our departing flight in 2 weeks dropped by $45.00...making it a $54.00 flight Midway to Orlando!  The return flight hasn't changed but I had whittled that down to $99.00.  We're flying Midway to Orlando, Non Stop, round trip, for roughly $300.00 total!  Well, EBCI added $60 but I'll take round trip with EBCI non stop for $360.00 any day.  We'll be able to use the substantial credit on our April flights that I haven't booked yet.  Gotta love Southwest!


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## mom2rtk

Crazyhorse said:


> Every day I check Southwest for any fare changes to our flights in 2 weeks.  I've slowly been able to whittle the $$$ down.  Imagine my surprise this morning to find our departing flight in 2 weeks dropped by $45.00...making it a $54.00 flight Midway to Orlando!  The return flight hasn't changed but I had whittled that down to $99.00.  We're flying Midway to Orlando, Non Stop, round trip, for roughly $300.00 total!  Well, EBCI added $60 but I'll take round trip with EBCI non stop for $360.00 any day.  We'll be able to use the substantial credit on our April flights that I haven't booked yet.  Gotta love Southwest!


I'm so jealous!  I've been watching our flights in early January and am so frustrated that they just won't budge.


----------



## Crazyhorse

mom2rtk said:


> I'm so jealous!  I've been watching our flights in early January and am so frustrated that they just won't budge.


WELL...After further review, it looks like I screwed up earlier in the year.  When I purchased the airfare for December, back in May, we had $20.00 credit, which I used.  However, after reviewing all these discounts I've been able to apply, it looks like the original $20.00 credit was set to expire in March 2020.  So all my credits that basically added up to $102 have to be used on flights taken by March 8, 2020.  Our next trip is in April...so all this stalking hasn't helped as we're not planning on anything prior to April. 

I just learned a valuable lesson.  I shouldn't have used the measly $20.00 credit during the May purchase.  If I hadn't, I would have been able to continue to stalk and apply funds that wouldn't have expired until May 2020.  I'll be more mindful in the future.  Lesson learned.  I realize I could just cancel and rebook at the current rates but then our EBCI would be screwed up and we'd probably end up with C boarding..which my husband will KILL me for.


----------



## AngiTN

Crazyhorse said:


> WELL...After further review, it looks like I screwed up earlier in the year.  When I purchased the airfare for December, back in May, we had $20.00 credit, which I used.  However, after reviewing all these discounts I've been able to apply, it looks like the original $20.00 credit was set to expire in March 2020.  So all my credits that basically added up to $102 have to be used on flights taken by March 8, 2020.  Our next trip is in April...so all this stalking hasn't helped as we're not planning on anything prior to April.
> 
> I just learned a valuable lesson.  I shouldn't have used the measly $20.00 credit during the May purchase.  If I hadn't, I would have been able to continue to stalk and apply funds that wouldn't have expired until May 2020.  I'll be more mindful in the future.  Lesson learned.  I realize I could just cancel and rebook at the current rates but then our EBCI would be screwed up and we'd probably end up with *C boarding..which my husband will KILL me for*.


Well, he'd not be seated near you so he'd have a hard time doing that, LOL


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## georgina

CJK said:


> Do those of you travelling on adult-only trips buy EBCI? My dh doesn't let me. lol It's always nerve-wracking checking in at the 24hr mark, but we've always been able to sit together. We usually get high A's or low B's. Once we got B30 or something like that, and just barely got seats together. We're only a party of 2 though. It's just not worth it to us to spend the extra money. It wouldn't be the end of the world if we can't sit together for a short flight to Florida. I can see it being different with children.


No, never. We had B20's going to Florida last week (got exit row seats) and got A54 and 55 coming home a few days ago. We can handle not sitting together but it has never happened.


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## disneyjr77

CJK said:


> Do those of you travelling on adult-only trips buy EBCI? My dh doesn't let me. lol It's always nerve-wracking checking in at the 24hr mark, but we've always been able to sit together. We usually get high A's or low B's. Once we got B30 or something like that, and just barely got seats together. We're only a party of 2 though. It's just not worth it to us to spend the extra money. It wouldn't be the end of the world if we can't sit together for a short flight to Florida. I can see it being different with children.



We weren't going to get it for our honeymoon, because like you said there's just 2 of us and it's an extra $100. Then we realized, on our trip down we'll be in the middle of our ceremony at the 24 hr mark and then on our trip back we'll be at Disney, soooo we're going to get it.


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## mackel1994

Hi everyone, we are flying Southwest from MCO after our trip to Vegas next year. I'm from Australia so not sure how it works with boarding (we just get assigned seats here), I just know you aren't assigned a seat. I don't really mind where we sit on the plane but I'd like to be next to my partner. What do I have to do to have a good chance of being next to him?


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## shoreward

mackel1994 said:


> Hi everyone, we are flying Southwest from MCO after our trip to Vegas next year. I'm from Australia so not sure how it works with boarding (we just get assigned seats here), I just know you aren't assigned a seat. I don't really mind where we sit on the plane but I'd like to be next to my partner. What do I have to do to have a good chance of being next to him?


You can purchase the Early Bird Check-in, as soon as possible.  The sooner you purchase, the better the boarding position assigned to you.  Here is the info and a place to add to an existing reservation:

https://www.southwest.com/early-bird/
You will just select any open seats you want, after boarding the aircraft.  Purchasing the Early Bird Check-in will assure you of getting two seats together, as there will be many others boarding after you.


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## Fangorn

mackel1994 said:


> Hi everyone, we are flying Southwest from MCO after our trip to Vegas next year. I'm from Australia so not sure how it works with boarding (we just get assigned seats here), I just know you aren't assigned a seat. I don't really mind where we sit on the plane but I'd like to be next to my partner. What do I have to do to have a good chance of being next to him?


It's pretty straightforward, albeit different. It's also very efficient. 

You check in online for your flight 24 hours prior to departure. It's in your best interest to checkin as close to 24 hours as possible. Boarding assignments are detirmined by the order of check-in. Missing that 24 hour mark by an hour will put you way at the back of the pack. (This is where buying the Early Bird Check In option comes into play) 

When you check in,  you will be assigned to one of 3 boarding groups - A, B, or C. You will also be assigned a boarding number from 1 to 60.  Boarding will be in the following order A1-A60, B1-B60 and C1 to C60.

At the gate, you will see numbered poles. These are where you will line up when the gate agent asked to. 

Once on the plane, you can sit in any empty seat. Obviously, a boarding position of A26 is going to give you a lot more options for seats that a boarding position of C26.

There are a lot of nuances and situations that can affect both your boarding assignment and how many pairs of seats are actually available when you step on the plane,  but generally speaking any boarding position in the A or B groups will get you two seats together. 

Here's a link to the SW FAQ regarding boarding: https://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/faqs.html?topic=boarding_the_plane

Have a great flight! 

Steve


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## tlg588

Some data points on check in, boarding position and available seats. My DW, DD and I flew from MCI to Chicago on 10/25. I wasn’t paying attention and ended up checking in 20 minutes after the 24 hour mark. We were in the mid B40s; B45, B46,B47. We got the very last empty row on the plane in the very back of the plane. It has been my experience that families have a better chance of getting seats together when on flights with lots of families; as families tend to seat together and fill up entire rows while singles tend to set window, aisle, window, aisle... and leave only the middle seats.


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## Fangorn

tlg588 said:


> ... It has been my experience that families have a better chance of getting seats together when on flights with lots of families; as families tend to seat together and fill up entire rows while singles tend to set window, aisle, window, aisle... and leave only the middle seats.



It's not just your experience, it's math. I did a whole analysis of this once, but basically if there are only singles flying, then only middle seats will be available around about B35 or B55 depending on the model of aircraft and the number of Business Select passengers. Each pair traveling together pushes that point up by one.

So yes, if you have a C boarding position, you really want there to be lots and lots of families.   

Steve


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## firstwdw

Flying to MCO on Saturday over April school vacation. Purchased tickets on release day, Oct 30th but have not purchased early bird. In the past we have always purchased early bird. We are able to check in at exactly 24hours. We are traveling as a family of 3 and would like to sit together but we don't qualify for family boarding. EBCI is $25per person each way. Not sure if it's worth purchasing or take the risk and check in at 24hours and save the money ($150). Any frequent Southwest fliers have any thoughts? I am assuming since it is Sat of school vacation, the flight will be full and will also have a lot of families.


----------



## gwynne

firstwdw said:


> Flying to MCO on Saturday over April school vacation. Purchased tickets on release day, Oct 30th but have not purchased early bird. In the past we have always purchased early bird. We are able to check in at exactly 24hours. We are traveling as a family of 3 and would like to sit together but we don't qualify for family boarding. EBCI is $25per person each way. Not sure if it's worth purchasing or take the risk and check in at 24hours and save the money ($150). Any frequent Southwest fliers have any thoughts? I am assuming since it is Sat of school vacation, the flight will be full and will also have a lot of families.



Assuming 2 adults, 1 child are traveling-You can save some cash by purchasing EBCI for 1 adult and 1 child.  And then hopefully the other adult without EBCI will find a seat with or near you.


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## serenitynow

gwynne said:


> Assuming 2 adults, 1 child are traveling-You can save some cash by purchasing EBCI for 1 adult and 1 child.  And then hopefully the other adult without EBCI will find a seat with or near you.


I’m not sure that is possible anymore. We booked a trip online a couple of weeks ago and online, EBCI was offered to the entire party but no choice for each individual traveler. So I called Southwest to ask about this apparent change to the online reservation system. The Southwest agent informed me that now all of the people with the same confirmation number, basically everyone on the same reservation, either have to purchase EBCI or none of them can.

I asked if he could tell me why the change in policy - he claimed not to know, but guessed it was to help with the issue of seat saving.Travelers only paying for one early bird check in an attempt to get a lower boarding position then trying to “save” seats for other passengers  they might be traveling with who failed to purchase EBCI.


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## gwynne

serenitynow said:


> I’m not sure that is possible anymore. We booked a trip online a couple of weeks ago and online, EBCI was offered to the entire party but no choice for each individual traveler. So I called Southwest to ask about this apparent change to the online reservation system. The Southwest agent informed me that now all of the people with the same confirmation number, basically everyone on the same reservation, either have to purchase EBCI or none of them can.
> 
> I asked if he could tell me why the change in policy - he claimed not to know, but guessed it was to help with the issue of seat saving.Travelers only paying for one early bird check in an attempt to get a lower boarding position then trying to “save” seats for other passengers  they might be traveling with who failed to purchase EBCI.


Thanks for posting. I didn't realize there had been a change. Good to know.


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## serenitynow

gwynne said:


> Thanks for posting. I didn't realize there had been a change. Good to know.


No problem- I didn’t realize it either until I called them. Southwest just sort of sneaked that change into the reservation process.


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## KerryCM

We always upgrade at the gate to get my husband a 1-15 position. He is tall and likes the exit row. You can do this at any Southwest gate, if an agent is not at your gate yet. We fly out of Nashville and usually do this at the first gate we see an agent. They let us know if the flight has any passengers going on from the original flight and if so how many. Never have had a problem. Better than buying EBCI for both of us.


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## aokeefe

gwynne said:


> Assuming 2 adults, 1 child are traveling-You can save some cash by purchasing EBCI for 1 adult and 1 child.  And then hopefully the other adult without EBCI will find a seat with or near you.


We are a family of 4 (but bringing my nephews so family of 6 for this trip) flying the Saturday of April vacation as well (out of PVD). I never buy EBCI and we have always been able to sit together- usually it's 3 and 1 or 2 and 2- which is fine. Like you said- it will be mostly families so I think your chances are good if you check in at 24 hours.


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## firstwdw

serenitynow said:


> I’m not sure that is possible anymore. We booked a trip online a couple of weeks ago and online, EBCI was offered to the entire party but no choice for each individual traveler. So I called Southwest to ask about this apparent change to the online reservation system. The Southwest agent informed me that now all of the people with the same confirmation number, basically everyone on the same reservation, either have to purchase EBCI or none of them can.
> 
> I asked if he could tell me why the change in policy - he claimed not to know, but guessed it was to help with the issue of seat saving.Travelers only paying for one early bird check in an attempt to get a lower boarding position then trying to “save” seats for other passengers  they might be traveling with who failed to purchase EBCI.


I am still able to select which passengers I would like to purchase EBCI for on a reservation I made 3-4 weeks ago.


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## AngiTN

firstwdw said:


> Flying to MCO on Saturday over April school vacation. Purchased tickets on release day, Oct 30th but have not purchased early bird. In the past we have always purchased early bird. We are able to check in at exactly 24hours. We are traveling as a family of 3 and would like to sit together but we don't qualify for family boarding. EBCI is $25per person each way. Not sure if it's worth purchasing or take the risk and check in at 24hours and save the money ($150). Any frequent Southwest fliers have any thoughts? I am assuming since it is Sat of school vacation, the flight will be full and will also have a lot of families.


I would not buy it. I have never bought it and always find it very easy to check in at 24 hours. Even at Disney. I just set an alarm on the phone to alert me 5 min before check in time. While we don't care if we can't sit together we always have been able to. Be it, just 2, 3 or 4. When it's 4 of us, we do 2 and 2.


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## mrsgthatsme

Are any of you familiar with the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales on SW? I was just getting ready to book a flight to Fort Lauderdale from Kansas City for April, and read about the fact that historically, SW has offered really great deals during the week of Black Friday. I know I have time to wait, but the other leg of my trip (not on SW) seems to be filling up really fast, so I hate to wait. Are the sale prices during the Black Friday sale generally apply to a large number of routes? Would you wait to book? Thanks!


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## scrappinginontario

mrsgthatsme said:


> Are any of you familiar with the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales on SW? I was just getting ready to book a flight to Fort Lauderdale from Kansas City for April, and read about the fact that historically, SW has offered really great deals during the week of Black Friday. I know I have time to wait, but the other leg of my trip (not on SW) seems to be filling up really fast, so I hate to wait. Are the sale prices during the Black Friday sale generally apply to a large number of routes? Would you wait to book? Thanks!


Im not sure if they’ll be Black Friday sales but SW posts some sort of sale each Tues.  if it were me I’d wait at least until tomorrow and see what they offer.


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## focusondisney

mrsgthatsme said:


> Are any of you familiar with the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales on SW? I was just getting ready to book a flight to Fort Lauderdale from Kansas City for April, and read about the fact that historically, SW has offered really great deals during the week of Black Friday. I know I have time to wait, but the other leg of my trip (not on SW) seems to be filling up really fast, so I hate to wait. Are the sale prices during the Black Friday sale generally apply to a large number of routes? Would you wait to book? Thanks!



I can’t say I have ever read or seen anything  about SW having a Black Friday or cyber Monday sale.


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## scrappinginontario

I'm not sure how the prices are but SW has Thanksgiving Deals on starting today.


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## kmermaid

serenitynow said:


> No problem- I didn’t realize it either until I called them. Southwest just sort of sneaked that change into the reservation process.



Last week I booked out flight for 3 adults on points and all are on the same confirmation #.  I was able to go back in and just purchase EB for just myself.  DH has the benefit on his SWA that he gets free upgrades to the A1 thru A15 if seats are available so they will just use that.


----------



## focusondisney

mrsgthatsme said:


> Are any of you familiar with the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales on SW? I was just getting ready to book a flight to Fort Lauderdale from Kansas City for April, and read about the fact that historically, SW has offered really great deals during the week of Black Friday. I know I have time to wait, but the other leg of my trip (not on SW) seems to be filling up really fast, so I hate to wait. Are the sale prices during the Black Friday sale generally apply to a large number of routes? Would you wait to book? Thanks!



SW does have a “Cyber prices are here“ banner on their website. But prices are about the same as they have been. I don’t see anything that is a great or even better deal from my airport on dates I have been watching.


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## Crazyhorse

focusondisney said:


> SW does have a “Cyber prices are here“ banner on their website. But prices are about the same as they have been. I don’t see anything that is a great or even better deal from my airport on dates I have been watching.


I agree.  I just checked our April dates, the week after Easter..and the prices are exactly the same as they've been for weeks.


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## PCFriar80

kmermaid said:


> Last week I booked out flight for 3 adults on points and all are on the same confirmation #.  I was able to go back in and just purchase EB for just myself.  DH has the benefit on his SWA that he gets free upgrades to the A1 thru A15 if seats are available so they will just use that.


Just responding to say i like your avatar!  I'll throw in a plug for SWA as well to keep it on the up and up with our upcoming trip for marathon weekend from BDL/MCO!


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## Peaseblossom36

Hello!
I received an email from Southwest detailing our trip and it says I’m one day from being able to check in. We have early bird check in though, so I’m a little confused. Do all emails say this?

I did call and confirm with Southwest that our early bird stayed with us when we changed our flights a few weeks ago and she said everything was fine.


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## AngiTN

You don't need to check in for a boarding position but you'll want to get your boarding passes at 24 hours


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## SouthFayetteFan

Here's your friendly reminder that *Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur WEDNESDAY, December 11th!* For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget!

Currently SW is offering flights through 6/6/20 and this next release will take their schedule out to 8/10/20 (covering almost the entire summer). I'll try to post an additional reminder next week.
For those that care about "release timing" it's been all over the board recently (all times Eastern):

The release on 10/30/19 went live at 7:15am.
The release on 9/26/19 went live at 7:30am.
The release on 8/15/19 went live at 10:41am.
The release on 5/30/19 went live at 9:20am.


----------



## shoreward

Southwest finally added a link for looking up unused travel funds, without needing to know the original confirmation number of the reservation generating the travel funds.

After logging in to your RR account on the website, there will be a link at the top of the My Account page, displayed under the *My Travel Funds*.section. This link will only show travel funds accrued on or after 12/03/2019.



> *Travel Funds*
> Travel fund FAQs
> 
> Funds displayed on this page include funds from cancelled tickets which included your Rapid Rewards number and cancelled in accordance with the No Show Policy, or tickets with a valid residual balance canceled on or after December 3. To view additional travel funds not displayed use Travel Fund Lookup.


----------



## scrappinginontario

shoreward said:


> Southwest finally added a link for looking up unused travel funds, without needing to know the original confirmation number of the reservation generating the travel funds.
> 
> After logging in to your RR account on the website, there will be a link at the top of the My Account page, displayed under the *My Travel Funds*.section. This link will only show travel funds accrued on or after 12/03/2019.


While this is a great addition, unfortunately it does not include tickets where the price dropped so a travel credit for the difference in flight prices was obtained.  To see those amounts you still need to have the name of each guest and the confirmation number. 

I had 4 of these and even after looking them up manually they are still not displayed as travel funds and I need to look them up each time.

Just a heads up to others to keep that information tucked safely away if you want to apply those funds to a future flight.


----------



## Iowamomof4

scrappinginontario said:


> While this is a great addition, unfortunately it does not include tickets where the price dropped so a travel credit for the difference in flight prices was obtained.  To see those amounts you still need to have the name of each guest and the confirmation number.
> 
> I had 4 of these and even after looking them up manually they are still not displayed as travel funds and I need to look them up each time.
> 
> Just a heads up to others to keep that information tucked safely away if you want to apply those funds to a future flight.


Do you know how it works? I have 2 credits from a previous flight, one was $35 and the other was $9 (flight price dropped twice). Both are tied to the same person and same confirmation number. When I go to use these funds, will it be one amount of $44 or will it count as two separate amounts? I know we can only use 3 forms of payment for each reservation, so I'm just trying to get prepared. If you don't know, maybe someone else does?


----------



## shoreward

scrappinginontario said:


> While this is a great addition, unfortunately it does not include tickets where the price dropped so a travel credit for the difference in flight prices was obtained.  To see those amounts you still need to have the name of each guest and the confirmation number.


Are you taking into account that any price drops prior to the December 3, 2019 activation date of this link supposedly will not reflect any price drops or refunds prior to that date?


----------



## shoreward

Iowamomof4 said:


> Do you know how it works? I have 2 credits from a previous flight, one was $35 and the other was $9 (flight price dropped twice). Both are tied to the same person and same confirmation number. When I go to use these funds, will it be one amount of $44 or will it count as two separate amounts? I know we can only use 3 forms of payment for each reservation, so I'm just trying to get prepared. If you don't know, maybe someone else does?


If the travel funds are under the same confirmation number and name, it will count as one form of payment.


----------



## ultimatefans

Iowamomof4 said:


> Do you know how it works? I have 2 credits from a previous flight, one was $35 and the other was $9 (flight price dropped twice). Both are tied to the same person and same confirmation number. When I go to use these funds, will it be one amount of $44 or will it count as two separate amounts? I know we can only use 3 forms of payment for each reservation, so I'm just trying to get prepared. If you don't know, maybe someone else does?





shoreward said:


> If the travel funds are under the same confirmation number and name, it will count as one form of payment.



I thought it counted as 2 different forms of payment?  I ran into this once before and was not able to use all of my travel credits because I had 3 separate credits, even though some of them were from the same flight and confirmation number.  Also when I look at my credits now they are listed separately if the price went down at 2 different times, even though from the same flight and confirmation number.


----------



## scrappinginontario

shoreward said:


> Are you taking into account that any price drops prior to the December 3, 2019 activation date of this link supposedly will not reflect any price drops or refunds prior to that date?


Nope.  Missed that.  Thanks for clarifying.


----------



## Iowamomof4

ultimatefans said:


> I thought it counted as 2 different forms of payment?  I ran into this once before and was not able to use all of my travel credits because I had 3 separate credits, even though some of them were from the same flight and confirmation number.  Also when I look at my credits now they are listed separately if the price went down at 2 different times, even though from the same flight and confirmation number.



How can I see my travel funds? I thought there was no way to look them up other than finding my emails with the information from Southwest.


----------



## ultimatefans

Iowamomof4 said:


> How can I see my travel funds? I thought there was no way to look them up other than finding my emails with the information from Southwest.


That is correct, you will need the confirmation numbers to see travel funds earned prior to 12/3/19.


----------



## Iowamomof4

ultimatefans said:


> That is correct, you will need the confirmation numbers to see travel funds earned prior to 12/3/19.



When you say "see travel funds" - are you just referring to seeing them when you input the information to use them as a form of payment?


----------



## shoreward

Iowamomof4 said:


> How can I see my travel funds? I thought there was no way to look them up other than finding my emails with the information from Southwest.


You can always log into your Rapid Rewards account and look at "Past" trips to find confirmation numbers, as long as you are not looking for a cancelled booking.
https://www.southwest.com/myaccount/trips/past


----------



## ultimatefans

Iowamomof4 said:


> When you say "see travel funds" - are you just referring to seeing them when you input the information to use them as a form of payment?


No, I was referring to the Travel Funds lookup: https://www.southwest.com/flight/travel-funds-search.html


----------



## G719

Tomorrow, December 11 is the next release.  Schedule will open through August 10.


----------



## McManus

Here in New York.  Still waiting for flights to open.  

Anyone elsewhere?


----------



## shellsbell

McManus said:


> Here in New York.  Still waiting for flights to open.
> 
> Anyone elsewhere?


Me too! Massachusetts


----------



## Geomom

From MA, waiting here too...need to go back outside to clean the snow off my car!


----------



## McManus




----------



## shellsbell

McManus said:


>


That resembles me! Lol


----------



## midgetpepper

Still waiting as well...!


----------



## aokeefe

Me too! From MA and waiting for flights. I only have about 20 more minutes before I have to leave for work too. We are looking for July flights- I'm hoping since it's the summer, I have a bit more flexibility with not having to book right away. Usually I'm booking feb or April vacation weeks and prices skyrocket within hours.


----------



## shoreward

Southwest is saying that the flights will be released today on a "rolling basis," and to check back throughout the day.


----------



## momtwoboys

I'm waiting too! From MA also! looking into prices for end of June/July for a quick trip. Already booked for our week trip in March. I hope theres something cheap so I can do this!


----------



## G719

shoreward said:


> Southwest is saying that the flights will be released today on a "rolling basis," and to check back throughout the day.


Who has time for that??


----------



## Reneedisnerd

G719 said:


> Who has time for that??


Hitting refresh every 5 minutes so I am feeling your pain.


----------



## McManus

Waiting to book for our August trip.  Will only be able to book first lag.  

I did call awhile ago to ask if they knew when today the flights would open but as usual, they won't specify.  My past experiences is if I don't book when flights first open, the price sky rockets with the hour.


----------



## Realgrumpy

Me.  Ugh.


----------



## ashmac8

I need to book a return flight for my August trip.  I already have airfare for the way out.  I am stalking the site like every 15 minutes.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Make sure you're checking the Low Fare Calendar.  Historically flights are posted there first.


----------



## McManus

aokeefe said:


> Me too! From MA and waiting for flights. I only have about 20 more minutes before I have to leave for work too. We are looking for July flights- I'm hoping since it's the summer, I have a bit more flexibility with not having to book right away. Usually I'm booking feb or April vacation weeks and prices skyrocket within hours.


I hear you.  I really don't understand why SWA simply can't open the flights at a given time.


----------



## McManus

scrappinginontario said:


> Make sure you're checking the Low Fare Calendar.  Historically flights are posted there first.
> 
> View attachment 458074


Thanks for the info!


----------



## scrappinginontario

McManus said:


> I hear you.  I really don't understand why SWA simply can't open the flights at a given time.


It's not that simple on the IT end.  There are huge processes and jobs that need to run in specific orders to ensure everything is updated correctly.  We have some jobs at work that can run in seconds and others take hours and hours to complete fully.  Something as huge as updating their flight options, times, routes etc would take many jobs running in a specific order.  This is another reason why you'll normally see the Low Fare Calendar updated first.  That job is queued before the one that updates the individual 'to' 'from' cities.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

shoreward said:


> Southwest is saying that the flights will be released today on a "rolling basis," and to check back throughout the day.


That’s just their standard response.  I’m seeing some flights available now.


----------



## bearybubba

I knew if I came on this board that I would get answers as to what was up with Southwest! Y'all didn't disappoint!!!
Waiting (not so ) patiently in PA!


----------



## McManus

scrappinginontario said:


> It's not that simple on the IT end.  There are huge processes and jobs that need to run in specific orders to ensure everything is updated correctly.  We have some jobs at work that can run in seconds and others take hours and hours to complete fully.  Something as huge as updating their flight options, times, routes etc would take many jobs running in a specific order.  This is another reason why you'll normally see the Low Fare Calendar updated first.  That job is queued before the one that updates the individual 'to' 'from' cities.



And this is why I don't work in the IT world, hahaha!  Too complicated.


----------



## jcarwash

I just spotted fares on the Low Fare Calendar through June 2020 (the last extension) at 8:58am ET.


----------



## McManus

SouthFayetteFan said:


> That’s just their standard response.  I’m seeing some flights available now.



Where abouts?


----------



## Realgrumpy

jcarwash said:


> I just spotted fares on the Low Fare Calendar through June 2020 (the last extension) at 8:58am ET.


When I click on the date nothing happens though.


----------



## Music City Mama

scrappinginontario said:


> Make sure you're checking the Low Fare Calendar.  Historically flights are posted there first.
> 
> View attachment 458074



Thanks for that info! I was actually able to see my late June flights that way. The problem is that my return flight for July isn't updated yet and depending what that shows, will determine which leg we use points for and which we pay cash for. I'm tempted to just the book the June one on points right now though!


----------



## lcc2

I show flights through August now on Low Fare Calendar. Not sure if I'm going to buy yet.


----------



## scard192

Good luck everyone from MA. I am west of Boston, and already booked my flights for April.


----------



## Kanga1

Booked my flights, but was shocked at Early Bird Checkin.  Since when did they raise the price to $20/pp. each way?  I guess I haven't flown SWA in a while!


----------



## shellsbell

Used the low fare calendar as suggested and booked PVD to MCO rt 6/23-6/30 for 7 people.... Merry Christmas to my grandkids!! Thanks so much Scrappinginontar


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*FYI - Southwest extended their schedule this morning for flights through October 30th, 2020.*

Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment:

*NEXT RELEASE: 6/3/20 - travel through January 4th, 2021**
3/12/20 - travel through October 30th, 2020
12/11/19 - travel through August 10th, 2020
10/30/19 - travel through June 6th, 2020
9/26/19 - travel through April 13th, 2020
8/15/19 - travel through March 6th, 2020
5/30/19 - travel through January 5th, 2020
3/15/19 - travel through November 2nd, 2019
1/31/19 - travel through October 1st, 2019
11/15/18 - travel through August 5th, 2019
9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019
8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
_**Subject to Change - check back frequently here: https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/*

This chart could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above) They appear to be tightening the inventory a bit this year vs. prior year's releases._

*RELEASE TIMES:*

the release on 3/12/20 went live at 9:40am.
The release on 12/11/19 went live at 9:10am.
The release on 10/30/19 went live at 7:15am.
The release on 9/26/19 went live at 7:30am.
The release on 8/15/19 went live at 10:41am.
The release on 5/30/19 went live at 9:20am.
If you want to search back for this post in the future - just search my name and "release".  But be advised that I will not go back and update this post if they alter the next release date in the future.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Kanga1 said:


> Booked my flights, but was shocked at Early Bird Checkin.  Since when did they raise the price to $20/pp. each way?  I guess I haven't flown SWA in a while!


It's been that way for a while now.  18 months?  $20 is better than the $25 it can cost on some routes.


----------



## Music City Mama

Whew! It's done! Booked our flights for late June on points (no EBCI), and our flights back in July I paid cash for with EBCI (because I'll have no clue where I'll be at the 24 hour mark for this one and I don't need the stress).


----------



## Realgrumpy

Done. Now I can schedule my Magical Express.


----------



## shoreward

SouthFayetteFan said:


> That’s just their standard response.  I’m seeing some flights available now.


Of course, after waking up early and watching for three hours, the schedule opened while I was driving to work.  My preferred itinerary for one-way is about 6800 points more than what I ended up booking, and that preferred itinerary only has one seat left at that fare.


----------



## mom2missmous

grr think I was late even though I kept checking!  didn't book until about 930!   and my early birds were $25!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

shoreward said:


> Of course, after waking up early and watching for three hours, the schedule opened while I was driving to work.  My preferred itinerary for one-way is about 6800 points more than what I ended up booking, and that preferred itinerary only has one seat left at that fare.


Man I'm sorry to hear that!!  I was on the every 30 minutes alarm, lol... I woke up at 7:15, 7:45, 8:15, 8:45, 9:15.  That is not the kind of sleep my body needed after staying up until about 3am last night doing some work but it'll have to do!

Just got done booking our flights now.  This isn't a Disney trip and it's on a route that doesn't often book up fast so it wasn't a huge rush for me this morning.


----------



## mom2missmous

grr think I was late even though I kept checking!  didn't book until about 930!   and my early birds were $25!


----------



## jen7233

I noticed flights came online through Aug 10 when I got back from school 2 drop off at 9:25. MCO-DCA. Wasn't too impressed with what was available, pretty high in my opinion but still booked.


----------



## McManus

Just finished booking our flights.  Not terrible...$144 total with tax.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

A sad day has come... booked our summer vacation which is my last "Family Boarding" ever as my younger daughter will turn 7 at the end of next summer...  Hello $200 in EBCI expenses next time I book, lol!  Luckily we don't ever pay for the flights due to points so this just means my flights will cost $200 RT instead of $0 RT,


----------



## McManus

Not happy with the increase in the Early Bird...$25.00 a person!


----------



## McManus

Not happy with the increase in the Early Bird...$25.00 a person

Sorry, already posted this.


----------



## mom2missmous

mine double-posted too ! sorry everyone!


----------



## Iowamomof4

It's been that way for awhile now (increased EB pricing). I factor it in, almost like a baggage fee would be on any other airline. If you paid less than $25/pp, consider yourself fortunate!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

McManus said:


> Not happy with the increase in the Early Bird...$25.00 a person
> 
> Sorry, already posted this.


As others have posted it's been that way for a while (don't remember the exact date but it's probably somewhere in this vast thread lol).

What SWA did is make it variable based on route, particular flight/demand. It can be $15-$25 PP but most often people have been paying $25 PP at least it would appear that way.


----------



## momtwoboys

not impressed with the prices so I will wait and see what Spirit has as my dates become closer. We are already booked with jetblue for our annual Spring trip. This is just an extra that I want to take end of june early july. I am not paying close to 300 for one person, nope.


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## mom2missmous

With early bird both ways we paid about $300 pp  from Hartford to Orlando.  Had hoped would be a little  less (hoping  also I didn't miss out by being a few minutes late!)  but we have paid more!  Did notice less choices than in past years- especially later return flights. either way, we are booked !


----------



## scrappinginontario

SouthFayetteFan said:


> A sad day has come... booked our summer vacation which is my last "Family Boarding" ever as my younger daughter will turn 7 at the end of next summer...  Hello $200 in EBCI expenses next time I book, lol!  Luckily we don't ever pay for the flights due to points so this just means my flights will cost $200 RT instead of $0 RT,


Ah, I remember that sad day too. How come our kids have to grow up so fast??

We tend to buy EBCI only for our Orlando - Buffalo leg as I make it a priority the day before we go on vacation to check in right at the 24 hour mark.  Saves us a little $$.

Last time I paid for the EBCI home and we were in the early A's for boarding.  My DD walked by rows of empty seats to the area we often sit in when we don't have EBCI so that was $50 poof, gone but I'll still happily pay for it to allow us to sit together!


----------



## jen7233

SouthFayetteFan said:


> A sad day has come... booked our summer vacation which is my last "Family Boarding" ever as my younger daughter will turn 7 at the end of next summer... Hello $200 in EBCI expenses next time I book, lol! Luckily we don't ever pay for the flights due to points so this just means my flights will cost $200 RT instead of $0 RT,


Yep, we do EBCI, even though my kids are older they are complicated on board in my opinion! They want to be with dad, lol, so I get a seat by myself!


----------



## aokeefe

Was able to book about an hour after release-  PVD-MCO for end of July. I was actually surprised how many flight options there were for that time frame- JetBlue has decreased the number of options for that route during the summer and Southwest seemed to increase. Our EBCI was $25 pp. I just can't justify paying that. My kids are older so if we don't end up sitting together it's okay but in all the flights we always manage to get at least 2 and 2 seats- we even got 2nd row last trip.


----------



## Reneedisnerd

Six people from PHL to MCO was under 2300 to include the crazy 25 early bird fee for a mid to end of June flight. Sold... because it was still cheaper than American or United and those prices don’t include bags.  I also don’t have to drive further to BWI to get the direct flights  I wanted.


----------



## shoreward

Has anyone who booked flights that opened today checked the aircraft associated with their flights?  One of my flights shows the MAX 8, though I really question the aircraft being certified as airworthy any time in the foreseeable future.  When I noticed that flights to/from my home airport were cut back by Southwest, I assumed it was because the fleet was smaller due to the grounding of the MAX, but now I'm not so sure; it could be that route expansion is reallocating the aircraft.


----------



## Music City Mama

shoreward said:


> Has anyone who booked flights that opened today checked the aircraft associated with their flights?  One of my flights shows the MAX 8, though I really question the aircraft being certified as airworthy any time in the foreseeable future.  When I noticed that flights to/from my home airport were cut back by Southwest, I assumed it was because the fleet was smaller due to the grounding of the MAX, but now I'm not so sure; it could be that route expansion is reallocating the aircraft.



One of mine is a 737-800 and the other is a 737-700. I don't think either of these are MAX planes, but I don't know enough about all of that to say for sure. The disclaimer appeared to say something specifically about the MAX 8, so I don't _think _my aircrafts fall in this category.


----------



## shoreward

Music City Mama said:


> One of mine is a 737-800 and the other is a 737-700. I don't think either of these are MAX planes, but I don't know enough about all of that to say for sure. The disclaimer appeared to say something specifically about the MAX 8, so I don't _think _my aircrafts fall in this category.


 Neither plane is the MAX 8, so you are in luck.


----------



## L_MD

shoreward said:


> Has anyone who booked flights that opened today checked the aircraft associated with their flights?  One of my flights shows the MAX 8, though I really question the aircraft being certified as airworthy any time in the foreseeable future.  When I noticed that flights to/from my home airport were cut back by Southwest, I assumed it was because the fleet was smaller due to the grounding of the MAX, but now I'm not so sure; it could be that route expansion is reallocating the aircraft.


Not in this release, but my flight that I booked returning on May 1st is scheduled to be on a MAX-8. I want to change, but the next flight would get me home around 1am and I don't want to deal with that. So, I'm a bit nervous!


----------



## Iowamomof4

I wanted to share my experience yesterday with *booking flights with travel funds*.

Dh and I had a trip in August 2019. Our flight price on one leg dropped 3 times for dh's ticket and 2 times for my ticket, so we had a bank of travel funds to use.

I booked 4 of us on a single reservation from Orlando to Omaha. I was able to apply my 2 travel funds and 2 of dh's 3 travel funds on this single reservation and then pay the remainder with a credit card. So yes, essentially I had 5 forms of payment since each traveler can have travel funds applied to their own ticket, however I was definitely only able to use 2 of dh's 3 travel funds because his funds weren't enough to cover the entire cost of his ticket. Hope all of that is making sense. Also, on my receipt (email confirmation), it shows that my ticket and dh's ticket both expire 5/23/20 (we used LUV vouchers to help pay for our August trip and those were issued on 5/24/19, so I'm sure that's where that date comes from), whereas the tickets for our kids show expiration dates of 12/10/20 (a year from last night's purchase).

I was subsequently able to use the remainder of dh's travel funds (a single credit) when I purchased his flight from Omaha to Orlando. His ticket funds will expire 5/23/20. I bought the rest of our tickets individually because I have hopes that the price could drop for one or more of us and I wanted the flexibility to take advantage of that if it happened.

Let me know if you have any questions. I'm going from memory, so if I've said something a little wrong I do apologize and welcome input and/or correction.


----------



## shoreward

L_MD said:


> Not in this release, but my flight that I booked returning on May 1st is scheduled to be on a MAX-8. I want to change, but the next flight would get me home around 1am and I don't want to deal with that. So, I'm a bit nervous!


I have a feeling that Southwest will not be flying the MAX 8 at that time.  They currently have the MAX 8 grounded, till the beginning of March, and the FAA still has not declared the plane to be safe for flying.

You may just receive notice from Southwest in a month or two about a change to your flight.


----------



## Iowamomof4

I believe we have 24 hours to cancel a flight for a full refund after initial booking. Would I also get my EBCI back or is that money gone?

Edit: I think that money is gone. Looks like I have to make a decision between changing our flights vs. cancel and rebook. Since EBCI costs $25, I figure the flight needs to be more than $50 cheaper to make it worth canceling for a refund.


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## focusondisney

I know how boarding positions are assigned with early bird check in is a big topic around here so I wanted to post our experience from last week.  I booked immediately on opening morning for my DH with points & added early bird immediately.  I know the trick to check the low fare page & actually booked before the fares were showing up on the regular booking page.  

I then went back in & added myself flying free as his companion. I booked my early bird at the same time. I also booked round trips so everything was booked all at the same time.  

When I have done this before, we have always gotten As, usually 20s- 40s. So I was surprised when checked my husband in first & he got B3.  I thought that was very strange because there was no way 45 people could possibly have bought EBCI before him.  There just wasn’t. But I prepared myself mentally to get B4 or higher.  I was shocked that I had A17!  Even more shocked when I lined up for boarding & there was no one in A1-16! Yes, not just no one in 1-15, but no one was A16 either.   I was the first person in general boarding & I was flying free as his companion!  Our family members who did not purchase EBCI but checked themselves in at the 24 hour mark got B 17 & 18, just a few slots behind DH.  

On our return flight, my DH was A17 & I was A20.  This is pretty much what we normally experience when I book quickly on opening day. I have never gotten a number before his when I am booked as his companion.   I am convinced some strange glitch happened with his check in on the first flight.  And he should have been A16 which is why that slot was empty too.   There is no way 45 people booked EBCI before him & less  than 14 others did in all the months since i booked us on opening day.


----------



## Crazyhorse

focusondisney said:


> I know how boarding positions are assigned with early bird check in is a big topic around here so I wanted to post our experience from last week.  I booked immediately on opening morning for my DH with points & added early bird immediately.  I know the trick to check the low fare page & actually booked before the fares were showing up on the regular booking page.
> 
> I then went back in & added myself flying free as his companion. I booked my early bird at the same time. I also booked round trips so everything was booked all at the same time.
> 
> When I have done this before, we have always gotten As, usually 20s- 40s. So I was surprised when checked my husband in first & he got B3.  I thought that was very strange because there was no way 45 people could possibly have bought EBCI before him.  There just wasn’t. But I prepared myself mentally to get B4 or higher.  I was shocked that I had A17!  Even more shocked when I lined up for boarding & there was no one in A1-16! Yes, not just no one in 1-15, but no one was A16 either.   I was the first person in general boarding & I was flying free as his companion!  Our family members who did not purchase EBCI but checked themselves in at the 24 hour mark got B 17 & 18, just a few slots behind DH.
> 
> On our return flight, my DH was A17 & I was A20.  This is pretty much what we normally experience when I book quickly on opening day. I have never gotten a number before his when I am booked as his companion.   I am convinced some strange glitch happened with his check in on the first flight.  And he should have been A16 which is why that slot was empty too.   There is no way 45 people booked EBCI before him & less  than 14 others did in all the months since i booked us on opening day.


Keep in mind that those who purchase Business Select and even Anytime fares are highly likely to receive a better boarding position than Wanna Get Away fares.   Who knows what algorithm SW uses to determine boarding slots but you can be sure that they are certainly going to reward those who spend the most on their tickets.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Crazyhorse said:


> Keep in mind that those who purchase Business Select and even Anytime fares are highly likely to receive a better boarding position than Wanna Get Away fares.   Who knows what algorithm SW uses to determine boarding slots but you can be sure that they are certainly going to reward those who spend the most on their tickets.


I agree but in the case of the OP, nobody was in the A1 - A16 slots so even though she purchased EBCI after her husband he was still 45+ people behind her in line, plus family boarding would have also happened in there.


----------



## focusondisney

Crazyhorse said:


> Keep in mind that those who purchase Business Select and even Anytime fares are highly likely to receive a better boarding position than Wanna Get Away fares.   Who knows what algorithm SW uses to determine boarding slots but you can be sure that they are certainly going to reward those who spend the most on their tickets.



Yes, I know all that. As I said, there was NO ONE in A 1 -16.  At A 17 I was the first person boarding after the medical preboards & I was flying FREE as a companion. My DH, who PAID, was B3.  There was no one in A16, normally  the first  slot after Business Select.  My point was, my DH should have been slotted before me, in that empty A 16 slot.  We have been using the companion pass for 2 years now. I have never been positioned before my DH., let alone 46 slots before him.  And when I buy our tickets opening morning, adding EBCI at that time, we have never been higher than A 49.  And my first flight & our return flight matched our previous experience.  So my point was, there had to be some glitch/ anomaly that caused him to get B3 on that first flight. Because I do not feel his ticket followed what we have experienced as  the normal EBCI process.


----------



## Crazyhorse

focusondisney said:


> Yes, I know all that. As I said, there was NO ONE in A 1 -16.  At A 17 I was the first person boarding after the medical preboards & I was flying FREE as a companion. My DH, who PAID, was B3.  There was no one in A16, normally  the first  slot after Business Select.  My point was, my DH should have been slotted before me, in that empty A 16 slot.  We have been using the companion pass for 2 years now. I have never been positioned before my DH., let alone 46 slots before him.  And when I buy our tickets opening morning, adding EBCI at that time, we have never been higher than A 49.  And my first flight & our return flight matched our previous experience.  So my point was, there had to be some glitch/ anomaly that caused him to get B3 on that first flight. Because I do not feel his ticket followed what we have experienced as  the normal EBCI process.


You're right.....crap happens.


----------



## Rachel GB

I have a late April flight and am concerned we are going to get a cancellation/ change notice. It's showing the planes for my scheduled flights as Boeing 737-700 and Boeing 737-800.  As I understand it, they are not the grounded MAX planes- they are the older versions (prior to Max), but I still want to make sure that I'm not in danger of a cancellation or undesirable flight change. While searching, I did find a recent article that there have been some structural issues with these older planes, too, though- I'm feeling nervous! Any input? TIA!!!


----------



## shoreward

Another Southwest MAX Flight schedule revision - now 03/06/2020 - 04/13/2020.  If you are flying Southwest, during that time frame, log into your account and check your flights; you may be offered a one-time opportunity to change your current flights to more desirable dates/times at no additional cost, as long as they are within the stated time perameters and have available space in your fare type.   Look for a banner at the top of the page, after selecting to change your flight, advising that your flights are eligible for change, at no additional cost.  It may take a few days for the banner to appear.  It's advised to make any desired changes ASAP, as the offer is usually not available very long.

https://www.southwestaircommunity.c...kdKOU7ZkXQEhpd8bXuZ6lF8Pt_p_7MF1QAmbSVdbepKXw


----------



## Crazyhorse

I'm confused.  I have flights booked for April.  I just saw our first flight dropped $11.00.  I did the old change thing...and instead of showing an $11.00 credit coming, it sez 0.   Even though I clearly paid $11.00 more than the flight is today.  I've done this before and it's always worked....why isn't it showing the $11.00 savings?  I didn't change the flight...I just aborted the process..but I've gone back twice now..and it still won't acknowledge the $11.00 price drop?


----------



## scrappinginontario

Crazyhorse said:


> I'm confused.  I have flights booked for April.  I just saw our first flight dropped $11.00.  I did the old change thing...and instead of showing an $11.00 credit coming, it sez 0.   Even though I cleared paid $11.00 more than the flight is today.  I've done this before and it's always worked....why isn't it showing the $11.00 savings?  I didn't change the flight...I just aborted the process..but I've gone back twice now..and it still won't acknowledge the $11.00 price drop?


I don't have any funds I can check this with but have you tried checking your travel funds as described below?  Possibly they're displaying differently now?  I really don't know but this is the first thing I thought of as it was just introduced a couple of weeks ago.



shoreward said:


> Southwest finally added a link for looking up unused travel funds, without needing to know the original confirmation number of the reservation generating the travel funds.
> 
> After logging in to your RR account on the website, there will be a link at the top of the My Account page, displayed under the *My Travel Funds*.section. This link will only show travel funds accrued on or after 12/03/2019.


----------



## Crazyhorse

scrappinginontario said:


> I don't have any funds I can check this with but have you tried checking your travel funds as described below?  Possibly they're displaying differently now?  I really don't know but this is the first thing I thought of as it was just introduced a couple of weeks ago.


I have travel funds that accrued through the year by me doing just what I'm trying to do today for our flight a few weeks ago.  My new flights for April have dropped in price since I bought..yet when I try to "change" my flight to take advantage of the drop, the system isn't indicating any credit to be taken..should say -$11.00..instead it's saying 0.  Unfortunately, the credits I do have I couldn't use for the April flight...they expire in March.   The only thing I do notice is SW is saying only 1 left at the new rate....I'm trying to change 2 tickets..could that be the issue?


----------



## scrappinginontario

Crazyhorse said:


> I have travel funds that accrued through the year by me doing just what I'm trying to do today for our flight a few weeks ago.  My new flights for April have dropped in price since I bought..yet when I try to "change" my flight to take advantage of the drop, the system isn't indicating any credit to be taken..should say -$11.00..instead it's saying 0.  Unfortunately, the credits I do have I couldn't use for the April flight...they expire in March.  * The only thing I do notice is SW is saying only 1 left at the new rate....I'm trying to change 2 tickets..could that be the issue?*


  Yes that could be the issue for sure.  If there is only 1 seat available at the reduced flight and you are attempting to change 2 tickets then you're automatically being offered the lowest fare for the number of tickets you're attempting to change.  I'm fairly confident this is why you're seeing what you are.


----------



## ultimatefans

scrappinginontario said:


> Yes that could be the issue for sure.  If there is only 1 seat available at the reduced flight and you are attempting to change 2 tickets then you're automatically being offered the lowest fare for the number of tickets you're attempting to change.  I'm fairly confident this is why you're seeing what you are.


Yes, as pp said, that could definitely be the issue.  Are you traveling in early April?  If so it could also be because of the Max 8 issue, see the post above yours.  Can you change it to any flight for $0, not just the current one you're booked on?  If so and you want to keep the same flight I'd recommend waiting a couple of days until the window has closed to change flights for free.  Then you might be able to get the credit depending on pricing at that time.


----------



## Crazyhorse

ultimatefans said:


> Yes, as pp said, that could definitely be the issue.  Are you traveling in early April?  If so it could also be because of the Max 8 issue, see the post above yours.  Can you change it to any flight for $0, not just the current one you're booked on?  If so and you want to keep the same flight I'd recommend waiting a couple of days until the window has closed to change flights for free.  Then you might be able to get the credit depending on pricing at that time.


No, it's for mid to late April so at this point, we're not in the latest MAX 8 fiasco.  Both planes at this point on our flights are showing 737-700 or 800.  I do believe that my issue is the 1 seat left thingy.  I'm gonna keep trying!


----------



## shoreward

Crazyhorse said:


> I have travel funds that accrued through the year by me doing just what I'm trying to do today for our flight a few weeks ago.  My new flights for April have dropped in price since I bought..yet when I try to "change" my flight to take advantage of the drop, the system isn't indicating any credit to be taken..should say -$11.00..instead it's saying 0.  Unfortunately, the credits I do have I couldn't use for the April flight...they expire in March.   The only thing I do notice is SW is saying only 1 left at the new rate....I'm trying to change 2 tickets..could that be the issue?


I don't know if you feel it's worth the time and hassle for only $11.00, but you can try calling Southwest for assistance; they may have to separate into two separate reservations to apply the $11.00 credit.  If you have EBCI, you may end up losing it on the reservation that was changed.


----------



## Crazyhorse

shoreward said:


> I don't know if you feel it's worth the time and hassle for only $11.00, but you can try calling Southwest for assistance; they may have to separate into two separate reservations to apply the $11.00 credit.  If you have EBCI, you may end up losing it on the reservation that was changed.


Absolutely not worth the risk of losing current EBCI slot...or to wait on hold.  If it were $111.00, well.....then I think I'd make the call and wait.  I'll just check every day to see what transpires.  We got a pretty fair price anyway but I love to nickel and dime as much as I can prior to a flight.


----------



## katallo

I have a flight booked for late January on a 737–800 ( which I don't think is the max 8).   Should I know by now if that flight has to be changed. I did not receive an email and I haven't seen anything on our account page?


----------



## L_MD

katallo said:


> I have a flight booked for late January on a 737–800 ( which I don't think is the max 8).   Should I know by now if that flight has to be changed. I did not receive an email and I haven't seen anything on our account page?



Just want to say that that's not a MAX-8, so there's no reason (to my knowledge) why that flight would have to be changed.


----------



## Fangorn

katallo said:


> I have a flight booked for late January on a 737–800 ( which I don't think is the max 8).   Should I know by now if that flight has to be changed. I did not receive an email and I haven't seen anything on our account page?



As already mentioned, the 737-800 is NOT the same aircraft as a MAX8.  If SW was going to change your flight due to the MAX8 issue, they would have already done so for January flights. The flight that shows on your account at this point won't change - baring some other bizarre circumstance. 

FYI, it's not just the MAX8 flights that are impacted. Other flights may also be involved as SW needs to re-adjust schedules across the system. It's not as simple as just cancelling a flight because the planned aircraft was a MAX8. 

Steve


----------



## MinnieMSue

I forget how to see what plane you are going to have. Can someone please refresh my memory? Thanks so much


----------



## katallo

Just look online at your flight info and you will see the flight number.  Click and it will give you the info.


----------



## marymaya

I don't fly often, but I'm planning to use points to fly to Orlando in the first weekend in March. My dates are not flexible unfortunately as I'm travelling for a specific event and I can't miss an extra day of work to leave a day early. Flights seem crazy expensive that weekend compared to the weekend surrounding it. Would anyone know if Southwest typically drops prices a little getting closer to the date? Should I book now and check each week?  (I did that last time, and ended up scoring super cheap flights) I'm paying with points, but I still want the cheapest price possible. Leaving from any of the 3 DC/Baltimore airports Thursday-Sunday. Is there anyway to get a promo code? I considered not flying SW but going for one of the other discount airlines and paying with money but the price nearly doubles with bags....I guess I am just looking for the most affordable way to do this. Thanks for your insight.


----------



## ultimatefans

marymaya said:


> I don't fly often, but I'm planning to use points to fly to Orlando in the first weekend in March. My dates are not flexible unfortunately as I'm travelling for a specific event and I can't miss an extra day of work to leave a day early. Flights seem crazy expensive that weekend compared to the weekend surrounding it. Would anyone know if Southwest typically drops prices a little getting closer to the date? Should I book now and check each week?  (I did that last time, and ended up scoring super cheap flights) I'm paying with points, but I still want the cheapest price possible. Leaving from any of the 3 DC/Baltimore airports Thursday-Sunday. Is there anyway to get a promo code? I considered not flying SW but going for one of the other discount airlines and paying with money but the price nearly doubles with bags....I guess I am just looking for the most affordable way to do this. Thanks for your insight.


If you're booking with Southwest Rapid Rewards points there is absolutely no risk to book now.  If prices decrease you can modify your flight and get the point difference refunded.


----------



## Leigh L

marymaya said:


> I don't fly often, but I'm planning to use points to fly to Orlando in the first weekend in March. My dates are not flexible unfortunately as I'm travelling for a specific event and I can't miss an extra day of work to leave a day early. Flights seem crazy expensive that weekend compared to the weekend surrounding it. Would anyone know if Southwest typically drops prices a little getting closer to the date? Should I book now and check each week?  (I did that last time, and ended up scoring super cheap flights) I'm paying with points, but I still want the cheapest price possible. Leaving from any of the 3 DC/Baltimore airports Thursday-Sunday. Is there anyway to get a promo code? I considered not flying SW but going for one of the other discount airlines and paying with money but the price nearly doubles with bags....I guess I am just looking for the most affordable way to do this. Thanks for your insight.


I use these airports too and for two years have been routinely following the DC to MCO routes. Often SW drops, sometimes they don't once it gets too close or it jumps up. Since you've got nothing to lose by using points, I'd book now.

For DC, I find the best prices for Southwest are from Reagan (DCA), but BWI is a little harder for me to get to so I tend to not check those as much.  Dulles (IAD) rarely has good prices and most of them have a stop-over in Atlanta or some out of the way city. 

(I don't have the points but what I do is book if I see an acceptable price and then check daily (sometimes more, lol) to see if it drops. If it does, I rebook. I was able to knock about $100 off our December flight between myself and DD's credits  ).


----------



## shoreward

marymaya said:


> I don't fly often, but I'm planning to use points to fly to Orlando in the first weekend in March. My dates are not flexible unfortunately as I'm travelling for a specific event and I can't miss an extra day of work to leave a day early. Flights seem crazy expensive that weekend compared to the weekend surrounding it. Would anyone know if Southwest typically drops prices a little getting closer to the date? Should I book now and check each week?  (I did that last time, and ended up scoring super cheap flights) I'm paying with points, but I still want the cheapest price possible. Leaving from any of the 3 DC/Baltimore airports Thursday-Sunday. Is there anyway to get a promo code? I considered not flying SW but going for one of the other discount airlines and paying with money but the price nearly doubles with bags....I guess I am just looking for the most affordable way to do this. Thanks for your insight.


Southwest does not have promo codes for leisure customers on WGA fares.  At about three weeks prior to departure date, Southwest fares trend higher.  At two weeks, they move higher, again, and with less than one week, WGA fares (the lowest fare class on Southwest) may not even be available for booking.

If you have enough points to book now, I suggest doing so, as you have nothing to lose.  If you can, monitor your flights every day for a reduction in cost.  If the fare goes down, Southwest will refund the extra points to your account.

You may want to look at the Low Fare Calendar to see what the lowest fares are, around your travel dates, to get a general idea.  Southwest usually releases sale fares on Tuesdays.

By waiting, you may lose out on a fare that may not be there later.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

First time traveling with a child on Southwest and have a question. He will be 9 months old at that time and we are planning on holding him on our lap. When I go to book our fares during the next fare release, do I need to put anything down for him or just go to the counter on the day we fly out to obtain a boarding pass for him?


----------



## scrappinginontario

CookieandOatmeal said:


> First time traveling with a child on Southwest and have a question. He will be 9 months old at that time and we are planning on holding him on our lap. When I go to book our fares during the next fare release, do I need to put anything down for him or just go to the counter on the day we fly out to obtain a boarding pass for him?


I haven't read all the details but am pretty confident your answer will be here:  https://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/family/baby-on-board-pol.html?clk=SITESEARCH


----------



## jenmsmith

CookieandOatmeal said:


> First time traveling with a child on Southwest and have a question. He will be 9 months old at that time and we are planning on holding him on our lap. When I go to book our fares during the next fare release, do I need to put anything down for him or just go to the counter on the day we fly out to obtain a boarding pass for him?


At the check in counter (where you check bags and get boarding passes) is where you will register him. Be sure to bring his birth certificate.


----------



## la79al

Husband and I have separate reservations so we could each use our points.  Can I now combine them so that I can get our boarding passes together? Or, option b, we will be traveling with a 4 year old so we can board between group a and b. I will assume that the other 2 kids will be able to board with us at that time as well. Assuming this is the case, should I even bother with checking in at the 24 hour mark to try for a low number? We dont have to sit together but a group of 2 and a group of 3 will be necessary.


----------



## scrappinginontario

la79al said:


> Husband and I have separate reservations so we could each use our points.  Can I now combine them so that I can get our boarding passes together? Or, option b, we will be traveling with a 4 year old so we can board between group a and b. I will assume that the other 2 kids will be able to board with us at that time as well. Assuming this is the case, should I even bother with checking in at the 24 hour mark to try for a low number? We dont have to sit together but a group of 2 and a group of 3 will be necessary.


If your 2 other children are above the 'family boarding' age, they are supposed to board with their boarding group with the second adult.  You will all want to check in at the 24 hour mark and secure boarding passes regardless of using family boarding.

There was 1 time I forgot to check-in at the 24 hour mark so checked in as soon as I remembered, about 10 hours before our flight.  I figured we would be fine as it was myself, my 4 yo daughter and my mom so we would be using the family boarding regardless of our boarding pass numbers.  The challenge was they had oversold the flight so when I checked in it said there were no boarding passes available!!  NOT what I wanted to hear!  Thankfully in the morning we were able to secure boarding passes when we checked in but I learned from that experience to always check in because if the flight is oversold, the last people to check in might not be able to board and be bumped to another flight!


----------



## la79al

scrappinginontario said:


> If your 2 other children are above the 'family boarding' age, they are supposed to board with their boarding group with the second adult.  You will all want to check in at the 24 hour mark and secure boarding passes regardless of using family boarding.


Crud. I wonder if there's any chance my 11 year old can board with me and the 4 year old during family boarding and then let the 9 year old board with my husband. The 4 year old is the adventurous one and will probably be fine but the 9 year old will need an adult to herself.


----------



## scrappinginontario

la79al said:


> Crud. I wonder if there's any chance my 11 year old can board with me and the 4 year old during family boarding and then let the 9 year old board with my husband. The 4 year old is the adventurous one and will probably be fine but the 9 year old will need an adult to herself.


Updated:

Yes, the 11yo can board with your husband and the 4yo during family boarding and then the 9yo may board with you during regular boarding.


----------



## jenmsmith

In my many SW flights, even to a big family hub like MCO, I have seen them limit family boarding to the child/children and two adults. But I’ve never seen them ask older children to board with a second adult instead of in family boarding.


----------



## jenmsmith

FYI: this is the family boarding policy from SW’s website:

“Two adults traveling with a child six years old or younger may board during Family Boarding, which occurs after the “A” group has boarded and before the “B” group begins boarding. If the child and the adult are both holding an “A” boarding pass, they should board in their assigned boarding position.“

It does not specifically mention older children being prohibited from family boarding if there’s more than one adult. It only mentions the limit of two adults.


----------



## la79al

Thanks guys. I'm going to call SW when these kids go back to school (surprise trip). I don't mind just checking in and getting what we get. My concern is that DH is on a separate reservation so I see the kids and I getting in one group and then til I log out and back in, DH will be way behind us.


----------



## scrappinginontario

la79al said:


> Thanks guys. I'm going to call SW when these kids go back to school (surprise trip). I don't mind just checking in and getting what we get. My concern is that DH is on a separate reservation so I see the kids and I getting in one group and then til I log out and back in, DH will be way behind us.


Can you get more than 1 device logged in at the same time?  Your phone plus hubby's?  iPad, laptop, desktop, etc.?


----------



## jenmsmith

scrappinginontario said:


> Can you get more than 1 device logged in at the same time?  Your phone plus hubby's?  iPad, laptop, desktop, etc.?


This is what I do, as I am DH‘s companion and always have a separate confirmation number. I just pull up the website or app on two different devices and check in as simultaneously as possible. We’ve always been within a few boarding positions of each other this way.


----------



## shoreward

*Southwest Weather Advisory for Winter Storm Isaiah*, allowing OKC*, TUL*, MDW**, MKE**, GRR**, MCI**,  &  ICT** customers departing or arriving 01/10/2020* and 01/11/2020** to change travel dates, up to 14 days later, with no additional cost, subject to availability.

If your flights are eligible, there will be a message when you try to change your flight, advising of this option.



> *You may change your trip date/time at no additional cost if you stay inside the restrictions below.*
> *DEPART FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS*
> 
> Departure airport must be: XXXXX, XX - XXX
> Arrival airport must be: XXXXX, XX - XXX
> Travel dates are between: 1/9/2020 to 1/25/2020
> Note: Changes made outside the conditions listed above will not be protected under our established reaccommodation practices and may result in a higher fare.


----------



## Pooh2

Just logged into my Southwest account and saw "Alist" next to my name. 
What is this about?
We did 7 rountrips last year on points (transferred from chase sapphire) so know we did not earn any "paid" or "qualifying" flights.
What does Alist get you?
We actually just booked our disney flights on delta because our usual southwest flight was 5 times more during spring break week.


----------



## shoreward

Pooh2 said:


> Just logged into my Southwest account and saw "Alist" next to my name.
> What is this about?
> We did 7 rountrips last year on points (transferred from chase sapphire) so know we did not earn any "paid" or "qualifying" flights.
> What does Alist get you?
> We actually just booked our disney flights on delta because our usual southwest flight was 5 times more during spring break week.


I don’t know why, but you now have elite status on Southwest.  Among other benefits, you will automatically be checked in for your flights, before others, starting with boarding position A16, be able to do standby changes,  use priority check-in security lane, and call in on a dedicated phone line.  When buying paid tickets, not with points, you get 25%  bonus RR points.  Congrats on your surprise perk!

https://www.southwest.com/rapidrewards/tiers-more-alist?clk=GSUBNAV-RR-TIER


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Pooh2 said:


> Just logged into my Southwest account and saw "Alist" next to my name.
> What is this about?
> We did 7 rountrips last year on points (transferred from chase sapphire) so know we did not earn any "paid" or "qualifying" flights.
> What does Alist get you?
> We actually just booked our disney flights on delta because our usual southwest flight was 5 times more during spring break week.


Last week or was it this week I believe I was reading an article from The Points Guy (maybe it was someone else can't remember lol) but anyways people were randomly selected to get A-list and they didn't have to do anything to get it. Sounds like you were one of the lucky ones!


----------



## BelleOftheBall16

Pooh2 said:


> Just logged into my Southwest account and saw "Alist" next to my name.
> What is this about?
> We did 7 rountrips last year on points (transferred from chase sapphire) so know we did not earn any "paid" or "qualifying" flights.
> What does Alist get you?
> We actually just booked our disney flights on delta because our usual southwest flight was 5 times more during spring break week.



This is a promotion being offered to select SW CC holders, it is only good until 6/30/20. If you don’t qualify for A-list during this time you will revert back to normal after 6/30.


----------



## Lvsdisney

la79al said:


> Thanks guys. I'm going to call SW when these kids go back to school (surprise trip). I don't mind just checking in and getting what we get. My concern is that DH is on a separate reservation so I see the kids and I getting in one group and then til I log out and back in, DH will be way behind us.


Our last flight DH was on his own reservation so I sucked it up and bought him EBCI. He ended up with an A position and the kids and I were in the high Bs.


----------



## BillFromCT

I see they bumped out the next set of flight bookings from February to March:

*We are currently accepting air reservations through August 10, 2020. On March 12, 2020 we will open our schedule for sale through October 31, 2020. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently. *


----------



## shoreward

BillFromCT said:


> I see they bumped out the next set of flight bookings from February to March:
> 
> *We are currently accepting air reservations through August 10, 2020. On March 12, 2020 we will open our schedule for sale through October 31, 2020. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently. *


This has to be at least partially related to the MAX8 scenario.


----------



## scrappinginontario

BillFromCT said:


> I see they bumped out the next set of flight bookings from February to March:
> 
> *We are currently accepting air reservations through August 10, 2020. On March 12, 2020 we will open our schedule for sale through October 31, 2020. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently. *


 Thanks for the update.  This information is helpful for our family as we haven’t been able to determine the actual dates of our trip yet as the school system isn’t sure what date the kids will return after summer break.  They normally go back the Monday after Labour Day but doing so this year will give them a 10 week summer rather than the normal 9 weeks.

  I currently have 2 different trips booked because of this.  Bumping back the date we can purchase flights works in our favour.


----------



## focusondisney

BillFromCT said:


> I see they bumped out the next set of flight bookings from February to March:
> 
> *We are currently accepting air reservations through August 10, 2020. On March 12, 2020 we will open our schedule for sale through October 31, 2020. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently. *



This change had to just happen yesterday afternoon.  I checked the SW website earlier in the day & it still said Feb 13.  I work part time & like to arrange my schedule so I’ll be off on the day I can book our flights. Thanks for posting, now I have to make sure I’m off that day.


----------



## shoreward

American Airlines just pulled the MAX aircraft from their schedules, through 06.03.2020.  United previously removed the MAX from their schedules, through 06.04.2020.

Southwest won't be far behind in doing the same, IMO.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Can someone remind me what has happened in the past when SW has removed the Max 8 from their flight schedule? I was thinking some people were allowed to modify existing flights even if they weren't directly affected by the Max 8. Is that right or am I dreaming?


----------



## scrappinginontario

Iowamomof4 said:


> Can someone remind me what has happened in the past when SW has removed the Max 8 from their flight schedule? I was thinking some people were allowed to modify existing flights even if they weren't directly affected by the Max 8. Is that right or am I dreaming?


That is correct.  Just keep checking your reservation.  There should be a red banner displayed if you are being offered the option to change your flight.


----------



## indyannamom

I have a question about the SW credit cards...if this should be in another forum, just let me know!
I've had the SW Visas in the past, and was able to have 2 different account types at the same time (like Plus and Premier) and earn the sign-up bonus for both.   It's been a couple of years and I wanted to do that again.
I applied for the Plus and was approved, received card, all good to go.
I applied for a second card type a month-6weeks later and was declined and the letter said it was because I already had a SW card and referenced the last 4 numbers on my recently received Plus card.

Did something change with their policies?  Does anyone know what the new ones are?
Thanks in advance for the help!


----------



## ultimatefans

indyannamom said:


> I have a question about the SW credit cards...if this should be in another forum, just let me know!
> I've had the SW Visas in the past, and was able to have 2 different account types at the same time (like Plus and Premier) and earn the sign-up bonus for both.   It's been a couple of years and I wanted to do that again.
> I applied for the Plus and was approved, received card, all good to go.
> I applied for a second card type a month-6weeks later and was declined and the letter said it was because I already had a SW card and referenced the last 4 numbers on my recently received Plus card.
> 
> Did something change with their policies?  Does anyone know what the new ones are?
> Thanks in advance for the help!


Yes, this did change.  The only exception is that you can have a SW Business Visa along with another SW Visa.


----------



## DisneyandBeerLover

First time SW flyer here (well first time in 15 years and I don't remember it then) with a few questions:
1. My mom needs assistance getting onto the plane, so we plan on letting them know at the gate. We're led to believe this means we'll be able to board between groups A and B. What is very important for us (for medical reasons) is that two of us need to sit together, should we able to get two seats together? We don't mind paying more if we need to make sure of this, but we also don't want to pay if we don't need to. Should we pay to check in early or should we be okay?
2. Someone in our party will need a seat extender to make it a more comfortable journey. Does Southwest provide these, or is it something we should invest in ahead of time?



Thank you!!


----------



## scrappinginontario

DisneyandBeerLover said:


> First time SW flyer here (well first time in 15 years and I don't remember it then) with a few questions:
> 1. My mom needs assistance getting onto the plane, so we plan on letting them know at the gate. We're led to believe this means we'll be able to board between groups A and B. What is very important for us (for medical reasons) is that two of us need to sit together, should we able to get two seats together? We don't mind paying more if we need to make sure of this, but we also don't want to pay if we don't need to. Should we pay to check in early or should we be okay?
> 2. Someone in our party will need a seat extender to make it a more comfortable journey. Does Southwest provide these, or is it something we should invest in ahead of time?
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you!!



Assistance Boarding: https://www.southwest.com/html/cust...el-needs/customers-with-disabilities-pol.html

Customers of size:
https://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/extra-seat/index-pol.html


----------



## FCDub

DisneyandBeerLover said:


> First time SW flyer here (well first time in 15 years and I don't remember it then) with a few questions:
> 1. My mom needs assistance getting onto the plane, so we plan on letting them know at the gate. We're led to believe this means we'll be able to board between groups A and B. What is very important for us (for medical reasons) is that two of us need to sit together, should we able to get two seats together? We don't mind paying more if we need to make sure of this, but we also don't want to pay if we don't need to. Should we pay to check in early or should we be okay?
> 2. Someone in our party will need a seat extender to make it a more comfortable journey. Does Southwest provide these, or is it something we should invest in ahead of time?
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you!!



Your mother will likely qualify for pre-boarding, which takes place before the A group.


----------



## indyannamom

DisneyandBeerLover said:


> 2. Someone in our party will need a seat extender to make it a more comfortable journey. Does Southwest provide these, or is it something we should invest in ahead of time?
> 
> Thank you!!


I can help with this one... a seatbelt extender and an extra seat are 2 different things.  
If you just need an extender, you can ask the flight attendant when you board and they can bring you one. DH used one for several years without needing an extra seat.  (when we traveled when the kids were little, he was over their seat just a tad, but they didn't care).

An extra seat is something else entirely.  I just recently started arranging for one for DH.  You can ask at the gate...but DH finds that to be embarrassing...especially since not all the counter and gate agents know what to do.  It can also get complicated if your flight is sold out.   The link that* scrappinginontario* provided will give you all of the options.  
We prefer to book the extra seat in advance over the phone, which does require paying upfront for the seat, but once the travel is completed, you can call customer service and they will refund the cost back to the card on which you paid for it** (this is only done when the funds are used for a designated extra seat, unlike their normal travel funds policy)*.  *
This also helps Southwest because when they know in advance, it helps them plan for how many passengers they can actually accommodate.
If you do the pre-purchase option, when you check in at the counter (or gate if you aren't checking luggage) they will give you pre-board credentials, which have you board before the A group*.  ****note that when you pre-board, there are restrictions on where you can sit (no emergency exit rows, and a few other things)

_Hope that helps some!_


----------



## piglet1979

We are looking at buying some points so that all of our tickets will be bought with points.  We see that there is a 30% discount right now on buying points.  Is this a deal that they do often?


----------



## scrappinginontario

piglet1979 said:


> We are looking at buying some points so that all of our tickets will be bought with points.  We see that there is a 30% discount right now on buying points.  Is this a deal that they do often?


Be sure to do the calculations carefully.  I have priced out buying points with various sales and incentives and normally it’s not worth the cost.


----------



## Gary2T

Free flight changes due to the Max 8 situation are live again. Dates covered seem to be at least April 14 through end of May or early June. The actual advisory isn’t posted yet, but the notice comes up when you go to change a flight. Still plus or minus 14 days from original dates, and must be original cities (or co-terminals like BWI/DCA/IAD).

I just changed some cheap flights the week after Easter to arriving the Thursday before Easter and departing the Monday after.  So I guess the bunny will be visiting the kids at Disney this year.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Does anyone know how long they allow the free changes?


----------



## shoreward

Iowamomof4 said:


> Does anyone know how long they allow the free changes?


It's usually available for a few days after they post the announcement on the website about the MAX8 aircraft being removed for a new time frame.  As of this time, that notice has not yet been posted.  However, the site is down overnight for "scheduled maintenance," and that may be part of it.


Gary2T said:


> Free flight changes due to the Max 8 situation are live again. Dates covered seem to be at least April 14 through end of May or early June. The actual advisory isn’t posted yet, but the notice comes up when you go to change a flight. Still plus or minus 14 days from original dates, and must be original cities (or co-terminals like BWI/DCA/IAD).


Thanks for the heads-up.  It's funny, as I just checked my reservations a couple of hours before you posted, and the change offer was not there.


----------



## shoreward

Voluntary changes to date/flight are now being allowed for flights occurring 04.14.2020 through 06.06.2020, at no additional cost, per guidelines.

https://www.southwest.com/html/air/737-MAX-8.html?clk=737MAX8_190408


----------



## TNKim

I received the notice that I can change our flights, but when looking at the schedule, our flight times are still listed and our flights are still the same as what we booked.  So does this mean our flights won't be changed by Southwest in the future?  Would the only reason to change flights would be if we aren't happy with the times we've already booked, not because Southwest might cancel our flights?  One flight I might possibly want to change to says only 3 available at the Wanna Get Away fare.  We would need 4 tickets, so could I still change to this flight?  Or what if the Wanna Get Away fare is sold out, can you still change to that flight without paying more for it?


----------



## elle101me

TNKim said:


> I received the notice that I can change our flights, but when looking at the schedule, our flight times are still listed and our flights are still the same as what we booked.  So does this mean our flights won't be changed by Southwest in the future?  Would the only reason to change flights would be if we aren't happy with the times we've already booked, not because Southwest might cancel our flights?  One flight I might possibly want to change to says only 3 available at the Wanna Get Away fare.  We would need 4 tickets, so could I still change to this flight?  Or what if the Wanna Get Away fare is sold out,


I just changed my flight and the wanna get away fare had been sold out for weeks. You can try and see what’s available and just back out without changing anything.


----------



## TNKim

The notice that I can change flights is showing on the Southwest app, but not when I pull up my account and flights on the desktop Southwest site.  Has anyone had this happen?  If you change flights, does this change your early bird boarding status, which we purchased the day flights were available for our dates?


----------



## Iowamomof4

TNKim said:


> The notice that I can change flights is showing on the Southwest app, but not when I pull up my account and flights on the desktop Southwest site.  Has anyone had this happen?  If you change flights, does this change your early bird boarding status, which we purchased the day flights were available for our dates?



Any time you change your flight, you go to the back of the line among the people who purchased EBCI. Can't answer your other question.


----------



## shoreward

TNKim said:


> The notice that I can change flights is showing on the Southwest app, but not when I pull up my account and flights on the desktop Southwest site.  Has anyone had this happen?


I can see the offer to change flights on the website, after logging in to my account and clicking  the "change" option for a flight  from 04.14.2020 - 06.06.2020.  The banner appears at the top of the page, and  notes the earliest and latest dates that can be booked for the changed flight.


----------



## G719

I got an email that southwest changed my June 2 flight for our beach trip.  They changed it to the worst choice available that had 2 stops on the way.  I went changed it to a better alternative that isnt great since it leaves at 615 am. I ended up getting $50 credit. The original flight is gone.  It was connecting through BWI.


----------



## Nohal

SW changed my return flight on 6/2.   My original flight was to depart 9:40am and they changed it to 5:35pm.  I'm not happy but at least its still a direct flight.  I paid for Early Bird on the return flight.  Since I didn't make the change I am hoping that my EBCI wasn't cancelled and I didn't lose my place in line.  Anyone know how this works?


----------



## Mome Rath

Nohal said:


> SW changed my return flight on 6/2.   My original flight was to depart 9:40am and they changed it to 5:35pm.  I'm not happy but at least its still a direct flight.  I paid for Early Bird on the return flight.  Since I didn't make the change I am hoping that my EBCI wasn't cancelled and I didn't lose my place in line.  Anyone know how this works?


Early Bird should still be there; you can go to the website and put in your confirmation number and name and it should show if Early Bird is there in your itinerary; it will be under "extras."  The symbol is a rising sun, and if Early bird isn't registered it will just be straight line.  Or, you can also call them to double check.


----------



## serenitynow

Nohal said:


> SW changed my return flight on 6/2.   My original flight was to depart 9:40am and they changed it to 5:35pm.  I'm not happy but at least its still a direct flight.  I paid for Early Bird on the return flight.  Since I didn't make the change I am hoping that my EBCI wasn't cancelled and I didn't lose my place in line.  Anyone know how this works?


The Early Bird isn’t cancelled.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Nohal said:


> SW changed my return flight on 6/2.   My original flight was to depart 9:40am and they changed it to 5:35pm.  I'm not happy but at least its still a direct flight.  I paid for Early Bird on the return flight.  Since I didn't make the change I am hoping that my EBCI wasn't cancelled and I didn't lose my place in line.  Anyone know how this works?


The EBCI won't be cancelled but I'm sorry to say you will be moved behind all of the EBCI that were already on the new flight.

If you're not happy with the new flight, is it possible to move your flight since you're flying within the window of people who are being offered free changes?  Is there another flight earlier in the day you'd be happier with?  Since your EBCI is already moved you wouldn't really be losing anything.


----------



## Nohal

scrappinginontario said:


> The EBCI won't be cancelled but I'm sorry to say you will be moved behind all of the EBCI that were already on the new flight.
> 
> If you're not happy with the new flight, is it possible to move your flight since you're flying within the window of people who are being offered free changes?  Is there another flight earlier in the day you'd be happier with?  Since your EBCI is already moved you wouldn't really be losing anything.



There are no earlier direct flights, I wish there were.  I'm not even sure if this flight was there before as I wanted the early flight.  

The whole reason I book EBCI on the return flight is so I don't have to keep looking at the clock to check in at 24hrs.  Since its just the 2 of us we don't really need to sit together.

Now to figure out if it's worth the extra days tickets to go to the park for a few hours.


----------



## CarlyMur09

SW changed my sister's return flight the day after memorial day from MCO to PIT with a stop in ATL 7:20PM-11:25PM to a MCO-BWI-ATL(!)-PIT that would leave at 3:25 PM, and arrive at PIT at 11:25... needless to say, we're changing that since that's our DHS day, and my sister is a uber SW fan. Changed her flight to the last non-stop of the night, so she'll get almost a full day to do DHS, especially if they're still doing BG's for RotR then (assuming she'll leave around 7:30 on DME..)


----------



## SinCityMMAFan

SW canceled my non-stop flight from LAS to MCO and tried putting us on a flight from LAS that went to BWI, then from BWI to ATL, and ATL to MCO lol.  Luckily I was able to change it to from LAS to MCO with just 1 layover in Austin, TX.  No way was I going to take that route that had 2 stops.  It had the total travel time of 9 hours and 25 minutes...YIKES!


----------



## BamaBornNemoNut

My original flight is no longer offered.  Just by frequently checking to see if prices dropped, I discovered this today.  Southwest moved our reservations to the only other non-stop flight that would arrive the original date but in the wee hours of the original date.  I am not able to make any changes online.  It says I have to call.  The wait time when I just attempted to call was close to 1.5 hours.  Just wondering what I will be 'allowed' to do with this reservation.  It was paid for with gift cards which I'm checking to make sure I know where I put those after I booked.  Here's hoping for the best.


----------



## TNKim

I just changed one of my flights and noticed that the confirmation number stays the same on the new flight as the old confirmation number.  Is this normal?  The new flight times are showing on my account.


----------



## scrappinginontario

TNKim said:


> I just changed one of my flights and noticed that the confirmation number stays the same on the new flight as the old confirmation number.  Is this normal?  The new flight times are showing on my account.


As long as you 'change' the original flight and don't 'cancel', yes, your confirmation number will stay the same.  You will also keep your EBCI if you purchased it.  If you cancel a flight that you've purchased EBCI for you will lose the EBCI money.


----------



## la79al

So this is more of a general flying question probably, rather than specifically a SW question.  We will need our stroller and her backless carseat when we get to FL but not in the airport.  How do we go about getting them onto the plane?


----------



## scrappinginontario

You will check them when you check your luggage.  They will need to be tagged at the airport.  There is a good chance you will pick them up in a different location close to the luggage pickup as they will be specialty items.  I don’t believe there is an extra charge but best to check the SW website.


----------



## Fangorn

Airlines do not charge baggage fees for checking strollers, carseats, wheelchairs, ECVs or any other medical transport devices. With SW. Those items can be checked in addition to your normal 2 bags. 

Steve


----------



## disny_luvr

How do you know the type of plane you are flying on? I’m only flying in August, and I actually didn’t book yet, but I have my eye on a particular flight. I can’t find any information on the plane type though.

Also, is early bird now $25/person?


----------



## Memorymakerfor4

I have a question about travel funds. A flight of ours has dropped in price the last few weeks, and since they were WGA fares, I got credit for the difference when I called. If I were to book another flight within the year window using this credit, but later had to cancel for another flight that falls outside of the year window, would I lose the travel funds or would my year window start all over? We haven't nailed down our travel just yet for the next year so things may change.


----------



## BelleOftheBall16

Memorymakerfor4 said:


> I have a question about travel funds. A flight of ours has dropped in price the last few weeks, and since they were WGA fares, I got credit for the difference when I called. If I were to book another flight within the year window using this credit, but later had to cancel for another flight that falls outside of the year window, would I lose the travel funds or would my year window start all over? We haven't nailed down our travel just yet for the next year so things may change.


You have one year from the original ticketing date to use the funds and travel has to be completed by that date...the expiration date does not reset by making a new booking. Also if you mix funds the expiration date will still be that one year date.


----------



## Memorymakerfor4

BelleOftheBall16 said:


> You have one year from the original ticketing date to use the funds and travel has to be completed by that date...the expiration date does not reset by making a new booking. Also if you mix funds the expiration date will still be that one year date.



I was 90% sure of that too, just wanted to make sure. Thanks


----------



## Fangorn

BelleOftheBall16 said:


> ...Also if you mix funds the expiration date will still be that one year date.



This is not entirely correct.  If you use credits from two or more flights and later cancel or change that new flight, the expiration date(s) of all the credits used will be changed to the expiration date of the credit that expires the soonest. 

Steve


----------



## BelleOftheBall16

Fangorn said:


> This is not entirely correct.  If you use credits from two or more flights and later cancel or change that new flight, the expiration date(s) of all the credits used will be changed to the expiration date of the credit that expires the soonest.
> 
> Steve


You are correct, I was referring to mixing funds ie travel funds & cash. If you use $50 in travel funds & $200 in new money-the entire $250 now takes on that 1 year expiration date of the travel fund. Many people do not realize this and get burned.


----------



## Memorymakerfor4

BelleOftheBall16 said:


> You are correct, I was referring to mixing funds ie travel funds & cash. If you use $50 in travel funds & $200 in new money-the entire $250 now takes on that 1 year expiration date of the travel fund. Many people do not realize this and get burned.



I have to admit I didn't know this little bit myself. We are considering a trip that rides the line right at that year mark and this makes me want to be a little more sure of our dates before I book.


----------



## focusondisney

Memorymakerfor4 said:


> I have to admit I didn't know this little bit myself. We are considering a trip that rides the line right at that year mark and this makes me want to be a little more sure of our dates before I book.



You might want to book one way tickets when using your travel funds.  Use all your funds on your one ticket  if you can.   Then when you book the second  ticket, that money won‘t be affected by the early expiration date if your credits.  Any funds you get from that ticket will have a different expiration date. I like to use the credit on the less expensive leg.  Then if the price goes down on the more expensive leg, I can get a new credit with a new expiration date.


----------



## Fangorn

BelleOftheBall16 said:


> You are correct, I was referring to mixing funds ie travel funds & cash. If you use $50 in travel funds & $200 in new money-the entire $250 now takes on that 1 year expiration date of the travel fund. Many people do not realize this and get burned.



Ah! I misunderstood what you were saying. And you are correct. Using a small credit left over from a trip 6 months ago may not be the wisest move. 

Steve


----------



## MulanMom

UPDATED:  Moved this to its own thread.

Not sure if I should post within this thread or on its own in the forum.  I think it should be here since it's about SW.

It's been about a decade since we last traveled to WDW via air as a family.  DH uses an ECV and we've been driving.  I'm a bit stale with my knowledge with regard to air travel. So, here goes:

1)  Travel will be in Dec 2020 just prior to Christmas.  Should I wait for SW fares for that time period or book on other airlines if the flights are non stop and reasonable with fares and luggage fees?

2)  Assuming I wait until SW releases their fares for Dec, I'm not sure what's the best approach for our situation.  DH needs to use his ECV in the airport to get to the gate.  He cannot stand or walk for long or much of a distance.  With his mobility issues and needing to check the ECV at the gate, where does that put him in boarding groups?

3)  We are a group of 4, DH and myself, DS and his GF.  Will I be able to board with my husband?  How do I best handle DS and his GF?  Do I pay for EBCI for all of us? 

4)  DH is a big man, not due to weight, but 6'4" with broad shoulders.  Should I be proactive and purchase additional seat for him?  I saw where I can then ask SW to credit the cost of that afterwards?

5)  DD and her BF will travel SW from a different airport.  Am I correct in thinking anything that's recommended for DS and GF to do on our flight should be done for them on theirs?

Any information you can provide would be much appreciated.  If this is better in it's own thread, let me know.

Thanks in advance for your help!


----------



## shoreward

Does anyone know if a points booking with EBCI added will have the EBCI cost refunded, if the reservation is cancelled?


----------



## BelleOftheBall16

shoreward said:


> Does anyone know if a points booking with EBCI added will have the EBCI cost refunded, if the reservation is cancelled?


EBCI is non-refundable regardless of if it was a points or cash booking.


----------



## shoreward

BelleOftheBall16 said:


> EBCI is non-refundable regardless of if it was a points or cash booking.


Thanks for the response.


----------



## poohj80

Subscribing...interested in when the rest of SW's 2020 schedule will be released.


----------



## scrappinginontario

poohj80 said:


> Subscribing...interested in when the rest of SW's 2020 schedule will be released.


The remainder of 2020 flights will be released over a couple of releases.  The next release is currently scheduled for March 12, 2020 and those flights should take us though October 31, 2020.

Based on the great information gathered by @SouthFayetteFan, I would anticipate the remainder of 2020 flights to be released in May or June of this year.



SouthFayetteFan said:


> *FYI - Southwest extended their schedule this morning for flights through August 10h, 2020.*
> 
> Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment:
> 
> *NEXT RELEASE: 3/12/20 - travel through October 7th, 2020*
> 12/11/19 - travel through August 10th, 2020
> 10/30/19 - travel through June 6th, 2020
> 9/26/19 - travel through April 13th, 2020
> 8/15/19 - travel through March 6th, 2020
> 5/30/19 - travel through January 5th, 2020
> 3/15/19 - travel through November 2nd, 2019
> 1/31/19 - travel through October 1st, 2019
> 11/15/18 - travel through August 5th, 2019
> 9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019
> 8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
> 6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
> 5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
> 3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
> 2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
> 11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
> 8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
> 7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
> 6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
> 5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
> _This chart could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above) They appear to be tightening the inventory a bit this year vs. prior year's releases._
> 
> *RELEASE TIMES:*
> 
> The release on 12/11/19 went live at 9:10am.
> The release on 10/30/19 went live at 7:15am.
> The release on 9/26/19 went live at 7:30am.
> The release on 8/15/19 went live at 10:41am.
> The release on 5/30/19 went live at 9:20am.
> If you want to search back for this post in the future - just search my name and "release".


----------



## poohj80

scrappinginontario said:


> The remainder of 2020 flights will be released over a couple of releases.  The next release is currently scheduled for March 12, 2020 and those flights should take us though October 31, 2020.
> 
> Based on the great information gathered by @SouthFayetteFan, I would anticipate the remainder of 2020 flights to be released in May or June of this year.


Thanks so much!  Looking for Fall Break in October so the Feb 13th date would get us there and then wait for March to get us home.


----------



## Iowamomof4

poohj80 said:


> Thanks so much!  Looking for Fall Break in October so the Feb 13th date would get us there and then wait for March to get us home.



Except they won't be releasing their next set of dates until MARCH 12. The chart of data posted has the wrong date because SW recently changed it to MARCH 12. 
Edited to add: You can keep track of the upcoming release date on this page: https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/index.html?clk=GFOOTER-FLY-FLTSCHEDULES


----------



## scrappinginontario

Iowamomof4 said:


> Except they won't be releasing their next set of dates until MARCH 12. The chart of data posted has the wrong date because SW recently changed it to MARCH 12.
> Edited to add: You can keep track of the upcoming release date on this page: https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/index.html?clk=GFOOTER-FLY-FLTSCHEDULES


Thanks!  I forgot to check and see if the Feb release date had been updated to March.  I'll go change my post now.

Updated


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Iowamomof4 said:


> Except they won't be releasing their next set of dates until MARCH 12. The chart of data posted has the wrong date because SW recently changed it to MARCH 12.
> Edited to add: You can keep track of the upcoming release date on this page: https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/index.html?clk=GFOOTER-FLY-FLTSCHEDULES


Yeah - I don’t go to all the effort to re-post that each time the schedule changes.  As long as somebody has reported it here.  Which I believe it was reported a week or two ago.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

BillFromCT said:


> I see they bumped out the next set of flight bookings from February to March:
> 
> *We are currently accepting air reservations through August 10, 2020. On March 12, 2020 we will open our schedule for sale through October 31, 2020. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently. *


FYI @BillFromCT shared this on Jan 13th.   

For those that truly care about next release I’d be reading all comments on this thread or checking yourself on the southwest webpage.


----------



## Iowamomof4

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Yeah - I don’t go to all the effort to re-post that each time the schedule changes.  As long as somebody has reported it here.  Which I believe it was reported a week or two ago.


No problem at all. They change the date frequently and you have WAY more important things to keep track of (the chart! I'm suddenly picturing the aliens from Toy Story, btw).


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Iowamomof4 said:


> No problem at all. They change the date frequently and you have WAY more important things to keep track of (the chart! I'm suddenly picturing the aliens from Toy Story, btw).


Oooooh the chart decides who will stay and who will board!!!  (I think you just inspired tonight’s post!!!)

EDIT: for those who are lost, this has nothing to do with SW.  It’s about RotR at WDW LOL


----------



## 123Dis4Me

I am traveling Easter Week, not to WDW this time.  Right now, SW flights are really high for that time and most of the Wanna Get Away fares are sold out.  In general, do you guys think they will go down at all? I am considering flying with another airline because they are about $600 cheaper than Southwest right now for 2 people.  I know you guys all know your stuff so please give me your opinions! Thanks.


----------



## scrappinginontario

123Dis4Me said:


> I am traveling Easter Week, not to WDW this time.  Right now, SW flights are really high for that time and most of the Wanna Get Away fares are sold out.  In general, do you guys think they will go down at all? I am considering flying with another airline because they are about $600 cheaper than Southwest right now for 2 people.  I know you guys all know your stuff so please give me your opinions! Thanks.


For a $600 difference and with Wanna Get  Away fares being sold out I'd be booking with the other airline.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

123Dis4Me said:


> I am traveling Easter Week, not to WDW this time.  Right now, SW flights are really high for that time and most of the Wanna Get Away fares are sold out.  In general, do you guys think they will go down at all? I am considering flying with another airline because they are about $600 cheaper than Southwest right now for 2 people.  I know you guys all know your stuff so please give me your opinions! Thanks.


That's quite a difference but for me it would depend on what airline you're talking about.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

I'd also say it may be destination specific with your SWA flight route you're taking because we're flying to Vegas on Easter Sunday and it's stayed low at $123 per person WGA. Even though I've seen Vegas for less than that it's still not what I would consider high.


----------



## 123Dis4Me

Thanks for your input.  The flights are super high for a few days before and after  my intended flight date.  They are also high in the closest airports to me (2 or 2 and a half hours away) that SW flies out of.  I hate that SW no longer flies out of Newark, NJ....I think this is part of the problem too! Another airline might be getting my business unfortunately.  This is a game I do not enjoy playing!


----------



## TNKim

I received the notice on my account last Thursday that I could change our flights for free due to the Max 8 extension, and on Friday I changed our return flight.  I just signed on to my Southwest account to possibly change our departure flight and now the banner is not showing with the notice offering a free change.  Does this mean the free change was only offered for a few days and it's too late to change it for free?


----------



## kaytieeldr

Yeah, relatively certain that's what it means. Probably enough people took advantage of the offer in those few days that WE doesn't need to move anyone else.


----------



## BelleOftheBall16

TNKim said:


> I received the notice on my account last Thursday that I could change our flights for free due to the Max 8 extension, and on Friday I changed our return flight.  I just signed on to my Southwest account to possibly change our departure flight and now the banner is not showing with the notice offering a free change.  Does this mean the free change was only offered for a few days and it's too late to change it for free?


Yes, when Southwest offers the free changes, they only last 4-5 days.


----------



## poohj80

I received a similar e-mail recently and it defined a very specific window of time when the change could be made.


----------



## tlg588

Hi all,
How do I tell where my plane is coming from and if my flight is part of a continuing flight?
Thanks


----------



## Gary2T

tlg588 said:


> Hi all,
> How do I tell where my plane is coming from and if my flight is part of a continuing flight?
> Thanks



Try the app "FlightAware".  Search for your carrier and flight number, and choose the date you are traveling.  Anything that might bookable as a continuing flight will show up with the same flight number for that day.  Sometimes a flight with 2 stops or more isn't actually bookable when you search for it on the Southwest site.  Usually the 1 stop ones are.  The FlightAware app is also extremely good at giving you updates on delays and departure times.  Usually before your airline even announces things.  When you're actually waiting for your flight, there is also a button "Where's my plane now?" that will track the incoming aircraft on a map.

Example:

My flight on 4/9 is SWA215 from BWI to MCO.  FlightAware tells me that it leaves MDW and goes to DTW, then on to BWI and MCO.  MDW to MCO (with two stop overs) is not bookable (via the SW website) on this flight number, but DTW to MCO (with the stop in BWI) is.  So my BWI-MCO flight is certainly the latter part of a continuing flight.


----------



## Crazyhorse

Just an FYI...I was checking my already booked SW flights for April to see if there was a price drop....there was!  Our return flight fare dropped by $20.00.  I did the change thing and another $40.00 went into the credit box for our next flight.  Obsessively checking worked out.


----------



## KT0191

Anyone else see that they changed the next release of flights to March 12th? It was supposed to be Feb 13th! Wonder why it was delayed a month. That's so late, I feel like.


----------



## scrappinginontario

KT0191 said:


> Anyone else see that they changed the next release of flights to March 12th? It was supposed to be Feb 13th! Wonder why it was delayed a month. That's so late, I feel like.


Yes, that was changed a couple of weeks ago and chatted about here.  

This is a great thread to watch to keep up on changes like that.

You're correct that March 12th is late for the next set of flights to release based on historical information.  I think the unknown of the Max8 is still causing them to make adjustments to their schedules often.


----------



## ClapYourHands

I’ve never flown SW before, but I have a couple of credits from a trip I planned in the fall and had to cancel.  Problem is that the flights for my new dates are much more expensive than comparable flights last fall.

I’m going in mid-May and flying midweek both ways to try to optimize PTO as well as snag the best flight prices.

For those of you who are SW veterans, when is the best time (generally) to book? I can go more cheaply on another airline based on current prices, but I’d rather fly SW. 

I know if the fare decreases, I can rebook, but I am honestly unlikely to have an opportunity to do so before the credit expires, so what I book is what I’ll pay.

Any advice?


----------



## kaytieeldr

Unfortunately, usually the best time to book is when fares are first released. And your credits have to be used (not just booked) within one year of original purchase date, not flight date.

When you say


ClapYourHands said:


> I can go more cheaply on another airline based on current prices, but I’d rather fly SW.


Are you comparing the actual ticket prices, or are other airlines cheaper even after you app!y the credits?


----------



## ClapYourHands

kaytieeldr said:


> Unfortunately, usually the best time to book is when fares are first released. And your credits have to be used (not just booked) within one year of original purchase date, not flight date.
> 
> When you say
> 
> Are you comparing the actual ticket prices, or are other airlines cheaper even after you app!y the credits?


Yes. Not by a lot, but yes.

Last fall, I booked the tickets in October for a November trip, so was thinking there might be an advantage to booking closer. I know traditionally the legacy carriers have better prices about 4 weeks out. 

I worry that if I get book and the price drops, I’ll get the credit, but have to use it by October when I first booked the first flight.


----------



## kaytieeldr

Go with Southwest, then don't look at the prices, ever again.

If you choose another airline, you will have completely wasted the original funds.


----------



## Mome Rath

ClapYourHands said:


> I worry that if I get book and the price drops, I’ll get the credit, but have to use it by October when I first booked the first flight.


Yes, anytime you use travel funds to book a flight, the date gets attached to the original date.


----------



## ultimatefans

ClapYourHands said:


> Last fall, I booked the tickets in October for a November trip, so was thinking there might be an advantage to booking closer. I know traditionally the legacy carriers have better prices about 4 weeks out.


If you're flying mid-week on a non-holiday or school break week, it's very possible flight prices will go down.  Or maybe not.  It's really impossible to predict.  One thing you could do to minimize your risk is to purchase one way now.  Then if prices go down you can use whatever credit you get from that flight to purchase the other way.  And if prices go up, you're only paying the extra cost for one way instead of both ways.


----------



## Boopuff

just curious, has SW ever suspended family boarding due to too many families in line?


----------



## Mome Rath

I've seen a ton of families in line before, and no, I've never seem them suspend family boarding.  The time I'm thinking of is the only time I purchased an "A" upgrade at the desk prior to flight... lots and lots of kids and families flying to Orlando.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Boopuff said:


> just curious, has SW ever suspended family boarding due to too many families in line?


No, they would never do this as families who have young children and know they will board after the A’s may not rush to check-in at the 24 hour mark.  It would be a huge disadvantage if suddenly they had families board with their boarding groups.


----------



## focusondisney

I haven’t seen it myself, but there have definitely been posts from people who have seen SW not do family boarding.  Apparently it is pretty rare, but when almost all of the plane qualifies, the gate agents have done it.  Seems more fair in that case to make folks line up in order instead of just who gets in line first. Which is why everyone should still check in at 24 hours, just in case.


----------



## Merida'sTwin

I have seen them turn away extended family during the boarding process (flight leaving Orlando). Several aunts, uncles and grandma and grandpa walked away unhappy about going back to their boarding group but it was fair as the flight was completely full.


----------



## ClapYourHands

Merida'sTwin said:


> I have seen them turn away extended family during the boarding process (flight leaving Orlando). Several aunts, uncles and grandma and grandpa walked away unhappy about going back to their boarding group but it was fair as the flight was completely full.


Um, yeah! The point of family boarding is so little kids aren’t sitting with strangers, not to allow a whole family reunion to skip the line.


----------



## Fangorn

I have seen SW suspend family boarding on more than one occasion. All in Orlando, and all within the first couple of years after they began doing the family boarding. Back then they didn't have much in the way of policy limiting the number of family members could board with a child, and the only recourse when they had 65 people lined up for family boarding was to not do it at all. 

Steve


----------



## jayhawk74

Back in the days when family Boarding included Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins I saw a full flight where the Ops Agent announced that for those 6 who aren't in Family Boarding you can board 1st. However I've never seen nor heard of them cancelling Family Boarding under the new policy


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Here's your friendly reminder that *Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur THURSDAY, March 12th!*. For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget!

_I'm sharing this again now because it previously was listed as February 13th (one week from today) but was pushed back a month. Stay posted as this date is subject to change!_

Currently SW is offering flights through 8/10/20 and this next release will take their schedule out to 10/31/20. I'll try to post additional reminders as the date draws nearer.
For those that care about "release timing" it's been all over the board recently (all times Eastern):

The release on 12/11/19 went live at 9:10am.
The release on 10/30/19 went live at 7:15am.
The release on 9/26/19 went live at 7:30am.
The release on 8/15/19 went live at 10:41am.
The release on 5/30/19 went live at 9:20am.


----------



## LoveMMC

Usually sw tickets buffalo to orlando late August are 80-140. I am looking at July and August on southwest and JetBlue and they are all 200+
Each year I book as soon as they are released and get a good price. 
how have prices been this year when they release dates? Double the norm or you can still get a good deal?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

LoveMMC said:


> Usually sw tickets buffalo to orlando late August are 80-140. I am looking at July and August on southwest and JetBlue and they are all 200+
> Each year I book as soon as they are released and get a good price.
> how have prices been this year when they release dates? Double the norm or you can still get a good deal?


Any answer to this question is purely anecdotal and will not provide any relevant info to your specific trip and dates.


----------



## ultimatefans

LoveMMC said:


> Usually sw tickets buffalo to orlando late August are 80-140. I am looking at July and August on southwest and JetBlue and they are all 200+
> Each year I book as soon as they are released and get a good price.
> how have prices been this year when they release dates? Double the norm or you can still get a good deal?


I fly that route fairly often and I would be very shocked if that was the best price for late August.  I personally wouldn’t book if it was more than $125-$150 but everybody has their own risk tolerance.  I just flew down MLK weekend (leading into Regents week) and our flight down kept decreasing in price, it ended up being less than $100 one way.  I have found lately that for non-peak season prices usually go down a few weeks after release.  Of course past experience doesn’t guarantee future results, but that seems very high to me for that time of year.


----------



## focusondisney

I think it depends what day & flight you want. I flew from Buffalo 4 Xs last year. We fly Sat- Sat, 1st nonstop down & last nonstop back,  I would say we paid $120s or higher each way. I haven’t seen less than $100 for our flights in awhile.


----------



## scrappinginontario

focusondisney said:


> I think it depends what day & flight you want. I flew from Buffalo 4 Xs last year. We fly Sat- Sat, 1st nonstop down & last nonstop back,  I would say we paid $120s or higher each way. I haven’t seen less than $100 for our flights in awhile.


I understand what OP is saying.  Our non-stop flights from BUF-MCO last Sep were $94 one way snd $106 the other.  I’m also hoping for (but not expecting) good prices on flights when they release next month.


----------



## dez1978

About when will SW release flights for thanksgiving?


----------



## scrappinginontario

dez1978 said:


> About when will SW release flights for thanksgiving?


There was a chart listed recently that will hopefully give you some guidance.  If I remember correctly it will probably be sometime in May.


----------



## ClapYourHands

ultimatefans said:


> I fly that route fairly often and I would be very shocked if that was the best price for late August.  I personally wouldn’t book if it was more than $125-$150 but everybody has their own risk tolerance.  I just flew down MLK weekend (leading into Regents week) and our flight down kept decreasing in price, it ended up being less than $100 one way.  I have found lately that for non-peak season prices usually go down a few weeks after release.  Of course past experience doesn’t guarantee future results, but that seems very high to me for that time of year.



This is so stressful.  I'm flying out of BDL, where the only direct flights are SW, JB, Spirit and (very limited) Frontier.  My departure is booked on SW for $89 (though at an ungodly 5am).  My return date (non-peak Tuesday in May) is now showing $164!  It is literally less expensive to stay another night at a value and go back the next day on Jet Blue.


----------



## kaytieeldr

Then, um, stay over another night at a Value and fly home the next day on jetBlue?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

kaytieeldr said:


> Then, um, stay over another night at a Value and fly home the next day on jetBlue?


Yeah - Or even stay the night at the MCO Hyatt and fly home the next day if it's an early flight.  We've done that and it's pretty nice!


----------



## ClapYourHands

kaytieeldr said:


> Then, um, stay over another night at a Value and fly home the next day on jetBlue?


That’s my plan. I booked AS Movies this morning. 

I’ve always thought of JB and SW as being similar airlines, and other times when I’ve looked the prices have been fairly comparable. But now I’m seeing SW at double the price of JB for the same route and similar times. Not sure what’s going on.


----------



## Leigh L

ClapYourHands said:


> That’s my plan. I booked AS Movies this morning.
> 
> I’ve always thought of JB and SW as being similar airlines, and other times when I’ve looked the prices have been fairly comparable. But now I’m seeing SW at double the price of JB for the same route and similar times. Not sure what’s going on.


I would have done the same thing! Why not add the extra day!

(We did ASMo for the first time in December on a cheap PL deal we found and loved it .)

Here in DC I often see the opposite with these two airlines. I used to be able to fly JB and it was my preferred airline, but we've been all SW in the last two years because of the price difference.


----------



## Mosey03

We are flying on SW in March, and we didn't purchase EBCI so I know I need to check in right at the 24-hour mark, but I don't know how to actually do that!  How do I check in at the 24-hour mark?  Also when do we want to be at our gate on the day of?  Thanks for your help!  I've only flown SW once and it was several years ago.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Mosey03 said:


> We are flying on SW in March, and we didn't purchase EBCI so I know I need to check in right at the 24-hour mark, but I don't know how to actually do that!  How do I check in at the 24-hour mark?  Also when do we want to be at our gate on the day of?  Thanks for your help!  I've only flown SW once and it was several years ago.


If your flight is at 8am Friday then Thursday morning you want to be on the check-in screen and have filled in your confirmation number and name.  The moment the clock on your screen changes to 8 am click the button to check in..  Follow the prompts as quickly as you can as literally every second counts.


----------



## ClapYourHands

I’m excited to try ASMo. The only reason I hesitate is that the trip is getting kind of long.  I'm going solo with DD (age 4), and DH will be at home with the boys (10 and 12) who have school.  This is a make-up from a trip I had to cancel last fall when my mother became very ill.  

I'd planned to do 6 nights, 7 days (5 full days with arrival and departure as partial days), with the idea that I'd need to move at a slow pace with DD and take breaks in the afternoon.  If I'd flown as planned in November, I'd have gone on a 6:30 SW flight, but SW moved their times around and now it's a 5am take off.  I can get up early and make it there when the flight is at 6:30, but 5 am means basically not sleeping, so I'll be spending the night before at the hotel in the airport. Now I'm leaving a night earlier and getting back a day later than originally planned, and I've never been away from my boys for that long.

Disclaimer: I took the two boys to Disney in the fall of 2018 and to Universal in the fall of 2017.  DH is not a Disney fan, so until DD gets a bit bigger and we can all enjoy the same rides, I'm going with one age or the other.


----------



## Mosey03

scrappinginontario said:


> If your flight is at 8am Friday then Thursday morning you want to be on the check-in screen and have filled in your confirmation number and name.  The moment the clock on your screen changes to 8 am click the button to check in..  Follow the prompts as quickly as you can as literally every second counts.



Thank you so much!  Do you do this on the website or do I need to install the app?


----------



## scrappinginontario

Mosey03 said:


> Thank you so much!  Do you do this on the website or do I need to install the app?


Either but personally I find the app faster and easier.


----------



## Mome Rath

Mosey03 said:


> Also when do we want to be at our gate on the day of?  Thanks for your help!  I've only flown SW once and it was several years ago.


They start boarding about 30 min before the plane is scheduled to leave (if everything is going smoothly).


----------



## G719

I got the red banner on my August flight that I can change due to Max 8 changes.  But it wont let me pick the time I want for no charge.  It will let me pick the time and pay the difference in points which is a ridiculous high amount. I can look up the flight as if I was booking a new trip and the price isnt as high as they are showing when I go to the change page.  I will try to call I guess.


----------



## Mome Rath

G719 said:


> I got the red banner on my August flight that I can change due to Max 8 changes.  But it wont let me pick the time I want for no charge.  It will let me pick the time and pay the difference in points which is a ridiculous high amount. I can look up the flight as if I was booking a new trip and the price isnt as high as they are showing when I go to the change page.  I will try to call I guess.


I was trying that as well, and it wouldn't let me, then I read my email.  You can make changes online starting at noon today.  I figured that wasn't the smartest as everyone will be changing, so I called.  They switched me no problem.


----------



## G719

Mome Rath said:


> I was trying that as well, and it wouldn't let me, then I read my email.  You can make changes online starting at noon today.  I figured that wasn't the smartest as everyone will be changing, so I called.  They switched me no problem.


Thank you for the info! I didnt get an email I just got on the app as I intended to change the flight to a later time that was showing as the same price when I searched.  I will check at noon.


----------



## Donaldswife

G719 said:


> I got the red banner on my August flight that I can change due to Max 8 changes.  But it wont let me pick the time I want for no charge.  It will let me pick the time and pay the difference in points which is a ridiculous high amount. I can look up the flight as if I was booking a new trip and the price isnt as high as they are showing when I go to the change page.  I will try to call I guess.


We just called to get our June travel changed and they did it with no upcharges.  Call before it gets crazy


----------



## Mome Rath

Here was that bit in my email, note the timezone; "For expedited service, you can change your flight at www.southwest.com/rebook3 between the hours of 12:00pm (CST) February 13, 2020 and 11:59pm (CST) February 16, 2020. Flights with no additional cost will display as “Available”. Should you need further assistance, you can reach a Southwest Representative at 1-888-871-8321. Please keep in mind that the time to reach a representative may be longer than normal during this time."


----------



## G719

Mome Rath said:


> Here was that bit in my email, note the timezone; "For expedited service, you can change your flight at www.southwest.com/rebook3 between the hours of 12:00pm (CST) February 13, 2020 and 11:59pm (CST) February 16, 2020. Flights with no additional cost will display as “Available”. Should you need further assistance, you can reach a Southwest Representative at 1-888-871-8321. Please keep in mind that the time to reach a representative may be longer than normal during this time."


Thanks.  I was just about to ask if it was EST or CST.


----------



## Music City Mama

Both of my flights got changed too. My email said something about flight schedule changes -- I did notice that one of my flights went from a 737-800 to a 737-700 (the other one remained a 737-700).

The one coming home actually works out a little better because it departs 45 minutes earlier which is fine and I actually prefer that.

But the one going to WDW is now leaving and arriving 2 1/2 hours later. Boo! My original flight had me arriving shortly after 1:00, now I arrive shortly after 3:30. I looked at the different flights for that day and my only other options have me leaving WAAAYY early in the morning (no thanks) or arriving even 3 hours later than what I got switched to.

On the plus side, my room _should _be ready when we get there (we're staying at a DVC resort, so check-in isn't until 4:00).


----------



## shoreward

Thanks to those who posted about the just changed schedules, due to the MAX 8 issues.  I did not receive notification, but when I checked "upcoming trips," I noticed that a flight, normally nonstop at three hours, was changed to connecting flights, totaling nine hours of travel time.  The site will not let me make changes, myself, so contacting Southwest for changes.

Some of the new routings Southwest comes up with for changes are either so far out of the way or with extremely long layovers, that they don't even display as viable options for customers doing their own bookings.

For those who don't want to wait on the phone for assistance, I suggest sending a DM to @SouthwestAir (on Twitter), noting your confirmation number and preferred changes; they are very responsive.


----------



## G719

shoreward said:


> Thanks to those who posted about the just changed schedules, due to the MAX 8 issues.  I did not receive notification, but when I checked "upcoming trips," I noticed that a flight, normally nonstop at three hours, was changed to connecting flights, totaling nine hours of travel time.  The site will not let me make changes, myself, so contacting Southwest for changes.
> 
> Some of the new routings Southwest comes up with for changes are either so far out of the way or with extremely long layovers, that they don't even display as viable options for customers doing their own bookings.
> 
> For those who don't want to wait on the phone for assistance, I suggest sending a DM to @SouthwestAir (on Twitter), noting your confirmation number and preferred changes; they are very responsive.


Yes I messaged them on twitter first and they said to call. I've had success with twitter message before so I tried that first. 

SW did the same thing to me on a beach trip we have. They changed my short trip to a nine hour trip with 2 stops. No thanks! I was able to change that one myself online in the last round of max 8 changes.


----------



## Brave teacher

Is it possible that the only change in your email is a flight number? I got an email this morning for my June flight for our cruise.  The only change I can see in the email is that the flight from MEM to ATL has a changed flight number. Dates are the same. Times are the same. The only difference is that flight number.

We are not a flying family. My DH prefers to drive. Is this a big deal at all? It's minor in mind.

Thanks!


----------



## Mome Rath

No, if they swap out one plane for another at the same place and time, the only thing that will change is the number.  If it is like mine, the whole leg of that flight was completely removed.  They totally rebooked us on on another flight that left at a different time, had connections, and got home 4 hours later.

Some of their flights they swap (I have one in March that happened to, and was easy peasy), but some change your whole itinerary.


----------



## Brave teacher

The leg is exactly the same. Departure and arrival times are the same. Same day. Same layover location. Flight number is the only difference. The email showed the info in case the change did not work out for me, but I couldn't find anything that had changed other than the flight number. I thought it was weird...just didn't know if it was normal.


----------



## Mome Rath

Right, they basically did that to us for our March flight.  The July flight they massively changed it.  You have to go into the details to see if it actually changes the flight or if they remain the same.  When the flight numbers just change, they just remove the Max and put in a different plane.  When they remove the Max and don't replace it, the whole route, times, and connections change.


----------



## tripplanner2

They were supposed to release the schedule beyond August 10th today but that didn't happen. I am assuming it is because of the Max issue and having to change planes around. Prices are insanely expensive right now. So crazy.


----------



## shoreward

tripplanner2 said:


> They were supposed to release the schedule beyond August 10th today but that didn't happen. I am assuming it is because of the Max issue and having to change planes around. Prices are insanely expensive right now. So crazy.


The next schedule extension date was changed last month, per the following:

‘We are currently accepting air reservations through August 10, 2020. On March 12, 2020 we will open our schedule for sale through October 31, 2020. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.’


----------



## scrappinginontario

tripplanner2 said:


> They were supposed to release the schedule beyond August 10th today but that didn't happen. I am assuming it is because of the Max issue and having to change planes around. Prices are insanely expensive right now. So crazy.


 You may wish to ‘watch’ this thread as those changes were announced here and discussed.  @SouthFayetteFan does a great job (As do others) of letting us know changes and trends.


----------



## tripplanner2

scrappinginontario said:


> You may wish to ‘watch’ this thread as those changes were announced here and discussed.  @SouthFayetteFan does a great job (As do others) of letting us know changes and trends.


Yeah, from now on I will be on here.


----------



## shoreward

This is why flights continue to be cancelled and reservations changed by Southwest...don’t blame Southwest, this is all on Boeing.

https://www.dallasnews.com/business...nearly-65000-seats-during-peak-travel-season/


----------



## disneyjr77

We fly down in June.  Where do you find out what kind of plane you have?  I booked through SW vacations and the confirmation only has Class type and flight number.  

My other, and bigger, concern is that our flight has disappeared from the flight schedule page.  Does anyone know why that could happen?  Usually when flights sell out it says that it's sold out but still shows in the list, ours is completely gone.  Our return flight is still showing.


----------



## Mome Rath

disneyjr77 said:


> My other, and bigger, concern is that our flight has disappeared from the flight schedule page.  Does anyone know why that could happen?  Usually when flights sell out it says that it's sold out but still shows in the list, ours is completely gone.  Our return flight is still showing.


I would probably call them.  The flight they removed of ours did disappear from the list.  We did get an email, but I would still call and check (or look in your email spam folder to make sure it didn't go through there maybe).


----------



## disneyjr77

disneyjr77 said:


> We fly down in June.  Where do you find out what kind of plane you have?  I booked through SW vacations and the confirmation only has Class type and flight number.
> 
> My other, and bigger, concern is that our flight has disappeared from the flight schedule page.  Does anyone know why that could happen?  Usually when flights sell out it says that it's sold out but still shows in the list, ours is completely gone.  Our return flight is still showing.



Got my answer  i didn't see it on our confirmation page and didn't get an email, but when i looked on the app...there it was.  We were changed from a 3:55-6:30 non stop to a 3:35-10:10 2 stop flight.  Needles to say i'm on hold now to get it changed.


----------



## disneyjr77

Mome Rath said:


> I would probably call them.  The flight they removed of ours did disappear from the list.  We did get an email, but I would still call and check (or look in your email spam folder to make sure it didn't go through there maybe).



I'm on hold now...I really hope I can change it and use points to cover the difference.


----------



## Mome Rath

That was our same flight, different day, and they changed us to the same time as you.  I called and changed mine too, but was in their "change" window... didn't matter anyway because the flight I picked was the same price as the original. Hope it works out for you!


----------



## disneyjr77

Mome Rath said:


> That was our same flight, different day, and they changed us to the same time as you.  I called and changed mine too, but was in their "change" window... didn't matter anyway because the flight I picked was the same price as the original. Hope it works out for you!



Thanks!  What is the change window?  I'm totally freaking right now, I understand why it's happening and am happy they're putting all of our safety first, but def don't want to be on a 6+ hour flight...I can't see DD13 or DF being down with that lol.  Even if we have to fly out first thing, i'd rather do that.


----------



## Mome Rath

disneyjr77 said:


> Thanks!  What is the change window?  I'm totally freaking right now, I understand why it's happening and am happy they're putting all of our safety first, but def don't want to be on a 6+ hour flight...I can't see DD13 or DF being down with that lol.  Even if we have to fly out first thing, i'd rather do that.


From the day they emailed me I had 3 more days to change, and had to pick a flight within 14 days of my travel date.  So they emailed me on the 12th sometime, I had until the 16th to change it.  Had to pick a flight within 14 days of my original July booking.


----------



## disneyjr77

Mome Rath said:


> From the day they emailed me I had 3 more days to change, and had to pick a flight within 14 days of my travel date.  So they emailed me on the 12th sometime, I had until the 16th to change it.  Had to pick a flight within 14 days of my original July booking.



Oh ok  I just got off the phone with them and they said I have to call the SW vacations line, and they don't open until 10CST.  I asked if I could use my points to cover the price difference if there was one and he said there won't be a difference becasue the change is on their end.  I'm assuming he meant I wouldn't have to pay a fare difference.


----------



## G719

disneyjr77 said:


> Oh ok  I just got off the phone with them and they said I have to call the SW vacations line, and they don't open until 10CST.  I asked if I could use my points to cover the price difference if there was one and he said there won't be a difference becasue the change is on their end.  I'm assuming he meant I wouldn't have to pay a fare difference.


You won't have to pay any additional points. Have you tried making the change online? Sometimes you can.


----------



## ClapYourHands

tripplanner2 said:


> They were supposed to release the schedule beyond August 10th today but that didn't happen. I am assuming it is because of the Max issue and having to change planes around. Prices are insanely expensive right now. So crazy.



Well, this makes sense.  I was wondering why prices for some flights were so much higher than I expected them to be.  I wonder how many people will seek out other airlines until things settle down.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

ClapYourHands said:


> Well, this makes sense.  I was wondering why prices for some flights were so much higher than I expected them to be.  I wonder how many people will seek out other airlines until things settle down.


People have been complaining about pricing for several years now..

A lot depends on one's home airport and routes. Hawaii pulled inventory away from certain places when they introduced those Hawaii routes. Fuel pricing, competitiveness in one's airport (for example SWA pulling out of Newark as they were unable to compete with United), MAX 8 issues, etc etc. There's way more things that impact pricing and more things that are normal and mundane. There's no doubt that MAX8 issues are causing problems but they aren't the only variable out there nor does it explain people's complaints over several years worth (at least on the Boards).


----------



## disneyjr77

G719 said:


> You won't have to pay any additional points. Have you tried making the change online? Sometimes you can.



I tried, but since I booked on the SW vacation side of it I had to call.  You would think they would all be connected, but nope.

I'm patiently waiting for 10a to hit lol


----------



## disneyjr77

Success!  I was able to change to a flight that leaves 4 1/2 hrs earlier, so I'm super stoked about that  and there weren't any fees.


----------



## disny_luvr

I just booked our flight today to Disney. On the app, it’s showing me I have the option to change my flight without incurring any fees. Does this mean I have to change my flight or I can if I want to? We actually really like this flight time, but I will change it to a flight that leaves about 2 hours earlier than the one I booked if I have to.


----------



## G719

disny_luvr said:


> I just booked our flight today to Disney. On the app, it’s showing me I have the option to change my flight without incurring any fees. Does this mean I have to change my flight or I can if I want to? We actually really like this flight time, but I will change it to a flight that leaves about 2 hours earlier than the one I booked if I have to.


You dont have to.  If it was a have to, SW would probably have already changed it for you. Right now it looks like everyone with a trip from mid June to August has the option to change.


----------



## scrappinginontario

disny_luvr said:


> I just booked our flight today to Disney. On the app, it’s showing me I have the option to change my flight without incurring any fees. Does this mean I have to change my flight or I can if I want to? We actually really like this flight time, but I will change it to a flight that leaves about 2 hours earlier than the one I booked if I have to.


You may keep what you have or, you may change to any other flight without penalty.

Too bad you hadn’t known you were going to see this message before booking as you would have been able to select the least expensive flights and then immediately switch to the flights you wanted without penalty.


----------



## disny_luvr

scrappinginontario said:


> You may keep what you have or, you may change to any other flight without penalty.
> 
> Too bad you hadn’t known you were going to see this message before booking as you would have been able to select the least expensive flights and then immediately switch to the flights you wanted without penalty.



Yes, I was thinking the same thing. The cheapest flight is $20 less than what we paid,  so an $80 savings total, but I’m okay with the price we paid.


----------



## shoreward

It looks like the "change" banner is no longer being displayed when looking at summer 2020 reservations affected by Southwest removing MAX 8 aircraft from their schedule, during that specified time frame.


----------



## wishicouldgomoreofte

When will SWA open up booking to DEC 2020?
It used to state on the booking page, but I can't find it.


----------



## G719

@wishicouldgomoreofte

From the SW website, "We are currently accepting air reservations through August 10, 2020. On March 12, 2020 we will open our schedule for sale through October 31, 2020. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently."

Once they release that batch, you'll get a date for the next release which should include December.

Keep checking here.
https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/


----------



## wishicouldgomoreofte

G719 said:


> @wishicouldgomoreofte
> 
> From the SW website, "We are currently accepting air reservations through August 10, 2020. On March 12, 2020 we will open our schedule for sale through October 31, 2020. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently."
> 
> Once they release that batch, you'll get a date for the next release which should include December.
> 
> Keep checking here.
> https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/


Thank you.  I forgot that I had asked on here, and just came to ask the same question.  Imagine my surprise when I saw your answer to the exact question I came to ask, and it was directed at ME!!!!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*A minor tweak (well major to me...) has been made to the next SW release:*

_On March 12, 2020 we will open our schedule for sale through October 30, 2020. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently._
They are ending the next release on FRIDAY OCTOBER 30th now.  Previously it included Saturday 10/31.  As a result, my personal interest in this release just went from 100% to 0%, hahaha!!


----------



## Sandiz08

Just waiting for Southwest to have some type of sale, been watching the flights we want for months. The prices are higher than average and have not yet budged. I suspect the Boeing thing is causing this.


----------



## 123Dis4Me

Did any one here fly to MCO for President's Week? I am trying to get a ballpark figure of how much flights may set me back President's week next year.  I am planning on flying to MCO on Monday and back to Albany on Friday or Saturday - I am thinking it could be quite high!


----------



## vetrik

123Dis4Me said:


> Did any one here fly to MCO for President's Week? I am trying to get a ballpark figure of how much flights may set me back President's week next year.  I am planning on flying to MCO on Monday and back to Albany on Friday or Saturday - I am thinking it could be quite high!



We flew from Providence to MCO the Thursday before Presidents Day (had a cruise that left on Friday) and back on Friday for about $350 per person round trip. We booked right when they opened, and even then the weekend flights back were much more expensive. The price only went up from there (that window had a weird opening time, my friends who were traveling with us missed it by a couple hours and paid more than we did). I was ok with that price - it’s school vacation week here, so it could have been worse!


----------



## 123Dis4Me

Thanks.  That seems like a good price, I would be happy with that.  It is my school break too and I am hoping for a fair price.


----------



## cmarsh31

123Dis4Me said:


> Did any one here fly to MCO for President's Week? I am trying to get a ballpark figure of how much flights may set me back President's week next year.  I am planning on flying to MCO on Monday and back to Albany on Friday or Saturday - I am thinking it could be quite high!



I do it every other year (ALB - MCO), we spend between $400-$600 pp round trip, plus EBCI. I buy the second the prices come out (thanks to everyone here). Generally one way is ok (so Monday down is fine) but Fri/Sat/Sun back is high. I try to book that leg first, then book the other one after. I budget about $2000 for the 4 of us to fly. Flights home on the weekend sell out that first day of sales and never come back (I've been tracking them for almost 5 years). It's been worse the past year or so, since they've had to cut back on flights. We also tend to split with SW one way and JetBlue the other, depending on which has the better direct flight times - lately SW has either been 7am or 9pm back to Albany, which is just miserable.


----------



## 123Dis4Me

Thank you so much! I have never flown Jet Blue but I am considering looking at them too.  I had not considered booking the way back first,  but every second counts when booking for that week and that is a huge help!


----------



## Brave teacher

Question

My DH prefers to drive rather than fly. We are flying in this June for a cruise though. My SW fare has dropped and is now $72 total cheaper now than it was when I booked when flights opened in December. I know I would not get a refund. I know that it is a credit for each passenger that must be used a year from the original booking date (I just read through the rebooking terms). Knowing you don't really fly, would you still rebook fro the credit or leave it as is?


----------



## scrappinginontario

Brave teacher said:


> Question
> 
> My DH prefers to drive rather than fly. We are flying in this June for a cruise though. My SW fare has dropped and is now $72 total cheaper now than it was when I booked when flights opened in December. I know I would not get a refund. I know that it is a credit for each passenger that must be used a year from the original booking date (I just read through the rebooking terms). Knowing you don't really fly, would you still rebook fro the credit or leave it as is?


i normally adjust the fare to the lower price.  Most of my credits expire but you never know when you might book something.  Can’t hurt to adjust your fare.


----------



## georgina

123Dis4Me said:


> Did any one here fly to MCO for President's Week? I am trying to get a ballpark figure of how much flights may set me back President's week next year.  I am planning on flying to MCO on Monday and back to Albany on Friday or Saturday - I am thinking it could be quite high!


My non-stop MCO-PIT on Friday Feb 21 was $104 (I had some travel funds to apply so paid cash). DH's was 5864 RR points. It was the last flight of the night. I used American points to get there.


----------



## 123Dis4Me

That is great- I will prepare for a high fare but hope for a low one!


----------



## Macemom39581

123Dis4Me said:


> Did any one here fly to MCO for President's Week? I am trying to get a ballpark figure of how much flights may set me back President's week next year.  I am planning on flying to MCO on Monday and back to Albany on Friday or Saturday - I am thinking it could be quite high!


I bought my  tix last week from a different airport because the ones I’d been watching never budged since November! I’m glad I did because the one I picked just went up! I was hoping for a sale but it never happened and I wanted flights out the way.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

Brave teacher said:


> Question
> 
> My DH prefers to drive rather than fly. We are flying in this June for a cruise though. My SW fare has dropped and is now $72 total cheaper now than it was when I booked when flights opened in December. I know I would not get a refund. I know that it is a credit for each passenger that must be used a year from the original booking date (I just read through the rebooking terms). Knowing you don't really fly, would you still rebook fro the credit or leave it as is?


I would definentantly do the price adjustment. It might prompt you later to take a trip. You have one year from the original purchase date do us those funds. Even if the hubby does not fly doesnt mean you cant take a cheap trip to WDW or anywhere else by yourself.


----------



## shoreward

https://www.southwest.com/Coronavirus/


----------



## MarBee

Macemom39581 said:


> I bought my  tix last week from a different airport because the ones I’d been watching never budged since November! I’m glad I did because the one I picked just went up! I was hoping for a sale but it never happened and I wanted flights out the way.


Is there a benefit to buying at the airport as opposed to online?


----------



## shoreward

MarBee said:


> Is there a benefit to buying at the airport as opposed to online?


No, not with Southwest.  Sometimes, it is less expensive to purchase Frontier tickets at the airport.


----------



## Macemom39581

MarBee said:


> Is there a benefit to buying at the airport as opposed to online?


Sorry I meant we are traveling from a different airport Because of the difference in price. It’s a little further but worth it.


----------



## serenitynow

Can someone remind everyone how to adjust your fare to the lower price on Southwest reservations?


----------



## shoreward

serenitynow said:


> Can someone remind everyone how to adjust your fare to the lower price on Southwest reservations?


Log in to your account and open the reservation you want to change.  Select the “change” option and select the flight or fare you want to change to.  From there, just follow the directions and confirm you want to make the change.  If you did not purchase with points, the fare difference is held in your account to be applied to a future trip, with travel completed within one year from original purchase date.  If a points purchase, the points will be redeposited into your account, with the option to refund taxes/fees (which I do) or held for future purchase.


----------



## serenitynow

shoreward said:


> Log in to your account and open the reservation you want to change.  Select the “change” option and select the flight or fare you want to change to.  From there, just follow the directions and confirm you want to make the change.  If you did not purchase with points, the fare difference is held in your account to be applied to a future trip, with travel completed within one year from original purchase date.  If a points purchase, the points will be redeposited into your account, with the option to refund taxes/fees (which I do) or held for future purchase.


Thank you!


----------



## DebbieB

I just got back 1,887 points for a flight on April 25.   Total of 4,040 since I originally booked it last fall.   Love using points!


----------



## shoreward

https://www.southwestaircommunity.c...-Are-Taking-to-Ensure-Your-Safety/ba-p/102360


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Welp as I mentioned on another thread that our flights have been the same for Vegas for mid-April for months I checked again this morning and they are the same price. Checked around dinner time and they were reduced. So keep checking--it's ever changing!

Got $48 back for my husband's ticket ($24 each way) on a travel credit (and we were already using a travel credit for his ticket) and a little over 3,000 pts back total for my ticket.

When I checked there were only 2 seats left at the reduced price for our flight out and we got those last two seats. It's now back up to the price it was when we first booked. The flight back still shows the reduced price.


----------



## poohj80

Just saved over $400 rebooking flights tonight.  May flights haven't gone down yet.


----------



## Macemom39581

Thanks!! I just got a 70$ flight credit! I’m flying June 13th.


----------



## nkereina

I got a $172 credit yesterday as well for flights booked in December, however it’s showing my credit expires in June. I believe this is because when I booked in December, I used a $30 credit from flights I booked last June. So is my entire $172 credit really forfeited in June now because of that measly $30? They don’t just deduct $30 in June if I don’t use it? This is the way the expirations appears when logged into my RR account. Such a bummer if that’s the case and something I would have to keep in mind going forward!


----------



## scrappinginontario

nkereina said:


> I got a $172 credit yesterday as well for flights booked in December, however it’s showing my credit expires in June. I believe this is because when I booked in December, I used a $30 credit from flights I booked last June. So is my entire $172 credit really forfeited in June now because of that measly $30? They don’t just deduct $30 in June if I don’t use it? This is the way the expirations appears when logged into my RR account. Such a bummer if that’s the case and something I would have to keep in mind going forward!


unfortunately yes, your entire credit expires in June.


----------



## Crazyhorse

I'm stalking SW also.  Our outbound flight out of Midway on 4/15 keeps being stubborn at $118.00.  A few weeks ago, I was able to get our return on 4/22 for $54.00.  Hoping I can catch a reduction on the 4/15 flight.


----------



## SM1992

We got almost $300 in credit when I re-booked on Thursday, and now the price has dropped again on our PVD to MCO flight.
So can someone re-book more than once?  Any limits?


----------



## Crazyhorse

SM1992 said:


> We got almost $300 in credit when I re-booked on Thursday, and now the price has dropped again on our PVD to MCO flight.
> So can someone re-book more than once?  Any limits?


Keep doin' it!  I've rebooked the same flights lots of times.


----------



## cmarsh31

Silly question - considering the number of SW flights I've taken, I'd think I know this... anyone notice a pattern on when fares drop? Overnight? Mid-day? I have flights booked for the next 3 months and I'm checking constantly (because they're dropping all over the place) and I'm thinking there must be a more organized way to do this.


----------



## DVC-Don

Got 1490 points back this AM for a flight coming up on Wednesday (3/11)


----------



## Crazyhorse

cmarsh31 said:


> Silly question - considering the number of SW flights I've taken, I'd think I know this... anyone notice a pattern on when fares drop? Overnight? Mid-day? I have flights booked for the next 3 months and I'm checking constantly (because they're dropping all over the place) and I'm thinking there must be a more organized way to do this.


Great question!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

FYI: If anybody is checking in for a SW flight tomorrow, check in “25 hours” prior due to the clock change.


----------



## cmarsh31

DVC-Don said:


> Got 1490 points back this AM for a flight coming up on Wednesday (3/11)



My 3/11 flight is $150 more than when I booked it! There is no rhyme or reason!


----------



## poohj80

cmarsh31 said:


> My 3/11 flight is $150 more than when I booked it! There is no rhyme or reason!


That usually happens when there’s less than a week before flight.


----------



## IluvMGM

Anxiously awaiting the release of September flights. We got 2 giftcards for Southwest, and I am hoping it works out. I looked at some of the flights in July/August and noticed many days only have a crack of dawn flight or late night flight. Neither of those are really feasible for our return home. The last 2 trips we flew Southwest and they had more flights available. I did look at American Airlines and they have decent flight times and it's pretty cheap. I guess we can do that if worse comes to worse, even though we got the Southwest giftcards.


----------



## scrappinginontario

IluvMGM said:


> Anxiously awaiting the release of September flights. We got 2 giftcards for Southwest, and I am hoping it works out. I looked at some of the flights in July/August and noticed many days only have a crack of dawn flight or late night flight. Neither of those are really feasible for our return home. The last 2 trips we flew Southwest and they had more flights available. I did look at American Airlines and they have decent flight times and it's pretty cheap. I guess we can do that if worse comes to worse, even though we got the Southwest giftcards.



We fly from BUF to MCO and have found similar situation with flight times.  We prefer direct flights so we’ve changed our expectations and now fly out at the crack of silly and turn it into a waterpark day!


----------



## cmarsh31

scrappinginontario said:


> We fly from BUF to MCO and have found similar situation with flight times.  We prefer direct flights so we’ve changed our expectations and now fly out at the crack of silly and turn it into a waterpark day!



Same out of Albany - we've ended up flying in the night before on SW and home direct on JB on their one flight a day (generally around 11am).


----------



## SaintsManiac

Is anyone else having trouble logging into Southwest site? I am trying to book flights and it won't let me!!!!


----------



## poohj80

SaintsManiac said:


> Is anyone else having trouble logging into Southwest site? I am trying to book flights and it won't let me!!!!


Same here and my flights dropped again since yesterday!


----------



## IluvMGM

cmarsh31 said:


> Same out of Albany - we've ended up flying in the night before on SW and home direct on JB on their one flight a day (generally around 11am).



It bums me out others are having the same issue. Really keeping my fingers crossed they will release decent times next week.


----------



## SaintsManiac

poohj80 said:


> Same here and my flights dropped again since yesterday!




It's super annoying! I don't want to have to call.


----------



## cmarsh31

Try an incognito window. I was having issues earlier and that worked.


----------



## SaintsManiac

I rebooted my computer and it works now.


----------



## poohj80

The app is working now too.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

poohj80 said:


> But we have to login to change a flight and that’s what isn’t working.


Sometimes going into incognito mode works though. Had that happen before with My Disney Experience too. Wouldn't recognize my login credentials on Chrome but it worked when it was incognito mode.


----------



## Leigh L

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Sometimes going into incognito mode works though. Had that happen before with My Disney Experience too. Wouldn't recognize my login credentials on Chrome but it worked when it was incognito mode.


I find this to be a great workaround too


----------



## 123Dis4Me

I was able to rebook my spring break week flights (not to MCO).  I got $80 per person back on our flights out and 8000 points back per person on our flights back! Super happy!


----------



## lilkimmyk

What date is the next release of flights?  I think I remember someone saying 3/12?  I went back a few pages and of course can't find it now.  Thanks!


----------



## barb969

lilkimmyk said:


> What date is the next release of flights?  I think I remember someone saying 3/12?  I went back a few pages and of course can't find it now.  Thanks!


I checked this morning and it’s 3/12


----------



## scrappinginontario

I’m looking forward to booking flights Thursday as our 180 day dining ADR window opens next Monday.  It’s easier to book dining on arrival and departure days when we know our flight times.


----------



## shoreward

https://www.southwest.com/Coronavirus/?clk=CORONAVIRUS_TA
Letter from Southwest VP:



> To our valued Customers,
> There is no higher priority to our entire Southwest Family than the Safety of our Customers and Employees. We are in close communication with medical professionals, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), government agencies, and internal teams to stay on top of this evolving situation. According to the most recent information from the CDC, for most people, the immediate risk of being exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 is thought to be low.
> We want you to feel confident when traveling with Southwest Airlines. As a result, we have enhanced some of our cleaning procedures in the interest of our Customers' and Employees' health and safety.
> Aircraft Cleaning: We spend between 6-7 hours cleaning each aircraft every night, and, as of March 4, 2020, we have enhanced our overnight cleaning procedures. Typically, we use an EPA approved, hospital-grade disinfectant in the lavatories and an interior cleaner in the cabin. Now, we are expanding the use of the hospital-grade disinfectant throughout the aircraft, and it will be used in the cabin, on elements in the flight deck, and in the lavatory. This goes beyond the standard CDC guidelines.
> Also, we equip each of our aircraft with a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter, which filters out recirculated air onboard each plane to remove airborne particles. HEPA filters are also used in hospitals to provide patients with clean air.
> To learn more about our enhanced aircraft cleaning procedures, visit our blog for a detailed overview, along with a video and photos of the process.
> In addition, I want to take a moment to remind Customers of our flexible policies. These policies have always been in place at Southwest Airlines and provide our Customers peace of mind every day. We never charge Customers a fee to change or cancel (though fare differences might apply) their flights. If your plans change or if you decide to postpone your travel, the funds used to pay for your flight can be applied to future travel as long as you cancel your reservation at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled departure. The funds are valid for future travel up to one year from the original purchase date and must be used by the individual named on the ticket. Hopefully, these policies provide comfort to all of our Customers that they can book travel on Southwest as normal, and, if the circumstances change in the future, they can alter their plans without the penalty of a fee.
> Rest assured, we are monitoring this developing situation closely, staying in regular contact with federal agencies, health organizations, and other experts. We've developed a host of resources to keep you informed and updated along the way, including our Travel Advisory on southwest.com and our Company blog, and we'll continue to post updates as this situation evolves.
> Thank you for your patience and trust in Southwest Airlines. We are prepared to navigate through these challenging circumstances with your safety and confidence in Southwest Airlines at the forefront of everything we do.
> We look forward to seeing you onboard soon,
> Signature of Ryan Green
> Ryan Green
> SVP & Chief Marketing Officer


----------



## AngiTN

Got a strange question that I'm not sure how else to find the answer to. Maybe some folks here know
It's not a normal set of circumstances I'm sure. Most people check in within the same time zone as the flight.
DGD is flying in on Southwest on a flight that departs her local time at 5:00 AM. Which is 8:00 my time.
I am the one that will check her in to her flight on the app. Will I do it at 8:00 AM my time? That's what logic tells me but now I'm confused on how it reads time for check in. I get up early but not THAT early, LOL


----------



## FCDub

AngiTN said:


> Got a strange question that I'm not sure how else to find the answer to. Maybe some folks here know
> It's not a normal set of circumstances I'm sure. Most people check in within the same time zone as the flight.
> DGD is flying in on Southwest on a flight that departs her local time at 5:00 AM. Which is 8:00 my time.
> I am the one that will check her in to her flight on the app. Will I do it at 8:00 AM my time? That's what logic tells me but now I'm confused on how it reads time for check in. I get up early but not THAT early, LOL



yes, 24 hours from wherever the flight departs.


----------



## shoreward

AngiTN said:


> Got a strange question that I'm not sure how else to find the answer to. Maybe some folks here know
> It's not a normal set of circumstances I'm sure. Most people check in within the same time zone as the flight.
> DGD is flying in on Southwest on a flight that departs her local time at 5:00 AM. Which is 8:00 my time.
> I am the one that will check her in to her flight on the app. Will I do it at 8:00 AM my time? That's what logic tells me but now I'm confused on how it reads time for check in. I get up early but not THAT early, LOL


Check-in is always based on departure time from departure city.  So, if someone is departing from Chicago at 10:00 a.m. CDT, but the person doing the online check-in is in Boston, the person in Boston will start check-in at 11:00 a.m., EDT, 24 hours in advance of scheduled departure.


----------



## AngiTN

FCDub said:


> yes, 24 hours from wherever the flight departs.





shoreward said:


> Check-in is always based on departure time from departure city.  So, if someone is departing from Chicago at 10:00 a.m. CDT, but the person doing the online check-in is in Boston, the person in Boston will start check-in at 11:00 a.m., EDT, 24 hours in advance of scheduled departure.


Thanks. That's what I thought but then I really started to doubt myself.


----------



## Crazyhorse

Keep checking your SW flights.  I've checked multiple times today...no change.  Just checked again, flight dropped $11.00....another credit!    Every little bit helps.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Hoping all these drops bode well for opening day pricing this Thursday!!


----------



## Iowamomof4

Just remember that every time you take a credit, you move to the back of the line if you've purchased EBCI.

It sounds like I might have been mistaken. I certainly hope so!


----------



## shoreward

Crazyhorse said:


> Keep checking your SW flights.  I've checked multiple times today...no change.  Just checked again, flight dropped $11.00....another credit!    Every little bit helps.


I saved 49 points on some flights (that's worth 73.5 cents).


----------



## Crazyhorse

Iowamomof4 said:


> Just remember that every time you take a credit, you move to the back of the line if you've purchased EBCI.


That is not true.  An EBCI "line" is based on when you bought EBCI.  We always buy our seats when the schedule is released and we purchase EBCI then also.  I've taken credits like crazy and still end up with A boarding groups....usually A30 and down....or up...I guess it depends on how you look at it.  There is no downside to purchasing tickets early and then stalk price drops.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Crazyhorse said:


> That is not true.  An EBCI "line" is based on when you bought EBCI.  We always buy our seats when the schedule is released and we purchase EBCI then also.  I've taken credits like crazy and still end up with A boarding groups....usually A30 and down....or up...I guess it depends on how you look at it.  There is no downside to purchasing tickets early and then stalk price drops.



Hmm... that certainly goes against what others have told me and others here. I always weigh the size of the credit against the idea of losing my place in line. I'd be thrilled if I had been either misinformed or just not understanding what I thought I was reading.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Crazyhorse said:


> That is not true.  An EBCI "line" is based on when you bought EBCI.  We always buy our seats when the schedule is released and we purchase EBCI then also.  I've taken credits like crazy and still end up with A boarding groups....usually A30 and down....or up...I guess it depends on how you look at it.  There is no downside to purchasing tickets early and then stalk price drops.



I found one example from earlier in this thread:



barb969 said:


> You should be fine. A couple of things:
> 
> 1.  Book your fights as early as possible, usually available around 7 or 8am. Add EBCI immediately. This is easy if your are all,on the reservation. If you need to do everyone separately, book EBCI as you do each one.  Your boarding position depends on when you purchase EBCI. A few minutes can make a difference. Since you will not have consecutive numbers have an adult board with each charge taking place in line with the higher number.  Also you can use each other’s passes.
> 
> *2. Do not take advantage of price decreases or make any other changes. Your place in line for EBCI will be placed at the of th line. We did this do my husbands’s Thicket and he went fro A23 to B32*
> 
> Have a great trip.


----------



## poohj80

Also remember that all credits are tied to when you originally booked that first ticket earning a credit.  I used a previous credit when originally purchasing my tickets for next month.  I have now re-booked my trip several times over the last week to receive a new credit but the expiration date is based on the expiration date of the credit I originally used when booking this ticket last year.  Therefore, these current credits expire in May for me so I likely won't be able to use them.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Iowamomof4 said:


> Just remember that every time you take a credit, you move to the back of the line if you've purchased EBCI.


I understood this to be the case if you switched flights but the case you showed above is the only time I've ever heard of it happening if you take advantage of a price drop on the same flight you were originally booked on.


----------



## Crazyhorse

poohj80 said:


> Also remember that all credits are tied to when you originally booked that first ticket earning a credit.  I used a previous credit when originally purchasing my tickets for next month.  I have now re-booked my trip several times over the last week to receive a new credit but the expiration date is based on the expiration date of the credit I originally used when booking this ticket last year.  Therefore, these current credits expire in May for me so I likely won't be able to use them.


Yes, I agree.  I made that mistake too, forgetting the actual expiration date.  I had amassed almost $100.00 in credits and wasn't able to use them.  This trip, I made sure to wait to purchase our tickets so that any credits wouldn't expire until 1 day after our NEXT trip ends...if that makes sense.....


----------



## AngiTN

scrappinginontario said:


> I understood this to be the case if you switched flights but the case you showed above is the only time I've ever heard of it happening if you take advantage of a price drop on the same flight you were originally booked on.


That's how I understood it too but I think what happens (from what I've read) the ECBI mysteriously drops off even during a price change. So it has to be reinstated. If it sticks (for lack of better words) then it's fine. If it doesn't, if you have to have them reinstate it, then you go to the back of the line. It doesn't always drop off, so it's hit and miss. To me, it's just another good reason NOT to purchase it. I've just never needed it, I am always able to check in at 24 hours and we've always sat together, even though we don't care if we do or don't.


----------



## Crazyhorse

Iowamomof4 said:


> I found one example from earlier in this thread:


Never had that problem....but there is only 2 of us..no kids.


----------



## Crazyhorse

AngiTN said:


> That's how I understood it too but I think what happens (from what I've read) the ECBI mysteriously drops off even during a price change. So it has to be reinstated. If it sticks (for lack of better words) then it's fine. If it doesn't, if you have to have them reinstate it, then you go to the back of the line. To me, it's just another good reason NOT to purchase it. I've just never needed it, I am always able to check in at 24 hours and we've always sat together, even though we don't care if we do or don't.


Agree.  Each time I've changed to get a credit, it always sez on the bottom of the change confirmation that EBCI is fine and already paid for.


----------



## Iowamomof4

I edited my post.


----------



## Crazyhorse

Iowamomof4 said:


> Hmm... that certainly goes against what others have told me and others here. I always weigh the size of the credit against the idea of losing my place in line. I'd be thrilled if I had been either misinformed or just not understanding what I thought I was reading.


Maybe I've just been lucky?  I don't know...cuz each time I've changed to get a credit, the confirmation sez EBCI is fine as it's already been paid for.  Sure would like to see something in writing explaining the whole change flight for a price change only/EBCI going with, etc.


----------



## MinnieMSue

Well a year and a half or so ago we purchased flights opening day and early bird at that time. We modified to get a price cut and didn’t change anything else. We were split with boarding numbers - my daughter was A60 and I was B1. My early bird was still there but obviously we dropped way down the list. We have never been worse than A35and 36 on any other flight. I have to believe modifying for the price cut hurt my boarding position with early bird


----------



## AngiTN

MinnieMSue said:


> Well a year and a half or so ago we purchased flights opening day and early bird at that time. We modified to get a price cut and didn’t change anything else. We were split with boarding numbers - my daughter was A60 and I was B1. My early bird was still there but obviously we dropped way down the list. We have never been worse than A35and 36 on any other flight. I have to believe modifying for the price cut hurt my boarding position with early bird


You are just guessing, you have no proof. There's always a chance you get the later numbers. A is not guaranteed, even if it happened every other time.


----------



## Chip_Dale

The next batch of dates should be released on Thursday. What time do they usually get released? 12am 6am 8am or other?


----------



## aokeefe

Chip_Dale said:


> The next batch of dates should be released on Thursday. What time do they usually get released? 12am 6am 8am or other?


I think someone here has the history of what time the last few releases occurred. But I'm usually ready and waiting around 7 am- seen them released as early as 7:15 and as late as 10:30ish Eastern Time


----------



## scrappinginontario

Chip_Dale said:


> The next batch of dates should be released on Thursday. What time do they usually get released? 12am 6am 8am or other?


@SouthFayetteFan does an amazing job of tracking stats!!  (Thanks SFF!!)  Answer in post below.


SouthFayetteFan said:


> Here's your friendly reminder that *Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur THURSDAY, March 12th!*. For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget!
> 
> _I'm sharing this again now because it previously was listed as February 13th (one week from today) but was pushed back a month. Stay posted as this date is subject to change!_
> 
> Currently SW is offering flights through 8/10/20 and this next release will take their schedule out to 10/31/20. I'll try to post additional reminders as the date draws nearer.
> For those that care about "release timing" it's been all over the board recently (all times Eastern):
> 
> The release on 12/11/19 went live at 9:10am.
> The release on 10/30/19 went live at 7:15am.
> The release on 9/26/19 went live at 7:30am.
> The release on 8/15/19 went live at 10:41am.
> The release on 5/30/19 went live at 9:20am.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

scrappinginontario said:


> @SouthFayetteFan does an amazing job of tracking stats!!  (Thanks SFF!!)  Answer in post below.


Thanks!  Only change to this is they cut one day from the release.  It goes through 10/30/20 now.


----------



## Rachel GB

So now we have lots of travel funds ($119 each!) from the price drops . That’s never happened to me before, so I mistakenly assumed we would be able to use those funds for booking by a year from original purchase. But it looks as though the new travel dates (not booking date) must be by a year from original purchase- is that correct?
I have read about paying a fee for a LUV voucher, but I don’t know that it would be worth it.
If I have this right, we probably won’t use the travel funds , as we usually only fly to go to Disney once a year.
TIA!


----------



## scrappinginontario

Rachel GB said:


> So now we have lots of travel funds ($119 each!) from the price drops . That’s never happened to me before, so I mistakenly assumed we would be able to use those funds for booking by a year from original purchase. But it looks as though the new travel dates (not booking date) must be by a year from original purchase- is that correct?
> I have read about paying a fee for a LUV voucher, but I don’t know that it would be worth it.
> 
> 
> If I have this right, we probably won’t use the travel funds , as we usually only fly to go to Disney once a year.
> TIA!


 Funds must be used for travel that is complete 1 year before purchase date so if you travel the same time annually you will not be able to use these funds.

e.g. My flights go on sale this Thurs, Mar 12, 2020 for our Sep 2020 trip.  If the price drops and I take advantage of those drops, I must use the funds towards a trip that is completed my Mar 11, 2021, not Sep 2021.  It really does narrow the window to use the funds for sure.

Question for others, if I were to book 2 separate reservations for a trip, using the example above, could I use the travel funds for the one-wat, outbound reservation Mar 11, 2021 or earlier or, would I have had to completed my entire trip and returned by Mar 11 even if I book 2 one-way reservations?


----------



## poohj80

scrappinginontario said:


> Question for others, if I were to book 2 separate reservations for a trip, using the example above, could I use the travel funds for the one-wat, outbound reservation Mar 11, 2021 or earlier or, would I have had to completed my entire trip and returned by Mar 11 even if I book 2 one-way reservations?


Good question!  You can use them on the one-way outbound if it is before the expiration date.


----------



## disneyjr77

I have class thursday morning and will more than likely be signing people in between 7-8.  Will it matter that much if they release at 7 and I can't get in until 8?  Does the day of the week make a difference?  We're flying on Sundays


----------



## scrappinginontario

disneyjr77 said:


> I have class thursday morning and will more than likely be signing people in between 7-8.  Will it matter that much if they release at 7 and I can't get in until 8?  Does the day of the week make a difference?  We're flying on Sundays


It will depend on how many people are looking to book the same flight you are.  As the plane fills up the price will increase.  So, it will depend on how many people book between the time it releases and when you can get to a computer and book.  There is no guarantee that the flights will be available at 7am.  @SouthFayetteFan's chart above tracks what time the flights have become available for the past few releases.


----------



## SaintsManiac

Rachel GB said:


> So now we have lots of travel funds ($119 each!) from the price drops . That’s never happened to me before, so I mistakenly assumed we would be able to use those funds for booking by a year from original purchase. But it looks as though the new travel dates (not booking date) must be by a year from original purchase- is that correct?
> I have read about paying a fee for a LUV voucher, but I don’t know that it would be worth it.
> If I have this right, we probably won’t use the travel funds , as we usually only fly to go to Disney once a year.
> TIA!




FYI I had 4 sets of travel funds from rebooking flights 4x for our November trip. I was only allowed to use 2 per person and the website automatically took the lowest ones. I had to call and have the highest 2 sets applied.


----------



## poohj80

scrappinginontario said:


> It will depend on how many people are looking to book the same flight you are.  As the plane fills up the price will increase.  So, it will depend on how many people book between the time it releases and when you can get to a computer and book.  There is no guarantee that the flights will be available at 7am.  @SouthFayetteFan's chart above tracks what time the flights have become available for the past few releases.



On which post/page is the chart posted?  Thanks!


----------



## poohj80

Southwest just posted the following:

We are aware Customers are unable to cancel their reservation. Our Teams are working to resolve the situation quickly, and we thank you for your patience.


----------



## Iowamomof4

I really wish SW would institute a change to their current travel funds policy so that you have a year from when your original flight was to take place, or a year from the date you cancel, or really ANYTHING other than a year from when you originally booked. Some of our funds would be backdated to last June or July if we cancel at this point for our April 25- May 2 trip and I just don't see this virus issue being worked out by then. I know they already have a very flexible policy and I appreciate that, but these are extraordinary circumstances and many other airlines are going to end up with BETTER policies due to the coronavirus than what SW currently has.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Iowamomof4 said:


> I really wish SW would institute a change to their current travel funds policy so that you have a year from when your original flight was to take place, or a year from the date you cancel, or really ANYTHING other than a year from when you originally booked. Some of our funds would be backdated to last June or July if we cancel at this point for our April 25- May 2 trip and I just don't see this virus issue being worked out by then. I know they already have a very flexible policy and I appreciate that, but these are extraordinary circumstances and many other airlines are going to end up with BETTER policies due to the coronavirus than what SW currently has.


I know it sucks but at the same time there's got to be a limit somewhere unless travel funds switch over to what the new policy is for points where they don't expire.

If you did a year from when your flight is and you booked at release day you'll get something like 18-20months or so to use a credit (that's using 6-8 months out of a flight for when it was released). But someone then someone like my husband who frequently books business travel 2-3 weeks before his flight would only have 1 year and 2 to 3 weeks.

No matter what you're always going to have some people have much less time to use their credits than someone else and some who has less time could be just as likely as the person who has more time to fly within that time frame.

As for coronavirus I'm not so sure on that one as it's related to a virus not related to wanting to take advantage of a reduction in airfare pricing. But I'm def. interested in the ramifications of all of this on the airlines..I just hope they all come out mostly if not fully unscathed in the end.


----------



## scrappinginontario

poohj80 said:


> On which post/page is the chart posted?  Thanks!


  See post 6083 above on this page.


Iowamomof4 said:


> I really wish SW would institute a change to their current travel funds policy so that you have a year from when your original flight was to take place, or a year from the date you cancel, or really ANYTHING other than a year from when you originally booked. *Some of our funds would be backdated to last June or July if we cancel at this point for our April 25- May 2 trip* and I just don't see this virus issue being worked out by then. I know they already have a very flexible policy and I appreciate that, but these are extraordinary circumstances and many other airlines are going to end up with BETTER policies due to the coronavirus than what SW currently has.


This question has me wondering something.  Did you use funds from a previous discount to put towards your upcoming April 25 - May 2nd trip?  If so, my understanding is that the entire price of your April 25 - May 2 trip now adopts the date of your first purchase (which sounds like it was June or July 2019?)

The entire booking adopts the date of the travel credit funds, not just the portion of $$ used from the travel credit.  At least that is my understanding.


----------



## Iowamomof4

scrappinginontario said:


> See post 6083 above on this page.
> This question has me wondering something.  Did you use funds from a previous discount to put towards your upcoming April 25 - May 2nd trip?  If so, my understanding is that the entire price of your April 25 - May 2 trip now adopts the date of your first purchase (which sounds like it was June or July 2019?)
> 
> The entire booking adopts the date of the travel credit funds, not just the portion of $$ used from the travel credit.  At least that is my understanding.


Right. I booked one-way tickets and only had travel funds for dh and myself, so I used those funds on our individual tickets (purchased separately). So it should just be those two tickets that would have an issue.

EDIT: Well dang. I was wrong about how I applied the travel funds. I actually used most of them for DH and myself as part of the 4 tickets I purchased on one reservation for our return flight home. So, basically we're up a crick now. Oh well, if we can't go in April we probably just can't go because our AP's expire on May 12 anyway. Man, this royally stinks.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Iowamomof4 said:


> Right. I booked one-way tickets and only had travel funds for dh and myself, so I used those funds on our individual tickets (purchased separately). So it should just be those two tickets that would have an issue.


Ah, that make sense!  Thanks!


I think with all the uncertainties with COVID-19 right now, I would be weighing the advantage of using travel funds very carefully right now.  Our trip is still 6+ months out and flights will be available Thursday and even if I had travel funds, I don't think I'd be using them unless it was a substantial part of our flight cost.  With so many unknowns right now, I don't know if our Sep trip will be affected or not?  I don't want to risk adding an earlier 'booking date' to our tickets in case we need to delay our Sep trip.


----------



## Iowamomof4

scrappinginontario said:


> Ah, that make sense!  Thanks!
> 
> 
> I think with all the uncertainties with COVID-19 right now, I would be weighing the advantage of using travel funds very carefully right now.  Our trip is still 6+ months out and flights will be available Thursday and even if I had travel funds, I don't think I'd be using them unless it was a substantial part of our flight cost.  With so many unknowns right now, I don't know if our Sep trip will be affected or not?  I don't want to risk adding an earlier 'booking date' to our tickets in case we need to delay our Sep trip.



See my update. I guess we're just as messed up as can be right now.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Iowamomof4 said:


> Right. I booked one-way tickets and only had travel funds for dh and myself, so I used those funds on our individual tickets (purchased separately). So it should just be those two tickets that would have an issue.
> 
> EDIT: Well dang. I was wrong about how I applied the travel funds. I actually used most of them for DH and myself as part of the 4 tickets I purchased on one reservation for our return flight home. So, basically we're up a crick now. Oh well, if we can't go in April we probably just can't go because our AP's expire on May 12 anyway. Man, this royally stinks.


It really is a challenge and I can easily see how this would happen.  When flights drop, cancelling them is the last thing on our minds!  Grabbing the very best price is top at that time so grouping them all together makes sense at the time.

Hopefully it all works out for your April trip.


----------



## irt9206

My billing cycle ends on the 11th. Points should be available on the 12th, the same day of the next release. Does anyone know what time points would post to my RR account?  Hopefully before 6am just in case. Thanks.


----------



## shoreward

irt9206 said:


> My billing cycle ends on the 11th. Points should be available on the 12th, the same day of the next release. Does anyone know what time points would post to my RR account?  Hopefully before 6am just in case. Thanks.


It takes about four days past my payment due date for the points to post to my RR account.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I know it sucks but at the same time *there's got to be a limit somewhere *unless travel funds switch over to what the new policy is for points where they don't expire.
> 
> If you did a year from when your flight is and you booked at release day you'll get something like 18-20months or so to use a credit (that's using 6-8 months out of a flight for when it was released). But someone then someone like my husband who frequently books business travel 2-3 weeks before his flight would only have 1 year and 2 to 3 weeks.
> 
> No matter what you're always going to have some people have much less time to use their credits than someone else and some who has less time could be just as likely as the person who has more time to fly within that time frame.
> 
> As for coronavirus I'm not so sure on that one as it's related to a virus not related to wanting to take advantage of a reduction in airfare pricing. But I'm def. interested in the ramifications of all of this on the airlines..I just hope they all come out mostly if not fully unscathed in the end.



It would be reasonable to expect any revision to their current policy to be limited to flights within a certain date range. For now, perhaps that range would be any flight through March 31. In a week or two, they might extend that to include any flight through the end of April (or mid-April). Anyway, I just can't imagine that a company which prides itself on its highly-rated customer service would allow other carriers to outdo them when it comes to these extraordinary circumstances we find ourselves in right now.


----------



## AngiTN

SaintsManiac said:


> FYI I had 4 sets of travel funds from rebooking flights 4x for our November trip. I was only allowed to use 2 per person and the website automatically took the lowest ones. I had to call and have the highest 2 sets applied.


Did you not have the option to pick and choose which funds to apply? I get a check box next to them. I select which funds to use, keeping in mind the max number of payment types. And when the funds pay the price in full you can use 3. They use 3 forms of payment, max. So 2 credits and a credit card or 3 credits.



Iowamomof4 said:


> I really wish SW would institute a change to their current travel funds policy so that you have a year from when your original flight was to take place, or a year from the date you cancel, or really ANYTHING other than a year from when you originally booked. Some of our funds would be backdated to last June or July if we cancel at this point for our April 25- May 2 trip and I just don't see this virus issue being worked out by then. I know they already have a very flexible policy and I appreciate that, but these are extraordinary circumstances and many other airlines are going to end up with BETTER policies due to the coronavirus than what SW currently has.


That would be nice for sure but man, their policy is so generous now I just can't complain about it. My theory is, if I know I can't travel within the time of the credit, I don't bother looking for a fare to drop. I'd rather not know than get a credit I don't use. 
I still don't think the Legacies have a better overall policy, even with the exceptions they are putting in place.


----------



## SaintsManiac

AngiTN said:


> Did you not have the option to pick and choose which funds to apply? I get a check box next to them. I select which funds to use, keeping in mind the max number of payment types. And when the funds pay the price in full you can use 3. They use 3 forms of payment, max. So 2 credits and a credit card or 3 credits.
> 
> 
> That would be nice for sure but man, their policy is so generous now I just can't complain about it. My theory is, if I know I can't travel within the time of the credit, I don't bother looking for a fare to drop. I'd rather not know than get a credit I don't use.
> I still don't think the Legacies have a better overall policy, even with the exceptions they are putting in place.



I did not have that option obviously. I had to call like I said.


----------



## AngiTN

SaintsManiac said:


> I did not have option obviously. I had to call like I said.


I only meant did it get overlooked. It's not really obvious


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Iowamomof4 said:


> It would be reasonable to expect any revision to their current policy to be limited to flights within a certain date range. For now, perhaps that range would be any flight through March 31. In a week or two, they might extend that to include any flight through the end of April (or mid-April). Anyway, I just can't imagine that a company which prides itself on its highly-rated customer service would allow other carriers to outdo them when it comes to these extraordinary circumstances we find ourselves in right now.


I thought you were talking about the aftermath once the dust settles my apologies.

But I also agree with another poster by far SWA has one of the most lenient policies anyways. It's easy for other airlines to say "we'll temporarily allow this" when they haven't been doing that in the first place. SWA has been the airline to go that gives you a credit to begin with.

I've got a local DISer who is running into issues with Alaskan Air. They wouldn't give her or other people she knew anything for a cancellation they (meaning the passengers versus the airline) did for flights to Seattle (understandable) because they booked BEFORE a late February date IIRC. Nothing--not a voucher not even their own dang miles back. Maybe they've switched up their polices in the last week (haven't kept up on their issue) but at least with SWA (and the DISer did say that's what she gets for not booking with them) you could always get your miles back and you could get a credit even if it had a restriction it was something better than "you're out of luck".

Even if you put a date range here that would be unfortunate for my husband who flies March 30th but comes back April 2nd for a business trip (flights are still not booked yet) or when we both fly together on April 12th and come back April 16th and that's stressful to me to hope that SWA would just keep extending the date. We booked that in January I believe before all this Coronavirus came up. It's always going to impact someone. I know you were just throwing out a date.

I hear ya though. We don't really take advantage of price reductions unless we're booked on points honestly (which isn't often at the moment) The only reason we adjusted our flight this time for the April trip is because my husband's company initially paid for the ticket. Otherwise..we wouldn't have in this case as a direct result of Coronavirus. It would be unfortunate if we let the credits expire by mid-October but we don't know for sure what our plans will be in the coming months. I should note my ticket is booked on points so we would totally go for adjusting that one since we'll get those points back regardless.

Sorry didn't mean for this to become a longer thing here. I think we're all feeling the anxiety and stress this is all causing


----------



## Iowamomof4

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I thought you were talking about the aftermath once the dust settles my apologies.
> 
> But I also agree with another poster by far SWA has one of the most lenient policies anyways. It's easy for other airlines to say "we'll temporarily allow this" when they haven't been doing that in the first place. SWA has been the airline to go that gives you a credit to begin with.
> 
> I've got a local DISer who is running into issues with Alaskan Air. They wouldn't give her or other people she knew anything for a cancellation they (meaning the passengers versus the airline) did for flights to Seattle (understandable) because they booked BEFORE a late February date IIRC. Nothing--not a voucher not even their own dang miles back. Maybe they've switched up their polices in the last week (haven't kept up on their issue) but at least with SWA (and the DISer did say that's what she gets for not booking with them) you could always get your miles back and you could get a credit even if it had a restriction it was something better than "you're out of luck".
> 
> Even if you put a date range here that would be unfortunate for my husband who flies March 30th but comes back April 2nd for a business trip (flights are still not booked yet) or when we both fly together on April 12th and come back April 16th and that's stressful to me to hope that SWA would just keep extending the date. We booked that in January I believe before all this Coronavirus came up. It's always going to impact someone. I know you were just throwing out a date.
> 
> I hear ya though. We don't really take advantage of price reductions unless we're booked on points honestly (which isn't often at the moment) The only reason we adjusted our flight this time for the April trip is because my husband's company initially paid for the ticket. Otherwise..we wouldn't have in this case as a direct result of Coronavirus. It would be unfortunate if we let the credits expire by mid-October but we don't know for sure what our plans will be in the coming months. I should note my ticket is booked on points so we would totally go for adjusting that one since we'll get those points back regardless.
> 
> Sorry didn't mean for this to become a longer thing here. I think we're all feeling the anxiety and stress this is all causing



Yes, Alaska Air has changed their policy and now offers fee-free changes (and cancellations, they say, but I don't know how that works - I'm guessing they would issue a travel credit for the amount) for any flight through March 31, regardless of when it was booked. This is a very recent change.


----------



## MinnieMSue

AngiTN said:


> You are just guessing, you have no proof. There's always a chance you get the later numbers. A is not guaranteed, even if it happened every other time.



of course I have no proof. They don’t tell you those things. It was an educated guess however based on much experience. The odds of buying tickets as  soon as they were posted for sale with early bird and getting a B boarding group is small. To have it happen on the only flight that I modified to get a lower price is more evidence. But I never said I had proof. I never said A was guaranteed but how many people that pay for early bird as soon as southwest posts flights get a B position? I would say not many. I know there are classes of fares That bump early bird down but still that’s my opinion and I am sorry you don’t like it


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Iowamomof4 said:


> Yes, Alaska Air has changed their policy and now offers fee-free changes (and cancellations, they say, but I don't know how that works - I'm guessing they would issue a travel credit for the amount) for any flight through March 31, regardless of when it was booked. This is a very recent change.


Yeah I was just reading that (made me think about looking it up talking about it) which is good. Looks like they have an update on their website dated today. They say they'll deposit it into "My Account" wallet or an e-mail certificate but they don't mention what restrictions there would be on them and normally places, if there is no restriction, they often make a point to say that but who knows ya know.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Preparing for the next set of flights being released tomorrow.  Is there a way to see the Low Fare Calendar on the app?  Historically the new flights are available there first.  I couldn't find it on the app but wondering if I was just looking in the wrong places?


----------



## IandGsmom

Also waiting for tomorrow! Fingers crossed for good deals coming from West Coast to WDW for late September


----------



## chicagoshannon

I'm also waiting for tomorrow.  Hoping for cheap flights!


----------



## AlohaNow

scrappinginontario said:


> Preparing for the next set of flights being released tomorrow.  Is there a way to see the Low Fare Calendar on the app?  Historically the new flights are available there first.  I couldn't find it on the app but wondering if I was just looking in the wrong places?



This is good to know! I learned something new today. 

Anxiously awaiting the schedule opening tomorrow. I was even up super early today, because of my dog, and checked then because sometimes they change the release date a little bit, yes?  Is it ever earlier than stated, or only later than the projected date? We’ll be booking on points to catch our Mickey Boat in October, just in case we have to cancel!


----------



## shoreward

Southwest Coronvirus update:
https://www.southwest.com/Coronavirus/?clk=CORONAVIRUS_TA


----------



## AngiTN

Folks are really excited about opening day. Honestly, I've never bothered myself, I rarely plan trips that far out. 
Are they really THAT much cheaper on opening day?
I mean, I find flights for $49 just a month or two out. Will I find them cheaper tomorrow?
I'm looking but only because I need to pick between legacy airlines and SW for a flight I need for August. I prefer legacy because I can fly from home but it will depend on how cheap the SW flights are tomorrow. The legacy flights are pretty cheap right now and I'm hoping it's under my $200 threshold difference so we can fly from home instead of driving 2 hours.


----------



## G719

AngiTN said:


> Folks are really excited about opening day. Honestly, I've never bothered myself, I rarely plan trips that far out.
> Are they really THAT much cheaper on opening day?
> I mean, I find flights for $49 just a month or two out. Will I find them cheaper tomorrow?
> I'm looking but only because I need to pick between legacy airlines and SW for a flight I need for August. I prefer legacy because I can fly from home but it will depend on how cheap the SW flights are tomorrow. The legacy flights are pretty cheap right now and I'm hoping it's under my $200 threshold difference so we can fly from home instead of driving 2 hours.


I think it depends on a lot of factors. For me, I've always got the cheapest prices on opening day. This is for pittsburgh to orlando usually on a Saturday. So it's a popular route on a popular day for travel. If you can play around with dates/times or use different airports then I can see that people can score cheap prices during the sales. I booked opening day for end of July and the price hasn't come down and the return is over $100 more than it was opening day.


----------



## IandGsmom

AngiTN said:


> Folks are really excited about opening day. Honestly, I've never bothered myself, I rarely plan trips that far out.
> Are they really THAT much cheaper on opening day?
> I mean, I find flights for $49 just a month or two out. Will I find them cheaper tomorrow?
> I'm looking but only because I need to pick between legacy airlines and SW for a flight I need for August. I prefer legacy because I can fly from home but it will depend on how cheap the SW flights are tomorrow. The legacy flights are pretty cheap right now and I'm hoping it's under my $200 threshold difference so we can fly from home instead of driving 2 hours.


In the past, the initial tickets have been cheaper from California. Also important to me is the time so yeah, excited to give SW my $$


----------



## IluvMGM

Does anyone have experience with whether it is easier to book flights on the app or the website? I have to work tomorrow so need to discreetly try to book flights. LOL


----------



## MinnieMSue

IluvMGM said:


> Does anyone have experience with whether it is easier to book flights on the app or the website? I have to work tomorrow so need to discreetly try to book flights. LOL



personally I find it easier on the app. I put my cities in ahead of time and then use recent search to fill it in and just change to my dates. It seems like I have to try a few times opening day before flights are loaded so that makes it faster. It probably isn’t much different though really. I have to be covert at work tomorrow too


----------



## scrappinginontario

I’ll use my phone but open the website rather than the app as historically flights are available on the low fare calendar first and that is only available on the full website.

sadly flights are going to cost us more tomorrow as the Canadian dollar is dropping like a stone right now.  Thankfully it’s only 2 flights I need to pay for tomorrow and I’m not having to pay off our entire trip yet.


----------



## LoveMMC

Don’t like the southwest orlando to buffalo return times this year!!! 8am or 10pm. Last year August was midday and it was perfect. And the price is so high jet blue and southwest- hoping for a miracle tomorrow.
Canadian dollar


----------



## scrappinginontario

LoveMMC said:


> Don’t like the southwest orlando to buffalo return times this year!!! 8am or 10pm. Last year August was midday and it was perfect. And the price is so high jet blue and southwest- hoping for a miracle tomorrow.
> Canadian dollar


Finding the exact same.  Hoping they offer something mid-day in Sept.  last year our return flight to BUF was at 4:30 and it was perfect!


----------



## Leigh L

Good luck to everyone today finding the flights and prices they want! 

Also, anyone with a current SW flight, my flight (not to MCO) had a nice drop in price last night, so check again if you're looking for a better price.


----------



## 123Dis4Me

My flights (also not to MCO) had another big drop last night.


----------



## focusondisney

It’s kind of crazy getting ready to book flights for our September trip not knowing if I will cancel our April flights.  I plan to book these new ones with points.  Our April trip starts Easter weekend. Way down is Jetblue, coming back on SW.  I figure I’ll book with points now. If I cancel for April, I’ll just cancel the flights I make today & just rebook with the credits. I doubt we’ll reschedule to add another trip this year, but who knows.


----------



## AlohaNow

AngiTN said:


> Folks are really excited about opening day. Honestly, I've never bothered myself, I rarely plan trips that far out.
> Are they really THAT much cheaper on opening day?
> I mean, I find flights for $49 just a month or two out. Will I find them cheaper tomorrow?



I plan to book on opening day because:  A. SW is the only airline that I can fly for free on points  B. it's for a cruise, so my dates are set in stone, I need the 'good' flight times  C. I'm a planner, I love to plan travel, and this is fun for me!  Plus, when I'm booking entirely on points I know it could always drop and I can re-book, so I grab the flights that I want and check back occasionally. Though that's probably not a problem for the remainder of 2020 with the current world situation! I'm currently sitting here and the schedule isn't open yet. I guess I'm waiting around for 6am Dallas time....


----------



## scrappinginontario

Good morning!  I have the low fare calendar loaded and keep refreshing it.  Excited to do this even though I’m not sure if we’ll have to delay our Sep trip based  on how Covid-19 is at that time.


----------



## AlohaNow

Morning @scrappinginontario ! I'm right there with ya - still excited for the planning, hoping for the best, but keeping everything cancellable at the same time! PIF date for our October cruise is June 30, so we're moving ahead at this point in time. 

The world is still turning!  Happy planning everyone!


----------



## shoreward

@SouthwestAir is stating so as not to overwhelm the system, the schedule extension will be updated throughout the day, with it fully released by tonight.


----------



## AlohaNow

shoreward said:


> @SouthwestAir is stating so as not to overwhelm the system, the schedule extension will be updated throughout the day, with it fully released by tonight.



Thank you so much for posting this! I guess I'll go eat breakfast now.


----------



## PSUGuy

shoreward said:


> @SouthwestAir is stating so as not to overwhelm the system, the schedule extension will be updated throughout the day, with it fully released by tonight.



Sounds like BS to me. People are curtailing or cancelling travel, the system should have less traffic. We're going to F&W for 9 days in Oct regardless, assuming Disney is even open.

Bill From PA


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

I can't load a calendar or anything. It's driving me nuts!


----------



## Chrizwald

PSUGuy said:


> Sounds like BS to me. People are curtailing or cancelling travel, the system should have less traffic. We're going to F&W for 9 days in Oct regardless, assuming Disney is even open.
> 
> Bill From PA


If people are logging in or calling to cancel their flight, that's actually ADDING to the traffic.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Anybody having any luck? I'm feeling it's a no go for today.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

shoreward said:


> @SouthwestAir is stating so as not to overwhelm the system, the schedule extension will be updated throughout the day, with it fully released by tonight.


This is actually their standard response on twitter every single release day.


----------



## georgina

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> Anybody having any luck? I'm feeling it's a no go for today.


It's early yet. When we booked flights last August they didn't open until after 10 AM EST


----------



## scrappinginontario

8:50 am - *LOW FARE CALENDAR IS STARTING TO LOAD WITH NEW FLIGHTS!!!*


----------



## scrappinginontario

August prices look AMAZING!!!  C'mon September!!


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

I usually see something by now. Between the flight schedule calendar or being able to book.


----------



## TexasChick123

scrappinginontario said:


> August prices look AMAZING!!!  C'mon September!!



I need October...


----------



## chicagoshannon

Looks like $92 across the board for August.  Need September though.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Ack!!  Still nothing past Aug 31 that I can see


----------



## Heidi K

Trying to go to Disney in August.  I can see the low fair calendar August dates but the SW main page is still saying only through August 10th...Any ideas how to fix this?!?!?


----------



## missmickey

Where do you find the low fare calendar?  Im on their website and still see nothing past August 10th


----------



## zuzu310

Been refreshing all morning for September flights...out of town currently in Texas so I just want to get this done and move on with my day.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Heidi K said:


> Trying to go to Disney in August.  I can see the low fair calendar August dates but the SW main page is still saying only through August 10th...Any ideas how to fix this?!?!?



Click your travel dates from the low fare calendar and book from there.


----------



## scrappinginontario

missmickey said:


> Where do you find the low fare calendar?  Im on their website and still see nothing past August 10th


----------



## han22735

Heidi K said:


> Trying to go to Disney in August.  I can see the low fair calendar August dates but the SW main page is still saying only through August 10th...Any ideas how to fix this?!?!?


Just book through the low fare finder.  I just did for our late August trip.  $97 and $117 each way. Great times and direct flights.


----------



## scrappinginontario

20 mins later and still only August flights available on the low fare calendar.  Forgot how painful this was!


----------



## AngiTN

PSUGuy said:


> Sounds like BS to me. People are curtailing or cancelling travel, the system should have less traffic. We're going to F&W for 9 days in Oct regardless, assuming Disney is even open.
> 
> Bill From PA


For the immediate time yes. For the time frame that SW is releasing today, not so much. People are moving upcoming soon trips out to these new dates.


----------



## lilkimmyk

Just booked  our return flights to PHL from MCO for $79 in August!  I did notice that the EBCI went up since the last time we flew SW (August 2018).  It's good I'm still happy!

ETA:  I booked through the Low Fare Calendar as the dates weren't loaded the other way


----------



## AngiTN

scrappinginontario said:


> 8:50 am - *LOW FARE CALENDAR IS STARTING TO LOAD WITH NEW FLIGHTS!!!*





scrappinginontario said:


> Click your travel dates from the low fare calendar and book from there.


That doesn't work. At least not for my flights.
The calendar shows but you can't click on the dates and get individual flights.
The Search button is grayed out
See here


----------



## elle101me

Thanks for the tip about the low fare calendar. I booked our August return. It's still not working thru a regular booking search.


----------



## AngiTN

Looks like they haven't really "released" them yet.
If you look at their blurb, it still reads "Booking flights through Aug 10" so they aren't officially taking more than that yet.
With only Aug and only then just some via the calendar I would assume those are loaded because the first few days of Aug has been bookable. They've probably got the dates loaded and ready to turn on at some point and Aug is only showing up for now since part of the month was already open, if that makes sense.


----------



## scrappinginontario

AngiTN said:


> That doesn't work. At least not for my flights.
> The calendar shows but you can't click on the dates and get individual flights.
> The Search button is grayed out
> See here
> View attachment 480479


Not sure why that is happening for you.  Did you click your return flight too if you have a return flight you're looking for?

I'm waiting for Sep flights but I have been able to look at August flight options.  Others have successfully booked their August flights also using the low fare calendar.  

Sorry!  Wish I could be of more help!  Right now I'm wearing out my refresh button!!


----------



## IluvMGM

Booked my 8/31 flight to Orlando for $99 at a decent time.


----------



## AngiTN

scrappinginontario said:


> Not sure why that is happening for you.  Did you click your return flight too if you have a return flight you're looking for?
> 
> I'm waiting for Sep flights but I have been able to look at August flight options.  Others have successfully booked their August flights also using the low fare calendar.
> 
> Sorry!  Wish I could be of more help!  Right now I'm wearing out my refresh button!!


My return would be in Sept but I only book 1 leg at a time all the time.
Makes perfect sense to me that it's not fully populated/released yet because they haven't really released the calendar yet. I'm certain when the release really happens, it will work fine.
Just like when people find back doors in to Disney's systems and try to book things early, results are helter skelter. Patience will help and make it much easier. They aren't going to sell out, not when most can't even figure out how to book


----------



## scrappinginontario

Keep trying @AngiTN as others are successfully booking.  They're loading more constantly...although slowly this morning!


----------



## pooh'smate

It is open for me through Oct.


----------



## DrFacilier

My thanks too!  I had been impatiently checking all morning and then decided to stop by this thread to see what was up.  Just booked our August trip through the low fare calendar for less than 9k points per person.  Does this low fare calendar thing always work on release days?


----------



## Micharlotte

My return flight is a good price at $94, but the way there is $130! I’ve never paid that much. I’m thinking of booking the return flight and watching the way there.


----------



## chicagoshannon

Just booked September!  $92 each way if we were to pay cash.


----------



## tinkerbella16

Woohoo! all booked for September! $99 going and $79 coming home from PHL to MCO non-stop at great times!! So excited!!!


----------



## scrappinginontario

Woot Woot!!  Got em!!!  $94 each way direct from Buffalo to/from Orlando!  Great times also.

VERY happy!!!


----------



## irt9206

My flight into MCO is on a Max8. Great.


----------



## PSUGuy

Just got RT for 2, PHL/MCO for 26,000 pts and $122 for EB and taxes. We're happy.

Bill From PA


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*FYI - Southwest extended their schedule this morning for flights through October 30th, 2020.*

Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment:

*NEXT RELEASE: 4/23/20 - travel through January 4th, 2021**
3/12/20 - travel through October 30th, 2020
12/11/19 - travel through August 10th, 2020
10/30/19 - travel through June 6th, 2020
9/26/19 - travel through April 13th, 2020
8/15/19 - travel through March 6th, 2020
5/30/19 - travel through January 5th, 2020
3/15/19 - travel through November 2nd, 2019
1/31/19 - travel through October 1st, 2019
11/15/18 - travel through August 5th, 2019
9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019
8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
_**Subject to Change - check back frequently here: https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/*

This chart could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above) They appear to be tightening the inventory a bit this year vs. prior year's releases._

*RELEASE TIMES:*

the release on 3/12/20 went live at 9:40am.
The release on 12/11/19 went live at 9:10am.
The release on 10/30/19 went live at 7:15am.
The release on 9/26/19 went live at 7:30am.
The release on 8/15/19 went live at 10:41am.
The release on 5/30/19 went live at 9:20am.
If you want to search back for this post in the future - just search my name and "release".  But be advised that I will not go back and update this post if they alter the next release date in the future.


----------



## georgina

Micharlotte said:


> My return flight is a good price at $94, but the way there is $130! I’ve never paid that much. I’m thinking of booking the return flight and watching the way there.


Yeah, my flight to MCO on a Sat in Oct was $144, so I didn't book yet. Home was $119, so I used credits that will expire and paid $16 cash for that.  (And if that flight drops and I get a credit I can use it on the outbound flight hopefully). Dh's flights to Grand Cayman and back were quite low, so that's good anyway, less than 30,000 pts round trip.


----------



## han22735

irt9206 said:


> My flight into MCO is on a Max8. Great.


Same. Hopefully it just gets changed to a different aircraft and not canceled.  For me its the first non-stop flight out for the day so chances are good the aircraft will change not the flight.


----------



## shoreward

SouthFayetteFan said:


> This is actually their standard response on twitter every single release day.


I know that I've posted essentially that same message in the past, for prior schedule extensions.  In fact, that message is fairly accurate, according to my personal experience.  Though I personally believe that the updates won't take till this evening to complete uploading, some routes do seem to take a several hours to appear in the schedule, following the initial upload.


----------



## TexasChick123

My flights aren’t great and aren’t terrible. It’s 22K points/person RT from HOU-MCO in October. Hopefully, they come down some. It would’ve been $332 if we paid cash.


----------



## Lansgm

My flights were a little more than I wanted, but knowing that I can change them if/when they drop, I just did it!


----------



## shoreward

irt9206 said:


> My flight into MCO is on a Max8. Great.


I heard that some experts believe that there is no way that the MAX 8 will be going back into the fleet, before the end of 2020.  As they say, "stay tuned."

Many are saying that they were able to book preferred times and very competitive fares in this schedule extension.  That is in part due to adding the MAX 8 planes back into the fleet, making more seats available.


----------



## Heidi K

scrappinginontario said:


> View attachment 480476


Thank-you!  That was very helpful.


----------



## Lansgm

irt9206 said:


> My flight into MCO is on a Max8. Great.



How do you know you're on a Max8? Where do I find this information?


----------



## irt9206

han22735 said:


> Same. Hopefully it just gets changed to a different aircraft and not canceled.  For me its the first non-stop flight out for the day so chances are good the aircraft will change not the flight.


I was thinking the same thing. First flight out. Non stop. And should be sold out.


----------



## irt9206

Lansgm said:


> How do you know you're on a Max8? Where do I find this information?


Its on your reservation details below the flight number.


----------



## GraceMonica

End of october is so expensive. $158/pp one way for the first nonstop flight out. I'm wondering if they're expecting people to reschedule for the fall.


----------



## elle101me

irt9206 said:


> My flight into MCO is on a Max8. Great.


Does your flight say Max8? My flight back says 737-800, but that's not the Max8. I think.


----------



## LoveMMC

I got August for about 145 each way (buffalo to Orlando) and for times I like. Happy days. Glad that’s done!


----------



## irt9206

elle101me said:


> Does your flight say Max8? My flight back says 737-800, but that's not the Max8. I think.


It's a MAX8. Hope they change the plane and not the time


----------



## Disneycouple99

I got IND to MCO round trip for 4 people during Columbus day week for 47,239 points.  I'm happy.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

This may get lost in all the release date frenzy but my husband was just e-mailed HUGE news and probably will impact a lot of folks here on the Boards that purchase EBCI:





It's now updated in their Program Policies in the link below--also includes the specific instances where the automatic inclusion won't apply

https://www.southwest.com/html/gene...a92d5efe23&src=MAILNOT1806032#member-boarding
My husband presently is A-List. Unfortunately our April flight is on 2 different reservations--one with his travel credit and mine with points. Still though this is something to keep in mind for the future.

The information above says it will automatically check in people on the same reservation so basically giving part of the A-list benefit.


----------



## elle101me

irt9206 said:


> It's a MAX8. Hope they change the plane and not the time


Hopefully they will just change the plane. It seems like they've been updating the MAX8 situation around the middle of each month on their website, so it should be soon.


----------



## IluvMGM

Got my return flight at $79 and at an okay time, was pleasantly surprised. Had giftcards also, so only paid about $100 out of pocket.


----------



## beercity

Wow, zero non-stop flights GRR-MCO in September....


----------



## han22735

I booked this morning using the low fare finder before it released the normal way.  I just looked again and prices went down.  I got back 2100 points.


----------



## Chrizwald

Just got 2 for late October BNA-MCO for just under 20,000 points total.  Both non-stop.  8am depart, 7ish PM depart on the way back.  This is my first time booking with points, so it looked good to me.


----------



## KerryCM

Got my flights for Oct. 13-20 for $81 going down and $112 coming home. Nashville to MCO! Great times too, very happy


----------



## poohj80

Booked our flights from BHM for Fall Break, but prices weren't great ($125 each way) and only 1 non-stop flight to MCO where there are typically 3-5 per day.  Hopefully more get added as we get closer to time.  I booked on points so hope to get some points refunded as our travel date grows closer.


----------



## scrappinginontario

DrFacilier said:


> My thanks too!  I had been impatiently checking all morning and then decided to stop by this thread to see what was up.  Just booked our August trip through the low fare calendar for less than 9k points per person.  *Does this low fare calendar thing always work on release days?*


Yes.  For as long as I have been looking (probably 5+ years now since this information was shared with me) I've always found that the low fare calendar displays the new dates before the normal way of booking does.  It's a great little tip to know and has saved me a lot of money over the years!



irt9206 said:


> My flight into MCO is on a Max8. Great.


My flight home is also displaying a Max8.  I'll keep an eye on it.  Thankful that it's the flight home and not the one to Orlando.


elle101me said:


> Does your flight say Max8? My flight back says 737-800, but that's not the Max8. I think.


This is our return flight and an example of what it looks like if you're currently booked on a MAX8 flight.  Hoping they will change the plane by September.




Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> This may get lost in all the release date frenzy but my husband was just e-mailed HUGE news and probably will impact a lot of folks here on the Boards that purchase EBCI:
> 
> View attachment 480489
> 
> View attachment 480490
> 
> It's now updated in their Program Policies in the link below--also includes the specific instances where the automatic inclusion won't apply
> 
> https://www.southwest.com/html/gene...a92d5efe23&src=MAILNOT1806032#member-boarding
> My husband presently is A-List. Unfortunately our April flight is on 2 different reservations--one with his travel credit and mine with points. Still though this is something to keep in mind for the future.
> 
> The information above says it will automatically check in people on the same reservation so basically giving part of the A-list benefit.


 I think this is great for the A-list people and their families.  We don't tend to have too many A-listers on our flights I don't think, if they're they ones with A1-15 boarding groups.

@Mackenzie Click-Mickelson does your husband normally get assigned an A1-15 Boarding Number or, am I misunderstanding and he gets A16 and above?


----------



## Anal Annie

Boy this was a real cluster you know what this morning.   It took forever to get the fares to show and I tried on both my phone and on my computer.  Fares for Oct much higher than I'd hoped and definitely higher than what everyone is reporting for Aug & Sept.   I finally settled on $142 pp for the 2nd flight of the morning from BWI on Oct 4 and $194 pp for a 7:05 pm return on Oct 11th.  There always USED TO BE a 9:00 or 9:15 return flight which I always used to book and which was not there this time.   They skipped from 7:05 to 10:20.   That's just too late for us as we live about an hour away from the airport.  So that was a bummer.  It was only $119 so could have saved $75 pp.   Guess I'll start watching the fares and see if they drop and I can get any credits now that I've booked these.


----------



## poohj80

Anal Annie said:


> Boy this was a real cluster you know what this morning.   It took forever to get the fares to show and I tried on both my phone and on my computer.  Fares for Oct much higher than I'd hoped and definitely higher than what everyone is reporting for Aug & Sept.   I finally settled on $142 pp for the 2nd flight of the morning from BWI on Oct 4 and $194 pp for a 7:05 pm return on Oct 11th.  There always USED TO BE a 9:00 or 9:15 return flight which I always used to book and which was not there this time.   They skipped from 7:05 to 10:20.   That's just too late for us as we live about an hour away from the airport.  So that was a bummer.  It was only $119 so could have saved $75 pp.   Guess I'll start watching the fares and see if they drop and I can get any credits now that I've booked these.


We're flying on similar dates and had the same issues with the typical flights not being available and higher prices than usual.


----------



## shoreward

...


----------



## shoreward

scrappinginontario said:


> I think this is great for the A-list people and their families.  We don't tend to have too many A-listers on our flights I don't think, if they're they ones with A1-15 boarding groups.



A- and A+ members are automatically checked in at T-24, with boarding positions starting with A16.  A1-A15 are set aside for Business Select customers and those purchasing upgrades at the gate.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

scrappinginontario said:


> I think this is great for the A-list people and their families. We don't tend to have too many A-listers on our flights I don't think, if they're they ones with A1-15 boarding groups.
> 
> @Mackenzie Click-Mickelson does your husband normally get assigned an A1-15 Boarding Number or, am I misunderstanding and he gets A16 and above?


A1-A15 is only for Business Select fare (or Upgraded Priority) and IME the slots aren't completely filled on average so you're probably thinking of that.

A-Listers, strictly speaking for Boarding positions, would be ones who are A16 and on and are those who purchase Anytime Fare or Wanna Get Away fares. You could be an A-lister and book Business Select fare but you're already going to get A1-A15 anyways so that's why I excluded that from the above comment.

Each flight is different so you may have one flight be more A-listers than another and different flight times may be more conducive to business travelers who may be more likely to earn A-list.
------------------------------------------------------------------
The reason I more mentioned about EBCI is because boarding slots that were previously not used up by passengers on an A-lister's reservation were ones able to be used by EBCI and non-EBCI purchased tickets. So in the future if people see their particular flight's ticket with EBCI purchased and have a worse off Boarding position than they hoped for in the past people tended to equate that to "there's just so many people purchasing EBCI" but now there's an added layer in there that can affect one's Boarding position.

ETA: I too think this is good for A-listers even though we won't likely get to take advantage of the new adjustment in program benefits. I knew SWA had been looking at their Business travelers (who tend to be more the ones to get A-list at least quicker) for ways to adjust their program. Really though I knew they were looking into their most frequent travelers and perks given to them so it's possible more changes could come in the future.


----------



## chicagoshannon

how does one become an A-lister?  And do you have to be an A-lister before the flights are purchased or can that happen as long as you haven't flown on that flight yet?


----------



## shoreward

chicagoshannon said:


> how does one become an A-lister?  And do you have to be an A-lister before the flights are purchased or can that happen as long as you haven't flown on that flight yet?


You need to fly 25 one-way revenue flights (not paid with points or vouchers) or earn 35,000 tier-qualifying points within one calendar year.  Status earned in one calendar year is good for the balance of that year, + all of the following year.  The count resets every year on January 1 for attaining A-List and A-List Preferred status.


----------



## shoreward

..


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

chicagoshannon said:


> how does one become an A-lister?  And do you have to be an A-lister before the flights are purchased or can that happen as long as you haven't flown on that flight yet?


I think there might be adjustments on transactions that qualify for A-list for status through 2021. Here's the link for that information: https://www.southwest.com/html/rapidrewards/eoy-tier-communication.html

Presently for A-list it's either 25 one way qualifying flights or 35,000 tier qualifying points. For A-list Preferred it's 50 one way qualifyiing flights or 70,000 tier qualifying points.

"A-List and A-List Preferred qualification will be based on a calendar year."

For your answer on whether the flight is purchased already and then you earn A-list: "Once A-List or A-List Preferred status is earned, the Member can begin enjoying the benefits immediately. The Member will maintain A-List or A-List Preferred status for the remainder of the calendar in which the status was earned and for the entire calendar year immediately following."

To be automatically checked in at 36 hours (a benefit of A-list) you will have needed to fully earn A-list status prior to 36 hours before the flight. However, A-listers are always able to board after A Boarding Group should they not end up getting an A Boarding position. So so long as you've fully earned A-list (your SWA Rapid Rewards account should reflect this) you would be able to board after group A should you not get an A Boarding position. If the ability to Board after A's has changed I'm unaware of it but it's possible with all the updates SWA is doing with their programs that it could/would.


----------



## focusondisney

scrappinginontario said:


> Woot Woot!!  Got em!!!  $94 each way direct from Buffalo to/from Orlando!  Great times also.
> 
> VERY happy!!!



I‘m from Buffalo & I’m happy they kept the nonstops each way.  I left the house about 8:15 & didn’t check again til 10:30. Luckily I got $94 each way too. Actually, I paid with points, it was 11466 each round trip. Pretty good price!


----------



## AlohaNow

chicagoshannon said:


> how does one become an A-lister?  And do you have to be an A-lister before the flights are purchased or can that happen as long as you haven't flown on that flight yet?



I was super randomly given A-List status earlier this year. I have no idea why! Credit card holder maybe? But thanks SWA!

I got my return flight this morning on points. Not too bad.

Am I the only person on the thread this morning NOT from Buffalo???


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

AlohaNow said:


> I was super randomly given A-List status earlier this year. I have no idea why! Credit card holder maybe? But thanks SWA!
> 
> I got my return flight this morning on points. Not too bad.
> 
> Am I the only person on the thread this morning NOT from Buffalo???


I'm from KC but we aren't looking to book fights at the moment lol


----------



## scrappinginontario

AlohaNow said:


> I was super randomly given A-List status earlier this year. I have no idea why! Credit card holder maybe? But thanks SWA!
> 
> I got my return flight this morning on points. Not too bad.
> 
> *Am I the only person on the thread this morning NOT from Buffalo???*


  And the funny thing is a lot of us 'Buffalo' people are Canadians who hop across the border for the cheaper flights!  We're not even from Buffalo!


----------



## Mosey03

I just checked in for our flight tomorrow.  We didn't purchase EBCI.  We got Boarding Group B Positions 30-33.  There are so many knowledgeable people on this thread...how is that for a boarding position?


----------



## shoreward

Mosey03 said:


> I just checked in for our flight tomorrow.  We didn't purchase EBCI.  We got Boarding Group B Positions 30-33.  There are so many knowledgeable people on this thread...how is that for a boarding position?


If you are flying on a 737-700, there are 143 seats on the plane.  So, you will be boarding after preboards and approximately 75 or so others.

There are 175 seats on the 737-800, so you will be about halfway in the boarding process.

Either way, you should be able to find seats together - either 3+1 or 2+2.

Without purchasing EBCI, that is not bad at all.


----------



## KNJWDW

elle101me said:


> Does your flight say Max8? My flight back says 737-800, but that's not the Max8. I think.


You are correct.  The 737-800 is not the Max8.  I just read an article in USA Today explaining that.  I tried to link it, but can’t get it to work.


----------



## chicagoshannon

Mosey03 said:


> I just checked in for our flight tomorrow.  We didn't purchase EBCI.  We got Boarding Group B Positions 30-33.  There are so many knowledgeable people on this thread...how is that for a boarding position?


It honestly depends on how many family boarders and pre boarders there are.  We've been on flights with approximately that seating position and been fine but have been on flights with boarding group B2 and had to go all the way to the back, last seat to find a row together.  So hope for low family boarding numbers.


----------



## tripplanner2

I just rebooked some of our flights and got back 2000 points. Not as cheap as I hoped but I booked 6 round trip direct flights from Islip for about 90,000 points. I can always watch for them to lower again.


----------



## Euby

KerryCM said:


> Got my flights for Oct. 13-20 for $81 going down and $112 coming home. Nashville to MCO! Great times too, very happy



My sister and I are flying BNA to MCO on those dates!  I got the same rates.  Wonder if we're going to be flying together.


----------



## Diamond_Girls

I'm trying to change my flights to Sep but SW website keeps giving me an error.  I'm on a 90 minute hold with SW.  Any suggestions?  Are folks changing their flights, or canceling and then rebooking?  Thanks


----------



## lcc2

Diamond_Girls said:


> I'm trying to change my flights to Sep but SW website keeps giving me an error.  I'm on a 90 minute hold with SW.  Any suggestions?  Are folks changing their flights, or canceling and then rebooking?  Thanks


I kept getting errors when trying to change my flight yesterday. I called SW and right away the system gave me the option for them to call me back in 20 minutes. Well, got a call back 2 1/2 hours later (was better than sitting on hold I guess). The rep said error was because of all the different types of payments I used (gift card and credit card, etc.) and because of changing flight a few times. Not sure if it is true but that is what she told me.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Diamond_Girls said:


> I'm trying to change my flights to Sep but SW website keeps giving me an error.  I'm on a 90 minute hold with SW.  Any suggestions?  Are folks changing their flights, or canceling and then rebooking?  Thanks


I'm guessing their website and phone lines are being absolutely slammed right now with people altering flights that are scheduled today or over the next couple of weeks.  I would keep trying but be ready for a very long wait for a callback if you need to make changes by phone.


----------



## shoreward

Diamond_Girls said:


> I'm trying to change my flights to Sep but SW website keeps giving me an error.  I'm on a 90 minute hold with SW.  Any suggestions?  Are folks changing their flights, or canceling and then rebooking?  Thanks


Unless it's something complicated, such as different forms of payment or using a Companion Pass, I find that going into a private window or incognito mode sometimes resolves the issue.

Regarding a separate matter, someone posted yesterday that they were on hold for a very long time to reach a CSR at Southwest.  After the call was finally picked up and the agent provided the requested assistance, the CSR thanked the caller for not yelling at her. 

The employees at airlines and hotels (especially those working the phones) are doing their best to assist their customers.  For those who need to contact someone to change or cancel reservations, please muster your patience and be as understanding, as possible, for any delays.  We are all in this together, and long delays on hold should be the least of our concerns, right now.


----------



## shoreward

For anyone changing their Southwest plans and cancelling a flight that has EBCI, keep in mind that the EBCI fee will not be refunded, if you cancel your flight.  Instead of cancelling, "change" your reservation, which will allow the EBCI to be transferred to your new flight.

Southwest is stating that EBCI is not refundable.


----------



## PCFriar80

KNJWDW said:


> You are correct.  The 737-800 is not the Max8.  I just read an article in USA Today explaining that.  I tried to link it, but can’t get it to work.


This may have been posted elsewhere on this thread but I thought I would show [or refresh] how you can check what type of aircraft you're on and specifically how a 737-800 vs a 737-800 Max appear for your flight.  If you click on the flight number for your specific flight the following will appear.  This is for a 10/29 MCO-BDL flight, 2 flight numbers with a stop in BWI.


----------



## G719

https://www.fool.com/amp/investing/...makes-a-major-change-to-its-boarding-pol.aspx
I wonder how this applies to buying the upgraded boarding at the gate. Will there be less spots available to buy because 1 A-lister could take more than 1 spot with his family? I was planning to upgrade at the gate because I have the card that gives you 4 free upgrades a year and I was going to use that for my family of 4 instead of doing EBCI for one of our flights.


----------



## EACarlson

Need some help from the Southwest Gurus here.  I had to cancel a cash flight for my family of 4 due to a death in the family.  I got back travel funds in each of our names to be used within a year of original purchase.  There is probably no way I'm getting my wife and kids on another plane in the next 6 months.  When I go to get the residual value of the tickets late this year or early next, is it going to be $100 off each ticket or $100 off the total?  Right now between the three of them there is $342 in TF, am I going to be able to use $242 of that or only $42?


----------



## Splashboat

I am sure this info is posted somewhere but I cannot find it.  If I booked on points and rebook using less point (due to drop in cost), do the points that go back into my Rapid Rewards expire within the year from original booking as cash/credit purchase do or are they put back into my account without expiration? TIA


----------



## Iowamomof4

Splashboat said:


> I am sure this info is posted somewhere but I cannot find it.  If I booked on points and rebook using less point (due to drop in cost), do the points that go back into my Rapid Rewards expire within the year from original booking as cash/credit purchase do or are they put back into my account without expiration? TIA



Points go back into your account and don't expire as long as you... (travel once every 2 years at least? not completely sure what the caveat is, but I know it's pretty generous)


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Iowamomof4 said:


> Points go back into your account and don't expire as long as you... (travel once every 2 years at least? not completely sure what the caveat is, but I know it's pretty generous)


Points don't expire anymore 

I forget when that announcement came (October 2019 maybe?) either way it's a good change to their program

The caveat now is that you keep your account active--close your account and the points go away.

https://www.southwest.com/html/generated/help/faqs/rapid_rewards_general_faq.html?CLK=SITESEARCH


----------



## Leigh L

Hi, I have a question for SW experts! 

I have a SW flight to Milwaukee with DD in early April - I'm almost sure I have to cancel based on DH's employer's policy but waiting to find out next week if it includes DD and myself.

My question is - the price for my SW flight dropped significantly today. If I change it and get a travel credit for DD and myself and take the lower price, but then end up needing to cancel altogether (due to the policy or virus spread), how many travel credits will DD and I have (i.e. one each or two each?)

I'm wondering since SW only allows a certain amount of payments when rebooking and last time we had a small credit we couldn't include since we exceeded the # of payment types allowed on one booking.

I hope I'm making sense! Thank you


----------



## jo-jo

Grrrrr   I noticed our Mid May flight from disney to Phila dropped by half of what we paid..  $197 to 99.   Yesterday the cost was $245.   Anyway, since we need a third seat, I need to call SW to get the fare change.     I called, hear a message longer than normal wait.....120 mins.   ok, plugged phone into charger, wait , wait , wait.    At 2 hours, heard a beep or two and the call dropped.   Called back......2 hour wait.


Update.....waited an 45 mins, called dropped.  Called back again, waited about 20 mins, call dropped.  My phone was always in the same spot, so it's not like I was walking around the house and blocked the signel.  But anyway, fourth time, I got through and fare was adjusted.


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## ultimatefans

Leigh L said:


> Hi, I have a question for SW experts!
> 
> I have a SW flight to Milwaukee with DD in early April - I'm almost sure I have to cancel based on DH's employer's policy but waiting to find out next week if it includes DD and myself.
> 
> My question is - the price for my SW flight dropped significantly today. If I change it and get a travel credit for DD and myself and take the lower price, but then end up needing to cancel altogether (due to the policy or virus spread), how many travel credits will DD and I have (i.e. one each or two each?)
> 
> I'm wondering since SW only allows a certain amount of payments when rebooking and last time we had a small credit we couldn't include since we exceeded the # of payment types allowed on one booking.
> 
> I hope I'm making sense! Thank you


You will have 2 credits each.  You could always break up a future trip by booking two one-way flights instead of a round-trip flight to increase the number of payment types you can use.


----------



## cmarsh31

Hour and 30 min on hold so far... trying to cancel a flight that won't cancel online (DD's ticket is linked to DH's because she's a minor but I wanted to use points from her account). Woohoo.


----------



## Leigh L

ultimatefans said:


> You will have 2 credits each.  You could always break up a future trip by booking two one-way flights instead of a round-trip flight to increase the number of payment types you can use.


Thanks so much!  I will look to do that.

Thinking more realistically, I know I need to cancel this trip at this point, I just keep hoping (was going to visit DS for the first time since he moved out of state).


----------



## TeachTink

G719 said:


> I think it depends on a lot of factors. For me, I've always got the cheapest prices on opening day. This is for pittsburgh to orlando usually on a Saturday. So it's a popular route on a popular day for travel. If you can play around with dates/times or use different airports then I can see that people can score cheap prices during the sales. I booked opening day for end of July and the price hasn't come down and the return is over $100 more than it was opening day.



Do you have any experience flying PIT to MCO around Thanksgiving? We’ve flown in May and early December but this year we tentatively have our dates Nov 28-Dec 5 and Nov 28 is the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I am really worried about $.


----------



## BellaBaby

Booking for a family of 5, DH had enough points for 3 of us one way Den to MCO. So I booked that and then booked 2 of the kids one way with cash. Problem is DD18 doesn't know if she really wants to go. If she doesn't go, will it be a problem dropping her from the reservation? If I have to cancel the whole thing, I will lose the low fare for DS14 if it goes up so IDK if I should cancel it now and rebook them separately?
TIA!


----------



## G719

TeachTink said:


> Do you have any experience flying PIT to MCO around Thanksgiving? We’ve flown in May and early December but this year we tentatively have our dates Nov 28-Dec 5 and Nov 28 is the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I am really worried about $.


We have gone a couple times the week right before Thanksgiving. We would fly home the Saturday before Thanksgiving. We book on opening day and we do ok. It's usually around $130. Hopefully you'll do ok if you book when the flights open.


----------



## ultimatefans

BellaBaby said:


> Booking for a family of 5, DH had enough points for 3 of us one way Den to MCO. So I booked that and then booked 2 of the kids one way with cash. Problem is DD18 doesn't know if she really wants to go. If she doesn't go, will it be a problem dropping her from the reservation? If I have to cancel the whole thing, I will lose the low fare for DS14 if it goes up so IDK if I should cancel it now and rebook them separately?
> TIA!


You will be able to cancel one person from the reservation but will need to call to do that.


----------



## SaintsManiac

Has anyone had travel funds expirations extended? Our April trip to Dallas is toast, but I haven't canceled the flights yet. Wondering if I should just leave them and wait for SW to offer extensions...


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

SaintsManiac said:


> Has anyone had travel funds expirations extended? Our April trip to Dallas is toast, but I haven't canceled the flights yet. Wondering if I should just leave them and wait for SW to offer extensions...


I believe it's a case by case thing. My mother-in-law was able to get hers extended minus the $100 (I believe that's how much it is) they remove from the overall travel funds though this was last year or the year before can't remember.

We too have April flights (mid-April), one ticket is booked with travel funds that expire in mid-October. We aren't canceling ours quite yet.

I wouldn't count on SWA offering extensions especially with travel funds BUT they may do it. I just wouldn't expect it. I don't think anyone really knows how the airlines will handle it all.


----------



## SaintsManiac

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I believe it's a case by case thing. My mother-in-law was able to get hers extended minus the $100 (I believe that's how much it is) they remove from the overall travel funds though this was last year or the year before can't remember.
> 
> We too have April flights (mid-April), one ticket is booked with travel funds that expire in mid-October. We aren't canceling ours quite yet.
> 
> I wouldn't count on SWA offering extensions especially with travel funds BUT they may do it. I just wouldn't expect it. I don't think anyone really knows how the airlines will handle it all.




Thanks for the reply. Our flights were booked with travel funds that expire end of May. If we lose, we lose, but it sure would be nice to book for October with them. I'm just going to wait.


----------



## shoreward

Updated info on next schedule extension that will cover Thanksgiving, Christmas, and early January 2021:



> We are currently accepting air reservations through October 30, 2020. *On April 23, 2020 we will open our schedule for sale through January 4, 2021.* This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.



Hopefully, things will look much better for everyone by the end of this year, and that we will all come through all of this okay.


----------



## boothbay

If we cancel our late April trip - we are hoping to go April of 2021.  We purchased our tickets for the trip the day they went on sale, October 30th, and don't think that we would use our travel funds (we have Wanna-get-away tickets) before October 30th 2020  I have heard of SW issuing a 6 month extension to travel funds if you pay $100/ticket.  Has anyone ever done this?


----------



## shoreward

boothbay said:


> If we cancel our late April trip - we are hoping to go April of 2021.  We purchased our tickets for the trip the day they went on sale, October 30th, and don't think that we would use our travel funds (we have Wanna-get-away tickets) before October 30th 2020  I have heard of SW issuing a 6 month extension to travel funds if you pay $100/ticket.  Has anyone ever done this?


You need to wait till the travel funds expire, before requesting the extension.  This is done on a case-by-case basis.


----------



## SaintsManiac

SWA will not charge over $199 on WGA fares through 6/17. Just saw this on their website.


----------



## aokeefe

shoreward said:


> Updated info on next schedule extension that will cover Thanksgiving, Christmas, and early January 2021:
> 
> 
> 
> Hopefully, things will look much better for everyone by the end of this year, and that we will all come through all of this okay.


Wasn't the original release date early June? For the first time I'm not ready for Southwest to move up their release date!!! If Disney is not up and running by then, I'll still be working on rescheduling the logistics of my April trip! Southwest probably needs the money!


----------



## PCFriar80

aokeefe said:


> *Wasn't the original release date early June?* For the first time I'm not ready for Southwest to move up their release date!!! If Disney is not up and running by then, I'll still be working on rescheduling the logistics of my April trip! Southwest probably needs the money!


Yes, June 3rd last week.  I checked after making our reservation for October.  This could be a move to accelerate cash flow earlier based on the current events.


----------



## shoreward

aokeefe said:


> Wasn't the original release date early June? For the first time I'm not ready for Southwest to move up their release date!!! If Disney is not up and running by then, I'll still be working on rescheduling the logistics of my April trip! Southwest probably needs the money!


Yes, I believe the next booking window was  previously scheduled to open 06/03/2020.  I had the same thought about  Southwest needing some revenue sooner.


----------



## chicagoshannon

Could also be because other airlines have their flights open already so they need to open theirs early to compete with the other airlines.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

chicagoshannon said:


> Could also be because other airlines have their flights open already so they need to open theirs early to compete with the other airlines.


That seems highly unlikely - SW has never let other airlines schedules play into their release.  I think the idea that they’re looking to generate some cash is the right assumption here.


----------



## nkereina

I’m going to reschedule our April flights for October. Our April flights were booked partially with travel funds that would have expired this June. When I go to reschedule our flights, will I be able to apply the value of our flights to the new ones? Or will they tell me travel must be completed by June to use the value of our current flights? I’m thinking if I change/modify the flights rather than cancel/receive travel funds/rebook, then I could do it as I want to, but thought I’d ask the experts first. Thanks!


----------



## aokeefe

Can anyone tell me if this would work. We are booked PVD-MCO April 18-24.(I booked both legs together) If I cancel, the travel funds will expire Oct 30. We are looking to reschedule around Thanksgiving. If I move my flights out to May or June just to hold my funds (booking a similar priced flight)- could I then move it to November? I don't know if the original flight needs to be completed by Oct 30th too. I'm sure this a crazy way to think and I just need to accept my loss and move on but just wanted to check with other SW flyers!


----------



## PCFriar80

aokeefe said:


> Can anyone tell me if this would work. We are booked PVD-MCO April 18-24.(I booked both legs together) If I cancel, the travel funds will expire Oct 30. We are looking to reschedule around Thanksgiving. If I move my flights out to May or June just to hold my funds (booking a similar priced flight)- *could I then move it to November?* I don't know if the original flight needs to be completed by Oct 30th too. I'm sure this a crazy way to think and I just need to accept my loss and move on but just wanted to check with other SW flyers!


Short answer is no.  Your points expire on 10/30 regardless of interim bookings between now and then.  All travel using those funds must be completed by the expiration date.

"Southwest* travel funds expire* one year from the date of purchase of the *original flight."*


----------



## BelleOftheBall16

nkereina said:


> I’m going to reschedule our April flights for October. Our April flights were booked partially with travel funds that would have expired this June. When I go to reschedule our flights, will I be able to apply the value of our flights to the new ones? Or will they tell me travel must be completed by June to use the value of our current flights? I’m thinking if I change/modify the flights rather than cancel/receive travel funds/rebook, then I could do it as I want to, but thought I’d ask the experts first. Thanks!



Nope, won’t work. Your entire credit expires in June. Once you mix new money with a travel fund, the entire amount takes on the expiration of the travel fund.


----------



## nkereina

BelleOftheBall16 said:


> Nope, won’t work. Your entire credit expires in June. Once you mix new money with a travel fund, the entire amount takes on the expiration of the travel fund.


Thanks. I think this has been mentioned, but I spoke to a rep today who has said that on a case by case basis, they have been waiving the $100 extension fee, but I would need to wait for my travel funds to expire to request that. So just holding tight for now - uncharted territory for everyone involved!


----------



## S.o.N.D.

Just want to make I understand SW's cancellation policy. I paid cash for tickets for April 20-25 back on October 30, 2019.  If we need to cancel (which looks likely), I can only get credit for the tickets until October 29, 2020 and not April 19, 2021, correct?  Unfortunately, N.E. school vacations in February and April are the only times we can really travel.  I really don't want to eat the tickets . . .


----------



## boothbay

we are in the same boat exactly (NH vacation week).


----------



## PCFriar80

S.o.N.D. said:


> Just want to make I understand SW's cancellation policy. I paid cash for tickets for April 20-25 back on October 30, 2019.  If we need to cancel (which looks likely), I can only get credit for the tickets until October 29, 2020 and not April 19, 2021, correct?  Unfortunately, N.E. school vacations in February and April are the only times we can really travel.  I really don't want to eat the tickets . . .


You are correct, the credit expires on 10/29/20 meaning you would have to complete travel by then.  
SWA does have an option to extend the expiration date for their travel funds after paying a $100 reinstatement fee.  As a previous poster mentioned this request should be made once the credit has expired.  There are also time limits on when the reinstated credits/voucher need to be used by.  So, in the end it might be worth a call on 10/30/20 to see what your options are and if SWA has any flexibility based on the situations that resulted in the cancelled travel.


----------



## Iowamomof4

nkereina said:


> Thanks. I think this has been mentioned, but I spoke to a rep today who has said that on a case by case basis, they have been waiving the $100 extension fee, but I would need to wait for my travel funds to expire to request that. So just holding tight for now - uncharted territory for everyone involved!



Well, this does give me some hope. Some of our tickets were purchased PARTIALLY with travel funds (which we received when tickets that had been purchased with LUV vouchers decreased), which as we all know means the entire ticket becomes associated with the same expiration date as the travel funds. For us, that means May 20, 2020 for at least some of those tickets. I can't imagine we'll make it to Florida by then!


----------



## scrappinginontario

I would recommend that anyone finding they have to cancel, please keep track of your confirmation number, especially if you are not a Rapid Rewards member.  We are living in unprecedented times and we really don't know what kind of changes, extensions, etc that SW _may_ offer in the future.  SW has proven time and time again that they are an airline who cares for their passengers.


----------



## shoreward

Latest updates on how coronavirus is affecting Southwest - this time, it's about traveling to/from disrupted cities and restrictions on air travel:

https://www.southwest.com/Coronavirus/?clk=CORONAVIRUS_TA


----------



## Erica Ladd

So I have a trip planned 5/13-16 going on SWA where we used a bunch of travel funds that will expire 5/28...  I also have a backup trip planned for August- do you think there may be a chance that they would waive the $100 reinstatement fee and let me move my credits to 8/29-9/2?  I know it’s too early to call now (as I haven’t canceled my May trip yet) but was wondering if anyone else had some luck. Not even sure if August will be a possibility but I’d hate to lose all those travel funds!!


----------



## shoreward

For those who have Southwest travel booked over the next month, or so, and want to change your flight to travel at a later time, open your reservation and select the "change option."  If your reservation falls within a certain time frame, you will see the following message:


> *You may change your trip date/time at no additional cost if you stay inside the restrictions below.*
> *DEPART FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS*
> 
> Departure airport must be: Xxxxxx, XX - XXX
> Arrival airport must be: Xxxxx, XX - XXX
> Note: Changes made outside the conditions listed above will not be protected under our established reaccommodation practices and may result in a higher fare.



It appears that the system will allow you to postpone your travel date for up to _two months,_ at no additional cost.  This option reminds me of how Southwest has been allowing changes to travel dates, due to the MAX 8 issues, except, instead of having to select a new travel date within two weeks, either way, of your original date, they are allowing about two months.  Normally, when this type of offer is available, the offer only is valid for a few days, after the offer is posted.

Just follow the prompts to select your new travel date and confirm the change.  The departure and arrival cities must remain the same as the original itinerary.


----------



## Crazyhorse

shoreward said:


> For those who have Southwest travel booked over the next month, or so, and want to change your flight to travel at a later time, open your reservation and select the "change option."  If your reservation falls within a certain time frame, you will see the following message:
> 
> 
> It appears that the system will allow you to postpone your travel date for up to two months, at no additional cost.  This option reminds me of how Southwest has been allowing changes to travel dates, due to the MAX 8 issues, except, instead of having to select a new travel date within two weeks, either way, of your original date, they are allowing about two months.  Normally, when this type of offer is available, the offer only is valid for a few days, after the offer is posted.
> 
> Just follow the prompts to select your new travel date and confirm the change.  The departure and arrival cities must remain the same as the original itinerary.


I see the option to change our flights. We’re scheduled 4/15-4/22. I followed the change procedure and my current flights are still available but $70 cheaper!  Needless to say, I changed & banked $140 in travel funds. Question is, will the April schedule stay the same? I want to wait this out, see what Disney does. Common sense tells me they won’t be open for our dates. I did book backup for May 6-13 but haven’t bought plane tickets. If April falls through, hoping I can move flights to May trip.


----------



## shoreward

Crazyhorse said:


> I see the option to change our flights. We’re scheduled 4/15-4/22. I followed the change procedure and my current flights are still available but $70 cheaper!  Needless to say, I changed & banked $140 in travel funds. Question is, will the April schedule stay the same? I want to wait this out, see what Disney does. Common sense tells me they won’t be open for our dates. I did book backup for May 6-13 but haven’t bought plane tickets. If April falls through, hoping I can move flights to May trip.



From Southwest - notice of about 20% of capacity to be cut from schedule, April 14-June 5:


> The Company will soon reduce its published flight schedules, which will reduce available seat miles (ASMs, or capacity) by at least 20 percent for the time period April 14, 2020 through June 5, 2020. These flight schedule reductions are in addition to the Company's existing capacity impact due to the Boeing 737 MAX groundings. The Company continues to evaluate further flight schedule reductions.
> We will begin making these revisions soon, so we do not have specific routes or market information to share. Some decisions are still being made. We’ll share more details as these decisions are made and finalized. The revisions will vary by day of week and region—some airports and regions will be more impacted than others. Customers who have already booked their travel and will be impacted by our amended schedule will be notified of their re-accommodated travel according to our flexible accommodation procedures.


----------



## Crazyhorse

shoreward said:


> From Southwest - notice of about 20% of capacity to be cut from schedule, April 14-June 5:


Thank you. I had read that somewhere so I was surprised that all flights were still there. Apparently the schedule changes haven’t been made yet. Looks like I’ll get an email.


----------



## Mosey03

Within a few hours of posting last week to ask about our boarding position, we were some of the many people who saw our entire vacation upended and cancelled.  We are now considering going to Disneyland in June (if things are even normal by then).  My question is this: can we book, cancel, and rebook as many times as we want using our travel funds (by the one-year expiration date of course)?  Or are we only allowed to rebook once?  I see a good set of flights for us but with all the uncertainty of everything right now I certainly don't know if early June will work out.  If there are no limits on rebooking, are there any downsides to booking now for a trip that may not pan out?


----------



## Leigh L

shoreward said:


> For those who have Southwest travel booked over the next month, or so, and want to change your flight to travel at a later time, open your reservation and select the "change option."  If your reservation falls within a certain time frame, you will see the following message:
> 
> It appears that the system will allow you to postpone your travel date for up to _two months,_ at no additional cost.  This option reminds me of how Southwest has been allowing changes to travel dates, due to the MAX 8 issues, except, instead of having to select a new travel date within two weeks, either way, of your original date, they are allowing about two months.  Normally, when this type of offer is available, the offer only is valid for a few days, after the offer is posted.
> 
> Just follow the prompts to select your new travel date and confirm the change.  The departure and arrival cities must remain the same as the original itinerary.


Thanks so much for posting this! I would have totally missed it, and I have an April 4 flight.


----------



## Iowamomof4

shoreward said:


> For those who have Southwest travel booked over the next month, or so, and want to change your flight to travel at a later time, open your reservation and select the "change option."  If your reservation falls within a certain time frame, you will see the following message:
> 
> 
> It appears that the system will allow you to postpone your travel date for up to _two months,_ at no additional cost.  This option reminds me of how Southwest has been allowing changes to travel dates, due to the MAX 8 issues, except, instead of having to select a new travel date within two weeks, either way, of your original date, they are allowing about two months.  Normally, when this type of offer is available, the offer only is valid for a few days, after the offer is posted.
> 
> Just follow the prompts to select your new travel date and confirm the change.  The departure and arrival cities must remain the same as the original itinerary.


I have the option for my April 25 flight, but not my return on May 2 (booked separately). Not sure what to do about that. Hmm


----------



## shoreward

Iowamomof4 said:


> I have the option for my April 25 flight, but not my return on May 2 (booked separately). Not sure what to do about that. Hmm


Southwest probably will be making decisions regarding rebooking on a month-to-month basis, as nobody knows how this whole scenario will play out.


----------



## Sandiz08

Keeping the hope alive, just booked some flights. I trust southwest will take care of us, if need be.


----------



## iivye

I wonder if using the new change option will allow you to use travel funds that have expired.  I have flights in April that have the change option but the funds used to purchase those flights expire May 30th.  I would like to move the flight to June but not sure if that would result in the flight being canceled.


----------



## shoreward

iivye said:


> I wonder if using the new change option will allow you to use travel funds that have expired.  I have flights in April that have the change option but the funds used to purchase those flights expire May 30th.  I would like to move the flight to June but not sure if that would result in the flight being canceled.


Open your reservation and start the change process; the system will display a message if you can change, at no additional cost. Change the date to your preferred date in June, and you will be able to see if it takes.  I think it will work.

It will not change your reservation, until you confirm the change.


----------



## Crazyhorse

I caved.  I cancelled our April 15-22 visit and moved it to May 6-13.  Hoping that's not foolishly optimistic.  I was easily able to change our SW flights via the change option, retaining EBCI purchase.  We are flying round trip from Midway to Orlando for $90.00 each....have put $130 in travel funds which we'll use for our December trip, 2-9....travel funds expire December 10.  Hoping against hope that the world is in a better place soon.


----------



## chicagoshannon

Just saved more money for our May trip and got a better arrival time!  Keep hope alive!


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## poohj80

Still holding out hope for our late April trip to NYC but waiting to see if Broadway extends their blackout.


----------



## Lsdolphin

iivye said:


> I wonder if using the new change option will allow you to use travel funds that have expired.  I have flights in April that have the change option but the funds used to purchase those flights expire May 30th.  I would like to move the flight to June but not sure if that would result in the flight being canceled.



same here


----------



## Crazyhorse

Lsdolphin said:


> same here


I wouldn't hold my breath for extensions of travel funds beyond original expirations...but I'll hope with you!


----------



## scrappinginontario

Crazyhorse said:


> I wouldn't hold my breath for extensions of travel funds beyond original expirations...but I'll hope with you!


I'm of the opposite mind set and will believe anything can happen after this.  Southwest may gladly reduce your flight by an expired $15 travel credit you have tucked away if it means you book another flight with them.  Every industry going will be hurting after this and trying to get business back.


----------



## Erica Ladd

I have flights booked separately for 5/13-16 and both were paid for significantly with travel funds that all expire on 5/28. I do have a back up trip planned for 8/29-9/2 and I’m hoping and hoping that if May is a no go that they will be so kind as to let me use my ticket balance plus the additional $40 in TF I have towards the August trip. In fact at this point if I knew they would I might go ahead and just move the trip to be safe... so much uncertainty!!


----------



## BellaBaby

So the return flight we have booked from MCO on 6/6 is showing "unavailable". Normally I would think this is because it is booked up, but under the circumstances it may be one they are going to reduce and get rid of. Any advice on if I should go ahead and change to a different time before they change for me? I know no one knows for sure but all flights at that time are blocked out; Business, Anytime and WGA.


----------



## Muhlenberg

BellaBaby said:


> So the return flight we have booked from MCO on 6/6 is showing "unavailable". Normally I would think this is because it is booked up, but under the circumstances it may be one they are going to reduce and get rid of. Any advice on if I should go ahead and change to a different time before they change for me? I know no one knows for sure but all flights at that time are blocked out; Business, Anytime and WGA.


I've been stalking flights for a trip we're supposed to take in late April.  My daughter's flights from NH will show the "unavailable" thing, but it seems to occur for other flights as well.  It seems sporadic, like they are trying to fill flights more "evenly."  I don't think that it's flights they are going to cancel, as the ones she's booked on are non-stops.

Obviously that is a guess.


----------



## cmarsh31

SW needs to figure it out faster. My Travel Funds expire May 29th. When I called on Saturday to reschedule my flights, they made it VERY clear on the recorded message that they were NOT making any changes to expiration dates. After a 2 hour wait, I spoke to a very unpleasant woman, who was borderline rude when I tried to be polite and let her know that I hoped she was having a decent day despite the chaos (Ma'm let's just focus on the reservation in question)... anyway, after that experience, I just cancelled my flights and booked August flights with JetBlue instead.


----------



## Mosey03

I had to cancel a flight (WGA fare).  Is there any limit to how many times I can rebook using my travel funds?  It's not a one-time thing, is it?  If I rebook now will there be any problems if I have to cancel again?


----------



## mhautz

BellaBaby said:


> So the return flight we have booked from MCO on 6/6 is showing "unavailable". Normally I would think this is because it is booked up, but under the circumstances it may be one they are going to reduce and get rid of. Any advice on if I should go ahead and change to a different time before they change for me? I know no one knows for sure but all flights at that time are blocked out; Business, Anytime and WGA.



The only flights I see unavailable for my route are the weekend nonstops and the earliest flight of some days.  These tend to be more expensive (in other words, most popular), so it could actually be as simple as the most popular flights are filling up.  Obviously I don't actually know what's going on, but I personally would hold onto that flight on the assumption it is safe.


----------



## kaytieeldr

cmarsh31 said:


> SW needs to figure it out faster.


Every. Single. Affected. Business. is doing its absolute best possible in this unprecedented situation.  But it sounds like Southwest is under control.


cmarsh31 said:


> After a 2 hour wait, I spoke to a very unpleasant woman, who was borderline rude when I tried to be polite and let her know that I hoped she was having a decent day despite the chaos (Ma'm let's just focus on the reservation in question)...


Respectfully, okay, you were on hold for two hours (being informed periodically that of the airline's standing policy). Meanwhile, that agent and others were trying to work with who knows how many customers each in those two (and preceding) hours. You don't have any idea how much stress they ebp depured, how many angry, emotional, even threatening custk.ers each dealt with, while at the same time trying to reduce that two hour hold time, probably under many management  direction.


----------



## shoreward

Today, Southwest extended the window for flight rebooking, without any change in fare.  Customers who have confirmed reservations for travel during May and very early June may now delay their travel dates for up to 60 days, with no change in airfare from the flights they are changing.



> If you would like to rebook, you may change your travel up to 60 days from your original flight date by visiting *Southwest.com/rebook*. Flights that have seats available will display as “Available.” Doing this online is your best option as call volumes are likely to be very high to reach a Southwest® Representative.
> 
> If you are unsure of your future travel plans, you do not need to take any action. Rest assured, the funds used to pay for this trip will be available for the Customer named on the ticket to use and fly for up to 12 months from the original date of purchase. Simply use your original confirmation number as the way to access these funds in the future—similar to “store credit” at most retail establishments.



Reminder - if you have used travel funds from previously-booked travel, your flight will inherit the date from the oldest travel funds used, with expiration date for use of funds based on that inherited date.  So, your funds from cancelled flights may expire sooner than 12 months.


----------



## cmarsh31

kaytieeldr said:


> Every. Single. Affected. Business. is doing its absolute best possible in this unprecedented situation.  But it sounds like Southwest is under control.
> 
> Respectfully, okay, you were on hold for two hours (being informed periodically that of the airline's standing policy). Meanwhile, that agent and others were trying to work with who knows how many customers each in those two (and preceding) hours. You don't have any idea how much stress they ebp depured, how many angry, emotional, even threatening custk.ers each dealt with, while at the same time trying to reduce that two hour hold time, probably under many management  direction.



I also spent 2+ hours on hold with Disney and Universal - both of those agents were quite happy when I asked how they were doing and told them we appreciated their efforts.


----------



## Erica Ladd

I just called SW and waited about a minute or less to get through - I chose the change existing reservation option.  But I have some interesting things I figured out...

1. Most of my tix were paid with TF the rest with GC's.  My expiration date was stuck at 5/28/20 (I should have been more careful with this as I think only a few $$ came from that old reservation - it would have been to my advantage to leave it off and have more flexibility - but hey - who knows when a pandemic is gonna hit???

2. I asked the CS on the phone if I could use TF to get EBCI - She said no.  I guess I should have known that as my flight went down in price again but I'll never used it before 5/28.

3. I noted that my email stated I could change my ticket anywhere within 14 days of my original date at no cost to me.  I told CS that someone else said they saw it had been extended to 60 days.  She looked through her notes and confirmed it was 60 days.  I asked where I could find that policy change to read for myself and she had no idea where to tell me to look.

4.  She stressed my TF expiration again and said I could move my tix as long as it was within the TF expiration window and I said I thought that was kinda pointless since I doubt I would return from a trip 5/16 and then take another before 5/28.  Oh well

5. I asked if there were further disruptions to travel (ie - CDC, gov't mandates) could these things change again?  Of course, no idea.

6.***The most important thing IMO***  She offered to change the flight for me and I said I'll just do it on my app.  I tested out several dates and I could change my tix 60 days out EVEN THO MY TF WOULD HAVE BEEN EXPIRED.  I think that's important for anyone who gets that message and wants to change dates/times but doesn't want to lose TF credits.

Unfortunately for me I would have loved a 120 day extension as I would have pulled the trigger and canceled May trip just to be safe but the only dates I can realistically change to are in the mid summer/heaviest crowd times.  And boy was I sad when she told me I can't use TF to get EBCI.  I'm relatively new to this as we don't fly often. (and don't tell my CS but I'm gonna try it just to see if I can!!! lol)

If someone already posted this sorry and please ignore.  Hopefully it will help someone by giving them more flexibility!

ETA - I have 2 separate reservation, only got an email for one but they both gave me the red banner on the app)


----------



## Erica Ladd

Mosey03 said:


> I had to cancel a flight (WGA fare).  Is there any limit to how many times I can rebook using my travel funds?  It's not a one-time thing, is it?  If I rebook now will there be any problems if I have to cancel again?



I think I have done this multiple times.  They will always retain the original expiration tho.  Except for this new 60 day extended window at least as far as it's working on my app


----------



## buzzrelly

Yay! Finally good news!




My credit was set to expire in September so this makes me very happy.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Wait!  That means I can use my travel funds that expire 5/28 to get tix in August??? or sometime by 6/30/21????  

Now that is some good customer service.


----------



## Iowamomof4

SOUTHWEST is back to being the GREATEST airline company!


----------



## SaintsManiac

buzzrelly said:


> Yay! Finally good news!
> View attachment 482188
> 
> View attachment 482189
> 
> My credit was set to expire in September so this makes me very happy.



YESSSSS!!!


----------



## Iowamomof4

buzzrelly said:


> Yay! Finally good news!
> View attachment 482188
> 
> View attachment 482189
> 
> My credit was set to expire in September so this makes me very happy.


Where can I find this? I was going to share it with someone.


----------



## SaintsManiac

Iowamomof4 said:


> Where can I find this? I was going to share it with someone.



I found it on their Facebook page.


----------



## Erica Ladd

https://www.southwestaircommunity.c...tending-Travel-Credit-and-Refunds/ba-p/103844


----------



## focusondisney

@buzzrelly , thanks for posting! This is great news.   Our trip is Easter  week & I’m sure that won’t be happening. We have another trip in September, but those flights were pretty cheap on opening day so I booked with points for now.  The April flights were  expensive & even if I rebooked the September trip, I would still have credits left over which would have expired in October.  Now I can just leave the September flight a alone & use the credits next year.

Besides customer good will, this is also helpful for SW.  If everyone was just booking on credits, that means less new revenue coming in.  This kind of spreads that segment out & leaves more seats to be filled by new paying customers.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Loving SWA right now


----------



## aokeefe

Has anyone tried to change a future flight in a couple of months and gotten an error message? I've been trying to change (modify) a July flight to get the now lower price and rack up some travel funds but I keep getting an error message. I've tried 2 different browsers and on my phone. I was able to modify another flight I had booked on points with no problem. I was able to modify my April flight with no issues. I figure system is a mess right now so I'm not going to worry about it or call but just thought I would check in to see if anyone has any advice.


----------



## Crazyhorse

Great News about the extension of Travel funds!  Quick question for the SW experts.  Now that the travel fund worries are abated somewhat, let's talk about already purchased Early Boarding.  Had an mid April trip planned, moved it to early mid May with the change option, thereby allowing the EB to transfer to the new May flights.  Not yet feeling the love for a May 1 opening, I'm trying to figure out other options.  We already have a hotel for December.  Flights for that time frame won't go on sale until mid/late June...at least I think that's what I read.  In the event that I have to cancel the May trip, without being able to purchase December flights yet, won't I lose the EB that I already purchased if I cancel the May flights?  If yes, would an option be to "change" to an obscure anytime flight later in the year, knowing that when December opens, I can "change" again to December...allowing the already purchased EB to stay with us....????  I'm not too concerned about what $$$ difference there might be for the obscure flight...let's face it..fares are gonna be low.   Thoughts?


----------



## Crazyhorse

aokeefe said:


> Has anyone tried to change a future flight in a couple of months and gotten an error message? I've been trying to change (modify) a July flight to get the now lower price and rack up some travel funds but I keep getting an error message. I've tried 2 different browsers and on my phone. I was able to modify another flight I had booked on points with no problem. I was able to modify my April flight with no issues. I figure system is a mess right now so I'm not going to worry about it or call but just thought I would check in to see if anyone has any advice.


What kind of error message?  I had the same problem last week.   I eventually sent SW an email asking about the problem. I never got a response but days later I tried again to change the flights to take advantage of the lower fares and it worked.


----------



## aokeefe

Crazyhorse said:


> Great News about the extension of Travel funds!  Quick question for the SW experts.  Now that the travel fund worries are abated somewhat, let's talk about already purchased Early Boarding.  Had an mid April trip planned, moved it to early mid May with the change option, thereby allowing the EB to transfer to the new May flights.  Not yet feeling the love for a May 1 opening, I'm trying to figure out other options.  We already have a hotel for December.  Flights for that time frame won't go on sale until mid/late June...at least I think that's what I read.  In the event that I have to cancel the May trip, without being able to purchase December flights yet, won't I lose the EB that I already purchased if I cancel the May flights?  If yes, would an option be to "change" to an obscure anytime flight later in the year, knowing that when December opens, I can "change" again to December...allowing the already purchased EB to stay with us....????  I'm not too concerned about what $$$ difference there might be for the obscure flight...let's face it..fares are gonna be low.   Thoughts?


I don't have advice on EB but just FYI Southwest is scheduled to release through Jan 4 on April 23


----------



## aokeefe

Crazyhorse said:


> What kind of error message?  I had the same problem last week.   I eventually sent SW an email asking about the problem. I never got a response but days later I tried again to change the flights to take advantage of the lower fares and it worked.


So bizarre- I just went in to try again and copy the error message to show and it now went through. Problem solved!


----------



## Crazyhorse

aokeefe said:


> I don't have advice on EB but just FYI Southwest is scheduled to release through Jan 4 on April 23


Really?  That's great!  I swear I saw that it wasn't gonna happen until late June.  So that makes things a lot easier, Thank you!


----------



## Duck143

Please forgive me if this is a dumb question or has been asked already.  I actually have never changed a flight, or had the cost go down, so this is new for me.  We got my parents a 'refund' for the price difference on our flights in May.  They are getting a credit of over $200.  Where does that credit go?  Back on the credit card they used to purchase?  Or is it a credit for a future flight if they login to SW?  Thanks all!


----------



## Iowamomof4

Duck143 said:


> Please forgive me if this is a dumb question or has been asked already.  I actually have never changed a flight, or had the cost go down, so this is new for me.  We got my parents a 'refund' for the price difference on our flights in May.  They are getting a credit of over $200.  Where does that credit go?  Back on the credit card they used to purchase?  Or is it a credit for a future flight if they login to SW?  Thanks all!



It will be saved as a travel fund, associated with their reservation number - so DON'T lose that! When they go to purchase a new flight, there will be a place to input travel funds using that reservation number.


----------



## Duck143

Iowamomof4 said:


> It will be saved as a travel fund, associated with their reservation number - so DON'T lose that! When they go to purchase a new flight, there will be a place to input travel funds using that reservation number.


Ok, So it is all associated with the current May flight confirmation number.  I'm going to go print that out.   We booked with points, so I believe the extra we got credited back go directly to our RR points balance?


----------



## aokeefe

Duck143 said:


> Ok, So it is all associated with the current May flight confirmation number.  I'm going to go print that out.   We booked with points, so I believe the extra we got credited back go directly to our RR points balance?


Yes- it would go back to your RR points


----------



## cmarsh31

Crazyhorse said:


> Great News about the extension of Travel funds!  Quick question for the SW experts.  Now that the travel fund worries are abated somewhat, let's talk about already purchased Early Boarding.  Had an mid April trip planned, moved it to early mid May with the change option, thereby allowing the EB to transfer to the new May flights.  Not yet feeling the love for a May 1 opening, I'm trying to figure out other options.  We already have a hotel for December.  Flights for that time frame won't go on sale until mid/late June...at least I think that's what I read.  In the event that I have to cancel the May trip, without being able to purchase December flights yet, won't I lose the EB that I already purchased if I cancel the May flights?  If yes, would an option be to "change" to an obscure anytime flight later in the year, knowing that when December opens, I can "change" again to December...allowing the already purchased EB to stay with us....????  I'm not too concerned about what $$$ difference there might be for the obscure flight...let's face it..fares are gonna be low.   Thoughts?



My experience from cancelling April flights. I cancelled some online. Got the Travel Funds but lost EB credit. Had to call in other flights to cancel (linked to a minor, etc) - EB credit was refunded automatically. Took 2 hours on hold, but would have been helpful to know because I literally cancelled the other flights online while I was on hold. Would have saved myself $100.


----------



## poohj80

buzzrelly said:


> Yay! Finally good news!
> View attachment 482188
> 
> View attachment 482189
> 
> My credit was set to expire in September so this makes me very happy.


My travel funds are still showing that they expire May 29, 2020 in my SW account.  Has anyone seen their expiration date extended in your account?


----------



## SaintsManiac

poohj80 said:


> My travel funds are still showing that they expire May 29, 2020 in my SW account.  Has anyone seen their expiration date extended in your account?



They are working on it. Said it could take a bit.


----------



## Crazyhorse

cmarsh31 said:


> My experience from cancelling April flights. I cancelled some online. Got the Travel Funds but lost EB credit. Had to call in other flights to cancel (linked to a minor, etc) - EB credit was refunded automatically. Took 2 hours on hold, but would have been helpful to know because I literally cancelled the other flights online while I was on hold. Would have saved myself $100.


Yes, that's what I'm trying to avoid...losing the EBCI.  So far it's followed from the April flights to the May flights.  Like everyone, I'm hoping for a May 1 opening but......    If that fails, I'll do my best to hang on to the EBCI for the December flights.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Duck143 said:


> Ok, So it is all associated with the current May flight confirmation number.  I'm going to go print that out.   We booked with points, so I believe the extra we got credited back go directly to our RR points balance?



Well... points is completely different!! LOL - you didn't mention that.
EDIT: OH!!! You meant YOUR flights were with points while THEIRS were cash. Yes, you've got it right.


----------



## Duck143

Iowamomof4 said:


> Well... points is completely different!! LOL - you didn't mention that.
> EDIT: OH!!! You meant YOUR flights were with points while THEIRS were cash. Yes, you've got it right.


Yes!   I booked ours with points and there's was on credit.


----------



## PCFriar80

https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/d797dba4-b4cc-38ef-b00a-59173c993e6f/southwest-canceling-1-000.html


----------



## shoreward

Email message from Southwest:



> A message from our SVP and Chief Marketing Officer, Ryan Green
> To our valued Customers,
> As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads, the world around us is changing rapidly. And while many things are changing, our commitment to your Safety and providing travel flexibility has not changed.
> First, and most importantly, your Safety and that of our other Customers and Employees is our top priority. Please make sure you're following CDC guidelines when traveling, and as always, please do not travel if you're not feeling well.
> Also, I fully appreciate the uncertainty, anxiety, and questions some of you may have regarding how your travel might be impacted. Please know we are working around the clock to keep our commitment to your Safety and providing travel flexibility.
> *Aircraft Environment and Cleanliness*
> 
> There has never before been a higher focus on the cleanliness of our aircraft, and we are making sweeping changes across the board to keep our planes cleaner than ever.
> •In my previous note to you, I mentioned our enhanced cleaning procedures, which you can learn about here. Everything we're doing meets or exceeds recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).•We equip each of our aircraft with a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter, which filters out recirculated air onboard each plane to remove airborne particles. The air in the cabin is fully exchanged with fresh air 20-30 times per hour. These same HEPA filters are also used in hospitals to provide patients with clean air.•Effective March 18, we have also temporarily adjusted our inflight food and beverage service to limit Customer and Flight Attendant interactions. Our Flight Attendants will now hand out unopened cans of water and a pre-packaged snack on flights greater than 250 miles.
> *Additional Flexibility if You Need to Adjust Your Travel Plans*
> 
> With the unprecedented cancellations of events and foreign countries issuing travel restrictions, we understand your travel plans may change. So, we have made additional changes to our already very flexible policies.
> •If you decide not to travel, as long as you cancel your flight before its departure, the funds used to pay for a nonrefundable ticket are normally valid for one year from the date of purchase. *However, in recognition of the current travel environment, we are extending the expiration date of some travel funds:*
> o*Customers' funds that have expired or will expire between March 1-May 31, 2020, will now expire June 30, 2021.*o*Any travel funds created because of a flight cancellation between March 1-May 31, 2020, will have an expiration date of June 30, 2021.*oIt will take our Technology Teams a few weeks to make these changes, and once you're ready to use these funds, simply reference the PNR number on the reservation and use it as you would use "store credit" at most retail establishments.
> •Also, any travel planned through the end of April can be changed online for up to 60 days from the original date of travel without paying any difference in fare if you are traveling between the same origin and destination.
> *A-List Preferred, A-List, and Companion Pass Qualification*
> 
> I know many of our A-List Preferred, A-List, and Companion Pass Members–or those working to qualify for these benefits–have questions about how the current environment may impact their ability to qualify for status this year. While I don't have an answer for you today, we are closely monitoring this situation, and we will follow-up at the appropriate time on how we will address this situation.
> 
> *Upcoming Schedule Revisions*
> 
> We are aggressively managing our business so that we can continue to serve you and deliver the Hospitality you expect from Southwest Airlines® into the future. If one of your upcoming flights is impacted, you will receive a notification from us making you aware of the change. Wait times to speak to a Representative in our call centers are likely to be very high, but you can always make modifications online.
> To stay abreast of the latest information and frequently asked questions in this continually changing environment, we have created a resource center on southwest.com.
> On behalf of the entire Southwest® Family, I want to thank you for your loyalty, trust, and understanding. Our Hearts go out to all those impacted by this pandemic.
> We look forward to seeing you onboard for your next trip,
> 
> 
> 
> Ryan Green
> SVP & Chief Marketing Officer


----------



## Iowamomof4

I take it for the second bullet point that talks about travel funds created because of a flight cancellation, they're talking about a flight that SW cancels (removes from the schedule) rather than a flight that the customer cancels? I've been trying to decipher that one.


----------



## Fangorn

Iowamomof4 said:


> I take it for the second bullet point that talks about travel funds created because of a flight cancellation, they're talking about a flight that SW cancels (removes from the schedule) rather than a flight that the customer cancels? I've been trying to decipher that one.



No. SW announced earlier in an email to customers (which did not include anything about schedule reductions) that customers cancelling flights between March 1 and May 31 will have the travel fund expiration date *reset* to June 30, 2021.  The actual email is clearer that the posting above. The bullet you're talking about clearly is a sub-bullet under "If you decide not to travel, as long as you cancel your flight before its departure ".


Steve


----------



## Leigh L

Iowamomof4 said:


> I take it for the second bullet point that talks about travel funds created because of a flight cancellation, they're talking about a flight that SW cancels (removes from the schedule) rather than a flight that the customer cancels? I've been trying to decipher that one.





Fangorn said:


> No. SW announced earlier in an email to customers (which did not include anything about schedule reductions) that customers cancelling flights between March 1 and May 31 will have the travel fund expiration date *reset* to June 30, 2021.  The actual email is clearer that the posting above. The bullet you're talking about clearly is a sub-bullet under "If you decide not to travel, as long as you cancel your flight before its departure ".
> 
> Steve


Thank you for clarifying @Fangorn! I knew I could change my flight under the restrictions offered for my specific flight (thanks to this thread!), but not about the travel funds (I didn't get that email).
And thank you @Iowamomof4 for asking the question, as I was also trying to decipher it.


----------



## shoreward

Latest update from Southwest, including info on destinations with disrupted operations.

https://www.southwest.com/Coronavirus/?clk=IN-APP-IOS


----------



## focusondisney

Can someone clarify what’s going on with EBCI if I cancel my April flight? Not wanting to reschedule right now. I might have rescheduled for May, but that isn’t looking likely either.  We have a trip already booked for September, so not too interested in going in July or August. I might look at December or January.  Normally I know I would lose the EBCI if I cancel, but I think I have read some people getting refunds for it now? Thanks!


----------



## Iowamomof4

focusondisney said:


> Can someone clarify what’s going on with EBCI if I cancel my April flight? Not wanting to reschedule right now. I might have rescheduled for May, but that isn’t looking likely either.  We have a trip already booked for September, so not too interested in going in July or August. I might look at December or January.  Normally I know I would lose the EBCI if I cancel, but I think I have read some people getting refunds for it now? Thanks!


We'd be out $200 if we cancelled, so I'd love it if they were refunding that.


----------



## georgina

SW keeps sending me emails about sales, so I looked at DH's PIT to SFO flight in May. It no longer shows up for his date, although in his account the trip hasn't changed (yet). His booked flight has one stop with a 3+ hour layover in DEN, the one showing today if I look to book a new flight has a 4 hour layover in ATL and 40 minutes in DEN. If he gets switched to that and his luggage doesn't make the transfers he will be in big trouble. HOWEVER, both legs of his flights are still showing up as individual legs and for fewer points than we paid (we paid 11,000+, now the legs are 3991 and 3556). So weird. Guess I will just keep an eye on it, we are still unsure the trip will happen.


----------



## ah10is

georgina said:


> SW keeps sending me emails about sales, so I looked at DH's PIT to SFO flight in May. It no longer shows up for his date, although in his account the trip hasn't changed (yet). His booked flight has one stop with a 3+ hour layover in DEN, the one showing today if I look to book a new flight has a 4 hour layover in ATL and 40 minutes in DEN. If he gets switched to that and his luggage doesn't make the transfers he will be in big trouble. HOWEVER, both legs of his flights are still showing up as individual legs and for fewer points than we paid (we paid 11,000+, now the legs are 3991 and 3556). So weird. Guess I will just keep an eye on it, we are still unsure the trip will happen.




I am seeing a similar thing with my 3 trips I have booked!    All 3 of them the flights have been taken off the schedule, yet they are still showing as booked on my end!


----------



## cmarsh31

One of ours too. I just changed it to a flight that still exists. Not ideal, but I'll deal.


----------



## bakerworld

My understand is flights booked on points and cancelled then the points go back into the account used regardless of who the flight was booked - this is correct, yes?


----------



## FCDub

bakerworld said:


> My understand is flights booked on points and cancelled then the points go back into the account used regardless of who the flight was booked - this is correct, yes?



Yep. The person who used their points to book gets them back.


----------



## Crazyhorse

focusondisney said:


> Can someone clarify what’s going on with EBCI if I cancel my April flight? Not wanting to reschedule right now. I might have rescheduled for May, but that isn’t looking likely either.  We have a trip already booked for September, so not too interested in going in July or August. I might look at December or January.  Normally I know I would lose the EBCI if I cancel, but I think I have read some people getting refunds for it now? Thanks!


That's a great question, same question I have.  Hoping against hope for an early May reopening but not feeling very optimistic about it.


----------



## Rachel GB

I have a question about the newly released policy "*Any travel funds created because of a flight cancellation between March 1-May 31, 2020, will have an expiration date of June 30, 2021."*
Is this only if Southwest cancels my flight, or does this also apply if I cancel my flight? 
We have mid-April flights that we purchased in September 2019, and currently any travel funds I have from price reductions in the April flight are showing as a September 2020 expiration date. I would like to know what happens to my travel funds if we choose to cancel the flight (but Southwest does not cancel it).
THANK YOU in advance!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Rachel GB said:


> I have a question about the newly released policy "*Any travel funds created because of a flight cancellation between March 1-May 31, 2020, will have an expiration date of June 30, 2021."*
> Is this only if Southwest cancels my flight, or does this also apply if I cancel my flight?
> We have mid-April flights that we purchased in September 2019, and currently any travel funds I have from price reductions in the April flight are showing as a September 2020 expiration date. I would like to know what happens to my travel funds if we choose to cancel the flight (but Southwest does not cancel it).
> THANK YOU in advance!


I'm not sure if SWA has addressed this aspect but we are in the same boat. Travel funds expire in October 2020 and were used for flight in April 2020 with a bit more back for fare reduction.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Iowamomof4 said:


> I take it for the second bullet point that talks about travel funds created because of a flight cancellation, they're talking about a flight that SW cancels (removes from the schedule) rather than a flight that the customer cancels? I've been trying to decipher that one.





Fangorn said:


> No. SW announced earlier in an email to customers (which did not include anything about schedule reductions) that customers cancelling flights between March 1 and May 31 will have the travel fund expiration date *reset* to June 30, 2021.  The actual email is clearer that the posting above. The bullet you're talking about clearly is a sub-bullet under "If you decide not to travel, as long as you cancel your flight before its departure ".
> 
> 
> Steve


See if this helps regarding flight cancellations and travel funds.


----------



## aokeefe

Rachel GB said:


> I have a question about the newly released policy "*Any travel funds created because of a flight cancellation between March 1-May 31, 2020, will have an expiration date of June 30, 2021."*
> Is this only if Southwest cancels my flight, or does this also apply if I cancel my flight?
> We have mid-April flights that we purchased in September 2019, and currently any travel funds I have from price reductions in the April flight are showing as a September 2020 expiration date. I would like to know what happens to my travel funds if we choose to cancel the flight (but Southwest does not cancel it).
> THANK YOU in advance!


I contacted SW regarding the same question and I was told it does not matter whether I cancel the flight or if Southwest cancels between March 1 and May- you will get the travel funds to June 30 2021


----------



## Leigh L

aokeefe said:


> I contacted SW regarding the same question and I was told it does not matter whether I cancel the flight or if Southwest cancels between March 1 and May- you will get the travel funds to June 30 2021


Thank you!

I canceled mine this morning and it defaulted to my purchase date (expires February 2021), but I read online (I think it was The Points Guy's blog) that any SW flights canceled in this time frame will eventually be updated to reflect the June 30 date.


----------



## Rachel GB

aokeefe said:


> I contacted SW regarding the same question and I was told it does not matter whether I cancel the flight or if Southwest cancels between March 1 and May- you will get the travel funds to June 30 2021


TY for your reply! Amazing news! Did they provide this to you in writing?


----------



## aokeefe

Rachel GB said:


> TY for your reply! Amazing news! Did they provide this to you in writing?


Yes- I contacted them through the messenger in Facebook (I always find that is the fastest way to get a response). I definitely will be saving the message I had with Rocky, the SW Agent, especially since I just came to grips that my April trip is not happening and just cancelled my DVC reservation; still going to hold off cancelling my flights bc I may just modify it to a new date when I figure out what date we are going.


----------



## scrappinginontario

So many reasons to fly Southwest!!! They truly are an amazing airline!!!


----------



## teawar

Earlier this week we canceled our flight to Aulani for this past Friday. Flying out of Birmingham, AL we had to book 4 different reservations to maximize points and to save some cash. My daughter flies on our companion pass, so we had 12 reservation numbers to deal with.

We’ve rebooked for mid-June and have our fingers crossed that everything will work out. We have one flight credit that expires at the end of May 2020 that is in limbo until they update the flight credit expiration date. So we are out of pocket for that credit until it is fixed through SWA.
One of our flights is now dropped from the flight schedule, but we haven’t received any notifications for changes. Anyone else experiencing this? I know they are greatly reducing their flight schedules. I wonder when they will communicate changes to customers.


----------



## 123Dis4Me

teawar said:


> Earlier this week we canceled our flight to Aulani for this past Friday. Flying out of Birmingham, AL we had to book 4 different reservations to maximize points and to save some cash. My daughter flies on our companion pass, so we had 12 reservation numbers to deal with.
> 
> We’ve rebooked for mid-June and have our fingers crossed that everything will work out. We have one flight credit that expires at the end of May 2020 that is in limbo until they update the flight credit expiration date. So we are out of pocket for that credit until it is fixed through SWA.
> One of our flights is now dropped from the flight schedule, but we haven’t received any notifications for changes. Anyone else experiencing this? I know they are greatly reducing their flight schedules. I wonder when they will communicate changes to customers.


I am experiencing this...kind of.  We have flights for April Break.  I didn't cancel yet but I noticed these flights are no longer on the schedule.  I am hoping that one of these days SW will cancel them?


----------



## elle101me

123Dis4Me said:


> I am experiencing this...kind of.  We have flights for April Break.  I didn't cancel yet but I noticed these flights are no longer on the schedule.  I am hoping that one of these days SW will cancel them?


My April flights are also gone from the schedule. If Southwest cancels them does anyone know if they’ll refund us, or just give travel credit?


----------



## 123Dis4Me

I am not sure where I read it but, my understanding is if I cancel it I would be given travel credit that expires one year from date of purchase.  I think that when SW cancels the flight I would get a credit that expires in June or July. I am waiting for a while because I think I should get a cancellation from them and my travel funds would expire later.


----------



## shoreward

123Dis4Me said:


> I am not sure where I read it but, my understanding is if I cancel it I would be given travel credit that expires one year from date of purchase.  I think that when SW cancels the flight I would get a credit that expires in June or July. I am waiting for a while because I think I should get a cancellation from them and my travel funds would expire later.


From Southwest:


> *Can I receive a refund if I’ve booked a ticket on Southwest and feel uncomfortable flying?*
> Nonrefundable tickets not flown on the travel date, but canceled in accordance with Southwest’s No Show Policy, can be applied to future travel up to one year from the original purchase date aside from the below exceptions. All travel funds must be used by the individual named on the ticket.
> 
> In recognition of the current travel environment, we are extending the expiration date of some travel funds:
> 
> Customers’ funds that have expired or will expire between March 1-May 31, 2020, will now expire June 30, 2021
> Any newly created travel fund due to a flight cancellation between March 1-May 31, 2020, will have an expiration date of June 30, 2021
> For any nonrefundable tickets that do not fall within either date range noted above, the travel funds can be used up to one year from the original purchase date but must be used by the individual named on the ticket.
> Any travel planned through the end of April can be changed online for up to 60 days from the original date of travel without paying any difference in fare if you are traveling between the same origin and destination. Look for flights that display as “Available.” Flights that show a price point are not eligible for a change without paying a fare difference.
> Refundable tickets not flown on the travel date can also be applied to future travel. More information on refunds can be found on *Southwest.com*. We hope these policies continue to give our Customers flexibility and options for travel planning.
> *If my funds are still active and have not expired, how can I use the funds or be notified of the expiration date extension?*
> It will take several weeks to implement the expiration extension of unused funds. Once the extension is complete, more information will be provided on how Customers can access and apply their travel funds.
> *Is there a fee to change my flight to a different date?*
> Southwest does not charge fees to change or cancel flights, although applicable fare differences may apply.


----------



## momof2gr8kids

We were scheduled to fly SW in April, but I cancelled and rebooked a flight for end of October a few days before this announcement.  We are from Canada and they were already advising against international travel, and talking about closing land borders (which they did.).  I couldn't find this addressed on their site but does anyone know if that means I'd be able to use the credits from this flight, originally purchased Nov. 1 2019 towards a trip up to June 2021?  Or am I screwed because I rebooked before they made this announcement? The confirmation number is the same as my original booking, so I'm hoping that it could be extended, if needed.


----------



## nkereina

Does anyone know if the new policy is for flights booked with prior travel credits as well? We have April flights that were booked using a partial travel credit from flights last Fall. Because the partial travel credit was used from flights in the Fall, the April travel fund expiration date is the date we purchased our Fall flights - so our current travel funds expiration is June 23, 2020. I hope that makes sense - confusing to explain in type! lol. Anyway, I was told last week to call when our travel funds are expired and they may be able to waive the $100 travel funds extension. But curious if anyone has inquired about a similar situation to know if this new policy would apply?


----------



## shoreward

For questions regarding rebooking and travel funds (credits), if the phone waits are too long, I suggest tweeting your question to:


www.twitter.com/SouthwestAir .

They may ask you to DM them with your confirmation number, so have that info available.


----------



## aokeefe

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I'm not sure if SWA has addressed this aspect but we are in the same boat. Travel funds expire in October 2020 and were used for flight in April 2020 with a bit more back for fare reduction.


From their website it says that both funds expiring and travel cancellation funds are both extended to June 2021

*If you want to cancel your flight*
If you decide not to travel, as long as you cancel your flight at least 10 minutes before its scheduled departure, the funds used to pay for a nonrefundable ticket are normally valid for one year from the date of purchase. However, in recognition of the current travel environment, we are extending the expiration date of some travel funds:

Customers' funds that have expired or will expire between March 1 – May 31, 2020, will now expire June 30, 2021.
Any travel funds created because of a flight cancellation between March 1 – May 31, 2020, will have an expiration date of June 30, 2021.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

aokeefe said:


> From their website it says that both funds expiring and travel cancellation funds are both extended to June 2021
> 
> *If you want to cancel your flight*
> If you decide not to travel, as long as you cancel your flight at least 10 minutes before its scheduled departure, the funds used to pay for a nonrefundable ticket are normally valid for one year from the date of purchase. However, in recognition of the current travel environment, we are extending the expiration date of some travel funds:
> 
> Customers' funds that have expired or will expire between March 1 – May 31, 2020, will now expire June 30, 2021.
> Any travel funds created because of a flight cancellation between March 1 – May 31, 2020, will have an expiration date of June 30, 2021.


That's not the same as my situation and a few other posters though which is causing the confusion and to be fair SWA does say they are extending only to some travel funds likely because they want to be able to play it by ear. 

I believe a poster mentioned that they used travel funds which when they cancelled the flight still reflected the existing expiration date but they had heard (from Points Guy I believe) that the funds would eventually be updated to June 2021. The thing for those of us that used travel funds to purchase tickets that are now needing to be cancelled or will be cancelled by SWA is we don't have confirmation from SWA that the travel funds will have the June 2021 date because it's not explicitly stated. Right now it's only for people who have used travel funds to purchase a ticket with an expiration date up to May 31st, 2020.

Our travel funds expire October 2020 (from a flight cancellation we did in October 2019). 

Those funds were used to purchase 1 of our 2 tickets for an April 2020 flight. 
No *new* travel funds are being created here 
AND our travel funds have an expiration date *outside* of the present window being provided.

That's the difference between what they are talking about in your above statement and my situation though I totally appreciate you trying to help out  . 

So it's kinda a waiting game and I would feel much more confident if I knew someone's travel funds has already been updated to June 2021 when their original expiration date was past the May 31st date. We know we'll get the points back for my ticket if we cancel because that's just how it works. It's my husband's ticket that has the travel funds attached that we are wondering about. We're just waiting it out for a bit. The flight was April 12th so a lot of info can come out between now and then.


----------



## aokeefe

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> That's not the same as my situation and a few other posters though which is causing the confusion and to be fair SWA does say they are extending only to some travel funds likely because they want to be able to play it by ear.
> 
> I believe a poster mentioned that they used travel funds which when they cancelled the flight still reflected the existing expiration date but they had heard (from Points Guy I believe) that the funds would eventually be updated to June 2021. The thing for those of us that used travel funds to purchase tickets that are now needing to be cancelled or will be cancelled by SWA is we don't have confirmation from SWA that the travel funds will have the June 2021 date because it's not explicitly stated. Right now it's only for people who have used travel funds to purchase a ticket with an expiration date up to May 31st, 2020.
> 
> Our travel funds expire October 2020 (from a flight cancellation we did in October 2019).
> 
> Those funds were used to purchase 1 of our 2 tickets for an April 2020 flight.
> No *new* travel funds are being created here
> AND our travel funds have an expiration date *outside* of the present window being provided.
> 
> That's the difference between what they are talking about in your above statement and my situation though I totally appreciate you trying to help out  .
> 
> So it's kinda a waiting game and I would feel much more confident if I knew someone's travel funds has already been updated to June 2021 when their original expiration date was past the May 31st date. We know we'll get the points back for my ticket if we cancel because that's just how it works. It's my husband's ticket that has the travel funds attached that we are wondering about. We're just waiting it out for a bit. The flight was April 12th so a lot of info can come out between now and then.


Yikes- this all confusing. I'm in a similar boat- I used some travel funds from an November 2019 flight (price reduced) to book April 2020 flights. These funds were to cancel in May 2020. I cancelled the April flights and the 2 (out of 6 booked) flights that used the funds, are saying all my funds expire May 2020 (other flights Oct 2020). I'm hoping to use all the funds to book for November. Just have to wait it out I guess.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

aokeefe said:


> Yikes- this all confusing. I'm in a similar boat- I used some travel funds from an November 2019 flight (price reduced) to book April 2020 flights. These funds were to cancel in May 2020. I cancelled the April flights and the 2 (out of 6 booked) flights that used the funds, are saying all my funds expire May 2020 (other flights Oct 2020). I'm hoping to use all the funds to book for November. Just have to wait it out I guess.


I know exactly how you're feeling! It's way confusing. 

I'm so glad SWA is doing this even if I don't get an extension on the travel funds it's nice the others are able to get it. 

I'm just waiting my turn if you will to see if it will apply at all to us


----------



## poohj80

I'm in the same boat as well.  Rebooked my upcoming flights when prices fell, but all funds still show May 29, 2020 expiration date I assume since I used previous travel funds when booking.


----------



## SaintsManiac

poohj80 said:


> I'm in the same boat as well.  Rebooked my upcoming flights when prices fell, but all funds still show May 29, 2020 expiration date I assume since I used previous travel funds when booking.



I have the same expiration date. This extension policy should work for us. They said it would be a few weeks before the dates update.


----------



## poohj80

SaintsManiac said:


> I have the same expiration date. This extension policy should work for us. They said it would be a few weeks before the dates update.


Hoping so especially when I finally admit I need to completely cancel but still holding out hope!


----------



## Crazyhorse

Maybe this will help.  On Saturday I once again "changed" our flights in early May, grabbing another $16.00 per ticket credit.  However, I noticed that the travel fund box didn't reflect the additional $32.00.  It clearly showed my other "changes" but not this one.  Yesterday I PM'd SW via facebook messenger.  Very quick response...looked us up, confirmed current travel fund credit.  Asked that I copy/paste the info showing the $16.00 x 2 from Saturdays SW confirmation email.  I did that...a bit later they typed back at me and confirmed the error and said I should get something in email, with Luv voucher or something.  If I don't receive anything in 10 days, to type back at them.  The current travel funds expire December 11, 2020.  I copy/pasted what I was told regarding the travel funds and the luv voucher...Here is what they said:  *"Thank you for being so patient with me! I was able to see the downgrade that was performed, but it looks like there was an error and the funds have basically been absorbed by the system. What we will have to do is submit a claim on your behalf, and have a Southwest LUV Voucher issued in that amount instead of having that travel credit. The voucher will have the expiration date as the ticket at this point, but rest assured the funds will be extended to June 30, 2021. Is the email that was used on your reservation a good place to send that to? -Alec *


----------



## shoreward

Effective tomorrow, March 25, Southwest will temporarily suspend all beverage and snack service; canned water will be available upon request.

This is the same policy being implemented by some other carriers, to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus.


----------



## nkereina

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> That's not the same as my situation and a few other posters though which is causing the confusion and to be fair SWA does say they are extending only to some travel funds likely because they want to be able to play it by ear.
> 
> I believe a poster mentioned that they used travel funds which when they cancelled the flight still reflected the existing expiration date but they had heard (from Points Guy I believe) that the funds would eventually be updated to June 2021. The thing for those of us that used travel funds to purchase tickets that are now needing to be cancelled or will be cancelled by SWA is we don't have confirmation from SWA that the travel funds will have the June 2021 date because it's not explicitly stated. Right now it's only for people who have used travel funds to purchase a ticket with an expiration date up to May 31st, 2020.
> 
> Our travel funds expire October 2020 (from a flight cancellation we did in October 2019).
> 
> Those funds were used to purchase 1 of our 2 tickets for an April 2020 flight.
> No *new* travel funds are being created here
> AND our travel funds have an expiration date *outside* of the present window being provided.
> 
> That's the difference between what they are talking about in your above statement and my situation though I totally appreciate you trying to help out  .
> 
> So it's kinda a waiting game and I would feel much more confident if I knew someone's travel funds has already been updated to June 2021 when their original expiration date was past the May 31st date. We know we'll get the points back for my ticket if we cancel because that's just how it works. It's my husband's ticket that has the travel funds attached that we are wondering about. We're just waiting it out for a bit. The flight was April 12th so a lot of info can come out between now and then.





aokeefe said:


> Yikes- this all confusing. I'm in a similar boat- I used some travel funds from an November 2019 flight (price reduced) to book April 2020 flights. These funds were to cancel in May 2020. I cancelled the April flights and the 2 (out of 6 booked) flights that used the funds, are saying all my funds expire May 2020 (other flights Oct 2020). I'm hoping to use all the funds to book for November. Just have to wait it out I guess.





poohj80 said:


> I'm in the same boat as well.  Rebooked my upcoming flights when prices fell, but all funds still show May 29, 2020 expiration date I assume since I used previous travel funds when booking.





SaintsManiac said:


> I have the same expiration date. This extension policy should work for us. They said it would be a few weeks before the dates update.



I am in the same boat as all of you, with flights booked on prior travel funds that would have an expiration of June 23, 2020 if I cancel them. I called this morning because I am now impacted by the FL Governor's mandate (I'm flying from NY). I was transferred to the "Funds Management" department and the rep I spoke to read their talking points to me verbatim - the question on their talking points was for guests who have flights booked on travel funds, will their travel fund expiration date also be extended through June 30, 2021. The answer to that question was yes, if the flight is cancelled between March 1-May 31, the travel funds will also be extended to June 30, 2021. I asked the rep back "so as long as I cancel by May 31st, my travel funds will be extended to June 2021?" and she said yes. I've not seen this published in anything released by Southwest, but the rep was reading the internal talking points distributed to them which are meant to field these kind of questions.

If anyone else calls, please let us know if you receive the same answer or something contradictory. I will feel better about it when I see this in writing or the same answer is given by more than one rep!


----------



## cmarsh31

Flights for Memorial Day weekend that had "disappeared" but I had not received a cancellation notification are now back on the schedule. I know a few others were having similar experiences.


----------



## georgina

cmarsh31 said:


> Flights for Memorial Day weekend that had "disappeared" but I had not received a cancellation notification are now back on the schedule. I know a few others were having similar experiences.


Yep, checked the one I was concerned about and yesterday it was back (none of our flights was cheaper, though)


----------



## teawar

My flights that disappeared showed back up too!


----------



## zoo2tycoon

I cancelled 4/17 flights today. I had purchased EBCI. Did online chat via Facebook was told no refund unless I rebooked those flights- I was offered 4000 rapid rewards points for compensation of EBCI when I cancelled flights. Points appeared immediately.


----------



## scrappinginontario

zoo2tycoon said:


> I cancelled 4/17 flights today. I had purchased EBCI. Did online chat via Facebook was told no refund unless I rebooked those flights- I was offered 4000 rapid rewards points for compensation of EBCI when I cancelled flights. Points appeared immediately.


That’s good compensation since technically they don’t refund EBCI when we cancel our  flights.  It would normally take about $800 in flights to earn 4,000 points.

When we had to cancel flights due to Irma in 2017 our EBCI was just gone.


----------



## zoo2tycoon

scrappinginontario said:


> That’s good compensation since technically they don’t refund EBCI when we cancel our  flights.  It would normally take about $800 in flights to earn 4,000 points.
> 
> When we had to cancel flights due to Irma in 2017 our EBCI was just gone.



I was surprised. I did chat via Facebook messenger and got very nice agent.


----------



## Crazyhorse

zoo2tycoon said:


> I was surprised. I did chat via Facebook messenger and got very nice agent.


Yes, I too am impressed with the responses via Facebook messenger.  SW is doing it right.


----------



## maciec

I got an agent and spoke to them about my EBCI and they only gave me 1,000 points.  That is the equivalent of $30.  I spent $100 on EBCI.  I said as much to the agent and he said "thanks for the feedback and I'll pass it on" 

Needless to say I am disappointed


----------



## ultimatefans

I've noticed that the cash cost of some future flights I have booked has gone down this morning, but the points required has not changed.  Has anyone else noticed this?


----------



## ah10is

ultimatefans said:


> I've noticed that the cash cost of some future flights I have booked has gone down this morning, but the points required has not changed.  Has anyone else noticed this?



Yes!  I have noticed this as well!


----------



## Fangorn

That isn't a new thing. It happens a lot. There is not always a direct correspondence between cash price and points cost. 

Particularly at this time, they'd be wanting to incentivize new cash purchases, and less interested in points usage. 

Steve


----------



## ultimatefans

Fangorn said:


> That isn't a new thing. It happens a lot. There is not always a direct correspondence between cash price and points cost.
> 
> Particularly at this time, they'd be wanting to incentivize new cash purchases, and less interested in points usage.
> 
> Steve


I figured something like that was going on, but I’d never seen it before.  I was wondering if it’s temporary or if the point value had been modified.  Thanks for the info!


----------



## PCFriar80

ultimatefans said:


> I've noticed that the cash cost of some future flights I have booked has gone down this morning, but the points required has not changed.  Has anyone else noticed this?


Thanks for the heads up!  Just saved $21 per person for our October trip!  Now I have a downpayment for when I book our December trip!


----------



## BelleOftheBall16

ultimatefans said:


> I've noticed that the cash cost of some future flights I have booked has gone down this morning, but the points required has not changed.  Has anyone else noticed this?


It has to do with the recent stimulus package that passed. Part of the airline bailout is that they don’t have to pay some of the transportation taxes, therefore the customers are not charged. I believe it will continue until Jan 1, 2021.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

My flight August has gone down $10. Should I take a credit or hold out to see if it goes down more. It's hard to use all the nickle and dime credits, because of the three forms of payment limits.


----------



## teawar

I usually book each leg separately due to maximize flight credits. You do have to be careful how/when you use them, because they all end up dating to the earliest one, if you cancel or make changes.


----------



## ultimatefans

BelleOftheBall16 said:


> It has to do with the recent stimulus package that passed. Part of the airline bailout is that they don’t have to pay some of the transportation taxes, therefore the customers are not charged. I believe it will continue until Jan 1, 2021.


AH, thank makes sense, thank you so much!


----------



## PCFriar80

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> My flight August has gone down $10. Should I take a credit or hold out to see if it goes down more. It's hard to use all the nickle and dime credits, because of the three forms of payment limits.


*I might be wrong,* but for a "change flight" I believe that the same confirmation # will not generate a new credit but will simply adjust the one that's already established.  They key off of initial confirmation # which in turn is tied to date of purchase and subsequently the travel funds expiry.

This would be different for cancelling because you are introducing new conformation numbers with that process.

*ETA... and I was wrong. I stand corrected!  *


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Ya, I know you need to play the game. That's why I was thinking I might hold out. Thoughts?


----------



## zemmer

We made several changes due to lower fares, and they were all separate travel funds even though they had the same confirmation number. (We had 4 flights that were changed 1-4 times each, so 1 flight confirmation number had 4 separate travel funds.) I spent an hour yesterday booking one way trips with different travel funds, then canceling and using the new travel funds with other small ones until I had 3 travel funds instead of 12.  Waiting for November flights now!


----------



## Erica Ladd

Just making sure that my current reservations for May - two separate OW flights - will get the June 30th 2021 expiry date whether I cancel or change to August? Or they cancel?


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

zemmer said:


> We made several changes due to lower fares, and they were all separate travel funds even though they had the same confirmation number. (We had 4 flights that were changed 1-4 times each, so 1 flight confirmation number had 4 separate travel funds.) I spent an hour yesterday booking one way trips with different travel funds, then canceling and using the new travel funds with other small ones until I had 3 travel funds instead of 12.  Waiting for November flights now!


See that's a lot of work.


----------



## zemmer

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> See that's a lot of work.



Yes! I’m not going to change for lower fares again unless it’s really worth it. I had thought it would all be one travel fund with the same confirmation number, so I was shocked when it was so many!


----------



## irt9206

Well we just rescheduled our late August trip for either the last week of Oct. or the 2nd week of Dec. Changed our flights to the Oct. dates but we'll probably change them again to Dec. when the new schedule comes out. We have early bird so it's a good thing we booked with points. If anyone is interested, Touring Plans just about doubled the crowd number for our Aug. dates at Universal.


----------



## aokeefe

I just noticed that the flight schedule release date has been pushed out until May 28th (previously end of April )

We are currently accepting air reservations through October 30, 2020. On May 28, 2020 we will open our schedule for sale through January 4, 2021. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


----------



## Fangorn

aokeefe said:


> I just noticed that the flight schedule release date has been pushed out until May 28th (previously end of April )
> 
> We are currently accepting air reservations through October 30, 2020. On May 28, 2020 we will open our schedule for sale through January 4, 2021. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.



Under the circumstances, that is not the least bit surprising. Although I will say I'm disappointed as I have a December trip planned and I'd like to get my flight situation nailed down. 

Steve


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

I saw April release, also. I'm glad they pushed it back. If needed, I didn't want to have to use two sets of travel funds within months of each other. We just purchased August and need December, too. I missed out on the $10 credit yesterday. I'll keep watching. However,  my daughter got a really good deal on Delta for August. It's main cabin round trip for $167. The best I saw was just under $200 for basic fare.


----------



## BLTtinkerbell

I have a question about getting/using credits with SW. I have flights booked to MCO for the end of June and the price went down approx $40 round trip. With the uncertainty of the Coronavirus, of course we might have to change the dates.  If I get the credit, how easy or difficult will it be to use it, if I need to change my trip to a later date and the airfare costs more? Should I bother getting the credit? Sorry, I’ve never done this before. 

stay well


----------



## cassie58

BLTtinkerbell said:


> I have a question about getting/using credits with SW. I have flights booked to MCO for the end of June and the price went down approx $40 round trip. With the uncertainty of the Coronavirus, of course we might have to change the dates.  If I get the credit, how easy or difficult will it be to use it, if I need to change my trip to a later date and the airfare costs more? Should I bother getting the credit? Sorry, I’ve never done this before.
> 
> stay well



Yes, get the credit - pretty easy to do and to use later.  On the main page go to end of blue bar near the top where it says"Manage Flight" and choose change flight.  You will need confirmation # to bring it up, and then you will select your flight and pick the time you want - you will see the credit amount in the box where you normally see fare.  Then you just continue through the process to "rebook".  The credit will be good for travel for one year from when you originally booked - so if you booked this flight on January 4th, you can use it to book any flight that will take off before next January 4th.  Hope that makes sense!

When ready to use in the future,  under method of payment there will be an option for travel funds, and you will use that confirmation # again to pull those up.  Only tricky part is they only accept 3 forms of payment at a time, so if you were to get more credits if it continues to go down, they each count separately, so could have several, and may only be able to use 2 if you still need will to add credit card to finish paying.  But if you book one leg at a time as we usually do, you can use 2 each time, so that helps.  HTH!


----------



## Crazyhorse

Hmmm.....I have flights for early May.  I have already cancelled the hotel but was waiting until the next flight schedule to be released...April 23.  We already have a December trip planned so I was hoping to change our May flights to December, thereby not losing our EBCI.  I'm assuming since the next release has been moved to late May, I'll have to cancel our May flights..and I'll lose my EBCI.  I realize it's not a third world problem but I was hoping to save a little sumpin' sumpin'.   Oh well...hell of year so far.  Stay healthy!


----------



## PCFriar80

Crazyhorse said:


> Hmmm.....I have flights for early May.  I have already cancelled the hotel but was waiting until the next flight schedule to be released...April 23.  We already have a December trip planned so I was hoping to change our May flights to December, thereby not losing our EBCI.  I'm assuming since the next release has been moved to late May, I'll have to cancel our May flights..and I'll lose my EBCI.  I realize it's not a third world problem but I was hoping to save a little sumpin' sumpin'.   Oh well...hell of year so far.  Stay healthy!


You may want to change your May flights and book a "holding" flight sometime in June or July that's comparable to the pricing of your current flights and then "change" those flights to the December trip that you're actually taking.  Keeps the confirmation and EBCI intact.  Not sure how favorable or unfavorable the price differences will be for the holding flight.


----------



## Crazyhorse

PCFriar80 said:


> You may want to change your May flights and book a "holding" flight sometime in June or July that's comparable to the pricing of your current flights and then "change" those flights to the December trip that you're actually taking.  Keeps the confirmation and EBCI intact.  Not sure how favorable or unfavorable the price differences will be for the holding flight.


Wow!  Thank you!  I didn't even think of that....I'll do exactly that.  Love this group!


----------



## nkereina

Just curious if anyone who has cancelled flights can see the updated 6/30/21 expiration date yet? I know they said it would take several weeks, but just wondering if its started rolling out yet. 

We re-scheduled our trip from May to October, but I have not been able to re-schedule my flights yet because it still thinks I have a travel fund expiration of June 2020 (they were booked using partial travel funds from a prior flight). Ideally, I'd like to "change" the flight rather than cancel so I don't lose EBCI, so I'm keeping an eye out for the expiration date extensions!


----------



## Erica Ladd

I haven't cancelled yet for this reason.  I'd like to see the date change before I commit!


----------



## disny_luvr

I have rebooked the same flight four times because our flight price keeps dropping. I now have $300 in travel credits. In reading up thread, it sounds like it is difficult to use travel credits when booking if you have multiple credits. If I can use three different forms of payment in one transaction, should I book myself and my one son on one reservation using two of the travel credits, and then my husband and my other son on another reservation using the other two travel credits? We only have our flight booked going to Orlando, I still need to book our return flight. I’m just kind of waiting to see if the trip will actually happen.


----------



## poohj80

nkereina said:


> Just curious if anyone who has cancelled flights can see the updated 6/30/21 expiration date yet? I know they said it would take several weeks, but just wondering if its started rolling out yet.


Not yet!


----------



## nkereina

disny_luvr said:


> I have rebooked the same flight four times because our flight price keeps dropping. I now have $300 in travel credits. In reading up thread, it sounds like it is difficult to use travel credits when booking if you have multiple credits. If I can use three different forms of payment in one transaction, should I book myself and my one son on one reservation using two of the travel credits, and then my husband and my other son on another reservation using the other two travel credits? We only have our flight booked going to Orlando, I still need to book our return flight. I’m just kind of waiting to see if the trip will actually happen.


Is that considered multiple credits? If its the same flight, wouldn't it be the same confirmation and the same expiration date, appearing as one credit per person? I've re-booked twice due to price drops on my flight, so same confirmation number and same expiration date, and only have one line item for my total credit when looking at my travel funds (same with DH). Sorry if I'm misunderstanding!


----------



## disny_luvr

nkereina said:


> Is that considered multiple credits? If its the same flight, wouldn't it be the same confirmation and the same expiration date, appearing as one credit per person? I've re-booked twice due to price drops on my flight, so same confirmation number and same expiration date, and only have one line item for my total credit when looking at my travel funds (same with DH). Sorry if I'm misunderstanding!



Lol, no worries, I might be the one who is misunderstanding. It’s the same confirmation number, so then maybe I’ll have nothing to worry about when I book our return flight.


----------



## poohj80

nkereina said:


> Is that considered multiple credits? If its the same flight, wouldn't it be the same confirmation and the same expiration date, appearing as one credit per person? I've re-booked twice due to price drops on my flight, so same confirmation number and same expiration date, and only have one line item for my total credit when looking at my travel funds (same with DH). Sorry if I'm misunderstanding!


I have the same confirmation number and 3 different lines in my travel funds for all the different rebookings.


----------



## ultimatefans

disny_luvr said:


> I have rebooked the same flight four times because our flight price keeps dropping. I now have $300 in travel credits. In reading up thread, it sounds like it is difficult to use travel credits when booking if you have multiple credits. If I can use three different forms of payment in one transaction, should I book myself and my one son on one reservation using two of the travel credits, and then my husband and my other son on another reservation using the other two travel credits? We only have our flight booked going to Orlando, I still need to book our return flight. I’m just kind of waiting to see if the trip will actually happen.





nkereina said:


> Is that considered multiple credits? If its the same flight, wouldn't it be the same confirmation and the same expiration date, appearing as one credit per person? I've re-booked twice due to price drops on my flight, so same confirmation number and same expiration date, and only have one line item for my total credit when looking at my travel funds (same with DH). Sorry if I'm misunderstanding!



It is very possible something has changed, but in the past every modification equaled a different travel credit, even if it was the same original confirmation number.  I've run into this in the past and couldn't use a credit because of it and spoke with a rep to clarify.  But if they are listed on one line in your travel funds then maybe it's just one??

@disny_luvr If you were all on the same original reservation then splitting up people wouldn't help use more credits.  Each travel credit counts as one form of payment, even if it's for four different people.  However, if you have different confirmation numbers from your original flights, then yes, splitting up would help.  One thing that you *can* do in order to use more travel credits per trip is to book your outbound and inbound flights separately.


----------



## disny_luvr

ultimatefans said:


> It is very possible something has changed, but in the past every modification equaled a different travel credit, even if it was the same original confirmation number.  I've run into this in the past and couldn't use a credit because of it and spoke with a rep to clarify.  But if they are listed on one line in your travel funds then maybe it's just one??
> 
> @disny_luvr If you were all on the same original reservation then splitting up people wouldn't help use more credits.  Each travel credit counts as one form of payment, even if it's for four different people.  However, if you have different confirmation numbers from your original flights, then yes, splitting up would help.  One thing that you *can* do in order to use more travel credits per trip is to book your outbound and inbound flights separately.



I only booked one flight so far, our flight to Orlando. We are all booked under the same confirmation number. Since I have four credits, when I go to book the return flight, can I only use two of those four credits? Do I lose the other two credits?

Sorry for all the questions. We haven’t flown with SW since 2017, and I can’t remember how all this works. Thanks!


----------



## Fangorn

nkereina said:


> Is that considered multiple credits? If its the same flight, wouldn't it be the same confirmation and the same expiration date, appearing as one credit per person? I've re-booked twice due to price drops on my flight, so same confirmation number and same expiration date, and only have one line item for my total credit when looking at my travel funds (same with DH). Sorry if I'm misunderstanding!




Yes, it's multiple credits (or at least that's the way it's always worked). Due to price reductions, I made two changes to a flight to catch lower fares, and I ultimately had to cancel the flight.  I have 3 different line items in my travel fund account, all with the same confirmation number and date. When I go to use them to book a new flight, they are differentiated with a 4 digit number appended to the confirmation number, and are treated as three separate travel funds. 


There is actually a third credit for this confirmation number, but you can only use two for any given reservation.   Of course, I can (and always do) book each way separately, so I get to use two credits per leg. 

Steve


----------



## elle101me

disny_luvr said:


> I have rebooked the same flight four times because our flight price keeps dropping. I now have $300 in travel credits. In reading up thread, it sounds like it is difficult to use travel credits when booking if you have multiple credits. If I can use three different forms of payment in one transaction, should I book myself and my one son on one reservation using two of the travel credits, and then my husband and my other son on another reservation using the other two travel credits? We only have our flight booked going to Orlando, I still need to book our return flight. I’m just kind of waiting to see if the trip will actually happen.


I actually tweeted them asking the same question. I had a flight price drop twice, so I repriced it twice, and even though it’s the same confirmation number they are considered 2 separate payment options.


----------



## ultimatefans

disny_luvr said:


> I only booked one flight so far, our flight to Orlando. We are all booked under the same confirmation number. Since I have four credits, when I go to book the return flight, can I only use two of those four credits? Do I lose the other two credits?
> 
> Sorry for all the questions. We haven’t flown with SW since 2017, and I can’t remember how all this works. Thanks!


Just to make sure I understand - you've booked half of your trip and the price for that flight has gone down 4 times?  But you haven't booked the return flight yet?  If that's the case, then yes, I think you could only use 2 of the 4 credits on your return flight.  Otherwise just use the two highest credits for your return leg.  [although with things changing so much lately it's quite possible another door will open for you to be able to use all the credits]


----------



## Fangorn

disny_luvr said:


> I only booked one flight so far, our flight to Orlando. We are all booked under the same confirmation number. Since I have four credits, when I go to book the return flight, can I only use two of those four credits? Do I lose the other two credits?
> 
> Sorry for all the questions. We haven’t flown with SW since 2017, and I can’t remember how all this works. Thanks!




Each credit is associated with a different person who was on the reservation. EACH credit can ONLY be used with the person who is associated with that credit. You can book individual flights for each person and use the credit for that person, or you could book two people together and use the two credits for those people.  But if you try to book all four on one itinerary, you'll only be allowed to use 2 of the credits.

Steve


----------



## disny_luvr

Fangorn said:


> Each credit is associated with a different person who was on the reservation. EACH credit can ONLY be used with the person who is associated with that credit. You can book individual flights for each person and use the credit for that person, or you could book two people together and use the two credits for those people.  But if you try to book all four on one itinerary, you'll only be allowed to use 2 of the credits.
> 
> Steve



My sons are 13-years-old. Can I book them on their own reservation without an adult?


----------



## disny_luvr

ultimatefans said:


> Just to make sure I understand - you've booked half of your trip and the price for that flight has gone down 4 times?  But you haven't booked the return flight yet?  If that's the case, then yes, I think you could only use 2 of the 4 credits on your return flight.  Otherwise just use the two highest credits for your return leg.  [although with things changing so much lately it's quite possible another door will open for you to be able to use all the credits]



You are understanding correctly. Plus, everyone in my travel party has four credits.


----------



## zemmer

disny_luvr said:


> My sons are 13-years-old. Can I book them on their own reservation without an adult?


Yes. A pop up will ask if they’re traveling with someone over 18. Click yes and you can finish purchasing the ticket.


----------



## kelpricer

can someone explain this to me like I’m 5 please I have 2 people that have travel credits. Both are the same based on a trip we took a few months ago. They look like this: abcdef-1234
                                                              abcdef-5678
                                                               Ghijkl-9112
the first 2 must have been from the same flight??? I did find lower fares but I don’t remember what I did then So I’m guessing. after the - the numbers differ but before the- they are the same. So if I was going to use these I realize I can only use 2 but are the first 2 (the same flight ones) considered 2 separate amounts? I hope this makes some sense


----------



## 123Dis4Me

I have flights booked for April Break (like 10 days from now).  I am not going to use these flights but have not canceled yet.  Am I correct in thinking that is Southwest cancels the flight my credit will be extended to summer 2021 as opposed to if I cancel the flights (credit expires one year from booking).  I keep reading that SW is canceling 1000 to 2000 flights per day, I am hopeful my flight will get canceled.  Does anyone know how far in advance SW has been canceling the flights?


----------



## Fangorn

kelpricer said:


> can someone explain this to me like I’m 5 please I have 2 people that have travel credits. Both are the same based on a trip we took a few months ago. They look like this: abcdef-1234
> abcdef-5678
> Ghijkl-9112
> the first 2 must have been from the same flight??? I did find lower fares but I don’t remember what I did then So I’m guessing. after the - the numbers differ but before the- they are the same. So if I was going to use these I realize I can only use 2 but are the first 2 (the same flight ones) considered 2 separate amounts? I hope this makes some sense



Yes, they are considered two separate credits. You will NOT be able to use the credits from both abcdef and ghijkl to pay for the same itinerary,  since there are 3 credits involved. 

Steve


----------



## Fangorn

123Dis4Me said:


> I have flights booked for April Break (like 10 days from now).  I am not going to use these flights but have not canceled yet.  Am I correct in thinking that is Southwest cancels the flight my credit will be extended to summer 2021 as opposed to if I cancel the flights (credit expires one year from booking).  I keep reading that SW is canceling 1000 to 2000 flights per day, I am hopeful my flight will get canceled.  Does anyone know how far in advance SW has been canceling the flights?



It doesn't matter if SW cancels or you cancel. The extension of the date applies in both cases. It may take a few weeks for the date extension to show up though. Based on the language used in the announcements about it, I have to assume that pushing out the date will be a separate process at some point in the future and is not part of the normal cancel process. 

Steve


----------



## kelpricer

Fangorn said:


> Yes, they are considered two separate credits. You will NOT be able to use the credits from both abcdef and ghijkl to pay for the same itinerary,  since there are 3 credits involved.
> 
> Steve


Thank you!!! So can I book a 1 way flight and use the first ones and then a 1 way back and use the other credit? And assuming that I could do the same thing for the second person,booking it separate. I’m sure having 4 different reservations is a pain but would that work?


----------



## 123Dis4Me

Fangorn said:


> It doesn't matter if SW cancels or you cancel. The extension of the date applies in both cases. It may take a few weeks for the date extension to show up though. Based on the language used in the announcements about it, I have to assume that pushing out the date will be a separate process at some point in the future and is not part of the normal cancel process.
> 
> Steve


Thank you - I misread their statement.  I love this board!


----------



## Fangorn

kelpricer said:


> Thank you!!! So can I book a 1 way flight and use the first ones and then a 1 way back and use the other credit? And assuming that I could do the same thing for the second person,booking it separate. I’m sure having 4 different reservations is a pain but would that work?



Yes that works just fine.  I do it all the time.  I almost always book separate itineraries for DW and I, each way.  So 4 different confirmation numbers for the two of us for a roundtrip.  It will be time consuming to book everyone individually, and it can make changing or cancelling a bit more time consuming, but it provides the maximum flexibility in using credits, changing one leg for only one person, and picking up a price reduction when it's available for only one seat.  

Steve


----------



## Fangorn

123Dis4Me said:


> Thank you - I misread their statement.  I love this board!



You didn't necessarily misread the statement.  There were two of them, both identical, but they came out in different contexts. The initial one went out in an email to customers within the context of "here's what will happen if you cancel your reservation".  The second was in conjunction with the press statement that SW was looking to cancel 1000 flights per day, and what they would be doing for customers.  The remedy was the same, regardless, but if you only saw the press release, it is very understandable you would think it only applies to flights that SW cancels.

Steve


----------



## 123Dis4Me

I did read it from the email first!


----------



## teawar

My May 2020 travel funds have not updated.


----------



## Fangorn

teawar said:


> My May 2020 travel funds have not updated.



From the email the Southwest sent out on March 20, regarding changing expiration dates to June 30, 2021:
* It will take our Technology Teams a few weeks to make these changes*

Be patient, they'll get there. It's only been 10 days.

Steve


----------



## SM1992

Hi all,
I have a question about using travel funds. If the flight I plan on booking is cheaper that the travel fund I'll  use, do I loose the balance of that travel fund?
Sorry if this has been explained somewhere, this is the first time I'll be booking this way.
Thanks!


----------



## zemmer

SM1992 said:


> Hi all,
> I have a question about using travel funds. If the flight I plan on booking is cheaper that the travel fund I'll  use, do I loose the balance of that travel fund?
> Sorry if this has been explained somewhere, this is the first time I'll be booking this way.
> Thanks!


No, you don’t lose it. You will still have the remaining part of a travel fund available for use under the same confirmation number.


----------



## disny_luvr

zemmer said:


> Yes. A pop up will ask if they’re traveling with someone over 18. Click yes and you can finish purchasing the ticket.



Awesome! Thank you!


----------



## Erica Ladd

Just wanted to say I love this thread!!!!


----------



## G719

Early June flights had the red banner saying you can change your flight. I had a trip for the beach booked June 2-9. The 9th did not have the red banner. I changed them but changed to orlando so had to pay the difference which I had travel funds to cover. You can change your date or time but not the destination for no extra charge if you have that red banner on the flight info. My original disney flights were booked on points so I canceled, got the points back and changed the June flights to the disney flights.


----------



## nkereina

zoo2tycoon said:


> I cancelled 4/17 flights today. I had purchased EBCI. Did online chat via Facebook was told no refund unless I rebooked those flights- I was offered 4000 rapid rewards points for compensation of EBCI when I cancelled flights. Points appeared immediately.





maciec said:


> I got an agent and spoke to them about my EBCI and they only gave me 1,000 points.  That is the equivalent of $30.  I spent $100 on EBCI.  I said as much to the agent and he said "thanks for the feedback and I'll pass it on"
> 
> Needless to say I am disappointed


Out of curiosity, are either of you A list members? I spoke to reservations today and they wouldn't give me anything for the loss of EBCI - I realize no refund, but the points would be nice. They gave me a number to call for Customer Relations if I wanted to escalate it, but maybe I'll try the Facebook chat.


----------



## zoo2tycoon

nkereina said:


> Out of curiosity, are either of you A list members? I spoke to reservations today and they wouldn't give me anything for the loss of EBCI - I realize no refund, but the points would be nice. They gave me a number to call for Customer Relations if I wanted to escalate it, but maybe I'll try the Facebook chat.



No I’m not. I just nicely asked on Facebook. Here is what I said


I have a trip planned x/xx/2020. I have 3 one-way tickets and my husband a round trip ticket. We are loyal SW customers. I always purchase EBCI and understand in normal situations it is non-refundable. In this case can I get a refund on it if I cancel my flights (I understand it is travel credit valid through 6/2021. I would lose $125 because of the EBCI which doesn’t seem right due to the circumstances.


----------



## piglet1979

I have a quick question.  If I book a flight only on points and then if we had to cancel the flights, would the points go back into my bank of points without having to use them within a year of booking that flight?


----------



## shoreward

piglet1979 said:


> I have a quick question.  If I book a flight only on points and then if we had to cancel the flights, would the points go back into my bank of points without having to use them within a year of booking that flight?


Yes.  Also, you can designate, from a drop down list, that the $5.60 tax on each leg be credited back to your original form of payment.


----------



## piglet1979

shoreward said:


> Yes.  Also, you can designate, from a drop down list, that the $5.60 tax on each leg be credited back to your original form of payment.



Awesome.  We might book then.  We are not sure if we are going to Disney this summer but with the low costs I am thinking of booking just incase


----------



## TNKim

I just got the email stating our mid-day nonstop flight to MCO has been changed to the late nonstop flight which arrives at 9:45pm. I have the red banner with the offer to change to another flight at no charge. There is an earlier nonstop flight that arrives at 6:10pm that I would like to change to, but the Wanna Getaway fare is sold out & only 1 Anytime fare is available. We need 4 seats. The Business Select Fare is available.  Is it possible to change to that fare without paying extra? We booked the Wanna Getaway fare originally.  Of course, we may end up cancelling altogether depending on when Disney reopens.


----------



## nkereina

TNKim said:


> I just got the email stating our mid-day nonstop flight to MCO has been changed to the late nonstop flight which arrives at 9:45pm. I have the red banner with the offer to change to another flight at no charge. There is an earlier nonstop flight that arrives at 6:10pm that I would like to change to, but the Wanna Getaway fare is sold out & only 1 Anytime fare is available. We need 4 seats. The Business Select Fare is available.  Is it possible to change to that fare without paying extra? We booked the Wanna Getaway fare originally.  Of course, we may end up cancelling altogether depending on when Disney reopens.


You should be able to check yourself on the web site. If you select "change" flight, choose your existing flight, and then on the next screen select the 6:10 flight you want to change to, it will say what the price difference is. I know if your flight is changed/canceled, they will allow you to change once to another flight within 60 days of the original one for no difference in fare, but I *think* it has to be the same fare class. When you check on the web site, if they will permit you to change to Anytime or Business Select, it will say "Available" and won't show you any price difference.


----------



## nkereina

I reached out to Southwest on Facebook to see about recourse for my lost EBCI due to cancelling my flights. I was offered 1,000 points to my Rapid Rewards account or a $50 LUV voucher. I've never had a LUV voucher before - what are the cons? I'm thinking that's probably a better value, but I already have two sets of travel funds I was wanting to apply to my new flight once their schedule is extended. This would be the third form of payment, and I'm not sure the three together would be enough to cover the flight. Since I'm capped at 3 forms of payment, I wouldn't be able to use all 3 together if it doesn't cover the cost. Is this correct? I have read of people using the travel funds to book a dummy flight, then canceling that flight so that the travel funds were now combined together as one. Is this a legit workaround?


----------



## Iowamomof4

nkereina said:


> I reached out to Southwest on Facebook to see about recourse for my lost EBCI due to cancelling my flights. I was offered 1,000 points to my Rapid Rewards account or a $50 LUV voucher. I've never had a LUV voucher before - what are the cons? I'm thinking that's probably a better value, but I already have two sets of travel funds I was wanting to apply to my new flight once their schedule is extended. This would be the third form of payment, and I'm not sure the three together would be enough to cover the flight. Since I'm capped at 3 forms of payment, I wouldn't be able to use all 3 together if it doesn't cover the cost. Is this correct? I have read of people using the travel funds to book a dummy flight, then canceling that flight so that the travel funds were now combined together as one. Is this a legit workaround?



I'm curious, is the LUV voucher equivalent to the money you spent on EBCI?


----------



## nkereina

Iowamomof4 said:


> I'm curious, is the LUV voucher equivalent to the money you spent on EBCI?


Yes it is


----------



## Iowamomof4

nkereina said:


> Yes it is



That's a pretty incredible offer then!


----------



## Erica Ladd

I just checked my fights for May that I hadn’t canceled yet but they pop up as canceled. I really hope all my TF are post dated to June 2021 - I’m scared to look!


----------



## nkereina

Iowamomof4 said:


> That's a pretty incredible offer then!


I was surprised by it too! I told them that I have to re-schedule my May flight for November, but since they delayed the schedule extension from April to the end of May, I was forced to cancel my May flight and will have to re-book when the schedule comes out, which means I have no choice but to lose my EBCI. I think they were able to validate this because I already re-booked my flight there for the end of October. I'm guessing that's why they were generous.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Ok. Just checked one fight. Shows my $10 that I got for when the price dropped but nothing about the cancellation $$$. Plus it still says it expires 5/28/20 

Might have to call...


----------



## Crazyhorse

Erica Ladd said:


> Ok. Just checked one fight. Shows my $10 that I got for when the price dropped but nothing about the cancellation $$$. Plus it still says it expires 5/28/20
> 
> Might have to call...


As mentioned before....per SW Airlines, it's gonna be awhile before the SW travel funds show the new expiration of 6/2021.  Be patient grasshopper.


----------



## Erica Ladd

I just wish I knew where my canceled flights went or those funds!!!


----------



## shoreward

Erica Ladd said:


> Ok. Just checked one fight. Shows my $10 that I got for when the price dropped but nothing about the cancellation $$$. Plus it still says it expires 5/28/20
> 
> Might have to call...


Or, you can tweet to:  https://twitter.com/SouthwestAir/
Send a DM to them, including the confirmation number of the cancelled reservation.  They should be able to provide the info you want.


----------



## nkereina

@Erica Ladd try sending a Facebook message if you don't use Twitter. I was shocked at how quickly they responded. Probably all part of the same Social Media team!


----------



## shoreward

Southwest currently is having issues with cancellations and funds being properly displayed in a RR account. They are aware of the problems and trying to get them resolved.


----------



## Erica Ladd

I tweeted and they said it will all work out luckily I don’t need to rebook a flight today.  they were very helpful


----------



## PixiePlns

Just a quick question.  I had 2 trips planned through Southwest.  One was a June trip booked with cash and one was an October trip booked with points.  I know June isn't covered under the cancellation policy for travel funds to be used by June 30, 2021...yet.  Today October flights dropped significantly for my October trip - so I changed my June reservation to October.  Then, I cancelled my October trip (that was booked with points).  Does this mean I have more than a year now to use my points that are back in my bank?


----------



## georgina

Like a lot of you I cancelled my May SW flights and am planning to use those funds for December, so they had better get the expiration date fixed by May 28!



PixiePlns said:


> Just a quick question.  I had 2 trips planned through Southwest.  One was a June trip booked with cash and one was an October trip booked with points.  I know June isn't covered under the cancellation policy for travel funds to be used by June 30, 2021...yet.  Today October flights dropped significantly for my October trip - so I changed my June reservation to October.  Then, I cancelled my October trip (that was booked with points).  Does this mean I have more than a year now to use my points that are back in my bank?


The beauty of points - never expire!


----------



## G719

PixiePlns said:


> Just a quick question.  I had 2 trips planned through Southwest.  One was a June trip booked with cash and one was an October trip booked with points.  I know June isn't covered under the cancellation policy for travel funds to be used by June 30, 2021...yet.  Today October flights dropped significantly for my October trip - so I changed my June reservation to October.  Then, I cancelled my October trip (that was booked with points).  Does this mean I have more than a year now to use my points that are back in my bank?


Points don't have an expiration even if they are returned from a cancellation.

We did the same thing with trips we had booked. Changed a June trip to the beach to an end of July to disney trip. Banked the points from the original July trip. Now if we end up canceling July not sure what we will do because those funds currently have an expiration of October. I'm going with wait and see at this point.


----------



## zoo2tycoon

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.usatoday.com/amp/5103487002
My son got a refund of his EBCI late last night via Twitter. LUV voucher being sent via email.


----------



## Iowamomof4

zoo2tycoon said:


> https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.usatoday.com/amp/5103487002
> My son got a refund of his EBCI late last night via Twitter. LUV voucher being sent via email.



This is fantastic news!! Yes, it would be even better if they would just refund the fees back to your original form of purchase, but at least we won't just lose it all.


----------



## SaintsManiac

I still have not canceled my flights to D.C on 5/21. They keep emailing me about changes to the flight and it's always 5-15 minute time differences. I wish they would stop lol.


----------



## Nohal

SaintsManiac said:


> I still have not canceled my flights to D.C on 5/21. They keep emailing me about changes to the flight and it's always 5-15 minute time differences. I wish they would stop lol.


I have flights for the end of May 5/25.  They have changed my return flight twice.  I just got the second one and my direct flight from MCO to Philly has been changed.  I now have to change planes in Atlanta which adds another 2 hrs to my flight.  I'm waiting for them to cancel my flight so I can get the EBCI returned.  So I definately feel your pain.


----------



## cmarsh31

Nohal said:


> I have flights for the end of May 5/25.  They have changed my return flight twice.  I just got the second one and my direct flight from MCO to Philly has been changed.  I now have to change planes in Atlanta which adds another 2 hrs to my flight.  I'm waiting for them to cancel my flight so I can get the EBCI returned.  So I definately feel your pain.



Same, one flight was changed TO a direct flight (that didn't previously exist), the other was also changed to a direct, but leaving MCO at 10am instead of 9pm. If I actually go, I don't want to leave at 10am!


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## Crazyhorse

Gotta love SW.  We had reservations in April.  It was clear that Disney wasn't going to happen in April so I changed flights to May...then that became clear that it wasn't gonna happen either.  We had EBCI so I didn't want to cancel outright so I moved the flights to June, simply to leave them there and when the December flight schedule opened up, I'd move them..thereby saving our EBCI.  With the latest info that SW was going to be more flexible, I reached out to them this morning on Facebook Messenger.  She was very kind and said she would issue a LUV voucher for our EBCI if I wanted to cancel our June flights.  DONE!


----------



## scrappinginontario

Although I’m guessing not a lot of people were moving flights like we were, SW offering LUV vouchers will give them a much better idea of how full their flights actually are as opposed to people just holding their EBCI reservations by moving flights around.


----------



## Crazyhorse

scrappinginontario said:


> Although I’m guessing not a lot of people were moving flights like we were, SW offering LUV vouchers will give them a much better idea of how full their flights actually are as opposed to people just holding their EVCI reservations by moving flights around.


Yes, you're absolutely right.  It certainly benefits them to get a better idea of "real" fliers v.s. "pseudo" fliers.  Mentally I feel better, knowing I don't have to jockey flights around anymore.  I'll wait until the December flights open up and go from there. God willing, hopefully a new normal will be more evident by then.


----------



## Grnl706

Has anyone else noticed if there was a slight change to the dates of travel that are included for the June 30, 2021 travel voucher expiration date? When I checked last it said until May 31st and now it says June 30th? Anyone else seeing that as well?


----------



## shoreward

Grnl706 said:


> Has anyone else noticed if there was a slight change to the dates of travel that are included for the June 30, 2021 travel voucher expiration date? When I checked last it said until May 31st and now it says June 30th? Anyone else seeing that as well?


This is the currently-posted policy:


> If you decide not to travel, as long as you cancel your flight at least 10 minutes before its scheduled departure, the funds used to pay for a nonrefundable ticket (Wanna Get Away® fares) are normally valid for one year from the date of purchase.
> 
> However, in recognition of the current travel environment, we are extending the expiration date of some travel funds:
> 
> Customers’ funds that have expired or will expire between March 1 – June 30, 2020, will now expire June 30, 2021.
> Any travel funds created because you cancel a flight between March 1 – June 30, 2020, will expire June 30, 2021.


----------



## Grnl706

shoreward said:


> This is the currently-posted policy:



Thanks for confirming! I have a trip scheduled in June that I know we're going to have to reschedule. I didn't expect it to be extended to June travel this soon.


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## Llama mama

If I purchase a flight with Earlybird, and find the same flight which the price has gone done. 
1. can I adjust online or do I have to call to get the price reduced?
2. What happens to my EB , does it transfer to lower fare and does it reset to that new day of purchase?
Thanks


----------



## Crazyhorse

Llama mama said:


> If I purchase a flight with Earlybird, and find the same flight which the price has gone done.
> 1. can I adjust online or do I have to call to get the price reduced?
> 2. What happens to my EB , does it transfer to lower fare and does it reset to that new day of purchase?
> Thanks


1.  You can take advantage of the lowered fare on  line, no need to call.
2.  EBCI transfers over to the new fare but the date on the ticket remains when it was purchased...not sure what you mean about reset to new day of purchase.  EBCI is EBCI...it's all about when it was purchased.  Hope that helps!


----------



## scrappinginontario

Llama mama said:


> If I purchase a flight with Earlybird, and find the same flight which the price has gone done.
> 1. can I adjust online or do I have to call to get the price reduced?
> 2. What happens to my EB , does it transfer to lower fare and does it reset to that new day of purchase?
> Thanks





Crazyhorse said:


> 1.  You can take advantage of the lowered fare on  line, no need to call.
> 2.  EBCI transfers over to the new fare but the date on the ticket remains when it was purchased...not sure what you mean about reset to new day of purchase.  EBCI is EBCI...it's all about when it was purchased.  Hope that helps!


Some have reported that when a fare is adjusted to the lesser price that it ‘appears’ that their EBCI also adjusts as if it was purchased on that date too.

we don’t really know but some who purchase EBCI on flight release date but then take advantage of a price drop later have mentioned they seem to get higher boarding groups numbers (eg B Something)thus making us wonder if they are related?


----------



## Crazyhorse

scrappinginontario said:


> Some have reported that when a fare is adjusted to the lesser price that it ‘appears’ that their EBCI also adjusts as if it was purchased on that date too.
> 
> we don’t really know but some who purchase EBCI on flight release date but then take advantage of a price drop later have mentioned they seem to get higher boarding groups numbers (eg B Something)thus making us wonder if they are related?


The earlier EBCI is purchased is what usually determines your boarding position.  We always purchase on the first available purchase date and always purchase EBCI at that time.  I've been fortunate to have made many "changes" to incur lower flight cost and so far have always ended up with an A position.  I think the A position is due to the purchase of EBCI at the time of ticket purchase.  There is some sort of algorithm that is used but I think most will agree that the earlier EBCI is purchased, the better.  "Changing" flights for a cheaper rate wouldn't affect your EBCI slot.


----------



## Llama mama

Crazyhorse said:


> The earlier EBCI is purchased is what usually determines your boarding position.  We always purchase on the first available purchase date and always purchase EBCI at that time.  I've been fortunate to have made many "changes" to incur lower flights and so far have always ended up with an A position.  I think the A position is due to the purchase of EBCI at the time of ticket purchase.  There is some sort of algorithm that is used but I think most will agree that the earlier EBCI is purchased, the better.  "Changing" flights for a cheaper rate wouldn't affect your EBCI slot.


So to utilize a cheaper fare I just get online and repurchase cheaper fare or Is there another way besides completely repurchasing the flight .


----------



## Crazyhorse

Llama mama said:


> So to utilize a cheaper fare I just get online and repurchase cheaper fare or Is there another way besides completely repurchasing the flight .


No...you use the change option on your current tickets.  Go to your account, see your flight, and you should see a change option as well as a cancel option.  Use the change option and follow the process.  Easy Peasy.


----------



## grumpy2001

When does SW start reservations for  November 2020 flights?  thanks


----------



## Crazyhorse

grumpy2001 said:


> When does SW start reservations for  November 2020 flights?  thanks


Supposedly late May....subject to change of course.


----------



## Llama mama

Crazyhorse said:


> No...you use the change option on your current tickets.  Go to your account, see your flight, and you should see a change option as well as a cancel option.  Use the change option and follow the process.  Easy Peasy.


Thank you !!!!!!


----------



## nkereina

I now have a LUV voucher for EBCI and two separate travel funds with the same confirmation number (obtained from a price drop and then cancellation of one flight). I know that I'm capped at 3 forms of payment when I go to book my next flight, so if my flight cost with EBCI exceeds my LUV voucher and travel funds, I would not be able to use all three because I'd also need to add a credit card to cover the difference. 

I had read that I can use my two travel funds to book another flight roughly around the same price of the travel funds, and then when I cancel that flight, my travel funds will be combined into one line item because they're from the same original confirmation number. This will give me one set of travel funds to use, plus the LUV voucher, plus the credit card if necessary to make the three forms of payment limitation. Can anyone confirm if the travel funds would be combined in this scenario? The blog I read with this workaround was from 2018, so not sure if anything has changed.


----------



## Nohal

I'm confused by the above post.  I have had my May flight go down twice and have travel funds for both times.  I still have a reservation for the May trip.  I know I will have to cancel but am waiting to see if the August flights go down enough to cover what I originally paid for the May trip.  So am I to understand that if I cancel my May trip I will only be able to use the travel funds from 2 times not all I paid.


----------



## Fangorn

Nohal said:


> I'm confused by the above post.  I have had my May flight go down twice and have travel funds for both times.  I still have a reservation for the May trip.  I know I will have to cancel but am waiting to see if the August flights go down enough to cover what I originally paid for the May trip.  So am I to understand that if I cancel my May trip I will only be able to use the travel funds from 2 times not all I paid.



When you book a flight, the system allows you to use a maximum of 3 forms of payment, but only 2 of them can be Travel Funds and/or LUV vouchers. The third form can only be a credit card or Paypal account.  If you received a credit each time the price decreased, and then you cancel the rest of the flight, you will have 3 Travel Funds. Yes, they're from the same flight and yes they have the same confirmation number (sorta). But they are all unique in SW's system. You will not be able to use them all to purchase a new flight. If that original flight was a round trip, then what you can do is purchase a separate ticket for each leg of the flight. That way you can use two of the Travel funds on one leg and the other TF on the return leg. If there were multiple people on the original flight, each person's credits are associated with them and can only be used to purchase a ticket for that person. If for example, there were 3 people on the original flight, then you don't have just 3 Travel Funds, you have 9; 3 for each person. to use all of Travel Funds, you'll have to book flights for each person separately so as to use the Travel Funds for each person. 

Steve


----------



## Erica Ladd

I just realized my kids have travel funds from old reservations when we traveled together last year that expire 5/28/20.  They were not on a canceled flight - will their funds also reflect the new June 30, 2021 expy date?


----------



## Fangorn

The text of the email from SW states: 

"Customers' funds that have expired or will expire between March 1 - May 31, 2020, will now expire June 30, 2021"

But they also note that "It'll take our Technology Teams a few weeks to make these changes."   So you may not see that change yet. 

Steve


----------



## Kaufeegurl

Re: comments about Early Bird. Your Early Bird follows your reservation. _*However*_ when you *modify* your reservation, ie taking advantage of a lower fare, your Early Bird date resets to the day you modify the original reservation. This happens because even though you don't see it happen, the software algorithm used to perform this function technically cancels your original reservation and replaces it with the new, lower fare (or different departure time) reservation and while your Early Bird upgrade follows the reservation, your place in the virtual queue will now be determined by your new reservation date. Also, many people don't know Early Bird purchases in the 'Anytime' fare category - a more expensive ticket - will be placed ahead of Wanna Get Away fares regardless of purchase date.


----------



## Crazyhorse

Kaufeegurl said:


> Re: comments about Early Bird. Your Early Bird follows your reservation. _*However*_ when you *modify* your reservation, ie taking advantage of a lower fare, your Early Bird date resets to the day you modify the original reservation. This happens because even though you don't see it happen, the software algorithm used to perform this function technically cancels your original reservation and replaces it with the new, lower fare (or different departure time) reservation and while your Early Bird upgrade follows the reservation, your place in the virtual queue will now be determined by your new reservation date. Also, many people don't know Early Bird purchases in the 'Anytime' fare category - a more expensive ticket - will be placed ahead of Wanna Get Away fares regardless of purchase date.


Is this specifically stated somewhere in the SW rules?  I find it hard to believe...as stated before I've taken many "credits" and EBCI has followed me and I've always gotten an A boarding pass.  We do purchase EBCI with the original ticket purchase, usually a day or two after flights are released.  If we truly got moved in the virtual EBCI que with each credit taken, we should have been bumped to B boarding....and so far, we haven't been.


----------



## zemmer

nkereina said:


> I now have a LUV voucher for EBCI and two separate travel funds with the same confirmation number (obtained from a price drop and then cancellation of one flight). I know that I'm capped at 3 forms of payment when I go to book my next flight, so if my flight cost with EBCI exceeds my LUV voucher and travel funds, I would not be able to use all three because I'd also need to add a credit card to cover the difference.
> 
> I had read that I can use my two travel funds to book another flight roughly around the same price of the travel funds, and then when I cancel that flight, my travel funds will be combined into one line item because they're from the same original confirmation number. This will give me one set of travel funds to use, plus the LUV voucher, plus the credit card if necessary to make the three forms of payment limitation. Can anyone confirm if the travel funds would be combined in this scenario? The blog I read with this workaround was from 2018, so not sure if anything has changed.


Yes, you can book a new flight with the 2 travel funds, then cancel that flight. Your travel funds will then be on just 1 new travel fund. I did this last month with about 12 travel funds. I booked a flight with 3 then cancelled. Wash, rinse, repeat. I now have them down to 3.


----------



## Nohal

I can't believe what SW has done to my reservation.  Had a direct return flight June 2 they have changed it twice first time to a later time but it was still direct,  this last time they had me changing planes in Atlanta and it would take 4hrs to get home instead of 2.  There were other direct flights that they could have put me on and I don't know why they did what they did.  I was waiting to see if Disney would open before then to know what I was doing.

Yesterday I got a notification for my flight to Disney.  Not only did they change me to a transfer flight but booked me 2 days before I originally scheduled!!!!!!!  How could they do that especially when there are other direct flights on the day I originally scheduled.

I just don't believe that they made either of these changes.  I am eventually going to cancel these flights and rebook for end of August.  I have to wait because then I will have 3 travel funds so looking for a better price flight and will have to book 1 way going and coming back.


----------



## nkereina

Nohal said:


> I can't believe what SW has done to my reservation.  Had a direct return flight June 2 they have changed it twice first time to a later time but it was still direct,  this last time they had me changing planes in Atlanta and it would take 4hrs to get home instead of 2.  There were other direct flights that they could have put me on and I don't know why they did what they did.  I was waiting to see if Disney would open before then to know what I was doing.
> 
> Yesterday I got a notification for my flight to Disney.  Not only did they change me to a transfer flight but booked me 2 days before I originally scheduled!!!!!!!  How could they do that especially when there are other direct flights on the day I originally scheduled.
> 
> I just don't believe that they made either of these changes.  I am eventually going to cancel these flights and rebook for end of August.  I have to wait because then I will have 3 travel funds so looking for a better price flight and will have to book 1 way going and coming back.


When changes like this are made, its based on the needs of the airline. I don't think they are taking into consideration the best interest of every passenger, but rather re-booking passengers based on where they can accommodate them. The good news is that when the airline makes a change like this, you are free to select another flight with them that works better for you and you should not be charged the difference in fare if its within 60 days of the original flight.


----------



## piglet1979

If I book with points I pay out of pocket for the taxes correct?  If I cancel do I get the money paid for the taxes back?


----------



## shoreward

piglet1979 said:


> If I book with points I pay out of pocket for the taxes correct?  If I cancel do I get the money paid for the taxes back?


Yes, the taxes are refunded.  Make sure you select the "refund" option from the drop-down list and not the option to hold funds for future use, as you confirm the cancellation.


----------



## Elle23

Southwest has switched both of our flights on us, and we have had to scramble to change our plans. I really hope it doesn’t happen again!


----------



## elgerber

I just checked on my DH/DS flights at the end of May/early June.  Their outbound flight, even though it says they are flying roundtrip, is just gone, if you click on the reservation details.  They only have the return flight, which has changed.  Both flights were direct, now there are no direct flights.  But they only have a return, no outbound flight at all, with no refund of points, or anything.


----------



## Nohal

Once again I need help understanding travel funds.  I have had to adjust the price down twice, so I thought I had 2 travel funds.  I called today to book a flight in August and come to find out that since we are both on the reservation we each have travel funds which makes 4 travel funds.  She said that we would have to make 2 reservations.  One in my name and one in DH name in order to use the travel funds.  I told her to cancel so I could reconsider what I was going to do. I thought the travel funds were against the confirmation not the person.

Is this correct?


----------



## nkereina

Nohal said:


> Once again I need help understanding travel funds.  I have had to adjust the price down twice, so I thought I had 2 travel funds.  I called today to book a flight in August and come to find out that since we are both on the reservation we each have travel funds which makes 4 travel funds.  She said that we would have to make 2 reservations.  One in my name and one in DH name in order to use the travel funds.  I told her to cancel so I could reconsider what I was going to do. I thought the travel funds were against the confirmation not the person.
> 
> Is this correct?


That is correct. Travel funds ARE linked to the confirmation, but its also linked to the person and they are not transferable. If you had two people on the reservation and you received two credits, that would give you a total of four travel funds - two travel funds per person, redeemable with your confirmation number from that flight. You should be able to see this when logged into each of your rapid rewards accounts, if you have them.

When purchasing a flight, you are limited to three forms of payment and only two of the forms of payment can be travel funds. If you book your flights separately, you can use your two travel funds plus a credit/debit card for you, and then on his reservation you can do the same. If you want to book them together, you'd only be able to use one travel fund per person, for a total of two travel funds.

The only difference with booking on separate reservations is that you will have two confirmation numbers to manage for your trip, and when you check-in (whether you purchase EBCI or do it yourself at 24 hours), you likely will not have consecutive boarding numbers. However, you both can still board together at the higher boarding position.


----------



## scrappinginontario

nkereina said:


> That is correct. Travel funds ARE linked to the confirmation, but its also linked to the person and they are not transferable. If you had two people on the reservation and you received two credits, that would give you a total of four travel funds - two travel funds per person, redeemable with your confirmation number from that flight. You should be able to see this when logged into each of your rapid rewards accounts, if you have them.
> 
> When purchasing a flight, you are limited to three forms of payment and only two of the forms of payment can be travel funds. If you book your flights separately, you can use your two travel funds plus a credit/debit card for you, and then on his reservation you can do the same. If you want to book them together, you'd only be able to use one travel fund per person, for a total of two travel funds.
> 
> The only difference with booking on separate reservations is that you will have two confirmation numbers to manage for your trip, and when you check-in (whether you purchase EBCI or do it yourself at 24 hours), you likely will not have consecutive boarding numbers. However, you both can still board together at the higher boarding position.


 Another option to use the 4 travel funds but keep it a bit easier to manage is to book two, one-way flights.  Flight 1 is for both people going to your destination.  Use 2 travel funds plus cc.  Book a second one-way flight going from your destination to home.  Use 2 more travel funds plus a cc.

Doing it this way you still have 2 different confirmation numbers but only 1 to check in each direction if your travel thus securing boarding groups numbers together.


----------



## nkereina

scrappinginontario said:


> Another option to use the 4 travel funds but keep it a bit easier to manage is to book two, one-way flights.  Flight 1 is for both people going to your destination.  Use 2 travel funds plus cc.  Book a second one-way flight going from your destination to home.  Use 2 more travel funds plus a cc.
> 
> Doing it this way you still have 2 different confirmation numbers but only 1 to check in each direction if your travel thus securing boarding groups numbers together.


Even better! I know people often recommend booking two one way flights on Southwest anyhow because it makes it easier to change, cancel, obtain travel funds, etc. So this would be a better option, IMO.


----------



## scrappinginontario

nkereina said:


> Even better! I know people often recommend booking two one way flights on Southwest anyhow because it makes it easier to change, cancel, obtain travel funds, etc. So this would be a better option, IMO.


 I could never really understand until recently why people recommended booking two one-way flights.  Now it makes more sense! It just took me a bit to see why!


----------



## sunlover13

I apologize if this has already been asked, but I have a travel fund that expired today.  It is no longer showing in my travel funds at all.  This is a travel fund that will be extended until June 2021.  I sent Southwest a facebook message yesterday asking if I should be concerned that it expires soon and hasn't been extended yet.  They said it could take a few weeks, don't worry.  Has anyone had a travel fund expire, disappear and then reappear with the extended June 2021 date?   I took a screen print of the travel funds so I have proof, but still makes me nervous.


----------



## nkereina

sunlover13 said:


> I apologize if this has already been asked, but I have a travel fund that expired today.  It is no longer showing in my travel funds at all.  This is a travel fund that will be extended until June 2021.  I sent Southwest a facebook message yesterday asking if I should be concerned that it expires soon and hasn't been extended yet.  They said it could take a few weeks, don't worry.  Has anyone had a travel fund expire, disappear and then reappear with the extended June 2021 date?   I took a screen print of the travel funds so I have proof, but still makes me nervous.


I don't think anyone has even seen the June 2021 extension date appear yet - at least no reports that I have seen. I would hold out until people start seeing the new expiration date and once that has been rolled out, call in about it if it doesn't re-appear. We are in the same boat with funds that will expire in May, unless they are extended before that.


----------



## mickeynut1

nkereina said:


> I know people often recommend booking two one way flights on Southwest anyhow because it makes it easier to change, cancel, obtain travel funds, etc. So this would be a better option, IMO.



This is what we always do.  Like you said, it makes it easier to change, cancel, etc. if you need to .


----------



## BLTtinkerbell

I received an email from SW that they changed my return flight (again). The first time this happened, I was easily able to change to a flight I wanted instead. This time, I looked online and my booked flight was still available. I called SW and was told I am still on my booked flights and the email could have been sent in error  and to check tomorrow


----------



## thepops

SW changed our flights today. (and no email to tell me, I just happened to look)  Now there isn't a flight from my airport to Orlando until 3PM every day (with a stopover).  So the earliest I can get in any day is 9PM.   What a PITA !!
I haven't tried making my own "connecting" flights but I'm not sure its worth it (even if I do all carry on bags)


----------



## shoreward

thepops said:


> SW changed our flights today. (and no email to tell me, I just happened to look)  Now there isn't a flight from my airport to Orlando until 3PM every day (with a stopover).  So the earliest I can get in any day is 9PM.   What a PITA !!
> I haven't tried making my own "connecting" flights but I'm not sure its worth it (even if I do all carry on bags)


Are you within a reasonable distance of an alternate airport where Southwest may still offer nonstops to MCO and with an earlier arrival time?


----------



## Music City Mama

Add me to the list of changed flights. Back in mid-February, they changed my flight to MCO in late June where I was arriving at 3:30 instead of 1:00. My flight home in early July was was changed to 45 minutes earlier. Fine. I really wanted to arrive earlier on the way there, but the only other flight that was earlier now was departing around 6:00 a.m., which was too early for me.

Last night I got an email that they changed my flight where we're arriving at 6:15 p.m. instead of 3:30. I did go ahead and change this one because I don't want to arrive this late. However, they now had a new/different flight departing at 8:30 a.m. A little early for my taste, but I'll take it! The July flight back home is currently still in tact.

When I looked the other day, there were still 6 non-stops to MCO, but now there are only 3. Who knows if this trip is even gonna happen.


----------



## ultimatefans

Last night I had a Memorial Day weekend flight automatically canceled by Southwest.  I didn’t receive an email about the cancellation  (maybe that’s still coming), I just got the generic “your points have been adjusted” email.  My friend booked on the same flight using cash didn’t receive any emails at all, it just disappeared from her booked flights.  I would have preferred to rebook or have the taxes refunded than what actually happened, so I reached out via Messenger and they took care of it.  Just a heads up in case the same thing happens to anyone else.


----------



## cmarsh31

I rebooked my Memorial Day trip to August... but can't book my flights yet, because the May ones were booked with points from my April canceled trip - and those points are expiring May 29th. I called to see if they could manually extend them, since the website isn't updated yet. Nope, no luck. Phone rep suggested emailing - so I did last night. Sitting on $$$ of travel funds, just waiting for SW to extend them - I promise - I'll book lots of flights! Just let me!


----------



## teawar

I have 8 flights booked on swa between May 9 - June 24. All of the flights have been changed in some way and one flight was canceled and moved to 2 days later. Part of these flights were supposed to take our family from Birmingham to Hawaii over spring break, but we all know what happened! We rebooked that trip for June and we are doubtful that will happen. We are also A-list, companion pass holders, and hopeful some soon to expire flight credits will be updated on the swa computer sooner than later. We are hopeful they will extend the companion pass qualifying points through next year, since we’ve been unable to travel/


----------



## elgerber

elgerber said:


> I just checked on my DH/DS flights at the end of May/early June.  Their outbound flight, even though it says they are flying roundtrip, is just gone, if you click on the reservation details.  They only have the return flight, which has changed.  Both flights were direct, now there are no direct flights.  But they only have a return, no outbound flight at all, with no refund of points, or anything.


replying to my own post.  Now it only says he has a one way flight.  And they, with no notice or communications, refunded the cost of his entire roundtrip flight, and then charged him again for the full roundtrip flight, at the same miles!  Even though they only rebooked his return, that cost of only 2864 miles.  And the charged him 13269 when they rebooked his one way, and left him with no outbound flight.


----------



## serenitynow

Anyone else get an error message when trying to change your flights to get a credit for the fare reduction? I keep getting errror:400620354.


----------



## Erica Ladd

They canceled my May flight without notifying me. This am the credit for the flights finally shows under travel funds. But still has the 5/28/20 expy date for all TF....


----------



## Erica Ladd

serenitynow said:


> Anyone else get an error message when trying to change your flights to get a credit for the fare reduction? I keep getting errror:400620354.



I think that’s the same message I was getting when checking on my flights in my plans. When are your dates? Maybe they canceled them?


----------



## serenitynow

Erica Ladd said:


> I think that’s the same message I was getting when checking on my flights in my plans. When are your dates? Maybe they canceled them?


Well, I do t know what the error message means, but I went into live chat on Southwest website and the chat person fixed it!


----------



## rlduvall

Yes, SW cancelled my late May flight without any notice a couple of weeks ago. I only found out because I was going to see about moving it to August. Thought the TF would automatically go out the extra year, but apparently they have to do it manually and they aren't getting in any hurry to do it.  I used points to rebook, but would rather have used the TF. Now, the flights are significantly higher; but honestly, this whole thing is so unprecedented and I am trying to learn patience.


----------



## Erica Ladd

I know - the tix I wanted for September are now higher but my TF funds still have the old date so I can't make a new purchase until they fix the date...


----------



## cmarsh31

Erica Ladd said:


> I know - the tix I wanted for September are now higher but my TF funds still have the old date so I can't make a new purchase until they fix the date...



Same. I called, I emailed. Very lovely woman on the phone couldn't fix anything. No response to email sent 4 days ago... still waiting.


----------



## teawar

Living the same struggle!!!


----------



## rlduvall

I noticed that today my $103. in TF was reduced to $78. with the reduction being the taxes for that flight [thought it a little unfair they were making the taxes part of my TF]. I will monitor my credit card to ensure they credit it back to me.  At least this means they're starting to go through the cancelled funds.  Unfortunately, it still shows expires in June of 2020.


----------



## shoreward

Southwest is cutting June flights by 50%.

https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2020/04/07/southwest-airlines-june-schedule.html


----------



## Erica Ladd

Just got an email that they canceled my may flights (already could tell on their app) but if I rescheduled travel within 60 days they would pay the difference on the flight.  Not a big deal to me because I need September or December flights


----------



## Craig Larson

I have two questions regarding southwest, both related to cancelling/changing flights

1. The new cancellation policy, of extending the travel funds due to cancelling during the covid-19 pandemic. It states "Any travel funds created because you cancel a flight between March 1 – June 30, 2020, will expire June 30, 2021." If my flight is in August, and I cancel will it get the extension or will it have an expiration 1 year out from the original purchase date? I feel it can be read either way, and is not super clear in that regard.

2. I'm not trying to find a loop hole, or break any rules, but if we don't go in August, we are still trying to determine the next best time to go. If instead of cancelling, say we change our flight to November. Are we able to keep changing to a future flight? Is there any point where we can't keep pushing out our plans (such as 1 year past original purchase date, which would be mid march in our case)? Since we know we want to go again, just unsure of when, this would give us a little more flexibility to wait until end of August next year to go by pushing out our flight.


----------



## nkereina

Craig Larson said:


> 1. The new cancellation policy, of extending the travel funds due to cancelling during the covid-19 pandemic. It states "Any travel funds created because you cancel a flight between March 1 – June 30, 2020, will expire June 30, 2021." If my flight is in August, and I cancel will it get the extension or will it have an expiration 1 year out from the original purchase date? I feel it can be read either way, and is not super clear in that regard.


Its my understanding that if you are issued travel funds between March 1 - June 30, 2020, then it will be extended. So if you cancel a flight or re-book a cheaper flight leaving you with a credit, you will receive the expiration extension on those travel funds As long as you cancel the August flights before June 30th, you should be eligible for the extension. 



Craig Larson said:


> 2. I'm not trying to find a loop hole, or break any rules, but if we don't go in August, we are still trying to determine the next best time to go. If instead of cancelling, say we change our flight to November. Are we able to keep changing to a future flight? Is there any point where we can't keep pushing out our plans (such as 1 year past original purchase date, which would be mid march in our case)? Since we know we want to go again, just unsure of when, this would give us a little more flexibility to wait until end of August next year to go by pushing out our flight.


Flight changes are subject to the same expiration date as travel funds would be, which is the original purchase date under normal circumstances. As of now, you could re-book for any flight prior to your mid-March original purchase date. Once you cancel and the June 2021 expiration date is rolled out, you could re-book for any flight prior to June 30, 2021. But you would not be able to re-book for anything beyond June 30, 2021. Re-booking rather than cancelling is advisable for a couple of reasons - for one, you won't lose your early bird check-in if applicable. And two, when purchasing new flights, you're capped at using two travel funds per purchase. Each person on the reservation will have their own travel fund(s) to use, so its possible you'd have to book people separately if booking new flights using travel funds.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Can anyone help?  My kids have TF that expire 7/2/20.  I know I won't be able to take them anywhere between now and then.  Is there a chance they will extend the expiration date to include July 2nd?  They are both minors so I don't think I can book them a flight then cancel it, can I?


----------



## nkereina

Erica Ladd said:


> Can anyone help?  My kids have TF that expire 7/2/20.  I know I won't be able to take them anywhere between now and then.  Is there a chance they will extend the expiration date to include July 2nd?  They are both minors so I don't think I can book them a flight then cancel it, can I?


Its possible they may extend it depending on how things are going. Another poster said they've cut flights by 50% for June. I don't know how booking minors alone works, but regardless, its a good question whether booking a random flight now (before 6/30) and then subsequently canceling it would make them eligible for the expiration date extension, since the flight would technically be cancelled within the timeframe required for the extension. It seems like a big loophole, but I haven't read anything where they're taking the booking date into consideration. Hopefully someone else can provide more insight, but I'm curious on what you find out.


----------



## Erica Ladd

This was from the SWA blog posted April 4th -



Customers with travel funds that would have expired or will expire between
March 1- June 30, 2020, will expire on June 30, 2021.


Any travel funds created because a Customer cancels a flight between March 1– June 30, 2020, will expire on June 30, 2021.
So it doesn't mention when the flight has to be booked by, but it does say the customer can cancel the flight.  I'm wondering....

ETA - not trying to be cheap, just have the chance to use what I would have if all this didn't happen


----------



## maxiesmom

Our May flights were cancelled.  We rebooked them fine.  However they have not credited me for the EBCI I had purchased for the original set of flights.  Will that be refunded to the card it was paid with?  I don't want to pay for EBCI for the new flights until I know what is going on with my original $100.


----------



## shoreward

A message was just received from Southwest that departure time was slightly changed on an upcoming flight, that I have been planning on cancelling.



> We want to make you aware of a change we’ve made to your upcoming trip. This was done proactively due to a Southwest flight schedule change on your day of travel.
> Please review your new itinerary below. *Your reservation is confirmed and no further action is required. *
> In the event this new itinerary does not work for you, we are offering the opportunity to change your flight date(s) and/or time(s) by up to 60 days from original travel date at no additional cost in accordance with our established reaccommodation practices.
> For expedited service, you can change your flight at www.southwest.com/rebook3 within three days of the delivery of this email. Flights with no additional cost will display as “Available”. Should you need further assistance, you can reach a Southwest Representative at 1-800-IFLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792). Please keep in mind that wait times may be very high at this time.
> We look forward to seeing you onboard soon.



Note was made of the option to change the flight, via the rebooking link, within three days of “the delivery of this email.”


----------



## teawar

SWA just dropped down to 1 flight a day to/from Mco from Birmingham. We were planning on doing a short 24 hour trip, flying down early in the morning, enjoy the parks, and fly back at night. Now the schedule has changed completely.


----------



## poohj80

teawar said:


> SWA just dropped down to 1 flight a day to/from Mco from Birmingham. We were planning on doing a short 24 hour trip, flying down early in the morning, enjoy the parks, and fly back at night. Now the schedule has changed completely.


What date were you going to fly?  We booked our October flights right when the window opened (before COVID-19 was in full lockdown) and there was only one non-stop BHM-MCO available at that time, but 3 non-stops available for the return flight so I don't think the changes are necessarily based on what's going on now.  I thought it was odd at the time but figured they'd add more flights down the road (but now I feel less like this will happen).

BHM is also our departure location but could fly out of Nashville if necessary.


----------



## Craig Larson

nkereina said:


> Its my understanding that if you are issued travel funds between March 1 - June 30, 2020, then it will be extended. So if you cancel a flight or re-book a cheaper flight leaving you with a credit, you will receive the expiration extension on those travel funds As long as you cancel the August flights before June 30th, you should be eligible for the extension.
> 
> 
> Flight changes are subject to the same expiration date as travel funds would be, which is the original purchase date under normal circumstances. As of now, you could re-book for any flight prior to your mid-March original purchase date. Once you cancel and the June 2021 expiration date is rolled out, you could re-book for any flight prior to June 30, 2021. But you would not be able to re-book for anything beyond June 30, 2021. Re-booking rather than cancelling is advisable for a couple of reasons - for one, you won't lose your early bird check-in if applicable. And two, when purchasing new flights, you're capped at using two travel funds per purchase. Each person on the reservation will have their own travel fund(s) to use, so its possible you'd have to book people separately if booking new flights using travel funds.




Thanks. As a quick follow up. To keep this simpler, lets say the vouchers expire 1 year from original purchase (and say they would expire on 3/12/2021). Does the whole trip need to be complete by 3/12/2021, as in return flight. Or as long as a single round-trip reservation departs prior to 3/12 we can return anytime after that? 

This is the first time I've had to deal with this potential situation, and really just trying to plan. My son's birthday is on 3/17, so if I don't get the extension on the expiration date, I would likely look at going for his birthday in March.


----------



## Boopuff

We just moved our trip from june to august and found that sw has limited nonstops.  We did save a nice chunk of change with the change!


----------



## nkereina

Craig Larson said:


> Thanks. As a quick follow up. To keep this simpler, lets say the vouchers expire 1 year from original purchase (and say they would expire on 3/12/2021). Does the whole trip need to be complete by 3/12/2021, as in return flight. Or as long as a single round-trip reservation departs prior to 3/12 we can return anytime after that?
> 
> This is the first time I've had to deal with this potential situation, and really just trying to plan. My son's birthday is on 3/17, so if I don't get the extension on the expiration date, I would likely look at going for his birthday in March.


If you are going to use travel funds that expire on 3/12/2021, the entire itinerary you have used the travel funds for must be completed on or before 3/12/2021. So yes, if you are booking round trip flights, both your flight going and your return flight would need to be completed by 3/12/2021. And yes, to get around this, you could book separate one way flights, and not use the travel funds on the return flight if you're wanting to fly back after 3/12/2021.


----------



## cmarsh31

Uggg. Aug flight has gone UP and I still can't book because my travel fund expire in May.


----------



## Craig Larson

nkereina said:


> If you are going to use travel funds that expire on 3/12/2021, the entire itinerary you have used the travel funds for must be completed on or before 3/12/2021. So yes, if you are booking round trip flights, both your flight going and your return flight would need to be completed by 3/12/2021. And yes, to get around this, you could book separate one way flights, and not use the travel funds on the return flight if you're wanting to fly back after 3/12/2021.



Glad to know. I didn't even think about doing two one way trips. May not get the full value if the cost if the new flight is less than the travel funds, but better than nothing.

Hoping it doesn't come to that, but I like to be prepared in case we need to change plans.

Thanks for the useful info!


----------



## teawar

poohj80 said:


> What date were you going to fly?  We booked our October flights right when the window opened (before COVID-19 was in full lockdown) and there was only one non-stop BHM-MCO available at that time, but 3 non-stops available for the return flight so I don't think the changes are necessarily based on what's going on now.  I thought it was odd at the time but figured they'd add more flights down the road (but now I feel less like this will happen).
> 
> BHM is also our departure location but could fly out of Nashville if necessary.


We were flying Saturday, May 9th. Originally we were on a Departure flight at 6am, then it moved to an 8:30am, now it’s at 4:00pm. The return is now at 11:00am on Sunday, May 10th when we were originally on a departure flight of 8:00 pm. That messes up a quick 2 day trip to WDW. (Not like they are going to be open anyway).


----------



## BelleOftheBall16

Some great updates from Southwest today...

https://www.southwest.com/RRcoronavirusupdates/


----------



## barb969

BelleOftheBall16 said:


> Some great updates from Southwest today...
> 
> https://www.southwest.com/RRcoronavirusupdates/


Thanks for posting this.


----------



## choover2576

BelleOftheBall16 said:


> Some great updates from Southwest today...
> 
> https://www.southwest.com/RRcoronavirusupdates/


Thanks for sharing!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

This is great news! Means my husband's A-list status will get extended. Now just waiting to hear about October funds..


----------



## Leigh L

BelleOftheBall16 said:


> Some great updates from Southwest today...
> 
> https://www.southwest.com/RRcoronavirusupdates/


Thank you! Great news, DD and I have credits from flights we were supposed to use last week.

From what I am reading I think my DH's funds (set to expire September 2020) can maybe be converted into points if we don't travel in August. That would be great!


----------



## Craig Larson

Well that is great news and makes all my previous questions moot.


----------



## Erica Ladd

I haven’t read the posted article yet but when I facebook messaged SWA they said my kids who have TF that expire 7/2/20 have until 2022 to use them. Great news!!


----------



## Fangorn

The article, and the email I just received from SW, explicitly state that any travel funds generated between 3/1/20 and 9/7/20, will automatically have their expiration dates extended until September 7, 2022. At least 2 years for everyone

The same applies to any travel funds that were set to expire between 3/1/2020 and 9/7/2020. The expiration date will be extended to 9/7/2022.

They're still saying it'll take some time before we see all the changes show up. 

Thank you Southwest! Way to get waaay ahead of the competition in taking care of your customers. 

Steve


----------



## SaintsManiac

Such great news!


----------



## rlduvall

All I can say is W-O-W!!!  I don't know how they could be very profitable doing all that for us, but yay!!!!!


----------



## Lvsdisney

I feel like they were thinking, "What would Herb do?"  This is very generous of them!


----------



## poohj80

This is wonderful and hope our current travel funds will reflect these new dates soon!  Perhaps they were waiting for this announcement so they wouldn’t need to adjust expiration dates more than once.


----------



## rlduvall

I've been waiting for my TF to get the new June of 2021 extension date for travel in August.  Being concerned the price would go up I went ahead and used points, but was monitoring the price hoping to rebook using my TF.  Of course, the price has gone up, but I'm not going to worry about it anymore because I will just convert the TF into points.  Awesome.


----------



## Fangorn

I do think that a lot of it is that they are just doing the next right thing - both for their customers as well as the company. If, by extending the life span of travel funds, they can get customers to maybe not go for a refund, they retain some cash now, and don't have to provide service for up to 2 years. That's good for them. It's also good in that it makes customers a feeling that they matter and increase the likelihood that we'll return as customers once this all blows over. It's really a very smart, thing to do.  Definitely a long term win-win.

Personally, I had an earlyMay flight that I hadn't quite gotten around to canceling. SW had been moving it all over the place for the past 2 weeks and i just wanted to see where it would finally land. Tuesday I got a call from SW letting me know that it had been changed (which I did know) and offered me a full refund if the change didn't work.  I called this morning and canceled the flight and took the refund. Had I known this change was coming I probably would've just gone with the TF. 

Steve


----------



## Fangorn

rlduvall said:


> ... Of course, the price has gone up, but I'm not going to worry about it anymore because I will just convert the TF into points.  Awesome.



I like the idea of converting TF to points too. But I'm unclear as to what the exchange rate is going to be. The email says "*same rate you would be able to purchase a ticket with points today".  *But while there are now only 2 flights (down from 12) on the date of the flight I canceled this morning, they each have different prices that are 2000+ points apart. And Both of those cash prices are less than what I paid for the flight in question. It'll be interesting to see how they actually make this happen. 

Still, being able to convert to points is Fantasmic! 

Steve


----------



## ultimatefans

I love Southwest so much!  I'm super excited for the Companion Pass extension.  We got it mid-last year for the first time and couldn't use it then but had several trips planned this year.  Most will be canceled.  So thankful I'll have a chance to use it next year!


----------



## focusondisney

ultimatefans said:


> I love Southwest so much!  I'm super excited for the Companion Pass extension.  We got it mid-last year for the first time and couldn't use it then but had several trips planned this year.  Most will be canceled.  So thankful I'll have a chance to use it next year!



That’s great! I am also happy to see they are giving 25000 points toward a CP too. I opened a SW credit card in February that had a 75K bonus point offer. So now with this added 25K, I will have a shot at earning the CP to use next year.  SW is really stepping up to keep customers happy.


----------



## Iowamomof4

I'm still holding out hope that they'll cancel our flights coming up here in a week and 2 weeks (flight down in one week, flight home in 2). I'd much rather have a full refund, but this further change to the TF option is wonderful!


----------



## biochemgirl

I need help from the experts to understand travel funds. But I fear I screwed it up so badly that I lost the ability to use it at all 

I had flights for Thanksgiving 2019 and one leg of the trip dropped in price during October and I was issued $107 each for two of us. I used that travel fund to purchase a one way flight June 30, 2020 to get us home from Disneyland, which left about $6 each unused. But when prices dropped, on this new flight, I chipped away at it each time until I had saved another $52. Due to coronavirus, the final price was only $49. I didn't realized that everytime I saved money, there were creating a NEW travel fund. Fast forward to today and my June trip to Disneyland is cancelled so I cancelled the $49 flight too - creating yet another new travel fund. 

But I was hopeful that maybe I'll make it to WDW and tried to use my $107 towards a $119 flight to MCO. The Southwest system now sees me as having that $107 spread out over 5 different funds for each person, for a total of 10 funds!! And the website will only let me use a total of 4 when I try to book our flights. This is leaving 6 funds and the bulk of the money unused.

Help! What do I do? Or did I lose the value of my original $107 travel fund?


----------



## zemmer

zemmer said:


> We made several changes due to lower fares, and they were all separate travel funds even though they had the same confirmation number. (We had 4 flights that were changed 1-4 times each, so 1 flight confirmation number had 4 separate travel funds.) I spent an hour yesterday booking one way trips with different travel funds, then canceling and using the new travel funds with other small ones until I had 3 travel funds instead of 12.  Waiting for November flights now!


@biochemgirl
Quoting myself instead of retyping. You can do this to consolidate travel funds or just convert your funds to points. If I’d known converting funds to points was going to be an option, I probably wouldn’t have spent the time doing this.


----------



## biochemgirl

zemmer said:


> @biochemgirl
> Quoting myself instead of retyping. You can do this to consolidate travel funds or just convert your funds to points. If I’d known converting funds to points was going to be an option, I probably wouldn’t have spent the time doing this.


I'm not sure if I qualify for the recently announced converstion to points because my original travel fund is from Oct 2109. Anyone know how to find out?


----------



## zemmer

biochemgirl said:


> I'm not sure if I qualify for the recently announced converstion to points because my original travel fund is from Oct 2109. Anyone know how to find out?


It does get confusing. It sounds like you could use 3 funds to book a new flight, cancel and use those funds to book and cancel until you consolidated down to a  couple of travel funds. Those would be eligible since they were new confirmation numbers cancelled during the allowed timeframe. Maybe a call to SWA tomorrow would help clear it up.


----------



## Leigh L

biochemgirl said:


> I'm not sure if I qualify for the recently announced converstion to points because my original travel fund is from Oct 2109. Anyone know how to find out?


I just looked up DH's funds expiration date, which I thought was 9/7 but actually 9/20, and from what I read, his won't qualify for this. I sort of have a similar question as you though, because my original plan was to book him an August flight (kids and I are already booked and are leaving a few days earlier than he is able to join us) but thinking if things aren't better and we had to cancel, would we lose the travel funds and the additional $$ for the ticket on 9/20/20? (We are accepting of losing the travel funds because that was a risk when we booked at the price we did, but don't want to add more funds to expire a month later if we had to cancel due to COVID).


----------



## teawar

biochemgirl said:


> I need help from the experts to understand travel funds. But I fear I screwed it up so badly that I lost the ability to use it at all
> 
> I had flights for Thanksgiving 2019 and one leg of the trip dropped in price during October and I was issued $107 each for two of us. I used that travel fund to purchase a one way flight June 30, 2020 to get us home from Disneyland, which left about $6 each unused. But when prices dropped, on this new flight, I chipped away at it each time until I had saved another $52. Due to coronavirus, the final price was only $49. I didn't realized that everytime I saved money, there were creating a NEW travel fund. Fast forward to today and my June trip to Disneyland is cancelled so I cancelled the $49 flight too - creating yet another new travel fund.
> 
> But I was hopeful that maybe I'll make it to WDW and tried to use my $107 towards a $119 flight to MCO. The Southwest system now sees me as having that $107 spread out over 5 different funds for each person, for a total of 10 funds!! And the website will only let me use a total of 4 when I try to book our flights. This is leaving 6 funds and the bulk of the money unused.
> 
> Help! What do I do? Or did I lose the value of my original $107 travel fund?


What I’ve done in the past when I’ve had a lot of travel funds (I’m in the boat right now) is book each leg of the trip separately, which would allow me to use, I believe, 3-4 types of payments per leg, so I could in theory use a combination of 6 or 8 travel funds, luv vouchers, swa gift cards, or a credit card. So I would try booking everyone separately, which can be a pain, but it can be cost effective. I believe travel funds can only be used for the person who’s name is attached to it. So you would have to manage different reservation numbers for each person. This can be complicated, but nothing a spreadsheet can’t handle. Good luck on your decision making?


----------



## scrappinginontario

teawar said:


> What I’ve done in the past when I’ve had a lot of travel funds (I’m in the boat right now) is book each leg of the trip separately, which would allow me to use, I believe, 3-4 types of payments per leg, so I could in theory use a combination of 6 or 8 travel funds, luv vouchers, swa gift cards, or a credit card. So I would try booking everyone separately, which can be a pain, but it can be cost effective. I believe travel funds can only be used for the person who’s name is attached to it. So you would have to manage different reservation numbers for each person. This can be complicated, but nothing a spreadsheet can’t handle. Good luck on your decision making?


 While this works, one thing to keep in mind is that if you choose not to purchase EBCI, there are multiple reservation numbers to check in at the -24 hour mark to secure boarding pass numbers.

Just something else to further complicate things.


----------



## nkereina

biochemgirl said:


> I'm not sure if I qualify for the recently announced converstion to points because my original travel fund is from Oct 2109. Anyone know how to find out?


I had travel funds from a flight that was originally booked in June 2019. I used those travel funds towards the cost of my flight that was supposed to be in April 2020, which I canceled. Its my understanding, both from SWA releases as well as two separate conversations with SWA employees, that my travel funds will be eligible for the extension on the expiration date even though they expire June 2020. Its eligible because my travel was supposed to be in April 2020, which is within the eligible timeframe. With the new offerings from SWA, it sounds like I will also be eligible for the point conversion. It sounds like both options apply to the same set of affected people, and you can choose to do one or the other.

Your situation is similar to mine, so I believe you would be eligible for both the points conversation or travel fund extension. We don't know exactly yet how the point conversion will translate, so you could be better off consolidating your travel funds if you find you'd lose some of the value with the points conversion, or the point cost of the flight you want to book is higher. That's something to look into when more information comes out. As PP mentioned, once the expiration extension rolls out, you can also just book "dummy" flights for the purpose of consolidating the travel funds until you whittle it down.

My current concern is exactly _when _can we expect the expiration date extension or point conversion option to roll out. I'd like to re-book my October flight, but I can't until these options are in place. And every day I check, the October flight prices seem to be increasing. I presume from others re-booking their travel as well.


----------



## nkereina

scrappinginontario said:


> While this works, one thing to keep in mind is that if you choose not to purchase EBCI, there are multiple reservation numbers to check in at the -24 hour mark to secure boarding pass numbers.
> 
> Just something else to further complicate things.


This is a good point to keep in mind. In addition to that, when you have to check in multiple reservation numbers at the 24 hour mark, you'll likely be separated in the boarding position order. And even if you do have EBCI, you have a higher chance of having separated boarding positions than if you were on the same reservation. The party can all board together at the highest boarding position if you need to stay together, but just worth mentioning.


----------



## teawar

nkereina said:


> This is a good point to keep in mind. In addition to that, when you have to check in multiple reservation numbers at the 24 hour mark, you'll likely be separated in the boarding position order. And even if you do have EBCI, you have a higher chance of having separated boarding positions than if you were on the same reservation. The party can all board together at the highest boarding position if you need to stay together, but just worth mentioning.


I agree with you, that can be a pain at check in time. I normally will have 3 devices open and click away.  My husband doesn’t care where he sits, but I always want to be sure my daughter is with one of us. It normally works out, but I understand that it’s more complicated.


----------



## loveswdw

rlduvall said:


> All I can say is W-O-W!!!  I don't know how they could be very profitable doing all that for us, but yay!!!!!


Wait until you see how much flights will cost once they start flying again. We are still scheduled for a first part of June trip but I haven't booked airfare. When I looked the other day, RT was almost $450 each. Now of course being SWA, the price will fluctuate but I can bet cheap flights will not be a part of the plan once they're flying again. I guess it depends on how many people they can get to get on a plane when all this is over.


----------



## scrappinginontario

loveswdw said:


> Wait until you see how much flights will cost once they start flying again. We are still scheduled for a first part of June trip but I haven't booked airfare. When I looked the other day, RT was almost $450 each. Now of course being SWA, the price will fluctuate but I can bet cheap flights will not be a part of the plan once they're flying again. I guess it depends on how many people they can get to get on a plane when all this is over.


It's funny how we can all interpret things differently.

Not saying you are wrong, just that I'm looking at it differently.  Since I'm not leaving my home right now (and haven't entered a store in almost 5 weeks), I can't imagine getting on an airplane right now so booking air travel isn't on my radar.  If others feel similarly, I can see flights being less expensive than normal.

Let's see how things pan out...


----------



## poohj80

loveswdw said:


> Wait until you see how much flights will cost once they start flying again. We are still scheduled for a first part of June trip but I haven't booked airfare. When I looked the other day, RT was almost $450 each. Now of course being SWA, the price will fluctuate but I can bet cheap flights will not be a part of the plan once they're flying again. I guess it depends on how many people they can get to get on a plane when all this is over.



 I thought the June fares I have been watching were high at $119 each way.


----------



## loveswdw

poohj80 said:


> I thought the June fares I have been watching were high at $119 each way.


I just checked and the nonstops are back down to $286 RT. They may go lower again. Or they may go up.


----------



## Crazyhorse

scrappinginontario said:


> It's funny how we can all interpret things differently.
> 
> Not saying you are wrong, just that I'm looking at it differently.  Since I'm not leaving my home right now (and haven't entered a store in almost 5 weeks), I can't imagine getting on an airplane right now so booking air travel isn't on my radar.  If others feel similarly, I can see flights being less expensive than normal.
> 
> Let's see how things pan out...


I think SW should PAY people to fly for non essential travel over the next several months.


----------



## eeyoresmom

As far as the extension of the companion pass, do we have to do anything or does it get extended automatically?


----------



## rlduvall

eeyoresmom said:


> As far as the extension of the companion pass, do we have to do anything or does it get extended automatically?



It states automatically.


----------



## Ariel620

I just read the email, that is amazing, good for SW for taking such good care of its customers.  I assume from the email, that the only companion passes that get extended are the ones that were originally set to expire in Jan 2020.  Mine was set to expire Jan 2021. So I assume my companion pass won't be extended. Has anyone heard any different?

I also plan to convert my travel funds to points. I wonder what the conversion rate is that was mentioned.  Anyone know?


----------



## 123Dis4Me

I had flights booked for this past week.  I had price adjusted several times prior to when I canceled the flights.  I received an expiration date of Sept 2022 for some of the funds, but some of the funds expire in January 2021.  These are all for the same flight confirmation number.  I was thinking they would all expire in Sept 2022.


----------



## cmarsh31

One, just one, for $2.73, just extended to 2022 - hopefully this is a sign that they'll all start updating soon!


----------



## BLTtinkerbell

SW has changed my flights for June several times.  After the last change, I saw the price went down and got travel funds credit for the price difference. If SW changes my flights again, can I request a full refund, including the amount that went to travel credits?


----------



## ultimatefans

BLTtinkerbell said:


> SW has changed my flights for June several times.  After the last change, I saw the price went down and got travel funds credit for the price difference. If SW changes my flights again, can I request a full refund, including the amount that went to travel credits?


Based on my experience - no.  I was supposed to travel Memorial Day weekend with friends.  Mine was booked via points but my friend paid cash.  Our reservation was canceled by Southwest, when she called to ask about a cash refund she could only get a refund for the most recent travel fund - the one that was created when the reservation was canceled.  The travel funds she had received previously from modifying when the flight cost went down will remain travel funds - but the expiration date was extended per current policy.  Also in our case she could get a refund because the reservation was actually canceled - not sure if they do that for any reservation.


----------



## BLTtinkerbell

Can someone explain the pros & cons of travel funds vs rapid rewards points?

Just wondering in case my flights get changed again or if I need to cancel.

Thank you!


----------



## G719

BLTtinkerbell said:


> Can someone explain the pros & cons of travel funds vs rapid rewards points?
> 
> Just wondering in case my flights get changed again or if I need to cancel.
> 
> Thank you!


Points never expire.


----------



## BLTtinkerbell

G719 said:


> Points never expire.



Thank you! 
So if I cancel my trip, I should ask for Rapid Reward Points.
If SW cancels, I should ask for money back.


----------



## Fangorn

BLTtinkerbell said:


> Thank you!
> So if I cancel my trip, I should ask for Rapid Reward Points.
> If SW cancels, I should ask for money back.



Maybe.

If SW cancels your flight you can ask for a refund. Note that if you purchased EBCI, that can be refunded as well, but you will have to ask for that separately, and generally the agent you speak with will not be able to process the EBCI refund themselves, but will have to request that refund from another team that can do that. 

If you cancel the flight, you will receive travel funds for the amount of the flight. SW started on 4/16 that they will soon provide the ability for you to convert those travel funds to Rapid Rewards Points. That capability does not yet exist. It is unclear as to what the conversion rate will be. It's possible that in converting to points, you'll lose some value. We just don't know yet. 

Points never expire and they can be used to book travel for anyone - unlike Travel Funds which can only be used by the individual who was booked on the original flight. So Points are inherently more flexible and useful. It may be an acceptable trade off to lose a small amount of value, but gain a more flexible product. But again, we don't yet know what the actual exchange rate will be,  so I'd not want to make a definitive declaration that you should always go for points. 

Steve


----------



## keishashadow

Curious to see what sort of point offer they will roll out.

Received the extension of my credits this morning. Had handful of different confirmation numbers.  rolled into one dummy reservation last month, then cancelled.  So much easier to just deal with one confirmation number when rebooking

I have 3 flights booked for early August.  If I am reading the ‘rules’ correctly, am tempted to cancel them entirely & take the credit which should revert to the 9/22 expiry date

If WDW shows any signs of reopening by early August and we are comfortable flying, could probably rebook easily enough.  Rate hasn’t changed since I booked it when the schedule opened.

Hmmm


----------



## Iowamomof4

Fangorn said:


> Maybe.
> 
> If SW cancels your flight you can ask for a refund. Note that if you purchased EBCI, that can be refunded as well, but you will have to ask for that separately, and generally the agent you speak with will not be able to process the EBCI refund themselves, but will have to request that refund from another team that can do that.
> 
> If you cancel the flight, you will receive travel funds for the amount of the flight. SW started on 4/16 that they will soon provide the ability for you to convert those travel funds to Rapid Rewards Points. That capability does not yet exist. It is unclear as to what the conversion rate will be. It's possible that in converting to points, you'll lose some value. We just don't know yet.
> 
> Points never expire and they can be used to book travel for anyone - unlike Travel Funds which can only be used by the individual who was booked on the original flight. So Points are inherently more flexible and useful. It may be an acceptable trade off to lose a small amount of value, but gain a more flexible product. But again, we don't yet know what the actual exchange rate will be,  so I'd not want to make a definitive declaration that you should always go for points.
> 
> Steve



One other point to consider is that you can't pay for a ticket with a combination of points and cash, so you'll want to be sure you'll have enough points in your account to make it worth it. Travel funds, otoh, can be used in combination with cash (or credit or gift card, up to three forms I believe). So if you anticipate your future flight being more expensive, you might want to take the travel funds.


----------



## Fangorn

Iowamomof4 said:


> One other point to consider is that you can't pay for a ticket with a combination of points and cash, so you'll want to be sure you'll have enough points in your account to make it worth it. Travel funds, otoh, can be used in combination with cash (or credit or gift card, up to three forms I believe). So if you anticipate your future flight being more expensive, you might want to take the travel funds.



Precisely!  What the "best" option is, will be dependent on a number of different factors, including how often you travel, and how you anticipate paying for upcoming flights. 

I love that SW has added the option to convert travel funds to points,  but I do expect some folks will make the decision to convert without fully understanding the ramifications of that decision. 

Steve


----------



## scrappinginontario

If they use an algorithm anything like their 'purchase points' you will lose if you convert to points.  Even when they offer points at x% off it's normally not a good choice to purchase points.  Careful math will be required.


----------



## Fangorn

scrappinginontario said:


> If they use an algorithm anything like their 'purchase points' you will lose if you convert to points.  Even when they offer points at x% off it's normally not a good choice to purchase points.  Careful math will be required.



I don't think they're going to go that way. The email they sent out on Thursday says "*at the same rate you would be able to purchase a ticket with points today".  *This would seem to indicate a more direct correspondence between the cash price of a flight and the points cost for that same flight. The unknown in my mind is not all flights between any two points on the same day, first the same - so how will they decide?  For example, they canceled a flight I had for May 9 and rebooked me on another flight that was totally unworkable. I ended up canceling. But there are now only 3 flights that day on my route - down from 12. Each of them has a different cash price and different points price. ALL of the cash prices are less than the price I paid and what I have now in Travel Funds. 

When I do have the option to convert those funds to points, will they use the flight they had moved me to as the basis for the conversion? (That's the lowest of the three,  BTW.) If so,  I'd end up losing a lot of value when compared to the TF.  In my case,  I fly enough that I never have any issue using TFs, so it doesn't matter all that much to me. But I'm concerned that there are a lot of people out there that won't bother to understand their options fully.

Steve


----------



## aokeefe

My travel fund have been updated to the Sept 2022 expiration


----------



## nkereina

Iowamomof4 said:


> One other point to consider is that you can't pay for a ticket with a combination of points and cash, so you'll want to be sure you'll have enough points in your account to make it worth it. Travel funds, otoh, can be used in combination with cash (or credit or gift card, up to three forms I believe). So if you anticipate your future flight being more expensive, you might want to take the travel funds.


One caveat is that you if you are short on points, you can purchase points to add to your point bank so that you have enough. We were short about 1500 points once and we paid roughly $60 for 2,000 points, which I think was the minimum if memory serves. I could be a little off on the numbers. Point being, it was cheaper to buy those additional points so we could use our points for the flight than it would have been to leave the points to accumulate and pay cash for the flights. If someone knows they will be flying SWA again after that, they could opt to leave the points and just pay cash, because they will accrue more points after they travel.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Only parts of mine have :/


----------



## nkereina

Erica Ladd said:


> Only parts of mine have :/


Same here. I have two travel funds with the same expiration, and only one has updated so far. Ironically, its the travel fund that was issued second that has updated. Would have guessed it would be the other way around.


----------



## Leigh L

aokeefe said:


> My travel fund have been updated to the Sept 2022 expiration


Thank you for posting 
Mine were not updated last night, but today it's September 2022.


----------



## Geomom

aokeefe said:


> My travel fund have been updated to the Sept 2022 expiration


Thanks for the heads up!  I just checked my family's accounts and they're all updated!  I was doubtful ours would update as the funds are from our (hopefully!) upcoming July/August trip--I had rebooked the airfare when it went down to $49 each way.  So happy!  Now we'll be able to use them without trying to cram in a trip before 12/10 this year!


----------



## Avery&Todd

I dont have any travel funds but I do have a Companion Pass for my DH and it's current status is:  _Earned through 12/31/20_ so they should push this to include the extended dates of June 30, 2021, right?

Per this from their website:  "*For Companion Pass holders,* who earned Companion Pass benefits through December 31, 2020, we are extending your current Companion Pass benefits through June 30, 2021. "

Has anyone had their Companion Pass dates extended yet?  I see that some of you have had your dates extended on your travel funds...

Thanks!


----------



## rlduvall

Mine hasn't updated yet. Kind of scares me. Only because the TF were created by using a LUV voucher that expired June 1, 2020.  BUT, I didn't cancel my flight, SW did - so I would hope I get the extension.


----------



## SaintsManiac

aokeefe said:


> My travel fund have been updated to the Sept 2022 expiration




Mine too! Yippeee!!!


----------



## shoreward

It looks like they might be modifying the expiration dates for travel funds starting with the most recently posted credit and going backwards to the oldest qualifying fund.  All of this is being done manually, so it will not just happen overnight for all credits.  Multiple travel funds with the same basic confirmation number, but different expiration dates, may not update at the same time.


----------



## scrappinginontario

I don't believe we can see a pattern.  I just checked and the TF I created about 2 weeks ago is still showing Mar 12, 2021.  it will be updated in time.  Not stressing.


----------



## Sandiz08

Our credits have not been updated at all. No rush though.


----------



## poohj80

shoreward said:


> It looks like they might be modifying the expiration dates for travel funds starting with the most recently posted credit and going backwards to the oldest qualifying fund.  All of this is being done manually, so it will not just happen overnight for all credits.  Multiple travel funds with the same basic confirmation number, but different expiration dates, may not update at the same time.


Mine are actually opposite - I have 4 credits for my flights that were eventually cancelled.  The oldest two credits show the 2022 expiration date but the most recent, which includes the cancellation (aka the biggest refund) has not be extended yet.  At least they are making progress!


----------



## Geomom

Question re early bird.  DH and I had added EBCI to our flight home for April vacation (trip that didn't happen).  I ended up just moving that flight segment to September to not lose the EBCI.  Are they automatically refunding EBCI now?  I'd like to just cancel the September trip, especially now that our travel funds have been extended out to 2022.

Thanks!


----------



## shoreward

poohj80 said:


> Mine are actually opposite - I have 4 credits for my flights that were eventually cancelled.  The oldest two credits show the 2022 expiration date but the most recent, which includes the cancellation (aka the biggest refund) has not be extended yet.  At least they are making progress!


So, maybe there is no pattern. I noticed a friend's credits updated starting with newest, then the same confirmation number with an older credit updated a few days later.  The oldest credits have not yet been updated.

I do think, however, that this will take awhile to completely update, especially considering that new travel funds are still being created; that is, of course, unless new cancellation/change travel funds automatically apply the 2022 expiration dates.


----------



## nkereina

Geomom said:


> Question re early bird.  DH and I had added EBCI to our flight home for April vacation (trip that didn't happen).  I ended up just moving that flight segment to September to not lose the EBCI.  Are they automatically refunding EBCI now?  I'd like to just cancel the September trip, especially now that our travel funds have been extended out to 2022.
> 
> Thanks!


Its my understanding that EBCI will only be refunded in the event that SWA cancels your flight. If you cancel your September trip on your own, I don't believe you're entitled to an EBCI refund. My own experience, along with a few others on here, is that they have been offering a LUV voucher equal to the amount you paid or rapid rewards points roughly equal to the amount you paid (we paid $50 and were offered 1,000 points). I believe you'd have to inquire about this on your own in order to get it, and most of us here have had luck with this by contacting them through social media (i.e. Facebook or Twitter direct message).


----------



## Iowamomof4

I have flights for 4/25 and 5/2 that I'm needing to cancel (one-way tickets). Should I cancel first and then contact SW about the EBCI recovery or contact them before I cancel?


----------



## BelleOftheBall16

Geomom said:


> Question re early bird.  DH and I had added EBCI to our flight home for April vacation (trip that didn't happen).  I ended up just moving that flight segment to September to not lose the EBCI.  Are they automatically refunding EBCI now?  I'd like to just cancel the September trip, especially now that our travel funds have been extended out to 2022.
> 
> Thanks!


Southwest is providing a LUV voucher for the amount of EBCI fees for flights March 1-May 31, regardless of who canceled the flight. What you can do is move it back to a flight within this timeframe, then cancel and contact Southwest.


----------



## BelleOftheBall16

Iowamomof4 said:


> I have flights for 4/25 and 5/2 that I'm needing to cancel (one-way tickets). Should I cancel first and then contact SW about the EBCI recovery or contact them before I cancel?


You would cancel first then contact them with the conf#’s for them to issue a LUV voucher.


----------



## nkereina

BelleOftheBall16 said:


> Southwest is providing a LUV voucher for the amount of EBCI fees for flights March 1-May 31, regardless of who canceled the flight. What you can do is move it back to a flight within this timeframe, then cancel and contact Southwest.


Southwest will refund the cost of EBCI if they cancel the flight. But, yes, if PP cancels the flight on their own, it would need to fall within that date range in order to be eligible for the LUV voucher or the points.


----------



## Fangorn

BelleOftheBall16 said:


> Southwest is providing a LUV voucher for the amount of EBCI fees for flights March 1-May 31, regardless of who canceled the flight.



I'm sure that's a true statement, but they are also refunding EBCI in some circumstances at least. I had a May 9 flight that they changed multiple times. I got a call from them last week, letting me know about another change and offering to either change it to something better for me or refund it outright. When I called to cancel and get the refund, I asked about EBCI. The agent was not able to process the refund for EBCI (she didn't have that authority) but she was able to request it from the team that is able to refund EBCI.  Got an email this morning that the EBCI refund has been processed.  My agent did mention that EBCI refunds are not automatic. You will need to contact them to start that process. 

BTW, when I called last week, mid-morning, Pacific time, my wait was less 10 seconds (they answered on the second ring).

Steve


----------



## nkereina

Fangorn said:


> I'm sure that's a true statement, but they are also refunding EBCI in some circumstances at least. I had a May 9 flight that they changed multiple times. I got a call from them last week, letting me know about another change and offering to either change it to something better for me or refund it outright. When I called to cancel and get the refund, I asked about EBCI. The agent was not able to process the refund for EBCI (she didn't have that authority) but she was able to request it from the team that is able to refund EBCI.  Got an email this morning that the EBCI refund has been processed.  My agent did mention that EBCI refunds are not automatic. You will need to contact them to start that process.
> 
> BTW, when I called last week, mid-morning, Pacific time, my wait was less 10 seconds (they answered on the second ring).
> 
> Steve


SWA will always refund EBCI when _they _cancel it. In your case, I suspect its because they've changed your flight multiple times that they offered to refund you. The changes may even be indication they have that flight on the chopping block if/when they need to cancel it, which would result in a refund anyhow. Either way, it never hurts to ask for an EBCI refund - the worst they can say is no. But generally, most people are getting the choice of LUV vouchers or points for EBCI when they have had to cancel on their own accord due to the virus.


----------



## sunlover13

I have one confirmation number listed 5 different times in my travel funds.  2 of them were extended to Sept 2022, the others have not been extended yet.  My question is when I go to book my next flight, after all 5 are extended, is that one form of payment or 5 different forms of payment?


----------



## kelpricer

I have travel funds that expire august 30. I did not have a flight booked. My travel funds will not be extended, right?


----------



## Fangorn

sunlover13 said:


> I have one confirmation number listed 5 different times in my travel funds.  2 of them were extended to Sept 2022, the others have not been extended yet.  My question is when I go to book my next flight, after all 5 are extended, is that one form of payment or 5 different forms of payment?



You have 5 separate Travel Funds. Only 2 of them can be used at a time for a new reservation.

Each of those TFs actually has a 4 digit number appended to the confirmation number. You don't see that on the screen that lists all the travel funds on your account, but when you go to use the TFs, you'll be asked to enter the confirmation number. You'll then see the full TF number and have to choose one. 

Steve


----------



## Fangorn

kelpricer said:


> I have travel funds that expire august 30. I did not have a flight booked. My travel funds will not be extended, right?



Yes they will be extended. 

From SWs site
"Customers’ funds that have expired or will expire between March 1, 2020 and September 7, 2020, will now expire September 7, 2022."

Steve


----------



## kelpricer

Fangorn said:


> Yes they will be extended.
> 
> From SWs site
> "Customers’ funds that have expired or will expire between March 1, 2020 and September 7, 2020, will now expire September 7, 2022."
> 
> Steve


I’m glad I asked, thank you!


----------



## poohj80

Fangorn said:


> You have 5 separate Travel Funds. Only 2 of them can be used at a time for a new reservation.


One way around this is to book 2 one-way flights instead of 1 round-trip, then you’ll be able to use 2 travel funds per leg of the trip.


----------



## shoreward

Limited time offer - donate a minimum of $25 to any of three specific charities and receive bonus RR points.
https://www.southwest.com/RRCoronavirusDonations/?clk=4411093&cbid=4411093


----------



## nkereina

poohj80 said:


> One way around this is to book 2 one-way flights instead of 1 round-trip, then you’ll be able to use 2 travel funds per leg of the trip.





sunlover13 said:


> I have one confirmation number listed 5 different times in my travel funds.  2 of them were extended to Sept 2022, the others have not been extended yet.  My question is when I go to book my next flight, after all 5 are extended, is that one form of payment or 5 different forms of payment?


Another way around it is to book "dummy" flights using 2 travel funds, then cancel to combine into one. Then do the same thing again and again until they are all combined into one set of travel funds.



Fangorn said:


> You have 5 separate Travel Funds. Only 2 of them can be used at a time for a new reservation.
> 
> Each of those TFs actually has a 4 digit number appended to the confirmation number. You don't see that on the screen that lists all the travel funds on your account, but when you go to use the TFs, you'll be asked to enter the confirmation number. You'll then see the full TF number and have to choose one.
> 
> Steve


Just to confirm, for my own knowledge because I've seen contradicting things, can you use up to two travel funds PER PERSON when booking a new reservation? Or a total of two travel funds, regardless of the number of people on the reservation?


----------



## Erica Ladd

I can remember booking more than two but maybe only 3? And I used two of mine and one of DH’s then paid the balance with a GC


----------



## poohj80

nkereina said:


> Just to confirm, for my own knowledge because I've seen contradicting things, can you use up to two travel funds PER PERSON when booking a new reservation? Or a total of two travel funds, regardless of the number of people on the reservation?


It’s 2 per reservation. If you make separate reservations for each person, then you can use 2 per person but you will have 2 separate reservation numbers meaning you’ll have to check in twice at the 24 hour mark.


----------



## poohj80

shoreward said:


> Limited time offer - donate a minimum of $25 to any of three specific charities and receive bonus RR points.
> https://www.southwest.com/RRCoronavirusDonations/?clk=4411093&cbid=4411093


Thanks for posting this!  I previously donated to Feeding America but don’t see a way to take advantage of this promotion except by making a new donation using the link provided.


----------



## rlduvall

Checked this morning and my one and only TF has been extended to September, 2022. Thanks SW!!!


----------



## cmarsh31

ALL of ours have finally been extended (3 trips worth). Up until today it was one at a time each morning...


----------



## sunlover13

Thanks!  I always book one-way flights in case the price changes one-way.   I think I will end up booking dummy flights to get them all under one confirmation number.  I am going to have a find a very expensive flight.  I think I have close to $600 in travel credits just for myself!   I would love to transfer them to points if it's worth the $.  I'm waiting to see what the conversion rate is going to be for that.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Has anyone seen any conversion estimates for TF into points???


----------



## scrappinginontario

Erica Ladd said:


> Has anyone seen any conversion estimates for TF into points???


They have not been announced yet.


----------



## poohj80

sunlover13 said:


> Thanks!  I always book one-way flights in case the price changes one-way.


You can adjust just one leg of a round-trip when just one leg of the flight goes down.  When you select to change the round-trip flight, the next step is to select which flights you want to change.


----------



## scrappinginontario

poohj80 said:


> You can adjust just one leg of a round-trip when just one leg of the flight goes down.  When you select to change the round-trip flight, the next step is to select which flights you want to change.


You're quite right.  I find it easier to do 2 one-way flights as it's easier for me to figure out how much I paid for each leg of the flight, especially as they numbers change.  It's all personal but I like doing 2 one-ways.  It also gives me the length of our trip to use up travel funds as the return trip has a later date than the outbound flight.  Since we normally fly around the same time each year, those few days can (normally) make the difference between being able to use travel funds and them expiring.


----------



## aokeefe

sunlover13 said:


> Thanks!  I always book one-way flights in case the price changes one-way.   I think I will end up booking dummy flights to get them all under one confirmation number.  I am going to have a find a very expensive flight.  I think I have close to $600 in travel credits just for myself!   I would love to transfer them to points if it's worth the $.  I'm waiting to see what the conversion rate is going to be for that.


I read this and think that if you book a new flight and you cancel it- the travel funds will revert to the 1 year expiration. Just something to keep in mind.
For example:

Your original unused travel funds with confirmation number OLD111 expired on March 19, 2020.
These unused travel funds were extended to an expiration date of September 7, 2022.
You use some of those funds on August 1, 2020 to book new travel in September under confirmation number NEW111.
*If for some reason you need to cancel this new flight, your unused travel funds associated with confirmation number NEW111 will be valid for 12 months from the booking date which means they will expire August 1, 2021.*
Any remaining unused travel funds tied to OLD111 will be available through September 7, 2022.


----------



## shoreward

aokeefe said:


> I read this and think that if you book a new flight and you cancel it- the travel funds will revert to the 1 year expiration. Just something to keep in mind.
> For example:
> 
> Your original unused travel funds with confirmation number OLD111 expired on March 19, 2020.
> These unused travel funds were extended to an expiration date of September 7, 2022.
> You use some of those funds on August 1, 2020 to book new travel in September under confirmation number NEW111.
> *If for some reason you need to cancel this new flight, your unused travel funds associated with confirmation number NEW111 will be valid for 12 months from the booking date which means they will expire August 1, 2021.*
> Any remaining unused travel funds tied to OLD111 will be available through September 7, 2022.


Good points, but what happens if you use funds to book travel in April 2020 for April 2020 travel, and then cancel in April 2020?


----------



## sunlover13

Good to know.   Thank you.  I didn't realize that would happen.  I'm just going to hold off for now and wait to see the point conversion because who knows when we will be flying again.  I'd really like to convert them to points or combine them all under one confirmation number.  However, I don't want to lose the 9/22 expiration date.


----------



## Erica Ladd

I just booked airfare for 9/8-12. SW to MCO and Spirit on the way home. Both seem to have decent policies if I need to cancel or they do. I’m hoping to know what things will be like by early/mid August. They finally updated enough of my TF dates to buy new flights. And it is 2 TF per person per reservation. I asked on Facebook and it worked .


----------



## Music City Mama

I have a quick question that I think I know the answer to, but if one of you helpful experts could confirm, I'd appreciate it. 

I was originally flying to MCO on 6/27 at 10:00 a.m. -- back in early/mid February it was changed to 12:40 p.m. I had the option to change it, but I liked it, so I kept it. 

Earlier this month, that 12:40 flight was changed to departing at 3:20 p.m. -- I didn't like that one so I was able to switch it to a newly created flight departing at 8:25 a.m. 

I just received a notification about my other flight home departing/arriving an hour later which is fine. I decided to check SW's flight schedule on their website for my flight on 6/27 to MCO just to make sure that was still listed on their website. It is, BUT, they have now added a new flight since I was forced to change earlier this month and it's the time I want! If I change it (even though it isn't because SW altered the schedule and I don't like it and it's just because I want to), I won't have to pay any fees, right? Not even taxes? This leg of the flight is reserved on points and it's cheaper points-wise AND it's the time I prefer. I should just be able to do this with no type of fee/penalty, correct? I don't have EBCI for this leg of the flight, so that's a non-issue. 

TIA!


----------



## shoreward

Music City Mama said:


> I have a quick question that I think I know the answer to, but if one of you helpful experts could confirm, I'd appreciate it.
> 
> I was originally flying to MCO on 6/27 at 10:00 a.m. -- back in early/mid February it was changed to 12:40 p.m. I had the option to change it, but I liked it, so I kept it.
> 
> Earlier this month, that 12:40 flight was changed to departing at 3:20 p.m. -- I didn't like that one so I was able to switch it to a newly created flight departing at 8:25 a.m.
> 
> I just received a notification about my other flight home departing/arriving an hour later which is fine. I decided to check SW's flight schedule on their website for my flight on 6/27 to MCO just to make sure that was still listed on their website. It is, BUT, they have now added a new flight since I was forced to change earlier this month and it's the time I want! If I change it (even though it isn't because SW altered the schedule and I don't like it and it's just because I want to), I won't have to pay any fees, right? Not even taxes? This leg of the flight is reserved on points and it's cheaper points-wise AND it's the time I prefer. I should just be able to do this with no type of fee/penalty, correct? I don't have EBCI for this leg of the flight, so that's a non-issue.
> 
> TIA!


Yes, you can change a points booking with no penalty or rebooking fees.  If your new flight is lower in points value, the difference (savings in points) will be automatically redeposited into your Rapid Rewards account.  You can keep checking, until departure, for any additional reductions.


----------



## Music City Mama

shoreward said:


> Yes, you can change a points booking with no penalty or rebooking fees.  If your new flight is lower in points value, the difference (savings in points) will be automatically redeposited into your Rapid Rewards account.  You can keep checking, until departure, for any additional reductions.



Thanks, I have rebooked a flight before (for the same flight/time) just to get some points credited back, but I didn't know if I changed the actual flight/time, if that somehow was different. I guess I will change it to the time I want and get some points back. Thanks again!


----------



## nkereina

aokeefe said:


> I read this and think that if you book a new flight and you cancel it- the travel funds will revert to the 1 year expiration. Just something to keep in mind.
> For example:
> 
> Your original unused travel funds with confirmation number OLD111 expired on March 19, 2020.
> These unused travel funds were extended to an expiration date of September 7, 2022.
> You use some of those funds on August 1, 2020 to book new travel in September under confirmation number NEW111.
> *If for some reason you need to cancel this new flight, your unused travel funds associated with confirmation number NEW111 will be valid for 12 months from the booking date which means they will expire August 1, 2021.*
> Any remaining unused travel funds tied to OLD111 will be available through September 7, 2022.



I'm not sure I'm following. So, in my scenario, I have four sets of travel funds that have now been updated to the 9/7/22 expiration date. I'd like to combine these travel funds by booking dummy flights until they've combined into one or two so I can use the full balance when I book my November flight. If I do this today (for example), will the new combined single travel fund have an expiration date of 4/22/21? Or will it retain the 9/7/22 expiration? Now I'm trying to decide if its better to just save some of the funds for use in 2021 or 2022, rather than roll them together.


----------



## poohj80

All of my travel funds have now been extended!


----------



## Crazyhorse

poohj80 said:


> All of my travel funds have now been extended!


Out of $204.00 worth of travel funds, $183.00 have been extended until 9/2022.  I'll take it!


----------



## shoreward

nkereina said:


> I'm not sure I'm following. So, in my scenario, I have four sets of travel funds that have now been updated to the 9/7/22 expiration date. I'd like to combine these travel funds by booking dummy flights until they've combined into one or two so I can use the full balance when I book my November flight. If I do this today (for example), will the new combined single travel fund have an expiration date of 4/22/21? Or will it retain the 9/7/22 expiration? Now I'm trying to decide if its better to just save some of the funds for use in 2021 or 2022, rather than roll them together.


Per Southwest, the expiration date will change to 9/7/22 for any reservations that are canceled, or set to expire between March 1st  through September 7th, 2020.


----------



## shoreward

It looks like Southwest is now offering changes in date/time for bookings into July, at no additional cost, if rebooked within the stated time frame  (usually within 60 days of original travel date).  If your travel qualifies for the rebooking, there will be a banner displayed, when going in to change the flight.


----------



## tidblgrrer

Has anyone been successful in getting their EarlyBird Check-in refunded after a canceled flight?


----------



## aokeefe

nkereina said:


> I'm not sure I'm following. So, in my scenario, I have four sets of travel funds that have now been updated to the 9/7/22 expiration date. I'd like to combine these travel funds by booking dummy flights until they've combined into one or two so I can use the full balance when I book my November flight. If I do this today (for example), will the new combined single travel fund have an expiration date of 4/22/21? Or will it retain the 9/7/22 expiration? Now I'm trying to decide if its better to just save some of the funds for use in 2021 or 2022, rather than roll them together.


That is how I interpreted it- if you book a new flight today using the travel funds and then cancel, the travel funds would then be 4/22/21. If you have 4 sets of funds, you can always book one way tickets rather than roundtrip. Use 2 funds for one leg and 2 funds for the other leg. This is what I am going to do to use up mine.


----------



## nkereina

shoreward said:


> Per Southwest, the expiration date will change to 9/7/22 for any reservations that are canceled, or set to expire between March 1st  through September 7th, 2020.


Did you get confirmation of this from Southwest or is that how you interpret their latest release on this?



aokeefe said:


> That is how I interpreted it- if you book a new flight today using the travel funds and then cancel, the travel funds would then be 4/22/21. If you have 4 sets of funds, you can always book one way tickets rather than roundtrip. Use 2 funds for one leg and 2 funds for the other leg. This is what I am going to do to use up mine.


Thanks, but unfortunately I just need to book the return leg. I was able to re-schedule the flight there for October, but my return falls in November which isn't out yet. So I'm hoping to confirm whether I can roll my credits together and keep the September 2022 expiration date because I don't expect to use the full value when I do book for November.


----------



## Fangorn

tidblgrrer said:


> Has anyone been successful in getting their EarlyBird Check-in refunded after a canceled flight?



i have.  Cancelled a flight last Thursday (4/16). I called SW to cancel and get a refund for the flight. Also asked about the EBCI, and they refunded that as well. There is a separate process for that and it is not automatic. My flight refund was in my bank account on Monday (4/20) and the EBCI refund was there on Tuesday (4/21). 

My experience was simple, straight-forward and pleasant. 

Steve


----------



## nkereina

tidblgrrer said:


> Has anyone been successful in getting their EarlyBird Check-in refunded after a canceled flight?


If Southwest canceled your flight, you'd be entitled to a refund to the original form of payment and you'd need to contact them to initiate it. If you canceled the flight on your own, SWA has been giving people the option of a LUV voucher equal to the amount you paid OR rapid rewards points roughly equal to what you paid. Most of us here have had the best luck receiving these options by contacting SWA through social media.


----------



## shoreward

shoreward said:


> Per Southwest, the expiration date will change to 9/7/22 for any reservations that are canceled, or set to expire between March 1st  through September 7th, 2020.





nkereina said:


> Did you get confirmation of this from Southwest or is that how you interpret their latest release on this?


I cut and pasted their reply from social media.  A friend would like to do this, but I don’t think they did it yet.


----------



## tink fan

Per Southwest’s policy as long as you cancel a “dummy” flight using combined travel funds by September 7, 2020, your new travel fund will have the Sept 7, 2022 expiration. If you cancel it after Sept 7, it will have a cancelation date of one year from the reservation date.
Here is the policy from its website: “Funds that are set to expire or funds that are created between March 1, 2020 and September 7, 2020, will have an expiration date of September 7,2022.”


----------



## tink fan

shoreward said:


> Good points, but what happens if you use funds to book travel in April 2020 for April 2020 travel, and then cancel in April 2020?


Your expiration date is Sept 7, 2022 since you canceled before Sept 7, 2020.


----------



## Llama mama

Got the red flag banner last night . This morning flights changed by SW. Changes are thankful not bad at all . Arriving to MCO from Midway 7/31 2 hours later . Coming home I am leaving Disney only 2 hours earlier. They kept me on nonstops too . ( last time layovers) . Hopefully parks open beginning of August. Stay safe all ....


----------



## Erica Ladd

Checked all of our travel funds for the family and finally everything has the correct expiration date. I guess one bright spot in all this doom and gloom is now my kids will be able to utilize their TF instead of us having to let them expire!  It’s not much but any bit of brightness is appreciated around here


----------



## Geomom

Looks like they're combining some summer flights.  DH has gotten emails over the past couple days that both our flights have time changes.  (The flight numbers also changed, and when I look online it's gone from 3 non-stop flights down to 2 for both dates.)  7/25: MHT to MCO, and 8/8: MCO to MHT.  Both times work out better for us now.  

Also not sure why DH is the one getting emails and not me, lol...but in my account I do have the cell # listed for alerts so we'd get it while on vacation...so maybe that's it...


----------



## aokeefe

Llama mama said:


> Got the red flag banner last night . This morning flights changed by SW. Changes are thankful not bad at all . Arriving to MCO from Midway 7/31 2 hours later . Coming home I am leaving Disney only 2 hours earlier. They kept me on nonstops too . ( last time layovers) . Hopefully parks open beginning of August. Stay safe all ....


Got some changes too- last week on July. Luckily worked in our favor; bumped our departure up an hour and half and departure flight bumped 3 hours out. I was nervous at first bc we have 2 reservations and I was afraid they didn't move both of them but luckily they did. Hopefully more time in Disney. Please be open!!!


----------



## S.o.N.D.

Cancelled my 4/20 flight on-line a couple of weeks ago.  Tickets were for me, wife and daughter.  My intention was to cancel all three tickets.  Just looked at my Travel Funds in my account for the first time, it is just showing funds for one ticket, as opposed to all three.  Did I do something wrong when I cancelled?  Did I only cancel my ticket and not my wife's and daughter's i.e. am I now eating the price of their "unused" tickets?


----------



## Erica Ladd

Did you look up under each passengers names?


----------



## mickeynut1

S.o.N.D. said:


> Cancelled my 4/20 flight on-line a couple of weeks ago.  Tickets were for me, wife and daughter.  My intention was to cancel all three tickets.  Just looked at my Travel Funds in my account for the first time, it is just showing funds for one ticket, as opposed to all three.  Did I do something wrong when I cancelled?  Did I only cancel my ticket and not my wife's and daughter's i.e. am I now eating the price of their "unused" tickets?



Your account will only show travel funds under your name, which can only be used by you.  Your wife and daughter's TFs will be in their account, which can only be used by them.


----------



## PCFriar80

S.o.N.D. said:


> Cancelled my 4/20 flight on-line a couple of weeks ago.  Tickets were for me, wife and daughter.  My intention was to cancel all three tickets.  Just looked at my Travel Funds in my account for the first time, it is just showing funds for one ticket, as opposed to all three.  Did I do something wrong when I cancelled?  Did I only cancel my ticket and not my wife's and daughter's i.e. am I now eating the price of their "unused" tickets?


Go to flight/manage reservations/view travel funds.
Enter the confirmation number and their name.
You should see the funds associated with them!


----------



## sunlover13

I'm still unclear if I take my 6 different travel funds right now that have a Sept 2022 expiration date and book a dummy flight to roll them all into 1 confirmation number, will it be valid 1 year from the booking date or also have the Sept 2022 expiration date.   

This is from Southwest's website:

*However, in recognition of the current travel environment, we are extending the expiration date of some travel funds:*

Customers’ funds that have expired or will expire between March 1, 2020 and September 7, 2020, will now expire September 7, 2022.
Any travel funds created because you cancel a flight between March 1 – September 7, 2020, will expire September 7, 2022.
It can take up to five business days for the new expiration date to appear in your account. It will also take our Technology Team a few days to make these changes.
It’s important to note, while these unused travel funds will be available until September 7, 2022, once the funds are used to make a purchase, the expiration date of the travel funds will then follow our normal ticketing rules and will expire 12 months from the date of purchase.
For example:

Your original unused travel funds with confirmation number OLD111 expired on March 19, 2020.
These unused travel funds were extended to an expiration date of September 7, 2022.
You use some of those funds on August 1, 2020 to book new travel in September under confirmation number NEW111.
If for some reason you need to cancel this new flight, your unused travel funds associated with confirmation number NEW111 will be valid for 12 months from the booking date which means they will expire August 1, 2021.
Any remaining unused travel funds tied to OLD111 will be available through September 7, 2022.


----------



## G719

Just checked my schedule of July 30 to August 8. Our July 30 changed to an earlier time and still nonstop. The August 8 flight is 25 minutes later and still nonstop. 

The price on my August 8 flight home from MCO went way up. $300 for wanna get away!

I never got an email about the changes.


----------



## aokeefe

sunlover13 said:


> I'm still unclear if I take my 6 different travel funds right now that have a Sept 2022 expiration date and book a dummy flight to roll them all into 1 confirmation number, will it be valid 1 year from the booking date or also have the Sept 2022 expiration date.
> 
> This is from Southwest's website:
> 
> *However, in recognition of the current travel environment, we are extending the expiration date of some travel funds:*
> 
> Customers’ funds that have expired or will expire between March 1, 2020 and September 7, 2020, will now expire September 7, 2022.
> Any travel funds created because you cancel a flight between March 1 – September 7, 2020, will expire September 7, 2022.
> It can take up to five business days for the new expiration date to appear in your account. It will also take our Technology Team a few days to make these changes.
> It’s important to note, while these unused travel funds will be available until September 7, 2022, once the funds are used to make a purchase, the expiration date of the travel funds will then follow our normal ticketing rules and will expire 12 months from the date of purchase.
> For example:
> 
> Your original unused travel funds with confirmation number OLD111 expired on March 19, 2020.
> These unused travel funds were extended to an expiration date of September 7, 2022.
> You use some of those funds on August 1, 2020 to book new travel in September under confirmation number NEW111.
> If for some reason you need to cancel this new flight, your unused travel funds associated with confirmation number NEW111 will be valid for 12 months from the booking date which means they will expire August 1, 2021.
> Any remaining unused travel funds tied to OLD111 will be available through September 7, 2022.


You could always send a message via Facebook- I always find they are pretty quick to respond.


----------



## rlduvall

Both my August 1st to Orlando and August 8th return flight were changed last night. I only got an email about August 1st [that I could change it within 3 days]; fortunately the change was fine.   The August 8th flight is pretty awful, but at this point I can't change the flight online at the same cost so I'm gonna wait it out a few days to see if I get the email.  Yes, I know I can call, but would rather not deal with that.


----------



## Sandiz08

tink fan said:


> Per Southwest’s policy as long as you cancel a “dummy” flight using combined travel funds by September 7, 2020, your new travel fund will have the Sept 7, 2022 expiration. If you cancel it after Sept 7, it will have a cancelation date of one year from the reservation date.
> Here is the policy from its website: “Funds that are set to expire or funds that are created between March 1, 2020 and September 7, 2020, will have an expiration date of September 7,2022.”


This explanation makes more sense to me than anything else I’ve seen, I had credits from a flight I booked last September. Used them to book flights for this summer and now they are tied into the new flights. Am I correct that if I have to cancel my summer flights that I will now have them extended to 2022?


----------



## happymommy

sunlover13 said:


> I'm still unclear if I take my 6 different travel funds right now that have a Sept 2022 expiration date and book a dummy flight to roll them all into 1 confirmation number, will it be valid 1 year from the booking date or also have the Sept 2022 expiration date.
> 
> This is from Southwest's website:
> 
> *However, in recognition of the current travel environment, we are extending the expiration date of some travel funds:*
> 
> Customers’ funds that have expired or will expire between March 1, 2020 and September 7, 2020, will now expire September 7, 2022.
> Any travel funds created because you cancel a flight between March 1 – September 7, 2020, will expire September 7, 2022.
> It can take up to five business days for the new expiration date to appear in your account. It will also take our Technology Team a few days to make these changes.
> It’s important to note, while these unused travel funds will be available until September 7, 2022, once the funds are used to make a purchase, the expiration date of the travel funds will then follow our normal ticketing rules and will expire 12 months from the date of purchase.
> For example:
> 
> Your original unused travel funds with confirmation number OLD111 expired on March 19, 2020.
> These unused travel funds were extended to an expiration date of September 7, 2022.
> You use some of those funds on August 1, 2020 to book new travel in September under confirmation number NEW111.
> If for some reason you need to cancel this new flight, your unused travel funds associated with confirmation number NEW111 will be valid for 12 months from the booking date which means they will expire August 1, 2021.
> Any remaining unused travel funds tied to OLD111 will be available through September 7, 2022.



Pretty sure it will have a one year expiration date if you do that.


----------



## sunlover13

Thank you.  I asked Southwest via Facebook messenger and that is what they told me.


----------



## sunlover13

Ok, I have a new dilemma and need your advice.  I have $500+ dollars in credits under 7 different travel fund numbers.  5 out of the 7 were extended to Sept 2022.   2 of them expire in October.  I'm worried we will not be flying anywhere in October.  They total around $130.  What are my options here?   I think I read I could book a dummy flight and then cancel it to get them under one confirmation number and the expiration date extended.  Is that correct?   If yes, is there a flight timeframe I need to look for.  I guess I would choose a more expensive flight and just pay the difference in points if that is possible plus the two travel funds.  Any advice?


----------



## happymommy

sunlover13 said:


> Ok, I have a new dilemma and need your advice.  I have $500+ dollars in credits under 7 different travel fund numbers.  5 out of the 7 were extended to Sept 2022.   2 of them expire in October.  I'm worried we will not be flying anywhere in October.  They total around $130.  What are my options here?   I think I read I could book a dummy flight and then cancel it to get them under one confirmation number and the expiration date extended.  Is that correct?   If yes, is there a flight timeframe I need to look for.  I guess I would choose a more expensive flight and just pay the difference in points if that is possible plus the two travel funds.  Any advice?



I’d find a one way flight to use the credits for; book something for early May.  Cancel after a minute, and the next day your combined credit should have the September 2022 expiration date.

I did this last week; had a credit that was going to expire end of next January (and I’m not flying likely until next spring at the earliest) worth over $700.  I booked a flight using it (one way was business select so I could make it expensive).  Cancelled after a couple minutes.  Next morning the credit is good through Sept 2022.  

Waiting on the conversion rate that they’re working on, so will consider converting to points.  Only benefit is that then I can use the points for anyone in my family.


----------



## DLmama

I had a flight booked for early August that I just discovered Southwest canceled, no email notification. I'm still holding out hope to take this vacation, but am reluctant to rebook currently. If we're able to go as planned, is there any chance of rebooking an available flight at the same price since Southwest is the one who canceled our flights?

The price had gone down significantly from my original booking, so I ended up with almost $400 in travel funds that now expire in Sept. 2022. The current prices are closer to the original booking.


----------



## sunlover13

happymommy said:


> I’d find a one way flight to use the credits for; book something for early May.  Cancel after a minute, and the next day your combined credit should have the September 2022 expiration date.
> 
> I did this last week; had a credit that was going to expire end of next January (and I’m not flying likely until next spring at the earliest) worth over $700.  I booked a flight using it (one way was business select so I could make it expensive).  Cancelled after a couple minutes.  Next morning the credit is good through Sept 2022.
> 
> Waiting on the conversion rate that they’re working on, so will consider converting to points.  Only benefit is that then I can use the points for anyone in my family.



Thank you!   Appreciate it!


----------



## ultimatefans

Has anyone had trouble modifying a flight without paying an increased fare?  The website says flights through 4/30 can rebook within 60 days, but I have a 5/1 flight.  [I would have expected that 4/30 date would have changed by now, but it hasn't]  I attempted to change the flight but it's only giving me 30 days to rebook.  I contacted Southwest and was told it should actually just be 14 days.  Anyone else run into this?


----------



## mistole

Can someone help me understand what will happen when I cancel our SW flights? We are set to travel in October, but our personal preference is to not be in large crowds until there's a vaccine.  I think we're going to delay our trip for now. I purchased the airfare for my family (2 adults, 3 kids) as well as my parents. We're all new to flying SW, so I created a Rapid Rewards account for each adult and linked their ticket to their rapid rewards. The kids tickets aren't linked to any rapid rewards right now.

I see on SW website that if we cancel our tickets (Wanna Get Away) we can convert those travel funds to Rapid Rewards so they never expire and can be used for anyone. Does that mean that my husband and I could use all of the rewards for ourselves to go on a more expensive flight somewhere? Any tips on how to do that all on their website? Or should I really just call?


----------



## shoreward

mistole said:


> Can someone help me understand what will happen when I cancel our SW flights? We are set to travel in October, but our personal preference is to not be in large crowds until there's a vaccine.  I think we're going to delay our trip for now. I purchased the airfare for my family (2 adults, 3 kids) as well as my parents. We're all new to flying SW, so I created a Rapid Rewards account for each adult and linked their ticket to their rapid rewards. The kids tickets aren't linked to any rapid rewards right now.
> 
> I see on SW website that if we cancel our tickets (Wanna Get Away) we can convert those travel funds to Rapid Rewards so they never expire and can be used for anyone. Does that mean that my husband and I could use all of the rewards for ourselves to go on a more expensive flight somewhere? Any tips on how to do that all on their website? Or should I really just call?


The credits are assigned to the individual travelers and a credit from one customer's cancelled ticket cannot be used to purchase another's ticket.  However, with Southwest's recently announced upcoming accommodation, which will allow the conversion of cash travel funds to Rapid Rewards points, the points can be used to purchase a ticket for anyone, not just for the person who holds the points.  Southwest has not yet released any detailed information on the exact formula of conversion to points or when that will occur.  We also do not know for how long the travel credit to points conversion will be offered; it has never been offered before.

I would set up Rapid Rewards accounts for your kids, as well, and add their RR number to their tickets.  That will allow you to track their credits through the easy link, after you log into their accounts; at the top of the page, just refer to My Travel Funds, after selecting the My Account option.

Keep copies of your original flights/confirmation numbers, as that info will not be available when logging into your account, after you cancel.  If you do not convert to points, you will need the original confirmation numbers to apply the credit to new flights.


----------



## shoreward

ultimatefans said:


> Has anyone had trouble modifying a flight without paying an increased fare?  The website says flights through 4/30 can rebook within 60 days, but I have a 5/1 flight.  [I would have expected that 4/30 date would have changed by now, but it hasn't]  I attempted to change the flight but it's only giving me 30 days to rebook.  I contacted Southwest and was told it should actually just be 14 days.  Anyone else run into this?


Yes, a friend has late May booking and only can change to 30 days, either way.  That is still more liberal than the normal 14 day change, either way of original date.  What if you change the date to April 30?  Maybe that new date will give you a 60 day change window.


----------



## ultimatefans

shoreward said:


> Yes, a friend has late May booking and only can change to 30 days, either way.  That is still more liberal than the normal 14 day change, either way of original date.  What if you change the date to April 30?  Maybe that new date will give you a 60 day change window.


Thank you so much!!!  I searched everywhere and couldn't find anything about the in-between 30 day rebook policy, so I'm glad to hear others saw it too.  Also - genius idea to change my current flight from 5/1 to 4/30, I hadn't thought of that.  Once I did that I could rebook with the 60 day window.   It is still very likely I will need to cancel as who knows what things will be like in June but want to hold onto my crazy cheap fare as long as possible. Hoping to get in a quick surprise 18th birthday/graduation trip sometime this spring/summer if at all possible.


----------



## Llama mama

So is it easier to change a flight to a lower fare when it is one way ticket? 
I have a round trip ticket book and have to call each time I see a lower fare. I get an error. When I try to use the change function.


----------



## Erica Ladd

From what I understand one way can be modified online or app but RT has to be called in. I might be wrong but after reading this I always do one way now


----------



## Llama mama

Erica Ladd said:


> From what I understand one way can be modified online or app but RT has to be called in. I might be wrong but after reading this I always do one way now


Ok that would by why I get errors . Thanks I will call .


----------



## shoreward

Llama mama said:


> So is it easier to change a flight to a lower fare when it is one way ticket?
> I have a round trip ticket book and have to call each time I see a lower fare. I get an error. When I try to use the change function.


You can change just one leg of a roundtrip reservation.  After selecting "change," you will select which of your flights are to be changed; you do not need to select both outbound and return flights under the same confirmation number. I suggest using the website, not the app, for any changes.  However, if you still receive an error message, there is a chance that your flight will not be operating, or there could just be a glitch; in that case, either calling, or contacting Southwest through social media, may still be needed.


----------



## Llama mama

shoreward said:


> You can change just one leg of a roundtrip reservation.  After selecting "change," you will select which of your flights are to be changed; you do not need to select both outgoing and return flights under the same confirmation number. I suggest using the website, not the app, for any changes.  However, if you still receive an error message, there is a chance that your flight will not be operating, or there could just be a glitch; in that case, either calling or contacting Southwest may still be needed.


They changed this flight last week. I Received an email regarding the change. I originally booked an earlier flight . I believe they combined a few flights and the new one I am on is an acceptable time for us . This flight is now showing 30 less a person so I was trying to get the lesser fare. 
We have round trip And EB attached. Maybe that’s why I get the error. I will call . Thanks


----------



## Amii

I have a family of six.  When I go to rebook a flight with travel funds do I need to I need to book each family member one at a time or is there a way for me to book everyone at once using the travel funds?  TIA!


----------



## Fangorn

Amii said:


> I have a family of six.  When I go to rebook a flight with travel funds do I need to I need to book each family member one at a time or is there a way for me to book everyone at once using the travel funds?  TIA!



You can only use a max of 2 Travel Funds per booking. You'll most likely have to book a separate flight for each person. However, if you only have a single travel fund per person, then you could book three reservations, each with 2 people.  Similarly, if you have more than 2 Travel Funds per person, you'll need to book separate one-way flights for each person in order to use the funds. If you have more than 4 per person, you will not be able to use them all on this one trip. 

Steve


----------



## Erica Ladd

SWA told me you can use 2 TF PER PERSON plus one extra form of payment. So far that has been true for us. So dh and I booking a one way flight I can use 2TF each plus a GC/credit card


----------



## Fangorn

Erica Ladd said:


> SWA told me you can use 2 TF PER PERSON plus one extra form of payment. So far that has been true for us. So dh and I booking a one way flight I can use 2TF each plus a GC/credit card



Are you saying that you were able to book a flight using a total of 4 TFs and a credit card?  

Steve


----------



## Erica Ladd

Yes. Just did it recently. The SWA agent on FB or chat (can’t remember which) said as much and then I was able to do it. I’m sure about it as I had several TF spread among several family members and flights. I had a reservation that I had gotten a $10 TF for each me and DH then they canceled and had another $49 TF got each of us. Was able to book a one Way flight for both of us sane ressie and used all 4. It was the exact same price without having to use another form of payment but she indicated we could if necessary


----------



## Iowamomof4

Yeah, IIRC, I was able to also use 2 TF per person along with a credit card on a single booking. I think it totaled 3 (could have been 4) TFs and 1 credit card when all was said and done.


----------



## Fangorn

Erica Ladd said:


> Yes. Just did it recently. The SWA agent on FB or chat (can’t remember which) said as much and then I was able to do it. I’m sure about it as I had several TF spread among several family members and flights. I had a reservation that I had gotten a $10 TF for each me and DH then they canceled and had another $49 TF got each of us. Was able to book a one Way flight for both of us sane ressie and used all 4. It was the exact same price without having to use another form of payment but she indicated we could if necessary



This is new to me then (and I see it when I try to book a flight with TF).  This has not been my experience in the past 20 years of flying SW; the limit has always been 2 TF per booking.

Thanks for the correction!  

Steve


----------



## Llama mama

Welp got the red banner a second time for our August flights.......
What's it going to be this time ?


----------



## Erica Ladd

Llama mama said:


> Welp got the red banner a second time for our August flights.......
> What's it going to be this time ?



good luck! Who knows??? our trip did not give us a red banner or anything. Luckily I check often


----------



## Leigh L

Great to hear this, thanks for sharing @Erica Ladd and @Iowamomof4 



Fangorn said:


> This is new to me then (and I see it when I try to book a flight with TF).  This has not been my experience in the past 20 years of flying SW; the limit has always been 2 TF per booking.
> 
> Thanks for the correction!
> 
> Steve


New to me too, this must be a fairly recent change. I'm pretty sure I tried either in December or January and had the limit.
Awesome change!


----------



## aokeefe

UGH- SW changed my July flight yet again. First moved it up with a better arrival time but now changed it to a layover. Did not get a notification.  Going to wait it out until Disney makes an opening decision and may move the trip up a day


----------



## cmarsh31

Same here with the 2-per person. I think it was a recent update!


----------



## Llama mama

aokeefe said:


> UGH- SW changed my July flight yet again. First moved it up with a better arrival time but now changed it to a layover. Did not get a notification.  Going to wait it out until Disney makes an opening decision and may move the trip up a day


Bummer
They switched mine once already. Just got the red banner again yesterday. Awaiting the new changes........


----------



## Ariel620

was anyone able to convert their travel funds to rapid reward points yet?  I wonder if that will be a reasonable exchange rate  (I would be willing to sacrifice a few points for the flexibility of points instead of funds.


----------



## Iowamomof4

Leigh L said:


> Great to hear this, thanks for sharing @Erica Ladd and @Iowamomof4
> 
> 
> New to me too, this must be a fairly recent change. I'm pretty sure I tried either in December or January and had the limit.
> Awesome change!


My flights were booked in mid-December, so maybe I was mistaken.


----------



## shoreward

Southwest will finally soon be onboard with most other airlines, with requiring employees and customers to wear face masks/coverings.



> *Here’s where you come in*
> 
> It is highly encouraged to bring your own hand sanitizer and mask, and to wear your mask while traveling. Face coverings or masks will be required for Customers starting May 11. If you forget your mask at home, one will be available for you.
> Download your mobile boarding pass prior to arrival to limit the amount of exchanges you make with others. We recommend using the Southwest® Airlines app. You can download the app here.
> Arrive at the airport earlier to allow for new check-in and security processes.
> Hand sanitizer is available at the check-in kiosks, ticket counters, and gates. Wipes will be available for Customers onboard.
> Maintain physical spacing at the airport and onboard.
> We are not serving snacks or beverages inflight to limit personal contact. We recommend eating before you travel.
> Please stay home and do not fly if you feel sick or are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. As always, you can change* or cancel** your flight without a fee.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Equipping Employees*
> 
> Our Customer-facing Employees are required to wear masks.
> We’re cleaning the ticket counters, gates, and baggage claim areas multiple times a day.


----------



## elgerber

shoreward said:


> Southwest will finally soon be onboard with most other airlines, with requiring employees and customers to wear face masks/coverings.


I wonder what they will do about boarding, since their boarding process puts people on top of each other while they wait.  I don't have any SW booked right now, but will be curious to hear how it's going to work.


----------



## Sandiz08

elgerber said:


> I wonder what they will do about boarding, since their boarding process puts people on top of each other while they wait.  I don't have any SW booked right now, but will be curious to hear how it's going to work.


They could call one person at a time, one number at a time/ recommend entire family groups get up together to speed up process.


----------



## shoreward

elgerber said:


> I wonder what they will do about boarding, since their boarding process puts people on top of each other while they wait.  I don't have any SW booked right now, but will be curious to hear how it's going to work.


More details regarding extra precautions being implemented, including for boarding process and seating onboard:
https://www.southwest.com/promise/#clean-highlights


----------



## elgerber

shoreward said:


> More details regarding extra precautions being implemented, including for boarding process and seating onboard:
> https://www.southwest.com/promise/#clean-highlights


Thanks, that makes total sense.


----------



## scrappinginontario

elgerber said:


> I wonder what they will do about boarding, since their boarding process puts people on top of each other while they wait.  I don't have any SW booked right now, but will be curious to hear how it's going to work.


Has anyone flown with SW recently?  I'm not leaving my house much but they must have certain practices already in place since SW is still flying right now as far as I know.


----------



## shoreward

scrappinginontario said:


> Has anyone flown with SW recently?  I'm not leaving my house much but they must have certain practices already in place since SW is still flying right now as far as I know.


This is already in place:



> We are limiting the number of people onboard each flight to provide Customers more personal space so there will be no need for the middle seat to be occupied (currently through June). But if you’re traveling together, you can still sit together.
> Our boarding process is changing. We’re boarding in groups of 10 and only on one side of our boarding poles to help our Customers spread out.



I understand that they are not seating anyone in the first and last three rows of the aircraft, as well.  I heard that those rows are set aside for F/A seating, so that there is the appropriate distancing from each other.


----------



## Muhlenberg

Never mind...it was already posted


----------



## Llama mama

What’s the typical length the red banner stays across the top of your flights. 
Checking the days before and after our flight are still available.  We are flying home a Saturday night. My date flight says unavailable so I am assuming it’s full. Has anyone had the red banner with option to change but nothing ever happened to your flights? 
( they are changed once , a few weeks ago.)


----------



## aokeefe

Llama mama said:


> What’s the typical length the red banner stays across the top of your flights.
> Checking the days before and after our flight are still available.  We are flying home a Saturday night. My date flight says unavailable so I am assuming it’s full. Has anyone had the red banner with option to change but nothing ever happened to your flights?
> ( they are changed once , a few weeks ago.)


I noticed the red banner but didn't think anything of it bc my flight was changed last week and I had received an email. I went it to check to see if my flight had any price drop and noticed my direct flight was gone and I was put on a flight with a layover. Oddly, on the main page of my SW account- it still had my direct flight and only when i hit the little airplane to see the details of my account it showed it with layovers. It also didn't allow me to make any changes and to call. So just make sure you double check your flight!


----------



## Llama mama

Yahooooooi! 
My red banner disappeared. Hoping my flights hold .


----------



## Crazyhorse

Llama mama said:


> Yahooooooi!
> My red banner disappeared. Hoping my flights hold .


What are your flight dates?


----------



## elle101me

Llama mama said:


> Yahooooooi!
> My red banner disappeared. Hoping my flights hold .


Mine too!


----------



## Llama mama

elle101me said:


> Mine too!


7/31-8/8 Midway to Orlando


----------



## Llama mama

Crazyhorse said:


> What are your flight dates?


7/31-8/8


----------



## Llama mama

Llama mama said:


> 7/31-8/8 Midway to Orlando


Sorry wrong post lol


----------



## poohj80

UPDATE:  Travel Funds finally available today.  Booked flights for next month hoping we can go.  Otherwise, at least I combined my travel funds. 

Tried to check my Travel Funds on the SW site and Travel Funds are currently unavailable.  I know my confirmation number so tried to book a new flight using the Travel Funds and the reservation system wouldn't accept them either.  Trying to stay positive and book flights assuming we'll get to go to WDW in June.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

I'd be interested in changing some of my travel funds into points, as well.


----------



## pooch

So I have 3 travel funds associated with 1 confirmation number.  One TF is not eligible for the extended expiration date.  I also have a LUV voucher again not eligible.  When I book my daughter’s new flight, can I use JUST the TF that isn’t extended then use the LUV voucher for the balance?  Or will it make me use up all of the TFs?
I would like to use the TF that isn’t eligible plus the LUV voucher to book one way and then the balance of the LUV voucher and as much of the 2 remaining TFs necessary to book the return flight.  Will this work?


----------



## Fangorn

pooch said:


> So I have 3 travel funds associated with 1 confirmation number.  One TF is not eligible for the extended expiration date.  I also have a LUV voucher again not eligible.  When I book my daughter’s new flight, can I use JUST the TF that isn’t extended then use the LUV voucher for the balance?  Or will it make me use up all of the TFs?
> I would like to use the TF that isn’t eligible plus the LUV voucher to book one way and then the balance of the LUV voucher and as much of the 2 remaining TFs necessary to book the return flight.  Will this work?


Yes. You can do that. 

When you book the first flight you'll enter the confirmation number as patt if the payment process. You'll them get a screen that will show all 3 of those TFs. You'll be able to select the one you want to use.

Once that's complete, you be taken back to the payment option even and you can choose to use the LUV voucher as well.

On the second flight you'll select each of the remaining TFs.  You may have to apply  each one as a separate transaction. 

Steve


----------



## pooch

Perfect, thank you!


----------



## SinCityMMAFan

If anyone is interested in Southwest's "Rewards For Opinions" program where you earn rapid rewards points for doing surveys they are currently accepting new members.  I have been doing their surveys since November of 2017 and have earned over 90,000 points from taking surveys.  It's not a bad way to kill some time and earn those points.  You'll be surprised at how quickly those points can add up.  Here's the link for those interested:

https://www.rewardsforopinions.com/signup
Please Note - The signup period is usually only open for a short amount of time and then gets closed for a good amount of time.


----------



## BillFromCT

I received the message on the website today for my 8/30 - 9/04 trip from PVD.  Thankfully my flight times haven't changed, and nothing better worth switching to.

*You may change your trip date/time at no additional cost if you stay inside the restrictions below.*


----------



## shoreward

The 15,000 bonus Tier Qualifying Points being given to all RR members by Southwest have posted to my RR account.  These are not points that can be used to book travel; they just go toward reaching 35,000 TQP required for A-List status.


----------



## MinnieMSue

BillFromCT said:


> I received the message on the website today for my 8/30 - 9/04 trip from PVD.  Thankfully my flight times haven't changed, and nothing better worth switching to.
> 
> *You may change your trip date/time at no additional cost if you stay inside the restrictions below.*



same for 85-9/9 but I’m worried they still might change it - I don’t know if they change after the banner goes up or not


----------



## aokeefe

MinnieMSue said:


> same for 85-9/9 but I’m worried they still might change it - I don’t know if they change after the banner goes up or not


I have the red banner too flying from PVD end of July. They did change one of my flights from direct to a layover in DC. I got no notification; I noticed it myself. I did change the flight back to a direct (leaving a day early but I had to call). The banner is still there. I think I check twice a day!


----------



## elle101me

I had the red banner on my 8/8 flight down a few days ago. No banner on my 8/19 flight home. They had changed my flight down so I changed it to a better one. The banner went away after a few days. Now the banner is back on both flights.


----------



## pooch

Sorry to ask but I’ve been sifting through pages & cant find an answer.  What is the red banner of which you all speak?  DGS and I are booked out of BDL 9/7-9/12 and, so far, I see no changes to those flights.  They are also still available to book.  DO FAR of course being the operative words here. Can someone please tell me what the red banner is?


----------



## poohj80

SinCityMMAFan said:


> If anyone is interested in Southwest's "Rewards For Opinions" program where you earn rapid rewards points for doing surveys they are currently accepting new members.  I have been doing their surveys since November of 2017 and have earned over 90,000 points from taking surveys.  It's not a bad way to kill some time and earn those points.  You'll be surprised at how quickly those points can add up.  Here's the link for those interested:
> 
> https://www.rewardsforopinions.com/signup
> Please Note - The signup period is usually only open for a short amount of time and then gets closed for a good amount of time.


Thanks!  I signed up and went through multiple surveys only to be told at the end of each one that I didn't qualify.  It would be nice if they could figure that out before I answered all the questions.  I spent almost an hour doing surveys and earned a whopping 15 points!


----------



## poohj80

pooch said:


> Sorry to ask but I’ve been sifting through pages & cant find an answer.  What is the red banner of which you all speak?  DGS and I are booked out of BDL 9/7-9/12 and, so far, I see no changes to those flights.  They are also still available to book.  DO FAR of course being the operative words here. Can someone please tell me what the red banner is?


If your flights have been changed and you are eligible for a no fee change in flights, you will see a red banner at the top of the page when you check your flight details online.  Go to My Account and then click on a flight to see Reservation Details.  If everything looks the same as when you booked, you are good to go.


----------



## scrappinginontario

I have a red banner on my 9/12 and 9/21 flights but thankfully nothing has changed.  They're direct flights at the times we want (if we even go) so I really don't want them changed if possible.


----------



## poohj80

scrappinginontario said:


> I have a red banner on my 9/12 and 9/21 flights but thankfully nothing has changed.  They're direct flights at the times we want (if we even go) so I really don't want them changed if possible.


I had that happen previously.  All that had changed was the flight number, the flight times and route remained the same.  When this happens, you can still change if you have the red banner.  I took advantage of this when it happened to me to pick better times (more expensive when I booked) at no increase in fare.  Unfortunately, I ended up cancelling those flights to NYC completely.


----------



## SinCityMMAFan

poohj80 said:


> Thanks!  I signed up and went through multiple surveys only to be told at the end of each one that I didn't qualify.  It would be nice if they could figure that out before I answered all the questions.  I spent almost an hour doing surveys and earned a whopping 15 points!


It's unfortunate it happens like that sometimes.  I tend to get lucky a lot and have a lot more good days and very few bad days.  This is a screenshot from the other day:


----------



## pooch

poohj80 said:


> If your flights have been changed and you are eligible for a no fee change in flights, you will see a red banner at the top of the page when you check your flight details online.  Go to My Account and then click on a flight to see Reservation Details.  If everything looks the same as when you booked, you are good to go.


ok now I do have red banners on both outbound and inbound flights but nothing has changed.  So for now I am good?


----------



## Avery&Todd

OK - so I have a companion pass for my DH - it was originally supposed to expire 12/31/20 and my account has been updated and it's now been extended to expire 6/30/21 - now, I'm still on the path to "earn" a Companion Pass for him again this year since you have to qualify each year.

Does that mean my time to earn the CP has changed to 6/30/21 or is it still 12/31/20? 

and.....if I earn it by 12/31/20 because that's the date, does that mean it's good until 12/31/21 or 12/31/22?

Thanks!


----------



## Avery&Todd

Avery&Todd said:


> OK - so I have a companion pass for my DH - it was originally supposed to expire 12/31/20 and my account has been updated and it's now been extended to expire 6/30/21 - now, I'm still on the path to "earn" a Companion Pass for him again this year since you have to qualify each year.
> 
> Does that mean my time to earn the CP has changed to 6/30/21 or is it still 12/31/20?
> 
> and.....if I earn it by 12/31/20 because that's the date, does that mean it's good until 12/31/21 or 12/31/22?
> 
> Thanks!


I was able to answer my own question by reaching out to SW via FB....

Here is their response....
 "We know that times are trying, and we want to keep our valued Rapid Rewards Members in mind as we navigate these challenges. As such, all Rapid Rewards Members will see an adjustment in their Tier Qualifying and Companion Pass Qualifying Points and flights to help you get on the road to your next status faster through December 31, 2021. This amount includes 15,000 Tier Qualifying Points and 10 one-ways for A-List and A-List Preferred status, along with 25 one-way flights and 25,000 qualifying points towards Companion Pass Status, which will be added to your account in the coming weeks. Keep in mind that, while these points aren’t usable or redeemable; they help all of our Members get that much closer to achieving their next status. Members will just need to meet the earning requirements left for that status by December 31, 2020. Check out those requirements and learn more by clicking here: https://www.southwest.com/rapidrewards/tiers-more-alist.  "

Basically, but I'm getting is I still have to earn my CP by the original due date of 12/31/20 and it's good until 12/31/21....just 6 months after the extension they already gave me...


----------



## disneyjr77

BillFromCT said:


> I received the message on the website today for my 8/30 - 9/04 trip from PVD.  Thankfully my flight times haven't changed, and nothing better worth switching to.
> 
> *You may change your trip date/time at no additional cost if you stay inside the restrictions below.*



I got that message today as well, but when I went to change our original time was still there so I'm confused. 

I would rather not change as it's the day after our wedding and an earlier flight requires us to leave our hotel earlier (wedding is almost 4 hours from the airport), and a later flight gets us to Disney and our resort later than I would like.


----------



## pooch

Anyone flying from anywhere besides the northeast and headed anywhere but Florida getting this for their flights?  Just wondering if the issue is the restriction Florida set that those flying from CT-NY-NJ-RI-MA must self quarantine for 14 days.  Not sure how long that restriction will last or how it is being enforced.


----------



## zemmer

pooch said:


> Anyone flying from anywhere besides the northeast and headed anywhere but Florida getting this for their flights?  Just wondering if the issue is the restriction Florida set that those flying from CT-NY-NJ-RI-MA must self quarantine for 14 days.  Not sure how long that restriction will last or how it is being enforced.


I have had the red banner several times. My flights changed only once so far. I’m flying from Denver to Orlando, but our summer  flights to Dallas and Chicago also had the red banner more than once. All red banners are gone today.


----------



## G719

disneyjr77 said:


> I got that message today as well, but when I went to change our original time was still there so I'm confused.
> 
> I would rather not change as it's the day after our wedding and an earlier flight requires us to leave our hotel earlier (wedding is almost 4 hours from the airport), and a later flight gets us to Disney and our resort later than I would like.


The red banner doesn't necessarily mean you have to change or that your flight was changed. It might have or it just means something is disrupting things in the schedule. Obviously we know what the problem is currently. I've gotten the red banner before for things like winter weather.


----------



## ultimatefans

pooch said:


> Anyone flying from anywhere besides the northeast and headed anywhere but Florida getting this for their flights?  Just wondering if the issue is the restriction Florida set that those flying from CT-NY-NJ-RI-MA must self quarantine for 14 days.  Not sure how long that restriction will last or how it is being enforced.


I got the same message for an October trip from NY to TX.  I'm assuming the message will be there until the restriction is lifted.  No idea how it's being enforced.


----------



## CouponGirl

SinCityMMAFan said:


> It's unfortunate it happens like that sometimes.  I tend to get lucky a lot and have a lot more good days and very few bad days.  This is a screenshot from the other day:View attachment 493320


Approximately how long did it take Tovar’s complete that many surveys?


----------



## TNKim

SinCityMMAFan said:


> If anyone is interested in Southwest's "Rewards For Opinions" program where you earn rapid rewards points for doing surveys they are currently accepting new members.  I have been doing their surveys since November of 2017 and have earned over 90,000 points from taking surveys.  It's not a bad way to kill some time and earn those points.  You'll be surprised at how quickly those points can add up.  Here's the link for those interested:
> 
> https://www.rewardsforopinions.com/signup
> Please Note - The signup period is usually only open for a short amount of time and then gets closed for a good amount of time.


Is the same as the ERewards site where you can transfer points to Southwest?


----------



## SinCityMMAFan

TNKim said:


> Is the same as the ERewards site where you can transfer points to Southwest?


Points get added automatically once you complete the surveys.  Usually the next day after completing a survey you'll see the points in your rapid rewards account.  It says it can take up to 6 weeks to get your account credited but lately the points have been showing up the very next day.


----------



## SinCityMMAFan

CouponGirl said:


> Approximately how long did it take Tovar’s complete that many surveys?


I don't recall off the top of my head.  I usually aim to get 100 points a day and spend maybe 30 minutes to get there.  A majority of the time I hit 100 points in way less time.  It honestly depends on the surveys.  Sometimes you'll start doing them and it'll say your not eligible after you spent a few minutes doing one and you only get 3 points.  Other times I've gotten surveys and awarded 100+ points and it only takes me 5 minutes.  It's inconsistent to say the least.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Just a heads up that only residents of the US may sign up and complete these surveys.


----------



## Lsdolphin

So I tried to sign up for surveys but screen disappeared just as I got to end and didn’t finalize so I went back and completed again and when I tried to submit at the end it wouldn’t allow me to do so I got a message that my rewards number had already been used...was hoping I would get a confirmation email after all but nothing ...


----------



## Avery&Todd

I have a rescheduling question - right now I still have flights booked for our June 13th Disney trip that I've already cancelled with Disney.  We have rescheduled our trip to Dec and those flights should be released on May 28th.

My question is - can I go into my current June flight reservation and "modify" it and change our travel dates to the December dates instead of having to call Southwest directly? If I do that modification, will that link my EB that I had already paid for June?

Wait - I just realized that with DH's Companion Pass linked to our tickets that I have to cancel his flights before I can amend his and if I cancel his then his EB can't be relinked to the new December dates, right??


----------



## shoreward

Avery&Todd said:


> I have a rescheduling question - right now I still have flights booked for our June 13th Disney trip that I've already cancelled with Disney.  We have rescheduled our trip to Dec and those flights should be released on May 28th.
> 
> My question is - can I go into my current June flight reservation and "modify" it and change our travel dates to the December dates instead of having to call Southwest directly? If I do that modification, will that link my EB that I had already paid for June?
> 
> Wait - I just realized that with DH's Companion Pass linked to our tickets that I have to cancel his flights before I can amend his and if I cancel his then his EB can't be relinked to the new December dates, right??


The CP complicates the process.  I would contact Southwest’s social media team, either on Twitter or FB.  They will ask you to send them a DM, noting the confirmation numbers.  Normally, if a trip is cancelled and not changed, the EBCI is lost.  The social media team is almost always very helpful and accommodating.  They may ask you to check back, once the next schedule extension goes live.


----------



## shoreward

For those with flights booked for October travel, you may want to check current fares for reductions.  It seems like fares went lower, overnight.


----------



## Avery&Todd

shoreward said:


> The CP complicates the process.  I would contact Southwest’s social media team, either on Twitter or FB.  They will ask you to send them a DM, noting the confirmation numbers.  Normally, if a trip is cancelled and not changed, the EBCI is lost.  The social media team is almost always very helpful and accommodating.  They may ask you to check back, once the next schedule extension goes live.


I just did!!  They've been very responsive on FB messenger! They said what I thought they'd say - that I really need to call to make the changes since I have the CP - it makes it trickier and the only way I could amend our June flights would be to cancel DH's CP and then that would allow us to amend the June flights.  BUT that put's the EB purchased for DH's June trip non-transferrable to December dates so they recommended to call them to make the changes.

They could make all the changes and transfer DH's CP and his EB from our June dates to the new December ones once the dates open May 28th.


----------



## MarBee

So this morning I woke up to “your account balance has been adjusted” email from SW.  apparently they cancelled my end of June round trip flights.  But there was never an option to change the flight or anything- just the balance returned to me.
Is this what SW is doing now?


----------



## ultimatefans

MarBee said:


> So this morning I woke up to “your account balance has been adjusted” email from SW.  apparently they cancelled my end of June round trip flights.  But there was never an option to change the flight or anything- just the balance returned to me.
> Is this what SW is doing now?


If they can't reschedule within a certain window (4 hours maybe?  not sure) then they will just cancel the flights.  However, if you would prefer to rebook on new date for the same points, or if it was a points reservation and you'd prefer to get cash back for taxes instead of travel funds, then call or reach out via social media.


----------



## shoreward

Limited time promotion to earn 2X Rapid Rewards points on flights:

https://www.southwest.com/rapidrewards/promotion?f=240yyavcp&clk=4473032&cbid=4473032
Advance registration is required.


----------



## kelpricer

wrong thread


----------



## Llama mama

MarBee said:


> So this morning I woke up to “your account balance has been adjusted” email from SW.  apparently they cancelled my end of June round trip flights.  But there was never an option to change the flight or anything- just the balance returned to me.
> Is this what SW is doing now?


What airport are you flying out of ?
That’s not good customer service. I did read they are cutting flight locations. Sorry that happened to you.


----------



## MarBee

Llama mama said:


> What airport are you flying out of ?
> That’s not good customer service. I did read they are cutting flight locations. Sorry that happened to you.


Philly to Orlando round trip.  I’ve never had this happen with SW before.  Always had the option to change my flight even if there was the slightest change with it.
I haven’t had it in me to call and find out what happened.  Especially since I am 99% sure I was going to cancel the flight/trip anyway.


----------



## ultimatefans

MarBee said:


> Philly to Orlando round trip.  I’ve never had this happen with SW before.  Always had the option to change my flight even if there was the slightest change with it.
> I haven’t had it in me to call and find out what happened.  Especially since I am 99% sure I was going to cancel the flight/trip anyway.


I was surprised when it happened to me too.  But thankfully in typical Southwest good customer service fashion they took care of it when I contacted them by offering to rebook me at the same point cost or refund the taxes I paid instead of the travel credit I was given.


----------



## MarBee

ultimatefans said:


> I was surprised when it happened to me too.  But thankfully in typical Southwest good customer service fashion they took care of it when I contacted them by offering to rebook me at the same point cost or refund the taxes I paid instead of the travel credit I was given.


My reservation was with points so I’m wondering if they’ll also offer me to rebook at same price.  (It was a steal of a price!)


----------



## shoreward

The option to change May, June, July, and August 2020 reservations at no additional cost is again available, when opening your reservations online.  If seriously considering making changes, I would not wait too long to do so, as the offer is not always available.  The change window currently is 30 days.  However, if you want to change a May flight to July, first change to June, then change the June flight to July, etc.; you will most likely be able to move as far as September, in 30 day increments.


----------



## winnieofpooh

SinCityMMAFan said:


> If anyone is interested in Southwest's "Rewards For Opinions" program where you earn rapid rewards points for doing surveys they are currently accepting new members.  I have been doing their surveys since November of 2017 and have earned over 90,000 points from taking surveys.  It's not a bad way to kill some time and earn those points.  You'll be surprised at how quickly those points can add up.  Here's the link for those interested:
> 
> https://www.rewardsforopinions.com/signup
> Please Note - The signup period is usually only open for a short amount of time and then gets closed for a good amount of time.



Thanks for this! Signed up and got 500 just for registering. This will be great as we're slow at work right now, so I'll just truck through them throughout the day.


----------



## winnieofpooh

Has anyone heard anything about the travel funds to points conversion? We're booking our December flights when they (hopefully) release the schedule in a few weeks, and we have about 8 travel funds per person that I'd really like to have converted to points beforehand.


----------



## shoreward

winnieofpooh said:


> Has anyone heard anything about the travel funds to points conversion? We're booking our December flights when they (hopefully) release the schedule in a few weeks, and we have about 8 travel funds per person that I'd really like to have converted to points beforehand.


Southwest’s IT dept. is still working on it, with no announced date for conversion or actual conversion rate.


----------



## MarBee

winnieofpooh said:


> Has anyone heard anything about the travel funds to points conversion? We're booking our December flights when they (hopefully) release the schedule in a few weeks, and we have about 8 travel funds per person that I'd really like to have converted to points beforehand.


Say whaaaaat!? I missed that you could convert funds to points.  How does one go about doing that?  I’m intrigued!


----------



## shoreward

MarBee said:


> Say whaaaaat!? I missed that you could convert funds to points.  How does one go about doing that?  I’m intrigued!


From Southwest:


> We have also added a new benefit for our valued Rapid Rewards Members. Those Members who have travel funds that are set to expire or funds that are created between March 1, 2020 and September 7, 2020 will have the option to convert those travel funds into Rapid Rewards points at the same rate you would be able to purchase a ticket with points today. We hope this provides our Members ultimate flexibility as Rapid Rewards points never expire, never have cancel or change fees (fare difference may apply), and you can redeem your points for anyone you choose.
> 
> Our Technology Team is working to build this conversion capability, and we will be in touch when it is ready for you to use. In the meantime, you don’t need to take any action—your travel funds will be automatically extended for the two years mentioned above, and you will be able to make this conversion once we bring this new functionality to fruition.


----------



## sunlover13

Has anyone booked a flight and then cancelled to combine their travel funds?   I did this and both of my travel funds had an Oct 2020 expiration.  I booked a flight for May and then cancelled.  Now, I have one travel fund, but it still has the Oct 2020 expiration date.  I was hoping it would expire in Sept 2022.   Does it take time for that extension to happen or was it automatic for those who did this?


----------



## Darklord77

sunlover13 said:


> Has anyone booked a flight and then cancelled to combine their travel funds? I did this and both of my travel funds had an Oct 2020 expiration. I booked a flight for May and then cancelled. Now, I have one travel fund, but it still has the Oct 2020 expiration date. I was hoping it would expire in Sept 2022. Does it take time for that extension to happen or was it automatic for those who did this?


I just cancelled 3 flights yesterday around 3pm.  Some of the funds expire in August 2020. I checked a few hours after the changes and the funds still expired in August 2020.  I checked this morning and they changed to Sep 2022.  I guess it takes a little bit for the changes to go through.


----------



## MarBee

shoreward said:


> From Southwest:





sunlover13 said:


> Has anyone booked a flight and then cancelled to combine their travel funds?   I did this and both of my travel funds had an Oct 2020 expiration.  I booked a flight for May and then cancelled.  Now, I have one travel fund, but it still has the Oct 2020 expiration date.  I was hoping it would expire in Sept 2022.   Does it take time for that extension to happen or was it automatic for those who did this?





Darklord77 said:


> I just cancelled 3 flights yesterday around 3pm.  Some of the funds expire in August 2020. I checked a few hours after the changes and the funds still expired in August 2020.  I checked this morning and they changed to Sep 2022.  I guess it takes a little bit for the changes to go through.


My funds expire October 2020.  Do you think I’ll get an extension eventually as well?


----------



## loveswdw

SinCityMMAFan said:


> If anyone is interested in Southwest's "Rewards For Opinions" program where you earn rapid rewards points for doing surveys they are currently accepting new members.  I have been doing their surveys since November of 2017 and have earned over 90,000 points from taking surveys.  It's not a bad way to kill some time and earn those points.  You'll be surprised at how quickly those points can add up.  Here's the link for those interested:
> 
> https://www.rewardsforopinions.com/signup
> Please Note - The signup period is usually only open for a short amount of time and then gets closed for a good amount of time.


Thanks, signed up this morning. Any points is better than no points.


----------



## pooch

Marbee - I think it depends on when the travel funds were created.  I did 2 price adjustments and a cancellation on my DD’s June flight.  The first price adjustment was done prior to March, the other and the cancellation were done after creating a total of three travel funds associated with that conf #.  The first one still has the old expiration date.  The other 2 have been extended.  So when were the travel funds created?


----------



## MarBee

pooch said:


> Marbee - I think it depends on when the travel funds were created.  I did 2 price adjustments and a cancellation on my DD’s June flight.  The first price adjustment was done prior to March, the other and the cancellation were done after creating a total of three travel funds associated with that conf #.  The first one still has the old expiration date.  The other 2 have been extended.  So when were the travel funds created?


Originally they were created in October 2019.  I was going to use them on an April flight, but that trip was obviously cancelled.  It still says October 2020 for expiration though.


----------



## SinCityMMAFan

winnieofpooh said:


> Thanks for this! Signed up and got 500 just for registering. This will be great as we're slow at work right now, so I'll just truck through them throughout the day.



You're welcome.


----------



## SinCityMMAFan

loveswdw said:


> Thanks, signed up this morning. Any points is better than no points.


You're welcome.


----------



## pooch

MarBee said:


> Originally they were created in October 2019.  I was going to use them on an April flight, but that trip was obviously cancelled.  It still says October 2020 for expiration though.



so you never booked the April flight?  In that case, the funds would not be extended as they were created outside of the applicable time frame.  The expiration date of October 2020 is correct


----------



## MarBee

pooch said:


> so you never booked the April flight?  In that case, the funds would not be extended as they were created outside of the applicable time frame.  The expiration date of October 2020 is correct


I did book, but I cancelled the flight because of Corona.  I’m not sure if that makes a difference though.  (I cancelled the flight- not SW).


----------



## pooch

And when did you cancel the April flight?


----------



## Erica Ladd

If you had a flight in April and canceled you should get the 9/22 expy. Try Facebook


----------



## pooch

IF it was cancelled after March 1st.  If it was cancelled before that, no extension.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

I just want to make sure that I understand what I'm doing correctly...I am planning on canceling my August flight today because we have decided we are not comfortable traveling with our baby. Since our flight falls within the window of travel fund extension, we should expect our TFs to extend to Sept 2022. Is that correct? I also figure there is not much point to wait to see if they change our flight or anything in hopes that we can a refund instead since we bought using GCs. Our money is locked up with SW either way.


----------



## pooch

That is my understanding.


----------



## sunlover13

Darklord77 said:


> I just cancelled 3 flights yesterday around 3pm.  Some of the funds expire in August 2020. I checked a few hours after the changes and the funds still expired in August 2020.  I checked this morning and they changed to Sep 2022.  I guess it takes a little bit for the changes to go through.



Mine were extended this morning!   So, it took a day for mine. 

Thanks!


----------



## Darklord77

CookieandOatmeal said:


> I also figure there is not much point to wait to see if they change our flight or anything in hopes that we can a refund instead since we bought using GCs. Our money is locked up with SW either way.


Just FYI, SW gave me full refunds (including Early Bird fees) without me even asking on any flight that had been switched or rescheduled by them.  Customer Service did say it would take up to 30 days to show up on my CC.  I think the only flights I didn't get full cash refunds for were flights I booked using travel funds prior to this mess happening.  However, those funds were automatically extended to Sep 2022.


----------



## Leigh L

Hi, I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this kind of situation with old and new funds with COVID-19 policy. I've been reading SW's policy and not sure where DH's situation falls.

DH had $50 in travel funds set to expire in mid-September 2020. On April 19 he booked a flight for August 2020 and used those funds towards the full price. DDs and I are flying to MCO 2 days earlier on a different airline.  It turns out he can take the two extra days off work and wants to join us on our earlier flight which is direct (unlike his which has an ATL layover). If we cancel his August flight, will his travel funds expire in September 2020 or will he fall into the eligibility of September 2022?

(Edited for clarity  )


----------



## sunlover13

Leigh L said:


> Hi, I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this kind of situation with old and new funds with COVID-19 policy. I've been reading SW's policy and not sure where DH's situation falls.
> 
> DH had $50 in travel funds set to expire in mid-September 2020. On April 19 he booked a flight for August 2020 and used those funds towards the full price. DDs and I are flying to MCO 2 days earlier on a different airline.  It turns out he can take the two extra days off work and wants to join us on our earlier flight which is direct (unlike his which has an ATL layover). If we cancel his August flight, will his travel funds expire in September 2020 or will he fall into the eligibility of September 2022?
> 
> (Edited for clarity  )



I'm not the expert, but from my experience, since the travel fund already existed before COVID, the expiration date will remain Sept 2020.

I had some existing travel funds that kept their original expiration date.   Here's what I did which worked.

I booked a flight using that travel fund for May and then cancelled it.   It now had a new travel fund number, same expiration date.  The next day, it was extended until Sept 2022.  It took a day for the extension.


----------



## pooch

Not sure that is correct.  I used LUV vouchers dated 2/8/20 to purchase a RT flight for my DD for June.  Cancelled the flight & now the travel funds have the extended expiration date even though the original LUV vouchers were issued prior to COVID.   Since the flight for which you used the TFs fall within the extension time frame, I think you will get the extended expiration date.  I would ask this question through SWA's FB page.  That appears to get the quickest response.


----------



## wombat_5606

sunlover13 said:


> I booked a flight using that travel fund for May and then cancelled it. It now had a new travel fund number, same expiration date. The next day, it was extended until Sept 2022. It took a day for the extension.



Do you mind answering a few questions for me? I just want to be clear about this before I go to any trouble.

1 Did you have to book your May ticket within a certain date window?
2 Did you have to cancel your ticket within a certain date window?
3 Is the fact that your trip was within a certain date window a factor?

My situation is that I had funds that were created for my husband and I in Sept. 2019. I had a flight for my husband in Feb. I had one for me in March. The Feb. trip(hubby) was canceled just a few days before the flight. My March trip was not canceled until March. We then re-booked on the same flight for September, but I'm not sure we will be able to fly then, but I don't want to cancel today if there is a small chance we can take that flight because our flight is super cheap.

I would do it, if I knew I could get the extension, but from my reading, I'm not sure it will work for me.

Can you or anyone else help me?


----------



## Erica Ladd

I think if they are canceled before or on September 7th you get the new expy date but someone may need to verify that...


----------



## pooch

I also think if the trip is cancelled on or before 9/7/20, you'll get the extension.


----------



## wombat_5606

Thank you very much, @Erica Ladd and @pooch!!


----------



## Leigh L

sunlover13 said:


> I'm not the expert, but from my experience, since the travel fund already existed before COVID, the expiration date will remain Sept 2020.
> 
> I had some existing travel funds that kept their original expiration date.   Here's what I did which worked.
> 
> I booked a flight using that travel fund for May and then cancelled it.   It now had a new travel fund number, same expiration date.  The next day, it was extended until Sept 2022.  It took a day for the extension.





pooch said:


> Not sure that is correct.  I used LUV vouchers dated 2/8/20 to purchase a RT flight for my DD for June.  Cancelled the flight & now the travel funds have the extended expiration date even though the original LUV vouchers were issued prior to COVID.   Since the flight for which you used the TFs fall within the extension time frame, I think you will get the extended expiration date.  I would ask this question through SWA's FB page.  That appears to get the quickest response.


Thanks! I was hoping since the booking was made in April that it might fall into the period of time to make it eligible for the extension.  I don't have FB, but maybe I'll try Twitter or give them a call.


----------



## Disneycouple99

I have a question that I hope someone can answer for me.  We have flights 6/7 to 6/13 MDW to MCO.  Today I see that I can change the flight for no fee up to 7/7 to 7/13.  We are looking to go 7/26-7-31 as that is the only time for me to take off work.  Is there a way to get the no fee for the dates I need?


----------



## SaintsManiac

Disneycouple99 said:


> I have a question that I hope someone can answer for me.  We have flights 6/7 to 6/13 MDW to MCO.  Today I see that I can change the flight for no fee up to 7/7 to 7/13.  We are looking to go 7/26-7-31 as that is the only time for me to take off work.  Is there a way to get the no fee for the dates I need?




SWA doesn't charge fees. They only charge the difference in price. Is that what you mean?


----------



## pooch

SWA never actually charges a change fee per se.  You can cancel your flight and use the travel funds to book any available flight BUT you will have to pay the prevailing fare for the new flight.  What the SWA website is referring to is changing your flight with no change in fare.  They only give you a limited window for that.


----------



## shoreward

Disneycouple99 said:


> I have a question that I hope someone can answer for me.  We have flights 6/7 to 6/13 MDW to MCO.  Today I see that I can change the flight for no fee up to 7/7 to 7/13.  We are looking to go 7/26-7-31 as that is the only time for me to take off work.  Is there a way to get the no fee for the dates I need?


Yes, there is right now.  It will be a two-step process.  As this option is not always available, I suggest doing this immediately, while the functionality is there to change your dates, without any additional cost (normally there would be a fare difference, only, as there are no change fees at Southwest).

First, change both flights under the restrictions of the no change in fare guidelines, which currently allows to _change_ the date 30 days, either way, from your current dates.  After you confirm the changes, you will receive a confirmation email.  Then open that same reservation, that you just changed, and again select "change."  You will now be allowed to change the dates within a new 30 day window, with no change in fare; that will allow you to move your travel dates to late July.  When you look at the selection of available flights, during the change process, the no additional fare flights are tagged as "available."  If you see a fare listed for a flight, that flight is not eligible for no additional cost.


----------



## Disneycouple99

shoreward said:


> Yes, there is right now.  It will be a two-step process.  As this option is not always available, I suggest doing this immediately, while the functionality is there to change your dates, without any additional cost (normally there would be a fare difference, only, as there are no change fees at Southwest).
> 
> First, change both flights under the restrictions of the no change in fare guidelines, which currently allows to _change_ the date 30 days, either way, from your current dates.  After you confirm the changes, you will receive a confirmation email.  Then open that same reservation, that you just changed, and again select "change."  You will now be allowed to change the dates within a new 30 day window, with no change in fare; that will allow you to move your travel dates to late July.  When you look at the selection of available flights, during the change process, the no additional fare flights are tagged as "available."  If you see a fare listed for a flight, that flight is not eligible for no additional cost.


Thanks.  I thought that might work but it is good to get conformation.


----------



## shoreward

Disneycouple99 said:


> Thanks.  I thought that might work but it is good to get conformation.


It sometimes will not have the no change window open out far enough to allow the new dates you want.  I think you can currently go out as far as early September, in this process (at least it was, the last time I looked).

Let us know how it worked out.

BTW, you can also change the actual flight, in case you want earlier or later times.


----------



## poohj80

Disneycouple99 said:


> I have a question that I hope someone can answer for me.  We have flights 6/7 to 6/13 MDW to MCO.  Today I see that I can change the flight for no fee up to 7/7 to 7/13.  We are looking to go 7/26-7-31 as that is the only time for me to take off work.  Is there a way to get the no fee for the dates I need?


I was hoping I might also have a red flag this morning for our June 7th flight to MCO now that I see resort reservations are starting to be canceled, but no luck so far.


----------



## shoreward

poohj80 said:


> I was hoping I might also have a red flag this morning for our June 7th flight to MCO now that I see resort reservations are starting to be canceled, but no luck so far.


Have you checked the current fares to MCO?  If you are looking at July or August, there are some very low fares, right now.  You can try just checking fares for new dates, without actually changing, until you confirm the change.  The fare for your new date may actually be less, than the original.


----------



## Disneycouple99

shoreward said:


> It sometimes will not have the no change window open out far enough to allow the new dates you want.  I think you can currently go out as far as early September, in this process (at least it was, the last time I looked).
> 
> Let us know how it worked out.
> 
> BTW, you can also change the actual flight, in case you want earlier or later times.


It worked perfectly.  Thanks for the help.


----------



## aokeefe

Piggy backing on the change flight questions- we have reservations 7/27-8/1. Obviously we have concerns about going down in July and are just waiting for Disney to announce their plans for opening. When Southwest opens up next Thursday (hopefully) could we modify the July flights to new reservations for November or is that too far out?I know I will pay the difference if the flight is more.  (I know we can cancel flights and use travel funds but it would a heck of lot easier to just modify than enter all new info.


----------



## pooch

You can (and always could) modify your flight to any other open flight on the schedule as long as you understand the possibility of a fare increase, or with a little luck, decrease!


----------



## poohj80

shoreward said:


> Have you checked the current fares to MCO?  If you are looking at July or August, there are some very low fares, right now.  You can try just checking fares for new dates, without actually changing, until you confirm the change.  The fare for your new date may actually be less, than the original.


Yes and they are the same as long as we book at least 2 weeks out.  Was waiting to see when the official opening date is announced and might not have that 2 weeks notice.  I'll try to be patient but hope after Universal's announcement today, WDW won't be far behind.

UPDATE:  WDW Park hours have been removed from the web site so took that as confirmation parks won't be open yet.  Just slid our DVC reservation to the next week and was able to also slide our SW reservations as well.  Even without a red flag, I received the following message when changing flights:

*You may change your trip date/time at no additional cost if you stay inside the restrictions below.*
*DEPART FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS*

Departure airport must be the same as originally booked
Arrival airport must be: Orlando, FL - MCO (the same as originally booked)
Note: Changes made outside the conditions listed above will not be protected under our established reaccommodation practices and may result in a higher fare.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Here's your friendly reminder that *Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur one week from today on THURSDAY, May 28th!*. For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget!

Currently SW is offering flights through 10/30/20 and this next release will take their schedule out to 1/4/21. This release will obviously cover the major holidays and prices may increase quickly for popular dates (although who knows what this release will look like in our COVID-19 landscape) . I'll try to post additional reminders as the date draws nearer.
For those that care about "release timing" it's been all over the board recently (all times Eastern):

The release on 3/12/20 went live at 9:40am.
The release on 12/11/19 went live at 9:10am.
The release on 10/30/19 went live at 7:15am.
The release on 9/26/19 went live at 7:30am.
The release on 8/15/19 went live at 10:41am.
The release on 5/30/19 went live at 9:20am.


----------



## shoreward

poohj80 said:


> Even without a red flag, I received the following message when changing flights:
> 
> *You may change your trip date/time at no additional cost if you stay inside the restrictions below.*
> *DEPART FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS*
> 
> Departure airport must be the same as originally booked
> Arrival airport must be: Orlando, FL - MCO (the same as originally booked)


I believe that the red banner pops up on the app, while a gray message with your above-posted info appears on the full site, once you initiate the change process.  As I recall, May, June, July, August, and possibly very early September have the change option available.

Glad you were able to accomplish what you wanted,


----------



## shoreward

Limited snack and beverage service return to most flights, effective Friday, 05/22/2020.   



> Starting May 22, we will begin serving cans of water with straws, and a snack mix on flights over 250 miles. Cups and ice will be available upon request. For all other flights, snack and beverage service is still temporarily suspended to limit Customer and Flight Attendant interactions.



The snack mix will include options like ranch bagel chips, pretzels, and cheddar cheese squares, they confirmed.  No beverages, other than water, will be served, so coupons will not be accepted, for the time being.


----------



## elgerber

shoreward said:


> Limited snack and beverage service return to most flights, effective Friday, 05/23/2020.
> 
> 
> 
> The snack mix will include options like ranch bagel chips, pretzels, and cheddar cheese squares, they confirmed.  No beverages, other than water, will be served, so coupons will not be accepted, for the time being.


Good timing I am flying Saturday


----------



## shoreward

So, the return of snacks and water means that there will be fewer face coverings being used during the flight, unless pax find a way to slide a straw or snacks under their mask.


----------



## a1tinkfans

?  Anyone receive those Extra Free miles SW said they were giving out to their a rewards customers? Just realized, haven’t seen them. Tia


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

a1tinkfans said:


> ?  Anyone receive those Extra Free miles SW said they were giving out to their a rewards customers? Just realized, haven’t seen them. Tia


Are you talking about the points that only goes towards your Tier but not actually towards your actual balance of points?


----------



## a1tinkfans

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Are you talking about the points that only goes towards your Tier but not actually towards your actual balance of points?


I thought it was both actually. I’ve seen no change in mine??


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

a1tinkfans said:


> I thought it was both actually. I’ve seen no change in mine??


If you're talking about the 15,000 towards A-list and 25,000 towards Companion it's just Tier qualifying but doesn't actually add to the points in your RR account that can be used towards purchasing of flights and other things.

Since people can't fly much it can be quite hard to get there to get A-List or Companion so they gave a boost (though probably not enough honestly given how long we've been experiencing issues already this year).

I haven't flown at all this year (was supposed to but couldn't) and I don't have much activity on earning points at the moment (other than 25points that was from keeping my Survey account active with SWA because my flights last year were paid for by points from my husband's account or my husband's company). 

This is my account:


You can see where SWA added those Tier qualifying points which are not applicable to my RR Total Points available.

Check to see if those Tier qualifying points were added onto your account without paying attention to the Total Points available part.


----------



## a1tinkfans

Thank you!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

a1tinkfans said:


> Thank you!


No problem!


----------



## winnieofpooh

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Here's your friendly reminder that *Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur one week from today on THURSDAY, May 28th!*. For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget!
> 
> Currently SW is offering flights through 10/30/20 and this next release will take their schedule out to 1/4/21. This release will obviously cover the major holidays and prices may increase quickly for popular dates (although who knows what this release will look like in our COVID-19 landscape) . I'll try to post additional reminders as the date draws nearer.
> For those that care about "release timing" it's been all over the board recently (all times Eastern):
> 
> The release on 3/12/20 went live at 9:40am.
> The release on 12/11/19 went live at 9:10am.
> The release on 10/30/19 went live at 7:15am.
> The release on 9/26/19 went live at 7:30am.
> The release on 8/15/19 went live at 10:41am.
> The release on 5/30/19 went live at 9:20am.



Sooo excited! I am a bit worried, because I've never traveled during holiday season so I fear I'm a bit spoiled when it comes to cost. We normally get our flights to MCO for around 15k points each, but I have a feeling we may have to shell out double the points because we're flying so close to Christmas. Fingers crossed it's not _too_ bad!


----------



## Leigh L

Leigh L said:


> Hi, I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this kind of situation with old and new funds with COVID-19 policy. I've been reading SW's policy and not sure where DH's situation falls.
> 
> DH had $50 in travel funds set to expire in mid-September 2020. On April 19 he booked a flight for August 2020 and used those funds towards the full price. DDs and I are flying to MCO 2 days earlier on a different airline.  It turns out he can take the two extra days off work and wants to join us on our earlier flight which is direct (unlike his which has an ATL layover). If we cancel his August flight, will his travel funds expire in September 2020 or will he fall into the eligibility of September 2022?
> 
> (Edited for clarity  )


Just to follow up in case anyone is in a similar situation - DH's funds were converted to the 2022 date after I canceled. I had originally paid with travel funds (expiration mid-Sept 2020) and a gift card. 

It took SW one day to update the travel funds with the new date.  So with mixed funds, SW is extending if booked within the time frame after COVID-19 started. Very generous policy!


----------



## terri33inne

Did Southwest remove the mask requirement?  I was just reviewing their COVID update on their website, and I see the addition of bottled water & snack bag, but no mention of face coverings?


----------



## shoreward

terri33inne said:


> Did Southwest remove the mask requirement?  I was just reviewing their COVID update on their website, and I see the addition of bottled water & snack bag, but no mention of face coverings?


No, the face covering requirement was not removed. This was just copied from  Southwest’s website:


> Customers are required to wear a face covering in the airport and on the plane. Customers will be required to wear a face covering in order to board the plane beginning May 22. If you forget your face covering at home, a mask will be available for you.
> 
> *Acceptable forms of face coverings*
> In accordance with the current CDC guidance, any well-secured cloth or mask that covers your nose and mouth will be accepted.
> 
> *Exemptions to face coverings*
> 
> Young children who may not be able to keep a face covering on.
> Customers who have a disability or underlying medical condition that may prevent them from being able to wear a face covering.
> Anyone who has trouble breathing, is incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove the face covering without assistance.
> *When we expect Customers to wear face coverings*
> In accordance with the current CDC guidance, Customers will be required to wear a face covering over their nose and mouth at all times during their Southwest travel experience—while checking in, boarding, inflight, deplaning, retrieving baggage; and any other time they may engage with a Southwest Employee or another Customer. Customers will be required to wear a face covering in order to board the plane beginning May 22.
> 
> There may also be times when a Customer needs to temporarily remove their face covering, for instance, to eat or drink. However, we expect Customers to put their face covering back on as soon as possible.
> 
> Customers should also remove face coverings if a decompression event occurs and they are asked to use an oxygen mask, or in the event a Customer is supporting an onboard emergency, like performing CPR.



All of this info was pulled from their site just now.


----------



## poohj80

I just flew another low cost airline where seats are assigned to MCO and was shocked to see they seated the ~25 passengers all together in the first few rows instead of social distancing parties in a mostly empty plane.  Yet another reason to fly SW!


----------



## MarBee

poohj80 said:


> I just flew another low cost airline where seats are assigned to MCO and was shocked to see they seated the ~25 passengers all together in the first few rows instead of social distancing parties in a mostly empty plane.  Yet another reason to fly SW!


Can anyone who has recently flown SW confirm their spaced out seating?
I keep getting emails from Frontier saying that they’re not selling the middle seats and spreading everyone out.  Then I see posts where the planes are at capacity.


----------



## pooch

poohj80 said:


> I just flew another low cost airline where seats are assigned to MCO and was shocked to see they seated the ~25 passengers all together in the first few rows instead of social distancing parties in a mostly empty plane.  Yet another reason to fly SW!



and you were not allowed to spread out?  Think I would have insisted on it.


----------



## poohj80

MarBee said:


> Can anyone who has recently flown SW confirm their spaced out seating?
> I keep getting emails from Frontier saying that they’re not selling the middle seats and spreading everyone out.  Then I see posts where the planes are at capacity.



We were on Frontier, they may not be selling middle seats but they are definitely assigning them when passengers don't pre-pay for seats.



pooch said:


> and you were not allowed to spread out?  Think I would have insisted on it.



We most certainly did, but I don't think they should have even assigned seats in such close proximity.


----------



## Lsdolphin

My nephew flew southwest from Tampa to BWI last week. Very few on plane and passengers were spread out.


----------



## elgerber

MarBee said:


> Can anyone who has recently flown SW confirm their spaced out seating?
> I keep getting emails from Frontier saying that they’re not selling the middle seats and spreading everyone out.  Then I see posts where the planes are at capacity.


I flew two SW legs on Saturday. Both flights they told people not to sit in the middle seat unless you were together.


----------



## irt9206

3 days people!!  Hope it's a good day and that we can actually go the days we book.


----------



## scrappinginontario

irt9206 said:


> 3 days people!!  Hope it's a good day and that we can actually go the days we book.


Sorry, not sure I understand?  You’re going to Disney in 3 days?  Are you hoping the parks will be open?  Your resort?  I thought everything through early June was cancelled.


----------



## PCFriar80

scrappinginontario said:


> Sorry, not sure I understand?  You’re going to Disney in 3 days?  Are you hoping the parks will be open?  Your resort?  I thought everything through early June was cancelled.


SWA releases their schedule through 1/4/21 on Thursday, 5/28 [the 3 day reference].  Currently can only book through 10/30/20.


----------



## aokeefe

irt9206 said:


> 3 days people!!  Hope it's a good day and that we can actually go the days we book.


I'm excited for the day- booking flights for our November trip (moved from April) and booking fast passes for our July trip- though still not 100% sure that is happening.


----------



## scrappinginontario

PCFriar80 said:


> SWA releases their schedule through 1/4/21 on Thursday, 5/28 [the 3 day reference].  Currently can only book through 10/30/20.


Ahhh, now I understand!  

I booked our flights the last day they released flights (Mar 12) and by the time the sun set that night our world had turned upside down and now I’m not sure our Sep trip will happen.


----------



## pooch

I am in the same boat.  I booked our Sept flights on March 12.  Also pretty sure that trip isn’t happening.  My only bright spot is I retire 1/31/21 and will be able to go whenever I want after that!!!


----------



## CJK

Also booked on March 12th for September, and doubt we can go too. Between NY being a hotspot state currently requiring quarantine in Florida (even though we fly out of Buffalo which is far from NYC), the uncertainty of when the Canadian border will reopen, and general restrictions in Disney.......dh is ready to cancel now. I just can't quite being myself to do it yet.


----------



## robinb

aokeefe said:


> I'm excited for the day- booking flights for our November trip (moved from April) and booking fast passes for our July trip- though still not 100% sure that is happening.


Do you know what time tickets go on sale?  I'm looking for flights in November.


----------



## G719

robinb said:


> Do you know what time tickets go on sale?  I'm looking for flights in November.


It's never an exact time. Sometimes it's earlier than 7 am. Or it's closer to nine. Lately the schedule loads in pieces, not all at once. So you just keep refreshing and checking back until what you want shows up. It's hard if you're working and can't be on the computer all morning!


----------



## robinb

G719 said:


> It's never an exact time. Sometimes it's earlier than 7 am. Or it's closer to nine. Lately the schedule loads in pieces, not all at once. So you just keep refreshing and checking back until what you want shows up. It's hard if you're working and can't be on the computer all morning!


Thanks!  It looks like I'll have an early morning .


----------



## scrappinginontario

CJK said:


> Also booked on March 12th for September, and doubt we can go too. Between NY being a hotspot state currently requiring quarantine in Florida (even though we fly out of Buffalo which is far from NYC), the uncertainty of when the Canadian border will reopen, and general restrictions in Disney.......dh is ready to cancel now. I just can't quite being myself to do it yet. ☹


 We’re Canadian also.  So many unknowns about border, travel insurance, possible quarantine after returning home.  Most of all, how safe I’m feeling.  

I’m not going to cancel any sooner than I have to.  In 2017 I cancelled less than 24 hours before our trip due to Irma.  Holding out home this time too.


----------



## scrappinginontario

*IMPORTANT*

Those waiting to book flights when they are released, the Low Fare Calendar will be updated first.  I’m not sure if the low fare calendar is available on the app but it is on the Southwest website.



This is definitely where you want to be looking as the new fares will populate on the Low Fare Calendar first!


----------



## MarBee

scrappinginontario said:


> *IMPORTANT*
> 
> Those waiting to book flights tomorrow, the Low Fare Calendar will be updated first.  I’m not sure if the low fare calendar is available on the app but it is on the Southwest website.
> 
> View attachment 497058
> 
> This is definitely where you want to be looking as the new fares will populate on the Low Fare Calendar first!


Is tomorrow the release or Thursday?


----------



## shoreward

MarBee said:


> Is tomorrow the release or Thursday?


It’s currently scheduled for Thursday, May 28, with the usual Southwest disclaimer.  However, all of the airlines need income, now, so I think they will keep that date.


----------



## scrappinginontario

MarBee said:


> Is tomorrow the release or Thursday?


Sorry, whatever day they are released.  I’m not looking for flights so am really not tracking the actual date.  I fixed the wording in my post to say whenever new dates are added....


----------



## irt9206

I'm going to be rescheduling my October flights to December so I can keep early bird. I'll be curious to see how early I can do it compared to the low fare calendar.


----------



## Muhlenberg

If you have flights currently booked that you will be changing (and not cancelling) because they have EBCI, can you get to the low fare calendar while doing the change?  I don't want to cancel and start over, because I will lose the EBCI.


----------



## pooch

No, you’ll need to check the low fare calendar first, decide what flights you want, then go into your flight and make the change.


----------



## Muhlenberg

pooch said:


> No, you’ll need to check the low fare calendar first, decide what flights you want, then go into your flight and make the change.


Thank you!  That's what I thought, since "oblivious me" couldn't find it.


----------



## pooch

We are all here to help each other


----------



## ultimatefans

Does anyone have information about flying to Turks and Caicos?  There aren't any flights at all out of FLL between now and October.  Is this a temporary change due to COVID or has Southwest stopped flying there?  I'm hoping to book a December flight when the schedules open in a couple of days, but not sure if there will be anything available to book.  I've searched around and can't find an announcement anywhere, hoping somebody here has more info.


----------



## aokeefe

ultimatefans said:


> Does anyone have information about flying to Turks and Caicos?  There aren't any flights at all out of FLL between now and October.  Is this a temporary change due to COVID or has Southwest stopped flying there?  I'm hoping to book a December flight when the schedules open in a couple of days, but not sure if there will be anything available to book.  I've searched around and can't find an announcement anywhere, hoping somebody here has more info.


A travel agent that I used to book a trip to Turks a few years ago posted the other day that they airport was getting ready to open so maybe that is why there are no flights available. I can't speak specific about Southwest.


----------



## MarBee

scrappinginontario said:


> Sorry, whatever day they are released.  I’m not looking for flights so am really not tracking the actual date.  I fixed the wording in my post to say whenever new dates are added....


I was just worried bc I had a big meeting all morning and didn’t want to miss it


----------



## MsOnceUponATime

aokeefe said:


> A travel agent that I used to book a trip to Turks a few years ago posted the other day that they airport was getting ready to open so maybe that is why there are no flights available. I can't speak specific about Southwest.



I came on here to ask this EXACT question!!!  You guys are awesome!


----------



## denecarter

We have 9 (plus a lap baby) that want to fly SW in December.  I confirmed on the phone yesterday that I have to split the group for booking since neither online nor phone can book more than 8 per reservation.

1.  Can I be logged in on a laptop and an iPad at the same time to book the two groups simultaneously or will I need to do them one after the other?

2.  What information will I need to book the flights?  (ie. adult names as they appear on id, addresses, or birthdates for kids?)

TIA... trying to get my ducks in a row before they release the new dates!


----------



## pooch

I'd suggest going in an making a mock booking so you can see what information for each person you will need.  You can do this without actually completing the transaction.  Good way to familiarize yourself.  BUT if memory serves, I had to call to reserve with a lap baby.  I don't think there is a way to do that on line. 

Editted to add:

*If you choose to travel with your infant on your lap* (at no additional charge) the infant will not need a boarding pass; however, you will need to obtain a Boarding Verification Document (BVD) for the infant. The BVD will allow the infant to board the aircraft. BVDs are available at the Southwest Airlines ticket counter on the day of travel. In order to complete your BVD, the Customer Service Agent will need to verify that your infant has not reached his/her second birthday, so be sure to bring along a copy of your infant's birth certificate. 

Copied this from SWA website and found no reference to NOT being able to book on line so I think you can.  But this is the procedure for getting the infant on the plane.  Hope it helps!


----------



## CouponGirl

pooch said:


> I'd suggest going in an making a mock booking so you can see what information for each person you will need.  You can do this without actually completing the transaction.  Good way to familiarize yourself.  BUT if memory serves, I had to call to reserve with a lap baby.  I don't think there is a way to do that on line.
> 
> Editted to add:
> 
> *If you choose to travel with your infant on your lap* (at no additional charge) the infant will not need a boarding pass; however, you will need to obtain a Boarding Verification Document (BVD) for the infant. The BVD will allow the infant to board the aircraft. BVDs are available at the Southwest Airlines ticket counter on the day of travel. In order to complete your BVD, the Customer Service Agent will need to verify that your infant has not reached his/her second birthday, so be sure to bring along a copy of your infant's birth certificate.
> 
> Copied this from SWA website and found no reference to NOT being able to book on line so I think you can.  But this is the procedure for getting the infant on the plane.  Hope it helps!


It’s  been a number of years, so things may have changed, but i was able to book online and then call to add my baby. A quick calll and they should be able to confirm that you.


----------



## pooch

Yes, that is the vague memory I have too.  Somewhere in my foggy brain I remember needing to notify them in advance that there would be a lap baby.


----------



## sunlover13

wombat_5606 said:


> Do you mind answering a few questions for me? I just want to be clear about this before I go to any trouble.
> 
> 1 Did you have to book your May ticket within a certain date window?
> 2 Did you have to cancel your ticket within a certain date window?
> 3 Is the fact that your trip was within a certain date window a factor?
> 
> My situation is that I had funds that were created for my husband and I in Sept. 2019. I had a flight for my husband in Feb. I had one for me in March. The Feb. trip(hubby) was canceled just a few days before the flight. My March trip was not canceled until March. We then re-booked on the same flight for September, but I'm not sure we will be able to fly then, but I don't want to cancel today if there is a small chance we can take that flight because our flight is super cheap.
> 
> I would do it, if I knew I could get the extension, but from my reading, I'm not sure it will work for me.
> 
> Can you or anyone else help me?



Sorry, I just saw this.

1 - I just picked a date at the end of May.
2 - I cancelled about 5 minutes after I booked it.
3 - Yes, there are date stipulations on Southwest's website which is why I chose a May flight.

It worked for me.  My previous travel fund expired Oct 2019.  I booked a flight in May using that travel fund, cancelled the flight.  The new travel fund had the Oct 2019 expiration date.  The next day, the expiration date was extended to Sept 2022.


----------



## Sandiz08

My red banner is gone and I'm afraid if I change my flights at this point I will now have to pay the difference. I had not changed them because I was waiting for Disney to make an announcement.


----------



## zemmer

I was really hoping they would roll out the ability to change travel funds to points before the new schedule came out tomorrow. It would have made things easier for us.


----------



## MarBee

Did I read somewhere that it was going to be easier to look up and find your travel funds?

With the tons of cancellations I have I’m afraid that I’m leaving money out there but only took note of one of the flights the I was credited for like an idiot. Is there anyway to see all of the travel funds in one place without using confirmation numbers for each flight?


----------



## TXMemaw

Log in to your account on the full southwest site (not the phone app), select My Account and you can see Your Travel Funds there.  If there's a way to see them all in one place on the app, I'm not sure what it is.  Hope this helps.


----------



## Fangorn

You can get to it on the app as well. 

Click on the account icon at the top right corner of the main screen (the silhouette of a head). From there, if you scroll all the way to the bottom, you can click on View Funds and see all the travel funds associated with your account. 

Steve


----------



## eeyore29

A few months ago we booked flights & EBCI for August, and I'm pretty sure we're going to cancel the trip. If the new WDW policies change by winter, we'll plan a December trip. If I cancel the August flights, we'd have $300 credit for each person (I think it was $250 R/T flights plus $50 EBCI R/T), so whenever we decide to fly again (within the allowed timeframe), can some of each person's $300 be used toward the EBCI fees?


----------



## scrappinginontario

eeyore29 said:


> A few months ago we booked flights & EBCI for August, and I'm pretty sure we're going to cancel the trip. If the new WDW policies change by winter, we'll plan a December trip. If I cancel the August flights, we'd have $300 credit for each person (I think it was $250 R/T flights plus $50 EBCI R/T), so whenever we decide to fly again (within the allowed timeframe), can some of each person's $300 be used toward the EBCI fees?


Unfortunately not.  If you cancel your flights you will lose your EBCI fees although some have reported contacting SW and having those fees refunded.  I'm not sure if that's their policy though or if they're just doing it for some?

You may wish to keep your August flights and move them to December when those flights are available as you will keep your EBCI.


----------



## georgina

Looked at DH's flights for GCM (Grand Cayman) in October. We did not receive any notification, but they seem to have been cancelled. The fees out of GCM were over $90, haven't gotten any refunds? Frustrating.


----------



## MarBee

TXMemaw said:


> Log in to your account on the full southwest site (not the phone app), select My Account and you can see Your Travel Funds there.  If there's a way to see them all in one place on the app, I'm not sure what it is.  Hope this helps.





Fangorn said:


> You can get to it on the app as well.
> 
> Click on the account icon at the top right corner of the main screen (the silhouette of a head). From there, if you scroll all the way to the bottom, you can click on View Funds and see all the travel funds associated with your account.
> 
> Steve


Thank you both!


----------



## PCFriar80

Good luck everyone tomorrow!  I'm shooting for 12/2 - 12/7 BDL/MCO.  Looking forward to the chatter 
around 7:00 AM EDT [and probably well before] and the watch for the schedule drop!  Be patient and keep the faith!


----------



## irt9206

PCFriar80 said:


> Good luck everyone tomorrow!  I'm shooting for 12/2 - 12/7 BDL/MCO.  Looking forward to the chatter
> around 7:00 AM EDT [and probably well before] and the watch for the schedule drop!  Be patient and keep the faith!


See you then.


----------



## pooch

PCFriar80 said:


> Good luck everyone tomorrow!  I'm shooting for 12/2 - 12/7 BDL/MCO.  Looking forward to the chatter
> around 7:00 AM EDT [and probably well before] and the watch for the schedule drop!  Be patient and keep the faith!



Live 10 minutes from BDL. Love that airport, so easy and convenient!  Although SWA is really getting stingy with non-stops out of BDL.  I miss the days when there were 3 a day. Good luck tomorrow.  I am waiting for late Feb to Tampa for our cruise!


----------



## winnieofpooh

PCFriar80 said:


> Good luck everyone tomorrow!  I'm shooting for 12/2 - 12/7 BDL/MCO.  Looking forward to the chatter
> around 7:00 AM EDT [and probably well before] and the watch for the schedule drop!  Be patient and keep the faith!



Fingers crossed! We're shooting for 12/12 or 12/13 out of PIT. We've been lucky over the past year or two and SWA usually has 4 or so nonstop flights to MCO, so I'm hoping that trend keeps up. I have been looking at other random dates and noticed that the cheapest flights are typically the late flights going down and the early flights coming back, which is the opposite way we want it so I hope things change for December.


----------



## G719

scrappinginontario said:


> Unfortunately not.  If you cancel your flights you will lose your EBCI fees although some have reported contacting SW and having those fees refunded.  I'm not sure if that's their policy though or if they're just doing it for some?
> 
> You may wish to keep your August flights and move them to December when those flights are available as you will keep your EBCI.


From the article: passengers with travel dates between March 1 and May 31 who cancel their reservations can request a credit for EarlyBird fees paid. It will be a voucher good for one year that can be used for a future flight.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...in-fee-refunds-passenger-backlash/5103487002/


----------



## scrappinginontario

G719 said:


> From the article: passengers with travel dates between March 1 and May 31 who cancel their reservations can request a credit for EarlyBird fees paid. It will be a voucher good for one year that can be used for a future flight.
> 
> https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...in-fee-refunds-passenger-backlash/5103487002/


Yes I agree except OP’s flight they’re looking to cancel is an August flight so I don’t think it matches the criteria quoted above.


----------



## CouponGirl

So what’s everyone’s predictions about flight prices tomorrow? Think they’ll be similar to last year, lower or higher? I’m hoping maybe they’ll be surprisingly lower in hopes to get more people to fly. But I’m assuming they’ll be comparable to last year with hopes that people will be thinking they’ll be more comfortable near the end of the year and want to travel for the holidays.


----------



## Memorymakerfor4

ultimatefans said:


> Does anyone have information about flying to Turks and Caicos?  There aren't any flights at all out of FLL between now and October.  Is this a temporary change due to COVID or has Southwest stopped flying there?  I'm hoping to book a December flight when the schedules open in a couple of days, but not sure if there will be anything available to book.  I've searched around and can't find an announcement anywhere, hoping somebody here has more info.



What the what?!? I had no idea SW flew to T&C. I have a child with autism and would love to go to the Beaches resort there, but didn't want to ride a puddle jumper. I am seriously going to look into this!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Memorymakerfor4 said:


> What the what?!? I had no idea SW flew to T&C. I have a child with autism and would love to go to the Beaches resort there, but didn't want to ride a puddle jumper. I am seriously going to look into this!


We were heavily thinking about Turks a few months ago. The problem for us is that is a highly seasonal route (same with Grand Cayman and Aruba which were other places we were thinking about going) making travel there and back difficult but they definitely do fly there, just look for if your airport would be seasonal so you can look accordingly on dates.


----------



## Yellowjj

ultimatefans said:


> Does anyone have information about flying to Turks and Caicos?  There aren't any flights at all out of FLL between now and October.  Is this a temporary change due to COVID or has Southwest stopped flying there?  I'm hoping to book a December flight when the schedules open in a couple of days, but not sure if there will be anything available to book.  I've searched around and can't find an announcement anywhere, hoping somebody here has more info.



It is temporary due to Covid19. Southwest has no INTL flights scheduled until Oct 31st out of FLL.



Memorymakerfor4 said:


> What the what?!? I had no idea SW flew to T&C. I have a child with autism and would love to go to the Beaches resort there, but didn't want to ride a puddle jumper. I am seriously going to look into this!



I can't think of a single US route to the T&C, that uses puddle jumpers. All US airlines have flown jets there for over a decade.


----------



## Memorymakerfor4

Yellowjj said:


> I can't think of a single US route to the T&C, that uses puddle jumpers. All US airlines have flown jets there for over a decade.



Good to know. I hadn't taken the time to look into it in depth as our trips for the next year are already planned. A friend told me that's how they went, maybe she was thinking of a different island. Just goes to show it pays to look for yourself!


----------



## Yellowjj

Memorymakerfor4 said:


> Good to know. I hadn't taken the time to look into it in depth as our trips for the next year are already planned. A friend told me that's how they went, maybe she was thinking of a different island. Just goes to show it pays to look for yourself!



The Bahamas has puddle jumpers with formerly AA (now all jets), Silver Airways and the local carrier Bahamasair on select Florida routes only. Jets still comprise 95% of the US flights there.

With that said, AA did have ATR's based in Miami. While they were never scheduled to my knowledge past the Exuma's; swaps do happen occasionally with aircraft.


----------



## Muhlenberg

How far into the change process can I go, ahead of the schedule opening, so that I can just refresh for the new schedule?  Can I get all the way to the Change Flight page and "update the selected flights"?  Or do I have to stay on a previous page?  I have about 10 confirmation numbers (yeah, I know that's a lot) that I have to change, 6 of them having EBCI.


----------



## aokeefe

Morning everyone! Hoping for good deals PVD-MCO 11/20 or 11/21-11/27. Hoping to beat the Thanksgiving fares by leaving early on both ends.


----------



## nkereina

Muhlenberg said:


> How far into the change process can I go, ahead of the schedule opening, so that I can just refresh for the new schedule?  Can I get all the way to the Change Flight page and "update the selected flights"?  Or do I have to stay on a previous page?  I have about 10 confirmation numbers (yeah, I know that's a lot) that I have to change, 6 of them having EBCI.


You'll have to refresh the page in order for the dates to pop up once they go live. You can try it now before the schedule comes out to see what happens - not sure if refreshing will take you all the way out or keep you on the same page.


----------



## Muhlenberg

Thank you!


----------



## GPC0321

What time do they usually update? I'm still only getting through October.


----------



## PCFriar80

GPC0321 said:


> What time do they usually update? I'm still only getting through October.


It can be anywhere between now [7:33 ET] and 10 - 11 AM.  It has been around 8 - 9 AM for the last few releases with different routes and dates updating gradually.


----------



## pmaurer74

PCFriar80 said:


> It can be anywhere between now [7:33 ET] and 10 - 11 AM.  It has been around 8 - 9 AM for the last few releases with different routes and dates updating gradually.


I usually get it around 6:15am but sometimes 7:15am this is the latest so far but I usually only do this twice a year.


----------



## winnieofpooh

So how many times this morning am I going to sit on the website and repeatedly hit refresh...


----------



## irt9206

winnieofpooh said:


> So how many times this morning am I going to sit on the website and repeatedly hit refresh...


Not as many times as I will.


----------



## Bellabully

Waiting patiently. Wellll Maybe not so patiently. With all the craziness, just want to have something to look forward to again. Oops, I have to change my countdown from cancelled April trip


----------



## mlittig

Still waiting for Southwest dates to update   I remember the time when the flights were all updated by 6:15 Eastern time at the latest so this is a pain


----------



## mlittig

I kept my end of April flights which were changed to May dates and then changed again to July dates so I would not lose my Early Bird payments


----------



## scrappinginontario

*For those waiting, be sure to keep your eyes on the Low Fare Calendar.  *New dates and flights will be uploaded there first.

the last few times I’ve been waiting to book flights I used that method and had my flights booked and moved on with my day before the regular search method was even displaying new dates.


----------



## pmaurer74

scrappinginontario said:


> *For those waiting, be sure to keep your eyes on the Low Fare Calendar.  *New dates and flights will be uploaded there first.
> 
> the last few times I’ve been waiting to book flights I used that method and had my flights booked and moved on with my day before the regular search method was even displaying new dates.


I do the same thing.


----------



## GPC0321

pmaurer74 said:


> I do the same thing.


Nice ears, pmaurer74.


----------



## Toolulu22

pmaurer74 said:


> I do the same thing.


Me three


----------



## nkereina

Also waiting! I've had it as late as 9:30am before. But given the current environment, I have no expectations this time and will just be refreshing continuously. Sigh!


----------



## shoreward

It will be interesting to see if the schedule returns to its normal holiday levels, or if cutbacks will still be in place.


----------



## ultimatefans

For those of you looking to book international destinations, I figured out how to determine why some international destinations are currently bookable while others aren't.  On the https://www.southwest.com/Coronavirus/ page, some destinations have this note: "Under our current plan, service will not resume before Wednesday, July 1" (or some other date).  Others have this note "Service will resume at a later date."  If they have the second note then nothing is currently bookable, for the former flights are bookable after the date listed.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Not seeing the normal release day activity here on the boards. We have a Christmas trip, but  might not happen. Slow release on the website, as usual.


----------



## Toolulu22

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> Not seeing the normal release day activity here on the boards. We have a Christmas trip, but  might not happen. Slow release on the website, as usual.


We have dates booked at Christmas too.  We'll see what the airfare looks like.


----------



## GPC0321

Also a Christmas trip. Departing on 21st and returning on 26. Hoping my stash of points is enough!


----------



## Toolulu22

I've been meeting a friend for morning walks.  If they don't post soon, I will probably be out of luck by the time I get back from my walk later.  I have about 20 minutes to go before I leave.  ugh I was up at 6:10 today


----------



## scrappinginontario

Historically these flights are higher prices than the previous release date.  (We traveled in Sep and Nov for years and Nov was always higher than Sep.)   It will be interesting to see how prices are this time.


----------



## aokeefe

Toolulu22 said:


> I've been meeting a friend for morning walks.  If they don't post soon, I will probably be out of luck by the time I get back from my walk later.  I have about 20 minutes to go before I leave.  ugh I was up at 6:10 today


I'm going to guess the flights still won't be released by the time you get back! Enjoy your walk


----------



## winnieofpooh

We're live! I can book PIT-MCO.


----------



## PCFriar80

Showtime!  At least for BDL/MCO.


----------



## EmiJoy

They're here!!


----------



## denecarter

Ouch!  $170 each way Dallas to Orlando!


----------



## pmaurer74

airfare is there in the lowest fair


----------



## winnieofpooh

And booked!! I'm pleasantly surprised with our prices. Slightly higher than normal, but really reasonable given we're flying the week before Christmas.

Snagged 2 nonstop flights, the early flight in and the late flight out, for $240 each.

PIT-MCO (both nonstop)

12/12 5:45am $135 a piece
12/19 9pm $109 a piece


----------



## crazywig

PVD - MCO

11/27 7am - $190   (14,031)
12/4   1:15pm - $127  (only 2 direct and the later one showed sold out at open) (9,117)

I paid points for these but like to put the cash price for the record. Also I'm probably not even going on this trip but will wait and see.

Ok that later flight did open so grabbed it. Same price but 8:30pm


----------



## scrappinginontario

For fun I looked up my Sep flights as if I was booking for same dates in Nov.  Difference in price was $30/person each direction.  Not as bad as I've seen in the past so hopefully others are finding the same too and better prices than in years past.


----------



## aokeefe

All booked 11/21-11/27. Prices decent but I was not able to get an evening flight (latest flight was 2:05)  out of PVD for 11/20 so will take the 5:25 am flight on Saturday- YIKES!! It also automatically applied 4 travel funds.


----------



## ice cube

winnieofpooh said:


> We're live! I can book PIT-MCO.


Great to hear....still nothing for LGA-MCO or ISP-MCO


----------



## ice cube

aokeefe said:


> All booked 11/21-11/27. Prices decent but I was not able to get an evening flight (latest flight was 2:05)  out of PVD for 11/20 so will take the 5:25 am flight on Saturday- YIKES!! It also automatically applied 4 travel funds.


Spoke to soon just come online


----------



## Disneylvr

I still can’t change my September flights to November. Only showing through October.


----------



## MsOnceUponATime

I just booked four flights HOU>MCO, Dec 19-24, for 28,818 points. Kinda high in points... but thankfully I'm not paying cash, which was $191. each way.


----------



## MsOnceUponATime

Disneylvr said:


> I still can’t change my September flights to November. Only showing through October.



Close your browser and go back in or refresh your screen. I had a few issues myself before I was able to book.


----------



## mlittig

Just tried to rebook my flights from my cancelled Disney trips and I get an error message that my selected travel dates occur after the funds to be used will expire so I am in the phone queue for a call back


----------



## nkereina

mlittig said:


> Just tried to rebook my flights from my cancelled Disney trips and I get an error message that my selected travel dates occur after the funds to be used will expire so I am in the phone queue for a call back


When you are logged into your RR account and click "View Travel Funds", does it show that the expiration date has updated to 9/7/22?


----------



## pmaurer74

got my flights for dec, 10-13 and Dec. 19-26 (I know trips are 6 days apart but my dd is supposed to be going to disney with marching band although that might not happen now). Booked on points just in case. Keeping my travel funds that expire in 2022 for next summer hopefully going to rebook my Aulani trip. Prices were not terrible for that time of year. I got Dec. 26 for $109 which is really good. $139 is the average usually it is lower than that but the flights times were not fantastic so I went ahead and booked.


----------



## EmiJoy

winnieofpooh said:


> And booked!! I'm pleasantly surprised with our prices. Slightly higher than normal, but really reasonable given we're flying the week before Christmas.
> 
> Snagged 2 nonstop flights, the early flight in and the late flight out, for $240 each.
> 
> PIT-MCO (both nonstop)
> 
> 12/12 5:45am $135 a piece
> 12/19 9pm $109 a piece




Oh man! That's so much better than my PIT to MCO flights! Though we leave 2 days after Thanksgiving, ugh.


----------



## PCFriar80

pmaurer74 said:


> got my flights for dec, 10-13 and Dec. 19-26 (I* know trips are 6 days apart but my dd is supposed to be going to disney with marching band although that might not happen now)*. Booked on points just in case. Keeping my travel funds that expire in 2022 for next summer hopefully going to rebook my Aulani trip. Prices were not terrible for that time of year. I got Dec. 26 for $109 which is really good. $139 is the average usually it is lower than that but the flights times were not fantastic so I went ahead and booked.


No judging here!


----------



## GPC0321

All done! RDU-MCO for our times was $104 both ways, but I use points, and it was 7,323 points per person each way. Not bad at all!


----------



## ashmac8

Won’t let us use travel funds for covid cancelled flights despite a 9/2022 expiration date. Husband is on hold now.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*FYI - Southwest extended their schedule this morning for flights through October 30th, 2020.*

Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment:

*In an odd move... SW's next release was not announced this morning. Instead you're met with this phrase:* *"At this time, we do not have a date for our next schedule extension therefore please check back frequently."*

*NEXT RELEASE: TBD**
5/28/20 - travel through January 4th, 2021
3/12/20 - travel through October 30th, 2020
12/11/19 - travel through August 10th, 2020
10/30/19 - travel through June 6th, 2020
9/26/19 - travel through April 13th, 2020
8/15/19 - travel through March 6th, 2020
5/30/19 - travel through January 5th, 2020
3/15/19 - travel through November 2nd, 2019
1/31/19 - travel through October 1st, 2019
11/15/18 - travel through August 5th, 2019
9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019
8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
_**Subject to Change - check back frequently here: https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/*

This chart could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above) They appear to be tightening the inventory a bit this year vs. prior year's releases._

*RELEASE TIMES (all times Eastern):*

the release on 5/28/20 went live at 9:06am.
the release on 3/12/20 went live at 9:40am.
The release on 12/11/19 went live at 9:10am.
The release on 10/30/19 went live at 7:15am.
The release on 9/26/19 went live at 7:30am.
The release on 8/15/19 went live at 10:41am.
The release on 5/30/19 went live at 9:20am.
If you want to search back for this post in the future - just search my name and "release".  But be advised that I will not go back and update this post if they alter the next release date in the future.


----------



## lorilclevelandrn

I usually book 6-8 weeks out week before Thanksgiving, shocked to see prices double what we normally pay for same time of year.


----------



## aokeefe

SouthFayetteFan said:


> *FYI - Southwest extended their schedule this morning for flights through October 30th, 2020.*
> 
> Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment:
> 
> *In an odd move... SW's next release was not announced this morning. Instead you're met with this phrase:* *"At this time, we do not have a date for our next schedule extension therefore please check back frequently."*
> 
> *NEXT RELEASE: TBD**
> 5/28/20 - travel through January 4th, 2021
> 3/12/20 - travel through October 30th, 2020
> 12/11/19 - travel through August 10th, 2020
> 10/30/19 - travel through June 6th, 2020
> 9/26/19 - travel through April 13th, 2020
> 8/15/19 - travel through March 6th, 2020
> 5/30/19 - travel through January 5th, 2020
> 3/15/19 - travel through November 2nd, 2019
> 1/31/19 - travel through October 1st, 2019
> 11/15/18 - travel through August 5th, 2019
> 9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019
> 8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
> 6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
> 5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
> 3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
> 2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
> 11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
> 8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
> 7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
> 6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
> 5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
> _**Subject to Change - check back frequently here: https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/*
> 
> This chart could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above) They appear to be tightening the inventory a bit this year vs. prior year's releases._
> 
> *RELEASE TIMES (all times Eastern):*
> 
> the release on 5/28/20 went live at 9:06am.
> the release on 3/12/20 went live at 9:40am.
> The release on 12/11/19 went live at 9:10am.
> The release on 10/30/19 went live at 7:15am.
> The release on 9/26/19 went live at 7:30am.
> The release on 8/15/19 went live at 10:41am.
> The release on 5/30/19 went live at 9:20am.
> If you want to search back for this post in the future - just search my name and "release".  But be advised that I will not go back and update this post if they alter the next release date in the future.


Oh Wow- that is odd. I was hoping to be done with constantly checking Southwest's site for awhile!!! I'll be needing to book for February.  Hoping it's in the August time frame.


----------



## robinb

Welp, that was not worth waiting for.


----------



## shoreward

The fares are much higher than normal, this year, compared with October fares, in my searches.  On my route, there is a 50% increase for most nonstops for this new booking window, compared to lowest fare for same route in October.  Looking at the "Low fare calendar,"  all dates are coming up the same fare for most of November and December dates, which leads me to believe that there is not the usual demand for booking the holidays to MCO this year. I think that many planning WDW trips are delaying booking, to see how things look down the road.

Of course, today's fares are not necessarily the lowest fares available, before departure date.  I think there is a good chance we will see fare reductions, if demand is not strong.


----------



## pmaurer74

EmiJoy said:


> Oh man! That's so much better than my PIT to MCO flights! Though we leave 2 days after Thanksgiving, ugh.


We are PIT -MCO as well. These prices are better than the past two years for Christmas flights but there were some that we're insane. I was disappointed in the flights times though.


----------



## lilaurora

So I’d like to change the date of an existing flight. I also have travel funds valid for the new travel dates. As my new flights are more expensive than my current, I’d like to use my travel funds (I have multiple fund but at least 1 is large enough to cover the difference). I don’t see the option to use those travel fund when checking out. Is it not possible to use travel funds when changing flights?


----------



## DizznyChick

ashmac8 said:


> Won’t let us use travel funds for covid cancelled flights despite a 9/2022 expiration date. Husband is on hold now.


My didn’t work either I had to call.


----------



## EmiJoy

pmaurer74 said:


> We are PIT -MCO as well. These prices are better than the past two years for Christmas flights but there were some that we're insane. I was disappointed in the flights times though.




Oh really?! I guess that could make me feel better haha. I had to book 3 flights and paid about $400/person for roundtrip flights. Yes, the flight times didn't seem like they used to be. I had a trip to Orlando and August and the flight times were awful, not nearly as many nonstop flights as usual!


----------



## DizznyChick

lilaurora said:


> So I’d like to change the date of an existing flight. I also have travel funds valid for the new travel dates. As my new flights are more expensive than my current, I’d like to use my travel funds (I have multiple fund but at least 1 is large enough to cover the difference). I don’t see the option to use those travel fund when checking out. Is it not possible to use travel funds when changing flights?


The option was there for me. It was under where you put your names in


----------



## ice cube

Grabbed very early morning flight Dec.23 LGA to TPA for $99....so they have to get up real early and then we have to drive from TPA to Disney but hey
Christmas/ New Years in Disney 14 years and counting can't complain. They probably will but if they don't like it they can stay home or pay for their 
own ticket yeah right...  ….. Now just have to decide what to do to get home on Jan.3 or not!!


----------



## holyrita

Two questions as this is the first time I'm looking at Southwest:

If I use points to book my tickets for December, do they have the same reusable policy as tickets bought with cash?

Has anyone had experience transferring points from Chase travel to Southwest Rapid Rewards? Wondering if the transfer is "instant" as they claim. There are 2 seats left for a flight I'm trying to book and don't want to be stuck waiting hours or days for the transfer


----------



## ashmac8

DizznyChick said:


> My didn’t work either I had to call.


Here’s hoping it works for him too. He is still in the on hold que.


----------



## mlittig

nkereina said:


> When you are logged into your RR account and click "View Travel Funds", does it show that the expiration date has updated to 9/7/22?


No, it has 10/29/20 as the expiration date so I could not use them for the trip I am booking now  I'll call later because I am burnt out right now. They are issuing me a voucher for the $50 I paid for Early Bird booking which applies to flights only so I will have to book one of my flights with cash instead of points


----------



## winnieofpooh

holyrita said:


> Two questions as this is the first time I'm looking at Southwest:
> 
> If I use points to book my tickets for December, do they have the same reusable policy as tickets bought with cash?
> 
> Has anyone had experience transferring points from Chase travel to Southwest Rapid Rewards? Wondering if the transfer is "instant" as they claim. There are 2 seats left for a flight I'm trying to book and don't want to be stuck waiting hours or days for the transfer



The transfer has always been instant (or at least within 30min or so) for me. 

By reusable, do you mean if you cancel or make changes? If you book with points, any changes/cancellations will be refunded to you in points.


----------



## Tiggerish

After over an hour, working on the phone with my brother and both of us on internet, we booked Grand Rapids, Michigan to LAX for November 21 - November 28th for five people.  He used a combination of points and cash and a very complicated itinerary with people using different airports.  I had never flown over a holiday before and winced at the prices, especially as it went up a $125.00 on my ticket from when schedule opened until we got it together to book.  But is is done and the Thanksgiving holiday at Disneyland is one step closer.  Next I need the parks to reopen as we have had Paradise Pier booked for seven months already.


----------



## MarBee

ashmac8 said:


> Won’t let us use travel funds for covid cancelled flights despite a 9/2022 expiration date. Husband is on hold now.


Same here! Did your husband have any luck?  I can’t call till I’m out of this phone meeting.  Ugh.


----------



## holyrita

winnieofpooh said:


> The transfer has always been instant (or at least within 30min or so) for me.
> 
> By reusable, do you mean if you cancel or make changes? If you book with points, any changes/cancellations will be refunded to you in points.



Thank you  and yes, I meant if I had to change or cancel in case COVID-19 prevents us from traveling in December.


----------



## ice cube

holyrita said:


> Two questions as this is the first time I'm looking at Southwest:
> 
> If I use points to book my tickets for December, do they have the same reusable policy as tickets bought with cash?
> 
> Has anyone had experience transferring points from Chase travel to Southwest Rapid Rewards? Wondering if the transfer is "instant" as they claim. There are 2 seats left for a flight I'm trying to book and don't want to be stuck waiting hours or days for the transfer


Same policy as cash....can't help you with Chase travel maybe someone else can answer that one


----------



## bashuck

ice cube said:


> Same policy as cash....can't help you with Chase travel maybe someone else can answer that one


It is better to cancel with points as cash then has to be used within a certain period of time, 1 year I believe.  The points are just like you never had booked them.


----------



## aokeefe

lilaurora said:


> So I’d like to change the date of an existing flight. I also have travel funds valid for the new travel dates. As my new flights are more expensive than my current, I’d like to use my travel funds (I have multiple fund but at least 1 is large enough to cover the difference). I don’t see the option to use those travel fund when checking out. Is it not possible to use travel funds when changing flights?


I had the same exact scenario and it actually pulled my travel funds automatically. Do you have a Southwest account set up?


----------



## Disneylvr

MsOnceUponATime said:


> Close your browser and go back in or refresh your screen. I had a few issues myself before I was able to book.



Yeah, I kept doing that and was finally able to change to November flights.


----------



## MarBee

So oddly enough I have travel funds from the same trip with two different cancellation dates.  They were Covid cancellations.  One expires 9/2022 the other 10/2020. 

I’m going to call to get it corrected.  But if I can’t for some reason, what would be my options with this credit expiring in October.  I don’t plan on flying until November at the earliest.

Any help is appreciated.  Thank you!


----------



## Lsdolphin

Just an FYI...if you use travel funds that currently expire in Sept 2022 then beware the expiration date for whatever you book using those funds becomes the date you book current flight so if you cancel a flight booked today using your travel funds that expire on 9/22 than your expiration date will be May 28, 2021...


----------



## lilaurora

aokeefe said:


> I had the same exact scenario and it actually pulled my travel funds automatically. Do you have a Southwest account set up?


I found the area when I was on their desktop site.  I hadn’t seen the same spot when using mobile (but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t there! ) Thanks for the help!


----------



## nkereina

ashmac8 said:


> Won’t let us use travel funds for covid cancelled flights despite a 9/2022 expiration date. Husband is on hold now.


Curious what ended up happening? We also had travel funds with the 9/22 expiration, but fortunately had no issues with their site.



mlittig said:


> No, it has 10/29/20 as the expiration date so I could not use them for the trip I am booking now  I'll call later because I am burnt out right now. They are issuing me a voucher for the $50 I paid for Early Bird booking which applies to flights only so I will have to book one of my flights with cash instead of points


Was the original flight you cancelled outside of their current cancellation policy? We cancelled April and May flights and both travel funds automatically flipped to 9/7/22 expirations. We also received the $50 LUV voucher for our unused EBCI.



Lsdolphin said:


> Just an FYI...if you use travel funds that currently expire in Sept 2022 then beware the expiration date for whatever you book using those funds becomes the date you book current flight so if you cancel a flight booked today using your travel funds that expire on 9/22 than your expiration date will be May 28, 2021...


So this is what I thought too. Yesterday, I booked a "dummy" flight for a random date in September for the sole purpose of combining multiple travel funds into one so that I could use the whole amount this morning (because of the payment method restrictions online). I canceled the flight immediately after booking, and my travel funds did show a 5/27/21 expiration date. This morning while logged in waiting for flights, I checked my Travel Funds again and the expiration date changed to 9/7/22. I have about $40 in travel funds leftover on that one, and its still showing 9/7/22. Is this because I canceled before September? And perhaps if someone cancels after, they would not get the extended expiration date? Unless of course SWA further extends the cancellation window for this.

Edit: Just corrected my dates above


----------



## MarBee

Lsdolphin said:


> Just an FYI...if you use travel funds that currently expire in Sept 2022 then beware the expiration date for whatever you book using those funds becomes the date you book current flight so if you cancel a flight booked today using your travel funds that expire on 9/22 than your expiration date will be May 28, 2021...





nkereina said:


> Curious what ended up happening? We also had travel funds with the 9/22 expiration, but fortunately had no issues with their site.
> 
> 
> Was the original flight you cancelled outside of their current cancellation policy? We cancelled April and May flights and both travel funds automatically flipped to 9/4/22 expirations. We also received the $50 LUV voucher for our unused EBCI.
> 
> 
> So this is what I thought too. Yesterday, I booked a "dummy" flight for a random date in September for the sole purpose of combining multiple travel funds into one so that I could use the whole amount this morning (because of the payment method restrictions online). I canceled the flight immediately after booking, and my travel funds did show a 5/27/21 expiration date. This morning while logged in waiting for flights, I checked my Travel Funds again and the expiration date changed to 9/4/22. I have about $40 in travel funds leftover on that one, and its still showing 9/4/22. Is this because I canceled before the end of June? And perhaps if someone cancels in say September or October, they would not get the extended expiration date? Unless of course SWA further extends the cancellation window for this.


So just double checking so I don’t mess it up.  If I book a flight today using my funds that expire October 2020, then I cancel it- will the new expiration be 5/28/21?


----------



## Toolulu22

Glad the tickets opened up and I purchased them before my walk. 

We got 12/23 to Tampa for $171, which is average.  There are fewer flights from Islip to Tampa so we typically pay a bit more to fly there than MCO.  Just checked and there are a few seats available on 12/23 and 24, but its filling up and choices are narrowing.  Our non-stop flight has one seat left.

We’re flying out of MCO and paid $144 for that flight.  There are two seats in the lower tier Wanna Get Away pricing left and then it bumps up to $264 to $394.  Business Select and Anytime are over $500 per person one way.  I would not pay that to fly to or from Orlando.

FYI - we traveled up the west coast of Florida this past February and flew home out of Jacksonville airport.  It’s a cute and tiny little place that I would travel through again given the opportunity.  If anyone is comfortable in driving and wants to check out the prices there, I want to say that the drive was over an hour but less that two.  It’s hard to say because we stopped along the way, but it‘s an easy drive between there and Orlando.  Just a suggestion.  Not sure about the flight availability.  I am going to keep it in the radar, like Tampa, as an alternative to Orlando during peak travel times.

Edit- we traveled up the *East* coast of Florida.  One of my old teachers constantly reminded me “your other right”.  Terrible with direction.


----------



## nkereina

MarBee said:


> So just double checking so I don’t mess it up. If I book a flight today using my funds that expire October 2020, then I cancel it- will the new expiration be 5/28/21?


On the SWA web site, the current policy says "any travel funds created because you cancel a flight between March 1 - September 7, 2020, will expire September 7, 2022". Unless SWA extends that window at some point, to me that reads you would have to cancel your flight before September 7, 2020 in order to receive the September 2022 extended expiration date. If you canceled September 8th of this year or any time after, your expiration would revert to 5/28/21. This also jives with my experience yesterday in my prior post above (which I have since edited to correct some things), where I booked a dummy flight in late September to combine travel funds, immediately canceled it, and had a 5/27/21 expiration that updated/flipped to a 9/7/22 expiration the next day.


----------



## eeyore29

scrappinginontario said:


> Unfortunately not.  If you cancel your flights you will lose your EBCI fees although some have reported contacting SW and having those fees refunded.  I'm not sure if that's their policy though or if they're just doing it for some?
> 
> You may wish to keep your August flights and move them to December when those flights are available as you will keep your EBCI.



So if we decide to wait til February or so, we could just switch to December flights for now, and then switch to February once those dates can be booked, and not lose our EBCI?


----------



## nkereina

eeyore29 said:


> So if we decide to wait til February or so, we could just switch to December flights for now, and then switch to February once those dates can be booked, and not lose our EBCI?


Yes, that's probably your best option. I was able to receive a LUV voucher in amount of what I paid for EBCI back when I cancelled in April. But since that's not formal policy, its a bit of a risk so you're probably better to just push the flight to dummy ones to hold it until February flights are released.


----------



## scrappinginontario

We're getting spoiled here by being able to move flights here, there and everywhere.  It will be a rude awakening someday when things go back to 'normal' and we have 1 year from booking date to use travel funds!


----------



## Crazyhorse

Lsdolphin said:


> Just an FYI...if you use travel funds that currently expire in Sept 2022 then beware the expiration date for whatever you book using those funds becomes the date you book current flight so if you cancel a flight booked today using your travel funds that expire on 9/22 than your expiration date will be May 28, 2021...


Wow.  I'm so glad you posted this.  I was wondering.  We have a trip planned for December but I'm leery of booking flights now...to only have to cancel if some of the restrictions are still in place in December.  I'm better waiting...cuz I don't want to lock myself into expiring tickets in May of 2021.  Thank you!!!!


----------



## Lsdolphin

Oh wow I just booked my flight this morning for December using travel funds and now I hear Disney is changing ADR system to a 60 day advance booking instead of 180 days so it may be very difficult to get any of the more popular restaurants. Also there will be no fast passes at all.  so I guess I will be cancelling and hoping since I just made reservation less than 24 hrs ago they will return my travel funds to expiration date of 9/22 instead of 5/28/21!


----------



## nkereina

Crazyhorse said:


> Wow.  I'm so glad you posted this.  I was wondering.  We have a trip planned for December but I'm leery of booking flights now...to only have to cancel if some of the restrictions are still in place in December.  I'm better waiting...cuz I don't want to lock myself into expiring tickets in May of 2021.  Thank you!!!!


If you cancel before September 7th, 2020, you will receive the extended September 2022 expiration date. Canceling after September 7th, 2020 will make your credits revert to an expiration of one year from your booking date. This is unless SWA extends their current policy again.


----------



## nkereina

Lsdolphin said:


> Just an FYI...if you use travel funds that currently expire in Sept 2022 then beware the expiration date for whatever you book using those funds becomes the date you book current flight so if you cancel a flight booked today using your travel funds that expire on 9/22 than your expiration date will be May 28, 2021...


I posted this above, but to clarify, anyone that booked yesterday when the schedule opened (or just booked recently) will have until September 7, 2020 to cancel and still receive the September 2022 expiration date on travel funds. Unless SWA extends their current policy again, any cancellation after September 7, 2020 would cause the funds to revert to the expiration of one year from the booking date.


----------



## Lsdolphin

nkereina said:


> I posted this above, but to clarify, anyone that booked yesterday when the schedule opened (or just booked recently) will have until September 7, 2020 to cancel and still receive the September 2022 expiration date on travel funds. Unless SWA extends their current policy again, any cancellation after September 7, 2020 would cause the funds to revert to the expiration of one year from the booking date.




i was looking for this information last night on SWA website and couldn’t find it.  as I mentioned above I used travel funds from cancelled April trip to book trip for December and the new expiration date that popped up was 5/28/21. So if correct this is good news!  Thank you


----------



## Leigh L

Lsdolphin said:


> Oh wow I just booked my flight this morning for December using travel funds and now I hear Disney is changing ADR system to a 60 day advance booking instead of 180 days so it may be very difficult to get any of the more popular restaurants. Also there will be no fast passes at all.  so I guess I will be cancelling and hoping since I just made reservation less than 24 hrs ago they will return my travel funds to expiration date of 9/22 instead of 5/28/21!


I'm not sure if it's a law, but I think all airlines will refund if you cancel within 24 hours of booking. (I thought I read somewhere airlines have to offer this? Not sure though)
This is on SW's website:
https://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/purchasing-and-refunds/refund-info-pol.html
*For nonrefundable reservations canceled within 24 hours of booking – *If you cancel online at Southwest.com, through the app, or call us within 24 hours of booking, you can receive a refund of any fare (including Wanna Get Away) back to the original form of payment or choose to convert the airfare into Travel Funds (credit to be used toward future travel), assuming it was also canceled within 24 hours of booking and in accordance with the No Show Policy. If you purchased all or part of the reservation using a Southwest gift card or a Southwest LUV Voucher and canceled the reservation within 24 hours of booking, contact our Customer Relations department at 1-855-234-4654.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Leigh L said:


> I'm not sure if it's a law, but I think all airlines will refund if you cancel within 24 hours of booking. (I thought I read somewhere airlines have to offer this? Not sure though)
> This is on SW's website:
> https://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/purchasing-and-refunds/refund-info-pol.html
> *For nonrefundable reservations canceled within 24 hours of booking – *If you cancel online at Southwest.com, through the app, or call us within 24 hours of booking, you can receive a refund of any fare (including Wanna Get Away) back to the original form of payment or choose to convert the airfare into Travel Funds (credit to be used toward future travel), assuming it was also canceled within 24 hours of booking and in accordance with the No Show Policy. If you purchased all or part of the reservation using a Southwest gift card or a Southwest LUV Voucher and canceled the reservation within 24 hours of booking, contact our Customer Relations department at 1-855-234-4654.


Yes this information I did see but as I mentioned I paid with travel funds which had an expiration date of 9/22 and once I booked my flight the expiration date changed to 8/28/21. So I’m just hoping that expiration date of travel funds will extend back to 9/22 when I cancel this flight.


----------



## nkereina

Lsdolphin said:


> i was looking for this information last night on SWA website and couldn’t find it.  as I mentioned above I used travel funds from cancelled April trip to book trip for December and the new expiration date that popped up was 5/28/21. So if correct this is good news!  Thank you


This is the current policy:  https://www.southwest.com/Coronavirus/

Midway down on the page it says: 
"However, in recognition of the current travel environment, we are extending the expiration date of some travel funds:
-Customers’ funds that have expired or will expire between March 1, 2020 and September 7, 2020, will now expire September 7, 2022.
-Any travel funds created because you cancel a flight between March 1 – September 7, 2020, will expire September 7, 2022."

If you book a flight and cancel it now, prior to September 7th, travel funds will be created and thus will expire 9/7/22. I mentioned up-thread that I had to do that earlier this week for the purpose of combining multiple travel funds from my cancelled April trip. When I canceled my new booking to combine the funds, the travel funds did show a 5/27/20 expiration date, which is one year from the date I booked it. That's the default. However, the travel fund expiration date updated to 9/7/22 in accordance with this policy during the overnight hours, and the updated expiration date was visible to me when logged into my RR account on the next business day. 

If you have any remaining travel funds from your cancelled trip, you can check the expiration date when logged into your RR account. If it still shows 5/28/21, I would call about it because that shouldn't be the case. For your December trip, you'd have to cancel by 9/7/20 in order to retain a 9/7/22 expiration date, otherwise it would default back to 5/28/21.


----------



## Leigh L

Lsdolphin said:


> Yes this information I did see but as I mentioned I paid with travel funds which had an expiration date of 9/22 and once I booked my flight the expiration date changed to 8/28/21. So I’m just hoping that expiration date of travel funds will extend back to 9/22 when I cancel this flight.


I'm sorry, I totally somehow missed the travel funds part.
I hope that works out and they do extend it back for you where it originally was.


----------



## winnieofpooh

nkereina said:


> This is the current policy:  https://www.southwest.com/Coronavirus/
> 
> Midway down on the page it says:
> "However, in recognition of the current travel environment, we are extending the expiration date of some travel funds:
> -Customers’ funds that have expired or will expire between March 1, 2020 and September 7, 2020, will now expire September 7, 2022.
> -Any travel funds created because you cancel a flight between March 1 – September 7, 2020, will expire September 7, 2022."
> 
> If you book a flight and cancel it now, prior to September 7th, travel funds will be created and thus will expire 9/7/22. I mentioned up-thread that I had to do that earlier this week for the purpose of combining multiple travel funds from my cancelled April trip. When I canceled my new booking to combine the funds, the travel funds did show a 5/27/20 expiration date, which is one year from the date I booked it. That's the default. However, the travel fund expiration date updated to 9/7/22 in accordance with this policy during the overnight hours, and the updated expiration date was visible to me when logged into my RR account on the next business day.
> 
> If you have any remaining travel funds from your cancelled trip, you can check the expiration date when logged into your RR account. If it still shows 5/28/21, I would call about it because that shouldn't be the case. For your December trip, you'd have to cancel by 9/7/20 in order to retain a 9/7/22 expiration date, otherwise it would default back to 5/28/21.



Yeah, I might end up calling in eventually.

We booked yesterday using travel funds, and this morning I changed our arrival date and got a $30 travel fund credit. The travel funds from that are showing as a 5/28/21 expiration date.

Edit: unless that only applies to canceled flights, and not just changes?


----------



## nkereina

winnieofpooh said:


> Yeah, I might end up calling in eventually.
> 
> We booked yesterday using travel funds, and this morning I changed our arrival date and got a $30 travel fund credit. The travel funds from that are showing as a 5/28/21 expiration date.
> 
> Edit: unless that only applies to canceled flights, and not just changes?



The policy does say travel funds created because you cancel a flight - 


nkereina said:


> Midway down on the page it says:
> "However, in recognition of the current travel environment, we are extending the expiration date of some travel funds:
> -Customers’ funds that have expired or will expire between March 1, 2020 and September 7, 2020, will now expire September 7, 2022.
> -Any travel funds created because you cancel a flight between March 1 – September 7, 2020, will expire September 7, 2022."



So that's probably why. But also, in my experience, the updated expiration date to 9/7/22 was not viewable in my RR account until the next business day after I canceled it. It defaults to the one year date from your booking date, but seems to update to the 2022 expiration during what I assume is some batch processing SWA does.


----------



## shoreward

Lsdolphin said:


> Yes this information I did see but as I mentioned I paid with travel funds which had an expiration date of 9/22 and once I booked my flight the expiration date changed to 8/28/21. So I’m just hoping that expiration date of travel funds will extend back to 9/22 when I cancel this flight.


I cancelled a friend’s booking made with travel funds about 8 hours later.  The original expiration date of the funds was one year from yesterday.  Several hours later, the expiration date was changed to September 2022.


winnieofpooh said:


> Yeah, I might end up calling in eventually.
> 
> We booked yesterday using travel funds, and this morning I changed our arrival date and got a $30 travel fund credit. The travel funds from that are showing as a 5/28/21 expiration date.
> 
> Edit: unless that only applies to canceled flights, and not just changes?


I would give it till the end of today for the expiration date to update to 2022.


----------



## teawar

I also support waiting a full 24 hours before calling.I canceled 3 flights for My family members early morning on 5/28 that were schedule to fly to Hawaii on 6/12. These were rescheduled from a March trip I booked back on 9/25/19. The travel vouchers showed of an expiration date of 9/25/20. I checked several times yesterday to see if it rolled over to the new September 2022 expiration, and it had not, which made me a little nervous. I checked this morning on 5/29 and the dates had all changed. I’m confident the same will happen for you. Good luck!


----------



## eeyore29

To those who have a better handle on all this than I do...am I understanding this correctly?
In April, we booked flights for August. If I cancel those flights since we're not going with the current guidelines, I'll lose whatever I paid for EBCI, but I'll have until 9/7/22 to use the money I paid for the flights...? And I'd have to cancel those flights by 9/7/20 in order to get the 2 year allowance?
But if I change to a December flight for now, to hold onto my EBCI, and then change to another flight later, I only have 1 year from the original purchase date to use the money I paid, so I'd only have until April 2021 to use those funds...?
So I have to weigh our priority of losing $50/person (EBCI) & paying for EBCI again versus having 2 years to use our travel funds...?


----------



## MarBee

So I booked a dummy flight with my travel funds.  I used all of the ones that expired 10/4/20 plus some that expired 9/2022.  
I cancelled the flight today.  Now all of those funds say they expire 10/4/20.  
Anyone have any advice?


----------



## Erica Ladd

They say it takes at least 24 hours to update


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

I'm glad I didn't book Christmas flights to Disney yesterday. With the changes that came out late yesterday, I don't think we'll be going at Christmas. We also have an August trip that is in jeopardy. I'll have a large stash of funds.


----------



## Leigh L

MarBee said:


> So I booked a dummy flight with my travel funds.  I used all of the ones that expired 10/4/20 plus some that expired 9/2022.
> I cancelled the flight today.  Now all of those funds say they expire 10/4/20.
> Anyone have any advice?


Check tomorrow. I canceled DH's August SW flight about a week ago (booked with a travel fund from 9/2019 and a gift card). When I canceled it said 9/18/20, but the next morning had changed dates.


----------



## nkereina

eeyore29 said:


> To those who have a better handle on all this than I do...am I understanding this correctly?
> In April, we booked flights for August. If I cancel those flights since we're not going with the current guidelines, I'll lose whatever I paid for EBCI, but I'll have until 9/7/22 to use the money I paid for the flights...? And I'd have to cancel those flights by 9/7/20 in order to get the 2 year allowance?
> But if I change to a December flight for now, to hold onto my EBCI, and then change to another flight later, I only have 1 year from the original purchase date to use the money I paid, so I'd only have until April 2021 to use those funds...?
> So I have to weigh our priority of losing $50/person (EBCI) & paying for EBCI again versus having 2 years to use our travel funds...?


You have it correct. However, if you cancel now, most people have had success with contacting SWA and receiving a LUV voucher in amount of what you paid for EBCI. From what I have seen, the success is mostly by contacting them via social media message. Also, the LUV voucher would most likely be issued to one person for the whole total, and would only be valid for one year from the issue date.



MarBee said:


> So I booked a dummy flight with my travel funds.  I used all of the ones that expired 10/4/20 plus some that expired 9/2022.
> I cancelled the flight today.  Now all of those funds say they expire 10/4/20.
> Anyone have any advice?


Yes, as others have said, wait and see tomorrow. It updated overnight for us.


----------



## MarBee

Erica Ladd said:


> They say it takes at least 24 hours to update





Leigh L said:


> Check tomorrow. I canceled DH's August SW flight about a week ago (booked with a travel fund from 9/2019 and a gift card). When I canceled it said 9/18/20, but the next morning had changed dates.





nkereina said:


> You have it correct. However, if you cancel now, most people have had success with contacting SWA and receiving a LUV voucher in amount of what you paid for EBCI. From what I have seen, the success is mostly by contacting them via social media message. Also, the LUV voucher would most likely be issued to one person for the whole total, and would only be valid for one year from the issue date.
> 
> 
> Yes, as others have said, wait and see tomorrow. It updated overnight for us.


 You guys are awesome!  And correct as usual!  24 hours and now it’s 9/22


----------



## winnieofpooh

shoreward said:


> I cancelled a friend’s booking made yesterday with travel funds, and then cancelled about 8 hours later.  The original expiration date of the funds was one year from yesterday.  Several hours later, the expiration date was changed to September 2022.
> 
> I would give it till the end of today for the expiration date to update to 2022.



You were right! Checked this morning and it was updated to 9/22.


----------



## pooch

I know, asked and answered a dozen (or more) times here.  DD has 3 different travel funds under 1 confirmation number in her name.  One of the three does not have the 9/7/2022 expiration date (really its only $11 but...)  If I use that as part of the travel funds payment for a dummy flight, then cancel it, all 3 travel funds will have the 9/7/2022 expiration date, correct?


----------



## nkereina

JZCubed said:


> So any family is going to be planning a vacation at a Disney Resort, and after having all their dining plans cancelled by Disney, families may find that 'availability' really means take-out?





pooch said:


> I know, asked and answered a dozen (or more) times here.  DD has 3 different travel funds under 1 confirmation number in her name.  One of the three does not have the 9/7/2022 expiration date (really its only $11 but...)  If I use that as part of the travel funds payment for a dummy flight, then cancel it, all 3 travel funds will have the 9/7/2022 expiration date, correct?



Yes, you would have to combine it with one other travel fund on a dummy flight booking, then cancel it. By the next business day, the new travel fund from the dummy flight should update to 9/7/22 leaving you with that travel fund and the other one you did not use, for a total of two. Keep in mind you can use a maximum of two travel funds per person when booking a flight.


----------



## Girlworthfightingfor

As of right now, we are planning on going over Thanksgiving.  I bought our return flights with points the day the schedule opened but didn't buy the flight down as I was waiting to cash in our vouchers for our canceled summer trip for points since we are not positive that we will be going in November.  I didn't realize that as long as I canceled the flight before September 7, the voucher would still have the September 2022 expiration date.  
Anyway, now the price has gone up considerably and I'm kicking myself.  Let's say I purchase the flight now but the price comes down later.  Can I cancel that flight and rebook with the travel voucher immediately (since the expiration date will say June 1, 2021) but still retain the 2022 expiration date?  Or do I need to cancel, then wait a day for the expiration date to return to 2022 and then rebook?
It's definitely a pricey one way flight but we have the vouchers to cover it.  I know it's a holiday week and will be chancing it waiting for the price to drop.


----------



## nkereina

Girlworthfightingfor said:


> Let's say I purchase the flight now but the price comes down later. Can I cancel that flight and rebook with the travel voucher immediately (since the expiration date will say June 1, 2021) but still retain the 2022 expiration date? Or do I need to cancel, then wait a day for the expiration date to return to 2022 and then rebook?
> It's definitely a pricey one way flight but we have the vouchers to cover it. I know it's a holiday week and will be chancing it waiting for the price to drop.


The 2022 expiration date will be retained for travel funds as long as you *cancel* a flight before September 7th, 2020. It won't work if you just change a flight for a price decrease, you'd have to actually cancel and create a new booking. If your question is whether any remaining travel funds will convert to the September 2022 expiration date, I believe they would under the current policy. You could still logistically book immediately after with your travel funds that would have a 6/1/21 expiration, and then anything remaining after that should convert to 9/2022 by the next business day.


----------



## Girlworthfightingfor

nkereina said:


> The 2022 expiration date will be retained for travel funds as long as you *cancel* a flight before September 7th, 2020. It won't work if you just change a flight for a price decrease, you'd have to actually cancel and create a new booking. If your question is whether any remaining travel funds will convert to the September 2022 expiration date, I believe they would under the current policy. You could still logistically book immediately after with your travel funds that would have a 6/1/21 expiration, and then anything remaining after that should convert to 9/2022 by the next business day.



Thank you.  If I immediately rebook (not just change but cancel and repurchase) because the price decreases and then we choose to not go and cancel the flight before Sept. 7, would that travel voucher have the 2022 expiration date?


----------



## Erica Ladd

It should


----------



## Amcd33

I had a red banner to change my flights last week, and today I went to change my flights and the red banner was gone.  Has anyone had any luck with still changing it for free after the red banner is gone? Flight is in September.   I’m not sure if it was a flight number change or perhaps a Boeing Max update?


----------



## shoreward

Amcd33 said:


> I had a red banner to change my flights last week, and today I went to change my flights and the red banner was gone.  Has anyone had any luck with still changing it for free after the red banner is gone? Flight is in September.   I’m not sure if it was a flight number change or perhaps a Boeing Max update?


They offer these no-additional fare changes periodically.  Your flight probably will not even be impacted by any schedule or aircraft changes; they just make the offer available to everyone with confirmed reservations for a specific date range.  In previous posts on this topic, I advised those thinking about changing to not wait too long to take advantage of the offer. Typically, the offer is valid for about three days, from the time Southwest first activates it, no matter when you first notice it.  I would keep checking, as sometimes the offer pops up again for the same period of time.


----------



## nkereina

Girlworthfightingfor said:


> Thank you.  If I immediately rebook (not just change but cancel and repurchase) because the price decreases and then we choose to not go and cancel the flight before Sept. 7, would that travel voucher have the 2022 expiration date?


Yes, as long as the flight (any flight) is canceled prior to September 7, 2020, travel funds will be extended to September 7, 2022.


----------



## Crazyhorse

Just an FYI. We had a trip in April planned and early on, when we thought it was possible, we moved that trip to May.  Clearly that wasn't going to happen so we cancelled our plane tickets, which included EBCI.  Our travel funds thankfully show the 9/2022 expiration but we had to get LUV vouchers for the EBCI.  At that time, early on, via messenger, the SW agent said the LUV vouchers will have an expiration date of 4/2021 but not to worry, they will be adjusted to the 9/2022 date. 

Yesterday I reached out via messenger to confirm that the LUV vouchers would be extended if we choose not to keep our early December plans.  Received a great response that while the current vouchers continue to show 4/2021, it was explained to me that if we indeed decide to cancel/push the trip out into 2021, they will issue new LUV vouchers with a new expiration date which I'm assuming will be 9/2022.   Right now, I can't ask for any more than that.  LUV SW!


----------



## kariyava

I am a little confused about SW's policies.  I have travel funds that have been extended to the 9/22 expiration date.  I want to use them to book a November 2020 flight.  If things are not better by then, I will cancel that flight.  If I make my cancellation decision in September, do I get travel credits that expire 9/22 (because I cancelled a flight before the end of September) or 6/21 (because I used travel funds to book a flight that I then decided to cancel)?


----------



## scrappinginontario

kariyava said:


> I am a little confused about SW's policies.  I have travel funds that have been extended to the 9/22 expiration date.  I want to use them to book a November 2020 flight.  If things are not better by then, I will cancel that flight.  If I make my cancellation decision in September, do I get travel credits that expire 9/22 (because I cancelled a flight before the end of September) or 6/21 (because I used travel funds to book a flight that I then decided to cancel)?



I don't think any of us can accurately predict what will happen in September.  Currently flights cancelled up until Sep 7 will get 9/22 travel funds.  I'm guessing as we get closer to Sep 7 and see where things are at (still more than 3 months from now) SW will give us clearer information.


----------



## Sandiz08

Amcd33 said:


> I had a red banner to change my flights last week, and today I went to change my flights and the red banner was gone.  Has anyone had any luck with still changing it for free after the red banner is gone? Flight is in September.   I’m not sure if it was a flight number change or perhaps a Boeing Max update?


Same here waiting for my banner to reappear. Disneyworld opening on the 11th is forcing me to change my flights.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Just for reassurance - if I book flights with current travel funds and decide to cancel they will go back to the 9/22 expy date as long as I cancel before September 7th??? I feel like I've answered this for others but when it's time for me to book I get nervous!!!

ETA - I will have 2 sets of flights in similar time frames so maybe thats why I'm concerned - I will only keep one trip and will cancel before 9/7/20


----------



## disny_luvr

I’m going to be cancelling our flights for August soon. I just want to make sure I have this correct. My husband, myself, and sons are all booked on the same itinerary. When I plan on using these travel funds (hopefully next summer ), will
I have to book us all separately since the travel
funds are tied to each name? Also, we booked EBCI. Is that money lost or is there a way to redeem it?


----------



## OurLaughingPlace

Hello - hoping you can clarify for me.
I booked my August 10th flight to MCO on February 1st.
I booked my August 20th return flight to BUF on March 12th.
We are cancelling our trip (we are Canadians and not sure what crossing the border/returning will look like, so decided to cancel).
Can you tell me, do I qualify to get all my funds back to use for next August 2021? (August works best for our family). And do we also get EBCI refunded?
TIA L-)


----------



## Fangorn

disny_luvr said:


> I’m going to be cancelling our flights for August soon. I just want to make sure I have this correct. My husband, myself, and sons are all booked on the same itinerary. When I plan on using these travel funds (hopefully next summer ), will
> I have to book us all separately since the travel
> funds are tied to each name? Also, we booked EBCI. Is that money lost or is there a way to redeem it?



As things are now, you will not have to book individually. Southwest is allowing you to use up to 2 travel funds for each person on the reservation. Obviously, the names on the travel funds need to match the names on the reservations. I made a couple of reservations last week for DW and I using travel funds. I used 2 TFs for each of us (4 total) on each reservation. Not a problem. 

EBCI is a different matter. Since you are canceling the reservation, not SW, you will forfeit the money spent on EBCI. The non-refundable policy on EBCI has been clear and unwavering since EBCI was introduced. 

That said,  back in April when SW was reducing flights and canceling reservations, they were refunding EBCI. But I don't believe they are doing that any longer. As with anything, you can always ask; but don't expect a favorable answer. 

Steve


----------



## Fangorn

OurLaughingPlace said:


> Hello - hoping you can clarify for me.
> I booked my August 10th flight to MCO on February 1st.
> I booked my August 20th return flight to BUF on March 12th.
> We are cancelling our trip (we are Canadians and not sure what crossing the border/returning will look like, so decided to cancel).
> Can you tell me, do I qualify to get all my funds back to use for next August 2021? (August works best for our family). And do we also get EBCI refunded?
> TIA L-)



If you cancel the flights prior to September 7, 2020, the travel funds will have an expiration date of 9/7/22. (It won't happen immediately, but will change by the next day) 

Since you are canceling the trip, not SW, you will lose the EBCI. You can always ask, but I wouldn't expect them to refund it.

Steve


----------



## shoreward

OurLaughingPlace said:


> Hello - hoping you can clarify for me.
> I booked my August 10th flight to MCO on February 1st.
> I booked my August 20th return flight to BUF on March 12th.
> We are cancelling our trip (we are Canadians and not sure what crossing the border/returning will look like, so decided to cancel).
> Can you tell me, do I qualify to get all my funds back to use for next August 2021? (August works best for our family). And do we also get EBCI refunded?
> TIA L-)


There are fairly recent reports that Southwest will issue LUV vouchers for EBCI on cancelled bookings.  I think you have to nicely place the request.  Unlike travel funds, the vouchers can be used by anyone, not just by the person named on the reservation.


----------



## shoreward

Southwest drink coupons have been extended.  Per Southwest:

“Due to the temporary suspension of our inflight beverage service, any drink coupons set to expire throughout 2020 will now be accepted through December 31, 2020. Please keep your original coupon(s) to redeem onboard once inflight beverage service resumes. Cheers!”


----------



## Crazyhorse

shoreward said:


> Southwest drink coupons have been extended.  Per Southwest:
> 
> “Due to the temporary suspension of our inflight beverage service, any drink coupons set to expire throughout 2020 will now be accepted through December 31, 2020. Please keep your original coupon(s) to redeem onboard once inflight beverage service resumes. Cheers!”


Man...why not through December 2021?


----------



## Sandiz08

My red banner reappeared today, if you can wait for it to come back around, do so.  Love Southwest.


----------



## FatBambi

Sandiz08 said:


> My red banner reappeared today, if you can wait for it to come back around, do so.  Love Southwest.


Man, I love Southwest too. The couple of times I flew to Orlando this year I had to take Frontier because from Denver it's ridiculously expensive no matter who you fly, but this whole Coronavirus multiple cancelling experience has made me go back home to my fav and I don't think I'll ever budge again. We had Frontier booked for our original vacation and luckily they changed our flight time enough to give us a full refund and switch over to Southwest. Changing has been a dream since the switch.


----------



## FBandA

Having to call Southwest this morning, calling about tickets I bought in November for May flights. I used travel credits for my flight but not my husbands. In March with free dinning change dates to September. I changed flight to Orlando on web site but they would not let me change flight coming home on web site. So I called, person said because of using credit I lost my options on both flights ended up calling another number because husbands I paid with no travel funds. Over an hour later was able to change flights with no addition cost coming home.

Called back Saturday to see what my options are if I need to change September representative said I was not confirmed for my flight down. It was being held for us but not confirmed. She said since my flight was bought with travel funds I would have to call. This is so frustrating. I never got any emails about a flight being held and when I go to my account on SW it does not say anything either.

I saved ALL my emails and printed everything out, I don’t care about the travel fund credits it was about $125.00 but I do care about what I paid for my husbands and my ticket in November. I do have an email that says travel funds used were being extended.

Praying for some pixie dust!


----------



## ultimatefans

Yesterday I was looking at options for our trip and was given the ability to change my flights within 30 days at no charge.  Today when I went to make the change I'm no longer given that option and need to pay the difference in fare.  Does anyone know why that option could have disappeared?


----------



## Sandiz08

ultimatefans said:


> Yesterday I was looking at options for our trip and was given the ability to change my flights within 30 days at no charge.  Today when I went to make the change I'm no longer given that option and need to pay the difference in fare.  Does anyone know why that option could have disappeared?


The banners come and go, I would keep an eye out. If it’s too close to your trip , maybe call and see if they can help you out?


----------



## shoreward

ultimatefans said:


> Yesterday I was looking at options for our trip and was given the ability to change my flights within 30 days at no charge.  Today when I went to make the change I'm no longer given that option and need to pay the difference in fare.  Does anyone know why that option could have disappeared?


This issue pops up here very frequently.  Here is the last time the matter came up on this thread:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/post-all-sw-questions-concerns-etc-here.2500174/post-61957386


----------



## ultimatefans

shoreward said:


> This issue pops up here very frequently.  Here is the last time the matter came up on this thread:
> https://www.disboards.com/threads/post-all-sw-questions-concerns-etc-here.2500174/post-61957386


Thanks!  I do remember seeing that post and I don't think it was the generic window related to MAX8 when all flights can be changed as it's for the end of this month.  But who knows.  I'll contact Southwest to see if they can modify it for me.  I appreciate the info!


----------



## shoreward

It looks like the red or gray banner (which offers to change a confirmed reservation to within a 30-day window, at no additional cost) mostly appears between Friday-Sunday, or over a three-day period.  So, again, if you are seriously thinking of taking advantage of the offer, don't delay; otherwise, it might change to a "Now you see it, now you don't" scenario.  Of course, if bookings continue to increase, we don't know when or even if the offer will reappear this year.  So far, Southwest has consistently been posting the offer, for different upcoming months.


----------



## KNJWDW

My August flight has already been changed once and now I see it is listed as “unavailable.”   Does anyone know if this means the flight is cancelled or sold out?


----------



## CJK

We will be cancelling our September trip. I've never outright cancelled a flight without immediately switching to a different flight in the future. How does one cancel a 'wanna get away' flight? Do we get travel funds to use on a a future flight?


----------



## Crazyhorse

CJK said:


> We will be cancelling our September trip. I've never outright cancelled a flight without immediately switching to a different flight in the future. How does one cancel a 'wanna get away' flight? Do we get travel funds to use on a a future flight?


You can cancel and you'll get travel funds in that amount for a future flight...however, I believe the travel funds will expire 1 year from date of purchase, not one year from your September flight dates.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Crazyhorse said:


> You can cancel and you'll get travel funds in that amount for a future flight...however, I believe the travel funds will expire 1 year from date of purchase, not one year from your September flight dates.


what happened to travel funds being issued a date of Sept 7, 2022?



CJK said:


> We will be cancelling our September trip. I've never outright cancelled a flight without immediately switching to a different flight in the future. How does one cancel a 'wanna get away' flight? Do we get travel funds to use on a a future flight?


It's totally up to you but if your flights are after Sep 7, 2020 it might be advantageous to wait and cancel your flights later as I'm almost positive Southwest will eventually extend the Sep 7, 2020 cancellation extension date as many people are not comfortable travelling yet.


----------



## CJK

scrappinginontario said:


> It's totally up to you but if your flights are after Sep 7, 2020 it might be advantageous to wait and cancel your flights later as I'm almost positive Southwest will eventually extend the Sep 7, 2020 cancellation extension date as many people are not comfortable travelling yet.


Good point! Our flight is shortly after Sept. 7th, so we can wait. Are you still hopeful for your trip? We're both Canadian, and have the same worries. We have a hotel reservation that has to be cancelled before the end of June in order to get a refund, so we have to make a final decision within the next 2 weeks.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Lucky for us our WDW trip is 9/8-12 and with the new cancellation policy we can wait up til the last minute! ( or 5 days prior if you count our back up UO trip!!!! Lol)


----------



## scrappinginontario

CJK said:


> Good point! Our flight is shortly after Sept. 7th, so we can wait. Are you still hopeful for your trip? We're both Canadian, and have the same worries. We have a hotel reservation that has to be cancelled before the end of June in order to get a refund, so we have to make a final decision within the next 2 weeks.


We are fully expecting that we will need to cancel our trip eventually but for now are holding onto hope that it will somehow still happen.  Our trip begins Sep 12 so I'm hoping the flight cancellation date is extended as I don't think we currently qualify for the Sep 2022 extension if we cancel our flights.

Like you @CJK we normally immediately switch to new flights but this time will be different with all the unknowns including border closure, travel insurance, possible quarantine once home, etc. not even including will I feel safe going to the parks.

Like so many others were taking everything one day at a time.


----------



## focusondisney

scrappinginontario said:


> We are fully expecting that we will need to cancel our trip eventually but for now are holding onto hope that it will somehow still happen. Our trip begins Sep 12 so I'm hoping the flight cancellation date is extended as I don't think we currently qualify for the Sep 2022 extension if we cancel our flights.




If you cancel before September 7th, your travel finds will qualify.  Doesn’t matter when you purchased the flight.  This is from SW’s Coronavirus info page


----------



## focusondisney

KNJWDW said:


> My August flight has already been changed once and now I see it is listed as “unavailable.”   Does anyone know if this means the flight is cancelled or sold out?



I saw the same thing for one of the dates I’m looking at.   Personally I think it means sold out because I have seen sold out flight show new availability after a while. They are limiting the number of seats sold, so more flights may start showing unavailable sooner.


----------



## KNJWDW

focusondisney said:


> I saw the same thing for one of the dates I’m looking at.   Personally I think it means sold out because I have seen sold out flight show new availability after a while. They are limiting the number of seats sold, so more flights may start showing unavailable sooner.


I hope that’s what it is.  I see now that the red banner offering me to change the flight is there.  Haven’t received any email though.


----------



## shoreward

Southwest will be continuing with the extra safety measures at least through 09/30/2020.



> You’re flying with the Southwest® Promise—we’re requiring face coverings onboard, cleaning before every flight, and middle seats are open through September 30.


----------



## kelpricer

I just received an email saying you can save 45% on points. Is that a good deal to just help build up points?


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

kelpricer said:


> I just received an email saying you can save 45% on points. Is that a good deal to just help build up points?



I got this email, too. I was wondering the same thing. Usually it's not a good deal, but this discount rate is high. I've purchased points before if I've needed a few, as the cheapest way to buy a ticket.


----------



## MsOnceUponATime

kelpricer said:


> I just received an email saying you can save 45% on points. Is that a good deal to just help build up points?





DisneyRunner2009 said:


> I got this email, too. I was wondering the same thing. Usually it's not a good deal, but this discount rate is high. I've purchased points before if I've needed a few, as the cheapest way to buy a ticket.



https://thepointsguy.com/news/buy-southwest-points-offer/
Edited to add - I know that this is not the 30% points deal that he mentioned in January, but I figured that it would help to have his frame of reference on buying Southwest points.


----------



## poohj80

My Fall fares finally dropped so was able to get some miles credited back to my account by re-booking. Never stop checking those fares!


----------



## OurLaughingPlace

shoreward said:


> There are fairly recent reports that Southwest will issue LUV vouchers for EBCI on cancelled bookings.  I think you have to nicely place the request.  Unlike travel funds, the vouchers can be used by anyone, not just by the person named on the reservation.


Hi Shoreward - just wanted to send you a thank you! I did as you suggested, nicely placing a request by email, and today I received a $100 LUV voucher for our EBCI.  Really happy, since I know we'll use it when things are less unknown.  Sad we had to cancel our trip, but nice to not lose the EBCI costs.


----------



## shoreward

OurLaughingPlace said:


> Hi Shoreward - just wanted to send you a thank you! I did as you suggested, nicely placing a request by email, and today I received a $100 LUV voucher for our EBCI.  Really happy, since I know we'll use it when things are less unknown.  Sad we had to cancel our trip, but nice to not lose the EBCI costs.


I'm so glad that you had a good outcome.  I have found Southwest to be among the most accommodating of all of the airlines, though people can always find something to complain about.

Thanks for the thanks!


----------



## Amcd33

Finally had my red banner show up for my September flight.  For those who have been waiting, check your flight!  I never got an email from them.


----------



## pooch

[QUOTE="scrappinginontario, post: 61992375, member: 320821"
It's totally up to you but if your flights are after Sep 7, 2020 it might be advantageous to wait and cancel your flights later as I'm almost positive Southwest will eventually extend the Sep 7, 2020 cancellation extension date as many people are not comfortable travelling yet.
[/QUOTE]


Sorry but no, don’t wait if you are already planning to cancel.  ANY travel funds created by a cancellation prior to September 7 are eligible for the expiration extension.  Doesn’t matter when you booked it or what the flight date is ONLY that you cancel prior to September 7.  No reason to wait.


----------



## Craig Larson

So, I received an email stating my departing flight changed, and when I log in it is changed. It is giving me the option to rebook at no fee.

Here's the weird thing, I am also given the option to rebook my arriving flight, but it does not appear to have changed. Except, I no longer see that flight if I search for a reservation.  Also strange is for about a 3 week period in Aug, there are no wanna get away fares available at all. This is pvd to mco, if 20-29. I'm assuming they will be switching the arriving flight, but just hasn't applied to my account yet.

Edit: just got the email and see that my arriving flight has indeed changed. Wonder if they removed the wanna get away fares temporarily while they move flights around to mitigate people buying tickets.


----------



## Fangorn

Craig Larson said:


> ...Wonder if they removed the wanna get away fares temporarily while they move flights around to mitigate people buying tickets.



Yes, when they decide that a flight will be changing (or even if they reach a flight as potentially changing) they'll shut down the ability to purchase seats until they finish making the changes. This first began last spring with the 737 Max issues and they've been using that same technique to deal with the current situation as well. 

Steve


----------



## focusondisney

Ugh. Just got an email from SW, our mid September early morning nonstop has been changed to a layover in Baltimore. There is only 1 nonstop showing now which doesn’t get in til 7:45 pm.  Have to decide what flight take.  

Still have a July 13 trip planned, wait8 g to hear from Disney on that one. Now SW is screwing with our September flights.  I am so over this.


----------



## pooch

Moved our flight home back an hour. It was early enough now it’s earlier ☹

And now the really too early non-stop is a late evening non-stop!!  Go a whole extra day!!  Of course this presupposes we go which is still totally up in the air


----------



## IluvMGM

They changed my flights also but I get an error everytime I try to change it to a different one.


----------



## focusondisney

IluvMGM said:


> They changed my flights also but I get an error everytime I try to change it to a different one.



Really?  I didn’t do anything last night, it was too late & I wanted to think about options.  So now I look at our date as if I was booking a new reservation & there is a new nonstop with a different flight number, 5 minutes after the one we were on.  The one we were on showed last night as unavailable.  Now the new one even has all fares available.  I will try to change to the new one this morning.  I bought the flights & early bird right as they were released, so had a great price & a good chance  for an low boarding spot with the early bird.  This is annoying.


----------



## IluvMGM

focusondisney said:


> Really?  I didn’t do anything last night, it was too late & I wanted to think about options.  So now I look at our date as if I was booking a new reservation & there is a new nonstop with a different flight number, 5 minutes after the one we were on.  The one we were on showed last night as unavailable.  Now the new one even has all fares available.  I will try to change to the new one this morning.  I bought the flights & early bird right as they were released, so had a great price & a good chance  for an low boarding spot with the early bird.  This is annoying.



Very annoying. Now I will have to take a super late flight. This trip is looking worse and worse. lol


----------



## focusondisney

IluvMGM said:


> Very annoying. Now I will have to take a super late flight. This trip is looking worse and worse. lol



I know. Planning a vacation in 2020 isn’t easy.


----------



## shoreward

They apparently just made mass changes to the August schedule.  Someone I know received notification that their flight was moved up two hours, from a nonstop to connecting flights.  The funny thing is that there’s a nonstop flight departing about 20 minutes later than the originating flight of the new connecting flights. The nonstop arrives in MCO about 2.75 hours earlier than the non-direct itinerary.  If you have been notified of a change, be sure to check out all of the available flights, as soon as you get the notice.  There will only be about three days after the change notice is sent, during which you can change your flight, keeping the original fare.  If you did not receive a change notice for August travel, look at your confirmation, anyway, to make sure Southwest did not make any changes; sometimes, notice is not sent.


----------



## pooch

Got the change notice on the out bound flight this morning.  Still non stop, just 45 minutes later which is fine - 7:30am instead of 6:45.


----------



## focusondisney

shoreward said:


> They apparently just made mass changes to the August schedule.  Someone I know received notification that their flight was moved up two hours, from a nonstop to connecting flights.  The funny thing is that there’s a nonstop flight departing about 20 minutes later than the originating flight of the new connecting flights. The nonstop arrives in MCO about 2.75 hours earlier than the non-direct itinerary.  If you have been notified of a change, be sure to check out all of the available flights, as soon as you get the notice.  There will only be about three days after the change notice is sent, during which you can change your flight, keeping the original fare.  If you did not receive a change notice for August travel, look at your confirmation, anyway, to make sure Southwest did not make any changes, as sometimes, notice is not sent.



That is essentially what happened to me for September. Except the new nonstop is only 5 minutes after the original.  So annoying that I have to deal with this too.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Received the email.  Brand new flight number but only other change is that it departs and arrives 5 mins earlier.


----------



## IluvMGM

So I had to call to change my flight since the website kept giving me an error. They got rid of my original flight and gave me a flight with a stop in Chicago. I have to have a direct flight. We also had to refund and rebuy earlybird for whatever reason. But now I am set with a super late flight coming home. That's going to be a long day. They also changed my flight going to Orlando, but that was just moving it up an hour, so no big deal.


----------



## daisy2013

They changed my flight to Florida from a 5am to a 6am. And return from 5pm(ish) to 8pm(ish). Ok with both changes but given the spike in Florida and the possibility that my state may require a quarantine after returning (latest rumor) I may cancel the whole thing or at least move it.


----------



## kariyava

Does anyone know how far out SW usually cancels flights?  If you are within a week of the travel date, is it safe to think that the flight will not be cancelled?


----------



## pooch

Safe is on the plane these days


----------



## MinnieMSue

Glad you all mentioned flight changes - I didn’t get an email but my Labor Day long weekend flights both changed. Luckily they are still non-stop and an hour different each flight - of course cutting an hour out of our trip each way.


----------



## PixiePlns

I have a question about cancelling a Southwest flight.  Originally we had a flight for June, but moved it to October since we had to cancel our June trip this year (Disney was closed).  With all of the uncertainty of the new school year (and I'm a teacher), I am cancelling our October trip as well.   Will cancelling the October qualify for the travel funds extension to September 2022 since I'm creating the travel funds now or is it just outside the window?  Should I call or can I do this online?


----------



## pooch

Travel funds created by Sept 7th qualify.  Cancel on line, wait 24 hours, extended expiration date should be there.


----------



## PixiePlns

pooch said:


> Travel funds created by Sept 7th qualify.  Cancel on line, wait 24 hours, extended expiration date should be there.


Thanks!  I sure hope they do - but I do see that our original June dates are there - so that may help if there is any issue.  Thanks for your reply!


----------



## Fangorn

PixiePlns said:


> Thanks!  I sure hope they do - but I do see that our original June dates are there - so that may help if there is any issue.  Thanks for your reply!



There will not be any issue. Southwest has stated very clearly that ANY travel fund created prior to 9/7/20, WILL be extended to 9/7/22. They have also started that the extension will show up within 24 hours. This is now a routine thing. 

FWIW, I changed a December flight this past Wednesday. The price for the new flight was less and my travel funds reflected the extended expiration date on Thursday. Also on Thursday, the price of the new flight dropped $70, so I rebooked and got the additional credit. Expiration date showed 9/7/22 on Friday.

Steve


----------



## beercity

Oh boy SW axed a bunch of flights MDW-MCO today for September. Left me with a lot of junk options. Kind of weird too because the flight I was on was full, but now cancelled and it looks like all the other decent options are now full too.


----------



## GPC0321

I have a quick question regarding seating. I've read on SW's site that they're leaving the middle seats empty for social distancing. What if there is a family of three flying together? Do they allow parties of three to sit together (filling the middle seat) or no?


----------



## scrappinginontario

GPC0321 said:


> I have a quick question regarding seating. I've read on SW's site that they're leaving the middle seats empty for social distancing. What if there is a family of three flying together? Do they allow parties of three to sit together (filling the middle seat) or no?


It sounds like you're allowed to sit together but I'm not positive.  This is from the SW website:  https://www.southwest.com/promise/

Middle seats open through at least September 30 to provide Customers more personal space onboard.

Customers can pick their seat—if you’re traveling together, you’re welcome to sit together.


----------



## pooch

YES, persons traveling together can use the middle seat.


----------



## GPC0321

Great, thanks guys!


----------



## Ninjagrrl

Fare sale alert in my email today. My flights 12/28-12/5 went down so I got travel credit. Check your flights!


----------



## Ninjagrrl

Auto dialer app will save your life. Dials faster than my phone and redials within a second after I hang up from the all circuits busy message. If it is busy it redials on it's own.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Ninjagrrl said:


> Fare sale alert in my email today. My flights 12/28-12/5 went down so I got travel credit. Check your flights!


LOL!!  The flight i booked for $85 is now $514!!  Don't think I'll adjust that!


----------



## Herding_Cats

beercity said:


> Oh boy SW axed a bunch of flights MDW-MCO today for September. Left me with a lot of junk options. Kind of weird too because the flight I was on was full, but now cancelled and it looks like all the other decent options are now full too.



They axed a bunch of August ones too. Turned my just-sub-5-hour tripsinto 8+ hour trips with 5 hour layovers in MDW.



GPC0321 said:


> I have a quick question regarding seating. I've read on SW's site that they're leaving the middle seats empty for social distancing. What if there is a family of three flying together? Do they allow parties of three to sit together (filling the middle seat) or no?



So to take this one step further....what are the chances that they would NOT make me gate-check a carseat and let us use the middle seat for our lap infant (without purchasing a ticket for said infant)?


----------



## scrappinginontario

Herding_Cats said:


> =
> So to take this one step further....what are the chances that they would NOT make me gate-check a carseat and let us use the middle seat for our lap infant (without purchasing a ticket for said infant)?


I'm not positive about the answer to your 'allow' question but do want to mention that for safety reasons, a carseat must always be placed in the window seat.  At least, that was the rules when I used one for my daughter a few years back.  Car seats with a child in them are very difficult to cross over in the case of an emergency.

I'm not sure if that would make any difference in taking it onboard.  Personally, I loved the years when she was in her carseat on the plane as she enjoyed the flight and sat so much more still than when she was on my lap.  She was also 2yo + at the time so not sure of the age of your infant.


----------



## zemmer

Herding_Cats said:


> They axed a bunch of August ones too. Turned my just-sub-5-hour tripsinto 8+ hour trips with 5 hour layovers in MDW.
> 
> 
> 
> So to take this one step further....what are the chances that they would NOT make me gate-check a carseat and let us use the middle seat for our lap infant (without purchasing a ticket for said infant)?


When my kids were small, if there was even one open seat they would let us bring the car seat. I think you should be fine.


----------



## Music City Mama

I sadly had to cancel our late June/early July trip to WDW. One leg was booked on points which were naturally refunded, the other leg by credit card which I received travel funds for (good through September 2022).

I had purchased EBCI for my return flight ($80.00), so I called them a couple of weeks ago and asked if I could be refunded. If not, could I at least receive it as a LUV voucher, which is what they were going to do. I think they said it would take 10-20 days to receive the voucher by email and that it would be valid for one year from the issue date.

But earlier today, I received emails telling me that I'm being refunded to my original form of payment within the next 48 hours. I guess that's better so that will be one less thing for me to keep up with, but I was just kind of surprised. Maybe that's pretty normal, though, I'm not sure? What have others' experiences been with EBCI refunds?


----------



## scrappinginontario

I hope this is the new normal as I'm almost positive I'll be cancelling our September flights and they have EBCI attached to our flights home.


----------



## jcarwash

Music City Mama said:


> I had purchased EBCI for my return flight ($80.00), so I called them a couple of weeks ago and asked if I could be refunded. If not, could I at least receive it as a LUV voucher, which is what they were going to do. I think they said it would take 10-20 days to receive the voucher by email and that it would be valid for one year from the issue date.
> 
> But earlier today, I received emails telling me that I'm being refunded to my original form of payment within the next 48 hours. I guess that's better so that will be one less thing for me to keep up with, but I was just kind of surprised. Maybe that's pretty normal, though, I'm not sure? What have others' experiences been with EBCI refunds?



I've had two instances where I canceled out of flights this year, and each time I've asked to see if there was any possibility of recourse for the EBCI charges. On both occasions they have graciously refunded the charges back to my credit card. So that's been very nice.


----------



## Herding_Cats

So I have a suitcase question.  I have a suitcase that when I loosely measure it comes out right AT 62in.  Manufacturer says it's 63in.  Do we dare to take this, or should we plan on taking a different bag and not risk it at all.  "free" bags turning into $150 bags is not in my plan.


----------



## Seabean

Another suitcase question.... we're a party of six who always just does carry on.  We haven't checked bags in years.

Does SW allow 2 free checked bags per party.... or per person (which would be up to 12 checked bags for us)


----------



## TNKim

Seabean said:


> Another suitcase question.... we're a party of six who always just does carry on.  We haven't checked bags in years.
> 
> Does SW allow 2 free checked bags per party.... or per person (which would be up to 12 checked bags for us)



Per person.


----------



## pooch

Herding_Cats said:


> So I have a suitcase question.  I have a suitcase that when I loosely measure it comes out right AT 62in.  Manufacturer says it's 63in.  Do we dare to take this, or should we plan on taking a different bag and not risk it at all.  "free" bags turning into $150 bags is not in my plan.


If it concerns you, don't stress.  Take a different bag.


----------



## Seabean

Per person. 

OK, thanks. With the possibility of limited food offerings, we may pack a checked bag or two full of dry stuff like cereals & snacks.  Anyone else doing that?

OT: anyone know if TSA is stringent about putting a box wine in a checked bag?  (I brought a bottle of wine once in a checked bag, but that was about a decade ago)


----------



## kaytieeldr

TSA won't care. Fellow passengers will, if it breaks and leaks. Please wrap REALLY well!


----------



## ultimatefans

Seabean said:


> Per person.
> 
> OK, thanks. With the possibility of limited food offerings, we may pack a checked bag or two full of dry stuff like cereals & snacks.  Anyone else doing that?
> 
> OT: anyone know if TSA is stringent about putting a box wine in a checked bag?  (I brought a bottle of wine once in a checked bag, but that was about a decade ago)


I've done both of those multiple times - packed dry cereal and snacks and also wine in checked baggage.  Flying with Southwest is fabulous!!  Although things like Prime Now and Instacart make it very easy and inexpensive to order food locally so lately that's what we've been doing.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Ooo, we always have extra luggage room and hadn't thought about packing groceries.   Thanks for the tip!  That would be great but with the new quarantine measures put in place by NY today, not sure flying out of Buffalo will be an option for us for a while.


----------



## Mas12

Seabean said:


> Another suitcase question.... we're a party of six who always just does carry on.  We haven't checked bags in years.
> 
> Does SW allow 2 free checked bags per party.... or per person (which would be up to 12 checked bags for us)


Per person


----------



## MinnieMSue

Ugh I have a red banner again for my September flights. I hope they don’t change them again. If my return flight changes I will end up losing a whole park day since there isn’t another late evening flight out.


----------



## Lsdolphin

MinnieMSue said:


> Ugh I have a red banner again for my September flights. I hope they don’t change them again. If my return flight changes I will end up losing a whole park day since there isn’t another late evening flight out.



me too...


----------



## kaytieeldr

Can you change to the next day? Even if you have to spend the night near the airport and fly out really, really early?


----------



## MinnieMSue

kaytieeldr said:


> Can you change to the next day? Even if you have to spend the night near the airport and fly out really, really early?



maybe - idk if I can add a night to the reservation or not. It would mean the teen missing another school day which would not be good. I think we just would have to move our last day park reservation (AK) to our free day and go to DS after we leave AK. I guess I will wait and see if SW does anything and then figure it out. That late night flight is still going for $99 which isn’t a good sign for it remaining.


----------



## Crazyhorse

Well...kinda took a flier(pun intended) and booked our December flights.  $45.00 each way, non stop, round trip, Chicago, Orlando.  Travel funds and a LUV voucher paid for the flights.  The only cash I had to come up with was the $80.00 for EBCI.  Keeping everything crossed that this trip happens.  The deal breaker for us, as AP holders, is if park hopping doesn't come back by then.  We'll cancel and hope that our already planned April trip happens with park hopping.


----------



## sdoll

Quick question- I think I know the answer but wanted to ask the experts.  We booked a trip in January and invited our neighbor boys to join us.   We had planned on spending a week doing the Disney water parks in July.  Clearly, that isn't happening, we switched to a week in Clearwater and have now decided we are going to postpone the trip.  We paid for flights for 7 people (3 kids that aren't ours)  if we cancel the credit would go in the name of the ticketed passenger correct? It wouldn't come as a total credit for future use.  Meaning we would be out the 3 tickets for kids that aren't ours.   
If southwest cancels or even changes my flight time i could get a full refund right?  
We are scheduled to fly on July 10th.  If I understand it correctly we are better off waiting until the last minute hoping that SW makes an adjustment or cancels than I am getting a credit correct?


----------



## shoreward

I suggest waiting till about one day before your departure date.  Technically, you could wait till ten minutes before departure, but I would not do that. Practically speaking, you are still okay, if you want to cancel up till about two hours, before departure;  but, just in case there are any issues, I would not go later, than that.  If Southwest completely cancels your flight, you should know well before then.

For Southwest-cancelled flights, call in to Southwest and request a refund.  Sometimes, there is push back on a refund from the general reservations number, for complete refunds.  If that happens, I suggest contacting Southwest either on Twitter or Facebook, for a refund request.

If your flights are not cancelled by Southwest, you can cancel online.  Before doing so, make sure that each ticketed passenger has their own Rapid Rewards account, where the travel funds credits will be deposited into each individual's account.  Southwest announced that they will be offering the opportunity to convert travel funds ($$$) into Rapid Rewards points.  Unlike travel funds, which only can be used for the passenger named on the ticket, RR points can be used to book travel by anyone.  If you explain the situation to the kids' families, perhaps something can be worked out, so that you can use those points for future travel for your family.  There has not been a date announced, yet, for the funds to points conversion.

Were you reimbursed by the kids' families for the tickets?  That would be a solution, with them having travel funds to use for another trip for the kids.

You could also run this past @SouthwestAir on Twitter, now, for some feedback.  Sometimes, if the issue is nicely explained, with any assistance noted as being "greatly appreciated," there could be some accommodation, though don't look for that upfront.

This issue has come up before...you are not alone.  It's always better to get a credit card number from non-family when booking travel for them.  But, of course, who could have ever imagined this year's happenings?


----------



## BellaBaby

So my oldest DD has some travel funds but not RR. If she becomes a RR member now, will she be able to convert them to RR when they start allowing this, or is it too late?


----------



## shoreward

BellaBaby said:


> So my oldest DD has some travel funds but not RR. If she becomes a RR member now, will she be able to convert them to RR when they start allowing this, or is it too late?


It's not too late.  Southwest will be notifying Rapid Rewards members by email, when the option to covert funds to points is available.  It's always a good idea to enroll in Rapid Rewards.  There is no cost to join, and it's an excellent way of keeping track of your travel and benefits.  Also, with a RR account, you can easily view your travel funds at the top of the login page, so you won't lose track.

https://www.southwest.com/account/enroll/enroll-member?


----------



## Candris79

Supposed to fly out of Bradley (CT) on 7/27 into MCO (hoping travel restriction is released by then). Wondering what the mask situation is at MCO. I believe they’re now required in Orange County but wondering if people are abiding by it at the airport. I’m not worried about Disney, I fee like they’ll be making sure people stick to keeping them on, so I’m mostly concerned about being in the airport and on the plane (Southwest) and people not complying.


----------



## pooch

Required on all SWA flights.  Not sure about MCO.  Wear it. Hope other people do


----------



## Candris79

pooch said:


> Required on all SWA flights.  Not sure about MCO.  Wear it. Hope other people do


I’ll be wearing it for sure, if I even go. We’ll see what happens with the travel restriction. Can’t quarantine for 2 weeks when I get there so...


----------



## pooch

My dilemma too.  We fly out 9/7


----------



## pooch

Please share your experience when you get back (if you go!)


----------



## Candris79

pooch said:


> My dilemma too.  We fly out 9/7


I just hope everyone is wearing their masks at the airport and on the plane. Good luck, I hope you get to go! I’m sure it will be lifted by then.


----------



## shoreward

BellaBaby said:


> So my oldest DD has some travel funds but not RR. If she becomes a RR member now, will she be able to convert them to RR when they start allowing this, or is it too late?


One more bit of advice - make sure that the funds are linked to your DD’s RR account.  You may need Southwest’s help to do that.  I know how you can link a flight, whether or not it has yet been flown, but not funds,  Sorry that I can’t offer more.


----------



## keishashadow

2nd flight change in less than a week re PIT-MCO.  Even more have happened re our August trip but they’ve seemed to settle upon a scheduled (knock on wood) for that time frame.

This time, our sept/oct trip.  I’m not complaining.  Just made the reservation last Friday on a hunch they’d be changing up the flights. Booked the cheapest NS that worked at the time.

Now, booked on flights that would’ve originally cost more than double the price.  Knock on wood things hold together 

Reminds me of how AirTran operated, frequently changing flight times/permissable rebooking to pricer flights.  If truth be told, preferred them prior to the acquisition.  Sure hope that isn’t a bad omen.


----------



## sdoll

sdoll said:


> Quick question- I think I know the answer but wanted to ask the experts.  We booked a trip in January and invited our neighbor boys to join us.   We had planned on spending a week doing the Disney water parks in July.  Clearly, that isn't happening, we switched to a week in Clearwater and have now decided we are going to postpone the trip.  We paid for flights for 7 people (3 kids that aren't ours)  if we cancel the credit would go in the name of the ticketed passenger correct? It wouldn't come as a total credit for future use.  Meaning we would be out the 3 tickets for kids that aren't ours.
> If southwest cancels or even changes my flight time i could get a full refund right?
> We are scheduled to fly on July 10th.  If I understand it correctly we are better off waiting until the last minute hoping that SW makes an adjustment or cancels than I am getting a credit correct?



Thank you for your input.  Yes we paid for the tickets- we got a steal on them and we figured it would be cheaper than getting 2 hotels rooms and trying to feed 5 teenage boys.   Not to mention my sanity!  Hopefully we will have options.  It is good to know that we have the option of converting to points.


----------



## shoreward

More September bookings, thru end of September, are now available for change w/o fare increase. The change window is 30 days.  This offer normally only lasts about three days, from the time the offer becomes available; if you have an interest in changing your flight or travel date, it's always a good idea not to delay in making the change, before the ability to do so disappears.


----------



## MinnieMSue

Ugh I too noticed the red banner again on my September flight. I really hope it doesn’t change again - it didn’t last time but did the previous time they offered flight changes.


----------



## scrappinginontario

shoreward said:


> More September bookings, thru end of September, are now available for change w/o fare increase. The change window is 30 days.  This offer normally only lasts about three days, from the time the offer becomes available; if you have an interest in changing your flight or travel date, it's always a good idea not to delay in making the change, before the ability to do so disappears.


 I received an email last night and our flight home has been removed.  We’ve been moved to another flight 2 hours earlier and still direct so it works for us.

The challenge I’m having is that IF our trip even happens, it’s now too long of a trip but Disney is not allowing number of days if a trip to be adjusted. We have a 9 night trip booked which is normally ideal but with so many reduced offerings I think we’re going to be spending a ton of time in our room. We have the PH+ option booked and originally had 3 water park days in our schedule. There is no talk of when Disney will open its water parks. It’s also unclear if we’ll be able to go to a different resort for a QS meal or if all our non-park meals will be at our resort? That could be a lot of meals from o e food court.

Anyway, thanks for the tip to move our flights if we wish while the opportunity is there.  Hopefully others can take advantage of the change window!  Our flights can be moved and normally I would shorten our trip but I would jeopardize the Disney portion of our trip so I’m keeping what I have booked for now.


----------



## pooch

Can a minor have a RR account?  If we don’t go in Sept, it would be great if I could turn DGSs travel funds into points so anybody could use them.  Assuming of course SWA is gonna get that up & running.


----------



## scrappinginontario

pooch said:


> Can a minor have a RR account?  If we don’t go in Sept, it would be great if I could turn DGSs travel funds into points so anybody could use them.  Assuming of course SWA is gonna get that up & running.


Yes.  My daughter has had a RR account since she was old enough that I was buying her her own ticket so I guess that would be 2 years old?


----------



## disneyfan150

Candris79 said:


> Supposed to fly out of Bradley (CT) on 7/27 into MCO (hoping travel restriction is released by then). Wondering what the mask situation is at MCO. I believe they’re now required in Orange County but wondering if people are abiding by it at the airport. I’m not worried about Disney, I fee like they’ll be making sure people stick to keeping them on, so I’m mostly concerned about being in the airport and on the plane (Southwest) and people not complying.


I've flown SW in May and June.  Not many people were flying in May.  On the plane, it depended upon the crew as to enforcement.  In June, the requirement seemed to be enforced more. Regardless, many people were wearing them in flight. But there were always those few who would try to pull their mask down to their chin and so forth.  One thing to keep in mind, you are allowed to bring food and drink aboard and do not have to wear masks while eating.

As for the airport, not everyone wears their mask. The airports are not as crowded, so you can socially distance yourself if needed by moving to another seat. Most people were wearing masks while walking through the airport.

These were my experiences. YMMV


----------



## Fangorn

pooch said:


> ... it would be great if I could turn DGSs travel funds into points so anybody could use them.



While I have confidence that SW will eventually implement the ability to convert Travel Funds to points,  be aware that points are still controlled by the account they sit in,  and most importantly

Points used to book a flight CANNOT come from more than ONE account. You can't combine points. 

You CAN transfer points from one account to another, but SW charges a $5 fee (real cash) per every 500 points transferred. There is also a minimum number of points (2000) that can be transferred, and points can only be transferred in 500 point increments. So pulling points together from several accounts, may become costly, and you may still be left with small amounts of points in each account that you may not be able to use when you want to. 

Steve


----------



## pooch

All things to consider prior to making any moves.  Of course if we actually go, it will be a moot point.
Additionally, the funds came from LUV vouchers we received back in February for a delay issue ($600 worth). So if we leave a little bit on the table, not gonna worry about it.


----------



## Candris79

disneyfan150 said:


> I've flown SW in May and June.  Not many people were flying in May.  On the plane, it depended upon the crew as to enforcement.  In June, the requirement seemed to be enforced more. Regardless, many people were wearing them in flight. But there were always those few who would try to pull their mask down to their chin and so forth.  One thing to keep in mind, you are allowed to bring food and drink aboard and do not have to wear masks while eating.
> 
> As for the airport, not everyone wears their mask. The airports are not as crowded, so you can socially distance yourself if needed by moving to another seat. Most people were wearing masks while walking through the airport.
> 
> These were my experiences. YMMV


Thanks for the info!


----------



## keishashadow

Fangorn said:


> While I have confidence that SW will eventually implement the ability to convert Travel Funds to points,  be aware that points are still controlled by the account they sit in,  and most importantly
> 
> Points used to book a flight CANNOT come from more than ONE account. You can't combine points.
> 
> You CAN transfer points from one account to another, but SW charges a $5 fee (real cash) per every 500 points transferred. There is also a minimum number of points (2000) that can be transferred, and points can only be transferred in 500 point increments. So pulling points together from several accounts, may become costly, and you may still be left with small amounts of points in each account that you may not be able to use when you want to.
> 
> Steve


You can book reservations for anyone with your points though.  If you wind up cancelling the flight, the points revert back to your account.

we flew allegiant after Memorial Day, masks were not required, nor were middle seats unassigned.  Surprise, ugh. DH & I were among the few wearing them. 

Since he is a veteran, I asked for comp’d exit row both ways & they complied.  Figured people would be less likely to pay for the upgrade, score. At least we had some social distancing.


----------



## constanze

We fly to DisneyWorld on the 19th---Do you believe the flights will be more crowded now and I should utilize early bird? There are five of us traveling...Also, I know they have the "no middle seat" policy---but if it's a family member, are you able to use the middle seat?


----------



## zoo2tycoon

My son and GF flew from Houston to Indiana yesterday. Boarded by boarding groups but 10 at a time- A1-10, A11-29 etc

No middle seats (I believe if family you can sit next to each) other but they left middle seat open. The got a bag with assortment of snacks and only serving water in cups on flight.

Houston airport they said people wore masks but Indianapolis it’s not mandatory yet so some didn’t (Marion county is making mandatory in public this week). They both wore until in car! 

Just update for anyone interested from yesterday flying SW experience.


----------



## IluvMGM

constanze said:


> We fly to DisneyWorld on the 19th---Do you believe the flights will be more crowded now and I should utilize early bird? There are five of us traveling...Also, I know they have the "no middle seat" policy---but if it's a family member, are you able to use the middle seat?



Yes, families can sit together with the middle seat. I don't know if the flight will be crowded or not, but it makes me feel better that they are leaving middle seats open so we won't have to sit with strangers.


----------



## shoreward

constanze said:


> We fly to DisneyWorld on the 19th---Do you believe the flights will be more crowded now and I should utilize early bird? There are five of us traveling...Also, I know they have the "no middle seat" policy---but if it's a family member, are you able to use the middle seat?


Southwest only is selling 2/3 of the normal capacity (leaving the middle seats open, unless a group traveling together wishes to sit together).  You can try to search availability for your flights by looking for 8, which is the most you can book under one reservation.  If it will allow you to book that number, it means that at least 8 seats are available; so, there would be at least 8 seats open, in addition to the 1/3 capacity blocked seats. 

FYI, they are also keeping the first 2 or 3 rows, as well as the last couple of rows, blocked for flight attendant seating.


----------



## irt9206

Not sure if this was already posted. 
We are currently accepting air reservations through January 4, 2021. On August 27, 2020 we will open our schedule for sale through March 10, 2021. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


----------



## MinnieMSue

irt9206 said:


> Not sure if this was already posted.
> We are currently accepting air reservations through January 4, 2021. On August 27, 2020 we will open our schedule for sale through March 10, 2021. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.



thanks for posting!  I was just wondering if they had put an update on their site yet. I look periodically but had not checked lately.


----------



## pooch

Oh finally!!  Thanks for posting.  I am waiting for the next release for a February cruise out of Tampa.  Glad to see they’ve finally scheduled a release date.


----------



## Grnl706

Has anyone heard anything about the system to change vouchers to points yet?


----------



## shoreward

Grnl706 said:


> Has anyone heard anything about the system to change vouchers to points yet?


They have said that they are still working on it and will email customers when the option is available.  It’s a good idea for anyone with travel funds to make sure that their RR contact info is up to date.


----------



## aokeefe

irt9206 said:


> Not sure if this was already posted.
> We are currently accepting air reservations through January 4, 2021. On August 27, 2020 we will open our schedule for sale through March 10, 2021. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


Thank you for sharing


----------



## focusondisney

irt9206 said:


> Not sure if this was already posted.
> We are currently accepting air reservations through January 4, 2021. On August 27, 2020 we will open our schedule for sale through March 10, 2021. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.



Thanks for posting! That must have just changed today. I looked yesterday & it still had no date.


----------



## BellaBaby

Anyone fly with allergies? We fly 7/20 to Fl from CO and DH has had terrible allergies this season. I'm just concerned other people might get upset if he sneezes or is sniffly. He literally cannot help it and he has tried all kinds of OTC meds. He's not one to run to the Dr. even though I've suggested it several times. He sometimes gives out a small cough because of the drainage in his throat. We have 4 people going so hopefully we will be able to sit across from each other with the middle seat open and he can sit by the window I guess. Of course we'll have our masks and he'll have Kleenex.


----------



## pooch

Maybe under the circumstances he should consider running to the doctor.  I know someone coughing/sneezing on a plane with me would make me very uncomfortable.  Whether he can help it or not really isn’t the point.


----------



## Seabean

Ok, today we noticed that just about all the flights between PHL <--> MCO for the last week of July (when we're going) have all plummeted to about $54 for either way.   These are flights that until recently were mostly over $100

Does this feel suspicious to anyone else? What's up?


----------



## rlduvall

This is such a petty issue and I am not going to pursue it further, but I need you all to either validate or correct me.  If wrong, I will try to take it like a big girl.  

I booked a flight for August using a Luv voucher with $71. on it.  The flight was a total of $92.98, with $14.60 being the 911 security/passenger facility charge.  Later on I got a red banner and changed it to another time for the same day at no extra cost.  A few days later I cancelled the reservation, but my travel funds are for the entire amount of the fare ($92.98) and has been like that for over a month.  Yesterday, I sent an email nicely requesting refund of the $14.60 in taxes back to the credit card used for payment.  Instead, I was told: 

_We recognize that events and plans have been changed or canceled, and that recent travel restrictions have caused many of our Customers to postpone or cancel their travel. In this case, because you purchased a nonrefundable ticket, we are unable to honor your request for a refund a portion of the fare cost._

Again, I am very pleased with SW during these crazy times, but is this correct? I thought they always had to refund taxes/fees to the form of payment - which in this case was my credit card.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Until COVID started we didn’t get refunds to our form of payment at all.  At least that was my experience.  Since you’re asking, I would be thankful that you received your full amount in form of a travel credit that’s good for another 2+ years.

If it helps, my SIL and 2 kids were in France when everything changed around the world.  They needed to get home ASAP as borders were closing and France was locked down.  Air Canada could not be reached by phone (in France or Canada) nor were they responding to emails and their system would not allow changing flights.  She ended up purchasing new flights home for them a week earlier just to get them home.  Air Canada is not willing to do anything about it and they are out almost $2000!


----------



## shoreward

rlduvall said:


> This is such a petty issue and I am not going to pursue it further, but I need you all to either validate or correct me.  If wrong, I will try to take it like a big girl.
> 
> I booked a flight for August using a Luv voucher with $71. on it.  The flight was a total of $92.98, with $14.60 being the 911 security/passenger facility charge.  Later on I got a red banner and changed it to another time for the same day at no extra cost.  A few days later I cancelled the reservation, but my travel funds are for the entire amount of the fare ($92.98) and has been like that for over a month.  Yesterday, I sent an email nicely requesting refund of the $14.60 in taxes back to the credit card used for payment.  Instead, I was told:
> 
> _We recognize that events and plans have been changed or canceled, and that recent travel restrictions have caused many of our Customers to postpone or cancel their travel. In this case, because you purchased a nonrefundable ticket, we are unable to honor your request for a refund a portion of the fare cost._
> 
> Again, I am very pleased with SW during these crazy times, but is this correct? I thought they always had to refund taxes/fees to the form of payment - which in this case was my credit card.


When you book a flight using Rapid Rewards points, the taxes are refunded to your original form of payment.  However, I believe that’s the only time, other than Southwest actually cancelling the flight, when the taxes on a WGA non-refundable ticket  are refunded.  Your funds should be valid till September 2022, with an upcoming option to convert to Rapid Rewards points, which never expire.


----------



## rlduvall

scrappinginontario said:


> Until COVID started we didn’t get refunds to our form of payment at all.  At least that was my experience.  Since you’re asking, I would be thankful that you received your full amount in form of a travel credit that’s good for another 2+ years.



I am thankful, but isn't SW keeping $14.60 they were supposed to pay to the 'government'?


----------



## rlduvall

shoreward said:


> When you book a flight using Rapid Rewards points, the taxes are refunded to your original form of payment.  However, I believe that’s the only time, other than Southwest actually cancelling the flight, when the taxes on a WGA non-refundable ticket  are refunded.  Your funds should be valid till September 2022, with an upcoming option to convert to Rapid Rewards points, which never expire.



And that could be it because I almost exclusively use points to book travel and if cancelled always get the $5.60 refunded to credit card.   Again, it's only $14.60.  I was just curious what the consensus was on the Disboards.  I should worry about more important things, like when will Supernatural come back to finish its final season.


----------



## rlduvall

scrappinginontario said:


> If it helps, my SIL and 2 kids were in France when everything changed around the world.  They needed to get home ASAP as borders were closing and France was locked down.  Air Canada could not be reached by phone (in France or Canada) nor were they responding to emails and their system would not allow changing flights.  She ended up purchasing new flights home for them a week earlier just to get them home.  Air Canada is not willing to do anything about it and they are out almost $2000!



That is awful and I am so sorry.  I would have been so stressed out over that. Apparently, I need to get a life - seriously.  Been working from home for 4 months with no end of sight.  I need human interaction other than just my DH and DS.


----------



## pooch

SMALL silver lining - when you originally purchased the ticket with a LUV voucher, you had to pay the taxes OOP.  This would have been the case even if the voucher was enough to cover it all because you can’t use a voucher for taxes.  Now however your travel funds can cover taxes.  So you won’t have to pay taxes OOP again.


----------



## Seabean

So has anyone else noticed SW prices really plumetting, and what could it mean?


----------



## Crazyhorse

Seabean said:


> So has anyone else noticed SW prices really plumetting, and what could it mean?


Curious too.  We're booked for early December from Midway and we're paying $45.00 each way.  Scary cheap.


----------



## pooch

Well mine haven’t budged from Ct.  October flights still $119 each way.  Supply and demand.  Too much supply not enough demand!


----------



## shoreward

Seabean said:


> So has anyone else noticed SW prices really plumetting, and what could it mean?





Crazyhorse said:


> Curious too.  We're booked for early December from Midway and we're paying $45.00 each way.  Scary cheap.


I think they have way too many nonstops on the route for the probable demand, this year, and are trying to sell more seats, before having to eliminate flights and consolidate the loads.

Consider yourselves lucky, if you are able to book the $45 flights.  About 100 miles to the north of MDW, the fares for nonstops to MCO  are more than double in cost.

If your particular flight should be cancelled, you will be able to move to another nonstop with available seats, at no additional cost.


----------



## jcarwash

rlduvall said:


> This is such a petty issue and I am not going to pursue it further, but I need you all to either validate or correct me.  If wrong, I will try to take it like a big girl.
> 
> I booked a flight for August using a Luv voucher with $71. on it.  The flight was a total of $92.98, with $14.60 being the 911 security/passenger facility charge.  Later on I got a red banner and changed it to another time for the same day at no extra cost.  A few days later I cancelled the reservation, but my travel funds are for the entire amount of the fare ($92.98) and has been like that for over a month.  Yesterday, I sent an email nicely requesting refund of the $14.60 in taxes back to the credit card used for payment.  Instead, I was told:
> 
> _We recognize that events and plans have been changed or canceled, and that recent travel restrictions have caused many of our Customers to postpone or cancel their travel. In this case, because you purchased a nonrefundable ticket, we are unable to honor your request for a refund a portion of the fare cost._
> 
> Again, I am very pleased with SW during these crazy times, but is this correct? I thought they always had to refund taxes/fees to the form of payment - which in this case was my credit card.



I see on the Travel Funds page (https://www.southwest.com/flight/travel-funds-search.html) that they consider all those components (base fare + taxes + fees) part of the fund creation: "If you cancel your reservation at least 10 minutes prior to departure, the fare paid for the unused ticket (inducing taxes, security fees, and Passenger Facility Charges) will be applied as travel funds toward the purchase of future travel on Southwest."

So, I don't think it matters whether the payment was all "real money" or voucher + credit card; they consider the "fare paid" to include all those pieces.

That said, I can also see why you asked about it -- in my experience, Southwest may go ahead and give you some kind of recourse anyway. So it makes sense to ask.


----------



## scrappinginontario

I'm wondering if SW is having challenges as more and more people are subject to quarantines so unable to travel?  As it stands, if we were to continue with our September trip we would have to quarantine for 2 weeks when we arrive in FL as we're flying out of Buffalo and then 2 weeks when we get home.  As that happens to more and more people (if more quarantine orders are put in place), the airlines are going to be hurting as even less people can travel.

Add to this that numbers are spiking in many places in the US, I can see many people choosing to stay home rather than travel right now which would mean airlines might offer flights at super low prices just hoping to have people on their flights.


----------



## rlduvall

jcarwash said:


> I see on the Travel Funds page (https://www.southwest.com/flight/travel-funds-search.html) that they consider all those components (base fare + taxes + fees) part of the fund creation: "If you cancel your reservation at least 10 minutes prior to departure, the fare paid for the unused ticket (inducing taxes, security fees, and Passenger Facility Charges) will be applied as travel funds toward the purchase of future travel on Southwest."



Yeesh, it certainly helps to read everything, doesn't it?      Thanks to everyone for setting me straight.


----------



## aokeefe

We have flights booked PVD-MCO over Thanksgiving. I've been monitoring the flights and today did notice an earlier flight home had dropped (I wanted to switch our late flight home to the earlier one). Other than that flight everything else has been pretty consistent.


----------



## Seabean

OK, the flights from PHL <--> MCO for our dates in late July are back up to what they were over $100, so maybe it was a momentary supply/demand thing or whatever.


----------



## crazymomof4

Most here know to do this but by way of reminder:  Check your emails regularly for changes to your flight schedule.  This applies to all airlines, not only SW.     I just checked and SW changed our flight to take off 2 hours later.


----------



## DebbieB

crazymomof4 said:


> Most here know to do this but by way of reminder:  Check your emails regularly for changes to your flight schedule.  This applies to all airlines, not only SW.     I just checked and SW changed our flight to take off 2 hours later.



Last week I had a 1 hour layover at Midway turn into a 4 1/2 hour layover.  I called and was able to change through Denver.


----------



## EACarlson

Crazyhorse said:


> Curious too.  We're booked for early December from Midway and we're paying $45.00 each way.  Scary cheap.


Thank you for this.  I booked flights from MDW to MCO in October for 2,700 RR points each way.


----------



## MinnieMSue

Since RAC may not be operating when we go in September, does anyone know if SW has SkyCap outside on the ticketing level?  We always use them at our home airport and they are much easier than going inside and dealing with getting boarding pass and turning in luggage.


----------



## shoreward

MinnieMSue said:


> Since RAC may not be operating when we go in September, does anyone know if SW has SkyCap outside on the ticketing level?  We always use them at our home airport and they are much easier than going inside and dealing with getting boarding pass and turning in luggage.


From MCO's website:


> Southwest Airlines
> Terminal: A
> Security Checkpoint: 70-129 Gates: 100-129
> Curbside Check-In: Yes
> Phone: 800-435-9792



Southwest is saying their latest info has _no curbside check-in _currently available at MCO, based on info received within the last month..
Also of note, from Southwest:


> *All bags must be checked 45 minutes prior to scheduled departure*



https://www.southwest.com/html/air/products/bagdrop.html


----------



## shoreward

Just confirmed that Southwest is currently not providing curbside check-in at MCO, until further notice.  With no bag drop at Disney resorts, it’s probably going to be a good idea to allow a little extra time at MCO, if needing to check bags.


----------



## Seabean

https://www.southwest.com/html/air/products/bagdrop.html
Ok, reading this, where is the "Express Bag Drop Kiosk" at MCO?   

(we haven't checked bags in years, we always make do with our 21" x 14" carry ons -  but this year we're chekcing some bags with dry foods in them)


----------



## Fangorn

Seabean said:


> https://www.southwest.com/html/air/products/bagdrop.html
> Ok, reading this, where is the "Express Bag Drop Kiosk" at MCO?
> 
> (we haven't checked bags in years, we always make do with our 21" x 14" carry ons -  but this year we're chekcing some bags with dry foods in them)



It's at the ticket counter. There are kiosks there. You scan your boarding pass, it prints out the tags, you put the tags on your luggage and you give your luggage to the Southwest Agent nearby. Very simple.

Not as convenient as RAC, as you still have to schlep your bags to the SW counter area, but it does reduce the amount of time you spend waiting in line to drop off your bags. 

Steve


----------



## shoreward

https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/...d-19-the-best?src=TWT20200710&linkId=93516668


----------



## Seabean

_It's at the ticket counter. There are kiosks there. You scan your boarding pass, it prints out the tags, you put the tags on your luggage and you give your luggage to the Southwest Agent nearby. Very simple.
Not as convenient as RAC, as you still have to schlep your bags to the SW counter area, but it does reduce the amount of time you spend waiting in line to drop off your bags. _

OK, thanks.  So the only line waiting is going to be for the kiosk?  Hopefully it's not very long?


----------



## pooch

There are many kiosks, at least 20 (?).  I’ve always found it to be very quick and efficient.


----------



## focusondisney

Fangorn said:


> It's at the ticket counter. There are kiosks there. You scan your boarding pass, it prints out the tags, you put the tags on your luggage and you give your luggage to the Southwest Agent nearby. Very simple.



And you can also type your confirmation number into the kiosk if you don’t have a boarding pass. You can print one from the kiosk as well as check in your luggage.


----------



## Fangorn

focusondisney said:


> And you can also type your confirmation number into the kiosk if you don’t have a boarding pass. You can print one from the kiosk as well as check in your luggage.



Indeed! You can also type in your RR number (which is what I do, as I have it memorized). I never print off the boarding pass anymore. I just use my RR at the kiosk and print the boarding pass along with the bag tags. 

Steve

Steve


----------



## harrickbayley

This is a very good trend


----------



## aokeefe

Has anyone cancelled a flight that is scheduled for after September 7, 2020? We moved our July flight to November (originally booking in Dec 2019 so the the expiration date is Dec 2020). Now of course we are worried that we won't be able to go again in November and it most likely will be a decision not made until the fall. I'm trying to think of ways salvage the flight funds as much as possible. Of course if Southwest extends their travel funds expiration dates. then I have no worries but obviously don't know that yet. I'm thinking of cancelling the flight now, taking the funds and the re-booking using points for 1 way and using 
funds from cancelled April flight- so at least I will be out less money/funds.  Flights haven't changed much from original booking so no huge fare increase. Looking for some reassurance that this would work or I'm just babbling!!!  Also another question- since my November flight expires Dec 2020- I assume I can't move it to Feb 2021 (or does just travel funds expire in Dec 2020). Thanks for any info anyone has in my long winded post!!!


----------



## shoreward

aokeefe said:


> Has anyone cancelled a flight that is scheduled for after September 7, 2020? We moved our July flight to November (originally booking in Dec 2019 so the the expiration date is Dec 2020). Now of course we are worried that we won't be able to go again in November and it most likely will be a decision not made until the fall. I'm trying to think of ways salvage the flight funds as much as possible. Of course if Southwest extends their travel funds expiration dates. then I have no worries but obviously don't know that yet. I'm thinking of cancelling the flight now, taking the funds and the re-booking using points for 1 way and using
> funds from cancelled April flight- so at least I will be out less money/funds.  Flights haven't changed much from original booking so no huge fare increase. Looking for some reassurance that this would work or I'm just babbling!!!  Also another question- since my November flight expires Dec 2020- I assume I can't move it to Feb 2021 (or does just travel funds expire in Dec 2020). Thanks for any info anyone has in my long winded post!!!


From Southwest:

*However, in recognition of the current travel environment, we are extending the expiration date of some travel funds:*

Customers’ funds that have expired or will expire between March 1, 2020 and September 7, 2020, will now expire September 7, 2022.
Any travel funds created because you cancel a flight between March 1 – September 7, 2020, will expire September 7, 2022.
It can take up to five business days for the new expiration date to appear in your account. It will also take our Technology Team a few days to make these changes.

It’s important to note, while these unused travel funds will be available until September 7, 2022, once the funds are used to make a purchase, the expiration date of the travel funds will then follow our normal ticketing rules and will expire 12 months from the date of purchase.

For example:


Your original unused travel funds with confirmation number OLD111 expired on March 19, 2020.
These unused travel funds were extended to an expiration date of September 7, 2022.
You use some of those funds on August 1, 2020 to book new travel in September under confirmation number NEW111.
If for some reason you need to cancel this new flight, your unused travel funds associated with confirmation number NEW111 will be valid for 12 months from the booking date which means they will expire August 1, 2021.
Any remaining unused travel funds tied to OLD111 will be available through September 7, 2022.
We have also added a new benefit for our valued Rapid Rewards Members. Those Members who have travel funds that are set to expire or funds that are created between March 1, 2020 and September 7, 2020 will have the option to convert those travel funds into Rapid Rewards points at the same rate you would be able to purchase a ticket with points today. We hope this provides our Members ultimate flexibility as Rapid Rewards points never expire, never have cancel or change fees (fare difference may apply), and you can redeem your points for anyone you choose.

Our Technology Team is working to build this conversion capability, and we will be in touch when it is ready for you to use. In the meantime, you don’t need to take any action—your travel funds will be automatically extended for the two years mentioned above, and you will be able to make this conversion once we bring this new functionality to fruition.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Just seeking clarification please.

Do I need to cancel my flight by Sep 7, 2020 for it to obtain the Sep 7, 2022 date or, does the flight need to have been scheduled to fly by Sep 7, 2020 to get that date?

My particular details are my flights are scheduled for Sep 12 and Sep 21, 2020.  If I cancel them by Sep 7 will they receive the Sep 7, 2022 date or, 1 year from the date I purchased as the actual flights were scheduled to take place after Sep 7?


----------



## pooch

You must cancel before Sept. 7.  The date of the flight is immaterial.  It is the date you cancel (before 9/7) that counts for the extended expiration date.


----------



## aokeefe

scrappinginontario said:


> Just seeking clarification please.
> 
> Do I need to cancel my flight by Sep 7, 2020 for it to obtain the Sep 7, 2022 date or, does the flight need to have been scheduled to fly by Sep 7, 2020 to get that date?
> 
> My particular details are my flights are scheduled for Sep 12 and Sep 21, 2020.  If I cancel them by Sep 7 will they receive the Sep 7, 2022 date or, 1 year from the date I purchased as the actual flights were scheduled to take place after Sep 7?


Confirmed with Southwest this morning that as along as any flight is cancelled before Sept 7, it will get the 2022 travel funds.


----------



## scrappinginontario

pooch said:


> You must cancel before Sept. 7.  The date of the flight is immaterial.  It is the date you cancel (before 9/7) that counts for the extended expiration date.





aokeefe said:


> Confirmed with Southwest this morning that as along as any flight is cancelled before Sept 7, it will get the 2022 travel funds.


Thank you!!  I'm 99% sure we're cancelling these flights and if we go by (rare) chance we will be flying out of Toronto due to the current mandatory quarantine of those arriving from NY.

I'll be sure to keep this in mind and cancel before Sep 7th.


----------



## starry_solo

How long does it take for the travel voucher expiration date to change to two years? I cancelled a flight this week , set for September 10 and 20.


----------



## pooch

Typically happens in about 24 hours


----------



## starry_solo

pooch said:


> Typically happens in about 24 hours



Thanks!  I had received an email stating the year date (from purchase) but just checked the account and it's correct with the 2022 expiration date!


----------



## shoreward

Southwest shopping portal semi-annual bonus:


----------



## shoreward

October 2020 reservations are now eligible to change to another flight/date within a 30 day window, either way, at no additional cost In fare.  This type of offer usually is valid for about three days, from the time it first becomes available.  So, if you are seriously thinking of taking advantage of the offer, be aware of the short period of time to do so.

if your flight qualifies, your confirmed reservation will display a banner with the offer.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Just had my Sep 21 direct flight home cancelled and was moved to one with a stop.  Just went in and saw all direct flights from MCO to BUF have been removed from the schedule.


----------



## wishinon3stars

We just had our direct flight down to Orlando on Sept 21 changed to a one stop through Baltimore.


----------



## momtwoboys

same our BDL to MCO nonstop flight was changed to have a layover in Baltimore so I cancelled it and will take the funds in credit. I rebooked on Jetblue and it is NONstop and wicked cheap! Crazy cheap! I used some credits from JB and the total for 2 people from BDL to MCO was a 50.00 Thank you SW!


----------



## beercity

wishinon3stars said:


> We just had our direct flight down to Orlando on Sept 21 changed to a one stop through Baltimore.


I booked a direct last night, 2 hours later i got an email about a schedule change.
It was a double-stop flight with no plane change.
I had booked the cheap flight with a departure time earlier than what I wanted.
With the change, I was able to use the free re-book feature to pick the more expensive flight that I would have preferred at no charge!
Check and see if there is anything else you would rather have.  As long as the origin and destination cities stay the same you can even change days for a free re-book.

EDIT: IMO SW is awesome to allow so much flexibility.  Frontier shoves schedule changes down your throat, and if you don't like it, you option is to just not show up for the flight (or take a voucher in some cases if they are feeling generous).


----------



## Leigh L

momtwoboys said:


> same our BDL to MCO nonstop flight was changed to have a layover in Baltimore so I cancelled it and will take the funds in credit. I rebooked on Jetblue and it is NONstop and wicked cheap! Crazy cheap! I used some credits from JB and the total for 2 people from BDL to MCO was a 50.00 Thank you SW!


That's awesome!
Not to be a downer, but keep your eyes peeled in case you don't get an email. JB has changed my flights twice in the last two weeks - by 24 hours on each end of the trip both times. The first one I didn't get an email right away, but did get the one yesterday. 

Yesterday we had to move our trip by 3 days on either end because they are only now offering direct flights on certain days from DC and I wasn't about to take a FLL connection on the days we were scheduled. Now I need to figure out a resort. We moved our flights yesterday based on our WDW resort (price protected) stay but now cannot get UO hotel at the remotely same price we had....so back to the drawing board! 

(We locked in with JB at an awesome $29 each way a month ago and now that same leg is $161 pp each way x 4 people. Not ready to give that up LOL)


----------



## momtwoboys

Leigh L said:


> That's awesome!
> Not to be a downer, but keep your eyes peeled in case you don't get an email. JB has changed my flights twice in the last two weeks - by 24 hours on each end of the trip both times. The first one I didn't get an email right away, but did get the one yesterday.
> 
> Yesterday we had to move our trip by 3 days on either end because they are only now offering direct flights on certain days from DC and I wasn't about to take a FLL connection on the days we were scheduled. Now I need to figure out a resort. We moved our flights yesterday based on our WDW resort (price protected) stay but now cannot get UO hotel at the remotely same price we had....so back to the drawing board!
> 
> (We locked in with JB at an awesome $29 each way a month ago and now that same leg is $161 pp each way x 4 people. Not ready to give that up LOL)


will keep watch for sure! our dates are sept 24 coming back the 30th. our return flight was already booked with JB and that flight so far hasnt had any changes since we booked it fingers crossed!!


----------



## Seabean

Leaving from PHL soon.   Are all airports for SW the same as my previous post about MCO for checked baggage....

Just scan your boarding passes at the kiosk.... it prints tags.... put those tags on the bags... give to the nearby SW agent, right?


----------



## shoreward

Seabean said:


> Leaving from PHL soon.   Are all airports for SW the same as my previous post about MCO for checked baggage....
> 
> Just scan your boarding passes at the kiosk.... it prints tags.... put those tags on the bags... give to the nearby SW agent, right?




PHL has self-tagging.  You have the process correct.  Have a good flight.
https://www.southwest.com/html/air/airport-information.html?clk=SITESEARCH
https://www.southwest.com/html/air/products/selftagging.html


----------



## pooch

lucky I guess, our nonstop from BDL was only moved by 15 minutes.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Thanks for the tips everyone.  I looked and was able to move our flight from Buffalo to Orlando to a later flight at no cost.  This also saves us staying at a hotel the night before.  Our trip was going to be a park + water park trip and since the water parks are closed, there is no need for us to arrive in the wee hours our first day since I haven't booked a park that day.


----------



## pooch

I was able to move our too early nonstop home for a much nicer and more expensive late evening flight at no extra charge.  Too bad the trip probably won't happen ;-(


----------



## scrappinginontario

pooch said:


> I was able to move our too early nonstop home for a much nicer and more expensive late evening flight at no extra charge.  Too bad the trip probably won't happen ;-(


Oh, I hear you!! 

I keep doing things (booking an ADR, changing flights, making park reservations, etc) even though I'm 99% sure this trip will never happen.


----------



## pooch

Don't expect any of the quarantines to be lifted and I don't have 5 weeks to spend on this trip.


----------



## scrappinginontario

I will cancel our flights and thankfully have the option to fly out of Toronto....if I feel the trip is safe.  That's my biggest concern at this time.  We will have to quarantine for 2 weeks upon returning to Canada but I'll be working from home so that will work.  Will need to see if online schooling is offered for my daughter though.


----------



## momtwoboys

pooch said:


> lucky I guess, our nonstop from BDL was only moved by 15 minutes.





pooch said:


> lucky I guess, our nonstop from BDL was only moved by 15 minutes.


with our departing SW flight the only thing that had changed in the past 3 months was the time by 15 minutes, then today BAM it went to a layover in Baltimore. So I was not having it, cancelled and rebooked nonstop with JB for 25!


----------



## pooch

Yeah my nonstops both ways are still intact.


----------



## MinnieMSue

I’ve had the red banner for more than a week for my September flights yet again. I keep anxiously checking them multiple times a day to make sure they haven’t changed. They changed a couple months ago or so but only by an hour each way. I am worried they will cut the nonstop flights that are at perfect times for us to maximize our Disney time


----------



## DebbieB

I was able to switch my PIT-LAX to PIT-SNA for 9/30-10/4 for no extra fare.   Disneyland - good chance it will not happen.   I have a feeling of deja vu, I went through the same thing with April and June to WDW.   Fares kept dropping, isn't this great.   Then cancel.


----------



## wishinon3stars

On the email we received from SW changing our flights, it has a column that says “booking class”. Our changed flight is Listed as Z and our other flight is listed as N. 
I've never seen this before. Does anyone know what it means?


----------



## FRANKTSJR

I got the flight change email this morning. Went from a direct flight 3 hours to change planes 5 hours. I'm not happy. I tried to change via the link they sent but it doesn't work so I'll have to call. FYI- my booking class shows G and I don't know what it means.


----------



## wishinon3stars

FRANKTSJR said:


> I got the flight change email this morning. Went from a direct flight 3 hours to change planes 5 hours. I'm not happy. I tried to change via the link they sent but it doesn't work so I'll have to call. FYI- my booking class shows G and I don't know what it means.



I couldn’t change mine online either. I’m currently on hold with SW


----------



## BillSears

momtwoboys said:


> with our departing SW flight the only thing that had changed in the past 3 months was the time by 15 minutes, then today BAM it went to a layover in Baltimore. So I was not having it, cancelled and rebooked nonstop with JB for 25!



I just got the email saying my nonstop from Baltimore to Orlando now has a stop in Albany.  Yes they expect me to fly north to Albany then fly south to Orlando increasing the flight time by almost 3 hours and no longer a nonstop.


----------



## beercity

BillSears said:


> I just got the email saying my nonstop from Baltimore to Orlando now has a stop in Albany.  Yes they expect me to fly north to Albany then fly south to Orlando increasing the flight time by almost 3 hours and no longer a nonstop.


They tried to move us from MDW-MCO to MCO-DFW-BWI-MCO. 
luckily there were other good options for direct


----------



## shoreward

beercity said:


> They tried to move us from MDW-MCO to MCO-DFW-BWI-MCO.
> luckily there were other good options for direct


Hey, they are giving you a bargain.  Just think of all of those extra miles you would be flying, at no additional cost.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

wishinon3stars said:


> I couldn’t change mine online either. I’m currently on hold with SW


Yes once a SWA employee makes a change to your reservation it will not allow the customer to make their own changes and you have to call in.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

BillSears said:


> I just got the email saying my nonstop from Baltimore to Orlando now has a stop in Albany.  Yes they expect me to fly north to Albany then fly south to Orlando increasing the flight time by almost 3 hours and no longer a nonstop.


They have some of the oddest routes. Cle - Nashville  goes to Houston then to St. Louis then to Nashville.  Or another route is Cle - MDW - DTW _ BNA.


----------



## cmarsh31

BillSears said:


> I just got the email saying my nonstop from Baltimore to Orlando now has a stop in Albany.  Yes they expect me to fly north to Albany then fly south to Orlando increasing the flight time by almost 3 hours and no longer a nonstop.



But at least they put back some of the non-stops from ALB! For a while they were all gone!


----------



## wishinon3stars

BillSears said:


> I just got the email saying my nonstop from Baltimore to Orlando now has a stop in Albany.  Yes they expect me to fly north to Albany then fly south to Orlando increasing the flight time by almost 3 hours and no longer a nonstop.



 what are they thinking? My direct flight from N.H. got changed to a stop in Baltimore and then on to Orlando. At least we kept going in the right direction. There has to be plenty of direct flights from Baltimore to Orlando because that is where most of our flights go through now.
I was able to change to leave a day earlier and booked a direct flight. Although that will probably get changed too before we leave .


----------



## wishinon3stars

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> Yes once a SWA employee makes a change to your reservation it will not allow the customer to make their own changes and you have to call in.



Thanks for that info It makes sense because my return flight had gotten changed and I had to call on that portion of the trip already.


----------



## shoreward

I just received change notifications from Southwest, even though I checked my flights a few hours ago, and the original flights were still listed.  One flight is still a nonstop, but would mean I would need to depart for the airport by 4:00 AM.  The other change goes from a nonstop to a one-stop direct, departing one hour earlier and arriving about one hour later.  With the next schedule extension currently noted to be released toward the end of August, I expect the reduction in flights will be built in for Q1 2021.  Hopefully, that means that for the most part, we will just have to watch out for schedule changes through 01/04/2021.

Southwest expects to reduce their workforce by almost 30% in October, which is the earliest they can do so, due to the government funding received to maintain employee levels.

This is a very difficult situation for all of the airlines.  I just can’t fault Southwest and think they are handling the situation much better, than most other carriers.  This is becoming survival mode for the airlines.

https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2020/07/20...ines-workers-extended-leave-early-retirement/
Update:  I was able to change the super early nonstop departure to a nonstop departing about 2-1/2 hours later, than my originally-booked flight, which will be fine.

My change notice indicated that the change window is now only 14 days, not the previous 30 day window.  However, the system does still allow changes within a 30 day window.


----------



## BillSears

I did go in and change my flight.  I leave one hour later than I had originally planned but get to Orlando 2 hours earlier than going with the non-direct flight SWA had changed me to.

I feel like I should have gotten some credit on my flight though. I guess with everything up in the air they aren't giving credits for flight cost differences? Or maybe it's because this is the second time I've changed it since the original flights I had were for May and now it's October.


----------



## shoreward

BillSears said:


> I did go in and change my flight.  I leave one hour later than I had originally planned but get to Orlando 2 hours earlier than going with the non-direct flight SWA had changed me to.
> 
> I feel like I should have gotten some credit on my flight though. I guess with everything up in the air they aren't giving credits for flight cost differences? Or maybe it's because this is the second time I've changed it since the original flights I had were for May and now it's October.


If the new flight has a lower fare, you can cancel the flight you don’t want, then use the funds or points to book the new, lower-priced flight.  When the banner shows, it will allow you to change to a more expensive flight, at no additional cost, but the system won’t give you a credit for lower fare, under the original confirmation number..


----------



## Fangorn

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> They have some of the oddest routes. Cle - Nashville  goes to Houston then to St. Louis then to Nashville.  Or another route is Cle - MDW - DTW _ BNA.



The reality is that these strange routes are system generated - they haven't been created by a human. Schedules are set to maximize the usage of aircraft, and are generally established to accommodate the most typical routes and city pairs. Once the basic structure is set, the system calculates all possible routes between any two points (within some parameters- like no more than 2 stops and getting there the same day). Hence some really weird routings.

Something similar happens when a flight is canceled. The system attempts to rebook into a new flight with "similar" characteristics. From my experience, that seems to be a flight at a similar departure time, or, if that's not possible, at a similar arrival time. Of course, the system doesn't know why you chose that original flight and typically "chooses poorly".

Steve


----------



## georgina

momtwoboys said:


> with our departing SW flight the only thing that had changed in the past 3 months was the time by 15 minutes, then today BAM it went to a layover in Baltimore. So I was not having it, cancelled and rebooked nonstop with JB for 25!


I'm waiting for this to happen to me for Oct. So far outgoing flight moved 1/2 hour and incoming moved 1 hr but both still non-stop to/from PIT. JB is not an option from here.


----------



## shoreward

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news...22-20-intl/h_2f88ac3aefc3adf15a32994d52b26a56
The only exception will be children under the age of two.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1285333845080977413


----------



## DebbieB

They changed my SNA-DEN-PIT to a 7 1/2 hour layover in Las Vegas!   Strange thing is there was a Denver flight leaving 30 minutes later that would work.  It looked really strange, it was like SNA-LAS and then LAS-PIT but not looking like a connection.  It said I had to call.  I looked at the other flight through Denver and it was less points, so I just cancelled it and rebooked.  $91 each way or 5958 points!


----------



## Leigh L

If memory serves, SW was the airline that once returned flight results that had us leaving IAD/DC going to Denver then to BWI/DC before arriving at MCO. IAD very rarely has any direct SW flights to MCO but I thought it funny they were bringing us back to a DC airport.


----------



## TXMemaw

We have several flights booked in late September and in October.  Over the last two days, every flight has been changed.  A couple actually worked out better for us but a couple were also those crazy routes like those posted above.  I was able to go in and change the crazy routes to one's that worked better with no issue.


----------



## shoreward

Posted today by Southwest:



> We know how important it is to have the space you need to feel comfortable onboard our planes. That’s why we’re now keeping middle seats open through at least Oct. 31. Click to learn more about the Southwest Promise and how we’re supporting your well-being. #SouthwestHeartStrong


----------



## scrappinginontario

shoreward said:


> Posted today by Southwest:


Southwest always does things so well!!  Disappointed that we're going to have to cancel our SW flights due to closed border and mandatory quarantine.  Hoping Canadian airlines aren't always full either but not really sure.


----------



## EACarlson

beercity said:


> They tried to move us from MDW-MCO to MCO-DFW-BWI-MCO.
> luckily there were other good options for direct


MIne wasn't that bad,  MDW-MCO became MDW-BNA-MCO.  Switched that real quick to another nonstop MDW-MCO that left two hours later than my original flight.  The system changed me from a 0500 take off to an 0600 that landed at 1050 when there was another non stop that landed at 1025.


----------



## Llama mama

EACarlson said:


> MIne wasn't that bad,  MDW-MCO became MDW-BNA-MCO.  Switched that real quick to another nonstop MDW-MCO that left two hours later than my original flight.  The system changed me from a 0500 take off to an 0600 that landed at 1050 when there was another non stop that landed at 1025.


Was this recent? I am flying out of MDW this Friday?


----------



## EACarlson

This happened this week for a flight in mid October.


----------



## chicagoshannon

Anyone know if a face shield is ok on the flight?  We looked it up but it is unclear.


----------



## shoreward

chicagoshannon said:


> Anyone know if a face shield is ok on the flight?  We looked it up but it is unclear.


This what the website states:



> Customers will be required to wear a face covering over their nose and mouth at all times during their Southwest travel experience—while checking in, boarding, while in flight, deplaning, retrieving baggage; and any other time they may engage with a Southwest Employee or another Customer.  Customers are required to wear a face covering in order to board the plane.



It is slightly uncertain, as no specific types of face coverings are spelled out.  For a definitive answer, I would call or ask on Twitter or FB.


----------



## focusondisney

Face shields protect the wearer. Face masks protect others from you.  I’m sure they will allow you to wear a face shield in addition to a mask, but not _instead_ of it.


----------



## chicagoshannon

shoreward said:


> This what the website states:
> 
> 
> 
> It is slightly uncertain, as no specific types of face coverings are spelled out.  For a definitive answer, I would call or ask on Twitter or FB.


Thanks that's what we found just wondered if anyone had personal experience.  We'll probably end up calling to find out.


----------



## focusondisney

chicagoshannon said:


> Thanks that's what we found just wondered if anyone had personal experience.  We'll probably end up calling to find out.



This is on the FAQ page:



Again, face shields in addition to a mask would be fine. Not instead of a mask because a shield does not contain any virus you exhale  into the air.  A face shield would protect your eyes, but does not protect others from you.  A shield does not cover your mouth & nose in the intended way.


----------



## chicagoshannon

focusondisney said:


> This is on the FAQ page:
> 
> View attachment 513656
> 
> Again, face shields in addition to a mask would be fine. Not instead of a mask because a shield does not contain any virus you exhale  into the air.  A face shield would protect your eyes, but does not protect others from you.  A shield does not cover your mouth & nose in the intended way.


I'm a nurse. I know exactly what masks do and don't do.  I only asked if they were acceptable not for opinions on if they work or not.  We'll have to call and ask.  Thanks.


----------



## pooch

I think the poster was just trying to be helpful.  The information he/she posted from SWA clearly states the covering must be a mask.


----------



## pooh'smate

Has anyone who had their flight changed not have their EBC transfer? Does it usually show up automatically? SW changed my flights today and my EBC is not there anymore.


----------



## zoo2tycoon

chicagoshannon said:


> I'm a nurse. I know exactly what masks do and don't do.  I only asked if they were acceptable not for opinions on if they work or not.  We'll have to call and ask.  Thanks.



So as a nurse then you feel a face shield is acceptable?


----------



## shoreward

pooh'smate said:


> Has anyone who had their flight changed not have their EBC transfer? Does it usually show up automatically? SW changed my flights today and my EBC is not there anymore.


Was your confirmation number changed?  If it does not show up by tomorrow, I would call them with all pertinent info at hand.  If they changed your flights, and not confirmation number, Early Bird should still be there.  If they changed your confirmation number, they need to reinstate Early Bird Check-in for you.  I have not had it disappear, when the confirmation number was not changed,


----------



## scrappinginontario

pooh'smate said:


> Has anyone who had their flight changed not have their EBC transfer? Does it usually show up automatically? SW changed my flights today and my EBC is not there anymore.


  I just checked and mine is still there.  I believe SWchanged my flights last Wed or Thurs.


----------



## wishinon3stars

pooh'smate said:


> Has anyone who had their flight changed not have their EBC transfer? Does it usually show up automatically? SW changed my flights today and my EBC is not there anymore.



on our first flight change, the agent could not get our EBC to transfer. She had to refund our original EBC and rebook the EBC.  If I remember correctly I specifically asked about it otherwise I don’t think it would have transferred.  On our second flight change the agent was able to transfer the EBC with our change. I would suggest you call to make sure it’s still on your flight.


----------



## Fangorn

This has been an issue with EBCI almost since its inception - it's not specific to any of the covid-related stuff.  Most of the time,  EBCI moves just fine when a flight is changed.  But occasionally, even SW agents can't get it move. They can see that it was on the old flight, but the system won't let them move it or restore it. I've had situations where they've been able to do both, and other times where they can't (and are perhaps more frustrated than I am about it). At least they are able to refund and re-purchase. It's still a hassle though. 

Steve


----------



## wishinon3stars

Fangorn said:


> This has been an issue with EBCI almost since its inception - it's not specific to any of the covid-related stuff.  Most of the time,  EBCI moves just fine when a flight is changed.  But occasionally, even SW agents can't get it move. They can see that it was on the old flight, but the system won't let them move it or restore it. I've had situations where they've been able to do both, and other times where they can't (and are perhaps more frustrated than I am about it). At least they are able to refund and re-purchase. It's still a hassle though.
> 
> Steve


 yes this!  The agent was definitely more frustrated about not being able to transfer it than I was


----------



## pooh'smate

shoreward said:


> Was your confirmation number changed?  If it does not show up by tomorrow, I would call them with all pertinent info at hand.  If they changed your flights, and not confirmation number, Early Bird should still be there.  If they changed your confirmation number, they need to reinstate Early Bird Check-in for you.  I have not had it disappear, when the confirmation number was not changed,





scrappinginontario said:


> I just checked and mine is still there.  I believe SWchanged my flights last Wed or Thurs.





wishinon3stars said:


> on our first flight change, the agent could not get our EBC to transfer. She had to refund our original EBC and rebook the EBC.  If I remember correctly I specifically asked about it otherwise I don’t think it would have transferred.  On our second flight change the agent was able to transfer the EBC with our change. I would suggest you call to make sure it’s still on your flight.





Fangorn said:


> This has been an issue with EBCI almost since its inception - it's not specific to any of the covid-related stuff.  Most of the time,  EBCI moves just fine when a flight is changed.  But occasionally, even SW agents can't get it move. They can see that it was on the old flight, but the system won't let them move it or restore it. I've had situations where they've been able to do both, and other times where they can't (and are perhaps more frustrated than I am about it). At least they are able to refund and re-purchase. It's still a hassle though.
> 
> Steve


Thanks everyone. I just checked and it is still missing. My confirmation number is the same though this is the third time they have changed my flight.  I guess I will be calling tomorrow. Every other time (this flight and previous flights we have flown on SW) my EBC has always transferred.


----------



## zoo2tycoon

pooh'smate said:


> Thanks everyone. I just checked and it is still missing. My confirmation number is the same though this is the third time they have changed my flight.  I guess I will be calling tomorrow. Every other time (this flight and previous flights we have flown on SW) my EBC has always transferred.


 If you have Twitter SW is great about helping there. I’m not a Twitter person but have account to use to contact places if I need assistance.


----------



## focusondisney

pooh'smate said:


> Thanks everyone. I just checked and it is still missing. My confirmation number is the same though this is the third time they have changed my flight.  I guess I will be calling tomorrow. Every other time (this flight and previous flights we have flown on SW) my EBC has always transferred.



I had  this issue for our upcoming September trip. We were on a nonstop & it got changed to a connecting flight thru Baltimore.  The very next day, a new nonstop appeared at our airport, just 10 minutes after our original flight. The flight number had changed.  I called & was able to move to the new nonstop. Our early bird had transferred with the first change, but did not transfer when we were moved to the new nonstop.  The agents reason was that the destination cities were now different so the computer would recognize it as the same trip & would  not move the EB.  I had to be refunded & rebooked.  

Since I had purchased the EB within minutes of flight release, I was upset that we had lost “our place in line”.  The agent gave me the number to call customer service.  There was still nothing he could do to get us back to our original place. However that agent did offer to reimburse us if we wanted to buy the A1-15 spots at the airport.  He made a file & gave me a case number to call after our flight.  There is the gamble that those spots will be unavailable that day, but if they are, we would need to buy at the gate & get reimbursed later.


----------



## pooh'smate

focusondisney said:


> I had  this issue for our upcoming September trip. We were on a nonstop & it got changed to a connecting flight thru Baltimore.  The very next day, a new nonstop appeared at our airport, just 10 minutes after our original flight. The flight number had changed.  I called & was able to move to the new nonstop. Our early bird had transferred with the first change, but did not transfer when we were moved to the new nonstop.  The agents reason was that the destination cities were now different so the computer would recognize it as the same trip & would  not move the EB.  I had to be refunded & rebooked.
> 
> Since I had purchased the EB within minutes of flight release, I was upset that we had lost “our place in line”.  The agent gave me the number to call customer service.  There was still nothing he could do to get us back to our original place. However that agent did offer to reimburse us if we wanted to buy the A1-15 spots at the airport.  He made a file & gave me a case number to call after our flight.  There is the gamble that those spots will be unavailable that day, but if they are, we would need to buy at the gate & get reimbursed later.



Thank you I will definitely bring that up about losing our places because I too bought our ebc when I bought our tickets right when the window opened.


----------



## kaytieeldr

georgina said:


> hr





chicagoshannon said:


> I'm a nurse. I know exactly what masks do and don't do.  I only asked if they were acceptable not for opinions on if they work or not.  We'll have to call and ask.  Thanks.


You actually don't (didn't!) need to call. According to the paragraph @georgina circled, Southwest indicates the need for "any well-defined mask or cloth covering..." . A face shield is not cloth, and it is not a mask.


----------



## Ariel620

A while ago SW told us that travel funds could be converted to points, has this feature become available yet?  I can't find it.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Ariel620 said:


> A while ago SW told us that travel funds could be converted to points, has this feature become available yet?  I can't find it.


Not yet.  We're still waiting.


----------



## Fangorn

Ariel620 said:


> A while ago SW told us that travel funds could be converted to points, has this feature become available yet?  I can't find it.



No, not yet. 

Steve


----------



## Seabean

Just got back and wanted to mention that the kiosks for printing the tags for checked bags is easy.. but if a SW check in person is not busy (this happened at MCO)  they'll take your bags at the weigh in counter and do it for you.... very helpful.


----------



## irt9206

Next release date moved up to August 13th.


----------



## Llama mama

Hoping to make it into MCO on early Friday morning! Come on Southwest!


----------



## jkelly86

irt9206 said:


> Next release date moved up to August 13th.



Thank you for posting this!


----------



## shoreward

https://facebook.com/events/s/chase-sound-check-with-brett-e/2750748038516416/?ti=icl


----------



## nkereina

I'm booked in late October and still holding out hope, but if I decide to cancel or have to due to state quarantine mandates, is there a date I need to cancel by in order to make sure my travel funds are still extended through 9/7/22? I haven't been following any updates or changes over the last few weeks, but last I knew, travel funds were extended to 9/7/22 but flights needed to be cancelled by 9/7/20 in order for that to be effective - I think that's what it was lol. Appreciate any clarification!


----------



## shoreward

nkereina said:


> I'm booked in late October and still holding out hope, but if I decide to cancel or have to due to state quarantine mandates, is there a date I need to cancel by in order to make sure my travel funds are still extended through 9/7/22? I haven't been following any updates or changes over the last few weeks, but last I knew, travel funds were extended to 9/7/22 but flights needed to be cancelled by 9/7/20 in order for that to be effective - I think that's what it was lol. Appreciate any clarification!


From Southwest:

*Canceling your Southwest flightUpdated July 21, 2020 at 11:30 a.m. CT.*
If you decide not to travel, as long as you cancel your flight at least 10 minutes before its scheduled departure, the funds used to pay for a nonrefundable ticket (Wanna Get Away® fares) are normally valid for one year from the date of purchase.
*However, in recognition of the current travel environment, we are extending the expiration date of some travel funds:*

Customers’ funds that have expired or will expire between March 1, 2020 and September 7, 2020, will now expire September 7, 2022.
Any travel funds created because you cancel a flight between March 1 – September 7, 2020, will expire September 7, 2022.
For recently cancelled tickets and newly created travel funds, it may take up to five business days for the expiration date to change to September 7, 2022. Typically, the expiration date is updated at midnight after the fund creation.
It’s important to note, while these unused travel funds will be available until September 7, 2022, once the funds are used to make a purchase, the expiration date of the travel funds will then follow our normal ticketing rules and will expire 12 months from the date of purchase.
For example:

Your original unused travel funds with confirmation number OLD111 expired on March 19, 2020.
These unused travel funds were extended to an expiration date of September 7, 2022.
You use some of those funds on August 1, 2020 to book new travel in September under confirmation number NEW111.
If for some reason you need to cancel this new flight, your unused travel funds associated with confirmation number NEW111 will be valid for 12 months from the booking date which means they will expire August 1, 2021.
Any remaining unused travel funds tied to OLD111 will be available through September 7, 2022.
We have also added a new benefit for our valued Rapid Rewards Members. *Those Members who have travel funds that are set to expire or funds that are created between March 1, 2020 and September 7, 2020 will have the option to convert those travel funds into Rapid Rewards points at the same rate you would be able to purchase a ticket with points today.* We hope this provides our Members ultimate flexibility as Rapid Rewards points never expire, never have cancel or change fees (fare difference may apply), and you can redeem your points for anyone you choose.
Our Technology Team is working to build this conversion capability, and we will be in touch when it is ready for you to use. In the meantime, you don’t need to take any action—your travel funds will be automatically extended for the two years mentioned above, and you will be able to make this conversion once we bring this new functionality to fruition.


----------



## pooh'smate

Just an update on my EBC question I asked a few days ago. I called SW and the wait time was to long so I sent an email just to see what they would do. They replied and said I had to call so this morning when I pulled up my ticket information I noticed the EBC had been added on some time after 11:30pm last night. I had checked my account when I noticed the email reply last night. So I was able to get it fixed without calling.


----------



## Livelovedance

Just a friendly reminder to keep checking your flight prices. I have a December trip booked (I’m hopeful that it’ll still happen but I’ll cancel if we’re not ready). This week I’ve changed one way of our trip two times, and saved over 5,000 points per person


----------



## Crazyhorse

Livelovedance said:


> Just a friendly reminder to keep checking your flight prices. I have a December trip booked (I’m hopeful that it’ll still happen but I’ll cancel if we’re not ready). This week I’ve changed one way of our trip two times, and saved over 5,000 points per person


Hoping it's gonna happen...we're first week of December..and have booked air at $45.00 each way, from Chicago, non stop.  Can't beat that!


----------



## Livelovedance

Crazyhorse said:


> Hoping it's gonna happen...we're first week of December..and have booked air at $45.00 each way, from Chicago, non stop.  Can't beat that!


That’s amazing! I’m hopeful for both of us!


----------



## han22735

Livelovedance said:


> Just a friendly reminder to keep checking your flight prices. I have a December trip booked (I’m hopeful that it’ll still happen but I’ll cancel if we’re not ready). This week I’ve changed one way of our trip two times, and saved over 5,000 points per person


I agree.  I was able to re-book mine last week for our trip mid-August.  We are down to 7400 points RT per person.


----------



## IluvMGM

They are at it again, changed my flight home for the second time. Luckily I was able to change it to a non-stop at a decent time.


----------



## JoJoGirl

Waiting for the shoe to drop ...

The red change banner is showing on my September flights, though my flight itinerary is still listed just as I booked it.  However, when I try to change flights, all the flights from my airport on those days show as unavailable.  The ones I am booked on aren’t even showing anymore. There are some acceptable nonstops, but I can’t book them. *sigh*

Fun, fun!  Guess I’ll see what happens tomorrow!


----------



## teawar

SWA keeps making it harder to for my family to take a quick weekend trip WDW and make it a feasible visit. The late night departure flight from MCO to BHM has disappeared for Labor Day weekend. I just got switched from a 9pm flight to a 9am! We lost an entire park day! (I know in perspective to Covid this is nothing, but an escape from our high stress jobs is still nice!)


----------



## scrappinginontario

I just looked and our flight from buffalo to Orlando was changed.  There was no notification from southwest.  We had a direct flight booked and the flight they moved us to now has a stopover and no direct flights are being offered.  Disappointed for sure!!


----------



## JoJoGirl

Called SW about my September flight changes and was able to get switched to the new nonstops, even though they showed unavailable online.  Lost 2/3 of my departure park day, which really hurts because my trip is only three nights. Oh well, it is what it is.  Just thankful I still get to go!

Fingers crossed for no more changes!


----------



## Lsdolphin

Just a heads up for Sept travelers...you might want to check your current flight status...I received an email from SW a few hours ago stating that my return flight had been chged...new flight was scheduled for just 15 min later which was fine but the email showed my arrival date as unchanged. I went online to see what options were being offered in case I did want to change my return flight and discovered my arrival flight was no longer even listed although I have not received any change notification for that flight!  Luckily I was able to change my arrival flight for a flight that is an hour earlier but the flight that would have been closest to my original flight shows as unavailable.
This is the fourth change notification I have received for this trip!
**there was no charge for changing my flights.


----------



## tinkerbella16

Lsdolphin said:


> Just a heads up for Sept travelers...you might want to check your current flight status...I received an email from SW a few hours ago stating that my return flight had been chged...new flight was scheduled for just 15 min later which was fine but the email showed my arrival date as unchanged. I went online to see what options were being offered in case I did want to change my return flight and discovered my arrival flight was no longer even listed although I have not received any change notification for that flight!  Luckily I was able to change my arrival flight for a flight that is an hour earlier but the flight that would have been closest to my original flight shows as unavailable.
> This is the fourth change notification I have received for this trip!
> **there was no charge for changing my flights.


Ughhh! Same here. We had the 1st flight in the morning, nonstop on 9/12! They changed us with no notification to 3pm, 1 stop and now we miss our whole first day, arriving after 9pm. I am calling now to get us on the only nonstop flight the night before. We are going to just fly in the night before and stay at the Hyatt in the airport and get on DME the next morning so we don't lose a whole day. I can't believe they got rid of so many flights.

ETA: Was able to change our flight to the night before, nonstop at no extra cost and we were able to add an extra night at Pop.


----------



## elgerber

Question.  My dh has a flight booked for business trip, paid for by his boss.  If they cancel the flight, the credit goes in my husbands name because the flight is in his name?


----------



## MinnieMSue

On hold with southwest now. They didn’t change my departure flight but changed my return flight which was a late evening direct 2 hr  to an afternoon flight that is 6 hours counting layover. That obliterated my last day. There is a red banner but it doesn’t appear to say I can change my flight for free. Ugh. I am going to add a night at pop and try to get an 11:30 direct flight out. 46 min estimated hold time. I received no emails from SW either. Not surprised this happened but very annoyed they took away the ability to change for free. My red banner is just a covid alert I guess.


----------



## tinkerbella16

MinnieMSue said:


> On hold with southwest now. They didn’t change my departure flight but changed my return flight which was a late evening direct 2 hr  to an afternoon flight that is 6 hours counting layover. That obliterated my last day. There is a red banner but it doesn’t appear to say I can change my flight for free. Ugh. I am going to add a night at pop and try to get an 11:30 direct flight out. 46 min estimated hold time. I received no emails from SW either. Not surprised this happened but very annoyed they took away the ability to change for free. My red banner is just a covid alert I guess.


You should be able to change for free. We did and we are flying out a day earlier than originally planned. I called and did it over the phone. The lady over the phone said all fees are being waived.


----------



## MinnieMSue

tinkerbella16 said:


> You should be able to change for free. We did and we are flying out a day earlier than originally planned. I called and did it over the phone. The lady over the phone said all fees are being waived.



thats awesome!  I appreciate that. I was hoping that would be the case. Sounds like they obliterated a lot of people’s plans. Next I will book a night at pop and hope they can blend them together. Maybe I will call and see if they can just add a night to the trip. I have the sun and fun offer so I don’t want them to screw that up. I do see I can make a 1 night reservation   if necessary


----------



## shoreward

elgerber said:


> Question.  My dh has a flight booked for business trip, paid for by his boss.  If they cancel the flight, the credit goes in my husbands name because the flight is in his name?


If Southwest cancels the original flight, the cost can be credited back to the original form of payment, if requested.  The best way to do that is to call in.  Most airlines prefer to just issue a credit for future travel, but if the airline _cancels _the flight, it is required to refund the cost, upon request.


----------



## elgerber

shoreward said:


> If Southwest cancels the original flight, the cost can be credited back to the original form of payment, if requested.  The best way to do that is to call in.  Most airlines prefer to just issue a credit for future travel, but if the airline _cancels _the flight, it is required to refund the cost, upon request.


Sorry, I worded that wrong, I meant if they, meaning my dh and his boss, cancel the flight.


----------



## tinkerbella16

MinnieMSue said:


> thats awesome!  I appreciate that. I was hoping that would be the case. Sounds like they obliterated a lot of people’s plans. Next I will book a night at pop and hope they can blend them together. Maybe I will call and see if they can just add a night to the trip. I have the sun and fun offer so I don’t want them to screw that up. I do see I can make a 1 night reservation   if necessary


They obliterated our arrival day. We were all set for an early 6am, direct flight to MCO and they changed it to 3pm with 1 stop, getting us there at 9pm. Our first day would have been wasted. So we are flying in a day early and booked the hotel in the airport but I think we are going to try to get a 1 night stay at Pop instead. My sister is calling now to see. Now I am worried they will change something again before we go.


----------



## MinnieMSue

tinkerbella16 said:


> They obliterated our arrival day. We were all set for an early 6am, direct flight to MCO and they changed it to 3pm with 1 stop, getting us there at 9pm. Our first day would have been wasted. So we are flying in a day early and booked the hotel in the airport but I think we are going to try to get a 1 night stay at Pop instead. My sister is calling now to see. Now I am worried they will change something again before we go.



This is literally the opposite of us. We got a free change of flight For our departure to the next day and then I called Disney and the really really good cast member was able to add a night to our Pop stay under the sun and fun discount we had booked. Also he tried to add our flight to magical express but the flight number didn’t exist. Hope this isn’t a bad sign -maybe they created a new flight recently or something. It is listed every day around our trip but not in some flight apps that I have tried. I will call or fill out the ME form later


----------



## tinkerbella16

MinnieMSue said:


> This is literally the opposite of us. We got a free change of flight For our departure to the next day and then I called Disney and the really really good cast member was able to add a night to our Pop stay under the sun and fun discount we had booked. Also he tried to add our flight to magical express but the flight number didn’t exist. Hope this isn’t a bad sign -maybe they created a new flight recently or something. It is listed every day around our trip but not in some flight apps that I have tried. I will call or fill out the ME form later


OMG this really is the exact opposite! We booked an extra night at Pop, and they set up our new DME and when we gave them our flight number, they couldn't find the flight number. It is still listed on the website to purchase tickets and on our itinerary on my SW account. What a crazy morning this turned out to be.


----------



## MinnieMSue

tinkerbella16 said:


> OMG this really is the exact opposite! We booked an extra night at Pop, and they set up our new DME and when we gave them our flight number, they couldn't find the flight number. It is still listed on the website to purchase tickets and on our itinerary on my SW account. What a crazy morning this turned out to be.



Wow we must be twins separated from birth cause that is exactly what happened to us too


----------



## PCFriar80

irt9206 said:


> Not sure if this was already posted.
> We are currently accepting air reservations through January 4, 2021. On August 27, 2020 we will open our schedule for sale through March 10, 2021. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


Just checked SWA and looks like the 8/27 date has been pushed up by 2 weeks to 8/13 and flight reservations extended a month to 4/11/21.  This may have already been posted, but just in case.....
We are currently accepting air reservations through January 4, 2021. *On August 13, 2020* we will open our schedule for sale through *April 11, 2021. *This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

Just saw a news story that SWA is scaling back their number of flights this fall because recovery is not going as planned.


----------



## MinnieMSue

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> Just saw a news story that SWA is scaling back their number of flights this fall because recovery is not going as planned.



yep and at the same time they put the news out that they aren’t doing as much between flight cleaning because they have added more flights. They definitely cut a LOT of non stop flights. Not sure about the rest. Still my favorite airline but it is getting much harder to book convenient times for our trips.I just keep saying “this too shall pass”


----------



## pooch

My perfect time easy breezy 2 1/2 hour nonstops 9/7-9/12 have just been changed to 6 hour nightmares with layovers in Baltimore.  This is the straw that broke this Camels back.  There are no nonstops from BDL at all either way.  This trip is just too much work, too much trying to make the best of it.  My magic bands (the last time I think we’ll be able to get them) should ship next week.  As soon as I get them, I will cancel the trip.  Silly but this band will give me every one of the 8 original colors and I WANT IT!!!


----------



## focusondisney

And apparently SW just cancelled our trip!!!!  I just an email that my SW rapid rewards point balance has been adjusted due to a flight change or cancellation.  Logged into the account, no upcoming flights showing  & my confirmation number says flight was cancelled. I didn’t cancel anything.   The nonstop down is gone from the schedule, but the flight home is still showing & open for booking.

   Trying to decide if I want to even bother calling since we are 99% sure we’ll cancel anyway.  There’s almost no way Florida will be off NY’s quarantine list in 5 weeks.  But really.... cancel both our flights, don’t reschedule us & no notice either.  WTH!


----------



## pooh'smate

Ugh SW changed my flight to fly MCO to DAL (arrive on DAL at 3:05pm) DAL to OMA on an 11:25am flight both on 9/23 so I guess I will be calling


----------



## married2grumpy

Both of my September non stops from ISP/MCO now have plane changes at BWI


----------



## Chumpieboy

2.5 hr directs from Philadelphia were changed to a 6-hour jaunt through Nashville and an 8-hour trip through Atlanta.  Complete different times of day from the originals too.  

Called and was able to change to a direct and a one-stop with no plane change.


----------



## shoreward

There seem to be further widespread fare reductions today.  If you have upcoming flights, it may worth checking.  It looks like about a 20% reduction, based on route, availability, and when you booked or last refared your ticket. Of course, the fares may be lower today, but not tomorrow, so it can pay to not delay checking.

I was able to get a points refund on my friend's r/t that will be enough to pay for a future one-way flight.


----------



## mom2elle

Has anyone flown recently who can describe changes to the boarding process? Does it take much longer?


----------



## easyas123

mom2elle said:


> Has anyone flown recently who can describe changes to the boarding process? Does it take much longer?



We flew in June - so it may have changed since then - but what they asked was that folks only board 10 or 20 at a time.
For instance, they'd call Boarding Group A, 1-15.  Then after those folks boarded, they called Boarding Group A, 16-30, and so on.  Guess they were trying to tame the cattle call and large group of folks standing up close.  It worked well with our flights, and passengers did as asked and didn't crowd the boarding area, only coming up when called.  I've heard other stories of just the opposite though, so your mileage may vary.


----------



## pooch

Got my trip moved to November WITH my 35% discount intact.  The flight changes for our September trip was just too much to take.  SO FAR, SWA schedule for November is perfect and actually cheaper,  nonstop R/T $160 each,


----------



## married2grumpy

I have only flown nonstop with SWA. Now our flights have plane changes. How does that work with boarding at the layover airport? Do we pre-board or do we keep the same boarding group from prior flight?


----------



## BelleOftheBall16

married2grumpy said:


> I have only flown nonstop with SWA. Now our flights have plane changes. How does that work with boarding at the layover airport? Do we pre-board or do we keep the same boarding group from prior flight?


When you check in you will have 2 boarding passes. One for each leg of the flight. So you will have a different boarding position for each flight.


----------



## shoreward

Southwest recently updated their face covering requirements.



> Customers are required to wear a face covering over their nose and mouth at all times during their Southwest travel experience. It is highly encouraged to bring your own hand sanitizer and face covering. In accordance with the current CDC guidance, a well-secured cloth or mask that fits snugly against the face, covers an individual’s nose and mouth, and is secured under the chin will be accepted. In alignment with the intention of this policy, these are a few examples of coverings that will not be accepted: (1)Those with holes in the covering, including those with exhalation valves or those made solely of materials like mesh or lace fabrics and (2)Those that cannot be secured under the chin, including bandanas and face shields. Face shields may be worn in addition to face coverings, but not in place of face coverings. Neck gaiters (also called multi-bands) may be worn as face coverings so long as they cover the nose and mouth and are secured under the chin.


----------



## Lsdolphin

I paid for the EB when I initially booked my Sept flights but they have been changed 4 times so now the EB is probably just a waste of money if they apply it based on when you’ve booked your flight ...


----------



## MinnieMSue

Lsdolphin said:


> I paid for the EB when I initially booked my Sept flights but they have been changed 4 times so now the EB is probably just a waste of money if they apply it based on when you’ve booked your flight ...



yeah I am thinking the same except with no middle seats it prob doesn’t matter anyway. Also probably almost everyone had flights changed so most are in the same boat.


----------



## focusondisney

Late last night I booked a trip for Nov/Dec.  I got a small pop up asking me to take a survey as I finished booking.  It was maybe 6 or 7 questions. Asked how long I had been planning the trip & a few questions about why I picked SW.   I thought some of the answer options were interesting... included things like nonstop flights, middle seats open, enhanced cleaning, SW’s flexible change & cancellation policy as reasons. Also had a question about if I would use SW for any other travel this fall. Unfortunately I didn’t screen shot any of the questions & can‘t remember them all.  But I was impressed that it mentioned the middle seats open as an answer.

 This is the first time I have ever gotten a survey like this in about 20 years of booking with SW. The nonstop flights & middle seats open were priorities I picked. Happy that they are looking for customer feedback as they evaluate changes.


----------



## MinnieMSue

Are skycaps still closed at MCO?


----------



## pooch

Hoping by my rescheduled trip November that RAC will be reopened.


----------



## pooch

SWA points conversion appears to be up and running.  I searched "view travel funds" on the SWA site and it brought me to the link.  Travel funds must have the 9/7/22 expiration date.   I just got the travel funds so have to wait til the expiration date updates over night.  Maybe report your success/failure here?


----------



## jkelly86

pooch said:


> SWA points conversion appears to be up and running.  I searched "view travel funds" on the SWA site and it brought me to the link.  Travel funds must have the 9/7/22 expiration date.   I just got the travel funds so have to wait til the expiration date updates over night.  Maybe report your success/failure here?


Yes, I just used this function within my Rapid Rewards account.  Now, I need to set up the accounts for my kids and parents to convert their travel funds for them.


----------



## pooch

moved my flights (me & DGS) from September to November - $8 cheaper each.  I'll convert mine & eat his.


----------



## zemmer

pooch said:


> SWA points conversion appears to be up and running.  I searched "view travel funds" on the SWA site and it brought me to the link.  Travel funds must have the 9/7/22 expiration date.   I just got the travel funds so have to wait til the expiration date updates over night.  Maybe report your success/failure here?


Thanks for the heads up! I just converted funds into points for all 4 of us. It was a smooth process!


----------



## focusondisney

pooch said:


> SWA points conversion appears to be up and running.  I searched "view travel funds" on the SWA site and it brought me to the link.  Travel funds must have the 9/7/22 expiration date.   I just got the travel funds so have to wait til the expiration date updates over night.  Maybe report your success/failure here?




Any other insight into the conversion?  Like how many points per dollar? Thanks


----------



## zemmer

focusondisney said:


> Any other insight into the conversion?  Like how many points per dollar? Thanks


i don’t remember any of the conversions (we had quite a few) except I laughed that our $.09 credit was 7 points.


----------



## focusondisney

zemmer said:


> i don’t remember any of the conversions (we had quite a few) except I laughed that our $.09 credit was 7 points.



Thanks for the heads up. I just checked my account. I have $324 in travel funds. Said I would get 25,270 points. That comes to 77.99 points per dollar, if I’m figuring it out right.


----------



## Grnl706

Running into an interesting dilemma. Since the vouchers go to the person, both my husband and I have vouchers under our RR accounts. I thought we both needed RR accounts and made them awhile back but maybe that was the wrong move? I didn't think I could find his vouchers under mine and claim the points. Maybe I messed something up but I'm realizing now I'll have to pay like $230 to transfer or book separate tickets when we do our trip but we NEED to be seated together so it looks like the transfer fee may have to happen


----------



## zemmer

Grnl706 said:


> Running into an interesting dilemma. Since the vouchers go to the person, both my husband and I have vouchers under our RR accounts. I thought we both needed RR accounts and made them awhile back but maybe that was the wrong move? I didn't think I could find his vouchers under mine and claim the points. Maybe I messed something up but I'm realizing now I'll have to pay like $230 to transfer or book separate tickets when we do our trip but we NEED to be seated together so it looks like the transfer fee may have to happen


We book separate tickets all the time and still sit together.


----------



## pooch

I had travel funds created when I cancelled mine & DGSs September flight.  When I rebooked another flight with the same 2 people, I put in the original confirmation number and my name and it added the correct funds to each of us.  IF you have already converted the funds to points in your accounts, you will have to book each of you separately.  This will not preclude you from sitting together.  Really, you can both board together using the lower of the 2 boarding numbers, not a problem at all.


----------



## rlduvall

focusondisney said:


> Any other insight into the conversion?  Like how many points per dollar? Thanks



It is definitely lower.  Currently my regular points are 1.5.  To convert these funds it would only be 1.2, but I still think I'm gonna do it.  Points are so much easier to work with.


----------



## Grnl706

Oh that's wonderful! I was worrying for nothing. Thank you both for easing my mind!


----------



## happ

Grnl706 said:


> Running into an interesting dilemma. Since the vouchers go to the person, both my husband and I have vouchers under our RR accounts. I thought we both needed RR accounts and made them awhile back but maybe that was the wrong move? I didn't think I could find his vouchers under mine and claim the points. Maybe I messed something up but I'm realizing now I'll have to pay like $230 to transfer or book separate tickets when we do our trip but we NEED to be seated together so it looks like the transfer fee may have to happen


I don't think you did anything wrong initially. You only earn RR points for your own ticket, so each person did need their own RR account.


----------



## shoreward

The conversion of travel funds to RR points is currently a temporary option and must follow specified terms & conditions, as outlined.

https://www.southwest.com/html/mkt/rapidrewardsupdates.html?clk=SITESEARCH


----------



## aokeefe

pooch said:


> SWA points conversion appears to be up and running.  I searched "view travel funds" on the SWA site and it brought me to the link.  Travel funds must have the 9/7/22 expiration date.   I just got the travel funds so have to wait til the expiration date updates over night.  Maybe report your success/failure here?


Thanks for the heads up! This will work well for plans for allocating points and funds for my hopeful November and even more hopeful February trip!


----------



## TLSnell1981

Non stops changed to layovers.  What a headache. This trip has already changed twice. Is the third time charmed?


----------



## pooch

This is the main reason I moved my trip to November.  Flying is gonna be risky enough without adding a couple hours in an airport to the mix.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Grnl706 said:


> Running into an interesting dilemma. Since the vouchers go to the person, both my husband and I have vouchers under our RR accounts. I thought we both needed RR accounts and made them awhile back but maybe that was the wrong move? I didn't think I could find his vouchers under mine and claim the points. Maybe I messed something up but I'm realizing now I'll have to pay like $230 to transfer or book separate tickets when we do our trip but we NEED to be seated together so it looks like the transfer fee may have to happen


When we have different BG numbers due to purchasing tickets separately, we line up with the higher number.  E.g. if we get B2 and B40, we both line up together in the B40 spot


----------



## MinnieMSue

scrappinginontario said:


> When we have different BG numbers due to purchasing tickets separately, we line up with the higher number.  E.g. if we get B2 and B40, we both line up together in the B40 spot



yes this is correct people cannot board together at the lower number - they must at the highest number of they have nonsequential numbers.


----------



## TLSnell1981

pooch said:


> This is the main reason I moved my trip to November.  Flying is gonna be risky enough without adding a couple hours in an airport to the mix.


There is no guarantee they won't drop the nonstops for later this year. We are also contending with expiring season passes.


----------



## focusondisney

TLSnell1981 said:


> Non stops changed to layovers.  What a headache. This trip has already changed twice. Is the third time charmed?



Hope you have better luck than we did. After they moved our flights for the third time, they cancelled our whole itinerary.  There are still flights available on our dates, but when our nonstop flight down was changed for the 2nd time, they just cancelled us.  I didn’t fight it because realistically we would need to cancel anyway.


----------



## scrappinginontario

focusondisney said:


> Hope you have better luck than we did. After they moved our flights for the third time, they cancelled our whole itinerary.  There are still flights available on our dates, but when our nonstop flight down was changed for the 2nd time, they just cancelled us.  I didn’t fight it because realistically we would need to cancel anyway.


I’m curious, if Southwest cancels your flights completely, do they reimburse your original form if payment or do they still issue you a travel credit even though it was they who cancelled you rather than rerouting?


----------



## shoreward

scrappinginontario said:


> I’m curious, if Southwest cancels your flights completely, do they reimburse your original form if payment or do they still issue you a travel credit even though it was they who cancelled you rather than rerouting?


If Southwest cancels your flight, you have the right to request a refund to your original form of payment.  However, EBCI is not included; they will issue a LUV Voucher for the reimbursement of those charges, if you request it.


----------



## focusondisney

scrappinginontario said:


> I’m curious, if Southwest cancels your flights completely, do they reimburse your original form if payment or do they still issue you a travel credit even though it was they who cancelled you rather than rerouting?





shoreward said:


> If Southwest cancels your flight, you have the right to request a refund to your original form of payment.  However, EBCI is not included; they will issue a LUV Voucher for the reimbursement of those charges, if you request it.



I actually noticed the cancelled itinerary before they notified me.  We were booked with points, so I knew I would get those back. I called said I wanted a refund of my fees & the EBCI. The  agent told me he would refund the fees no problem, but the EBCI  was nonrefundable & they usually give a LUV voucher. I said that was not acceptable. I understood if I was the one that canceled, I wouldn’t get that money back. But SW cancelled  my whole itinerary & I wanted a refund. It was a bit of back & forth with him saying he “would try his best” but didn’t know if he would be able to, because of the computer programming. While I nicely but firmly said I would not accept a voucher, I already have plenty of SW funds that need to be used & I didn’t want anymore.  And since  it was SW who cancelled & not me, I am aware I am entitled to a full refund and that would include my EBCI fees.

He did work on it for a few minutes. After a bit he had some difficulty & put me on hold for about 15-20 minutes. When he cam back, he said the funds had somehow been tied up, “behind a wall” & he had to get IT to free them up so he could access them. He did indeed refund both the fees & the $100 in EBCI funds. No vouchers, full refunds.  Two days later I finally got an email notice from SW that my itinerary was cancelled. And separate  emails acknowledging refunds. I got a separate email for each $25 EBCI fee.  These seemed like automated emails generated due to the cancellation & not related to the agent’s actions.

Anyway, long story to say I did get everything refunded, including the EBCI.  And there is absolute no reason for SW to not refund that.  After all, they sold me a service & did not provide it.  They aren’t entitled to keep my money.  And a luv voucher is not a full refund.


edit: this is the email re my EBCI funds


----------



## Girlworthfightingfor

I have vouchers for my family, including 4 kids (ages 5-14). If I want to convert the vouchers to point, I need to make each of us a reward account, correct? (Right now I’m the only one one with an account.)   Then I would need to book each person’s flight separately to use the points. However, a 5 year old can’t fly by themselves, so how can I book a ticket for them without also booking an adult on the same ticket?  Am I not understanding this correctly?


----------



## MarBee

Girlworthfightingfor said:


> I have vouchers for my family, including 4 kids (ages 5-14). If I want to convert the vouchers to point, I need to make each of us a reward account, correct? (Right now I’m the only one one with an account.)   Then I would need to book each person’s flight separately to use the points. However, a 5 year old can’t fly by themselves, so how can I book a ticket for them without also booking an adult on the same ticket?  Am I not understanding this correctly?


Unless this is a recent change, you can book flights for people on other people’s points.  I book flights for my husband all the time on my points.
But if you are booking a “solo” reservation for a minor, I believe you must call to do so and explain that they’re not actually an unaccompanied minor.
Hope this helps!


----------



## pooch

TLSnell1981 said:


> There is no guarantee they won't drop the nonstops for later this year. We are also contending with expiring season passes.



Nope, no guarantee at all but a better chance than having them restored for September.  If it happens in November, we will have another decision to make.


----------



## Girlworthfightingfor

MarBee said:


> Unless this is a recent change, you can book flights for people on other people’s points.  I book flights for my husband all the time on my points.
> But if you are booking a “solo” reservation for a minor, I believe you must call to do so and explain that they’re not actually an unaccompanied minor.
> Hope this helps!


If I want to book a big trip for all of us next summer using these points, can I pull points from everyone’s Rapid Rewards account onto one reservation?  I usually book everyone’s flights using my rewards account and points but now it seems like we’ll each have to have our own account and points.


----------



## pooch

No points cannot be “pooled” into one reservation.  Each one will have to be made separately unless there’s enough to cover in any one account.


----------



## cmarsh31

Girlworthfightingfor said:


> I have vouchers for my family, including 4 kids (ages 5-14). If I want to convert the vouchers to point, I need to make each of us a reward account, correct? (Right now I’m the only one one with an account.)   Then I would need to book each person’s flight separately to use the points. However, a 5 year old can’t fly by themselves, so how can I book a ticket for them without also booking an adult on the same ticket?  Am I not understanding this correctly?



It's actually easy. You just book an adult ticket first, then when you book the minor's ticket it says it has to be linked to an adult, enter the name and confirmation number where requested, and they're linked. Only issue is that if you need to change or cancel either ticket, you have to call in to do it over the phone. I do it all the time for my kids. Luckily one turned 15 finally, so it's just my youngest now.


----------



## Girlworthfightingfor

Wow!  Thanks for that information!


----------



## Carla1183

Just got an email from southwest offering to turn my qualifying travel funds into points. Its not a ton, just over $100 from cancelling/rebooking flights earlier this year. Is there a reason not to do this?


----------



## pooch

The only reason I can come up with is if you won't (ever) have enough points to actually book a flight.  Ror example, my DD has a RR account but there are no points in it.  I always book her flights using my points.  If I put her travel funds into her account, it'll give her about 2700 points but since she doesn't really accumulate points, they will be essentially worthless as they aren't enough for a flight and you can't use a second form of payment with points.  So I will keep hers as travel funds with the 9/7/22 expiration date and use them as a partial payment on a future flight.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Is it just me or, does the exchange from travel funds into points seem very high in our favour?

I have just $9.85 in travel funds yet it says if I convert it into travel funds I will earn 768 points!

But, if I were to purchase a brand new fare and spend $119 I would only earn 627 points for that entire flight price of $119 if I took the flight.  Just doesn't make sense to me but I'm going to quickly convert my little bit of travel funds for my DD and I into RR points as I know we'll use them someday and already have enough for a free flight or two now.

*UPDATE: * Before I do this, can others please confirm that RR no longer have an expiry date?  I just want to ensure that if I transfer my Travel Funds into RR point that my entire points bank doesn't suddenly have an expiry date of Sep 7, 2022.   Can anyone who has done this please advise if your RR points now have an expiry date or, can they be used indefinitely?

*UPDATE #2: * I just read an email sent from Southwest and can confirm that Rapid Rewards point do not expire!  Off the change my travel funds into RR points!!


----------



## rlduvall

scrappinginontario said:


> Is it just me or, does the exchange from travel funds into points seem very high in our favour?
> 
> I have just $9.85 in travel funds yet it says if I convert it into travel funds I will earn 768 points!



No - we are actually getting less value.  Normally, the  average value of a RR point is  1.5 cents (.015), but with the conversion it is 1.2 cents (.012).  I'm still going to do it because working with points instead of travel funds is a breeze.

What you earn from a flight in points is not the same as the value of points when you use them to purchase airfare.

For example:  I purchased an $85. ticket using 5,460 points. BUT, if I bought the ticket with "cash" I would only earn 423 RR points.


----------



## pooch

My take too.  Points are just more flexible to use. Worth the small difference in conversion not to have to keep track of travel funds.


----------



## rlduvall

pooch said:


> My take too.  Points are just more flexible to use. Worth the small difference in conversion not to have to keep track of travel funds.



What's so weird is The Points Guy indicates that by converting funds into points you are gaining slightly in value.  I don't see it that way, but I have to defer to the experts.  See his excerpt below. My valuation is I took the dollar value of my travel funds and divided it by the points offered which netted a value of .0012.  I then looked at what I had purchased in points against the dollar value of the airfare and it was .0015. 

(Edit:  Fangorn has straightened me out.  While my valuation is correct, my math logic is backwards. It is a very good value conversion.)

_". . . it boils down to the conversion ratio. And based on the tickets we’ve analyzed, it appears to be fixed at just under 1.3 cents per point. TPG Valuation for Rapid Rewards is 1.5 cents per point, so you’re gaining some value when converting funds to points."_


----------



## Nohal

As these are unusual time’s,I’m wondering if southwest has ever done this before ?  I just got the email about converting my travel funds into points.  It seems like a win win for us as points don’t expire.  I’m wondering if there is a down side for us or if they are doing this out of the goodness of their hearts.


----------



## zemmer

Nohal said:


> As these are unusual time’s,I’m wondering if southwest has ever done this before ?  I just got the email about converting my travel funds into points.  It seems like a win win for us as points don’t expire.  I’m wondering if there is a down side for us or if they are doing this out of the goodness of their hearts.


I don’t think they’ve ever done this before. Seems like amazing customer service to me!


----------



## pooch

Don’t know but it has certainly worked out for me.  I had $145 left from $600 worth of LUV vouchers that were set to expire 2/8/21 (Issued prior to the pandemic). I was able to buy a fictitious ticket for almost exactly the balance of the voucher which, when cancelled, got the extended expiration date of 9/7/22.  Now I just converted it to 11,262 points to be used by anyone and never expire!


----------



## Fangorn

rlduvall said:


> What's so weird is The Points Guy indicates that by converting funds into points you are gaining slightly in value.  I don't see it that way, but I have to defer to the experts.  See his excerpt below. My valuation is I took the dollar value of my travel funds and divided it by the points offered which netted a value of .0012.  I then looked at what I had purchased in points against the dollar value of the airfare and it was .0015.
> 
> _". . . it boils down to the conversion ratio. And based on the tickets we’ve analyzed, it appears to be fixed at just under 1.3 cents per point. TPG Valuation for Rapid Rewards is 1.5 cents per point, so you’re gaining some value when converting funds to points."_



You're looking at it somewhat backwards. Your numbers (1.5 and 1.3) are correct, but...

In the case of the 1.5 cents/point, that's what you're PAYING per point. In the conversation, they are GIVING you points at a rate of 1.3 cents/point - meaning they are giving you more points for the same $$.

Example:  I found a flight for $73. The points cost for that flight is 4524. It so happens that I have two travel funds in my account - one for $44 and another for $29 - for a total of $73. The conversion points are  3432 and 2262 respectively. Total of 5694 points.

So, I could use the travel funds for the flight and call it even,  or convert them to points, pay for the flight with those points and come away with an extra 1170 points in my account. 

I'm pleasantly surprised by this rate and take it as just another feather in SW's cap in how they treat their customers. 

Steve


----------



## Fangorn

Just as a reminder, RR points can expire. 

While points don't have specific explanation dates attached to them, if there is no activity on a RR account for 24 months, any points in that account will be forfeit. 

Of course, it's really simple to avoid that. Just purchase something through SWA shopping using the account. That purchase will reset the clock. This is what I do for my granddaughter's account to keep her points alive, even though she only travels every 4 years or so. 

Steve


----------



## rlduvall

Fangorn said:


> You're looking at it somewhat backwards. Your numbers (1.5 and 1.3) are correct, but...
> 
> In the case of the 1.5 cents/point, that's what you're PAYING per point. In the conversation, they are GIVING you points at a rate of 1.3 cents/point - meaning they are giving you more points for the same $$.
> 
> Steve



You are right - I was looking at it backa**wards.      Thanks for correcting my math reasoning.  Now I can't convert my travel funds fast enough.


----------



## Music City Mama

I was totally going to do the travel funds/points conversion thing, but I see that even though I purchased all 4 of our tickets and their travel funds are in my account, that it looks like I can only convert my travel funds to points -- that my husband and kids would need their own RR account.

*Am I able to convert travel funds from tickets I purchased for other people into my Rapid Rewards Account?
No.  Each person will need to convert his/her travel fund to points within his/her own Rapid Rewards Account.*

I'm not going through that hassle...I will just hold onto the funds, I suppose -- we'll definitely fly before 9/7/22.


----------



## pooch

yup, it doesn't make sense for everyone to do this.


----------



## happ

Fangorn said:


> Just as a reminder, RR points can expire.
> 
> While points don't have specific explanation dates attached to them, if there is no activity on a RR account for 24 months, any points in that account will be forfeit.
> 
> Of course, it's really simple to avoid that. Just purchase something through SWA shopping using the account. That purchase will reset the clock. This is what I do for my granddaughter's account to keep her points alive, even though she only travels every 4 years or so.
> 
> Steve


This policy changed in 2019. You no longer need activity every 24 months. You just need to keep the account open.


----------



## Chip_Dale

Not happy. From our original booking our flights have changed 4 times. Most were only a difference of an hour. The e mail today was a change of 3 hours and it is no longer a direct flight. A 3 hour lay over. We are cancelling anyway. Hope with the last change we get a refund instead of travel  credit.


----------



## pooch

I too was not happy with my non stop moving to lay overs in each direction. Moved my trip from September to November and back to non stops.  Crossing my fingers they don’t change too.


----------



## JessicaW1234

Fangorn said:


> Just as a reminder, RR points can expire.
> 
> While points don't have specific explanation dates attached to them, if there is no activity on a RR account for 24 months, any points in that account will be forfeit.
> 
> Of course, it's really simple to avoid that. Just purchase something through SWA shopping using the account. That purchase will reset the clock. This is what I do for my granddaughter's account to keep her points alive, even though she only travels every 4 years or so.
> 
> Steve


Do you know if purchase of flights that end up canceled count?  Will need to cancel b/c of Covid


----------



## Fangorn

JessicaW1234 said:


> Do you know if purchase of flights that end up canceled count?  Will need to cancel b/c of Covid



It appears I was wrong in stating this, as SW has eliminated that one catch. Making points truly non expiring.

Steve


----------



## barb969

While it is true that a ticket has to purchased with points from 1 aacount, you can transfer points between accounts.
2000 points  can be transferred for $20.  2000 points are worth about $30, so you would come out alittle ahead when transferring points. Info about this is on SW website.  Click rapid rewards at the top.


----------



## shoreward

Who will be booking Southwest flights tomorrow morning, when the schedule will be extended for travel 01/05/2021 - 04/11/2021?  Are you confident that you will actually visit WDW during that time, or will you book flights, knowing that cancellation or change/postponement will be available?


----------



## pooch

I will be on line bright and early!  Not going to WDW (going there in November) but we have a cruise booked out of Tampa 3/20 - 3/27, and I am making plans as if its gonna sail.  I can dream can't I?


----------



## MarBee

shoreward said:


> Who will be booking Southwest flights tomorrow morning, when the schedule will be extended for travel 01/05/2021 - 04/11/2021?  Are you confident that you will actually visit WDW during that time, or will you book flights, knowing that cancellation or change/postponement will be available?


I’ll only book SW for now bc of their policies for cancelling and how well they’ve been handling Covid in comparison to other airlines.  I’m hoping to get an April trip in to Disney, but if things are the way they are now, I’ll cancel.


----------



## zemmer

shoreward said:


> Who will be booking Southwest flights tomorrow morning, when the schedule will be extended for travel 01/05/2021 - 04/11/2021?  Are you confident that you will actually visit WDW during that time, or will you book flights, knowing that cancellation or change/postponement will be available?


We are booking flights for spring break to Disneyland. Obviously have no idea if they’ll even be open, but we book with points so no big deal if we have to cancel.


----------



## 123Dis4Me

I would like to book tomorrow for spring. I would be using covid related cancellation credit. If I had to cancel does  anyone know when credit would expire? Would it be one year from tomorrow?


----------



## scrappinginontario

123Dis4Me said:


> I would like to book tomorrow for spring. I would be using covid related cancellation credit. If I had to cancel does  anyone know when credit would expire? Would it be one year from tomorrow?


At this point any flights cancelled after September 7th would receive an expiry date of 1 year from the purchase date.  The Sep 7, 2020 date may change/be extended but as of now that has not happened.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

Carla1183 said:


> Just got an email from southwest offering to turn my qualifying travel funds into points. Its not a ton, just over $100 from cancelling/rebooking flights earlier this year. Is there a reason not to do this?


Travel points won't expire if you have at least one activity to your RR acct in a 24 month period. Travel funds have an expiration date. So if you are not planning to travel with in the expiration time period of the travel funds I
 would convert to points.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

123Dis4Me said:


> I would like to book tomorrow for spring. I would be using covid related cancellation credit. If I had to cancel does  anyone know when credit would expire? Would it be one year from tomorrow?


Yes one year from the date that your purchased the tickets.


----------



## aokeefe

shoreward said:


> Who will be booking Southwest flights tomorrow morning, when the schedule will be extended for travel 01/05/2021 - 04/11/2021?  Are you confident that you will actually visit WDW during that time, or will you book flights, knowing that cancellation or change/postponement will be available?


I will be up bright and early waiting. We currently have flights booked in November (one way using travel funds and one way using points). My plan is to move the leg used with the funds to February, rebook that November leg using points and book the return flight in February using points. I just transferred all our travel funds to points. I'm pretty sure November won't happen but since both legs are on points, there will be no loss if we cancel. I'm hoping February will happen but I can't worry about that now. (I guess if it doesn't- I will move that flight on funds to a summer trip).


----------



## PCFriar80

shoreward said:


> Who will be booking Southwest flights tomorrow morning, when the schedule will be extended for travel 01/05/2021 - 04/11/2021?  Are you confident that you will actually visit WDW during that time, or will you book flights, knowing that cancellation or change/postponement will be available?


I'll be changing our October flights [BCV trip cancelled] to January for marathon weekend.  We've been running for 16 years now and will still be traveling 1/6 - 1/13 but not running.  Not the right time to long distance run but we do need to get out of CT for a bit!  I can handle a watered down visit.


----------



## Avery&Todd

We have a WDW trip booked for late February that I'll be booking flights for tomorrow morning! SUPER EXCITED!!  We still have a trip and flights booked for Dec. 9th-15th and we have direct flights and I'm *fingers crossed* hoping that SW doesn't change them to a layover!!  ARGH!


----------



## Tiggerish

The price on my ticket for November has dropped by $176.  Do I have to cancel and then book again?  If so, do I risk losing my seat?


----------



## Fangorn

Tiggerish said:


> The price on my ticket for November has dropped by $176.  Do I have to cancel and then book again?  If so, do I risk losing my seat?



No. Don't cancel. There's an option to "CHANGE" the flight. Go through the change process using the same flight as the original. It will make the 'change' and give you the credit. 

Steve


----------



## focusondisney

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> Travel points won't expire if you have at least one activity to your RR acct in a 24 month period. Travel funds have an expiration date. So if you are not planning to travel with in the expiration time period of the travel funds I
> would convert to points.



Rapid Rewards points no longer expire. Unless you close your account, they are good. The 24 month  activity thing is no longer true.


----------



## aokeefe

A reminder for anyone looking for flights today- always check the low fare calendar; flights seem to be loaded up first that way. Good Luck (nothing has been released yet)


----------



## EACarlson

123Dis4Me said:


> I would like to book tomorrow for spring. I would be using covid related cancellation credit. If I had to cancel does  anyone know when credit would expire? Would it be one year from tomorrow?


Why not convert those travel funds to RR points and then book your flights with points?  Then if you cancel, no matter when or if they extend the current rules, you would get all of the points back.


----------



## eyesforstriking

Waiting for March SW to open this morning... the website on my phone updated to accepting res until Feb 13th, 2021 for about 2 minutes but now we're back to Jan 4th.  The website on my computer still hasn't updated.  Hopefully soon!!!


----------



## happ

eyesforstriking said:


> Waiting for March SW to open this morning... the website on my phone updated to accepting res until Feb 13th, 2021 for about 2 minutes but now we're back to Jan 4th.  The website on my computer still hasn't updated.  Hopefully soon!!!


I'm waiting too.


----------



## shoreward

Message just posted by Southwest on social media:



> Please know that many of our newest routes will populate within a couple of hours, as the latest schedule is still in process of being uploaded. We appreciate your patience and understanding!


----------



## cmarsh31

shoreward said:


> Message just posted by Southwest on social media:



I remember the good old days when they used to post first thing in the morning, we could book our flights and get on with our day... ugg. We have three dentist/orthodonist appointments today! I want to get this done first!


----------



## Lsdolphin

I’m not in the huge hurry to book the minute they open up schedule this time around...the last time the schedule was extended I booked flights immediately for Dec. and since then I’ve rebooked 5 times as fares dropped over 50% for my dates....


----------



## PCFriar80

cmarsh31 said:


> I remember the good old days when they used to post first thing in the morning, we could book our flights and get on with our day... ugg. We have three dentist/orthodonist appointments today! I want to get this done first!


I know, it's like pulling teeth!  Sorry, I couldn't resist!   Waiting for my BDL/MCO flights to load for January!


----------



## katallo

Lsdolphin said:


> I’m not in the huge hurry to book the minute they open up schedule this time around...the last time the schedule was extended I booked flights immediately for Dec. and since then I’ve rebooked 5 times as fares dropped over 50% for my dates....



Same for us.  Always got lower costs than opening day for the past 2 years.


----------



## jcarwash

"We are currently accepting air reservations through April 11, 2021. On November 12, 2020 we will open our schedule for sale through June 5, 2021. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently. "


----------



## Lsdolphin

katallo said:


> Same for us.  Always got lower costs than opening day for the past 2 years.



I just realized I can use points to book something today and then make changes or upgrade without losing the points instead of using my travel funds...so I might as well do that.


----------



## Tiggerish

Fangorn said:


> No. Don't cancel. There's an option to "CHANGE" the flight. Go through the change process using the same flight as the original. It will make the 'change' and give you the credit.



When I tried this I get all the way to the end but instead of the confirmation page I get an error message that says I need to re-select my flights.  What am I doing wrong?


----------



## katallo

Well, that was easy.  BWI to TPA.  Some of the highest prices we have ever seen!  No need to book.


----------



## shoreward

Schedule now open for booking on website, but not on app, for me.
www.southwest.com


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*FYI - Southwest extended their schedule this morning for flights through April 11th, 2021.*

Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment:


*NEXT RELEASE: 11/12/20 - travel through June 5th, 2021*
8/13/20 - travel through April 11th, 2021
5/28/20 - travel through January 4th, 2021
3/12/20 - travel through October 30th, 2020
12/11/19 - travel through August 10th, 2020
10/30/19 - travel through June 6th, 2020
9/26/19 - travel through April 13th, 2020
8/15/19 - travel through March 6th, 2020
5/30/19 - travel through January 5th, 2020
3/15/19 - travel through November 2nd, 2019
1/31/19 - travel through October 1st, 2019
11/15/18 - travel through August 5th, 2019
9/27/18 - travel through June 8th, 2019
8/30/18 - travel through April 7th, 2019
6/28/18 - travel through March 6th, 2019
5/31/18 - travel through January 6th, 2019
3/8/18 - travel through November 3rd, 2018
2/15/18 - travel through October 1st, 2018
11/2/17 - travel through August 6th, 2018
8/28/17 - travel through June 1st, 2018
7/27/17 - travel through April 6th, 2018
6/22/17 - travel through March 7th, 2018
5/18/17 - travel through January 7th, 2018
_**Subject to Change - check back frequently here: https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/*

This chart could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above) They appear to be tightening the inventory a bit this year vs. prior year's releases._

*RELEASE TIMES (all times Eastern):*

the release on 8/13/20 went live at 9:15am.
the release on 5/28/20 went live at 9:06am.
the release on 3/12/20 went live at 9:40am.
The release on 12/11/19 went live at 9:10am.
The release on 10/30/19 went live at 7:15am.
The release on 9/26/19 went live at 7:30am.
The release on 8/15/19 went live at 10:41am.
The release on 5/30/19 went live at 9:20am.
If you want to search back for this post in the future - just search my name and "release".  But be advised that I will not go back and update this post if they alter the next release date in the future.


----------



## disneyeveryyear

My flights for FLL in late January were already posted.  I was a little disappointed in the number of points it took, but I did go ahead and book.  I can always change.  They will probably redo the schedule multiple times like they have for our flight to CHS in September.


----------



## LadybugsMum

I just bought my tickets for the flight down in April. Too bad the next schedule update isn't for 3 months so I can get the return trip.


----------



## aokeefe

Flights were decent from PVD-MCO considering it is February vacation- now I just hope we can go!! It's was a mad dash using different accounts/points but got it all done.


----------



## 123Dis4Me

I was pretty happy with the non stop flight prices too, considering I am traveling on school break weeks.  I hope I can keep these plans!


----------



## pooch

Flights for our March cruise out of Tampa were NOT great.  I booked the flight down @ $120 (8400ish points) but the return out of both Tampa and Orlando are well over 10,000 points each.  Heck I get RT from BDL to MCO for 11,500.  So I play the wait & watch game.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

Lsdolphin said:


> I just realized I can use points to book something today and then make changes or upgrade without losing the points instead of using my travel funds...so I might as well do that.


Keep in mind your travel funds will expire so why not use them instead of your points.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> Keep in mind your travel funds will expire so why not use them instead of your points.



don’t want to use travel funds as of right now they won’t expire until 9/22 but if I use Them my New flight will expire one year from today....I can exchange my travel funds for points which will not expire...


----------



## LadybugsMum

Lsdolphin said:


> don’t want to use travel funds as of right now they won’t expire until 9/22 but if I use Them my New flight will expire one year from today....I can exchange my travel funds for points which will not expire...


I didn't have that issue when I used funds for my Sept trip. I had cancelled my CA trip in mid May and then used those funds for my Sept trip. When I cancelled the Sept flights, those funds still have a 9/22 expiration.


----------



## zemmer

LadybugsMum said:


> I didn't have that issue when I used funds for my Sept trip. I had cancelled my CA trip in mid May and then used those funds for my Sept trip. When I cancelled the Sept flights, those funds still have a 9/22 expiration.


Yes, but flights cancelled after September. 7 will have an expiration date of one year after the purchase date.


----------



## pooch

At this point, they are giving a very generous amount of points for travel funds. Very little down side to trading the travel funds for points.  And as someone up thread pointed out, you are getting more points than a flight for that price would cost.  I received 11,262 points for DH’s $144 travel fund.  BUT a $144 flight only costs 10,262 points so I gained 1200 points in the exchange.  So even if you are looking at using the funds right away, it makes sense to turn them into points first.  Hope that made sense!


----------



## MarBee

The one flight I wanted on the way home had no “Wanna Get Away” fares post at all. It only has “Anytime” and “Business Select” posted from the time it loaded today and throughout the 2,000 times I checked.  Has anyone ever see this happen before?  Will they add them later?


----------



## pooch

Yes and probably.  I don’t subscribe to the idea that the best fares happen when the schedule opens.  That MAY have been true at some point but not in my experience.  I get the best fares by watching every day.  The flights I want are in my recent searches on my SWA app and I check every day.  When I find a reasonable fare, I book.  Then I keep watching for drops and use the change function when they happen.  I have been able to book BDL- MCO for no more than $100  non stop each way for years now.  Currently have $75 down and $95 back.  Have to be patient and willing to play the game but I have had great success.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Well, sadly I finally had to cancel our September flights to Disney.  The extension of the Canada/US border closure was announced today (as anticipated) which means we would be unable to get to our flights.

We will still have the option to fly to Orlando should we choose to fly out of Toronto but with the mandatory quarantine upon return home and our decision this week that my daughter would be returning to class for schooling, that makes this trip pretty much impossible.  I'm going to keep the money we have set aside for this trip tucked away and when things settle down we'll return to WDW or, do something we've talked about for years and visit Disneyland!!


----------



## DL1WDW2

MarBee said:


> The one flight I wanted on the way home had no “Wanna Get Away” fares post at all. It only has “Anytime” and “Business Select” posted from the time it loaded today and throughout the 2,000 times I checked.  Has anyone ever see this happen before?  Will they add them later?


This happened for the Month of March which happens to be SpringBreak travel to MCO  and March Madness to Las Vegas! I noticed many people not finding discounts for their March planning on other posts....
I will keep looking.
Good luck!


----------



## MarBee

DL1WDW2 said:


> This happened for the Month of March which happens to be SpringBreak travel to MCO  and March Madness to Las Vegas! I noticed many people not finding discounts for their March planning on other posts....
> I will keep looking.
> Good luck!


Mine is for 4/11.  End of Spring break week for a lot of K-12 schools, so I figured the flights would be high.  Just wasn’t prepared for almost 40k points one way!


----------



## han22735

I'm thinking our flight is going to be pretty empty tomorrow morning.  We got boarding group A21 without EBCI


----------



## scrappinginontario

han22735 said:


> I'm thinking our flight is going to be pretty empty tomorrow morning.  We got boarding group A21 without EBCI


WHOA!!  Enjoy your flight and trip!!!


----------



## pfeifer1990

Need to understand the SW vouchers we received from our May trip cancellation to WDW. We cancelled our trip in late March and now have what I understand to be vouchers (is this correct or are they called something else?) We are/were planning on rescheduling for May 2021 but are having doubts and are considering waiting until May 2022. Will are vouchers be good until fall 2022?


----------



## pooch

You can check the expiration date of your vouchers on the Southwest site.  You are probably close to the date they began extending the expiration dates to 9/7/22.  If you cancelled outside the start date, you can still take advantage of the extension.  You would have to book flight(s) of the same value as your current travel funds then cancel the flights prior to 9/7/20.  The new travel funds created will get the extended expiration date the day after you cancel.  OR if you have, or can open, SWA Rapid Rewards accounts for everyone with travel funds, you can convert them to points which never expire and will have no restrictions as to how and for whom they are used.  The conversion rate is very good.


----------



## jkelly86

My experience for the peak vacation dates (out of a small regional airport) is to jump on whatever works for our dates, upon release.  Usually, the rates don't get any better after the initial release date.  One year they added a direct from my airport after the release date and I got lucky with much cheaper rates, but this year will likely see far fewer flights than in previous years.


----------



## married2grumpy

EBCI question. I know it states EBCI is non refundable but if I change my flight, is it transferrable to the new flight? As of today my 9/9 trip is still on but if something happens such as Florida reinstating a quarantine order we may need to reschedule.


----------



## barb969

married2grumpy said:


> EBCI question. I know it states EBCI is non refundable but if I change my flight, is it transferrable to the new flight? As of today my 9/9 trip is still on but if something happens such as Florida reinstating a quarantine order we may need to reschedule.


Yes it can be transferred.
Do NOT cancel your flight.  You will lose EBCI.
I’m not sure if you can change it online.  I always call. Be sure to ask for EBCI to be transferred.


----------



## married2grumpy

barb969 said:


> Yes it can be transferred.
> Do NOT cancel your flight.  You will lose EBCI.
> I’m not sure if you change it online.  I always call. Be sure to ask for EBI to be transferred.


Thank you! I never do EBCI but this is the 1st time we have a connecting flight so this boarding number is extra important. Of course there is only 35 minutes between the arrival and departure of connecting flight and with my luck we will be late and end up boarding last anyway.


----------



## shoreward

Southwest is again making changes, going through October flights.  Check your upcoming travel for a banner, which will allow changes to your flights and dates, within a 30 day window, either side, at no additional cost.  Normally, the option for the no-charge change only is available for a few days.


----------



## AlohaNow

shoreward said:


> Southwest is again making changes, going through October flights.  Check your upcoming travel for a banner, which will allow changes to your flights and dates, within a 30 day window, either side, at no additional cost.  Normally, the option for the no-charge change only is available for a few days.



I’ve been reading on this thread for months now about SW changing everybody’s flights and making non-stops into changers, and it finally happened to me yesterday. I was SO psyched that we got the only non-stop flight each day for our DEN-FLL trip for fall break. Booked it just last week. Now our return is through Atlanta. We haven’t changed planes in years! (Hope I remember how to!) Still, I got the flights for $58, on points, each way, so I’m not complaining too loudly!


----------



## shoreward

AlohaNow said:


> I’ve been reading on this thread for months now about SW changing everybody’s flights and making non-stops into changers, and it finally happened to me yesterday. I was SO psyched that we got the only non-stop flight each day for our DEN-FLL trip for fall break. Booked it just last week. Now our return is through Atlanta. We haven’t changed planes in years! (Hope I remember how to!) Still, I got the flights for $58, on points, each way, so I’m not complaining too loudly!


It is easy to connect at ATL - all gates are on one concourse and all in a row.


----------



## pooch

My DD got an email about a change to her flight MCO to BDL moving a few hours later but still non-stop last night.  This morning (thanks for the head up Shoreward!) her non-stop back down was changed to a 2 stop puddle jumper!  Couldn't make any changes on line so called & held for 20 minutes.  Got a really nice CSR & moved that to a nonstop in the AM.  Losing a day with my daughter but the flight is half as long.  I gotta pay more attention to both this trip and the November one I have booked with the grandson.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

I had $92.96 in various travel funds, some I had to look up they weren't listed. I switched to points and gained 7,250. I don't know if that's a good deal, but they won't expire. I have two additional flights to cancel, scheduled for next week.    I may keep those as travel funds for the short term. Off I go to cancel.


----------



## pooch

I think most, if not all of us, have found that we gain points by converting.  They are actually giving more than paying for a flight of that same dollar amount would cost with points.  We gained 1200 points from my husband's $144 travel funds in the conversion.


----------



## scrappinginontario

I cancelled 2 flights last week and changed both into travel funds.  Originally paid $95 and $85 and received almost 13,500 RR points that won't expire.  Very happy with that for sure as I already had over 22,000 points.  Takes a teeny bit of the sting out of (probably) cancelling our upcoming trip.

I looked for flights out of Toronto yesterday and sadly it looks like those will also not work.  WestJest isn't flying from Toronto to Orlando until October.  I found a good priced Air Canada flight but it meant a 22 hour stopover in Ft Lauderdale each direction.   

Looking more and more like this trip isn't going to happen.....    Hard to give up on it as we booked it almost a year ago.


----------



## shoreward

scrappinginontario said:


> I cancelled 2 flights last week and changed both into travel funds.  Originally paid $95 and $85 and received almost 13,500 RR points that won't expire.  Very happy with that for sure as I already had over 22,000 points.  Takes a teeny bit of the sting out of (probably) cancelling our upcoming trip.
> 
> I looked for flights out of Toronto yesterday and sadly it looks like those will also not work.  WestJest isn't flying from Toronto to Orlando until October.  I found a good priced Air Canada flight but it meant a 22 hour stopover in Ft Lauderdale each direction.
> 
> Looking more and more like this trip isn't going to happen.....    Hard to give up on it as we booked it almost a year ago.


Have you checked flights on United, YYZ-MCO?  Fares are not as low as Southwest, and there is a fee for checked bags, but the overall flight duration is not bad, with one connection, and under 6 hours total travel time...just in case you really still want to get that WDW trip in.


----------



## scrappinginontario

shoreward said:


> Have you checked flights on United, YYZ-MCO?  Fares are not as low as Southwest, and there is a fee for checked bags, but the overall flight duration is not bad, with one connection, and under 6 hours total travel time...just in case you really still want to get that WDW trip in.


I haven't but I will now!  Thanks!!  I wondered what my other options might be.  Appreciate your help!


----------



## focusondisney

scrappinginontario said:


> I haven't but I will now!  Thanks!!  I wondered what my other options might be.  Appreciate your help!



Not being snarky at all, just honestly wondering.... if the US/ Canada boarder is closed by both countries, how are flights still operating between them??


----------



## scrappinginontario

focusondisney said:


> Not being snarky at all, just honestly wondering.... if the US/ Canada boarder is closed by both countries, how are flights still operating between them??


 Flights are still running but much less often.


----------



## focusondisney

scrappinginontario said:


> Flights are still running but much less often.



I literally thought they meant “no travel” allowed.  I don’t understand how they are stopping people from driving across the boarder but still letting you fly in.  (Not you personally, lol).  There are still news stories about people not being allowed to cross the boarder to go to their vacation houses etc.  A coworker just called to ask if she could cross the boarder... she has to take her daughter to college in Michigan & it’s faster to drive thru Ontario.  Nope, they won’t be allowed into  Canada.  Folks can’t come over to shop or do tourist stuff here.  I‘m not understanding why flying is OK but driving isn’t.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

focusondisney said:


> I literally thought they meant “no travel” allowed.  I don’t understand how they are stopping people from driving across the boarder but still letting you fly in.  (Not you personally, lol).  There are still news stories about people not being allowed to cross the boarder to go to their vacation houses etc.  A coworker just called to ask if she could cross the boarder... she has to take her daughter to college in Michigan & it’s faster to drive thru Ontario.  Nope, they won’t be allowed into  Canada.  Folks can’t come over to shop or do tourist stuff here.  I‘m not understanding why flying is OK but driving isn’t.


Non-essential travel is not permitted at this point. There may still be reasons why someone can cross (would be listed in exemptions).

As far as your co-worker's daughter my assumption is they probably see that because there is another route not through Canada and the reason for going and deemed it as not a permissible reason to cross the borders.


----------



## focusondisney

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Non-essential travel is not permitted at this point. There may still be reasons why someone can cross (would be listed in exemptions).
> 
> As far as your co-worker's daughter my assumption is they probably see that because there is another route not through Canada and the reason for going and deemed it as not a permissible reason to cross the borders.



That’s exactly what my understanding is, so her not being able to cross makes perfect sense.  But flying to Orlando for vacation is essential & ok? That’s what I don’t understand. Why would flying into one of the hot spots be allowed.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Flying (essential and non-essential) has always been allowed.  Trust me, I’ve often wondered why too.  That being said, any person flying into Canada from anywhere must quarantine for 14 days and this is a very good thing.  

The reality that FL and much if the US where other WDW guests are arriving from have such high numbers is why we probably won’t be visiting WDW anytime soon but like many, after going virtually nowhere for the past 5+ months, it makes it difficult to pull the plug on the dream until I absolutely have to.  Until then, continuing to dream and check out our options.


----------



## scrappinginontario

focusondisney said:


> A coworker just called to ask if she could cross the boarder... she has to take her daughter to college in Michigan & it’s faster to drive thru Ontario.  Nope, they won’t be allowed into  Canada.  Folks can’t come over to shop or do tourist stuff here.  I‘m not understanding why flying is OK but driving isn’t.


Unfortunately a few have ruined it for many.  BC had a problem with US guests crossing the border early on to ‘drive to Alaska’ but these same guests were traced to vacation hot spots in BC and Alberta then escorted back to the border.

Another story...   My friend’s boss is a US citizen and her husband is Canadian.  They tried to drive to the US to spend the summer with her family.  She was allowed to drive across but he was denied entrance to the US at the border.  They turned around, drove him to an airport where he flew into the US and she went band drove across.

I agree that closed to non-essential travel should be closed to all non-essential travel by land and air. 

LOL!  It would be so much easier if this decision was out of my hands rather than dangling the Disney carrot in front of me!


----------



## shoreward

Southwest has made additional changes to the October flight schedule.  Do not rely on just looking at reservations in your account, for changes, as flights are not updating very quickly.  Check Southwest emails and look at the actual flight schedules, for peace of mind.  Due to reduced capacity (open middle seats) through at least October, as well as a reduced schedule, some of the flights have very limited or no availability.  If you receive an error, when you try to change a flight that qualifies for changes (with banner), contact Southwest for assistance.  They will do their best to accommodate you, if at all possible.


----------



## Marionnette

shoreward said:


> Southwest has made additional changes to the October flight schedule.  Do not rely on just looking at reservations in your account, for changes, as flights are not updating very quickly.  Check Southwest emails and look at the actual flight schedules, for peace of mind.  Due to reduced capacity (open middle seats) through at least October, as well as a reduced schedule, some of the flights have very limited or no availability.  If you receive an error, when you try to change a flight that qualifies for changes (with banner), contact Southwest for assistance.  They will do their best to accommodate you, if at all possible.


I was checking mine this morning (no email notification) and my flight was changed from a nonstop, 2.5 hour flight to a 6-hour odyssey with a layover in Nashville. I was on the phone for 40 minutes early this morning trying to get something better but they only had connecting flights for my date. I asked for a refund, including my EBCI.

Now to book American, which has Basic Economy, nonstops for $39 one way.


----------



## pooch

And based on the previous post, I checked flights for my DD's trip on Jet Blue - $49 each way!  So I am going to cancel her SWA flights, get the travel funds, convert them to points in her account to use later and book her non-stop RT with Jet Blue for a total of $98.20.  Thats less than one way on SWA.


----------



## shannon006

We have purchased EB for our trip next week. I have looked at the SW website and didn’t see the answer, so I’m asking those who have recently traveled. Are they asking us to fill in seats in the back first or is it the same as before and you just choose your seat anywhere?


----------



## shoreward

shannon006 said:


> We have purchased EB for our trip next week. I have looked at the SW website and didn’t see the answer, so I’m asking those who have recently traveled. Are they asking us to fill in seats in the back first or is it the same as before and you just choose your seat anywhere?


You can sit in any unblocked seat.


----------



## scrappinginontario

shoreward said:


> You can sit in any unblocked seat.


This makes the most sense or else it defeats the purpose of purchasing EBCI.


----------



## LadybugsMum

What is EBCI?


----------



## Marionnette

LadybugsMum said:


> What is EBCI?


EBCI = Early Bird Check In


----------



## scrappinginontario

It's totally personal but if I were flying shortly I don't think I'd purchase EBCI as there appear to be so many less people on flights.  I normally purchase it when I book our flights but if I were booking now, I think  I'd hold off until I knew more about how full flights will be closer to my trip.  But, it's a personal decision.


----------



## shoreward

Just a reminder for those comparing fares on Southwest to the other airlines...if you will be checking any bags, the other airlines will charge a fee for each bag.   JetBlue charges $35 for the 1st checked bag, unless you book Blue Plus or jetBlue Mint class, are a Mosaic member or a jetBlue cardholder.  A 2nd bag is $45.  American charges $30 for 1st bag, $40 for a 2nd checked bag, as do Delta and United; however, if you book a more expensive ticket or hold their credit card, the 1st checked bag usually is at no charge (sometimes, others under the same confirmation number receive the same no-charge checked bag perk, as well).  Some airlines charge a higher fee, unless you purchase your checked bag in advance.  If only flying with a carry-on, there is no fee, unless flying an Ultra Low Cost Carrier, such as Frontier.  Frontier charges for a carry-on bag (does not fit under the seat in front of your seat), as well as for checked bags, unless purchasing one of their bundles, where the bag(s) can be included.  A  friend of mine occasionally flies Frontier, only with a small bag, which fits under the seat; sometimes, the whole fare is in the low double digits, including taxes and fees, and the actual air cost is literally pennies.

On many airlines, it's a good idea to purchase your bag fees at least one day prior to travel, for the lowest cost.

Sometimes, having elite frequent flyer status/affiliated credit card with an airline will afford the no-fee checked bag perk, as well as boarding early in the process.


----------



## pooch

Packing light!  Both my DD and I have perfected getting a weeks worth of clothes into a carry on just for the times we fly Jet Blue.


----------



## shannon006

scrappinginontario said:


> This makes the most sense or else it defeats the purpose of purchasing EBCI.


 
Normally yes, but since we are in Covid times right now I know some airlines are boarding from the back of the plane first. I know fewer people are flying, but I still wanted to have the best opportunity at my family being able to sit together as I have children


----------



## Marionnette

shoreward said:


> Just a reminder for those comparing fares on Southwest to the other airlines...if you will be checking any bags, the other airlines will charge a fee for each bag.   JetBlue charges $35 for the 1st checked bag, unless you book Blue Plus or jetBlue Mint class, are a Mosaic member or a jetBlue cardholder.  A 2nd bag is $45.  American charges $30 for 1st bag, $40 for a 2nd checked bag, as do Delta and United; however, if you book a more expensive ticket or hold their credit card, the 1st checked bag usually is at no charge (sometimes, others under the same confirmation number receive the same no-charge checked bag perk, as well).  Some airlines charge a higher fee, unless you purchase your checked bag in advance.  If only flying with a carry-on, there is no fee, unless flying an Ultra Low Cost Carrier, such as Frontier.  Frontier charges for a carry-on bag (does not fit under the seat in front of your seat), as well as for checked bags, unless purchasing one of their bundles, where the bag(s) can be included.  A  friend of mine occasionally flies Frontier, only with a small bag, which fits under the seat; sometimes, the whole fare is in the low double digits, including taxes and fees, and the actual air cost is literally pennies.
> 
> On many airlines, it's a good idea to purchase your bag fees at least one day prior to travel, for the lowest cost.
> 
> Sometimes, having elite frequent flyer status with an airline will afford the no-fee checked bag perk, as well as boarding early in the process.


I have the AAdvantage Platinum VISA. First checked bag is free for up to 5 people on my itinerary and Group 5 boarding. I paid to select our seats and the cost per person still averaged out to less than what I had paid SWA when factoring in EBCI.


----------



## shoreward

Marionnette said:


> I have the AAdvantage Platinum VISA. First checked bag is free for up to 5 people on my itinerary and Group 5 boarding. I paid to select our seats and the cost per person still averaged out to less than what I had paid SWA when factoring in EBCI.


Yes...having an airline credit card can sometimes really be useful for the extra perks.  Glad you found what works out best for you.


----------



## pooch

shannon006 said:


> Normally yes, but since we are in Covid times right now I know some airlines are boarding from the back of the plane first. I know fewer people are flying, but I still wanted to have the best opportunity at my family being able to sit together as I have children



And I understand your concern but I have been flying Southwest almost exclusively since 2006 and have never had a problem with sitting with my family.  Actually the ONLY time I have had an issue was on Jet Blue.  Flights were booked 5 months in advance with seats all selected for our party of 4 adults, 3 kids and a lap baby.  Upon arrival at the airport, we were moved to singles all over the plane.  Had to fight with the gate agent (had my confirmation showing the original seats) to get at least one adult with each child and still had to take 2 aisle seats across from each other for 1 child and 1 adult.


----------



## scrappinginontario

I had trouble once when I had a late B boarding group from Orlando and there weren't 2 seats together left on the plane for my then 7yo and I.  After that I've purchased EBCI for our return flights.


----------



## scrappinginontario

How long does it normally take for a LUV voucher to be emailed?  I cancelled our flights 1 week ago today and after calling a special line was offered a LUV voucher for our EBCI refund but haven't received it yet.


----------



## pooch

scrappinginontario said:


> I had trouble once when I had a late B boarding group from Orlando and there weren't 2 seats together left on the plane for my then 7yo and I.  After that I've purchased EBCI for our return flights.


I certainly understand that.  Although at the end of a vacation sometimes I'd LIKE my kid to sit somewhere else


----------



## shannon006

pooch said:


> And I understand your concern but I have been flying Southwest almost exclusively since 2006 and have never had a problem with sitting with my family.  Actually the ONLY time I have had an issue was on Jet Blue.  Flights were booked 5 months in advance with seats all selected for our party of 4 adults, 3 kids and a lap baby.  Upon arrival at the airport, we were moved to singles all over the plane.  Had to fight with the gate agent (had my confirmation showing the original seats) to get at least one adult with each child and still had to take 2 aisle seats across from each other for 1 child and 1 adult.


I think that works out for most people the majority of the time. I have been on far too many flights when I have seen families getting on and there are no seats together and then the flight attendants are asking people if they will move. It is worth the peace of mind to pay the extra $20 per passenger if we fly SW.


----------



## pooch

It also helps that i am able to fly nonstops from an originating airport so there aren’t connecting passengers already on.


----------



## huey578

Rapid Rewards Member - Advice Needed.....I currently have15,850 points and I have Travel funds of 18,561 points to convert.  Debating if I should convert my travel funds into points?  Is there any advantage to converting into points?  I do plan on booking Disney trip for September 2021.   Also, I currently have flight reservation for Dec. 2020 so I will either earn 1932 points or travel funds if I cancel flight.


----------



## shoreward

huey578 said:


> Rapid Rewards Member - Advice Needed.....I currently have15,850 points and I have Travel funds of 18,561 points to convert.  Debating if I should convert my travel funds into points?  Is there any advantage to converting into points?  I do plan on booking Disney trip for September 2021.   Also, I currently have flight reservation for Dec. 2020 so I will either earn 1932 points or travel funds if I cancel flight.


You have until 12/15/2020 to make the decision, whether you want to convert or not, as long as your funds are showing an expiration date of 09/07/2022.  I think the consensus is that most are choosing to convert to points, but only you can make that decision, based on your personal preferences.  If you use those travel funds to book a new trip, which is subsequently cancelled, you will lose the 09/07/2022 expiration date, and the funds will expire one year, from the date the booking is made using those funds.


----------



## pooch

I would definitely convert to points.  You are actually gaining more points than a flight of that price would cost AND total flexibility with points as to who when and how.


----------



## huey578

Thank you for the feedback.  It makes sense to convert since points do not expire.  If I book using points and then need to cancel, do I get points back?


----------



## scrappinginontario

huey578 said:


> Thank you for the feedback.  It makes sense to convert since points do not expire.  If I book using points and then need to cancel, do I get points back?


 Yes, and you can cancel your flight up until 10 minutes before your flight!

I cancelled 2 flights last week and chose to convert them into RR points as soon as I could.


----------



## Erica Ladd

So it is a good deal to convert my whole family’s TF to points? What’s the exchange rate? I feel like every time I looked at our flights in points instead of $$$ they looked like a worse deal - could that just be my market or is my math wrong?


----------



## pooch

For example, I converted $144 TF to 11,262 points.  A flight costing $144 would only use 10,062 points so I gained 1200 points in the conversion.
The system will show how many points you would get before you actually make the conversion.  Find a flight of that $ amount and see how many points it would cost then compare the two. My guess is you come out ahead by converting.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Can I convert everyone in my family’s TF to my RR account? I am always the main person from all past reservations


----------



## EACarlson

I did find one small downside to converting to points.  If you book a flight using TF, you would earn points on that flight.  You do not earn points on flights booked with points.  Not nearly enough of an issue to cause me to not convert, but I haven't seen anyone mention this fact when talking about conversion.

Also, quick question for those that have flown WN since the mask mandate went into place.  Have any of you been able to sleep on a plane with a mask on?  I've got a flight coming up that is going to require me to leave my house at 1am and have to somewhat functional until fairly late that evening.


----------



## EACarlson

Erica Ladd said:


> Can I convert everyone in my family’s TF to my RR account? I am always the main person from all past reservations


No, they each need their own RR account and the name on the account must match the name on the TF.


----------



## Fangorn

Erica Ladd said:


> Can I convert everyone in my family’s TF to my RR account? I am always the main person from all past reservations



No. Like travel funds, points remain with the traveler - or in their account anyway. The difference is that points can be used for anyone, while TFs can only be used for that person. 

Also, while person A's account can use their points to book a flight for person B, person A must have the full number of points available to book the flight. They can't combine their points with another person's points for the booking.  That said,  points CAN be transferred from one account to another, but SW charges a fee for that, based on the number of points being transferred. Cost is 1% in $ of the number of points being transferred (there's a 2000 point minimum and most be transferred in batches of 500 ).  So $20 for a transfer of 2000 points. $150 for a transfer of 15000 points. That cost may be acceptable if you only need a small number of points to book a flight, but I wouldn't do it just to get my whole family's points into one account. I'd end up spending almost as much to do that as it would cost to book for cash in the first place. 

If you know each person's account login, you can still manage all the points. That does make things a tad more difficult, but it can be done

Steve


----------



## Erica Ladd

EACarlson said:


> No, they each need their own RR account and the name on the account must match the name on the TF.



this makes it difficult for me to the point of not being useful. Hopefully we will travel somewhere before 9/2022!!!


----------



## EACarlson

Erica Ladd said:


> this makes it difficult for me to the point of not being useful. Hopefully we will travel somewhere before 9/2022!!!


Why is that?  SWRR points don't expire and you can use points from their account to purchase flights.  I set up RR accounts for my two kids aged 7 and 4.  They earn points on any flights they take and when they get older they can have them.  I wish I had all the FF miles I accrued as a kid on Northwest Orient.


----------



## G719

EACarlson said:


> Why is that?  SWRR points don't expire and you can use points from their account to purchase flights.  I set up RR accounts for my two kids aged 7 and 4.  They earn points on any flights they take and when they get older they can have them.  I wish I had all the FF miles I accrued as a kid on Northwest Orient.


I converted mine but the one thing that I was concerned about was having to book each person of my family separately so each person would use their own points for a flight. I don't want to spend more money to pool the points so we will just deal with booking under 4 accounts instead of booking 4 tickets under my account. It just makes it harder when it's time to check in for the flights unless you buy early bird. Plus your boarding numbers will probably not be all together when you don't purchase the tickets together. My kids are teenagers though so they could be helping from their own device when it's time to book or check in.


----------



## jcarwash

scrappinginontario said:


> How long does it normally take for a LUV voucher to be emailed?  I cancelled our flights 1 week ago today and after calling a special line was offered a LUV voucher for our EBCI refund but haven't received it yet.



Five days in my most recent experience. I got a response offering LUV vouchers on July 13, and the vouchers were emailed on July 18.


----------



## scrappinginontario

jcarwash said:


> Five days in my most recent experience. I got a response offering LUV vouchers on July 13, and the vouchers were emailed on July 18.


Thanks!  It’s now been 10 days, 6 business days.  If I haven’t received them by tomorrow I will follow up with SW.


----------



## nkereina

My travel funds at the moment are about $75 per person. That is converting to roughly 6,100 RR points. I'm considering changing my trip to Vegas, which requires roughly 14,000 RR points ($242). I would have to purchase an additional 8,000 RR points if I wanted to use my 6,100 RR points. If my math is correct, that will cost me about $220. If I don't convert my travel funds to RR points, I could apply the $75 travel funds to my $242 ticket purchase, and I would owe $167. Am I missing something? Unless my calculations are off, it seems to me that if you have a low amount of travel funds, it may not make the most sense to convert them to RR points unless you need the flexibility with no expiration date.


----------



## scrappinginontario

nkereina said:


> My travel funds at the moment are about $75 per person. That is converting to roughly 6,100 RR points. I'm considering changing my trip to Vegas, which requires roughly 14,000 RR points ($242). I would have to purchase an additional 8,000 RR points if I wanted to use my 6,100 RR points. If my math is correct, that will cost me about $220. If I don't convert my travel funds to RR points, I could apply the $75 travel funds to my $242 ticket purchase, and I would owe $167. Am I missing something? Unless my calculations are off, it seems to me that if you have a low amount of travel funds, it may not make the most sense to convert them to RR points unless you need the flexibility with no expiration date.


 I have found that if I don’t have enough RR points to purchase a full flight, it is not worth paying to purchase RR points.

Is $242 for round trip?  If it is, how much is one direction?  Is it worth using points to purchase 1 direction then booking a separate reservation for the other direction and use $$ for that?


----------



## nkereina

scrappinginontario said:


> Is $242 for round trip? If it is, how much is one direction? Is it worth using points to purchase 1 direction then booking a separate reservation for the other direction and use $$ for that?


Its one way, unfortunately!


----------



## scrappinginontario

nkereina said:


> Its one way, unfortunately!


In that case if it were me I would leave my travel funds as funds and apply them to the flight and pay the difference.  All that being said, if you need to cancel your flight after Sep 7, your travel funds (if nothing changes) may need to be used for travel that is completed 1 year minus a day from your purchase date.  so many unknowns right now!


----------



## Fangorn

nkereina said:


> My travel funds at the moment are about $75 per person. That is converting to roughly 6,100 RR points. I'm considering changing my trip to Vegas, which requires roughly 14,000 RR points ($242). I would have to purchase an additional 8,000 RR points if I wanted to use my 6,100 RR points. If my math is correct, that will cost me about $220. If I don't convert my travel funds to RR points, I could apply the $75 travel funds to my $242 ticket purchase, and I would owe $167. Am I missing something? Unless my calculations are off, it seems to me that if you have a low amount of travel funds, it may not make the most sense to convert them to RR points unless you need the flexibility with no expiration date.



Your math is correct. In this case you're better off using the travel funds and not converting to points. 

Steve


----------



## djmeredith

shoreward said:


> Southwest has made additional changes to the October flight schedule.  Do not rely on just looking at reservations in your account, for changes, as flights are not updating very quickly.  Check Southwest emails and look at the actual flight schedules, for peace of mind.  Due to reduced capacity (open middle seats) through at least October, as well as a reduced schedule, some of the flights have very limited or no availability.  If you receive an error, when you try to change a flight that qualifies for changes (with banner), contact Southwest for assistance.  They will do their best to accommodate you, if at all possible.


I strongly second this advice! Book your flights early and check them often! They reduced the number of flights on our fall break dates from 3 non-stops plus multiple others per day (probably at least 10 flight choices) down to 3 flights total per day (1 non-stop). Luckily, I saw the email about this latest drastic change and was able to keep us on the 1 non-stop. A few days later and now all 3 flights are close to full and only available for $500 each one-way.


----------



## jkelly86

Some of my fares dropped on Southwest today.  Check your reservations!


----------



## aokeefe

I've been monitoring my November flights and keep adjusting when the flight drops. It's been $99 each way for a few weeks. Today both legs are over $300 each. Crazy increase!


----------



## cmarsh31

aokeefe said:


> I've been monitoring my November flights and keep adjusting when the flight drops. It's been $99 each way for a few weeks. Today both legs are over $300 each. Crazy increase!



Ones I'm looking at just dropped hard, but only the "off" times, not the direct flights... I'm holding out for the red banner, or will probably cancel...


----------



## MarBee

aokeefe said:


> I've been monitoring my November flights and keep adjusting when the flight drops. It's been $99 each way for a few weeks. Today both legs are over $300 each. Crazy increase!


Saw the same thing.  There’s not Wanna Get Away fairs being offered on any of the direct flights I have booked right now- from November to April. Something must be up...


----------



## scjm222

MarBee said:


> Saw the same thing.  There’s not Wanna Get Away fairs being offered on any of the direct flights I have booked right now- from November to April. Something must be up...


I came here to see if anyone else noticed what I had this morning.  I checked a couple of other cities, close and far from my city, and the small availability of Wanna Get Away fares are exorbitantly high!


----------



## scrappinginontario

I just checked my (now cancelled) flights for Sep 12-21.  BUF-MCO.  Prices are great!!! $109 there and $99 return so not all wanna Get Away prices are up this morning.  The prices above are almost identical to what we paid on Mar 12, the day the flights opened.


----------



## cmarsh31

Hrrm... can't log in at all, even incognito window. Something is up...


----------



## scjm222

scjm222 said:


> I came here to see if anyone else noticed what I had this morning.  I checked a couple of other cities, close and far from my city, and the small availability of Wanna Get Away fares are exorbitantly high!


Checked again and it all seems back to normal!


----------



## aokeefe

scjm222 said:


> Checked again and it all seems back to normal!


Same here! Flights back to $99. Must have been a weird glitch.


----------



## MarBee

Yup!  Weird glitch- everything is back to normal.  Wanna Get Away Fairs showing again at average prices.


----------



## shoreward

Banner again popping up for September flights.


----------



## Tiggerish

In a fit of unwarranted optimism, I bought tickets for a trip to Disneyland in November on June 29, 2020.  It now looks more and more like that trip is not going to happen.  Normally, if I cancelled I would expect to receive travel funds that have to be used by June 29, 2021.  However, in reading here, is it possible that is I cancel before September 6th, the travel funds would be good until September 7, 2022?  And, if I do it before September 7, I could exchange those travel funds for reward points which never expire?


----------



## aokeefe

Tiggerish said:


> In a fit of unwarranted optimism, I bought tickets for a trip to Disneyland in November on June 29, 2020.  It now looks more and more like that trip is not going to happen.  Normally, if I cancelled I would expect to receive travel funds that have to be used by June 29, 2021.  However, in reading here, is it possible that is I cancel before September 6th, the travel funds would be good until September 7, 2022?  And, if I do it before September 7, I could exchange those travel funds for reward points which never expire?


Yes- that is correct. I believe you have until Dec 15th to convert the funds to points. You would need to set up a Rapid Rewards account if you don't already have one.


----------



## Tiggerish

aokeefe said:


> Yes- that is correct. I believe you have until Dec 15th to convert the funds to points. You would need to set up a Rapid Rewards account if you don't already have one.



Thank you.  That means we have a week to make a decision.  

There are almost $2,000 worth of airline tickets involved for five people but each does already have a Rapid Rewards account.  We have a reservation for a two bedroom suite at Disney's Paradise Pier and the SWA tickets but not any park tickets.  Without park tickets we would not be able to get any park reservations. Since Disneyland has cancelled resort reservations through the middle of September, has not announced when it will open or when ticket sales will resume, that is a lot of money.  We made the resort reservations last November so having been planning this trip for a long time.  It is time for a family conference,


----------



## 5DisneyNuts

Tiggerish said:


> In a fit of unwarranted optimism, I bought tickets for a trip to Disneyland in November on June 29, 2020.  It now looks more and more like that trip is not going to happen.  Normally, if I cancelled I would expect to receive travel funds that have to be used by June 29, 2021.  However, in reading here, is it possible that is I cancel before September 6th, the travel funds would be good until September 7, 2022?  And, if I do it before September 7, I could exchange those travel funds for reward points which never expire?





aokeefe said:


> Yes- that is correct. I believe you have until Dec 15th to convert the funds to points. You would need to set up a Rapid Rewards account if you don't already have one.




Hi all.  I finally sadly decided to cancel our November 2020 trip.  I have been reading this, but am still confused.

If I cancel my November trip and get TTF, will they be converted to September 2022?  The wording on the website says funds created because you cancel a flight between March 1 and Sept 7 2020 will expire Sept 7 2022.

Or can I cancel the November flights, and use the TTF to book a trip before 9/7/20 and cancel that in order to get the extension?

Thank you for your assistance.


----------



## shoreward

If you cancel your flights now, the travel funds will show in each person’s RR account, as long as their account number is attached to their reservation.  Initially, the expiration date of the funds will show as one year from the date of original booking.  However, within about 24 hours, the expiration date will change to 09/07/2022.  At that point, you either can elect to convert to RR points, or leave the funds, as is.  Note - if you book a trip using funds due to expire on 09/07/2022, but end up cancelling the flight(s), you will no longer retain the 2022 expiration date; the funds will revert to an expiration date of one year, from date of booking.


----------



## 5DisneyNuts

shoreward said:


> If you cancel your flights now, the travel funds will show in each person’s RR account, as long as their account number is attached to their reservation.  Initially, the expiration date of the funds will show as one year from the date of original booking.  However, within about 24 hours, the expiration date will change to 09/07/2022.  At that point, you either can elect to convert to RR points, or leave the funds, as is.  Note - if you book a trip using funds due to expire on 09/07/2022, but end up cancelling the flight(s), you will no longer retain the 2022 expiration date; the funds will revert to an expiration date of one year, from date of booking.



Thank you for clarifying!


----------



## MarBee

A sort of non-SW question for the SW experts...

Has anyone flown Jet Blue using their points?  How does the booking process compare to SW?

I’ve only ever booked SW flights using points before, but JetBlue just started non-stop flights from PHL to MCO, and they’re less points.
Usually I transfer my Chase UR points to SW for flight booking, because I love how I can cancel and still get those points back (as Rapid Rewards points).
I’m thinking of transferring some UR points to Jet Blue to book flights for April, but what will happen if I want to change or cancel?  Do I get the points back?
Also, if anyone would like to tell me how JetBlue compares to SW as a flight experience, I’d appreciate it.

Thank you in advance for any help or opinions!


----------



## pooch

Roomier seating, TV screens on every seat back, better snacks.  I fly SWA almost exclusively but really enjoy the occasional trip on Jet blue!


----------



## MarBee

pooch said:


> Roomier seating, TV screens on every seat back, better snacks.  I fly SWA almost exclusively but really enjoy the occasional trip on Jet blue!


Thank you!  Do you know that-if booked on points- if I cancel and change, will I get the points fully refunded?  I can’t tell bc of the Covid policies listed on their web site what the normal policy is.


----------



## pooch

Sorry don’t know, I always pay $ for JB flights.  Be aware, no free checked bags.  When I use JB, it’s carry on only.  Not worth it if I have to pay for bags.


----------



## happ

MarBee said:


> Thank you!  Do you know that-if booked on points- if I cancel and change, will I get the points fully refunded?  I can’t tell bc of the Covid policies listed on their web site what the normal policy is.


Their normal policy, pre-Covid, was to assess a cancellation fee. Unfortunately, it's not like SW.


----------



## MarBee

happ said:


> Their normal policy, pre-Covid, was to assess a cancellation fee. Unfortunately, it's not like SW.


Darn!  Still liking them as a back up option, but SW will still be my go-to because of flexibility.


----------



## happ

MarBee said:


> Darn!  Still liking them as a back up option, but SW will still be my go-to because of flexibility.


Some interesting things are happening- United, AA, and Delta just made changes to their flight change policies by eliminating fees. So, maybe JetBlue will follow suit.


----------



## MarBee

happ said:


> Some interesting things are happening- United, AA, and Delta just made changes to their flight change policies by eliminating fees. So, maybe JetBlue will follow suit.


I saw this!  Kind of exciting!


----------



## Fangorn

happ said:


> Some interesting things are happening- United, AA, and Delta just made changes to their flight change policies by eliminating fees. So, maybe JetBlue will follow suit.



They are all seriously losing new business to SW. Under the current conditions, people have been changing to SW, just so they don't have to deal with the change fees. Once one of the legacy carriers caved (Delta yesterday) the others had to follow suit as well. 

Steve


----------



## shoreward

MarBee said:


> Thank you!  Do you know that-if booked on points- if I cancel and change, will I get the points fully refunded?  I can’t tell bc of the Covid policies listed on their web site what the normal policy is.


Bookings using points are always 100% refundable back to your RR account.  The taxes, which can't be paid with points, are also refundable; just make sure to check the refund option from the drop-down box.  Otherwise, the taxes will be held as a travel fund credit.  If your fare goes down in cost, the difference in points will be refunded back to your RR account.


----------



## pooch

MarBee was inquiring about Jet Blue not SWA.


----------



## shoreward

pooch said:


> MarBee was inquiring about Jet Blue not SWA.


Sorry - did not notice.  Just thought it was about Southwest, where points are always refunded.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

I wanted to chime back in after a rather lengthy absence (aside from one or two comments) from this thread. We haven't had any travel plans for me to use this thread 

Months ago I posted about our concern for our October 2020 travel funds for my husband. We had a trip in April that used up a portion of those funds. We cancelled that trip (couldn't go to Vegas anyways during that time as it was shut down and we were under a stay at home order in my area) and for the longest time it had the expiration date of October 2020.

When we cancelled our flight we expected the expiration date to stay at October 2020 because it wasn't a newly created travel fund, SWA"s wording was always kinda hard to decipher exactly what it meant; I remember a lot of discussion about that here on this thread when they first released what they would be doing. It took a few months but my husband noticed that one day it was October 2020 and the next day those funds used in April updated with a September 7th, 2022 expiration date.

So that was great!...but we still had a bit of travel funds that had not been used for that April trip that were initially created in October 2019 and had that October 2020 date.

My husband called the dedicated A-list number:

The customer service representative confirmed the system was doing it correctly in adjusting the expiration date of the funds used in April because we had a flight booked that we needed to cancel during the window SWA had listed.
My husband asked the customer service rep if SWA was going to extend or be able to extend those other travel funds with the expiration date of October 2020. The rep said unfortunately no that wasn't in the plans right now to automatically extend those.
In the end we were able to have our other leftover funds with an expiration date originally of October 2020 end up with an expiration date of September 2022 (which we were very happy about though we didn't expect it) as the rep advised us of a way that wasn't official SWA advise nor something that he could advise every single person to do and was only when my husband politely inquired about there being _any_ way. I know I'm awful for posting that teaser but I don't want to start blabbing a work around that SWA hasn't authorized to be published and used by all. I don't want to get us in trouble either. BUT you may be able to figure it out on your own  and some posters (I haven't read through the recent pages) maybe have already done it/mentioned it.

We're still debating point conversions.

I think SWA has really tried to be as accommodating as possible here and we would have accepted it if we would have lost out on all that $ but it still would have stung that's for sure.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

happ said:


> Some interesting things are happening- United, AA, and Delta just made changes to their flight change policies by eliminating fees. So, maybe JetBlue will follow suit.


Well when you need travelers who may be more strapped cash than normal in an environment (COVID-era) that really requires change on the fly you sorta realize that some of those fees you used to charge..may not be the best idea.

I'm not sure though there would have been as much push though if SWA wasn't already existing in this environment with no change fees so probably another win for the "SWA effect"


----------



## scrappinginontario

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I wanted to chime back in after a rather lengthy absence (aside from one or two comments) from this thread. We haven't had any travel plans for me to use this thread
> 
> Months ago I posted about our concern for our October 2020 travel funds for my husband. We had a trip in April that used up a portion of those funds. We cancelled that trip (couldn't go to Vegas anyways during that time as it was shut down and we were under a stay at home order in my area) and for the longest time it had the expiration date of October 2020.
> 
> When we cancelled our flight we expected the expiration date to stay at October 2020 because it wasn't a newly created travel fund, SWA"s wording was always kinda hard to decipher exactly what it meant; I remember a lot of discussion about that here on this thread when they first released what they would be doing. It took a few months but my husband noticed that one day it was October 2020 and the next day those funds used in April updated with a September 7th, 2022 expiration date.
> 
> So that was great!...but we still had a bit of travel funds that had not been used for that April trip that were initially created in October 2019 and had that October 2020 date.
> 
> My husband called the dedicated A-list number:
> 
> The customer service representative confirmed the system was doing it correctly in adjusting the expiration date of the funds used in April because we had a flight booked that we needed to cancel during the window SWA had listed.
> My husband asked the customer service rep if SWA was going to extend or be able to extend those other travel funds with the expiration date of October 2020. The rep said unfortunately no that wasn't in the plans right now to automatically extend those.
> In the end we were able to have our other leftover funds with an expiration date originally of October 2020 end up with an expiration date of September 2022 (which we were very happy about though we didn't expect it) as the rep advised us of a way that wasn't official SWA advise nor something that he could advise every single person to do and was only when my husband politely inquired about there being _any_ way. I know I'm awful for posting that teaser but I don't want to start blabbing a work around that SWA hasn't authorized to be published and used by all. I don't want to get us in trouble either. BUT you may be able to figure it out on your own  and some posters (I haven't read through the recent pages) maybe have already done it/mentioned it.
> 
> We're still debating point conversions.
> 
> I think SWA has really tried to be as accommodating as possible here and we would have accepted it if we would have lost out on all that $ but it still would have stung that's for sure.


People are using their travel funds with non-Sep 7, 2022 to book a flight and then cancelling that flight.  That gives their travel funds a Sep 7, 2022 expiration date but it needs to happen quickly as currently the offer of extension to Sep 7, 2022 are for those who cancel flights before Sep 7, 2020.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

scrappinginontario said:


> People are using their travel funds with non-Sep 7, 2022 to book a flight and then cancelling that flight.  That gives their travel funds a Sep 7, 2022 expiration date but it needs to happen quickly as currently the offer of extension to Sep 7, 2022 are for those who cancel flights before Sep 7, 2020.


----------



## pooch

and if that's a "wink-wink" secret, its the worst kept ever.


----------



## scrappinginontario

pooch said:


> and if that's a "wink-wink" secret, its the worst kept ever.


Yup!  We've been discussing it here for months!!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

pooch said:


> and if that's a "wink-wink" secret, its the worst kept ever.





scrappinginontario said:


> Yup!  We've been discussing it here for months!!



I know! Like I said I didn't read the over the past few months and fully admitted it could have been discussed/mentioned. BUT I'm trying to maintain honesty and integrity with the customer service rep who advised he was not authorized to mention this to everyone and it was NOT a published thing from SWA. Y'all are free to continue to discuss it though  I just didn't want to go blabbing about it. I'm usually more of a "go by what's written" kinda gal with respects to published guidelines and have consistently been like that with respects to discussing SWA on the Boards.


----------



## teawar

I was supposed to fly home from MCO on 9/7/2020 and now need to cancel due to COVID-19 exposure. Do You think I make the   March 1- Sept 7, 2020 cut off to get the extension to Sept 7, 2022? Or should I move my “flight“ to the 5th or 6th?? I didn’t Want to pull the trigger and mess up by one day!


----------



## Fangorn

teawar said:


> I was supposed to fly home from MCO on 9/7/2020 and now need to cancel due to COVID-19 exposure. Do You think I make the   March 1- Sept 7, 2020 cut off to get the extension to Sept 7, 2022? Or should I move my “flight“ to the 5th or 6th?? I didn’t Want to pull the trigger and mess up by one day!



It's not the date of the flight that matters. It's the date the travel funds are created - by either cancellation or change - that matters.  If you know you're going to cancel, just do it before Sunday, and you'll be good. 

The travel funds will initially show an expiration date a year from the date the ticket was initial purchased. But the travel funds should show a 9/7/22 expiration date the next day.  The process SW uses to change the dates is a separate computer run that happens overnight. 

Steve


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Cross-posting this from the I Love Credit Cards thread...

*Southwest Travel Fund Extension Deadline (possibly?) approaching soon:*
Per the Southwest *COVID response webpage* we are quickly approaching an important date that I've yet to see extended.  That webpage says:

If you decide not to travel, as long as you cancel your flight at least 10 minutes before its scheduled departure, the funds used to pay for a nonrefundable ticket (Wanna Get Away® fares) are normally valid for one year from the date of purchase.
However, in recognition of the current travel environment, we are extending the expiration date of some travel funds:
Customers’ funds that have expired or will expire between March 1, 2020 and September 7, 2020, will now expire September 7, 2022.
Any travel funds created because you *cancel a flight between March 1 – September 7, 2020*, will expire September 7, 2022.

For recently cancelled tickets and newly created travel funds, it may take up to five business days for the expiration date to change to September 7, 2022. Typically, the expiration date is updated at midnight after the fund creation.
*My Thoughts:*
I feel like some sort of update/extension has to come out on this... but if no action is taken, as currently worded, these extensions will not apply to credits created after Monday.  And this matters even more BECAUSE...

Through December 15, 2020, qualified travel funds that are *set to expire September 7, 2022* can be converted into Rapid Rewards points.
BUT to qualify, your travel fund *must expire September 7, 2022*,
You have until December 15, 2020 to complete the conversion (which I will add is non-reversible).
So if Sept 7, 2020 is the last date to take advantage of the travel fund extension...it's also potentially the last day to create a fund that can then be converted into points despite the fact that you have until Dec 15th to actually complete the conversion.  Lots to ponder here...and hopefully there's some sort of extension that renders this all void, but keep it in mind for now!


----------



## teawar

Thank you!!!


----------



## Tiggerish

The offer by Southwest to extend the travel funds from canceled flights worked well for me.  Last night I canceled the flights I had booked on June 29th for travel in late November.  When I booked I used some travel funds that would have expired in October of this year plus cash.  Today my account shows that I received travel funds that expire on 9/7/22 for the cash I spent plus an additional set of travel funds equal to the expiring travel funds I had used and those also were extended until 9/7/22.  That took some of the sting out of having to cancel my Thanksgiving trip to Disneyland.

A big thanks to all the people on this thread that alerted me to the offer and walked me through how it worked.


----------



## shoreward

Southwest will be expanding its route system to include Miami and Palm Springs.

https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/5708662002


----------



## Avery&Todd

Has anyone flown on SW lately and if so what has been your experience with them keeping/changing flight times?  We are looking to go to WDW in October but have flexible dates - I actually booked a flight (with points) for the week I'm thinking we'll go but now 2 other weeks are in play and those are earlier in the month and the flights times have become sketchy and most flights during the day are now "unavailable"! 

Have we found that they'll cancelling most flights and I should really just bank on not getting my direct flight home and that it will actually be 4 or 5 hours instead??

Thanks!


----------



## scrappinginontario

Avery&Todd said:


> Has anyone flown on SW lately and if so what has been your experience with them keeping/changing flight times?  We are looking to go to WDW in October but have flexible dates - I actually booked a flight (with points) for the week I'm thinking we'll go but now 2 other weeks are in play and those are earlier in the month and the flights times have become sketchy and most flights during the day are now "unavailable"!
> 
> Have we found that they'll cancelling most flights and I should really just bank on not getting my direct flight home and that it will actually be 4 or 5 hours instead??
> 
> Thanks!


 I think you’ll find right now that Southwest (and many airlines) are changing their flights frequently due to the times we’re living in.  I’ve flown SW almost exclusively for 10+ years and rarely had my flights changed (normally booked opening day) by more than an hour either way.  This trip my flights that were booked opening day (Mar 12) changed so many times that I lost count.  They were also changed from direct flights both ways to ones with stopovers as all direct flights were removed from the schedules on my dates and around them.

Given the unprecedented times we are living in I wouldn’t count on any flights staying as you book them for the foreseeable future.


----------



## pooch

Agree, flight times change seemingly on an hourly basis.  My DD’s flights in October got so screwed up, I cancelled them & booked JB instead.  Those flights have changed too but at least remain nonstop.  Everything on SWA included a layover.


----------



## MinnieMSue

Yes our flights for this weekend were changed significantly - actually not really the flight going down - still nonstop and only an hour later than originally. Our flight home was basically annihilated. We would have lost an entire park day so I booked a very late morning nonstop flight the next day and added a night to Pop. I have anxiously checked my flights multiple times a day since. I believe it has been a month or so since they made that last change. Every time a red banner popped up I would get anxious so that was most of the time lol. Still don’t trust that our return flight won’t be changed since they appeared to still have a lot of availability. It is unfortunately a consequence of the pandemic. I don’t think any airline has been any different and most are probably worse.


----------



## honeymo78

My flight for next Sat and the following Sunday have also not changed in about a month - prior to that there had been several changes.  Hopefully they are done making changes by now.  I think a lot of the more recent Oct changes relate to the extension of empty middle seats.  Speaking of empty middle seats, will they make my party of 3 sit all in one row or will we also be allowed to take advantage of the empty middle seat policy, with 2 in one row and the other across the aisle or in the row in front/behind?


----------



## Fangorn

honeymo78 said:


> ... Speaking of empty middle seats, will they make my party of 3 sit all in one row or will we also be allowed to take advantage of the empty middle seat policy, with 2 in one row and the other across the aisle or in the row in front/behind?



It's SW. You can sit in any available seat you like. They will not make you all sit in the same row. If you want to sit together in the same row, you can.

Steve


----------



## mickeynut1

Avery&Todd said:


> Has anyone flown on SW lately and if so what has been your experience with them keeping/changing flight times?  We are looking to go to WDW in October but have flexible dates - I actually booked a flight (with points) for the week I'm thinking we'll go but now 2 other weeks are in play and those are earlier in the month and the flights times have become sketchy and most flights during the day are now "unavailable"!
> 
> Have we found that they'll cancelling most flights and I should really just bank on not getting my direct flight home and that it will actually be 4 or 5 hours instead??
> 
> Thanks!



DH & I are headed to Vegas next week (flights were bought about a month ago) and have not experienced any flight changes.  My DS and his girlfriend, on the other hand, are flying to Ft Myers in Oct and have had both departure and return flights changed.  Right now the flights are still non-stop as only the times have changed (put on a 9:30am departure from 11:20am; 12:10pm return from 2:25pm), but all non-stop departures are currently showing as "unavailable".  I'm hoping there are no more changes, but I'm constantly checking.


----------



## nkereina

Now that we are after the 9/7 travel fund date, has there been anything additional as far as that being extended? We're booked to fly to Orlando in October, but are coming from NY which has a mandate in place requiring us to quarantine for 14 days upon returning home from Florida (among other states). If this is still in place when we are due to fly, we will be forced to cancel as we would not be able to comply with the mandate upon returning home. SWA's web site even gives us a notice/warning about this when I'm logged in on their web site. Just curious how this will be handled, or if we'd be subject to the standard one year expiration date in this case.


----------



## Avery&Todd

mickeynut1 said:


> DH & I are headed to Vegas next week (flights were bought about a month ago) and have not experienced any flight changes.  My DS and his girlfriend, on the other hand, are flying to Ft Myers in Oct and have had both departure and return flights changed.  Right now the flights are still non-stop as only the times have changed (put on a 9:30am departure from 11:20am; 12:10pm return from 2:25pm), but all non-stop departures are currently showing as "unavailable".  I'm hoping there are no more changes, but I'm constantly checking.



THANKS!!

and do we know if flights that were showing as available but are now greyed out with lines through them (in all 3 ticket categories) and now say "unavailable" are full flights or have those particular flights just been cancelled?


----------



## scjm222

Does anyone recall when SW extended the open middle seat through 10/31?  We are flying thanksgiving week and am hoping it gets extended into November.


----------



## PCFriar80

scjm222 said:


> Does anyone recall when SW extended the open middle seat through 10/31?  We are flying thanksgiving week and am hoping it gets extended into November.


July 15th they announced extending the open middle seat through 10/31.


----------



## Fangorn

Avery&Todd said:


> THANKS!!
> 
> and do we know if flights that were showing as available but are now greyed out with lines through them (in all 3 ticket categories) and now say "unavailable" are full flights or have those particular flights just been cancelled?



My experience has been that if a flight category is sold out, it will say "Sold Out". It's pretty rare for all categories to sold out for a flight, although it does happen.

What I've seen with "Unavailable" across the board, is that the flight has been tagged as having possible (emphasis on "possible") changes and they are not selling anymore seats on the flight until they figure out exactly what they're going to do. Of the 6 or 7 flights I've had where this has happened, only one actually ended up having a change. All the others returned to normal status within a couple of days. 

Steve


----------



## Avery&Todd

Fangorn said:


> My experience has been that if a flight category is sold out, it will say "Sold Out". It's pretty rare for all categories to sold out for a flight, although it does happen.
> 
> What I've seen with "Unavailable" across the board, is that the flight has been tagged as having possible (emphasis on "possible") changes and they are not selling anymore seats on the flight until they figure out exactly what they're going to do. Of the 6 or 7 flights I've had where this has happened, only one actually ended up having a change. All the others returned to normal status within a couple of days.
> 
> Steve


GREAT!  THANK YOU!


----------



## shoreward

scjm222 said:


> Does anyone recall when SW extended the open middle seat through 10/31?  We are flying thanksgiving week and am hoping it gets extended into November.


I very recently inquired about the open middle seat policy being extended past the end of October and was told that it is not yet known, if there will be an extension.


----------



## scjm222

shoreward said:


> I very recently inquired about the open middle seat policy being extended past the end of October and was told that it is not yet known, if there will be an extension.


I’ve heard that as well. I noticed this morning that the wording on their site no longer says “at least through 10/31” but just says through 10/31 when referring to the middle seat being open. 
In all fairness, I might be misremembering or reading too much into it


----------



## puppytrainer

I understand you can book flights for others out of your account using points. My question is is there any difference if the account holder is a minor? My daughter is 16 and has her own RR account. If I convert the travel funds in her name to points, is there any issues booking flights for both of us out of her account? Thanks.


----------



## Fangorn

puppytrainer said:


> I understand you can book flights for others out of your account using points. My question is is there any difference if the account holder is a minor? My daughter is 16 and has her own RR account. If I convert the travel funds in her name to points, is there any issues booking flights for both of us out of her account? Thanks.



No, not a problem. But remember, you can't book a flight using points from 2 different account.

Steve


----------



## puppytrainer

Fangorn said:


> No, not a problem. But remember, you can't book a flight using points from 2 different account.
> 
> Steve


Great, thank you!!


----------



## shoreward

A Southwest FB post promoting the 3-day sale released on Tuesday, references open seats:



> Sail off for a little while. Revisit a favorite or explore a new destination. Book while it's on sale. And, for your comfort, middle seats are open until at least      October 31.



The open middle seats policy is still described as ‘open until at least          October 31.’

If their bookings are not at capacity into fall and early winter, they would not be losing revenue, but possibly picking up business that could otherwise go to other carriers, if continuing to keep middle seats open.  Currently, only Delta has announced an open seat policy continuing at least till first week week of January 2021.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

Fangorn said:


> No, not a problem. But remember, you can't book a flight using points from 2 different account.
> 
> Steve


Actually you can book flights out of two different accts.  Book one way tickets. Use the point from one acct for one direction and the points from another acct for the other direction.


----------



## Fangorn

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> Actually you can book flights out of two different accts.  Book one way tickets. Use the point from one acct for one direction and the points from another acct for the other direction.



True, but that's booking two flights. You cannot book a flight using points from two RR accounts.

Steve


----------



## mickeynut1

Avery&Todd said:


> THANKS!!



You're welcome  



Avery&Todd said:


> and do we know if flights that were showing as available but are now greyed out with lines through them (in all 3 ticket categories) and now say "unavailable" are full flights or have those particular flights just been cancelled?



I'm glad *Fangorn* answered your question as I didn't have the answer and was wondering myself


----------



## shoreward

Apparently, Southwest is still evaluating whether or not they will extend the open middle seat policy, past the end of October.  The advisement is to basically watch their website and social media for updates.

If you have travel booked on Southwest past October 31, and it's announced that middle seats on Southwest will no longer be blocked after that date, will you cancel your Southwest flights?  As of right now, only one airline (Delta) has confirmed that they will continue to block middle seats on their flights, till the first week of January 2021.


----------



## EACarlson

shoreward said:


> Apparently, Southwest is still evaluating whether or not they will extend the open middle seat policy, past the end of October.  The advisement is to basically watch their website and social media for updates.
> 
> If you have travel booked on Southwest past October 31, and it's announced that middle seats on Southwest will no longer be blocked after that date, will you cancel your Southwest flights?  As of right now, only one airline (Delta) has confirmed that they will continue to block middle seats on their flights, till the first week of January 2021.


I won't, I've got a trip for my family of four to DEN the week before Thanksgiving.  Not that I think it will be an issue but I think I will put my 7 year old on the aisle, I'll take the window and we'll swap around if someone decides they need to sit with us.


----------



## Euby

I have a question about the current boarding process.  I've read they are boarding in groups of 10.  I also thought I read somewhere that they are encouraging passengers to fill seats from the back of the plane first.  Are they actually doing this?  It would make more sense from a COVID standpoint to help with social distancing.  What about pre-boarding for passengers with disabilities?  Do they "reserve" the first couple of rows for those people to board once everyone else is on board?  Or do they board as before and have everyone still file past them as they board (inevitably getting banged in the side of the head by someones carry-on)?


----------



## scrappinginontario

Euby said:


> I have a question about the current boarding process.  I've read they are boarding in groups of 10.  I also thought I read somewhere that they are encouraging passengers to fill seats from the back of the plane first.  Are they actually doing this?  It would make more sense from a COVID standpoint to help with social distancing.  What about pre-boarding for passengers with disabilities?  Do they "reserve" the first couple of rows for those people to board once everyone else is on board?  Or do they board as before and have everyone still file past them as they board (inevitably getting banged in the side of the head by someones carry-on)?


Passengers can choose any available seat or row except middle seats are remaining open when guests are not with the same travel party.  Therefore no, they are not loading back rows first.


----------



## BillFromCT

Euby said:


> I have a question about the current boarding process.  I've read they are boarding in groups of 10.  I also thought I read somewhere that they are encouraging passengers to fill seats from the back of the plane first.  Are they actually doing this?  It would make more sense from a COVID standpoint to help with social distancing.  What about pre-boarding for passengers with disabilities?  Do they "reserve" the first couple of rows for those people to board once everyone else is on board?  Or do they board as before and have everyone still file past them as they board (inevitably getting banged in the side of the head by someones carry-on)?


The pre-board folks are filed past same as before.  The only difference now is the front row seats have a reserved sign on them for the flight attendants.


----------



## MinnieMSue

Yeah most people sit at the front like always. I tried to convince my daughter to sit further back in the hopes of an empty row behind us or something but she wasn’t having it. We sat over the wing with people in the rows around us. Luckily the person across the aisle in the row beside us and the row behind that one was were alone and took window seats so that didn’t put someone directly across the aisle from us.  And like mentioned the bulkhead row is blocked off.


----------



## shoreward

*Save 20% on Southwest Flights*

There is an extremely unusual offer that only is valid till 09/17/2020 to save 20% on Southwest flights for travel through 10/31/2020.  You must use RR points to pay, and add the promo code *Save20now*.  The booking engine will show the regular fare, as well as the discounted fare, next to each listed flight.


----------



## pooch

And, SURPRISE!!  That 20% off still comes to more than I have ever had to pay for my BDL-MCO route preCovid.


----------



## shoreward

pooch said:


> And, SURPRISE!!  That 20% off still comes to more than I have ever had to pay for my BDL-MCO route preCovid.


With middle seats left open, meaning able to sell only 2/3 maximum normal capacity, Southwest’s costs to operate a flight remain constant-whether every single seat is sold, or not.  If they decide to unblock and sell middle seats, after 10/31/2020, fares should start to come down in cost.

I wonder if the cut off date for the 20% discount is because they intend to sell middle seats, eff. for travel Nov. 1 and later.

In the meantime, for anyone now booking Southwest for travel through Oct. 31, it is a good deal.


----------



## pens4821

Euby said:


> I have a question about the current boarding process.  I've read they are boarding in groups of 10.  I also thought I read somewhere that they are *encouraging passengers to fill seats from the back of the plane first*.  Are they actually doing this?  It would make more sense from a COVID standpoint to help with social distancing.  What about pre-boarding for passengers with disabilities?  Do they "reserve" the first couple of rows for those people to board once everyone else is on board?  Or do they board as before and have everyone still file past them as they board (inevitably getting banged in the side of the head by someones carry-on)?



We flew a couple weeks ago, had a layover each way.  On one of the 4 flights, the flight attendants were asking people to please head to the back of the plane.  They were saying there are seats back there and it helps distribute the weight. They weren't forcing people, just saying it.  It stuck out because I thought it was odd, as it was the last of our four flights and didn't hear it before.  We were in the A boarding group (around 30-40) each time so its not like we were boarding later/earlier that time than others.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Southwest website now saying middle seats open through November 30th.  I think that just updated on the last day or so.


----------



## shoreward

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Southwest website now saying middle seats open through November 30th.  I think that just updated on the last day or so.


That must have changed during the overnight hours.  It seems like this policy will be reviewed and evaluated on a month-by-month basis, considering different factors, such as state of the pandemic, loads, etc.



> We know how important it is to have the space you need to feel comfortable onboard our planes. That’s why we’re now keeping middle seats open through November 30. But, as always, if you’re traveling together, you’re welcome to sit together.


----------



## Lisa75

shoreward said:


> That must have changed during the overnight hours.  It seems like this policy will be reviewed and evaluated on a month-by-month basis, considering different factors, such as state of the pandemic, loads, etc.



I noticed this time isn't "through at least".  It's tough playing chicken with them for our Christmas break flights.  When we fly it's just me and my young son.  We decided in June and August after having the whole row we weren't going to fly anymore where it puts a stranger in our row.  He gets the window, I get the middle and someone of course takes the aisle.  It's not just COVID but comfort as well.  Booked a two seat row on AA for the way down but have SW on way back to use up a travel fund credit.  Not sure I can wait a month out to see if they extend.


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

Fangorn said:


> True, but that's booking two flights. You cannot book a flight using points from two RR accounts.
> 
> Steve


Yes so this is the work around . If you have points to use in someone elses name booking 2 one way tickets is the work around to use points from 2 different RR acct.  So you roundtrip is just booked as 2 one ways.


----------



## Marionnette

Southwest extended their “middle seats open” policy thru Nov. 30. I’m pretty sure it only went thru Oct. 31 when I checked yesterday.


----------



## shoreward

Southwest's next schedule extension has been postponed until December 2020.



> We are currently accepting air reservations through April 11, 2021. On December 10, 2020 we will open our schedule for sale through June 5, 2021. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


----------



## focusondisney

Marionnette said:


> Southwest extended their “middle seats open” policy thru Nov. 30. I’m pretty sure it only went thru Oct. 31 when I checked yesterday.



Yes, @SouthFayetteFan posted yesterday morning, about 8:30 that it had changed sometime overnight/ early morning.    Hope they continue the policy.


----------



## focusondisney

shoreward said:


> Southwest's next schedule extension has been postponed until December 2020.



Wow, that’s crazy... booking only 4 months out.  That is sure cutting it short.  Thanks for the heads up.


----------



## shoreward

Purchase a minimum of 10,000 RR points and receive a 75% bonus.  Note - purchasing points is not usually the best investment, unless needing to top off an account to purchase flights, but this offer is better than most previous offers.



> Offer is valid between September 18, 2020, 12:00:01 a.m. CT and September 28, 2020, 11:59:59 p.m. CT. Rapid Rewards ® Member will get 75% more points as a bonus when the Member purchases or gifts 10,000 or more Rapid Rewards points. A valid credit card is required to purchase or gift points. A minimum 10,000 points purchase threshold must be met on a per transaction basis in order to qualify for the bonus. Transfer point purchases are not included in this offer. Points can be purchased and gifted in blocks of 1,000 and a daily maximum of 60,000 points can be purchased by a Member with no annual maximum. Transactions are non-refundable and non-reversible. Purchased and gifted points do not count towards A-List, A-List Preferred, or Companion Pass qualification. Prices are in U.S. dollars and include all applicable taxes. Please allow 72 hours for points to post to the applicable Rapid Rewards account. Prices for the purchase and gifting of points are only valid while a Member is currently logged in to *Southwest.com*® and such prices are subject to change. All Rapid Rewards rules and regulations apply and can be found at *Southwest.com/rrterms*. Southwest® reserves the right to amend, suspend, or change the Rapid Rewards program and/or Rapid Rewards program rules at any time without notice. Rapid Rewards Members do not acquire property rights in accrued points. The number of Rapid Rewards points needed for a particular Southwest flight is set by Southwest and will vary depending on destination, time, day of travel, demand, fare type, point redemption rate, and other factors, and is subject to change at any time until the booking is confirmed.
> 
> The email address provided here is only used for confirmation of your Points purchase and will not alter the email address currently stored in your Rapid Rewards profile.
> 
> Prices are in U.S. Dollars and include all applicable taxes. Prices for the purchase or gifting of points are only valid while a Member is currently logged into southwest.com and such prices are subject to change. Purchased points are nonrefundable and nonreversible. All Rapid Rewards rules and regulations apply and can be found at Southwest.com/rrterms.


----------



## katallo

focusondisney said:


> Wow, that’s crazy... booking only 4 months out.  That is sure cutting it short.  Thanks for the heads up.




I thought the same.  We were prepared for Nov 11th but this is crazy for an April trip.


----------



## shoreward

focusondisney said:


> Wow, that’s crazy... booking only 4 months out.  That is sure cutting it short.  Thanks for the heads up.





katallo said:


> I thought the same.  We were prepared for Nov 11th but this is crazy for an April trip.


I’m sure much of the delay is due to uncertainties about COVID, travel demand, and the MAX8 (two other airlines already show MAX8 flights in their November schedules).  By delaying the schedule extension by a month, maybe Southwest believes that the delay will reduce the need to cancel so many scheduled flights, as it has had to do, this year.


----------



## Leigh L

shoreward said:


> I’m sure much of the delay is due to uncertainties about COVID, travel demand, and the MAX8 (two other airlines already show MAX8 flights in their November schedules).  By delaying the schedule extension by a month, maybe Southwest believes that the delay will reduce the need to cancel so many scheduled flights, as it has had to do, this year.


This makes total sense. I'm also wondering if it's easier to delay announcements until they can assess demand, and then maybe even add flights if travel demand kicks up rather than deal with the logistics of rescheduling everyone or processing refunds.

One airport near me (DC) normally only has sporadic direct SW flights to MCO, but the other one near me SW usually runs 3-5 direct flights to MCO every day. SW already dropped those for early November and converted them to all connections in Atlanta, even the Saturday flights. I've never seen this before.

The other 3 or 4 other airlines haven't done so yet (we're booked on United and most of those flights are not even close to full, yet they are still showing the full 5 direct flights a day schedule and I already have experience with JetBlue canceling numerous flights repeatedly in August).  Seems SW is planning more deliberately and conservatively lately.

Edited to add: After thinking more about this thread, I just decided to recheck my Nov. dates again (been tracking it in case United cancels us) and it seems SW has added a few direct flights back in since I last checked.


----------



## Fangorn

focusondisney said:


> Wow, that’s crazy... booking only 4 months out.  That is sure cutting it short.  Thanks for the heads up.



In the nearly 50 year history of SW the 4 month  schedule has been the standard. Is only been in the past 5 years or so that they've extended it to 8 months, give our take.  It's always simpler,  closer in,  to schedule with greater confidence that revenue is being maximized. 

Under the current conditions, that is even more true. Much better to schedule only a short time frame out, than face the logistical (and customer service) issues of canceling/changing flights for a sizable percentage of customers. 

This is actually a very wise business move. I'd much prefer booking closer in,  than having my flight canceled/changed.

Steve


----------



## happ

There's a new SW promo. Purchase 1 flight by 9/24, travel by 11/15, and get a free companion pass good in Jan/Feb. www.southwest.com/companionpasspromo/


----------



## Shinrai

This isn't a question about SW in particular (we're actually flying AA), but I have seen a lot of discussion here that flight changes have become a common thing.

For those who have experienced this, how far in advance were you notified of a change to your flights?  Are changes happening right up to the date of the flight (not counting last minute maintenance issues and whatnot), or is there a point where you can be pretty confident that the flight schedule won't change?


----------



## EACarlson

Shinrai said:


> This isn't a question about SW in particular (we're actually flying AA), but I have seen a lot of discussion here that flight changes have become a common thing.
> 
> For those who have experienced this, how far in advance were you notified of a change to your flights?  Are changes happening right up to the date of the flight (not counting last minute maintenance issues and whatnot), or is there a point where you can be pretty confident that the flight schedule won't change?


You should really start your own thread asking about AA's schedule changes.  They are completely different by company.  What my or anyone else's experience is with WN schedule changes is not going to be anywhere close to what you'll find with AA.


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## scrappinginontario

Shinrai said:


> This isn't a question about SW in particular (we're actually flying AA), but I have seen a lot of discussion here that flight changes have become a common thing.
> 
> For those who have experienced this, how far in advance were you notified of a change to your flights?  Are changes happening right up to the date of the flight (not counting last minute maintenance issues and whatnot), or is there a point where you can be pretty confident that the flight schedule won't change?


My flights started changing about 3 months prior to our trip and changed multiple times up until I cancelled them due to border closure, about 3 weeks prior to our travel date.  I didn't track them after that but my guess is they could have changed them again for sure!

Looking at the emails received our flights were changed 4 times between mid-June and mid-August.  This was just our return flight.  Our flight to Orlando was changed at least 3 times also.


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## Leigh L

Apologies for the OT since this isn't SW specific, but just in general. I think in today's environment to just be prepared for changes no matter what airline you're flying. JetBlue changed us several times between July and August (8/8 was our departure). DH has a flight with JB next week to Tampa, he just got moved by more than 24 hours today, so 8 days out. 

Frontier canceled us outright in June; they'd, canceled all flights through November (which was how we ended up with JB).

SW has limited their normal options where I live from what I can see (we haven't flown them since January). DD has a flight with them in November and we're hoping one of the three direct flights on her departure date sticks.


----------



## shoreward

Companion Pass offer extended through today.


“Register for this incredible offer to enjoy the privileges of Promotional Companion Pass®

Register, purchase, and fly one flight. Then take off with your favorite plus one* whenever you fly between 1/6-2/28/2021. Offer ends 9/25/2020–don’t let it pass by!”


----------



## Ninjagrrl

So there's an alert on my SW flight leaving PHL 11/28 and returning 12/5. It says my flight may be adversely affected due to situations out of their control and I can change for no cost.
But when I look at my flights, everything is the same. Times, plane, nonstop flight, etc.
Is this a glitch or a warning that my flight is about to disappear? Or maybe they oversold and are trying to get people to move?
I don't want to change my flight... I picked the first flight out of PHL specifically bc it's the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and the latter in the day it gets, the more likely a delay or something. Same thing coming home... I don't want to meet the ME at 3 AM, so I picked a later flight.


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## Shelly S

I got a notification of a flight change also On my return flight MCO toBDL. In the email it is only different by 10 minutes, but if I were to try to book new, that flight is not listed. I looked at my flight out also BDL to MCO. I did not get a change notification and I am still listed on the am nonstop but if I were to try and book it that flight is no longer listed. I imagine I will get more notifications As both these flights seem to be gone but who knows. I know I have to go with whatever flights are offered but I booked specifically because I really wanted nonstop, I hate changing planes. With still more than a month to go who knows what other changes will happen.


----------



## pooch

Yup, just checked mine, I was able to salvage a non stop home but I lose 7 HOURS on our last day!!!  Had a 6:30 am non stop down that’s changed to a hour stop over in Baltimore.  Earliest non stop is 1pm getting in at 4 so that day would be lost too.  I can’t lose BOTH days.  Seriously considering cancelling and booking with Jet Blue. They have a 7 am non stop and we can make do with just carry ons.


----------



## shoreward

It's not only November flights that are getting the banner message, but December 2020 reservations, as well.  Sometimes, the change notice means your flights have been dropped or changed, but sometimes, it enables you to change to a more desirable date or flight, at no additional cost.


----------



## pooch

Yeah that hasn’t happened for me.  Every change has been for the worse with no better alternatives.  This is why I changed my September trip in the first place.


----------



## MarBee

Just double checking here.  Got $34 in travel funds returned after changing a November flight last night.  When I went to convert today, the funds showed but had an expiration of March 2021.  I was unable to convert these funds to points this morning.  Will the expiration date change tonight/tomorrow, thus allowing me to convert to points?


----------



## zemmer

MarBee said:


> Just double checking here.  Got $34 in travel funds returned after changing a November flight last night.  When I went to convert today, the funds showed but had an expiration of March 2021.  I was unable to convert these funds to points this morning.  Will the expiration date change tonight/tomorrow, thus allowing me to convert to points?


I believe you had to create the travel funds (change or cancel your flight) before September 7 to be able to change them to points.


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## pooch

That is my understanding also, funds had to be created by 9/7/20 to be eligible.  Sadly, that ship has sailed.


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## MarBee

zemmer said:


> I believe you had to create the travel funds (change or cancel your flight) before September 7 to be able to change them to points.





pooch said:


> That is my understanding also, funds had to be created by 9/7/20 to be eligible.  Sadly, that ship has sailed.


Thank you!  Bummer for me but maybe they’ll change later


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## Disneytam

We just got the notice that our non-stop flight from Albany to MCO was canceled in November. They switched us to a 1 stop flight that went to Chicago first and would mean switching from a roughly 3 hour trip to a 9 hour trip. Was able to change to another non-stop flight later in the day online. We will lose one vacation day as instead of arriving in Orlando at a little after 10 am we wont be arriving until after 8 pm but i can live with that. The return flight was just a disaster, as they had switched our flight to a one stop flight that had us arriving an hour after our connecting flight had already left. For some reason I couldn't change that one on line and was told to call in. Nearly two hours later I finally got to talk to someone and we ended up adding a day and flying home the next day on a non-stop flight. The real kicker was that the really nice Southwest agent I spoke with said that we might very well see more changes as our flight was still so far out. It's only five weeks away!! I knew we would need patience for this trip but I thought it would be after we arrived!


----------



## Sleepyluke

We just got a flight change notification and it cuts down our layover time.  We re now 45 min in ATL with a 2 and 7 year old.  Will we survive?  I have traveled through ATL on Delta frequently and would chance it alone, but probably not with the kids, but are the SW terminals that far apart?  If we have to change terminals?


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## barb969

SCAM ALERT
I called SWA at 1800-435-9792 this morning. I think a recording answered and said call would be recorded. It rang once and was answered by a man, not the usual recording. I needed to change our fights after SWA changed use to a stopover flight.  I gave him DH’s conf.#.  He acted like he couldn’t’t find it and put me on hold for 5 minutes.  When he came back he said the price had increased and I would not have to pay extra.  However, I would have to pay the tax increase of $53. I questioned him about it and could never get a straight answer. The fare was equivalent to $100 .How could there be tax of $53? Then he Wanted my conf. # which I gave him. Then he wanted $53 tax on that ticket.  I could not get any info from him like how much the fare was.  He knew that I had paid 12000 points. I kept asking if this was the $11.20 fee. He said he was not on the SWA site and his fares were different. He kept saying I didn’t understand and kept repeating the tax was was included in the fare. I never agreed to the tax.  Then the line disconnected. That was when I starting thinking the call was strange. Thankfully I did not give him my credit card # or RR#.  I reported to SWA customer relations which handles their fraud cases.

If you call SWA be careful.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Sleepyluke said:


> We just got a flight change notification and it cuts down our layover time.  We re now 45 min in ATL with a 2 and 7 year old.  Will we survive?  I have traveled through ATL on Delta frequently and would chance it alone, but probably not with the kids, but are the SW terminals that far apart?  If we have to change terminals?


I had the same concern when my daughter was younger but you'll be just fine.  The SW gates are all close together and due to their specific layout they don't move them.  45 min will be lots of time.

From the Southwest website:


From the Atlanta Airport website (to show where these gates are).  All the gates in the red box are SW gates


----------



## Traveling on cc points

Shelly S said:


> I got a notification of a flight change also On my return flight MCO toBDL. In the email it is only different by 10 minutes, but if I were to try to book new, that flight is not listed. I looked at my flight out also BDL to MCO. I did not get a change notification and I am still listed on the am nonstop but if I were to try and book it that flight is no longer listed. I imagine I will get more notifications As both these flights seem to be gone but who knows. I know I have to go with whatever flights are offered but I booked specifically because I really wanted nonstop, I hate changing planes. With still more than a month to go who knows what other changes will happen.


I fly out of bdl too. Just Incase you didn’t hear, JetBlue announced last week that they are adding direct flights to las, cun, lax and a couple others that I don’t remember. 
we have already cancelled our Cancun flight later this year and booked with JetBlue after the announcement
I’m hoping that other airlines out of Bradley follow suit and add more direct flight to places people actually want to go.

we leave for Vegas on Friday with SW and am dreading the connecting flights.


----------



## Sleepyluke

scrappinginontario said:


> I had the same concern when my daughter was younger but you'll be just fine.  The SW gates are all close together and due to their specific layout they don't move them.  45 min will be lots of time.
> 
> From the Southwest website:
> View attachment 528786
> 
> From the Atlanta Airport website (to show where these gates are).  All the gates in the red box are SW gates
> View attachment 528790


Thank you.  I guess i was looking at old information.  it was showing Terminal S and N as Southwest.


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## EACarlson

I got hit with a change on my MKE-DEN trip for my SIL's wedding the weekend before Thanksgiving.  Took my 830 departure to 0600.  Now we will have to get a hotel the night before leaving.  I'm not going to wake the kids up at 0130 to drive to the airport.

Also got a push notification that I had A17 for my flight this morning, a flight I cancelled in May.


----------



## truetink

I apologize if I missed this in the thread, but for those of you that have traveled recently, did you see any need to add early bird with the middle seats open?  We are a family of four and didn't know if we needed it to add it to keep from being too spread out.


----------



## shoreward

As others have posted, Southwest is still making changes in November and December flight schedules.  Some email notices advising of changes to booked flight(s) have been sent, but not for all reservations.  Since they appear to be consolidating flights, due to continued reduced bookings, I highly recommend checking any upcoming November/December reservations for changes.  Sometimes, it's just a minor change in time/flight number, while other times it changes from a nonstop/direct flight to connecting flights, or a major change in departure time.  It looks like sometimes they are substituting larger capacity 737-800 aircraft (_not the MAX), _in place of the slightly smaller 737-700s, to partially make up for dropped flights. Reminder - if you look up your reservation and see that your flight was changed, you are allowed to change to another flight on that route, on the same day, or within 30 days, either way of your original date, without a change in fare; this can be done online, or you can call for assistance.  If you decide to call, however, there could be long hold times.

With reduced capacity, it's a good idea to check this out ASAP, while seats on preferred flights are still available.  The changes are not always bad news - sometimes, the changes work out better, than the original plans.

Note:  If the federal government does not immediately provide continued financial relief to the airlines, look for all of the airlines to make major cuts to their schedules, over the coming months. Their funding ends today, unless there is last-minute action.


----------



## EACarlson

truetink said:


> I apologize if I missed this in the thread, but for those of you that have traveled recently, did you see any need to add early bird with the middle seats open?  We are a family of four and didn't know if we needed it to add it to keep from being too spread out.


I have not gotten early bird for my two upcoming trips.  With only 2/3rds max I don't see the point.  I'm taking my wife and two kids to Denver in Nov.  We are planning on sitting 2x2.  As long as you check in at t24 you should be fine.


----------



## jkelly86

I have been monitoring our flights for December, and noticed that our booked flights have disappeared as options for booking.
When I look up our current reservations, the old times are still listed and there is no yellow banner.
The new flights are more expensive than our original booking, so I don't want to change them on-line.  I also don't want to be stuck with whatever flights they choose to put us on (really, only one good option at this point).
The wait time on the phone is estimated at 2 hours.  And this is probably a trip that won't even happen with our NY quarantine situation.  Ugh.


----------



## shoreward

jkelly86 said:


> I have been monitoring our flights for December, and noticed that our booked flights have disappeared as options for booking.
> When I look up our current reservations, the old times are still listed and there is no yellow banner.
> The new flights are more expensive than our original booking, so I don't want to change them on-line.  I also don't want to be stuck with whatever flights they choose to put us on (really, only one good option at this point).
> The wait time on the phone is estimated at 2 hours.  And this is probably a trip that won't even happen with our NY quarantine situation.  Ugh.


I’ve had good experiences with Southwest issues by tweeting to @SouthwestAir.  Just post a brief message about your upcoming travel, with no specific info about flights, conf. number, etc.; they will ask you to send your confirmation number in a DM.  I know they have been super busy, so you may not get the usually quick reply;  just keep an eye out.  They are normally very responsive and helpful, especially if you try to be understanding and appreciative of their help.

I hope they can work out something for you.

www.twitter.com/SouthwestAir


----------



## npatellye

Shelly S said:


> I got a notification of a flight change also On my return flight MCO toBDL. In the email it is only different by 10 minutes, but if I were to try to book new, that flight is not listed. I looked at my flight out also BDL to MCO. I did not get a change notification and I am still listed on the am nonstop but if I were to try and book it that flight is no longer listed. I imagine I will get more notifications As both these flights seem to be gone but who knows. I know I have to go with whatever flights are offered but I booked specifically because I really wanted nonstop, I hate changing planes. With still more than a month to go who knows what other changes will happen.


I just got a notification today about a November flight change from BDL to MCO. My morning non-stop flight now is a connecting flight with a two hour layover at BWI. I have never changed planes since having kids and I’m dreading doing it with the kids. I’m sure they’ll be fine but the stress of it may make this vacation start off on a sour note. The only non-stop options left are for the afternoon or evening so I am going to cross my fingers that there are no more changes.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Went to book return flights from MCO last night and all the afternoon and evening times  are 1 and 2 stops now . I guess even if I had purchased earlier they would have been changed. Oh well. Makes me think it’s better to save our TF that expire 9/22 than chancing getting flights that we really don’t want. Guess I’ll be shelling out cash for a different carrier. Side note - anyone think prices of all carriers will get better before the holidays or just worse?? (Looking at beginning- mid December)


----------



## Avery&Todd

*ARGH!  *SW just changed our flights for our December trip to WDW - instead of 5:30am direct flights getting us in at 730am we don't get in until 2:30pm!  there goes our Epcot day!!


----------



## pooch

npatellye said:


> I just got a notification today about a November flight change from BDL to MCO. My morning non-stop flight now is a connecting flight with a two hour layover at BWI. I have never changed planes since having kids and I’m dreading doing it with the kids. I’m sure they’ll be fine but the stress of it may make this vacation start off on a sour note. The only non-stop options left are for the afternoon or evening so I am going to cross my fingers that there are no more changes.


Yup me too.  I was able to get a non stop afternoon flight the day before. DGS and I will stay at my DD’s that night & she’ll drop us back at the airport for DME the next morning .  I am very lucky she lives down there and 10 minutes from MCO (and she loves me!)


----------



## Ninjagrrl

And they just cancelled my return flight 12/5. Thankfully I was able to get another nonstop flight, but it leaves MCO an hour earlier. I don't want to get up at the but crack of dawn for ME, so hopefully this is the last change.
On the bright side, my new gate was significantly cheaper, so I got a nice big travel credit. My new flights are only $118 rt from PHL!!


----------



## truetink

EACarlson said:


> I have not gotten early bird for my two upcoming trips.  With only 2/3rds max I don't see the point.  I'm taking my wife and two kids to Denver in Nov.  We are planning on sitting 2x2.  As long as you check in at t24 you should be fine.


Thank you!!!


----------



## Crazyhorse

So....all you SW gurus.  Question.  We also have early December flights that have recently been changed; received the email late last night.  They moved both our departure and return flights by about 2 hours, still non stop. Full disclosure, I just cancelled our December trip, as the BWI hotel still isn't open.  My intention is/was to cancel these flights but I'd sure like a refund for our Early Boarding fees.  

What's the best way to handle this?  My initial thought is to sit tight, hoping THEY end up either cancelling the flights completely or making huge changes, based on what is currently being said about airlines in general.  If I end up cancelling, are we back to the old travel fund expiration, a year from purchase or are we into the new 9/2022 expiration of travel funds, if I cancel the flights?  At this point, our intention is to try to get back to Disney late in the 3rd quarter or 4th quarter of next year.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Sadly right now if I was booking flights for a future trip I would not try to consider our arrival or departure days as park days as there are just too many changes happening.  Our September flights which were originally booked as direct both days and arrival day was to be a park day, both ended up with stops.  Adding to that the earlier closing at all parks and our arrival day would have changed 100%.

My advice to those booking flights now for trips in the future, you may wish to reconsider depending on arrival or departure days as park days as you may be disappointed.

Things will change again in the future but that's kinda where we're at right now.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Crazyhorse said:


> So....all you SW gurus.  Question.  We also have early December flights that have recently been changed; received the email late last night.  They moved both our departure and return flights by about 2 hours, still non stop. Full disclosure, I just cancelled our December trip, as the BWI hotel still isn't open.  My intention is/was to cancel these flights but I'd sure like a refund for our Early Boarding fees.
> 
> What's the best way to handle this?  My initial thought is to sit tight, hoping THEY end up either cancelling the flights completely or making huge changes, based on what is currently being said about airlines in general.  If I end up cancelling, are we back to the old travel fund expiration, a year from purchase or are we into the new 9/2022 expiration of travel funds, if I cancel the flights?  At this point, our intention is to try to get back to Disney late in the 3rd quarter or 4th quarter of next year.


Personally, I would sit tight.  If you cancel your flights now your expiration date will be 1 year from purchase date and you need to complete your travel by then.  If you hold off they may introduce a new travel expiration date similar to the one that ended on September 7th.


----------



## Crazyhorse

scrappinginontario said:


> Personally, I would sit tight.  If you cancel your flights now your expiration date will be 1 year from purchase date and you need to complete your travel by then.  If you hold off they may introduce a new travel expiration date similar to the one that ended on September 7th.


Thank you!


----------



## Mom2Stitch

Looks like I'm in the same boat as others with flight changes. Flight is from Louisville to MCO,  and it went form several each way to just a handful. We booked the earliest non-stop, which now looks cancelled. Luckily, we were moved over to the only other NS, which departs 2 hours later. Same with the return flights, we went from the latest NS back to the only other one they have now and leaving 2 hours earlier. 

What are the chances that they change us to connecting flights or change the times again? I know impossible to tell, just wondering how close to the trip do they finalize schedules so I know what to plan for. We do have parks planned for arrival (Epcot) and departure (MK) days, but have other days planned at both parks just in case.


----------



## mickeynut1

truetink said:


> I apologize if I missed this in the thread, but for those of you that have traveled recently, did you see any need to add early bird with the middle seats open?  We are a family of four and didn't know if we needed it to add it to keep from being too spread out.



It's hit or miss, IMO.  DH & I just returned from Vegas 2 weeks ago and we had a full plane both ways (middle seats open, but all rows filled).  We didn't get EBCI either way and checked in right at the 24 hr mark and got A42 & A43 going out and A51 & A52 on the return.  With that said, my cousin and her DH and DD went to California the end of Aug/beginning of Sept and they only had 40 people on their flight going out and around 60 coming back, so there's really no way of knowing just how full (or empty) a flight will be.               



scrappinginontario said:


> Personally, I would sit tight.  If you cancel your flights now your expiration date will be 1 year from purchase date and you need to complete your travel by then.  If you hold off they may introduce a new travel expiration date similar to the one that ended on September 7th.



I agree that I'd sit tight for now.


----------



## LadybugsMum

These changes are making me worried for our early Jan trip. I was really hoping to fly, but I may end up driving down instead.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Mom2Stitch said:


> Looks like I'm in the same boat as others with flight changes. Flight is from Louisville to MCO,  and it went form several each way to just a handful. We booked the earliest non-stop, which now looks cancelled. Luckily, we were moved over to the only other NS, which departs 2 hours later. Same with the return flights, we went from the latest NS back to the only other one they have now and leaving 2 hours earlier.
> 
> What are the chances that they change us to connecting flights or change the times again? I know impossible to tell, just wondering how close to the trip do they finalize schedules so I know what to plan for. We do have parks planned for arrival (Epcot) and departure (MK) days, but have other days planned at both parks just in case.


It seems SW is changing flights often and up to very close to departure dates.  As people wait to cancel their flights (totally understandable), the occupancy on flights changes.  My flights were changed 4 or 5 different times each direction over about a 2 month period.  Until you're seated on the plane, I'd consider that changes could be made.  It's not the best but reality for most airlines right now.


----------



## Mom2Stitch

scrappinginontario said:


> It seems SW is changing flights often and up to very close to departure dates.  As people wait to cancel their flights (totally understandable), the occupancy on flights changes.  My flights were changed 4 or 5 different times each direction over about a 2 month period.  Until you're seated on the plane, I'd consider that changes could be made.  It's not the best but reality for most airlines right now.



You are completely right. It really is a go with the flow situation I suppose, lol. Thank you for your input.


----------



## Leigh L

scrappinginontario said:


> Sadly right now if I was booking flights for a future trip I would not try to consider our arrival or departure days as park days as there are just too many changes happening.  Our September flights which were originally booked as direct both days and arrival day was to be a park day, both ended up with stops.  Adding to that the earlier closing at all parks and our arrival day would have changed 100%.
> 
> My advice to those booking flights now for trips in the future, you may wish to reconsider depending on arrival or departure days as park days as you may be disappointed.
> 
> Things will change again in the future but that's kinda where we're at right now.


I 100% agree...in August when all was said and done with flight movements, our trip was shifted by 3 days on each end (not SW but I think this stands for all airlines). We ended up stringing together four different hotels for 8 nights just to keep our 3-night price-protected stay at WDW (it would have been so much more expensive had we not done this). Our park days didn't resemble the original plan at all (and we even changed on the fly while there).

DH was supposed to fly JB to Tampa on Saturday and all flights canceled for that day, and he was moved to a Friday 7 am flight, so he had to cancel entirely.
Oldest DD was flying SW to MCO to visit family 11/21-28 and received the notice of departure flight changes and we're still waiting upon her return (it's gone missing from SW's website). Her Thanksgiving trip is likely to change entirely because of this.

I think flexibility is needed right now for any travel. DD and I are flying in earlier November to WDW on United, I'm on pins and needles at this point as to what will happen with our original flights since we have less flexibility on one end of the trip and I don't want to end up at multiple hotels again lol


----------



## shoreward

Drink coupons with 2020 expiration dates will be honored till December 2021, so don’t discard any coupons expiring in 2020.


----------



## pooch

and Hubby and I always got 4 each every year.  This year, nothing :-(


----------



## shoreward

pooch said:


> and Hubby and I always got 4 each every year.  This year, nothing :-(


They used to send drink coupons to holders of Southwest credit cards, but that changed.  Lately, drink coupons are sent to customers after they fly 10 revenue flights.  Of course, there are always exceptions, but that is the latest "official" policy for the coupons.


----------



## MarBee

Ninjagrrl said:


> And they just cancelled my return flight 12/5. Thankfully I was able to get another nonstop flight, but it leaves MCO an hour earlier. I don't want to get up at the but crack of dawn for ME, so hopefully this is the last change.
> On the bright side, my new gate was significantly cheaper, so I got a nice big travel credit. My new flights are only $118 rt from PHL!!


Just a little tip for any of the super early flights.  As long as you’re not doing RAC with your luggage, you can tell ME any flight to take you to the airport.  We’ve had 6 am departing flights before where they wanted to pick us up at 2:30 am, but we have pre-check and only carry-on luggage.  So we’ve given them the flight number of a 7:25 flight instead, and we were picked up at 4:25 am instead.  We still had plenty of time and made the flight no problem.


----------



## Leigh L

MarBee said:


> Just a little tip for any of the super early flights.  As long as you’re not doing RAC with your luggage, you can tell ME any flight to take you to the airport.  We’ve had 6 am departing flights before where they wanted to pick us up at 2:30 am, but we have pre-check and only carry-on luggage.  So we’ve given them the flight number of a 7:25 flight instead, and we were picked up at 4:25 am instead.  We still had plenty of time and made the flight no problem.


This is good to know! Last time we had so much time to pass at the airport (we also have pre-check and only use carry-on luggage normally) but we put our flights in as scheduled. Thanks for the tip! Thankfully, it wasn't a 6 am flight but a 9 a.m., but still a lot of time to wait since we had to be at the bus stop somewhere around 5:45 a.m.


----------



## Fangorn

MarBee said:


> Just a little tip for any of the super early flights.  As long as you’re not doing RAC with your luggage, you can tell ME any flight to take you to the airport.  We’ve had 6 am departing flights before where they wanted to pick us up at 2:30 am, but we have pre-check and only carry-on luggage.  So we’ve given them the flight number of a 7:25 flight instead, and we were picked up at 4:25 am instead.  We still had plenty of time and made the flight no problem.



You don't really have to go to all the bother of finding a flight that matches closer to the time you want DME to pick you up. Just call DME @ 866 599-0951 and tell them what time you want to be at the airport. You'll get a warning from them that if you miss your flight it's on you, but they'll book for whatever time you want..

If you book with a fictitious flight, especially now, you run the risk of that flight changing (or being canceled), DME changing/canceling your booking accordingly, and you never knowing about it. Since you aren't booked on the flight, you'll get no notice of a change or cancelation.  Much simpler and safer to just call and book the time you want. 

Steve


----------



## Hezzy04

Like many others, my early December flights were changed. Last time this happened I was able to modify them to a flight I liked more. However, it won’t let me this time. It says no flights were found for my search. However, when I look to book a trip I do see other flight times available. Has anyone else experienced this? Is it just a glitch??? I tried calling but the wait time was almost an hour and a half!


----------



## Fangorn

Something else to check if/when you get notice of a flight change -

Don't just look at the departure time of the new flight. Look at the internals of the flight as well. This is mostly for flights with a connection. 

I was notified last night that our flights for early Dec were changed. For us, coming from the PNW, there is no such thing as a nonstop flight to MCO. There's always going to be a stop, and 99% of the time, a plane change. The flight down was actually changed for the better, slightly. Leaves at the same time (6am) but changes in PHX instead of MDW, and arrives 15 minutes earlier. Total trip,  7hrs 35min.    The trip home, however was something else, and I nearly missed it. Instead of departing MCO at 12:45p, the flight was changed to depart at 11:15. Not great, but not horrible. Didn't look past the departure time. This morning I was checking the app just to verify that it showed the changes, and to see what other options I might have. That's when I noticed that the trip home had not one, not two,  but three stops and three plane changes. Didn't arrive PDX until 10p - nearly 14 hours travel time. (If you're curious, the route was MCO - STL -DAL - DEN - PDX.

Called (app wouldn't let me change it) and got it taken care of. SW agent just laughed when she saw the routing. She said she'd seen some weird routes before, but this one was up there with the best of them. The re-routing is all handled by software, of course. She also said the reason I couldn't change it online was because the route wasn't actually a valid booking in SW's system. 

So just a note of caution - check all the details. 

Steve


----------



## Fangorn

Hezzy04 said:


> Like many others, my early December flights were changed. Last time this happened I was able to modify them to a flight I liked more. However, it won’t let me this time. It says no flights were found for my search. However, when I look to book a trip I do see other flight times available. Has anyone else experienced this? Is it just a glitch??? I tried calling but the wait time was almost an hour and a half!




They may not be completely finished making changes so flights may not appear yet. They will be able to help you if you call. When I called this morning, the wait time was estimated at 120 minutes. They do have a call back system you can use, which is what I did. Works fine.

Steve


----------



## LadybugsMum

Fangorn said:


> Something else to check if/when you get notice of a flight change -
> 
> Don't just look at the departure time of the new flight. Look at the internals of the flight as well. This is mostly for flights with a connection.
> 
> Called (app wouldn't let me change it) and got it taken care of. SW agent just laughed when she saw the routing. She said she'd seen some weird routes before, but this one was up there with the best of them. The re-routing is all handled by software, of course. She also said the reason I couldn't change it online was because the route wasn't actually a valid booking in SW's system.
> 
> So just a note of caution - check all the details.
> 
> Steve



Definitely check the details. I had flights to CA from NC and back for June for my niece's graduation. On one of the reschedules that SW did, they had me leaving on my second flight before the first flight even landed. I couldn't update it online either and called in. The SW rep was very apologetic and said that the new flight schedules are supposed to be reviewed before being sent out to the customers.


----------



## LadybugsMum

And I just got an email about changes for my early Jan flight. So far only my flight to MCO has been affected and it going out 2 hours later. That's fine with me since we won't have to get to the airport at 4:30 am anymore and it's still a direct flight. I'm getting worried about the return flight as it will probably be moved up by 5-6 hours.


----------



## DLmama

Our Dec. flights have also changed. To MCO, I actually like the new flights better. However, our return flight lands after our connecting flight is scheduled to take off! I know I need to call since I'm unable to make changes online, but with a two hour wait time, my question to all the experts is if I should just be patient and wait to see if I can change online once all flights are loaded into the system? Does that happen or will I need to call regardless?


----------



## shoreward

DLmama said:


> Our Dec. flights have also changed. To MCO, I actually like the new flights better. However, our return flight lands after our connecting flight is scheduled to take off! I know I need to call since I'm unable to make changes online, but with a two hour wait time, my question to all the experts is if I should just be patient and wait to see if I can change online once all flights are loaded into the system? Does that happen or will I need to call regardless?


I always like to recommend contacting them on Twitter for a prompt and helpful response.  Just post a short message about your return flight, like you did here, and how the connecting flight departs before you land at the connecting point.  They will ask you to DM them, noting your confirmation number, and they will take it from there.

Personally, I would do this ASAP, while good options are available and not fully booked.

www.twitter.com/SouthwestAir


----------



## LadybugsMum

DLmama said:


> Our Dec. flights have also changed. To MCO, I actually like the new flights better. However, our return flight lands after our connecting flight is scheduled to take off! I know I need to call since I'm unable to make changes online, but with a two hour wait time, my question to all the experts is if I should just be patient and wait to see if I can change online once all flights are loaded into the system? Does that happen or will I need to call regardless?



I also recommend doing it sooner rather than later. I'm not on Twitter; so I called and just worked while I was on hold. I don't remember my wait times being that long though.


----------



## scrappinginontario

My experience with SW is that they have an option to leave a phone number and have them call me back.  I've always found that to be an effective way to contact them although I've never tried Twitter.



DLmama said:


> Our Dec. flights have also changed. To MCO, I actually like the new flights better. However, our return flight lands after our connecting flight is scheduled to take off! I know I need to call since I'm unable to make changes online, but with a two hour wait time, my question to all the experts is if I should just be patient and wait to see if I can change online once all flights are loaded into the system? Does that happen or will I need to call regardless?


So they have moved you to a return flight where the first leg of your trip lands after the second leg of your trip departs?  WOW!  I've never heard of that and can't believe the system allowed them to book you on that.  You need to get that one fixed for sure!!


----------



## DLmama

scrappinginontario said:


> So they have moved you to a return flight where the first leg of your trip lands after the second leg of your trip departs? WOW! I've never heard of that and can't believe the system allowed them to book you on that. You need to get that one fixed for sure!!



Haha, yep! Land at 4pm, connecting flight leaves at 2:30pm!

It goes from MCO - DAL - LAS - LGB - SJC too. That's not going to happen!


----------



## shoreward

DLmama said:


> Haha, yep! Land at 4pm, connecting flight leaves at 2:30pm!
> 
> It goes from MCO - DAL - LAS - LGB - SJC too. That's not going to happen!


This problem has happened to others, as well; you are not alone, if that makes you feel any better. The rescheduling is done automatically via their system; the new itineraries are supposed to be manually checked, but it sounds like some are slipping through.

Maybe they think you are arriving via a time machine and can go back in time.☺

Seriously, though, they will do their best to try and fix this for you (subject to availability).


----------



## scrappinginontario

DLmama said:


> Haha, yep! Land at 4pm, connecting flight leaves at 2:30pm!
> 
> It goes from MCO - DAL - LAS - LGB - SJC too. That's not going to happen!


Sounds similar to our flights from BUF to SJC a number of years ago.  Ended up taking 4 different flights and we criss-crossed all over the US!!  In the end we missed one of our flights so they flew us to San Francisco and then we had to drive to SJC because our luggage still went there!


----------



## Disneytam

Hezzy04 said:


> Like many others, my early December flights were changed. Last time this happened I was able to modify them to a flight I liked more. However, it won’t let me this time. It says no flights were found for my search. However, when I look to book a trip I do see other flight times available. Has anyone else experienced this? Is it just a glitch??? I tried calling but the wait time was almost an hour and a half!


Yes this was what happened to me and I had to call in. It was a 2 hour wait on the phone.


----------



## CarlyMur09

Both ends of our PIT-MCO trip in Dec got changed from nonstops to ones with one layover- one in BWI and the other in MDW.. timing wasn’t the greatest either since we initially had a early flight down and a late flight back up, but the timing changed it to late arrival and early departure.

after talking with the family through it and checking availability, it looks like BWI still had plenty of nonstops since a good chunk of the PIT flights were flying through BWI. So we made the decision to go ahead and drive down to Baltimore, fly down the night before our original day and fly back the day after. (PIT is an hour drive west for us, BWI is around 3 1/2)

We could have done day of flights and just stayed at Baltimore hotels, but we figured it made more sense to do it the way we are now and allows for more wiggle room.

now to try to make sense of parking at BWI...


----------



## barb969

after talking with the family through it and checking av

We could have done day of flights and just stayed at Baltimore hotels, but we figured it made more sense to do it the way we are now and allows for more wiggle room.

now to try to make sense of parking at 0
[/QUOTE]


CarlyMur09 said:


> Both ends of our PIT-MCO trip in Dec got changed from nonstops to ones with one layover- one in BWI and the other in MDW.. timing wasn’t the greatest either since we initially had a early flight and a late flight back up, but the timing changed it to late arrival and early departure.
> 
> after talking with the family through it and checking availability, it looks like BWI still had plenty of nonstops since a good chunk of the PIT flights were flying through BWI. So we made the decision to go ahead and drive down to Baltimore, fly down the night before our original day and fly back the day after. (PIT is an hour drive west for us, BWI is around 3 1/2)
> 
> We could have done day of flights and just stayed
> 
> now to try to make sense of parking at BWI...


----------



## barb969

If you stay overnight at some of the hotels they offer parking.  I don’t know if there is a fee.  I know Marriott does.

otherwise you have a choice between airport lot and off site.  The off site is cheaper. Fastpark runs a lot of shuttles and is less than 10 minutes from the terminal.


----------



## CarlyMur09

barb969 said:


> If you stay overnight at some of the hotels they offer parking.  I don’t know if there is a fee.  I know Marriott does.
> 
> otherwise you have a choice between airport lot and off site.  The off site is cheaper. Fastpark runs a lot of shuttles and is less than 10 minutes from the terminal.



i think our current plan is to just park in the hourly garage near where the southwest terminals are. The plan is to get there with at least 3 hours to spare so we can make our way through security and find our gate (probably dinner too if possible.).


----------



## ice cube

So nice to wake up to my wife asking me if I opened the SW email from Thursday.....my reply was no and that's when it started....now we aren't very frequent fliers of SW
as the other carriers JB and DL serve us very well. During the holidays especially during the Christmas/New Years time SW for the most part has given us the best bang for the buck.
They get me down and back from NY to MCO or TPA for sometimes prices that are so ridiculously cheap how could I say no. Take this year I purchased 4 non stop tickets NY to TPA and back Dec.23 coming back Jan.3 for $868!!! I get to pick my seat (we have always sat together rarely pay early bird) 2 check bags for free (yes we are the family with too many bags to count going through the airport) and always a non stop flight. I have read the stories you all talk about being inconvenienced with changing flights and the problems getting from one place to another and said thank God not me. Well it has finally happened to me so I guess I'm part of the family now. The major issue is like everyone else I paid for non stop and getting lay over and add insult to injury changing planes. Now my girls are spoiled I'm the first one to admit and when they find out I will not hear the end of it. I will hear Dad half the price half the quality, why do you have to be so cheap, this is why I want to fly JB or DL. I told my wife don't say anything to them as I don't want to hear it from now until we leave. Kids no matter what age just don't get it. My big one is in college$$$ my little one will be turning 16 so car, party etc... They just don't understand the value of the dollar. If the old man can save a buck here or there I'm going to do it. I'm just thrilled my wife told me she can't go on the flight because work now won't give her the day. She needs to take a late flight so lucky her she gets to fly on DL that night and I don't have to hear it from her. Wait till my offspring hear that they will definitely split in half.
So my question....to all the veteran SW fliers there is still a nonstop flight showing available later on Dec.23 can I change even though its way more than what I originally paid without spending more or roll the dice and maybe that my original flight goes back to non stop? Has that ever happened in the past?


----------



## barb969

CarlyMur09 said:


> i think our current plan is to just park in the hourly garage near where the southwest terminals are. The plan is to get there with at least 3 hours to spare so we can make our way through security and find our gate (probably dinner too if possible.).


You don’t want the hourly lot.  It will cost a fortune.  You want the daily or  long term lot.  The long term is the cheapest.  The daily lot is a garage and it’s an advantage if it snows. Both are on airport property with plenty of signs.

All the terminals are in the same building.  SWA is the first stop on the bus.


----------



## Fangorn

ice cube said:


> So nice to wake up to my wife asking me if I opened the SW email from Thursday.....my reply was no and that's when it started....now we aren't very frequent fliers of SW
> as the other carriers JB and DL serve us very well. During the holidays especially during the Christmas/New Years time SW for the most part has given us the best bang for the buck.
> They get me down and back from NY to MCO or TPA for sometimes prices that are so ridiculously cheap how could I say no. Take this year I purchased 4 non stop tickets NY to TPA and back Dec.23 coming back Jan.3 for $868!!! I get to pick my seat (we have always sat together rarely pay early bird) 2 check bags for free (yes we are the family with too many bags to count going through the airport) and always a non stop flight. I have read the stories you all talk about being inconvenienced with changing flights and the problems getting from one place to another and said thank God not me. Well it has finally happened to me so I guess I'm part of the family now. The major issue is like everyone else I paid for non stop and getting lay over and add insult to injury changing planes. Now my girls are spoiled I'm the first one to admit and when they find out I will not hear the end of it. I will hear Dad half the price half the quality, why do you have to be so cheap, this is why I want to fly JB or DL. I told my wife don't say anything to them as I don't want to hear it from now until we leave. Kids no matter what age just don't get it. My big one is in college$$$ my little one will be turning 16 so car, party etc... They just don't understand the value of the dollar. If the old man can save a buck here or there I'm going to do it. I'm just thrilled my wife told me she can't go on the flight because work now won't give her the day. She needs to take a late flight so lucky her she gets to fly on DL that night and I don't have to hear it from her. Wait till my offspring hear that they will definitely split in half.
> So my question....to all the veteran SW fliers there is still a nonstop flight showing available later on Dec.23 can I change even though its way more than what I originally paid without spending more or roll the dice and maybe that my original flight goes back to non stop? Has that ever happened in the past?



You can change your flight to any available one with no increase in fare. You should be able to do that online, but may need to call. Either way it's simple. 

Steve.


----------



## shoreward

ice cube said:


> So nice to wake up to my wife asking me if I opened the SW email from Thursday.....my reply was no and that's when it started....now we aren't very frequent fliers of SW
> as the other carriers JB and DL serve us very well. During the holidays especially during the Christmas/New Years time SW for the most part has given us the best bang for the buck.
> They get me down and back from NY to MCO or TPA for sometimes prices that are so ridiculously cheap how could I say no. Take this year I purchased 4 non stop tickets NY to TPA and back Dec.23 coming back Jan.3 for $868!!! I get to pick my seat (we have always sat together rarely pay early bird) 2 check bags for free (yes we are the family with too many bags to count going through the airport) and always a non stop flight. I have read the stories you all talk about being inconvenienced with changing flights and the problems getting from one place to another and said thank God not me. Well it has finally happened to me so I guess I'm part of the family now. The major issue is like everyone else I paid for non stop and getting lay over and add insult to injury changing planes. Now my girls are spoiled I'm the first one to admit and when they find out I will not hear the end of it. I will hear Dad half the price half the quality, why do you have to be so cheap, this is why I want to fly JB or DL. I told my wife don't say anything to them as I don't want to hear it from now until we leave. Kids no matter what age just don't get it. My big one is in college$$$ my little one will be turning 16 so car, party etc... They just don't understand the value of the dollar. If the old man can save a buck here or there I'm going to do it. I'm just thrilled my wife told me she can't go on the flight because work now won't give her the day. She needs to take a late flight so lucky her she gets to fly on DL that night and I don't have to hear it from her. Wait till my offspring hear that they will definitely split in half.
> So my question....to all the veteran SW fliers there is still a nonstop flight showing available later on Dec.23 can I change even though its way more than what I originally paid without spending more or roll the dice and maybe that my original flight goes back to non stop? Has that ever happened in the past?


Are you departing from LGA or another airport?  There is an early afternoon nonstop  with availability on Dec 23 and a noonish   nonstop on the return.  You need to contact Southwest now, while there is space.  Either call them or tweet @SouthwestAir for assistance.  If they changed your flights without your acceptance, they will change to your preferred flights, on a space available basis, at no change in fare.  Right now, you are in a good position, if acting promptly.


----------



## ice cube

shoreward said:


> Are you departing from LGA or another airport?  There is an early afternoon nonstop  with availability on Dec 23 and a noonish   nonstop on the return.  You need to contact Southwest now, while there is space.  Either call them or tweet @SouthwestAir for assistance.  If they changed your flights without your acceptance, they will change to your preferred flights, on a space available basis, at no change in fare.  Right now, you are in a good position, if acting promptly.


Departing from LGA....another question what happens if I change to that flight and then as time goes by they make that one a lay over can I go back to the original flight again with no difference in cost? I would rather get there earlier rather than later if I have to fly with a lay over. They say as the day progresses the chances of getting screwed with a flight is greater.


----------



## ice cube

Fangorn said:


> You can change your flight to any available one with no increase in fare. You should be able to do that online, but may need to call. Either way it's simple.
> 
> Steve.


I'm talking it over now with them and see what they want to do.....I told them time is ticking


----------



## Fangorn

ice cube said:


> Departing from LGA....another question what happens if I change to that flight and then as time goes by they make that one a lay over can I go back to the original flight again with no difference in cost? I would rather get there earlier rather than later if I have to fly with a lay over. They say as the day progresses the chances of getting screwed with a flight is greater.



That is always a possibility.  But if SW changes your flight, they allow you to change to another flight without an increase in fare. You get only one "freebie" per flight, but in this scenario, if they change it again, it's a different flight, so you'd be able to change again to any available flight. 

Note though, if they do end up changing your flight for a second time, there's no guarantee that the current flight you're on will be available at that time, or even on the schedule at all. In the before times, SW virtually never changed the schedule once it was released. Now they're having to adjust frequently. Thankfully, their policies and systems make it relatively simple for customers, even if it is frustrating to have plans changed on them. 

Good luck! 
Steve


----------



## CarlyMur09

barb969 said:


> You don’t want the hourly lot.  It will cost a fortune.  You want the daily or  long term lot.  The long term is the cheapest.  The daily lot is a garage and it’s an advantage if it snows. Both are on airport property with plenty of signs.
> 
> All the terminals are in the same building.  SWA is the first stop on the bus.



Can you walk from the daily lot? We've lucked out most time at PIT and stay in long term or extended, but still get rather close to the walkway into the airport. I think our main thing is just walkability to/from the terminals, especially if we're cutting it close,


----------



## barb969

CarlyMur09 said:


> Can you walk from the daily lot? We've lucked out most time at PIT and stay in long term or extended, but still get rather close to the walkway into the airport. I think our main thing is just walkability to/from the terminals, especially if we're cutting it close,


No, there are buses. There are no walkways. You could walk from the hourly lot, but it would cost something like $2.50 / hour


----------



## Leigh L

CarlyMur09 said:


> Both ends of our PIT-MCO trip in Dec got changed from nonstops to ones with one layover- one in BWI and the other in MDW.. timing wasn’t the greatest either since we initially had a early flight down and a late flight back up, but the timing changed it to late arrival and early departure.
> 
> after talking with the family through it and checking availability, it looks like BWI still had plenty of nonstops since a good chunk of the PIT flights were flying through BWI. So we made the decision to go ahead and drive down to Baltimore, fly down the night before our original day and fly back the day after. (PIT is an hour drive west for us, BWI is around 3 1/2)
> 
> We could have done day of flights and just stayed at Baltimore hotels, but we figured it made more sense to do it the way we are now and allows for more wiggle room.
> 
> now to try to make sense of parking at BWI...


Parking at BWI was pretty straightforward the time we went there, works like the other DC airports. You park and take a shuttle over to the terminal.

However, Reagan (DCA) has temporarily closed long-term parking (and I think Dulles too) and the hourly parking lot prices have been reduced. We did this from DCA in August and it was easy peasy. Looks like BWI has similiar processes, at least right now. If so, should be every walkable IIRC. I've only flown there once, but I've picked DS up there several times.
https://www.bwiairport.com/COVID19parking


----------



## EACarlson

Thanks to the schedule changes my family and I are getting an extra day in DEN next month.  Rather than flying back into MKE at 1030 on a sunday night we moved our flight to arrive at 230 monday afternoon.


----------



## teawar

This may seem silly, but I can’t help but feel that SWA is conspiring against my family visiting MCO and Disney. We live in Birmingham and the flight schedule keeps changing (like everywhere else) to the point where I’m unable catch A flight without it conflicting with my work schedule as a teacher. Gone are the early, early morning direct flights on a Saturday and the late night return on a Sunday. Or the 6:00 at night direct flight. I totally understand the reasons the schedule keeps changing but this family wants to see the mouse! With our AP, we used to do some quick weekend trips but the schedule makes it impossible. I want to support SWA and WDW!


----------



## scrappinginontario

teawar said:


> This may seem silly, but I can’t help but feel that SWA is conspiring against my family visiting MCO and Disney. We live in Birmingham and the flight schedule keeps changing (like everywhere else) to the point where I’m unable catch A flight without it conflicting with my work schedule as a teacher. Gone are the early, early morning direct flights on a Saturday and the late night return on a Sunday. Or the 6:00 at night direct flight. I totally understand the reasons the schedule keeps changing but this family wants to see the mouse! With our AP, we used to do some quick weekend trips but the schedule makes it impossible. I want to support SWA and WDW!


 You situation is the same as everyone else. Flexibility is key right now and not allowing ourselves to be locked into the idea of certain flights.  Realistically, until we board the plane, the flight is likely to change.  If this isn’t working for you, now may not be the time to plan a trip to Disney.  It’s just reality.

Our flights changed at least 4 times before I ultimately cancelled them as I could not cross the border to even board our flights.  

For those travelling more than a week away, I would not make any major plans about travel dates as the changes you’re making now are likely to change many times between now and your travel dates.


----------



## Ariel 1715

Our October flight had at least 4 changes since booking and I am not counting out the possibility it could still change. Unfortunately since Covid and the fact that they are no longer getting Government help, all airlines are in trouble and are cancelling flights.  I think flexibility is the key and if in my experience , if SW changes  your flight to a connecting flight or a flight you don't like, contact them if you see a flight you like better. We used the callback feature twice and the agents were very helpful in getting us moved. Good luck everyone!!


----------



## Lsdolphin

CarlyMur09 said:


> Both ends of our PIT-MCO trip in Dec got changed from nonstops to ones with one layover- one in BWI and the other in MDW.. timing wasn’t the greatest either since we initially had a early flight down and a late flight back up, but the timing changed it to late arrival and early departure.
> 
> after talking with the family through it and checking availability, it looks like BWI still had plenty of nonstops since a good chunk of the PIT flights were flying through BWI. So we made the decision to go ahead and drive down to Baltimore, fly down the night before our original day and fly back the day after. (PIT is an hour drive west for us, BWI is around 3 1/2)
> 
> We could have done day of flights and just stayed at Baltimore hotels, but we figured it made more sense to do it the way we are now and allows for more wiggle room.
> 
> now to try to make sense of parking at BWI...



I actually like using the “Fast Park” at BWI.  There are 2 of them although only one of them is currently open.


----------



## teawar

scrappinginontario said:


> You situation is the same as everyone else. Flexibility is key right now and not allowing ourselves to be locked into the idea of certain flights.  Realistically, until we board the plane, the flight is likely to change.  If this isn’t working for you, now may not be the time to plan a trip to Disney.  It’s just reality.
> 
> Our flights changed at least 4 times before I ultimately cancelled them as I could not cross the border to even board our flights.
> 
> For those travelling more than a week away, I would not make any major plans about travel dates as the changes you’re making now are likely to change many times between now and your travel dates.



I totally agree with what everyone is saying. I can’t imagine how the staff members are handling the huge amount of stress/pressure the on logistic coordination/scheduling teams. I definitely pack my patience whenever I call a business in regards to making adjustments/rescheduling. The customer service reps are dealing with so much, and everyone’s plans are important to them.

Flexibility is definitely the key, especially with travel. I have plenty of flights not take off, get rescheduled, land at different airports, get diverted, and all you can do is roll with it and have a back up plan ready to go.

Happy travels or travel planning everyone!


----------



## starry_solo

ice cube said:


> So nice to wake up to my wife asking me if I opened the SW email from Thursday.....my reply was no and that's when it started....now we aren't very frequent fliers of SW
> as the other carriers JB and DL serve us very well. During the holidays especially during the Christmas/New Years time SW for the most part has given us the best bang for the buck.
> They get me down and back from NY to MCO or TPA for sometimes prices that are so ridiculously cheap how could I say no. Take this year I purchased 4 non stop tickets NY to TPA and back Dec.23 coming back Jan.3 for $868!!! I get to pick my seat (we have always sat together rarely pay early bird) 2 check bags for free (yes we are the family with too many bags to count going through the airport) and always a non stop flight. I have read the stories you all talk about being inconvenienced with changing flights and the problems getting from one place to another and said thank God not me. Well it has finally happened to me so I guess I'm part of the family now. The major issue is like everyone else I paid for non stop and getting lay over and add insult to injury changing planes. Now my girls are spoiled I'm the first one to admit and when they find out I will not hear the end of it. I will hear Dad half the price half the quality, why do you have to be so cheap, this is why I want to fly JB or DL. I told my wife don't say anything to them as I don't want to hear it from now until we leave. Kids no matter what age just don't get it. My big one is in college$$$ my little one will be turning 16 so car, party etc... They just don't understand the value of the dollar. If the old man can save a buck here or there I'm going to do it. I'm just thrilled my wife told me she can't go on the flight because work now won't give her the day. She needs to take a late flight so lucky her she gets to fly on DL that night and I don't have to hear it from her. Wait till my offspring hear that they will definitely split in half.
> So my question....to all the veteran SW fliers there is still a nonstop flight showing available later on Dec.23 can I change even though its way more than what I originally paid without spending more or roll the dice and maybe that my original flight goes back to non stop? Has that ever happened in the past?



so, what did you end up doing?


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## AlohaNow

I'm asking this here because you guys know everything! I have four passengers on a one-way SW record locator number and I need to cancel two of them from the itinerary. Can I easily do this online or do I need to call SW? I'm just nervous about hitting that 'cancel' button and messing the whole thing up! And I don't want to call if not necessary, with the wait times and the craziness that the CSRs must be experiencing. Thanks!


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## zemmer

AlohaNow said:


> I'm asking this here because you guys know everything! I have four passengers on a one-way SW record locator number and I need to cancel two of them from the itinerary. Can I easily do this online or do I need to call SW? I'm just nervous about hitting that 'cancel' button and messing the whole thing up! And I don't want to call if not necessary, with the wait times and the craziness that the CSRs must be experiencing. Thanks!


Unfortunately, you do have to call for this.


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## AlohaNow

zemmer said:


> Unfortunately, you do have to call for this.



Thank you, I figured as much. I just wanted to see if there was a way around it. 

For informational purposes, SW changed our flights only once after we booked them about a month ago. We fly next week and I am now checking daily for any further changes. This will be our third trip on SW since July and just know that if you are traveling right now, pack patience, flexibility, and gratitude!


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## focusondisney

New targeted offers for the SW visa... spend $4000 in 3 months, earn 30,000 points & a companion pass good for 2021. When you sign into your SW account, not a general public offer.  That is a really great offer.  Too bad I already have the card & earned the CP last week.


----------



## zemmer

focusondisney said:


> New targeted offers for the SW visa... spend $4000 in 3 months, earn 30,000 points & a companion pass good for 2021. When you sign into your SW account, not a general public offer.  That is a really great offer.  Too bad I already have the card & earned the CP last week.


Thank you for posting! With Thanksgiving travel, a Disney trip, and Christmas shopping in the next 3 months, we might be able to get a companion pass for the first time!


----------



## barb969

focusondisney said:


> New targeted offers for the SW visa... spend $4000 in 3 months, earn 30,000 points & a companion pass good for 2021. When you sign into your SW account, not a general public offer.  That is a really great offer.  Too bad I already have the card & earned the CP last week.


Where do I find this? When i sign into my account it doesn’t come up.


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## scrappinginontario

focusondisney said:


> New targeted offers for the SW visa... spend $4000 in 3 months, earn 30,000 points & a companion pass good for 2021. When you sign into your SW account, not a general public offer.  That is a really great offer.  Too bad I already have the card & earned the CP last week.



As a Canadian I cannot get a SW Visa but for those who might be considering this offer, I find a great way to accumulate spending is to have as many monthly bills as possible (that don't charge a fee) go through my credit card. The majority of my monthly bills now go through my MC and I earn a ton of points paying bills I need to pay anyways.


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## shoreward

focusondisney said:


> New targeted offers for the SW visa... spend $4000 in 3 months, earn 30,000 points & a companion pass good for 2021. When you sign into your SW account, not a general public offer.


This could be an indication that Southwest is forecasting weak bookings in 2021.


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## focusondisney

barb969 said:


> Where do I find this? When i sign into my account it doesn’t come up.



It does seem like a targeted offer. I have 2 relatives, from different families, who got it this morning. One traveled SW this year, one hasn’t since spring  2019. Might still come to you, not sure who they are sending it to.


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## focusondisney

scrappinginontario said:


> As a Canadian I cannot get a SW Visa but for those who might be considering this offer, I find a great way to accumulate spending is to have as many monthly bills as possible (that don't charge a fee) go through my credit card. The majority of my monthly bills now go through my MC and I earn a ton of points paying bills I need to pay anyways.



This is exactly how I earned my CP last week.  Started putting all my bills on it. They also had earn 5X the points on grocery store & gas station purchases.   That one really helped. I even bought a $200 store gift card at my grocery store.  Earned 1K points & now I have $200 for my grocery shopping when the promo is over.


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## Avery&Todd

DH and I fly in a week from today and I'm totally nervous that SW will change our flight!

We have a flight from RDU to BWI to MCO (not actually the straight line that I was looking for... ) but our departing flight is at 6:30am and we arrive at MCO at 10:30 - not as good as the direct flight I had booked for December (out at 5:30am and landing in MCO at 7:30am) but I'll take it..

 Our direct flight home is still hanging around so *fingers crossed* that stays, even though I wouldnt mind if SW bumped it made it later departing flight!


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## zemmer

Our offer says we have to spend $25,000. Yeah, not happening.


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## focusondisney

zemmer said:


> Our offer says we have to spend $25,000. Yeah, not happening.



For the CP? In 3 months??  Wow, what a difference.


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## AlohaNow

shoreward said:


> This could be an indication that Southwest is forecasting weak bookings in 2021.



Though they offered this same exact promo in early 2019, so it is not necessarily indicative of expecting lower bookings. I sure did enjoy that CP in 2019!

And on the $25,000 mentioned above, this morning we received an offer on our current card to get 3x points if we spend $18,000 October - December.  Sorry, not happening SW and Chase!


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## zemmer

focusondisney said:


> For the CP? In 3 months??  Wow, what a difference.


Yep.


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## elgerber

zemmer said:


> Yep.
> View attachment 530138


The $4000 offer is for a new card, this is on an existing card.


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## LadybugsMum

elgerber said:


> The $4000 offer is for a new card, this is on an existing card.


My offer for a new card is $1000 in 3 months. It's really tempting, but I don't need another credit card.


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## focusondisney

zemmer said:


> Yep.
> View attachment 530138



Yea that is a 30% points bonus _towards_ a CP. I got that offer for 30% bonus points with a $6000 spend too. You still have to earn the normal 125,000 points to earn the CP. But the offer my family got was actually getting the CP after opening a new card & spending just $4000. An entirely different offer. They only have to spend $4000 in 3 months to get a CP for 2021.


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## dobball23

I'm sure this has been answered somewhere within this thread, but I wasn't able to find it. Below is my Southwest situation. Not sure what my options are. Any guidance is appreciated. I did reach out to Southwest, but have not heard back.


May 28, 2020: Purchased flights for December 2020 cruise (2 people)
June 2020: Rebooked flights one or two times at lower prices, providing us a credit to use
Summer 2020: Changed December 2020 flights to February 2021 (Assumed cruise will be canceled and changed to Princess Half Marathon Weekend) at a lower price, providing us a larger credit
Current status: We have February 2021 flights booked, but Princess Half Marathon Weekend is canceled.
Do we need to use those flights and our other credits by May 28, 2021? Do we have any additional options? We'd rather not lose the money, but we'd also rather not just use a flight to use a flight.

Thanks for any insight all of you may have for me!


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## scrappinginontario

dobball23 said:


> I'm sure this has been answered somewhere within this thread, but I wasn't able to find it. Below is my Southwest situation. Not sure what my options are. Any guidance is appreciated. I did reach out to Southwest, but have not heard back.
> 
> 
> May 28, 2020: Purchased flights for December 2020 cruise (2 people)
> June 2020: Rebooked flights one or two times at lower prices, providing us a credit to use
> Summer 2020: Changed December 2020 flights to February 2021 (Assumed cruise will be canceled and changed to Princess Half Marathon Weekend) at a lower price, providing us a larger credit
> Current status: We have February 2021 flights booked, but Princess Half Marathon Weekend is canceled.
> Do we need to use those flights and our other credits by May 28, 2021? Do we have any additional options? We'd rather not lose the money, but we'd also rather not just use a flight to use a flight.
> 
> Thanks for any insight all of you may have for me!


If you cancel your flights right now you will receive a travel credit for travel that needs to be completed by May 27, 2021.  

I looked on the website about the option to convert unused travel credits into Rapid Rewards points but those are restricted to people who cancelled their flights by Sep 7, 2020 and have an expiration date of Sep 7, 2022 so unfortunately you would not qualify for that option.

If it were me I would hold tight to see if Southwest comes out with a new offer for cancelling flights similar to the one that was offered earlier this year with an extended date to use your travel credits.


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## shoreward

dobball23 said:


> I'm sure this has been answered somewhere within this thread, but I wasn't able to find it. Below is my Southwest situation. Not sure what my options are. Any guidance is appreciated. I did reach out to Southwest, but have not heard back.
> 
> 
> May 28, 2020: Purchased flights for December 2020 cruise (2 people)
> June 2020: Rebooked flights one or two times at lower prices, providing us a credit to use
> Summer 2020: Changed December 2020 flights to February 2021 (Assumed cruise will be canceled and changed to Princess Half Marathon Weekend) at a lower price, providing us a larger credit
> Current status: We have February 2021 flights booked, but Princess Half Marathon Weekend is canceled.
> Do we need to use those flights and our other credits by May 28, 2021? Do we have any additional options? We'd rather not lose the money, but we'd also rather not just use a flight to use a flight.
> 
> Thanks for any insight all of you may have for me!


If Southwest cancels your flights or makes significant changes, I believe you have the right to request a refund.  As your flights are many months away, changes/cancellations may not be known till about December.  At this time, there are just too many unknowns about the virus, travel demand, etc., that even Southwest probably does not know about their final February 2021 schedule.


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## dobball23

shoreward said:


> If Southwest cancels your flights or makes significant changes, I believe you have the right to request a refund.  As your flights are many months away, changes/cancellations may not be known till about December.  At this time, there are just too many unknowns about the virus, travel demand, etc., that even Southwest probably does not know about their final February 2021 schedule.


But I don't need the February flights anymore as the event we were traveling to was canceled. I'd love it if SW would cancel and we could get a refund since we don't have additional travel planned for before May 28. 

It seems like it is best for me just to wait for now?


----------



## Leigh L

shoreward said:


> If Southwest cancels your flights or makes significant changes, I believe you have the right to request a refund.  As your flights are many months away, changes/cancellations may not be known till about December.  At this time, there are just too many unknowns about the virus, travel demand, etc., that even Southwest probably does not know about their final February 2021 schedule.


Yes, you are correct with significant changes, I think this is DOT rules. DD just did this over the weekend. SW made DD's Thanksgiving week direct flight to a layover, and DD was eligible for a refund as this was considered to be a significant change. She's got the refund but still awaiting her early bird refunds.

@dobball23, it might be better to wait and see what SW does. I think if you cancel right now you'll probably have credits. Right now SW is tweaking their November and I believe December flights, so February probably won't see changes for a bit. A lot can change between now and then.


----------



## shoreward

dobball23 said:


> But I don't need the February flights anymore as the event we were traveling to was canceled. I'd love it if SW would cancel and we could get a refund since we don't have additional travel planned for before May 28.
> 
> It seems like it is best for me just to wait for now?


Yes, I would wait, but start watching your itinerary on a regular basis, around November, for any changes.  Southwest should be sending an email about flight changes, but sometimes it just doesn’t happen, so you need to be proactive.  Once you see a change, immediately contact them for a refund.  They won’t care about cruises or events being cancelled, that is not their fault, and they will remind you that you purchased a non-refundable fare. You will just request a refund based on their flight change or cancellation.

Just be vigilant in watching,


----------



## focusondisney

dobball23 said:


> Do we need to use those flights and our other credits by May 28, 2021? Do we have any additional options? We'd rather not lose the money, but we'd also rather not just use a flight to use a flight.



As others have said, if SW cancels your flight or makes significant changes, you will be able to get a refund of the funds used for those flights. However, the credits you still have from  other changes won’t be included in those refunds.  Those would still expire 1 year from purchase as it stands now.


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## DisneyRunner2009

I got the companion pass offer. Two questions for you in the know. One, how long do you have to keep the account open? Less than one year or at least one year? Two, will they take back the 30,000 points or any portion not used, if you close the account? TIA


----------



## dobball23

focusondisney said:


> As others have said, if SW cancels your flight or makes significant changes, you will be able to get a refund of the funds used for those flights. However, the credits you still have from  other changes won’t be included in those refunds.  Those would still expire 1 year from purchase as it stands now.


Would it be worth re-booking to a higher priced flight, using those credits, so if my flight does change I can request a refund? Right now it is likely I would just lost the credits.


----------



## AlohaNow

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> I got the companion pass offer. Two questions for you in the know. One, how long do you have to keep the account open? Less than one year or at least one year? Two, will they take back the 30,000 points or any portion not used, if you close the account? TIA



Great questions! When I took the CP offer in early 2019 I then closed the account just before the annual renewal, to avoid the annual fee. Our main card is a SWA in DH's name, so the extra that I opened just for CP was extraneous to us. We only opened it to get the CP for the year and it worked out very much to our advantage!
Once RR points are in your RR account, they are yours and will not be taken back.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Thank you, AlohaNow.


----------



## focusondisney

dobball23 said:


> Would it be worth re-booking to a higher priced flight, using those credits, so if my flight does change I can request a refund? Right now it is likely I would just lost the credits.



Sorry, I think that’s a decision only you can make.  I don’t know how much in other credits you have. Or how likely it is they will cancel or drastically change the flight schedules in the future.   Personally, if I know there is only a slim chance I would use the credits, I don’t even bother changing to lower priced flights.


----------



## shoreward

The “change” banner is back for November and December flights, allowing November and December reservations to be changed to a different time or date, within a 30 day window, either way, at no additional cost.  However, with flight schedules being reduced, there may be fewer alternate flights from which to choose.


----------



## happ

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> I got the companion pass offer. Two questions for you in the know. One, how long do you have to keep the account open? Less than one year or at least one year? Two, will they take back the 30,000 points or any portion not used, if you close the account? TIA


In the credit card churning world it is good practice to keep the card open for a year to maintain a good relationship with the bank. You can cancel when the annual fee posts to avoid paying it or ask for a retention offer. Sometimes they will give you an incentive to keep it open if you ask.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

happ said:


> In the credit card churning world it is good practice to keep the card open for a year to maintain a good relationship with the bank. You can cancel when the annual fee posts to avoid paying it or ask for a retention offer. Sometimes they will give you an incentive to keep it open if you ask.




Thanks for the tip.


----------



## Tink3815

Does Southwest airlines provide a passenger list to the NY health officials waiting for you when you get off the airplane at NY airports?


----------



## Avery&Todd

Does anyone know where I can find on the SW site know if they have specific mask requirements for their flights? For example, Disney does not allow gaitors and masks with valves but does SW allow those face covering on the plane?

I know they have a mask requirement so that's not the question - and I know my airport requires a mask as well but this is our first time flying since last year so I want to make sure I'm prepared!

Thanks!


----------



## Avery&Todd

I found my answer!  


Customers are required to wear a face covering over their nose and mouth at all times during their Southwest travel experience. It is highly encouraged to bring your own hand sanitizer and face covering. In accordance with the current CDC guidance, a well-secured cloth or mask that fits snugly against the face, covers an individual’s nose and mouth, and is secured under the chin will be accepted. In alignment with the intention of this policy, these are a few examples of coverings that will not be accepted: (1)Those with holes in the covering, including those with exhalation valves or those made solely of materials like mesh or lace fabrics and (2)Those that cannot be secured under the chin, including bandanas and face shields. Face shields may be worn in addition to face coverings, but not in place of face coverings. Neck gaiters (also called multi-bands) may be worn as face coverings so long as they cover the nose and mouth and are secured under the chin.


----------



## Ninjagrrl

r-mechanic said:


> I had some friends staying at Old Key West this morning. They waited 45 minutes for a bus to Hollywood and had to take an Uber just to make it to rope drop in time. Anyone else seen buses this bad lately?


I think maybe this is the wrong thread... This is about Southwest airlines.


----------



## PCFriar80

r-mechanic said:


> I had some friends staying at Old Key West this morning. They waited 45 minutes for a *Southwest Flight bus *to Hollywood and had to take an Uber just to make it to rope drop in time. Anyone else seen *transfers **buses* this bad lately?


Fixed it for you!


----------



## nkereina

For those of you who have recently flown Southwest, I'm curious how they are keeping middle seats open. Are the flights truly empty enough where they can do this on every flight? DH and I are flying next week nonstop Buffalo to Orlando, which is normally a full flight. 

We purchased EBCI back when the flights were booked (pre-Covid), and have made many changes with the most recent being on Monday. Because of this, it will put us at the back of the EBCI "line" for checking in (its my understanding EBCI passengers are checked in at 36 hours in the order in which EBCI is purchased, but flight changes reset that). Should we be concerned about getting two seats together in the same row if everyone is required to leave the middle seat open? Or are families permitted to sit three across if they are traveling together?


----------



## Fangorn

Families are permitted to sit 3 across when traveling together. I would not be concerned about getting seats together. 

Steve


----------



## Sleepyluke

Have any of you that have flown lately done early bird?  Is it worth it right now with kids?  But also with the center seats open, less traffic on the plane.  I don't mind checking in myself, but if it is necessary for early bird we will.  Will be traveling in November.


----------



## MinnieMSue

Sleepyluke said:


> Have any of you that have flown lately done early bird?  Is it worth it right now with kids?  But also with the center seats open, less traffic on the plane.  I don't mind checking in myself, but if it is necessary for early bird we will.  Will be traveling in November.



we flew Saturday of Labor Day and there were plenty of extra seats on a relatively full plane - we were over the wing and across the aisle in 2 rows only one person sat in the window seats. They repeatedly said to not sit next to someone and leave middle seats empty unless you were traveling with someone. We had early bird and could have sat closer to the front. I actually wanted back because I thought fewer would have sat there but the kid wanted up front.I found that out when we were past a number of empty rows lol. I would say you should not have a problem sitting with your family at all without early bird as long as you check in at 24 hr.  We always do early bird though because I don’t even want to think about having to sit next to a stranger (social anxiety). My teen is my buffer in normal times when a single gets that extra seat in our row. It is worth it for peace of mind. I guess you could always have one person get early bird and sit in the aisle - I bet no one would try to take the extra seats in your row until your family came on board.


----------



## shoreward

The “change” banner reappeared today.  This time, changes within a 30 day window, either way, are allowed for reservations from November through the first few days of December.


----------



## zoo2tycoon

Just a question when a disabled person does preboard how many people get to board with them. Not for me- saw a probosrd at MCO and entire party of 6 traveling boarded with her.


----------



## CarlyMur09

zoo2tycoon said:


> Just a question when a disabled person does preboard how many people get to board with them. Not for me- saw a probosrd at MCO and entire party of 6 traveling boarded with her.


 Should only be 1 in most cases. I preboard due to my hearing loss, and so does my brother. And in case there’s room on the flight, my father does got the extra seat so that’s another preboard right there. So while we’d look like a family of 6, we do have the 3 pre boards. Luckily we’ve never done more than 6 people. Not sure what we would do in that case.


----------



## zoo2tycoon

CarlyMur09 said:


> Should only be 1 in most cases. I preboard due to my hearing loss, and so does my brother. And in case there’s room on the flight, my father does got the extra seat so that’s another preboard right there. So while we’d look like a family of 6, we do have the 3 pre boards. Luckily we’ve never done more than 6 people. Not sure what we would do in that case.



Just Wondered. I couldn't say how many were preboard in party or not. Thanks for clarifying!


----------



## Ninjagrrl

zoo2tycoon said:


> Just Wondered. I couldn't say how many were preboard in party or not. Thanks for clarifying! ☺


Flights to/from MCO have a lot of preboards, I've been told.
I wonder how they prioritize that when there's so many. A little anxious, honestly, bc traveling with our son in a wheelchair for the first time, and due to other coexisting disabilities, really need that bulkhead seating. The weekend after Thanksgiving.


----------



## CarlyMur09

Ninjagrrl said:


> Flights to/from MCO have a lot of preboards, I've been told.
> I wonder how they prioritize that when there's so many. A little anxious, honestly, bc traveling with our son in a wheelchair for the first time, and due to other coexisting disabilities, really need that bulkhead seating. The weekend after Thanksgiving.




First come first serve, most of the time with a caveat. I do think they do generally take people in wheelchairs first, since it allows them to free up the walkways quickly.


----------



## ultimatefans

In the past Southwest's policy was that taxes paid on flights booked with points were fully refundable unless a change was made to the reservation - then the taxes paid could only be refunded to a travel fund.  However, I know this policy changed so that taxes paid with points reservations would always be refundable, even if an intermediate change had been made.  However, twice recently I noticed that taxes I paid in cash were only available as a travel fund when I canceled the reservation, I did not have the option to refund to the original form of payment.  I rechecked all the emails I received on that booking to confirm the taxes were originally paid in cash.  There had been several intermediate changes to the reservations, some because Southwest had a schedule change and some because I rebooked due to a lower rate.  Did their policy change again or is there an error in their systems?  Has anyone else noticed this?


----------



## shoreward

ultimatefans said:


> In the past Southwest's policy was that taxes paid on flights booked with points were fully refundable unless a change was made to the reservation - then the taxes paid could only be refunded to a travel fund.  However, I know this policy changed so that taxes paid with points reservations would always be refundable, even if an intermediate change had been made.  However, twice recently I noticed that taxes I paid in cash were only available as a travel fund when I canceled the reservation, I did not have the option to refund to the original form of payment.  I rechecked all the emails I received on that booking to confirm the taxes were originally paid in cash.  There had been several intermediate changes to the reservations, some because Southwest had a schedule change and some because I rebooked due to a lower rate.  Did their policy change again or is there an error in their systems?  Has anyone else noticed this?


There was an error in the way Southwest filed the fares.  If you booked 09/01/2020 thru 09/09/2020, you will need to call Southwest to get the taxes refunded, if the fare was BS, AT, or a points booking, and you do not want to hold for future use.  The error has since been corrected for new bookings.

However, if a non-refundable form of payment was used (Gift Card, Travel Fund, Luv Voucher), those funds remain non-refundable, even when applied to a refundable ticket (including taxes/fees). In those cases, taxes only can be retained as a travel fund for a future booking.


----------



## ultimatefans

shoreward said:


> There was an error in the way Southwest filed the fares.  If you booked 09/01/2020 thru 09/09/2020, you will need to call Southwest to get the taxes refunded, if the fare was BS, AT, or a points booking, and you do not want to hold for future use.  The error has since been corrected for new bookings.
> 
> However, if a non-refundable form of payment was used (Gift Card, Travel Fund, Luv Voucher), those funds remain non-refundable, even when applied to a refundable ticket (including taxes/fees). In those cases, taxes only can be retained as a travel fund for a future booking.


The taxes were paid with a credit card and should have been fully refundable.  I checked my history and both flights I’ve had an issue with had changes during that week in September.  Thank you, you have solved the mystery!!!!


----------



## Lsdolphin

I changed my flight a few weeks ago when the banner was up and noticed when I checked the new confirmation that the price increase was on my confirmation although there is not supposed to be any additional charge.  I was not asked for my credit card information so I’m hoping I wasn’t still charged somehow...


----------



## shoreward

Lsdolphin said:


> I changed my flight a few weeks ago when the banner was up and noticed when I checked the new confirmation that the price increase was on my confirmation although there is not supposed to be any additional charge.  I was not asked for my credit card information so I’m hoping I wasn’t still charged somehow...


If you made the change online, check your credit card account, especially if your credit card number is stored in your Southwest profile.


----------



## DVC-Don

11 months ago I brought one of my NY registered cars to my Florida home.  Some tolls had a sign saying E-ZPass accepted.  But then those signs disappeared and I saw a sign "End E-ZPass".  I went through many tolls and just drove on through figuring I'd get a bill.  To date no bill has arrived.  I've since returned my NY E-ZPass and now use central Florida's E-Pass on my vehicles.  I'll pay the bill if it ever finds me.


----------



## dez1978

Dumb question. Is there a way to book using point and cash on one reservation?


----------



## Fangorn

dez1978 said:


> Dumb question. Is there a way to book using point and cash on one reservation?



No. That cannot be done. One or the other, not both. 

Steve


----------



## DebbieB

dez1978 said:


> Dumb question. Is there a way to book using point and cash on one reservation?



I’ve done one way cash/one way points many times as separate reservations.


----------



## cmarsh31

dez1978 said:


> Dumb question. Is there a way to book using point and cash on one reservation?



Only JetBlue has that option, unfortunately.


----------



## pooch

DVC-Don said:


> 11 months ago I brought one of my NY registered cars to my Florida home.  Some tolls had a sign saying E-ZPass accepted.  But then those signs disappeared and I saw a sign "End E-ZPass".  I went through many tolls and just drove on through figuring I'd get a bill.  To date no bill has arrived.  I've since returned my NY E-ZPass and now use central Florida's E-Pass on my vehicles.  I'll pay the bill if it ever finds me.


Not sure what this has to do with SWA?


----------



## Elle23

I wish Southwest would stop letting us change our flight for free. I keep adding days to our Disney trip and the free changes are costing me a fortune.


----------



## irt9206

I'm trying to change one of my upcoming flights and keep getting an error message. I'm selecting the same flight to save 2200 points. Is anyone else having this issue?


----------



## Ninjagrrl

irt9206 said:


> I'm trying to change one of my upcoming flights and keep getting an error message. I'm selecting the same flight to save 2200 points. Is anyone else having this issue?


I don't want to alarm you but this happened to me right before they cancelled my flight.


----------



## dez1978

How often do you all check to see if your flights got cheaper after you booked them?


----------



## pooch

I normally check every day, only takes a minute.  Before, I checked for price drops, now I check to be sure they haven't moved/cancelled my flights!!


----------



## Ninjagrrl

dez1978 said:


> How often do you all check to see if your flights got cheaper after you booked them?


Honestly? Every other day or so, I open the app and look. Usually when I'm killing time waiting for something. SW fares can fluctuate wildly, so I like to keep in top of it.


----------



## Ninjagrrl

pooch said:


> Before, I checked for price drops, now I check to be sure they haven't moved/cancelled my flights!!


Facts.


----------



## pooch

Never heard of a limit to repricing on SWA.  Maybe I've just never had that many for 1 flight but I was unaware there was a limit on how many you could do.


----------



## shoreward

irt9206 said:


> I'm trying to change one of my upcoming flights and keep getting an error message. I'm selecting the same flight to save 2200 points. Is anyone else having this issue?


Have you tried to check availability, as if making a new reservation?  If the flight still shows with a lower fare, you can try logging out of your account, then back in, or try using incognito or private mode.

I had that happen one time and needed to get help from @SouthwestAir on Twitter.  They were able to make the change.

I don’t think there is any limit on the number of times you can modify a booking for fare reductions.


----------



## Ninjagrrl

pooch said:


> Never heard of a limit to repricing on SWA.  Maybe I've just never had that many for 1 flight but I was unaware there was a limit on how many you could do.


I could be wrong, but I thought I heard that on this thread. It's never happened to me personally either, but I tend to wait for bigger price drops.

ETA: I was wrong. Edited my original post so I don't give out bad info.


----------



## Disneytam

dez1978 said:


> How often do you all check to see if your flights got cheaper after you booked them?


Every day at least once. As someone else mentioned now I'm just checking every day to make sure I still have a flight.


----------



## pooch

and I take ANY price drop.  Its (normally!) a quick and easy process so I will do it no matter how small the drop.


----------



## Crazyhorse

Ok...so....we cancelled our December 2-9 trip but have yet to cancel our SW plane tickets.  We bought them dirt cheap..like $45.00 each way.  We got the change flight stuff, either right before or right after we cancelled our BWI reservations.  For grins, I looked at SW for our dates again...wow!  The $45.00 flight is now a $119.00 flight...the return went from $45.00 to $55.00.  It seems a shame to waste such cheap airfare, but it's not likely we'll be able to use them by 5/2021.  Certainly hoping that as December gets closer, SW will extend cancelled flight funds out to 9/2022...then I'll cancel!  At this point, just gonna hang on to them until the last minute.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Crazyhorse said:


> We bought them dirt cheap..like $45.00 each way.  We got the change flight stuff, either right before or right after we cancelled our BWI reservations.  For grins, I looked at SW for our dates again...wow!  The $45.00 flight is now a $119.00 flight...the return went from $45.00 to $55.00.



I got my Jan flight to MCO for $79 and it's now $164 and the only direct flight. I keep checking just to see if the prices change for the better, but they haven't so far.


----------



## tseitel

If I understand correctly, you can have 3 forms of payment on a reservation?
  Do travel vouchers count as a form of payment?
There will be 4 people flying SW.  3 of us have travel vouchers from previously canceled flights- I know this will not full cover our new fares.  I was going to get a SW gift card as a present for the 4th person.  
So I would be looking at 3 vouchers, 1 gift card, and 1 credit card to cover the rest. Is this too much ? Do I need to split us up when I book? 
thank you for any information


----------



## EACarlson

nkereina said:


> For those of you who have recently flown Southwest, I'm curious how they are keeping middle seats open. Are the flights truly empty enough where they can do this on every flight? DH and I are flying next week nonstop Buffalo to Orlando, which is normally a full flight.
> 
> We purchased EBCI back when the flights were booked (pre-Covid), and have made many changes with the most recent being on Monday. Because of this, it will put us at the back of the EBCI "line" for checking in (its my understanding EBCI passengers are checked in at 36 hours in the order in which EBCI is purchased, but flight changes reset that). Should we be concerned about getting two seats together in the same row if everyone is required to leave the middle seat open? Or are families permitted to sit three across if they are traveling together?


I just flew MDW-MCO and back again on planes that they claimed were sold out.  I sat in the second row from the back both ways and didn't have anyone else in my row, on the return trip there wasn't anyone in the row behind me at all.  I saw a few rows with only one person in it.


----------



## nkereina

tseitel said:


> If I understand correctly, you can have 3 forms of payment on a reservation?
> Do travel vouchers count as a form of payment?
> There will be 4 people flying SW.  3 of us have travel vouchers from previously canceled flights- I know this will not full cover our new fares.  I was going to get a SW gift card as a present for the 4th person.
> So I would be looking at 3 vouchers, 1 gift card, and 1 credit card to cover the rest. Is this too much ? Do I need to split us up when I book?
> thank you for any information


Its my understanding you are permitted three forms of payment per passenger. If three people each have one travel voucher, you can apply the travel vouchers and then use a credit card for the balance. For the fourth person, you can do the gift card and the credit card for the balance. The balance is paid as whole on the web site, but this is how it would be considered applied behind the scenes.


----------



## Disneytam

How late does Southwest wait before canceling a flight? We have had both our flights changed twice now and with less than three weeks to go I'm wondering if I can breath a sigh of relief that they are done canceling/changing our flights. Or do I keep checking daily? We are using a car service and I want to finalize our flights with them but I was hoping this would be the final change.


----------



## pooch

Right now?  I leave 11/8 and check every day.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Disneytam said:


> How late does Southwest wait before canceling a flight? We have had both our flights changed twice now and with less than three weeks to go I'm wondering if I can breath a sigh of relief that they are done canceling/changing our flights. Or do I keep checking daily? We are using a car service and I want to finalize our flights with them but I was hoping this would be the final change.


Sadly, these days until you're seated on the plane, there is a possibility that SW (or any airline) will change or cancel your flight.  With the uncertainty of the times they are constantly tweaking their schedules.  I'm sure the car services are well aware of this also.


----------



## Disneytam

pooch said:


> Right now?  I leave 11/8 and check every day.


This is the day we leave as well!


----------



## pooch

Our original flight was 11/9 but they changed our 2:45 non stop to a 5 hr direct with a long layover in Baltimore.  So we opted to come in a day early & make my DD put us up for the night.


----------



## Ninjagrrl

And in no surprise to me, SW just announced that beginning 12/1 the empty middle seat promise is gone. 
https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/3720954001


----------



## Crazyhorse

Ninjagrrl said:


> And in no surprise to me, SW just announced that beginning 12/1 the empty middle seat promise is gone.
> https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/3720954001


Can't blame them...United and AA have been doing it.  Bottom line is it's up to us, as consumers, to do what we think is right for ourselves and families.


----------



## Ninjagrrl

Crazyhorse said:


> Can't blame them...United and AA have been doing it.  Bottom line is it's up to us, as consumers, to do what we think is right for ourselves and families.


I don't really disagree. It was mainly theater anyway. But I will admit that the lower numbers of people jockeying for boarding groups and overhead bin space was something I was looking forward to. At least it only affects me on the way home.


----------



## shoreward

The “change” banner is back again, covering flights from about 2nd week of December, through end of 2020.

On another topic, there apparently will be an email sent to Southwest customers tomorrow...something related to middle seat blocking being dropped after November.  It might be a big sale, some kind of perk for booked pax, so they don’t cancel, or ????  They are already getting pushback on social media, so they need to do something to quell customers’ displeasure with the change.  AFAIK, Delta will be the only carrier to block middle seats thru Dec., until early Jan.

Update:  Southwest just posted this message-perhaps this is what will be emailed to customers tomorrow:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1319292261599903746


----------



## shoreward

If you do not want to keep your December or later reservations on Southwest, since they will not be blocking middle seats after November 2020, here is a heads-up for getting a *refund* of your ticket:

As a gesture of goodwill, all active reservations booked prior to October 23 with travel for December 1 or later are eligible for a one-time refund. You will receive an email with more information in the coming days.


----------



## happ

shoreward said:


> If you do not want to keep your December or later reservations on Southwest, since they will not be blocking middle seats after November 2020, here is a heads-up for getting a *refund* of your ticket:
> 
> As a gesture of goodwill, all active reservations booked prior to October 23 with travel for December 1 or later are eligible for a one-time refund. You will receive an email with more information in the coming days.


A refund would be great! I've been holding off cancelling my Jan ticket ever since marathon weekend got cancelled. Hopefully it won't matter that I "rebooked" the flight once when the price dropped. I probably won't get that $25 back since it's now travel funds, but a refund of the rest would be fantastic.
Update: I received the email and requested the refund.


----------



## Crazyhorse

shoreward said:


> If you do not want to keep your December or later reservations on Southwest, since they will not be blocking middle seats after November 2020, here is a heads-up for getting a *refund* of your ticket:
> 
> As a gesture of goodwill, all active reservations booked prior to October 23 with travel for December 1 or later are eligible for a one-time refund. You will receive an email with more information in the coming days.


Thank you for this info!  As mentioned before, we cancelled our BWI reservation for Dec 2-9 but haven't cancelled our airfare yet.   I hope this refund will actually be a refund...v.s. travel credits?  I wouldn't mind the travel credits if they have a 2022 expiration but I won't refuse an actual refund!


----------



## shoreward

Crazyhorse said:


> Thank you for this info!  As mentioned before, we cancelled our BWI reservation for Dec 2-9 but haven't cancelled our airfare yet.   I hope this refund will actually be a refund...v.s. travel credits?  I wouldn't mind the travel credits if they have a 2022 expiration but I won't refuse an actual refund!


It should be a refund, but I don’t know if they also will refund the EBCI fees, or not.


----------



## Crazyhorse

shoreward said:


> It should be a refund, but I don’t know if they also will refund the EBCI fees, or not.


There inlies a good question...what about EBCI.  We booked crazy low fares, $45.00 each way....I think EBCI was $30.00 for each of us.


----------



## shoreward

More info on Southwest’s refund offer for December or later travel:



> *Refunds:* We recognize that some Customers may have booked travel with the hope that our middle seat block would be extended beyond November. Therefore, we’re offering added flexibility by allowing refunds for all Customers booked prior to October 23 for travel on December 1 or later. On Friday, October 23, Customers booked on travel beginning December 1 will get an email that provides an option for a refund back to their original form of payment, regardless of the fare purchased. These Customers will have until midnight on October 31 (CST) to opt for this policy exception, and the refund must be initiated through a link provided in the October 23r email delivered to all eligible Customers.
> 
> *Full Flight Changes:* Customers who keep their booking will be notified two to three days before travel if their flight is booked to a capacity where middle seats will likely be occupied. Those Customers will be given the option to change to a flight (if another flight is available) that is less full within three days of their original flight at no additional charge.


----------



## shoreward

Here is the refund email sent out this morning to customers with active reservations, qualifying for a refund:


Beginning with the travel date of December 1, 2020, _all _seats on Southwest® flights are once again available for purchase.
While we have communicated having our "Middle Seats open through November 30," we understand that you may have made your booking hoping we would continue to limit the number of Passengers onboard beyond that date. We are committed to your peace of mind when you fly, and travel scheduled beyond November 30 may include a flight with an occupied middle seat. As a gesture of goodwill, we are providing you the opportunity for a refund* for your upcoming trip (Confirmation             #——— *———)* should you wish to cancel. In order to receive a refund*, you must complete and submit this form by *Saturday, October 31 at 11:59 p.m. CDT*. Once the form has been submitted, no further actions are required (i.e., do not cancel your trip on Southwest.com® or swabiz.com)**. Please allow up to 30 days for funds to be applied to your original form of payment**. A follow-up notification will be sent to you once your trip has been canceled and an additional notification will be sent after your refund has been processed.
With the Southwest Promise, we're committed to supporting the well-being of our Employees and Customers by requiring face coverings; using HEPA air filters onboard (similar to the technology found in hospitals); and electrostatically applying disinfectant on aircraft surfaces to kill viruses on contact as well as an antimicrobial spray that forms a protective shield that lasts for 30 days. Additionally, we continue to evaluate our policies and procedures based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the broader medical community.
While many elements of our experience have changed and will continue to evolve, we are continuing to deliver the same Southwest Hospitality that you know and expect. From our Heart to yours, we are ready to connect you to the People and places you love, and we hope to see you soon.Your friends at Southwest Airlines®
*Corporate bookings and Group Travel policies may vary; please reach out to your original source of booking for further assistance.
**If you cancel on Southwest.com, swabiz.com, or through any other channel rather than by completing the form through the link provided in this email, or if your original form of payment was a gift card, funds from your flight will be reserved for future travel instead of being refunded to your original form of payment.

NOTE:  The active link has been deleted from this post.  Each email will be linked to an active reservation that qualifies for the temporary refund offer.


----------



## LadybugsMum

I just received emails for my flights in Jan. Since we will take up our own row, I'm keeping the flights.


----------



## 4luv2cdisney

Crazy frustrated by the middle seat change.  For a family of 4, it puts one of us with 2 strangers.  We aren't comfortable with that yet.... it's getting worse, not better.  Ugh.  Hate to cancel my whole trip, but don't know if driving will be an option.  Maybe we can convince 2 family members to join us?  lol

I can buy the middle seat on other airlines. Can't do that on SW.  I don't want to switch from SW, but guess I may have to.


----------



## shoreward

Crazyhorse said:


> There inlies a good question...what about EBCI.  We booked crazy low fares, $45.00 each way....I think EBCI was $30.00 for each of us.


I just read the fine print on the form, and they will include a refund for EBCI, as well.


----------



## scrappinginontario

4luv2cdisney said:


> Crazy frustrated by the middle seat change.  For a family of 4, it puts one of us with 2 strangers.  We aren't comfortable with that yet.... it's getting worse, not better.  Ugh.  Hate to cancel my whole trip, but don't know if driving will be an option.  Maybe we can convince 2 family members to join us?  lol
> 
> I can buy the middle seat on other airlines. Can't do that on SW.  I don't want to switch from SW, but guess I may have to.


If your children are uncomfortable sitting with strangers you can choose to sit 3 + 1 so an adult is with a person/people they don't know. 

It's only my DD and I so we have always had an extra person in the row.  She sits beside the window and I sit in the middle seat.  Never been a problem. 

Also, there is no guarantee that the planes will suddenly be full.  I would be surprised if you couldn't have at least 1 empty seat in your row of 2, especially if you go further back in the plane.


----------



## Crazyhorse

shoreward said:


> I just read the fine print on the form, and they will include a refund for EBCI, as well.


I just received the E-mail.   I edited again because even though I removed personal reference stuff, they still showed up as a link.  Sorry!


----------



## shoreward

Crazyhorse said:


> I just received the E-mail.   I edited again because even though I removed personal reference stuff, they still showed up as a link.  Sorry!


I was just replying to let you know that you had an active link....glad you caught it.


----------



## EACarlson

4luv2cdisney said:


> Crazy frustrated by the middle seat change.  For a family of 4, it puts one of us with 2 strangers.  We aren't comfortable with that yet.... it's getting worse, not better.  Ugh.  Hate to cancel my whole trip, but don't know if driving will be an option.  Maybe we can convince 2 family members to join us?  lol
> 
> I can buy the middle seat on other airlines. Can't do that on SW.  I don't want to switch from SW, but guess I may have to.


I would sit aisle window in the back of the plane.  Those are going to be the last seats taken on a full flight.  I flew last week and there was a completely empty back row of the plane with what was supposedly a "sold out" flight MCO-MDW.


----------



## shoreward

*Travel funds reminder - conversion to RR points*



> *Travel funds*
> Travel fund FAQs
> *Now through December 15, 2020, convert your qualified travel funds to points for added flexibility.*
> Rapid Rewards points don’t expire.
> You can redeem your points for travel for anyone.
> *To qualify, your travel fund a) must expire September 7, 2022*, b) name must match the name on your Rapid Reward account, and c) must have originated from a ticket purchased on *Southwest.com®*, booked by a Southwest Airlines® Customer Representative, or approved by your employer. *You must request to convert your travel fund by December 15, 2020*. Conversion is non-reversible. When travel funds are converted to Rapid Rewards points, these points will not count toward earning tier status nor earning Companion Pass. Rapid Rewards points cannot be used to pay taxes or fees. Both travel fund balances and points conversion calculations displayed below are reflective of what was in your account upon login and may not include transactions which may have occurred during your current session. Refreshing your browser will provide the most up-to-date information.


----------



## Ninjagrrl

Ugh. I have travel funds that are not eligible. Like $150 worth. And I know I can't use them before they expire.


----------



## MarBee

Ninjagrrl said:


> Ugh. I have travel funds that are not eligible. Like $150 worth. And I know I can't use them before they expire.



I’m in a similar situation.  What can be done to either use the travel funds somehow?  Or get the date extended?


----------



## Ninjagrrl

MarBee said:


> I’m in a similar situation.  What can be done to either use the travel funds somehow?  Or get the date extended?


Not a whole heck of a lot. If you book a new ticket with the funds and then cancel it, it doesn't reset the time you have to use it. In theory, you can wait for them to expire and then call and ask them to convert it to a LUV voucher, but it costs to do so, and they may not do it, it's up to the representative. And even then LUV vouchers only have a 6 month use period. I was really hoping they would change the eligibility on the travel funds to allow more people to convert.


----------



## MarBee

Ninjagrrl said:


> Not a whole heck of a lot. If you book a new ticket with the funds and then cancel it, it doesn't reset the time you have to use it. In theory, you can wait for them to expire and then call and ask them to convert it to a LUV voucher, but it costs to do so, and they may not do it, it's up to the representative. And even then LUV vouchers only have a 6 month use period. I was really hoping they would change the eligibility on the travel funds to allow more people to convert.


Thanks!  That’s what I thought but was hoping for better news.


----------



## 4luv2cdisney

EACarlson said:


> I would sit aisle window in the back of the plane.  Those are going to be the last seats taken on a full flight.  I flew last week and there was a completely empty back row of the plane with what was supposedly a "sold out" flight MCO-MDW.



Thanks for the tip!


----------



## Ninjagrrl

MarBee said:


> Thanks!  That’s what I thought but was hoping for better news.


For giggles, I @ Southwest on twitter about it, commenting that it's not very customer friendly. We'll see what happens.


----------



## RedK

i agree with @EACarlson about seat location. I just came back from a Disney trip flying Southwest. 75/175 seats full on the flight to MCO, 85/143 seats filled on the flight back home. I sat in the back both times, and had rows to myself, with empty rows in front/behind me. Since I had to wait for checked luggage anyway, I wasn't really out any time.


----------



## Erica Ladd

OT question - sorry. Delta change my kids flight home and when they did they put them all in the same row. I purposefully booked them window, aisle and the window right behind. They all don’t WANT to sit next to each other lol. Can they do that?


----------



## elgerber

Erica Ladd said:


> OT question - sorry. Delta change my kids flight home and when they did they put them all in the same row. I purposefully booked them window, aisle and the window right behind. They all don’t WANT to sit next to each other lol. Can they do that?


You should be able to just go online and select different seats.


----------



## Erica Ladd

elgerber said:


> You should be able to just go online and select different seats.



Thanks - went online and figured it out. They changed planes from a 3 across seats to 2 across. I know airlines are keeping middle seats empty - will they leave the seat empty on a 2 seat plane?


----------



## DebbieB

Erica Ladd said:


> Thanks - went online and figured it out. They changed planes from a 3 across seats to 2 across. I know airlines are keeping middle seats empty - will they leave the seat empty on a 2 seat plane?



it looks like they leave the aisle seat open on the left side only.


----------



## EACarlson

depends on the plane.  Delta is keeping the entire B set of seats empty on CRJ's.  On the Airbus' that are 2-4-2 seating they are blocking the middle two sets in the center section but nothing on either of the window sections.  What route and equipment is it?


----------



## elgerber

Erica Ladd said:


> Thanks - went online and figured it out. They changed planes from a 3 across seats to 2 across. I know airlines are keeping middle seats empty - will they leave the seat empty on a 2 seat plane?


Delta will, it if's before January 4th (I think that's their date)


----------



## Erica Ladd

EACarlson said:


> depends on the plane.  Delta is keeping the entire B set of seats empty on CRJ's.  On the Airbus' that are 2-4-2 seating they are blocking the middle two sets in the center section but nothing on either of the window sections.  What route and equipment is it?



Thanks!  I just looked and it is a CRJ 900.  Luckily I had already moved my boys to C&D seats and my dd with get an A window seat across from them.  Works out great - now to see if they change the flight again or just straight up cancel it!!!! ETA - its direct flight from MCO to RDU


----------



## mickeynut1

dez1978 said:


> How often do you all check to see if your flights got cheaper after you booked them?



I check at least once a day, sometimes multiple times a day if I remember/have time.  There's been times I'd check many times a day over a period of weeks and nothing.  But then there have been times I'd check in the morning and by afternoon I'd find the cheaper fare, so if you have the time, I'd look as often as you can .



Disneytam said:


> Every day at least once. As someone else mentioned now I'm just checking every day to make sure I still have a flight.







Crazyhorse said:


> Ok...so....we cancelled our December 2-9 trip but have yet to cancel our SW plane tickets.  We bought them dirt cheap..like $45.00 each way.  We got the change flight stuff, either right before or right after we cancelled our BWI reservations.  For grins, I looked at SW for our dates again...wow!  The $45.00 flight is now a $119.00 flight...the return went from $45.00 to $55.00.



It's insane how fares change so drastically.  I booked flights for Dec for DH & I at $45 each way.  Right now the departure is up to $209 (was as high as $233 the other day) and the return is $149....just crazy!!



EACarlson said:


> I just flew MDW-MCO and back again on planes that they claimed were sold out.  I sat in the second row from the back both ways and didn't have anyone else in my row, on the return trip there wasn't anyone in the row behind me at all.  I saw a few rows with only one person in it.



We just got back from a short trip to Charleston, SC and going out our flight only had 45 people and coming back there were maybe 80.  DH & I went to Vegas the middle of Sept and both ways we had full flights with every row occupied.  Crazy how some flights are empty but others are full (with the exception of the middle seats).



nkereina said:


> Its my understanding you are permitted three forms of payment per passenger. If three people each have one travel voucher, you can apply the travel vouchers and then use a credit card for the balance. For the fourth person, you can do the gift card and the credit card for the balance. The balance is paid as whole on the web site, but this is how it would be considered applied behind the scenes.



This is my understanding as well.



Ninjagrrl said:


> And in no surprise to me, SW just announced that beginning 12/1 the empty middle seat promise is gone.



We've flown quite a few times lately and while I know the airlines want/need to get back to normal, I'm definitely going to miss having that middle seat open .


----------



## easyas123

mickeynut1 said:


> We've flown quite a few times lately and while I know the airlines want/need to get back to normal, I'm definitely going to miss having that seat middle open .



I agree.


----------



## Ninjagrrl

easyas123 said:


> I agree.


Same. I know it's not really less safe for the most part, but all the extra room and bin space is nice.


----------



## Elle23

Does anyone know what the latest is regarding early bird refunds for cancellation? My son will not be accompanying us on the trip in a few weeks and I need to cancel the flight. (I know I can try to schedule it further out as a “placeholder” but I would rather cancel outright....if I can get a refund or credit).


----------



## Fangorn

Official policy is EBCI is non-refundable of YOU cancel the flight. That said you might recieve some grace if you call and ask nicely. Don't count on it, but it has happened. If SW cancels the flight, you can get a refund of EBCI, but you'll still need to call and ask for it. It isn't an automatic thing (or hasn't been anyway)

Steve


----------



## Elle23

Fangorn said:


> Official policy is EBCI is non-refundable of YOU cancel the flight. That said you might recieve some grace if you call and ask nicely. Don't count on it, but it has happened. If SW cancels the flight, you can get a refund of EBCI, but you'll still need to call and ask for it. It isn't an automatic thing (or hasn't been anyway)
> 
> Steve



Thanks!


----------



## kajorgensen

goofy4tink said:


> Hopefully we can consolitdate all the questions into one thread.


Thanks!


----------



## LadybugsMum

Sigh, SW just change my return flight for Jan. I’ve been expecting it, but I didn’t really want to lose 4 hours of time at Disney.


----------



## shoreward

LadybugsMum said:


> Sigh, SW just change my return flight for Jan. I’ve been expecting it, but I didn’t really want to lose 4 hours of time at Disney.


Southwest continues to consolidate flights.  Anyone with flights in January till early February needs to check their flights and go through the “no change in fare” change process, to confirm that their flights have not been changed, without their knowledge.  If you just look up to the point where the change banner appears and no further, it may not reveal that you have been moved to a different time/flight.  Their system is automated and does not always move the customer to a preferred flight; i.e., you might have a 9:00 a.m. nonstop booked, which dropped from the schedule.  Instead of moving you to a new 10:00 a.m. nonstop, the system might move you to connecting flights departing at 9:30 a.m. and arriving two hours later than the 10:00 a.m. nonstop.  Though the customer is supposed to receive email notifications of itinerary changes, it does not always happen.


----------



## LadybugsMum

shoreward said:


> Southwest continues to consolidate flights.  Anyone with flights in January till early February needs to check their flights and go through the “no change in fare” change process, to confirm that their flights have not been changed, without their knowledge.  If you just look up to the point where the change banner appears and no further, it may not reveal that you have been moved to a different time/flight.  Their system is automated and does not always move the customer to a preferred flight; I.e., you might have a 9:00 a.m. nonstop booked, which dropped from the schedule.  Instead of moving you to a new 10:00 a.m. nonstop, the system might move you to connecting flights departing at 9:30 a.m. and arriving two hours later than the 10:00 a.m. nonstop.  Though the customer is supposed to receive email notifications of itinerary changes, it does not always happen.



They did send me a email and they moved me to the one remaining direct flight on our return day. There had been 3 and we were on the last one at 5:20, but we now leave at 11:15. I'm glad I've got an appt to get TSA precheck next week and that I'm renting a car so we don't have to get there 3 hours early for the flight.


----------



## VandVsmama

We got an email this evening from Southwest that our flights have been changed.  Our departure is moving to earlier in the day by 50 minutes, so that isn't too bad.


----------



## Elle23

I’m waiting on pins and needles hoping our flight in 19 days doesn’t get changed.


----------



## zemmer

Elle23 said:


> I’m waiting on pins and needles hoping our flight in 19 days doesn’t get changed.


Same. 17 days. I still haven’t updated Magical Express because last time I did that we had complete a overhaul the next day.


----------



## Disneytam

zemmer said:


> Same. 17 days. I still haven’t updated Magical Express because last time I did that we had complete a overhaul the next day.


Same here. We leave in 12 days and hoping for no more changes. We've already added one night to our trip due to a flight change. I'm sad enough at the end of a Disney trip I certainly didn't want to be leaving our hotel at 4 in the morning!


----------



## pooch

12 days for us too and we had to add a day at the beginning as the adjusted schedule lost us both our first and our last day!!


----------



## Traveling on cc points

Just got notice that our end of January flight was changed. 
had a perfect 6:45pm direct flight from MCO to BDL (total flying time of 3 hours)) to a flight with a 3 hour layover leaving at 2:00 for a total flying time of 6 hours. 
I checked and the only direct flight home would be at 11:00am. The thought of having to be picked up by the ME at 8:00am and be awake and packing by 6:00am is very unappealing.

I found a direct flight home on JetBlue that leaves mco at 1:50. I’m not thrilled to have to pay to check our bags but I think I would rather pay $70 in ridiculous fees vs. waking up at the crack of dawn and being rushed. Does anyone know if JetBlue is screwing up flights like SW is?


----------



## Leigh L

Traveling on cc points said:


> Just got notice that our end of January flight was changed.
> had a perfect 6:45pm direct flight from MCO to BDL (total flying time of 3 hours)) to a flight with a 3 hour layover leaving at 2:00 for a total flying time of 6 hours.
> I checked and the only direct flight home would be at 11:00am. The thought of having to be picked up by the ME at 8:00am and be awake and packing by 6:00am is very unappealing.
> 
> I found a direct flight home on JetBlue that leaves mco at 1:50. I’m not thrilled to have to pay to check our bags but I think I would rather pay $70 in ridiculous fees vs. waking up at the crack of dawn and being rushed. Does anyone know if JetBlue is screwing up flights like SW is?


YES.  I recommend book something where you're flexible or have a backup plan.  Also, watch carefully what they do with November and December flights - you can get a sense of which flights they are keeping and which get canceled. From DC they cut 4 direct flights a day down to 3 direct flights a week.  

In August we were moved by JB 3-4 times by 12-24 hours each time, and when all was finally said and done, our trip ended up shifting by 3 days on either end so we could keep our price-protected stay (at the Poly before we were moved again). We ended up patching together 4 hotels due to flight changes LOL. The last change they did was about 8 days out.

DH had a JB trip to Tampa earlier this month and he was moved by 24 hours. He couldn't do that so had to cancel.

That being said JetBlue is AWESOME with their protocols and we had two excellent flights.


----------



## Traveling on cc points

Leigh L said:


> YES.  I recommend book something where you're flexible or have a backup plan.  Also, watch carefully what they do with November and December flights - you can get a sense of which flights they are keeping and which get canceled. From DC they cut 4 direct flights a day down to 3 direct flights a week.
> 
> In August we were moved by JB 3-4 times by 12-24 hours each time, and when all was finally said and done, our trip ended up shifting by 3 days on either end so we could keep our price-protected stay (at the Poly before we were moved again). We ended up patching together 4 hotels due to flight changes LOL. The last change they did was about 8 days out.
> 
> DH had a JB trip to Tampa earlier this month and he was moved by 24 hours. He couldn't do that so had to cancel.
> 
> That being said JetBlue is AWESOME with their protocols and we had two excellent flights.


Thank you for your response!! Ugh, this is so stressful. So far our mid morning perfect direct flight out is still good but am bummed that we are going to loose out on our last day of vacation. I guess I am going to do nothing for a month and see what both airlines do with their schedules.


----------



## pooch

Pack the night before!!  Truly, I feel your pain.  BDL used to have an early morning - mid afternoon and an early evening each way every day!  I am so spoiled.  We had to add a day to the beginning of our trip because of the November changes.


----------



## Leigh L

Traveling on cc points said:


> Thank you for your response!! Ugh, this is so stressful. So far our mid morning perfect direct flight out is still good but am bummed that we are going to loose out on our last day of vacation. I guess I am going to do nothing for a month and see what both airlines do with their schedules.


It's so frustrating. I hope you find some good options and they don't make too many changes right before your trip. I think SW is being a tad more proactive with giving customers notice but JB isn't (my adult DD had a SW flight that canceled about 7 weeks out so it was nice to have some notice to rework things).

My United flights next week (and the following week) are both almost completely full (not sure how I feel about that but I digress!), but they did shift us around a bit too when they pared down their offerings in early Oct for the following month.  I'm now a 6 pm departure instead of a morning flight and a 2 p.m. return instead of a 7 pm. At least I know they won't get canceled since they've been predictable through Sept and Nov which ones they'll cancel. I rescheduled DH's Tampa trip for early December and picked the flights that look like they'll stick.

What I did was finagle adding two days to the trip since we lost some days too (but we were only a 5-day trip to begin with). DH isn't coming, but with his partial remote status he was able to be home to stay with DD13 so I was able to swing it.


----------



## jkelly86

Check your February and March reservations for flight and fare changes.  We saved a bunch of points and traded flights for some better times.  We also lost a non-stop flight, but that seems to be status quo these days.


----------



## shoreward

jkelly86 said:


> Check your February and March reservations for flight and fare changes.  We saved a bunch of points and traded flights for some better times.  We also lost a non-stop flight, but that seems to be status quo these days.


They also are making changes in April, which will allow modifications within the 30 day window, either way, at no additional fare.


----------



## Avery&Todd

I got my SW emails last night for our Feb 19-24th trip to Disney...I had a wonderful 5:30am direct flight from here to MCO and we arrived at 7:15am and they moved us to the only non-stop that day which arrives at 4pm - IN THE AFTERNOON!  Pass.....

and then our flights home they bumped us to a nonstop that is 2 hrs earlier in the morning....Pass...

So, I have to call today (since DH has companion pass) and I'm moving us to a 7:30am with a tiny layover and we'll arrive at 11:30am (the earliest arriving flight of the day) and then on departure day I'm bumping us to the 3:15pm flight with a tiny layover so we can spend that morning in MK!

They've already moved our December flights too....

I guess I should just be excited that we can still go - and I am - I just loved those flights!!


----------



## aokeefe

Got an email last night about our February flight- luckily the change benefits us but I noticed a flight eliminated and more significant changes on the other flights for that day (PVD-MCO for February vacation week. I anticipate many more changes before now and then so I'll be watching closely.


----------



## scrappinginontario

The name of the game is not to be married to flight times.  They're changing them so often it's hard to really make plans until a week or two before travel. Not ideal by any means but kinda reality.


----------



## pooch

You are absolutely right.


----------



## shoreward

November flights now have the "change" banner, as well.


----------



## pooch

Knock wood, cross my fingers, say a prayer - my already changed twice flights for 11/8 - 11/14 are holding steady on the non stops I managed to snag.  With 11 days to go, I am holding my breath.


----------



## jkelly86

Has anyone else had technical difficulties with the Southwest website and app this morning?
I have tried different browsers and eventually had to call to change our flights.


----------



## PCFriar80

jkelly86 said:


> Has anyone else had technical difficulties with the Southwest website and app this morning?
> I have tried different browsers and eventually had to call to change our flights.


Yes.  It won't let me log in [doesn't recognize my userid/[password].  Using Safari 13.1.2

ETA:  Message I'm getting


*ACCOUNT NUMBER OR USERNAME


PASSWORD


We are currently unable to complete your request. Please try again later.*


----------



## Ninjagrrl

jkelly86 said:


> Has anyone else had technical difficulties with the Southwest website and app this morning?
> I have tried different browsers and eventually had to call to change our flights.


Out of curiosity, I tried to pull up my reservation in the app and yes, there's an error message.
It's not uncommon.


----------



## shoreward

jkelly86 said:


> Has anyone else had technical difficulties with the Southwest website and app this morning?
> I have tried different browsers and eventually had to call to change our flights.


I found that by repeatedly refreshing, I finally was able to get into everything.


----------



## Erica Ladd

I was having the same difficulty with delta yesterday trying to change sears


----------



## nkereina

Just got back from our trip on Friday. We flew nonstop from Buffalo to MCO and back on Southwest. We flew out on Saturday 10/25 on the 9am flight, and landed about 20 minutes early at 11:20am. They didn't say how many were on our flight, but all middle seats and many seats in the back were empty. They served us water and graham crackers. On the way back, we flew home Friday on the 2pm flight and there were only 66 people out of 140 on our flight. They served us chex mix, brownie brittle, and water. Tons of empty seats. Everything on both flights seemed cleaned but we wiped down everything with our own wipes. Very quick and easy to get our luggage both ways. 

Boarding process was a breeze - groups of 10 board at a time. In Buffalo, we did line up in groups of 10, but in Orlando, they just called groups of 10 to board immediately so there was no lining up in numerical order. We had EBCI (it was purchased pre-Covid), but would not have needed it. We got A35 and 36 on the way down, and A27 and 28 on the way back. 

Overall, the entire process was smooth and efficient. If it weren't for NY's mandatory quarantine, we'd want to take advantage of this quiet flying time to travel more!


----------



## Disneytam

nkereina said:


> Just got back from our trip on Friday. We flew nonstop from Buffalo to MCO and back on Southwest. We flew out on Saturday 10/25 on the 9am flight, and landed about 20 minutes early at 11:20am. They didn't say how many were on our flight, but all middle seats and many seats in the back were empty. They served us water and graham crackers. On the way back, we flew home Friday on the 2pm flight and there were only 66 people out of 140 on our flight. They served us chex mix, brownie brittle, and water. Tons of empty seats. Everything on both flights seemed cleaned but we wiped down everything with our own wipes. Very quick and easy to get our luggage both ways.
> 
> Boarding process was a breeze - groups of 10 board at a time. In Buffalo, we did line up in groups of 10, but in Orlando, they just called groups of 10 to board immediately so there was no lining up in numerical order. We had EBCI (it was purchased pre-Covid), but would not have needed it. We got A35 and 36 on the way down, and A27 and 28 on the way back.
> 
> Overall, the entire process was smooth and efficient. If it weren't for NY's mandatory quarantine, we'd want to take advantage of this quiet flying time to travel more!


How did they handle the quarantine paper work at Buffalo? We are flying out of NY next week and are planning on getting tested but I'm curious how they are handling things.


----------



## nkereina

Disneytam said:


> How did they handle the quarantine paper work at Buffalo? We are flying out of NY next week and are planning on getting tested but I'm curious how they are handling things.


Things have changed now with Cuomo's new testing mandate, so I'm not sure how it will be different because we arrived when the 14 day quarantine requirement was still in effect. But in our experience, it was a joke. The National Guard was at the exit to the secured area handing out clipboards to everyone coming out. They told us one per family, and I stood there for a minute to review the questions (which were individual specific, so I wasn't even sure how to fill out one form for both DH and I). One of the National Guard men told me I just need to fill out my name, flight number, and phone number so that's what I did, and then I turned it in. No one checked for completeness or accuracy. I don't know whether they cross-reference the forms with arriving passenger manifests from that day, but if they are only relying on the forms, there's no way they have a good handle on who is required to be quarantining.


----------



## Crazyhorse

*Boarding process was a breeze - groups of 10 board at a time. In Buffalo, we did line up in groups of 10, but in Orlando, they just called groups of 10 to board immediately so there was no lining up in numerical order. We had EBCI (it was purchased pre-Covid), but would not have needed it. We got A35 and 36 on the way down, and A27 and 28 on the way back.*

So you paid for EBCI and they didn't use the EBCI boarding process?  They just let people board in groups of 10?  That doesn't seem fair....what am I missing?


----------



## easyas123

Crazyhorse said:


> So you paid for EBCI and they didn't use the EBCI boarding process? They just let people board in groups of 10? That doesn't seem fair....what am I missing?




I think - at least this was our experience - that they board in groups of ten in order. So, if you had EBCI (for any reason) you still had your spot in line so-to-speak.  They boarded A 1-10, then 11-20 and so on until they get to B boarding group, then C if needed.  Not just random groups of 10.


----------



## Ninjagrrl

easyas123 said:


> I think - at least this was our experience - that they board in groups of ten in order. So, if you had EBCI (for any reason) you still had your spot in line so-to-speak.  They boarded A 1-10, then 11-20 and so on until they get to B boarding group, then C if needed.  Not just random groups of 10.


Yes my understanding is that they still go in the order they usually do - Preboards, Group A, Family Boarding, and so on, they are just doing it in smaller groups for social distancing reasons. It seems to vary from airport to airport though. Some make you line up in distanced groups of 10, some just call them.


----------



## mickeynut1

Crazyhorse said:


> So you paid for EBCI and they didn't use the EBCI boarding process?  They just let people board in groups of 10?  *That doesn't seem fair*....what am I missing?



I agree!   



easyas123 said:


> I think - at least this was our experience - that they board in groups of ten in order. So, if you had EBCI (for any reason) you still had your spot in line so-to-speak.  They boarded A 1-10, then 11-20 and so on until they get to B boarding group, then C if needed.  Not just random groups of 10.





Ninjagrrl said:


> Yes my understanding is that they still go in the order they usually do - Preboards, Group A, Family Boarding, and so on, they are just doing it in smaller groups for social distancing reasons. It seems to vary from airport to airport though. Some make you line up in distanced groups of 10, some just call them.



DH & I went to Vegas in Sept and my cousin and I just got back from South Carolina and on both trips coming and going they just called each group of 10 (in order A1-10, 11-20, etc), but they didn't instruct people to line up in order.  Some people were looking for their boarding number to go stand in that spot, but most people just gathered up by the gate agent to board, not paying attention to line up according to their boarding position number.


----------



## Crazyhorse

easyas123 said:


> I think - at least this was our experience - that they board in groups of ten in order. So, if you had EBCI (for any reason) you still had your spot in line so-to-speak.  They boarded A 1-10, then 11-20 and so on until they get to B boarding group, then C if needed.  Not just random groups of 10.


Ok...Gotcha..that makes sense.  Thank you!


----------



## Erica Ladd

Not necessarily SW specific but more airlines in general...especially for those who fly more than me!

DH and I are thinking of shortening our trip by one night. Our flight home has been modified and I believe I can change it to the day prior for no fee or rate change (same flight just switching Friday night to Thursday night). When I look at the seat charts for both flights, Friday has a few booked but the Thursday flight seems to be wide open. Am I risking changing to a flight that is more likely to be canceled altogether??  We had flights canceled back in May (that trip wasn’t happening anyway) but are airlines still just straight up canceling flights?  Don’t want to be stranded or have to pay for a flight with prices only a few days out...


----------



## scrappinginontario

Erica Ladd said:


> Not necessarily SW specific but more airlines in general...especially for those who fly more than me!
> 
> DH and I are thinking of shortening our trip by one night. Our flight home has been modified and I believe I can change it to the day prior for no fee or rate change (same flight just switching Friday night to Thursday night). When I look at the seat charts for both flights, Friday has a few booked but the Thursday flight seems to be wide open. Am I risking changing to a flight that is more likely to be canceled altogether??  We had flights canceled back in May (that trip wasn’t happening anyway) but are airlines still just straight up canceling flights?  Don’t want to be stranded or have to pay for a flight with prices only a few days out...


Yes, airlines are continuing to adjust their schedules frequently and cancelling flights, even close to flight date, Is not unheard of.


----------



## Erica Ladd

scrappinginontario said:


> Yes, airlines are continuing to adjust their schedules frequently and cancelling flights, even close to flight date, Is not unheard of.



That's what I'm afraid of!  At least the flight we are on has other passengers so maybe we will just stick with the extra night...


----------



## pooch

Don’t think other passengers being on the flight makes a difference.  If the airline feels that flight won’t work, for whatever reason, they will move/cancel it.  Best advice is vigilance and flexibility.


----------



## ultimatefans

I have a companion pass, my husband is my designated companion.  If I book a ticket with points for myself I know that my taxes and fees are fully refundable.  When I add his companion ticket, I think his taxes and fees are non-refundable, meaning that if I cancel the flight he can only get travel funds but not a refund to the credit card.  Is that correct?  This is for an international ticket so the taxes and fees are much more than the typical $5.60 so I'm debating waiting to add him.


----------



## happ

ultimatefans said:


> I have a companion pass, my husband is my designated companion.  If I book a ticket with points for myself I know that my taxes and fees are fully refundable.  When I add his companion ticket, I think his taxes and fees are non-refundable, meaning that if I cancel the flight he can only get travel funds but not a refund to the credit card.  Is that correct?  This is for an international ticket so the taxes and fees are much more than the typical $5.60 so I'm debating waiting to add him.


I cancelled a companion ticket a few weeks ago and was able to select a refund for the taxes/fees. It was a domestic fare, so I don't know if anything changes for international.


----------



## ultimatefans

happ said:


> I cancelled a companion ticket a few weeks ago and was able to select a refund for the taxes/fees. It was a domestic fare, so I don't know if anything changes for international.


That's great!  Thank you!


----------



## MarBee

happ said:


> I cancelled a companion ticket a few weeks ago and was able to select a refund for the taxes/fees. It was a domestic fare, so I don't know if anything changes for international.


Same.  I have cancelled a ton of companion tickets (all domestic flights) and gotten taxes refunded each time no problem.


----------



## pmdeve

I have credit for a flight I cancelled in May. The web site says I can convert the credit to rapid rewards.  The wording is a bit confusing. Can I use the reward for gift cards and for a future trip?


----------



## Fangorn

pmdeve said:


> I have credit for a flight I cancelled in May. The web site says I can convert the credit to rapid rewards.  The wording is a bit confusing. Can I use the reward for gift cards and for a future trip?



Your Flight credit can be used for a future flight through 9/07/22. Flight must be completed by that date, and the credit can only be used to book a flight for the passenger to whom the credit was issued. You can't use the credit for someone else. 

Travel credits cannot be used to purchase gift cards.

SW is allowing customers who canceled flights prior to September, to convert the travel credit to Rapid Reward Points. This must be done by 12/15/20. Rapid Reward Points do not expire. They can be used, by you, to book a flight for anyone. This is a good deal for most people if they are somewhat frequent SW flyers. 

If you think you'll fly before the credit expires on 9/07/22, and you're not a regular SW customer, keeping the Travel Credit is probably the better move. Make sure you understand ALL the ramifications of RR Points before you convert. 

Steve


----------



## EACarlson

pmdeve said:


> I have credit for a flight I cancelled in May. The web site says I can convert the credit to rapid rewards.  The wording is a bit confusing. Can I use the reward for gift cards and for a future trip?


The only reason I can think of to not convert the Travel Fund to points is if you had an incredibly cheap flight, plan to fly SW one time only, sometime between now and 9/7/22.  In all other scenarios I would convert them.  You actually get a little bonus for converting, you can add other points to it to get to a flight and they never expire.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Never mind.


----------



## VandVsmama

It looks like Southwest Airlines is consolidating flight schedules again for our January trip!  We were originally going to be changing planes in Houston and now instead, we have a 45 minute connection at Chicago-Midway.  FUN!  Let's take bets on if that flight is delayed because of weather.


----------



## Lsdolphin

I’m wondering with increased COVID numbers SWA will reconsider n leave middle seats blocked beyond 11/30


----------



## shoreward

Lsdolphin said:


> I’m wondering with increased COVID numbers SWA will reconsider n leave middle seats blocked beyond 11/30


I would not count on it.  They would not even consider allowing customers to purchase an extra seat to guaranty an open seat next to the customer's seat. Southwest just keeps promoting all of the cleaning and air filtration/circulation procedures in place on their aircraft.


----------



## Lsdolphin

shoreward said:


> I would not count on it.  They would not even consider allowing customers to purchase an extra seat to guaranty an open seat next to the customer's seat. Southwest just keeps promoting all of the cleaning and air filtration/circulation procedures in place on their aircraft.



If we end up canceling our trip 12/2-12/9 this will be the reason why....


----------



## Crazyhorse

Lsdolphin said:


> If we end up canceling our trip 12/2-12/9 this will be the reason why....☹


We were scheduled for 12/2-12/9 also.  BWI Deluxe Club Level.  Hotel isn't open now and likely won't be in December; we just don't feel comfortable traveling right now so we cancelled hotel and air.  Frustrating because we had an amazing fare from Midway, literally round trip $120.00 each, including EBCI.  We cancelled a few weeks ago and are thrilled that we got our money back v.s. travel funds. Just gotta hope that 2021 is better.  I feel your pain.


----------



## shoreward

Southwest has announced they are adding Sarasota-Bradenton to their list of FL destinations.  Service will start during the first half of 2021.  More info to follow.


----------



## shoreward

Southwest system maintenance starting 11.13.2020:



> *System Maintenance Impacting Email Subscription Preferences and App Push Notifications*
> We're making a few scheduled updates to our email and push notification platform. As a result, our Opt-Out request forms will be temporarily down from Friday, November 13th at 8:00 PM CST, but will return approximately 8:00 PM CST on Saturday, November 14th. Push notifications related to check-in and boarding reminders will not go out until approximately Saturday, November 14th at 8:00 PM CST.


----------



## jkelly86

shoreward said:


> Southwest has announced they are adding Sarasota-Bradenton to their list of FL destinations.  Service will start during the first half of 2021.  More info to follow.


https://www.swamedia.com/releases/r...erve-sarasota-bradenton-international-airport


----------



## EACarlson

Today's stupid question:  This will be my first time taking my kids on SW.  When I go to check in, will I need to check each of them in separately?  Should I download the SW app on my older son's phone so I can check in that much faster?


----------



## easyas123

If you are on same reservation you can check in at same time-
Have a good trip!


----------



## MarBee

EACarlson said:


> Today's stupid question:  This will be my first time taking my kids on SW.  When I go to check in, will I need to check each of them in separately?  Should I download the SW app on my older son's phone so I can check in that much faster?


If you are all on one reservation, you can check everyone in at once.  But if you booked everyone on a separate reservation, you’ll have to do them individually. If you have a lot of separate reservations, having multiple devices could come in handy.


----------



## Disneytam

MarBee said:


> If you are all on one reservation, you can check everyone in at once.  But if you booked everyone on a separate reservation, you’ll have to do them individually. If you have a lot of separate reservations, having multiple devices could come in handy.


I had to check both my husband and I in last week as I used points from 2 different cards. I set up my desk top computer and my smart phone and thought I hit them both at the same time right at the 24 hour time. Somehow someone received the seat number between my husband and I. The plane went down to Florida with 24 people on it so it didn't really matter though.


----------



## npatellye

Disneytam said:


> I had to check both my husband and I in last week as I used points from 2 different cards. I set up my desk top computer and my smart phone and thought I hit them both at the same time right at the 24 hour time. Somehow someone received the seat number between my husband and I. The plane went down to Florida with 24 people on it so it didn't really matter though.


Has Southwest gone to assigned seating now instead of boarding groups? I also thought Southwest was leaving all middle seats open for the rest or November; or that no longer the case?


----------



## shoreward

npatellye said:


> Has Southwest gone to assigned seating now instead of boarding groups? I also thought Southwest was leaving all middle seats open for the rest or November; or that no longer the case?


No assigned seating on Southwest; you still board based on boarding groups, so either purchasing Early Bird Check-in or checking in online exactly at T-24 will give you the best boarding position, unless you have medical preboard.

The open middle seat policy ends after November 2020, at which time, all seats will be available for sale.


----------



## npatellye

shoreward said:


> No assigned seating on Southwest; you still board based on boarding groups, so either purchasing Early Bird Check-in or checking in online exactly at T-24 will give you the best boarding position, unless you have medical preboard.
> 
> The open middle seat policy ends after November 2020, at which time, all seats will be available for sale.


Thank you! We are booked to BWI for a trip with the kids so I wanted to make sure.


----------



## Avery&Todd

We flew SW in Oct for our trip to WDW and they did board per #s and we did have EB so that was helpful - got the exact seats we wanted!

Also at the time they had the middle seat open, but even if they hadnt had that restriction the flight was not full -and we had a quick layover and all 4 flight were the same capacity.

For our Dec trip we have direct flights so I'm hoping they're not full flights either since the middle seat open has been removed but there are 3 in our party so we'll have the row filled..


----------



## shoreward

npatellye said:


> Thank you! We are booked to BWI for a trip with the kids so I wanted to make sure.


If you have flown Southwest in the past, you are familiar with their Family Boarding policy.  For those not familiar with it:



> Two adults traveling with a child six years old or younger may board during *Family Boarding*, which occurs after the “A” group has boarded and before the “B” group begins *boarding*. If the child and the adult are both holding an “A” *boarding* pass, they should board in their assigned *boarding* position.



Of course, with the lighter loads, these days, there may not even be a "B" boarding group.


----------



## PCFriar80

Update from SWA and reintroducing the 737 MAX to their fleet. 

Learn more about the 737 MAX News and updates from Southwest


----------



## Disneytam

shoreward said:


> If you have flown Southwest in the past, you are familiar with their Family Boarding policy.  For those not familiar with it:
> 
> 
> 
> Of course, with the lighter loads, these days, there may not even be a "B" boarding group.


For our flights last week neither flight had a B boarding group. Our flight to Orlando had only 24 people on it and the return flight had less than 60.


----------



## Fangorn

I have a flight on 12/5 - PDX/MCO. There's a plane change in PHX. That leg (PHX/MCO) shows only 2 seats of any type available. I'm curious as to what that will actually look like. Will it truly be completely full, or are they artificially showing it as "full" in an attempt to move folks to one of 3-5 other flights that all get to MCO within a couple of hours of each other? I'll know in 2 weeks.

Steve


----------



## Lsdolphin

Does anyone know if it’s ok to pack an aerosol can of Lysol spray in checked luggage???


----------



## MarBee

Lsdolphin said:


> Does anyone know if it’s ok to pack an aerosol can of Lysol spray in checked luggage???


I do it every trip


----------



## Lsdolphin

MarBee said:


> I do it every trip




Hmmm, I googled and found that “disinfectant sprays in aerosol cans” are banned from flights...


----------



## PCFriar80

Lsdolphin said:


> Hmmm, I googled and found that “disinfectant sprays in aerosol cans” are banned from flights...


They are not banned from "checked luggage"  which is what the poster was asking.


----------



## MarBee

Lsdolphin said:


> Hmmm, I googled and found that “disinfectant sprays in aerosol cans” are banned from flights...





PCFriar80 said:


> They are not banned from "checked luggage"  which is what the poster was asking.


Like I said, I do it every single trip.  Well over 100 southwest flights alone. Never an issue.  I always put it in a ziploc bag though to avoid it leaking into the rest of the stuff in the bag.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Here's a benefits question - over the last 5-6 years I've earned Companion Pass so DH flies for free - now it appears I'm also only 500 pts away from earning A-List..

It says one of the benefits is "priority boarding" which states:  
*Priority boarding^*
You, and everyone on your reservation, get an earlier boarding position.

Does that mean I won't need to purchase Early Bird and we'll get to board before the EBs??  I already purchased EB for our Dec and Feb flights, so maybe I need to go a few more places next year?!!??

Anyone with A-List have it in conjunction with Companion Pass ?


----------



## Traveling on cc points

Avery&Todd said:


> Here's a benefits question - over the last 5-6 years I've earned Companion Pass so DH flies for free - now it appears I'm also only 500 pts away from earning A-List..
> 
> It says one of the benefits is "priority boarding" which states:
> *Priority boarding^*
> You, and everyone on your reservation, get an earlier boarding position.
> 
> Does that mean I won't need to purchase Early Bird and we'll get to board before the EBs??  I already purchased EB for our Dec and Feb flights, so maybe I need to go a few more places next year?!!??
> 
> Anyone with A-List have it in conjunction with Companion Pass ?


Yup. No need to buy early bird if you have a list. 
I was gifted A list through some sort of promotion. rumor around the churning boards is that people who signed up for the SW card during the CP promotion in 2019 got it. 
anyways. Our last couple of flights, both my BF and I have gotten very high A group. I have A list and he doesn’t.
I did check in at exactly 24 hours before the flight but it probably wasn’t necessary as the website says it checks you in at 36 hours just like EB


----------



## shoreward

Avery&Todd said:


> Here's a benefits question - over the last 5-6 years I've earned Companion Pass so DH flies for free - now it appears I'm also only 500 pts away from earning A-List..
> 
> It says one of the benefits is "priority boarding" which states:
> *Priority boarding^*
> You, and everyone on your reservation, get an earlier boarding position.
> 
> Does that mean I won't need to purchase Early Bird and we'll get to board before the EBs??  I already purchased EB for our Dec and Feb flights, so maybe I need to go a few more places next year?!!??
> 
> Anyone with A-List have it in conjunction with Companion Pass ?


A-List and A-List Preferred members are automatically checked in, before Early Bird bookings.  The lowest available boarding number assigned to elite customers is A16.  Your RR number must be attached to the reservation, to receive this perk.

Even with A-List status, there is no guarantee that your boarding number will be a low “A” number.  With A-List status, I once received A38, which was a much higher number, than usual, as the flight was heavily-booked with business travelers, who had status.

On leisure travel routes, such as to/from MCO, the boarding number should be very good.


----------



## DOrlo

I'm supposed to fly Dec 1st from Buffalo, NY.  Is it crazy to still think that they might cancel the flight due to anything other than mechanical problems?  I haven't booked my DVC room for that night yet because I'm still worried they'll cancel the flight we're on and I'll have to fly on the 2nd


----------



## LadybugsMum

For those flying in Jan: check the prices of your flights. I just saved $150 on our flights for early Jan.


----------



## scrappinginontario

DOrlo said:


> I'm supposed to fly Dec 1st from Buffalo, NY.  Is it crazy to still think that they might cancel the flight due to anything other than mechanical problems?  I haven't booked my DVC room for that night yet because I'm still worried they'll cancel the flight we're on and I'll have to fly on the 2nd


Until you are seated on your flight, anything can happen.  I would recommend watching flights each day for the next week to see if they appear to be making changes.  Airlines are frequently tweaking their schedules these days.


----------



## lcc2

MarBee said:


> Like I said, I do it every single trip.  Well over 100 southwest flights alone. Never an issue.  I always put it in a ziploc bag though to avoid it leaking into the rest of the stuff in the bag.


Agree. Just flew SW on Thu and brought a regular sized can (wrapped in bag) in checked baggage. No issues.


----------



## shoreward

LOL


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1333153032247390209


----------



## shoreward

Cyber Monday airfare sale - i.e MDW-MCO $45 each way on select dates/flights.

WANNA 2021 GETAWAY?
Our Cyber Monday Sale is on.
One-way as low as $39*

or
2,300
Rapid Rewards® points†
+ taxes and fees from $5.60 for one-way†.
Book now
*Restrictions, exclusions, and blackout dates apply. Seats and days limited. Select markets. Book 11/30-12/3.
†Points bookings do not include taxes, fees, and other governmental/airport charges of at least $5.60 per one-way flight.

T&C

Purchase from November 30 through December 3, 2020, 11:59 p.m. Central Time.
Continental U.S. travel valid January 5 through March 17, 2021. Travel Continental U.S. to/from Hawaii valid January 5 through April 8, 2021. Travel to/from San Juan, Puerto Rico valid January 11 through March 4, 2021. International travel valid January 11 through March 4, 2021.
Travel from continental U.S. to Hawaii blacked out February 11-14, March 19-20, March 26-28, and April 1-3, 2021. Travel to continental U.S. from Hawaii blacked out February 19-21, March 27-28, and April 2-5, 2021.
Except as otherwise specified, continental U.S. travel is not valid on Fridays and Sundays. Travel to Ft. Myers/Naples, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, West Palm Beach, Tampa, Orlando, Sarasota, Steamboat Springs/Hayden, CO, Montrose, CO, and Las Vegas and from Ft. Myers/Naples, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, West Palm Beach, Tampa, Orlando, Sarasota, Montrose, CO, and Steamboat Springs/Hayden, CO to Las Vegas is valid only on Sundays through Wednesdays. Travel from Ft. Myers/Naples, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, West Palm Beach, Tampa, Orlando, Sarasota, Steamboat Springs/Hayden, CO, and Montrose, CO, and Las Vegas and from Las Vegas to Ft. Myers/Naples, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, West Palm Beach, Tampa, Orlando, Sarasota, Montrose, CO, and Steamboat Springs/Hayden, CO is valid only on Tuesdays through Fridays. Travel continental U.S. to/from Hawaii is valid Monday - Thursday. Travel to/from San Juan, Puerto Rico is valid Monday - Thursday. International travel is valid Monday - Thursday. Travel to Mexico is valid only on Sundays through Wednesdays. Travel from Mexico is valid only on Tuesdays through Fridays.
Fares valid on nonstop service where indicated; if not indicated, fares are valid on single connecting service.
Displayed prices include all U.S. and international government taxes and fees.
Points bookings do not include taxes, fees, and other government/airport charges of at least $5.60 per one-way flight.
Seats and days are limited. Fares may vary by destination, flight, and day of week and won't be available on some flights that operate during very busy travel times and holiday periods.
Travel is available for one-way Wanna Get Away® fares.
Fares may be combined with other Southwest Airlines® combinable fares. If combining with other fares, the most restrictive fare's rules apply.
Sale fares may be available on other days of week, but that's not guaranteed.
Fares are nonrefundable but may be applied toward future travel on Southwest Airlines®, as long as reservations are canceled at least ten minutes prior to the scheduled departure. Failure to cancel prior to departure will result in forfeiture of remaining funds on the reservation.
Any change in itinerary may result in an increase in fare. Standby travel may require an upgrade to the Anytime fare depending on Rapid Rewards® tier status.
Fares are subject to change until ticketed.
Offer applies only to published, scheduled service.



https://www.southwest.com/air/low-f...kEwOZWGIzOSw80&clk=5371062&cbid=5371062#terms


----------



## Roocatty

shoreward said:


> Cyber Monday airfare sale - i.e MDW-MCO $45 each way on select dates/flights.
> 
> WANNA 2021 GETAWAY?
> Our Cyber Monday Sale is on.
> One-way as low as $39*
> 
> or
> 2,300
> Rapid Rewards® points†
> + taxes and fees from $5.60 for one-way†.
> Book now
> *Restrictions, exclusions, and blackout dates apply. Seats and days limited. Select markets. Book 11/30-12/3.
> †Points bookings do not include taxes, fees, and other governmental/airport charges of at least $5.60 per one-way flight.
> 
> T&C
> 
> Purchase from November 30 through December 3, 2020, 11:59 p.m. Central Time.
> Continental U.S. travel valid January 5 through March 17, 2021. Travel Continental U.S. to/from Hawaii valid January 5 through April 8, 2021. Travel to/from San Juan, Puerto Rico valid January 11 through March 4, 2021. International travel valid January 11 through March 4, 2021.
> Travel from continental U.S. to Hawaii blacked out February 11-14, March 19-20, March 26-28, and April 1-3, 2021. Travel to continental U.S. from Hawaii blacked out February 19-21, March 27-28, and April 2-5, 2021.
> Except as otherwise specified, continental U.S. travel is not valid on Fridays and Sundays. Travel to Ft. Myers/Naples, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, West Palm Beach, Tampa, Orlando, Sarasota, Steamboat Springs/Hayden, CO, Montrose, CO, and Las Vegas and from Ft. Myers/Naples, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, West Palm Beach, Tampa, Orlando, Sarasota, Montrose, CO, and Steamboat Springs/Hayden, CO to Las Vegas is valid only on Sundays through Wednesdays. Travel from Ft. Myers/Naples, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, West Palm Beach, Tampa, Orlando, Sarasota, Steamboat Springs/Hayden, CO, and Montrose, CO, and Las Vegas and from Las Vegas to Ft. Myers/Naples, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, West Palm Beach, Tampa, Orlando, Sarasota, Montrose, CO, and Steamboat Springs/Hayden, CO is valid only on Tuesdays through Fridays. Travel continental U.S. to/from Hawaii is valid Monday - Thursday. Travel to/from San Juan, Puerto Rico is valid Monday - Thursday. International travel is valid Monday - Thursday. Travel to Mexico is valid only on Sundays through Wednesdays. Travel from Mexico is valid only on Tuesdays through Fridays.
> Fares valid on nonstop service where indicated; if not indicated, fares are valid on single connecting service.
> Displayed prices include all U.S. and international government taxes and fees.
> Points bookings do not include taxes, fees, and other government/airport charges of at least $5.60 per one-way flight.
> Seats and days are limited. Fares may vary by destination, flight, and day of week and won't be available on some flights that operate during very busy travel times and holiday periods.
> Travel is available for one-way Wanna Get Away® fares.
> Fares may be combined with other Southwest Airlines® combinable fares. If combining with other fares, the most restrictive fare's rules apply.
> Sale fares may be available on other days of week, but that's not guaranteed.
> Fares are nonrefundable but may be applied toward future travel on Southwest Airlines®, as long as reservations are canceled at least ten minutes prior to the scheduled departure. Failure to cancel prior to departure will result in forfeiture of remaining funds on the reservation.
> Any change in itinerary may result in an increase in fare. Standby travel may require an upgrade to the Anytime fare depending on Rapid Rewards® tier status.
> Fares are subject to change until ticketed.
> Offer applies only to published, scheduled service.
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.southwest.com/air/low-f...kEwOZWGIzOSw80&clk=5371062&cbid=5371062#terms



I always get these emails for great sales.  We have never been able to go to mco from sdf for anything less than $100 each way even when we buy them at 7 am the day they release.  I checked all three months for this and the cheapest was 73.00 for the 2 stops on the way there. Is ours the only city that never has these good sales for flights to anywhere for 39 or 59 like the emails I get?


----------



## Traveling on cc points

Roocatty said:


> I always get these emails for great sales.  We have never been able to go to mco from sdf for anything less than $100 each way even when we buy them at 7 am the day they release.  I checked all three months for this and the cheapest was 73.00 for the 2 stops on the way there. Is ours the only city that never has these good sales for flights to anywhere for 39 or 59 like the emails I get?


Nope. I fly from BDL and we never qualify for any of the $59, $49, and now $39 flights.


----------



## MarBee

Roocatty said:


> I always get these emails for great sales.  We have never been able to go to mco from sdf for anything less than $100 each way even when we buy them at 7 am the day they release.  I checked all three months for this and the cheapest was 73.00 for the 2 stops on the way there. Is ours the only city that never has these good sales for flights to anywhere for 39 or 59 like the emails I get?





Traveling on cc points said:


> Nope. I fly from BDL and we never qualify for any of the $59, $49, and now $39 flights.


Same here from PHL.  Maybe there are times when it’s been cheap, but it’s never worked for us.


----------



## LadybugsMum

MarBee said:


> Same here from PHL.  Maybe there are times when it’s been cheap, but it’s never worked for us.


Same for RDU. I’ve gotten $69 but never lower.


----------



## pooh'smate

Roocatty said:


> I always get these emails for great sales.  We have never been able to go to mco from sdf for anything less than $100 each way even when we buy them at 7 am the day they release.  I checked all three months for this and the cheapest was 73.00 for the 2 stops on the way there. Is ours the only city that never has these good sales for flights to anywhere for 39 or 59 like the emails I get?




We never see those low fairs either flying from OMA


----------



## Leigh L

MarBee said:


> Same here from PHL.  Maybe there are times when it’s been cheap, but it’s never worked for us.


Ditto from DCA and IAD. Although, I've seen $49-79 in the past at DCA. I did see some $39 SW flights from BWI yesterday but not to MCO. I think on average, we've paid $84 - $100+ each way from DCA previously.

JetBlue has been offering cheap rates from DCA to MCO lately. I just booked $49 direct flights (each way) for myself and two DDs for January on impulse since airlines are flexible right now. DH got $37 the next day.


----------



## MarBee

Leigh L said:


> Ditto from DCA and IAD. Although, I've seen $49-79 in the past at DCA. I did see some $39 SW flights from BWI yesterday but not to MCO. I think on average, we've paid $84 - $100+ each way from DCA previously.
> 
> JetBlue has been offering cheap rates from DCA to MCO lately. I just booked $49 direct flights (each way) for myself and two DDs for January on impulse since airlines are flexible right now. DH got $37 the next day.


JetBlue actually just started PHL to MCO direct, so I will be checking them out in the future for sure!


----------



## PCFriar80

Flew down from PVD yesterday, day 2 of eliminating the “no middle seat“ occupancy and the flight was 80% full.  They announced that there 140 of 175 seats occupied.  We were on the 737-800 series.  Mask compliance was good and service was very good.  Just thought I would share our experience now that SWA is selling all seats.


----------



## LadybugsMum

PCFriar80 said:


> Flew down from PVD yesterday, day 2 of eliminating the “no middle seat“ occupancy and the flight was 80% full.  They announced that there 140 of 175 seats occupied.  We were on the 737-800 series.  Mask compliance was good and service was very good.  Just thought I would share our experience now that SWA is selling all seats.



Thanks for this report. I'm getting nervous about flying with the rising covid numbers. We can drive but it's 10+ hours with stops and flying would be so much easier.


----------



## Bruggok

Here's a reminder for those with Dec 2020 flights already booked, check SW every 1-2 days to see if price dropped. I have Dec 18-27 flights booked and today I caught a price drop. $90 saved for 2 people, albeit it came back as travel fund that expires 9/3/2021 *grr!*. I suspect some last minute cancellations are happening due to rising covid19 cases.


----------



## babydoll65

PCFriar80 said:


> Flew down from PVD yesterday, day 2 of eliminating the “no middle seat“ occupancy and the flight was 80% full.  They announced that there 140 of 175 seats occupied.  We were on the 737-800 series.  Mask compliance was good and service was very good.  Just thought I would share our experience now that SWA is selling all seats.


I'm flying out of PVD in February. So far, only one time change but waiting on more lol. Would prefer the 11 a.m. flight but their track record show they cancel that flight alot. I'm on the 7 a.m. flight for now


----------



## aokeefe

babydoll65 said:


> I'm flying out of PVD in February. So far, only one time change but waiting on more lol. Would prefer the 11 a.m. flight but their track record show they cancel that flight alot. I'm on the 7 a.m. flight for now
> [/QUOTE
> Same here! (PVD 7 am flight)


----------



## Music City Mama

I've been keeping my eye on the SW website to make sure they don't change the 12/10 date for the next round of flight releases. I know I looked as recently as just a few days ago and it still said that the next round on 12/10 will be through 6/5/21, but I just looked today and it now says through 8/16/21!


----------



## G719

Music City Mama said:


> I've been keeping my eye on the SW website to make sure they don't change the 12/10 date for the next round of flight releases. I know I looked as recently as just a few days ago and it still said that the next round on 12/10 will be through 6/5/21, but I just looked today and it now says through 8/16/21!


Thanks for the heads up! Our trip is May 30- June 8. I was only planning to be able to book the one way next week.


----------



## Music City Mama

Me too! Our trip is 5/29 - 6/8 and I hated that I wasn't going to be able to book both legs -- especially because one leg will be on points and the other on travel funds and I wanted to be able to compare to know which leg to use for which, so I'm thrilled!


----------



## Sandiz08

We are going to the PNW in August , pleasant surprise to see they extended the flight schedule release.


----------



## piglet1979

Roocatty said:


> I always get these emails for great sales.  We have never been able to go to mco from sdf for anything less than $100 each way even when we buy them at 7 am the day they release.  I checked all three months for this and the cheapest was 73.00 for the 2 stops on the way there. Is ours the only city that never has these good sales for flights to anywhere for 39 or 59 like the emails I get?



CLE rarely has flights to MCO under about $130.  I can get the $39 flights to less frequented areas.


----------



## katallo

Music City Mama said:


> I've been keeping my eye on the SW website to make sure they don't change the 12/10 date for the next round of flight releases. I know I looked as recently as just a few days ago and it still said that the next round on 12/10 will be through 6/5/21, but I just looked today and it now says through 8/16/21!


  Thanks for the update.  This makes sense since I think many will be much more open to flying in summer vs spring.


----------



## G719

Reminder that tomorrow is the day that summer flights are out.
https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/


----------



## mickey916

Posted this in another group, but thought it was appropriate here as well:
WARNING: I just got off the phone with Southwest. We have a credit from our canceled flight from last May. That credit was extended to Sept. 2022. HOWEVER, the person I spoke with says if I book a flight with those credits (which I was planning on doing tomorrow) the expiration date reverts to their usual policy so those credits will now expire one year from date of booking (or Dec. 2021 if I book a flight tomorrow with those credits). Since we're not 100% sure we're going this May, I guess I'll take my chances and book a flight closer to when we know we are definitely going...Just thought this might be useful info...


----------



## focusondisney

mickey916 said:


> Posted this in another group, but thought it was appropriate here as well:
> WARNING: I just got off the phone with Southwest. We have a credit from our canceled flight from last May. That credit was extended to Sept. 2022. HOWEVER, the person I spoke with says if I book a flight with those credits (which I was planning on doing tomorrow) the expiration date reverts to their usual policy so those credits will now expire one year from date of booking (or Dec. 2021 if I book a flight tomorrow with those credits). Since we're not 100% sure we're going this May, I guess I'll take my chances and book a flight closer to when we know we are definitely going...Just thought this might be useful info...



Yes, that has been their policy since they issued the extended credits.  It was talked about here quite a bit a few months ago, but this is a good reminder for everyone. This is also a reason we took the offer to convert our credits to points.


----------



## Bruggok

mickey916 said:


> Posted this in another group, but thought it was appropriate here as well:
> WARNING: I just got off the phone with Southwest. We have a credit from our canceled flight from last May. That credit was extended to Sept. 2022. HOWEVER, the person I spoke with says if I book a flight with those credits (which I was planning on doing tomorrow) the expiration date reverts to their usual policy so those credits will now expire one year from date of booking (or Dec. 2021 if I book a flight tomorrow with those credits). Since we're not 100% sure we're going this May, I guess I'll take my chances and book a flight closer to when we know we are definitely going...Just thought this might be useful info...


So we should convert to points then book with points, as to be fully refundable (and reprice-able if fare drops)? What do you all think? It would be ok for solo travelers but a hassle for families.


----------



## Sandiz08

Bruggok said:


> So we should convert to points then book with points, as to be fully refundable (and reprice-able if fare drops)? What do you all think? It would be ok for solo travelers but a hassle for families.


Yep that’s the idea, we converted our credits to points, but left our DD as a credit because we wouldn’t be using the small amount of points attached to her name. She also does not travel often and without us.


----------



## G719

Bruggok said:


> So we should convert to points then book with points, as to be fully refundable (and reprice-able if fare drops)? What do you all think? It would be ok for solo travelers but a hassle for families.


Yes it is going to be a bit of a pain to use the points attached to the kids' accounts. I'm not going to need to do it this time because my account has enough points to cover 4 tickets. The children are teenagers so they could help with the process when I do plan to use those points.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Bruggok said:


> It would be ok for solo travelers but a hassle for families.



Yes, it is. I wish I had not converted my kids' travel funds to points.


----------



## aokeefe

We converted my kids (2) credits to points. For us- I liked the flexibility of getting points refunded if the price goes down or if we need to change/cancel. (All has happened!) What I did was book 1 way for me and son and 1 way for dh and daughter and return flights same way, (4 separate transactions) using up the kids credits first. I know it won't come out even in the end but it worked best for our family.


----------



## G719

aokeefe said:


> We converted my kids (2) credits to points. For us- I liked the flexibility of getting points refunded if the price goes down or if we need to change/cancel. (All has happened!) What I did was book 1 way for me and son and 1 way for dh and daughter and return flights same way, (4 separate transactions) using up the kids credits first. I know it won't come out even in the end but it worked best for our family.


That's a good idea. It would make it easier to check in if you don't do early bird.


----------



## MinnieMSue

FYI our late March flight down changed from a nonstop to 2 stops with no plane changes adding a few hours to our flight. We got a free change (red banner) snd got a $70 credit to rebook a nonstop at an earlier time. I checked our return flight and while they haven’t changed it yet I noticed it no longer exists so I did a free change and got a $60 credit. It is leaving MCO later than our original.


----------



## focusondisney

Sandiz08 said:


> Yep that’s the idea, we converted our credits to points, but left our DD as a credit because we wouldn’t be using the small amount of points attached to her name. She also does not travel often and without us.



The nice thing about points is they can be used by anyone. She is the only one who can use the travel credits before they expire, but you could use her points yourself if you wanted with no expiration.


----------



## KayW

What time do the flights usually open?  I am trying to figure out my computer situation as I am also remote teaching!


----------



## LadybugsMum

KayW said:


> What time do the flights usually open?  I am trying to figure out my computer situation as I am also remote teaching!



Anywhere from 8:30a to 11:00a eastern time


----------



## shoreward

KayW said:


> What time do the flights usually open?  I am trying to figure out my computer situation as I am also remote teaching!


Now!


----------



## nkereina

We have flights booked for January. In early November, we received notice that our flight times had changed. This gave us the leeway to change our flights without paying any fare difference. I'm now interested in changing my January flights to March or April, but I'm finding that nearly all flights say "unavailable" and won't allow me to change it. I presume this is because the fares are Spring Break rates and they only want me adjusting my flights to something comparable.

My question is if I just cancel my flight and take the travel funds, I assume I can just use those funds towards the purchase of new flights in March or April? I know I would lose what I paid for EBCI, but are there any other issues with doing that that I may not be considering?


----------



## crazywig

nkereina said:


> We have flights booked for January. In early November, we received notice that our flight times had changed. This gave us the leeway to change our flights without paying any fare difference. I'm now interested in changing my January flights to March or April, but I'm finding that nearly all flights say "unavailable" and won't allow me to change it. I presume this is because the fares are Spring Break rates and they only want me adjusting my flights to something comparable.
> 
> My question is if I just cancel my flight and take the travel funds, I assume I can just use those funds towards the purchase of new flights in March or April? I know I would lose what I paid for EBCI, but are there any other issues with doing that that I may not be considering?



Are you using the link in the email to try and change it? If so don't do that, try and change via the normal way.

I got an email yesterday about a flight I have in April, also allowing a change but ONLY two weeks either way of my dates which I think it a big change I think it used to be 30 days either way.


----------



## nkereina

crazywig said:


> Are you using the link in the email to try and change it? If so don't do that, try and change via the normal way.
> 
> I got an email yesterday about a flight I have in April, also allowing a change but ONLY two weeks either way of my dates which I think it a big change I think it used to be 30 days either way.


I'm not, I was trying to do it while logged in on the Southwest web site. But I wasn't aware there was a time limitation on the change, so perhaps that's the problem. I wonder if there's a way I can decline the offer of a "free" change with no fare difference so that I can just change my flight and pay the difference (like normal) rather than have to cancel and re-book. Anyone know if this can be done by calling? I'd much rather keep my EBCI.


----------



## LadybugsMum

LadybugsMum said:


> Anywhere from 8:30a to 11:00a eastern time



Actually, it's already showing that you can book up to Aug 16


----------



## shoreward

crazywig said:


> Are you using the link in the email to try and change it? If so don't do that, try and change via the normal way.
> 
> I got an email yesterday about a flight I have in April, also allowing a change but ONLY two weeks either way of my dates which I think it a big change I think it used to be 30 days either way.


It actually is still 30 days; that 14 day notice has been incorrect for awhile.


----------



## crazywig

Open. Flights high for late June out of PVD.


----------



## KayW

shoreward said:


> Now!


Thanks!  Right after I posted I refreshed the SW site and got in.  Flights all booked using my credit from April 2020.  Fingers crossed this trip will happen


----------



## shoreward

nkereina said:


> I'm not, I was trying to do it while logged in on the Southwest web site. But I wasn't aware there was a time limitation on the change, so perhaps that's the problem. I wonder if there's a way I can decline the offer of a "free" change with no fare difference so that I can just change my flight and pay the difference (like normal) rather than have to cancel and re-book. Anyone know if this can be done by calling? I'd much rather keep my EBCI.


Yes, just _change _and pay additional fare to keep EBCI.


----------



## focusondisney

Booked for April. Fares are a little high, 10450 points or $134 each way from Buffalo. There was no variation in rates.... pretty much the same every one of the new dates.  I will keep my eye out for drops.   But DH is free on my companion pass so I didn’t mind booking now.  Nonstops are down to 2 a day each way... 1 early morning & 1 late night.  My DH will be retired by then so I was able to adjust our dates & fly Thursday to Thursday. That leaves me plenty of time when we get home before I have to go back to work.  Just in case there are still testing or quarantine requirements.

  Hoping this one sticks!!


----------



## nkereina

shoreward said:


> Yes, just _change _and pay additional fare to keep EBCI.


My post above explains that is not an option for me currently. That is what I was attempting to do, but I believe because I am eligible for a "free" change due to my flight times changing, its showing all the flights I want to book as "unavailable". It is not just showing me the fare and allowing me to change, like it would in normal circumstances if my original flight times hadn't changed. I do know that the flights I want are available and with WGA fares, so its not that the flights are full.


----------



## shoreward

nkereina said:


> My post above explains that is not an option for me currently. That is what I was attempting to do, but I believe because I am eligible for a "free" change due to my flight times changing, its showing all the flights I want to book as "unavailable". It is not just showing me the fare and allowing me to change, like it would in normal circumstances if my original flight times hadn't changed. I do know that the flights I want are available and with WGA fares, so its not that the flights are full.


I was just able to change beyond the "no charge" change window, so it should work.  Maybe try logging out, then back in, again.  I made my change on the website, not the app.  When I selected a date past the window for no change in fare, it just showed the additional applicable cost, and I made the change, which was confirmed.

You can try calling or using Twitter to DM Southwest for help, if you continue to have issues.


----------



## LadybugsMum

I bought the first half of our spring break tickets on Monday and they're already changing the schedule. I like the change since it moved from 5:15 to 6:15am, but they're already consolidating the early April schedule from 3 direct flights to 2 direct flights from RDU to MCO.


----------



## jcarwash

This was noted above, but for future reference, today's (December 10) calendar extension through August 16, 2021 was available at 7:15 AM ET.

Southwest Travel Tools page updated with: "We are currently accepting air reservations through August 16, 2021. At this time, we do not have a date for our next schedule extension therefore please check back frequently."


----------



## crazywig

nkereina said:


> My post above explains that is not an option for me currently. That is what I was attempting to do, but I believe because I am eligible for a "free" change due to my flight times changing, its showing all the flights I want to book as "unavailable". It is not just showing me the fare and allowing me to change, like it would in normal circumstances if my original flight times hadn't changed. I do know that the flights I want are available and with WGA fares, so its not that the flights are full.



Ok this is happening to me too. Our original flight was on points I wonder if that makes a difference. I'm going to just move it to a dummy date then try to move it again.

eta: Moved to dummy dates, now won't let me move again, it errors out. Weird.

edited again: I just cancelled the flight and started over. I lost the ebci but I was booking under dh's account and knew he wouldn't be able to call and try to move it that way plus I'd have to explain what I did ha ha ha.

Prices high but they are right after school ends and comparable to last year's prices:

PVD-MCO June 26 - July 2
$174 down (12,783 pts)
$182 back (13,407 pts)

I paid in points not cash but list the cash for info purposes. There are only 2 direct return flights so we wanted to lock that in.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Here's my usual Southwest Release comment - for simplicity, just going to quote embed my reddit post:


----------



## Lsdolphin

So they opened schedule through mid August but prices are quite high for BWI-MCO I’m not paying these prices....going to just wait and see what happens.


----------



## Sandiz08

Recheck your flights from this morning. Several flights  I was looking at have already disappeared/changed . I hope it’s just a glitch, but you know 2020....


----------



## shoreward

Sandiz08 said:


> Recheck your flights from this morning. Several flights  I was looking at have already disappeared/changed . I hope it’s just a glitch, but you know 2020....


Scheduled flights thru April 2021 were modified to some extent, as of yesterday.  For those previously booked, check your confirmations, to see if any of your flights are affected and qualify for no charge flight changes.

Due to continued/anticipated decline in demand, flights are being consolidated.


----------



## Music City Mama

Bruggok said:


> So we should convert to points then book with points, as to be fully refundable (and reprice-able if fare drops)? What do you all think? It would be ok for solo travelers but a hassle for families.



I didn't wind up converting my travel funds with points since I'm the only one with a RR account and I didn't want to deal with the hassle of setting up my husband and kids with their own RR accounts. I knew we'd travel before the expiration date of the funds, so it wasn't worth it for me. 

With that said, I booked this morning. The flight coming home worked out well -- used my travel funds and just had to pay a little bit extra. Going down there, though, was another story. The flight was A LOT of points -- I had enough but pretty much depleted my account with the 4 tickets. I could have saved myself some points, but it would be arriving later than I'd like and I just decided to use the points and hope that they go down at some point.


----------



## Leigh L

Lsdolphin said:


> So they opened schedule through mid August but prices are quite high for BWI-MCO I’m not paying these prices....going to just wait and see what happens.


Thanks, I had it on my 'to do' list to check BWI today, DCA wasn't terrific either from the sporadic dates I checked.


----------



## Music City Mama

Music City Mama said:


> I could have saved myself some points, but it would be arriving later than I'd like and I just decided to use the points and hope that they go down at some point.



Quoting myself, but I just looked up the same flight I booked this morning and at this moment it's even more points than I booked it for -- it was already a lot!


----------



## Gary2T

Lsdolphin said:


> So they opened schedule through mid August but prices are quite high for BWI-MCO I’m not paying these prices....going to just wait and see what happens.



BWI did seem high for my July dates (7/13, 7/23 or 24).  I ended up booking PHL instead.  6,543 to MCO on a Tuesday and 4,983 back to PHL on a Saturday.  Of course, they are both super early flights (6:35am, 6:40am), but they're the only times I had enough points to cover 4 round trip tickets via either BWI or PHL.  I would have had to pay cash for 2 one-way tickets back to BWI on a Friday.  Instead I'll take that cash, get a room at the Hyattt Friday night and come home early Saturday.  Extra park day for us!

I'll still be stalking BWI and PHL points cost twice daily for the next 7 months.  Either to claw some back or change to BWI.  I really don't like PHL despite it being about 25 minutes closer to home.


----------



## katallo

Flights from BWI were really expensive.  We didn't book.  Luckily we can drive if needed and right about now I would probably feel safer in my car.  Hopefully things will improve!


----------



## PCFriar80

Flights for my May trip were up as well from both BDL and PVD.  Pricing was pretty standard across most months in the $134 - $142 range [one way].  I decided to cancel the trip and will bank my DVC points for something else down the road.


----------



## buzzrelly

Does anyone think they’ll be adding more non-stop flights to BDL? We are going in April and I need to book our flights home. Currently there is one non-stop flight/day and it’s in the morning. I’m almost considering staying an extra night and flying out the next morning but booking a cheaper place to stay that night. I don’t want to give up a whole Disney day and leave at 9:55 am (6:55 am for the DME). I miss pre-pandemic late afternoon flights. Anyone think they’ll add any?


----------



## PCFriar80

buzzrelly said:


> Does anyone think they’ll be adding more non-stop flights to BDL? We are going in April and I need to book our flights home. Currently there is one non-stop flight/day and it’s in the morning. I’m almost considering staying an extra night and flying out the next morning but booking a cheaper place to stay that night. I don’t want to give up a whole Disney day and leave at 9:55 am (6:55 am for the DME). I miss pre-pandemic late afternoon flights. Anyone think they’ll add any?


No.  In the many years for me flying SWA out of BDL I have never seen them add flights to their schedule after a release.  I also think the demand for air travel is going to be a slow recovery throughout 2021 so nonstop options will not be the same that we're used to.  Not to mention that SWA is expanding to new markets so a shift in planes/operations will occur.


----------



## npatellye

buzzrelly said:


> Does anyone think they’ll be adding more non-stop flights to BDL? We are going in April and I need to book our flights home. Currently there is one non-stop flight/day and it’s in the morning. I’m almost considering staying an extra night and flying out the next morning but booking a cheaper place to stay that night. I don’t want to give up a whole Disney day and leave at 9:55 am (6:55 am for the DME). I miss pre-pandemic late afternoon flights. Anyone think they’ll add any?


Unlikely. I was just checking this morning and was sad to see only one direct flight out of BDL on our mid-May dates. I guess I’ll have to fly SW down but someone else back up.


----------



## buzzrelly

npatellye said:


> Unlikely. I was just checking this morning and was sad to see only one direct flight out of BDL on our mid-May dates. I guess I’ll have to fly SW down but someone else back up.



I was thinking we may have to fly Jet Blue back, but then we'll have to be more careful with our luggage since we tend to overpack when flying SW


----------



## kda

buzzrelly said:


> Does anyone think they’ll be adding more non-stop flights to BDL?


They actually just cut direct flights.  We were booked on the Noon direct flight BDL to MCO on 4/11 and waiting to book flights back.   Our flight was just cancelled.   We were anticipating a choice of late evening return flights on Friday and Saturday (since they were available for 4/9 and 4/10) but no dice.   Very disappointing, but I understand the airlines are in serious trouble.   And ........ the prices are MUCH higher.


----------



## buzzrelly

kda said:


> They actually just cut direct flights.  We were booked on the Noon direct flight BDL to MCO on 4/11 and waiting to book flights back.   Our flight was just cancelled.   We were anticipating a choice of late evening return flights on Friday and Saturday (since they were available for 4/9 and 4/10) but no dice.   Very disappointing, but I understand the airlines are in serious trouble.   And ........ the prices are MUCH higher.



We are going down 4/11 as well…CT Spring Break! Our 6:10 am flight was just moved to 5:30 am…a little early but I'd always rather be earlier than later. We bought the tickets back in August for $141, which is a decent price for April.

I haven't decided what to do yet about coming home. We may even sneak in a couple extra days for my DD to do some college tours that she never got to do this fall. I'll hold off on booking our return flight for now. Good luck


----------



## npatellye

buzzrelly said:


> I was thinking we may have to fly Jet Blue back, but then we'll have to be more careful with our luggage since we tend to overpack when flying SW


Same! We even let the kids bring their own smaller suitcases when we fly Southwest.


----------



## disneyjr77

DD's bestie is probably coming with us in August (depending on grades and all that fun stuff).  We are going to use cash and points to pay for our flights.  Currently, only our arrival day is available for booking and i don't know when our departure day will open, aug 20.  What is the best way to book the flights?  I'm 99.9% sure her friend will be able to go but just in case she can't, will we be able to cancel?  I want to book them all at the same time because we get early bird. Thanks!


----------



## shoreward

disneyjr77 said:


> DD's bestie is probably coming with us in August (depending on grades and all that fun stuff).  We are going to use cash and points to pay for our flights.  Currently, only our arrival day is available for booking and i don't know when our departure day will open, aug 20.  What is the best way to book the flights?  I'm 99.9% sure her friend will be able to go but just in case she can't, will we be able to cancel?  I want to book them all at the same time because we get early bird. Thanks!


You can book outbound flight separately from return. I would watch for fare reductions.  Southwest usually announces fare sales on Tuesdays, so look for sales.  If you have enough points to book your daughter’s friend’s flights, I would book with points.  That will guarantee that there will be no loss, if the friend does not make the trip, with the points being returned to their account and taxes being refunded to original form of payment.  If everyone in your traveling party will have EBCI and the flights are booked separately (as you need to book paid flights separately from points bookings), but you book the paid flights immediately after/before the points bookings, your boarding numbers should be consecutive or very close to each other.


----------



## aokeefe

Question- we usually fly direct but our flight in April we have a non-direct flight (will need to change planes). Do I have to do the 24 hour check in twice or doing it for the first leg, automatically check me in?


----------



## LadybugsMum

aokeefe said:


> Question- we usually fly direct but our flight in April we have a non-direct flight (will need to change planes). Do I have to do the 24 hour check in twice or doing it for the first leg, automatically check me in?



You only need to check in for the first flight. It's all booked together so once you check in for the first one, you're done.


----------



## aokeefe

Just a reminder to check your upcoming flights for any changes. I check several times a day (hoping for fare decreases) and noticed they moved my PVD-MCO and cancelled the 2 other PVD-MCO flights for the day; I didn't receive any notice. I'm weary of being the only flight of the day so was able to move it up a day (Saturday still has 3 flights) at no cost. Extra day at WDW! Just pray for no snow!


----------



## BillFromCT

aokeefe said:


> Just a reminder to check your upcoming flights for any changes. I check several times a day (hoping for fare decreases) and noticed they moved my PVD-MCO and cancelled the 2 other PVD-MCO flights for the day; I didn't receive any notice. I'm weary of being the only flight of the day so was able to move it up a day (Saturday still has 3 flights) at no cost. Extra day at WDW! Just pray for no snow!


Same with both my PVD/MCO flights for March.  I got an email this morning about the change for MCO-PVD, but not the PVD-MCO leg.  I'm thinking about moving us up from Sunday to Saturday as well to have more flight availability cushion.


----------



## Avery&Todd

I received the dreaded email....we've made changes to your flights..for our Feb. 19-24 dates.

They put us on flights that don't exist.....    

I messaged SW through FB (they are super fast responsive) and the agent couldn't find the flights either   - so she moved me to flights that were showing - I got a direct flight departing, but we may now leave a day earlier since it's a later flight than I wanted) and our return flights were still showing available so we kept those.... 

We flew with SW last week - Dec. 9-15 and the flights were GREAT!!  Both were direct, and on the outbound flight, captain said that we had only 70 folks on board and the plane held 175, so we spread out and return flight was about 1/2 full...

super easy!!


----------



## npatellye

BillFromCT said:


> Same with both my PVD/MCO flights for March.  I got an email this morning about the change for MCO-PVD, but not the PVD-MCO leg.  I'm thinking about moving us up from Sunday to Saturday as well to have more flight availability cushion.


Ugh...I was just about to book PVD for our May flights instead of BDL but now I’m thinking we may as well just drive to LGA or EWR since it’s half the cost and I hope those flights will be less likely to be changed.


----------



## aokeefe

Avery&Todd said:


> I received the dreaded email....we've made changes to your flights..for our Feb. 19-24 dates.
> 
> They put us on flights that don't exist.....
> 
> I messaged SW through FB (they are super fast responsive) and the agent couldn't find the flights either   - so she moved me to flights that were showing - I got a direct flight departing, but we may now leave a day earlier since it's a later flight than I wanted) and our return flights were still showing available so we kept those....
> 
> We flew with SW last week - Dec. 9-15 and the flights were GREAT!!  Both were direct, and on the outbound flight, captain said that we had only 70 folks on board and the plane held 175, so we spread out and return flight was about 1/2 full...
> 
> super easy!!


I agree- we flew over Thanksgiving week- flights were clean (we even had a relatively new plane... the flight attendant said it was the lambourgini of Southwest flights (probably wouldn't go that far but it was very clean and new looking!) We also were able to spread out (another reason I prefer to not be on the only flight of the day- afraid it would be more crowded). I think our flight home had 20 people on it.


----------



## Avery&Todd

aokeefe said:


> I agree- we flew over Thanksgiving week- flights were clean (we even had a relatively new plane... the flight attendant said it was the lambourgini of Southwest flights (probably wouldn't go that far but it was very clean and new looking!) We also were able to spread out (another reason I prefer to not be on the only flight of the day- afraid it would be more crowded). I think our flight home had 20 people on it.



YES!!  Our return plane was also new!!  I commented to my husband that it looked brand new!!  It was nice and a little more cushion on the seats!


----------



## focusondisney

Our March & April flights from Buffalo went down today... saved over 6100 points on the March trip & 2000 in April. I have my DH flying on my companion pass & we have EBCI. I couldn’t change it myself without cancelling & losing the EBCI.  So I called & the agent was able to rebook without us losing it or needing  to repay.  Saved enough to almost pay for one way in September.


----------



## LadybugsMum

I just rebooked our flight from RDU since it dropped in price. I’ve found it easier to book the to and return flights separately. I’ve had one direction price go down while the other goes up.


----------



## LadybugsMum

If I have a ticket for September 1 that was bought with funds that expire in Aug 1 and I cancel my ticket after Aug 2, do I lose those funds or do the funds have a new expiration date?


----------



## chrispgross

aokeefe said:


> Question- we usually fly direct but our flight in April we have a non-direct flight (will need to change planes). Do I have to do the 24 hour check in twice or doing it for the first leg, automatically check me in?


You will check in 24 hours prior to the first leg. The system will check you through all the way to your final destination.


----------



## happ

LadybugsMum said:


> If I have a ticket for September 1 that was bought with funds that expire in Aug 1 and I cancel my ticket after Aug 2, do I lose those funds or do the funds have a new expiration date?


I didn't realize you could even book a ticket with travel funds for a flight that takes place after your funds' expiration date. Did you modify your flight date to make it work or does it always work that way? I thought the expiration dates meant you had to fly by that date.


----------



## scrappinginontario

happ said:


> I didn't realize you could even book a ticket with travel funds for a flight that takes place after your funds' expiration date. Did you modify your flight date to make it work or does it always work that way? I thought the expiration dates meant you had to fly by that date.


This is correct.  The system will not allow the purchase of a ticket if the funds will expire prior to flight date.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Ok, I had not tried to get the ticket yet. I have some funds that expire Aug 13 and was hoping to get around the expiration date. Those funds weren’t eligible to convert to miles.


----------



## TNKim

It’s been over a year since I’ve flown and my brain certainly isn’t what it used to be. If I book flights for myself & 3 cousins, can I use my accumulated SW points to pay for their  flights, too, if we are all on the same reservation?  That way if we have to cancel last minute due to corona, points would be refunded & we wouldn’t have to deal with refunded travel funds that have to be used by a certain date?  I usually book all separately, but hoping to make it easier to refund if we must cancel.


----------



## Mome Rath

TNKim said:


> It’s been over a year since I’ve flown and my brain certainly isn’t what it used to be. If I book flights for myself & 3 cousins, can I use my accumulated SW points to pay for their  flights, too, if we are all on the same reservation?  That way if we have to cancel last minute due to corona, points would be refunded & we wouldn’t have to deal with refunded travel funds that have to be used by a certain date?  I usually book all separately, but hoping to make it easier to refund if we must cancel.



Yes, if you use points, you can buy for others.  If you get a price change, or have to cancel, all the points go back to your account.


----------



## AngieInOH

How are you all feeling about the safety of flying, ie Covid concerns?  Hubby wants to take a trip to Disney in a few weeks.  My only reservation is flying, in a confined space, with others.


----------



## scrappinginontario

AngieInOH said:


> How are you all feeling about the safety of flying, ie Covid concerns?  Hubby wants to take a trip to Disney in a few weeks.  My only reservation is flying, in a confined space, with others.


It really is a personal decision.  I would not be comfortable flying right now (especially now that SW is filling all seats if the demand is there) but many here have had good experiences.  I think this is only a question you can really answer for your own family.


----------



## disneyjr77

shoreward said:


> You can book outbound flight separately from return. I would watch for fare reductions.  Southwest usually announces fare sales on Tuesdays, so look for sales.  If you have enough points to book your daughter’s friend’s flights, I would book with points.  That will guarantee that there will be no loss, if the friend does not make the trip, with the points being returned to their account and taxes being refunded to original form of payment.  If everyone in your traveling party will have EBCI and the flights are booked separately (as you need to book paid flights separately from points bookings), but you book the paid flights immediately after/before the points bookings, your boarding numbers should be consecutive or very close to each other.



Thank you!  I was hoping this would be the case


----------



## mickeynut1

AngieInOH said:


> How are you all feeling about the safety of flying, ie Covid concerns?  Hubby wants to take a trip to Disney in a few weeks.  My only reservation is flying, in a confined space, with others.



I have no reservations about it, but I agree with *scrappinginontario* that it really is a personal decision.  DH & I just returned from Vegas and while it looked like the plane was pretty close to full, there were quite a few middle seats empty (we were one of the lucky ones having the middle seat empty going out as well as coming back).  This was our 3rd time flying since Sept and things were fine, but everyone has different comfort levels.  Good luck with your decision.


----------



## LadybugsMum

AngieInOH said:


> How are you all feeling about the safety of flying, ie Covid concerns?  Hubby wants to take a trip to Disney in a few weeks.  My only reservation is flying, in a confined space, with others.



I've decided to cancel our flights for the first week of Jan. With the planes being packed now, I just don't feel comfortable flying. Delta is still keeping the middles empty, but the direct flight from RDU to MCO has a small plane and all of us couldn't be on the same row (single parent to small kids, so not comfortable being split up). I did get tickets for our April trip and hope that the "illness" (nod to Pete W) numbers are going down so we can fly then.


----------



## EACarlson

AngieInOH said:


> How are you all feeling about the safety of flying, ie Covid concerns?  Hubby wants to take a trip to Disney in a few weeks.  My only reservation is flying, in a confined space, with others.


I'm feeling ok about it.  I've been much more concerned about the places I'm going to than I was the plane to get there.  SW has been very proactive about making sure everyone is masked. On my October MCO-MDW they woke up the guy in front of me three times to tell him to put his mask on correctly.  I might be hesitant if it was going to be a full plane and my group wasn't going to take up the full row.  I've flown twice, once to MCO in October and to DEN in November.  My wife is going to WDW in February.


----------



## FCDub

disneyjr77 said:


> DD's bestie is probably coming with us in August (depending on grades and all that fun stuff).  We are going to use cash and points to pay for our flights.  Currently, only our arrival day is available for booking and i don't know when our departure day will open, aug 20.  What is the best way to book the flights?  I'm 99.9% sure her friend will be able to go but just in case she can't, will we be able to cancel?  I want to book them all at the same time because we get early bird. Thanks!



You will want to book the friend alone on points in case you have to cancel. If you pay cash for the friend's ticket, only that name will be able to use the travel credit if there's a cancellation. Points don't depend on the name and instead just go back into YOUR account.


----------



## teawar

We just flew back today, Christmas Eve on the 5:35pm flight from MCO to BHM. The plane was completely full and due to turbulence, water and snacks were not served (which was fine by me). Mask compliance was good and TSA only took 5 minutes.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Are planes filling up at this time?  I was hoping travel would drop off after holiday...we are supposed to be flying BWI to MCO end of February but if planes are full and it does appear that SWA is significantly reducing flights, we will cancel.  I’m not flying with someone I don’t know sitting in the middle seat!


----------



## teawar

My family flies out of Birmingham and SWA has greatly reduced the number of flights, especially direct flights. I feel that has lead to the increase of people on the plane because flights have been condensed together.  They obviously canceled some of the flights due to lack of passengers booked.


----------



## AngieInOH

Lsdolphin said:


> Are planes filling up at this time?  I was hoping travel would drop off after holiday...we are supposed to be flying BWI to MCO end of February but if planes are full and it does appear that SWA is significantly reducing flights, we will cancel.  I’m not flying with someone I don’t know sitting in the middle seat!



I was asking about the covid situation a few posts back.  Seems SW is filling planes if they can. I wouldn't count on an empty seat. For this very reason we are booking with Delta. SW has always been my airline of choice but I can't go with them this time. Delta is keeping open middle seats through March.


----------



## EACarlson

AngieInOH said:


> Delta is keeping open middle seats through March.


Not quite true, it depends on what the airplane configuration is.  On widebody aircraft, Delta is blocking the two seats in the middle of the center section but nothing on the sides.  On RJ aircraft, they are blocking the B seats but nothing on the C/D side.


----------



## jkelly86

We flew (as a party of 3) on 12/23 and 12/30 between BWI and TPA and TPA and MDW.  On both dates, the middle seats were almost completely filled.  What's more, the BWI and MDW airports were packed with people.  Social distancing was not possible.  We did receive an e-mail from SWA before our flights warning us that the middles seats would be filled (specifically on those flights) and offering us an opportunity to change to less full flights within 3 days of our booking.


----------



## Lsdolphin

jkelly86 said:


> We flew (as a party of 3) on 12/23 and 12/30 between BWI and TPA and TPA and MDW.  On both dates, the middle seats were almost completely filled.  What's more, the BWI and MDW airports were packed with people.  Social distancing was not possible.  We did receive an e-mail from SWA before our flights warning us that the middles seats would be filled (specifically on those flights) and offering us an opportunity to change to less full flights within 3 days of our booking.



Well even if they say there will be some empty middle seats that doesn’t mean there will be an empty middle seat next to you as people can sit wherever they want....


----------



## Ninjagrrl

Quick question that hopefully some savvy SW flyers know the answer to.

I have a flight booked that I want to change to a different flight that is more expensive.

I have like 5 or 6 travel funds of smaller amounts that all together, would cover the change cost, but they only let you use 2 at a time.

If I book a cheap flight using these funds and then cancel the flight, do the funds get all lumped together into one new travel fund? That I could then use to cover the cost difference on the flight I want to change. I really don't want to pay out of pocket when I have these funds sitting here that are due to expire in May.


----------



## npatellye

Ninjagrrl said:


> Quick question that hopefully some savvy SW flyers know the answer to.
> 
> I have a flight booked that I want to change to a different flight that is more expensive.
> 
> I have like 5 or 6 travel funds of smaller amounts that all together, would cover the change cost, but they only let you use 2 at a time.
> 
> If I book a cheap flight using these funds and then cancel the flight, do the funds get all lumped together into one new travel fund? That I could then use to cover the cost difference on the flight I want to change. I really don't want to pay out of pocket when I have these funds sitting here that are due to expire in May.


Yes, they do.


----------



## Gitelfor

Ninjagrrl said:


> Quick question that hopefully some savvy SW flyers know the answer to.
> 
> I have a flight booked that I want to change to a different flight that is more expensive.
> 
> I have like 5 or 6 travel funds of smaller amounts that all together, would cover the change cost, but they only let you use 2 at a time.
> 
> If I book a cheap flight using these funds and then cancel the flight, do the funds get all lumped together into one new travel fund? That I could then use to cover the cost difference on the flight I want to change. I really don't want to pay out of pocket when I have these funds sitting here that are due to expire in May.


You can book and cancel to consolidate travel funds, but in case you are not aware, all funds combined will always inherit the expiration date of the oldest fund with which they are combined.


----------



## Ninjagrrl

Gitelfor said:


> You can book and cancel to consolidate travel funds, but in case you are not aware, all funds combined will always inherit the expiration date of the oldest fund with which they are combined.


Good to know. The earliest expiration is May and these are for a March flight, so it will still work.


----------



## Gary2T

Looks like some price drops today.   Rebooked my July PHL-MCO trip and got back 768 points on my flight to Orlando and 6 points on my flight back to Philly.   Family of 4, so 3,096 points returned to my account.  Both were originally booked on schedule release day.


----------



## Ninjagrrl

And my March PHL- MCO went up $65 in the hour or so I originally posted here today.


----------



## Gitelfor

For those who have recently flown Southwest (since all seats are available for purchase and middle seats no longer blocked), how has mask compliance been?  Are the FAs making sure that passengers are correctly masked, when not actively eating or drinking?

I have seen photos and complaints on social media of unmasked/improperly masked passengers on Southwest flights.  Of course, isolated incidents can happen, but I am wondering if anyone has personally experienced any episodes.

Also, has disembarking been organized, or has it been the same mass exiting, as pre-COVID?


----------



## Lsdolphin

On flight from MCO to BWI on 12/9 the young man seated directly in front of me prob around 16 yrs had his mask off the entire flight neither his mother or the FA told him to put mask on. He was leaning over to watch a movie with a sibling for most of the flight and I did feel he was uncomfortably close I spent entire time keeping my head as close to the window as possible. Also, Prior to the flight there was a man sitting in gate area who was not wearing a mask for at least an hour prior to boarding the plane he did wear mask to get on plane.

There was no social distancing durning disembarking.


----------



## Gitelfor

Lsdolphin said:


> On flight from MCO to BWI on 12/9 the young man seated directly in front of me prob around 16 yrs had his mask off the entire flight neither his mother or the FA told him to put mask on. He was leaning over to watch a movie with a sibling for most of the flight and I did feel he was uncomfortably close I spent entire time keeping my head as close to the window as possible. Also, Prior to the flight there was a man sitting in gate area who was not wearing a mask for at least an hour prior to boarding the plane he did wear mask to get on plane.
> 
> There was no social distancing durning disembarking.



Thanks for sharing your experiences.  We have not flown for about a year, so we have been wondering about current conditions.

Southwest replies to complaints about experiences similar to yours by asking customers to DM their confirmation numbers, so that an official complaint can be filed.  I don’t know if that action goes any further, i.e. with flight’s cabin crew, or if it is just to appease the concerned customer.


----------



## Ninjagrrl

Gitelfor said:


> Thanks for sharing your experiences.  We have not flown for about a year, so we have been wondering about current conditions.
> 
> Southwest replies to complaints about experiences similar to yours by asking customers to DM their confirmation numbers, so that an official complaint can be filed.  I don’t know if that action goes any further, i.e. with flight’s cabin crew, or if it is just to appease the concerned customer.


I can't speak to the masks thing, bc we always preboard and we always have bulkhead seats bc DS is in a wheelchair and needs to transfer.
However we just flew into MCO in early December on SW and can confirm that disembarking is still a free for all. We wait until  everyone gets off the plane, then one of us goes to get the wheelchair from the jetway where they unload the gate check items. DS is 5, but looks much younger bc he is very small and thin due to his disability and he is also autistic. The FA's commented both times how amazing he was at mask compliance. I think they expected to have to be on us, but were pleasantly surprised and relieved that they didn't.


----------



## mickeynut1

Gitelfor said:


> For those who have recently flown Southwest (since all seats are available for purchase and middle seats no longer blocked), how has mask compliance been?  Are the FAs making sure that passengers are correctly masked, when not actively eating or drinking?
> 
> I have seen photos and complaints on social media of unmasked/improperly masked passengers on Southwest flights.  Of course, isolated incidents can happen, but I am wondering if anyone has personally experienced any episodes.
> 
> Also, has disembarking been organized, or has it been the same mass exiting, as pre-COVID?



I've flown 3 times since Sept and one flight the FAs were adamant and kept telling people to wear their mask when not actively eating or drinking, while the other 2 flights not much attention was given to it.  As far as disembarking, that hasn't changed.  People begin standing up/getting luggage from overhead bins almost immediately upon arriving at the gate and stand in the aisle waiting to deplane.  Other than needing a mask and boarding in small groups of 10, flying is no different now vs pre-covid.


----------



## MarBee

Just making sure.  We don’t know when they’re releasing the next batch of flights, correct?


----------



## scrappinginontario

MarBee said:


> Just making sure.  We don’t know when they’re releasing the next batch of flights, correct?


I just checked now and the next date has not been released.  This link shows the information you're looking for:  https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/


----------



## Orion Nebula

God this is horrifying to read... SW will not work with anyone either. I paid cash and of course they won't help me out via moving Feb flight. Well unless I want to "pay them" 100 for each ticket. I was planning on re-booking my trip, or at the very least just driving. But I am stuck right now. /vent


----------



## sethschroeder

Orion Nebula said:


> God this is horrifying to read... SW will not work with anyone either. I paid cash and of course they won't help me out via moving Feb flight. Well unless I want to "pay them" 100 for each ticket. I was planning on re-booking my trip, or at the very least just driving. But I am stuck right now. /vent



Just stopped in this thread what is your issue that they won't help with that they are charging for?

I easily moved around my flights without issue just a couple week ago to move from March to January.


----------



## Gitelfor

Orion Nebula said:


> God this is horrifying to read... SW will not work with anyone either. I paid cash and of course they won't help me out via moving Feb flight. Well unless I want to "pay them" 100 for each ticket. I was planning on re-booking my trip, or at the very least just driving. But I am stuck right now. /vent


Perhaps if you call Southwest, they can give you an idea about how full your flights may be.  Flying on a flight with fewer passengers would not pose as many risks, in my mind.

I know that Southwest is supposed to be sending emails to Customers who have upcoming flights to let them know if their flights will be full, and that full flights may be rebooked on other flights with lighter loads, by calling Southwest.


----------



## teawar

From BHM to MCO in the middle of December, the crew was very clear about masking expectations. Deplaning was the normal drill. Coming back, the crew made an announcement that everyone had to deplane in order from the front to the back, one row at a time. It worked well.


----------



## nkereina

Running into a new issue today - I'm trying to book a flight for 2/18/21. The flight is $126 and I have $129 in travel funds that expire same day (originally booked on 2/18/20, expiration is 2/18/21). Its my understanding that funds can be used if you fly ON the expiration date (as opposed to before), but is that not the case? When trying to book the flight, it accepted $101 of my travel funds and shows I owe $25, leaving the remaining $28 in travel funds on the table for some reason. Its one travel fund, not multiple. Its for me and the funds are in my name. Only the one payment method, no issue there. Any other thoughts? I'll try calling later, but thought I'd ask here while I'm waiting to do that.


----------



## scrappinginontario

My understanding is that travel must be completed at least 1 day prior to travel fund expiration date.

From the Southwest website:  https://www.southwest.com/flight/travel-funds-search.html


----------



## nkereina

scrappinginontario said:


> My understanding is that travel must be completed at least 1 day prior to travel fund expiration date.
> 
> From the Southwest website:  https://www.southwest.com/flight/travel-funds-search.html
> 
> View attachment 548812


So that would make sense to me, except that its allowing me to apply $101 out of my $129 in travel funds. The whole credit expires on the date of the flight I'm trying to book. I would think none of it would work if I had to fly by the day before?


----------



## scrappinginontario

nkereina said:


> So that would make sense to me, except that its allowing me to apply $101 out of my $129 in travel funds. The whole credit expires on the date of the flight I'm trying to book. I would think none of it would work if I had to fly by the day before?


No idea.  I'd either go with what it's allowing or do as you initially mentioned and call SW.

Hope you're able to use it!


----------



## Lsdolphin

Gitelfor said:


> Perhaps if you call Southwest, they can give you an idea about how full your flights may be.  Flying on a flight with fewer passengers would not pose as many risks, in my mind.
> 
> I know that Southwest is supposed to be sending emails to Customers who have upcoming flights to let them know if their flights will be full, and that full flights may be rebooked on other flights with lighter loads, by calling Southwest.



I still don’t see how you can prevent someone from sitting in your row even if plane is not full...


----------



## scrappinginontario

Lsdolphin said:


> I still don’t see how you can prevent someone from sitting in your row even if plane is not full...


You can't.  It's SW policy that a customer can fill any available seat and since they're filling all seats a person can sit anywhere they wish where another person is not already sitting.


----------



## Gitelfor

Lsdolphin said:


> I still don’t see how you can prevent someone from sitting in your row even if plane is not full...


The offer to allow a switch to a different flight with a lighter load is based on the fact that not all seats will be occupied, with a chance of there being some open middle seats; there are no longer any guarantees of open middle seats.

Generally speaking, if the flight is not full, there are usually more open middle seats in the back of the plane.


----------



## Lsdolphin

scrappinginontario said:


> You can't.  It's SW policy that a customer can fill any available seat and since they're filling all seats a person can sit anywhere they wish where another person is not already sitting.



I’m aware of that ...that’s my point...whether your plane is full or empty you have no control over someone sitting on top of you in that middle seat!!!


----------



## MarBee

So I have some travel funds I don’t think I’ll be able to use before they expire.  (SW changed my flights so that I can’t use the dates/times the flights were changed to.) Does anyone have any idea what I can do with the funds?  Donate them maybe?  Buy a gift card or something?


----------



## Gitelfor

...


----------



## Gitelfor

MarBee said:


> So I have some travel funds I don’t think I’ll be able to use before they expire.  (SW changed my flights so that I can’t use the dates/times the flights were changed to.) Does anyone have any idea what I can do with the funds?  Donate them maybe?  Buy a gift card or something?


Have you tried calling Southwest Customer Relations, since they made the change, which was not doable for your plans?  Though, at this point, if you already cancelled the reservation, it may be too late.  On a case-by-case basis, in the past, Southwest has extended funds that have expired within the past 6 months, after paying a $100 fee, per confirmation number.


----------



## Leigh L

I'm sorry you lost your flight @MarBee. 
I would try what @Gitelfor suggests. You never know.

Yesterday Spirit gave me a 2-month extension on a flight to Milwaukee they changed (and also added a 7-hour layover in Fort Lauderdale - totally not doable for a long weekend trip). My credits were due to expire in March, now exp is May (probably still won't get used but it's a little wiggle room).


----------



## Kazi7

I haven't canceled a SW flight booked on points for a long time.  When I search, the web tells me that I should be able to have the $5.60 security fee held for future use or refunded? Is this accurate info?  Even though it's not a lot of money, I might do something differently with the flight if I lose the $5.60.


----------



## MarBee

Kazi7 said:


> I haven't canceled a SW flight booked on points for a long time.  When I search, the web tells me that I should be able to have the $5.60 security fee held for future use or refunded? Is this accurate info?  Even though it's not a lot of money, I might do something differently with the flight if I lose the $5.60.


Just selected the option to refund it back to your card.  You’ll see it refunded within a few days.  No biggie


----------



## MarBee

Gitelfor said:


> Have you tried calling Southwest Customer Relations, since they made the change, which was not doable for your plans?  Though, at this point, if you already cancelled the reservation, it may be too late.  On a case-by-case basis, in the past, Southwest has extended funds that have expired within the past 6 months, after paying a $100 fee, per confirmation number.





Leigh L said:


> I'm sorry you lost your flight @MarBee.
> I would try what @Gitelfor suggests. You never know.
> 
> Yesterday Spirit gave me a 2-month extension on a flight to Milwaukee they changed (and also added a 7-hour layover in Fort Lauderdale - totally not doable for a long weekend trip). My credits were due to expire in March, now exp is May (probably still won't get used but it's a little wiggle room).


Thanks!  It’s not the end of the world but just stinks to leave the money out there.  I will try giving them a call and see what happens.


----------



## Gitelfor

Leigh L said:


> I'm sorry you lost your flight @MarBee.
> I would try what @Gitelfor suggests. You never know.
> 
> Yesterday Spirit gave me a 2-month extension on a flight to Milwaukee they changed (and also added a 7-hour layover in Fort Lauderdale - totally not doable for a long weekend trip). My credits were due to expire in March, now exp is May (probably still won't get used but it's a little wiggle room).


Did you mean to say that your credits were extended on Southwest, not Spirit?


----------



## Gitelfor

MarBee said:


> Thanks!  It’s not the end of the world but just stinks to leave the money out there.  I will try giving them a call and see what happens.


FYI, for the credits to be extended with the $100 fee, they must have expired.  If you have credits with different confirmation numbers, the best workaround is to consolidate into a single confirmation number by booking a new flight, as close in cost to the total of all credits.  If you have a sizable credit, I would book a refundable fare.  Keep in mind that all credits used will take on the earliest expiration date.  Before doing so, however, I would confirm that Southwest will extend your credit(s), and if so, make sure that you get the name and document the date and time you spoke with the CSR.  I don't know if there is any way they can document your record about the conversation, so that you don't run into any issues when trying to actually extend.

Please let us know how this all works out.


----------



## Leigh L

Gitelfor said:


> Did you mean to say that your credits were extended on Southwest, not Spirit?


No I did mean Spirit, but I figured if one airline did it, maybe others, such as SW, might do it too since they changed the flight.


----------



## Gitelfor

Leigh L said:


> No I did mean Spirit, but I figured if one airline did it, maybe others, such as SW, might do it too since they changed the flight.


The reason I asked if you meant Southwest was that Spirit does not fly out of MKE, while Southwest does,


----------



## Leigh L

Gitelfor said:


> The reason I asked if you meant Southwest was that Spirit does not fly out of MKE, while Southwest does,


Sorry, my mistake : )
I meant flying to Chicago and driving to Milwaukee. Was planning to hopefully fly SW from MKE back to BWI.


----------



## barb969

Kazi7 said:


> I haven't canceled a SW flight booked on points for a long time.  When I search, the web tells me that I should be able to have the $5.60 security fee held for future use or refunded? Is this accurate info?  Even though it's not a lot of money, I might do something differently with the flight if I lose the $5.60.


Always get it back on your card. If you save it as travel funds it will expire in a year.


----------



## nkereina

Lsdolphin said:


> I’m aware of that ...that’s my point...whether your plane is full or empty you have no control over someone sitting on top of you in that middle seat!!!


If the flight isn’t full and someone sits next to you making you uncomfortable, you also have the option to move seats at that point as well.



MarBee said:


> So I have some travel funds I don’t think I’ll be able to use before they expire.  (SW changed my flights so that I can’t use the dates/times the flights were changed to.) Does anyone have any idea what I can do with the funds?  Donate them maybe?  Buy a gift card or something?


As PP mentioned, the main option will be to wait for them to expire and then call request they be extended. If they are agreeable (I believe it’s discretionary), then they will issue it in the form of a voucher, minus a $100 fee per passenger. So that’s only worth it if your travel funds are greater than $100.


----------



## Gitelfor

Leigh L said:


> Sorry, my mistake : )
> I meant flying to Chicago and driving to Milwaukee. Was planning to hopefully fly SW from MKE back to BWI.


MKE AND ORD are so close to each other, people in southeast WI and northern IL often shop both airports for the best options, so it’s understandable to think of them interchangeably.

MKE used to have the most competitive fares, which often drew in many customers from IL.  Now, it seems that more competition among airlines at ORD means much lower fares, than at MKE.  However, MKE is so much easier to navigate quickly, and the parking cost is a fraction of that at ORD.


----------



## Leigh L

Gitelfor said:


> MKE AND ORD are so close to each other, people in southeast WI and northern IL often shop both airports for the best options, so it’s understandable to think of them interchangeably.
> 
> MKE used to have the most competitive fares, which often drew in many customers from IL.  Now, it seems that more competition among airlines at ORD means much lower fares, than at MKE.  However, MKE is so much easier to navigate quickly, and the parking cost is a fraction of that at ORD.


Thanks! I haven't been to ORD for more than a decade and never to MKE, I did interchange them 

We do that here with IAD/DCA/BWI - although I typically avoid BWI since it's on the other side of DC- but these days it's one of the few airports to get a direct flight from on Southwest to anyplace we would travel.


----------



## easyas123

Leigh L said:


> We do that here with IAD/DCA/BWI - although I typically avoid BWI since it's on the other side of DC- but these days it's one of the few airports to get a direct flight from on Southwest to anyplace we would travel.



We check all three as well, being in a part of MD that has has equal distance between BWI & PHL, I find that 90% of the time BWI SW flights have better times & prices.  But it is nice to have so many airports to choose from in terms of options.


----------



## karen4546

We (my husband and I) have never flown SW, but fares near us are outrageous for March.  So, we booked SW from MSY to MCO.  My husband is wary about it because SW canceled our daughters' flight out of MSY in September while they were on the way to the airport.  

is SW filling middle seats at this time?       We purchased EB check in-has anyone had bad boarding group even though they purchased EB?

Our traveling party be my husband and I, My daughter, son-in-law, grandson (4), and my mother-in-law (72 no mobility issues).  I think my daughter and SIL will be able to board early regardless of the EB but we bought it so we could all board together.  

MSY is 5 hrs from our home but we booked a non stop flight and we will arrive at MCO around 9 am-the flights from our local airport arrive much much later and bags are a minimum of $30, so if this flight works out then we will book SW in the future.  Fingers crossed 

Tips flying SW are appreciated.


----------



## Leigh L

karen4546 said:


> We (my husband and I) have never flown SW, but fares near us are outrageous for March.  So, we booked SW from MSY to MCO.  My husband is wary about it because SW canceled our daughters' flight out of MSY in September while they were on the way to the airport.
> 
> is SW filling middle seats at this time?       We purchased EB check in-has anyone had bad boarding group even though they purchased EB?
> 
> Our traveling party be my husband and I, My daughter, son-in-law, grandson (4), and my mother-in-law (72 no mobility issues).  I think my daughter and SIL will be able to board early regardless of the EB but we bought it so we could all board together.
> 
> MSY is 5 hrs from our home but we booked a non stop flight and we will arrive at MCO around 9 am-the flights from our local airport arrive much much later and bags are a minimum of $30, so if this flight works out then we will book SW in the future.  Fingers crossed
> 
> Tips flying SW are appreciated.


My tip is to be flexible and have a backup plan, but I'd say that about any airline right now 

My adult DD had a direct DCA (Washington DC) to MCO at Thanksgiving. I thought for sure that one would be safe being the holiday and all, but 2-3 weeks before they changed it to a stop in Atlanta. She was able to get her $ back (quickly too!) though since it was a significant change and we just changed up her plans and it was fine. 

I haven't flown SW since the pandemic, but have flown them numerous times previously. We like SW, although it took us time to understand the boarding process. Now we buy EBCI as well! 
(The lowest group we've had with the early bird I think is around B15ish? Usually higher though)


----------



## Gitelfor

karen4546 said:


> We (my husband and I) have never flown SW, but fares near us are outrageous for March.  So, we booked SW from MSY to MCO.  My husband is wary about it because SW canceled our daughters' flight out of MSY in September while they were on the way to the airport.
> 
> is SW filling middle seats at this time?       We purchased EB check in-has anyone had bad boarding group even though they purchased EB?
> 
> Our traveling party be my husband and I, My daughter, son-in-law, grandson (4), and my mother-in-law (72 no mobility issues).  I think my daughter and SIL will be able to board early regardless of the EB but we bought it so we could all board together.
> 
> MSY is 5 hrs from our home but we booked a non stop flight and we will arrive at MCO around 9 am-the flights from our local airport arrive much much later and bags are a minimum of $30, so if this flight works out then we will book SW in the future.  Fingers crossed
> 
> Tips flying SW are appreciated.


Southwest stopped blocking middle seats after November 2020.  However, with your traveling party, you should be able to get seats with you all sitting together, with no stranger in a middle seat next to anyone in your family. If your boarding numbers are not among the first to board and select seats (A group), your young grandchild and two others will be allowed to board between the A and B groups, in Family Boarding.  You will see adults and young children standing off to the side, and an announcement will be made for Family Boarding.  Currently, they are allowing 10 people to board at a time, due to COVID.

Basic info about flying Southwest:

https://www.airfarewatchdog.com/blo...southwest-airlines-and-get-the-seat-you-want/
https://www.southwest.com/html/travel-experience/boarding-the-plane.html
Keep an eye on your flight 1-2 days before your travel dates.  You can also call Southwest to confirm your flight will be operating, as scheduled.

I think you will like the Southwest experience and wish you a good trip.


----------



## EACarlson

karen4546 said:


> is SW filling middle seats at this time?       We purchased EB check in-has anyone had bad boarding group even though they purchased EB?
> 
> Our traveling party be my husband and I, My daughter, son-in-law, grandson (4), and my mother-in-law (72 no mobility issues).  I think my daughter and SIL will be able to board early regardless of the EB but we bought it so we could all board together.
> 
> MSY is 5 hrs from our home but we booked a non stop flight and we will arrive at MCO around 9 am-the flights from our local airport arrive much much later and bags are a minimum of $30, so if this flight works out then we will book SW in the future.  Fingers crossed
> 
> Tips flying SW are appreciated.


Southwest is filling every seat they can sell.  I would expect, especially this far out, that you will have a decent A boarding group.  With a group of six I would just plan on filling two rows, however you'd like.  My personal preference is one group of three in front of the other.  If you want to take the chance that there will be an empty middle seat, head straight to the back of the plane when you board.


----------



## nkereina

I haven’t been following the thread closely over the last few months, so just curious if anyone has had any similar scenarios. We know covid numbers are still high in many places and many states are still requiring quarantines upon returning home from traveling. Has anyone heard of any concessions from Southwest because of these things? I know that they are no longer converting funds to points and that the 2022 expiration extension ended, but curious if they’re offering anything else or working case by case since things aren’t really better.

My SIL was supposed to fly to WDW in March 2020. She canceled at the start of the pandemic, before SWA offered the 2022 expiration extension. As such, she’s coming up on her one year expiration for her travel funds and doesn’t expect she’ll be flying by then. She didn’t take the points because she’s not a RR member (she never flies and didn’t know about it) and she also had re-planned her trip for February, which means she could have used her travel funds anyway. But now with numbers being what they are, she would rather just reschedule when it’s a bit better. Of course, she hates the thought of losing her travel funds. Is calling SWA going to be a waste of time for her? Is she better off trying to get the extension after the funds expire and losing $100 per ticket?


----------



## eeyore29

Sorry if this has been covered... we cancelled an AUG 2020 trip so we have travel funds that will expire in SEP 2022. If we book a trip for this summer with those funds, but then decide to cancel it, do we still have until SEP 2022 to use the funds, or will attempting to use the funds move up the expiration date in some way?


----------



## Gitelfor

eeyore29 said:


> Sorry if this has been covered... we cancelled an AUG 2020 trip so we have travel funds that will expire in SEP 2022. If we book a trip for this summer with those funds, but then decide to cancel it, do we still have until SEP 2022 to use the funds, or will attempting to use the funds move up the expiration date in some way?


If cancelling a flight booked with extended travel funds which expire in September 2022, the funds will revert to the original expiration date.  The funds will lose the extended 2022 expiration date.


----------



## Gitelfor

New - Southwest updates current status for CP and A-List members and starts new 2021 promotion for earning new
CP and A-List for 2021-2022.  Refer to link for additional T&C.



> For our current Companion Pass Members who received an extension of their earned Companion Pass benefits through June 30, 2021, we are extending your benefits another six months.* You can now enjoy Companion Pass through December 31, 2021.
> *This does not apply to Members who earned a promotional Companion Pass or did not previously receive an extension through June 30, 2021.
> 
> We are making it easier for our Rapid Rewards Members to earn tier status and Companion Pass in 2021 by giving each Rapid Rewards Member this boost:
> 
> *15,000 tier qualifying points (TQPs)**
> *25,000 Companion Pass qualifying points (CPQPs)**
> *10 qualifying one-way flight segments towards tier status*
> *25 qualifying one-way flights towards Companion Pass*
> All Rapid Rewards Members with a Rapid Rewards account opened by December 31, 2020 will get this boost toward earning tier status or Companion Pass benefits for 2021-2022. These points will be deposited automatically in your account within a week.



https://www.southwest.com/RRCoronavirusUpdates/


----------



## eeyore29

Gitelfor said:


> If cancelling a flight booked with extended travel funds which expire in September 2022, the funds will revert to the original expiration date.  The funds will lose the extended 2022 expiration date.


So... we booked in March 2020 for August 2020. If we book today for July 2021 and decide in June 2021 to cancel, we lose all our funds because the original expiration date would’ve been March 2021. If I’m understanding it all correctly, then we shouldn’t book any flights until we’re absolutely sure we’re going to travel...?


----------



## Gitelfor

eeyore29 said:


> So... we booked in March 2020 for August 2020. If we book today for July 2021 and decide in June 2021 to cancel, we lose all our funds because the original expiration date would’ve been March 2021. If I’m understanding it all correctly, then we shouldn’t book any flights until we’re absolutely sure we’re going to travel...?


That is pretty much it.  Trip booked and_ cancelled_ using extended funds will revert to March 2021 expiration date.  That's good that you are thinking about it now.  Some people got caught and were very upset about losing the extension till 2022 of their funds, even though the terms/conditions were stated by Southwest.


----------



## eeyore29

Gitelfor said:


> That is pretty much it.  Trip booked and_ cancelled_ using extended funds will revert to March 2021 expiration date.  That's good that you are thinking about it now.  Some people got caught and were very upset about losing the extension till 2022 of their funds, even though the terms/conditions were stated by Southwest.


Thanks for the help!


----------



## starry_solo

I wonder if Southwest will do another travel funds conversion to RR points.


----------



## MarBee

starry_solo said:


> I wonder if Southwest will do another travel funds conversion to RR points.


Fingers crossed that they do!


----------



## scrappinginontario

MarBee said:


> Fingers crossed that they do!


I was really surprised they didn’t extend the first one or, offer another as soon as it was over.  Travel is still very iffy for many so I’m really surprised we haven’t seen SW offer another option for those who cancel flights.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Looks like fares jumped from $83 to &148 one way from mid April thru summer


----------



## Tink3815

Gitelfor said:


> Thanks for sharing your experiences.  We have not flown for about a year, so we have been wondering about current conditions.
> 
> Southwest replies to complaints about experiences similar to yours by asking customers to DM their confirmation numbers, so that an official complaint can be filed.  I don’t know if that action goes any further, i.e. with flight’s cabin crew, or if it is just to appease the concerned customer.


I would say that when you are on a flight where someone near you is not wearing a mask, point this out to the flight attendant in a quiet manner so not to start a ruckus. If the flight attendant does nothing or does not enforce the rule, email Southwest, including your conformation number. Or post on the twitter account {do not give conformation number} about the problem and see if Southwest reaches out. If Southwest has the conformation #, they can easily look up the flight and what attendants were working that flight. I would hope that Southwest would be policing these complaints. If they see enough complaints online, they may take this seriously. Wearing a mask is a pain, but it is a rule that Southwest created, so they need to enforce it


----------



## hayesdvc

My Companion Pass expires 12/31/21.

I understand SW is extending these passes.

If this is true, what do I need to know/do to get mine extended?

TIA


----------



## elgerber

hayesdvc said:


> My Companion Pass expires 12/31/21.
> 
> I understand SW is extending these passes.
> 
> If this is true, what do I need to know/do to get mine extended?
> 
> TIA


That is the date they are extending them to, so if yours already expires that date it will not be extended further. At least not at the moment.


----------



## focusondisney

hayesdvc said:


> My Companion Pass expires 12/31/21.
> 
> I understand SW is extending these passes.
> 
> If this is true, what do I need to know/do to get mine extended?
> 
> TIA



No, they are not extending CPs that expire 12/31/21. They are extending passes that would have expired 12/31/2020.  Those were previously extended  to 6/30/21.  They are now extending them to 12/31/21.  To qualify for that your CP had to have already been extended to 6/30.

For everyone else, they are giving you 25,000 points towards a renewal of your CP.


----------



## Thumper99

focusondisney said:


> No, they are not extending CPs that expire 12/31/21. They are extending passes that would have expired 12/31/2020.  Those were previously extended  to 6/30/21.  They are now extending them to 12/31/21.  To qualify for that your CP had to have already been extended to 6/30.
> 
> For everyone else, they are giving you 25,000 points towards a renewal of your CP.


I’m so confused. I earned a companion pass in February of 2020. So I would normally get the rest of 2020 and all of 2021. So am I correct in that they basically gave everyone a who would have ended 12312020 an extension but screwed those of us who earned it before the pandemic?  And now they are giving a whole other year to the 2020 people. How is that fair?  Is there anywhere we can complain?  What is the 25,000 thing?


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Thumper99 said:


> I’m so confused. I earned a companion pass in February of 2020. So I would normally get the rest of 2020 and all of 2021. So am I correct in that they basically gave everyone a who would have ended 12312020 an extension but screwed those of us who earned it before the pandemic?  And now they are giving a whole other year to the 2020 people. How is that fair?  Is there anywhere we can complain?  What is the 25,000 thing?


If you earned a companion pass in February of 2020, you were earning a 2021 companion pass.  By earning 125,000 points prior to 12/31/2020 you earned a CP good through 12/31/2021.  As a courtesy or "bonus" Southwest activates that Companion pass immediately - which of course gives us a nice loophole to exploit and earn a CP for 22-23 months by timing CC applications perfectly.  While many of us are able to game the system via CCs and earn the CP early in the prior year, that's not necessarily the intent of the program.  I can understand your frustration, but Southwest is really under no obligation to extend 2021 CPs as that benefit truly just kicked in 17 days ago for 2021.  (I mean let's be honest, they're under no obligation to do any extensions period, for anybody)

They MIGHT choose to extend 2021 CPs in the future - Southwest is considered by many to be the most customer friendly airline out there and they've done numerous things throughout the pandemic to take care of their customers - BUT I would not count on that extension.  The good news is, at least you earned 125k+ points which now never expire due to SW eliminating points expiration, and that should be worth over $1,800 in flights.

Also of note: the people who earned a 2020 Companion Passes basically got 2.5 months out of it and then had the rug pulled out from under them for the remainder of the year.  I'm glad to see Southwest taking care of the folks who were most affected by this.  Maybe they'll come back for 2021 folks and do something in the future, but I feel like they did the right thing for now for their customers.

RE: "the 25,000 thing" - you should soon see your CP ticker for your 2022 Companion Pass tick up by 25,000 points.  (You won't actually get 25k points in your account, just the credit towards the CP). That means to earn a 2022 companion pass you now only need to earn 100k more SW points by the end of this year.


----------



## Thumper99

SouthFayetteFan said:


> If you earned a companion pass in February of 2020, you were earning a 2021 companion pass.  By earning 125,000 points prior to 12/31/2020 you earned a CP good through 12/31/2021.  As a courtesy or "bonus" Southwest activates that Companion pass immediately - which of course gives us a nice loophole to exploit and earn a CP for 22-23 months by timing CC applications perfectly.  While many of us are able to game the system via CCs and earn the CP early in the prior year, that's not necessarily the intent of the program.  I can understand your frustration, but Southwest is really under no obligation to extend 2021 CPs as that benefit truly just kicked in 17 days ago for 2021.  (I mean let's be honest, they're under no obligation to do any extensions period, for anybody)
> 
> They MIGHT choose to extend 2021 CPs in the future - Southwest is considered by many to be the most customer friendly airline out there and they've done numerous things throughout the pandemic to take care of their customers - BUT I would not count on that extension.  The good news is, at least you earned 125k+ points which now never expire due to SW eliminating points expiration, and that should be worth over $1,800 in flights.
> 
> Also of note: the people who earned a 2020 Companion Passes basically got 2.5 months out of it and then had the rug pulled out from under them for the remainder of the year.  I'm glad to see Southwest taking care of the folks who were most affected by this.  Maybe they'll come back for 2021 folks and do something in the future, but I feel like they did the right thing for now for their customers.
> 
> RE: "the 25,000 thing" - you should soon see your CP ticker for your 2022 Companion Pass tick up by 25,000 points.  (You won't actually get 25k points in your account, just the credit towards the CP). That means to earn a 2022 companion pass you now only need to earn 100k more SW points by the end of this year.
> [/QUOTE
> The CP is earned for the current year AND the next year. I have no problem extending the people for 2020 passes. But I wasn’t able to fly either just like them and use my pass that I earned in 2020. And probably well into this year as well as possibly more shutdowns coming. I hope they do the right thing for those of us who earned the CP pass in 2020. Not anyone with the promotional extra points but those of us who earned it legitimately. You are right they don’t have an obligation to but I hope they do.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

I received my companion pass. Should I designate someone now, or wait until I book a flight. I read it takes 21 days for a card to be issued. I'm trying to avoid having to request another card for say a May flight that I book after already having an August flight booked. I know I can change my companion up to three times, but I'm trying to minimize that need. I'm trying to do things wisely. I appreciate the guidance.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> I received my companion pass. Should I designate someone now, or wait until I book a flight. I read it takes 21 days for a card to be issued. I'm trying to avoid having to request another card for say a May flight that I book after already having an August flight booked. I know I can change my companion up to three times, but I'm trying to minimize that need. I'm trying to do things wisely. I appreciate the guidance.


You don't need the card to book or fly.  I'm not even sure why the send it, I've had at least one companion pass active since 2014 and have never once been asked for the card, haha!  

I would wait to designate a companion until you're ready to fly somewhere.  Especially if you're unsure of your travel plans or if things could change.  You can use those changes up pretty quickly if you make a mistake, or decide to book a sooner trip or any number of other factors.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> I received my companion pass. Should I designate someone now, or wait until I book a flight. I read it takes 21 days for a card to be issued. I'm trying to avoid having to request another card for say a May flight that I book after already having an August flight booked. I know I can change my companion up to three times, but I'm trying to minimize that need. I'm trying to do things wisely. I appreciate the guidance.


Oh and I should add that I assume you are “holding” a spot on any flights for your companion with points.  If you have extra points this is a good idea - although it seems rare these days that flights sell out early like they did pre-COVID.


----------



## Thumper99

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Oh and I should add that I assume you are “holding” a spot on any flights for your companion with points.  If you have extra points this is a good idea - although it seems rare these days that flights sell out early like they did pre-COVID.


hmmm I’ve had CP also many years and never have “held” a spot. But I also didn’t switch companions that much. Have companions been rejected because a flight was full?  Are you just suggesting this just in case you don’t know who your companions will be?


----------



## elgerber

Thumper99 said:


> hmmm I’ve had CP also many years and never have “held” a spot. But I also didn’t switch companions that much. Have companions been rejected because a flight was full?  Are you just suggesting this just in case you don’t know who your companions will be?


I have had a flight fill up and not been able to get my companion on, and we had to change flights.  So yes, it can happen.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Thumper99 said:


> hmmm I’ve had CP also many years and never have “held” a spot. But I also didn’t switch companions that much. Have companions been rejected because a flight was full?  Are you just suggesting this just in case you don’t know who your companions will be?


I think most people add a companion as soon as they book their flight - which makes sense.  IF the flight happens to sell out, you of course cannot add a companion and that could seriously mess up travel plans.  And yes, I've seen it happen - never to me, but to a lot of others.

This idea of "holding a spot" is primarily due to 1 of 2 reasons:
1) You are switching your companion on a future flight and so you can't add them now until your current companion's travel is completed.
2) You have not yet earned your CP but should have it before you take this trip

In both instances, if you have extra points, you can lock in your new companion's ticket with points now - just like you'd book any other points fare.  Then once you're able to switch your CP or you earn your CP, you can either (a) add the companion online as a new fare and cancel the other ticket, refunding the $5.60 OR (b) IF the flight is sold out you can call in and have them transfer the companion's ticket from points to a companion fare and they refund your points.


----------



## TNKim

Check your flights.  The first leg of my May flight went down by $40 and we got 8,925 points refunded!


----------



## Lsdolphin

TNKim said:


> Check your flights.  The first leg of my May flight went down by $40 and we got 8,925 points refunded!



Yes I got a point refund for flights 5/12 and 5/18


----------



## disneylover81

I’m wondering if/when SWA will have a sale for mid July 2021. I’m debating whether or not to go ahead and purchase tickets now for $255 round trip from or to wait and see if they go down when they finally have a sale. Usually I pay around $150-$175 round trip. I know I can get the credit funds if they do go down in price, which is fine with me because l will use it, but the others in my party do not fly frequently so they would lose the money.

I’m also not thrilled about the new flight schedule. For as long as I can remember flying from Memphis to Orlando was always a 6:00 am nonstop flight and then when returning home from Orlando to Memphis was a 5:30 pm nonstop flight.  Now they seem to be reversed, which really messes up 2 of our Disney park days. So now we are having to purchase flights that are not nonstop so we don’t lose park time.


----------



## Thumper99

disneylover81 said:


> I’m wondering if/when SWA will have a sale for mid July 2021. I’m debating whether or not to go ahead and purchase tickets now for $255 round trip from or to wait and see if they go down when they finally have a sale. Usually I pay around $150-$175 round trip. I know I can get the credit funds if they do go down in price, which is fine with me because l will use it, but the others in my party do not fly frequently so they would lose the money.
> 
> I’m also not thrilled about the new flight schedule. For as long as I can remember flying from Memphis to Orlando was always a 6:00 am nonstop flight and then when returning home from Orlando to Memphis was a 5:30 pm nonstop flight.  Now they seem to be reversed, which really messes up 2 of our Disney park days. So now we are having to purchase flights that are not nonstop so we don’t lose park time.


Can you swing flying on The later nonstop flight the day before your Disney trip? You’ll probably save money because the non stops will be less expensive. You’ll have to stay at airport/close hotel but depending on your crew size might not be too expensive and probably offset by the cheaper flights. Then you can catch the ME bus early in morning of your Disney stay. Just a thought. Leaving at early morning and hopping around on flights dosent sound like relaxing additional park time anyway, at least for us. I wouldn’t mind doing it in way home but starting that way sounds exhausting. 
I’m not sure I’d count in prices dropping in the summer. Especially if people think it’s safer with vaccines.


----------



## GrandMum

Question for the group.  I am getting ready to book flights for me, my daughter and granddaughter.  I will be paying for everyone's flight.  If we end up having to cancel, does SW refund $ or would the points go to each person?


----------



## EACarlson

GrandMum said:


> Question for the group.  I am getting ready to book flights for me, my daughter and granddaughter.  I will be paying for everyone's flight.  If we end up having to cancel, does SW refund $ or would the points go to each person?


If you cancel, you would get travel funds in the name of each ticketed passenger usable only for travel by that passenger.  If SW cancels or alters your flights enough you would be eligible for a full refund to the original method of payment.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

disneylover81 said:


> I’m wondering if/when SWA will have a sale for mid July 2021. I’m debating whether or not to go ahead and purchase tickets now for $255 round trip from or to wait and see if they go down when they finally have a sale. Usually I pay around $150-$175 round trip. I know I can get the credit funds if they do go down in price, which is fine with me because l will use it, but the others in my party do not fly frequently so they would lose the money.
> 
> I’m also not thrilled about the new flight schedule. For as long as I can remember flying from Memphis to Orlando was always a 6:00 am nonstop flight and then when returning home from Orlando to Memphis was a 5:30 pm nonstop flight.  Now they seem to be reversed, which really messes up 2 of our Disney park days. So now we are having to purchase flights that are not nonstop so we don’t lose park time.


This schedule change might be temporary.  Once more demand for air travel returns hopefully they will start running additional options.  It probably won't help you for this trip but I'd say there's hope that in the future better options will return for you.  Our PIT=>MCO route typically has 3-5 options a day and right now they're consolidating down to just 1.  

We've been rebooked three times already for our upcoming trip as they toggled the schedule.  And with each of the first two changes we lost time in the park, and then lost an entire day in the park on the last change.  Maybe this could go the other way for you guys and if they move around/consolidate the schedule the situation actually improves... I like to be optimistic until there's reason not to be, haha!


----------



## Tink3815

I have found that when Southwest runs a sale to purchase rapid reward points at 70% off, it can be cost effective to book that way. The cost for he points may be a bit higher but of you cancel the reservation,, the points go back in your account and there is not a deadline to use. You can book for others and when you cancel , the points do not have to be used for that person. It gives you a lot of flexibility when planning travel.


----------



## disneylover81

Thumper99 said:


> Can you swing flying on The later nonstop flight the day before your Disney trip? You’ll probably save money because the non stops will be less expensive. You’ll have to stay at airport/close hotel but depending on your crew size might not be too expensive and probably offset by the cheaper flights. Then you can catch the ME bus early in morning of your Disney stay. Just a thought. Leaving at early morning and hopping around on flights dosent sound like relaxing additional park time anyway, at least for us. I wouldn’t mind doing it in way home but starting that way sounds exhausting.
> I’m not sure I’d count in prices dropping in the summer. Especially if people think it’s safer with vaccines.


Thanks for the response ! I have actually done that several times before so we wouldn’t be so exhausted taking the early morning flight and coins have a great and full first park day. I’m not against it, but my friends that I am going with would not be able to pull it off unfortunately.
Just to update... I went ahead and purchased the tickets this morning that I was considering in my post. I will just keep and eye out for price drops and will use the travel funds on my next flight.


----------



## disneylover81

SouthFayetteFan said:


> This schedule change might be temporary.  Once more demand for air travel returns hopefully they will start running additional options.  It probably won't help you for this trip but I'd say there's hope that in the future better options will return for you.  Our PIT=>MCO route typically has 3-5 options a day and right now they're consolidating down to just 1.
> 
> We've been rebooked three times already for our upcoming trip as they toggled the schedule.  And with each of the first two changes we lost time in the park, and then lost an entire day in the park on the last change.  Maybe this could go the other way for you guys and if they move around/consolidate the schedule the situation actually improves... I like to be optimistic until there's reason not to be, haha!


Thanks for responding!! I hope your flight times  improve so you get more park time. That’s what has gotten me so bothered. This trip for me is a girl trip for my birthday so I was only able to get my friends to commit to 4 nights/5 days so every second of park time is valuable! I’m a Disney World fanatic, but them..not so much. It’s taken me lots of years to finally get them to go with me. They are a bit freaked about what the trip is costing and I’m like I don’t care what it costs because this is my happy place ! Lol.


----------



## Traveling on cc points

We flow SW earlier today non stop from BDL to MCO and there was an announcement that there was 101 empty seats on the plane.

we sat in an exit row and the exit row across the aisle from us stayed empty. I was pretty shocked. It was great that deplaning and getting our luggage was very easy but I can’t fathom how airlines are going to be able to survive like this.


----------



## Thumper99

GrandMum said:


> Question for the group.  I am getting ready to book flights for me, my daughter and granddaughter.  I will be paying for everyone's flight.  If we end up having to cancel, does SW refund $ or would the points go to each person?


Based on your post I’m not quite sure if you paid in $ or points.  If you paid in dollars the money will be held as travel funds for EACH ticketed passenger and can only be used by them. If you paid with Rapid  reward points then cancelled flights for any person will just go back in points to YOUR account. If you have the points use then for grandchild and daughter. Also if you only have enough points for one or two people make sure you use the points for your guests. If you’re going to be paying money for any flight make sure it’s yours so that you can EARN points.


----------



## Lsdolphin

So just got an email from SWA that middle seats may be occupied on my flight to MCO Thurs am. I called and was told that flight is currently 70% booked. I was offered opportunity to change to another flight with 60-65% of seats currently booked....wondering if Inshould cancel trip.


----------



## easyas123

Lsdolphin said:


> So just got an email from SWA that middle seats may be occupied on my flight to MCO Thurs am. I called and was told that flight is currently 70% booked. I was offered opportunity to change to another flight with 60-65% of seats currently booked....wondering if Inshould cancel trip.



That’s good to hear- that they are calling people and offering the option that is- we have a flight Friday BWI-RSW. Fingers crossed we don’t get that call but should we it’s good to know we have options-


----------



## Ninjagrrl

Lsdolphin said:


> So just got an email from SWA that middle seats may be occupied on my flight to MCO Thurs am. I called and was told that flight is currently 70% booked. I was offered opportunity to change to another flight with 60-65% of seats currently booked....wondering if Inshould cancel trip.


Only you can answer whether you should cancel your trip. I think it's wise to assume that a flight will be full when booking. Even if you booked the flight before the change was announced, it's a buisnesses right to change terms with proper notice.
If the flight they're offering is already 65% booked, it's not going to be much different in terms of risk. 
If you're not comfortable flying on a full flight, then yes, you might need to cancel.

Everybody's risk assessment is different. If it were me, I'd still fly. You might not. There's no wrong answer, just what's best for you.


----------



## Thumper99

Just letting you know we got that message In December when we left BWI to MCO. We chose to stay with it and the flight was not full and most of the middle seats were not occupied. But there really is no way to make that decision for you. I don’t see much of a difference in 60 and 70 % but everyone Has their own comfort level. We were leaving on a Sunday so generally that’s a busy day and the plane still wasn’t full. On our return from MCO to Baltimore on a Weds the flight only had 66 people so we never got a message that we could change for free. If you will be anxious the whole time then maybe it’s not worth your trip. If you haven’t flown yet since the virus it is understandable your worry. But I can say traveling a few times on SWA it was very benign and thankfully we never felt unsafe or got sick. Good luck in your decision!!


----------



## Gitelfor

Southwest announces a major change in policy of accepting emotional support animals, effective 03/01/2021.  The change follows in line with many other carriers.

*Animal assistance*

Starting March 1, only dogs will be accepted as trained service animals with appropriate documentation.


Starting March 1, Southwest Airlines will no longer accept emotional support animals.
This form must be completed and signed by the customer claiming their dog as a trained service animal:

https://www.transportation.gov/site...vice Animal Health Behavior Training Form.pdf
Southwest’s info on the policy change:
https://community.southwest.com/t5/...olicies-for-Emotional-Support-and/ba-p/115899


----------



## easyas123

Lsdolphin said:


> So just got an email from SWA that middle seats may be occupied on my flight to MCO Thurs am. I called and was told that flight is currently 70% booked. I was offered opportunity to change to another flight with 60-65% of seats currently booked....wondering if Inshould cancel trip.



So we just got the same email for our flight BWI-RSW Friday.  We are sticking with it, but I'll report on how crowded it ended up being after we take the flight. This will be the 4th time we've flown since mid-March, so far haven't felt unsafe or as if others were being unsafe.


----------



## scrappinginontario

easyas123 said:


> So we just got the same email for our flight BWI-RSW Friday.  We are sticking with it, but I'll report on how crowded it ended up being after we take the flight. This will be the 4th time we've flown since mid-March, so far haven't felt unsafe or as if others were being unsafe.


These emails also have me guessing that those who remain on the flight have potential to travel with less people than when the email is sent out.  If the email causes people to change or even cancel their flights, unless new people move to the original flight it can be less crowded by default.


----------



## easyas123

scrappinginontario said:


> These emails also have me guessing that those who remain on the flight have potential to travel with less people than when the email is sent out.  If the email causes people to change or even cancel their flights, unless new people move to the original flight it can be less crowded by default.



Our thoughts exactly -I'm curious to see how it may be reflected in amount of folks who actually board Friday morning.


At the end of the day, we booked eyes wide open to the situation and with some degree of flexibility, and with full knowledge it could be a rather full flight.  Or not.  And we are okay with that.


----------



## Lsdolphin

easyas123 said:


> That’s good to hear- that they are calling people and offering the option that is- we have a flight Friday BWI-RSW. Fingers crossed we don’t get that call but should we it’s good to know we have options-



They emailed me and I called them when I got email to see what options were available.


----------



## yellowfish78

Schedule changes hit me today for my early March trip.  Was traveling MCO-BWI-CLE now going MCO-RSW -BWI (change planes to...) DCA -CLE.   Read those schedules carefully! I can't change online because one ticket is for a 12 year old on points; plus they lost my outbound flight from CLE as well - but BWI to MCO is still there.


----------



## focusondisney

Ugh. SW just cancelled our nonstop flight home in March. Now leaving 4 hours earlier with a layover in Baltimore.


----------



## scrappinginontario

yellowfish78 said:


> Schedule changes hit me today for my early March trip.  Was traveling MCO-BWI-CLE now going MCO-RSW -BWI (change planes to...) DCA -CLE.   Read those schedules carefully! I can't change online because one ticket is for a 12 year old on points; plus they lost my outbound flight from CLE as well - but BWI to MCO is still there.


Have you called SW?  Am I reading that they now have you on a 5 leg trip home?  I'd be calling as fast as my fingers could dial!


----------



## Flynnismine

I completely understand everyone's frustration, I also got the "Change to your flight" email yesterday. SW dropped our March 23rd early morning non-stop departing flight out of Louisville to MCO.  We were suppose to leave at 6:15am and arrive into MCO at 8:35am, which was perfect because it gave us the entire day.  They changed us to a 8:40am departure out of Louisville, had us switching planes and a  layover at BWI, and not arrive into MCO until 1:15pm.  There was another non-stop flight leaving at 1:55pm the same day and arriving into MCO at 3:55 so I called and switched us to that flight. To us, it just wasn't worth having to travel thru an additional airport and change planes just to arrive 2 hours earlier that afternoon.   This time frame is spring break in our area so I'm surprised that SW dropped a flight from their schedule. I guess they just weren't getting enough bookings at this point to keep that early morning non-stop flight.  I hope everyone is able to book/rebook something that works for them and their travel plans.  I also hope that SW is finished juggling flights around for March.


----------



## yellowfish78

scrappinginontario said:


> Have you called SW?  Am I reading that they now have you on a 5 leg trip home?  I'd be calling as fast as my fingers could dial!


It was - their computers were updating during the schedule changes too. Took me an hour and half wait, with another 30 on the phone but it's fixed!


----------



## dez1978

We got changes to both of our flights last night.  I was able to change the return flight to a better time without the up charge which was nice.  I originally wanted that flight to begin with but couldn't justify the price difference.  The flight there tho...  They got rid of our original non stop flight that would have had us there by noon. So now we won't get there until 3.  But the only other option was a 6 am flight and I am not trying to get 4 kids up and to the airport by 4 am lol


----------



## mfly

SW has a promo on my account for 5000 RR points with 2 RT flights or 4 one-ways before 5/31. 

Terms say flights must be revenue flights. 

Anyone know if flights paid for with travel funds are considered revenue flights?


----------



## Gitelfor

mfly said:


> SW has a promo on my account for 5000 RR points with 2 RT flights or 4 one-ways before 5/31.
> 
> Terms say flights must be revenue flights.
> 
> Anyone know if flights paid for with travel funds are considered revenue flights?


Judging by their language, I presume it would qualify, as long as your flights are booked _after_ registering.  As this is a targeted promo, I would contact Southwest to confirm.  I recommend contacting Southwest via Twitter, as the phone lines are really backed up due to all of the new schedule revisions.

https://twitter.com/SouthwestAir/


----------



## cmarsh31

Wow, the flight changes for March are terrible. Sigh.


----------



## Gitelfor

cmarsh31 said:


> Wow, the flight changes for March are terrible. Sigh.


Much of April’s schedule has also had changes, and May and June schedule revisions are not far behind.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Flight changes happen frequently right now.  It’s best to anticipate they can change, often many times,  until you board the plane.

It almost makes me wonder if I should choose the least expensive flight when we book, regardless of flight time knowing it will most likely change and then I can try to select flight times I like better.  Kinda risky but might be worth a try if my desired flight times are pricy.


----------



## kelpricer

Unfortunately I decided to postpone our trip. I’m confused about canceling one leg of the flight. I cancelled one way easily because I used my points to book but the other way I used a credit card. can I just cancel with all the money going back on the card? Or does the money go to each individual I booked for? I hope this makes sense


----------



## aokeefe

kelpricer said:


> Unfortunately I decided to postpone our trip. I’m confused about canceling one leg of the flight. I cancelled one way easily because I used my points to book but the other way I used a credit card. can I just cancel with all the money going back on the card? Or does the money go to each individual I booked for? I hope this makes sense


Refunds for flights booked in cash will be in the form of a travel credit specific to each traveler. No cash refund. Do you know when you will want to travel again?YOu could move your flights to your new dates (if available) rather than cancel.


----------



## kelpricer

aokeefe said:


> Refunds for flights booked in cash will be in the form of a travel credit specific to each traveler. No cash refund. Do you know when you will want to travel again?YOu could move your flights to your new dates (if available) rather than cancel.


I don’t mind the travel credit for each person. We are not looking to go until October and flight schedule isn’t out yet. But I can just use the travel funds, right? will It just be “attached” to their name?


----------



## brian95

They changed our flight home in April 11 from a nonstop to a stop and layover. The email says I can change for no extra charge. If I decided to cancel would I get cash back or just travel funds


----------



## Leigh L

brian95 said:


> They changed our flight home in April 11 from a nonstop to a stop and layover. The email says I can change for no extra charge. If I decided to cancel would I get cash back or just travel funds


in November my DD had a SW flight that went from direct to a layover. She was able to get a refund on her credit card by calling.


----------



## focusondisney

brian95 said:


> They changed our flight home in April 11 from a nonstop to a stop and layover. The email says I can change for no extra charge. If I decided to cancel would I get cash back or just travel funds



Yes, you can get a refund... but, call pretty soon.  If you accept the change, or change it to another itinerary yourself, you won’t be able to get the refund.    A few years ago our flight home was canceled due to weather issues. They called to notify me  & the rep moved us to the next day, which I accepted.  Later   I was able to find a flight on another airline for our original travel date.  But because I had accepted the move, I was only given the travel credit.  However when flights for our trips last year were moved around, I was able to call & say I do want those flight changes & I got full refunds.


----------



## tidblgrrer

Does anyone know when they will release flights for mid September?  Thank you


----------



## yellowfish78

tidblgrrer said:


> Does anyone know when they will release flights for mid September?  Thank you


Normally you can go to their website, click on "FLIGHT" along the top bar (where it says FLIGHT/HOTEL/CAR/VACATIONS) and then click "Flight Schedules" and it will inform you of a date on that page.  Today it states the following: 
_We are currently accepting air reservations through August 16, 2021. At this time, we do not have a date for our next schedule extension therefore please check back frequently. _


----------



## scrappinginontario

tidblgrrer said:


> Does anyone know when they will release flights for mid September?  Thank you





yellowfish78 said:


> Normally you can go to their website, click on "FLIGHT" along the top bar (where it says FLIGHT/HOTEL/CAR/VACATIONS) and then click "Flight Schedules" and it will inform you of a date on that page.  Today it states the following:
> _We are currently accepting air reservations through August 16, 2021. At this time, we do not have a date for our next schedule extension therefore please check back frequently. _


At this point a date has not been announced yet.  In the past it was often in February but things are not following a 'normal' pattern right now so we really don't know.

Here's a link to the location indicated by @yellowfish78:

https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/


----------



## LadybugsMum

Sigh. Just got notice that our April flight down from RDU has been changed from 5:35am to 12:55 pm and it's now the only non-stop for the day. It still gets us into Orlando earlier than driving, but I'm not sure how I feel about flying yet. I'm going to wait and see if I get the email about the flight being 70% full before making the decision to cancel the flight and driving down.


----------



## Gitelfor

This is why Southwest continues to make cutbacks in schedules for the upcoming months, with more flight reductions to come.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/28/ame...ook&utm_medium=news_tab&utm_content=algorithm


----------



## starry_solo

Gitelfor said:


> This is why Southwest continues to make cutbacks in schedules for the upcoming months, with more flight reductions to come.
> 
> https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/28/ame...ook&utm_medium=news_tab&utm_content=algorithm



Not surprised.


----------



## dez1978

Silly question.  When I look at flights and it says "only 5 left" on the wanna get away price, should I assume that the flight will be pretty much sold out?


----------



## scrappinginontario

dez1978 said:


> Silly question.  When I look at flights and it says "only 5 left" on the wanna get away price, should I assume that the flight will be pretty much sold out?


No.  This just means there are only 5 seats available at the 'Wanna Get Away' price.


----------



## dez1978

scrappinginontario said:


> No.  This just means there are only 5 seats available at the 'Wanna Get Away' price.


I guess I should have worded it differently.  Like what percentage of seats do they hold back for the other 2 categories vc the wanna get away category.


----------



## starry_solo

dez1978 said:


> I guess I should have worded it differently.  Like what percentage of seats do they hold back for the other 2 categories vc the wanna get away category.



No one knows for sure


----------



## scrappinginontario

dez1978 said:


> I guess I should have worded it differently.  Like what percentage of seats do they hold back for the other 2 categories vc the wanna get away category.


I don't believe that is something published by SW nor does it necessarily remain the same from flight to flight.  Nobody really knows the answer to that question I don't believe.


----------



## MinnieMSue

For the first time (for me) southwest changed our March 22&27 flights to times that lengthened our Disney stay instead of cutting it down. Our early flight now leaves earlier and our return flight leaves later giving us a full park day before having to catch the ME  back to the airport. Now I just have to hope they don’t change again but figure they probably will


----------



## BlackTea

dez1978 said:


> Silly question.  When I look at flights and it says "only 5 left" on the wanna get away price, should I assume that the flight will be pretty much sold out?


My experience, only 5 left for get away at that price. If 5 are sold, get away price will go up some bucks, but still available.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Doing a quick cross-post from our Credit Cards thread as the all-time high Southwest Credit Card offers are due to expire in a week.  If you're interested in discussing these, I'd probably recommend you jump in on that thread as this one more covers general Southwest Travel related topics.  I will say that booking on SW with points is amazing, the flexibility cannot be beat!



SouthFayetteFan said:


> Happy February Everybody, I am back from Disney and it's time to get my head back into churning!
> 
> I figured it's about time for a *"State of Southwest" update *since it has been awhile (sadly not much in the way of updates either...just a re-hash of what you may already know):
> 
> Southwest Airline's schedule is currently open through 8/16/2021; This extension happened on December 10th.
> We still do not have a date for the next schedule extension. We normally would expect a release into fall travel dates by now but things haven't exactly been normal lately so who knows when they will release this information. Last year they moved the schedule through the end of October in mid-March.
> Currently there are elevated offers on all of the Chase Southwest credit cards with a stated "apply by 2/8/2021" showing on the support links. *ONE WEEK Left to take advantage of these offers*. These offers were released on December 1st.
> Here is a quick recap of the offers available:
> 1) *Chase Southwest PERSONAL Cards*; _3 options_ - *Plus, Premier, Priorit*y: Earn up to 80,000 SW RR points. Earn 50,000 points after spending $2,000 in the first 3 months PLUS, earn an additional 30,000 points after you spend $10,000 total in the first 9 months. This is an ALL-TIME HIGH offer on these cards but also requires a higher MSR than we've ever seen before. This is clearly stated as a "Limited Time Offer" on the landing page.​2) *Chase Southwest PERFORMANCE Business Card* - Earn up to 100,000 SW RR points. Earn 70,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months PLUS, earn an additional 30,000 points after you spend $25,000 total in the first 6 months. This offer does NOT say Limited Time, but the upper tier portion seems to come and go so it's possible it could decrease after 2/8.​3) *Chase Southwest PREMIER Business Card* - Earn 60,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. This is the standard offer for this card and has not changed in some time.​Also of note: Typically the support links will live on past the stated expiration date by a week or two but no guarantees there.​
> With Southwest effectively reducing the points required for a CP to 100k, there are a lot of ways to approach these offers. You can potentially achieve a CP through just one card, you can of course MDD the personals. I'd say the only strategy to avoid is getting 1 personal and 1 business card - it just leaves you with the least flexibility down the line (much more info on this in the link I shared above!).
> 
> Good luck to anybody applying!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Our flight home yesterday was the only non-stop option between MCO and PIT and was 100% full.  We did get the email notification ahead of time that middle seats would be occupied, but there was no way to tell if that meant some, or all.  Obviously it was all.  The flight was fine and I had totally expected that it could happen.  But I know for some here that might not play well, so sharing with the group. 

The email about middle seats being occupied didn't come until we were in Orlando a day or two so there would have been no way for me to determine before we left if that was the case.  I want to say that you could still purchase 8 tickets online for our return flight the day before we left to head down.  I had been at least checking that to determine if flights were sold out or not.


----------



## Gitelfor

Check upcoming March reservations.  Southwest is still making revisions in the schedule, meaning that a change in flight/travel date can be made at no change in fare, subject to availability and 30 day, either way, change window.


----------



## easyas123

Flew BWI to RSW on Jan. 29th.  Got message plane may not have middle seats free a day or two prior to flight.  BWI was busier that I had seen it the other times we've flown since March, and our flight ended up being 100% full, not a single empty seat.  Flight was an approximately 9:45 departure.  RSW (Ft. Myers) was only moderately busy, and there were about 5 folks ahead of me in the Enterprise line to get our rental.  Other counters were more packed.  We were in Ft. Myers Friday - Sunday afternoon and everyone was wearing masks, so not much different that up here in MD.  We drove to Orlando Sunday afternoon, stayed 3 nights at WDW.  Flying home from MCO to BWI - our flight left at 1:45 PM, and Orlando airport was dead.  Empty. Breezed thru security around 11 or 11:30, no wait at all.  Only 3 other people on the tram, terminals mostly empty (compared to how they usually are), and only 40 people on our flight to BWI.  Repeated announcements to keep your mask on while on the plane, water & bagged snacks served on both flights.


----------



## MinnieMSue

Gitelfor said:


> Check upcoming March reservations.  Southwest is still making revisions in the schedule, meaning that a change in flight/travel date can be made at no change in fare, subject to availability and 30 day, either way, change window.



i have red banners but so far no change in flights. Nervous because there aren’t any other ones as good as the ones we have. Also there appears to be big availability on them.


----------



## emsstacey

I'm so irritated with SW.  I'm traveling to Ft. Myers spring break and decided to just drive, but yesterday morning saw great flights for $83, by the time I got my wallet, they were $120.  I've watched them throughout the last 24 hours and they are now almost $300 each way.  UGH.  So, my question is- what are the chances that if I just book terrible times for the cheapest price, that I will get the red banner and get to change it to better flights?


----------



## belle032

emsstacey said:


> I'm so irritated with SW.  I'm traveling to Ft. Myers spring break and decided to just drive, but yesterday morning saw great flights for $83, by the time I got my wallet, they were $120.  I've watched them throughout the last 24 hours and they are now almost $300 each way.  UGH.  So, my question is- what are the chances that if I just book terrible times for the cheapest price, that I will get the red banner and get to change it to better flights?



I'm in the same situation. I have 3 separate one-ways to book for our trip at the end of March. I was ready to book and then by the time I got to it, prices completely skyrocketed. Like some have almost tripled. To the point where I'm looking at other airlines, which I almost never do. I'm giving it another week or so to see what happens. Super frustrating, I always have such good experiences with SW booking!


----------



## emsstacey

belle032 said:


> I'm in the same situation. I have 3 separate one-ways to book for our trip at the end of March. I was ready to book and then by the time I got to it, prices completely skyrocketed. Like some have almost tripled. To the point where I'm looking at other airlines, which I almost never do. I'm giving it another week or so to see what happens. Super frustrating, I always have such good experiences with SW booking!



I’m so sorry you are in the same situation. I find it so frustrating that prices changed every 30 minutes yesterday. We are going the second week of March and I’m afraid it’s getting to close for prices to go back down.


----------



## belle032

emsstacey said:


> I’m so sorry you are in the same situation. I find it so frustrating that prices changed every 30 minutes yesterday. We are going the second week of March and I’m afraid it’s getting to close for prices to go back down.



Right? I'm so mad at myself for not booking immediately. I never thought they would jump that much that quickly. I'm thinking if ours don't go down within a week, I'll be afraid of the same thing. So I understand your frustration!


----------



## scrappinginontario

There could be a couple of things to explain the price jumps.  SW is sending out a lot of emails with these deals.  Many people are receiving them and it appears from comments here that their emails are working so prices are jumping as the planes fill. 

Another option is to look at flight prices in 'privacy' mode or 'incognito' which doesn't record your information.  Some airlines keep track of how often you look at specific flights and they start to show you higher prices to make you think you 'need to book now'.  I'm not sure if SW does this but I've heard of other major airlines doing this.


----------



## emsstacey

I wondered about that. I’ve been using the app- maybe I shouldn’t. Hmmmm


----------



## dez1978

If you have 7 people on 1 reservation, you can't buy Early bird for just 2-3 of them can you?  I hate to spend $150 for all of us, but there are 3 adults and 4 kids (only 1 will still be 6) and I don't want to take the chance I'd be separated from my kids, since they are 7&9.


----------



## Ninjagrrl

dez1978 said:


> If you have 7 people on 1 reservation, you can't buy Early bird for just 2-3 of them can you?  I hate to spend $150 for all of us, but there are 3 adults and 4 kids (only 1 will still be 6) and I don't want to take the chance I'd be separated from my kids, since they are 7&9.


Everyone on the reservation has to buy it. To prevent people for paying for one, and then saving seats for the rest.


----------



## dez1978

Ninjagrrl said:


> Everyone on the reservation has to buy it. To prevent people for paying for one, and then saving seats for the rest.


Thats what I figured.


----------



## easyas123

dez1978 said:


> If you have 7 people on 1 reservation, you can't buy Early bird for just 2-3 of them can you?  I hate to spend $150 for all of us, but there are 3 adults and 4 kids (only 1 will still be 6) and I don't want to take the chance I'd be separated from my kids, since they are 7&9.



I believe if you ring up Southwest they'll be able to split the reservation for you, and create a second one (different record locator/confirmation #) with just you & whomever you have to sit by.  You can then purchase EB for that group.


----------



## Gitelfor

dez1978 said:


> If you have 7 people on 1 reservation, you can't buy Early bird for just 2-3 of them can you?  I hate to spend $150 for all of us, but there are 3 adults and 4 kids (only 1 will still be 6) and I don't want to take the chance I'd be separated from my kids, since they are 7&9.


Family Boarding allows boarding between the “A” and “B” boarding groups for two adults with a child who is six years old or younger. If you can book your traveling party into two separate reservations, that would save you three EBCI fees, each way.  I don’t know if Southwest would be able to split off an existing reservation for all seven customers into two separate 3 + 4 parties, without a change in fare.

Looks like someone beat me to this.


----------



## dez1978

Gitelfor said:


> Family Boarding allows boarding between the “A” and “B” boarding groups for two adults with a child who is six years old or younger. If you can book your traveling party into two separate reservations, that would save you three EBCI fees, each way.  I don’t know if Southwest would be able to split off an existing reservation for all seven customers into two separate 3 + 4 parties, without a change in fare.
> 
> Looks like someone beat me to this.


I thought about this, but I booked on 1 reservation with the hopes everyone would get the TSA precheck since I have it lol.  But I know thats a toss up if that will happen or not.  Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.  I will think about this though.  I didn't know if they could change it after the fact or not


----------



## G719

dez1978 said:


> I thought about this, but I booked on 1 reservation with the hopes everyone would get the TSA precheck since I have it lol.  But I know thats a toss up if that will happen or not.  Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.  I will think about this though.  I didn't know if they could change it after the fact or not


Children under 13 can go through precheck with the parent that has precheck.


----------



## BelleOftheBall16

Ninjagrrl said:


> Everyone on the reservation has to buy it. To prevent people for paying for one, and then saving seats for the rest.


This is only partially correct. If you purchase EBCI at the point of initial ticket purchase then everyone on the reservation must buy it. However if you buy it after the fact (tickets already purchased) then you can buy EBCI for individual passengers.


----------



## easyas123

BelleOftheBall16 said:


> This is only partially correct. If you purchase EBCI at the point of initial ticket purchase then everyone on the reservation must buy it. However if you buy it after the fact (tickets already purchased) then you can buy EBCI for individual passengers.



That's good info to know, thanks for passing it on.


----------



## scrappinginontario

BelleOftheBall16 said:


> This is only partially correct. If you purchase EBCI at the point of initial ticket purchase then everyone on the reservation must buy it. However if you buy it after the fact (tickets already purchased) then you can buy EBCI for individual passengers.



You’re quite right!  When we travel with my parents I purchase all 4 tickets together then go in afterwards and purchase EBCI for only them.  They like to sit as close to the front as possible whereas my did and I don’t care so we save the $ and sit anywhere.


----------



## Gitelfor

Check your Southwest RR account for targeted offer to earn Companion Pass when approved for new Southwest/Chase cc and meeting specified minimum spend within the first three months of opened account.  Offers may vary.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Does the companion pass work for only one dedicated person you pick for the duration of the pass or can you use it for a different person each flight?


----------



## mfly

Erica Ladd said:


> Does the companion pass work for only one dedicated person you pick for the duration of the pass or can you use it for a different person each flight?


You have to designate a companion for your CP, but you can change it 3x per calendar year. Your companion needs to remain your companion through when you fly, not just when you book. 

E.g. Today you book a flight with Companion1 for March 15. You cannot change your companion until you fly with Companion1 on March 15. 

After March 15, you’d be able to change your Companion to Companion2 and then add Companion2 to your next flight. 

You can book your flights in advance and just add your companion to the flight once it’s changed. Just make sure you keep an eye on the flight so it doesn’t sell out, or use points to hold the Companion’s seat until you have your Companion Pass ready to book them with.


----------



## Erica Ladd

I’m seriously debating getting the sw cc with the new promo. Can someone tell me if the 30,000 bonus points would count towards earning a future companion pass? And if I try to earn that pass it’s best to try and earn it exactly in January or February of 2022 and it would be valid through the end of 2023????


----------



## mfly

Erica Ladd said:


> I’m seriously debating getting the sw cc with the new promo. Can someone tell me if the 30,000 bonus points would count towards earning a future companion pass? And if I try to earn that pass it’s best to try and earn it exactly in January or February of 2022 and it would be valid through the end of 2023????


I’d recommend you go check out the “I Love Credit Cards So Much v4.0” thread. @SouthFayetteFan just wrote up a great post about the SW cards and Companion Pass this morning. 

They’re (by far) the most friendly and helpful community on Disboards (or the internet in general!) 

https://www.disboards.com/threads/i...t-page-for-addl-details.3821593/post-62685382


----------



## Erica Ladd

Thanks!  I just found the post and asked my question there. I couldn’t find it earlier but thanks for the link!!


----------



## SM1992

Am I missing something?  We usually fly Sunday and Saturday, and I am looking at S.W. flights for April 18 and 24 (our res. dates) from Providence and find them extremely high (or fully booked) compared to the weeks before and after this.
Is something going on that week I'm unaware of? Thanks!


----------



## BLTtinkerbell

SM1992 said:


> Am I missing something?  We usually fly Sunday and Saturday, and I am looking at S.W. flights for April 18 and 24 (our res. dates) from Providence and find them extremely high (or fully booked) compared to the weeks before and after this.
> Is something going on that week I'm unaware of? Thanks!



Patriots Day holiday & Massachusetts school vacation week


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

SM1992 said:


> Am I missing something?  We usually fly Sunday and Saturday, and I am looking at S.W. flights for April 18 and 24 (our res. dates) from Providence and find them extremely high (or fully booked) compared to the weeks before and after this.
> Is something going on that week I'm unaware of? Thanks!



It's school vacation week in Rhode Island.


----------



## Gitelfor

Southwest has published a long list of cities which may have flights impacted this week by Winter Storm Viola.  That can mean delayed or cancelled flights to/from certain cities.  Even if your flights are not affected, but your city is listed, Southwest will allow a onetime change to your flights, within 14 days of the original travel date, subject to availability.  Southwest is known for sometimes cancelling flights proactively, at times when bad weather is expected.

List of cities possibly impacted:
https://www.southwest.com/html/advi...nhvVa810-yr4owLYErG--I_ZjR8rdiFWSMZUeILM8EWpQ


----------



## aokeefe

SM1992 said:


> Am I missing something?  We usually fly Sunday and Saturday, and I am looking at S.W. flights for April 18 and 24 (our res. dates) from Providence and find them extremely high (or fully booked) compared to the weeks before and after this.
> Is something going on that week I'm unaware of? Thanks!


Like others said- it's the entire NE area school vacation week. Flights were released awhile ago and they only rise during that week (hardly ever go down). Compared to years past, they were higher than normal (on release day)


----------



## dez1978

BelleOftheBall16 said:


> This is only partially correct. If you purchase EBCI at the point of initial ticket purchase then everyone on the reservation must buy it. However if you buy it after the fact (tickets already purchased) then you can buy EBCI for individual passengers.


I couldn’t figure out how


----------



## BelleOftheBall16

dez1978 said:


> I couldn’t figure out how


If you click on your flight details there is an option to add EBCI. Then you’ll have the option to check the box for which passengers you want it for.


----------



## aokeefe

Does anyone know if the person's points I used to book the trip, has to be the one to do the 24 hour check in? (Have to check in for our Saturday flight and have no idea which kids account I used to book the flight!)


----------



## EACarlson

No, you just need the confirmation number


----------



## aokeefe

EACarlson said:


> No, you just need the confirmation number


Thank you!


----------



## Gitelfor

Southwest has posted a "Return to service" date of 03/11/2021 for placing the 737 MAX back into their fleet.  If you are concerned about flying on the 737 MAX, you may want to check the aircraft scheduled to operate on your flights.  The aircraft will show up when opening up the "Details" section of your confirmed reservation on the website or by searching for new flights on the website.   Reminder -  the 737-800 is not the same as the 737 MAX.

I believe that Southwest previously stated that they will work with customers on previously-booked travel not originally scheduled to operate with the 737 MAX, who are concerned that their flight was subsequently changed to the MAX.  Of course, there always is the disclaimer that the aircraft can be changed at any time, due to weather, mechanical, or scheduling issues.

Quote from Southwest CEO Gary Kelly:


> "I recently had the opportunity to fly on one of our MAX operational readiness flights, which only reaffirmed my supreme confidence in Southwest's ability to operate the MAX safely. I am very proud of our many teams who are working diligently to prepare us for returning the MAX to revenue service on March 11, 2021, once all FAA requirements are met and all active pilots have received updated MAX-related training."



It will have been one year since the 737 MAX was pulled from service.  Southwest is planning on taking delivery of 35 new 737 MAX aircraft through the end of this year.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Gitelfor said:


> It will have been one year since the 737 MAX was pulled from service.


Two full years actually.


----------



## Orion Nebula

How early is everyone getting to the airport for their SW flights. I know it's a pretty universal situation but I am hearing two different opinions on the matter. And I just wanted to double check, you NEED to be at the gate 30 minutes or more prior due to boarding group calling correct?


----------



## G719

Orion Nebula said:


> How early is everyone getting to the airport for their SW flights. I know it's a pretty universal situation but I am hearing two different opinions on the matter. And I just wanted to double check, you NEED to be at the gate 30 minutes or more prior due to boarding group calling correct?


Boarding begins about 30 minutes before the flight time. If you're in A group you should be there. If you're in C, you'll have a few more minutes to wait.


----------



## easyas123

Orion Nebula said:


> NEED




Need?  I'm not sure you NEED to be there 30 minutes *prior*....aside from any formal or published recommendations...how would they know if you were there 15 minutes or 45 minutes before?  I walk the concourse before boarding so I'm usually not there until a few min before they call my boarding group.  I think it might be a comfort level type thing for folks, different people will be more comfortable than others not walking up until just before.


----------



## Orion Nebula

G719 said:


> Boarding begins about 30 minutes before the flight time. If you're in A group you should be there. If you're in C, you'll have a few more minutes to wait.



Thank you! Has anyone used the early bird check-in? I am wondering if it really helps. Too late now but just curious.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Orion Nebula said:


> Thank you! Has anyone used the early bird check-in? I am wondering if it really helps. Too late now but just curious.


Now that SW is filling planes to capacity again, EBCI is beneficial once again.


----------



## dez1978

Just curious, is there any rhyme or reason for SWs pricing changes?  I purchased our flights about a week after they went on sale.  About 2 months or so ago, I was able to get them MUCH cheaper, like $103 (originally around 200 each).  Now that flight is $348.  Just wondering why such fluctuation for the same flight, and really, really glad I follow this thread and watch the prices regularly


----------



## G719

Orion Nebula said:


> Thank you! Has anyone used the early bird check-in? I am wondering if it really helps. Too late now but just curious.


I always get early bird check-in for going to and from Orlando. I especially like not having to worry about checking in while on vacation. I've always gotten A group but I also usually book as soon as I can for a trip.


----------



## dez1978

G719 said:


> I always get early bird check-in for going to and from Orlando. I especially like not having to worry about checking in while on vacation. I've always gotten A group but I also usually book as soon as I can for a trip.


I can't remember, does it go by when you booked the flight or when you bought EBCI?


----------



## scrappinginontario

dez1978 said:


> Just curious, is there any rhyme or reason for SWs pricing changes?  I purchased our flights about a week after they went on sale.  About 2 months or so ago, I was able to get them MUCH cheaper, like $103 (originally around 200 each).  Now that flight is $348.  Just wondering why such fluctuation for the same flight, and really, really glad I follow this thread and watch the prices regularly


Normally the prices increase as the flight fills up, at least this has been my understanding.


dez1978 said:


> I can't remember, does it go by when you booked the flight or when you bought EBCI?


EBCI is assigned in order of when EBCI was purchased.


----------



## PCFriar80

dez1978 said:


> I can't remember, does it go by when you booked the flight or when you bought EBCI?


When you actually purchase the EBCI.  


dez1978 said:


> Just curious, is there any rhyme or reason for SWs pricing changes?  I purchased our flights about a week after they went on sale.  About 2 months or so ago, I was able to get them MUCH cheaper, like $103 (originally around 200 each).  Now that flight is $348.  Just wondering why such fluctuation for the same flight, and really, really glad I follow this thread and watch the prices regularly


No one really knows.  On a macro level it's simple supply and demand.  On a micro level there are probably programming algorithms that factor in historical data, seasonal considerations, rate for which seats are selling and probably hundred of other factors.


----------



## Elle23

scrappinginontario said:


> Normally the prices increase as the flight fills up, at least this has been my understanding.
> EBCI is assigned in order of when EBCI was purchased.



It is my understanding if you switch your flights, your ECBI defaults to the switch date even if you originally purchased the ECBI months ago. Is that correct?


----------



## scrappinginontario

Elle23 said:


> It is my understanding if you switch your flights, your ECBI defaults to the switch date even if you originally purchased the ECBI months ago. Is that correct?


That is my understanding.  It also appears to happen if SW switches your flights which is happening far more frequently.

Personally, I will still choose to purchase it right now, even with all the flight changes but it's a personal decision.


----------



## PCFriar80

Elle23 said:


> It is my understanding if you switch your flights, your ECBI defaults to the switch date even if you originally purchased the ECBI months ago. Is that correct?


My understanding is different....not that that really matters  but I was once told that if you change your flight that the EBCI stays with the original confirmation number and date of purchase.  This is important because if you cancel your flight and rebook then you lose the EBCI and have to repurchase it.


----------



## Elle23

PCFriar80 said:


> My understanding is different....not that that really matters  but I was once told that if you change your flight that the EBCI stays with the original confirmation number and date of purchase.  This is important because if you cancel your flight and rebook then you lose the EBCI and have to repurchase it.



Well the only anecdotal evidence I can offer is when my son and I went on a church trip a few years ago. He was riding with the church group in a van and I was flying there and back. I purchased tickets several months before with EBCI

He decided when we were on the trip that he would rather fly home with me. I ended up changing my flight and booking him a new flight with EBCI the day before we left. We ended up right next to each other at check in. 

That has led me to believe the EBCI date gets reassigned, but it could have been a coincidence.


----------



## Elle23

Sorry to anyone I annoyed by typing ECBI.

My brain and typing fingers were not communicating.


----------



## Gitelfor

Southwest is again making some schedule modifications  and allowing changes to your itinerary, per Southwest T&C, at no change in fare, but subject to availability. Flights now affected are in March and April.

Southwest emails are starting to be sent tonight.  Changes must be made within three days of notice.  However, I suggest being proactive in checking your flights and not waiting for an email that may or may not ever come.

Reminder-even if your upcoming flight has not been changed, but the banner comes up when selecting to change, you can still take advantage and modify to a different date or flight, within a 30 day window, and subject to availability.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Gitelfor said:


> Southwest is again making some schedule modifications  and allowing changes to your itinerary, per Southwest T&C, at no change in fare, but subject to availability. Flights now affected are in March and April.
> 
> Southwest emails are starting to be sent tonight.  Changes must be made within three days of notice.  However, I suggest being proactive in checking your flights and not waiting for an email that may or may not ever come.
> 
> Reminder-even if your upcoming flight has not been changed, but the banner comes up when selecting to change, you can still take advantage and modify to a different date or flight, within a 30 day window, and subject to availability.



They've already changed my return flight without notifying me. Doesn't matter as I am going to cancel these SW flights and use Delta so that I will be guaranteed to have fewer people on the plane.


----------



## Gitelfor

LadybugsMum said:


> They've already changed my return flight without notifying me. Doesn't matter as I am going to cancel these SW flights and use Delta so that I will be guaranteed to have fewer people on the plane.


Yup - they will change your flight before or without notifying you, beforehand.  That’s why it’s a good idea to check your flights, whenever you hear that changes are being made.


----------



## aokeefe

Emails started coming in for me last night (We are flying PVD-SAV). One flight change benefitted us, the other not so much with a 3.5 hr layover. Quickly changed to the early morning flight with shorter layover.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Gitelfor said:


> Yup - they will change your flight before or without notifying you, beforehand.  That’s why it’s a good idea to check your flights, whenever you hear that changes are being made.


Actually, they hadn't changed our flight yet as the itinerary was still showing the old one that didn't exist. But, the only one left was a very late departure at 8:15 and arriving at 10pm. If my kids were older, it would have been great, but that's a long day for them. I've got my Delta flight bought and I've canceled the SW flights. Too bad the credit will expire before I can use it.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Oh darn I should have realized that this opportunity would be coming and I just changed one of my flights and paid for the change yesterday morning if I had just waited a few hours I would have been able to make my change at no extra charge!


----------



## TNKim

I never seem to get ANY emails from Southwest other than weekly ads for sales or offers to buy points.  They never send emails about flight changes or cancellations.  Is there a way they pick and choose who they send notifications to?


----------



## easyas123

I had to book a r/t flight to Florida just this morning.  Right after I checked my phone app to see if it was there, it was, as was the red banner telling me I could change my flight!
My flights are 4/12 & 4/15


----------



## Gitelfor

TNKim said:


> I never seem to get ANY emails from Southwest other than weekly ads for sales or offers to buy points.  They never send emails about flight changes or cancellations.  Is there a way they pick and choose who they send notifications to?


Perhaps confirm that your correct email address is attached to each of your confirmations.  Do you enter an email address when booking (if booking on Southwest's site)?  You can go into an existing reservation to "edit" or update your contact information.


----------



## TNKim

Gitelfor said:


> Perhaps confirm that your correct email address is attached to each of your confirmations.  Do you enter an email address when booking (if booking on Southwest's site)?  You can go into an existing reservation to "edit" or update your contact information.
> 
> View attachment 558717



In looking at my contact info, I've used TEXT instead of email since I thought a text on the day of the flight would be best.  Should I set it to EMAIL instead?  My email is on my profile, just not on the actual flight listing itself.  There's not an option to have TEXT and EMAIL that I can see.  I do get emails when I actually make a reservation, just not when there are changes it seems.  I can't remember if I get a text or not for changes.  My flight is end of May, so no changes yet.


----------



## Gitelfor

TNKim said:


> In looking at my contact info, I've used TEXT instead of email since I thought a text on the day of the flight would be best.  Should I set it to EMAIL instead?  My email is on my profile, just not on the actual flight listing itself.  There's not an option to have TEXT and EMAIL that I can see.  I do get emails when I actually make a reservation, just not when there are changes it seems.  I can't remember if I get a text or not for changes.  My flight is end of May, so no changes yet.


You can always call or tweet @SouthwestAir for their feedback.  You may be on hold for awhile if calling; I’ve had good response contacting them on Twitter.


----------



## MinnieMSue

Huh. We don’t have a red banner for either of our March flights which is fine with me because I don’t want them changed but fear they will. I rarely get an email from southwest about flight changes but oddly the last change they emailed my minor daughter about it. I noticed on the app and told her about the change and she said “oh yeah I got an email about it”. I asked her to please let me know if that ever happens again lol. One other thing I do is periodically check to see if I can still book my flights. Last time I found out my flight was going to change when the flight I was scheduled to be on no longer existed. I had a red banner at the time so I quickly got a better flight.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Holy moly!  I’ve been watching flights for late April and not only are they changing/consolidating times but the prices have skyrocketed- at least for return flights!!! I might have to rethink my next 2 trips 

ETA - I’ve been looking several times a day and this literally just happened


----------



## SM1992

Erica Ladd said:


> Holy moly!  I’ve been watching flights for late April and not only are they changing/consolidating times but the prices have skyrocketed- at least for return flights!!! I might have to rethink my next 2 trips
> 
> ETA - I’ve been looking several times a day and this literally just happened


We have a res.  for mid April and I keep putting off booking tickets. These prices  + full planes may help us to decide to cancel alltogether.


----------



## DMLAINI

My late April flights were just changed.   We're now arriving 2 hours earlier & leaving 3 hours later which is fine.   Is this probably because the flights are getting full?  We paid $141 each way & now prices are over $400.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

DMLAINI said:


> My late April flights were just changed.   We're now arriving 2 hours earlier & leaving 3 hours later which is fine.   Is this probably because the flights are getting full?  We paid $141 each way & now prices are over $400.


Southwest's goal is to fly planes as full as possible.  These changes often result in the consolidation of flights (i.e. they take 3 flights and consolidate them into 2).  So that's a long way to say yes - that's likely what's occurring with your flights.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Yikes. I wish I already booked. But it’s not even that. Looking a week or two past our original dates the flights are rediculous with not one lower priced option. Boo.


----------



## Weezerette

Erica Ladd said:


> Holy moly!  I’ve been watching flights for late April and not only are they changing/consolidating times but the prices have skyrocketed- at least for return flights!!! I might have to rethink my next 2 trips
> 
> ETA - I’ve been looking several times a day and this literally just happened


Mine too for 5/8. I stalk it daily just to check prices (already booked) and about 6:30pm they sent me an email they moved my flight 30 minutes earlier but more importantly the price went from hovering around $110 to $350+ for all options on all days around it. Crazy!  Maybe it’s a fluke and they will come back down. It was just $83 a couple days ago and $110 this morning.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Not sure it’s a fluke. I hope so. Our departing flight that I’ve been watching went from $59 to almost $400 while I went to cook some chicken nuggets!!! Worried about the future of our travel...


----------



## DMLAINI

Gitelfor said:


> Southwest has posted a "Return to service" date of 03/11/2021 for placing the 737 MAX back into their fleet.  If you are concerned about flying on the 737 MAX, you may want to check the aircraft scheduled to operate on your flights.  The aircraft will show up when opening up the "Details" section of your confirmed reservation on the website or by searching for new flights on the website.   Reminder -  the 737-800 is not the same as the 737 MAX.
> 
> I believe that Southwest previously stated that they will work with customers on previously-booked travel not originally scheduled to operate with the 737 MAX, who are concerned that their flight was subsequently changed to the MAX.  Of course, there always is the disclaimer that the aircraft can be changed at any time, due to weather, mechanical, or scheduling issues.
> 
> Quote from Southwest CEO Gary Kelly:
> 
> 
> It will have been one year since the 737 MAX was pulled from service.  Southwest is planning on taking delivery of 35 new 737 MAX aircraft through the end of this year.


Is the Boeing 737-700 a Boeing Max?  That's what we've been switched to


----------



## AngieInOH

Erica Ladd said:


> Not sure it’s a fluke. I hope so. Our departing flight that I’ve been watching went from $59 to almost $400 while I went to cook some chicken nuggets!!! Worried about the future of our travel...



Holy crap you had $59 and didn't jump on that?! I haven't seen that price since 2005.  Hope it comes back down for you.


----------



## sommergirl25

Erica Ladd said:


> Not sure it’s a fluke. I hope so. Our departing flight that I’ve been watching went from $59 to almost $400 while I went to cook some chicken nuggets!!! Worried about the future of our travel...



We purchased flights for end of April at $49. That was last month. Got an email about flights being changed. Not a big deal, just leaving an hour earlier. I was curious so searched for same flights to see what options/prices.  They are now over $500. So crazy.


----------



## CarlyMur09

Yeah, I'm seeing this on our BWI-MCO flight the end of April. Thankfullly our flight out wasn't cancelled, but I think it did get consolidated to one of the 2 current early non-stops (went from 6:15 departure to 6:45), from what looked to be 3 or 4 early flights that morning

Still waiting to see what it does for the return trip, which is a week and a half later (in May)


----------



## Erica Ladd

Yes. Crazy. I was waiting to make sure DH and work would be ok plus the emails kept saying sale thru 2/28 or something like that. Now we may just not go or try a different airline but even still it’s much more than I’m willing to pay


----------



## Gitelfor

DMLAINI said:


> Is the Boeing 737-700 a Boeing Max?  That's what we've been switched to


No, not at all.  It is older and slighter smaller than the MAX and has been a workhorse for a number of years.


----------



## CmdrThor

I decided to buy a few shares of LUV a few weeks ago.  All of these consolidations and price hikes have me glad I did that, and glad I've already purchased all of my planned flights through August.  I just wish I had bought more shares, it's up over 25% in just a few weeks.


----------



## Rachel GB

Just had both my nonstop flight to MCO changed to one with a long layover AND my flight from MCO back home moved three hours earlier. This does not work for our family. We used travel funds to ‘pay’ for most of the flight and paid out of pocket for some. The travel funds would have been expired soon but had the September 2022 expiration date due to a COVID cancellation last year. If we cancel these flights due to Southwest’s changes to them, what happens to those travel funds? Do we lose out?
TIA!!!!!


----------



## Gitelfor

For those who are unhappy about a charge in a departure time for an upcoming flight, how about this change made by Southwest?


The original itinerary had a _connection_ in ATL on the way to the final destination of MCO
The revised itinerary as concocted by Southwest has the trip _originating _in ATL on a nonstop to final destination of MCO
To top it off, travel switched to the 737 MAX.  Does this seem like some kind of a sign?


----------



## Gitelfor

High fare mystery solved.  They are updating the system.  This includes many changes in schedules and assignment of 737 MAX to flights.  WGA fares should again be available 02/25/2021 (normal lower fares).


----------



## Lsdolphin

So changed my return flight from Sat 4/24 to Sun 4/25 and added an additional day to my resort reservation after my original flight was cancelled and I was moved to a later flight...then last night I got the email that my return flight on Sun 4/25 to BWI was changed. So now trying to decide whether to just come back on the flight they changed me to on Sunday or go change back to same fight on Sat and cancel extra day I added to reservation.  Anyone have any idea whether plane would be less crowded on Sat vs Sunday???


----------



## EACarlson

It seems like it is time for the reminder of what types of planes Southwest flies.

WN or Southwest Airlines flies three different variants of the Boeing 737. 
They are:
737-700
737-800 or 738
737 Max

Each of these are a completely separate versions.

My ORD-DAL flight in April just got changed, the flight number is different, everything else is the same.


----------



## Makmak

Rachel GB said:


> Just had both my nonstop flight to MCO changed to one with a long layover AND my flight from MCO back home moved three hours earlier. This does not work for our family. We used travel funds to ‘pay’ for most of the flight and paid out of pocket for some. The travel funds would have been expired soon but had the September 2022 expiration date due to a COVID cancellation last year. If we cancel these flights due to Southwest’s changes to them, what happens to those travel funds? Do we lose out?
> TIA!!!!!


We had a similar situation and they restored the finds but kept the expiry date. We called to get it handled, as I wasn’t sure what would happen if I tried to cancel online.


----------



## Gitelfor

Fares are now pricing at normal levels, again!


----------



## bjscheel

Have they changed policy on changing flights?  I have changed our May flights booked on points a couple of times to get points back on lower fares.  Overnight, they had changed our nonstop to a connecting flight.  This morning I found that there was another nonstop I could pick, so I went in to change and got a message I hadn't seen before.  That I could change without cost if I kept the same airports.  Then the list of flights showed and didn't have +/- point values, just "Available". 

The points value for the new flight was the same, so it didn't matter, but is this the end of modifying for lower fares?

ETA: I found a blog indicating that maybe this is actually an extra perk, that I could have changed to a more expensive flight at no cost.  The FAQs still say that you can modify for lower fares.  I already had the lowest fare for the day.

Anyway, I really hope we can keep nonstops. We are not super concerned about Covid, but thought not having the layover and additional plane loads of people would be best.  It's taking me back to last year when we had a June trip planned and the first thing to go was our nonstops.  Of course that trip never happened!


----------



## zemmer

Waiting on the callback from SWA. They changed our flight to Orlando to a flight to Dallas.  I know they’ll fix it, but I’m sad that we were set to arrive at 2:00 and now the earliest arrival is 5:00.


----------



## ultimatefans

bjscheel said:


> Have they changed policy on changing flights?  I have changed our May flights booked on points a couple of times to get points back on lower fares.  Overnight, they had changed our nonstop to a connecting flight.  This morning I found that there was another nonstop I could pick, so I went in to change and got a message I hadn't seen before.  That I could change without cost if I kept the same airports.  Then the list of flights showed and didn't have +/- point values, just "Available".
> 
> The points value for the new flight was the same, so it didn't matter, but is this the end of modifying for lower fares?
> 
> ETA: I found a blog indicating that maybe this is actually an extra perk, that I could have changed to a more expensive flight at no cost.  The FAQs still say that you can modify for lower fares.  I already had the lowest fare for the day.
> 
> Anyway, I really hope we can keep nonstops. We are not super concerned about Covid, but thought not having the layover and additional plane loads of people would be best.  It's taking me back to last year when we had a June trip planned and the first thing to go was our nonstops.  Of course that trip never happened!


That is temporary and currently happens every so often for just a few days when Southwest is changing schedules around.  If you check again in a couple of days you will see the ability to modify your flights for more or less points.


----------



## TheMick424

I'm glad I follow this thread.  I just happened to check the SW website today and noticed my flights had been changed, and we did not receive an e-mail or notice.  Luckily the time changes are reasonable, but I do find it odd that they didn't notify me.  The return flight was moved up by over an hour.


----------



## AlohaNow

Over the past two weeks I’ve been eyeing a last minute spring break trip to South Florida. From the time I started looking to the time I booked, SW lost its mind. I ended up booking mostly $49 one-ways on United, and using some old Delta points for a single one-way as well. It was weird to pay money to an airline because usually we always fly for free using our RRs. But with all these SW consolidations I’m reading about on here, I’m glad we’re going with legacy carriers, though something could still change. And I felt like a wealthy person getting to choose seats! I still LUV you SWA, but I’ll be back once you’re behaving normally again!


----------



## Orion Nebula

We just got our boarding passes and they say "Group A: 31-37", what are the chances of finding two sets of three seats?


----------



## scrappinginontario

Orion Nebula said:


> We just got our boarding passes and they say "Group A: 31-37", what are the chances of finding two sets of three seats?


EXCELLENT!  There will be only a few people on the plane when you board.  You will be able to find two sets of three seats without any problems at all!


----------



## EACarlson

Orion Nebula said:


> We just got our boarding passes and they say "Group A: 31-37", what are the chances of finding two sets of three seats?


Guaranteed, there are 24 rows, which means 47 sets of three and one set of two. A max of 31 people will be on board before you.


----------



## Orion Nebula

EACarlson said:


> Guaranteed, there are 24 rows, which means 47 sets of three and one set of two. A max of 31 people will be on board before you.



Unless of course there are a ton of pre-boarders?


----------



## scrappinginontario

Orion Nebula said:


> Unless of course there are a ton of pre-boarders?


I'm not sure about your experiences but I've flown SW a lot and I have never see 'a ton' of pre-boarders.  Max was maybe 10 groups (and this was only 1 flight) and even with that those 10 groups would only take up 10 of the 47 rows.  That plus a max of 31 people in front of you means you will have no trouble getting 2 sets of 3 together.  I would not give it another second's thought.


----------



## EACarlson

Orion Nebula said:


> Unless of course there are a ton of pre-boarders?


I've never been on a flight where the number of pre boarders was more than the number of empty A1-A15 boarding slots. Multiple times I've been the only one in those first boarding positions.


----------



## Roocatty

scrappinginontario said:


> I'm not sure about your experiences but I've flown SW a lot and I have never see 'a ton' of pre-boarders.  Max was maybe 10 groups (and this was only 1 flight) and even with that those 10 groups would only take up 10 of the 47 rows.  That plus a max of 31 people in front of you means you will have no trouble getting 2 sets of 3 together.  I would not give it another second's thought.


We once had a flight where we had a1 and a2 and were almost the last to board the plane.  There were a ton of make a wish children and each had 5 to 10 people.  Southwest didn't make them stick to the only one person with a preboard rule and allowed the entire family to board with each child.


----------



## easyas123

Roocatty said:


> We once had a flight where we had a1 and a2 and were almost the last to board the plane.  There were a ton of make a wish children and each had 5 to 10 people.  Southwest didn't make them stick to the only one person with a preboard rule and allowed the entire family to board with each child.



Yeah, but how often can that happen?  It's not exactly the norm, or even something anyone should worry about dealing with.

I've used SW almost exclusively for work & personal flights for the past several years.  I'd say on average 3-6 r/t per year, so while certainly not flying every week or month like most work related travelers, I've not seen more than 10-15 at the MOST waiting for pre board.


----------



## Roocatty

easyas123 said:


> Yeah, but how often can that happen?  It's not exactly the norm, or even something anyone should worry about dealing with.
> 
> I've used SW almost exclusively for work & personal flights for the past several years.  I'd say on average 3-6 r/t per year, so while certainly not flying every week or month like most work related travelers, I've not seen more than 10-15 at the MOST waiting for pre board.


I know it's very rare. It's the only time anything close has happened.  I just wanted to let them know.  Once things return to normal in the next couple years there may be a few of these flights as make a wish tries to catch up.


----------



## tseitel

FYI. Southwest just updated their flight schedule info, it now reads “on April 22nd we will release flights through Nov 6” for anyone who has been waiting (like me!!)


----------



## aokeefe

Orion Nebula said:


> We just got our boarding passes and they say "Group A: 31-37", what are the chances of finding two sets of three seats?


I flew last week and had B 41 and there were about 4/5  completely free rows in the back so your chances are extremely good. (Flying how we were B 47 and got the last set of 3). Both flights were full.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Roocatty said:


> We once had a flight where we had a1 and a2 and were almost the last to board the plane.  There were a ton of make a wish children and each had 5 to 10 people.  Southwest didn't make them stick to the only one person with a preboard rule and allowed the entire family to board with each child.


If that was a flight I was scheduled on, I couldn't have been happier to be the last on the plane or even moved to another flight if they needed me to.  A flight like that quickly puts life into perspective!!

I will say friends were once travelling home and were on a flight with a wheelchair basketball team.  Due to the weight of the chairs their luggage needed to be sent on a separate flight the next day.  This friend and I have a fun tradition of bringing chocolate to each other when we travel.  His wife laughed when he looked at her mid-flight and said, 'We don't have any luggage but, we have 'scrappintinontario's' chocolate in our carry-on!    Glad he knew to bring what was important!


----------



## easyas123

scrappinginontario said:


> If that was a flight I was scheduled on, I couldn't have been happier to be the last on the plane or even moved to another flight if they needed me to. A flight like that quickly puts life into perspective!!



Indeed it does!


----------



## EACarlson

tseitel said:


> FYI. Southwest just updated their flight schedule info, it now reads “on April 22nd we will release flights through Nov 6” for anyone who has been waiting (like me!!)


Me too, I've got to get to MCO in October.  Don't know if I'll go SW or Delta.


----------



## Erica Ladd

EACarlson said:


> Me too, I've got to get to MCO in October.  Don't know if I'll go SW or Delta.



we ended up booking delta instead of SW for our April trip mostly because of the flight times. When SW consolidated they made travel times much worse for our dates


----------



## EACarlson

I've got 200,000 SkyPesos, but then I have to pay for a bag.  I'll see how much SW wants and at what times.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Erica Ladd said:


> we ended up booking delta instead of SW for our April trip mostly because of the flight times. When SW consolidated they made travel times much worse for our dates


Same and Delta is keeping the middle seats free.


----------



## Roocatty

scrappinginontario said:


> If that was a flight I was scheduled on, I couldn't have been happier to be the last on the plane or even moved to another flight if they needed me to.  A flight like that quickly puts life into perspective!!
> 
> I will say friends were once travelling home and were on a flight with a wheelchair basketball team.  Due to the weight of the chairs their luggage needed to be sent on a separate flight the next day.  This friend and I have a fun tradition of bringing chocolate to each other when we travel.  His wife laughed when he looked at her mid-flight and said, 'We don't have any luggage but, we have 'scrappintinontario's' chocolate in our carry-on!    Glad he knew to bring what was important!


I hope people aren't thinking I'm angry about this or that I would want to go ahead of the children.  No way!  I'm happy they are able to make the trip and gladly waited.  I was just recounting what happened since there had been an instance where being in A group can still put you on last even though it's very rare.


----------



## sommergirl25

How often is SW changing/consolidating flights?  They just consolidated both our flights for end of April/beginning of May.  I changed my return flight to a nonstop because they changed it to a connecting way out of the way that added quite a few hours. I guess I am getting nervous that they may do more consolidating. Should I be too worried?


----------



## scrappinginontario

sommergirl25 said:


> How often is SW changing/consolidating flights?  They just consolidated both our flights for end of April/beginning of May.  I changed my return flight to a nonstop because they changed it to a connecting way out of the way that added quite a few hours. I guess I am getting nervous that they may do more consolidating. Should I be too worried?


SW Is changing and consolidating flights often.  Many flights are flying full after flight consolidation.  As you’re not flying for 2 months I would be prepared for more flight changes and quite likely more than once.  Until you are sitting on your flight there is a possibility right now it will be changed.


----------



## jkelly86

Our Southwest flights we have reserved for April 2021 (spring break) for 6 people have changed multiple times (at least 4 times so far, that I can remember).  I am grateful to this thread helping us get ahead of the changes.  It is difficult for us to get 6 reservations to stick together during the peak dates that we are flying.  One of our flights went from non-stop to a layover then a non-stop and then to an additional later non-stop that was added once they overbooked the first one (and only some of us were moved).  Keep an eye on your flights!


----------



## jkelly86

Also, just saw this on the Southwest website:
*We are currently accepting air reservations through August 16, 2021.*
On April 22, 2021 we will open our schedule for sale through November 6, 2021. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently


----------



## JC1984

jkelly86 said:


> Also, just saw this on the Southwest website:
> *We are currently accepting air reservations through August 16, 2021.*
> On April 22, 2021 we will open our schedule for sale through November 6, 2021. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently


Thanks for the intel!


----------



## izzy25

We are departing November 5th and returning November 12th.  I just saw that they will open up flights through November 6th on April 22nd.   Can I still book our departure flight on the 22nd and then our return flight once it becomes available?   How does that work?   I've never had that happen before while booking flights


----------



## AlohaNow

izzy25 said:


> We are departing November 5th and returning November 12th.  I just saw that they will open up flights through November 6th on April 22nd.   Can I still book our departure flight on the 22nd and then our return flight once it becomes available?   How does that work?   I've never had that happen before while booking flights



Yes, absolutely! I can't even remember the last time I booked an actual round-trip on SW. We like to have the flexibility to change stuff anyway. No problem for you to book your outbound and then your return later on. Have fun planning!


----------



## izzy25

AlohaNow said:


> Yes, absolutely! I can't even remember the last time I booked an actual round-trip on SW. We like to have the flexibility to change stuff anyway. No problem for you to book your outbound and then your return later on. Have fun planning!



So you just book 2 one way flights?


----------



## Erica Ladd

Yes


----------



## LadybugsMum

Erica Ladd said:


> Yes


 Yes.  I’ve found it easier to do that. So when prices or times change, it’s easier to update just the one affected.


----------



## scrappinginontario

I’ve just started booking 2 one way flights separately and find it easier.


----------



## jkelly86

We have historically booked 2 one-way flights with Southwest, too.  There is no fare difference between a one-way and a RT, and it is easier to change flights, as needed.


----------



## Leigh L

scrappinginontario said:


> I’ve just started booking 2 one way flights separately and find it easier.


I do too, especially with SW but I do it with other airlines as well. Sometimes I mix and match airlines also because you can get better prices and flexibility that way.


----------



## Gitelfor

Southwest has a sale with fares starting at $29 (extremely limited routes qualify for $29 fare). Randomly searching, I did manage to find availability LAS-RNO @ $29 each way, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  Most routes still price in normal range of fares - not at $29.   The $29 fare must be booked by 03/04/2021.

The $29 fare = 1058 RR points.  Combine that with CP, and that is really a steal!

The easiest and quickest way to check is with the Low Fare Calendar.


----------



## MaggieBags

For those of you wanting to book fall trips:

On April 22, 2021, we will open our schedule for sale through November 06, 2021. (Date is subject to change; please check back frequently.)


----------



## Gitelfor

Southwest is at it again.  Check your April thru early May reservations for flight changes.  This also is the time to take advantage of no change in fare for switching to another flight or date within a 30 day change window, if the "*You may change your trip date/time at no additional cost if you stay inside the restrictions below"* banner appears for your itinerary.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Gitelfor said:


> Southwest is at it again.  Check your April thru early May reservations for flight changes.  This also is the time to take advantage of no change in fare for switching to another flight or date within a 30 day change window, if the "*You may change your trip date/time at no additional cost if you stay inside the restrictions below"* banner appears for your itinerary.



Yes. Unfortunately that works both ways I had paid extra and changed my flight then several hours later I got the email from SWA changing my flight back to the flight I had to begin with!


----------



## Gitelfor

Lsdolphin said:


> Yes. Unfortunately that works both ways I had paid extra and changed my flight then several hours later I got the email from SWA changing my flight back to the flight I had to begin with!


I don’t know if you contacted Southwest at the time, but I always think it’s worth a try to see if they can assist - especially with them making a change.  I contact them as soon as I see an issue; it seems the longer one waits, the less likely they will (or can) do anything.  One of the great benefits of booking Southwest is being able to check for fare reductions and get points returned or credit issued on a nonrefundable ticket.

All of the schedule revisions is yet another strange side effect of the pandemic, with Southwest not being alone in often making changes.

Sorry for the poor timing and unexpected change.


----------



## Gitelfor

System maintenance is preventing access to accounts, when trying to log in.



> We are currently unable to complete your request. Please try again later.
> 
> We’re making a few updates to the Rapid Rewards experience. As a result, Customers will be temporarily unable to access My Account or book or manage redemption travel online or on mobile platforms. We’ll be back up and running soon.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *System Maintenance Impacting Email, Subscription Preferences, and App Push Notifications*
> We're making a few scheduled updates to our email and push notification platform. As a result push notifications related to check-in and boarding reminders will not go out during this outage. Our Opt-Out request forms will also be temporarily down on Saturday March 6th from 1:00 AM CST until approximately 10:00 PM CST.
Click to expand...


ETA  -  Account access is again available.


----------



## Princess Steph

To any PVD experts.... SW changed our flight to 6:05 am.  Last time we had a flight this early, they had to hold the plane from taking off because people were late trying to check bags and  baggage was held up.  There was a long line at the SW counter to get boarding pass and check baggage very early.  This year our flight is Saturday of April vacation.  Baggage counter opens at 5:00 and flight starts boarding at 5:35.  I called SW and customer service confirmed the flight is full.  He also said we should get at the airport 1-1.5 hours early.  But then I said SW counter doesn't open until 5:00, so why tell me to get there at 4:35?  He was just reassuring that my baggage would make it on the plane.  I'm not worried about my bag, I'm worried about myself!  Can anyone confirm that baggage will open earlier than 5:00?  otherwise, I'm going to just carry my bag on the plane even though I'd rather check it.  I want to take full size sunblock, other liquids and my magic bullet (which has been a TSA security red flag in the past) but will just manage without.  My only solution is to take a carry-on, I guess.


----------



## Gitelfor

Princess Steph said:


> To any PVD experts.... SW changed our flight to 6:05 am.  Last time we had a flight this early, they had to hold the plane from taking off because people were late trying to check bags and  baggage was held up.  There was a long line at the SW counter to get boarding pass and check baggage very early.  This year our flight is Saturday of April vacation.  Baggage counter opens at 5:00 and flight starts boarding at 5:35.  I called SW and customer service confirmed the flight is full.  He also said we should get at the airport 1-1.5 hours early.  But then I said SW counter doesn't open until 5:00, so why tell me to get there at 4:35?  He was just reassuring that my baggage would make it on the plane.  I'm not worried about my bag, I'm worried about myself!  Can anyone confirm that baggage will open earlier than 5:00?  otherwise, I'm going to just carry my bag on the plane even though I'd rather check it.  I want to take full size sunblock, other liquids and my magic bullet (which has been a TSA security red flag in the past) but will just manage without.  My only solution is to take a carry-on, I guess.



Southwest's website says that the PVD counter opens 90 minutes before the first flight of the day.


> *Providence, RI - PVD Airport Details*
> Ticket Counter Hours:
> *Monday-Sunday*
> Opens 90 minutes before first departing flight



When in doubt, I rely on @SouthwestAir on Twitter for accurate info and assistance.  When I had a question about an airport, they actually contacted that station to confirm the information.

Do you have TSA PreCheck?  That would get you through Security much faster, both at PVD and MCO.  If you don't have it, the cost for five years of PreCheck is a total of $85 for all five years, which breaks down to $17 per year. 

TSA PreCheck info and links


----------



## aokeefe

Princess Steph said:


> To any PVD experts.... SW changed our flight to 6:05 am.  Last time we had a flight this early, they had to hold the plane from taking off because people were late trying to check bags and  baggage was held up.  There was a long line at the SW counter to get boarding pass and check baggage very early.  This year our flight is Saturday of April vacation.  Baggage counter opens at 5:00 and flight starts boarding at 5:35.  I called SW and customer service confirmed the flight is full.  He also said we should get at the airport 1-1.5 hours early.  But then I said SW counter doesn't open until 5:00, so why tell me to get there at 4:35?  He was just reassuring that my baggage would make it on the plane.  I'm not worried about my bag, I'm worried about myself!  Can anyone confirm that baggage will open earlier than 5:00?  otherwise, I'm going to just carry my bag on the plane even though I'd rather check it.  I want to take full size sunblock, other liquids and my magic bullet (which has been a TSA security red flag in the past) but will just manage without.  My only solution is to take a carry-on, I guess.


We had a 6 am flight PVD-MCO last February- we got to the airport around 4:45 and the counter was open. I recommend the kiosk to use to print boarding pass (or use phone) and get luggage tickets- then you just bring them to the counter, show and your license and head to TSA. Honestly we fly TF Green all the time and have never had a wait at the counter or at security (we have pre-check too and sometimes there is more people in the pre-check than regular line... and by more people I mean 2!)


----------



## Princess Steph

Gitelfor said:


> Southwest's website says that the PVD counter opens 90 minutes before the first flight of the day.
> 
> 
> When in doubt, I rely on @SouthwestAir on Twitter for accurate info and assistance.  When I had a question about an airport, they actually contacted that station to confirm the information.
> 
> Do you have TSA PreCheck?  That would get you through Security much faster, both at PVD and MCO.  If you don't have it, the cost for five years of PreCheck is a total of $85 for all five years, which breaks down to $17 per year.
> 
> TSA PreCheck info and links


Yes, I have pre-check. Thank you for that info.


----------



## Princess Steph

aokeefe said:


> We had a 6 am flight PVD-MCO last February- we got to the airport around 4:45 and the counter was open. I recommend the kiosk to use to print boarding pass (or use phone) and get luggage tickets- then you just bring them to the counter, show and your license and head to TSA. Honestly we fly TF Green all the time and have never had a wait at the counter or at security (we have pre-check too and sometimes there is more people in the pre-check than regular line... and by more people I mean 2!)


That’s very reassuring. T F Green website says terminal open 24 hours a day, airline counters open at 5:00 am. But maybe they open earlier if needed. Thank you


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Okay it's been a looooonnnggg time since I've been on this thread but we finally are back in it with a flight. Tomorrow morning we have a flight to Vegas (a rescheduled trip from last April).

I know middle seat guarantee is gone right?

We have A33 and A34. That's with my husband's A-list, paid with points and no EBCI.

Has anyone had any luck using expired drink coupons? We have a ton that expired in 2020 (may, june and december) that we never got to really use. It's not a big deal just wondered.

What's people's flight experience been like if you've flown very recently? Has anyone done the double masks or found that not to be as common?

We know masks are required basically from when we pull our car into The Parking Spot in our home airport until we get into our rental car when we get to Vegas so we're prepared for that.

Any other random tidbits people have about flying recently during this pandemic is always welcomed!


----------



## Gitelfor

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Okay it's been a looooonnnggg time since I've been on this thread but we finally are back in it with a flight. Tomorrow morning we have a flight to Vegas (a rescheduled trip from last April).
> 
> I know middle seat guarantee is gone right?
> 
> We have A33 and A34. That's with my husband's A-list, paid with points and no EBCI.
> 
> Has anyone had any luck using expired drink coupons? We have a ton that expired in 2020 (may, june and december) that we never got to really use. It's not a big deal just wondered.
> 
> What's people's flight experience been like if you've flown very recently? Has anyone done the double masks or found that not to be as common?
> 
> We know masks are required basically from when we pull our car into The Parking Spot in our home airport until we get into our rental car when we get to Vegas so we're prepared for that.
> 
> Any other random tidbits people have about flying recently during this pandemic is always welcomed!


With A33/34 you should be able to get a good choice of seats.  Southwest stopped blocking middle seats after November, so full flights will have _all seats _occupied.  You can call Southwest to get a general idea of how full your flight will be.  If there are few or no BS customers on your flight, and nobody upgrades to BS at the airport, you can forget about 15 others boarding before you, not taking into account any preboarders.

Your 2020 drink coupons will be of no value on this trip, as the only beverage offered on your flight will be a cup of water.  However, the coupons will remain valid thru 2021, so hold on to them.

Some people are double masking, using a disposable paper mask under a cloth mask, for better protection, especially on the flight, due to pax being allowed to unmask while _actively eating or drinking.  _The FAs normally remind those not complying that they need to    mask properly.  Southwest advises those concerned about non-complying pax to let them know, but that can be a touchy situation when that non-complying pax sees/hears you report them, and that person is sitting next to or close to you. Most passengers seem to be masking up properly.

Hope you have a great trip!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Gitelfor said:


> With A33/34 you should be able to get a good choice of seats.  Southwest stopped blocking middle seats after November, so full flights will have _all seats _occupied.  You can call Southwest to get a general idea of how full your flight will be.  If there are few or no BS customers on your flight, and nobody upgrades to BS at the airport, you can forget about 15 others boarding before you, not taking into account any preboarders.
> 
> Your 2020 drink coupons will be of no value on this trip, as the only beverage offered on your flight will be a cup of water.  However, the coupons will remain valid thru 2021, so hold on to them.
> 
> Some people are double masking, using a disposable paper mask under a cloth mask, for better protection, especially on the flight, due to pax being allowed to unmask while _actively eating or drinking.  _The FAs normally remind those not complying that they need to    mask properly.  Southwest advises those concerned about non-complying pax to let them know, but that can be a touchy situation when that non-complying pax sees/hears you report them, and that person is sitting next to or close to you. Most passengers seem to be masking up properly.
> 
> Hope you have a great trip!


Thank you so much! We're well used to flying SWA but we haven't flown since the pandemic started so didn't know how things had changed over time with number of people purchasing EBCI and whatnot as well as business travel (which I know for my husband's company has been severely curtailed). Guess we'll see tomorrow though!

I did not even think about double checking alcohol serving. I remember they had suspended it but I guess I just assumed they had already brought it back. That's my oops! So thanks for letting me know 

Good information to know about what to do about any mask issues. Our metro where our airport is at still largely has mask mandates so hopefully that helps in compliance at least getting out to Vegas.

And thanks, we're excited even though we've been to Vegas multiple times already my husband can't stop looking at new stuff to do lol.


----------



## DL1WDW2

Have you visited the Neon Museum in the evening hours?
And while I’m at that end of town I usually visit the Peppermill Restaurant / Bar Open 24 Hours for FreshFruit Plate to share and-late night breakfast.

Have safe flight!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

DL1WDW2 said:


> Have you visited the Neon Museum in the evening hours?
> And while I’m at that end of town I usually visit the Peppermill Restaurant / Bar Open 24 Hours for FreshFruit Plate to share and-late night breakfast.
> 
> Have safe flight!


Thanks!

Yes we did the Neon Museum back in 2017 yes we did a night tour, it was soooo neat like really cool. I think we might do the Mob Museum which we missed in 2017 and in 2019 (the last time we went). 

We have not heard of Peppermill but I'm not sure how we missed it. We looked it up online and it sounds like a neat place and now my husband wants to try it out lol so thank you for that suggestion. We'll be staying at The Wynn which is like right by there too.


----------



## Gitelfor

This is a great story about a special Southwest passenger.

Buzz’s special mission


----------



## Avery&Todd

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Thank you so much! We're well used to flying SWA but we haven't flown since the pandemic started so didn't know how things had changed over time with number of people purchasing EBCI and whatnot as well as business travel (which I know for my husband's company has been severely curtailed). Guess we'll see tomorrow though!
> 
> I did not even think about double checking alcohol serving. I remember they had suspended it but I guess I just assumed they had already brought it back. That's my oops! So thanks for letting me know
> 
> Good information to know about what to do about any mask issues. Our metro where our airport is at still largely has mask mandates so hopefully that helps in compliance at least getting out to Vegas.
> 
> And thanks, we're excited even though we've been to Vegas multiple times already my husband can't stop looking at new stuff to do lol.


We've been WDW 3 times since they reopened last July and it's been fabulous on SW!!  In October, the flights were only 1/2 full - and middle seats were blocked, in December, they were almost full and for our February trip we received emails stating that our flight was full and spacing couldnt be guaranteed.  We had a direct flight from home to MCO and it was almost a full flight - like only 2 seats open but it was fine - it's less than a 1.5 hr flight and we didnt eat or drink on the plane.  On our return flight the plane was only half full!

We fly out to Vegas in late May and I'm wondering when they'll start mucking with the flight times/airports....they did that for all 3 of our MCO trips so I assume that Vegas will be no different!

That's a longer flight for us - 6 to 7.5 hrs, including a small layover/plane change and DH "requires" that we wear N95s so that's a long time to be "geared up" but if doing that small thing for him makes him more comfortable for us to fly and get me to Disney and Vegas, I'll do it!

On the flights, they do announce that there is NO alcohol served and you cannot consume any you've brought..it's a dry-flight!

and they also changed their announcement on our Feb. flights to include the clarification that in between sips/bites of snacks that you need to pull your mask back up and just bc you have snacks/drinks out, does not mean your mask can be down all the time....

Save me some winnings in Vegas!!


----------



## mickeynut1

Avery&Todd said:


> We fly out to Vegas in late May and I'm wondering when they'll start mucking with the flight times/airports....they did that for all 3 of our MCO trips so I assume that Vegas will be no different!



I know things can change at any time, but my DH & I have been to Vegas twice recently (Sept & Dec) and we're getting ready to go again in a couple weeks and so far none of our flights have been changed/cancelled.  I watch every day just to make sure, but so far so good.  I've also taken 2 girls trips (Oct & Feb) and didn't have any changes with either of those flights.  With that said, I have noticed a lot of changes/cancellations with flights to Orlando for some reason.


----------



## Avery&Todd

mickeynut1 said:


> I know things can change at any time, but my DH & I have been to Vegas twice recently (Sept & Dec) and we're getting ready to go again in a couple weeks and so far none of our flights have been changed/cancelled.  I watch every day just to make sure, but so far so good.



SWEET!!!

We're flying through 2 different airports for our layovers for Vegas and i was nervous/wondering about flight changes....

We come from RDU and usually have a layover in either ATL or TX (or we luck out with a nonstop on the way home but none for this trip) ....but this time on the way over we layover in Denver and I have NO idea the layout of that airport and then on the way home we fly thru Phoenix which is new to us too.

So we'll see!


----------



## Erica Ladd

Avery&Todd said:


> SWEET!!!
> 
> We're flying through 2 different airports for our layovers for Vegas and i was nervous/wondering about flight changes....
> 
> We come from RDU and usually have a layover in either ATL or TX (or we luck out with a nonstop on the way home but none for this trip) ....but this time on the way over we layover in Denver and I have NO idea the layout of that airport and then on the way home we fly thru Phoenix which is new to us too.
> 
> So we'll see!



we have never been to Vegas and would also be flying out of RDU!  We want to go but I’m waiting for restrictions to be lifted or lessened. What is Vegas like now? Mask mandates? I’m about to earn a companion pass and I’m looking for new destinations to try!!


----------



## Avery&Todd

Erica Ladd said:


> we have never been to Vegas and would also be flying out of RDU!  We want to go but I’m waiting for restrictions to be lifted or lessened. What is Vegas like now? Mask mandates? I’m about to earn a companion pass and I’m looking for new destinations to try!!


We LOVE a good Vegas trip!!  From what I understand, as we have NOT been for a year and half is that there IS a pretty strict mask mandate (right now) which means masks ARE required at the pool, if you're not in the water, so unlike Disney, you must wear a mask sitting in a lounge chair or if you're actively eating/drinking/smoking...

You keep a mask on at the table until your food/drinks are brought - like Disney - and dining reservations are a MUST in some locations as they're not taking walk-ups due to seating restrictions.  Some restaurants are only open Th-Sunday since they're not up to full capacity of regular visitors.

and masks are required everywhere..

With that being said they have in place a "we're trying to re-open plan" which goes in phases Feb. 15, March 15 and May 1st which can be found here:

https://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/News/Blog/Detail/corona-virus-update


We are heading there the end of May, so it could be a whole different town by the time we get there!  DH and I will both be fully vaccinated so it makes us a little more comfortable and we do a lot of outdoor activities in Vegas, so we don't just sit inside and gamble all day,  however, when I do I will bring my hand wipes!!

Vegas is a good time!!


----------



## Erica Ladd

Can someone explain A-list to me? Like what are the benefits and how do you earn it?  I’m confused!


----------



## Gitelfor

Erica Ladd said:


> Can someone explain A-list to me? Like what are the benefits and how do you earn it?  I’m confused!


Southwest A-List

Major benefits are auto checkin for flights (36+ hours before departure), before EBCI customers, bonus points earnings, special checkin lane and phone number, etc.; your boarding position can be as low as A16 on a non-refundable ticket.

For those who had a Rapid Rewards frequent flyer account by the end of 2020, your account was given a boost toward earning A-List and A-List Preferred status for 2021-2022.


----------



## Gitelfor

Check your April into early May Southwest flights.  The “change” banner popped up again, today.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Erica Ladd said:


> we have never been to Vegas and would also be flying out of RDU!  We want to go but I’m waiting for restrictions to be lifted or lessened. What is Vegas like now? Mask mandates? I’m about to earn a companion pass and I’m looking for new destinations to try!!


Reservations just stopped being required as part of a mandate but it's still something we've been doing because as the PP mentioned seating can be limited. That said not every place takes reservations. Seating capacity in restaurants is 35% IIRC which was just bumped from 25%. I believe it's 50% next week (don't quote me on that).

Masks are enforced quite well IMO. Most of the time when I see someone without a mask it's on the strip but most people have been good about keeping it on even when just walking on the strip. There are signs all over the place for inside about masks and free masks by most entrances and security person often at entrances to remind people. Hand sanitizer stations are out too. In the casinos they're pretty good at sanitizing chairs and slots and whatnot and slots and electronic games are distanced at times when machines turned off. Table games generally have plexiglass between people.

We're staying at the Wynn and you have to scan your key card to get onto the elevators to go up to guest rooms but that isn't everywhere. We went to Scarpetta at The Cosmopolitan and you have to take guest elevators to get there so they didn't do the scan key card requirement.

The only major thing I think we've found is that certain restaurants aren't open at all or they are only open on the weekend, same for attractions so better check and make sure before you get your hopes up if something will be open or not.

The monorail (which we loved) and most trams are not running except as far as I know the tram by T.I. Buses are running. This is a time where having a rental car works out because most hotel brands are doing free parking. Ceasars is not doing free parking unless you are a guest.

Many restaurants are doing QR codes for menus. When you have drinks or food you can remove your mask.

We did bring wipes but TBH we haven't used them except for the plane. I had originally intended to do also slot machines but just ended up not doing it but hand sanitizer we have definitely been using. Bring lotion! I've had to beef up my lotion usage as the air is a bit drier than my home at the moment and the frequent hand washing and hand sanitizer is a killer. I had just been getting better back home but now my hands hate me again lol.

For the plane itself ours had something like 40 seats open and my husband and I had no one in between us. There were flights going out of our airport full but then other flights with over 100 seats open.

All of this is subject to change with Vegas as time goes on. Unfortunately the weather is not so good with cool and mostly cloudy so we've mustered through eating outdoors for some things but other things it's just too uncomfortable. Some places do have heaters though for outdoors.

As far as I've read Vegas has just now been starting to get more and more tourists. I agree it will have a different feel with less restrictions and more tourists. Some or even most of what I just talked about I my above comments may be a thing of the past lol


----------



## Gitelfor

Southwest’s new face mask exemption guidelines


----------



## mickeynut1

Avery&Todd said:


> SWEET!!!
> 
> We're flying through 2 different airports for our layovers for Vegas and i was nervous/wondering about flight changes....
> 
> We come from RDU and usually have a layover in either ATL or TX (or we luck out with a nonstop on the way home but none for this trip) ....but this time on the way over we layover in Denver and I have NO idea the layout of that airport and then on the way home we fly thru Phoenix which is new to us too.
> 
> So we'll see!



I hope you have a great trip and that there are no changes to your flights  . 



Erica Ladd said:


> we have never been to Vegas and would also be flying out of RDU!  We want to go but I’m waiting for restrictions to be lifted or lessened. What is Vegas like now? Mask mandates? I’m about to earn a companion pass and I’m looking for new destinations to try!!



My first time to Vegas was this past Sept and while I haven't experienced the "real" Vegas, I have seen pictures of what the strip is usually like under normal conditions and Sept was kind of eery as the strip was practically empty.  Dec had a little more action, but not by much.  As others have said, masks are required in stores and while there are signs everywhere outside to wear them, most people when outside (in my experience) do not (myself and my DH included).  Even with the restrictions, Vegas is a nice place to visit/get away .    



Avery&Todd said:


> We LOVE a good Vegas trip!!  From what I understand, as we have NOT been for a year and half is that there IS a pretty strict mask mandate (right now) which means masks ARE required at the pool, if you're not in the water
> 
> You keep a mask on at the table until your food/drinks are brought



Yes, masks are required at the pool unless you are actually IN the water.  If you are just sitting in a lounger away from the pool/water, a mask is required.  As far as restaurants, we remove our masks as soon as we sit down (as we have seen just about everyone else in restaurants do) and we have never been told we had to wear them while waiting for our food to arrive at the table.     



Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> We're staying at the Wynn and you have to scan your key card to get onto the elevators to go up to guest rooms but that isn't everywhere.



We stayed at the Venetian in Sept and there was security just outside the elevators where we had to scan our key card before being let through to the elevators.  When we were at the Bellagio in Dec, we could get to/in the elevators but had to scan our key card to get to our floor.


----------



## Makmak

Southwest employee returns Buzz Lightyear after adventures. (Because we need good news-wasn’t sure where to post)
https://www.google.com/amp/s/people...lightyear-along-with-sweet-surprise/?amp=true


----------



## teawar

We flew this morning from Atlanta to MCO on the 6;10 flight. The flight was full, but the crew did an awesome job reminding about masks. Boarding was social distanced and compliance from passengers was pretty good. The only issue was leaving the plane. People crowded in line like it was 1999


----------



## Makmak

I just checked my reservation and there’s a red bar across the top that says “travel advisory in effect” and it’s different than the ones months ago that had a  cancellation option (the red bar that says “you may change your flight) so what does this mean?


----------



## Gitelfor

Makmak said:


> I just checked my reservation and there’s a red bar across the top that says “travel advisory in effect” and it’s different than the ones months ago that had a  cancellation option (the red bar that says “you may change your flight) so what does this mean?


If there are no changes made to your flights, or you accept the changes by Southwest, you do not have to do anything.  However, the red banner, which only is displayed for a few days after being originally posted, gives you the option to change your flights/travel dates anywhere within a 30 day window, either way, from your original dates.  There is no additional cost or fee to make a change, but it is subject to availability.  If you see the new flight/date marked as ‘available,’ you can follow through to change; if it says ‘unavailable,’ or a warning message pops up, the changes can’t be made.

Again, the banner only is there for a very limited time, so if you want to take advantage of the option, it always is best not to wait.  Many times, the same flight selected to replace an existing flight will be priced much higher when booked as a new reservation, than what paid for the original flight; but, you do not owe any additional funds.

If you were familiar with the change banner in the past, it s/b the same as before.


----------



## Makmak

Gitelfor said:


> If there are no changes made to your flights, or you accept the changes by Southwest, you do not have to do anything.  However, the red banner, which only is displayed for a few days after being originally posted, gives you the option to change your flights/travel dates anywhere within a 30 day window, either way, from your original dates.  There is no additional cost or fee to make a change, but it is subject to availability.  If you see the new flight/date marked as ‘available,’ you can follow through to change; if it says ‘unavailable,’ or a warning message pops up, the changes can’t be made.
> 
> Again, the banner only is there for a very limited time, so if you want to take advantage of the option, it always is best not to wait.  Many times, the same flight selected to replace an existing flight will be priced much higher when booked as a new reservation, than what paid for the original flight; but, you do not owe any additional funds.
> 
> If you were familiar with the change banner in the past, it s/b the same as before.


This is a different banner. It just says Travel Advisory in Effect. It is not the “change your flight” banner.


----------



## zemmer

Makmak said:


> This is a different banner. It just says Travel Advisory in Effect. It is not the “change your flight” banner.


Is it clickable? I’ve seen something like that when the area has weather issues, and also when there is a quarantine rule for travelers.


----------



## Gitelfor

Makmak said:


> This is a different banner. It just says Travel Advisory in Effect. It is not the “change your flight” banner.



Sorry - ‘banner’ caught my eye, as there currently is a change banner popping up, as well. at this time.

The ‘travel advisory’ refers to possible cancellations, diverting, or delays caused by the major storm in the CO area.  If you need to reschedule, the phone lines can have long waits.

To those having to endure the storm, stay safe and keep thinking about the beautiful upcoming summer.



> Based on the forecasted weather conditions for the airports and dates listed below, our scheduled service may be disrupted (flights may be delayed, diverted, and/or cancelled).
> 
> Friday-Monday, March 12-15
> 
> 
> Colorado Springs, CO (COS)
> Denver, CO (DEN)
> Montrose-Telluride, CO (MTJ)
> Steamboat Springs-Hayden, CO (HDN)
> Customers holding reservations to/from/through the airports listed above on the corresponding dates, may rebook in the original class of service or travel standby (within 14 days of their original date of travel between the original city-pairs and in accordance with our accommodation procedures) without paying any additional charge.
> 
> Customers who purchased their itinerary via Southwest.com or our mobile app are eligible to reschedule their travel plans online or from their mobile device.
> 
> Customers who did not purchase a ticket via Southwest.com can call 1-800-435-9792 to speak with a Customer Representative.
> 
> Customers in the U.S. scheduled to travel internationally must call 1-800-435-9792 to speak with a Customer Representative for assistance with rebooking.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Ok so I just tried to change my May flights to a week later and got a message from SWA that one of my flights will expire....but I made reservations with points so how can they be expiring?


----------



## Gitelfor

Lsdolphin said:


> Ok so I just tried to change my May flights to a week later and got a message from SWA that one of my flights will expire....but I made reservations with points so how can they be expiring?


Check the original booking date of your reservation (confirmation number); the easiest way to do that is by searching your email confirmations, if not previously deleted.  All reservations remain valid for a period of one year, from date of _original _booking, even with points bookings.  That can happen when you have changed your travel dates, extending them out.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Gitelfor said:


> Check the original booking date of your reservation (confirmation number); the easiest way to do that is by searching your email confirmations, if not previously deleted.  All reservations remain valid for a period of one year, from date of _original _booking, even with points bookings.  That can happen when you have changed your travel dates, extending them out.



I know that flights expire in one year but I thought that if you canceled a flight booked with points your points were refunded.


----------



## aokeefe

Lsdolphin said:


> I know that flights expire in one year but I thought that if you canceled a flight booked with points your points were refunded.


Did you cancel your flight and then book a new one or did you modify your original flight to the new flight?


----------



## Lsdolphin

aokeefe said:


> Did you cancel your flight and then book a new one or did you modify your original flight to the new flight?



Yes with same points


----------



## mickeynut1

Lsdolphin said:


> I know that flights expire in one year but I thought that if you canceled a flight booked with points your points were refunded.



You are correct.  If you use points to book a flight and then cancel that flight, the points get refunded back into your RR acct.  If you change a flight booked with points and the new flight is less points than the original, the difference will be refunded to your RR acct (if the new flight is more, the difference in points will be subtracted from your RR acct).  Travel credits expire 1 yr from original booking date, but points never expire.


----------



## TNKim

mickeynut1 said:


> You are correct.  If you use points to book a flight and then cancel that flight, the points get refunded back into your RR acct.  If you change a flight booked with points and the new flight is less points than the original, the difference will be refunded to your RR acct (if the new flight is more, the difference in points will be subtracted from your RR acct).  Travel credits expire 1 yr from original booking date, but points never expire.



Just wanted to confirm that if I use points from my RR account to purchase tickets for myself and 2 other people (same flight) at the same time, if I need to cancel one or all three tickets, all points are refunded back to my RR account, not to each person's individual account.  Is that correct?


----------



## mickeynut1

TNKim said:


> Just wanted to confirm that if I use points from my RR account to purchase tickets for myself and 2 other people (same flight) at the same time, if I need to cancel one or all three tickets, all points are refunded back to my RR account, not to each person's individual account.  Is that correct?



You are correct


----------



## Fangorn

TNKim said:


> Just wanted to confirm that if I use points from my RR account to purchase tickets for myself and 2 other people (same flight) at the same time, if I need to cancel one or all three tickets, all points are refunded back to my RR account, not to each person's individual account.  Is that correct?



Correct. The points are returned to the account from whence they came

Steve


----------



## Lsdolphin

mickeynut1 said:


> You are correct.  If you use points to book a flight and then cancel that flight, the points get refunded back into your RR acct.  If you change a flight booked with points and the new flight is less points than the original, the difference will be refunded to your RR acct (if the new flight is more, the difference in points will be subtracted from your RR acct).  Travel credits expire 1 yr from original booking date, but points never expire.




Yes that is exactly what I thought.  but today when I tried to change a May flight to make it a week later and the Red Banner was on top of top of the screen I got a message saying I could not make change as one of my flights was expiring....I am wondering if it’s because when I paid the extra charge of $11.20 that they add on to your points payment that money was from credit fund...if this is the case they should let you know that ahead of time.


----------



## EACarlson

Lsdolphin said:


> Yes that is exactly what I thought.  but today when I tried to change a May flight to make it a week later and the Red Banner was on top of top of the screen I got a message saying I could not make change as one of my flights was expiring....I am wondering if it’s because when I paid the extra charge of $11.20 that they add on to your points payment that money was from credit fund...if this is the case they should let you know that ahead of time.


That would be it, you tainted the ticket by using the Travel Fund.  So the entire ticket took the expiration date of the Travel Fund.  It's all there in the T&C of the Travel Fund.


----------



## Lsdolphin

EACarlson said:


> That would be it, you tainted the ticket by using the Travel Fund.  So the entire ticket took the expiration date of the Travel Fund.  It's all there in the T&C of the Travel Fund.



So if I cancel the flight do I lose the points along with the $11.20?


----------



## Gitelfor

Lsdolphin said:


> Ok so I just tried to change my May flights to a week later and got a message from SWA that one of my flights will expire....but I made reservations with points so how can they be expiring?





Lsdolphin said:


> I know that flights expire in one year but I thought that if you canceled a flight booked with points your points were refunded.



I misunderstood and thought you were referring to your reservation expiring, not the points.  I had a points booking originally booked in early 2020 for a spring 2020 trip.  The spring trip and other rebookings ultimately were pushed back, till I received an error message when trying to move to early spring 2021. I did not understand what was happening, till I spoke to a Southwest CSR, who explained that the confirmation number only could be used for one year, from original booking date.  So, I ended up cancelling that reservation with the security fee returned to original form of payment and points returned to my account.  I then started from scratch.


----------



## EACarlson

Lsdolphin said:


> So if I cancel the flight do I lose the points along with the $11.20?


If you cancel the flights, the points should go back into your account and the 9/11 fee should go back to the Travel Fund


----------



## Makmak

zemmer said:


> Is it clickable? I’ve seen something like that when the area has weather issues, and also when there is a quarantine rule for travelers.


It was not clickable and said nothing else so maybe it was that?


----------



## mickeynut1

Lsdolphin said:


> Yes that is exactly what I thought.  but today when I tried to change a May flight to make it a week later and the Red Banner was on top of top of the screen I got a message saying I could not make change as one of my flights was expiring....I am wondering if it’s because when I paid the extra charge of $11.20 that they add on to your points payment that money was from credit fund...if this is the case they should let you know that ahead of time.



Hope you were able to get it straightened out and rebook your flights .


----------



## Lsdolphin

mickeynut1 said:


> Hope you were able to get it straightened out and rebook your flights .



Nope but I’m going to call again and speak to someone different....”unfortunately “ I may just have to make another trip to Disney three weeks after my April trip! Going to make most out of my AP.


----------



## Gitelfor

The change banner is back for late April-early May reservations.



> *You may change your trip date/time at no additional cost if you stay inside the restrictions below.*


----------



## mickeynut1

Lsdolphin said:


> Nope but I’m going to call again and speak to someone different....”unfortunately “ I may just have to make another trip to Disney three weeks after my April trip! Going to make most out of my AP.



Good luck!  You can never have too many trips, especially with an AP .


----------



## DMLAINI

If your flight shows as unavailable in the app, does that mean it's totally full?


----------



## MarBee

I have $78 in travel funds that expire on May 31st. I have a potential trip on May 24th that costs $111, so I would use travel funds plus cash.  However, I may have to cancel for work later.  If I wind up cancelling, will I lose all $111 after May 31st, or just the $78 portion of it?


----------



## scrappinginontario

MarBee said:


> I have $78 in travel funds that expire on May 31st. I have a potential trip on May 24th that costs $111, so I would use travel funds plus cash.  However, I may have to cancel for work later.  If I wind up cancelling, will I lose all $111 after May 31st, or just the $78 portion of it?


My understanding is all $ towards that trip would take on the May 31st expiry.


----------



## MarBee

scrappinginontario said:


> My understanding is all $ towards that trip would take on the May 31st expiry.


Bummer!  That’s what I was afraid of.  Thank you!


----------



## Lsdolphin

Just checked and red change banner for May is gone


----------



## Gitelfor

Lsdolphin said:


> Just checked and red change banner for May is gone


Red “change” banner is still coming up for flights till mid-May, which is as far out as I have seen it, over the past month or so.  I think it is a little too far in advance to extend beyond mid-May.  Is your reservation past that timeframe?


----------



## Lsdolphin

Gitelfor said:


> Red “change” banner is still coming up for flights till mid-May, which is as far out as I have seen it, over the past month or so.  I think it is a little too far in advance to extend beyond mid-May.  Is your reservation past that timeframe?



My reservation is 5/16-5/22


----------



## Gitelfor

Lsdolphin said:


> My reservation is 5/16-5/22


If you are wishing for the change banner, don’t give up hope.  If Southwest continues to post the banner, your dates s/b in the next window. Lately, there have been fewer actual flight changes, as business picks up; but the “change” banner continues to pop up.

So, I hope that if there is a banner, it will be beneficial for you.  Most often, I have found the banner very useful to change to a better flight or date, at a lower fare than the going rate.


----------



## maleficent8

Hi! I’ve been following the change banner conversation. So today I stumbled upon it for our upcoming trip and changed our outbound flight (5/13 to 5/12). Is there only one change banner per round trip? I really needed it for the return trip on 5/18 and now I’m kicking myself. Thank you!!


----------



## DMLAINI

I just found out our flight is full.   Has anyone flown on a full flight?   Did you feel safe?   I paid for early bird so I'm praying we're not separated.


----------



## Ninjagrrl

DMLAINI said:


> I just found out our flight is full.   Has anyone flown on a full flight?   Did you feel safe?   I paid for early bird so I'm praying we're not separated.


Yeah my flight in 7 days to MCO is almost full also. I never pay for early bird bc my son is in a wc so we always preboard. But.... We literally need to be in a bulkhead row. For the wheelchair transfer and also bc he's developmentally disabled as well and rocks and waves his arms. Florida routes always have a lot of preboards and a full flight makes me even more nervous. I'm going to have to be "that person" that gets there super early and then acts like gate lice.


----------



## joe-aka-papabear

Gitelfor said:


> The change banner is back for late April-early May reservations.


Do I NEED to change flights if the banner is showing? or can I just leave my flight as is? Flying out of BDl non stop and really want to keep this flight.


----------



## Ninjagrrl

joe-aka-papabear said:


> Do I NEED to change flights if the banner is showing? or can I just leave my flight as is? Flying out of BDl non stop and really want to keep this flight.


You don't need to.


----------



## MinnieMSue

How do you all know your flights are full?  We leave Monday and they still have wanna get away fares and I have not gotten any emails about it so I feel good that it isn’t full. Hoping to have an empty seat in our row (we are a party of 2). Not really afraid of covid so much as don’t like being close to people lol.


----------



## DMLAINI

MinnieMSue said:


> How do you all know your flights are full?  We leave Monday and they still have wanna get away fares and I have not gotten any emails about it so I feel good that it isn’t full. Hoping to have an empty seat in our row (we are a party of 2). Not really afraid of covid so much as don’t like being close to people lol.


I called because our flight was showing as unavailable


----------



## Ninjagrrl

MinnieMSue said:


> How do you all know your flights are full?  We leave Monday and they still have wanna get away fares and I have not gotten any emails about it so I feel good that it isn’t full. Hoping to have an empty seat in our row (we are a party of 2). Not really afraid of covid so much as don’t like being close to people lol.


You can also get a feel sometimes by trying to book that flight for 8 passengers and see if it shows fares or not. Theoretically, SW is supposed to tell you as part of their covid policy and offer to let you switch flights, but they don't always.
My flight only has 1 business select fare be available, so I'm guessing it's gonna be full.


----------



## joe-aka-papabear

Ninjagrrl said:


> You don't need to.


Thanks, was worried they were going to cancel my flight and they were giving me an option to change before they did.


----------



## Ninjagrrl

joe-aka-papabear said:


> Thanks, was worried they were going to cancel my flight and they were giving me an option to change before they did.


It is usually caused by schedule changes, like making the time earlier or later, or changing a nonstop flight to one with layovers, but it can be if they are thinking of cancelling the flight.


----------



## MinnieMSue

Ninjagrrl said:


> You can also get a feel sometimes by trying to book that flight for 8 passengers and see if it shows fares or not. Theoretically, SW is supposed to tell you as part of their covid policy and offer to let you switch flights, but they don't always.
> My flight only has 1 business select fare be available, so I'm guessing it's gonna be full.



interesting there are 7 business select seats left and putting in 8 people didn’t change the wanna get away fare a bit. I am thinking our flight won’t be too bad


----------



## easyas123

DMLAINI said:


> I just found out our flight is full.   Has anyone flown on a full flight?   Did you feel safe?   I paid for early bird so I'm praying we're not separated.



We have, and we did.  Late January of this year.


----------



## DMLAINI

easyas123 said:


> We have, and we did.  Late January of this year.


Thank you!


----------



## Gitelfor

joe-aka-papabear said:


> Do I NEED to change flights if the banner is showing? or can I just leave my flight as is? Flying out of BDl non stop and really want to keep this flight.





joe-aka-papabear said:


> Thanks, was worried they were going to cancel my flight and they were giving me an option to change before they did.


The “change” banner pops up on all reservations during a specific window, usually about a 4-6 week period, during which Southwest is making _some _adjustments in the schedule.  The great majority of flights are not affected.  Even if your flight is not impacted by any schedule change, but the banner appears for your itinerary, Southwest allows a one-time change within the specified parameters; consider it a gift, as there is no change in fare, even if the new flight/date would be more expensive, at the time of the change.

You do not need to do anything, other than double-check for any changes that may have been made by Southwest.  Sometimes, Southwest sends an email about a change to your trip; but, some have indicated they never received notification.

For quite a while, the “change” banner has been popping up, every week or two, as schedule adjustments are made.  As bookings improve and business stabilizes, I anticipate the banner to eventually disappear.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Gitelfor said:


> If you are wishing for the change banner, don’t give up hope.  If Southwest continues to post the banner, your dates s/b in the next window. Lately, there have been fewer actual flight changes, as business picks up; but the “change” banner continues to pop up.
> 
> So, I hope that if there is a banner, it will be beneficial for you.  Most often, I have found the banner very useful to change to a better flight or date, at a lower fare than the going rate.



Yes. Hoping for banner to appear for mid May so I can add a day....


----------



## Gitelfor

Lsdolphin said:


> Yes. Hoping for banner to appear for mid May so I can add a day....


I normally try to post here, when a new “change” banner pops up.  Once the banner appears, it’s usually there for about three days.


----------



## joe-aka-papabear

Gitelfor said:


> The “change” banner pops up on all reservations during a specific window, usually about a 4-6 week period, during which Southwest is making _some _adjustments in the schedule.  The great majority of flights are not affected.  Even if your flight is not impacted by any schedule change, but the banner appears for your itinerary, Southwest allows a one-time change within the specified parameters; consider it a gift, as there is no change in fare, even if the new flight/date would be more expensive, at the time of the change.
> 
> You do not need to do anything, other than double-check for any changes that may have been made by Southwest.  Sometimes, Southwest sends an email about a change to your trip; but, some have indicated they never received notification.
> 
> For quite a while, the “change” banner has been popping up, every week or two, as schedule adjustments are made.  As bookings improve and business stabilizes, I anticipate the banner to eventually disappear.


We have the earliest non stop of the day leaving just before noon. Do you think they will add another NS flight earlier or in the day? I would definitely change to that.


----------



## Gitelfor

joe-aka-papabear said:


> We have the earliest non stop of the day leaving just before noon. Do you think they will add another NS flight earlier or in the day? I would definitely change to that.
> [/Q





joe-aka-papabear said:


> We have the earliest non stop of the day leaving just before noon. Do you think they will add another NS flight earlier or in the day? I would definitely change to that.


It is a good idea to take a look at your reservation every few days, or so, especially about 4-8 weeks out.  If anything, a flight time may be adjusted;  I don’t think any flights would be added in the near future.  Some customers complain that their nonstop was changed to connecting flights.  If Southwest moves you to flights that don’t work for you, you can look for other Southwest flights, yourself, or call for assistance.


----------



## zemmer

joe-aka-papabear said:


> We have the earliest non stop of the day leaving just before noon. Do you think they will add another NS flight earlier or in the day? I would definitely change to that.


We leave May 1 and they added an earlier flight option last week.


----------



## sommergirl25

I have had a consistent red banner since the end of Feb when they changed one of my flights. It changed from a non stop to a connecting and we were able to change to another non stop. I just thought it was weird that the banner never went away and we could change again. We fly end of April.


----------



## Gitelfor

Recent updates to Southwest policies:


Southwest is no longer notifying customers of full or nearly-full flights on upcoming travel
If upcoming flight is full or at near capacity, Southwest currently will allow a courtesy change to a different flight with a lighter load (same from/to), if travel was reserved more than three days in advance
Boarding procedure is back to normal, and no longer in groups of 10
Southwest is sporadically adding additional flights, in response to increased demand
With demand increasing, fares will be inching back to normal levels.  The ridiculously-low fares of the past year will soon only be a memory.

If the above changes seem like bad news, the good news is that all of this means that things are starting to return to normal.


----------



## zemmer

Gitelfor said:


> Recent updates to Southwest policies:
> 
> 
> Southwest is no longer notifying customers of full or nearly-full flights on upcoming travel
> If upcoming flight is full or at near capacity, Southwest currently will allow a courtesy change to a different flight with a lighter load (same from/to), if travel was reserved more than three days in advance
> Boarding procedure is back to normal, and no longer in groups of 10
> Southwest is sporadically adding additional flights, in response to increased demand
> With demand increasing, fares will be inching back to normal levels.  The ridiculously-low fares of the past year will soon only be a memory.
> 
> If the above changes seem like bad news, the good news is that all of this means that things are starting to return to normal.


In addition, they’re serving drinks (other than water) and snacks again.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Gitelfor said:


> Recent updates to Southwest policies:
> 
> 
> Southwest is no longer notifying customers of full or nearly-full flights on upcoming travel
> If upcoming flight is full or at near capacity, Southwest currently will allow a courtesy change to a different flight with a lighter load (same from/to), if travel was reserved more than three days in advance
> Boarding procedure is back to normal, and no longer in groups of 10
> Southwest is sporadically adding additional flights, in response to increased demand
> *With demand increasing, fares will be inching back to normal levels.  The ridiculously-low fares of the past year will soon only be a memory.*
> 
> If the above changes seem like bad news, the good news is that all of this means that things are starting to return to normal.



Well we used to get what I thought were rediculously low fares pre CoVid so I am hoping the bolded  isn’t true!!!


----------



## Crazyhorse

zemmer said:


> In addition, they’re serving drinks (other than water) and snacks again.


Now that's the GOOD news!  Did I read somewhere that they will accept drink coupons that expired in 2020?


----------



## Gitelfor

Crazyhorse said:


> Now that's the GOOD news!  Did I read somewhere that they will accept drink coupons that expired in 2020?


Drink coupons with 2020 expiration dates will be accepted thru 2021.


----------



## Lsdolphin

This is truly getting ridiculous! I booked my flight for April within minutes after their schedule opened....I booked a return flight for 4/24 departing MCO 4:00 pm and landing at BWI @ 6:10 pm.  The next day I decided I’d made a mistake and went back and changed my return flight to one leaving MCO @ 5:45 instead of  4:00pm and I had to pay an additional 1088 points!   ...that night I received an email from SWA changing the flight I had just paid to change...they put me right back on the earlier flight!!!  then a week later I received another email from SWA changing my non-stop return flight to a to a flight stopping in Atlanta...I immediately went online and changed the flight back to a nonstop flight leaving at 5:45 and arriving at BWI at 8 something. Then a week later I got another email changing my return flight from the 5:45 flight back to a 4:00 pm flight arriving at BWI at 6:15 which is what I paid for initially.  When I checked the SWA site it showed the 5:45 flight as unavailable so basically that left me with my original flight at a higher price!
Sooo just a few minutes ago after checking Dis board I went back to check SWA again and low and behold they are now showing availability on the 5:45 flight again!  I changed my flight back to the 5:45 pm and I’m holding my breath waiting to see if they change me a 6th time!!!

Also I have another trip in mid May which they have already changed once but only by 30 min each way....so far!


----------



## Gitelfor

Lsdolphin said:


> This is truly getting ridiculous! I booked my flight for April within minutes after their schedule opened....I booked a return flight for 4/24 departing MCO 4:00 pm and landing at BWI @ 6:10 pm.  The next day I decided I’d made a mistake and went back and changed my return flight to one leaving MCO @ 5:45 instead of  4:00pm and I had to pay an additional 1088 points!   ...that night I received an email from SWA changing the flight I had just paid to change...they put me right back on the earlier flight!!!  then a week later I received another email from SWA changing my non-stop return flight to a to a flight stopping in Atlanta...I immediately went online and changed the flight back to a nonstop flight leaving at 5:45 and arriving at BWI at 8 something. Then a week later I got another email changing my return flight from the 5:45 flight back to a 4:00 pm flight arriving at BWI at 6:15 which is what I paid for initially.  When I checked the SWA site it showed the 5:45 flight as unavailable so basically that left me with my original flight at a higher price!
> Sooo just a few minutes ago after checking Dis board I went back to check SWA again and low and behold they are now showing availability on the 5:45 flight again!  I changed my flight back to the 5:45 pm and I’m holding my breath waiting to see if they change me a 6th time!!!
> 
> Also I have another trip in mid May which they have already changed once but only by 30 min each way....so far!


Maybe the polite tagging for all of this is ‘work in progress.’

I think Southwest has just kept reacting to demand, which recently has been on a roller coaster.  Now that people are getting or will be getting vaccinated, the pent up demand is resulting in heavy bookings, which may not have been projected to happen before summer.

This weekend, while out shopping, one major off-price store had two pieces of luggage for sale, as opposed to the normal 40-50.  The clerk said they have had a rush on luggage, recently, and they have been waiting for new inventory.  This morning, I needed to make a return to a similar store, where I shopped yesterday.  Half of their shelves in the luggage department were empty, where they were filled with bags yesterday.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Gitelfor said:


> Maybe the polite tagging for all of this is ‘work in progress.’
> 
> I think Southwest has just kept reacting to demand, which recently has been on a roller coaster.  Now that people are getting or will be getting vaccinated, the pent up demand is resulting in heavy bookings, which may not have been projected to happen before summer.
> 
> This weekend, while out shopping, one major off-price store had two pieces of luggage for sale, as opposed to the normal 40-50.  The clerk said they have had a rush on luggage, recently, and they have been waiting for new inventory.  This morning, I needed to make a return to a similar store, where I shopped yesterday.  Half of their shelves in the luggage department were empty, where they were filled with bags yesterday.



Wow...you’re probably right....I just wish I hadn’t wasted the extra points changing my flight in the beginning I should have realized that they would be juggling the flights...
Now I’m just waiting for the email regarding my May flights so I can add a day at no extra cost...


----------



## npatellye

Southwest just moved our 5/13 7:05 am nonstop to a 10:50 with a 60+ minute layover. That’s not going to work for us at all because we are now arriving at 3:10 pm instead of 9:55 am. I guess we will try to fly in the night before and stay at the airport.


----------



## Gitelfor

Lots of email notifications have been going out tonight from Southwest regarding schedule changes thru mid-May.  Sometimes, the system rebooks you on a different flight(s) that makes no sense.  It is always a good idea to look at all available flights in the schedule, before accepting or cancelling, to check for better options.  My flight was changed from a direct, but not nonstop, to a similar departure time nonstop.  The original direct flight no longer shows in the updated schedule.

It looks like they are adding some nonstops on popular routes.  Business really must be picking up.


----------



## CaliMickey

DMLAINI said:


> I just found out our flight is full.   Has anyone flown on a full flight?   Did you feel safe?   I paid for early bird so I'm praying we're not separated.


3 out of 4 of flights were full this past week. We also paid for early bird check in, glad I did since we are a family of 4. It all worked. Only issue was on our departure flight a guy chose the middle seat next to my husband. He proceeded to take his shoes off and lower his mask often. Flight attendants did not seem to notice. On our return flight there was a a stern announcement while in flight reminding people to keep their masks on and how they agreed to mask policy when purchasing tickets.


----------



## Gitelfor

Updated snack and beverage service information:



> We are serving a limited selection of non-alcoholic beverages and snacks on flights over 250 miles, when available. Southwest offers contactless beverage ordering via the Inflight WiFi Portal. Simply zoom in on your drink choice and share the image with your Flight Attendant when it's time to order



Note that it states *non-alcoholic beverages.*


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

I have a companion pass question. Do I have to declare my companion prior to booking my flight? I believe I book my flight then go back in and book my companions flight.


----------



## ultimatefans

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> I have a companion pass question. Do I have to declare my companion prior to booking my flight? I believe I book my flight then go back in and book my companions flight.


It is not required to have your companion declared before booking YOUR flight, but they must be declared before you can add them as a companion on your flight.  Companions can only be added to your flight if there is a seat available, so just keep that in mind when deciding how long to wait to declare/switch your named companion.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Thanks. I was hoping to purchase tickets opening day, if the price is right. I'd book my companions flight right after I purchase mine. If my flight price goes down, can I still get the funds credit? Does that affect my companions ticket?


----------



## focusondisney

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> Thanks. I was hoping to purchase tickets opening day, if the price is right. I'd book my companions flight right after I purchase mine. If my flight price goes down, can I still get the funds credit? Does that affect my companions ticket?



I have had this happen a couple times already. . I just called & the phone rep was able to adjust to the new lower price & I got my credits returned.  I don’t think you can make the adjustment yourself without cancelling the companion.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

focusondisney said:


> I have had this happen a couple times already. . I just called & the phone rep was able to adjust to the new lower price & I got my credits returned.  I don’t think you can make the adjustment yourself without cancelling the companion.



Thank you.


----------



## MinnieMSue

Gitelfor said:


> Updated snack and beverage service information:
> 
> 
> 
> Note that it states *non-alcoholic beverages.*



flew to Orlando today and they had coke, Diet Coke, 7 up and water as choices.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Ok so here we go again...just received 2 emails from SWA changing both of my flight for my May trip 5/16-5/22!


----------



## Lsdolphin

Lsdolphin said:


> Ok so here we go again...just received 2 emails from SWA changing both of my flight for my May trip 5/16-5/22!


At least the changes aren’t huge and I still have non-stop flights.


----------



## Gitelfor

Lsdolphin said:


> Ok so here we go again...just received 2 emails from SWA changing both of my flight for my May trip 5/16-5/22!





Lsdolphin said:


> At least the changes aren’t huge and I still have non-stop flights.


Glad that the revisions are doable.


----------



## npatellye

And now a change for my return flight on 5/20...my non-stop flight is now a connecting flight with a 3 hour layover. I think we may either move to a much earlier flight with a shorter layover or take a midday non-stop and leave a day earlier than anticipated. Boo.


----------



## scrappinginontario

SW is constantly changing flights right now as with many things, their schedules are constantly in flux.  Flights will most likely change many, many times between booking and flying.  It’s best to not get too attached to a flight until hours before you fly.  Easier said than done but it’s just kinda where things are at when flying with SW.


----------



## maleficent8

Lsdolphin said:


> Ok so here we go again...just received 2 emails from SWA changing both of my flight for my May trip 5/16-5/22!


Me too!! So frustrating.


----------



## npatellye

scrappinginontario said:


> SW is constantly changing flights right now as with many things, their schedules are constantly in flux.  Flights will most likely change many, many times between booking and flying.  It’s best to not get too attached to a flight until hours before you fly.  Easier said than done but it’s just kinda where things are at when flying with SW.


I get it. But, since we had minimal changes to our November flights and things were much less open then (at least up here in CT), I honestly expected that May would have fewer changes taking place. I am really surprised to see how few non-stop flights are available right now to and from Hartford (only one a day).


----------



## Lilsia

scrappinginontario said:


> SW is constantly changing flights right now as with many things, their schedules are constantly in flux.  Flights will most likely change many, many times between booking and flying.  It’s best to not get too attached to a flight until hours before you fly.  Easier said than done but it’s just kinda where things are at when flying with SW.



Pre-covid, they were probably the most consistent airline and rarely every changed their flights. Now, almost every flight that I have taken in the past year, has had a change. I just got an email today saying my May flight to LAX changed times. Not by much, only 15 minutes, but still a change. I still like them the best and if there is an issue, their customer service is great.


----------



## Gitelfor

New “change” banner is up for flights between May 9 through about first week of June.


----------



## TNKim

When changing flights, does anyone else get freaked out when you cancel your companion in order to change your flight?  This is the first time I've had companion pass when getting the change banner and I was so afraid I couldn't get her on the same flight!  It worked out, but just a little stressful!


----------



## Gitelfor

Save 20% on points bookings with limited time promo.  Terms & conditions apply.  Unbelievably low fares using points and promo code - 3 hour flight to RSW books at under 4,000 points, round trip.



>


----------



## Ninjagrrl

Posting this for those with concerns... Nott sure if this is in every market yet, but 
*Southwest back to pre-pandemic boarding procedure*
https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Airline-News/Southwest-pre-pandemic-boarding-procedure


----------



## easyas123

Ninjagrrl said:


> Posting this for those with concerns... Nott sure if this is in every market yet, but
> *Southwest back to pre-pandemic boarding procedure*
> https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Airline-News/Southwest-pre-pandemic-boarding-procedure



Thanks!


----------



## LadybugsMum

Ninjagrrl said:


> Posting this for those with concerns... Nott sure if this is in every market yet, but
> *Southwest back to pre-pandemic boarding procedure*
> https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Airline-News/Southwest-pre-pandemic-boarding-procedure



Makes me glad that I canceled our flights and booked with Delta instead for our April trip. I'll lose some flight credit, but I'll feel more comfortable flying.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*UPDATE - RELEASE MOVED UP TO APRIL 1ST!!*

Here's your friendly reminder that *Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur on THURSDAY April 22nd THURSDAY APRIL 1ST!* For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget! I'll post additional reminders as the date draws nearer.

Currently SW is offering flights through 8/16/21 and this next release will take their schedule out to *11/6/21.*
For those that care about "release timing" it's been all over the board recently (all times Eastern):

The release on 12/10/20 went live at 7:15am.
The release on 8/13/20 went live at 9:15am.
The release on 5/28/20 went live at 9:06am.
The release on 3/12/20 went live at 9:40am.
The release on 12/11/19 went live at 9:10am.
The release on 10/30/19 went live at 7:15am.
The release on 9/26/19 went live at 7:30am.
The release on 8/15/19 went live at 10:41am.
The release on 5/30/19 went live at 9:20am.


----------



## PCFriar80

SouthFayetteFan said:


> *UPDATE - RELEASE MOVED UP TO APRIL 1ST!!*
> 
> Here's your friendly reminder that *Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur on THURSDAY April 22nd THURSDAY APRIL 1ST!* For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget! I'll post additional reminders as the date draws nearer.
> 
> Currently SW is offering flights through 8/16/21 and this next release will take their schedule out to *11/6/21.*
> For those that care about "release timing" it's been all over the board recently (all times Eastern):
> 
> The release on 12/10/20 went live at 7:15am.
> The release on 8/13/20 went live at 9:15am.
> The release on 5/28/20 went live at 9:06am.
> The release on 3/12/20 went live at 9:40am.
> The release on 12/11/19 went live at 9:10am.
> The release on 10/30/19 went live at 7:15am.
> The release on 9/26/19 went live at 7:30am.
> The release on 8/15/19 went live at 10:41am.
> The release on 5/30/19 went live at 9:20am.


This isn't a pre April fools joke, is it?


----------



## tseitel

PCFriar80 said:


> This isn't a pre April fools joke, is it?



i just saw this as well (I’ve been stalking the site, lol).  Hooray!  I can finally get my October trip all booked!


----------



## MarBee

Gitelfor said:


> Save 20% on points bookings with limited time promo.  Terms & conditions apply.  Unbelievably low fares using points and promo code - 3 hour flight to RSW books at under 4,000 points, round trip.


Thank you!  Saved me some points!


----------



## DisneyLover83

Got the email tonight they changed my flights to MCO over Memorial Day week 5/29-6/4... just shifted times but still direct flights for now.


----------



## AlohaNow

LadybugsMum said:


> Makes me glad that I canceled our flights and booked with Delta instead for our April trip. I'll lose some flight credit, but I'll feel more comfortable flying.



I just flew Delta FLL-DEN this weekend. I believe they are the last remaining carrier to have middle seats open, until April 30. It was heavenly and I sure will miss that. We flew down on United and the flight was full, with 75 people on the standby list due to our little blizzard! SW times and prices (points) weren't as good for this last minute trip that we booked, and I'm so glad we went with legacy carriers because they don't seem to be changing schedules constantly. It was weird to pay money to fly, but with $49 one-way fares, we couldn't pass it up for spring break. We are usually SW people, but I'd encourage anyone to at least compare legacy prices through Expedia, etc. right now. You may be surprised. Enjoy the planning!


----------



## Casey LC

I saw that SW will be releasing their flight schedule up to early Nov soon, but I’m wondering if anyone knows when they traditionally release the rest of the year. I’m flying out around Thanksgiving and I am already seeing flights for the other carriers.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Casey LC said:


> I saw that SW will be releasing their flight schedule up to early Nov soon, but I’m wondering if anyone knows when they traditionally release the rest of the year. I’m flying out around Thanksgiving and I am already seeing flights for the other carriers.



In 2019, the Thanksgiving flights were released in July, but that was in the middle of the plane issues that had grounded a chunk of the fleet.


----------



## Ninjagrrl

Casey LC said:


> I saw that SW will be releasing their flight schedule up to early Nov soon, but I’m wondering if anyone knows when they traditionally release the rest of the year. I’m flying out around Thanksgiving and I am already seeing flights for the other carriers.


Last year when we went in late November, flights were released in May.


----------



## Gitelfor

Casey LC said:


> I saw that SW will be releasing their flight schedule up to early Nov soon, but I’m wondering if anyone knows when they traditionally release the rest of the year. I’m flying out around Thanksgiving and I am already seeing flights for the other carriers.



Southwest posts updated schedule release information *here.*

Unlike most other carriers, which can post schedule extensions about 11 months in advance, Southwest usually extends schedules about 5-7 months in advance.  Sometimes, there will be a message on the first new day of the extended schedule, on the above-linked page, which provides the date of the next extension; but, as it normally states, that date can be subject to change.


----------



## Leigh L

Just wanted to share yesterday's flight experience for us.

Have flown multiple times since August but never SW yet. Our flight was from DC to Milwaukee and it was maybe a quarter full. This is a direct route that used to run I think 3x a day, but then went down to zero for the last year. A direct flight popped up a couple of weeks ago so I switched from BWI since Reagan Airport is closer and less traffic to get through.

Walking around the terminal, the MCO flight from DC looked very full as did Tampa and Fort Myers, so anyone flying to FL I'm guessing these are the most popular for spring. However, flying anywhere else might still see the early pandemic conditions like we did.

They loaded us by calling A 1-30 first to line up, then loading 1-15. So not exactly socially distanced, but not as tight as usual either. Since they had everyone line up about 10 minutes early, it was a little more clustered than airlines who call by rows (back to front) and then load immediately. We didn't feel unsafe but it was not socially distanced.

Beverages and a snack were served. SW was pouring into cups (other airlines we've been on were handing out bottles of water or cans of soda, the last flight being in February).

Overall, great experience


----------



## TNKim

I just received an email from Southwest for an offer for A-List status!  I've never had it before so this will be wonderful for our May trip!  Can someone explain what exactly is Priority Boarding?  Does it board first or between A & B groups?  From what I can tell, I still have to check in at 24 hours prior to the flight for boarding passes.  


*We're excited to offer you our A-List status travel benefits.* A-List makes getting to your destination even easier. All you need to do is register and when you travel through June 30, 2021, you'll enjoy the advantages of A-List.

•​Priority boarding* for everyone on your reservation•​25% points bonus on qualified flights•​Same-day standby**•​Priority check-in and security lane access***

Register now to enjoy A-List status on travel through June 30, 2021. We look forward to seeing you onboard, on the A-List, soon!


----------



## Gitelfor

TNKim said:


> I just received an email from Southwest for an offer for A-List status!  I've never had it before so this will be wonderful for our May trip!  Can someone explain what exactly is Priority Boarding?  Does it board first or between A & B groups?  From what I can tell, I still have to check in at 24 hours prior to the flight for boarding passes.
> 
> 
> *We're excited to offer you our A-List status travel benefits.* A-List makes getting to your destination even easier. All you need to do is register and when you travel through June 30, 2021, you'll enjoy the advantages of A-List.​
> 
> •​Priority boarding* for everyone on your reservation•​25% points bonus on qualified flights•​Same-day standby**•​Priority check-in and security lane access***
> 
> Register now to enjoy A-List status on travel through June 30, 2021. We look forward to seeing you onboard, on the A-List, soon!


This is a targeted promotion.  Priority boarding means that you will be automatically checked in at 36 hours before scheduled departure, as long as your reservation was made before the 36 hour check in time.  Your boarding position and those under the same confirmation number will automatically be assigned, before EBCI customers.  The lowest boarding number assigned on any booking, other than Business Select, will be A16.  Normally, for leisure destinations, such as MCO, you should be no higher than A30.  On flights with lots of business travelers, the number could be higher, but s/b always in A group.  Make sure that you are shown as registered for the promo and that A-List status shows on your account.

Half of the people I know who fly Southwest received this promo.  After signing up, the change in status will almost immediately show up on your account.


----------



## MIChessGuy

Gitelfor said:


> This is a targeted promotion.  Priority boarding means that you will be automatically checked in at 36 hours before scheduled departure, as long as your reservation was made before the 36 hour check in time.  Your boarding position and those under the same confirmation number will automatically be checked in, before EBCI customers.  The lowest boarding number assigned on any booking, other than Business Select, will be A16.  Normally, for leisure destinations, such as MCO, you should be no higher than A30.  On flights with lots of business travelers, the number could be higher, but s/b always in A group.  Make sure that you are shown as registered for the promo and that A-List status shows on your account.
> 
> Half of the people I know who fly Southwest received this promo.  After signing up, the change in status will almost immediately show up on your account.


I received this email as well, but was disappointed to see already-booked flights excluded in the fine print.  Apparently this only works with itineraries that are booked *after* the customer accepts the free A-list offer.  Oh well.


----------



## jo-jo

MIChessGuy said:


> I received this email as well, but was disappointed to see already-booked flights excluded in the fine print.  Apparently this only works with itineraries that are booked *after* the customer accepts the free A-list offer.  Oh well.




I too got it and didn't see the already booked flights thing.    I came to this thread just to see what it meant with all the "goodies".   Oh well.


----------



## Erica Ladd

I didn’t get an email. Boo. And I’ve been looking at June flights!!


----------



## jo-jo

Erica Ladd said:


> I didn’t get an email. Boo. And I’ve been looking at June flights!!



Maybe they only sent it to people whom it wouldn't help.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

We finally decided that it's not worth the hassle of trying to coral our toddler (currently 16 months old) on our August flights as a lap child and now want to buy him his own seat. Is there a way to buy his ticket so it's linked to our current confirmation numbers so I only have to check in once for us?


----------



## Gitelfor

CookieandOatmeal said:


> We finally decided that it's not worth the hassle of trying to coral our toddler (currently 16 months old) on our August flights as a lap child and now want to buy him his own seat. Is there a way to buy his ticket so it's linked to our current confirmation numbers so I only have to check in once for us?


I would call Southwest for assistance.  Due to weather issues, as well as schedule changes, I recommend calling during off-hours, if you decide to call; otherwise, you may have a long wait till your call is picked up.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

Gitelfor said:


> I would call Southwest for assistance.  Due to weather issues, as well as schedule changes, I recommend calling during off-hours, if you decide to call; otherwise, you may have a long wait till your call is picked up.



I plan on calling tomorrow. What would you consider off hours for SW?


----------



## Gitelfor

CookieandOatmeal said:


> I plan on calling tomorrow. What would you consider off hours for SW?


If you are an early-riser and have some time before you have mommy duties, I would try then.  You may be given an option for a call back, instead of holding on line, but people are complaining about call back issues.  I hope that works out for you, without having to wait too long.


----------



## scrappinginontario

I’m guessing you’ll need to contact them regardless as I can’t see you being allowed to purchase a ticket for a baby that isn’t linked to an adult ticket.  You might be best to call.  If you’re up now it’s probably a good time to try as opposed to during the say.


----------



## Gitelfor

CookieandOatmeal said:


> We finally decided that it's not worth the hassle of trying to coral our toddler (currently 16 months old) on our August flights as a lap child and now want to buy him his own seat. Is there a way to buy his ticket so it's linked to our current confirmation numbers so I only have to check in once for us?


This page from Southwest has useful information about purchasing a ticket for a child younger than two.  Scroll about halfway down the page for pertinent information.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

I ended up FB messaging SW and was able to confirm that I could book the reservation online and put my own confirmation numbers in to link our reservations as the adult traveler with him.


----------



## Gitelfor

CookieandOatmeal said:


> I ended up FB messaging SW and was able to confirm that I could book the reservation online and put my own confirmation numbers in to link our reservations as the adult traveler with him.


That is good it was easily resolved without calling.  I normally suggest tweeting Southwest, but lately, they have been taking at least half of a day to respond.  In the past, they had responded within one hour.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

Gitelfor said:


> That is good it was easily resolved without calling.  I normally suggest tweeting Southwest, but lately, they have been taking at least half of a day to respond.  In the past, they had responded within one hour.



I messaged them around 10 yesterday night and they got back to me this morning. Not too bad considering how inundated they must be.


----------



## bsmcneil

I have a question about the companion pass, if anyone here can help (I'll keep searching, too). So, I signed up for the SW visa in time to get the miles + companion pass (provided I spend, I think, 5,000 within the first 3 months). My question is - can I go ahead and buy my ticket on a flight and go back later to add the companion (once I have the pass)?


----------



## barb969

bsmcneil said:


> I have a question about the companion pass, if anyone here can help (I'll keep searching, too). So, I signed up for the SW visa in time to get the miles + companion pass (provided I spend, I think, 5,000 within the first 3 months). My question is - can I go ahead and buy my ticket on a flight and go back later to add the companion (once I have the pass)?


If you are using points make both reservations now and when you get the pass call and they will refund your points. Otherwise wait.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Here's your friendly reminder that Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur on *THIS THURSDAY April APRIL 1ST* For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget! I'll post additional reminders as the date draws nearer.

Currently SW is offering flights through 8/16/21 and *this next release will take their schedule out to 11/5/2*1.
For those that care about "release timing" it can vary, but here are the recent "go live" of previous releases:

Release Date Time (eastern)
12/10/20         7:15am
8/13/20           9:15am
5/28/20           9:06am
3/12/20           9:40am
12/11/19         9:10am
10/30/19         7:15am
9/26/19           7:30am
8/15/19          10:41am
5/30/19           9:20am


----------



## katallo

For the sake of everyone who works let's hope it's early rather than after 9!


----------



## scrappinginontario

Also, a reminder to all who will be looking tomorrow (that's me too!  ) that normally the 'Low Fare Calendar' loads information first.

To get to the Calendar using a computer:
1. Click 'Flight'
2. Click 'Low Fare Calendar'


Unfortunately I can't figure out how to find the Low Fare Calendar on the app.  Hopefully someone else can help with this.

For myself, if I'm in that little 10 min window when I'm dropping my daughter at school, I'll login to the webpage as opposed to using the app unless someone can point me in the right direction to the calendar on the app.


----------



## Gitelfor

scrappinginontario said:


> Unfortunately I can't figure out how to find the Low Fare Calendar on the app.  Hopefully someone else can help with this.
> 
> For myself, if I'm in that little 10 min window when I'm dropping my daughter at school, I'll login to the webpage as opposed to using the app unless someone can point me in the right direction to the calendar on the app.



You can find the Low Fare Calendar *here *on the mobile site.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Gitelfor said:


> You can find the Low Fare Calendar *here *on the mobile site.



Thank you so much but may I ask how you got there?  When I look at 'Book a Flight' I see everything except 'Low Fare Calendar' unless I click your link.

Thanks!


----------



## Gitelfor

scrappinginontario said:


> Thank you so much but may I ask how you got there?  When I look at 'Book a Flight' I see everything except 'Low Fare Calendar' unless I click your link.
> 
> Thanks!


Don’t open app; go to Southwest mobile site.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Gitelfor said:


> Don’t open app; go to Southwest mobile site.


Thank you.  That's where I saw it too but was looking for where it might be on the app, if it's even on the app.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Awake and refreshing the Low Fare Calendar waiting for new flights to be released.  Nothing yet at @7:25

Also, suddenly wondering how I buy flights using points for more than one person.  Do I need to buy them separately?


----------



## focusondisney

scrappinginontario said:


> Awake and refreshing the Liw Fare Calendar waiting for new flights to be released.  Nothing yet at @7:25



Me too.


----------



## focusondisney

scrappinginontario said:


> Also, suddenly wondering how I buy flights using points for more than one person. Do I need to buy them separately?



You have enough points in your account? Then you just book normally..  If you need to use separate accounts for each ticket, then you’ll have to book separately.  In that case, I have booked both of us one way tickets, using my account for one way & DH’s account for the other way.  Just think  it helps with making check in easier that way.


----------



## papaof3

scrappinginontario said:


> Awake and refreshing the Liw Fare Calendar waiting for new flights to be released.  Nothing yet at @7:25
> 
> Also, suddenly wondering how I buy flights using points for more than one person.  Do I need to buy them separately?


Nope. Just select how many people. Also do not include your companion in that number if you are using a companion pass that you earned. Add them after you book everyone else


----------



## 3 DD love princesses

scrappinginontario said:


> Awake and refreshing the Liw Fare Calendar waiting for new flights to be released.  Nothing yet at @7:25
> 
> Also, suddenly wondering how I buy flights using points for more than one person.  Do I need to buy them separately?


you can book them together if you want.  I book ours individually just because if it goes lower for one ticket I can get it lower


----------



## MaggieBags

focusondisney said:


> Me too.


 Me three.


----------



## papaof3

This thread is on fire today. Ha ha. Come on southwest.


----------



## tseitel

Right here with you!  Waiting......


----------



## OhThePain

I'll join the club. Only been refreshing for the last 2 hours and 10 minutes...


----------



## Tink584

Waiting and waiting and waiting. I have to book flights for 8 people


----------



## LadybugsMum

I don't need flights until Dec, but I like to look at the fall schedule to give me an idea of flight times. Waiting here too.


----------



## mzozzietj

i hope this isn't an april fools day joke and they do open them this morning


----------



## gloriaf

I am here with you all waiting!  Since 6am. For some reason I thought Southwest loaded new window at 6am.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

gloriaf said:


> I am here with you all waiting!  Since 6am. For some reason I thought Southwest loaded new window at 6am.


FYI - I post on this thread every release with updated info.  I don't ever recall a 6am release.  And definitely not in the past 2 years as you'll see below.



SouthFayetteFan said:


> Here's your friendly reminder that Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur on *THIS THURSDAY April APRIL 1ST* For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget! I'll post additional reminders as the date draws nearer.
> 
> Currently SW is offering flights through 8/16/21 and *this next release will take their schedule out to 11/5/2*1.
> For those that care about "release timing" it can vary, but here are the recent "go live" of previous releases:
> 
> Release Date Time (eastern)
> 12/10/20         7:15am
> 8/13/20           9:15am
> 5/28/20           9:06am
> 3/12/20           9:40am
> 12/11/19         9:10am
> 10/30/19         7:15am
> 9/26/19           7:30am
> 8/15/19          10:41am
> 5/30/19           9:20am


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Things are starting to load!


----------



## mzozzietj

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Things are starting to load!


I see nothing yet but believe you since I have work meetings starting at 9am LOL


----------



## MaggieBags

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Things are starting to load!



Ugh, not seeing it. I have to get in the car for hour soon... Blerg.


----------



## paults

Well it is April 1st. Is this a fool us day SW?


----------



## LadybugsMum

paults said:


> Well it is April 1st. Is this a fool us day SW?


I hope the April Fools is that they give us through mid Dec.


----------



## focusondisney

Not seeing anything for Buffalo yet either.


----------



## vinmar4

Here also, I overslept ! LOL
what a relief that I still have a chance !


----------



## LadybugsMum

It's up!


----------



## MaggieBags

live!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Here is my typical Southwest Release Info (copying and pasting my reddit comment since that's easiest):


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*FYI - Southwest extended their schedule this morning for flights through November 1, 2021.*

Also, Here is my usual Historical Southwest Release Dates (for planning purposes) comment. (prettier formatting seen *HERE*)

*Release Date | Travel Through*
next release: TBD  |  TBD**
4/1/21  |  November 1, 2021
12/10/20  |  August 16, 2021
8/13/20  |  April 11th, 2021
5/28/20  |  January 4th, 2021
3/12/20  |  October 30th, 2020
12/11/19  |  August 10th, 2020
10/30/19  |  June 6th, 2020
9/26/19  |  April 13th, 2020
8/15/19  |  March 6th, 2020
5/30/19  |  January 5th, 2020
3/15/19  |  November 2nd, 2019
1/31/19  |  October 1st, 2019
11/15/18  |  August 5th, 2019
9/27/18  |  June 8th, 2019
_** FYI this is subject to change and isn't always available on release day_

The chart above shows approx. the last 2 year's worth of releases. Earlier data can be seen here in one of my prior posts. This information could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above).
For those that care about "release timing" it can vary, but here are the recent "go live" of previous releases including today:

*Release **Date** | Time (eastern)*
4/1/20  |  9:10am
12/10/20  |  7:15am
8/13/20  |  9:15am
5/28/20  |  9:06am
3/12/20  |  9:40am
12/11/19  |  9:10am
10/30/19  |  7:15am
9/26/19  |  7:30am
8/15/19  |  10:41am
5/30/19  |  9:20am


----------



## irt9206

They're up for PVD


----------



## Lsdolphin

New fares may be up but whoa....I’m not paying these prices!!! I’m thinking maybe SWA wants to see who bites ....


----------



## vinmar4

It opened up , but the prices are not low at all to Tampa from Dallas 
oh well, I will keep checking I guess


----------



## LadybugsMum

Lsdolphin said:


> New fares may be up but whoa....I’m not paying these prices!!! I’m thinking maybe SWA wants to see who bites ....



Yes, they're more expensive than usual for a drop date for RDU and there are fewer direct flights.


----------



## MaggieBags

Fares were not great but were able to use our travel funds from last year's cancelled trip. Hope everyone got what they wanted!


----------



## LaurenT

LadybugsMum said:


> It's up!





mzozzietj said:


> I see nothing yet but believe you since I have work meetings starting at 9am LOL


Hey everyone! Log into the website, don’t use your app!  The app wasn’t showing September - I went into the website and there it was!!


----------



## focusondisney

Well, I got my flights booked, but the site must be slammed right now. I’m trying to go back & add my DH as my companion & can’t even get the site to load.  Not worried about anything selling out, I just want to get it done.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

I need feedback. I will be using a companion pass. Prices seem high at the moment, but in line with what they have been charging for dates further out. Should I purchase now or wait? Should I use points? Will prices rise as things open up? I believe I'd have to call to adjust to a lower fare/points, because of the companion pass.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Ours were priced close to what I thought, a little higher (maybe $20) but still reasonable enough for me to book.  Booked with points as I'm fully expecting I'll have to cancel.  Time will tell....


----------



## Erica Ladd

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> I need feedback. I will be using a companion pass. Prices seem high at the moment, but in line with what they have been charging for dates further out. Should I purchase now or wait? Should I use points? I believe I'd have to call to adjust to a lower fare/points, because of the companion pass.



Following since I will be in this situation eventually


----------



## EACarlson

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> I need feedback. I will be using a companion pass. Prices seem high at the moment, but in line with what they have been charging for dates further out. Should I purchase now or wait? Should I use points? I believe I'd have to call to adjust to a lower fare/points, because of the companion pass.


Points if you have them, always points if you have them.

I'm booking Delta for my next trip in October.  Over $400 from MKE, and I'd have to be on the road to the airport at 3:30 in the morning.


----------



## Lsdolphin

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> I need feedback. I will be using a companion pass. Prices seem high at the moment, but in line with what they have been charging for dates further out. Should I purchase now or wait? Should I use points? I believe I'd have to call to adjust to a lower fare/points, because of the companion pass.



I’m waiting to book my flights...I’m afraid that if I book now at these high prices they will begin their “Red Banner” emails where they allow you to change flights but don’t give any refunds or credits for price differences...that is what happened to me this last round.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

EACarlson said:


> Points if you have them, always points if you have them.
> 
> I'm booking Delta for my next trip in October.  Over $400 from MKE, and I'd have to be on the road to the airport at 3:30 in the morning.



I'd be flying out of MKE, too. Do you think fares will rise as things open up?


----------



## EACarlson

If you're on the south side of town it's almost always cheaper and easier to fly out of MDW, even if it is a 90 minute drive.  I went last October and it was $97RT from MDW and $300 from MKE.  I'm an hour north so I will be flying DL ATW-MSP-MCO for the same price.


----------



## CouponGirl

Lsdolphin said:


> New fares may be up but whoa....I’m not paying these prices!!! I’m thinking maybe SWA wants to see who bites ....


I was thinking the same thing, but I’m using points so I booked and hope they go down closer to time! 



DisneyRunner2009 said:


> I need feedback. I will be using a companion pass. Prices seem high at the moment, but in line with what they have been charging for dates further out. Should I purchase now or wait? Should I use points? Will prices rise as things open up? I believe I'd have to call to adjust to a lower fare/points, because of the companion pass.


If you have points, I’d definitely use the points. Then if prices change you can get refunded and not have to worry with travel funds. I haven’t found it to be a big deal to make changes with a companion pass. To do online you have to remove your companion, make the change to your reservation and then add them back. I’ve also done it where I waited to add on my companion until closer to time so I wouldn’t have to do the extra steps to make adjustments - however doing that I did have one time where it showed only a couple companion spots left. Someone else may have experience if you can call and make adjustments without removing your companion.


----------



## vinmar4

scrappinginontario said:


> Ours were priced close to what I thought, a little higher (maybe $20) but still reasonable enough for me to book.  Booked with points as I'm fully expecting I'll have to cancel.  Time will tell....


Hopefully, you won't have to cancel !


----------



## gloriaf

I was going to wait to see if prices might fluctuate....but it said only 4 seats left for the time I wanted so I booked one way so far.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

I don't want my companion to miss out on seat availability. We hope to travel enough to use the travel funds, if I go that route. I have the SW credit card. Leaning toward using points and calling if I need too.


----------



## han22735

Both of our 1 way flights are more than I wanted to spend with points.  I'm hoping for a sale that covers our August dates to get some back.  Currently sitting at 19k per person RT


----------



## focusondisney

Remember, those “only X seats left” just refers to seats at that particular price. It doesn’t mean there are only X seats left on the flight.  There might be 3 seats at $119, then the price will go to $123, for example.   Unless all 3 fare categories show  as limited, there are plenty of seats on the flight.   And a companion only needs any seat on the flight, no matter what price bucket.


----------



## scrappinginontario

scrappinginontario said:


> Ours were priced close to what I thought, a little higher (maybe $20) but still reasonable enough for me to book.  Booked with points as I'm fully expecting I'll have to cancel.  Time will tell....



I'm going to correct my answers above.  Our return flights were significantly higher than the outbound flights but we're also flying the Friday of Labour Day weekend which I knew could be higher.


----------



## ScooterPie

Do you lose EARLY BIRD if you make a change?


----------



## focusondisney

scrappinginontario said:


> Ours were priced close to what I thought, a little higher (maybe $20) but still reasonable enough for me to book.  Booked with points as I'm fully expecting I'll have to cancel.  Time will tell....



If I remember right, you fly from Buffalo too, right?  I agree, the prices weren’t too bad. I think around what they have been on opening lately.   I booked with points, Sept 30- Oct 2 for the 50th weekend.  Paid 18K + round trip.  And Sept 9-16 was 15,100 points.  And my DH is free with CP.   I’ll keep checking for lower rates, but those prices aren’t horrible if they stand.


----------



## PCFriar80

ScooterPie said:


> Do you lose EARLY BIRD if you make a change?


You do not.  You lose it if you cancel.


----------



## scrappinginontario

focusondisney said:


> If I remember right, you fly from Buffalo too, right?  I agree, the prices weren’t too bad. I think around what they have been on opening lately.   I booked with points, Sept 30- Oct 2 for the 50th weekend.  Paid 18K + round trip.  And Sept 9-16 was 15,100 points.  And my DH is free with CP.   I’ll keep checking for lower rates, but those prices aren’t horrible if they stand.


Yes, I'm Buffalo also.  Our outbound wasn't bad at 7,588/pp but our return was high at 11,144/pp but that's the Friday of Labour Day weekend.  Out total is also a little more than 18K per round trip so about the same as you.


----------



## focusondisney

ScooterPie said:


> Do you lose EARLY BIRD if you make a change?



No, it should follow as long as you change, not cancel & your cities stay the same.  However, there is debate about if your place in line changes when you change your flight.  Your place in the check in line is determined by when you purchase the EBCI.  Some posters say if you make a change, you’ll have the date you made the change as your effective date for the EBCI.


----------



## focusondisney

scrappinginontario said:


> Yes, I'm Buffalo also.  Our outbound wasn't bad at 7,588/pp but our return was high at 11,144/pp but that's the Friday of Labour Day weekend.  Out total is also a little more than 18K per round trip so about the same as you.



Well I’m   the boarder will open &  your  trip will be a go!


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

I pulled the trigger and booked with points, over 22,000 RT. I'll stalk it and call if something better comes along as it gets closer. Something usually does, but it's only points. That's my rationale. However, when you are talking Disney I like to make the most of my money.


----------



## Tink584

Ugh I couldn’t wait any longer, prices for mid-late august were so much more than they were for earlier august a few weeks ago ($67
Each way then at one point. $95-125 each way now).


----------



## Gitelfor

If you don’t have a Rapid Rewards frequent flyer account, sign up with this promo to earn up to 5000 bonus RR points.  That could be enough for a free one way flight, based on itinerary and fares.


----------



## TNKim

We have flights end of May that have already been changed once and I had the red banner and was able to change them to better flight times. First, the departure flight changed, then a few days later the return flight changed. I have 3 tickets on one reservation, then my companion flight is separate. I just received an email that Southwest changed my companion departure time to an earlier flight. The other 3 tickets have not changed (as of now).  There is no banner at this time allowing me to try to change my companion flight time back to the same flight we are on.  I would try to call but I’m sure the wait times are horrendous with this being release day.  Can I change the companion time online without any cost without having a banner?  Has anyone ever had this happen? Does it mean they will change the other 3 flights also but just haven’t done it yet?


----------



## focusondisney

TNKim said:


> We have flights end of May that have already been changed once and I had the red banner and was able to change them to better flight times. First, the departure flight changed, then a few days later the return flight changed. I have 3 tickets on one reservation, then my companion flight is separate. I just received an email that Southwest changed my companion departure time to an earlier flight. The other 3 tickets have not changed (as of now).  There is no banner at this time allowing me to try to change my companion flight time back to the same flight we are on.  I would try to call but I’m sure the wait times are horrendous with this being release day.  Can I change the companion time online without any cost without having a banner?  Has anyone ever had this happen? Does it mean they will change the other 3 flights also but just haven’t done it yet?



Well that is a strange situation, considering the Companion pass rules state they must fly on the same flight as you. To do it your self, you  would probably have to cancel the CP & start over.  Is the flight your other tickets on still showing availability?  In any category, it doesn’t need to be the same category you booked  the others with.  If it is, you can just cancel the CO & start again.  The only thing with canceling is you have the taxes, they should offer a refund but sometimes that ends up as a credit.  And you lose EBCI if you cancel, if you have that.  If you call, they can change with no loss of EBCI or issue with the tax.


----------



## Avery&Todd

TNKim said:


> We have flights end of May that have already been changed once and I had the red banner and was able to change them to better flight times. First, the departure flight changed, then a few days later the return flight changed. I have 3 tickets on one reservation, then my companion flight is separate. I just received an email that Southwest changed my companion departure time to an earlier flight. The other 3 tickets have not changed (as of now).  There is no banner at this time allowing me to try to change my companion flight time back to the same flight we are on.  I would try to call but I’m sure the wait times are horrendous with this being release day.  Can I change the companion time online without any cost without having a banner?  Has anyone ever had this happen? Does it mean they will change the other 3 flights also but just haven’t done it yet?


I've been very successful in getting customer service help with chatting to SW via FB messenger - and then I dont have to wait on the phone and they are usually pretty responsive - like a 5-10 min wait at the longest time.  There were some issues with my end of May companion pass flights (to Vegas) and they finally just cancelled the companion pass and I rebooked it and they re-linked it.  

Perhaps try reaching out via messenger and see what they can do.

But I've never seen where my companion pass was moved to a different flight to mine...super strange!


----------



## cmarsh31

Booked with JetBlue for Sept/Oct. Half the price and better direct flights. $600rt on SW for non-direct flights? Umm, nope.


----------



## TNKim

TNKim said:


> We have flights end of May that have already been changed once and I had the red banner and was able to change them to better flight times. First, the departure flight changed, then a few days later the return flight changed. I have 3 tickets on one reservation, then my companion flight is separate. I just received an email that Southwest changed my companion departure time to an earlier flight. The other 3 tickets have not changed (as of now).  There is no banner at this time allowing me to try to change my companion flight time back to the same flight we are on.  I would try to call but I’m sure the wait times are horrendous with this being release day.  Can I change the companion time online without any cost without having a banner?  Has anyone ever had this happen? Does it mean they will change the other 3 flights also but just haven’t done it yet?



I messaged SW through Facebook messenger & just heard back. The original flight is not available to move my companion back to. I replied that I understood a companion cannot fly on a separate flight alone, per SW rules for companion pass, & if we had to change the other 3 reservations to the earlier flight, it was not our first choice of flights. There were 2 other afternoon nonstop flights and a night nonstop flight. They replied they were sorry but changes are common due to COVID, but no real explanation for changing the companion flight to a separate flight, which I assume would eventually be cancelled outright once they realized it was a companion fare without the original passenger who it was a companion of. I asked to move us all to the second afternoon flight (which we had originally booked before the first set of changes). They replied that flight wasn’t available either. I then said to just change us to the early flight my companion was booked on. SW replied the early flight did not have room for 3, so our only option for a nonstop flight was leaving at 8:05 pm, arriving at 10:50 pm, meaning we will arrive at our Universal resort after midnight.  I voiced my extreme displeasure and frustration with SW and my first experience with using the companion pass I had worked so hard to earn points for last year and will probably be the only time I use it this year. They apologized again but I guess I’m even lucky to still have any nonstop flight but I’m not happy at all flying in at night.  Is there any chance any of those earlier flights will open up between now and May?


----------



## Erica Ladd

That stinks. Sorry. I guess keep checking


----------



## Gitelfor

TNKim said:


> I messaged SW through Facebook messenger & just heard back. The original flight is not available to move my companion back to. I replied that I understood a companion cannot fly on a separate flight alone, per SW rules for companion pass, & if we had to change the other 3 reservations to the earlier flight, it was not our first choice of flights. There were 2 other afternoon nonstop flights and a night nonstop flight. They replied they were sorry but changes are common due to COVID, but no real explanation for changing the companion flight to a separate flight, which I assume would eventually be cancelled outright once they realized it was a companion fare without the original passenger who it was a companion of. I asked to move us all to the second afternoon flight (which we had originally booked before the first set of changes). They replied that flight wasn’t available either. I then said to just change us to the early flight my companion was booked on. SW replied the early flight did not have room for 3, so our only option for a nonstop flight was leaving at 8:05 pm, arriving at 10:50 pm, meaning we will arrive at our Universal resort after midnight.  I voiced my extreme displeasure and frustration with SW and my first experience with using the companion pass I had worked so hard to earn points for last year and will probably be the only time I use it this year. They apologized again but I guess I’m even lucky to still have any nonstop flight but I’m not happy at all flying in at night.  Is there any chance any of those earlier flights will open up between now and May?


Did anyone check to see if there is availability for a better time on a direct flight (layover on the ground, but no change to another plane)?  Would you be wiling to consider connecting flights, if the arrival time were better?   Some airports have easy connections, with about a 5 minute walk.  I try to avoid connections over the winter, due to weather issues. But, at other times, if a connecting itinerary has a better fare or departure/arrival time, and there is not a super long layover on the ground, I will consider booking that and keep checking for a better nonstop to become available.

With Southwest, there always is a chance that seats on other flights may open up, due to Southwest’s flexibility to change or cancel. Obviously, if you are flying over a holiday, the chances will be lower, due to demand.

With a record of your problems, you always can keep checking back to see if anything better opens up that Southwest can move you to.  Normally, the CSRs who work on Southwest’s social media team have more flexibility to resolve issues, than those working the normal phone line.  I hope they will be able to work out a more acceptable option for you.


----------



## TNKim

Gitelfor said:


> Did anyone check to see if there is availability for a better time on a direct flight (layover on the ground, but no change to another plane)?  Would you be wiling to consider connecting flights, if the arrival time were better?   Some airports have easy connections, with about a 5 minute walk.  I try to avoid connections over the winter, due to weather issues. But, at other times, if a connecting itinerary has a better fare or departure/arrival time, and there is not a super long layover on the ground, I will consider booking that and keep checking for a better nonstop to become available.
> 
> With Southwest, there always is a chance that seats on other flights may open up, due to Southwest’s flexibility to change or cancel. Obviously, if you are flying over a holiday, the chances will be lower, due to demand.
> 
> With a record of your problems, you always can keep checking back to see if anything better opens up that Southwest can move you to.  Normally, the CSRs who work on Southwest’s social media team have more flexibility to resolve issues, than those working the normal phone line.  I hope they will be able to work out a more acceptable option for you.



No, I didn’t check any nonstop flights because all are from 4.5-6 hours in length. I guess that would get us there before midnight but we would spend all day traveling. Our nonstop is less than 2 hours. Our flight isn’t over a holiday but it is on a Saturday.  It’s even more frustrating because I booked on release date to get the best price and flight times for us and now we end up with a late flight and arriving at the resort, which is over $300 for a Saturday night, after midnight. The fact that it’s my first trip using the companion pass, and that SW moved the companion to a separate flight, which goes against their own rules, making it necessary for us to change all flights to a less desirable time, is just frustrating. I can’t help believe the companion flight was bumped in favor of a full price fare.  If that’s the case, it certainly does little to promote any benefit to trying to earn companion pass.  I don’t recall ever reading on this thread about anything like this happening.


----------



## Gitelfor

TNKim said:


> No, I didn’t check any nonstop flights because all are from 4.5-6 hours in length. I guess that would get us there before midnight but we would spend all day traveling. Our nonstop is less than 2 hours. Our flight isn’t over a holiday but it is on a Saturday.  It’s even more frustrating because I booked on release date to get the best price and flight times for us and now we end up with a late flight and arriving at the resort, which is over $300 for a Saturday night, after midnight. The fact that it’s my first trip using the companion pass, and that SW moved the companion to a separate flight, which goes against their own rules, making it necessary for us to change all flights to a less desirable time, is just frustrating. I can’t help believe the companion flight was bumped in favor of a full price fare.  If that’s the case, it certainly does little to promote any benefit to trying to earn companion pass.  I don’t recall ever reading on this thread about anything like this happening.


This is really unacceptable.  This problem is on Southwest.  Even though the social media team is part of Customer Relations, there also is a phone number for Customer Relations, if you still want to pursue this. They obviously had the Companion Pass reservations linked, but sometimes, their system does crazy things. If you decide to call, nicely explain the problem _they_ caused, how the new flight causes major problems with your plans, and politely plead your case (though you may have already done that by Messenger). They will have a record of your encounter on Messenger.  
*

Contact Customer Relations
You can reach Customer Relations by:*
Phone: (855) 234-4654
Twitter: @SouthwestAir
Facebook: @SouthwestAir
Email here.

The Customer Relations/Rapid Rewards Department is specialized to assist Customers with escalated concerns.


----------



## focusondisney

TNKim said:


> I messaged SW through Facebook messenger & just heard back. The original flight is not available to move my companion back to. I replied that I understood a companion cannot fly on a separate flight alone, per SW rules for companion pass, & if we had to change the other 3 reservations to the earlier flight, it was not our first choice of flights. There were 2 other afternoon nonstop flights and a night nonstop flight. They replied they were sorry but changes are common due to COVID, but no real explanation for changing the companion flight to a separate flight, which I assume would eventually be cancelled outright once they realized it was a companion fare without the original passenger who it was a companion of. I asked to move us all to the second afternoon flight (which we had originally booked before the first set of changes). They replied that flight wasn’t available either. I then said to just change us to the early flight my companion was booked on. SW replied the early flight did not have room for 3, so our only option for a nonstop flight was leaving at 8:05 pm, arriving at 10:50 pm, meaning we will arrive at our Universal resort after midnight.  I voiced my extreme displeasure and frustration with SW and my first experience with using the companion pass I had worked so hard to earn points for last year and will probably be the only time I use it this year. They apologized again but I guess I’m even lucky to still have any nonstop flight but I’m not happy at all flying in at night.  Is there any chance any of those earlier flights will open up between now and May?



Do those flights show 3 (or4) seats available if you look as if you’re booking new?  If they don’t, then there really is no availability.  As a note, I have noticed flights show unavailable while they are making changes, then seats open back up again.  If they are showing 4 seats, just move yourself.  Or call.  I haven’t used social media but I have called for issues & gotten excellent customer service.


----------



## PCFriar80

cmarsh31 said:


> Booked with JetBlue for Sept/Oct. Half the price and better direct flights. $600rt on SW for non-direct flights? Umm, nope.


Good call!  I was ready to pull the trigger on JetBlue as well for our October trip from BDL, but SWA came through for us with $244 RT non-stop flights.   I "splurged" for EBCI and still was $80 cheaper.


----------



## TNKim

Gitelfor said:


> This is really unacceptable.  This problem is on Southwest.  Even though the social media team is part of Customer Relations, there also is a phone number for Customer Relations, if you still want to pursue this. They obviously had the Companion Pass reservations linked, but sometimes, their system does crazy things. If you decide to call, nicely explain the problem _they_ caused, how the new flight causes major problems with your plans, and politely plead your case (though you may have already done that by Messenger). They will have a record of your encounter on Messenger.
> 
> 
> *Contact Customer Relations
> You can reach Customer Relations by:*
> Phone: (855) 234-4654
> Twitter: @SouthwestAir
> Facebook: @SouthwestAir
> Email here.
> 
> The Customer Relations/Rapid Rewards Department is specialized to assist Customers with escalated concerns.



I did not call, just via their Facebook Messenger. They made it sound as if I had no other options and I was afraid if I didn’t take the late flight it would be unavailable, too.

And, no, when you look to book a flight, none of the nonstops show anything available except the late flight. A few days ago when I checked, long before the email this morning, all nonstop flights showed as available.

I may try to call later tonight but I don’t have much hope it will change.  It’s just frustrating because the companion pass was connected to our reservation number and when they moved it to another flight by itsellf, it created this mess.


----------



## npatellye

SW just changed my flights to MCO again. The email says I can change for free within three days of receiving the email. But, when I log on, it wants to charge me an extra $181/person to change. I called and opted for a call back so fingers crossed they call back and fix this.


----------



## focusondisney

TNKim said:


> I did not call, just via their Facebook Messenger. They made it sound as if I had no other options and I was afraid if I didn’t take the late flight it would be unavailable, too.
> 
> And, no, when you look to book a flight, none of the nonstops show anything available except the late flight. A few days ago when I checked, long before the email this morning, all nonstop flights showed as available.
> 
> I may try to call later tonight but I don’t have much hope it will change.  It’s just frustrating because the companion pass was connected to our reservation number and when they moved it to another flight by itsellf, it created this mess.



That sounds like what I have seen when SW was making changes to our flights.  I think they put flights as unavailable while they are moving people around, so they have seats  to move them to. After  they’re done, seats show up again.  You said you’re traveling the end of May?  That’s a lot of time for things to change.  I would still call & talk to someone in person.  I think a lot is lost when you’re just typing. Much better to speak to someone  & explain the issue directly.


----------



## Gitelfor

TNKim said:


> I did not call, just via their Facebook Messenger. They made it sound as if I had no other options and I was afraid if I didn’t take the late flight it would be unavailable, too.
> 
> And, no, when you look to book a flight, none of the nonstops show anything available except the late flight. A few days ago when I checked, long before the email this morning, all nonstop flights showed as available.
> 
> I may try to call later tonight but I don’t have much hope it will change.  It’s just frustrating because the companion pass was connected to our reservation number and when they moved it to another flight by itsellf, it created this mess.


I believe the Customer Relations phone number I posted only is open during “normal office hours” (at least, that was when I last contacted them).  I don’t recall if there is a message, if you call after hours, or if the call automatically is forwarded to their regular reservations department.


----------



## hollylu1016

Reading about all the changes SW has made to people’s flights has me worried about booking with them for our October trip (skipped booking yesterday to hold out for a lower price). 
We always like to take the earliest non stop out of MKE and then the latest non stop heading back.

Has anyone else booked either of these routes since the pandemic and had southwest drastically change things??


----------



## EACarlson

hollylu1016 said:


> Reading about all the changes SW has made to people’s flights has me worried about booking with them for our October trip (skipped booking yesterday to hold out for a lower price).
> We always like to take the earliest non stop out of MKE and then the latest non stop heading back.
> 
> Has anyone else booked either of these routes since the pandemic and had southwest drastically change things??


With as few nonstops as SW has MKE-MCO you'll probably be fine.  There is enough traffic on that route that they are going to keep them and honestly I don't see the schedule shrinking from what it is now, if anything I think they will add flights.  That said for the last year I've been flying out of Chicago rather than MKE because it's been half the price or less.  Looking for the dates I'm going the 6am flight out of MKE and the 9:30 flight out of MCO are $350, which is about the same as what I was seeing MDW-MCO.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

I booked mke mco yesterday with points and companion pass. I will call if there is a price drop. I've never run into problems with those times. Only change has been within minutes of original departure time. I book first in last out and the flights are always full.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Competition for mke to mco will be from Spirit and Frontier. Prices may go down, but may go up as people start to travel. I think yesterday's prices are the new low. Maybe they're trying to make up for their losses.


----------



## EACarlson

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> Competition for mke to mco will be from Spirit and Frontier. Prices may go down, but may go up as people start to travel. I think yesterday's prices are the new low. Maybe they're trying to make up for their losses.


I don't know that I would consider either of those competition.  Spirit only operates one flight a day, that leaves at 5pm.  Frontier only operates certain days of the week and they were over $400 for the only thing that comes close to when I'm going, and those flights get in late and leave early.  To me the real competition on that route is the legacies with one stop and short layovers, Delta through ATL, United through ORD and American through CLT.  All are around the same fare.  I'm quite happy with my $375 from Appleton on Delta.  For non-stops out of MKE though SW is really the only choice.


----------



## puppytrainer

hollylu1016 said:


> Reading about all the changes SW has made to people’s flights has me worried about booking with them for our October trip (skipped booking yesterday to hold out for a lower price).
> We always like to take the earliest non stop out of MKE and then the latest non stop heading back.
> 
> Has anyone else booked either of these routes since the pandemic and had southwest drastically change things??


My end of May 9:45am non-stop MKE-MCO changed about 2 weeks ago to about 3 hours later. The early flight changed by 5min from 6:50am to 6:55am. We moved to the 6:55 flight as I didn't want to leave as late as 1pm.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

I don't care for the offerings of Spirit and Frontier out of MKE. If you can travel on short notice and light, you can get some good pricing with these two.


----------



## TNKim

Gitelfor said:


> This is really unacceptable.  This problem is on Southwest.  Even though the social media team is part of Customer Relations, there also is a phone number for Customer Relations, if you still want to pursue this. They obviously had the Companion Pass reservations linked, but sometimes, their system does crazy things. If you decide to call, nicely explain the problem _they_ caused, how the new flight causes major problems with your plans, and politely plead your case (though you may have already done that by Messenger). They will have a record of your encounter on Messenger.
> 
> 
> *Contact Customer Relations
> You can reach Customer Relations by:*
> Phone: (855) 234-4654
> Twitter: @SouthwestAir
> Facebook: @SouthwestAir
> Email here.
> 
> The Customer Relations/Rapid Rewards Department is specialized to assist Customers with escalated concerns.



For all of you who followed along on my companion flight change saga on Thursday, I appreciate your thoughtful replies and helpful comments.  

After being upset and frustrated over the events which resulted in having to settle for a late flight, I decided to sleep on it before calling the customer service number to see if there was any chance of changing the flights.  When I called, I got a recorded message stating they were closed for the holiday.  I checked the app numerous times all day, but all the nonstop flights showed unavailable except for the late flight I was booked on.  It was going to have to wait until Monday when customer service reopened.

Today, the first time I checked the app the nonstop flight at 4:05 p.m. showed availability for 4, so I quickly called the reservation line, waited for 20 minutes, and then spoke to a wonderful SW rep named Amy.  She listened to my story, held those 4 flights on the 4:05 nonstop, and began making the changes.  She said because it was SW’s error in changing the companion to a separate flight, there would be no charge, and she made a notation on my account that if any other earlier nonstop flights became available that I was allowed another change free of charge also, but that I would need to call to change the flights instead of doing it online myself.  

She repeatedly said this should never have happened, that sometime the computers glitch when making changes and they had had numerous calls over the changes.  I told her I understood about the changes in flights due to COVID, but was upset about the fact that the companion was changed to a different flight, then she couldn’t be changed back to our flight, and we coudn’t be changed to her flight, necessitating all 4 tickets being changed to the only nonstop available, a late flight.  She did say what I was told by someone here, that when they make changes, flights show as unavailable until the changes have been made, then they may reappear, which is why she noted that I was allowed to make another change without charge if earlier flights became available.

I also asked her about the A-List promo that I received by email and registered for, and she said it applies to all flights through June 30, not just flights booked after registering for the promo.  So we are considered A-List for the flights, which will be awesome not to have to check in at 24 hours and worry about sitting together, especially since this is the first time I’ve not bought early bird!  Needless to say, after all the frustration dealing with this, I am very grateful to be arriving at 6:55pm vs. almost midnight! Amy was awesome helping with this and I appreciate all your help and suggestions, too.


----------



## Gitelfor

TNKim said:


> For all of you who followed along on my companion flight change saga on Thursday, I appreciate your thoughtful replies and helpful comments.
> 
> After being upset and frustrated over the events which resulted in having to settle for a late flight, I decided to sleep on it before calling the customer service number to see if there was any chance of changing the flights.  When I called, I got a recorded message stating they were closed for the holiday.  I checked the app numerous times all day, but all the nonstop flights showed unavailable except for the late flight I was booked on.  It was going to have to wait until Monday when customer service reopened.
> 
> Today, the first time I checked the app the nonstop flight at 4:05 p.m. showed availability for 4, so I quickly called the reservation line, waited for 20 minutes, and then spoke to a wonderful SW rep named Amy.  She listened to my story, held those 4 flights on the 4:05 nonstop, and began making the changes.  She said because it was SW’s error in changing the companion to a separate flight, there would be no charge, and she made a notation on my account that if any other earlier nonstop flights became available that I was allowed another change free of charge also, but that I would need to call to change the flights instead of doing it online myself.
> 
> She repeatedly said this should never have happened, that sometime the computers glitch when making changes and they had had numerous calls over the changes.  I told her I understood about the changes in flights due to COVID, but was upset about the fact that the companion was changed to a different flight, then she couldn’t be changed back to our flight, and we coudn’t be changed to her flight, necessitating all 4 tickets being changed to the only nonstop available, a late flight.  She did say what I was told by someone here, that when they make changes, flights show as unavailable until the changes have been made, then they may reappear, which is why she noted that I was allowed to make another change without charge if earlier flights became available.
> 
> I also asked her about the A-List promo that I received by email and registered for, and she said it applies to all flights through June 30, not just flights booked after registering for the promo.  So we are considered A-List for the flights, which will be awesome not to have to check in at 24 hours and worry about sitting together, especially since this is the first time I’ve not bought early bird!  Needless to say, after all the frustration dealing with this, I am very grateful to be arriving at 6:55pm vs. almost midnight! Amy was awesome helping with this and I appreciate all your help and suggestions, too.


After your seemingly never-ending saga, I'm so glad that you were able to maneuver through all of this and receive an acceptable  resolution.  It sounds like Amy provided excellent customer service.  If you’d like, you can message Southwest on FB or DM them on Twitter, referencing your confirmation numbers and commending the great assistance Amy gave you. Your comments will be forwarded to Amy, and I believe your positive comments may go in her employee record.


----------



## MIChessGuy

TNKim said:


> I also asked her about the A-List promo that I received by email and registered for, and she said it applies to all flights through June 30, not just flights booked after registering for the promo.  So we are considered A-List for the flights, which will be awesome not to have to check in at 24 hours and worry about sitting together, especially since this is the first time I’ve not bought early bird!  Needless to say, after all the frustration dealing with this, I am very grateful to be arriving at 6:55pm vs. almost midnight! Amy was awesome helping with this and I appreciate all your help and suggestions, too.



I am surprised to hear this because the fine print that accompanied the promo, or at least the version of it that I got, stated clearly that it would not apply to already-booked flights.  Maybe SW changed their corporate mind about that.


----------



## qv09vvp

SouthFayetteFan said:


> *FYI - Southwest extended their schedule this morning for flights through November 1, 2021.*
> 
> Also, Here is my usual Historical Southwest Release Dates (for planning purposes) comment. (prettier formatting seen *HERE*)
> 
> *Release Date | Travel Through*
> next release: TBD  |  TBD**
> 4/1/21  |  November 1, 2021
> 12/10/20  |  August 16, 2021
> 8/13/20  |  April 11th, 2021
> 5/28/20  |  January 4th, 2021
> 3/12/20  |  October 30th, 2020
> 12/11/19  |  August 10th, 2020
> 10/30/19  |  June 6th, 2020
> 9/26/19  |  April 13th, 2020
> 8/15/19  |  March 6th, 2020
> 5/30/19  |  January 5th, 2020
> 3/15/19  |  November 2nd, 2019
> 1/31/19  |  October 1st, 2019
> 11/15/18  |  August 5th, 2019
> 9/27/18  |  June 8th, 2019
> _** FYI this is subject to change and isn't always available on release day_
> 
> The chart above shows approx. the last 2 year's worth of releases. Earlier data can be seen here in one of my prior posts. This information could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above).
> For those that care about "release timing" it can vary, but here are the recent "go live" of previous releases including today:
> 
> *Release **Date** | Time (eastern)*
> 4/1/20  |  9:10am
> 12/10/20  |  7:15am
> 8/13/20  |  9:15am
> 5/28/20  |  9:06am
> 3/12/20  |  9:40am
> 12/11/19  |  9:10am
> 10/30/19  |  7:15am
> 9/26/19  |  7:30am
> 8/15/19  |  10:41am
> 5/30/19  |  9:20am


HI ---
Do we do a watch thread for the Nov & dec Southwest flights?     or does this thread suffice??


----------



## MarBee

qv09vvp said:


> HI ---
> Do we do a watch thread for the Nov & dec Southwest flights?     or does this thread suffice??


This is your thread


----------



## Erica Ladd

I’m watching flights for late June and they are just so much more than I’m used to paying!!! Every sale that comes doesn’t apply to Orlando. I am keeping fingers crossed they eventually drop even if just by a little. Makes earning a companion pass less appealing now that I’ll have to pay double for my ticket!!!


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

qv09vvp said:


> HI ---
> Do we do a watch thread for the Nov & dec Southwest flights?     or does this thread suffice??



I need December flights, too.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Erica Ladd said:


> I’m watching flights for late June and they are just so much more than I’m used to paying!!! Every sale that comes doesn’t apply to Orlando. I am keeping fingers crossed they eventually drop even if just by a little. Makes earning a companion pass less appealing now that I’ll have to pay double for my ticket!!!



I agree with everything, but the companion pass. I never earn that. I bought my tickets for October at what I feel is the new opening day price. I see June dates one way for over $300. The travel Tuesday or Wednesday for lower fare doesn't seem to apply any more. I think prices will continue to rise as people feel more comfortable with flying. Supply and demand.


----------



## EACarlson

Erica Ladd said:


> Every sale that comes doesn’t apply to Orlando.


The only sales I've ever been able to find were from the locations that have a really heavy SW presence, primarily MDW, DAL and BNA.  The deals have been good enough a couple times for me to drive the extra 100 miles to get to MDW.


----------



## Tink3815

MIChessGuy said:


> I am surprised to hear this because the fine print that accompanied the promo, or at least the version of it that I got, stated clearly that it would not apply to already-booked flights.  Maybe SW changed their corporate mind about that.


I also received this promo. I flew last week and my boarding passes indicated that I had it. These flights were booked in January.


----------



## TNKim

Tink3815 said:


> I also received this promo. I flew last week and my boarding passes indicated that I had it. These flights were booked in January.



So were you able to board with A-List? Did you still check in at 24 hours or just assumed you could board early with A-List?


----------



## Tink3815

TNKim said:


> So were you able to board with A-List? Did you still check in at 24 hours or just assumed you could board early with A-List?


I checked in right at the 24 hour mark . I did not buy the early bird. I received A 23 on a full flight. They must of checked me in at 36 hours to get that number.


----------



## Gitelfor

Tink3815 said:


> I checked in right at the 24 hour mark . I did not buy the early bird. I received A 23 on a full flight. They must of checked me in at 36 hours to get that number.


Since A-List boarding numbers start with A-16, you were obviously checked in as an A-List member, with seven other A-Listers ahead of you.  Thanks for reporting back.  This gives hope to those with existing bookings at the time of registration for the A-List promo!


----------



## TNKim

Gitelfor said:


> Since A-List boarding numbers start with A-16, you were obviously checked in as an A-List member, with seven other A-Listers ahead of you.  Thanks for reporting back.  This gives hope to those with existing bookings at the time of registration for the A-List promo!



So since I have the A-List promo and it shows A-List by my name, do I still need to check in at 24 hours?  Obviously, I’ve never had A-List before!


----------



## Gitelfor

TNKim said:


> So since I have the A-List promo and it shows A-List by my name, do I still need to check in at 24 hours?  Obviously, I’ve never had A-List before!


Going by your recent experience, I would say _probably_ no.  However, to be on the safe side, I would check in at T-24, anyway. Besides the auto check-in and lower boarding position, if you are not familiar with all of the other  A-List perks, you may want to check them out.  I've appreciated the special phone number for A-Listers, which comes in handy when the regular lines are backed up.

*A-LIST BENEFITS*
*Priority boarding*
You, and everyone on your reservation, get an earlier boarding position.

*25% earning bonus*
Get to your next reward flight faster when you earn bonus points on every qualifying flight.

*Same-day standby*
Want an earlier flight? See a friendly Customer Service Agent at the airport for this benefit.

*Priority check-in and security lane access*
Fly By® Access means less time waiting in line.

*Dedicated A-List member phone line*
Special A-List phone line to help you connect directly with a Customer Representative.


----------



## jo-jo

We are leaving in a few days.  I got an email from SW saying curb side checkin is not available in Phila.   Anyone  know if this is  a covid thing?   I'm spoiled by curb side checkin.


----------



## LadybugsMum

jo-jo said:


> We are leaving in a few days.  I got an email from SW saying curb side checkin is not available in Phila.   Anyone  know if this is  a covid thing?   I'm spoiled by curb side checkin.


It hasn't been available at RDU either.


----------



## Gitelfor

jo-jo said:


> We are leaving in a few days.  I got an email from SW saying curb side checkin is not available in Phila.   Anyone  know if this is  a covid thing?   I'm spoiled by curb side checkin.


Yes, it is COVID-related.


----------



## jo-jo

Gitelfor said:


> Yes, it is COVID-related.



I don't know why, but I had the impression like this was a last min change, not an ongoing for the last year.      I had not looked at airlines except to cancel.    I was hoping it was a mistake or only closed for a few days.


----------



## focusondisney

Not available in Buffalo or at MCO a few weeks ago.  If for no other reason than travel was way down.  Probably not practical to have an agent there with hardly anyone flying.  Maybe it will resume now that air travel is picking up.  

But SW now has self serve check in Kiosks.  They’re great, just scan your boarding pass or put in your confirmation number if you need to print your boarding pass.  You get the luggage tags & put them on yourself, then just drop the bags with an agent & you’re on your way.  It’s very easy to use.


----------



## tjmw2727

Flying SWA, Baltimore - Orlando soon and I was wondering what the boarding process looks like now?  The letter stanchions were pretty close together pre covid so I am just curious as to how they are handling this now.   

I did read back a few pages to see if this was covered and didn't see anything but my apologies if this is a recurring question


----------



## MinnieMSue

tjmw2727 said:


> Flying SWA, Baltimore - Orlando soon and I was wondering what the boarding process looks like now?  The letter stanchions were pretty close together pre covid so I am just curious as to how they are handling this now.
> 
> I did read back a few pages to see if this was covered and didn't see anything but my apologies if this is a recurring question



it is the exact same as it used to be at least at Columbus and Orlando. No change to boarding any more. For awhile they boarded small groups but now it is back to 30 people standing in two rows close together


----------



## tjmw2727

MinnieMSue said:


> it is the exact same as it used to be at least at Columbus and Orlando. No change to boarding any more. For awhile they boarded small groups but now it is back to 30 people standing in two rows close together



Thanks!
Ugh - I thought I read somewhere it was adjusted for covid.  I don't mind the boarding process but even pre covid I never felt like there was enough room in the line!


----------



## MinnieMSue

tjmw2727 said:


> Thanks!
> Ugh - I thought I read somewhere it was adjusted for covid.  I don't mind the boarding process but even pre covid I never felt like there was enough room in the line!



yeah I agree. It reverted back to the old procedures very recently. I think everyone was masked that I noticed so that helps. It wasn’t too long that we stood there either which also helps. But we were packed in pretty tightly for a bit.


----------



## Leigh L

MinnieMSue said:


> it is the exact same as it used to be at least at Columbus and Orlando. No change to boarding any more. For awhile they boarded small groups but now it is back to 30 people standing in two rows close together


Same for DC (Reagan) and Milwaukee. No social distancing. People on their own accord sort of made an attempt in DC and spread out beyond the traditional markers lining up (but still close) and MKE even though the announcement said to wait until they call 1-30, everyone lined up 15 minutes earlier anyway.


----------



## vinmar4

Would you do it?

We are visiting HHI for the fist time in August.
We are flying from Dallas to Savannah/HHI airport. I just happened to check the flights from to Atlanta and they are about half the points than flying to Savannah/HHI!
We were planing on renting a car either way. I'm just not sure about having to drive after our flight!

Would you do it to save like 50, 000 points ?


----------



## Gitelfor

vinmar4 said:


> Would you do it?
> 
> We are visiting HHI for the fist time in August.
> We are flying from Dallas to Savannah/HHI airport. I just happened to check the flights from to Atlanta and they are about half the points than flying to Savannah/HHI!
> We were planing on renting a car either way. I'm just not sure about having to drive after our flight!
> 
> Would you do it to save like 500 points ?


The value of 500 Rapid Rewards points is $8.00.


----------



## vinmar4

Gitelfor said:


> The value of 500 Rapid Rewards points is $8.00.



Yes !
I meant 50,000
sorry


----------



## Gitelfor

vinmar4 said:


> Yes !
> I meant 50,000
> sorry


For how many tickets?  If it’s 50,000, that is worth $800!  Is that for a WGA fare?


----------



## Gary2T

vinmar4 said:


> Would you do it?
> 
> We are visiting HHI for the fist time in August.
> We are flying from Dallas to Savannah/HHI airport. I just happened to check the flights from to Atlanta and they are about half the points than flying to Savannah/HHI!
> We were planing on renting a car either way. I'm just not sure about having to drive after our flight!
> 
> Would you do it to save like 50, 000 points ?



Take a look at flights into Jacksonville to see if any times work for you.  Looks like they generally cost a few thousand points less than flights to Savannah in August, but about 1k per ticket more than ATL.  About a 2 hour shorter drive compared to Atlanta though.


----------



## Gitelfor

Thee is a new electrical issue discovered in some 737 Max aircraft, which affects Southwest, as well as other carriers. As Southwest has the Max scheduled to operate some flights, will you have any concerns and asked to be switched to a different flight, if your flight will operate with the Max?

New electrical issue with 737 MAX aircraft


----------



## scrappinginontario

SW has already started pulling it's planes according to that article.  I continue to trust SW to do the right thing.


----------



## jo-jo

A few pages back there was talk about getting A list offer.    It was only good for new booking.   I hadn't read that and someone here did say it was added to their boarding pass.

But not our's .    I checked it at 24 hours and a few secs, and got B30.    We did not buy early bird becasue we only booked a month ago and thought the chance of B group was just too high, and didn't want to spend $100 round trip for that.


----------



## Gitelfor

jo-jo said:


> A few pages back there was talk about getting A list offer.    It was only good for new booking.   I hadn't read that and someone here did say it was added to their boarding pass.
> 
> But not our's .    I checked it at 24 hours and a few secs, and got B30.    We did not buy early bird becasue we only booked a month ago and thought the chance of B group was just too high, and didn't want to spend $100 round trip for that.


Does your Rapid Rewards account show you as an A-List member, or does it just say “Member”?


----------



## jo-jo

Gitelfor said:


> Does your Rapid Rewards account show you as an A-List member, or does it just say “Member”?



   Grrrr    When I booked I forgot to put my number in and really didn't think of checking.   I added it now and it DOES  say Alist.   Maybe it will help on the way home.

Since every email I get  has the number, I didn't think twice about it.


----------



## Gitelfor

jo-jo said:


> Grrrr    When I booked I forgot to put my number in and really didn't think of checking.   I added it now and it DOES  say Alist.   Maybe it will help on the way home.
> 
> Since every email I get  has the number, I didn't think twice about it.


Ahh...so there still is hope!  Please report back and let us know if that resolved the problem.  If there has to be a choice between  A-List status on the flight down and the return, I would choose the flight home every time!


----------



## Evita_W

So, Jetblue changed our flight time to an unacceptable flight time and there were no other decent flight times unless we cut our trip short by a couple of days. So, we were able to get a refund based on their rules and ended up booking Southwest.

We are larger (and have mobility issues) and have booked an extra seat per their rules, which also will apparently give us preboarding, but we have to talk with a gate agent when we get there.

I know Southwest doesn't assign seats, but this about the extent of what I know about Southwest as we have never flown with them. What kind of differences can we expect between Jetblue and Southwest?

We are going from LAX to MCO with a layover each direction where we change planes if that matters.


----------



## vinmar4

Gary2T said:


> Take a look at flights into Jacksonville to see if any times work for you.  Looks like they generally cost a few thousand points less than flights to Savannah in August, but about 1k per ticket more than ATL.  About a 2 hour shorter drive compared to Atlanta though.


Thank you,
Yes, it less points and 2 hours is doable


----------



## Mrs~Incredible

When do we expect the next batch of flight schedules to be released? I know it’s just a guess since they haven’t updated their flights schedule page yet- I’m hoping in May??


----------



## MarBee

Evita_W said:


> So, Jetblue changed our flight time to an unacceptable flight time and there were no other decent flight times unless we cut our trip short by a couple of days. So, we were able to get a refund based on their rules and ended up booking Southwest.
> 
> We are larger (and have mobility issues) and have booked an extra seat per their rules, which also will apparently give us preboarding, but we have to talk with a gate agent when we get there.
> 
> I know Southwest doesn't assign seats, but this about the extent of what I know about Southwest as we have never flown with them. What kind of differences can we expect between Jetblue and Southwest?
> 
> We are going from LAX to MCO with a layover each direction where we change planes if that matters.


The JB and SW aircrafts are the same size.  Seats seem to be the same size as well (I didn’t google exact measurements.)
JB usually offers TV screens on the back of the seat but SW does not.
SW allows you 2 checked bags, a carry on, and a personal item that can fit under a seat.  SW typically gives out free drinks and snacks on their planes.  Since you have mobility issues you will pre-board so no worrying about sitting together or anything.  If anyone attempts to sit in your extra seat, simply tell them it’s taken.  You should have no issues. 
Overall, they’re very comparable.  You have nothing to worry about there. Enjoy your trip!


----------



## jrsharp21

We are heading to WDW at the end of September. I thought booking this far out in advance tickets would be decently priced. I took a look last week and was surprised on how high the prices were. Then I took a look again today because of the SW birthday deal email. Holy cow, some of the flights we were looking at now are saying only 1 or 2 tickets left at those prices. So I am taking it that prices are probably not going to do down and that I should book our flights ASAP?


----------



## Gary2T

jrsharp21 said:


> We are heading to WDW at the end of September. I thought booking this far out in advance tickets would be decently priced. I took a look last week and was surprised on how high the prices were. Then I took a look again today because of the SW birthday deal email. Holy cow, some of the flights we were looking at now are saying only 1 or 2 tickets left at those prices. So I am taking it that prices are probably not going to do down and that I should book our flights ASAP?



Like many say... Book when you are comfortable with the price.  Who knows if they will go up or down.

I booked my 7/13-24 flights on points back on the day the schedule was released back in December.  Rebooked both directions in the beginning of January for a lower price.  Rebooked the return flight end of February for a lower price again.  Now prices are higher than I originally paid back in December.  I still check the prices everyday... just in case.  

I also keep an eye on the low fair calendar as a possible predictor.  For my route flights in mid to late May are currently lower than my cost for July. Hoping those low fares keep creeping forward in the calendar so I can claw back even more points.


----------



## Lsdolphin

I saw somewhere today that airfares are expected to rise or stay near current prices due to fewer flights being available and more people wanting to travel in coming months now that vaccines are more readily available.  However I did check prices today after receiving the SWA email this morning some of the flights between BWI-MCO had dropped from $158 to $121...so debating whether to grab those flights or wait for a further drop...same flights I booked for my last trip were $83


----------



## EACarlson

The grounding of the 737 Max again has not helped either.  Hopefully they can get those back in the air and all the crew back sooner rather than later.


----------



## cgodzyk

I bought all 10 of our flights for the last week of September (plus DH has companion pass) using points. Quite a bit higher than I usually pay, but wanted nonstop flights.  Yesterday, with the 50th Birthday sale, I was able to get almost 5,000 per person in points back for 7 of the tickets (The NH Group).  Ironically the RI tickets went up another 7200 points over what we paid last week!   (And no early bird fees as I'm A-list!)

Lesson learned - book when you can afford, then keep checking for better pricing!  35,000 points is enough for DH and I go back to Disney twice, if I price it right!


----------



## DMLAINI

Has anyone recently been on a full SW flight recently?   We're flying Pittsburgh to Orlando next week & both of our flights are full which means DD12 will get the window & I'll be stuck in the middle sitting next to a random person.  We have early bird.


----------



## aokeefe

DMLAINI said:


> Has anyone recently been on a full SW flight recently?   We're flying Pittsburgh to Orlando next week & both of our flights are full which means DD12 will get the window & I'll be stuck in the middle sitting next to a random person.  We have early bird.


Our flights were completely full in February (Providence to Orlando). (Though the way down there ended up only being 174 passengers for 175 seats. Luckily my husband had the lone middle seat open.


----------



## aokeefe

DMLAINI said:


> Has anyone recently been on a full SW flight recently?   We're flying Pittsburgh to Orlando next week & both of our flights are full which means DD12 will get the window & I'll be stuck in the middle sitting next to a random person.  We have early bird.


Our flights were completely full in February (Providence to Orlando). (Though the way down there ended up only being 174 passengers for 175 seats. Luckily my husband had the lone middle seat open.


----------



## andigomeep

I haven’t flown SW in about two years. We have a flight in May that I booked in February. They’ve changed the times on us and I’m thinking about adding early bird because I’m afraid I’ll miss checking in. Is it pointless to add it this close to the flight? We’ve been flying United and while they aren’t perfect, but I sure miss knowing we’re all going to sit together.


----------



## Fangorn

andigomeep said:


> I haven’t flown SW in about two years. We have a flight in May that I booked in February. They’ve changed the times on us and I’m thinking about adding early bird because I’m afraid I’ll miss checking in. Is it pointless to add it this close to the flight? We’ve been flying United and while they aren’t perfect, but I sure miss knowing we’re all going to sit together.




It's not pointless quite yet. You'll still get a leg up on the people who don't get it, but you'll also be toward the lower end of the list of those that do. 

If sitting together is your primary concern, understand that depending where your flight (the flight number) begins and how many passengers are already on the plane and going through when it gets to your city, will greatly impact where the cutoff will be between being able to sit together or not. 

In a perfect scenario (initial leg of the day for that flight number) that cutoff point can be well into the C group of there aren't a lot of single travelers. Even a sub optimal scenario typically means you'll find seats together even if your boarding numbers are in the middle of the B group. 

I'd go ahead and get EBCI. You'd likely be fine any way (assuming you checkin on the dot of your window opening), but every little bit will help.  The bonus, as you said, is that you don't have the stress of checking in on a schedule. 

Steve


----------



## jcarwash

andigomeep said:


> I haven’t flown SW in about two years. We have a flight in May that I booked in February. They’ve changed the times on us and I’m thinking about adding early bird because I’m afraid I’ll miss checking in. Is it pointless to add it this close to the flight? We’ve been flying United and while they aren’t perfect, but I sure miss knowing we’re all going to sit together.



I agree with Steve above. If you don't mind spending the money on Early Bird, it has that value of your not needing to check in right at 24 hours out, and you'll still be ahead of anyone who is checking in manually.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Two questions!!!
Points never expire right? I’d like to try and earn A List status as soon as possible so I’m thinking of using my SW CC to buy our next couple of flights but I do have a bunch of points...

Also - I have the $75 credit (flight credit?) on one of my SW cards. If I use that at some point do I have to use it all at once or can I partially use it and then use the rest on another trip? I don’t want to use it for less than the $75 just to find out I forfeit the rest of the money like Gap rewards!!


----------



## AllisonLB1994

Erica Ladd said:


> Two questions!!!
> Points never expire right? I’d like to try and earn A List status as soon as possible so I’m thinking of using my SW CC to buy our next couple of flights but I do have a bunch of points...
> 
> Also - I have the $75 credit (flight credit?) on one of my SW cards. If I use that at some point do I have to use it all at once or can I partially use it and then use the rest on another trip? I don’t want to use it for less than the $75 just to find out I forfeit the rest of the money like Gap rewards!!




Points do not expire...at least not to my knowledge. It might be something like it needs activity to keep things from expiring (that's how American is) however with the credit card, you should negate any of that.

You do not need to use the full $75. $75 is just the total credit - you don't forfeit the rest of the money. So say you pay $10 in fees for a flight - then you would still have $65 remaining for that year. That at least is my understanding per the Southwest official community forum.


----------



## EACarlson

Nobody here has mentioned the devaluation yet?  6% drop overnight.  I don't think it's going to change my calculations much but I'm sure it will for some.

https://onemileatatime.com/southwest-rapid-rewards-devalues-points/


----------



## mom2rtk

Wow, that's pretty crappy.


----------



## jkelly86

Really crappy.
I have been a RR Cardmember since 1997.
This is a very disloyal decision towards their loyalty program members.


----------



## andigomeep

Fangorn said:


> It's not pointless quite yet. You'll still get a leg up on the people who don't get it, but you'll also be toward the lower end of the list of those that do.
> 
> If sitting together is your primary concern, understand that depending where your flight (the flight number) begins and how many passengers are already on the plane and going through when it gets to your city, will greatly impact where the cutoff will be between being able to sit together or not.
> 
> In a perfect scenario (initial leg of the day for that flight number) that cutoff point can be well into the C group of there aren't a lot of single travelers. Even a sub optimal scenario typically means you'll find seats together even if your boarding numbers are in the middle of the B group.
> 
> I'd go ahead and get EBCI. You'd likely be fine any way (assuming you checkin on the dot of your window opening), but every little bit will help.  The bonus, as you said, is that you don't have the stress of checking in on a schedule.
> 
> Steve





jcarwash said:


> I agree with Steve above. If you don't mind spending the money on Early Bird, it has that value of your not needing to check in right at 24 hours out, and you'll still be ahead of anyone who is checking in manually.


Thank you both. I went ahead and purchased it. Our flights are early May so I know we won’t get a great position, but I’ll be happy to be seated together anywhere on the plane.


----------



## irt9206

jkelly86 said:


> Really crappy.
> I have been a RR Cardmember since 1997.
> This is a very disloyal decision towards their loyalty program members.


What is this devaluation about?


----------



## jcarwash

irt9206 said:


> What is this devaluation about?



A adjustment to how much Rapid Rewards points are worth relative to cash fares:
https://thepointsguy.com/news/southwest-2021-devaluation/


----------



## EACarlson

irt9206 said:


> What is this devaluation about?


There were so many points earned last year from non flight activity and so few redemptions that SW felt they needed to charge more points per dollar of redemption. It happens to just about every program occasionally, SW did almost the exact same thing in 2018, even the same percentage of devaluation.


----------



## irt9206

jcarwash said:


> A adjustment to how much Rapid Rewards points are worth relative to cash fares:
> https://thepointsguy.com/news/southwest-2021-devaluation/


Thanks


----------



## irt9206

EACarlson said:


> There were so many points earned last year from non flight activity and so few redemptions that SW felt they needed to charge more points per dollar of redemption. It happens to just about every program occasionally, SW did almost the exact same thing in 2018, even the same percentage of devaluation.


Thanks


----------



## asafko

How is the WIFI on southwest flights? My daughter has virtual schooling and I am trying to see if she would be able to log in and do her classes during the flight? I have never had luck with airline wifi having a good signal. Thanks!


----------



## Gitelfor

asafko said:


> How is the WIFI on southwest flights? My daughter has virtual schooling and I am trying to see if she would be able to log in and do her classes during the flight? I have never had luck with airline wifi having a good signal. Thanks!


Southwest’s Wi-Fi is hit and miss.  

Customers have been known to complain to Southwest about spending $8 for “worthless” Wi-Fi and subsequently receiving an apology and refund.


----------



## asafko

Gitelfor said:


> Southwest’s Wi-Fi is hit and miss.
> 
> Customers have been known to complain to Southwest about spending $8 for “worthless” Wi-Fi and subsequently receiving an apology and refund.




Thanks!


----------



## EACarlson

asafko said:


> How is the WIFI on southwest flights? My daughter has virtual schooling and I am trying to see if she would be able to log in and do her classes during the flight? I have never had luck with airline wifi having a good signal. Thanks!


It won't work for classes.  Even if it works well, the lag is going to kill the lesson and the upload is almost non-existent in addition to being laggy.  When it works it's good for web surfing where the lag doesn't matter nearly as much.


----------



## mickey+minnie91

Is it worth it to pay for early bird check in?


----------



## scrappinginontario

mickey+minnie91 said:


> Is it worth it to pay for early bird check in?


Many flights are flying full.  If you would normally purchase EBCI then knowing this will help with your decision.


----------



## mickey+minnie91

scrappinginontario said:


> Many flights are flying full.  If you would normally purchase EBCI then knowing this will help with your decision.


Ive never purchased it before but we have a 45 min window between connections so Im wondering if it would help get us boarded sooner.


----------



## scrappinginontario

mickey+minnie91 said:


> Ive never purchased it before but we have a 45 min window between connections so Im wondering if it would help get us boarded sooner.


If you have a connecting flight you will already have an earlier BG than any people on the second flight who have not purchased EBCI.  You will automatically be checked in for both flights when you check in for your first flight at the 24 hour mark.

I would recommend that you move as quickly as possible from your first flight to the second as they could begin boarding soon after your first flight lands.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Help!  Ever since I clicked the low fare calendar link up thread for the mobile site I am no longer to access the ‘fill in the departure city’ page that shows you destinations that are good with current promos   This page used to be the default if I clicked through my emails about current specials but now no matter what I do I cannot get to anything but the low price calendar!!  And the worst part is every time I try it shows me the page I’m looking for then automatically SWITCHES to the low fare calendar before I can look or copy the url!!!  Is this just me or did SWA change this for everyone? Does anyone have the url address for the page/link I am looking for?


----------



## bjscheel

I have googled but I am still unclear on mobile boarding passes.  I have the SW app on my phone.  When I check in on the app, will I be able to get mobile boarding passes for each member of my party?  That I can maybe screenshot and send to my family's phones?  Or do they all have to have their own app and RR#?  I've seen information going both ways and the SW FAQ says everybody can get a mobile pass but they don't explain how.  I can't remember how it worked when we flew in 2019.


----------



## ford91exploder

bjscheel said:


> I have googled but I am still unclear on mobile boarding passes.  I have the SW app on my phone.  When I check in on the app, will I be able to get mobile boarding passes for each member of my party?  That I can maybe screenshot and send to my family's phones?  Or do they all have to have their own app and RR#?  I've seen information going both ways and the SW FAQ says everybody can get a mobile pass but they don't explain how.  I can't remember how it worked when we flew in 2019.



when you request a mobile pass it’s distributed in one of 3 ways

1- on the app
2 - by text 
3 - by email

with the latter two just forward the appropriate BP to your other family members and its done.

now its not a bad idea to have the adults in the party to have own copy of app and RR numbers in the event you get rescheduled or rebooked


----------



## Fangorn

bjscheel said:


> I have googled but I am still unclear on mobile boarding passes.  I have the SW app on my phone.  When I check in on the app, will I be able to get mobile boarding passes for each member of my party?  That I can maybe screenshot and send to my family's phones?  Or do they all have to have their own app and RR#?  I've seen information going both ways and the SW FAQ says everybody can get a mobile pass but they don't explain how.  I can't remember how it worked when we flew in 2019.


There is also the option of having the boarding pass(es) downloaded to your phone as an image. 

Steve


----------



## CouponGirl

Erica Ladd said:


> Help!  Ever since I clicked the low fare calendar link up thread for the mobile site I am no longer to access the ‘fill in the departure city’ page that shows you destinations that are good with current promos   This page used to be the default if I clicked through my emails about current specials but now no matter what I do I cannot get to anything but the low price calendar!!  And the worst part is every time I try it shows me the page I’m looking for then automatically SWITCHES to the low fare calendar before I can look or copy the url!!!  Is this just me or did SWA change this for everyone? Does anyone have the url address for the page/link I am looking for?


Not sure about the page you’re looking for, but can you check your browsing history and try to find the url that way?

ETA never mind... just attempted clicking a link in a promo email and it did that same thing - showed the page with the promo destinations for a brief second and then went right to the low fare calendar


----------



## Gitelfor

This message regarding CP & A-List status has been posted on the Southwest website;



> *Issues with A-List & Companion Pass Indicators*
> As of Apr 14, your Tier and Companion Pass status level and progress bars may be shown incorrectly on this page. We are working to urgently fix this issue. Confirm your correct status and progress level in the Southwest App.



This is what the status page looks like on Southwest's website, for those accounts without A-List/CP status, but mistakenly showing having earned status for both:


----------



## blbrodger1

Does anyone know when the calendar will open past early November? I'm looking for Thanksgiving tickets and don't want to miss the cheapest fares.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Officially it will be announced here on the SW site but will also be shared on this thread.  We really don't know dates this year as it's much different from years in the past.


----------



## Mrs~Incredible

blbrodger1 said:


> Does anyone know when the calendar will open past early November? I'm looking for Thanksgiving tickets and don't want to miss the cheapest fares.


Agree. It’s driving me crazy that we don’t even know the date of the next fare release yet... I check every day!!


----------



## emsstacey

Is southwest still allowing the red banner changes on flights?


----------



## Erica Ladd

If I cancel flights I booked with points do they refund the $$ amount I paid?  Is it to the original form of payment or does it become a TF?

I also booked a CP - when I cancel it same question about the $$.  And how does one cancel a CP?  Is it obvious?  I haven't looked yet!


----------



## MarBee

Erica Ladd said:


> If I cancel flights I booked with points do they refund the $$ amount I paid?  Is it to the original form of payment or does it become a TF?
> 
> I also booked a CP - when I cancel it same question about the $$.  And how does one cancel a CP?  Is it obvious?  I haven't looked yet!


Yes.  You’ll get your $5.60 back.  You can either opt to have them hold it for future use or credit it back to your card.  I’d recommend returning it to your card. Same goes with your CP ticket.  Cancel that one first- it’s fairly easy on the app/web site, although I have had to call once or twice in the past.


----------



## Gitelfor

emsstacey said:


> Is southwest still allowing the red banner changes on flights?


You need to view your reservations, to see if any are currently affected.  Southwest recently changed their banner messages from a blanket two week period, to specific dates, only.  Once the banner appears, you have 3 days to opt in to change any flight showing the banner.


----------



## Erica Ladd

If I book one of the hotels through southwest that has the banner for rapid rewards points plus properties do those points count towards my A List status???


----------



## Gitelfor

Erica Ladd said:


> If I book one of the hotels through southwest that has the banner for rapid rewards points plus properties do those points count towards my A List status???


The simple answer is_ no_.  Only revenue flights and the 1,500 bonus RR points earned per $10,000 charged to your Rapid Rewards/Chase credit card count as tier qualifying points toward A-List status.  Points earned through partners do not count.



> A Member who has a Rapid Rewards® Priority Card, a Rapid Rewards Premier Card, Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card, or Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Cards from Chase will earn 1,500 tier qualifying points for every $10,000 in eligible net purchases on that card, up to 15,000 tier qualifying points per year.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Thanks so much. I’m glad I asked. I’m looking at trying to get A List by one way flights. Points always count but I will plan accordingly!!!


----------



## FBandA

Question about changing flights. I have always flown non stop out of Philadelphia. I have a flight at 1:30 that gets me to Orlando at 4:10. There is a flight at 5:45 am with a change over in Atlanta that will get me into Orlando around 10:20 there is an hour for us to get off the plane and get to next plane. Is this enough time for someone who has never had any experience in Atlanta airport or experience with changing flights. The flight is cheaper also. Just wanting opinions. Thanks


----------



## mfly

FBandA said:


> Question about changing flights. I have always flown non stop out of Philadelphia. I have a flight at 1:30 that gets me to Orlando at 4:10. There is a flight at 5:45 am with a change over in Atlanta that will get me into Orlando around 10:20 there is an hour for us to get off the plane and get to next plane. Is this enough time for someone who has never had any experience in Atlanta airport or experience with changing flights. The flight is cheaper also. Just wanting opinions. Thanks


I have flown in/out of ATL many, many times. I would be completely comfortable with an hour. Honestly, I’d be comfortable with a half hour (or less). I think you’ll be fine. 

If the flights are in the same terminal, you’ll just walk between gates. If they’re in separate terminals, you’ll just take the escalator down to the plane train and take the train to the new terminal. The train runs constantly and is very efficient - even the terminals furthest apart would only take 10 minutes at most on the train.


----------



## Gitelfor

FBandA said:


> Question about changing flights. I have always flown non stop out of Philadelphia. I have a flight at 1:30 that gets me to Orlando at 4:10. There is a flight at 5:45 am with a change over in Atlanta that will get me into Orlando around 10:20 there is an hour for us to get off the plane and get to next plane. Is this enough time for someone who has never had any experience in Atlanta airport or experience with changing flights. The flight is cheaper also. Just wanting opinions. Thanks


Southwest gates are lined up in a row, on the same concourse.  Assuming your flight arrives in ATL on schedule, one hour will be plenty of time to connect to your next flight.

From Southwest:


> TERMINAL AND GATE
> Concourse C
> Gates C: 1-7,9,10,12-17,20-22



ATL Southwest concourse


----------



## Gitelfor

Get up to 75%  bonus RR points when purchasing points, during this limited time offer.



Purchasing points usually is not a good value; however, if you have to top off an account or really want to book with points but need more, the 75% bonus offer is better than usual.  With the 6% devaluation of points last week, this might help lessen the impact a bit.


----------



## leebee

blbrodger1 said:


> Does anyone know when the calendar will open past early November? I'm looking for Thanksgiving tickets and don't want to miss the cheapest fares.





Mrs~Incredible said:


> Agree. It’s driving me crazy that we don’t even know the date of the next fare release yet... I check every day!!



THIS!! DD is trying to plan her honeymoon, with a return date of Nov 6th; SW is only "open" through Nov 5th!!


----------



## pfeifer1990

What is Southwest Rapid Rewards? Is it worth getting if you fly once a year?


----------



## Avery&Todd

Just a heads up lesson I learned with SW yesterday....starting off with we LOVE SW and it's our airline of choice...especially to Vegas and WDW...

so I have flights booked for DH and I to Vegas next month - since I originally booked the flights SW (with points) prices have dropped so I've rebooked them several times and one time they had to cancel/rebook DH's flights since he's my Companion Pass and therefore his Conf. # changed.  Well, on my profile his cancelled flight was still showing as my companion booking and then his new flight was added a just a connected reservation but NOT Companion - so I had them go in and fix that - and they did that by cancelling DH's flight again and the new one finally showed as his one and only flight and as a Companion.

So I checked the point value on those flights again the other day and they dropped again on the outbound flight so I DM'd SW as I usually do on FB and they rebooked and gave me back 2,200 pts - winner!

and I checked yesterday and they were lower again so I DM'd SW on FB and they refunded 1,500 more points - and then made the comment that DH's outbound flights wasn't connected to mine anymore - WHAT??    Oh yes - the previous time I had them rebook/return my points they cancelled DH's outbound flight to do that and then never rebooked him so DH only had a return flight from Vegas home but no flight to get him TO VEGAS!!!???

So, Taylour with SW helped me by cancelling DH's flight (for the 3rd time now) and then rebooked it - HOWEVER, his previous confirmation is still showing linked to my flight but when you click on it, it comes up as "this trip has been cancelled" but when I search for his flight using his confirmation #/name I can find it and it's "associated" with my flight...

so how long do I give the SW system time for the most recently cancelled flight for DH's Companion pass ticket to drop off and the new one show up in its place?  I did this yesterday morning - so just over 24 hrs by now..

phew...


----------



## Gary2T

pfeifer1990 said:


> What is Southwest Rapid Rewards? Is it worth getting if you fly once a year?



Rapid Rewards is Southwest's frequent flyer program.  It doesn't cost anything to join, so why not.  You earn points for flights that you take and paid cash for on Southwest.  Points can be redeemed for flights if you have enough of them.


----------



## scrappinginontario

blbrodger1 said:


> Does anyone know when the calendar will open past early November? I'm looking for Thanksgiving tickets and don't want to miss the cheapest fares.





MaggieBags said:


> For those of you wanting to book fall trips:
> 
> On April 22, 2021, we will open our schedule for sale through November 06, 2021. (Date is subject to change; please check back frequently.)



I'm not sure if this is helpful but for this last release, the date was originally updated about 7 weeks before tickets were supposed to go on sale but then changed back 3 weeks so it was about 4 weeks before the new release date.

Historically the next release date (per below) was May 28, 2020 and May 30, 2019.  IF they're following a similar release date schedule we will hopefully learn the next release date soon and ticket _may _go on sale in late May or early June.  

That being said, the last release was about 3 weeks later than historically released:

Actual release dates for tickets from late August - early November:
April 1, 2021
March 12, 2020
March 15, 2019



SouthFayetteFan said:


> *FYI - Southwest extended their schedule this morning for flights through November 1, 2021.*
> 
> Also, Here is my usual Historical Southwest Release Dates (for planning purposes) comment. (prettier formatting seen *HERE*)
> 
> *Release Date | Travel Through*
> next release: TBD  |  TBD**
> 4/1/21  |  November 1, 2021
> 12/10/20  |  August 16, 2021
> 8/13/20  |  April 11th, 2021
> 5/28/20  |  January 4th, 2021
> 3/12/20  |  October 30th, 2020
> 12/11/19  |  August 10th, 2020
> 10/30/19  |  June 6th, 2020
> 9/26/19  |  April 13th, 2020
> 8/15/19  |  March 6th, 2020
> 5/30/19  |  January 5th, 2020
> 3/15/19  |  November 2nd, 2019
> 1/31/19  |  October 1st, 2019
> 11/15/18  |  August 5th, 2019
> 9/27/18  |  June 8th, 2019
> _** FYI this is subject to change and isn't always available on release day_
> 
> The chart above shows approx. the last 2 year's worth of releases. Earlier data can be seen here in one of my prior posts. This information could be useful to approximate when your travel time may become available for upcoming releases, however they don't always follow the exact same pattern (as you can see above).
> For those that care about "release timing" it can vary, but here are the recent "go live" of previous releases including today:
> 
> *Release **Date** | Time (eastern)*
> 4/1/20  |  9:10am
> 12/10/20  |  7:15am
> 8/13/20  |  9:15am
> 5/28/20  |  9:06am
> 3/12/20  |  9:40am
> 12/11/19  |  9:10am
> 10/30/19  |  7:15am
> 9/26/19  |  7:30am
> 8/15/19  |  10:41am
> 5/30/19  |  9:20am


----------



## mickey916

Question: I have flight credits from my canceled May 2020 flight. I originally paid cash for the four of us for roundtrip flights. As the pandemic first started to happen and people got nervous about flying, my flights cost decreased three times and I rebooked and got credits. Then, ultimately I had to cancel and got credit for the balance. So, now we have the total amount of that original flight broken down into four credits. I see online that you can only use "three forms of payment" and one credit is considered a payment. So, my assumption is I can only use two credits and probably a credit card per reservation which means I leave two credits unused. If I book a one way flight instead of round trip, can I use two credits and credit card for each way and thereby use all my credits?


----------



## Fangorn

mickey916 said:


> Question: I have flight credits from my canceled May 2020 flight. I originally paid cash for the four of us for roundtrip flights. As the pandemic first started to happen and people got nervous about flying, my flights cost decreased three times and I rebooked and got credits. Then, ultimately I had to cancel and got credit for the balance. So, now we have the total amount of that original flight broken down into four credits. I see online that you can only use "three forms of payment" and one credit is considered a payment. So, my assumption is I can only use two credits and probably a credit card per reservation which means I leave two credits unused. If I book a one way flight instead of round trip, can I use two credits and credit card for each way and thereby use all my credits?



Yes.

Steve


----------



## mickey916

Fangorn said:


> Yes.
> 
> Steve


Thank you!


----------



## scrappinginontario

mickey916 said:


> Question: I have flight credits from my canceled May 2020 flight. I originally paid cash for the four of us for roundtrip flights. As the pandemic first started to happen and people got nervous about flying, my flights cost decreased three times and I rebooked and got credits. Then, ultimately I had to cancel and got credit for the balance. So, now we have the total amount of that original flight broken down into four credits. I see online that you can only use "three forms of payment" and one credit is considered a payment. So, my assumption is I can only use two credits and probably a credit card per reservation which means I leave two credits unused. If I book a one way flight instead of round trip, can I use two credits and credit card for each way and thereby use all my credits?


I can't remember all of the details as so much changed last year, but you may wish to verify when your May 2020 credits need to be used by.  With SW, travel needs to be completed before the expiration date.


----------



## dez1978

asafko said:


> How is the WIFI on southwest flights? My daughter has virtual schooling and I am trying to see if she would be able to log in and do her classes during the flight? I have never had luck with airline wifi having a good signal. Thanks!


Something to consider.  Both our school and our in laws kids school will not allow you to connect school issued devices to public wifi.  So neither my son's school Ipad nor my nephews chromebook were able to connect to Disney or SW wifi.  So if you are using a school issued device it may be a problem.


----------



## mickey916

scrappinginontario said:


> I can't remember all of the details as so much changed last year, but you may wish to verify when your May 2020 credits need to be used by.  With SW, travel needs to be completed before the expiration date.


Thanks! I know it kept getting extended but I believe it's now Sept 2022...I will verify though.


----------



## scrappinginontario

mickey916 said:


> Thanks! I know it kept getting extended but I believe it's now Sept 2022...I will verify though.


Great!  I only wanted to mention it as once I lost money because I thought as long as I booked travel by the expiry date I could use it.  By the time I realized my error and that I needed to have completed my flights prior to expiry date, it was too late.  It was a tough lesson to learn and it was a few hundred dollars.


----------



## mickey916

scrappinginontario said:


> Great!  I only wanted to mention it as once I lost money because I thought as long as I booked travel by the expiry date I could use it.  By the time I realized my error and that I needed to have completed my flights prior to expiry date, it was too late.  It was a tough lesson to learn and it was a few hundred dollars.


It is so confusing! I almost made a mistake last November. I almost booked with those travel funds when I thought I would go this May 2021 but I called to see what would happen if I canceled again and was told that if I canceled it would roll my travel funds back to one year from when I made the reservation (making them then expire Nov. 2021)...so glad I called first before booking that flight since we're not going this May. I just verified my date is Sept 7 2022 so we should be good to use them for May 2022...


----------



## Gitelfor

....


----------



## dez1978

Question about flights for nov/dec. I need to decide between nov 19/20 and dec 3/4 this week. Frontier prices are 670 rt the nov weekend and 170 the dec weekend.  I’m guessing bc it’s the weekend before thanksgiving is why it’s so high. Should I assume sw would be similar?


----------



## scrappinginontario

dez1978 said:


> Question about flights for nov/dec. I need to decide between nov 19/20 and dec 3/4 this week. Frontier prices are 670 rt the nov weekend and 170 the dec weekend.  I’m guessing bc it’s the weekend before thanksgiving is why it’s so high. Should I assume sw would be similar?


I can't say for sure but I will say for our Sept flight, we are flying home the Friday of Labour Day weekend and our flight is a good bit higher than the 3 weekends leading up to it and the 3 weekends after it.  I purchase the moment flights dropped and the prices started off substantially higher than the weekends around it.


----------



## Mrs~Incredible

dez1978 said:


> Question about flights for nov/dec. I need to decide between nov 19/20 and dec 3/4 this week. Frontier prices are 670 rt the nov weekend and 170 the dec weekend.  I’m guessing bc it’s the weekend before thanksgiving is why it’s so high. Should I assume sw would be similar?


We usually travel in Nov and all airlines (including SW) are higher that weekend than May, Sept, Oct (other months we have flown).


----------



## Erica Ladd

Does anyone ever book one hotel over another because of the large amount of bonus points offered? I’m currently looking at hotels in Fort Lauderdale and some properties offer a large amount of points but are a bit more expensive. Where is the break even point? For instance I found a hotel for 2nights for right under $300 with just a few points and another that’s $365 but offers 6000 bonus points. Should that guide my decision? As an aside I used points to book the RT flight and it was around 5300 points...


----------



## Gitelfor

Erica Ladd said:


> Does anyone ever book one hotel over another because of the large amount of bonus points offered? I’m currently looking at hotels in Fort Lauderdale and some properties offer a large amount of points but are a bit more expensive. Where is the break even point? For instance I found a hotel for 2nights for right under $300 with just a few points and another that’s $365 but offers 6000 bonus points. Should that guide my decision? As an aside I used points to book the RT flight and it was around 5300 points...


You may already know that the hotel rates through the Southwest booking portal are inflated over booking directly on the hotel sites, especially if you can use a discount, such as AAA.  If you have not looked carefully at each listing’s cancellation policy for the rate you are considering, be careful to look and confirm the policy, if that is important to you. I have noticed that you have to go into detail, sometimes, to see that some of the higher points rates have no-cancellation policies.

The current value of RR points for booking flights is 1.4 cents per point (post devaluation value).  So, 6,000 points have a value of $84.

BTW, that’s a great fare you booked.  Southwest has a sweet spot for fares, right now, for travel around mid-late May.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Thanks!  I’ve been going back and forth on a few hotels and I double and triple check multiple sites, like the brand site plus travel sites. So far they’ve been all about the same but it helps to know how to value points accurately. And yes after last year I always look at cancellation policies - very important!! I guess I’ll just go with whatever hotel I like best then find the best price regardless of points

ETA- I hope they put out fares like that for June too!’


----------



## disny_luvr

Does anyone know if SW is currently offering the ability to change to a more expensive flight for free? I’m not sure if I’m explaining myself correctly, but I know a few times during the last year people were booking cheaper flights and being offered the ability to change that flight to any flight for free. 

TIA!


----------



## dez1978

Dumb question. I had flights to Orlando for 7 that I rebooked for cheaper a few times so I have 7 ppl that each have 75$ worth of credit. Can that only be used for the person for who the flight was for? Or since I paid for them and it’s on my sw acct, can it I use it for a flight for myself?


----------



## DisneyZB

This Southwest noob needs help.  I just realized I have enough points for a round trip.  Can I purchase one round trip ticket with points and another with cash in the same transaction?


----------



## zemmer

DisneyZB said:


> This Southwest noob needs help.  I just realized I have enough points for a round trip.  Can I purchase one round trip ticket with points and another with cash in the same transaction?


Yay for enough points!

 No, but you can book one way for 2 people with points and the return one way with cash.


----------



## zemmer

dez1978 said:


> Dumb question. I had flights to Orlando for 7 that I rebooked for cheaper a few times so I have 7 ppl that each have 75$ worth of credit. Can that only be used for the person for who the flight was for? Or since I paid for them and it’s on my sw acct, can it I use it for a flight for myself?


The credits can only be used by the person the flight was for, not the person who paid, unfortunately.


----------



## DisneyZB

zemmer said:


> Yay for enough points!
> 
> No, but you can book one way for 2 people with points and the return one way with cash.


Thanks, zemmer!  That sounds like a plan.  Just trying to keep things as simple as possible.


----------



## Gitelfor

disny_luvr said:


> Does anyone know if SW is currently offering the ability to change to a more expensive flight for free? I’m not sure if I’m explaining myself correctly, but I know a few times during the last year people were booking cheaper flights and being offered the ability to change that flight to any flight for free.
> 
> TIA!


You are referring to the red change banner that is visible when viewing your reservation on the app or gray banner when viewing on Southwest’s website.  You can check to see if your reservation is affected by opening your reservation online, as if making a change. If there is no banner when viewing the details, the option to change your flight with no change in fare is not available for your itinerary.  Check every day.  You have three days from when the banner first appears to make a change.  The new flight must be within 30 days of the original and show seats available, as well as have the same city pairs.

Southwest currently is allowing changes on June flights, thru a little more than mid-month.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Next set of schedule openings will be dropped on June 10 and will go through Jan 5.


----------



## dez1978

zemmer said:


> The credits can only be used by the person the flight was for, not the person who paid, unfortunately.


Why do they expire so early? The flight they were for was in March and they expire in October.


----------



## Suejacken

LadybugsMum said:


> Next set of schedule openings will be dropped on June 10 and will go through Jan 5.


Awesome info. Thanks for sharing. I need a reservation for 11/13


----------



## zemmer

dez1978 said:


> Why do they expire so early? The flight they were for was in March and they expire in October.


They expire 1 year after the day they were booked.


----------



## dez1978

zemmer said:


> They expire 1 year after the day they were booked.


 I was hoping to use at least 2 of them for December flights. So my price stalking did me no good bc I’m going to lose it all anyway. Dang it. . Lesson learned I guess


----------



## Mrs~Incredible

LadybugsMum said:


> Next set of schedule openings will be dropped on June 10 and will go through Jan 5.


----------



## disny_luvr

Gitelfor said:


> You are referring to the red change banner that is visible when viewing your reservation on the app or gray banner when viewing on Southwest’s website.  You can check to see if your reservation is affected by opening your reservation online, as if making a change. If there is no banner when viewing the details, the option to change your flight with no change in fare is not available for your itinerary.  Check every day.  You have three days from when the banner first appears to make a change.  The new flight must be within 30 days of the original and show seats available, as well as have the same city pairs.
> 
> Southwest currently is allowing changes on June flights, thru a little more than mid-month.



Yes, that’s what it’s called! I haven’t actually purchased my tickets yet so I guess I’m out of luck with knowing if my flight is eligible.

We are only flying in August. What’s been the trend in ticket prices? Should I hold off a few more weeks before purchasing? I haven’t flown in a few years, but the last time I did fly, I purchased tickets about six to eight weeks before. Is that still the best time to purchase tickets?


----------



## G719

The red change banner is showing again for my trip that is May 30-June 8. check your flights if you were hoping to take advantage of this.


----------



## aokeefe

disny_luvr said:


> Yes, that’s what it’s called! I haven’t actually purchased my tickets yet so I guess I’m out of luck with knowing if my flight is eligible.
> 
> We are only flying in August. What’s been the trend in ticket prices? Should I hold off a few more weeks before purchasing? I haven’t flown in a few years, but the last time I did fly, I purchased tickets about six to eight weeks before. Is that still the best time to purchase tickets?


I personally always find that flights are the cheapest the day they are released; if I were you, look to see what your flight is and if you are comfortable with it, then buy it. Good thing with Southwest is you can get credits if your flight does drop. Trends for ticket prices are kind of all over the place this year!!


----------



## jovicat

Stumbled upon this "red banner" sale today when I was checking flight prices! We just changed to an earlier departure flight out of a closer airport for no cost. Also changed our flight back to the closer airport for no cost. Price differences for the 6 of us was $690 but cost us $0!!!


----------



## Gitelfor

G719 said:


> The red change banner is showing again for my trip that is May 30-June 8. check your flights if you were hoping to take advantage of this.





jovicat said:


> Stumbled upon this "red banner" sale today when I was checking flight prices! We just changed to an earlier departure flight out of a closer airport for no cost. Also changed our flight back to the closer airport for no cost. Price differences for the 6 of us was $690 but cost us $0!!!


I posted about the current change banner appearing last Friday. Since changes are allowed within three days of the banner being attached to a reservation (not when the customer first notices it), I highly recommend that anyone wanting to make a change do so today, if the banner appears for your flight. Last week, the banner vanished on Monday, from reservations that had a banner over the weekend.

Southwest has been pushing the banner change window out, every week or two.  However, if bookings continue to be strong, the banner notifications should eventually stop.  We just don't know when that will occur.


----------



## Mrs~Incredible

@scrappinginontario, do you know how likely it is for SW to change their fare release date from June 10? I am considering taking off from work that day to book our flights, but wondering if I should wait until it gets a little closer....

Thank you!!


----------



## LadybugsMum

Mrs~Incredible said:


> @scrappinginontario, do you know how likely it is for SW to change their fare release date from June 10? I am considering taking off from work that day to book our flights, but wondering if I should wait until it gets a little closer....
> 
> Thank you!!



Dates for releasing the schedule have changed multiple times - sometimes it gets moved up and sometimes it gets moved back. Just keep checking the site or here to see if it changes.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Mrs~Incredible said:


> @scrappinginontario, do you know how likely it is for SW to change their fare release date from June 10? I am considering taking off from work that day to book our flights, but wondering if I should wait until it gets a little closer....
> 
> Thank you!!


I honestly don't know.  Last time they moved it once - closer by about 3 weeks.  I agree with @LadybugsMum to wait until closer to the date if you want to take a day off and have the flexibility to book it once it's closer.  Everything is different right now, including flight release dates.


----------



## ultimatefans

Does anyone know how to view the details of current promotions?  For example, spend this much with the Southwest Credit Card during these dates and earn 20% bonus points.


----------



## focusondisney

ultimatefans said:


> Does anyone know how to view the details of current promotions?  For example, spend this much with the Southwest Credit Card during these dates and earn 20% bonus points.


I have only seen them in my RR account.  There is a “my promotions” section. Nothing like that currently, for me anyway.


----------



## ultimatefans

focusondisney said:


> I have only seen them in my RR account.  There is a “my promotions” section. Nothing like that currently, for me anyway.


Found it, thank you!  I was looking at the Promotions tab and it wasn't there, but I found the "My Promotions" section at the bottom of the "My Account" page.


----------



## ScooterPie

focusondisney said:


> No, it should follow as long as you change, not cancel & your cities stay the same.  However, there is debate about if your place in line changes when you change your flight.  Your place in the check in line is determined by when you purchase the EBCI.  Some posters say if you make a change, you’ll have the date you made the change as your effective date for the EBCI.


Thank you, very good to know!


----------



## MinnieMSue

I have checked my flights for June daily and also frequently pretended to book the same dates to see if they added any better times. I have done this daily since the red banner went up. Well I just checked and my flights were unchanged BUT when I pretended to book new flights for my dates I noticed my flight out on the 16th no longer is listed and they have a new nonstop flight an hour earlier. I figure today is the end of the red banner (and kind of think this was a little dirty that they didn’t change the schedule until today) so I changed my outgoing flight to the hour earlier nonstop one. I kept getting an error message and was on hold to talk to someone when it finally went through. I prefer the new time but then had to email Tony Hinds to see if he can provide our ride an hour early (or we can just wait at the airport until our original arrival time). I think it is pretty rude that southwest didn’t have any of the changes until the 3rd day of the red banner. Maybe they would have switched us to the same flight I switched us to - or maybe they wouldn’t have. I am now wondering if they will make any changes for our return flight June 20. Wanna get away fares are sold out so I am guessing that flight is pretty full but who knows?


----------



## Makmak

Southwest cancelled my 12/31 flight departing at 7:00am ......the notification they were cancelling it came at 3am just four hours before it was leaving.....then a notification two minutes later that they “rebooked” us on 1/02.....that’s right we missed our New Year’s Eve plans so I’m glad you were checking and got the flight you wanted! I’m so paranoid about our flight in six days I’m compulsively checking.


----------



## G719

MinnieMSue said:


> I have checked my flights for June daily and also frequently pretended to book the same dates to see if they added any better times. I have done this daily since the red banner went up. Well I just checked and my flights were unchanged BUT when I pretended to book new flights for my dates I noticed my flight out on the 16th no longer is listed and they have a new nonstop flight an hour earlier. I figure today is the end of the red banner (and kind of think this was a little dirty that they didn’t change the schedule until today) so I changed my outgoing flight to the hour earlier nonstop one. I kept getting an error message and was on hold to talk to someone when it finally went through. I prefer the new time but then had to email Tony Hinds to see if he can provide our ride an hour early (or we can just wait at the airport until our original arrival time). I think it is pretty rude that southwest didn’t have any of the changes until the 3rd day of the red banner. Maybe they would have switched us to the same flight I switched us to - or maybe they wouldn’t have. I am now wondering if they will make any changes for our return flight June 20. Wanna get away fares are sold out so I am guessing that flight is pretty full but who knows?


I read your post so I hurried over to check my flights and sure enough our return flight has been moved from 1:20 PM to 4PM. I'm not upset about that. I wanted to leave later. The latest return time was too late at 9 PM and 1:20 was kind of early so the change works for me.


----------



## Evita_W

Southwest just changed our flight time by 5 minutes and they offered to let us change both flights without paying the difference in fare, is this normal with them over a 5 minute difference?

I mean we were able to get much better flight times without paying the almost $600 extra each way the new flight times would have cost, but this seems extremely generous for 5 minutes.


----------



## Gitelfor

Evita_W said:


> Southwest just changed our flight time by 5 minutes and they offered to let us change both flights without paying the difference in fare, is this normal with them over a 5 minute difference?
> 
> I mean we were able to get much better flight times without paying the almost $600 extra each way the new flight times would have cost, but this seems extremely generous for 5 minutes.


Yes, this has been the norm, due to the pandemic and reduced bookings.  Sometimes Southwest drops/consolidates flights, which also can cause slight adjustments in times of other flights.  Once the no fare change option becomes available within specified dates, Southwest  offers the option on all reservations within the effected window.

Consider this temporary option a gift and enjoy it while you can.  Once travel demand returns to normal, the banner “no fare change” option will become a thing of the past.


----------



## Mrs~Incredible

Another SW question- it looks as though the number of direct flights (from Philly to Orlando) is MUCH less than in years past.... and the flight times are not good for when we want to go.

I’m sure this is because of Covid- but what do you guys think the odds are of SW adding more direct flights come November/December?


----------



## FCDub

Mrs~Incredible said:


> Another SW question- it looks as though the number of direct flights (from Philly to Orlando) is MUCH less than in years past.... and the flight times are not good for when we want to go.
> 
> I’m sure this is because of Covid- but what do you guys think the odds are of SW adding more direct flights come November/December?



Literally no one can predict that. It might happen, but might not.


----------



## Mrs~Incredible

FCDub said:


> Literally no one can predict that. It might happen, but might not.


Lol. So true! Have had the hardest time planning this particular vacation (so many loose ends), but I know I just have to be patient! It will all come together soon enough.


----------



## zskid00

Ok, I'm 11 days out from our direct flight to MCO on SW.  What are the chances that SW will change our flight before then?  I don't know what the latest is they typically make changes, but I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that everything sticks as-is.


----------



## Gitelfor

The change banner is now appearing for select dates between late June and early July.


----------



## FCDub

zskid00 said:


> Ok, I'm 11 days out from our direct flight to MCO on SW.  What are the chances that SW will change our flight before then?  I don't know what the latest is they typically make changes, but I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that everything sticks as-is.



No one can answer that. There's no way to predict. Getting planes from A --> B across the country is a complicated job.

BUT, your flight can change up until the moment before takeoff.


----------



## MinnieMSue

Gitelfor said:


> The change banner is now appearing for select dates between late June and early July.



ugh. I noticed the change banner this morning and that my flights were the same. It wasn’t until I saw this comment that I realized they eliminated my return flight from the schedule (which has not had any wanna get away fares for awhile). So I had to change to a flight that leaves much earlier and will cut out a lot of our last day. So I had to email poor Tony Hinds again this evening about my flight change. I also noticed there are no wanna get away fares at all on the day we go to Orlando from Columbus. Southwest clearly does not want any empty seats on their flights. They really cut flights to the bare minimum. (I am assuming our June 16 flight was the first batch of June changes and our June 20 flight this batch). Wonder what they will do to our September flights -I am afraid to ask


----------



## SPAM

MinnieMSue said:


> ugh. I noticed the change banner this morning and that my flights were the same. It wasn’t until I saw this comment that I realized they eliminated my return flight from the schedule (which has not had any wanna get away fares for awhile). So I had to change to a flight that leaves much earlier and will cut out a lot of our last day. So I had to email poor Tony Hinds again this evening about my flight change. I also noticed there are no wanna get away fares at all on the day we go to Orlando from Columbus. Southwest clearly does not want any empty seats on their flights. They really cut flights to the bare minimum. (I am assuming our June 16 flight was the first batch of June changes and our June 20 flight this batch). Wonder what they will do to our September flights -I am afraid to ask


They really have. I’m in Columbus too and seems like they have limited most days to 2 maybe 3 nonstops if you are lucky.


----------



## TchrLady

SPAM said:


> They really have. I’m in Columbus too and seems like they have limited most days to 2 maybe 3 nonstops if you are lucky.


I am in Columbus too and was disappointed at the non-stop flights offered for our early June trip (rescheduled from March 2020). I was pleasantly surprised this morning to get an email that our return flight was changed to a non-stop so no more Atlanta layover. Hopefully this is a sign they are bringing more nonstop flights back. We really liked those 6am non-stop departures on arrival day! We are flying in a day early and staying at the airport just because the nonstop flights out were awful for our arrival day.


----------



## MinnieMSue

TchrLady said:


> I am in Columbus too and was disappointed at the non-stop flights offered for our early June trip (rescheduled from March 2020). I was pleasantly surprised this morning to get an email that our return flight was changed to a non-stop so no more Atlanta layover. Hopefully this is a sign they are bringing more nonstop flights back. We really liked those 6am non-stop departures on arrival day! We are flying in a day early and staying at the airport just because the nonstop flights out were awful for our arrival day.



yeah our flight out got better with a 6:30 am flight but our flight going home is worse cutting 3 1/2 hour from our last day. Oh well. Could be worse - hopefully they don’t change it again


----------



## SPAM

TchrLady said:


> I am in Columbus too and was disappointed at the non-stop flights offered for our early June trip (rescheduled from March 2020). I was pleasantly surprised this morning to get an email that our return flight was changed to a non-stop so no more Atlanta layover. Hopefully this is a sign they are bringing more nonstop flights back. We really liked those 6am non-stop departures on arrival day! We are flying in a day early and staying at the airport just because the nonstop flights out were awful for our arrival day.


Nice, yeah that's the flight I am taking 6am down to Orlando in a few weeks and it is sold out. It is early but its nice to have a whole day when you get there.


----------



## LadybugsMum

SPAM said:


> They really have. I’m in Columbus too and seems like they have limited most days to 2 maybe 3 nonstops if you are lucky.


RDU starts out with 3 nonstop flights and then ends up with one nonstop. And it's not consistent which flight gets kept and which ones get canceled.


----------



## babyruth

Anyone know when the next release will be? Watching for feb 22


----------



## jcarwash

babyruth said:


> Anyone know when the next release will be? Watching for feb 22



The next release is June 10, for dates through January 5, 2022.

https://www.southwest.com/html/travel-tools/index.html


----------



## Gitelfor

I am finding that some _nonstops _have been tweaked by less than an hour and changed to a new flight number, while some connecting itineraries have been replaced by a new nonstop or a _direct flight_ (flight with intermediate stop, but no change of plane).  The change notices just keep a coming!


----------



## Tink Fans

Southwest eliminated our Non Stop flights for June from Long Island on Sunday.  Just did my Magical Express res. 2 days before.  Flights from LaGuardia to MCO 2 weeks ago were packed so I was a little surprised.  Seems the day before and after our scheduled dates still have non stop flights so guess our flights were not full.   *QUESTION:  *I may book the Hyatt at MCO for our departure day and fly out the following day since there is still a Non Stop back to NY.  I think I can just give Magical Express a different flight number for ANY later flight so I can stay at Resort that day and head over to Hyatt for night.  Can anyone confirm this is still a thing?  Thanks!


----------



## FCDub

Tink Fans said:


> Southwest eliminated our Non Stop flights for June from Long Island on Sunday.  Just did my Magical Express res. 2 days before.  Flights from LaGuardia to MCO 2 weeks ago were packed so I was a little surprised.  Seems the day before and after our scheduled dates still have non stop flights so guess our flights were not full.   *QUESTION:  *I may book the Hyatt at MCO for our departure day and fly out the following day since there is still a Non Stop back to NY.  I think I can just give Magical Express a different flight number for ANY later flight so I can stay at Resort that day and head over to Hyatt for night.  Can anyone confirm this is still a thing?  Thanks!



Yes. No issues.


----------



## Evita_W

I just want then to offer nonstop from MCO to LGB.


----------



## scrappinginontario

zskid00 said:


> Ok, I'm 11 days out from our direct flight to MCO on SW.  What are the chances that SW will change our flight before then?  I don't know what the latest is they typically make changes, but I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that everything sticks as-is.


Someone just a few posts above yours mentioned that they changed their flight less than 4 hours prior to departure.  SW is changing flights often so I would keep a close eye on them daily and be prepared to action if they change yours.


----------



## Tink Fans

FCDub said:


> Yes. No issues.


Thank you - thought I read it on the Disboards once before - crazy times and thought the flights were getting better but I just think they are packing us all in .  Oh well...


----------



## Llama mama

Ack.... just lost 2 hours of park on my return day... SW is changing flights again 
Chicago-MDW


----------



## Leigh L

After checking in on this thread, I logged into check on DH's June flight (he's leaving a different day than the rest of us) and no red banner. But when I searched available flights and to also check price, the flight times were all different and sure enough, when I went into the details, his flight had a message above it for a free change.

With the recent (I think? Website seems different to me than when I flew in March) redesign, it wasn't as clear to see.


----------



## Gitelfor

Southwest is still making schedule and reservation changes, so beware!

For the second time, recently, they have removed an originating flight on a connecting itinerary.  How do they expect the customer to catch the connection, if they deleted the flight to the connection point?  Half of the trip was deleted.


----------



## Nie0214

We  choose to fly out of an airport 1.5 hours away for the nonstops (MHT), instead of the airport 15 minutes from us. But two days we got a note that our departing flight is no longer nonstop (12pm-4pm) and is now a layover that lands past 9pm.

So I hustled to book a one-night room so we could fly a day earlier on a nonstop.

Then today we get an alert that our returning flight is no longer nonstop and lands at 10:30pm. So I switched it to the only remaining nonstop that day, at 9am.

I’m wondering if I just push to move our tickets to our local airport with the layover annoyances because the chance of the nonstops sticking at the other airport are crappy.

I’d rather have crap takeoff times (5am) and layovers and be closer to home than better departure times and layovers but be 1.5 hours from home. :/


----------



## mickeynut1

scrappinginontario said:


> SW is changing flights often so I would keep a close eye on them daily and be prepared to action if they change yours.



Definitely check daily.  My cousin and her family are flying MDW-SFO and then LAX-MDW end of June.  The MDW-SFO flight was changed from 9:35pm departure to 8:35pm departure, which she received an email showing the change.  The return flight, however, was completely cancelled and they were put on a flight leaving 1.5 hrs later.  She just happened to be checking to see if fares had gone down when she noticed her flight was gone.  She immediately checked her email but had nothing regarding the cancellation.  She did eventually receive an email, but it was hours after noticing that her flight disappeared.


----------



## Gitelfor

mickeynut1 said:


> Definitely check daily.  My cousin and her family are flying MDW-SFO and then LAX-MDW end of June.  The MDW-SFO flight was changed from 9:35pm departure to 8:35pm departure, which she received an email showing the change.  The return flight, however, was completely cancelled and they were put on a flight leaving 1.5 hrs later.  She just happened to be checking to see if fares had gone down when she noticed her flight was gone.  She immediately checked her email but had nothing regarding the cancellation.  She did eventually receive an email, but it was hours after noticing that her flight disappeared.


It is definitely a good idea to check your upcoming reservations daily, and even several times a day, for travel within the next few months.  This week is bringing daily changes and the dropping or time adjustments of many flights.  The email notifications are hit and miss.  Even if you eventually receive notification of a change, your preferred new flight may already be sold out, by the time the notification is seen.


----------



## TNKim

My trip is coming up on May 22.  

Has anyone who received the email for the A-List promo offer for flights through June 30, who had booked their flights before registering for the A-List offer, flown yet?  Did you have to check in at 24 hours and were you in fact A-List?  The wording on the promo made it sound as if A-List only applied to flights booked after registering for the promo, but I was told by a Southwest rep that as long as A-List shows on your account, that you are A-List for your flight.  Do I just assume I'm A-List since it shows on my account, or should I check in at 24 hours anyway?


----------



## Music City Mama

Llama mama said:


> Ack.... just lost 2 hours of park on my return day... SW is changing flights again
> Chicago-MDW



Same here. Our return flight on 6/8 now departs 2 hours *earlier*. We weren't planning on a park that day, but our tradition is to have a TS breakfast that morning, which we won't have time for now -- moved our breakfast to the day before.

My flight down there at the end of May was changed about 3-4 weeks ago to an hour *later*. 

I'm really hoping that's the end of the changes, but I will keep an eye out (I luckily received an email both times regarding the changes). Thankfully they're non-stop flights.


----------



## BLTtinkerbell

Yesterday I received an email that my nonstop 6:00am flight to MCO was now leaving at 5:35am. No problem for us.

This morning I received an email that our return nonstop 3:20pm flight was changed to a flight with one stop leaving at 4:00pm, arriving at 11:00pm. I was able to switch to 6:15pm departure still arriving at 11:00pm.

After reading these comments, I’m concerned my flights could get switched again.


----------



## BLTtinkerbell

Double post sorry


----------



## MarBee

So I also got the red banner due to a flight change.   Originally it was a “wanna get away” fare.  The time I want to change it to says “unavailable.” However, when I look, they have “anytime” fares available for that flight.  
Has anyone had any luck calling and getting SW to allow you to switch a similar flight?


----------



## BLTtinkerbell

MarBee said:


> So I also got the red banner due to a flight change.   Originally it was a “wanna get away” fare.  The time I want to change it to says “unavailable.” However, when I look, they have “anytime” fares available for that flight.
> Has anyone had any luck calling and getting SW to allow you to switch a similar flight?


It is definitely worth calling and asking. 
Best of luck!


----------



## MinnieMSue

MarBee said:


> So I also got the red banner due to a flight change.   Originally it was a “wanna get away” fare.  The time I want to change it to says “unavailable.” However, when I look, they have “anytime” fares available for that flight.
> Has anyone had any luck calling and getting SW to allow you to switch a similar flight?



a couple of days ago I had the same unavailable issue. I called and while I waited on hold I kept trying to change it and it finally allowed me to make the change so I was able to hang up before anyone came on. I think they were changing my flights behind the scenes while I was trying to make my own change because about a half hour later I got an email that they had changed my itinerary and gave me the new flight (which happened to be the flight I had just changed to).


----------



## Gitelfor

MarBee said:


> So I also got the red banner due to a flight change.   Originally it was a “wanna get away” fare.  The time I want to change it to says “unavailable.” However, when I look, they have “anytime” fares available for that flight.
> Has anyone had any luck calling and getting SW to allow you to switch a similar flight?


Do you know how many Anytime seats are available  (search your itinerary as a new booking, looking for one seat, then keep increasing the number, till the space shows unavailable). If there only are one or two open seats, you may have a more difficult time. At any rate, I suggest contacting Southwest via social media, sending a DM, noting your confirmation number, full name, and DOB to verify your identity. Tell them what date/flight number you prefer. Do not even mention that you checked availability. The social media team belongs to Customer Relations, so those CSRs have more ability to do overrides, as a customer accommodation.

As always, being polite and appreciative go a long way.

Has anyone had any luck being rebooked into a higher fare class at no change in fare? Yes...on a rebooking that Southwest really messed up with a silly inexcusable error.

Hope it works out.   Please let us know if you had any luck.


----------



## ultimatefans

It looks like SW just made major changes in early July.  Our early July flights were affected (and we have the change banner).  No changes yet for mid July flight (no change banner).


----------



## loveswdw

Ugh, we got the dreaded flight change e-mail. Went from non stop to one stop. Had to change airports to get what we wanted. Totally unusual as we've never had a flight change after booking on Southwest before. They are usually super consistent.


----------



## MarBee

BLTtinkerbell said:


> It is definitely worth calling and asking.
> Best of luck!





MinnieMSue said:


> a couple of days ago I had the same unavailable issue. I called and while I waited on hold I kept trying to change it and it finally allowed me to make the change so I was able to hang up before anyone came on. I think they were changing my flights behind the scenes while I was trying to make my own change because about a half hour later I got an email that they had changed my itinerary and gave me the new flight (which happened to be the flight I had just changed to).





Gitelfor said:


> Do you know how many Anytime seats are available  (search your itinerary as a new booking, looking for one seat, then keep increasing the number, till the space shows unavailable). If there only are one or two open seats, you may have a more difficult time. At any rate, I suggest contacting Southwest via social media, sending a DM, noting your confirmation number, full name, and DOB to verify your identity. Tell them what date/flight number you prefer. Do not even mention that you checked availability. The social media team belongs to Customer Relations, so those CSRs have more ability to do overrides, as a customer accommodation.
> 
> As always, being polite and appreciative go a long way.
> 
> Has anyone had any luck being rebooked into a higher fare class at no change in fare? Yes...on a rebooking that Southwest really messed up with a silly inexcusable error.
> 
> Hope it works out.   Please let us know if you had any luck.


So I actually decided to just add on another day to our trip anyway.  So now we have an extra day to enjoy


----------



## mickey916

MarBee said:


> So I actually decided to just add on another day to our trip anyway.  So now we have an extra day to enjoy


That's what I would do too! Enjoy!


----------



## BLTtinkerbell

MarBee said:


> So I actually decided to just add on another day to our trip anyway.  So now we have an extra day to enjoy


I’ve done that before! Always a great option!


----------



## AlohaNow

The SW flight change fairy just smacked us in the face! DS14 is flying alone this summer (3 flights in total) to visit family and then go to a weeklong camp. The camp specifies when their personnel will be at a specific airport to collect the campers and load them into a van to take them to camp. Same thing for the return. SW now offers no valid return times on the last day of camp out of the camp specified airport. Boo. Other legacy carriers would want a $150 unaccompanied minor fee on a O/W ticket due to his age. And there’s no saying whether a legacy flight might experience a time change as well! We had been thinking of flying down there for camp pick up and making a weekend out of it. July 4th weekend in Galveston sounds fun, right?  

SW changed all 3 of his flights, but the first two weren’t major and still work for the family that will be collecting him and then depositing him at the airport. We kind of knew this would happen, with everyone reporting in on this board. Ah well, semper Gumby!


----------



## Gitelfor

Did anyone else receive this message from Southwest, when changing a reservation after seeing the banner appear for an upcoming trip?
I never bothered to check account activity for a change in points, after modifying the booking, but I probably will have to start checking.

ETA....After originally posting, another message came, referencing a different confirmation number.


> You recently received an email from southwestairlines@ifly.southwest.com that indicated additional points were used for travel reserved under confirmation number: XXXXXX. These points were miscalculated in error as there should not have been an additional charge when you changed your reservation.
> The additional points have been returned to your account and you will see that the amount debited for your ticket exchange has been corrected. You can review your account balance on Southwest.com®.
> We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to seeing you onboard soon.
> -Your friends at Rapid Rewards
> Proactive Customer Communications


----------



## zemmer

Gitelfor said:


> Did anyone else receive this message from Southwest, when changing a reservation after seeing the banner appear for an upcoming trip?
> I never bothered to check account activity for a change in points, after modifying the booking, but I probably will have to start checking.


I haven’t seen that, but we had a red banner and changed and they credited us points saying the flight “price” had dropped. I’d never seen that before with the red banner (they normally don’t show an increase or decrease), so I wonder if there was a glitch?


----------



## Gitelfor

zemmer said:


> I haven’t seen that, but we had a red banner and changed and they credited us points saying the flight “price” had dropped. I’d never seen that before with the red banner (they normally don’t show an increase or decrease), so I wonder if there was a glitch?


I’d rather have your “glitch.”


----------



## momdisfan

I am hoping someone here can help me.  I opened my app to look and see if flights went down in cost (I know it's a long shot - but i try a few times a week) The red change banner appears at the top of the screen but it appears as though my original flight on July 11th has not changed.  if my original flight is still available with no changes why would the red change banner appear.  I did not receive any emails from SW about flight changes


----------



## puppytrainer

momdisfan said:


> I am hoping someone here can help me.  I opened my app to look and see if flights went down in cost (I know it's a long shot - but i try a few times a week) The red change banner appears at the top of the screen but it appears as though my original flight on July 11th has not changed.  if my original flight is still available with no changes why would the red change banner appear.  I did not receive any emails from SW about flight changes


Same here for my July 17th flight. I've had this happen before. SW is making changes within a certain time frame to some but not all flights. However, all flights within that time frame get the red banner regardless of if they are being affected by the changes or not.


----------



## Neener16

puppytrainer said:


> Same here for my July 17th flight. I've had this happen before. SW is making changes within a certain time frame to some but not all flights. However, all flights within that time frame get the red banner regardless of if they are being affected by the changes or not.


Do you mind reporting back if your flight actually does change? We are flying out July 19th and I am hoping to not be affected by a change. So far, I have no banner on my page. It will save me from an adult temper tantrum if I see it and there's still a possibility it won't change.   I realize these are difficult times, but you get up early to get the flight you want, make transportation arrangements based on that, we have a room booked at the hotel at the airport the night before our flight, and I won't be happy to have to change all that. My daughter's flight changed from a nonstop to a 2 stop, adding hours to her flight and essentially losing a park day. That is ridiculous. We will make it work if it happens, but I hope it doesn't.


----------



## Gitelfor

Neener16 said:


> Do you mind reporting back if your flight actually does change? We are flying out July 19th and I am hoping to not be affected by a change. So far, I have no banner on my page. It will save me from an adult temper tantrum if I see it and there's still a possibility it won't change.   I realize these are difficult times, but you get up early to get the flight you want, make transportation arrangements based on that, we have a room booked at the hotel at the airport the night before our flight, and I won't be happy to have to change all that. My daughter's flight changed from a nonstop to a 2 stop, adding hours to her flight and essentially losing a park day. That is ridiculous. We will make it work if it happens, but I hope it doesn't.


I don’t believe they have gone beyond July 17, so July 19 s/b in the next week or two.  I advise looking at your reservation every day - once in the morning and once in the evening.  Don’t rely on emails, as sometimes Southwest sends them, and sometimes they don’t.  I have gotten emails shortly after midnight, notifying me of an unacceptable change.  If I had not immediately seen the email, I would have not gotten the last available seat on my preferred flight.

Just to complicate matters, do not assume that once you have gotten the change banner, you will not receive it again - with or without any effect to your trip.


----------



## Neener16

Gitelfor said:


> I don’t believe they have gone beyond July 17, so July 19 s/b in the next week or two.  I advise looking at your reservation every day - once in the morning and once in the evening.  Don’t rely on emails, as sometimes Southwest sends them, and sometimes they don’t.  I have gotten emails shortly after midnight, notifying me of an unacceptable change.  If I had not immediately seen the email, I would have not gotten the last available seat on my preferred flight.
> Just to complicate matters, do not assume that once you have gotten the change banner, you will not receive it again - with or without any effect to your trip.


Thanks. I will definitely do all that.


----------



## puppytrainer

Neener16 said:


> Do you mind reporting back if your flight actually does change? We are flying out July 19th and I am hoping to not be affected by a change. So far, I have no banner on my page. It will save me from an adult temper tantrum if I see it and there's still a possibility it won't change.   I realize these are difficult times, but you get up early to get the flight you want, make transportation arrangements based on that, we have a room booked at the hotel at the airport the night before our flight, and I won't be happy to have to change all that. My daughter's flight changed from a nonstop to a 2 stop, adding hours to her flight and essentially losing a park day. That is ridiculous. We will make it work if it happens, but I hope it doesn't.


I definitely will. It won't surprise me either way, if it changes eventually or if it doesn’t. So much is fluid these days! My banner showed up on Friday night. So we're getting close to the 3 (usually, right?) days the banner sticks around for. We shall see.


----------



## JKeenz

Just wanted to share my experience with southwest as I’m sure I’m not the only one and it may help someone. We had flights from Manchester NH to MCO for 7/4-7/11, nonstop both ways. Our departing flight was changed from 7 am to 6 am departure, and a layover in BWI was added. We got the email the other day and the app showed me I could change flights, and I could use Manchester, Boston, or Providence. When I went in to make the changes to nonstop flights to/from Providence, the system wanted me to pay the difference. I spoke with a very helpful rep who changed it for me, no problem, and no charge. 

She told me a couple things that have been going on lately. Due to the changes in demand for flights, changes in travel restrictions, etc, SW is going through the entire schedule, week by week, and doing major overhauls. They are trying to make changes that will be as solid as possible to avoid multiple changes for customers. 

Also, when I called customer service the first two times the wait times were ridiculous, 110 and 120 minutes. I called back and after I attempted to use the automated system, then said “representative,” someone picked up within about 3-4 minutes. So try that hack if you need to speak with southwest!! 

Good luck everyone!


----------



## momdisfan

Ironically while on hold with Southwest tonight I received an email that my flight had changed.  Opened the app and they did change our flight.  Our non-stop flight from 530-820 was no longer there and they moved us to a one stop flight that arrived at 920.  Both of the original non-stop flights on that day were gone and they added a non stop flight from 120-355.  Thankfully I was able to move our flights to this and an arrival time of 355 is so much better! fingers crossed they do not change it again.  Thanks as always for all the information on this board


----------



## Gitelfor

Southwest is at it again.  I just received an email notification that they changed a trip originally booked as a four hour trip to a trip with a duration of almost 12 hours.  When I went online to revise their change, I did not even see their routing listed as an option, though there were nonstops and other options available with no more than a four hour duration.  

The other problem that keeps popping up is when Southwest makes changes in reservations with connecting flights, only booking one flight, and forgetting the other flight to the final destination.  Someone posted @SouthwestAir on Twitter asking if he/she is supposed to walk to their final destination, from the connection point.

I understood that their system was generating the revised itineraries, but I thought the revisions were being checked for errors.


----------



## jcarwash

JKeenz said:


> Due to the changes in demand for flights, changes in travel restrictions, etc, SW is going through the entire schedule, week by week, and doing major overhauls. They are trying to make changes that will be as solid as possible to avoid multiple changes for customers.



Sounds like that info goes along with their blog post from Friday, April 30, which talked about their revised summer schedule (https://community.southwest.com/t5/Blog/Summer-travel-is-right-around-the-corner/ba-p/119700) which included this line: "Southwest Airlines is excited to announce the release of our revised summer schedule (June 6 through September 6)..."

I was reading the post thinking, wait, haven't these dates have been on sale for a while now? But I guess it makes sense they need to go over it all again.


----------



## puppytrainer

puppytrainer said:


> I definitely will. It won't surprise me either way, if it changes eventually or if it doesn’t. So much is fluid these days! My banner showed up on Friday night. So we're getting close to the 3 (usually, right?) days the banner sticks around for. We shall see.


Well, apparently I jinxed myself by saying I had a red banner and no changes. Overnight I got the email my schedule for my outgoing flight had been changed (flight back home is not changed yet but I anticipate it happening when they get working on thr next week of the schedule). My 6:55am non stop got removed and they put me on a 6:15am with 1 stop. Was able to change it to the 5:15am (yikes!) non stop. There was also a later non stop but we'd prefer to get to WDW as early as possible. 

Good luck to the rest of you with your changes!


----------



## Gitelfor

jcarwash said:


> Sounds like that info goes along with their blog post from Friday, April 30, which talked about their revised summer schedule (https://community.southwest.com/t5/Blog/Summer-travel-is-right-around-the-corner/ba-p/119700) which included this line: "Southwest Airlines is excited to announce the release of our revised summer schedule (June 6 through September 6)..."
> 
> I was reading the post thinking, wait, haven't these dates have been on sale for a while now? But I guess it makes sense they need to go over it all again.


Thanks for sharing.  Did you notice how they spelled Pittsburg (sic)?  I don't think Pittsburghers would be pleased.


----------



## Gitelfor

Southwest has now attached the change banner for flights from 07.18.2021 till the end of July.  They are moving fast with modifying the summer schedule, about a couple of weeks at a time.  Reminder...you will now have about three days to make any changes to your flights, which show the banner, when selecting to change an itinerary.

They are still deleting one leg of some connecting itineraries, so actually open and view your flights; don’t just look at the trip’s name and assume the routing is correct - you may be missing part of the trip.


----------



## Neener16

Well, I got the dreaded change. Instead of a 2 hour 45 minute nonstop flight, it got changed to a 7 hour and 40 minute 2 stop flight. So aggravating. It's not letting me make a change right now. We are trying not to mess with the park reservations, so will take a late flight down the night before and stay offsite. Very disappointing and aggravating. Had car service all lined up, a really good price at the airport hotel that included parking etc. Oh well....


----------



## Erica Ladd

I suppose if I book a flight tomorrow for July that I would have missed the boat for a change banner?


----------



## ultimatefans

Erica Ladd said:


> I suppose if I book a flight tomorrow for July that I would have missed the boat for a change banner?


That depends when in July.  My early July flight no longer has the change banner but my mid July flight does.


----------



## FCDub

I got a slight flight time change (~15 minutes) for a late July flight.


----------



## runnermama78

Gitelfor said:


> Southwest is at it again.  I just received an email notification that they changed a trip originally booked as a four hour trip to a trip with a duration of almost 12 hours.  When I went online to revise their change, I did not even see their routing listed as an option, though there were nonstops and other options available with no more than a four hour duration.
> 
> The other problem that keeps popping up is when Southwest makes changes in reservations with connecting flights, only booking one flight, and forgetting the other flight to the final destination.  Someone posted @SouthwestAir on Twitter asking if he/she is supposed to walk to their final destination, from the connection point.
> 
> I understood that their system was generating the revised itineraries, but I thought the revisions were being checked for errors.


That happened to me on Sunday. Got an email my flight had changed. I logged in and saw that my Maine to Orlando flight was now ending in Baltimore.  After an hour and 45 minutes on hold I was able to have someone fix it. So glad I logged in!


----------



## Shari Bowman

Gitelfor said:


> Get up to 75%  bonus RR points when purchasing points, during this limited time offer.
> 
> View attachment 569413View attachment 569414
> 
> Purchasing points usually is not a good value; however, if you have to top off an account or really want to book with points but need more, the 75% bonus offer is better than usual.  With the 6% devaluation of points last week, this might help lessen the impact a bit.


When you purchase points, does it count as a Southwest purchase? I just recently got a Southwest visa and if I purchase points with it, does it count toward the minimum purchase requirement to get the bonus points?


----------



## mickeyfino

Got an email this morning saying our August flight (PVD-MCO) has changed. Not too bad, 4 hours later but still direct.

I'm curious how you all are handling updating the car rental times when your flights change, especially when SWA makes flight changes closer to the date? We're paying $900 for an 11 day rental for a full size, which is crazy already. But I'm nervous more flight changes will come and revising the car reservation will end up costing even more. Any tips/advice?


----------



## FCDub

mickeyfino said:


> Got an email this morning saying our August flight (PVD-MCO) has changed. Not too bad, 4 hours later but still direct.
> 
> I'm curious how you all are handling updating the car rental times when your flights change, especially when SWA makes flight changes closer to the date? We're paying $900 for an 11 day rental for a full size, which is crazy already. But I'm nervous more flight changes will come and revising the car reservation will end up costing even more. Any tips/advice?



Add your arrival info the reservation. It won't matter that you're a couple hours late – rather, it SHOULDN'T matter.


----------



## MinnieMSue

I have flight change banners for my September Labor Day weekend flights. I really hope they don’t change by much because I have maximized my short period of time with early morning and late night flights. Ugh


----------



## Tink Fans

MinnieMSue said:


> I have flight change banners for my September Labor Day weekend flights. I really hope they don’t change by much because I have maximized my short period of time with early morning and late night flights. Ugh


Sending  your way.
My first call to SW today at 11 am, was a 65 minute wait but the option for a call back was available.  Never DID GET THE CALL BACK so it wasn't working like it has in the past.  For my second call (on cell just in case they did call ) around 12:30 with no option for call back so had to wait 2 hours to get my flight changed.  NUTS!  I just don't want to do stops - never did.  To boot, when I changed the first leg of my trip last week, they charged me 84 extra points even though it was the same price.  Today the rep said that was wrong but I would have to call Corporate.  Next time I would change on APP within 3 days or just keep trying different options to avoid this insane waiting time.  
My solution was to add a night and fly non-stop the next day.  Instead of _Night at the Museum_, we'll do _Night at MCO_...kinda of exciting.  Hyatt MCO looks pretty nice - never did that.


----------



## katallo

I’ve tried several times without success.  please pm me if you can spare a code. Thanks


----------



## katallo

I’ve tried several times without success.  please pm me if you can spare a code. Thanks


----------



## katallo

Please ignore.  Was on the wrong page.


----------



## Princess Merida

Oh my goodness.  Southwest flights just went from $125 to $444 for the end of August for ORF to MCO and back.  I have 3 of the 4 I needed.  My husband has decided to come now and whoa this is insane.  We have another group traveling with us that hasn't bought any tickets so I guess they'll be driving now.  Does anyone know what happened?


----------



## MinnieMSue

So at 5:30 I checked my September flight and saw the red banner. My flight was unchanged and the schedule appeared the same. At 7:08 I get an email my September flight has changed. My flight out is now gone from the schedule but they booked us on a new nonstop flight leaving an hour earlier - at 5:35 am. That’s great as our trip will now be slightly longer. Somehow we gotta stay awake for horror nights after this early flight and we live an hour from the airport. Can’t go a day earlier cause the kid is in band and has to March at the football game the night before. I really hope it is a home game. Now let’s see how my 3 day later flight is. So far unchanged but I am not holding my breath


----------



## Gitelfor

For anyone who has been trying to call Southwest regarding a change, I suggest contacting them on Twitter (@SouthwestAir).  I have been receiving assistance within 5 minutes of tweeting them, lately.  It helps to contact them off-hours.



> Schedule Changes: If you have been affected by an involuntary change to your booked itinerary and wish to rebook, there is a self-service option for Customers who received an email notification of the change. If you are within three days of receiving the email notification, simply follow this link: http://swa.is/ChangeFlight and retrieve your reservation to make changes. If you need to speak to a Representative about your schedule change, please contact us at 1-800-I-FLY-SWA. Additional contact options and information on the schedule changes can be found here: https://swa.is/3tfceqi If you are unable to make a change to your reservation online, or need assistance with something else, please provide us with your confirmation number, desired dates of travel along with cities, and Rapid Rewards number. COVID-19 Travel Information: The latest updates on COVID-19 Travel Information can be found here: http://swa.is/COVID19Updates Thank you—Southwest Airlines


----------



## pixiemama91

I got the red banner today for our flights in late August. Our return flight was changed to leave about an hour earlier but is still non stop so not a big deal. Our flight to Orlando is changing and I’m not sure if I was to take the 5:50am flight that arrives at MCO at 10:40am or the 10:25am flight that arrives at 3:15. The original flight departed at 9:45am and arrived at 2:30pm but 3:15 just seems so much later but not sure I want to get up at 3:30 for the 5:50am flight.   Decisions, Decisions

they currently have 4 flights departing Boston at 5:50am and all going to Orlando with different layovers which seems a little excessive. LOL


----------



## Princess Merida

My return flight doesn't work now because it's too early and we are hoping to be returning from a Disney cruise that morning.  That is the only nonstop flight of the day. Ugh! Fun times!


----------



## disny_luvr

For those of you that got the red banner, can you change your flight to a different day, or does it need to be the same day?

ETA - I'm thinking of booking an early morning flight that's super cheap, but I want to switch it to a mid-day flight a day earlier that is pretty expensive at the moment. Am I crazy to book a flight thinking that I'll get the red banner to switch it?


----------



## Tink Fans

disny_luvr said:


> For those of you that got the red banner, can you change your flight to a different day, or does it need to be the same day?


I guess I had the red banner last week but never checked the SW App because I got the email for both segments of the trip within a day of each other.  Today I changed my return from June 11 to the Nonstop on June 12th ~ no issue.


----------



## Gitelfor

disny_luvr said:


> For those of you that got the red banner, can you change your flight to a different day, or does it need to be the same day?
> 
> ETA - I'm thinking of booking an early morning flight that's super cheap, but I want to switch it to a mid-day flight a day earlier that is pretty expensive at the moment. Am I crazy to book a flight thinking that I'll get the red banner to switch it?


The banner means that you are allowed to change your flight and/or travel date, as long as it's within a 30 day window, either way, of your original travel date.  As long as the new flight you select shows "Available," you are allowed to make the change, at no change in fare.  Once the banner appears, you have three days to make the change. Sometimes Southwest sends out emails regarding changes in the schedule which may/may not affect your reservations. Even if your flights have not been affected, you are allowed to make the change, as long as the banner shows; once the banner is gone, the option to change at no additional cost is gone.


----------



## Tink584

Got our flight change today for mid-late august. Departing almost an hour later and leaving for home like 3 hours later. They’re the only non stops that day so I’ll just deal lol.


----------



## JJJDisneyBuckeyes

Our Labor Day weekend flight just got changed as well. It just moved back about 2 hours, but it’s still nonstop. The flight home stayed same, for now! Good thing I’ve been following this thread.


----------



## JessicaW1234

JJJDisneyBuckeyes said:


> Our Labor Day weekend flight just got changed as well. It just moved back about 2 hours, but it’s still nonstop. The flight home stayed same, for now! Good thing I’ve been following this thread.


My flights have the red banner, but they look the same to me.  Does that mean they will be changing them?


----------



## sandam1

I'm 100% confused. I checked my flights for 9/6-10 and I see the red change banner. However, the flights haven't changed at all from what I booked. What does this mean?


----------



## disny_luvr

sandam1 said:


> I'm 100% confused. I checked my flights for 9/6-10 and I see the red change banner. However, the flights haven't changed at all from what I booked. What does this mean?



The red banner gives you the option to change your flights if you want to. If not, just keep your flights the same.


----------



## disny_luvr

disny_luvr said:


> For those of you that got the red banner, can you change your flight to a different day, or does it need to be the same day?
> 
> ETA - I'm thinking of booking an early morning flight that's super cheap, but I want to switch it to a mid-day flight a day earlier that is pretty expensive at the moment. Am I crazy to book a flight thinking that I'll get the red banner to switch it?



Responding to myself, lol.

I literally booked the cheaper flight a few minutes after posting this and I already received the red banner and was able to change my flight to the more desirable time.


----------



## sandam1

And now the fun begins! I just got the change email and our flight to Orlando changed from a non-stop to a one-stop at BWI. Ugh! They took away 2 of the 3 non-stop flights for that route and added about two hours on to our flight time. But the only non-stop flight left is a mid-afternoon versus arriving mid-morning so I suppose we will probably keep it.

So far our non-stop flight home is still there, but I have a change banner with that flight as well so that's probably going to be history too.


----------



## Gitelfor

Okay...what's wrong with this picture?   
 (I have purposely blocked out the arrival airport, so that's not it)

This was for a nonstop flight from MCO.


----------



## Craig Larson

mickeyfino said:


> Got an email this morning saying our August flight (PVD-MCO) has changed. Not too bad, 4 hours later but still direct.


Same here!



Princess Merida said:


> Oh my goodness.  Southwest flights just went from $125 to $444 for the end of August for ORF to MCO and back.  I have 3 of the 4 I needed.  My husband has decided to come now and whoa this is insane.  We have another group traveling with us that hasn't bought any tickets so I guess they'll be driving now.  Does anyone know what happened?



My understanding is when they do major schedule changes, they remove the wanna get away prices for a bit. This reduces new people booking to give time to those affected a chance to make changes if they don't like the flight they were changed to. I recall this happening last year once the pandemic hit and they made wholesale changes to schedules.


----------



## Princess Merida

Craig Larson said:


> Same here!
> 
> 
> 
> My understanding is when they do major schedule changes, they remove the wanna get away prices for a bit. This reduces new people booking to give time to those affected a chance to make changes if they don't like the flight they were changed to. I recall this happening last year once the pandemic hit and they made wholesale changes to schedules.


Good to know! Thank you!


----------



## jcarwash

Gitelfor said:


> Okay...what's wrong with this picture?
> (I have purposely blocked out the arrival airport, so that's not it)
> 
> This was for a nonstop flight from MCO.
> 
> 
> View attachment 573188



I didn't realize Orlando was a regional airport for Kansas City.


----------



## han22735

We just got the email for a change as well.  Mid/end of August both ways changed but still non-stop.  Our fight home moved 1.5 hours later.   I also noticed they removed some N/S routes.  MCO-PVD now only has 2 non-stops 7am or 7:55pm


----------



## Music City Mama

TNKim said:


> Has anyone who received the email for the A-List promo offer for flights through June 30, who had booked their flights before registering for the A-List offer, flown yet? Did you have to check in at 24 hours and were you in fact A-List? The wording on the promo made it sound as if A-List only applied to flights booked after registering for the promo, but I was told by a Southwest rep that as long as A-List shows on your account, that you are A-List for your flight. Do I just assume I'm A-List since it shows on my account, or should I check in at 24 hours anyway?



I just got an email with with this promo today. My flights are before 6/30, but of course I booked long ago. I went ahead and registered. I just looked in my account it says I'm A-List. I think you have to check in to get your boarding pass, but the way I'm reading it is that it automatically checks you in at 36 hours like early bird.


----------



## JessicaW1234

sandam1 said:


> I'm 100% confused. I checked my flights for 9/6-10 and I see the red change banner. However, the flights haven't changed at all from what I booked. What does this mean?


It probably means it is going to be changed. Mine was like that and today both flights had been changed but were the same when I first looked at it last night.


----------



## aokeefe

JessicaW1234 said:


> It probably means it is going to be changed. Mine was like that and today both flights had been changed but were the same when I first looked at it last night.


I have the red banner on my Southwest account and I don't even have any flights booked! We flew last month and my flights changed once yet the red banner stayed the entire time on my account.


----------



## Gitelfor

aokeefe said:


> I have the red banner on my Southwest account and I don't even have any flights booked! We flew last month and my flights changed once yet the red banner stayed the entire time on my account.


I received a message from Southwest that it was time to check in for a flight that was cancelled days ago.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Both our late Aug and early Sep flights changed.  Not thrilled so changed to best current option but am also sure this is just the first of many changes so just sitting back watching for now.


----------



## BLTtinkerbell

scrappinginontario said:


> Both out late Aug and early Sep flights changed.  Not thrilled so changed to best current option but am also sure this is just the first of many changes so just sitting back watching for now.


It is bad enough to have both flights changed for a planned trip, but to have them change more than that is frustrating


----------



## JessicaW1234

scrappinginontario said:


> Both out late Aug and early Sep flights changed.  Not thrilled so changed to best current option but am also sure this is just the first of many changes so just sitting back watching for now.


My flights were changed too. We can expect more changes??? How often do we need to look?


----------



## MinnieMSue

JessicaW1234 said:


> My flights were changed too. We can expect more changes??? How often do we need to look?



I check daily. I have had several flight changes for a trip since covid. All of my flights have changed at least once. Waiting to see if our early September trip return flight changes. Our outgoing one has. I really hope it doesn’t change or does by less than an hour


----------



## ah10is

Seems like a lot of us flying out of MHT to MCO have had our nice direct flight changed to a layover somewhere!    I've had to do a lot of juggling to get new direct flights out of MHT for my quick solo trip  to Disney for July 3 - 7th!    New Flights now have me leaving MHT at 5:35am.....I'm 1.5 hrs away so guess I'm leaving my house now at 2:45am.    My return day I had a nice late afternoon departure so I could go to the parks in the morning....now my flight takes off at 9:30am.    A bit bummed to loose that morning at the parks.   Hopefully they won't change my flights again!


----------



## DebLovesPooh

ah10is said:


> Seems like a lot of us flying out of MHT to MCO have had our nice direct flight changed to a layover somewhere!    I've had to do a lot of juggling to get new direct flights out of MHT for my quick solo trip  to Disney for July 3 - 7th!    New Flights now have me leaving MHT at 5:35am.....I'm 1.5 hrs away so guess I'm leaving my house now at 2:45am.    My return day I had a nice late afternoon departure so I could go to the parks in the morning....now my flight takes off at 9:30am.    A bit bummed to loose that morning at the parks.   Hopefully they won't change my flights again!



This was us too! Good bye direct flights to and from MHT. L I ended up booking the direct flight for the night before and a night at the MCO Hyatt to get a head start on the trip rather than deal with the layover trip starting at 5:45am. The flights home start at 6:15am. Yikes.


----------



## scrappinginontario

BLTtinkerbell said:


> It is bad enough to have both flights changed for a planned trip, but to have them change more than that is frustrating


 I look at it as just part of life right now.  I have no idea what things will be like in August so I can’t ask SW to know either.  There is a good chance I’ll have to cancel our flights and many others are doing the same.  I will take the changes in flights if it means SW can continue offering the comparative prices they do.


JessicaW1234 said:


> My flights were changed too. We can expect more changes??? How often do we need to look?


Last summer each of our flights were changed 4 times between booking in March and cancelling in August.  I’m prepared for the same thing to happen this year and if it doesn’t -bonus!!


----------



## Chip_Dale

Got e mail that our inbound flight got changed from a direct to a stop over.  Thought that flight got canceled.  But noticed the week before and after the flight is running (same flight#) in the same day(monday). Did they over book and we got bumped


----------



## Gitelfor

Chip_Dale said:


> Got e mail that our inbound flight got changed from a direct to a stop over.  Thought that flight got canceled.  But noticed the week before and after the flight is running (same flight#) in the same day(monday). Did they over book and we got bumped


Did you try searching as if you were making a new reservation for the same date to see what flights are listed?  If your original flight shows up, but is marked as “Unavailable,” it could be oversold (though Southwest was supposedly not overbooking/overselling flights for a while).  If it shows up, but there aren’t any seats available, it could be that the aircraft was changed to a smaller plane.

If you don’t like the new flight arrangements, you can contact Southwest to see what they can do for you.

BTW, schedules may vary on holidays vs. other dates.


----------



## Lsdolphin

What month is SWA making changes for now??? I’m just wondering whether to book for Sept now in case gas issues between lack of qualified/certified gas tanker drivers and the cyber attack on Friday affect airlines


----------



## scrappinginontario

Lsdolphin said:


> What month is SWA making changes for now??? I’m just wondering whether to book for Sept now in case gas issues between lack of qualified/certified gas tanker drivers and the cyber attack on Friday affect airlines


They are changing things frequently.  We have already had our late August and early Sep flights changed once and anticipate it could happen again for sure!


----------



## Avery&Todd

Can someone pls post what the "red banner" looks like on your account? I'm not sure I have seen one before/understand what I'm looking for...

  

Thanks!


----------



## Gitelfor

Lsdolphin said:


> What month is SWA making changes for now??? I’m just wondering whether to book for Sept now in case gas issues between lack of qualified/certified gas tanker drivers and the cyber attack on Friday affect airlines


There have not been any changes since last week.  As the change banners pop up unexpectedly, you can keep an eye open on this thread for updates.



Avery&Todd said:


> Can someone pls post what the "red banner" looks like on your account? I'm not sure I have seen one before/understand what I'm looking for...
> 
> 
> Thanks!



When you go into one of your confirmed reservations, either on the app or mobile site, select to change your reservation.   A red banner will appear, if you are allowed to make a change at no difference in fare, or if your flight was changed.  Going thru the same process on the website, there will be a gray banner.  Both banners appear across the top; you can’t miss it.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Gitelfor said:


> When you go into one of your confirmed reservations, either on the app or mobile site, select to change your reservation.   A red banner will appear, if you are allowed to make a change at no difference in fare, or if your flight was changed.  Going thru the same process on the website, there will be a gray banner.  Both banners appear across the top; you can’t miss it.


Yeah, that's my issue - my only flights have my DH's Companion Pass attached to it and to change my flights I have to cancel his flight first and that's a lot..just to see a red banner...

I was just hoping someone had a picture of what theirs looks like...

Thanks!


----------



## Gitelfor

Avery&Todd said:


> Yeah, that's my issue - my only flights have my DH's Companion Pass attached to it and to change my flights I have to cancel his flight first and that's a lot..just to see a red banner...
> 
> I was just hoping someone had a picture of what theirs looks like...
> 
> Thanks!



I don’t think the change banner will even show, unless you go in to change the flight.  Sorry...don't have an image.  The app/mobile site banner will be red, across the top of your screen, while the website banner will be gray.  You absolutely can't miss it.  If your flight was actually changed, you should receive an email.  If it wasn't changed, but you want to be able to take advantage of the change option, at no additional cost, just stay tuned here for updates.

At this point, none of us even knows if the banner will continue to pop up.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Gitelfor said:


> I don’t think the change banner will even show, unless you go in to change the flight.  Sorry...don't have an image.  The app/mobile site banner will be red, across the top of your screen, while the website banner will be gray.  You absolutely can't miss it.  If your flight was actually changed, you should receive an email.  If it wasn't changed, but you want to be able to take advantage of the change option, at no additional cost, just stay tuned here for updates.
> 
> At this point, none of us even knows if the banner will continue to pop up.


OK THANKS!


----------



## MinnieMSue

I don’t have to do anything on the app to see the banner other than tap on an upcoming flight in the app. If it is there - it is a red stripe across the top that says something about you can now change your flight. I would show a screen shot except I don’t have it now


----------



## Erica Ladd

How hard is it to change flights with a red banner that includes a companion pass?  Looking to book a trip for September but I have never tried to change a flight with a companion pass involved


----------



## ultimatefans

Avery&Todd said:


> Yeah, that's my issue - my only flights have my DH's Companion Pass attached to it and to change my flights I have to cancel his flight first and that's a lot..just to see a red banner...
> 
> I was just hoping someone had a picture of what theirs looks like...
> 
> Thanks!



You do not need to attempt to change the flight to see the red banner.  Simply click the reservation in the app.  If it's eligible to change at no charge there is a red banner at the top.  I have a companion pass associated with mine and have attached a pic of what the banner looks like.  If I want to change I would need to then cancel the companion pass first (as you stated), but at least can tell if it's eligible before canceling.  I think if you call then you can modify the flight without canceling the companion first, but I've never done that.


----------



## ultimatefans

Erica Ladd said:


> How hard is it to change flights with a red banner that includes a companion pass?  Looking to book a trip for September but I have never tried to change a flight with a companion pass involved


I cancel the companion, change the flight, then rebook the companion.  Just be sure to have the original companion confirmation recorded so you can reuse the travel funds when rebooking.  I've read if you call they can make the change for you without having to cancel the companion first, but since it's so easy to cancel and rebook online I've never called to do that.


----------



## Avery&Todd

ultimatefans said:


> I cancel the companion, change the flight, then rebook the companion.  Just be sure to have the original companion confirmation recorded so you can reuse the travel funds when rebooking.  I've read if you call they can make the change for you without having to cancel the companion first, but since it's so easy to cancel and rebook online I've never called to do that.



I'm always so chicken to cancel the CP and then make the changes - I've found that you can message SW on FB messenger and they can make those changes for me there - way easier than calling and waiting!




ultimatefans said:


> You do not need to attempt to change the flight to see the red banner.  Simply click the reservation in the app.  If it's eligible to change at no charge there is a red banner at the top.  I have a companion pass associated with mine and have attached a pic of what the banner looks like.  If I want to change I would need to then cancel the companion pass first (as you stated), but at least can tell if it's eligible before canceling.  I think if you call then you can modify the flight without canceling the companion first, but I've never done that.


THANK YOU!!  I've seen that on other flights but I seem to get/see/notice the email from SW who has adjusted my flights before I saw the red banner and I guess I've made changes and not even noticed it!

That was a perfect example - thank you!


----------



## jkelly86

ultimatefans said:


> You do not need to attempt to change the flight to see the red banner. Simply click the reservation in the app. If it's eligible to change at no charge there is a red banner at the top. I have a companion pass associated with mine and have attached a pic of what the banner looks like. If I want to change I would need to then cancel the companion pass first (as you stated), but at least can tell if it's eligible before canceling. I think if you call then you can modify the flight without canceling the companion first, but I've never done that.


Thank you for this!!! I never knew this was possible...


----------



## ultimatefans

jkelly86 said:


> Thank you for this!!! I never knew this was possible...


You're welcome!  It might be a recent change because I don't remember seeing this in past rounds, but maybe I just never noticed before??


----------



## mickey916

sorry wrong thread....deleted


----------



## dez1978

I am hopeful that when they release the next round of flights they will have a better idea of what they need moving forward and there won't be as many changes for Dec flights.


----------



## Lee from WV

mickey916 said:


> sorry wrong thread....deleted


also deleted


----------



## Avery&Todd

dez1978 said:


> I am hopeful that when they release the next round of flights they will have a better idea of what they need moving forward and there won't be as many changes for Dec flights.


I'm hoping that's their thought process for November flights too!!  

When i check the low fare calendar I am pleased with the late afternoon, direct flight on Sundays from MCO to RDU through the first weekend in Sept and then it vanishes - I'd much rather have a later, and in a perfect world, direct flight on Sunday so we can hit the parks that morning since we're only doing a quickie stay in November....


----------



## mickeynut1

Lsdolphin said:


> What month is SWA making changes for now??? I’m just wondering whether to book for Sept now in case gas issues between lack of qualified/certified gas tanker drivers and the cyber attack on Friday affect airlines



We have flights middle of August MDW-RSW and both flight times were changed about a week ago.  If you do book now, keep checking your flights regularly.  Our flights were changed by only 5 mins one way and 20 mins the other, but I only received an email for one of the changes.  I just happened to be checking fares and noticed something didn't seem right about the return time.  I logged into my account and sure enough.....our return flight now leaves 20 mins earlier.  The time difference is negligible, but it changed sometime last week and I never received an email about the change.  Just be diligent on checking because sometimes flights can have drastic time changes that don't work for you and the earlier you can change it, the better.


----------



## Gitelfor

The change banner is back, again; this time, it’s for June.


----------



## disny_luvr

I just got the change banner for our mid-August flights.


----------



## Gitelfor

disny_luvr said:


> I just got the change banner for our mid-August flights.


No July or September....yet.


----------



## JJJDisneyBuckeyes

I got the red banner back for our Sept flights, but nothing changed from when they switched us last week. Seems odd that I can change flights, when no new change occurred.


----------



## Gitelfor

JJJDisneyBuckeyes said:


> I got the red banner back for our Sept flights, but nothing changed from when they switched us last week. Seems odd that I can change flights, when no new change occurred.


Was it for early September?


----------



## JJJDisneyBuckeyes

Gitelfor said:


> Was it for early September?


yes…Sept 4-11!!


----------



## Gitelfor

JJJDisneyBuckeyes said:


> yes…Sept 4-11!!


I think they have gone till mid-September, as of right now.

Thanks for replying.


----------



## sbarisch

Change banner again for my end of May flight, but luckily out flights haven't changed. This is the third change banner we've had.


----------



## MinnieMSue

Ugh same for me. Both June and September flights have the change banner. Last flight changes happened a day or two into the change banner time so I will be nervous until it is gone. Of course I just gave Tony Hines my flight info for September yesterday. Ugh.


----------



## Ursula J

Just talked to SW--they're making changes for June-August starting right now. As of this morning, our own flights hadn't changed again (just changed 2 weeks ago), but she couldn't guarantee they wouldn't. Oy.


----------



## JJJDisneyBuckeyes

Gitelfor said:


> I think they have gone till mid-September, as of right now.
> 
> Thanks for replying.


No problem!!


----------



## Lsdolphin

So no red banner, but I just checked and sept. fares from BWI to MCO just dropped and I was able to change flight going and get points refunded and to book my return flight saving $34 over fares offered this morning.


----------



## MIChessGuy

I finally got to see what my temporary promotional A-list membership was worth.  Upon checking in this morning, I received boarding position A28 which apparently means that A-list did work on my prior reservation.  The fine print indicated it wouldn't.  Next comes the real challenge: the car rental counter.


----------



## TNKim

MIChessGuy said:


> I finally got to see what my temporary promotional A-list membership was worth.  Upon checking in this morning, I received boarding position A28 which apparently means that A-list did work on my prior reservation.  The fine print indicated it wouldn't.  Next comes the real challenge: the car rental counter.



I've got the temporary promotional A-list also, so just to be sure I understand A-list correctly, you don't HAVE to check in right at 24 hours.  Your boarding position is already assigned, correct?  I can't even remember what you need to do when checking in, but when you checked in, your position was A28, and that position had nothing to do with the time you checked in due to having the A-list promo?  We leave next Saturday, so I'm anxious to see what boarding positions we get, too!


----------



## MIChessGuy

TNKim said:


> I've got the temporary promotional A-list also, so just to be sure I understand A-list correctly, you don't HAVE to check in right at 24 hours.  Your boarding position is already assigned, correct?  I can't even remember what you need to do when checking in, but when you checked in, your position was A28, and that position had nothing to do with the time you checked in due to having the A-list promo?  We leave next Saturday, so I'm anxious to see what boarding positions we get, too!


I was not sure whether the A-list would do anything for me, since the fine print claimed that already-booked seats (like mine) were not eligible.  So I did the usual frantic check-in right at the 24 hour mark anyway.  My thinking was that either A-list would work, which was great, or it would not work in which case I'd still get a reasonable boarding position on my own.  (I also note that the digital boarding pass does say "A-list" on it.)


----------



## Sandiz08

I’m just trying to book some flights to Portland in  early august, of course the entire summer is expensive right now. Prices start coming down as soon as you hit mid August.


----------



## Erica Ladd

How does A list work with a CP?


----------



## TNKim

Erica Ladd said:


> How does A list work with a CP?



I think the companion also gets A-list.


----------



## mamamelody2

So looking to book flights for October.  Would be 3 people for sure, but not sure if my daughter will be coming.  If there is a possibility we will have to cancel her flight only, should I book hers separately?  Or can I book all 4 flights together, then cancel just one if necessary?


----------



## DMLAINI

Has SW been overbooking their flights?   I just saw a post on Facebook where someone had said they were.   We flew last month & had no problems (aside from a large group of cheerleaders not wearing masks on the plane)


----------



## ultimatefans

mamamelody2 said:


> So looking to book flights for October.  Would be 3 people for sure, but not sure if my daughter will be coming.  If there is a possibility we will have to cancel her flight only, should I book hers separately?  Or can I book all 4 flights together, then cancel just one if necessary?


You could do either way.  If you book them all together you'll only have to do one check-in and will get consecutive boarding numbers, but if you do have to cancel your daughter you'd have to call to have her removed.  If you book them separately you'll have to check-in two reservations, but it would be much simpler to cancel.


----------



## EACarlson

mamamelody2 said:


> So looking to book flights for October.  Would be 3 people for sure, but not sure if my daughter will be coming.  If there is a possibility we will have to cancel her flight only, should I book hers separately?  Or can I book all 4 flights together, then cancel just one if necessary?


If it's possible I would book the 3 for sure as one reservation and use points for your daughter's reservation.  That way if you do have to cancel her reservation you would get all the points back immediately rather than a TravelFund that only she can use.


----------



## mamamelody2

EACarlson said:


> If it's possible I would book the 3 for sure as one reservation and use points for your daughter's reservation.  That way if you do have to cancel her reservation you would get all the points back immediately rather than a TravelFund that only she can use.



I'm hoping to do most if not all of us with points.  Thanks for the reminder, though, that if I did hers with actual $$, I wouldn't be able to just get a straight-up refund.


----------



## Erica Ladd

What's the latest on change banners?  They just had a bunch of flights pop up at a great price but not ideal times/dates...great options very close by.  Looking at end of june, early july.  Also considering end of july/early august if I see more $49 fares pop up!!


----------



## MinnieMSue

Erica Ladd said:


> What's the latest on change banners?  They just had a bunch of flights pop up at a great price but not ideal times/dates...great options very close by.  Looking at end of june, early july.  Also considering end of july/early august if I see more $49 fares pop up!!



i still have change banners for my mid June and early September flights. This is the 4th day they have been there.


----------



## Microcell

Welp, my son just informed me he can't go on our September trip. Could I just cancel all of us then rebook with 4? Availability is still there so not worried about losing the spot or anything. Or do I have to call to have him removed? My job just makes it very difficult to be on the phone and I work all stinking day most days.


----------



## FCDub

Microcell said:


> Welp, my son just informed me he can't go on our September trip. Could I just cancel all of us then rebook with 4? Availability is still there so not worried about losing the spot or anything. Or do I have to call to have him removed? My job just makes it very difficult to be on the phone and I work all stinking day most days.



Try DMing them on Twitter.


----------



## Gitelfor

Microcell said:


> Welp, my son just informed me he can't go on our September trip. Could I just cancel all of us then rebook with 4? Availability is still there so not worried about losing the spot or anything. Or do I have to call to have him removed? My job just makes it very difficult to be on the phone and I work all stinking day most days.





FCDub said:


> Try DMing them on Twitter.


Both the phone lines and Twitter have live assistance available 24/7.  If you DM @SouthwestAir on Twitter, include the confirmation number, your full name and full name of person to be removed from reservation, and your DOB to confirm your identity.  You will need the confirmation number if calling, as well.


----------



## MKgrlBDE

just wondering how far into September have people received changes to your flights?


----------



## Gitelfor

MKgrlBDE said:


> just wondering how far into September have people received changes to your flights?


AFAIK, it was thru September 6 or 7.  If you are watching for changes to your reservations, you may want to check every day. There is no set pattern as to if/when the change banner appears.


----------



## mom2elle

Does anyone have a rough idea when they think the next schedule will be released with flights hopefully into December?


----------



## FCDub

mom2elle said:


> Does anyone have a rough idea when they think the next schedule will be released with flights hopefully into December?



Yep, that info lives on the FLIGHT SCHEDULES part of their site: https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/index.html?clk=GFOOTER-FLY-FLTSCHEDULES

_*We are currently accepting air reservations through November 5, 2021. On June 10, 2021 we will open our schedule for sale through January 5, 2022. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.*_


----------



## CouponGirl

Is the change banner still allowing you to change your flight without paying additional? And if so, if you change to a less expensive flight do you still get the refunded points (when paying with points)?


----------



## MinnieMSue

MKgrlBDE said:


> just wondering how far into September have people received changes to your flights?



we have sept 4&7 flights.  Our sept 4 flight changed during the first of the 2 most recent red banner periods. Nothing changed yet on the 7th. None of my June or September flights changed during the last red banner period that just ended.


----------



## Microcell

Gitelfor said:


> Both the phone lines and Twitter have live assistance available 24/7.  If you DM @SouthwestAir on Twitter, include the confirmation number, your full name and full name of person to be removed from reservation, and your DOB to confirm your identity.  You will need the confirmation number if calling, as well.


Thanks, I called and waited 90 min and then got disconnected! Looks like it went through so that’s good.


----------



## Gitelfor

Microcell said:


> Thanks, I called and waited 90 min and then got disconnected! Looks like it went through so that’s good.


I usually send a DM to @SouthwestAir on Twitter and almost always receive a reply within no more than 5-10 minutes.  Trying to contact by phone or Twitter off-hours seems to result in shorter waits.


----------



## Lsdolphin

CouponGirl said:


> Is the change banner still allowing you to change your flight without paying additional? And if so, if you change to a less expensive flight do you still get the refunded points (when paying with points)?



No if you change your flight at no charge with the red banner you will not receive any refund.


----------



## CouponGirl

Lsdolphin said:


> No if you change your flight at no charge with the red banner you will not receive any refund.


Thank you for clarifying!


----------



## Ladygator

If the fare drops and you have a red banner than you have the option of cancelling the reservation and rebooking at the lower fare.


----------



## mickeynut1

CouponGirl said:


> Is the change banner still allowing you to change your flight without paying additional? And if so, if you change to a less expensive flight do you still get the refunded points (when paying with points)?





Lsdolphin said:


> No if you change your flight at no charge with the red banner you will not receive any refund.



Yes, you will be refunded points if you change to a less expensive flight.  I have done this through the no charge banner a few times and have always had points refunded.


----------



## Gitelfor

mickeynut1 said:


> Yes, you will be refunded points if you change to a less expensive flight.  I have done this through the no charge banner a few times and have always had points refunded.



Sometimes, it will not be evident that there will be a refund, until the very end of the change process.  The last time I did this, there was a message to the effect of "Good news... xxxx points will be refunded to your Rapid Rewards account."  The screen displaying flights that are eligible for change may just show "Available" next to each flight, and not the actual savings available.


----------



## Gitelfor

Southwest has recovered business almost to pre-pandemic levels.  The recovery could very well mean the end to “change banners,” if not now, very soon.

Southwest bookings increasingly strengthen


----------



## dez1978

Has anyone had any luck getting SW to extend travel credits?  We have about $60 per person from our March trip that expires in October.  I need to book Dec flights, and until recently, I had no idea that they expired 1 yr from booking the original flight.  The credits are from changing to cheaper flights.


----------



## Gitelfor

dez1978 said:


> Has anyone had any luck getting SW to extend travel credits?  We have about $60 per person from our March trip that expires in October.  I need to book Dec flights, and until recently, I had no idea that they expired 1 yr from booking the original flight.  The credits are from changing to cheaper flights.


They will not extend.  If you had a credit greater than $100, they have been known to offer a one-time accommodation, for a six-month period of time, once the original credit expires.  There is a $100 fee for each extended credit.  The accommodation is done on a case-by-case basis.  Unfortunately, this would not be helpful in your situation.


----------



## Lsdolphin

mickeynut1 said:


> Yes, you will be refunded points if you change to a less expensive flight.  I have done this through the no charge banner a few times and have always had points refunded.



You were lucky I changed a flight and paid extra points the first week of April and that evening I got an email about the flight with link to change with the red banner I ended up with exact flight I had originally and got no points back.


----------



## mickeynut1

Gitelfor said:


> Sometimes, it will not be evident that there will be a refund, until the very end of the change process.  The last time I did this, there was a message to the effect of "Good news... xxxx points will be refunded to your Rapid Rewards account."  The screen displaying flights that are eligible for change may just show "Available" next to each flight, and not the actual savings available.



You are correct.  Under the change banner it usually only shows "available" for flights you can change to, rather than fares.  If you know before changing that the fare has gone down, you can expect a refund of points at the end, like you mentioned above.    



Lsdolphin said:


> You were lucky I changed a flight and paid extra points the first week of April and that evening I got an email about the flight with link to change with the red banner I ended up with exact flight I had originally and got no points back.



That's strange.  If your original flight was still cheaper when you made the change, you should have gotten a refund in points.


----------



## Lsdolphin

mickeynut1 said:


> You are correct.  Under the change banner it usually only shows "available" for flights you can change to, rather than fares.  If you know before changing that the fare has gone down, you can expect a refund of points at the end, like you mentioned above.
> 
> 
> 
> That's strange.  If your original flight was still cheaper when you made the change, you should have gotten a refund in points.



Yes I certainly should have but didn’t.


----------



## disny_luvr

How much is EBCI? Is it $25 or does it vary by flight?


----------



## jcarwash

disny_luvr said:


> How much is EBCI? Is it $25 or does it vary by flight?



From here: https://www.southwest.com/faq/earlybird-checkin

EarlyBird Check-In® can be purchased at prices ranging from $15 - $25 one-way per passenger.


----------



## TNKim

I received and registered for the A-List Promo offer thru 6/30. I'm supposed to check in for my flight tomorrow at 4:00.  Since I have A-List showing on my account, I understand I don't have to actually check in at 24 hours to get a boarding group.  I'm just wondering when you have A-List, is it possible to see what your boarding # is before the 24 hour regular check-in since it is assigned before the regular check-in time?  Or should I just log on at 24 hours to see our boarding #?


----------



## Gitelfor

TNKim said:


> I received and registered for the A-List Promo offer thru 6/30. I'm supposed to check in for my flight tomorrow at 4:00.  Since I have A-List showing on my account, I understand I don't have to actually check in at 24 hours to get a boarding group.  I'm just wondering when you have A-List, is it possible to see what your boarding # is before the 24 hour regular check-in since it is assigned before the regular check-in time?  Or should I just log on at 24 hours to see our boarding #?


You will first be able to see your boarding position when you check in at T-24.


----------



## FCDub

TNKim said:


> I received and registered for the A-List Promo offer thru 6/30. I'm supposed to check in for my flight tomorrow at 4:00.  Since I have A-List showing on my account, I understand I don't have to actually check in at 24 hours to get a boarding group.  I'm just wondering when you have A-List, is it possible to see what your boarding # is before the 24 hour regular check-in since it is assigned before the regular check-in time?  Or should I just log on at 24 hours to see our boarding #?



No, just like if you had EBCI. It checks you in early, but you cannot see it until 24 hours before. That said, do not be alarmed when the site asks you to "CHECK IN" – that has already been done, and you are just viewing your boarding number.


----------



## Music City Mama

TNKim said:


> I received and registered for the A-List Promo offer thru 6/30. I'm supposed to check in for my flight tomorrow at 4:00.  Since I have A-List showing on my account, I understand I don't have to actually check in at 24 hours to get a boarding group.  I'm just wondering when you have A-List, is it possible to see what your boarding # is before the 24 hour regular check-in since it is assigned before the regular check-in time?  Or should I just log on at 24 hours to see our boarding #?





Gitelfor said:


> You will first be able to see your boarding position when you check in at T-24.



@TNKim, let me know how this works for you tomorrow since I'll be in the same boat next week!


----------



## Lsdolphin

Anyone seeing any “red banners” lately...I want to change my flight from 9/7 to 9/8 and right now I’d have to use 1,550 additional points...trying to decide whether to wait for a Red Banner of go ahead and use points...


----------



## disny_luvr

Lsdolphin said:


> Anyone seeing any “red banners” lately...I want to change my flight from 9/7 to 9/8 and right now I’d have to use 1,550 additional points...trying to decide whether to wait for a Red Banner of go ahead and use points...



I had a red banner about a week ago; haven't seen one since then.


----------



## Bowen9475

We had the red banner last weekend for our flights on June 20 and 28. The banner went away Monday. Its back today for our June 20 flight. So hoping it doesn't get changed!


----------



## pooh'smate

I had a red banner for my Sept 18th flight last week but haven't seen one since.


----------



## MinnieMSue

Ugh my June 16/20 flight has a red banner but my sept 4/7 does not at this time


----------



## Gitelfor

MinnieMSue said:


> Ugh my June 16/20 flight has a red banner but my sept 4/7 does not at this time


Did your June flights change?  You are the first to report now seeing the change banner for June reservations.  I know of others who hold confirmed reservations for the same period of time, but no banner.  So, either Southwest has changed their system to only flag those bookings that are impacted by a schedule change or ???.

ETA -  Now reading reports of banner appearing for _some _June, July, and October bookings.


----------



## MinnieMSue

Gitelfor said:


> Did your June flights change?  You are the first to report now seeing the change banner for June reservations.  I know of others who hold confirmed reservations for the same period of time, but no banner.  So, either Southwest has changed their system to only flag those bookings that are impacted by a schedule change or ???.
> 
> ETA -  Now reading reports of banner appearing for _some _June, July, and October bookings.



the last change banner I had was for both June and September flights and none changed for me. My June flights changed with the banner prior to that. I had no change banner for a few days for both June and September and now have it again for June with no changes so far. My September flights have not changed yet. Still no banner as of now for September.


----------



## pixiemama91

I had a red banner last week for the second time on my late August flights but nothing ended up changing.


----------



## Erica Ladd

If I book flights with the hopes a banner might appear, it’s probably best to use points in case I have to cancel altogether, right?


----------



## barb969

Erica Ladd said:


> If I book flights with the hopes a banner might appear, it’s probably best to use points in case I have to cancel altogether, right?


Yes


----------



## Erica Ladd

One more question for the experts - if I’m trying to get A list through flights I can buy those flights with points/$$/TFs right? But only the flights in my name count correct?

ETA - my points towards A list just don’t seem to be increasing even though I’m using almost exclusively my SW cards. Any hint to boost my points towards this goal?


----------



## Gitelfor

Erica Ladd said:


> One more question for the experts - if I’m trying to get A list through flights I can buy those flights with points/$$/TFs right? But only the flights in my name count correct?
> 
> ETA - my points towards A list just don’t seem to be increasing even though I’m using almost exclusively my SW cards. Any hint to boost my points towards this goal?


Only non-points bookings count as A-List elite qualifying points.  Non-revenue travel (points bookings) do not count toward earning A-List status.



> The following will not count toward qualification for A-List or A-List Preferred status: Rapid Rewards program enrollment points; Rapid Rewards reward flights; Rapid Rewards Companion Pass travel; Rapid Rewards partner points except for tier qualifying points earned on the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card, Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card, Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card, or Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Cards  from Chase (as per the rules described below); bonus points, unless specifically designated as such; nonrevenue travel, unless specifically designated as eligible; stops at intermediate cities on connecting or through flights; and charter flights. Tier qualifying points are not redeemable for travel on Southwest  or through the "More Rewards" site.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Oh geez. That figures!! I wonder if SW would let me change my points booking to $$$ lol!

Also it says my Companion must check in separately. Is there some trick to this so I can get us as close as possible in boarding groups? Or do I just check in me then my companion and hope for the the best??


----------



## Gitelfor

Erica Ladd said:


> Oh geez. That figures!! I wonder if SW would let me change my points booking to $$$ lol!
> 
> Also it says my Companion must check in separately. Is there some trick to this so I can get us as close as possible in boarding groups? Or do I just check in me then my companion and hope for the the best??


I don’t think the payment method can be changed; you would need to cancel and rebook at the current fare.  

I have heard that Southwest was testing having consecutive boarding positions for A-Lister flying with Companion.  Though some are reporting receiving consecutive positions, I would not take a chance and check both in at T-24, with priority for Companion.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Gitelfor said:


> I don’t think the payment method can be changed; you would need to cancel and rebook at the current fare.
> 
> I have heard that Southwest was testing having consecutive boarding positions for A-Lister flying with Companion.  Though some are reporting receiving consecutive positions, I would not take a chance and check both in at T-24, with priority for Companion.



Yes, it looks like I can cancel and rebook but my $49 one way tix are now $99 so probably not worth it.

Do you mean priority for the companion such that I check in DH first then me?

One last thing - the qualifying flights have to be for ME, right?  Or do flights I pay for on the same reservation (like my kids) count?


----------



## Gitelfor

Erica Ladd said:


> Yes, it looks like I can cancel and rebook but my $49 one way tix are now $99 so probably not worth it.
> 
> Do you mean priority for the companion such that I check in DH first then me? Yes, check others in first, as we are pretty sure you will have been checked in automatically at T-36.      After checking in Companion, you will know for sure if both of you were checked in at T-36.
> 
> One last thing - the qualifying flights have to be for ME, right?  Yes.   Or do flights I pay for on the same reservation (like my kids) count?     No.  If you paid for kids’s tix and did not use points, make sure they have their own Rapid Rewards accounts, with their RR member number attached to reservations.


Please let us know how things worked out.


----------



## focusondisney

[


Erica Ladd said:


> One more question for the experts - if I’m trying to get A list through flights I can buy those flights with points/$$/TFs right? But only the flights in my name count correct?
> 
> ETA - my points towards A list just don’t seem to be increasing even though I’m using almost exclusively my SW cards. Any hint to boost my points towards this goal?



I could be wrong, but I don’t thinIk credit card points are counted 1 for 1 as qualifiers for A list.

Looks like you don’t get points for credit card purchases until you spend $10,000


----------



## TNKim

Music City Mama said:


> @TNKim, let me know how this works for you tomorrow since I'll be in the same boat next week!



I have A-List for the first time through 6/30 thanks to the recent promo offer.  My reservations were made in January, before the A-List promo Came out. I just checked in for our flight tomorrow - right at 24 hrs. I checked in my companion first, and she was assigned A24. I then checked in my my confirmation number which has 3 passengers. We were assigned A23, A25 & A26. So the companion and our numbers are all together. Very pleased, to say the least, with this promo offer, and thrilled to have it for our return flight!


----------



## Music City Mama

TNKim said:


> I have A-List for the first time through 6/30 thanks to the recent promo offer.  My reservations were made in January, before the A-List promo Came out. I just checked in for our flight tomorrow - right at 24 hrs. I checked in my companion first, and she was assigned A24. I then checked in my my confirmation number which has 3 passengers. We were assigned A23, A25 & A26. So the companion and our numbers are all together. Very pleased, to say the least, with this promo offer, and thrilled to have it for our return flight!



Thanks for the update! Anytime I've ever gotten a promo offer for this kind of thing, I can never use it because of the dates, etc. Maybe they were targeting people in certain states/regions with this promo? I take it you're in Tennessee too, based on your screen name? We have early bird reserved for the way home, but nothing I can do about that now since it's non-refundable (and I guess priority is better than early bird, right?), but this will definitely be helpful with the flight down.


----------



## TNKim

Music City Mama said:


> Thanks for the update! Anytime I've ever gotten a promo offer for this kind of thing, I can never use it because of the dates, etc. Maybe they were targeting people in certain states/regions with this promo? I take it you're in Tennessee too, based on your screen name? We have early bird reserved for the way home, but nothing I can do about that now since it's non-refundable (and I guess priority is better than early bird, right?), but this will definitely be helpful with the flight down.



Yes, I’m in Chattanoog, but we fly out of Nashville. This is my first time to have companion pass and A-List and will probably be the only time to use either of them. We usually buy Early Bird but I decided not to this trip since we weren’t 100% sure we would be able to go because of Covid. This trip was rescheduled from May 2020 because of the shut down. When do you go? Our dates are 5/22-26 at Universal, and 5/26-6/3 at Disney. This time tomorrow, we will be there - finally!


----------



## Music City Mama

TNKim said:


> Yes, I’m in Chattanoog, but we fly out of Nashville. This is my first time to have companion pass and A-List and will probably be the only time to use either of them. We usually buy Early Bird but I decided not to this trip since we weren’t 100% sure we would be able to go because of Covid. This trip was rescheduled from May 2020 because of the shut down. When do you go? Our dates are 5/22-26 at Universal, and 5/26-6/3 at Disney. This time tomorrow, we will be there - finally!



Our trip is rescheduled from June 2020. Our dates are 5/29-6/8. So funny that you said "this time tomorrow" in your post last night, because last night I kept saying to my family, "this time a week from tomorrow..." I soooooo need this vacation right now. Safe travels and have a wonderful time!


----------



## jkelly86

focusondisney said:


> I could be wrong, but I don’t thinIk credit card points are counted 1 for 1 as qualifiers for A list.


It also is interesting that some (not all) of the Rapid Rewards Credit Cards can earn points towards A-List status.
I believe that Priority and Premier cards both can earn A-List tier qualifying points, but not the Plus card.  But, I'm not sure.


----------



## Memorymakerfor4

I'm waiting for a call back from SW because they forgot to change my daughter's flight with the rest of ours when we rescheduled due to a change we didn't like on their end. Anyway, I noticed the message at the top of the page about a mask exemption request. Has anyone seen or used this yet? It looks like the flight has to be less than 50% full, which is a joke these days, at least at the airports we frequent. I have a special needs son who would greatly benefit from this if it's not too onerous.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Update - so I don’t have a list status but do have a companion pass for my DH. I used the app and as soon as it was T-24 I checked him in first then me. He got B 04 and I got B 03 (even tho I checked in after him). After reading that a list won’t cover CP I’m not that sure I’m going to try so hard to get it. But if anyone hears of that changing please post here!!!


----------



## Gitelfor

Erica Ladd said:


> Update - so I don’t have a list status but do have a companion pass for my DH. I used the app and as soon as it was T-24 I checked him in first then me. He got B 04 and I got B 03 (even tho I checked in after him). After reading that a list won’t cover CP I’m not that sure I’m going to try so hard to get it. But if anyone hears of that changing please post here!!!


Read post #8,654 from @TNKim.
A-List+Companion pass check-in


----------



## Erica Ladd

TNKim said:


> I have A-List for the first time through 6/30 thanks to the recent promo offer.  My reservations were made in January, before the A-List promo Came out. I just checked in for our flight tomorrow - right at 24 hrs. I checked in my companion first, and she was assigned A24. I then checked in my my confirmation number which has 3 passengers. We were assigned A23, A25 & A26. So the companion and our numbers are all together. Very pleased, to say the least, with this promo offer, and thrilled to have it for our return flight!



looks like I’m kicking myself even more for paying with points this trip! I guess I need to read more carefully!!! Lol


----------



## TNKim

Erica Ladd said:


> looks like I’m kicking myself even more for paying with points this trip! I guess I need to read more carefully!!! Lol


 A list does apply to companion pass and anyone else on the same reservation.


----------



## Gitelfor

If you have a Rapid Rewards account, log in to see if you qualify for three new targeted promotions released today.  Only one of the three offers may be selected.

*3X Rapid Rewards® bonus points*​Earn 3X Rapid Rewards® bonus points on your qualifying flight when you register, then book, and fly at least one one-way flight by July 31, 2021.​
*10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points*
Earn 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points* when you register, then book, and fly at least one one-way flight by July 31, 2021.​​*10,000 tier qualifying points*​Earn 10,000 tier qualifying points* (TQPs) toward A-List status when you register, then book, and fly at least one one-way flight by July 31, 2021.​
The promotions only are valid for the RR member who received the offers.


----------



## focusondisney

I noticed that promo last evening. It already got me to book an unplanned trip.


----------



## focusondisney

Just ran into a situation that I’m not sure of. Looking for feedback. 

So I booked a trip last night (got hooked by that new promo) for mid June.  I decided to book a business select fare for the first time.  It was late & I was tired, should have waited til this morning.  In trying to minimize costs, I decided to use a gift card I had.  Almost as soon as I finalized it & got my confirmation, I realized I should have used my SW credit card that has a 6x points promo too.  So I cancelled & rebooked, figuring I am within the 24 hour mandated refund  period & I purchased a refundable fare.  Except I got travel funds instead of a refund!  I called SW a bit ago, the agent had to reach out to her help desk.  Apparently they have no way to refund a gift card!! No warning on the website when I booked that I would NOT get a refund on a refundable fare.  UGH!!!   She suggested I reach out to customer service on the website & see what they say. 

Anyone else who has run into this have any suggestions??  And if not....everyone else be warned.... apparently using a gift card nullifies your federally mandated right to a refund & SW’s own refund policy!


----------



## LadybugsMum

I’ve been checking the website every few days to see if the date for schedule update has change. Today there was this:


----------



## aokeefe

LadybugsMum said:


> I’ve been checking the website every few days to see if the date for schedule update has change. Today there was this:View attachment 577537


I just checked as well and it looks like it is back to June 10th for the release.


----------



## LadybugsMum

aokeefe said:


> I just checked as well and it looks like it is back to June 10th for the release.


I'm still getting the same message that they don't have a date for the next schedule extension.


----------



## CouponGirl

aokeefe said:


> I just checked as well and it looks like it is back to June 10th for the release.





LadybugsMum said:


> I'm still getting the same message that they don't have a date for the next schedule extension.


When I just checked, it also says June 10th


----------



## jcarwash

LadybugsMum said:


> I'm still getting the same message that they don't have a date for the next schedule extension.



Interesting, I don't ever (or rarely) use that tooltip to check on the schedule extension. I see that message too:


I use these two pages as the source of their schedule extension plans. Both of these say June 10:
https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/index.html
https://www.southwest.com/html/travel-tools/index.html

I suspect someone forgot or didn't work on the update to the Book a Flight page.


----------



## LadybugsMum

jcarwash said:


> I suspect someone forgot or didn't work on the update to the Book a Flight page.


It was showing June 10 until yesterday so it's usually up to date.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Gitelfor said:


> If you have a Rapid Rewards account, log in to see if you qualify for three new targeted promotions released today.  Only one of the three offers may be selected.
> 
> *3X Rapid Rewards® bonus points*​Earn 3X Rapid Rewards® bonus points on your qualifying flight when you register, then book, and fly at least one one-way flight by July 31, 2021.​​*10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points*​Earn 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points* when you register, then book, and fly at least one one-way flight by July 31, 2021.​​*10,000 tier qualifying points*​Earn 10,000 tier qualifying points* (TQPs) toward A-List status when you register, then book, and fly at least one one-way flight by July 31, 2021.​
> The promotions only are valid for the RR member who received the offers.



I don’t see any of these under my special offers on the app. Is there anywhere else I should look or am I just out of luck?


----------



## jcarwash

Erica Ladd said:


> I don’t see any of these under my special offers on the app. Is there anywhere else I should look or am I just out of luck?



I'd recommend using a web browser to log in and see your account there. It'd be under a My Promotions section. The RR information in the app isn't as complete.


----------



## Gitelfor

Erica Ladd said:


> I don’t see any of these under my special offers on the app. Is there anywhere else I should look or am I just out of luck?


I am finding that for the most part, those who received the offer for comped A-List thru 06.30.2021 did not receive the newest promotion of this week.  If you do not see it on the My Account page on the full site, under My promotions, you were not offered this promotion.

However, there is always the chance that you may receive the offer in the future, while the promotion is still active; so, I would just keep looking every once in a while.

ETA- Here is a link to check for promotions on your account:

Southwest My promotions


----------



## BLTtinkerbell

.

*3X Rapid Rewards® bonus points*​Earn 3X Rapid Rewards® bonus points on your qualifying flight when you register, then book, and fly at least one one-way flight by July 31, 2021.​​*10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points*​Earn 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points* when you register, then book, and fly at least one one-way flight by July 31, 2021.​​*10,000 tier qualifying points*​Earn 10,000 tier qualifying points* (TQPs) toward A-List status when you register, then book, and fly at least one one-way flight by July 31, 2021.​
The promotions only are valid for the RR member who received the offers.
Which of these different options would you choose, and why?


----------



## Erica Ladd

Unfortunately I haven’t gotten any promotions for a list


----------



## Erica Ladd

BLTtinkerbell said:


> .
> 
> *3X Rapid Rewards® bonus points*​Earn 3X Rapid Rewards® bonus points on your qualifying flight when you register, then book, and fly at least one one-way flight by July 31, 2021.​​*10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points*​Earn 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points* when you register, then book, and fly at least one one-way flight by July 31, 2021.​​*10,000 tier qualifying points*​Earn 10,000 tier qualifying points* (TQPs) toward A-List status when you register, then book, and fly at least one one-way flight by July 31, 2021.​
> The promotions only are valid for the RR member who received the offers.
> Which of these different options would you choose, and why?



I’d choose the a list one fir me because I already earned CP but am having difficulty earning points for a list. The only ways I can do that is by purchasing tickets with $$ right? AndI’d use my priority card to maybe get more points? I don’t even know how that works exactly


----------



## Gitelfor

Erica Ladd said:


> I’d choose the a list one fir me because I already earned CP but am having difficulty earning points for a list. The only ways I can do that is by purchasing tickets with $$ right? AndI’d use my priority card to maybe get more points? I don’t even know how that works exactly


To get TQP towards A-List status by using your Southwest/Chase credit card:



> *You receive 1,500 TQPs for every $10,000 in purchases on your Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card, Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card, Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card, or Rewards Performance Business Credit Card. Please remember, the maximum amount of TQPs you can receive from the Premier or Priority card is 15,000 ($100,000 in purchases) per year.  *


----------



## Erica Ladd

“You receive 1,500 TQPs for every $10,000 in purchases on your Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card, Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card, Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card, or Rewards Performance Business Credit Card. Please remember, the maximum amount of TQPs you can receive from the Premier or Priority card is 15,000 ($100,000 in purchases) per year.”

So how do you earn the additional points needed? Or do you just have to have several SW cards to earn points on each separately to add up to the 35k necessary? I guess I should focus on reaching the flight numbers to qualify?


----------



## Erica Ladd

If my $75 travel credit applies to a flight I book is it still considered a revenue flight?

also are travel funds flights considered revenue flights?

One more. Are gift cards used to purchase flights considered revenue flights?

All these questions are related to earning A list status


----------



## Erica Ladd

One last question. If I want to book flights for me and kids and I pay for mine but they use travel funds will that still count towards my earning flights for a list?


----------



## Gitelfor

Erica Ladd said:


> “You receive 1,500 TQPs for every $10,000 in purchases on your Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card, Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card, Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card, or Rewards Performance Business Credit Card. Please remember, the maximum amount of TQPs you can receive from the Premier or Priority card is 15,000 ($100,000 in purchases) per year.”
> 
> So how do you earn the additional points needed? Or do you just have to have several SW cards to earn points on each separately to add up to the 35k necessary? I guess I should focus on reaching the flight numbers to qualify?



If you have one of the credit cards listed and it's registered in your name with your RR number on it, you will earn 1,500 RR bonus points for every $10,000 you charge to the card during a single year.  The points earned thru the last statement closing date of the year will be added to the current year's TQP total; the bonus points do not carry over to the following year, and your TQP will reset at the beginning of each year.  In order to get the maximum allowable bonus 15,000 TQP, you need to charge $100,000 to the card this year - that's a lot of $$$ for most individuals.  Southwest has given all RR members an account boost this year, by starting your TQP balance at 15,000 points, instead of the normal -0-; those are not points that can be used to book flights, only for purposes of meeting the 35,000 TQP for A-List.  Even if you get the 15,000 points from the credit card TQP, you are still in need of another 5,000 TQP, which must come from paid flights for yourself, this year. 

If you don't earn the max 15,000 TQP from your credit card + paid flights, the only other way to earn A-List is by purchasing tickets and flying Southwest this year. Southwest has given your account a 15 flight boost, this year, toward the needed 25 paid flights booked and flown this year. You must complete the travel, nobody else.

A-List status can be a nice perk, but if you only fly Southwest a few times per year, and you want it for a better boarding position, you just may be fine with purchasing EBCI for your flights and not worry about earning status.   The most recent targeted promo is a big boost toward earning status, if lucky enough to have received the offer.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Here's your friendly reminder that Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur on THURSDAY June 10th. (Two weeks from tomorrow). For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget! I'll post additional reminders as the date draws nearer.

Currently SW is offering flights through 11/5/21 and this next release will take their schedule out to 1/5/22. This is a very popular release covering Thanksgiving and Christmas.

For those that care about "release timing" it can vary, but here are the recent "go live" of previous releases:
Release Date  Time (eastern)
4/1/21  9:10am
12/10/20  7:15am
8/13/20  9:15am
5/28/20  9:06am
3/12/20  9:40am
12/11/19  9:10am
10/30/19  7:15am
9/26/19  7:30am
8/15/19  10:41am
5/30/19  9:20am


----------



## Gitelfor

The “change” banner is now showing for July and August reservations.


----------



## elle101me

Gitelfor said:


> The “change” banner is now showing for July and August reservations.


Just noticed that. Right now it’s only showing on my 8/4 flight, not on my 8/14 flight.


----------



## happymommy

Erica Ladd said:


> One last question. If I want to book flights for me and kids and I pay for mine but they use travel funds will that still count towards my earning flights for a list?




Your revenue flight counts.  If you have travel funds in your account under your name, they may only be used for tickets in your name.  Kids must have their own accounts with their own travel funds to be able to use in their names.  If they do that, though, it counts under their accounts; you can’t combine family accounts.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Is there some law or rule that you can cancel a flight within 24 hours and get a refund not travel funds?


----------



## Erica Ladd

Erica Ladd said:


> Is there some law or rule that you can cancel a flight within 24 hours and get a refund not travel funds?



answered my own question- got a refund to original form of payment. Thanks!


----------



## Gitelfor

elle101me said:


> Just noticed that. Right now it’s only showing on my 8/4 flight, not on my 8/14 flight.


I think the banner pops up on bookings through about August 10.  However, some are now reporting they see it on later dates in August.


----------



## Gitelfor

> *We’re giving Credit Cardmembers uncapped spending to earn A-List and A-List Preferred status.*
> Our Premier, Priority, Premier Business, or Performance Credit Cardmembers can earn 1,500 tier qualifying points for every $10,000 spent using their Rapid Rewards Credit Card from the first day of the billing cycle ending in January 2021 through the last statement of December 2021 (the" promotion period") without the cap on how many TQPs you can earn during the promotion period, you can spend your way to status benefits during the promotion period.
> 
> Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmember spend to A-List status with unlimited tier qualifying points Promotion Terms and Conditions:
> 
> †During the promotional period you will continue to earn 1,500 tier qualifying points (TQPs) for every $10,000 in purchases with your Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier, Priority, Premier Business, or Performance Business Credit Card from Chase (“promotional period” means the first day of your billing cycle ending in January 2021 through your last December 2021 statement date). There is no maximum number of TQPs that can be earned during the promotional period. Beginning with the day after your December 2021 statement date you will go back to earning 1,500 TQPs for each $10,000 in purchases up to $100,000 in purchases annually, which equal 15,000 TQPs ("annually" means the year beginning with your account open date through the first December statement date of that same year, and each 12 billing cycles starting after your December statement date through the following December statement date.). To qualify for this promotion, account must be open and not in default at the time of fulfillment. Only the primary Cardmember who received this offer from Southwest Airlines is eligible for this promotion. Offer is non-transferable. TQPs are earned from revenue flights booked through Southwest Airlines or when you, or an authorized user, use the Rapid Rewards Premier, Priority, Premier Business, or Performance Business Credit Card from Chase to make purchases of products and services, minus returns or refunds. TQPs earned during a billing cycle on a Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier, Priority, Premier Business, or Performance Business Credit Card from Chase are not available for qualification for benefits such as A-List and A-List Preferred status until they are posted to your Rapid Rewards account. The following will not count toward qualification for A-List or A-List Preferred status: Rapid Rewards program enrollment points; Rapid Rewards reward flights; Rapid Rewards Companion Pass travel; Rapid Rewards partner points except for TQPs earned on the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier, Priority, Premier Business, or Performance Business Credit Card from Chase; bonus Rapid Rewards points, unless specifically designated as such; non-revenue travel, unless specifically designated as eligible; stops at intermediate cities on connecting or through flights; and charter flights. TQPs are not redeemable for travel on Southwest or through the "More Rewards" site.


----------



## EACarlson

Erica Ladd said:


> If my $75 travel credit applies to a flight I book is it still considered a revenue flight?
> 
> also are travel funds flights considered revenue flights?
> 
> One more. Are gift cards used to purchase flights considered revenue flights?
> 
> All these questions are related to earning A list status


My understanding is those would all be considered revenue flights.  The only thing that is not are flights booked on points.  I'm not sure where LUV vouchers fall in.


----------



## focusondisney

Erica Ladd said:


> Is there some law or rule that you can cancel a flight within 24 hours and get a refund not travel funds?





Erica Ladd said:


> answered my own question- got a refund to original form of payment. Thanks!



Glad you got your refund. I posted earlier that I booked a fully refundable flight & cancelled it within 3 minutes. I paid with a gift card originally & decided I wanted to use my SW credit card.  When I cancelled I was given travel funds, so I called. I was told they have no way to refund to a gift card!  Said I did not want a travel fund that expires in 1 year  when I am entitled to a refund.  Was told to email from the website. That was Tuesday, was forwarded to customer services.  Still  waiting for resolution.


----------



## EACarlson

focusondisney said:


> Glad you got your refund. I posted earlier that I booked a fully refundable flight & cancelled it within 3 minutes. I paid with a gift card originally & decided I wanted to use my SW credit card.  When I cancelled I was given travel funds, so I called. I was told they have no way to refund to a gift card!  Said I did not want a travel fund that expires in 1 year  when I am entitled to a refund.  Was told to email from the website. That was Tuesday, was forwarded to customer services.  Still  waiting for resolution.


Looking at the Terms and Conditions. You should get your refund, it's just going to take a while because they computer won't do it automagically.  Did you try calling the number given in the T&C's?


*For nonrefundable reservations canceled within 24 hours of booking – *If you cancel online at Southwest.com, through the app, or call us within 24 hours of booking, you can receive a refund of any fare (including Wanna Get Away) back to the original form of payment or choose to convert the airfare into Travel Funds (credit to be used toward future travel), assuming it was also canceled within 24 hours of booking and in accordance with the No Show Policy. If you purchased all or part of the reservation using a Southwest gift card or a Southwest LUV Voucher and canceled the reservation within 24 hours of booking, contact our Customer Relations department at 1-855-234-4654.


----------



## focusondisney

EACarlson said:


> Looking at the Terms and Conditions. You should get your refund, it's just going to take a while because they computer won't do it automagically.  Did you try calling the number given in the T&C's?
> 
> 
> *For nonrefundable reservations canceled within 24 hours of booking – *If you cancel online at Southwest.com, through the app, or call us within 24 hours of booking, you can receive a refund of any fare (including Wanna Get Away) back to the original form of payment or choose to convert the airfare into Travel Funds (credit to be used toward future travel), assuming it was also canceled within 24 hours of booking and in accordance with the No Show Policy. If you purchased all or part of the reservation using a Southwest gift card or a Southwest LUV Voucher and canceled the reservation within 24 hours of booking, contact our Customer Relations department at 1-855-234-4654.



No, I called the normal customer service number. She told me where to go on the website & which links to use.  I did receive a response saying they were forwarding it to customer relations.    I’ll give them another day then call that number... Thanks so much!!


----------



## Gitelfor

Due to a recent violent incident causing a Southwest F/A to lose two teeth, the result of an unruly passenger assaulting her, Southwest apparently is delaying/canceling the return of alcohol service.  Resumption of alcohol service is ‘being re-evaluated,’ due to  the ‘rise of passenger disruptions in flight,’ according to an internal memo reviewed by CNN.
The passenger was banned from ever flying Southwest, again, and was arrested for suspicion of felony battery.

If you watch the video, a male passenger stepped in.  He sure looked like either a Federal Air Marshall or someone with a law enforcement background.

Resumption of onboard alcohol service cancelled


----------



## Leigh L

Omg how horrible...wow. I flew SW on 5.24 and they did make repeated , unusual announcements about no serving, or bringing to drink alcohol on board. I thought it strange since my other flight 3 days earlier had been a 7 am united flight that had alcohol as someone near me had it.  This explains it. So sad. Hope the flight attendant is ok.


----------



## Leigh L

Is it common to get a red banner and be offered the same exact flight? (Same flight # too). Booked a flight yesterday for July


----------



## Gitelfor

Leigh L said:


> Is it common to get a red banner and be offered the same exact flight? (Same flight # too). Booked a flight yesterday for July


Yes...if your original flight shows, that means it is still scheduled to be operated; but, you still are able to make a change, within the 30 day window.


----------



## Leigh L

Gitelfor said:


> Yes...if your original flight shows, that means it is still scheduled to be operated; but, you still are able to make a change, within the 30 day window.


Thanks so much! I'd never gotten that before, only when my flight was canceled.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Opinions please! The bargain hunter in me needs flights for the very end of June/ beginning of July. The flights are definitely cheaper in mid to late July. Anybody still getting red banners for flights in mid July or has that ship sailed? Especially for flights ‘just booked ‘?


----------



## CAPSLOCK

If I cancel a Wanna Get Away fare booked using points, I understand the points go back in my RR account.  Is there then an expiration on those points?  And/or, do those points then need to be used for the original person on the cancelled ticket?

2nd question: if I cancel/rebook one portion of a round trip, is the other flight left alone or do I have to cancel/rebook as well?


----------



## Erica Ladd

CAPSLOCK said:


> If I cancel a Wanna Get Away fare booked using points, I understand the points go back in my RR account.  Is there then an expiration on those points?  And/or, do those points then need to be used for the original person on the cancelled ticket?
> 
> 2nd question: if I cancel/rebook one portion of a round trip, is the other flight left alone or do I have to cancel/rebook as well?



not sure about your first question but I think if you call and not do it online they can do it for you without having to redo the whole trip


----------



## barb969

Erica Ladd said:


> not sure about your first question but I think if you call and not do it online they can do it for you without having to redo the whole trip


1. The points go back to your account with no restrictions. You can use them for anyone.
2. You need to call.


----------



## EACarlson

CAPSLOCK said:


> If I cancel a Wanna Get Away fare booked using points, I understand the points go back in my RR account.  Is there then an expiration on those points?  And/or, do those points then need to be used for the original person on the cancelled ticket?


This is one of the reasons it is recommended to use points for others' tickets when possible.  If you have to cancel an award ticket, all points are put back in your account with no restrictions.  And RR points never expire.


----------



## joxer1014

Gitelfor said:


> The “change” banner is now showing for July and August reservations.





elle101me said:


> Just noticed that. Right now it’s only showing on my 8/4 flight, not on my 8/14 flight.


This is the second time I have had the change banner show up on my reservations.  Can anyone explain why this happens?  Last year when that happened my flights were both rescheduled and changed from non stop to multiple stops.  I am flying in less than 60 days and I am slightly worried that it might happen again.  Thoughts please?


----------



## Gary2T

Erica Ladd said:


> Opinions please! The bargain hunter in me needs flights for the very end of June/ beginning of July. The flights are definitely cheaper in mid to late July. Anybody still getting red banners for flights in mid July or has that ship sailed? Especially for flights ‘just booked ‘?


I booked mid July flights yesterday (Friday), and got the change banner after booking.


----------



## chaselovesnemo

I just got an email that I earned the companion pass. I just passed 100,000 points on my SW RR card. I’m confused because I thought you had to earn 125,000 points?


----------



## EACarlson

You only have to earn 100,000 this year, they put 25,000 points on everyone's tracker in February I think.  So if you've earned 100k then you would have 125k on southwest.com.


----------



## Gitelfor

Thinking about bringing a pool noodle to WDW?  

Flying Southwest with a pool noodle?


----------



## chaselovesnemo

EACarlson said:


> You only have to earn 100,000 this year, they put 25,000 points on everyone's tracker in February I think.  So if you've earned 100k then you would have 125k on southwest.com.


Oh wow. So my husband is also close to 100k.. we were planning to wait until January to hit the threshold so he could earn CP for 2022 and 2023 (That’s actually what I wanted too but obviously didn’t pay close enough attention.) But is the 100k deal only good through Dec 31? Would that be shooting ourselves in the foot? Or since they just added extra points it doesn’t matter? Hub opened his card in March of this year.


----------



## Gitelfor

chaselovesnemo said:


> Oh wow. So my husband is also close to 100k.. we were planning to wait until January to hit the threshold so he could earn CP for 2022 and 2023 (That’s actually what I wanted too but obviously didn’t pay close enough attention.) But is the 100k deal only good through Dec 31? Would that be shooting ourselves in the foot? Or since they just added extra points it doesn’t matter? Hub opened his card in March of this year.



Tier Qualifying Points reset every year.  Do not postpone, as you will start from scratch and miss out on taking advantage of this year’s one-time TQP boost.  Meet the 100,000 points this year for CP 2021 thru 2022.

Normally, you have to meet the minimum spend by a set deadline, so make sure that is done to earn the cc sign-up bonus.


----------



## chaselovesnemo

Gitelfor said:


> Tier Qualifying Points reset every year.  Do not postpone, as you will start from scratch and miss out on taking advantage of this year’s one-time TQP boost.  Meet the 100,000 points this year for CP 2021 thru 2022.
> 
> Normally, you have to meet the minimum spend by a set deadline, so make sure that is done to earn the cc sign-up bonus.



Oh yikes, it’s not a year from when you opened the card? He has already met the minimum spend to get the SUB, just doesn’t quite have enough points for the CP. (95k?)


----------



## EACarlson

chaselovesnemo said:


> Oh yikes, it’s not a year from when you opened the card? He has already met the minimum spend to get the SUB, just doesn’t quite have enough points for the CP. (95k?)


No, all the card does is add to your RR balance.  Qualifying for CP is done by calendar year.


----------



## focusondisney

chaselovesnemo said:


> Oh wow. So my husband is also close to 100k.. we were planning to wait until January to hit the threshold so he could earn CP for 2022 and 2023 (That’s actually what I wanted too but obviously didn’t pay close enough attention.) But is the 100k deal only good through Dec 31? Would that be shooting ourselves in the foot? Or since they just added extra points it doesn’t matter? Hub opened his card in March of this year.



First, it isn’t technically a 100,000 deal.  You still have to hit 125,000.   How many points towards CP  does his account on SW show?  The 25K boost shows in there.  Not total RR points, but points toward CP.  They aren’t always the same. That number must hit 125K to qualify for CP.

All  points must hit his RR account in the calendar year to count. CP points reset on Jan.1.  So you also have to be aware of when his CC statement closes. Points  take a few days after statement closing to post to the RR account.  So you want spending done before the December statement closes, November if the statement closes late in the month.  If his statement closes late in the month & the points don’t post til after Jan 1, those points will count for 2022.


----------



## EACarlson

focusondisney said:


> What I remember is they gave that if your card was opened before Dec 31, 2020.  How many points towards CP  does his account on SW show?  The 25K boost shows in there.  Not total RR points, but points toward CP.  They aren’t always the same. That number must hit 125K to qualify for CP.


He had to have a RR account by 12/31/20, not have the card.  I've never held a SW RR CC and I got the 25,000 points on my tracker.


----------



## focusondisney

EACarlson said:


> He had to have a RR account by 12/31/20, not have the card.  I've never held a SW RR CC and I got the 25,000 points on my tracker.



You’re right!  Thanks for the clarification!  I’ll edit my previous post.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Gitelfor said:


> Thinking about bringing a pool noodle to WDW?
> 
> Flying Southwest with a pool noodle?


So fun!!!  Gotta love SW!  They really appear to enjoy their jobs!

Check out the link if you missed it, especially the 2nd video.  Thanks for sharing @Gitelfor!


----------



## qv09vvp

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Here's your friendly reminder that Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur on THURSDAY June 10th. (Two weeks from tomorrow). For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget! I'll post additional reminders as the date draws nearer.
> 
> Currently SW is offering flights through 11/5/21 and this next release will take their schedule out to 1/5/22. This is a very popular release covering Thanksgiving and Christmas.
> 
> For those that care about "release timing" it can vary, but here are the recent "go live" of previous releases:
> Release Date  Time (eastern)
> 4/1/21  9:10am
> 12/10/20  7:15am
> 8/13/20  9:15am
> 5/28/20  9:06am
> 3/12/20  9:40am
> 12/11/19  9:10am
> 10/30/19  7:15am
> 9/26/19  7:30am
> 8/15/19  10:41am
> 5/30/19  9:20am


Thank you so much for posting this...exactly what I'm looking for.


----------



## Avery&Todd

So, Im a SW stalker....I'm sure there is a support group somewhere and I need to find it.   

We're headed to MCO on Nov 10-14 and the flights that I see out there for June/July and into late October are HORRIBLE...there are no direct flights and the morning flights, like 6am-11:30 we took last Oct and Dec are  GONE...

now there are a bunch that leave at 8:30, go somewhere random with a layover and get in at 3:30pm - which I cannot do!  Our first day is Epcot, which opens at 11am but it's counted as a park day.

Now, I just looked at Delta flights for the same dates and I can get us 2 non-stop flights - arriving day #1 at 8:30am and then flying out on Sunday at 4:30pm which are PERFECT for us!!

and then I look at prices, and the flights themselves are not bad....$504 for the 2 of us.  and then I look at seat upgrades (DH is tall and like an exit row) and for the 2 flights that's another $160 - so now we're up to $663 and I have to pay for luggage...

and have I mentioned that we have CP with SW and I have a ton of points to pay for flights so they're free except for the taxes?

UGH - do I go ahead and pay out the nose for Delta flights that look great or wait and see what SW comes  out with? 

Do we think that Delta has been changing their flight schedules around as much as SW so that we might get those non-stop flights cancelled??

I need a crystal ball!


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

What are the chances that SW would add more nonstop flights? They changed our flights once already and had gotten rid of the afternoon nonstop back to PVD. I'm hoping it comes back because getting home at 11pm with a 2 year old is going to be interesting. The other nonstop flies out at 7am which is way too early for us.


----------



## scrappinginontario

CookieandOatmeal said:


> What are the chances that SW would add more nonstop flights? They changed our flights once already and had gotten rid of the afternoon nonstop back to PVD. I'm hoping it comes back because getting home at 11pm with a 2 year old is going to be interesting. The other nonstop flies out at 7am which is way too early for us.


My experience has been that once a direct flight is removed it rarely returns or are more added.  When are you flying?  The closer to your travel dates I fell the less likely they are to add a direct flight.

Last time we were supposed to fly, both of our direct flights were changed to flights with stops and there were never any new non-stop flights added.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

scrappinginontario said:


> My experience has been that once a direct flight is removed it rarely returns or are more added.  When are you flying?  The closer to your travel dates I fell the less likely they are to add a direct flight.
> 
> Last time we were supposed to fly, both of our direct flights were changed to flights with stops and there were never any new non-stop flights added.



We fly out the first week of August. I figure they probably won't put the nonstop back but a girl can hope!


----------



## Lsdolphin

Has anyone booked 2 flights for the same day using points with the intent of canceling one of them as soon as You figure out which will actually work best?


----------



## Gitelfor

Lsdolphin said:


> Has anyone booked 2 flights for the same day using points with the intent of canceling one of them as soon as You figure out which will actually work best?



Southwest’s policy:


> To promote seat availability for our Customers, Southwest prohibits multiple reservations for the same Passenger departing from the same city on the same date, or any multiple reservations containing conflicting or overlapping itineraries (such as departures for the same Customer from multiple cities at the same time). Furthermore, without advance notice to the Passenger or purchaser, Southwest may cancel such reservations, or any other reservations that it believes, in its sole discretion, were made without intent to travel. With the exception of Southwest gift cards, funds from proactively cancelled reservations by Southwest will be returned to the original form of payment. Reservations paid for with a Southwest gift card will have the amount applied from the gift card held as travel funds for use by the Customer on a future Southwest Airlines flight.



I would not chance it.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Thank you for info!


----------



## Lsdolphin

Now I’m wondering whether if air travel has stabilized to point that SWA will stop offering the “Red Change banners”


----------



## Erica Ladd

I had hoped for red change banners a few times. Never happened but I was fortunate enough to get the perfect flight down to FLL at a great price hen yesterday my return flight dropped to $69 so I bought. It was back up to $92 today


----------



## EACarlson

Gitelfor said:


> Southwest’s policy:
> 
> 
> I would not chance it.


And they are aggressive about canceling flights they don't think you can make.  One of those flights would be cancelled within a week, without notice or notification.


----------



## Lsdolphin

So what would be the approximate value of a 1000 reward points?


----------



## Gitelfor

Lsdolphin said:


> So what would be the approximate value of a 1000 reward points?


I believe the value is $16.50.


----------



## Gitelfor

This customer experience, as posted on FB, is very moving.



> When Jon, a Southwest Gate Agent, noticed a Customer carrying a folded flag as she boarded a flight to COS, he asked her about it. Here’s what happened next, as told by Chloe, the Customer:
> 
> “I was on my way home from my brother Jay’s funeral with Nick. I received a folded flag with the rest of my family while we were there. I couldn’t fit it into my carry on so I decided to hand carry it home. When we were standing at our gate in Denver, a gate agent asked me why I was holding such an important thing and I explain to him why. He immediately gave me a hug and said “Thank you so much for his service. You’ll be getting pre-boarded tonight.” He talked to the Captain, First Officer and the rest of that Southwest crew and not only reserved us two seats in the front row but offered to fly that flag in the cockpit for him. I was in tears... The crew didn’t have to do that, but they did it out of the kindness of their hearts... I can’t thank the gate agent Jon, Captain Michael Hinkelman, First Officer Nathan Rhondes, and the rest of the crew enough for their love and support. Thank you so much for dedicating that flight to Jay... Flying was his whole world and I know that must’ve made him so happy. I’m beyond proud and honored.❤"
> 
> Captain Lamb, we can never thank you and your family enough for your service. #SouthwestHeart


----------



## Lsdolphin

Gitelfor said:


> I believe the value is $16.50.



Wow not much...


----------



## EACarlson

Lsdolphin said:


> Wow not much...


I believe that is more than any of the other domestic airlines FF points.  Delta would be $12, American $14, and United $13.


----------



## erin1715

Is the SW app down for anyone else? I’ve been getting an error when trying to login for a couple days. And I even went to the website this morning and it still wouldn’t let me login.
ETA never mind it just started working.


----------



## aokeefe

CookieandOatmeal said:


> What are the chances that SW would add more nonstop flights? They changed our flights once already and had gotten rid of the afternoon nonstop back to PVD. I'm hoping it comes back because getting home at 11pm with a 2 year old is going to be interesting. The other nonstop flies out at 7am which is way too early for us.


When are you flying? We fly out of PVD and notice that they did add flights back after taking away on February and April vacation weeks. (This was just this year so obviously different than years past)


----------



## Gitelfor

erin1715 said:


> Is the SW app down for anyone else? I’ve been getting an error when trying to login for a couple days. And I even went to the website this morning and it still wouldn’t let me login.
> ETA never mind it just started working.


Yes, it has been down overnight for two nights in a row, without warning in advance.  They say it’s for routine scheduled maintenance.  If it was scheduled, why didn’t they post a prominent advance notice on the app and website, so their customers could be prepared? 

Though unable to view account, the mobile and full sites were working for checking in (as long as you had your confirmation number).  They may have been loading flights for the upcoming schedule extension.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

aokeefe said:


> When are you flying? We fly out of PVD and notice that they did add flights back after taking away on February and April vacation weeks. (This was just this year so obviously different than years past)


We’re flying out the first week of August so there’s still some time. I’ll definitely keep an eye on flight times then. Thanks!


----------



## Avery&Todd

I feel like I'm cheating on SW....we've been flying with them only to/from MCO ever since we started going to Disney but for our November trip I found some fabulous non-stop flights with Delta.

Yes, I'll have to pay for the flights vs. using my points and CP and basically flying for free but since this is a short, 4 night trip for us and getting 2 non-stop flights that give us more time in the parks on our arrival and departure dates feel worth it to me!



 I can't believe I just said that out loud!


----------



## FCDub

Avery&Todd said:


> I feel like I'm cheating on SW....we've been flying with them only to/from MCO ever since we started going to Disney but for our November trip I found some fabulous non-stop flights with Delta.
> 
> Yes, I'll have to pay for the flights vs. using my points and CP and basically flying for free but since this is a short, 4 night trip for us and getting 2 non-stop flights that give us more time in the parks on our arrival and departure dates feel worth it to me!
> 
> 
> 
> I can't believe I just said that out loud!



No need to deify corporations. The power of choice is vital for consumers.


----------



## easyas123

Avery&Todd said:


> I feel like I'm cheating on SW....we've been flying with them only to/from MCO ever since we started going to Disney but for our November trip I found some fabulous non-stop flights with Delta.
> 
> Yes, I'll have to pay for the flights vs. using my points and CP and basically flying for free but since this is a short, 4 night trip for us and getting 2 non-stop flights that give us more time in the parks on our arrival and departure dates feel worth it to me!
> 
> 
> 
> I can't believe I just said that out loud!



haha - yeah I know the feeling as well, we have a trip next year to a location SW doesn't go and I find myself already stressing over my seat selections and other things.  Dumb, I know!  I guess having our main airport be a SW hub and having a fair bit of selection on flights and (usually) very good pricing, the ease of collecting points  has spoiled us a bit.


----------



## Avery&Todd

easyas123 said:


> haha - yeah I know the feeling as well, we have a trip next year to a location SW doesn't go and I find myself already stressing over my seat selections and other things.  Dumb, I know!  I guess having our main airport be a SW hub and having a fair bit of selection on flights and (usually) very good pricing, the ease of collecting points  has spoiled us a bit.


yes!!  and our SW check-in is in a separate terminal all by itself so its small, TSA is quick and easy to go through where as Delta is with every other airline - and that means longer lines and more people...

but SW has gotten rid of some of their earlier direct flights out of our airport and instead we fly from RDU up to BWI (where the closest SW hub is) and then back down to MCO...

and those flights leave at 6am and arrive at MCO at either 11:30 or 12:30pm - the Delta leaves at 8am and arrives just before 10am....and then with a direct flight home leaving MCO at 4:30pm!!  

Im sure for the March trip to MCO we'll be back with SW!!!


----------



## easyas123

Avery&Todd said:


> BWI


 
BWI is our main airport!  Actually pretty much smack in between both BWI & PHL but we find BWI has better flight times and tons more nostop options for our needs.


----------



## Avery&Todd

easyas123 said:


> BWI is our main airport!  Actually pretty much smack in between both BWI & PHL but we find BWI has better flight times and tons more nostop options for our needs.


YES!! and it's a great flight that we've taken many, many times, and I feel pre-pandemic SW had more direct or earlier flights coming out of RDU but it hasn't been great the last 6 months - which I understand 100% and one day maybe they'll bring them back but for this upcoming flight..I'll just cheat on SW and go with Delta!


----------



## bookgirl2632

easyas123 said:


> BWI is our main airport!  Actually pretty much smack in between both BWI & PHL but we find BWI has better flight times and tons more nostop options for our needs.





Avery&Todd said:


> YES!! and it's a great flight that we've taken many, many times, and I feel pre-pandemic SW had more direct or earlier flights coming out of RDU but it hasn't been great the last 6 months - which I understand 100% and one day maybe they'll bring them back but for this upcoming flight..I'll just cheat on SW and go with Delta!


I fly out of BWI all the time too.  So happy that we are always able to get nonstop flights to Orlando and to a lot of other places all the time.


----------



## disny_luvr

bookgirl2632 said:


> I fly out of BWI all the time too.  So happy that we are always able to get nonstop flights to Orlando and to a lot of other places all the time.



BWI is our go-to airport, too. BWI and PHL are about the same distance for us, but we like BWI so much more. We find flight times and prices better at BWI.


----------



## Gitelfor

Help celebrate Southwest’s 50th anniversary on June 11, by earning 50 points per $1 on the first $100 of Southwest purchases charged to your Southwest RR credit card, subject to T&C*. That’s up to 5,000 points!

* Credit card 50th anniversary offer


----------



## CouponGirl

Gitelfor said:


> Help celebrate Southwest’s 50th anniversary on June 11, by earning 50 points per $1 on the first $100 of Southwest purchases charged to your Southwest RR credit card, subject to T&C*. That’s up to 5,000 points!
> 
> * Credit card 50th anniversary offer


too bad that doesn’t coincide with the flight release!


----------



## zemmer

CouponGirl said:


> too bad that doesn’t coincide with the flight release!


Looks like you can buy a gift card and get the points.


----------



## easyas123

zemmer said:


> Looks like you can buy a gift card and get the points.



That’s my understanding as well after a quick read… i may purchase 2 GC, one on each mine & my husbands SW cards.  Looks like I’ve started Christmas shopping early - I’ll give one each to the kids probably!


----------



## Girlworthfightingfor

Gitelfor said:


> Help celebrate Southwest’s 50th anniversary on June 11, by earning 50 points per $1 on the first $100 of Southwest purchases charged to your Southwest RR credit card, subject to T&C*. That’s up to 5,000 points!
> 
> * Credit card 50th anniversary offer


 Can we purchase EBCI with this offer and earn the bonus points?


----------



## CouponGirl

zemmer said:


> Looks like you can buy a gift card and get the points.


Flight release is the day before 

but gift card is a good idea for use another time!


----------



## Gitelfor

I am not sure if the June 11 credit card promo for 50X RR points is a targeted offer.  It may be a good idea to check your email, before assuming that your account qualifies for the promo.

The T&C state:


> This bonus offer is non-transferable and applies only to the account of the primary Cardmember referenced in this offer.


----------



## MarBee

Question about purchasing flights with a gift card on SW.  I seem to recall (but can’t remember where) that you can only use one gift card on each purchase of a flight.  For instance, if the flight costs $100 and you have two $50 gift cards, you can only use one.
Am I correct in this?
I figure that if it’s not the case, I’ll buy gift cards on the eleventh.


----------



## MarBee

Another question about the 50x points: 
Do you know if renting a car through SW will count towards this as well?


----------



## Gitelfor

MarBee said:


> Another question about the 50x points:
> Do you know if renting a car through SW will count towards this as well?


The verbiage of the offer:



> During the one-day promotional period of 6/11/2021 from 12:00:00 AM ET – 11:59 PM E.T. you will qualify and earn a total of 50 points for each $1 spent with any Rapid Rewards® Credit Card, on up to $100.00 in total purchases, made directly with Southwest Airlines®, including flight, inflight, Southwest® gift card, Rapid Rewards Points Center, and on Southwest Vacations® packages (“Qualifying Purchases”).



As often happens with these offers, it’s not very clear, IMO.  It might be worth a call.

Keep in mind that the maximum spend subject to the 50X points only is $100, per card.


----------



## crazymomof4

Doesn't seem like the June 11,  50x offer is a targeted offer. It's posted on their website, accessed by anyone, don't even have to login, and not just via a link in an email
https://www.southwest.com/SWACardBonusOffer50X/
Doctor of Credit says "*All Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Cards are eligible"*
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/sout...-spent-on-southwest-purchases-6-11-100-spend/


----------



## DL1WDW2

SW want to get away Sweepstakes daily entry 
Celebrate 50 Years Loving  Southwest Airlines


----------



## DL1WDW2

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOUTHWEST AIRLINES


----------



## DL1WDW2

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES LUV


----------



## DL1WDW2

Deleted duplicate?


----------



## DL1WDW2

Sorry triplicate post?


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

I plan to use points on Thursday to book for Christmas. On Friday I'll buy a gift card for future travel.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

MarBee said:


> Question about purchasing flights with a gift card on SW.  I seem to recall (but can’t remember where) that you can only use one gift card on each purchase of a flight.  For instance, if the flight costs $100 and you have two $50 gift cards, you can only use one.
> Am I correct in this?
> I figure that if it’s not the case, I’ll buy gift cards on the eleventh.



I thought you could use up to four types of payment to purchase tickets. It's been a while since I've done that, so things may have changed.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Where do you buy the gift cards? Is that on the southwest website? Want to make sure I earn the 10,000 points (I have 2 cards lol)


----------



## easyas123

Erica Ladd said:


> Where do you buy the gift cards? Is that on the southwest website? Want to make sure I earn the 10,000 points (I have 2 cards lol)



Yeah, at bottom of main page, I think.


----------



## EACarlson

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> I thought you could use up to four types of payment to purchase tickets. It's been a while since I've done that, so things may have changed.


Three types, but I'm not sure if you are limited to a single giftcard or not.


----------



## Avery&Todd

WOOT!!  I won 50 Rapid Reward points on the luggage game this morning!


----------



## Gitelfor

For those playing the daily Instant Win sweepstakes game:


----------



## FCDub

lol yes, insulting prizes


----------



## Gitelfor

MarBee said:


> Question about purchasing flights with a gift card on SW.  I seem to recall (but can’t remember where) that you can only use one gift card on each purchase of a flight.  For instance, if the flight costs $100 and you have two $50 gift cards, you can only use one.
> Am I correct in this?
> I figure that if it’s not the case, I’ll buy gift cards on the eleventh.



From Southwest:


> A maximum of three Southwest gift cards can be applied per passenger on each reservation. If your purchase exceeds the amount available on the three Southwest gift cards, you will only be allowed to use two Southwest gift cards and another form of payment will be required for the difference.


----------



## EmilyGahr

Hi! Tomorrow when flights are released through January 5th, will the website update providing a date for the next batch of flights?


----------



## jcarwash

EmilyGahr said:


> Hi! Tomorrow when flights are released through January 5th, will the website update providing a date for the next batch of flights?



Maybe...sometimes they update the next release date right away, other times they post the messages saying to check back.


----------



## bobbiwoz

looking forward to finalizing our December trip!


----------



## Lsdolphin

Gitelfor said:


> For those playing the daily Instant Win sweepstakes game:
> 
> View attachment 580904



Well, so much for the email I’ve received offering me 45% off to buy rewards points...certainly no bargain considering your value chart!


----------



## Avery&Todd

ARGH - this has been the longest friggin week!  DH has said that if SW doesn't offer flight times that work for our quick trip that I can book flights on Delta - which I've watched go up in price each day this week.... 

come on the next 15-16 hours!!


----------



## CouponGirl

Avery&Todd said:


> ARGH - this has been the longest friggin week!  DH has said that if SW doesn't offer flight times that work for our quick trip that I can book flights on Delta - which I've watched go up in price each day this week....
> 
> come on the next 15-16 hours!!


Hopefully tomorrow SW will have just what you need!


----------



## aokeefe

Good luck to those booking on today's release! I sadly have no vacations planned this round.... hopefully everyone finds low fares and good flight times!


----------



## Gitelfor

The red "change" banner is back - this time, September-November.


----------



## mlittig

Still waiting for Southwest to release its flights today


----------



## Avery&Todd

mlittig said:


> Still waiting for Southwest to release its flights today



 I'm waiting with you!


----------



## bobbiwoz

Avery&Todd said:


> I'm waiting with you!


As are we.


----------



## Nicole722

mlittig said:


> Still waiting for Southwest to release its flights today


I’m waiting too... hoping we all get what we need.


----------



## WDWEPCOT

I hate waiting ........


----------



## PixiePlns

I'm just hoping that the points I had for October 2019 won't be too much more for a trip over Thanksgiving.  I guess we'll see...


----------



## BillFromCT

And they're available!


----------



## disneyeveryyear

Got mine.  More points than I was hoping, but they are booked and now I can watch for points to drop.


----------



## EmilyGahr

Ugh. Was really hoping for a date when the next batch will be available. Booking flights for January 18th but I'm so impatient and don't want to "check back frequently"!!! Lol.


----------



## Lsdolphin

New schedule is up...rates high


----------



## npcougar

Rates up about $100 per person for us from IND, DTW, MDW and GRR.  Ending up out of O'Hair.  Guess I'll price watch now.


----------



## PixiePlns

Got it booked!  Had to spend a bit more on points (of course) but - it's booked!  The times were pretty good for what I wanted, too.  Hopefully the schedule won't change too much.


----------



## katallo

Where do you see the red banner if flights need to be changed.  So, far I don't think I'm seeing it


----------



## Avery&Todd

YIKES!!  I can't believe that SW actually came through with non-stop flights for me and with great flight times!!  I got great fares too - I use points, and DH is CP so he's free but technically it was $153/ticket!!

I have a 7:30am non-stop getting us at MCO at 9:25am but then our departure flight is also a non-stop but leaves at 10am where I really wanted an afternoon flight out..

I've already given DH a heads up that if the non-stops go away then I'm booking Delta!  

and if they change the departure flights to more afternoon -it was odd, they had a lot of flights getting in like 10pm, I'll change our non-stop to a layover to get more park time!


----------



## mlittig

Flights are up but the times are the worst ever from Manchester, NH  One non-stop only and it doesn't arrive until 8:15 PM and the earliest I could land would be 12:15 PM after over a 6 hour flight time


----------



## Avery&Todd

mlittig said:


> Flights are up but the times are the worst ever from Manchester, NH  One non-stop only and it doesn't arrive until 8:15 PM and the earliest I could land would be 12:15 PM after over a 6 hour flight time


oh, I'm totally prepared for my fabulous flights to be cancelled before I can acutaly use them!  Maybe they'll come out with some better times??


----------



## winnieofpooh

Slightly disappointed with the cost of our tickets. I know I should expect them to be more than last year with COVID slowly coming to an end, but we got flights for the same week last year at $100 less per person. The only good news is there are a lot of nonstop options at the times we want.

We're stuck using travel funds for my husband's portion of the ticket, so I know it's not the most flexible if the price drops (I know we get travel funds back, but we don't have any trips planned for at least 2+ years). Any opinions if we should just eat the extra cost and book now, or wait it out a little bit? We're going Dec 12-19, so I am slightly worried with it so close to Christmas.


----------



## Nicole722

Flights for our December trip from Buffalo are booked. Flight down was a little higher than expected and it’s super early but it’s non stop and we will have almost a full day in Disney.  Flight home was exactly what I planned on for points so that was good. Excited to have this finally done!


----------



## WDWEPCOT

Blessing ! Just booked ! 3 people had enough points for all but one person one way ! So excited !!!!!! Good Luck everyone


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

disneyeveryyear said:


> Got mine.  More points than I was hoping, but they are booked and now I can watch for points to drop.



Same. Used about half my points. Within minutes of open, my flight out was up to $201 with one left.  It usually starts around $168. It's probably the earliest flight we've ever taken. It arrives just after 9 am.


----------



## EACarlson

winnieofpooh said:


> Slightly disappointed with the cost of our tickets. I know I should expect them to be more than last year with COVID slowly coming to an end, but we got flights for the same week last year at $100 less per person. The only good news is there are a lot of nonstop options at the times we want.
> 
> We're stuck using travel funds for my husband's portion of the ticket, so I know it's not the most flexible if the price drops (I know we get travel funds back, but we don't have any trips planned for at least 2+ years). Any opinions if we should just eat the extra cost and book now, or wait it out a little bit? We're going Dec 12-19, so I am slightly worried with it so close to Christmas.


If the travel funds are going to cover the whole ticket than you may as well book now.  They are just going to expire anyway, and there is no guarantee that prices will ever be less than they are right now.

You cannot compare anything to do with this year, to anything to do with 2020 from March onward.  Now there is demand for travel, especially domestic travel and the inflation are going to drive up prices.


----------



## crazywig

PVD-MCO

Dec 11 return 18th
cash: $179 down , $154 back.

Not awful and I had a gc from a cancelled school trip last year. Used that and points for the other tix (22,636 each).


----------



## LadybugsMum

I got a great price going to MCO and pretty good price going home. I decided to use points so that if I need to cancel, I'll get a full "refund". Also, it gives me the flexibility to switch to Delta if the flight times are changed too much.


----------



## Avery&Todd

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> Same. Used about half my points. Within minutes of open, my flight out was up to $201 with one left.  It usually starts around $168. It's probably the earliest flight we've ever taken. It arrives just after 9 am.


While I was booking my trip - from like the time I selected my arrival flight to my departure flight, I got a warning that my flight had already gone up in points!  I had to accept it or pick another flight - it was CRAZY!


----------



## Avery&Todd

LadybugsMum said:


> I got a great price going to MCO and pretty good price going home. I decided to use points so that if I need to cancel, I'll get a full "refund". Also, it gives me the flexibility to switch to Delta if the flight times are changed too much.


that is 100% my plan!  I already told DH that if our current flights go away to be prepared that I'm paying OOP for Delta flights..

he just said.."whatever you need to do"...


----------



## Gitelfor

No date posted for the next schedule extension.



> We are currently accepting air reservations through January 5, 2022. At this time, we do not have a date for our next schedule extension therefore please check back frequently.



This morning's schedule extension went live around 7:20 a.m. EDT.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Avery&Todd said:


> that is 100% my plan!  I already told DH that if our current flights go away to be prepared that I'm paying OOP for Delta flights..
> 
> he just said.."whatever you need to do"...


I also booked each flight separately in case I need to change just one way. I've found that to be much easier when making changes.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

LadybugsMum said:


> I also booked each flight separately in case I need to change just one way. I've found that to be much easier when making changes.



The games we play with Southwest.


----------



## CarlyMur09

Ugh.. Flights are 158/168 in either direction for our dates in Nov/Dec. Had to go ahead and get my DSis' flight back from MCO to PIT mid-trip, since that was a definite for her, but still debating on what to do for the rest of us...


----------



## Avery&Todd

LadybugsMum said:


> I also booked each flight separately in case I need to change just one way. I've found that to be much easier when making changes.


totally didnt even think of that!  Next time!


----------



## qv09vvp

southwest dates are up already in case anyone needs it...i just booked our Nov 27 - dec 4 dates


----------



## winnieofpooh

Ugh, I am going to scream. Had to use my husband's travel funds to book his flight. His travel funds are in increments of $10-$20 and he has about 11 different funds (all associated with only two confirmation numbers). I can't use more than 2 travel funds online, so I can't book his flight at all. I called to see if they could help me over the phone, and I was quoted a 2 hour wait time until someone could help me book a flight. What the heck!


----------



## zemmer

winnieofpooh said:


> Ugh, I am going to scream. Had to use my husband's travel funds to book his flight. His travel funds are in increments of $10-$20 and he has about 11 different funds (all associated with only two confirmation numbers). I can't use more than 2 travel funds online, so I can't book his flight at all. I called to see if they could help me over the phone, and I was quoted a 2 hour wait time until someone could help me book a flight. What the heck!


It’s a pain, but you can book a flight with the max # of funds allowed, cancel, then book another with that confirmation  number and more credits, continuing to consolidate until you have just one confirmation number to use that has all of the flight credits together.


----------



## dez1978

Got my early dec flights booked, but holy crap.  I've never paid that much for 2 people.


----------



## CarlyMur09

Anyone not get a confirmation email yet today? I had to book my sister's flight home since she'll be flying separately, and didn't get an email. 

They charged my CC, so I know it went through I forgot to write down the confirmation number, thinking I was gonna get an email shortly after like I always had in the past. (Already reached out to them on Twitter to see if they could help)


----------



## focusondisney

CarlyMur09 said:


> Anyone not get a confirmation email yet today? I had to book my sister's flight home since she'll be flying separately, and didn't get an email.
> 
> They charged my CC, so I know it went through I forgot to write down the confirmation number, thinking I was gonna get an email shortly after like I always had in the past. (Already reached out to them on Twitter to see if they could help)



Does she have a rapid rewards account?  She should be able to see it there.  I make my reservations on my iPad & always just take a screenshot as soon as I’m done.


----------



## CouponGirl

It’s nice the release dropped so early!

I booked, but with the hope of the change banner appearing. Then I thought about what I booked and realized it made no sense  so I rebooked the return trip to a later date. Price wasn’t as good (over double the points ), and the time wasn’t perfect, but at least I know it’ll work if nothing else appears before then.


----------



## CarlyMur09

focusondisney said:


> Does she have a rapid rewards account?  She should be able to see it there.  I make my reservations on my iPad & always just take a screenshot as soon as I’m done.



No, she doesn't. I'm the only one that does because I do all the payments.


----------



## focusondisney

CarlyMur09 said:


> No, she doesn't. I'm the only one that does because I do all the payments.



Oh  that’s too bad. But for the future, everyone  can have their own account.  The points are earned per passenger, so you don’t get any points for her flights. And points never expire, so she can build them up to use whenever.  You can still book her under your account. You just put her Rapid Rewards number in with her information.


----------



## CarlyMur09

focusondisney said:


> Oh  that’s too bad. But for the future, everyone  can have their own account.  The points are earned per passenger, so you don’t get any points for her flights. And points never expire, so she can build them up to use whenever.  You can still book her under your account. You just put her Rapid Rewards number in with her information.


I had been considering setting up RR accounts for everyone at one point, my issue was that I have the SW Visa already (so I do techncially get points back from her flight), and trying to keep track of everyone's points is a little much for me. There's 6 of us that I would need to track.


----------



## focusondisney

CarlyMur09 said:


> I had been considering setting up RR accounts for everyone at one point, my issue was that I have the SW Visa already (so I do techncially get points back from her flight), and trying to keep track of everyone's points is a little much for me. There's 6 of us that I would need to track.



That is a lot.  But their points would automatically show up in their RR account.  You would have to keep track of their account sign ins & passwords.  And you would still get the points from your credit card.  They would get the points earned from the actual flight.  Depending how often you travel, they could all be earning free flights.  Sorry, just FYI, not trying to hassle you! 

edit to add: you can even book  without the RR
number & go back in to add those later, if it’s too time consuming when you’re booking.


----------



## jkelly86

I'm on a 2 hour wait with Southwest to cancel one person an a reservation with two people on it.  Needs to happen today for the refund.  Does anyone have info on alternate ways to contact them?


----------



## Avery&Todd

jkelly86 said:


> I'm on a 2 hour wait with Southwest to cancel one person an a reservation with two people on it.  Needs to happen today for the refund.  Does anyone have info on alternate ways to contact them?



I have had luck getting my flights changes thru FB messenger!  They're really responsive and get it done!

edited to add: I've also heard you can reach out through Twitter but I dont know how that works... 

Good luck!


----------



## CouponGirl

jkelly86 said:


> I'm on a 2 hour wait with Southwest to cancel one person an a reservation with two people on it.  Needs to happen today for the refund.  Does anyone have info on alternate ways to contact them?


I had a typo and was able to get help through the chat feature on their app.


----------



## mickeynut1

focusondisney said:


> You would have to keep track of their account sign ins & passwords.



I keep a folder for current booked trips/flights/cars as well as a general travel folder for exactly what you stated above. I have everyone's RR#, TSA KTN, etc so when I book flights, I just go to that folder for the info I need.  It is a lot to keep track of, but I'm the one who books everything so it's nice to have all that stuff handy and not have to call or text to get that info when I see great fares and need to book asap. It used to be just me, DH and our 2 boys.....but now I have both boys girlfriends, my cousin and her daughter (we've done girls trips ) and my 9yo niece's info. I'd lose my mind if I didn't have that folder  .


----------



## FCDub

jkelly86 said:


> I'm on a 2 hour wait with Southwest to cancel one person an a reservation with two people on it.  Needs to happen today for the refund.  Does anyone have info on alternate ways to contact them?



They solved this issue over Twitter for me very fast when I needed it done. They were able to split the confirmation into two reservations and I canceled the other person's flight manually. Took 8 minutes from my initial tweet to the DM confirmation.


----------



## winnieofpooh

jkelly86 said:


> I'm on a 2 hour wait with Southwest to cancel one person an a reservation with two people on it.  Needs to happen today for the refund.  Does anyone have info on alternate ways to contact them?



I usually reach out via Twitter, so there's at least a paper trail that I contacted them by a certain time. I'd mention in the message that you called at X time but were put on a 2 hour hold.


----------



## focusondisney

mickeynut1 said:


> I keep a folder for current booked trips/flights/cars as well as a general travel folder for exactly what you stated above. I have everyone's RR#, TSA KTN, etc so when I book flights, I just go to that folder for the info I need.  It is a lot to keep track of, but I'm the one who books everything so it's nice to have all that stuff handy and not have to call or text to get that info when I see great fares and need to book asap. It used to be just me, DH and our 2 boys.....but now I have both boys girlfriends, my cousin and her daughter (we've done girls trips ) and my 9yo niece's info. I'd lose my mind if I didn't have that folder  .



I have a little 3 ring binder next to our desktop with that stuff plus sign ins & passwords for _all_ the sites I need them for.  Everything from online shopping, fan sites, sports ticketing,  work required licensing to  credit cards & banking.  I’m old. There’s no way I can remember all that stuff, lol.  And no, I’m not worried  about anybody finding them. It’s just DH & me. We rarely have company outside of immediate family. We live in a very quiet suburban subdivision with almost no residential crime.   Our desktop is in an out of the way site.  I figure if anybody goes thru the trouble to single my house out & actually finds that binder, more power to ’em.


----------



## mickeynut1

focusondisney said:


> I have a little 3 ring binder next to our desktop with that stuff plus sign ins & passwords for _all_ the sites I need them for. Everything from online shopping, fan sites, sports ticketing, work required licensing to credit cards & banking. I’m old. There’s no way I can remember all that stuff, lol. And no, I’m not worried about anybody finding them. It’s just DH & me. We rarely have company outside of immediate family. We live in a very quiet suburban subdivision with almost no residential crime. Our desktop is in an out of the way site. I figure if anybody goes thru the trouble to single my house out & actually finds that binder, more power to ’em.



In addition to my travel folders, I have a typed sheet with any/all sites we use along with sign ins/passwords.  I've told my DH and boys where to find it should they need something and I'm not readily available, although sometimes I still gets texts or phone calls asking me what such and such login is .  I'm right there with you on having all that info in one place........no way I'd remember all of that either .


----------



## Lsdolphin

Why would anyone buy reward points at their asking price seems like it would be cheaper to just pay for ticket?


----------



## sandam1

Lsdolphin said:


> Why would anyone buy reward points at their asking price seems like it would be cheaper to just pay for ticket?



Flexibility! If you book with points and you have to cancel or the price goes down, you just get your points back. No messing around with travel credits that have expiration dates.


----------



## pluto377

Got my flight down booked for January.  More points than I had hoped and not the best flight time, but I'm happy.  Now have to wait for the next release to get my return flight.  Hoping to get enough points in the meantime to fly back "free" too!


----------



## MarBee

Regarding the 50x promo tomorrow, between DH and I we have 4 Southwest cards.  Since we don’t have any plans coming up that would use SW flights, I was planning on just buying four $100 gift cards to maximize the offer.
Can anyone suggest a better way to take advantage of this promo that I may not be seeing?


----------



## Tink3815

MarBee said:


> Regarding the 50x promo tomorrow, between DH and I we have 4 Southwest cards.  Since we don’t have any plans coming up that would use SW flights, I was planning on just buying four $100 gift cards to maximize the offer.
> Can anyone suggest a better way to take advantage of this promo that I may not be seeing?


The site says Rapid Rewards Points Center . Is that buying points??


----------



## Tink3815

Is this promotion for all Southwest Credit Cards or was it a targeted offer.


----------



## MarBee

Tink3815 said:


> The site says Rapid Rewards Points Center . Is that buying points??


Yes.  You can also purchase gift cards, flights, and vacation packages as well.


----------



## MarBee

Tink3815 said:


> Is this promotion for all Southwest Credit Cards or was it a targeted offer.


All of their Chase cards.  You don’t have to register.  It’s an offer for everyone but only for tomorrow.


----------



## mickeynut1

MarBee said:


> Regarding the 50x promo tomorrow, between DH and I we have 4 Southwest cards.  Since we don’t have any plans coming up that would use SW flights, I was planning on just buying four $100 gift cards to maximize the offer.
> Can anyone suggest a better way to take advantage of this promo that I may not be seeing?



I was going to do the same thing.  DH, myself and one of our sons all have the cc, so I was going to buy three $100 gift cards.  When you click on the promo it takes you to a page to purchase a flight with no other purchase options.  I'm not seeing any other links connected to the promo for purchasing gift cards, so I'm thinking as long as you purchase gift cards on the SWA site you're good to receive the extra points?


----------



## disneyeveryyear

I booked flights yesterday but waited til today to add EBCI so I could get the extra points.  When I try to do so, it says 
*Ineligible for EarlyBird Check-In®*

Thank you for your interest in EarlyBird Check-In®. The passengers and flights associated with this itinerary do not qualify for EarlyBird Check-In® purchase at this time. Please contact a Southwest Airlines Customer Representative at 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792) for assistance.
Of course, I am not going to try to call, but it is extremely irritating. 

Has anyone been able to buy anything other than flights?


----------



## cmarsh31

disneyeveryyear said:


> I booked flights yesterday but waited til today to add EBCI so I could get the extra points.  When I try to do so, it says
> *Ineligible for EarlyBird Check-In®*
> 
> Thank you for your interest in EarlyBird Check-In®. The passengers and flights associated with this itinerary do not qualify for EarlyBird Check-In® purchase at this time. Please contact a Southwest Airlines Customer Representative at 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792) for assistance.
> Of course, I am not going to try to call, but it is extremely irritating.
> 
> Has anyone been able to buy anything other than flights?



I bought EBCI this morning for extra points, but it was on flights I booked months ago...


----------



## disneyeveryyear

cmarsh31 said:


> I bought EBCI this morning for extra points, but it was on flights I booked months ago...


Glad it worked for you. I have messaged them through FB and hope to get it resolved.


----------



## Thumper99

cmarsh31 said:


> I bought EBCI this morning for extra points, but it was on flights I booked months ago...


has anyone confirmed that this purchase of early bird will qualiify? I have two upcoming trips and I never spend money to do that but this might be an incentive but Id be mad if it was "non qualifying".


----------



## mickeynut1

Thumper99 said:


> has anyone confirmed that this purchase of early bird will qualiify? I have two upcoming trips and I never spend money to do that but this might be an incentive but Id be mad if it was "non qualifying".



Good question as it doesn't specify EBCI as an eligible purchase.  The small print states "up to $100 on purchases made directly with Southwest Airlines, including flight, inflight, Southwest gift card, Rapid Rewards Points Center, and on Southwest Vacation packages ("Qualifying Purchases")".  Not sure if they consider EBCI to be part of a flight purchase or not.


----------



## EmilyGahr

FYI - date has been updated for the next batch of flights

"We are currently accepting air reservations through January 5, 2022. On September 16, 2021 we will open our schedule for sale through April 18, 2022. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently."


----------



## djs7685

Our usual early non-stop route seems to no longer exist and prices are double what we've ever paid. It's nice to be booking flights again though!


----------



## cmarsh31

Thumper99 said:


> has anyone confirmed that this purchase of early bird will qualiify? I have two upcoming trips and I never spend money to do that but this might be an incentive but Id be mad if it was "non qualifying".



Ugg. I hope they do! It was money I was spending either way, so that part doesn't matter... but now I'm left with the "do I purchase gift cards too" dilemma.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

I purchased the gift card. The 5,000 points don't show in your account instantly, which makes me nervous. I hope it worked.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Oh wow! Yesterday I decided not to wait for a possible red banner and just go ahead and pay an addition 1,600 points to change my flight MCo to an earlier time and this morning my flight increased from $116 to $158!


----------



## Avery&Todd

Lsdolphin said:


> Oh wow! Yesterday I decided not to wait for a possible red banner and just go ahead and pay an addition 1,600 points to change my flight MCo to an earlier time and this morning my flight increased from $116 to $158!


I booked yesterday morning for my November trip and when I checked again this morning, the same flight that cost me 9,500 pts yesterday is now almost 16,000 pts..

PHEW!!!


----------



## crazymomof4

Avery&Todd said:


> WOOT!!  I won 50 Rapid Reward points on the luggage game this morning!





Gitelfor said:


> For those playing the daily Instant Win sweepstakes game:




Where do I find these?  I check all of my SW emails and none invited me to play games for RR points.


----------



## crazymomof4

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> I purchased the gift card. The 5,000 points don't show in your account instantly, which makes me nervous. I hope it worked.


I did too.  Used both of my SW RR Visa cards.  2x $100 GC
Also didn't appear in my RR account yet.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Avery&Todd said:


> I booked yesterday morning for my November trip and when I checked again this morning, the same flight that cost me 9,500 pts yesterday is now almost 16,000 pts..
> 
> PHEW!!!



Yep we most definitely lucked out!!!


----------



## Avery&Todd

crazymomof4 said:


> Where do I find these?  I check all of my SW emails and none invited me to play games for RR points.


Right here - and it's NOT logged under my account, just on the main SW webpage - you do have to enter your name, RR#, etc but its cute and fun!


----------



## crazymomof4

Avery&Todd said:


> Right here - and it's NOT logged under my account, just on the main SW webpage - you do have to enter your name, RR#, etc but its cute and fun!
> 
> View attachment 581393


Thanks!


----------



## pooch

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> I purchased the gift card. The 5,000 points don't show in your account instantly, which makes me nervous. I hope it worked.



it won’t show up until your billing statement closes just like any other purchase.  The extra points will show as “bonus points”.  I just earned an additional 3000 points on our vacation in Maine last month via their 6x points for vacation travel.


----------



## disneyeveryyear

disneyeveryyear said:


> I booked flights yesterday but waited til today to add EBCI so I could get the extra points.  When I try to do so, it says
> *Ineligible for EarlyBird Check-In®*
> 
> Thank you for your interest in EarlyBird Check-In®. The passengers and flights associated with this itinerary do not qualify for EarlyBird Check-In® purchase at this time. Please contact a Southwest Airlines Customer Representative at 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792) for assistance.
> Of course, I am not going to try to call, but it is extremely irritating.
> 
> Has anyone been able to buy anything other than flights?



Edit - I finally got through to someone on FB Messenger.  The problem was that we were "granted A-List Status" and thus the website didn't think I needed to buy EBCI.  However, our A-List Status is only good for travel through June 30, 2021 and our flight is in November.  The CS rep was able to remove our RR#s from the reservation so I could go in and buy EBCI.  I then had to add our RR#s and TT#s back to the reservation.  Luckily I just kept working while I was waiting for a response, so no time wasted, and I got 4,000 points for buying it. 

I am now trying to decide if I should buy $100 gift cards with our 2 remaining SWA credit cards.  We tend to only buy tickets with our points, so not sure how long it would take to use the $220 for fees (at a rate of $11.20/flight).  11,000 points are nice, but I would have to keep track of those GFs for a long time.

After reading recent posts I am thinking I should have asked if EBCI qualifies for the 50x bonus.


----------



## Avery&Todd

disneyeveryyear said:


> I am now trying to decide if I should buy $100 gift cards with our 2 remaining SWA credit cards.  We tend to only buy tickets with our points, so not sure how long it would take to use the $220 for fees (at a rate of $11.20/flight).  11,000 points are nice, but I would have to keep track of those GFs for a long time.



Just so you, you're a GENIUS!  I wanted to spend the $100 on a SW gift card for the 5k in points, even though I have over 200k in points, I just felt the need for 5k more... 

but for the life of me I couldn't figure out WHAT I'd use it for - then you said...PAY FOR TAXES!!!! 

mic drop. 

I can just keep the digital gift card in my "travel information drawer" and BAM, my taxes are covered!

THANK YOU!


----------



## dez1978

Good grief.  I really gotta get our SW card back.  Husbands credit was hacked last year and while we did get the $ taken off, Chase ended up closing that acct.  It's taken a really long time (it feels like) to get all of that taken care of and get our credit scores back up. I want the good deals lol


----------



## crazymomof4

Avery&Todd said:


> but for the life of me I couldn't figure out WHAT I'd use it for - then you said...PAY FOR TAXES!!!!
> 
> mic drop.
> 
> I can just keep the digital gift card in my "travel information drawer" and BAM, my taxes are covered!
> 
> THANK YOU!


I was thinking I could use the SW Gift Cards for in-flight_ adult beverage_ purchases and then I read " use it to pay for taxes on flights" and I was like darn!   ... ya that's probably smart.... could use it for that too.


----------



## Avery&Todd

crazymomof4 said:


> I was thinking I could use the SW Gift Cards for in-flight_ adult beverage_ purchases and then I read " use it to pay for taxes on flights" and I was like darn!   ... ya that's probably smart.... could use it for that too.


sometimes being a responsible adult isn't all it's cracked up to be!


----------



## aokeefe

Avery&Todd said:


> Just so you, you're a GENIUS!  I wanted to spend the $100 on a SW gift card for the 5k in points, even though I have over 200k in points, I just felt the need for 5k more...
> 
> but for the life of me I couldn't figure out WHAT I'd use it for - then you said...PAY FOR TAXES!!!!
> 
> mic drop.
> 
> I can just keep the digital gift card in my "travel information drawer" and BAM, my taxes are covered!
> 
> THANK YOU!


Agree!! Paying for the taxes is brilliant! (I am in the same boat- have lots of points to use before I need to pay cash!)


----------



## aokeefe

EmilyGahr said:


> FYI - date has been updated for the next batch of flights
> 
> "We are currently accepting air reservations through January 5, 2022. On September 16, 2021 we will open our schedule for sale through April 18, 2022. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently."


Thanks for the update- was just about to check. I was hoping for an August release (I'm a teacher) and just my luck it doesn't cover April vacation entirely. Oh well- I will be excited to at least book one way!


----------



## Tink3815

Just spoke with a Southwest Rep on the Rapid Rewards customer Service line. She confirmed that buying points counts as a purchase and you do not need to receive the email. 3500 points are 105.00, but you will receive 5250 points for the purchase plus 3500 you bought.. Must be to done before midnight. The bonus points will take 6 to 8 weeks to post.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*ICYMI - Southwest extended their schedule yesterday for flights through January 5, 2022.*

They also provided their next release date today: It will be 9/16/21 for travel through April 18th, 2022. Given how far out this is, I'd also say that this date could move up, so I'll keep everybody posted!

Also, Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment.

*Release Date | Travel Through*
next release: 9/16/21 | April 18, 2022
6/10/21 | January 5, 2022
4/1/21 | November 5, 2021
12/10/20 | August 16, 2021
8/13/20 | April 11th, 2021
5/28/20 | January 4th, 2021
3/12/20 | October 30th, 2020
12/11/19 | August 10th, 2020
10/30/19 | June 6th, 2020
9/26/19 | April 13th, 2020
8/15/19 | March 6th, 2020
5/30/19 | January 5th, 2020

Yesterday's release occurred at 7:15am Eastern. Here is a list of recent release times:

6/10/21 | 7:15am
4/1/21 | 9:10am
12/10/20 | 7:15am
8/13/20 | 9:15am
5/28/20 | 9:06am
3/12/20 | 9:40am
12/11/19 | 9:10am
10/30/19 | 7:15am
9/26/19 | 7:30am
8/15/19 | 10:41am
5/30/19 | 9:20am


----------



## pooch

Tink3815 said:


> Just spoke with a Southwest Rep on the Rapid Rewards customer Service line. She confirmed that buying points counts as a purchase and you do not need to receive the email. 3500 points are 105.00, but you will receive 5250 points for the purchase plus 3500 you bought.. Must be to done before midnight. The bonus points will take 6 to 8 weeks to post.



Buying points is almost NEVER a good choice.  3500 points are only worth $55-60 against a flight. Spending that same $100 on a gift card gives you full value for your purchase.
For example -
You buy 3500 points for $105, the 50 points per dollar is capped at $100 so your bonus is 5000 for a total of 8500 points which is worth about $135/140 when you redeem them. Plus you can’t use them to pay the fees/taxes.

I buy a $100 gift card and get the same 5000 bonus.  I get the full $100 to apply to a flight plus the 5000 bonus is worth another $80.  So my total for the $100 I spent is $180 and I can use the GC to pay the taxes & fees.
Your $105 got you $35-40. My $100 got me $80.

In any case, the points post just like any other purchase on your SWA card, a few days after your billing cycle closes.


----------



## Tink3815

pooch said:


> Buying points is almost NEVER a good choice.  3500 points are only worth $55-60 against a flight. Spending that same $100 on a gift card gives you full value for your purchase.
> For example -
> You buy 3500 points for $105, the 50 points per dollar is capped at $100 so your bonus is 5000 for a total of 8500 points which is worth about $135/140 when you redeem them. Plus you can’t use them to pay the fees/taxes.
> 
> I buy a $100 gift card and get the same 5000 bonus.  I get the full $100 to apply to a flight plus the 5000 bonus is worth another $80.  So my total for the $100 I spent is $180 and I can use the GC to pay the taxes & fees.
> Your $105 got you $35-40. My $100 got me $80.
> 
> In any case, the points post just like any other purchase on your SWA card, a few days after your billing cycle closes.


The flexibility of having points in my account is better for me . I can book different flight time options and cancel at the last minute based on weather.The points go back in my account and the tax fees go back on my credit card. No playing with credits that need to be used in a year. Alos, I don't appreciate people who use capital letters in their posts. It's rude.


----------



## pooch

No rudeness intended.  My apologies if I offended you.  Caps were for emphasis.  The purchase of SWA points is a much discussed topic here.  I meant no disrespect just wanted to show the difference.


----------



## EACarlson

Tink3815 said:


> The flexibility of having points in my account is better for me . I can book different flight time options and cancel at the last minute based on weather.The points go back in my account and the tax fees go back on my credit card. No playing with credits that need to be used in a year. Alos, I don't appreciate people who use capital letters in their posts. It's rude.


So it's rude for a poster to use capital letters to put emphasis on a word in their post, but you have no problems violating the program agreement by booking multiple flights that you don't intend to take?  Forcing other customers to pay more for flights and cancelling at the last minute means that the seat is probably going out empty, costing the airline money.


----------



## FCDub

That escalated quickly.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Tink3815 said:


> The flexibility of having points in my account is better for me . I can book different flight time options and cancel at the last minute based on weather.The points go back in my account and the tax fees go back on my credit card. No playing with credits that need to be used in a year. Alos, I don't appreciate people who use capital letters in their posts. It's rude.



I thought booking multiple flight for same day was not allowed.


----------



## pooch

FCDub said:


> That escalated quickly.


Also not my intention.


----------



## FCDub

pooch said:


> Also not my intention.



I didn’t think you were rude, for the record


----------



## crazymomof4

pooch said:


> Also not my intention.


I appreciated your explanation because I have one of those brains that freezes up when presented with numbers (In my defense, I'm smart in other things), so I need someone to break things down like you did.  Posts like that help people make an informed decision, which (big picture) is what makes DISboards so great.


----------



## jkelly86

I opted for a gift card yesterday because I was thinking this will count towards a revenue flight when I use it for myself (is this a correct assumption?)  I try not to use points for myself unless I need a lot of flexibility with a particular flight.  I use CP and points for the rest of my family, as needed.  I really have appreciated the advice and differing perspectives on this thread.  It has helped me figure out what works best for our family.  It also helped us to get very close to A-list status, which is really exciting and new for us!  I never even considered trying for A-list before reading this thread.  I hope it will happen for us by January 1st!


----------



## LadybugsMum

There’s already been a schedule change for RDU to MCO in the first 3 days of Dec: the early evening direct flight has disappeared. I’m really hoping the early morning direct flight doesn’t change.


----------



## sandam1

Tink3815 said:


> The flexibility of having points in my account is better for me .



Ditto! I have booked my flights exclusively with points for the past 3-4 years. I've lost track of how many times I've gotten points returned when a price goes down or changed flights when plans go haywire. And I'm much more likely to pull the trigger on buying a flight early when I know that how it easy to change this if need be so, in the end, I know that I'm getting the lowest price possible.



pooch said:


> Buying points is almost NEVER a good choice. 3500 points are only worth $55-60 against a flight. Spending that same $100 on a gift card gives you full value for your purchase.



However, the first time that you have to let a flight credit expire because you can't use it, any potential "savings" is likely gone. How many people got stuck or risked getting stuck in the past year? Also, I often book flights for my traveling companions and, if their flight goes down in price or they can't go for some reason, I get my points back rather than them getting a flight credit that only they can use.

Note: I never buy points at full cost. I always wait for them to offer me some sort of deal (last spring I was getting insane deals of 40-70% additional points) which makes the math closer to even.


----------



## katallo

We booked good flight times for the Fall.  I'm seeing people mention having to reschedule flights.  If this becomes necessary do you receive an email or should we watch for the red banner on our confirmation?  Thanks


----------



## MarBee

katallo said:


> We booked good flight times for the Fall.  I'm seeing people mention having to reschedule flights.  If this becomes necessary do you receive an email or should we watch for the red banner on our confirmation?  Thanks


You’re SUPPOSED to receive an email; however, I found that I received one close to 50% of the time.  Other times I found out just by randomly checking, and also found out a bunch through this forum


----------



## katallo

Thanks so much.  I'll try to log into our account once a week and look for red banners!  Are they usually on reservation details?


----------



## Tink3815

Lsdolphin said:


> I thought booking multiple flight for same day was not allowed.


You are correct, you can not . My original  post stated " I can book different flight time options ". I will choose a long weekend in Jan - Feb -March. If the predicted the weather is cold and rainy, I cancel 5 days out and go the next month. The flexibility of points allows me to do this.  The previous poster is making assumptions on when I book and cancel
 Below is the policy for Southwest from the contract of carriage.
*Multiple reservations departing the same city on the same day is prohibited under the Contract of Carriage.*

This year, I ended up using all 3 reservations. The predicted weather was great and the escape from NY weather and  covid regulations to a more normal FL was wonderful.


----------



## Tink3815

sandam1 said:


> Ditto! I have booked my flights exclusively with points for the past 3-4 years. I've lost track of how many times I've gotten points returned when a price goes down or changed flights when plans go haywire. And I'm much more likely to pull the trigger on buying a flight early when I know that how it easy to change this if need be so, in the end, I know that I'm getting the lowest price possible.
> 
> 
> 
> However, the first time that you have to let a flight credit expire because you can't use it, any potential "savings" is likely gone. How many people got stuck or risked getting stuck in the past year? Also, I often book flights for my traveling companions and, if their flight goes down in price or they can't go for some reason, I get my points back rather than them getting a flight credit that only they can use.
> 
> Note: I never buy points at full cost. I always wait for them to offer me some sort of deal (last spring I was getting insane deals of 40-70% additional points) which makes the math closer to even.


Totally agree with your assessment on flight credits.  If you sign up for emails through your RR account, they notify you of the sales. Last month I got 70% off purchases over 10,000.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Has anyone seen any Red Banners lately?


----------



## AussieFan8

Lsdolphin said:


> Has anyone seen any Red Banners lately?


I was wondering about the red banners. Do they show up when or immediately after you book? I have booked two flights in the last couple of weeks and have not yet seen a red banner.


----------



## MarBee

katallo said:


> Thanks so much.  I'll try to log into our account once a week and look for red banners!  Are they usually on reservation details?


If you have the app on your phone, as soon as you click on the flight, the red banner will show if it’s there.  Good luck!  Hope your times don’t change


----------



## Gitelfor

katallo said:


> I'll try to log into our account once a week and look for red banners!  Are they usually on reservation details?





Lsdolphin said:


> Has anyone seen any Red Banners lately?


Checking flights once a week is not often enough, as once the “change” banner appears, you only have three days to make a no-change in fare online modification-that is three days from when it’s first attached to your reservation, not from when you first see it.  However, if Southwest actually _changed_ your flight, without your permission, I believe you can call, even after the three days, and they will adjust your reservation at no additional cost, subject to availability.

There has been a banner for September, October, and early November for the past couple of days, or so.  The banner only may appear on certain itineraries, so each booking s/b checked by going in to the “change” feature.  It will be obvious, prior to seeing available new flights.


----------



## katallo

Gitelfor said:


> Checking flights once a week is not often enough, as once the “change” banner appears, you only have three days to make a no-change in fare online modification-that is three days from when it’s first attached to your reservation, not from when you first see it.  However, if Southwest actually _changed_ your flight, without your permission, I believe you can call, even after the three days, and they will adjust your reservation at no additional cost, subject to availability.
> 
> There has been a banner for September, October, and early November for the past couple of days, or so.  The banner only may appear on certain itineraries, so each booking s/b checked by going in to the “change” feature.  It will be obvious, prior to seeing available new flights.



Thanks SO much.  I didn't know we had to actually click on change!  So far, so good!


----------



## LadybugsMum

AussieFan8 said:


> I was wondering about the red banners. Do they show up when or immediately after you book? I have booked two flights in the last couple of weeks and have not yet seen a red banner.


The banners only show up if one or more of your flights have been affected. If you don't have a banner then nothing should have changed.


----------



## Gitelfor

LadybugsMum said:


> The banners only show up if one or more of your flights have been affected. If you don't have a banner then nothing should have changed.


That actually is not accurate.  The banner can show on reservations that are not changed by Southwest, but somehow are affected by some Southwest algorithm.  The current change banners I have seen have not been impacted by any changes made by Southwest, but still qualify to modify at no change in fare.

It’s not publicly known why some itineraries have the change banner, while others don’t.  Speculation includes city pairs, but that’s just a guess.


----------



## Leigh L

Gitelfor said:


> That actually is not accurate.  The banner can show on reservations that are not changed by Southwest, but somehow are affected by some Southwest algorithm.  *The current change banners I have seen have not been impacted by any changes made by Southwest, but still qualify to modify at no change in fare.*
> 
> It’s not publicly known why some itineraries have the change banner, while others don’t.  Speculation includes city pairs, but that’s just a guess.


I booked a July flight a couple of weeks ago and this is exactly what happened. The banner showed up within minutes of my booking and my flight was one of the options to choose from.


----------



## Avery&Todd

LadybugsMum said:


> There’s already been a schedule change for RDU to MCO in the first 3 days of Dec: the early evening direct flight has disappeared. I’m really hoping the early morning direct flight doesn’t change.


OH NO!!  We have these flights booked and I've got an itchy finger on the Delta website ready to book their 2 direct flights for our trip so SW better not change these flights we have booked:


----------



## babydoll65

Avery&Todd said:


> OH NO!!  We have these flights booked and I've got an itchy finger on the Delta website ready to book their 2 direct flights for our trip so SW better not change these flights we have booked:
> 
> View attachment 582108


But those are non-stop flights. Do you really want direct??


----------



## LadybugsMum

Avery&Todd said:


> OH NO!!  We have these flights booked and I've got an itchy finger on the Delta website ready to book their 2 direct flights for our trip so SW better not change these flights we have booked:
> 
> View attachment 582108


I have those same flights for Dec. I used RR points in case I needed to switch over to Delta and this way I wouldn't lose any money. I have $600 of travel funds that will expire before I can use it and I don't want that to happen again.

@babydoll65 those are nonstop, not direct. SW either has non-stop or flights with connections for the RDU-MCO route. @Avery&Todd and I are using direct and non-stop interchangeably here.


----------



## Avery&Todd

LadybugsMum said:


> I have those same flights for Dec. I used RR points in case I needed to switch over to Delta and this way I wouldn't lose any money. I have $600 of travel funds that will expire before I can use it and I don't want that to happen again.
> 
> @babydoll65 those are nonstop, not direct. SW either has non-stop or flights with connections for the RDU-MCO route. @Avery&Todd and I are using direct and non-stop interchangeably here.


I also booked these flights with points and have no problem cancelling them again and paying for direct/non-stop flights with Delta!  In fact, I checked my Delta flights this morning and they were DOWN almost $150 for the 2 of us from when I last looked and down to the original price of when I first pondered going with Delta and not SW before they released their new schedule.

I have not seen these times for SW flights to/from MCO so I was SHOCKED when they popped up!

Is there a difference between non-stop and direct? I thought they were the same?


----------



## babydoll65

LadybugsMum said:


> I have those same flights for Dec. I used RR points in case I needed to switch over to Delta and this way I wouldn't lose any money. I have $600 of travel funds that will expire before I can use it and I don't want that to happen again.
> 
> @babydoll65 those are nonstop, not direct. SW either has non-stop or flights with connections for the RDU-MCO route. @Avery&Todd and I are using direct and non-stop interchangeably here.


Sorry I guess I didn't see what you had posted just the picture which obviously is a non stop flight. I book southwest all the time and only book non stop fights I prefer not to book direct mainly because I don't feel like changing planes or having it take longer to get there. I only stated what I put because many people confused the difference between nonstop and direct.Maybe I guess you must have misunderstood what I put in my post.


----------



## BelleOftheBall16

Avery&Todd said:


> Is there a difference between non-stop and direct? I thought they were the same?



Non-stop is when you go from point a to point b without stopping anywhere. Direct is when you go from point a to point b but you stop somewhere along the way and then continue on the same plane. For example if I am going from lax to mco on a direct flight, I would go from lax-dfw then dfw-mco. The plane and flight# are the same and I would just stay on the plane in dfw and continue on to mco.


----------



## Avery&Todd

BelleOftheBall16 said:


> Non-stop is when you go from point a to point b without stopping anywhere. Direct is when you go from point a to point b but you stop somewhere along the way and then continue on the same plane. For example if I am going from lax to mco on a direct flight, I would go from lax-dfw then dfw-mco. The plane and flight# are the same and I would just stay on the plane in dfw and continue on to mco.


Hmmm.....I guess I just thought that direct was the same as a non-stop since I'm going "directly" from point A to point B.....and I would consider a layover where I went from point A, stopped a point B and then continued over to point C...

I've honestly never been on a flight where I actually made a stop in the middle and didn't get off the plane, so I've either only taken a non-stop or a layover flight..,

OK - sounds good!


----------



## scrappinginontario

I will say I was wondering the same thing re: the difference between non-stop and direct.  Good to learn there is a difference.

We were on a direct flight once then i guess and enjoyed it!  We went from MCO - FLL - BUF.  We liked it because at FLL we chose to move to the front row when we were allowed to change seats and were first off the plane.  Kinda fun but personally I'd take non-stop over direct any opportunity I get.


----------



## Avery&Todd

LadybugsMum said:


> I have those same flights for Dec. I used RR points in case I needed to switch over to Delta and this way I wouldn't lose any money. I have $600 of travel funds that will expire before I can use it and I don't want that to happen again.


THIS is the return flight that I'm HOPING SW ends up adding on our departure date....why leave at 10:20 in the morning when you can leave at 6:10pm after a day in the parks!



They are offering it on Sunday, Nov. 28th but not earlier Sunday's in the month - and it's the 2nd non-stop of the day, but perhaps it's because it's the Sunday after Thanksgiving and they assume they'll have more of a need..


----------



## mfly

I saw this in an email I received from SW today. Anyone have an idea what it is?

Probably just another fare “sale?”


----------



## katallo

I did too, but didn't understand.  Because it says no hidden fees (there never are) maybe it involves a change.  But, we also received one about a big sale on the 18th....


----------



## LadybugsMum

Avery&Todd said:


> THIS is the return flight that I'm HOPING SW ends up adding on our departure date....why leave at 10:20 in the morning when you can leave at 6:10pm after a day in the parks!
> 
> View attachment 582130
> 
> They are offering it on Sunday, Nov. 28th but not earlier Sunday's in the month - and it's the 2nd non-stop of the day, but perhaps it's because it's the Sunday after Thanksgiving and they assume they'll have more of a need..



I've got kids who will have to go to school the next day; so I want the 10 am flight in case we get delayed. We do better overall if we have morning flights.


----------



## Avery&Todd

LadybugsMum said:


> I've got kids who will have to go to school the next day; so I want the 10 am flight in case we get delayed. We do better overall if we have morning flights.


Oh yes - that makes sense!  I did ask DH if he wanted to take the 8:45pm direct flight home since it was later than our 10:20am, but he said "NOPE, too late, since its a work night!"
HA!

chicken.......ok - all they had was a squirrel emoji!


----------



## Erica Ladd

1. If I want to book a revenue flight for me (and CP for DH) but want to use points for my kids do I have to make separate reservations or can I do it all together?  
2. If it has to be separately is there a way to link the reservations for if/when I earn A list status? Or even just for regular check in purposes


----------



## EACarlson

babydoll65 said:


> But those are non-stop flights. Do you really want direct??


Non-stops are direct.  They are all one flight number and you don't have to change planes anywhere.  All non-stops are direct but not all directs are non-stops.


----------



## babydoll65

EACarlson said:


> Non-stops are direct.  They are all one flight number and you don't have to change planes anywhere.  All non-stops are direct but not all directs are non-stops.


Non-stop flights are not the same as direct flights by definition. That's why booking sites have the option to filter your choices if you want to only look at non-stop flights. This is why I don't book Delta out of Rhode island since they only offer direct flights out of Providence. If I want non-stop, I would have to fly out of Boston.


----------



## EACarlson

babydoll65 said:


> Non-stop flights are not the same as direct flights by definition. That's why booking sites have the option to filter your choices if you want to only look at non-stop flights. This is why I don't book Delta out of Rhode island since they only offer direct flights out of Providence. If I want non-stop, I would have to fly out of Boston.


 A non-stop is a direct flight by definition.  The definition of a direct flight is one that uses a single flight number to go from one place to another and does not require a plane change and may include other stops.  A non-stop is a subset of a direct flight.


----------



## babydoll65

EACarlson said:


> A non-stop is a direct flight by definition.  The definition of a direct flight is one that uses a single flight number to go from one place to another and does not require a plane change and may include other stops.  A non-stop is a subset of a direct flight.


I understand what you're saying but to the original poster I was posting to, I was correct also. My answer is based on booking and it is good to know the difference between the 2 when booking it.


----------



## Gitelfor

The BIG announcement for June 15 (part of the 50th birthday celebration) is a sale running from mid-September until first week of November.  There are heavily discounted cash fares, subject to availability.  If points fares have been discounted, as well, it's not readily apparent. The fares have already been loaded and are available for booking now!  You will see the "normal" cash fare, as well as the discounted fare, during your search.  If you can book now, I suggest doing so, while availability is the best and before the site crashes, due to demand.

For those who bought Southwest gift cards on June 11, now is the time to use them, for double savings.


----------



## CAPSLOCK

You can also change existing flights to the new lower fares, if applicable.


----------



## zemmer

Oh man, I hope they do it for points too!


----------



## Gitelfor

CAPSLOCK said:


> You can also change existing flights to the new lower fares, if applicable.





zemmer said:


> Oh man, I hope they do it for points too!



Checking quite a few points bookings, against the BIG sale fares, all were at increased costs over existing; so, it looks like only cash fares are discounted.  Reminder to those who are able to modify cash bookings for savings, any savings go into your travel funds, which must be used for travel completed within one year, from date of _original _booking.  If you use more than one credit from your travel funds on a new reservation, _all_ travel funds used on that booking will inherit the oldest expiration date.


----------



## bookgirl2632

I just rebooked my October flight.  Since I’m not planning on a trip next year, I opted to rebook and get Business Select for our one way flights to Orlando.  And I still ended up with a credit, which I may or may not be able to use next year.  

So question about the Fly By lane? I’m not familiar with it since I’ve never flown Business Select. What is this perk?

Also, it’s too bad that this isn’t on points flights.  Our one way flight back from Orlando to BWI was booked on points and there’s no savings there.  Oh well.


----------



## Gitelfor

bookgirl2632 said:


> I just rebooked my October flight.  Since I’m not planning on a trip next year, I opted to rebook and get Business Select for our one way flights to Orlando.  And I still ended up with a credit, which I may or may not be able to use next year.
> 
> So question about the Fly By lane? I’m not familiar with it since I’ve never flown Business Select. What is this perk?



*What is a Fly By Lane?*
Fly By Lanes are priority check-in and security lanes that give Business Select™ Customers and Members of the Rapid Rewards® A-List direct access to the front of the ticket counter and security checkpoints at select airports. Less time in line means you can spend more time doing what you want before your flight.  Note:  MCO does not have Fly By Security

*Who can use Fly By Priority Lanes?*
Only Customers who purchase a Business Select Fare and Rapid Rewards A-List, and A-List Preferred Members are eligible to use the Fly By Lanes. Customers who wish to upgrade to Business Select may do so through the Fly By Priority Check-in Lanes at the ticket counter; however, family members or other Customers traveling with Business Select Customers, A-List Members, or A-List Preferred Members are not allowed to piggyback with Fly By-eligible Customers.

*How will I know which lane to enter?*
The Fly By Priority Check-in Lane will be set off by silver lane belts. Gold and silver signs and carpet will also help distinguish the lane in most locations.
Gold and silver Fly By signs or the Fly By logo will direct you to the priority security lanes.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Keep in mind that you will be assigned a boarding number between A-1 and A-15; however, you still need to check-in at T-24 to get your boarding number, so the earlier you check-in, the lower the boarding number.


----------



## bookgirl2632

So, the Fly By lane helps get through security faster?  Am I understanding that correctly?  I know I’ll still have to go through the regular security procedures, but we’ll enter a quicker line to speed up the process?

And thanks for the tip about checkin.  That was the main reason I opted for this upgrade, the guaranteed A-1 to A-15.


----------



## Gitelfor

bookgirl2632 said:


> So, the Fly By lane helps get through security faster?  Am I understanding that correctly?  I know I’ll still have to go through the regular security procedures, but we’ll enter a quicker line to speed up the process?



I have never used the Fly By Lane, as I have PreCheck, but it looks like it gets you through security faster, when showing your BS boarding pass. I would ask when checking in at the counter, unless someone here can offer further info. 

List of airports with Fly By Security


----------



## pooh'smate

Gitelfor said:


> The BIG announcement for June 15 (part of the 50th birthday celebration) is a sale running from mid-September until first week of November.  There are heavily discounted cash fares, subject to availability.  If points fares have been discounted, as well, it's not readily apparent. The fares have already been loaded and are available for booking now!  You will see the "normal" cash fare, as well as the discounted fare, during your search.  If you can book now, I suggest doing so, while availability is the best and before the site crashes, due to demand.
> 
> For those who bought Southwest gift cards on June 11, now is the time to use them, for double savings.


Thank you for posting this! I went to check my flights and I was able to switch to nonstop flight they added AND I got $575 back as a credit


----------



## Lsdolphin

Gitelfor said:


> The BIG announcement for June 15 (part of the 50th birthday celebration) is a sale running from mid-September until first week of November.  There are heavily discounted cash fares, subject to availability.  If points fares have been discounted, as well, it's not readily apparent. The fares have already been loaded and are available for booking now!  You will see the "normal" cash fare, as well as the discounted fare, during your search.  If you can book now, I suggest doing so, while availability is the best and before the site crashes, due to demand.
> 
> For those who bought Southwest gift cards on June 11, now is the time to use them, for double savings.



I just got R/T flight BWI/MCO for $116!!!  Thank you!!!


----------



## Lsdolphin

pooh'smate said:


> Thank you for posting this! I went to check my flights and I was able to switch to nonstop flight they added AND I got $575 back as a credit



How long will this sale last?


----------



## katallo

Use promotion code SAVE50 from 6/15-6/17 for travel 9/15-11/3/21.    If you booked on points check and double check.  If we had paid cash we would have saved.  With points, our fares increased significantly.


----------



## CouponGirl

katallo said:


> Use promotion code SAVE50 from 6/15-6/17 for travel 9/15-11/3/21.    If you booked on points check and double check.  If we had paid cash we would have saved.  With points, our fares increased significantly.


Is there a way to use the promo code when doing a change flight on points or do you have to cancel the old reservation and make new one?


----------



## MinnieMSue

Checked in today (well technically we are early bird). We have separated boarding positions by a few numbers. Weird since purchased tickets together. Oh well, I will give up my closer one to move back with the kid to board. There are clearly a lot more A list on this flight as I assume most purchases wanna get away since that fare is still available. We bought tickets as soon as they went on sale and got late A. Luckily they are still A. Once my kid got A 60 and I got B 1. Not worried as I can buy 8 tickets for wanna get away fare now if I wanted to so I know the flight isn’t full.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Points went up, cash prices way down. Darn. Another SW game to play. I could cancel and rebook on cash. My DH is flying as a companion. Idk if I want to mess with that.


----------



## EACarlson

bookgirl2632 said:


> So, the Fly By lane helps get through security faster?  Am I understanding that correctly?  I know I’ll still have to go through the regular security procedures, but we’ll enter a quicker line to speed up the process?
> 
> And thanks for the tip about checkin.  That was the main reason I opted for this upgrade, the guaranteed A-1 to A-15.


That is correct.  Depending on what airport your flying out of.  At each airport airlines can pay to have another security line just for whomever they want to send there, typically their elite frequent flyers.  Sometimes it's worth it for the airlines, sometimes it's not.  I know there has been quite a bit of consternation that Southwest does not have "FlyBy" lanes at MDW, I don't think I've seen the at MCO either.


----------



## bookgirl2632

katallo said:


> Use promotion code SAVE50 from 6/15-6/17 for travel 9/15-11/3/21.    If you booked on points check and double check.  If we had paid cash we would have saved.  With points, our fares increased significantly.


I changed mine late last night, but didn’t have to put in the Save50 promo code.  I wonder if that means I could save more.  I doubt it though since the price definitely dropped in a huge way even without it.


----------



## bookgirl2632

EACarlson said:


> That is correct.  Depending on what airport your flying out of.  At each airport airlines can pay to have another security line just for whomever they want to send there, typically their elite frequent flyers.  Sometimes it's worth it for the airlines, sometimes it's not.  I know there has been quite a bit of consternation that Southwest does not have "FlyBy" lanes at MDW, I don't think I've seen the at MCO either.


Great!  Thanks for the info.  BWI is listed as having it and I’m pretty sure I recall seeing it.


----------



## Erica Ladd

bookgirl2632 said:


> I changed mine late last night, but didn’t have to put in the Save50 promo code.  I wonder if that means I could save more.  I doubt it though since the price definitely dropped in a huge way even without it.



yes I’m wondering if that promo code works on top of the cash prices listed? Anyone try it?


----------



## bookgirl2632

Okay, so I was playing around and put the Save50 code in while trying to book a points travel and it took half the points off.  The problem is that when I then went to try to change my existing flight for which I used points, there is no way to put the promo code in.  If I were to cancel my flight and rebook, how quickly do the points get returned to my account?


----------



## Avery&Todd

bookgirl2632 said:


> Okay, so I was playing around and put the Save50 code in while trying to book a points travel and it took half the points off.  The problem is that when I then went to try to change my existing flight for which I used points, there is no way to put the promo code in.  If I were to cancel my flight and rebook, how quickly do the points get returned to my account?


I have always found that points are returned immediately!  After the transaction you can log out, log back in and BAM!  The points are back!


----------



## cmarsh31

Points went WAY up. My flights were under 10k points each way, now over 30k for WTA.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

From now on I'm going to book each way independently. This way I can change one leg without messing up the whole reservation.


----------



## qv09vvp

Hi -  i need advice.   I booked 5 adults  last week for our Thanksgiving trip.     Now one of the adults (non- family member)  is having to pull out for family reasons.    has anyone experienced this enough to tell me what my options are?  we may have someone else coming that can take that ticket...i just don't know how all this works & i wanted to ask here before calling southwest.     If it makes a difference I booked wanna get away fares on cash with early bird for all of us both ways...    thanks in advance..i really appreciate it..


----------



## kelpricer

I tested booking at the price listed and then tried the next one going through the prompt for the 50%. The price was the same, so you cant save any more by clicking into the 50%, it’s the same as the price listed


----------



## ultimatefans

qv09vvp said:


> Hi -  i need advice.   I booked 5 adults  last week for our Thanksgiving trip.     Now one of the adults (non- family member)  is having to pull out for family reasons.    has anyone experienced this enough to tell me what my options are?  we may have someone else coming that can take that ticket...i just don't know how all this works & i wanted to ask here before calling southwest.     If it makes a difference I booked wanna get away fares on cash with early bird for all of us both ways...    thanks in advance..i really appreciate it..


If you contact Southwest via phone or social media they will be able to split the reservation for you so the person that needs to cancel is on their own reservation.  Then you can cancel that person's reservation.  The funds you paid can only be used by that person and expire 1 year from the original date of purchase.  Tickets can't be transferred so you'll need to purchase a new ticket if somebody else joins you.  I can't speak to Early Bird though.


----------



## focusondisney

ultimatefans said:


> If you contact Southwest via phone or social media they will be able to split the reservation for you so the person that needs to cancel is on their own reservation.  Then you can cancel that person's reservation.  The funds you paid can only be used by that person and expire 1 year from the original date of purchase.  Tickets can't be transferred so you'll need to purchase a new ticket if somebody else joins you.*  I can't speak to Early Bird though.*



Early Bird is nonrefundable.  So unfortunately that money is just lost.


----------



## focusondisney

kelpricer said:


> I tested booking at the price listed and then tried the next one going through the prompt for the 50%. The price was the same, so you cant save any more by clicking into the 50%, it’s the same as the price listed



I think not all flights are eligible for the save50 promo.  I checked some & it shows the original price with a slash thru it & has the new price listed.  So maybe the flights you are looking at aren’t included.  And you have to type “save50” in the promo code box. Not sure if you did that?


----------



## qv09vvp

Thank you both!


----------



## Shannon G

CAPSLOCK said:


> You can also change existing flights to the new lower fares, if applicable.





katallo said:


> Use promotion code SAVE50 from 6/15-6/17 for travel 9/15-11/3/21.    If you booked on points check and double check.  If we had paid cash we would have saved.  With points, our fares increased significantly.



Is is possible to apply the discount code to change an existing reservation, or would we have to cancel and rebook? It looks like it might save us even on points, but I just added EBCI (to take advantage of the bonus points on the SW card last week), and I don't want to lose that. I don't see anywhere to add the code after selecting change reservation.


----------



## Wood Nymph

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> From now on I'm going to book each way independently. This way I can change one leg without messing up the whole reservation.


I book each leg separately whenever I book a flight that uses travel funds and/or rewards points. One of the reasons I do this is because SWA puts a limit on how many forms of payment you can use and I often have travel funds from several flights. The other reason is that it is easier to book one leg with points/funds and one leg with cash.


----------



## kelpricer

focusondisney said:


> I think not all flights are eligible for the save50 promo.  I checked some & it shows the original price with a slash thru it & has the new price listed.  So maybe the flights you are looking at aren’t included.  And you have to type “save50” in the promo code box. Not sure if you did that?


I was responding to a poster who asked if anyone tried to see if adding the code saved more than just what was under the slashed price. it doesn’t, you don’t need to add the code it’s already listed as 50%


----------



## focusondisney

kelpricer said:


> I was responding to a poster who asked if anyone tried to see if adding the code saved more than just what was under the slashed price. it doesn’t, you don’t need to add the code it’s already listed as 50%



Oops, sorry! My misunderstanding.


----------



## Shannon G

kelpricer said:


> I was responding to a poster who asked if anyone tried to see if adding the code saved more than just what was under the slashed price. it doesn’t, you don’t need to add the code it’s already listed as 50%



For points bookings (at least for the dates that I am looking at) the discounted flight only shows up if I add the code.


----------



## kelpricer

Shannon G said:


> For points bookings (at least for the dates that I am looking at) the discounted flight only shows up if I add the code.


Good to know, I only tested the actual cash not the points. now I’m going to check my return flight I had booked with points


----------



## Lsdolphin

Definitely going to be some very full flights this fall!


----------



## bookgirl2632

So, apparently, the Save50 promo does work on some points fares.  It’s only on new bookings.  I just canceled my one way from MCO to BWI and rebooked it with the promo.  I ended up getting Business Select and still had points left that were refunded to me.  This deal has worked great for me.  I had not booked EBCI, but now I don’t need it with the Business Select I just booked.  Yay me!


----------



## Shannon G

bookgirl2632 said:


> So, apparently, the Save50 promo does work on some points fares.  It’s only on new bookings.  I just canceled my one way from MCO to BWI and rebooked it with the promo.  I ended up getting Business Select and still had points left that were refunded to me.  This deal has worked great for me.  I had not booked EBCI, but now I don’t need it with the Business Select I just booked.  Yay me!



I did the same thing, but I had already added ECBI -  just last week! (I had only added it to 2 of our 3 tickets since I should be getting my companion pass in the next few weeks, so the 3rd ticket will be canceled & changed to a companion pass flight). I canceled & rebooked Business Select fares, and we still got points back. I had been thinking of changing our flight down to an earlier flight, but without the promo it would have meant an increase in the points needed. Now we have the flight I wanted, boarding in A1- A15, and spent fewer points! And I don't even mind that I paid for ECBI that we no longer need, since I did it to take advantage of the 1 day 10x points on SW spending last week, and it pushed me over the threshhold for the companion pass!


----------



## mickeynut1

bookgirl2632 said:


> Okay, so I was playing around and put the Save50 code in while trying to book a points travel and it took half the points off.  The problem is that when I then went to try to change my existing flight for which I used points, there is no way to put the promo code in.  If I were to cancel my flight and rebook, how quickly do the points get returned to my account?



As a pp said, points are returned to your RR acct immediately. 



kelpricer said:


> I tested booking at the price listed and then tried the next one going through the prompt for the 50%. The price was the same, so you cant save any more by clicking into the 50%, it’s the same as the price listed



The cash price is the same, but the points cost is less through the promo code.  I booked an outgoing flight with points that showed a cash price of $108 (14,329 pts).  For the return, I went through the promo link expecting it to be the same since the cash price was the same, but noticed the points were half of what I had just booked for the outgoing flight.  I finished booking the return and then went back in through the promo to check the outgoing flight and sure enough.....that flight was half the points of what I booked.  I quickly rebooked through the promo and then cancelled the other one.  Just want to let others know that even though the cash price is the same with or without the promo, going through the promo link is necessary to get the cheaper points cost.    



Shannon G said:


> Is is possible to apply the discount code to change an existing reservation, or would we have to cancel and rebook? It looks like it might save us even on points, but I just added EBCI (to take advantage of the bonus points on the SW card last week), and I don't want to lose that. I don't see anywhere to add the code after selecting change reservation.



You would have to cancel and rebook as I don't think there's any way (none that I've found anyway) to apply the promo to an existing reservation.  Unfortunately, upon cancelling, you will lose EBCI and would have to repurchase that on the re-booked flight.


----------



## Shannon G

mickeynut1 said:


> You would have to cancel and rebook as I don't think there's any way (none that I've found anyway) to apply the promo to an existing reservation.  Unfortunately, upon cancelling, you will lose EBCI and would have to repurchase that on the re-booked flight.



I did decide to cancel & rebook, but was able to book Business Select fares and still get points back, so it didn't really matter that we lost the ECBI.


----------



## mickeynut1

Shannon G said:


> I did decide to cancel & rebook, but was able to book Business Select fares and still get points back, so it didn't really matter that we lost the ECBI.



I saw your post after I posted...lol.  Glad you still got points back!


----------



## zemmer

bookgirl2632 said:


> Okay, so I was playing around and put the Save50 code in while trying to book a points travel and it took half the points off.  The problem is that when I then went to try to change my existing flight for which I used points, there is no way to put the promo code in.  If I were to cancel my flight and rebook, how quickly do the points get returned to my account?


Thank you for posting that the promo works for points too! I was able to rebook and get the exact flights i wanted for only 2000 extra points instead of 40000! (We originally booked the cheapest option a few weeks ago hoping for a red banner or some kind of sale.)


----------



## ah10is

Rebooked with the SAVE50 promo for our Disney 50th trip and it saved us 12000 points per person over our original booking!   Finally a deal that worked for us!!!!


----------



## Erica Ladd

Looking for quick cheap flights for short trips out of RDU to earn A List status. Any suggestions???


----------



## Shannon G

Erica Ladd said:


> Looking for quick cheap flights for short trips out of RDU to earn A List status. Any suggestions???



It looks like there are flights to BWI for as low as $49 one way.


----------



## Shannon G

Erica Ladd said:


> Looking for quick cheap flights for short trips out of RDU to earn A List status. Any suggestions???





Shannon G said:


> It looks like there are flights to BWI for as low as $49 one way.



Also:
$42 to FLL, MCO, TPA
$49 to Nashville


----------



## irt9206

southwest-airlines-grounds-all-flights-amid-computer-outage
Anybody know of anyone affected by this. I fly into Orlando in 10 days after 4 rescheduled trips due to covid and this is the last thing I needed to see.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Wonder if they'll extend the sale because of the outage. Has anyone had problems rebooking your flight online and then go in to rebook your companion pass with no availability? Thanks.


----------



## MinnieMSue

irt9206 said:


> southwest-airlines-grounds-all-flights-amid-computer-outage
> Anybody know of anyone affected by this. I fly into Orlando in 10 days after 4 rescheduled trips due to covid and this is the last thing I needed to see.



i fly out tomorrow at 6:30am. My flight status appears to be on time but is it really?!?!!!  Very nervous about this


----------



## katallo

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> Wonder if they'll extend the sale because of the outage. Has anyone had problems rebooking your flight online and then go in to rebook your companion pass with no availability? Thanks.


They might extend date or extend into November.  We have two friends caught in this computer glitch fiasco.  They said it's a mess!


----------



## MinnieMSue

So I have a flight change banner for tomorrow’s flight. Ugh. I hope our flight ends up happening


----------



## crazymomof4

Shannon G said:


> I did decide to cancel & rebook, but was able to book Business Select fares and still get points back, so it didn't really matter that we lost the ECBI.


I have a trip booked and could save some points using Save50 but a place to enter the code doesn't show up when I try to change the flights. 
I didn't purchase EBCI
Will I lose anything by canceling and rebooking?  I've never done that before. Only ever changed flight to get the lower cost.  
A little nervous that I will foul things up somehow.  Like go to rebook and there's not 4 seats available.
Is there any risk.


----------



## Shannon G

crazymomof4 said:


> I have a trip booked and could save some points using Save50 but a place to enter the code doesn't show up when I try to change the flights.
> I didn't purchase EBCI
> Will I lose anything by canceling and rebooking?  I've never done that before. Only ever changed flight to get the lower cost.
> A little nervous that I will foul things up somehow.  Like go to rebook and there's not 4 seats available.
> Is there any risk.



I suppose there is theoretically a chance that you could cancel & then have the tickets sell before you can repurchase, but I’ve never had an issue. I just make sure I repurchase right away. And the site will usually tell you if there are only a few remaining tickets in a particular category (wanna getaway, anytime, or business select). When I did mine today it told me that our flight down only had 4 of the business select fares left at that price, but I had no problem cancelling our existing reservation & then booking 3 of the 4 business select fares that were available at the promo price.


----------



## ultimatefans

crazymomof4 said:


> I have a trip booked and could save some points using Save50 but a place to enter the code doesn't show up when I try to change the flights.
> I didn't purchase EBCI
> Will I lose anything by canceling and rebooking?  I've never done that before. Only ever changed flight to get the lower cost.
> A little nervous that I will foul things up somehow.  Like go to rebook and there's not 4 seats available.
> Is there any risk.


I always rebook first and then cancel if I can (meaning I have enough points).  As long as you cancel the original flight right away there won’t be an issue.  I just did that today and was double booked for an hour or so while I waited for southwest to split my original reservation.  No problems.


----------



## CouponGirl

ultimatefans said:


> I always rebook first and then cancel if I can (meaning I have enough points).  As long as you cancel the original flight right away there won’t be an issue.  I just did that today and was double booked for an hour or so while I waited for southwest to split my original reservation.  No problems.


That’s great to know that’s an option. I wondered what would happen if I waited until I had made my new flight to cancel the old one. I ended up canceling first and then rebooking, but it’s good to know in the future I could do it that way.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Just got off the phone with customer service. I was able to save over 3000 points rebooking with them. We are using CP. I could've saved 8000 at 6 am when I called, but I didn't know about the code to use on points and the procedure. At that time of day I thought the discount was only available on cash bookings. Now I  know how to rebook online. I was told cancel the CP first, then mine. Go in and rebook mine, then the CP. Make sure there are two seats available before canceling and rebooking.


----------



## starry_solo

Saved approx. 40% on my flights (originally $265, now $155) , one way though


----------



## crazymomof4

Shannon G said:


> I suppose there is theoretically a chance that you could cancel & then have the tickets sell before you can repurchase, but I’ve never had an issue. I just make sure I repurchase right away. And the site will usually tell you if there are only a few remaining tickets in a particular category (wanna getaway, anytime, or business select). When I did mine today it told me that our flight down only had 4 of the business select fares left at that price, but I had no problem cancelling our existing reservation & then booking 3 of the 4 business select fares that were available at the promo price.


Thanks so much!  I did a "search flights" before I canceled to make sure 4 tix were were available in my category.   Then canceled and rebooked immediately.    SAVE50 price for each of our tix (each way) was only 5003 pts! So I banked a total of 20k points back into my account by canceling and rebooking using the promo!!  Happy!


----------



## DebbieB

I got back approximately 4200 points rebooking my Sept/Oct trip.      The number of points went up since I bought them so it was about 25%.


----------



## SquirmansWife

MinnieMSue said:


> So I have a flight change banner for tomorrow’s flight. Ugh. I hope our flight ends up happening


Our nonstop flight for 6:05 tomorrow morning (arriving at MCO at 8:40 am) was looking good, had our mobile boarding passes, etc and at 8pm tonight they cancelled. We are beyond frustrated. They eventually automatically rebooked us on a flight on the 17th arriving at MCO at 8:55. This means we’re losing 2 full days (36 hrs but 2 days of vacation time essentially). Was on hold for 2 hrs and they weren’t able to do anything- couldn’t even book at a nearby airport and drive without paying the extreme price difference (the departure flight alone was $600/person). Trying to stay positive for the next day and a half (and having to make some cancellations tomorrow for the missed days)…


----------



## CouponGirl

SquirmansWife said:


> Our nonstop flight for 6:05 tomorrow morning (arriving at MCO at 8:40 am) was looking good, had our mobile boarding passes, etc and at 8pm tonight they cancelled. We are beyond frustrated. They eventually automatically rebooked us on a flight on the 17th arriving at MCO at 8:55. This means we’re losing 2 full days (36 hrs but 2 days of vacation time essentially). Was on hold for 2 hrs and they weren’t able to do anything- couldn’t even book at a nearby airport and drive without paying the extreme price difference (the departure flight alone was $600/person). Trying to stay positive for the next day and a half (and having to make some cancellations tomorrow for the missed days)…


I’m so, so sorry this happened to you.


----------



## SquirmansWife

CouponGirl said:


> I’m so, so sorry this happened to you.


Thank you. I know we’re not alone but it definitely stinks. Oddly, I had no idea they had even been having issues until I got the cancellation notice. Quite the surprise!


----------



## MinnieMSue

SquirmansWife said:


> Our nonstop flight for 6:05 tomorrow morning (arriving at MCO at 8:40 am) was looking good, had our mobile boarding passes, etc and at 8pm tonight they cancelled. We are beyond frustrated. They eventually automatically rebooked us on a flight on the 17th arriving at MCO at 8:55. This means we’re losing 2 full days (36 hrs but 2 days of vacation time essentially). Was on hold for 2 hrs and they weren’t able to do anything- couldn’t even book at a nearby airport and drive without paying the extreme price difference (the departure flight alone was $600/person). Trying to stay positive for the next day and a half (and having to make some cancellations tomorrow for the missed days)…



ugh I am so sorry this happened to you. We are supposed to leave Columbus OH at 6:35 and it appears to be on time. But I am still worried. We are doing a very short trip that I did not want to cut shorter like you had to. Barely slept last night because I have been so nervous about this.


----------



## MinnieMSue

MinnieMSue said:


> ugh I am so sorry this happened to you. We are supposed to leave Columbus OH at 6:35 and it appears to be on time. But I am still worried. We are doing a very short trip that I did not want to cut shorter like you had to. Barely slept last night because I have been so nervous about this.



we started driving to the airport and I got a text that we have a 35 min delay but that’s not an issue. I was so worried it would be cancelled


----------



## Leigh L

irt9206 said:


> southwest-airlines-grounds-all-flights-amid-computer-outage
> Anybody know of anyone affected by this. I fly into Orlando in 10 days after 4 rescheduled trips due to covid and this is the last thing I needed to see.


Hopefully, it'll be fixed by then. I can confirm a family member flying out of a different FL airport was delayed yesterday (but I think only an hour or two).


----------



## SquirmansWife

MinnieMSue said:


> we started driving to the airport and I got a text that we have a 35 min delay but that’s not an issue. I was so worried it would be cancelled


Hopefully your flight only saw the 35 min delay and you get to enjoy your trip!  Our trip was at least a long one so we are thankful for that.


----------



## Leigh L

SquirmansWife said:


> Hopefully your flight only saw the 35 min delay and you get to enjoy your trip!  Our trip was at least a long one so we are thankful for that.


I'm soooo sorry this happened to you (I just also read your post on the CSR thread).

I'm glad to hear you'll have a long trip and wishing your flight goes smoothly and that you and yours have SO much fun once you get down there!


----------



## SquirmansWife

Leigh L said:


> I'm soooo sorry this happened to you (I just also read your post on the CSR thread).
> 
> I'm glad to hear you'll have a long trip and wishing your flight goes smoothly and that you and yours have SO much fun once you get down there!


Thank you SO much!


----------



## ultimatefans

SquirmansWife said:


> Our nonstop flight for 6:05 tomorrow morning (arriving at MCO at 8:40 am) was looking good, had our mobile boarding passes, etc and at 8pm tonight they cancelled. We are beyond frustrated. They eventually automatically rebooked us on a flight on the 17th arriving at MCO at 8:55. This means we’re losing 2 full days (36 hrs but 2 days of vacation time essentially). Was on hold for 2 hrs and they weren’t able to do anything- couldn’t even book at a nearby airport and drive without paying the extreme price difference (the departure flight alone was $600/person). Trying to stay positive for the next day and a half (and having to make some cancellations tomorrow for the missed days)…


Oh that’s awful I’m so sorry!  I’m surprised they would require payment to fly out of a nearby airport.  Isn’t the goal to get you there ASAP?  I’m glad to see you have a long trip though and hope the rest goes very smoothly!


----------



## SquirmansWife

ultimatefans said:


> Oh that’s awful I’m so sorry!  I’m surprised they would require payment to fly out of a nearby airport.  Isn’t the goal to get you there ASAP?  I’m glad to see you have a long trip though and hope the rest goes very smoothly!


That was our thought too. SW has such good customer service that we didn’t see that as an issue. I guess it makes sense because all of those with flights from that airport were also needing to rebook. Doesn’t make me feel better though.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Any recent change banners?  Specifically around the second week in September…


----------



## Disneygrl71

I booked SW for end of July and all these cancelations they have been doing with last minute notices really make me nervous! Sure hope they get these issues fixed. Part of me is wondering if I should cancel (points were used) and book Delta.


----------



## katallo

Friends are going in July as well.  They said the same thing DISNEYGIRL71.  They also might drive since car rental prices are not dropping.


----------



## Disneygrl71

katallo said:


> Friends are going in July as well.  They said the same thing DISNEYGIRL71.  They also might drive since car rental prices are not dropping.


I’ve even considered the option of driving!

We’ve always flown SW and loved them, but they leave me with a uneasy feeling now..and I sure don’t want to lose 2 days of my trip and the money invested!


----------



## disny_luvr

Disneygrl71 said:


> I booked SW for end of July and all these cancelations they have been doing with last minute notices really make me nervous! Sure hope they get these issues fixed. Part of me is wondering if I should cancel (points were used) and book Delta.



I totally understand your uneasiness. We are flying SW to Disney on 8/1 and then back home on 8/14 and all of this is making me nervous, but I do hope that whatever is going on now gets figured out in the next few days. I’m sure we should be okay by the time our flights roll around in a few weeks.


----------



## Gitelfor

Periodic flight delays and cancellations persist today, though fewer than the past few days. As of right now, Southwest MCO departures, except morning flight to LAS, look good to go.

Southwest technical issues still causing sporadic delays and cancellations


----------



## FCDub

disny_luvr said:


> I totally understand your uneasiness. We are flying SW to Disney on 8/1 and then back home on 8/14 and all of this is making me nervous, but I do hope that whatever is going on now gets figured out in the next few days. I’m sure we should be okay by the time our flights roll around in a few weeks.



There's zero chance of this past week's issues reverberating for over a month. These situations take days to normalize.


----------



## Lsdolphin

FCDub said:


> There's zero chance of this past week's issues reverberating for over a month. These situations take days to normalize.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Did I read there’s another promo coming soon? Right now I have flight booked at not the best time but the price was right. I doubt I’ll see a change banner but I’m hoping they have another price drop. Anyone aware of what’s coming next?


----------



## katallo

I don't think anything is coming next.  I thought there might be a special on the 18th but prices are back to normal.  I tried the game but didn't win one point. LOL


----------



## Erica Ladd

katallo said:


> I don't think anything is coming next.  I thought there might be a special on the 18th but prices are back to normal.  I tried the game but didn't win one point. LOL



I didn’t win either.Boo!!!


----------



## CouponGirl

katallo said:


> I don't think anything is coming next.  I thought there might be a special on the 18th but prices are back to normal.  I tried the game but didn't win one point. LOL


Same


----------



## easyas123

No wins here, either!


----------



## mickey916

Nothing here either.


----------



## BillFromCT

They must've known that I was low on points after booking for December.  I won 100 points twice.


----------



## Gitelfor

Another day=more Southwest cancellations.  So far, today, the following flights from MCO are cancelled:

#730 to Nashville
#938 to Baltimore
#127 to Chicago (MDW)
#1771 to Norfolk
#992 to Washington (DCA)
#351 to Grand Rapids
Happy Birthday, Southwest. 

BTW, for those unable to connect to their sweepstakes page or getting a "bad gateway" message, they recommend using Microsoft Edge as your browser.


----------



## focusondisney

I entered around 8 am & didn’t have to tap any bags. Just a you lost message. Family member just entered & got a message that her entry was out in a queue & she “should” get an email in a few hours letting  her  know if she won or not. Not a good week for SW. We’re supposed to fu them home late tomorrow.


----------



## Gitelfor

focusondisney said:


> I entered around 8 am & didn’t have to tap any bags. Just a you lost message.


That has happened to me the past couple of days.  It looks like the bags are for show and have no real impact on your outcome.


----------



## Leigh L

Gitelfor said:


> That has happened to me the past couple of days.  It looks like the bags are for show and have no real impact on your outcome.


I think so too. The first day I tried I didn't see the bags at all and had gotten an email that I didn't win.


----------



## mickeynut1

BillFromCT said:


> I won 100 points twice.



I won 100 pts as well, but only once...lol.



focusondisney said:


> Family member just entered & got a message that her entry was out in a queue & she “should” get an email in a few hours letting  her  know if she won or not.



I got the same message this morning.


----------



## Lsdolphin

focusondisney said:


> I entered around 8 am & didn’t have to tap any bags. Just a you lost message. Family member just entered & got a message that her entry was out in a queue & she “should” get an email in a few hours letting  her  know if she won or not. Not a good week for SW. We’re supposed to fu them home late tomorrow.



Good Luck


----------



## Erica Ladd

Do I need to remove my CP to check if there’s a red banner on my flight?


----------



## katallo

You shouldn't have to.  I was told to click on details of my flight confirmation to see it.  Hopefully that is correct.


----------



## mrsstats79

My husband won 500 points on the sweepstakes.  I won nothing.


----------



## ultimatefans

Erica Ladd said:


> Do I need to remove my CP to check if there’s a red banner on my flight?


Confirming what pp stated - no it’s not required.  At least that was the case for me.  When I clicked details I saw the red banner but would have to remove the companion before changing online


----------



## DisneyStarWisher

We are occasional flyers, and I have SO many questions about Rapid Rewards.  Forgive my ignorance with some basic questions.  I hope all of you experts can help me out.  We are planning on flying three times within a year, so the Rapid Rewards will hopefully be able to help us out.  With flying maybe every other year in the past, we've never really utilized them.  I have 3306 points right now, not enough to really do anything with, but hopefully by the time we fly next October, I'll be able to use them.  So here are my questions:
1.  We booked our November trip the other day and since then, the price on the return trip went down.  I called and got a credit for each of us.  (I asked some questions about rewards but didn't think of all my questions until now.)  I plan to use the credits in February.  How do I know how many reward points I will earn on the flights?  I wasn't logged in when I booked the flights, but the woman on the phone added my number to the reservation. 
2.  I booked for both my DH and me at the same time.  My DH doesn't have a rapid rewards number.  The woman added my number to the reservation.  Will I only earn points on my ticket and not my DH's?
3.  Since I received a credit on the flights, will that cause my reward points to be reduced (since it's based on just a cash payment)?
I think that is all for now, but I'm sure I'll think of quite a few more.  TIA!

ETA: Turns out my DH already had a RR account and has also earned points.  Yay!  It's just been a while since we've flown, and I had forgotten.


----------



## connie254

Other than masks, what else has changed since prepandemic?  Do they still line you up close together to board?  Serve snacks and non alcoholic drinks?


----------



## EACarlson

DisneyStarWisher said:


> We are occasional flyers, and I have SO many questions about Rapid Rewards.  Forgive my ignorance with some basic questions.  I hope all of you experts can help me out.  We are planning on flying three times within a year, so the Rapid Rewards will hopefully be able to help us out.  With flying maybe every other year in the past, we've never really utilized them.  I have 3306 points right now, not enough to really do anything with, but hopefully by the time we fly next October, I'll be able to use them.  So here are my questions:
> 1.  We booked our November trip the other day and since then, the price on the return trip went down.  I called and got a credit for each of us.  (I asked some questions about rewards but didn't think of all my questions until now.)  I plan to use the credits in February.  How do I know how many reward points I will earn on the flights?  I wasn't logged in when I booked the flights, but the woman on the phone added my number to the reservation.
> 2.  I booked for both my DH and me at the same time.  My DH doesn't have a rapid rewards number.  The woman added my number to the reservation.  Will I only earn points on my ticket and not my DH's?
> 3.  Since I received a credit on the flights, will that cause my reward points to be reduced (since it's based on just a cash payment)?
> I think that is all for now, but I'm sure I'll think of quite a few more.  TIA!


1. You earn 6 pts per dollar on Wanna Get Away fares, 10 points on Anytime fares and 12 points on Business Select fares.
2.  Correct, you only earn points for your butt in the seat.  You could set up a RR account for your husband, no reason not to.
3. Yes, you earn points for whatever your final ticket cost.


----------



## Frwinkley

We signed up for Southwest A-list when it was offered a few months ago (it may have been a targeted offer). We are flying early Tuesday morning. Does anyone know how check in/boarding groups work?


----------



## EACarlson

Frwinkley said:


> We signed up for Southwest A-list when it was offered a few months ago (it may have been a targeted offer). We are flying early Tuesday morning. Does anyone know how check in/boarding groups work?


If it took, you will be automatically assigned a boarding position 36 hours before scheduled take off.  You still have to check in within 24 hours but you should already have a boarding position secured so timing isn't as crucial.


----------



## mickeynut1

connie254 said:


> Other than masks, what else has changed since prepandemic?  Do they still line you up close together to board?  Serve snacks and non alcoholic drinks?



Boarding is back to normal with everyone lining up together.  Unless it's changed since June 2 (our last flight), no alcohol is being served, but snacks and non alcoholic drinks are available.


----------



## Crazyhorse

mickeynut1 said:


> Boarding is back to normal with everyone lining up together.  Unless it's changed since June 2 (our last flight), no alcohol is being served, but snacks and non alcoholic drinks are available.


Some idiots who can't handle their liquor ruined my vacation starting in flight cocktail....this is why we can't have nice things.  (somewhat tongue in cheek).


----------



## Gitelfor

Crazyhorse said:


> Some idiots who can't handle their liquor ruined my vacation starting in flight cocktail....this is why we can't have nice things.  (somewhat tongue in cheek).


That also is why a flight attendant is now missing two teeth.


----------



## Crazyhorse

Gitelfor said:


> That also is why a flight attendant is now missing two teeth.


Yep....as noted..a few idiots ruined it for the rest of us.  It had become a tradition in our family...vacation starts in flight...hoping the alcohol ban isn't permanent.


----------



## Piglet

I'm checking SW several times a day for December flights.  I realize things have changed and I've always been able to get flights from BWI under $200 RT to and from MCO, am I wrong to think I can pull that off again? Does anyone expect flight cost to get back to a more normal price later in the year or should I just go ahead and grab something.  I realize that I could book and change without fees, but they refund in points, is that correct? I have my daughters wedding coming up so I don't really want to have money tied up that I won't get back.


----------



## zemmer

Piglet said:


> I'm checking SW several times a day for December flights.  I realize things have changed and I've always been able to get flights from BWI under $200 RT to and from MCO, am I wrong to think I can pull that off again? Does anyone expect flight cost to get back to a more normal price later in the year or should I just go ahead and grab something.  I realize that I could book and change without fees, but they refund in points, is that correct? I have my daughters wedding coming up so I don't really want to have money tied up that I won't get back.


If you book with points, you get a refund in points. If you book with money, you get a flight credit in the dollar amount that must be used within one year of the original date you booked the flight.


----------



## Piglet

zemmer said:


> If you book with points, you get a refund in points. If you book with money, you get a flight credit in the dollar amount that must be used within one year of the original date you booked the flight.


So pretty much the same thing?  We try to go every 2 years to WDW.  I have probably 1/2 in points that I can use and will need to pay for the other 1/2.  Does anyone expect prices to come down?  I'm sure it depends on demand and how much people are wanting to travel.  Just wondering what everyone thinks.


----------



## Disneygrl71

We are flying out at the end of July with Southwest airlines from SDF. I have us on a nonstop at 11:30 am but I’m wondering, with all the issues they’re having, if I should move it to the 5:30 am just in case there’s any issues/cancellations.. that would give us two more nonstops that we could possibly get on.
I didn’t really want to arrive that early since our room probably wouldn’t be ready until later that day, but figured we could always go to Disney Springs and kill some time. 
Thoughts on what I should do?


----------



## ultimatefans

Piglet said:


> So pretty much the same thing?  We try to go every 2 years to WDW.  I have probably 1/2 in points that I can use and will need to pay for the other 1/2.  Does anyone expect prices to come down?  I'm sure it depends on demand and how much people are wanting to travel.  Just wondering what everyone thinks.


Not the same thing.  When points are refunded they go back to your account and do not have an expiration date.  When booking with cash it's not possible to get the cash back, just a credit with an expiration date.  When booking with points I always book right away as there's no downside.  When booking with cash it's more of a gamble.  I don't have a guess as to whether or not prices will go down, I don't expect this year will follow any former patterns.  Good luck!


----------



## ultimatefans

Disneygrl71 said:


> We are flying out at the end of July with Southwest airlines from SDF. I have us on a nonstop at 11:30 am but I’m wondering, with all the issues they’re having, if I should move it to the 5:30 am just in case there’s any issues/cancellations.. that would give us two more nonstops that we could possibly get on.
> I didn’t really want to arrive that early since our room probably wouldn’t be ready until later that day, but figured we could always go to Disney Springs and kill some time.
> Thoughts on what I should do?


I asked myself the same question for mid-July flights (11am vs 5:15am), but decided to keep my late morning flight as I didn't want to start our vacation with overtired teenagers.  If it was just my husband and I we probably would have switched.  If you are booked on the 5:30am and there's an issue, there's no guarantee the 11:30am would be able to accommodate.  Good luck deciding!


----------



## Disneygrl71

ultimatefans said:


> I asked myself the same question for mid-July flights (11am vs 5:15am), but decided to keep my late morning flight as I didn't want to start our vacation with overtired teenagers.  If it was just my husband and I we probably would have switched.  If you are booked on the 5:30am and there's an issue, there's no guarantee the 11:30am would be able to accommodate.  Good luck deciding!


I ask my son if he had a preference and he didn’t so I think I’m going to change ours to the earlier. Plus we will get a credit if almost 10,000 points back since it’s a cheaper flight.
However, that’s a good point on no guarantee for the 11:30, I hadn’t thought about that.


----------



## Gitelfor

Disneygrl71 said:


> I ask my son if he had a preference and he didn’t so I think I’m going to change ours to the earlier. Plus we will get a credit if almost 10,000 points back since it’s a cheaper flight.
> However, that’s a good point on no guarantee for the 11:30, I hadn’t thought about that.





Disneygrl71 said:


> We are flying out at the end of July with Southwest airlines from SDF. I have us on a nonstop at 11:30 am but I’m wondering, with all the issues they’re having, if I should move it to the 5:30 am just in case there’s any issues/cancellations.. that would give us two more nonstops that we could possibly get on.
> I didn’t really want to arrive that early since our room probably wouldn’t be ready until later that day, but figured we could always go to Disney Springs and kill some time.
> Thoughts on what I should do?


The night before your scheduled departure, you can check your flight's status with Southwest (https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-status/?clk=GSUBNAV-FLTSTATUS).  You also can check when you wake up in the morning, for any updates. Though nothing is guaranteed, that would be a start.

For a more complete look at your flight's status, you also can look at https://flightaware.com/live/findflight/.  If you are not familiar with Flight Aware, the site will give you real time updates, as well as be able to use the 'Where is my plane now?' option, to check on the status of the equipment for your flight, to see if/when it arrived at SDF, prior to your scheduled departure.  With the very early departure, your plane should be parked overnight at your home airport, ready for your early morning departure.


----------



## Disneygrl71

Gitelfor said:


> The night before your scheduled departure, you can check your flight's status with Southwest (https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-status/?clk=GSUBNAV-FLTSTATUS).  You also can check when you wake up in the morning, for any updates. Though nothing is guaranteed, that would be a start.
> 
> For a more complete look at your flight's status, you also can look at https://flightaware.com/live/findflight/.  If you are not familiar with Flight Aware, the site will give you real time updates, as well as be able to use the 'Where is my plane now?' option, to check on the status of the equipment for your flight, to see if/when it arrived at SDF, prior to your scheduled departure.  With the very early departure, your plane should be parked overnight at your home airport, ready for your early morning departure.


Awesome and thank you so much


----------



## jkelly86

Piglet said:


> I'm checking SW several times a day for December flights. I realize things have changed and I've always been able to get flights from BWI under $200 RT to and from MCO, am I wrong to think I can pull that off again? Does anyone expect flight cost to get back to a more normal price later in the year or should I just go ahead and grab something. I realize that I could book and change without fees, but they refund in points, is that correct? I have my daughters wedding coming up so I don't really want to have money tied up that I won't get back.


If the flights are expensive and you think they may go down in price, you could book the "Anytime" fare for a full refund, and rebook on the "Wanna Get Away" fare if the price drops.  (The price difference between the two fares can vary greatly).


----------



## BLTtinkerbell

What are considered acceptable face masks? 

Are disposable face masks allowed or do they have to be cloth?

What about plastic face shields? Can you wear these alone or do you have to wear a mask underneath?


----------



## FCDub

BLTtinkerbell said:


> What are considered acceptable face masks?
> 
> Are disposable face masks allowed or do they have to be cloth?
> 
> What about plastic face shields? Can you wear these alone or do you have to wear a mask underneath?



Southwest has a section of their site devoted to this: https://www.southwest.com/airline-cleanliness-social-distance/#heres-where-you

*The following are some examples of coverings that are not accepted:*

Masks not made of a solid piece of material, including those with slits, exhalation valves, or punctures
Face shields (face shields may be worn in addition to a mask that meets the above required attributes)
Bandanas, scarves, ski masks, or balaclavas
Shirt or sweater collars (e.g., turtleneck collars) pulled up over the mouth and nose
Masks made from a single layer or thin fabric that do not block light
Masks that do not fit properly (large gaps, too loose or too tight)


----------



## MarBee

Disneygrl71 said:


> We are flying out at the end of July with Southwest airlines from SDF. I have us on a nonstop at 11:30 am but I’m wondering, with all the issues they’re having, if I should move it to the 5:30 am just in case there’s any issues/cancellations.. that would give us two more nonstops that we could possibly get on.
> I didn’t really want to arrive that early since our room probably wouldn’t be ready until later that day, but figured we could always go to Disney Springs and kill some time.
> Thoughts on what I should do?


If you arrive early you can always check your bags in at bell services until your room ready, get breakfast, and then enjoy the pool for a while.  I am currently looking to move up my early flight as well.


----------



## mickeynut1

Crazyhorse said:


> Some idiots who can't handle their liquor ruined my vacation starting in flight cocktail....this is why we can't have nice things.  (somewhat tongue in cheek).



Only takes a few to ruin it for everybody .



Gitelfor said:


> That also is why a flight attendant is now missing two teeth.



Sad 



Piglet said:


> Does anyone expect prices to come down?  I'm sure it depends on demand and how much people are wanting to travel.  Just wondering what everyone thinks.



It's so hit or miss that it's hard to tell what will happen.  With that said, I've had luck with fares coming down for the past few trips we've taken over the last couple of months, as well as for an upcoming weekend trip to Denver in July and Marco Island in August.  I would book now if there's a fare you're comfortable with paying, but then check daily if you can as you never know if/when fares will drop.  Good luck!


----------



## honeymo78

BLTtinkerbell said:


> What are considered acceptable face masks?
> 
> Are disposable face masks allowed or do they have to be cloth?
> 
> What about plastic face shields? Can you wear these alone or do you have to wear a mask underneath?



Disposable masks are fine.  I prefer a disposable one for the airport/plane and save my cloth ones for while I'm at Disney.  If you wear a face shield you'll have to wear a mask underneath.


----------



## emmabelle

I just booked flights for Labor Day weekend with SW out of Manchester, NH.  We typically fly Jetblue because we are Mosiac with them, but their prices were outrageous.  Do I need to be concerned about SW cancelling flights?  We're on the nonstop so I really don't want to have to switch to a stop in BWI.  I didn't know they have been having issues since it's been a few years since we flew with them.


----------



## disneygal55

My husband and I each have Rapid Reward accounts. For the trip we're looking to book we would have to use his points to book his and cash to pay for my trip to MCO and for the return trip use my points to book mine and cash to pay for his ticket to BDL.
Do we need to make separate reservations or can we both be on the same reservation and pay accordingly? With the points being nearly 26,000 going to MCO and 19,000 returning we've come across a situation we've never dealt with!


----------



## Gary2T

disneygal55 said:


> My husband and I each have Rapid Reward accounts. For the trip we're looking to book we would have to use his points to book his and cash to pay for my trip to MCO and for the return trip use my points to book mine and cash to pay for his ticket to BDL.
> Do we need to make separate reservations or can we both be on the same reservation and pay accordingly? With the points being nearly 26,000 going to MCO and 19,000 returning we've come across a situation we've never dealt with!



Points and cash need to go on seperate reservations.

Whenever we need to split points and cash, we always book the same person on cash. This way any earned points go to the our designated points earner - DW who holds the SW card.  We use her points to book for the rest of us. 

We do the same for American Air, except I'm the designated points earner with the card for them.


----------



## FCDub

emmabelle said:


> I just booked flights for Labor Day weekend with SW out of Manchester, NH.  We typically fly Jetblue because we are Mosiac with them, but their prices were outrageous.  Do I need to be concerned about SW cancelling flights?  We're on the nonstop so I really don't want to have to switch to a stop in BWI.  I didn't know they have been having issues since it's been a few years since we flew with them.



EVERY airline cancels flights. If you’re flying with a major carrier, which Southwest is, you’ll be fine.


----------



## emmabelle

disneygal55 said:


> My husband and I each have Rapid Reward accounts. For the trip we're looking to book we would have to use his points to book his and cash to pay for my trip to MCO and for the return trip use my points to book mine and cash to pay for his ticket to BDL.
> Do we need to make separate reservations or can we both be on the same reservation and pay accordingly? With the points being nearly 26,000 going to MCO and 19,000 returning we've come across a situation we've never dealt with!




I just bought flights partially using points I had and purchasing points for the rest.  I had 7460 points so I purchased both flights down plus I had to buy 14,000 points.  Total cost ended up being $211 for two flights MHT to MCO.

I used my husband's points to fly us home.  He had 4820 points so I had to buy 19,000 points for our two flights home.  Total out of pocket $287.

If I had paid all cash I would have spent $639 RT for both.  Instead I spent $211+$287 = $498 to buy 33,000 points and gave them the 11,900 we had in total.  Idk, it all made sense in my head.


----------



## Ariel1014

emmabelle said:


> I just booked flights for Labor Day weekend with SW out of Manchester, NH.  We typically fly Jetblue because we are Mosiac with them, but their prices were outrageous.  Do I need to be concerned about SW cancelling flights?  We're on the nonstop so I really don't want to have to switch to a stop in BWI.  I didn't know they have been having issues since it's been a few years since we flew with them.



I flew SW out of MHT in May, June and have July and Sept/Oct booked.  SW changed 2 of my flights.  They must have cancelled some less full flights and moved us all to other flights.  One flight I was leaving Orlando in the evening and they changed it to an early morning flight.  I could have switched, but the other choices had long lay overs.


----------



## emmabelle

Ariel1014 said:


> I flew SW out of MHT in May, June and have July and Sept/Oct booked.  SW changed 2 of my flights.  They must have cancelled some less full flights and moved us all to other flights.  One flight I was leaving Orlando in the evening and they changed it to an early morning flight.  I could have switched, but the other choices had long lay overs.




I would be so bummed if that happened since it's just a quick 3 night vacay...  I'm hoping that maybe the fact that it's Labor Day weekend that they won't have to cancel any.


----------



## Avery&Todd

How far out as SW been changing their flights - we flew to MCO last Oct, Dec and Feb and then to Vegas in May and all our flights were changed one way or the other. I understand that it was COVID times and I'm hoping they are more consistent with offering a flight and then keeping those flights.  We fly again with them in November but if they take away my a.m. non-stop flights for later flights then I'm leaving them for Delta!

I also heard on the news that AA was going to be cancelling flights daily through some point in July due to pilot issues since they furloughed a lot of their pilots during the shutdown and now they need to go through training before they can fly again - I wonder if some of those customers will pop over to SW filling up their flights and maybe allowing SW to keep more flights?


----------



## BLTtinkerbell

Can you put a can of coffee in your checked bag?


----------



## Avery&Todd

BLTtinkerbell said:


> Can you put a can of coffee in your checked bag?


I have flown on SW with those coffee filter packs in my checked bags and had NO issue - well, except that my clothes have a strong coffee smell!


----------



## disneygal55

Thanks Gary2T and emmabelle. The last time that we had to come up with such a high number of points was about three years ago for flights to Hawaii. It's pretty insane right now.


----------



## Tink Fans

UPDATE:     Talked to a SW Rep this morning (only a few minute wait as well).  She confirmed what I thought:  Priority Boarding carries over to the connecting flight and companion gets a boarding number in sequence to mine.    NOLA here we come!  

Question of the Day:
Have a trip planned for December:  New York/ISP to New Orleans/MSY.  There are no non-stop flights (which is typical pre-Covid also).   IF I book a Business Select flight, does the Priority Boarding A1-A15 carry over to the the second flight in Baltimore as well?  I have very little experience with connecting/stop flights.  I also have the Companion Pass and notice my companion usually gets a number right near mine but never gave it much thought.  Thanks all.


----------



## Tink Fans

BLTtinkerbell said:


> Can you put a can of coffee in your checked bag?


Yes, my husband packs his coffee in double ziplocks and no problems.  He puts clothes in vacuum pack bag so no coffee smell on his clothes.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Tink Fans said:


> Yes, my husband packs his coffee in double ziplocks and no problems.  He puts clothes in vacuum pack bag so no coffee smell on his clothes.


smart idea!!  who knew one could arrive at Disney and NOT have clothes that are coffee scented!

And our last trip, we arrived with wet clothes..apparently our luggage had been sitting outside in the rain for a while so everything on the top layer was wet!  Lucky for us we were in a Villa and had access to a dryer! And we learned a lesson that if we're traveling when it rain, to use a trash bag over the packing cubes I use for the clothes!


----------



## Lsdolphin

Avery&Todd said:


> smart idea!!  who knew one could arrive at Disney and NOT have clothes that are coffee scented!
> 
> And our last trip, we arrived with wet clothes..apparently our luggage had been sitting outside in the rain for a while so everything on the top layer was wet!  Lucky for us we were in a Villa and had access to a dryer! And we learned a lesson that if we're traveling when it rain, to use a trash bag over the packing cubes I use for the clothes!



I always lay a trash bag inside on the bottom and top of my suitcase in case my luggage is left out in rain.


----------



## nlenguyen

I saw that Southwest is having a sale if you buy points from them. It is currently 45% off, has anyone seen this sale getting any better? I am thinking about this because I usually travel wanna get away prices and if the price changes then I can only get a travel credit, which I had $80 expire this past year. If I get points then if the price is lower, the remaining points will just go back to my account and those don't seem to expire. What are your thoughts?


----------



## Erica Ladd

I thought about purchasing but I currently have almost 180,000 points and not sure I need more right now


----------



## EmilyGahr

nlenguyen said:


> I saw that Southwest is having a sale if you buy points from them. It is currently 45% off, has anyone seen this sale getting any better? I am thinking about this because I usually travel wanna get away prices and if the price changes then I can only get a travel credit, which I had $80 expire this past year. If I get points then if the price is lower, the remaining points will just go back to my account and those don't seem to expire. What are your thoughts?


I'm also seeing 45% off. I used a points/dollars conversion calculator and it was about equal (give or take $5) so if you like the flexibility of points, I say go for it!


----------



## dez1978

I am attending an after hours event at Universal in December.  I got flights for the day of, landing at 210.  The event starts at 5.  Am I cutting it too close?  I plan to uber to the hotel, check in and walk to the event (15 min walk).  I worry that SW will cancel the flight or something


----------



## redboat45

dez1978 said:


> I am attending an after hours event at Universal in December.  I got flights for the day of, landing at 210.  The event starts at 5.  Am I cutting it too close?  I plan to uber to the hotel, check in and walk to the event (15 min walk).  I worry that SW will cancel the flight or something


If everything goes right that time seems fine. If the plane is delayed then you could miss it.  I'd try to fly out earlier in the day if you can just to be safe.


----------



## nlenguyen

EmilyGahr said:


> I'm also seeing 45% off. I used a points/dollars conversion calculator and it was about equal (give or take $5) so if you like the flexibility of points, I say go for it!


That is what I was thinking because you still will have to end up paying the 5.60 but in the long term, using points can be better. 
Do you know if buying the points count toward the 2X point on Southwest purchases


----------



## dez1978

redboat45 said:


> If everything goes right that time seems fine. If the plane is delayed then you could miss it.  I'd try to fly out earlier in the day if you can just to be safe.


The only other option that day is 615 am, so we'd have to spend the night in a hotel near the airport the night before, so we don't have to leave at 2 am to make it on time


----------



## karen4546

dez1978 said:


> The only other option that day is 615 am, so we'd have to spend the night in a hotel near the airport the night before, so we don't have to leave at 2 am to make it on time


We live 2.5 hrs from the airport and our flight is at 7:30am.  We will leave our house @ 3 am - ugh I hate early morning flights!  I am a morning person but NOT a middle of the night person.  I will like arriving at MCO before noon though.

Plus side, we can now fly out of JAN instead of MSY !


----------



## mcd2745

Saw that the long-time CEO of SW is stepping down. Probably not good news. He always held firm against the calls to implement baggage and change fees. Don't know if his successor will do the same.


----------



## EmilyGahr

nlenguyen said:


> Do you know if buying the points count toward the 2X point on Southwest purchases


Yup I believe any purchase on Southwest with the Southwest credit card counts for the 2X points


----------



## AuroraluvsPhillip

mcd2745 said:


> Saw that the long-time CEO of SW is stepping down. Probably not good news. He always held firm against the calls to implement baggage and change fees. Don't know if his successor will do the same.


Hopefully not, according to this article:
from yesterday's USA Today


----------



## Avery&Todd

Has anyone gotten the red banner for flight changes lately?  Wasn't sure of the current dates SW is changing...


----------



## Gitelfor

Avery&Todd said:


> Has anyone gotten the red banner for flight changes lately?  Wasn't sure of the current dates SW is changing...


I do not anticipate seeing the “change” banner again, unless conditions in this country drastically change and revert back to how they were, over the past year.

With Southwest’s big 50th Birthday Sale, last week, flights for the fall either are heavily-booked or even sold out for WGA fares.  The summer months were updated, already. There currently is no reason for them to cut back and consolidate flights - the reasons why Southwest was attaching the no-change-in-fare banner to existing bookings.  

I believe there have not been reports of the “change” banner appearing in about two weeks.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Gitelfor said:


> I do not anticipate seeing the “change” banner again, unless conditions in this country drastically change and revert back to how they were, over the past year.
> 
> With Southwest’s big 50th Birthday Sale, last week, flights for the fall either are heavily-booked or even sold out for WGA fares.  The summer months were updated, already. There currently is no reason for them to cut back and consolidate flights - the reasons why Southwest was attaching the no-change-in-fare banner to existing bookings.
> 
> I believe there have not been reports of the “change” banner appearing in about two weeks.


I'm actually really glad to hear that!!

We flew SW last Oct, Dec and this past Feb and all our flights were cancelled at some point and had to be rebooked - I'm ready for some stability with their flight schedule!


----------



## Ladygator

We got the change banner last night for our Nov flight to San Juan. I couldn’t tell if it was just random or if they had changed the flight. Anyway, we took advantage of it and changed it to a better flight (earlier and nonstop).


----------



## Avery&Todd

Ladygator said:


> We got the change banner last night for our Nov flight to San Juan. I couldn’t tell if it was just random or if they had changed the flight. Anyway, we took advantage of it and changed it to a better flight (earlier and nonstop).


We have a great (aka early & non-stop) flight to Disney in November but our return flight, which is also non-stop leaves, a little early for me, well, its a great time but I want to leave later in the day so I can spend the morning at MK!

Right now they have horrible afternoon times/layovers so I'm hoping they add more in the next few months!


----------



## Gitelfor

It appears that the "change" banner may now be attached to specific routes, not necessarily only calendar-based.  It just showed up on MCO flights for the last few days in October.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Gitelfor said:


> It appears that the "change" banner may now be attached to specific routes, not necessarily only calendar-based.  It just showed up on MCO flights for the last few days in October.


Is that a good thing or a bad thing for your flights???


----------



## Gitelfor

Avery&Todd said:


> Is that a good thing or a bad thing for your flights???


The party who holds the reservations will not be making any changes.  The WGA seats are "unavailable" (sold out) for any other acceptable flights, due to the birthday sale, last week.


----------



## katallo

We like our flights but have been checking every few days to make sure there are no red banners.  Will SW also send an email or is it just seen when you log in to your account and click display?


----------



## Lsdolphin

katallo said:


> We like our flights but have been checking every few days to make sure there are no red banners.  Will SW also send an email or is it just seen when you log in to your account and click display?



They will send an email.


----------



## Avery&Todd

katallo said:


> We like our flights but have been checking every few days to make sure there are no red banners.  Will SW also send an email or is it just seen when you log in to your account and click display?


I feel it's never consistent - like I might get an email about my flights, but DH, who is on the same flights, won't get an email - or I'll just log in one day and see the red banner....

I have just come to realize that I'm more comfortable just checking in every day or so to check on them.....


----------



## BLTtinkerbell

For our upcoming trip, we paid for EBCI and two of us got A’s while the rest got B’s. There are 11 of us and we hope to sit near each other, but not too far back.  I am hoping there aren’t a lot of people getting on during the family boarding before the gate agents call for group B


----------



## Gitelfor

katallo said:


> We like our flights but have been checking every few days to make sure there are no red banners.  Will SW also send an email or is it just seen when you log in to your account and click display?


There is no consistency.  I agree with @Avery&Todd about checking the account, regularly.  Reminder...you only have three days, from the time the banner is attached to your reservation (not from the time you see the notice), to take advantage of making a change, at no additional cost.


----------



## katallo

Thanks everyone.  I will continue to check.


----------



## CouponGirl

Does the change banner show up if you have a companion attached to your flight? I know you can’t make changes to your flight while they are attached. Also, will the change banner show up in the app or just the website?


----------



## Avery&Todd

CouponGirl said:


> Does the change banner show up if you have a companion attached to your flight? I know you can’t make changes to your flight while they are attached. Also, will the change banner show up in the app or just the website?


I have CP attached to my flights and I know the change banner has showed up on the website but honestly I never check the app unless I'm sitting at the airport waiting to get on my flight!  

You still can't change the flights unless you cancel the CP first though...


----------



## CouponGirl

Avery&Todd said:


> I have CP attached to my flights and I know the change banner has showed up on the website but honestly I never check the app unless I'm sitting at the airport waiting to get on my flight!
> 
> You still can't change the flights unless you cancel the CP first though...


Thanks


----------



## Gitelfor

CouponGirl said:


> Does the change banner show up if you have a companion attached to your flight? I know you can’t make changes to your flight while they are attached. Also, will the change banner show up in the app or just the website?


The banner is very visible on both the app and mobile site.  When viewing the website, you need to click on “change” to see if there is a banner.


----------



## CouponGirl

Gitelfor said:


> The banner is very visible on both the app and mobile site.  When viewing the website, you need to click on “change” to see if there is a banner.


Thanks!


----------



## katallo

Thanks!  I've been clicking on Details only.


----------



## irt9206

BLTtinkerbell said:


> For our upcoming trip, we paid for EBCI and two of us got A’s while the rest got B’s. There are 11 of us and we hope to sit near each other, but not too far back.  I am hoping there aren’t a lot of people getting on during the family boarding before the gate agents call for group B


On one flight we had A59, A60 and B1. We asked if my daughter who had B1 could board with us and they said yes. Not sure if they would do this for you since there's 9 of you in B. Wouldn't hurt to ask though.


----------



## NotUrsula

Check yourself.  I've been on hold with SWA for an hour now, because our flight for 5 am TOMORROW morning just got cancelled.  It's very unlike them, and I cannot figure out why.  This is DD's birthday trip, and our son in FL is meeting us tomorrow for her celebration.  He has a new job and this is the only day he could get off to drive over.  All the other seats into MCO tomorrow are booked until late night. We tried re-touting through Ft. Myers, but there are no rental cars to get us to MCO.  I just changed it to tonight, which is causing a scramble, and which will cost us an extra hotel room night at MCO.  However, the previous reservation is still showing on my account, and I'm terrified that the computer will cancel it as a duplicate between now and 6 oclock tonite, so I'm putting in the time to talk to a human.

UPDATE: Flight was indeed cancelled, and eventually I was told "weather" -- which I'm not buying on a cancellation 23 hours out.  I was on hold for just under 3 hours. (Initially they answered after 2, but then put me on hold for another hour; more on that later.)
The operator told me that the Ft. Myers option was the one they were offering me, with a connecting flight from Ft. Myers to MCO early afternoon.  T-storms are predicted throughout central FL tomorrow, so I told her that I wanted the official change flight to be the one I'd already booked on points into MCO tonite. .

O:"Oh, well, sorry, since you've already booked it on points I can't give it to you at no charge. Well, not unless I cancel it first, and those are the last 3 seats so you might lose them."
M: "Try again.  Keep the flight, and restore the 52K points to my account."
O: "Unfortunately, I don't have the authority to do that"
M: "OK, find someone who does"
... and so I ended up back on hold for another hour.  But, I got all my points back.  Now I have to finish packing and get out of here.

Thanks for all the support, everyone!

UPDATE2:  Got to the airport for a 7 pm departure. Between the time we left the house and arrived at the airport flight was delayed by 35 minutes. ..  which changed to 8:10, and then 8:55, and finally, 9:20.  We arrived at MCO at 1 am, but baggage was delayed to the carousels, so we finally reached our overnight airport hotel at 3:18 am.  The rental car desks were insane, with hundreds of people in line trying to pick up cars.  I went back to MCO at 9 am to get our car, and while the lines were still long, it was no longer the madhouse of last night.  No one was using the kiosks at all, so I did, and I was in my car and out of the garage in under 15 minutes.

BTW, according to the rumors swirling on Flyertalk, the reason that SWA is ending up cancelling flights at short notice but well ahead of weather may be lack of crew.  They are shuffling them around the country more than usual, and the speculation is that with the midwest summer weather patterns they can't move them fast enough and still get in the required rest periods.  I don't know that that's actually true, but it makes more sense than saying that there is a thunderstorm delay on a flight not scheduled to depart for 23 hours. AFAIK, only a hurricane is that predictable that far out.

Full disclosure: I'm not writing off the airline over this.  They have mostly been very good to me over the years, and I'm willing to see this as an aberration if they can get a handle on it ASAP.  It's still not normal times for travel.  It's certainly irritating, but I don't consider it gross incompetence; I just wish they were being a bit more transparent about what exactly is going on with the system.


----------



## easyas123

NotUrsula said:


> our flight for 5 am TOMORROW morning just got cancelled.



Ugh! Good luck-


----------



## Gitelfor

NotUrsula said:


> Check yourself.  I've been on hold with SWA for an hour now, because our flight for 5 am TOMORROW morning just got cancelled.  It's very unlike them, and I cannot figure out why.  This is DD's birthday trip, and our son in FL is meeting us tomorrow for her celebration.  He has a new job and this is the only day he could get off to drive over.  All the other seats into MCO tomorrow are booked until late night. We tried re-touting through Ft. Myers, but there are no rental cars to get us to MCO.  I just changed it to tonight, which is causing a scramble, and which will cost us an extra hotel room night at MCO.  However, the previous reservation is still showing on my account, and I'm terrified that the computer will cancel it as a duplicate between now and 6 oclock tonite, so I'm putting in the time to talk to a human.


If you use social media, contact the Southwest social media team ASAP for assistance.  I use Twiiter (@SouthwestAir), but you also can send them a message on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SouthwestAir/?__tn__=,d).


----------



## irt9206

NotUrsula said:


> Check yourself.  I've been on hold with SWA for an hour now, because our flight for 5 am TOMORROW morning just got cancelled.  It's very unlike them, and I cannot figure out why.  This is DD's birthday trip, and our son in FL is meeting us tomorrow for her celebration.  He has a new job and this is the only day he could get off to drive over.  All the other seats into MCO tomorrow are booked until late night. We tried re-touting through Ft. Myers, but there are no rental cars to get us to MCO.  I just changed it to tonight, which is causing a scramble, and which will cost us an extra hotel room night at MCO.  However, the previous reservation is still showing on my account, and I'm terrified that the computer will cancel it as a duplicate between now and 6 oclock tonite, so I'm putting in the time to talk to a human.


Where were you flying out of and good luck.


----------



## Gitelfor

NotUrsula said:


> Check yourself.  I've been on hold with SWA for an hour now, because our flight for 5 am TOMORROW morning just got cancelled.  It's very unlike them, and I cannot figure out why.  This is DD's birthday trip, and our son in FL is meeting us tomorrow for her celebration.  He has a new job and this is the only day he could get off to drive over.  All the other seats into MCO tomorrow are booked until late night. We tried re-touting through Ft. Myers, but there are no rental cars to get us to MCO.  I just changed it to tonight, which is causing a scramble, and which will cost us an extra hotel room night at MCO.  However, the previous reservation is still showing on my account, and I'm terrified that the computer will cancel it as a duplicate between now and 6 oclock tonite, so I'm putting in the time to talk to a human.



FYI - If you are flying from STL, *Spirit has a nonstop available STL-MCO tomorrow morning,* with fares starting at $56.39 per person, + bag and seat fees. They have 5 seats at this fare.


----------



## Gitelfor

Southwest has been bad, lately, between short-notice cancellations and flights operating hours behind schedule.  Customers are complaining about DEN flights being cancelled due to weather, but asking why other airlines are not having a problem.  I noticed that Southwest schedules their departures with a scant 35 minutes, or so, from the ETA of the inbound equipment, to the next flight, which leaves no room to spare for any prior delays.  Frontier is much the same.  I had to reschedule family of a friend from MCO when first their flight experienced multiple delays and was finally cancelled.  There were no seats on other flights for days.  I rebooked them on Spirit the next day, and their flight was about 10 minutes late.  It was then that I noticed that Spirit allows at least an hour between flights, for the most part.

Ever wonder why Southwest F/As are always pushing pax to hurry up and find an open seat?


----------



## AuroraluvsPhillip

Just saw that SW has many weather related cancellations/delays this coming weekend:
Here
Also three flight attendants and one passenger had to be transported to the hospital today after hitting "moderate turbulence" on their Chicago to Salt Lake City flight.
Here


----------



## Evita_W

NotUrsula said:


> Check yourself.  I've been on hold with SWA for an hour now, because our flight for 5 am TOMORROW morning just got cancelled.  It's very unlike them, and I cannot figure out why.  This is DD's birthday trip, and our son in FL is meeting us tomorrow for her celebration.  He has a new job and this is the only day he could get off to drive over.  All the other seats into MCO tomorrow are booked until late night. We tried re-touting through Ft. Myers, but there are no rental cars to get us to MCO.  I just changed it to tonight, which is causing a scramble, and which will cost us an extra hotel room night at MCO.  However, the previous reservation is still showing on my account, and I'm terrified that the computer will cancel it as a duplicate between now and 6 oclock tonite, so I'm putting in the time to talk to a human.
> 
> UPDATE: Flight was indeed cancelled, and eventually I was told "weather" -- which I'm not buying on a cancellation 23 hours out.  I was on hold for just under 3 hours. (Initially they answered after 2, but then put me on hold for another hour; more on that later.)
> The operator told me that the Ft. Myers option was the one they were offering me, with a connecting flight from Ft. Myers to MCO early afternoon.  T-storms are predicted throughout central FL tomorrow, so I told her that I wanted the official change flight to be the one I'd already booked on points into MCO tonite. .
> 
> O:"Oh, well, sorry, since you've already booked it on points I can't give it to you at no charge. Well, not unless I cancel it first, and those are the last 3 seats so you might lose them."
> M: "Try again.  Keep the flight, and restore the 52K points to my account."
> O: "Unfortunately, I don't have the authority to do that"
> M: "Find someone who does"
> ... and so I ended up back on hold for another hour.  But, I got all my points back.  Now I have to finish packing and get out of here.
> 
> Thanks for all the support, everyone!


They are having residual issues from storms on Thursday, storms here in Orlando (we were supposed to fly home today and out flight was canceled shortly before we were supposed to get on Magical Express. Luckily we got a room at Saratoga Springs, as there were no alternatives for today) and add in that they have been trying to convince people that it is safe to fly again and have done a very good job, to the point that they bit off more than they can chew. We are just hoping our flight isn't cancelled tomorrow as well. Apparently this has been happening on several airlines since Wednesday according to the front desk person at Saratoga Springs.


----------



## jimandami

I just now got the red change message BUT I can’t see that my flight for tomorrow has been changed or cancelled?  They do appear to have cancelled 9 of 11 flights from CVG to MCO, just not ours.  We shall see.


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

I was scheduled to fly to BWI at 8:05 am from Raleigh-Durham. Flight canceled 10 min before boarding. I had checked flight aware prior to leaving my house (thanks to advice from this forum).  My husband dropped me off at 7 am. I called just as he got back home.

From what I heard, they were short a plane and used the 8:05 am plane for an earlier flight and canceled the one I was on.  Major issues getting luggage and people wanting to rent cars.  They were probably heading to Florida.

I hope this won’t continue to happen.


----------



## erin1715

My family has flights booked from philly to MCO in the beginning of august. But, I have a 2.5 year old who won’t keep a mask on so as of now we’re planning on driving. I had been hoping all along that the mask requirements would be lifted by the time our trip rolls around (not likely, I know) BUT now with all this trouble I’m almost glad that we will drive to avoid a mess like this with a toddler!


----------



## Avery&Todd

Gitelfor said:


> If you use social media, contact the Southwest social media team ASAP for assistance.  I use Twiiter (@SouthwestAir), but you also can send them a message on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SouthwestAir/?__tn__=,d).


I 2nd this!! ^^^^  I have had lots of luck getting through and having someone be able to help me through FB messenger - but I've also heard that Twitter works too!


----------



## katallo

erin1715 said:


> My family has flights booked from philly to MCO in the beginning of august. But, I have a 2.5 year old who won’t keep a mask on so as of now we’re planning on driving. I had been hoping all along that the mask requirements would be lifted by the time our trip rolls around (not likely, I know) BUT now with all this trouble I’m almost glad that we will drive to avoid a mess like this with a toddler!


We are traveling with friends in the Fall.  We have decided to cancel airfare (thankfully booked with points) and a car rental (2 weeks over 1,200) and drive too.  All of this is not worth the aggravation.


----------



## Gitelfor

Contacting Southwest on FB or Twitter is a good option if needing assistance with an urgent problem or something out of the ordinary or difficult. The response is _usually_ prompt. As the social media teams come under Customer Relations, they have more flexibility and authority to resolve a issue, than the CSRs working the regular phone lines.


----------



## FCDub

Gitelfor said:


> Contacting Southwest on FB or Twitter is a good option if needing assistance with an urgent problem or something out of the ordinary or difficult. The response is _usually_ prompt. As the social media teams come under Customer Relations, they have more flexibility and authority to resolve a issue, than the CSRs working the regular phone lines.



Yep. I needed assistance with an issue and reached out over Twitter and it was handled in 10 minutes.


----------



## MarBee

A bit off topic, but I wasn’t sure where else to ask... Has anyone booked a trip using American Airlines points and cancelled?  I have a trip coming up booked with SW points.  It’s the last SW flight out of the night and we have an early morning date with Discovery Cove the next morning.  Given all of the cancellations going on (not just SW but all airlines), I wanted to book a “back up” flight as well. There is an American Airlines flight that leaves the latest of the night.   If I use my AA points and cancel at the last minute, will I get my AA points refunded without penalty?


----------



## FCDub

MarBee said:


> A bit off topic, but I wasn’t sure where else to ask... Has anyone booked a trip using American Airlines points and cancelled?  I have a trip coming up booked with SW points.  It’s the last SW flight out of the night and we have an early morning date with Discovery Cove the next morning.  Given all of the cancellations going on (not just SW but all airlines), I wanted to book a “back up” flight as well. There is an American Airlines flight that leaves the latest of the night.   If I use my AA points and cancel at the last minute, will I get my AA points refunded without penalty?



This is from the American Airlines website:

If your travel plans change and you no longer wish to travel, you can cancel your trip anytime on aa.com. We will reinstate your miles and refund any taxes and fees up to 1 year after the ticket issue date as long as you cancel your ticket before the first flight departs. There is no fee to reinstate your miles. If you cancel your trip on aa.com, your miles will be reinstated and your refund will be requested automatically in many cases.


----------



## jkelly86

Has anyone successfully claimed Rapid Rewards Points after completing a car rental with Alamo?  I tried following the steps on Southwest's website, but the customer service rep at Alamo did not seem to know how to add the Rapid Rewards number:

Rapid Rewards® Members can earn 600 Points at participating worldwide Alamo locations by requesting Rapid Rewards® Points at the time of the rental. 

With Alamo, a flight is not required in order to receive points except in the case where the Member has multiple rentals on consecutive days in the same market. If more than one rental occurs in the same day or consecutive days, a flight must be taken within 24 hours of each rental.  
To request points for a past rental, please call Alamo Customer Service at (888) 233-8749.  
View Alamo Vehicle Types.
Please allow six to eight weeks for points to post to your Rapid Rewards® account.
Rapid Rewards® Points will not be issued for prior rentals older than 6 (six) months.


----------



## focusondisney

Gitelfor said:


> Contacting Southwest on FB or Twitter is a good option if needing assistance with an urgent problem or something out of the ordinary or difficult. The response is _usually_ prompt. As the social media teams come under Customer Relations, they have more flexibility and authority to resolve a issue, than the CSRs working the regular phone lines.



I contacted SW via Twitter twice recently after reading about it here.  I haven’t had much success.  First time, it took them a couple of weeks to resolve the issue.  I texted again Thursday & got a preset message that they are having heavy volume & suggested calling.  Haven’t heard back at all to address my issue. Maybe FB is better, but Twitter isn’t such a great option right now.


----------



## MarBee

FCDub said:


> This is from the American Airlines website:
> 
> If your travel plans change and you no longer wish to travel, you can cancel your trip anytime on aa.com. We will reinstate your miles and refund any taxes and fees up to 1 year after the ticket issue date as long as you cancel your ticket before the first flight departs. There is no fee to reinstate your miles. If you cancel your trip on aa.com, your miles will be reinstated and your refund will be requested automatically in many cases.


Thank you!  I also saw this but also see the message that tickets are non-refundable when booking, so it’s fairly contradictory.  Wait times when I call are insane so I’m kind of stuck.


----------



## CouponGirl

focusondisney said:


> I contacted SW via Twitter twice recently after reading about it here.  I haven’t had much success.  First time, it took them a couple of weeks to resolve the issue.  I texted again Thursday & got a preset message that they are having heavy volume & suggested calling.  Haven’t heard back at all to address my issue. Maybe FB is better, but Twitter isn’t such a great option right now.


I had the same experience on FB with a preset message. I did have success using the chat function on the app.


----------



## FCDub

MarBee said:


> Thank you!  I also saw this but also see the message that tickets are non-refundable when booking, so it’s fairly contradictory.  Wait times when I call are insane so I’m kind of stuck.



I would say a refund refers to booking on $$, not miles. So they’re actually not that contradictory. But if you want other opinions, I’d recommend posting in the transportation forum at large and not just the SW thread. I think a lot of people who frequent the transportation board have flown AAa bunch.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Is there a way to tell how full our flight is tomorrow?


----------



## FCDub

Erica Ladd said:


> Is there a way to tell how full our flight is tomorrow?



You can ask at the gate


----------



## Gitelfor

Erica Ladd said:


> Is there a way to tell how full our flight is tomorrow?



You can do an online search for your flight, as if you were looking to make a new reservation for eight people, which is the greatest number that can be booked under one confirmation number.  If the system accepts eight, there will be at least eight open seats.  Unfortunately, Southwest will not allow you to search for a larger party.

You also can try calling Southwest; sometimes, a friendly agent will give you an idea about how the flight looks.  But, if you call, be prepared for very long holds.

Also, there always is the chance of last-minute bookings of customers being moved to your flight, from other flights that are cancelled or delayed.


----------



## barb969

Erica Ladd said:


> Is there a way to tell how full our flight is tomorrow?


You can see if they will let you buy tickets for 8 on the reservations page. If they will the flight is probably not sold out.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Thanks all currently I can book 8 for tomorrow’s flight! Keeping my fingers crossed it stays that way!


----------



## Erica Ladd

Question - can I put sunscreen in my checked baggage? The spray bottle ones. How about dry shampoo - also a spray bottle or aerosol. I think maybe like 7-10 oz cans

ETA- looks like I can bring them in checked bags


----------



## EACarlson

Erica Ladd said:


> Question - can I put sunscreen in my checked baggage? The spray bottle ones. How about dry shampoo - also a spray bottle or aerosol. I think maybe like 7-10 oz cans
> 
> ETA- looks like I can bring them in checked bags


I've had aerosol sunscreen in both my checked bag and my carryon and never had an issue.  You're not supposed to have the aerosol in carryon, but I missed it and so did TSA.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Erica Ladd said:


> Question - can I put sunscreen in my checked baggage? The spray bottle ones. How about dry shampoo - also a spray bottle or aerosol. I think maybe like 7-10 oz cans


Yes, those should be fine in checked baggage; I did in April for our trip. I would put them in ziplocs in case they somehow get sprayed in your bag.


----------



## G719

Y





EACarlson said:


> I've had aerosol sunscreen in both my checked bag and my carryon and never had an issue.  You're not supposed to have the aerosol in carryon, but I missed it and so did TSA.


You're allowed the aerosol in carry on as long as it fits the 3-1-1 rule.
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security...#:~:text=You are allowed to bring,milliliters


----------



## Gitelfor

Erica Ladd said:


> Question - can I put sunscreen in my checked baggage? The spray bottle ones. How about dry shampoo - also a spray bottle or aerosol. I think maybe like 7-10 oz cans
> 
> ETA- looks like I can bring them in checked bags


Related to your question...many WDW guests are unaware that they are not allowed to bring aerosol cans into the parks.  I have seen a number of people have aerosol sprays confiscated by security.  I wonder, though, if new security procedures may have changed that.

There is nothing quite like the experience of having to buy a necessity at one of the Disney stores, at about 3x the cost of what you would pay off-property.  One time, sunscreen was left behind in our hotel room; the price for it at the Emporium produced sticker shock!


----------



## EACarlson

G719 said:


> Y
> You're allowed the aerosol in carry on as long as it fits the 3-1-1 rule.
> https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security...#:~:text=You are allowed to bring,milliliters


Yeah, this one most definitely didn't fit that criteria.  It was a Sam's Club size spray, 9oz, probably 10 inches by 2.5.  Got to my hotel in Viera and couldn't believe it got missed by both me and TSA.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Gitelfor said:


> Related to your question...many WDW guests are unaware that they are not allowed to bring aerosol cans into the parks.  I have seen a number of people have aerosol sprays confiscated by security.  I wonder, though, if new security procedures may have changed that.
> 
> There is nothing quite like the experience of having to buy a necessity at one of the Disney stores, at about 3x the cost of what you would pay off-property.  One time, sunscreen was left behind in our hotel room; the price for it at the Emporium produced sticker shock!


I’m not finding that in WDW prohibited items list.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/park-rules/https://plandisney.disney.go.com/question/aerosol-cans-sunscreen-allowed-wdw-theme-parks-398215/


----------



## zemmer

Gitelfor said:


> Related to your question...many WDW guests are unaware that they are not allowed to bring aerosol cans into the parks.  I have seen a number of people have aerosol sprays confiscated by security.  I wonder, though, if new security procedures may have changed that.
> 
> There is nothing quite like the experience of having to buy a necessity at one of the Disney stores, at about 3x the cost of what you would pay off-property.  One time, sunscreen was left behind in our hotel room; the price for it at the Emporium produced sticker shock!





LadybugsMum said:


> I’m not finding that in WDW prohibited items list.
> 
> https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/park-rules/https://plandisney.disney.go.com/question/aerosol-cans-sunscreen-allowed-wdw-theme-parks-398215/


Yes, we’ve taken big aerosol cans of sunscreen in full sight in the basket of an ecv and weren’t stopped.


----------



## Gitelfor

LadybugsMum said:


> I’m not finding that in WDW prohibited items list.
> 
> https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/park-rules/https://plandisney.disney.go.com/question/aerosol-cans-sunscreen-allowed-wdw-theme-parks-398215/





zemmer said:


> Yes, we’ve taken big aerosol cans of sunscreen in full sight in the basket of an ecv and weren’t stopped.


There must have been a change.  I will never forget the reaction of the man whose aerosol sunscreen was confiscated.  He was not a happy camper.  The last time I saw that happen was a number of years ago.


----------



## zemmer

I look every day to see if our flights have gone down in points. Has it always said the number of points AND the +$ amount?


----------



## FCDub

zemmer said:


> I look every day to see if our flights have gone down in points. Has it always said the number of points AND the +$ amount?View attachment 585302



That just means you’ve already paid the $5.60 fee and don’t need to pay it again.


----------



## zemmer

FCDub said:


> That just means you’ve already paid the $5.60 fee and don’t need to pay it again.


Ok, thanks. For some reason that looked different today. I might need more coffee.


----------



## Gitelfor

Last week’s change banners for the last couple of days in October disappeared today.  Now, we will have to keep a lookout for November.


----------



## Tink3815

Planning on emailing Disney about the aerosol can. I also have brought it in the parks in the past.


----------



## Gitelfor

Tink3815 said:


> Planning on emailing Disney about the aerosol can. I also have brought it in the parks in the past.


My experience with an aerosol can being confiscated was a number of years ago.  It looks like it's no longer a problem.  I assumed it was sunscreen, but I was not close enough to know for sure what it was, just that the security CM said that it was not allowed.


----------



## NotUrsula

Gitelfor said:


> [snip]
> Ever wonder why Southwest F/As are always pushing pax to hurry up and find an open seat?



I don't have to wonder; I know. That amazingly brief and efficient turn time is what allows SWA to remain the only consistently profitable airline in the US. Sitting at gates costs a fortune in lost revenue. SWA can normally fit at least 1 extra flight segment per day into each route thanks to having the most efficient turn process in the airline business.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Can anyone tell me how the 4 upgraded boardings with the priority card works with a CP?


----------



## Avery&Todd

Erica Ladd said:


> Can anyone tell me how the 4 upgraded boardings with the priority card works with a CP?


OOHH..Im very interested in this too - apparently I don't read the benefits of CP and my SW Rewards card and JUST found out that we get 4 "free" upgrades a year and I had no idea..


----------



## mom2elle

Erica Ladd said:


> Can anyone tell me how the 4 upgraded boardings with the priority card works with a CP?


 I did this for the first time back in March. I had checked in as normal @ 24 hour mark. We got a late B boarding number. When I was at the airport I went to the gate, asked if they had availability to upgrade my boarding, I paid for it w my SW card, and then the charge was refunded on my statement. It was very easy!


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

Anyone else having an issue where you can see that the points value for your flight went down but when you go to "change" your flight, its showing up as +0 instead of a negative value to get some points back.


----------



## Avery&Todd

mom2elle said:


> I did this for the first time back in March. I had checked in as normal @ 24 hour mark. We got a late B boarding number. When I was at the airport I went to the gate, asked if they had availability to upgrade my boarding, I paid for it w my SW card, and then the charge was refunded on my statement. It was very easy!


SWEET!!  thanks!


----------



## EACarlson

Erica Ladd said:


> Can anyone tell me how the 4 upgraded boardings with the priority card works with a CP?





Avery&Todd said:


> OOHH..Im very interested in this too - apparently I don't read the benefits of CP and my SW Rewards card and JUST found out that we get 4 "free" upgrades a year and I had no idea..


You would have to use 2.  One for yourself and one for your Companion.  Changing your boarding number at the gate will not automatically change your companion's.


----------



## Avery&Todd

EACarlson said:


> You would have to use 2.  One for yourself and one for your Companion.  Changing your boarding number at the gate will not automatically change your companion's.


Yes! I would be totally prepared to pay for 2 upgrades - for myself and my CP..

thanks!


----------



## Gitelfor

zemmer said:


> I look every day to see if our flights have gone down in points. Has it always said the number of points AND the +$ amount?View attachment 585302


It looks like the security fee/tax amount was changed from $5.60 to ‘0’.   Since a confirmed reservation that was refared due to a points reduction was technically cancelled and refunded, before being repurchased at the lower cost, the updated points cost listed the $5.60, along with the updated cost.


----------



## jkelly86

CookieandOatmeal said:


> Anyone else having an issue where you can see that the points value for your flight went down but when you go to "change" your flight, its showing up as +0 instead of a negative value to get some points back.


You must have a red change banner, so you can change to a more expensive flight for free.  If you want to receive points back with the red change banner, you must cancel your flight and rebook at the lower fare.  HTH.


----------



## jkelly86

EACarlson said:


> You would have to use 2.  One for yourself and one for your Companion.  Changing your boarding number at the gate will not automatically change your companion's.


Are the four free upgrades specific to the rapid rewards number attached to the credit card or can you transfer one to your companion pass along with your free upgrade?  Also is it four free in one calendar year?


----------



## FCDub

jkelly86 said:


> Are the four free upgrades specific to the rapid rewards number attached to the credit card or can you transfer one to your companion pass along with your free upgrade?  Also is it four free in one calendar year?



They are tied to your credit card account. And it's four per cardholder year. So if your cardholder year begins in May, you have them from May – April.


----------



## Avery&Todd

FCDub said:


> They are tied to your credit card account. And it's four per cardholder year. So if your cardholder year begins in May, you have them from May – April.


I sound silly for asking this but how do I find out when my cardholder year runs? I'm looking but I'm not seeing something specific like that - I can pull statements, but they're for each month, for the calendar year..


----------



## zemmer

Having an awful time getting help from customer service. I tried FB and Twitter. Automated messages even when I waited a few days and sent another request for help. Calling gets me long waits without the option for a call back OR I get disconnected after waiting.  Chat says no one is available. What on earth? I’d be happy to work for them if they want to hire more CS reps. So frustrating!


----------



## mom2elle

Avery&Todd said:


> I sound silly for asking this but how do I find out when my cardholder year runs? I'm looking but I'm not seeing something specific like that - I can pull statements, but they're for each month, for the calendar year..


Premier card has an annual fee - can you see when you pay your annual fee? That would be tied to the start of your new cardholder year.


----------



## Avery&Todd

mom2elle said:


> Premier card has an annual fee - can you see when you pay your annual fee? That would be tied to the start of your new cardholder year.


YES!! you are super smart!!

going to check now!


----------



## Avery&Todd

mom2elle said:


> Premier card has an annual fee - can you see when you pay your annual fee? That would be tied to the start of your new cardholder year.



TA-DAH!  I pay my annual fee on April 1st!


----------



## focusondisney

jkelly86 said:


> Are the four free upgrades specific to the rapid rewards number attached to the credit card or can you transfer one to your companion pass along with your free upgrade?  Also is it four free in one calendar year?



You don’t need to transfer it. You just have to go to the counter with the original boarding passes & pay with your credit card. I have upgraded my DS & DDIL who weren’t even on my itinerary. So basically the first 4 times you purchase upgraded boarding you will get the price refunded on your CC statement, regardless of who they were for.


Also,  Note: the upgraded boarding only covers one flight.  We had a connecting flight & the upgraded boarding did not cover the second leg of the trip.  The agent said they can only upgrade for a flight from their airport, so they can’t do it for the connecting flight, even if you are willing to pay for both.  You would have to check again at the connecting airport.  So to me, this works best for nonstop/ direct flights.


----------



## Avery&Todd

focusondisney said:


> You don’t need to transfer it. You just have to go to the counter with the original boarding passes & pay with your credit card. I have upgraded my DS & DDIL who weren’t even on my itinerary. So basically the first 4 times you purchase upgraded boarding you will get the price refunded on your CC statement, regardless of who they were for.
> 
> 
> Also,  Note: the upgraded boarding only covers one flight.  We had a connecting flight & the upgraded boarding did not cover the second leg of the trip.  The agent said they can only upgrade for a flight from their airport, so they can’t do it for the connecting flight, even if you are willing to pay for both.  You would have to check again at the connecting airport.  So to me, this works best for nonstop/ direct flights.


We have nonstop flights to MCO this upcoming November and I'm totally going to try this!


----------



## TNKim

Erica Ladd said:


> Can anyone tell me how the 4 upgraded boardings with the priority card works with a CP?



Are the upgraded boardings only available with the priority card?  I have a rapid rewards plus card.


----------



## EACarlson

TNKim said:


> Are the upgraded boardings only available with the priority card?  I have a rapid rewards plus card.


Correct, only the Priority.


----------



## FCDub

Avery&Todd said:


> We have nonstop flights to MCO this upcoming November and I'm totally going to try this!



It's a great perk. I've gotten A1 on a DC --> LAX nonstop flight before and it was incredible.


----------



## CouponGirl

Avery&Todd said:


> I sound silly for asking this but how do I find out when my cardholder year runs? I'm looking but I'm not seeing something specific like that - I can pull statements, but they're for each month, for the calendar year..


Just make sure your SW card includes this benefit. It’s not available on all cards.

ETA whoops, replied to the right person, but wrong post!


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

jkelly86 said:


> You must have a red change banner, so you can change to a more expensive flight for free.  If you want to receive points back with the red change banner, you must cancel your flight and rebook at the lower fare.  HTH.



No red change banner. I usually could modify my reservations to get points back when the fare is lower than what I had booked at. Couldn't do it this morning and neither could the SW agent. She was also seeing that it showed no difference at the modify page. She ended up giving me a points adjustment when I told her that the price was lower when I was just searching for the flight.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Avery&Todd said:


> We have nonstop flights to MCO this upcoming November and I'm totally going to try this!



only if you have to - I checked us in yesterday at EXACTLY 24 hours. Got A40 and A41!!!  I’ve never gotten A boarding group before but I was highly motivated. So I had thought about doing the upgrade but it was totally unnecessary. We sat in row 10 and had the 3 seat row all to ourselves (2 of us).  So worth it to be ready to check in right on time.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Erica Ladd said:


> only if you have to - I checked us in yesterday at EXACTLY 24 hours. Got A40 and A41!!!  I’ve never gotten A boarding group before but I was highly motivated. So I had thought about doing the upgrade but it was totally unnecessary. We sat in row 10 and had the 3 seat row all to ourselves (2 of us).  So worth it to be ready to check in right on time.


Well, right now I have earned A-List status so we're usually A30-something or even A20-something but I'd love to be before A15 if possible with my free upgrade!

DH and I usually prefer sitting in the exit rows as he's tall (6'4") and since SW doesn't have the roomiest seats that's where we usually head!


----------



## Avery&Todd

CouponGirl said:


> Just make sure your SW card includes this benefit. It’s not available on all cards.
> 
> ETA whoops, replied to the right person, but wrong post!


and YES, my card does have this perk - I was reading through some perks the other day bc I noticed a "travel credit" on my statement from our trip to Vegas last month and apparently we get back up to $75/year on flights and these 4 free upgrades!

I was telling DH about it and he was like "we've had this card for how many years and you're just now figuring this out?"....

ugh... 

I guess I should read the fine print more often!


----------



## easyas123

Avery&Todd said:


> 75/year on flights



Not just flights!
Upgrade- if you’ve used your 4 free
Other SW items- drinks? Internet?
I know we got back the $75 credit for buying a SW gift card last year, too. 
I’m sure other SW specific expenditures, but you’d have to clarify w/ them.


----------



## Avery&Todd

easyas123 said:


> Not just flights!
> Upgrade- if you’ve used your 4 free
> Other SW items- drinks? Internet?
> I know we got back the $75 credit for buying a SW gift card last year, too.
> I’m sure other SW specific expenditures, but you’d have to clarify w/ them.


UGH - I'm a horrible receiver of free stuff apparently!

How do I get the free internet? I have received some free inflight Wifi codes but I wasn't sure where I entered those - and is that different than the free tv shows you can watch on their SW internet?

I have only received free drink coupons a few times, paper ones in the mail, but are there others?

I really need to start reading the fine lines!


----------



## Erica Ladd

I was wondering yesterday on our flight if I got free WiFi with the priority card. Can someone clarify or explain how? TIA!


----------



## easyas123

Let me clarify what I meant-
If you are on a Southwest flight that charges for Internet and you use your Southwest card to pay for said Internet it is my understanding that your $75 credit can be used towards that. With that being said – it’s not some thing I’ve used on flights I don’t really need the Internet there so I haven’t personally tried it whether it was free or pay for service.

I’m not an expert on it, we upgraded our regular Southwest cards to the Premier a year or two ago so we are still sifting through things ourselves!

If you call either the rapid rewards or the actual credit card -I forget which one -they can tell you exactly what your anniversary date is and what exactly you get in terms of perks per use year. I think it also shows it on the website but I can’t swear to that.

* I’m not a expert, just sharing my experiences.


----------



## EACarlson

easyas123 said:


> Let me clarify what I meant-
> If you are on a Southwest flight that charges for Internet and you use your Southwest card to pay for said Internet it is my understanding that your $75 credit can be used towards that. With that being said – it’s not some thing I’ve used on flights I don’t really need the Internet there so I haven’t personally tried it whether it was free or pay for service.
> 
> I’m not an expert on it, we upgraded our regular Southwest cards to the Premier a year or two ago so we are still sifting through things ourselves!
> 
> If you call either the rapid rewards or the actual credit card -I forget which one -they can tell you exactly what your anniversary date is and what exactly you get in terms of perks per use year. I think it also shows it on the website but I can’t swear to that.
> 
> * I’m not a expert, just sharing my experiences.


Chase will tell you when your anniversary date is.  Most of them show up on the website but you might have to search for them all.
@Avery&Todd  you enter the free wi-fi codes on the screen that asks for payment to use their wi-fi.  This opens most of the internet to you outside of the free movies, tv shows and games that everyone gets.  For example if you really wanted to get on the Dis from 37,000 ft. you could with the wi-fi.


----------



## Avery&Todd

EACarlson said:


> Chase will tell you when your anniversary date is.  Most of them show up on the website but you might have to search for them all.
> @Avery&Todd  you enter the free wi-fi codes on the screen that asks for payment to use their wi-fi.  This opens most of the internet to you outside of the free movies, tv shows and games that everyone gets.  For example if you really wanted to get on the Dis from 37,000 ft. you could with the wi-fi.


I did figure out when my anniversary is bc I searched for when my yearly fee is due and that's April 1st!   

I wonder if the free codes I received will expire? I probably got them last year for our Oct or Dec trip....something to try out on the next flight!


----------



## jkelly86

Enjoy these exclusive travel benefits with your Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card with no foreign transaction fees:




$75 Southwest annual travel credit each year




Four Upgraded Boardings every year when available




20% back on inflight purchases
Plus earn unlimited points:




7,500 anniversary points

After your Cardmember anniversary





2 points per $1 spent

Southwest Airlines flights
Hotel and car rental partners





1 point per $1 spent

All other purchases made with your card


----------



## Lsdolphin

I think I already know the answer to this but I’m going to ask anyway...is it possible to use Travel Funds to purchase reward points? I’m not sure it’s any bargain but I did get offer to purchase points with 45% discount.


----------



## Gitelfor

Lsdolphin said:


> I think I already know the answer to this but I’m going to ask anyway...is it possible to use Travel Funds to purchase reward points? I’m not sure it’s any bargain but I did get offer to purchase points with 45% discount.


Travel funds cannot be used to purchase RR points, just flights.


----------



## DMLAINI

Are sw still getting canceled often?  Flying to Orlando from Pittsburgh in 2 weeks


----------



## Lsdolphin

Gitelfor said:


> Travel funds cannot be used to purchase RR points, just flights.



Thanks that’s what I thought.


----------



## Gitelfor

Needing to contact Southwest yesterday, to cancel a trip that would not properly cancel online, the first two attempts advised hold times of about an hour.  After two unsuccessful attempts, I again tried calling late evening, with my call picked up almost immediately.

I don’t know if my selection of prompts made a difference, or if the time called was the key.  I selected to modify,  then, instead of selecting from one of their prompts, just hit “0.”  An agent picked up almost immediately.


----------



## bsmcneil

EACarlson said:


> Correct, only the Priority.


I have two questions that hopefully folks can help with because I haven't quite figured it out. So, I have the SW card (Priority):

1) can I use the upgraded boardings in my first year (I keep seeing that you get them upon your anniversary).
2) I'll be traveling with 2 kids (9 and 5) - do I need to procure upgraded boardings for each of us, or just me?


----------



## aokeefe

FYI- For the next release date, Southwest extending the booking window by a few days (originally was booking through April 18th)
*We are currently accepting air reservations through January 5, 2022. On September 16, 2021 we will open our schedule for sale through April 24, 2022. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.*


----------



## ultimatefans

bsmcneil said:


> I have two questions that hopefully folks can help with because I haven't quite figured it out. So, I have the SW card (Priority):
> 
> 1) can I use the upgraded boardings in my first year (I keep seeing that you get them upon your anniversary).
> 2) I'll be traveling with 2 kids (9 and 5) - do I need to procure upgraded boardings for each of us, or just me?



1) You can check your current benefits by logging into your Chase account, click the Credit Card account, Click the "More..." tab and then "Rewards dashboard".  It will list how much of the annual travel credit and upgraded boardings are available for use.  It will also list when those benefits reset each year.

2) You will need to procure upgraded boardings for each of you if you all want to board in the A1-15 slot.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Can my 17 yo dd accompany my 13 yo son on a flight ? One way? And not have to pay the unaccompanied minor charge?


----------



## Gitelfor

Erica Ladd said:


> Can my 17 yo dd accompany my 13 yo son on a flight ? One way? And not have to pay the unaccompanied minor charge?



Southwest Airlines “young traveler”


----------



## bsmcneil

ultimatefans said:


> 1) You can check your current benefits by logging into your Chase account, click the Credit Card account, Click the "More..." tab and then "Rewards dashboard".  It will list how much of the annual travel credit and upgraded boardings are available for use.  It will also list when those benefits reset each year.
> 
> 2) You will need to procure upgraded boardings for each of you if you all want to board in the A1-15 slot.



re: 1 - Thanks - I totally missed the stuff on the side!

re: 2 - that was my thought originally (what you said) but I read this and then wasn't sure: https://www.fool.com/amp/investing/...makes-a-major-change-to-its-boarding-pol.aspx


----------



## EACarlson

bsmcneil said:


> re: 1 - Thanks - I totally missed the stuff on the side!
> 
> re: 2 - that was my thought originally (what you said) but I read this and then wasn't sure: https://www.fool.com/amp/investing/...makes-a-major-change-to-its-boarding-pol.aspx


Buying to upgrade your position doesn't give you to A-List, A-List Preferred or a Companion Pass which are the only things that test changed.  I'm not even sure if that policy is still in use.   If you notice the date on it, it's from March, 2020.


----------



## Belleandtinker

Reading about SW cancelling flights this summer. Has anyone traveling to MCO been impacted? If so, how was it resolved. Any details would be appreciated.


----------



## crazywig

Belleandtinker said:


> Reading about SW cancelling flights this summer. Has anyone traveling to MCO been impacted? If so, how was it resolved. Any details would be appreciated.



Yes. PVD>MCO on Saturday June 26. Flight cancelled about 2hrs before takeoff. Absolutely no joy at the counter, they could not get us out until Tuesday which was unacceptable. As we were a large group, booked in multiple DVC rooms on my points, we rented cars and drove straight through from Providence.
Return flight only delayed a half hour so thankfully we flew home. Next day we called and since we booked on points the outbound portion was refunded.


----------



## Belleandtinker

Can't add article - sorry


----------



## focusondisney

Belleandtinker said:


> Here’s one of the articles.
> https://share.smartnews.com/ARXMS



The link doesn’t take you to an article, but to an app site.   You have to get the app & join to see the article.


----------



## Belleandtinker

focusondisney said:


> The link doesn’t take you to an article, but to an app site.   You have to get the app & join to see the article.


Sorry - can't link.


----------



## DVC-Don

Belleandtinker said:


> Reading about SW cancelling flights this summer. Has anyone traveling to MCO been impacted? If so, how was it resolved. Any details would be appreciated.


Not into, but out of MCO.  Booked a Southwest flight to Albany, NY to depart MCO 6/26.  Southwest cancelled it 6/25 and no flights open until 6/28 (points were refunded and security fee credited to my credit card).  Then booked with Jetblue for 6/27.  Well, I get to the airport and that flight is delayed 2 hours, then cancelled.  Rebooked Jetblue for 6/28 and that one got out  on time.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

crazywig said:


> Yes. PVD>MCO on Saturday June 26. Flight cancelled about 2hrs before takeoff. Absolutely no joy at the counter, they could not get us out until Tuesday which was unacceptable. As we were a large group, booked in multiple DVC rooms on my points, we rented cars and drove straight through from Providence.
> Return flight only delayed a half hour so thankfully we flew home. Next day we called and since we booked on points the outbound portion was refunded.



We’re flying out from PVD too. This makes me super nervous. Can I ask you what time your flight was? We’re booked on the morning nonstop.


----------



## MarBee

Not sure if anyone would know this answer, but I’ll try.  I recently purchased tickets using gift cards.  Given the issues with so many flights being cancelled, I want to make sure I purchase on my Chase Sapphire card because they provide trip protection should we have to stay over another night, etc.
If I purchase EBCI with my Chase Sapphire, would my tickets be protected by this?  

If not, can anyone tell me the process of re-booking the flight with gift cards?  I assume the money I used would be issued as a credit and then I could pay the extra part with my card (flights have gone up $10).  I just didn’t know if the credits went back to our accounts instantly like they do with points, or if it took some time.


----------



## irt9206

crazywig said:


> Yes. PVD>MCO on Saturday June 26. Flight cancelled about 2hrs before takeoff. Absolutely no joy at the counter, they could not get us out until Tuesday which was unacceptable. As we were a large group, booked in multiple DVC rooms on my points, we rented cars and drove straight through from Providence.
> Return flight only delayed a half hour so thankfully we flew home. Next day we called and since we booked on points the outbound portion was refunded.


We flew out of PVD to MCO at 5:15am. Just out of curiosity, what time was your flight? And sorry your family had to go through that.


----------



## crazywig

CookieandOatmeal said:


> We’re flying out from PVD too. This makes me super nervous. Can I ask you what time your flight was? We’re booked on the morning nonstop.





irt9206 said:


> We flew out of PVD to MCO at 5:15am. Just out of curiosity, what time was your flight? And sorry your family had to go through that.



11:25am non-stop


----------



## dez1978

All these stories are why I just changed my flight to fly in the evening before an event instead of the morning of.  At least that way if its cancelled I can (hopefully) be put on one of the morning flights
the next day


----------



## disny_luvr

dez1978 said:


> All these stories are why I just changed my flight to fly in the evening before an event instead of the morning of.  At least that way if its cancelled I can (hopefully) be put on one of the morning flights
> the next day



I’m getting really worried about our flight in three weeks. Hopefully it will be okay; not much I can do about it now.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Are the posts of SW changing/cancelling flights due to the weather/computer system that went down a few weeks ago or was it something else?

Im hoping that by November all is worked out!!


----------



## Lsdolphin

Some airlines are having problems with shortage of pilots not sure if this is case with SWA...


----------



## Erica Ladd

Double checking - flights bought with travel funds counts as revenue flights towards A list???


----------



## redboat45

Lsdolphin said:


> Some airlines are having problems with shortage of pilots not sure if this is case with SWA...


They would certainly know they didn't have enough pilots more than 2 hours before a flight.  They didn't have this issue for the last 18 months, why now?  I think it might have more to do with the computer hack or whatever it was.


----------



## disny_luvr

redboat45 said:


> They would certainly know they didn't have enough pilots more than 2 hours before a flight.  They didn't have this issue for the last 18 months, why now?  I think it might have more to do with the computer hack or whatever it was.



I'm kind of thinking the same thing. Before the computer system went down a few weeks ago, I rarely heard of all these flights being cancelled. I'm thinking it must be a lingering affect from that, but who knows?


----------



## Avery&Todd

yes, I did hear that Delta was having pilot issues since they let their pilots go and from then until now, they have to come back and complete some training which is pushing back the time that they're available to fly.

Not sure if that's the same issue SW is having or if it's that the whole US is flying at one time and they're not prepared??


----------



## focusondisney

redboat45 said:


> They would certainly know they didn't have enough pilots more than 2 hours before a flight.  They didn't have this issue for the last 18 months, why now?  I think it might have more to do with the computer hack or whatever it was.



I agree it is more related to computer & weather issues. However, it is possible that pilot issues can cause a late cancellation.  If they are flying a flight that gets delayed, they can time out & won‘t be able to fly the next scheduled flight.   If SW can’t find another pilot, that last flight would need to be cancelled.


----------



## DMLAINI

Have they're been issues with flights from Pittsburgh to Orlando?  We fly next Thurs. & I'll getting very nervous.


----------



## disny_luvr

DMLAINI said:


> Have they're been issues with flights from Pittsburgh to Orlando?  We fly next Thurs. & I'll getting very nervous.



You can go on the Southwest website and check flight status for yesterday, today, and tomorrow. That might give you an idea. We fly out of Baltimore, and today one of the nonstop flights from BWI to MCO was cancelled. I just went on and checked Pittsburgh. The 12:50 nonstop flight today was cancelled. It may give you an idea.


----------



## Avery&Todd

disny_luvr said:


> You can go on the Southwest website and check flight status for yesterday, today, and tomorrow. That might give you an idea. We fly out of Baltimore, and today one of the nonstop flights from BWI to MCO was cancelled. I just went on and checked Pittsburgh. The 12:50 nonstop flight today was cancelled. It may give you an idea.


GENIUS!!  
I didnt know this - thank you!


----------



## EACarlson

MarBee said:


> Not sure if anyone would know this answer, but I’ll try.  I recently purchased tickets using gift cards.  Given the issues with so many flights being cancelled, I want to make sure I purchase on my Chase Sapphire card because they provide trip protection should we have to stay over another night, etc.
> If I purchase EBCI with my Chase Sapphire, would my tickets be protected by this?
> 
> If not, can anyone tell me the process of re-booking the flight with gift cards?  I assume the money I used would be issued as a credit and then I could pay the extra part with my card (flights have gone up $10).  I just didn’t know if the credits went back to our accounts instantly like they do with points, or if it took some time.


 No, buying EBCI with your CSP or CSR would not trigger the delayed trip protection.  If your flight is cancelled you will get Travel Funds which have to be used within one year of the original booking date.  It is possible to get the funds refunded to a gift card but requires calling in to a different department.  If your flight is cancelled it is still the responsibility of the carrier to get you to your destination.  SW will re-route you on flights of your choosing if you call them up and there is room, in no way should you have to pay more if they cancel your flight and you are still going to the same place.


Erica Ladd said:


> Double checking - flights bought with travel funds counts as revenue flights towards A list???


Correct.


----------



## happ

MarBee said:


> Not sure if anyone would know this answer, but I’ll try.  I recently purchased tickets using gift cards.  Given the issues with so many flights being cancelled, I want to make sure I purchase on my Chase Sapphire card because they provide trip protection should we have to stay over another night, etc.
> If I purchase EBCI with my Chase Sapphire, would my tickets be protected by this?
> 
> If not, can anyone tell me the process of re-booking the flight with gift cards?  I assume the money I used would be issued as a credit and then I could pay the extra part with my card (flights have gone up $10).  I just didn’t know if the credits went back to our accounts instantly like they do with points, or if it took some time.


Be careful if you rebook with gift cards. I rebooked a flight last year and the gift card amount was returned as a luv voucher and then became travel funds when I had to cancel. Now I'm going to lose the funds because they're expiring, which really shouldn't be the case since gift cards don't expire.


----------



## Gitelfor

happ said:


> Be careful if you rebook with gift cards. I rebooked a flight last year and the gift card amount was returned as a luv voucher and then became travel funds when I had to cancel. Now I'm going to lose the funds because they're expiring, which really shouldn't be the case since gift cards don't expire.


Have you contacted Southwest Customer Relations about this?  I believe I read that the system defaults to what you received, but that Southwest will make some kind of adjustment, upon request.  I normally recommend contacting them thru social media, as those agents are with Customer Relations.  However, the recent response time has been much slower, than normal; as long as you are not running out of time, it probably still is your best bet.


----------



## ultimatefans

disny_luvr said:


> You can go on the Southwest website and check flight status for yesterday, today, and tomorrow. That might give you an idea. We fly out of Baltimore, and today one of the nonstop flights from BWI to MCO was cancelled. I just went on and checked Pittsburgh. The 12:50 nonstop flight today was cancelled. It may give you an idea.


That's really helpful, thank you!!  Someone also previously posted on here about this site: https://flightaware.com/  For flights today you can also track where the plane currently is.

The cancellations for today and tomorrow are likely weather related.  Southwest has a travel alert on their website that anyone traveling to/from MCO today and tomorrow can reschedule within 14 days at no charge due to Tropical Storm Elsa (how appropriate).  I have a friend that was supposed to travel home today but is now coming home Thursday instead due to flight cancellation.  Two extra days at Disney - how awful for them.  (I realize that would be an issue in many situations, but they're happy about the extra two days)


----------



## cmarsh31

DVC-Don said:


> Not into, but out of MCO.  Booked a Southwest flight to Albany, NY to depart MCO 6/26.  Southwest cancelled it 6/25 and no flights open until 6/28 (points were refunded and security fee credited to my credit card).  Then booked with Jetblue for 6/27.  Well, I get to the airport and that flight is delayed 2 hours, then cancelled.  Rebooked Jetblue for 6/28 and that one got out  on time.



JetBlue & Albany seem to be a particular disaster. I think I'm about 1 out of 6 or 8 flights that have actually been on time. I flew ALB to MCO SW on the 26th successfully, but my Aug MCO to ALB is JetBlue... we'll see how that goes...


----------



## MarBee

happ said:


> Be careful if you rebook with gift cards. I rebooked a flight last year and the gift card amount was returned as a luv voucher and then became travel funds when I had to cancel. Now I'm going to lose the funds because they're expiring, which really shouldn't be the case since gift cards don't expire.





EACarlson said:


> No, buying EBCI with your CSP or CSR would not trigger the delayed trip protection.  If your flight is cancelled you will get Travel Funds which have to be used within one year of the original booking date.  It is possible to get the funds refunded to a gift card but requires calling in to a different department.  If your flight is cancelled it is still the responsibility of the carrier to get you to your destination.  SW will re-route you on flights of your choosing if you call them up and there is room, in no way should you have to pay more if they cancel your flight and you are still going to the same place.
> 
> Correct.


Thank you!  I was thinking about cancelling myself now and then rebooking to pay partially with those funds and partially with my CSP.  The price I booked at was $99 and the new price is $109.  This way, if the flight is cancelled and delayed a day or 2, CSP will reimburse the cost of my hotel.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Something to keep in mind about cancelled flights that happen today and/or tomorrow is that they may be Elsa related.  Tampa airport is closing at 5 PM today.  At this time Orlando airport remains open.


----------



## DebLovesPooh

Our direct flight from MHT to MCO on a Friday night two weeks ago was cancelled when we were at the gate and lined up to board. No hotel or food vouchers. Had to drive 2.5 hours the next day to a different airport. Both of those new flights were delayed and we got in 3.5 hours later than the new itinerary, more than 24 hours after when the original flight had us arriving. No response from customer relations via social media. No reimbursement for the hotel or meals I had to pay for after the canceled flight.


----------



## disny_luvr

DebLovesPooh said:


> Our direct flight from MHT to MCO on a Friday night two weeks ago was cancelled when we were at the gate and lined up to board. No hotel or food vouchers. Had to drive 2.5 hours the next day to a different airport. Both of those new flights were delayed and we got in 3.5 hours later than the new itinerary, more than 24 hours after when the original flight had us arriving. No response from customer relations via social media. No reimbursement for the hotel or meals I had to pay for after the canceled flight.



That's awful! I'm sorry that happened to you.


----------



## Brob2132

DebLovesPooh said:


> Our direct flight from MHT to MCO on a Friday night two weeks ago was cancelled when we were at the gate and lined up to board. No hotel or food vouchers. Had to drive 2.5 hours the next day to a different airport. Both of those new flights were delayed and we got in 3.5 hours later than the new itinerary, more than 24 hours after when the original flight had us arriving. No response from customer relations via social media. No reimbursement for the hotel or meals I had to pay for after the canceled flight.


Was this weather related? SW(or any airline) will never give vouchers for weather given it’s beyond their control. It didn’t make me feel any better at the time, but it’s probably fair in hindsight.


----------



## crazywig

DebLovesPooh said:


> Our direct flight from MHT to MCO on a Friday night two weeks ago was cancelled when we were at the gate and lined up to board. No hotel or food vouchers. Had to drive 2.5 hours the next day to a different airport. Both of those new flights were delayed and we got in 3.5 hours later than the new itinerary, more than 24 hours after when the original flight had us arriving. No response from customer relations via social media. No reimbursement for the hotel or meals I had to pay for after the canceled flight.



Send an email via their website using the Complaint section. Describe your issue, you will prob get a $200 voucher. Give flight numbers, your RR# etc. I did this asking for my points back and got an email saying they will send a voucher. I still want my points and they are due me since they cancelled and we did not actually fly. I will call tomorrow. (the points i discussed in my original post were from my husband's account, some were booked on my account)


----------



## DebLovesPooh

Brob2132 said:


> Was this weather related? SW(or any airline) will never give vouchers for weather given it’s beyond their control. It didn’t make me feel any better at the time, but it’s probably fair in hindsight.


The incoming flight was canceled and that flight had our flight attendants. So we had no crew. I guess it might have been weather related that the Chicago flight was canceled, but then shouldn't they have known before we were ready to board that we wouldn't have flight attendants?


----------



## DebLovesPooh

crazywig said:


> Send an email via their website using the Complaint section. Describe your issue, you will prob get a $200 voucher. Give flight numbers, your RR# etc. I did this asking for my points back and got an email saying they will send a voucher. I still want my points and they are due me since they cancelled and we did not actually fly. I will call tomorrow.


I agree, your points should come back to you instead of a voucher. Did they offer a voucher for each person in your .party affected or just for you?


----------



## DebLovesPooh

disny_luvr said:


> That's awful! I'm sorry that happened to you.


Thank you so much! We ended up having a great trip, but I'm a little sour on SW now. Looking at United for our next set of flights.


----------



## crazywig

DebLovesPooh said:


> I agree, your points should come back to you instead of a voucher. Did they offer a voucher for each person in your .party affected or just for you?



Seems like just me. It's like it was an auto-response since the email did not even address my ask of my points back.

update: Just a follow up I did call this morning and had the points refunded to my account. So now we are set with all pts (my dh's account and mine) being returned plus allegedly the $200 voucher coming.


----------



## disneyeveryyear

Has anyone seen any red banners for November yet into MCO?  I am thinking about scheduling the cheapest flights of each day with the hope that a red banner shows up.  This could save us over 20,600 points on our trip.

I have already booked the flights we want (on opening day), but with each person costing over 22,000 points r/t, it would be nice to save a few points.

Edit - 7/9 - I booked the cheap flights using my RR points (originally booked on my DH's account).  As of right now, they have cancelled my portion of the flight booked on my DH's account.  I am currently on a 48 minute hold to speak with someone.  Fingers crossed I can get it rebooked without the huge increase in points.

Edit 2 - 7/9 - After my 48 minute wait, I was told that they will cancel anything they feel is a duplicate booking, but as a one time courtesy they reinstated my reservation at the original cost.  If they hadn't done that, my trip would have gone from 21,920 pts to 44,480 pts.  She also told me that my DH's was in the queue to cancel at midnight, so good thing I called and even better that I waited.  It was definitely worth 48 minutes for the 22,500 points for me, and the even bigger hassle if my DH's had been cancelled too!


----------



## FCDub

DebLovesPooh said:


> Thank you so much! We ended up having a great trip, but I'm a little sour on SW now. Looking at United for our next set of flights.



Every single airline has issues, so if you're looking to United for perfection, you won't find it. Just as many horror stories from people here about times _they _were left hanging.


----------



## DebLovesPooh

FCDub said:


> Every single airline has issues, so if you're looking to United for perfection, you won't find it. Just as many horror stories from people here about times _they _were left hanging.


I’m not looking for perfection. I never said I was. I’m active duty military and have traveled on many flights with some kind of problem. In fact, I anticipate there will be hiccups along the way. I wouldn’t have even commented on my experience except someone was looking for recent experiences so I was trying to be helpful.


----------



## tripplanner2

So I have our whole family booked out of Orlando on SW except for my husband because he was unsure of which day he was able to travel home. I go in today to book his flight that was $400 last night and now the wanna get away rate is unavailable. Does that every restock or am I out of luck? We have 37000 points but that is not enough to book his flight. Never has this been so expensive or complicated.

Adding that I just attempted to book with the current points and I am short 7500. They will charge me $200 for that many more points.


----------



## Gitelfor

tripplanner2 said:


> So I have our whole family booked out of Orlando on SW except for my husband because he was unsure of which day he was able to travel home. I go in today to book his flight that was $400 last night and now the wanna get away rate is unavailable. Does that every restock or am I out of luck? We have 37000 points but that is not enough to book his flight. Never has this been so expensive or complicated.
> 
> Adding that I just attempted to book with the current points and I am short 7500. They will charge me $200 for that many more points.


There was a sale on points thru July 6, that offered up to a 45% discount.

Keep in mind that normally Southwest’s fares  increase as the travel date approaches.  So, if you are within 3 weeks of your flight, the fare probably will increase, unless there are a number of customers who cancel.

To guarantee a seat on the flight, without purchasing extra points, you have a couple of options.  

There are many ways of earning points, without flying, going thru the shopping portal; unfortunately, those points can take weeks to post to your account.

You can purchase a refundable fare on your credit card and continue to watch for a lower points fare, with the revenue flight being cancelled and completely refunded.

Does anyone else in your family have points that can be transferred to your account?  There is a fee for transfers.  For example, the cost to transfer 7,500 points is $75.


----------



## tripplanner2

Gitelfor said:


> There was a sale on points thru July 6, that offered up to a 45% discount.
> 
> Keep in mind that normally Southwest’s fares  increase as the travel date approaches.  So, if you are within 3 weeks of your flight, the fare probably will increase, unless there are a number of customers who cancel.
> 
> To guarantee a seat on the flight, without purchasing extra points, you have a couple of options.
> 
> There are many ways of earning points, without flying, going thru the shopping portal; unfortunately, those points can take weeks to post to your account.
> 
> You can purchase a refundable fare on your credit card and continue to watch for a lower points fare, with the revenue flight being cancelled and completely refunded.
> 
> Does anyone else in your family have points that can be transferred to your account?  There is a fee for transfers.  For example, the cost to transfer 7,500 points is $75.


I wound up booking him through my SW account because I had enough points. Hard pill to swallow though. I was going to transfer but they charge to transfer points. So insane. I remember the days when 5 round-trip tickets cost $500 now $600 for one ticket. The kicker is I was going to book last night at $400 but we had an electrical storm that knocked out power and it took hours for the internet to come back up. Thank you for all of the suggestions. I will just keep my fingers crossed that the price drops.


----------



## emsstacey

Back in the spring- every time I checked (every hour) the fare went up. I nearly had a stroke and ended up driving. I was at work and couldn’t get to my wallet before it tripled.


----------



## tripplanner2

emsstacey said:


> Back in the spring- every time I checked (every hour) the fare went up. I nearly had a stroke and ended up driving. I was at work and couldn’t get to my wallet before it tripled.


 This is all so frustrating. I didn't get a raise through all of this Covid mess and I never stopped working. Nor did I collect any additional government money. 

We drove once and have never done a road trip again. It was just too much. Is what it is I guess. But you totally understand my frustration.


----------



## emsstacey

tripplanner2 said:


> This is all so frustrating. I didn't get a raise through all of this Covid mess and I never stopped working. Nor did I collect any additional government money.
> 
> We drove once and have never done a road trip again. It was just too much. Is what it is I guess. But you totally understand my frustration.



I totally understand. I’m a teacher and worked, too. We were only virtual for a few days. I want to go back fall break but southwest is triple the usual prices as well as WDW.


----------



## tripplanner2

emsstacey said:


> I totally understand. I’m a teacher and worked, too. We were only virtual for a few days. I want to go back fall break but southwest is triple the usual prices as well as WDW.


Teacher here too...so you totally get it. And I work in a special education setting where masks are not mandated so life was really stressful.


----------



## Doug7856

December Flights:

On opening day we booked our December flights. Today the price is cheaper for our flight to MCO and I was able to book a more desirable return flight for the same cost. If you're flying in December you may want to check your prices.


----------



## ultimatefans

PSA for those with Companion Pass based on my experience this week:  since the companion pass reservation needs to be checked in separately, Southwest automatically changes the boarding position to match the later position.  On our flight to Orlando, my husband (companion pass) had low Bs and I and two kids had mid-Bs.  10 seconds or so after getting his boarding position he received a notification from SW and his boarding position has been increased to match ours.  No big deal as we all had numbers in a row.

This time I was faster, I and the kids got low Bs and he had mid Bs.  SW moved me back to match him.  So now the kids have low Bs and I’m back with my husband even though I’m on the same reservation as my kids.

It’s not an issue for my family as the kids are older teens and perfectly capable of boarding alone.  (I realize they could have moved back with us if they weren’t.)  Just making people aware as I was surprised they changed my boarding number to match my companion instead of the people on my reservation.


----------



## jenmsmith

ultimatefans said:


> PSA for those with Companion Pass based on my experience this week:  since the companion pass reservation needs to be checked in separately, Southwest automatically changes the boarding position to match the later position.  On our flight to Orlando, my husband (companion pass) had low Bs and I and two kids had mid-Bs.  10 seconds or so after getting his boarding position he received a notification from SW and his boarding position has been increased to match ours.  No big deal as we all had numbers in a row.
> 
> This time I was faster, I and the kids got low Bs and he had mid Bs.  SW moved me back to match him.  So now the kids have low Bs and I’m back with my husband even though I’m on the same reservation as my kids.
> 
> It’s not an issue for my family as the kids are older teens and perfectly capable of boarding alone.  (I realize they could have moved back with us if they weren’t.)  Just making people aware as I was surprised they changed my boarding number to match my companion instead of the people on my reservation.


Same thing for us. Frustratingly, they move to match the later boarding no matter whether it’s the companion or the original ticket holder. Good info. Thank you for sharing.


----------



## CouponGirl

ultimatefans said:


> PSA for those with Companion Pass based on my experience this week:  since the companion pass reservation needs to be checked in separately, Southwest automatically changes the boarding position to match the later position.  On our flight to Orlando, my husband (companion pass) had low Bs and I and two kids had mid-Bs.  10 seconds or so after getting his boarding position he received a notification from SW and his boarding position has been increased to match ours.  No big deal as we all had numbers in a row.
> 
> This time I was faster, I and the kids got low Bs and he had mid Bs.  SW moved me back to match him.  So now the kids have low Bs and I’m back with my husband even though I’m on the same reservation as my kids.
> 
> It’s not an issue for my family as the kids are older teens and perfectly capable of boarding alone.  (I realize they could have moved back with us if they weren’t.)  Just making people aware as I was surprised they changed my boarding number to match my companion instead of the people on my reservation.


I didn’t realize they were doing that. Thanks for the heads up. In the past I’ve never experienced that, but we’ve always been very close in number if not sequential.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Need help linking a reservation to my app. I have a return flight booked with cash for me (and DH as my CP). I then booked same flights with points for my kids. But their flight isn’t showing up on my app or my account. Is there a way I can link reservations? I’m usually the one in charge of checking everyone on. DD is reliable - do I just make her get the app and check in on her phone? Neither kid has a RR account yet because they rarely fly


----------



## aokeefe

I don't think there is a way to link the reservations. I am always booking under different accounts. You can either have your dd set up an account to log in or you can check her in using her confirmation number (have another device to use so you can hit check in simultaneously!


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

Erica Ladd said:


> Need help linking a reservation to my app. I have a return flight booked with cash for me (and DH as my CP). I then booked same flights with points for my kids. But their flight isn’t showing up on my app or my account. Is there a way I can link reservations? I’m usually the one in charge of checking everyone on. DD is reliable - do I just make her get the app and check in on her phone? Neither kid has a RR account yet because they rarely fly


When I booked my son's ticket, I was able to put my reservation down as an associated adult/minor companion. I can see his reservations but I still have to check both confirmations in. There's no way to do it together.


----------



## Erica Ladd

CookieandOatmeal said:


> When I booked my son's ticket, I was able to put my reservation down as an associated adult/minor companion. I can see his reservations but I still have to check both confirmations in. There's no way to do it together.



Im ok with having them separate I just wish I had their confirmation number on my app to see it readily Kwim?


----------



## ultimatefans

jenmsmith said:


> Same thing for us. Frustratingly, they move to match the later boarding no matter whether it’s the companion or the original ticket holder. Good info. Thank you for sharing.


Yes we saw the same thing, the way there they changed the companion, the way back they changed the original ticket holder, in both cases to match the higher (later) number.  If they’re going to change them to be sequential I’m not sure why they require separate check-ins.


----------



## focusondisney

I don’t understand how SW is changing the boarding positions?  Did you get 1 number when you checked in & then got a notification it changed? And is this only when traveling  with or as a free companion?  I paid for EBCI for both myself & my DH who is my CP.  I don’t bother checking in right at 24 hours because of the EB so I guess I’ll never know if they do it to me.  But I don’t blame anyone for getting mad if they push you back.  I don’t remember seeing anything in the rules that say you must BOARD sequentially.


----------



## ultimatefans

focusondisney said:


> I don’t understand how SW is changing the boarding positions?  Did you get 1 number when you checked in & then got a notification it changed? And is this only when traveling  with or as a free companion?  I paid for EBCI for both myself & my DH who is my CP.  I don’t bother checking in right at 24 hours because of the EB so I guess I’ll never know if they do it to me.  But I don’t blame anyone for getting mad if they push you back.  I don’t remember seeing anything in the rules that say you must BOARD sequentially.


If you paid for EBCI I doubt there would be an issue if they were purchased at the same time.  And yes, I got one number when checking in 24 hours before and then SW changed it.  It was really not an issue in our situation but it surprised me so I wanted to make people aware.  I didn’t remember seeing that anywhere in the rules either.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Ok here we go again...just got an email from SWA that my non-stop BWI to MCO 9/7 has been changed there are only a few options offered to change to. They have deleted the 3 flights that fell between my flight and the current next non stop flight! So looks like I will be on a packed flight for sure...I had picked the earliest flight thinking it would be less crowded. My flight number changed but actual time only changed by 10 minutes. I’m keeping the flight just sorry it’s going to be more crowded.


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## Erica Ladd

I just got the change email too 

my direct flight from RDU to FLL now has a plane change. It’s the earliest flight available snd no change options. Boo!


----------



## zemmer

Yep. September 7 flight change here too. Leaving an hour earlier, but at least it’s not a park day for us.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Erica Ladd said:


> I just got the change email too
> 
> my direct flight from RDU to FLL now has a plane change. It’s the earliest flight available snd no change options. Boo!



When was your flight? I'm concerned about our Dec flight from RDU to MCO as there are only 2 non stops that day.


----------



## Erica Ladd

September 11 6am ish. There are now NO nonstops available


----------



## Daffodilmom21

Arriving on 8/30 from Philly for a work training conference which starts on 9/1. I added a couple days to treat myself. I am worried sick that my 7am flight will be changed/canceled. I am trying to use every free second to enjoy the parks. Has anyone booked a back up flight as insurance? I know it would be a waste of money if not needed, but Spirit has a 730 flight out of PHL for only $42 right now. Would I been crazy to book that?  Ugh! This will be the 4th time this trip has been scheduled and I just want to stop stressing over it. It’s a solo trip so I’m only talking about one ticket.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Also while this was happening I booked 2 more flights to BNA and they just won’t show up on the app. I got confirmation emails but nothing on the app. They must be busy making changes tonight!!


----------



## Erica Ladd

Daffodilmom21 said:


> Arriving on 8/30 from Philly for a work training conference which starts on 9/1. I added a couple days to treat myself. I am worried sick that my 7am flight will be changed/canceled. I am trying to use every free second to enjoy the parks. Has anyone booked a back up flight as insurance? I know it would be a waste of money if not needed, but Spirit has a 730 flight out of PHL for only $42 right now. Would I been crazy to book that?  Ugh! This will be the 4th time this trip has been scheduled and I just want to stop stressing over it. It’s a solo trip so I’m only talking about one ticket.



I might have tried to book a back up flight but one of the reasons we are taking this trip is to reach A list status so it would defeat the point for me


----------



## Suejacken

Daffodilmom21 said:


> Arriving on 8/30 from Philly for a work training conference which starts on 9/1. I added a couple days to treat myself. I am worried sick that my 7am flight will be changed/canceled. I am trying to use every free second to enjoy the parks. Has anyone booked a back up flight as insurance? I know it would be a waste of money if not needed, but Spirit has a 730 flight out of PHL for only $42 right now. Would I been crazy to book that?  Ugh! This will be the 4th time this trip has been scheduled and I just want to stop stressing over it. It’s a solo trip so I’m only talking about one ticket.


I am worried about my Oct. flight out of Philly too. I didn’t think to check spirit. I have never used them


----------



## Gitelfor

Just a word of warning if you are thinking of double-booking the same itinerary on Southwest, reserving different flights for the same travel date.  Southwest has been known to cancel one of the extra flights, without warning or notification.


----------



## zemmer

Gitelfor said:


> Just a word of warning if you are thinking of double-booking the same itinerary on Southwest, reserving different flights for the same travel date.  Southwest has been known to cancel one of the extra flights, without warning or notification.


Yes. It’s their policy. You cannot have 2 flights on the same day to or from the same cities (obviously connecting flights, even if booked as separate flights are allowed). They definitely will cancel one.


----------



## Daffodilmom21

zemmer said:


> Yes. It’s their policy. You cannot have 2 flights on the same day to or from the same cities (obviously connecting flights, even if booked as separate flights are allowed). They definitely will cancel one.


But what if the second flight was with a different carrier, not SW?  Was looking at a cheap Spirit flight. How would SW even know another flight was booked, I totally get if it was on their system but it wouldn’t be


----------



## zemmer

Daffodilmom21 said:


> But what if the second flight was with a different carrier, not SW?  Was looking at a cheap Spirit flight. How would SW even know another flight was booked, I totally get if it was on their system but it wouldn’t be


Sorry, I thought you were booking a back up, second flight on SWA. I’d imagine a flight on another carrier would be fine.


----------



## maleficent8

Me too- just got an email from SWA that my non-stop PIT to MCO on September 9 has been changed and now there’s only one other non-stop option much later in the day to change to. And now all flights that day are $500 plus. It’s the earliest so we’ll make it work but I’m sure it’ll be a packed flight. I’ll definitely keep an eye on it since they changed our May flights three times.


----------



## MinnieMSue

Our southwest flight from MCO was cancelled - it was flying out at 8:25pm and we were moved to a 5:15 flight. That means we have to leave MK shortly after our Capture Your Momrent session and I don’t want to do that.  I plan to change to a flight the next morning but am on hold to add a day to our Disney resort first. No idea how long I will be in hold or when the call center closes. It is 11:30pm eastern now. Then I will modify our flight to the next day


----------



## focusondisney

Our Sept 9th 7:25 nonstop from Buffalo was changed too.  It is still nonstop but now 6:10 am.  We now arrive at 8:45.  I guess at least it’s stil nonstop.  Waiting to see what happens with our return flight.


----------



## Lsdolphin

I see my sept, flight is on 737 Max 8...when did SWA bring them back? Do people feel safe flying on this plane?


----------



## Avery&Todd

UGH - we fly nonstop from RDU to MCO on Nov 10th....crossing my fingers - we have random non-stops for both flights but there are only 1 each morning - and if they cancel our non-stop leaving RDU, the next flight doesn't arrive for 3 more hours - and that's a park day for us..

I've already told DH that if SW cancels/changes our flights to something horrible that I'm cancelling and going with Delta....even though the flights I would want with them are $900 for the two of us..


----------



## Leigh L

Lsdolphin said:


> Ok here we go again...just got an email from SWA that my non-stop BWI to MCO 9/7 has been changed there are only a few options offered to change to. They have deleted the 3 flights that fell between my flight and the current next non stop flight! So looks like I will be on a packed flight for sure...I had picked the earliest flight thinking it would be less crowded. My flight number changed but actual time only changed by 10 minutes. I’m keeping the flight just sorry it’s going to be more crowded.


I'm sorry . Glad your time didn't get too screwed up and hopefully this should be their set schedule. 

It's crazy how many flights SW has at BWI to MCO and vice versa. Right now our mid-September MCO-BWI flight has 12 flights scheduled. I'm just waiting for the change, there is no way SW is flying that many direct flights. I took the cheapest one and waiting to see where the chips fall. I'm open-ended for any time in the afternoon or evening and figuring something will go. 

We have Spirit credits expiring in September and I still need to book that flight but they keep canceling too. Originally, didn't have plans for MCO but it's clear the Chicago trip to see DS on this airline wasn't happening since it was canceled 3x with no viable options and I ended up on United to see him (So Boo Bash it is   )


----------



## Lsdolphin

Leigh L said:


> I'm sorry . Glad your time didn't get too screwed up and hopefully this should be their set schedule.
> 
> It's crazy how many flights SW has at BWI to MCO and vice versa. Right now our mid-September MCO-BWI flight has 12 flights scheduled. I'm just waiting for the change, there is no way SW is flying that many direct flights. I took the cheapest one and waiting to see where the chips fall. I'm open-ended for any time in the afternoon or evening and figuring something will go.
> 
> We have Spirit credits expiring in September and I still need to book that flight but they keep canceling too. Originally, didn't have plans for MCO but it's clear the Chicago trip to see DS on this airline wasn't happening since it was canceled 3x with no viable options and I ended up on United to see him (So Boo Bash it is   )



My Sept. 7th flight went from 12 available non-stop flights to 8.


----------



## emmabelle

zemmer said:


> Yep. September 7 flight change here too. Leaving an hour earlier, but at least it’s not a park day for us.




Our Sept 7th out of MCO to MHT was changed from 3:20pm to 10:15am.  So much for going to AK on our final morning.  

If it wasn't just a 4 night getaway it wouldn't be such a bummer...


----------



## cmarsh31

I may have booked both SW and JetBlue flight for the 50th (9/30‐10/3). I wasn't risking losing out because one of them canceled my flight! I almost canceled tge duplicates yesterday but hearing that we're back to this fun...

Both are on points... so I'll cancel one, eventually.


----------



## emmabelle

cmarsh31 said:


> I may have booked both SW and JetBlue flight for the 50th (9/30‐10/3). I wasn't risking losing out because one of them canceled my flight! I almost canceled tge duplicates yesterday but hearing that we're back to this fun...
> 
> Both are on points... so I'll cancel one, eventually.




We had enough Jetblue points but it was sooooo many for Labor Day weekend that I refused to sacrifice that many.    

I had to buy points on SW to get enough for the weekend.  I hope they don't change my flight down unless they want to make that one earlier too.


----------



## Avery&Todd

emmabelle said:


> Our Sept 7th out of MCO to MHT was changed from 3:20pm to 10:15am.  So much for going to AK on our final morning.
> 
> If it wasn't just a 4 night getaway it wouldn't be such a bummer...


our November trip is just 4 nights too which has me super anxious about our flights - Im trying to squeeze in as much Disney time as possible!


----------



## Lsdolphin

emmabelle said:


> Our Sept 7th out of MCO to MHT was changed from 3:20pm to 10:15am.  So much for going to AK on our final morning.
> 
> If it wasn't just a 4 night getaway it wouldn't be such a bummer...



You should have the option to change your flight at no cost. The link is in the email you received notifying you of the change you can select a later flight


----------



## emmabelle

Lsdolphin said:


> You should have the option to change your flight at no cost. The link is in the email you received notifying you of the change you can select a later flight



yeah I know... but it was the only nonstop so my hands were tied.

But the good news is that I looked and I was able to get back 5600 points because it was less points then when I booked.  It was that nervous moment when you cancel your flights to get the points back and then rebook it. It's never an issue with Jetblue because we have so many points with them that I will book the cheaper flight and then cancel the more expensive one.  I didn't have that luxury this time with SW because I only had 120 points in reserve.


----------



## MinnieMSue

I didn’t get an email about them cancelling my flight but luckily I checked the boards before going to sleep and for some reason this thread was the one I checked. I had previously checked my flights on the southwest app (morning ) and they were unchanged - had I not checked the boards last night I might not have gotten another discounted night at wilderness lodge. So glad people commented on this thread about it. Also glad the Disney phone line was open past midnight. I was on hold an hour from 10:48-11:50 and on the phone making the changes until 12:30am. There was no supervisor to blend what ended up being 2 separate reservations at that time but got everything taken care of including my room request and new magical express info given.


----------



## belle032

We are flying in September for a wedding and then on to Seattle for a cruise, and just got an email that our flight was changed. Not a major deal, but now notice that it has 2 stops AND we arrive into Baltimore at 1:05PM, however, we're supposed to leave Baltimore at 12:45PM for our next leg. Explain how that's supposed to work out.

Looking at our other options, and none of them are good. All 2 stops either early morning or late at night. Ugh I love you SW, but why?!

Edit: The flight on the change email I received is different than what's showing in My Trips. So no idea what my actual flight is!


----------



## JJJDisneyBuckeyes

Our Sept 11 flight got moved up from 3:20 to 2:10, but at least it’s still nonstop to CMH!


----------



## Avery&Todd

belle032 said:


> We are flying in September for a wedding and then on to Seattle for a cruise, and just got an email that our flight was changed. Not a major deal, but now notice that it has 2 stops AND we arrive into Baltimore at 1:05PM, however, we're supposed to leave Baltimore at 12:45PM for our next leg. Explain how that's supposed to work out.
> 
> Looking at our other options, and none of them are good. All 2 stops either early morning or late at night. Ugh I love you SW, but why?!
> 
> Edit: The flight on the change email I received is different than what's showing in My Trips. So no idea what my actual flight is!


SW can be a doozie at times with their flight changes -last year I received a flight notification email and when I went to their website to look at the actual flights, the one that they had me on didnt even exist!

I spoke to them via FB chat and they agreed that the flight wasn't even in their system - so she moved me to a new flight..

what a mess!


----------



## redboat45

focusondisney said:


> I don’t understand how SW is changing the boarding positions?  Did you get 1 number when you checked in & then got a notification it changed? And is this only when traveling  with or as a free companion?  I paid for EBCI for both myself & my DH who is my CP.  I don’t bother checking in right at 24 hours because of the EB so I guess I’ll never know if they do it to me.  But I don’t blame anyone for getting mad if they push you back.  I don’t remember seeing anything in the rules that say you must BOARD sequentially.


When we traveled in January, I had a companion pass.  They did NOT move my husband down to match my number.  He and my kids had A group and I had low B.  So it either doesn't happen all the time or it's changed since January.


----------



## redboat45

Avery&Todd said:


> SW can be a doozie at times with their flight changes -last year I received a flight notification email and when I went to their website to look at the actual flights, the one that they had me on didnt even exist!
> 
> I spoke to them via FB chat and they agreed that the flight wasn't even in their system - so she moved me to a new flight..
> 
> what a mess!


Last year was crazy with the flight changes.  We had it happen more than once that we were moved off of a flight that wasn't even canceled!  They would move one of us and the other 3 were still on the original flight!  It was bizarre.  We just moved me back to the original flight.


----------



## belle032

Avery&Todd said:


> SW can be a doozie at times with their flight changes -last year I received a flight notification email and when I went to their website to look at the actual flights, the one that they had me on didnt even exist!
> 
> I spoke to them via FB chat and they agreed that the flight wasn't even in their system - so she moved me to a new flight..
> 
> what a mess!



I'm going to have to call or message on FB too - won't let me make changes online. It looks like I'm on half of one flight and the second half of another, which don't work together!


----------



## Gitelfor

belle032 said:


> We are flying in September for a wedding and then on to Seattle for a cruise, and just got an email that our flight was changed. Not a major deal, but now notice that it has 2 stops AND we arrive into Baltimore at 1:05PM, however, we're supposed to leave Baltimore at 12:45PM for our next leg. Explain how that's supposed to work out.
> 
> Looking at our other options, and none of them are good. All 2 stops either early morning or late at night. Ugh I love you SW, but why?!
> 
> Edit: The flight on the change email I received is different than what's showing in My Trips. So no idea what my actual flight is!


Sometimes, if your connecting flight departs earlier than the ETA of your originating flight, Southwest still is adjusting your reservation.  Other times, their system has just slipped up.  

One time, Southwest changed my nonstop to a connecting itinerary, but neglected to book the originating flight from my home airport to the connecting airport!  Since flight #1 was not there, I was unable to change online, as the system said my reservation was from the city of the connecting flight to my destination.  I had to contact Southwest to change.


----------



## Avery&Todd

redboat45 said:


> Last year was crazy with the flight changes.  We had it happen more than once that we were moved off of a flight that wasn't even canceled!  They would move one of us and the other 3 were still on the original flight!  It was bizarre.  We just moved me back to the original flight.


I hear ya!! We flew 3xs on SW last year, Oct, Dec and Feb (2021) and all 3 flights were changed in some form and fashion - and NEVER for the better!  

Im SUPER DUPER nervous that our Nov flights will be changed too - even though travel seems to be more regular now, between the lack of flight staff, weather and plane issues I'm sure I'll get hosed on my current flights!


----------



## Avery&Todd

belle032 said:


> I'm going to have to call or message on FB too - won't let me make changes online. It looks like I'm on half of one flight and the second half of another, which don't work together!


I've had good luck chatting with SW via FB messenger - they've always been able to fix/change our flight issues!

Good luck!


----------



## Daffodilmom21

Try  to t


cmarsh31 said:


> I may have booked both SW and JetBlue flight for the 50th (9/30‐10/3). I wasn't risking losing out because one of them canceled my flight! I almost canceled tge duplicates yesterday but hearing that we're back to this fun...
> 
> Both are on points... so I'll cancel one, eventually.


Thank you. I’m going to go ahead and book a back up also. I’m not paying for my SW flight, work reimbursed me for it so worst case scenario is I lose out on $42. Hopefully I won’t have to go with Spiriit but it will atleast ease my mind a bit.


----------



## Erica Ladd

I’m debating moving our flight a day earlier. If I decide to change our flight can I do that online even with a CP attached? We got the change email with the link…


----------



## Avery&Todd

Erica Ladd said:


> I’m debating moving our flight a day earlier. If I decide to change our flight can I do that online even with a CP attached? We got the change email with the link…


You have to cancel the CP first, then you can change your flight and then re-book the CP...

I've always been nervous about doing that myself so I've had them do that for me via FB messenger, but then the last time, they forgot to add my DH's CP flight both ways (they only re-booked 1 way) so I think next time I'll just do it myself!


----------



## Suejacken

belle032 said:


> We are flying in September for a wedding and then on to Seattle for a cruise, and just got an email that our flight was changed. Not a major deal, but now notice that it has 2 stops AND we arrive into Baltimore at 1:05PM, however, we're supposed to leave Baltimore at 12:45PM for our next leg. Explain how that's supposed to work out.
> 
> Looking at our other options, and none of them are good. All 2 stops either early morning or late at night. Ugh I love you SW, but why?!
> 
> Edit: The flight on the change email I received is different than what's showing in My Trips. So no idea what my actual flight is!


You need to call them. They rebooked my dad and he had the same problem. They were treating the flights as single flights not a continuous one. I had to change him to the next day


----------



## Erica Ladd

Avery&Todd said:


> You have to cancel the CP first, then you can change your flight and then re-book the CP...
> 
> I've always been nervous about doing that myself so I've had them do that for me via FB messenger, but then the last time, they forgot to add my DH's CP flight both ways (they only re-booked 1 way) so I think next time I'll just do it myself!



I am now too scared to do it myself because the flight they booked us on now shows unavailable!!! I’m afraid if I try to change it by removing DH first there will be some kind of problem and I’ll lose that flight and NOT get it changed!!!


----------



## Erica Ladd

Moreover, if the flight they changed us to now shows unavailable should I be worried????


----------



## Erica Ladd

Is $40 for 3000points worth it?


----------



## Gitelfor

Erica Ladd said:


> Is $40 for 3000points worth it?


The non-discounted purchase price is $90; the value for booking flights is $42.


----------



## Doug7856

Lsdolphin said:


> I see my sept, flight is on 737 Max 8...when did SWA bring them back? Do people feel safe flying on this plane?


We've flown on the 737 Max 8 twice, both times to MCO from Baltimore in May and July. Both were excellent flights. We wouldn't hesitate to flight that model again.


----------



## MinnieMSue

Erica Ladd said:


> Moreover, if the flight they changed us to now shows unavailable should I be worried????



I wouldn’t worry yet. This happened to us and I think they made it unavailable so people wouldn’t book the flight while they were moving things around. Eventually ours became available at a  high fare then wanna get away fares showed up later with a lot of availability.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Well I got our RDU to FLL fixed. Had to add a day to our trip. And then… they just changed our FLL to MCO flight!!! Luckily it’s nonstop but there goes our evening at Universal because we now arrive 3 hours later!! Ugh! At least we will have 2 full days at the parks. Of course until they change our MCO to RDU flight!!! So hoping they don’t!!


----------



## Lsdolphin

Ok so I booked my return flight during the SWA birthday celebration at 50% off paying $52 for my flight than after the sale ended I realized that I had made a mistake and preferred an earlier flight so I paid another $60 to change my flight. 
Boom!!! I just received an email from SWA that they changed my flight to the later flight I originally booked! I just can’t win. I had a similar situation with my flight in April...if I had just left the flights I booked originally and waited I would have be able to change at no charge.
I wonder how long this business of canceling/changing flights is going to last.
It seems like we should just book cheapest flights and wait to change at no charge.....but I guess that’s when they will stop all this business.


----------



## Erica Ladd

They just changed our third and final flight back home. Leaves 8 hours earlier. I might just can this trip at this point. All my times are worse now. Only problem is I don’t know when to rebook because they will just change it all again!!


----------



## Gitelfor

Southwest has changed its banner message for flights eligible for change, as well as the format for making no-change-in-fare changes.



> *Your trip has been modified*
> Due to a disruption or schedule change on your original itinerary, your flight information has been modified. If you’ve checked bags on your original flight, we’ll make every effort to reroute your luggage to your destination.
> 
> You can either check in 24 hours before your flight or make a one-time free of charge change to your itinerary.
> Dates that are not available for selection represent travel dates that are not eligible for this type of change.



Unlike before, the changes are strictly limited to a 14 day window, either way; it is no longer 30 days.  Also, be aware that this is a one-time change, unlike previously.  They are closing up loopholes that allowed customers to take advantage of the situation, for personal benefit.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Gitelfor said:


> Southwest has changed its banner message for flights eligible for change, as well as the format for making no-change-in-fare changes.
> 
> 
> 
> Unlike before, the changes are strictly limited to a 14 day window, either way; it is no longer 30 days.  Also, be aware that this is a one-time change, unlike previously.  They sre closing up loopholes that allowed customers to take advantage of the situation, for personal benefit.



I’m not surprised I’m sure at this point some people are just buying cheapest tickets assuming they will be able to change their flights later...personally I’d prefer to buy the tickets I want and be able to hang on to them! Also I haven’t seen any banner I’ve just gotten an email.
 Not sure what they mean by  “we’ll make every effort to reroute your luggage to your destination”
Sounds like some people will be missing luggage...


----------



## Gitelfor

Lsdolphin said:


> Not sure what they bean by  “we’ll make every effort to reroute your luggage to your destination”
> Sounds like some people will be missing luggage...


It appears that some changes could be occurring on the day of travel, after customers already have checked bags for the original flight.  I believe that bags can be checked as early as four hours before scheduled departure.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Gitelfor said:


> It appears that some changes could be occurring on the day of travel, after customers already have checked bags for the original flight.  I believe that bags can be checked as early as four hours before scheduled departure.



Yes, I assumed something like this but I don’t care for their wording...there is an implication...hopeful their “best efforts” result in one receiving their luggage!  Their technology should let them know exactly where luggage is at anytime provided it’s been scanned correctly. Years ago I had US air flight from Birmingham AL to BWI luckily it was my return flight as my suitcase ended up in Frankfort, Germany and it was weeks before it was returned.


----------



## 5 Disney Fans

so hopefully not a naïve question but here it goes anyway. Our flights for Aug 14 were already changed once so we selected earlier flights each way. (PHL to MCO) and same for our friends flying PIT to MCO How do you know when you are relatively safe from another change?, if we are less than 30 days out is it safe to assume no more schedule changes (barring any delays the day of travel of course).

So sorry to see so many folks impacted by changes to booked flights today!


----------



## Lsdolphin

5 Disney Fans said:


> so hopefully not a naïve question but here it goes anyway. Our flights for Aug 14 were already changed once so we selected earlier flights each way. (PHL to MCO) and same for our friends flying PIT to MCO How do you know when you are relatively safe from another change?, if we are less than 30 days out is it safe to assume no more schedule changes (barring any delays the day of travel of course).
> 
> So sorry to see so many folks impacted by changes to booked flights today!



You don’t  never safe from possible change it could happen even after you arrive at airport.


----------



## MinnieMSue

5 Disney Fans said:


> so hopefully not a naïve question but here it goes anyway. Our flights for Aug 14 were already changed once so we selected earlier flights each way. (PHL to MCO) and same for our friends flying PIT to MCO How do you know when you are relatively safe from another change?, if we are less than 30 days out is it safe to assume no more schedule changes (barring any delays the day of travel of course).
> 
> So sorry to see so many folks impacted by changes to booked flights today!



I check my flights multiple times a day every day. I have not had a flight change less than 2-3 weeks out but it can happen. I am really hoping they leave my September flights alone now. They have messed them up enough!


----------



## EACarlson

redboat45 said:


> When we traveled in January, I had a companion pass.  They did NOT move my husband down to match my number.  He and my kids had A group and I had low B.  So it either doesn't happen all the time or it's changed since January.


 It's changed since January.  January or February they started testing a couple different methods to ensure that CP holders were with their companion.  Now it has started rolling out to more.


Erica Ladd said:


> Moreover, if the flight they changed us to now shows unavailable should I be worried????


Not at the moment.  If you check back on Thursday and it still says unavailable, then I would expect a jam packed flight, or yours is getting cancelled.


----------



## CouponGirl

Got a change email for my departure flight - is it still three days from the day the banner appears to make a change? Would like to see if my return flight is also being changed to determine how and if I might need to make a change.


----------



## Gitelfor

CouponGirl said:


> Got a change email for my departure flight - is it still three days from the day the banner appears to make a change? Would like to see if my return flight is also being changed to determine how and if I might need to make a change.


Southwest has not announced a change from the three day period to accept or make a change.  You might consider looking at the current Southwest schedule to see if your return flight is still listed, while waiting for any possible email advising of a change.

BTW, I do not like the new format of flight listings, which defaults to listing the flights by duration, instead of by time of departure.


----------



## Leigh L

MinnieMSue said:


> I check my flights multiple times a day every day. I have not had a flight change less than 2-3 weeks out but it can happen. I am really hoping they leave my September flights alone now. They have messed them up enough!


I do the same thing, regardless of the airline because I don't always get an email. Over the past year, most airlines changed ours at least 2-4 weeks out. 

Now I don't trust that anymore since in June, AA canceled our flight after boarding passes were issued! No other flights that day to MCO - they scattered our party of 5 all over the place, with different arrival and departure airports, some of us flying same day, others the next day. Nonstops were changed to connecting flights. We ended up requesting refunds and rented a one-way car to Orlando and drove the 13 hours. 

SW tonight changed our mid-Sept flight, which I kind of expected. My Chicago SW for next week is still intact, I got the banner early on when I booked last month, but my flight was still available so kept it, and it never changed. 

Hope your flights stay intact at this point!


----------



## CouponGirl

Gitelfor said:


> Southwest has not announced a change from the three day period to accept or make a change.  You might consider looking at the current Southwest schedule to see if your return flight is still listed, while waiting for any possible email advising of a change.
> 
> BTW, I do not like the new format of flight listings, which defaults to listing the flights by duration, instead of by time of departure.


Thanks, it’s a moot point now... just got the email for the return flight.


----------



## Erica Ladd

When I called to change my flight on the first leg the rep sounded as thought I could make the change at any time but it was specifically a one time change


----------



## redboat45

EACarlson said:


> It's changed since January.  January or February they started testing a couple different methods to ensure that CP holders were with their companion.  Now it has started rolling out to more.


Makes sense.  One of our flights they changed in January they moved me (the companion pass) to a totally different flight, leaving the rest of my family on the original flight.  We got me moved back but we thought that was really weird.


----------



## starry_solo

Lsdolphin said:


> Ok so I booked my return flight during the SWA birthday celebration at 50% off paying $52 for my flight than after the sale ended I realized that I had made a mistake and preferred an earlier flight so I paid another $60 to change my flight.
> Boom!!! I just received an email from SWA that they changed my flight to the later flight I originally booked! I just can’t win. I had a similar situation with my flight in April...if I had just left the flights I booked originally and waited I would have be able to change at no charge.
> I wonder how long this business of canceling/changing flights is going to last.
> It seems like we should just book cheapest flights and wait to change at no charge.....but I guess that’s when they will stop all this business.



See if you can get a refund of the $60 you paid extra...


----------



## Lilylogan

I've been watching for flights between BWI and MCO for early Dec - we are a family of 5 and the prices are making me nervous lol.....  I've been spoiled with lots of cheap non stop flights for so many years.


----------



## cgodzyk

UGH!  I have lost all faith in SW at this point!  We specifically booked a nonstop 3 hour flight because we are travelling with 5 toddlers.  Not only did they change us, but now we have a 2 1/2 layover in Chicago (so total travel is now 6 3/4 hours)!  (We live on the east coast, so that doesn't even logistically sense to me!)  Choices are switch to the nonstop (arriving at 9pm (and pretty much wasting a 3 br GV for the night) or hang out with 5 under 5 at Chicago/Midway for 3 hours.  Neither seems like great options to me.


----------



## focusondisney

cgodzyk said:


> UGH!  I have lost all faith in SW at this point!  We specifically booked a nonstop 3 hour flight because we are travelling with 5 toddlers.  Not only did they change us, but now we have a 2 1/2 layover in Chicago (so total travel is now 6 3/4 hours)!  (We live on the east coast, so that doesn't even logistically sense to me!)  Choices are switch to the nonstop (arriving at 9pm (and pretty much wasting a 3 br GV for the night) or hang out with 5 under 5 at Chicago/Midway for 3 hours.  Neither seems like great options to me.



Is there a late flight the day before & can you travel that day? Could look for a cheap room for that night.  You  can change to a flight that works better even if it’s a different day.


----------



## focusondisney

So our outbound flight got changed Sunday night. Just looked at the SW site & our 8:40 pm nonstop home doesn’t show anymore.  There is a 5:30 now that wasn’t there before.  No email yet.

Edit: just checked my account & yep, we’re now on the 5:30 flight.  Got to go change my 4 pm Chefs of France ADR.


----------



## cmarsh31

Just a request, if your flights are changing, would you mind giving dates? Trying to see what SW seems to be adjusting now...


----------



## Erica Ladd

Ours were all in the September 11-14 range and they change 2 days ago I think


----------



## georgina

cmarsh31 said:


> Just a request, if your flights are changing, would you mind giving dates? Trying to see what SW seems to be adjusting now...


I got an email last night about a Sept 25 flight change.


----------



## Suejacken

Thanks to everyone for all the flight change info especially the dates. I am anxious about my 10/29 flight from PHL to MCO.


----------



## cmarsh31

georgina said:


> I got an email last night about a Sept 25 flight change.



Sigh, that makes me nervous for my 9/30 flight. Thanks!


----------



## Leigh L

cmarsh31 said:


> Just a request, if your flights are changing, would you mind giving dates? Trying to see what SW seems to be adjusting now...


September 20 but reverse from MCO to BWI.

Edited to add - Not flying SW down since I have Spirit credits expiring (and wondering what's going to happen with that flight. Been canceled 3x already to O'Hare, hoping to have better luck with MCO).


----------



## honeymo78

My flight times changed slightly for PHL to MCO and back on 9/11 and 9/18.  Both are still non-stop, but both now depart close to an hour earlier.  Not a big deal for us.


----------



## focusondisney

cmarsh31 said:


> Just a request, if your flights are changing, would you mind giving dates? Trying to see what SW seems to be adjusting now...



Sure, mine were Sept 9 & 16 from Buffalo.


----------



## bsmcneil

focusondisney said:


> Is there a late flight the day before & can you travel that day? Could look for a cheap room for that night.  You  can change to a flight that works better even if it’s a different day.


I just ended up doing this - which admittedly isn't great but it also worked out for me. If it helps, I found a WDW room on Priceline (Sept 21) so that I can still use DME and Disney Transportation (I'm going from a one night at ASMu to AKL) and it makes all of the hassle a little bit less.


----------



## bsmcneil

focusondisney said:


> Sure, mine were Sept 9 & 16 from Buffalo.



Similar here - 9/22-9/25 (which has now become 9/21, and IND-MCO). Admittedly so far, the changes have actually worked in my favor but I recognize it can just as easily go another way - so I'm feeling anxious.


----------



## Lsdolphin

starry_solo said:


> See if you can get a refund of the $60 you paid extra...



Tried and they said “no”


----------



## kelpricer

i just received my email that my flight changed. pitt-mco on October 1


----------



## ah10is

GAH!   My direct flights for Sept. 29 - Oct. 3 just got changed!!!   Manchester, NH to Orlando, FL for Disney's 50th!   New times and the morning direct flights are gone and only one offered in the mid afternoon!    GRRRRRR!!!   Now trying to see if I can fly out of Portland, ME instead as that is my preferred airport!      Change flight isn't working at the moment so I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see if I can get it changed!   I'm really starting to lose respect for SW with all these flight changes!    I've never have had so many issues as I have in the last couple of months.


----------



## cmarsh31

Well, I might have won that one... original flight, 9/30 4pm JetBlue. JetBlue changed to 1pm. I don't want to take the day off. I book second flight on SW, figure worst case, I'll have a layover... but evening flights are stupidly expensive. Red banner comes up a couple months ago, switch it to a slightly later than JetBlue flight. Just check (no email notification), now 2 layovers... but there's a 6pm direct! Score! So my back-up is now my main flight... now to hope for better options on 10/3. Right now I have a 7am SW and a 10am JetBlue. Ok airline roulette, give me a 3pm direct please.


----------



## focusondisney

And more changes….. We have Sept 30 & return Oct 2 nd for the anniversary.  But these changes weren’t too bad.  Flight down was 7:10 am, now 6:05 am.  Flight home was 8:20pm & is now 7:50 pm.  All are still nonstops, so all in all, not too bad.


----------



## crazymomof4

cmarsh31 said:


> Just a request, if your flights are changing, would you mind giving dates? Trying to see what SW seems to be adjusting now...


Same!  Looks like they are working into the beginning of Oct now.  We fly out of PHL on 10/6 and home on 10/13.  Just waiting for the axe to fall and my (so-far) perfectly planned trip hits the crapper!
I keep refreshing my Inbox.


----------



## buzzrelly

Grrrr…SW just changed my perfect, non-stop flight BDL-MCO on 9/30 @ 7:05am-9:55am, and put me on a flight that now has TWO stops and into Orlando at 2pm! I'm so annoyed.

There are no non-stop flights from BDL this day so now I have to decide if I should go a day early (adding hotel cost) or switch to Jet Blue and shell out $300.


----------



## CouponGirl

crazymomof4 said:


> Same!  Looks like they are working into the beginning of Oct now.  We fly out of PHL on 10/6 and home on 10/13.  Just waiting for the axe to fall and my (so-far) perfectly planned trip hits the crapper!
> I keep refreshing my Inbox.


Ugh. I know the feeling. I’ve had one flight change which worked out in my favor because we have no set plans and it’s a surprise trip so if I have to cancel last minute no big deal. But if they change my October flights I’m going to be super upset I didn’t choose the cheapest option and save 15k points per person if I have to pick a different, less desirable flight anyway.


----------



## npatellye

buzzrelly said:


> Grrrr…SW just changed my perfect, non-stop flight BDL-MCO on 9/30 @ 7:05am-9:55am, and put mte on a flight that now has TWO stops and into Orlando at 2pm! I'm so annoyed.
> 
> There are no non-stop flights from BDL this day so now I have to decide if I should go a day early (adding hotel cost) or switch to Jet Blue and shell out $300.


I’m so sorry! They switched our May (initially non-stop) flight out of BDL on us 3 times; we eventually had to fly out a day earlier than expected, at which point they changed it again. I’ve held off on booking our December flight down because I wanted to see if they were still making crazy changes…it looks like they are.


----------



## Suejacken

kelpricer said:


> i just received my email that my flight changed. pitt-mco on October 1





crazymomof4 said:


> Same!  Looks like they are working into the beginning of Oct now.  We fly out of PHL on 10/6 and home on 10/13.  Just waiting for the axe to fall and my (so-far) perfectly planned trip hits the crapper!
> I keep refreshing my Inbox.


please keep us updated on your flights. I fly out of PHL on 10/29 and I am waiting and hoping they don’t change my early direct flight. Fingers crossed they don’t change your flights


----------



## bsmcneil

crazymomof4 said:


> Same!  Looks like they are working into the beginning of Oct now.  We fly out of PHL on 10/6 and home on 10/13.  Just waiting for the axe to fall and my (so-far) perfectly planned trip hits the crapper!
> I keep refreshing my Inbox.


And at the same time, I just got updates about my late Aug trip (IND-SFO, SFO-LAX, LAX-IND). They're all over the map (and calendar!)


----------



## Lynne G

Ugh, both our  to flights at the end of September now changed from very early morning direct flights to afternoon direct flights. For our departure days, SW removed all direct morning flights.  Then, changed the one return from night direct flight to mid afternoon, to first a one stop, that I changed to mid afternoon, the only other later direct flight was unavailable.  My other return night direct flight, like above, now 20 minutes earlier.  Grrr very annoyed, even though I know PHL is not a SW hub.  Very frustrating, even more so, as one I’d those September trips is a 3 night one.  Takes away more than half a day of our time with the changes.  Yeah, we could come a day later or leave later, but time off already set, as with good pricing on the hotels, and doing so will cost more for another hotel night and car rental day.

So we will live with what we have.  And I would hate to do any stops, as the direct flight time is around 2 and a half hours.  


Rant over.  I do hope those changes stop soon.


----------



## Avery&Todd

ARGH!  After hearing about all the changes I was looking at options last night...even though DH is not ready to discuss those options just yet....

BUT, our plan was if SW takes away our perfect non-stops then I was going to book similar flights on Delta - however, depending on when I look those flights range in price from $800-$900 vs. the FREE SW flights with points....

and now I found a $99 flight to MCO (from RDU) the night before and we could then stay at the Hyatt at MOC - which would be cheaper than the $800-$900 flights but DH doesn't know if he's on board with that plan...

I hate the not knowing!!!


----------



## tlseege

Notified last night that our 9/29 direct flight is no more.  I booked it with the 50% off sale.  It was the cheapest option and a super late direct flight, which was nice as we could work and go to school.
Now we switched to the early morning direct flight, which stinks because we have to take another day off of work/school, but now we get to enjoy our resort on that day, which is nice.

I'm on pins and needles waiting for my 10/6 flight home though.  We booked the super late flight on purpose so we could spend the day in the parks.  I'll be very sad if that gets changed.


----------



## EACarlson

Lynne G said:


> Ugh, both our  to flights at the end of September now changed from very early morning direct flights to afternoon direct flights. For our departure days, SW removed all direct morning flights.  Then, changed the one return from night direct flight to mid afternoon, to first a one stop, that I changed to mid afternoon, the only other later direct flight was unavailable.  My other return night direct flight, like above, now 20 minutes earlier.  Grrr very annoyed, even though I know PHL is not a SW hub.  Very frustrating, even more so, as one I’d those September trips is a 3 night one.  Takes away more than half a day of our time with the changes.  Yeah, we could come a day later or leave later, but time off already set, as with good pricing on the hotels, and doing so will cost more for another hotel night and car rental day.
> 
> So we will live with what we have.  And I would hate to do any stops, as the direct flight time is around 2 and a half hours.
> 
> 
> Rant over.  I do hope those changes stop soon.





tlseege said:


> Notified last night that our 9/29 direct flight is no more.  I booked it with the 50% off sale.  It was the cheapest option and a super late direct flight, which was nice as we could work and go to school.
> Now we switched to the early morning direct flight, which stinks because we have to take another day off of work/school, but now we get to enjoy our resort on that day, which is nice.


I'm assuming that both of you mean non-stop each time you say direct.  All non stop flights are direct but not all directs are non stop. It would still be a direct flight if you stopped but didn't change planes.

Changes are going to be a way of life for probably another year.  All the airlines are trying to figure out a way to balance loads and fares.


----------



## tlseege

Good call.  Yes, nonstop flights.


----------



## Lynne G

Yes, non stop.


----------



## georgina

DH's return flight to DCA from MCO on 10/1 just got adjusted by 15 minutes, still nonstop. I'm returning 10/4 so we'll see. We just moved from Pittsburgh to No. VA and are close to DCA, I know SW does a lot more flights out of BWI. Maybe I will have to look into getting more American points! I do love the free bags and no change fees on SW though.


----------



## poochie

Trip only 26 days away. Hoping no changes.


----------



## Lsdolphin

tlseege said:


> Notified last night that our 9/29 direct flight is no more.  I booked it with the 50% off sale.  It was the cheapest option and a super late direct flight, which was nice as we could work and go to school.
> Now we switched to the early morning direct flight, which stinks because we have to take another day off of work/school, but now we get to enjoy our resort on that day, which is nice.
> 
> I'm on pins and needles waiting for my 10/6 flight home though.  We booked the super late flight on purpose so we could spend the day in the parks.  I'll be very sad if that gets changed.



Well at least you don’t have to pay price increase and can retain the sale price...I had also purchased my ticket on sale but then changed my flight and paid price increase and then SWA canceled my flight and I ended up with the original flight I had purchased at 50% off


----------



## zemmer

Our October 6 flight to MCO changed to a flight to Dallas. I put my FP refresh skills to work and refreshed the SWA chat until I was in the queue. They were able to fix it.


----------



## Suejacken

zemmer said:


> Our October 6 flight to MCO changed to a flight to Dallas. I put my FP refresh skills to work and refreshed the SWA chat until I was in the queue. They were able to fix it.


Wow


----------



## crazymomof4

We got the email I've been dreading:  Flight change.  

Turns out to be not so bad at all. Original 10/6 departure to MCO from PHL was 6:40am NOW>> 7:10am. I'd rather have the extra half hour ON VACATION but the rest of the family is happy for another half hour of sleep.
Hoping that's the only change to our flights, but not counting on it.


----------



## cmarsh31

Woke up to the first notification I've gotten (usually I find out here that my flights have changed). 10/3 non-stop actually moved to a better time, but after waiting for 11 HOURS on hold with JetBlue yesterday to add my 13 year old to my itinerary for 10/3, I guess I'll stick with that flight.


----------



## Neener16

buzzrelly said:


> Grrrr…SW just changed my perfect, non-stop flight BDL-MCO on 9/30 @ 7:05am-9:55am, and put me on a flight that now has TWO stops and into Orlando at 2pm! I'm so annoyed.
> 
> There are no non-stop flights from BDL this day so now I have to decide if I should go a day early (adding hotel cost) or switch to Jet Blue and shell out $300.


The same thing happened to me for a trip we are on now. Even flew out of Bradley. We flew in the night before and stayed at the Hyatt inside the airport. I just checked room costs for the day before and they are very reasonable. I know it’s not ideal, but it worked out for us, plus we got an early start on our Disney trip.


----------



## Disneytam

I have 2 trips to Disney planned, one in December and one at the end of September. On Monday I started to get the dreaded emails and as of this morning all 4 of our flights have been changed. @ of them are just slight changes but the two flights in September are upsetting as both the non stop flights have been changed to layover stops, one ay BWI the other in Chicago. I'm from the northeast and layover stops in the winter make me very nervous as I have no interest in getting stuck in an airport for a night. A little disgusted with Southwest right now. Our last trip with them had us sitting in the airport with 2 toddlers for three hours as they kept pushing the flight back over and over and then offering to fly us to BWI with no guarantee that the connecting flight to MCO would actually make it out. We did finally make it to MCO, but very late at night and weather had nothing to do with it.


----------



## maxiesmom

Southwest has changed our return from Orlando.  Was a 7 pm flight, is now just after 3 pm.  The worst part is instead of non-stop we now have a 4 hour layover.  We can change flights, but we will lose that whole last day in the parks. Not to mention, who wants to spend 4 hours in the airport?  Pretty peeved.


----------



## buzzrelly

npatellye said:


> we eventually had to fly out a day earlier than expected, at which point they changed it again.





Neener16 said:


> The same thing happened to me for a trip we are on now. Even flew out of Bradley. We flew in the night before and stayed at the Hyatt inside the airport. I just checked room costs for the day before and they are very reasonable. I know it’s not ideal, but it worked out for us, plus we got an early start on our Disney trip.




I'm likely going to do the same, but since BDL is only offering 1 non-stop flight per day, I think I'm going to fly in the morning of 9/29 and spend an extra day in WDW. I already made a park reservation…I just need to figure out where to stay that night! Choices are pretty limited!

I do love the Hyatt option when I arrive in the evening though and actually, I have the Hyatt booked for our last night because I didn't like the flight choices home either. Let's see if that one changes!


----------



## Tink3815

Tink3815 said:


> Just spoke with a Southwest Rep on the Rapid Rewards customer Service line. She confirmed that buying points counts as a purchase and you do not need to receive the email. 3500 points are 105.00, but you will receive 5250 points for the purchase plus 3500 you bought.. Must be to done before midnight. The bonus points will take 6 to 8 weeks to post.


Just an update, I received my additional points on the statement dated 7/24 for this promotion


----------



## archdandy

Patiently waiting for Southwest to open the next round of dates. They said September 16. Looking at all these stories is making me re-think southwest.


----------



## Boopuff

just curious, out of MCO have they ever cancelled family boarding due to the large amounts of families in the line?  And how strict are they with the one adult per child thing?


----------



## EACarlson

Boopuff said:


> just curious, out of MCO have they ever cancelled family boarding due to the large amounts of families in the line?  And how strict are they with the one adult per child thing?


Yes they have, I have not heard about it recently but it wouldn't surprise me. How strict they are about one adult depends entirely on who is working the gate that flight.  I wouldn't count on either of those things being available to or from MCO.  Get early bird or check in as close to T-24 as you can.


----------



## crazymomof4

So far SW has not made any *major* changes to our flights in Oct but>>> QUESTION:  If say they change our flight from our early morning non-stop departure from PHL to MCO to a LATE day flight with a layover.... This would be upsetting.  What are our options for changing? (I've never had to do this)

For example, I'm not averse to leaving the night before what was to be our early morning take-off and booking one night in Pop or All-Stars so we can use DME.  *If I could change to a night-before-flight, will SW change us without an upcharge if that flight is more than the points I used for our original early morning flight?*


----------



## EACarlson

crazymomof4 said:


> So far SW has not made any *major* changes to our flights in Oct but>>> QUESTION:  If say they change our flight from our early morning non-stop departure from PHL to MCO to a LATE day flight with a layover.... This would be upsetting.  What are our options for changing? (I've never had to do this)
> 
> For example, I'm not averse to leaving the night before what was to be our early morning take-off and booking one night in Pop or All-Stars so we can use DME.  *If I could change to a night-before-flight, will SW change us without an upcharge if that flight is more than the points I used for our original early morning flight?*


SW is generally very accommodating when it comes to making changes.  Usually you can do pretty much whatever you want as long as you're still going to and from the same cities, within 30 days even.  Changing to the night before shouldn't pose any problems.  The biggest thing is know what it is you want before you call.  Have flight numbers and times ready. 
I would recommend looking at the Hyatt at MCO.  Then you can get up the next morning and go right down to DME.


----------



## crazymomof4

EACarlson said:


> SW is generally very accommodating when it comes to making changes.  Usually you can do pretty much whatever you want as long as you're still going to and from the same cities, within 30 days even.  Changing to the night before shouldn't pose any problems.  The biggest thing is know what it is you want before you call.  Have flight numbers and times ready.
> *I would recommend looking at the Hyatt at MCO.  Then you can get up the next morning and go right down to DME.*



Thanks for the info. I will def be prepared IF I ever have to call to make a change (hopefully NOT)
I NEVER thought of staying at MCO if I have to switch to a night before flight.  That is a terrific tip!  Thanks so much for posting!!!


----------



## focusondisney

crazymomof4 said:


> So far SW has not made any *major* changes to our flights in Oct but>>> QUESTION:  If say they change our flight from our early morning non-stop departure from PHL to MCO to a LATE day flight with a layover.... This would be upsetting.  What are our options for changing? (I've never had to do this)
> 
> For example, I'm not averse to leaving the night before what was to be our early morning take-off and booking one night in Pop or All-Stars so we can use DME.  *If I could change to a night-before-flight, will SW change us without an upcharge if that flight is more than the points I used for our original early morning flight?*



We just had out Sept flights changed for both directions.  The email SW sent said if those changes aren’t acceptable, we could change to a flight that was within 14 days of the original flight with no penalty or increased cost. But we could only change 1 time.  So moving to a
Flight the night before is fine.


----------



## crazymomof4

focusondisney said:


> We just had out Sept flights changed for both directions.  The email SW sent said if those changes aren’t acceptable, we could change to a flight that was within 14 days of the original flight with no penalty or increased cost. But we could only change 1 time.  So moving to a
> Flight the night before is fine.


Thank you!  I feel much less nervous about drastic flight changes now!


----------



## scrappinginontario

Cancelled our Aug flights today due to continued border closure.   So thankful I purchased with points as it was just a click of the mouse to cancel.  Now waiting for the next flight release in Sep to try and book Jan flights for our next Disney attempt.  Hopefully 3rd times the charm.  This trip was booked in 2019 and it's currently scheduled for Jan 2022.


----------



## mickeynut1

crazymomof4 said:


> I NEVER thought of staying at MCO if I have to switch to a night before flight.  That is a terrific tip!  Thanks so much for posting!!!



Definitely give the Hyatt some thought if you change your flight to the night before.  We had a late arrival in May (scheduled to land 11:25pm)  so I booked the Hyatt for that night (first time staying there).  Our departure was delayed about 30 mins, so we didn't land at MCO until almost midnight.  It was a short trip so we only had carry ons, so no going to baggage claim.  I am one who likes to get to my resort and settle in no matter how late it is, but our resort wasn't available for that night, which is why I booked the Hyatt....and I'm so glad I did!  It was great being in our room within 15 mins of landing/getting off the plane!       



scrappinginontario said:


> Cancelled our Aug flights today due to continued border closure.   So thankful I purchased with points as it was just a click of the mouse to cancel.  Now waiting for the next flight release in Sep to try and book Jan flights for our next Disney attempt.  Hopefully 3rd times the charm.  This trip was booked in 2019 and it's currently scheduled for Jan 2022.



How frustrating!!  I hope things open up soon and your Jan trip goes as planned.


----------



## crazymomof4

mickeynut1 said:


> Definitely give the Hyatt some thought if you change your flight to the night before.    It was great being in our room within 15 mins of landing/getting off the plane!



That sounds like a delightful experience with a late night arrival.
Also, leaving later in the evening would allow DH to work that full day (as we have scheduled) and not feel too rushed to get home and get to the airport. All around less stress, which is how you want to start off a vaca!  So glad I have this "Plan B" lined up in case SW makes undesirable change(s) to our outbound flight!!  Thanks so much!


----------



## Avery&Todd

crazymomof4 said:


> That sounds like a delightful experience with a late night arrival.
> Also, leaving later in the evening would allow DH to work that full day (as we have scheduled) and not feel too rushed to get home and get to the airport. All around less stress, which is how you want to start off a vaca!  So glad I have this "Plan B" lined up in case SW makes undesirable change(s) to our outbound flight!!  Thanks so much!


I have decided that if SW takes away my morning, non-stop flight to MCO that we'll cancel with them completely as I found a $99/flight on Delta the night before, that arrives at like 9:40pm and we'll just stay the night at the Hyatt too -and then catch our car service in the morning!  

I mean, we can arrive, get a drink in the bar and tuck in for the night and start fresh in the morning at Disney!


----------



## Gitelfor

This is one sure way to get the attention of pax.

Southwest Airlines F/A’s unique safety announcement


----------



## mickeynut1

crazymomof4 said:


> That sounds like a delightful experience with a late night arrival.
> Also, leaving later in the evening would allow DH to work that full day (as we have scheduled) and not feel too rushed to get home and get to the airport. All around less stress, which is how you want to start off a vaca!  So glad I have this "Plan B" lined up in case SW makes undesirable change(s) to our outbound flight!!  Thanks so much!



It worked out great as we were exhausted and it was so nice to be just steps away from our room after landing.  I totally agree....less stress makes for a better start to your vacay .  I hope SW doesn't change your flight, but it's always good to have a back up plan just in case, especially in these unpredictable times with so many changes.  Hope you have a great trip .


----------



## jkelly86

scrappinginontario said:


> Cancelled our Aug flights today due to continued border closure.   So thankful I purchased with points as it was just a click of the mouse to cancel.  Now waiting for the next flight release in Sep to try and book Jan flights for our next Disney attempt.  Hopefully 3rd times the charm.  This trip was booked in 2019 and it's currently scheduled for Jan 2022.


I am so sorry this keeps happening to you!  Fingers crossed the borders can open and stay open in August.

For anyone receiving flight change notifications in October, make sure you check the new prices ASAP and do not just click the link to make changes.  We received very good pricing for both legs of our holiday weekend trip (less than half of our previous 50% off fares) but needed to cancel and rebook each ticket.  HTH someone!

Also, question regarding the companion pass and new boarding position procedures: will the companion pass effect the A-list member's boarding position?


----------



## karen4546

SW changed both my outgoing and returning flights.  my return flight had me stranded in ATL???  

just called to change to more desirable times AND destination - refund of $8.80 x 2 ...   lol

We got a pretty good deal when we booked for Business Select during the last promo.


----------



## maxiesmom

We just cancelled our Southwest flight.  Now we are flying Delta to Detroit, and my dad is picking us up.  Will gain a little time in the park, and even with a 2 hour drive home will get home earlier than we would with the Southwest flight.


----------



## Gitelfor

There are reports of Southwest CSRs admitting to customers that the updated or new software system is changing some customers’ reservations to nonexistent flights.  If you do not see your flight listed in the schedule, contact Southwest to inquire.  The CSRs are advising that there are glitches popping up.


----------



## PCFriar80

Just got red flagged for our 10/20 flight from BDL to MCO.  Eliminated our non-stop getting us in at 9:55.  Now going through BWI and getting in at 11:30.  Not a big deal, but still looking at alternatives.
So, BDL flyers...check your itineraries for October.


----------



## archdandy

scrappinginontario said:


> Cancelled our Aug flights today due to continued border closure.   So thankful I purchased with points as it was just a click of the mouse to cancel.  Now waiting for the next flight release in Sep to try and book Jan flights for our next Disney attempt.  Hopefully 3rd times the charm.  This trip was booked in 2019 and it's currently scheduled for Jan 2022.



I'm sorry your trip has had to be rescheduled so many times. This uncertain time is such a bummer and takes away the excitement a little bit. We are planning a January trip too. I have my fingers crossed the border restrictions will loosen and we won't have to quarantine at home. I don't mind if we have to do the COVID test but adding an extra 10 days is a lot. I'm waiting for Southwest to open up too in September. I don't know if I can wait that long, I might have to bite the bullet and go with JetBlue or Delta.


----------



## Donna M

My flight down just changed, if I cancel, will that cancel both legs and will I get my money back?

Called SW and got all my money back.   We are traveling with 2 and 3 year olds and don´t want to change planes.  We now have Delta nonstop; I hope they don´t change.  The price was $4.00 less too, but now it´s down to Boston.

An update: Delta did cancel our nonstop, but we were able to get their earlier n/s.  It is inconvenient; we have to catch a 4 am bus to the airport.  I hope there aren't any more changes


----------



## Gitelfor

Some flights during the last week of October are now being impacted by schedule changes.


----------



## Suejacken

PCFriar80 said:


> Just got red flagged for our 10/20 flight from BDL to MCO.  Eliminated our non-stop getting us in at 9:55.  Now going through BWI and getting in at 11:30.  Not a big deal, but still looking at alternatives.
> So, BDL flyers...check your itineraries for October.





Gitelfor said:


> Some flights during the last week of October are now being impacted by schedule changes.


I just got a notice that my 6:40 am flight from PHL to MCO was changed to 7:35 am. So far it’s still direct. If that changes then I’m canceling because I’m not doing a lay over for a 2 1/2 hr flight


----------



## Suejacken

I forgot to mention my flight is 10/29


----------



## bookgirl2632

My flight from MCO to BWI on 10/23 was changed, but only by 15 minutes.  We were leaving at 7:55pm, but it got moved up to 7:40pm.  Hopefully, that holds.


----------



## Erica Ladd

I’ve been watching a flight in mid September and it’s gone down in price in increments a few times - by $10, then $5 then $15 and now another $5. Any guesses on if it will go down more? Is there any rhyme or reason to price drops or are they trying to unload inventory? Need to redo some plans after they jacked up my perfect weekend trip flight times!


----------



## Gitelfor

Southwest responds to complaints about cancellations and delays.

Southwest promises to do better.


----------



## focusondisney

Gitelfor said:


> Southwest responds to complaints about cancellations and delays.
> 
> Southwest promises to do better.



Sounded like a lot of lip service to me.  No explanation for why they are changing flights well into October now.  No explanation for cutting flights from so many cities even now. No explanation for moving flights by 15 minutes then changing flight numbers & moving passengers because of it.


----------



## barb969

focusondisney said:


> Sounded like a lot of lip service to me.  No explanation for why they are changing flights well into October now.  No explanation for cutting flights from so many cities even now. No explanation for moving flights by 15 minutes then changing flight numbers & moving passengers because of it.


I agree!


----------



## mickeynut1

Gitelfor said:


> Some flights during the last week of October are now being impacted by schedule changes.



We got an email last night that our 10/29 flight to Vegas was changed.  Not a big deal as it only changed by 25 mins (8:15pm departure to 8:40pm departure), but the flight # changed as well.  Just hope there aren't any more changes between now and then.


----------



## CouponGirl

Gitelfor said:


> Southwest responds to complaints about cancellations and delays.
> 
> Southwest promises to do better.


That doesn’t really seem to explain why there would be changes made out as far as October... unless I’m just missing something?


----------



## buzzrelly

Hello! I ended up booking our last night at MCO, otherwise we would have been coming home at 9:45am on our last day.

So  now we have a 6:40 am flight home. If we’re staying at The Hyatt, what time would you suggest we head down to check in for our flight?


----------



## elgerber

My Oct flight have all be changed, but they actually changed for the better for me.


----------



## EACarlson

buzzrelly said:


> Hello! I ended up booking our last night at MCO, otherwise we would have been coming home at 9:45am on our last day.
> 
> So  now we have a 6:40 am flight home. If we’re staying at The Hyatt, what time would you suggest we head down to check in for our flight?


I would say 5:30.  But that is based on my own risk tolerance and experience being Precheck at MCO.


----------



## buzzrelly

I am Pre-check too, thanks


----------



## Gitelfor

buzzrelly said:


> Hello! I ended up booking our last night at MCO, otherwise we would have been coming home at 9:45am on our last day.
> 
> So  now we have a 6:40 am flight home. If we’re staying at The Hyatt, what time would you suggest we head down to check in for our flight?


If you need to check bags at Southwest, I would allow a minimum of two hours, unless you have A-List status or have a Business Select ticket.  MCO during the first week or two of October is bound to be busier than normal, due to large WDW traffic for the 50th.

If you won’t be checking bags, I would allow 
about 1.25 hours, even with TSA Pre.

You can check on average TSA times a few days in advance of your departure date at sites like MiFlight or MyTSA.


----------



## MarBee

Before I actually go through with this, I just wanted to make sure I had the scenario correct in my head.  I am cancelling flights for my family of 4 that I purchased with 4 separate gift cards.  Each flight was $99 and the gift cards were $100 each. 

1) Is there anyway to get the gift cards refunded rather than a travel credit issued?


2) My kids do not have Rapid Rewards accounts.  How will the travel credits go back to their name/retrieved later?

3) If I rebook with those funds, can I purchase a $79 flight and add on EBCI all with those funds?

I have only ever booked using points, so I appreciate any help!


----------



## LadybugsMum

I’d call and get them RR accounts to add to the reservation so you can keep track of the refunds. But the refunds will always be attached the confirmation number; so make sure you keep that somewhere.


----------



## Gitelfor

MarBee said:


> Before I actually go through with this, I just wanted to make sure I had the scenario correct in my head.  I am cancelling flights for my family of 4 that I purchased with 4 separate gift cards.  Each flight was $99 and the gift cards were $100 each.
> 
> 1) Is there anyway to get the gift cards refunded rather than a travel credit issued?
> 
> 
> 2) My kids do not have Rapid Rewards accounts.  How will the travel credits go back to their name/retrieved later?
> 
> 3) If I rebook with those funds, can I purchase a $79 flight and add on EBCI all with those funds?
> 
> I have only ever booked using points, so I appreciate any help!


Per Southwest:



> A Southwest gift card redeemed for *travel is not refundable*. If travel is not taken, the funds will be held funds with an expiration date. If applied with any other accepted form(s) of payment, the earliest expiration date of all forms of payment applies.



You need to open RR accounts for each ticketed person, and then attach that member number to their reservations.  



> To add your Rapid Rewards number to your reservation on Southwest.com *click on Flight/Hotel/Car at* the top of the screen. Under Flight select Manage Reservations. From here look up your flight using one of the two options available and click on Add Rapid Rewards number next to your name.



Refunds can’t be made to gift cards, but If Southwest cancels or significantly changes your flight, you can contact them to request LUV Vouchers, in lieu of travel funds.  LUV Vouchers can be used to book travel for anyone, but only for the flight cost and not taxes/fees.


----------



## elle101me

Has anyone used the baggage self-tag recently? If so was there a huge line? We’ve been using RAC for years so I haven’t had to bring a suitcase to the airport.


----------



## starry_solo

So, my flights to MCO got changed.  One disappeared completely so the only option I was given (online) to change was from the layover to MCO.  I called, waited 20 minutes, and got it fixed (picked out the flights that worked for us which departs at the same time as the original one but has a layover in a different city).


----------



## MarBee

LadybugsMum said:


> I’d call and get them RR accounts to add to the reservation so you can keep track of the refunds. But the refunds will always be attached the confirmation number; so make sure you keep that somewhere.





Gitelfor said:


> Per Southwest:
> 
> 
> 
> You need to open RR accounts for each ticketed person, and then attach that member number to their reservations.
> 
> 
> 
> Refunds can’t be made to gift cards, but If Southwest cancels or significantly changes your flight, you can contact them to request LUV Vouchers, in lieu of travel funds.  LUV Vouchers can be used to book travel for anyone, but only for the flight cost and not taxes/fees.


Thank you!  Will I be able to use the travel credits to buy tickets and EBCI?


----------



## Esmerelda

starry_solo said:


> So, my flights to MCO got changed.  One disappeared completely so the only option I was given (online) to change was from the layover to MCO.  I called, waited 20 minutes, and got it fixed (picked out the flights that worked for us which departs at the same time as the original one but has a layover in a different city).



Ours for early November we’re changed on the outbound. We had a non stop, now we get to stop in Chicago. We land within an hour of original time but just hate that we lost the non stop part. Oh well, just so SW gets my butt to Disney, I’m happy!


----------



## LadybugsMum

MarBee said:


> Thank you!  Will I be able to use the travel credits to buy tickets and EBCI?


You can definitely use them for flights but I don’t know about EBCI.


----------



## starry_solo

Esmerelda said:


> Ours for early November we’re changed on the outbound. We had a non stop, now we get to stop in Chicago. We land within an hour of original time but just hate that we lost the non stop part. Oh well, just so SW gets my butt to Disney, I’m happy!



 I wish we had non stops from CA but not even in LAX!


----------



## Gitelfor

MarBee said:


> Will I be able to use the travel credits to buy tickets and EBCI?


No, just for the flight.


----------



## elgerber

And they just changed my dh and ds flights to Phoenix on 11/4. They moved the only non stop of the day (that they were on) up by 35 minutes. And instead of leaving them on that flight they put them on a connecting flight doubling their travel time.


----------



## Gitelfor

Well, they are at it again.  They changed an itinerary with a final destination of MCO, via a connection in ATL, to a nonstop ATL-MCO, with no flight to ATL.  Checking the updated schedule, there is no flight available to make the connection in ATL.  The online change functionality only works to rebook ATL-MCO, and not for the original itinerary.


----------



## Lsdolphin

I can’t believe this but I’m checking my flights 2x daily first thing in morning and again in evening!


----------



## starry_solo

Gitelfor said:


> Well, they are at it again.  They changed an itinerary with a final destination of MCO, via a connection in ATL, to a nonstop ATL-MCO, with no flight to ATL.  Checking the updated schedule, there is no flight available to make the connection in ATL.  The online change functionality only works to rebook ATL-MCO, and not for the original itinerary.



That's what mine did so I had to call. It was ONT to MCO, with a layover in DEN. DEN flight was switched.  ONT flight was just gone completely. They had an earlier flight to DEN but the flight number was changed...


----------



## Gitelfor

starry_solo said:


> That's what mine did so I had to call. It was ONT to MCO, with a layover in DEN. DEN flight was switched.  ONT flight was just gone completely. They had an earlier flight to DEN but the flight number was changed...


I will wait a day to see if it gets corrected. This happened a few months back, and it got fixed thru a Twitter DM.  I don’t understand why the same problem keeps happening for months, without a fix.

ETA.  Now, there is no banner on the flight and no link to change at no change in fare - flight info is still wrong.  This is so bad, Southwest!


----------



## bookgirl2632

Lsdolphin said:


> I can’t believe this but I’m checking my flights 2x daily first thing in morning and again in evening!


Same.  They changed my departure flight from MCO to BWI in October two days ago.  They only moved it up by 20 minutes, but now I’m paranoid.  I keep checking several times a day now.


----------



## Erica Ladd

How long do I have to cancel one of 2 flights before they cancel for me? FWIW they are 12 hours apart with same strip city but different departure cities  (family was gonna travel together but now some might meet us there instead)


----------



## samandryanmom

Our October flights from New Orleans were changed...both arriving and departing...I was able to go online and move them to different flights (they moved us from non stop to a one stop flight) back to non stop flights just at slightly different times. Has anyone had their changed flight changed again? Should I be checking multiple times?


----------



## Neener16

elle101me said:


> Has anyone used the baggage self-tag recently? If so was there a huge line? We’ve been using RAC for years so I haven’t had to bring a suitcase to the airport.


Flying home from MCO, there was a gigantic Southwest line. There was a lot of confusion as to where the line began. There was 1 person with a sign and another walking around staring at the line, but not actually doing anything . It actually went quickly. When you get up to the marked off lines with the kiosks we stayed to the left and got our tags etc. For some reason no one was going to the left. Got through quickly.


----------



## cjsmom5

samandryanmom said:


> Our October flights from New Orleans were changed...both arriving and departing...I was able to go online and move them to different flights (they moved us from non stop to a one stop flight) back to non stop flights just at slightly different times. Has anyone had their changed flight changed again? Should I be checking multiple times?



They should send you an email saying that the flight is changed. That said, I always periodically check these days.  If I see it before the email arrives I have a better selection of flights if I don't like the one they put me on or the change that was made.


----------



## cjsmom5

Erica Ladd said:


> How long do I have to cancel one of 2 flights before they cancel for me? FWIW they are 12 hours apart with same strip city but different departure cities  (family was gonna travel together but now some might meet us there instead)



Depends on your fare class with Southwest. If it is a wanna get away, you will not get a refund but a travel credit.  Can only be used by the ticketed passenger. Good for 1 years from the time of booking - not the flight itself.

"If you do not wish to travel, you must cancel your booking *at least 24 hours prior to scheduled departure* of the flight to be eligible for a refund. Refund will be made to you subject to applicable cancellation charges. Please note that cancellation policy is subject to change without notice."


----------



## cjsmom5

elgerber said:


> And they just changed my dh and ds flights to Phoenix on 11/4. They moved the only non stop of the day (that they were on) up by 35 minutes. And instead of leaving them on that flight they put them on a connecting flight doubling their travel time.



They can call and asked to be switched to the non-stop flight. If there are seats they will put them on it at no charge. I am surprised they completely moved them. If they were on it before, they should have just received notice the flight time was changed. I would for sure call them.  Or have them go out to the airport. I had to do that on a recent flight out of Phx on SWA. Going to the airport and talking directly with them at the ticket counter was the best thing I did.


----------



## cjsmom5

MarBee said:


> Before I actually go through with this, I just wanted to make sure I had the scenario correct in my head.  I am cancelling flights for my family of 4 that I purchased with 4 separate gift cards.  Each flight was $99 and the gift cards were $100 each.
> 
> 1) Is there anyway to get the gift cards refunded rather than a travel credit issued?
> 
> 
> 2) My kids do not have Rapid Rewards accounts.  How will the travel credits go back to their name/retrieved later?
> 
> 3) If I rebook with those funds, can I purchase a $79 flight and add on EBCI all with those funds?
> 
> I have only ever booked using points, so I appreciate any help!




First - depends on what the classification of the fare. If it was a wanna get away fare (assuming it was at the fare), they only issue refunds in terms of travel credits.  You will need to keep the reservation number and you will use that in applying those funds to a future flight. If you used 4 gift cards - the total of the 4 will be on that reservation confirmation number. They will not be issued separately. The ticketed passenger is the only passenger that will be able to use those travel credits. The Credit will be good for 1 years FROM *booking. This is important. It is not one day from the travel date on the ticket.*


----------



## elle101me

Neener16 said:


> Flying home from MCO, there was a gigantic Southwest line. There was a lot of confusion as to where the line began. There was 1 person with a sign and another walking around staring at the line, but not actually doing anything . It actually went quickly. When you get up to the marked off lines with the kiosks we stayed to the left and got our tags etc. For some reason no one was going to the left. Got through quickly.


Thank you!


----------



## elgerber

cjsmom5 said:


> They can call and asked to be switched to the non-stop flight. If there are seats they will put them on it at no charge. I am surprised they completely moved them. If they were on it before, they should have just received notice the flight time was changed. I would for sure call them.  Or have them go out to the airport. I had to do that on a recent flight out of Phx on SWA. Going to the airport and talking directly with them at the ticket counter was the best thing I did.


Oh yeah I have already done that. I did it online for them.


----------



## EACarlson

Erica Ladd said:


> How long do I have to cancel one of 2 flights before they cancel for me? FWIW they are 12 hours apart with same strip city but different departure cities  (family was gonna travel together but now some might meet us there instead)


 It should happen overnight as soon as the second reservation is made.  In reality, 12 hours apart might be far enough that SW IT doesn't catch it, especially if were a shorter flight.


cjsmom5 said:


> First - depends on what the classification of the fare. If it was a wanna get away fare (assuming it was at the fare), they only issue refunds in terms of travel credits.
> 
> The Credit will be good for 1 years FROM *booking. This is important. It is not one day from the travel date on the ticket.*


No, it doesn't.  All Gift Card transactions are only given back as TF.  

More importantly, travel must be completed by the expiration date, not just booked.


----------



## JediBonas

Our November flight got changed late last night, from nonstop leaving around 7 am to Noon with a layover and plane change.  I was able to change to a different non-stop flight (leaving at 12:30, arriving at 3:50) but super confused by what I'm seeing now:  four or five separate flights, leaving from ALB at the same time (5:45 am) to MCO with different layovers and stuff.  Seems really weird.


----------



## cjsmom5

EACarlson said:


> It should happen overnight as soon as the second reservation is made.  In reality, 12 hours apart might be far enough that SW IT doesn't catch it, especially if were a shorter flight.
> 
> No, it doesn't.  All Gift Card transactions are only given back as TF.
> 
> More importantly, travel must be completed by the expiration date, not just booked.



On all my flights the expiration date is 1 year from the date booked. May be different for gift cards but that is how it is on LUV vouchers too.  Just had to spend almost $2000 in TF over the last 18 months due to cancelled flights because of the pandemic. Was a little crazy.


----------



## cmarsh31

JediBonas said:


> Our November flight got changed late last night, from nonstop leaving around 7 am to Noon with a layover and plane change.  I was able to change to a different non-stop flight (leaving at 12:30, arriving at 3:50) but super confused by what I'm seeing now:  four or five separate flights, leaving from ALB at the same time (5:45 am) to MCO with different layovers and stuff.  Seems really weird.



I see that lot from ALB. I think a lot of flights terminate in Albany, then tge next morning they start out routes all over, very early.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

Just to double check since it's been a couple of years since I've flown SW. We only need to check in the confirmation number once even if there's more than one person on the reservation right?


----------



## jcarwash

CookieandOatmeal said:


> Just to double check since it's been a couple of years since I've flown SW. We only need to check in the confirmation number once even if there's more than one person on the reservation right?



Right, if everyone is on the same itinerary, you check in with that number and get boarding positions for all.


----------



## scrappinginontario

archdandy said:


> I'm sorry your trip has had to be rescheduled so many times. This uncertain time is such a bummer and takes away the excitement a little bit. We are planning a January trip too. I have my fingers crossed the border restrictions will loosen and we won't have to quarantine at home. I don't mind if we have to do the COVID test but adding an extra 10 days is a lot. I'm waiting for Southwest to open up too in September. I don't know if I can wait that long, I might have to bite the bullet and go with JetBlue or Delta.


I understand that.  We'll be staying with SW as we have enough points to travel that way and it makes it easy to cancel if we need to again and we also received our taxes back too.  Can't beat service like that!!


----------



## maxiesmom

focusondisney said:


> Sounded like a lot of lip service to me.  No explanation for why they are changing flights well into October now.  No explanation for cutting flights from so many cities even now. No explanation for moving flights by 15 minutes then changing flight numbers & moving passengers because of it.



Yeah, funny that our flight that was cancelled was the latest one out of MCO, and those are the flights the article claims they are having to add.  Bunch of bull puckey.


----------



## kkbookmom

I've been following this thread for a while now. After seeing what everyone else is going thru, now I am nervous about flights we booked for December. I keep hoping things will settled down, but I guess I just don't really understand why this is happening. Makes me extra nervous because we have 11 flying into MCO on the same flight. I'm picturing trying to snag new flights with so many tickets. 

<<I'll just wait over here, with my head in the sand, hoping it settles down>>


----------



## Gitelfor

kkbookmom said:


> I've been following this thread for a while now. After seeing what everyone else is going thru, now I am nervous about flights we booked for December. I keep hoping things will settled down, but I guess I just don't really understand why this is happening. Makes me extra nervous because we have 11 flying into MCO on the same flight. I'm picturing trying to snag new flights with so many tickets.
> 
> <<I'll just wait over here, with my head in the sand, hoping it settles down>>


Unless you have several lap children flying with you, there is more than one confirmation number for the group.  You might want to contact Southwest to see if they can notate each confirmation number to associate with the other(s), so if there is a change, they move everyone together.  Hopefully, there won’t be any changes.


----------



## kkbookmom

Gitelfor said:


> Unless you have several lap children flying with you, there is more than one confirmation number for the group.  You might want to contact Southwest to see if they can notate each confirmation number to associate with the other(s), so if there is a change, they move everyone together.  Hopefully, there won’t be any changes.



Nope, only 2 kids (ages 3 & 6). Good thought, I'll try to contact them soon. I'm hearing people post about November dates already.


----------



## MMSM

kkbookmom said:


> I've been following this thread for a while now. After seeing what everyone else is going thru, now I am nervous about flights we booked for December. I keep hoping things will settled down, but I guess I just don't really understand why this is happening. Makes me extra nervous because we have 11 flying into MCO on the same flight. I'm picturing trying to snag new flights with so many tickets.
> 
> <<I'll just wait over here, with my head in the sand, hoping it settles down>>


I really believe this is due to shortage in staff.  I hope December all is good.  With Sept 6th coming soon, maybe they cancelled some October flights because they wanted to make sure enough people were back and trained.


----------



## jkelly86

kkbookmom said:


> I've been following this thread for a while now. After seeing what everyone else is going thru, now I am nervous about flights we booked for December. I keep hoping things will settled down, but I guess I just don't really understand why this is happening. Makes me extra nervous because we have 11 flying into MCO on the same flight. I'm picturing trying to snag new flights with so many tickets.
> 
> <<I'll just wait over here, with my head in the sand, hoping it settles down>>


I would agree that you should get all of the reservation numbers associated with each other ASAP.  We had a group of 8 people flying together on a non-stop flight in April, and there were many, many changes from the time of booking until the day that we flew.  The first few times it was a fire drill getting us all rebooked onto the same flight again.  Once we had the reservation numbers associated as traveling together, we did not have any further issues.


----------



## bookgirl2632

I asked this in another thread, but thought I’d ask here as well.

For those who’ve flown out of MCO recently, do they have skycaps checking luggage at the curb?


----------



## ngchiro

Yes, and as a side note companion pass is not near as valuable to me.  SW is not competitive right now so the last 3 flights I've found better use of other carriers even factoring in Companion savings for DW


----------



## Gitelfor

With all of Southwest's continuing schedule changes, Southwest set up a page addressing changes to a reservation.  What stands out is the policy if the customer wishes to cancel a WGA ticket not booked with points.


> If you decide not to travel, our normal cancellation policy applies.
> 
> *Business Select/Anytime tickets* *are refundable*. You can choose to either a) receive a method-of-payment refund or b) hold the value of the ticket as a travel fund that you can use to buy a future flight. Learn more about refunds.
> *Wanna Get Away tickets* *are non-refundable*. The value of the ticket will be converted to a travel fund that you can use to buy a future flight.


FAQ for Southwest schedule changes impacting reservations

When trying to DM Southwest on social media, the following automated message appears as a reply:


> Hi! Thanks for contacting us. Due to the increase in travel, we’re receiving a lot of Customer questions on social media. So it might take us several hours to respond to you, and we might not be able to get to everyone who reaches out. Hang in there with us—thanks for your patience! Do you have a question about Southwest rebooking your flight? We’re sincerely sorry if your travel plans have been impacted. Learn about involuntarily flight changes here: https://swa.is/ScheduleChange  (This is an automated message.)


----------



## MMSM

Gitelfor said:


> With all of Southwest's continuing schedule changes, Southwest set up a page addressing changes to a reservation.  What stands out is the policy if the customer wishes to cancel a WGA ticket not booked with points.
> 
> FAQ for Southwest schedule changes impacting reservations
> 
> When trying to DM Southwest on social media, the following automated message appears as a reply:


However the points would return if booked with points?


----------



## jcarwash

MMSM said:


> However the points would return if booked with points?



Yes, you get your points back if you cancel.


----------



## MMSM

That seems crazy. They could change your flight to the next day and they are saying “too bad so sad” if you paid with credit (not points).


----------



## Tink3815

Travelling on points is better. Right now you can buy points at a discount of up to 65% off.


----------



## Leigh L

Gitelfor said:


> With all of Southwest's continuing schedule changes, Southwest set up a page addressing changes to a reservation.  What stands out is the policy if the customer wishes to cancel a WGA ticket not booked with points.
> 
> FAQ for Southwest schedule changes impacting reservations
> 
> When trying to DM Southwest on social media, the following automated message appears as a reply:


Looks like they;ve modified their message from 7/26

I sent a DM on twitter to Southwest last week as we had a next day flight with an issue needing to be resolved with precheck. They took about 4 hours to respond and fixed the issue quickly. So same response time as sitting on hold at that time.


----------



## ArtistLost

Tink3815 said:


> Travelling on points is better. Right now you can buy points at a discount of up to 65% off.


I'm pretty new to using Southwest points. How do you buy them at this discount?


----------



## Gitelfor

Leigh L said:


> Looks like they;ve modified their message from 7/26
> 
> I sent a DM on twitter to Southwest last week as we had a next day flight with an issue needing to be resolved with precheck. They took about 4 hours to respond and fixed the issue quickly. So same response time as sitting on hold at that time.


I am still waiting for a response to a DM sent 20 hours ago.  Their online system wll not allow me to modify a reservation that they changed, leaving the first leg completely missing.


----------



## zemmer

I had no luck getting a Twitter or FB dm answered. I finally found that if I repeatedly went in and out of chat (FP refresh skills getting a good practice) that after a few tries I was connected or in the que. The chat was always able to resolve my problem.


----------



## bsmcneil

ArtistLost said:


> I'm pretty new to using Southwest points. How do you buy them at this discount?


Try https://www.southwest.com/account/rapidrewards/points/buy-points?clk=6185041&cbid=6185041&int= (I had to log-in)


----------



## bsmcneil

For the 65%, I do wonder - do you all recommend doing this? 

Here's a little bit of my situation - I live in the MW but family is all east coast and friends all over except the MW, lol. I've done SW for a while and this year signed up for the card to get the 30K, and CP and something else, I think. Between Covid and traveling, I have a fair amount of travel funds available (which will likely go even higher as I think I'm cancelling 2 trips this fall) and I have about 47K miles. The CP expires 2/28/22 (I'm hoping I can take my 2 boys to WDW before then) and it's me as one adult with 2 kids (usually if I travel, especially with Covid, I go alone - but we're getting to the place where we can all travel more). 

Anyway - part of me thinks it might be good to buy some of the miles and just have them to play with whenever I need them (I'd probably buy the least amount to get 65% off) - 412.50 for 24,750 (and I have 47,270 and am earning some each month using Marathon gas as well as the RR Priority Visa, though mostly I earn points with my Chase Freedom card). Also, if I recall correctly, purchased points don't count towards A-List or the next Companion Pass, is that correct? 

My A-list progress is: 16,392 out of 35,000 points; and 70,714 out of 125,000 points towards extending the companion pass.

lol - and feel free to ignore this as it's clearly not WDW specific.


----------



## CouponGirl

bsmcneil said:


> For the 65%, I do wonder - do you all recommend doing this?
> 
> Here's a little bit of my situation - I live in the MW but family is all east coast and friends all over except the MW, lol. I've done SW for a while and this year signed up for the card to get the 30K, and CP and something else, I think. Between Covid and traveling, I have a fair amount of travel funds available (which will likely go even higher as I think I'm cancelling 2 trips this fall) and I have about 47K miles. The CP expires 2/28/22 (I'm hoping I can take my 2 boys to WDW before then) and it's me as one adult with 2 kids (usually if I travel, especially with Covid, I go alone - but we're getting to the place where we can all travel more).
> 
> Anyway - part of me thinks it might be good to buy some of the miles and just have them to play with whenever I need them (I'd probably buy the least amount to get 65% off) - 412.50 for 24,750 (and I have 47,270 and am earning some each month using Marathon gas as well as the RR Priority Visa, though mostly I earn points with my Chase Freedom card). Also, if I recall correctly, purchased points don't count towards A-List or the next Companion Pass, is that correct?
> 
> My A-list progress is: 16,392 out of 35,000 points; and 70,714 out of 125,000 points towards extending the companion pass.
> 
> lol - and feel free to ignore this as it's clearly not WDW specific.


I’m sure someone else would have some additional thoughts, but I’m not sure in your situation why you would spend on the points? It’s my understanding your travel funds will expire in a year, so you would want to use those up before you lose their value. And you already have points saved up as well (you can check out how many points are needed for your particular destinations). FWIW, they frequently have sales on points so this isn’t a get it now or never be able to get this deal again situation.


----------



## vetrik

MMSM said:


> I really believe this is due to shortage in staff.  I hope December all is good.  With Sept 6th coming soon, maybe they cancelled some October flights because they wanted to make sure enough people were back and trained.



I'm also keeping my fingers crossed for no changes to December, although I'm nervous! My friend and I are going on a short girls' trip and we were booked on Jet Blue. I check our flights frequently, and noticed today (with no email or notice) that our PVD to MCO flights were changed to times that basically made us lose 2 full days of our 5 day trip (Monday flight to Orlando changed from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Friday return changed from 8:00 pm to 1:34 pm). Apparently those are now the only flights each day, so there were no other time options to change to. We rebooked with Southwest at good times (higher priced, but I was able to use points to make it equivalent to what we paid for Jet Blue months ago), but I really hope they aren't cancelled or changed!


----------



## Gitelfor

In a continuing saga, a Southwest CSR just told me the reason why the first leg of my connecting flight itinerary was missing, was that they had not yet completed ticketing on the reservation they changed (emailed change showed the complete itinerary, including the first leg, with a ten minute later departure, than the original; my account shows only 2nd leg).  Then I was told the reason ticketing was not yet completed was that the originating flight that they moved me to was non-existent.  She said they are working on alternate flights, and I have the option to change the flight(s)/travel date to within 14 days of original departure date.  I also was advised that the one-time change can be made up to 10 minutes of scheduled departure.  Apparently, though the banner may disappear after three days of the email notice, you can opt for the no fare change up till departure date.  Even if you are changing a WGA ticket, they will rebook you on a flight only showing BS availability and just move that BS seat over to WGA inventory.


----------



## EACarlson

MMSM said:


> That seems crazy. They could change your flight to the next day and they are saying “too bad so sad” if you paid with credit (not points).


That policy only applies to customer initiated cancellations.  Per DOT regulations, if there is a "significant" change in your scheduled flights or an addition of a stop they are required to offer a full refund back to the original form of payment.


----------



## Lsdolphin

I’m trying to figure out if current points offer is worth doing....someone recently posted current value of points but I can’t find that post now....


----------



## MarBee

Lsdolphin said:


> I’m trying to figure out if current points offer is worth doing....someone recently posted current value of points but I can’t find that post now....


As a general rule, buying points is only a good idea if you need a few points extra to book a reservation. 
Pick a flight that you would potentially fly in the future. How many points does it cost versus how much would you pay in cash?  Then calculate how much it would cost to buy the points for that reservation.  Every time I’ve ever done this, it was always more to buy the points than to pay with cash, even when there were sales.  YMMV but it’s never worked out mathematically for me.


----------



## Gitelfor

Lsdolphin said:


> I’m trying to figure out if current points offer is worth doing....someone recently posted current value of points but I can’t find that post now....



The cash value is about 1.4 cents per point.


----------



## belle032

Gitelfor said:


> In a continuing saga, a Southwest CSR just told me the reason why the first leg of my connecting flight itinerary was missing, was that they had not yet completed ticketing on the reservation they changed (emailed change showed the complete itinerary, including the first leg, with a ten minute later departure, than the original; my account shows only 2nd leg).  Then I was told the reason ticketing was not yet completed was that the originating flight that they moved me to was non-existent.  She said they are working on alternate flights, and I have the option to change the flight(s)/travel date to within 14 days of original departure date.  I also was advised that the one-time change can be made up to 10 minutes of scheduled departure.  Apparently, though the banner may disappear after three days of the email notice, you can opt for the no fare change up till departure date.  Even if you are changing a WGA ticket, they will rebook you on a flight only showing BS availability and just move that BS seat over to WGA inventory.



This sounds like what happened to us - our flight changed and had both legs of our flight overlapping. When I called (CSR was laughing), she basically said the same thing. They hadn't finished completing all the flight changes so we were on the first leg of one flight and the second leg of another. I almost recommend calling instead of trying to use social media to contact them right now. I finally called after no answer on FB Messenger and I only waited about 15 minutes. You can have them call you back once it's your turn in line.

And after all that I ended up cancelling our flights (SW & Delta) and rebooking for an airport closer to home after I saw the SW price drop. Paid a bit more on Delta, but it evens out.

Bottom line: airlines are a bit of a mess. Check your flights often!


----------



## Lsdolphin

MarBee said:


> As a general rule, buying points is only a good idea if you need a few points extra to book a reservation.
> Pick a flight that you would potentially fly in the future. How many points does it cost versus how much would you pay in cash?  Then calculate how much it would cost to buy the points for that reservation.  Every time I’ve ever done this, it was always more to buy the points than to pay with cash, even when there were sales.  YMMV but it’s never worked out mathematically for me.



Yep even with their current special offer it’s still more to purchase points than to just pay for flight.


----------



## Gitelfor

belle032 said:


> This sounds like what happened to us - our flight changed and had both legs of our flight overlapping. When I called (CSR was laughing), she basically said the same thing. They hadn't finished completing all the flight changes so we were on the first leg of one flight and the second leg of another. I almost recommend calling instead of trying to use social media to contact them right now. I finally called after no answer on FB Messenger and I only waited about 15 minutes. You can have them call you back once it's your turn in line.
> 
> And after all that I ended up cancelling our flights (SW & Delta) and rebooking for an airport closer to home after I saw the SW price drop. Paid a bit more on Delta, but it evens out.
> 
> Bottom line: airlines are a bit of a mess. Check your flights often!


I never did receive any response from my social media DM, but got through on the phone with about a 25 minute wait.  The CSR    Indicated that even though I received an email with a complete routing, the system only was confirming the second leg; I was floored when she told me the first leg’s flight did not even exist.  It has been about a week since the email was sent, with no follow up; my account still shows only the 2nd leg.  I hate to think how many customers never look at their reservations, till they check in for their flights and only then see this kind of problem.

BTW, I asked both about the next round of schedule adjustments, as well as why there continue to be so many changes.  The response was that they find out about schedule adjustments when customers find out, and that adjustments to the schedule are based on demand.


----------



## teawar

Our Labor Weekend fares just dropped about $100 dollars each way from BHM to MCO. Points also dropped about 10,000. So you may want to check!

With our companion pass, I usually have to call to make changes but I clicked online and was able to switch to a higher booking class for one of our legs cheaper than what I originally paid for the “wanna get away” rate. I was able to get business select for $50 cheaper than my original ticket. The “wanna get away” price dropped to $98, but I want to maximize the points I get and “a” group. The rest of my funds were returned as flight credit.


----------



## CarlyMur09

teawar said:


> Our Labor Weekend fares just dropped about $100 dollars each way from BHM to MCO. Points also dropped about 10,000. So you may want to check!
> 
> With our companion pass, I usually have to call to make changes but I clicked online and was able to switch to a higher booking class for one of our legs cheaper than what I originally paid for the “wanna get away” rate. I was able to get business select for $50 cheaper than my original ticket. The “wanna get away” price dropped to $98, but I want to maximize the points I get and “a” group. The rest of my funds were returned as flight credit.


Checked out our flights Th-Sun Labor Day weekend. About 1.5k pp drop for the way down, so definitely taking that for the five of us!


----------



## Erica Ladd

A RT trip will count as 2 flights towards A list right?

Also - it says it resets on January 1. Does that mean I have until 12/31 to complete my 25 flights?


----------



## teawar

Erica Ladd said:


> A RT trip will count as 2 flights towards A list right?
> 
> Also - it says it resets on January 1. Does that mean I have until 12/31 to complete my 25 flights?


You are correct on both points.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Thanks much!!!


----------



## MinnieMSue

Southwest changed my departing flight time on Sept 8 to earlier so they are still changing September times at least. (Flight number didn’t change)


----------



## cmarsh31

Sept 18th departure out of MCO changed this morning - but flight number stayed the same. Leaving an hour earlier. Check your flights...


----------



## dez1978

Does sw allow you to buy points with a sw gift card?


----------



## dez1978

Lsdolphin said:


> Yep even with their current special offer it’s still more to purchase points than to just pay for flight.


But at least if you cancel the points go back to your acct. I lost $280 this year bc travel funds expired 9 days before our next possible trip.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Reiterating checking flights!  Ours did not change but when checking current schedules for flights leaving MCO they added another direct flight!  (we are flying to RDU).  We were originally changed from an 8:55 pm nonstop to a 12:05 pm nonstop (the only one of the day) which was not ideal but whatever - I hate not having some park time or at least a relaxing morning and meal on departure day....but they must have just added a nonstop  flight departing at 2:35pm so we get an extra 2.5 hours!  Luckily I was just reviewing upcoming reservations.  Another reason to check and recheck itineraries in case they move things around!  No increase in price so the hardest thing was canceling CP in order to modify!


----------



## Lsdolphin

dez1978 said:


> Does sw allow you to buy points with a sw gift card?



I do not see an option to pay with a gift card only a credit card.


----------



## Gitelfor

Use of Southwest gift cards as form of payment:



> A Southwest gift card can be used for Passenger travel only on Southwest Airlines, excluding Southwest Airlines group tickets.
> A Southwest gift card is not valid for the purchase of Southwest Airlines Vacation Packages, cargo, hotel, rental car, Southwest Airlines merchandise, Southwest Airlines group tickets, EarlyBird Check-In, oversized and excess baggage fees, upgraded boarding at the airport, Pet Fare, unaccompanied minor service charge, additional Southwest gift cards, or inflight purchases. Sales tax, security fees, and passenger facilities charges may be paid for with a Southwest gift card.


----------



## Lsdolphin

What is the annual fee for the southwest Visa card?


----------



## mickeynut1

Lsdolphin said:


> What is the annual fee for the southwest Visa card?



There are 3 different ones:

RR Plus - $69/yr
RR Premier - $99/yr
RR Priority - $149/yr

Compare Credit Card Rewards and Benefits | Chase


----------



## barb969

Lsdolphin said:


> What is the annual fee for the southwest Visa card?


There are several southwest visas. Google southwest visa to see all of them. Some  have bonus points and various perks.


----------



## disneyeveryyear

emmabelle said:


> yeah I know... but it was the only nonstop so my hands were tied.
> 
> But the good news is that I looked and I was able to get back 5600 points because it was less points then when I booked.  It was that nervous moment when you cancel your flights to get the points back and then rebook it. It's never an issue with Jetblue because we have so many points with them that I will book the cheaper flight and then cancel the more expensive one.  I didn't have that luxury this time with SW because I only had 120 points in reserve.



With SWA you don't need to cancel and rebook (you will lose your EBCI if you do this), just change it.  That way you don't lose anything.


----------



## emmabelle

disneyeveryyear said:


> With SWA you don't need to cancel and rebook (you will lose your EBCI if you do this), just change it.  That way you don't lose anything.



I couldn’t do that because it would be trying to change the flight I was already on.  I would’ve had to change to a completely different flight.

I actually just changed my flight to stay another day in order to do an AP preview of Remi!  So excited!


----------



## focusondisney

emmabelle said:


> *I couldn’t do that because it would be trying to change the flight I was already on.  I would’ve had to change to a completely different flight.*
> 
> I actually just changed my flight to stay another day in order to do an AP preview of Remi!  So excited!



For future reference, you can still use the change feature.  It will pull up all flights on the selected day, including the one you are currently booked on, with the new price.  You just pick that same flight again.  No problem at all.


----------



## mrsstats79

If I change my flight to  save points will it effect my EBCI or will the EBCI still be based on when I purchased it?


----------



## barb969

As long as you change and not cancel and rebook, you will keep EBCI. I prefer to call because I am afraid I’ll mess up and lose it.


----------



## focusondisney

mrsstats79 said:


> If I change my flight to  save points will it effect my EBCI or will the EBCI still be based on when I purchased it?



You’ll get both answers & I’m not sure anyone really knows.  I alsways thought I kept my original purchase date. But I have noticed the last few times that my email does show the new date as the purchase date.  So the EBCI probably resets to that.  Unless it is a significant point reductio, I haven’t bothered to change for just this reason.


----------



## focusondisney

barb969 said:


> As long as you change and not cancel and rebook, you will keep EBCI. I prefer to call because I am afraid I’ll mess up and lose it.



I think the PP is asking if the EBCI will be based off the original purchase date, or the date of the change.  Your place in line is determined by the date you purchased EBCI.  She wants to know if she’ll keep the original date or get the new date.


----------



## Lsdolphin

focusondisney said:


> I think the PP is asking if the EBCI will be based off the original purchase date, or the date of the change.  Your place in line is determined by the date you purchased EBCI.  She wants to know if she’ll keep the original date or get the new date.



I did this and definitely got the new date!


----------



## mrsstats79

I think I will just leave it so as mot to screw up my ebci


----------



## vwlfan

Had an horrific experience with SW about 3 weeks ago. Too many issues to lament here except ”lowlights “ include unconscionable delays and lack of any kind of support for handicapped needs. I wrote a fair but highly critical letter to SW and actually waited several days before sending it so I’d be calmer . To date, 8 days later, still no response. That really bothers me. Very un-Southwest.


----------



## LadybugsMum

37 days until the new schedule comes out....


----------



## MS_Warrior

vwlfan said:


> Had an horrific experience with SW about 3 weeks ago. Too many issues to lament here except ”lowlights “ include unconscionable delays and lack of any kind of support for handicapped needs. I wrote a fair but highly critical letter to SW and actually waited several days before sending it so I’d be calmer . To date, 8 days later, still no response. That really bothers me. Very un-Southwest.



I hate to hear this. I’ve always flown SW and usually have a scooter or wheelchair. They’ve never been anything except great with me. I hate that you had these issues! Hopefully, they will get their act together.


----------



## EmilyGahr

LadybugsMum said:


> 37 days until the new schedule comes out....


Does anyone think this date may move? The past two years have released the next batch of flights in mid-August... 
Checking everyday!


----------



## MMSM

EmilyGahr said:


> Does anyone think this date may move? The past two years have released the next batch of flights in mid-August...
> Checking everyday!


I would have thought yes.  But they may still be making sure they have staff back.


----------



## aokeefe

EmilyGahr said:


> Does anyone think this date may move? The past two years have released the next batch of flights in mid-August...
> Checking everyday!


I check everyday in hopes it gets moved up to August!


----------



## LadybugsMum

aokeefe said:


> I check everyday in hopes it gets moved up to August!


As much as I would love for the schedule to come out early, I'd rather wait a bit longer in case it means the schedule changes less later.


----------



## jkelly86

I am also surpised that they plan to release the schedule through the end of April 2022 on September 16th.   They usually do this in two batches: January/February in August and March/April in September or October.  I would love it if they would return to that release schedule again!


----------



## Lsdolphin

Yes. meats is offering an “introductory rate” but can’t book with them until you have flight info...


----------



## Sandiz08

I still love southwest, but post pandemic southwest was not very good last week for our vacation. We got delayed on just about every stop.


----------



## teawar

If you are flying Labor Day weekend, you may want to check if your flight has reduced in price. My flights dropped in price and points last weekend and they dropped again. I originally booked the lowest price when flights first came out $250 each way and now the lowest fare is $98 each way. I decided to switch to business select for $148, so I could get AList and more points! I was able to use the flight credit for our thanksgiving flight! Good luck!


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

Sandiz08 said:


> I still love southwest, but post pandemic southwest was not very good last week for our vacation. We got delayed on just about every stop.


Maybe a seasoned traveler can answer this question for me.

I was delayed in Orlando yesterday but reached my connecting gate in Baltimore as they were beginning to board. However they wouldn’t let me on without my luggage which was still not offloaded from previous flight. Why couldn’t they just put it on the next flight?

FWIW:  Southwest did manage to get our bags onto the flight and let us board.  Saved me a 6 hour wait!


----------



## EACarlson

Cruzin’Sisters said:


> Maybe a seasoned traveler can answer this question for me.
> 
> I was delayed in Orlando yesterday but reached my connecting gate in Baltimore as they were beginning to board. However they wouldn’t let me on without my luggage which was still not offloaded from previous flight. Why couldn’t they just put it on the next flight?
> 
> FWIW:  Southwest did manage to get our bags onto the flight and let us board.  Saved me a 6 hour wait!


That's a new one on me.  What usually would happen is that if your bag didn't make the connection it would get sent on the next flight and then couriered to you.  I would expect that you would be due Involuntarily Denied Boarding compensation if they didn't allow you to board due to incompetence on their part.  That would be 4x the cost of your ticket, up to $1300.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Cruzin’Sisters said:


> Maybe a seasoned traveler can answer this question for me.
> 
> I was delayed in Orlando yesterday but reached my connecting gate in Baltimore as they were beginning to board. However they wouldn’t let me on without my luggage which was still not offloaded from previous flight. Why couldn’t they just put it on the next flight?
> 
> FWIW:  Southwest did manage to get our bags onto the flight and let us board.  Saved me a 6 hour wait!


This is standard practice in Canada since 911.  Luggage is not allowed to travel on a flight separate from a guest for safety reasons.  

I have been delayed on multiple flights when luggage had been boarded for a guest who was not yet at the gate and the luggage had to be found and removed.  Also the opposite if a guest wanted to board but their luggage was not there yet.

I will say I've been surprised in the US when I've travelled on a flight and my luggage on another.  It's all what you're used to.


----------



## Sandiz08

Cruzin’Sisters said:


> Maybe a seasoned traveler can answer this question for me.
> 
> I was delayed in Orlando yesterday but reached my connecting gate in Baltimore as they were beginning to board. However they wouldn’t let me on without my luggage which was still not offloaded from previous flight. Why couldn’t they just put it on the next flight?
> 
> FWIW:  Southwest did manage to get our bags onto the flight and let us board.  Saved me a 6 hour wait!


What I have found with all these delays recently is that your connecting flight will wait for you. You may get home at 2 or 3 am in the morning but they will wait for you and your luggage. Maybe it’s just southwest trying to have some type of customer service in this post pandemic world.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Here's your friendly reminder that *Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur on THURSDAY September 16th.* (One month from today). For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget! I'll post additional reminders as the date draws nearer.

- Currently SW is offering flights through 1/5/22 and this next release will take their schedule out to 4/24/22. This will likely be a popular extension covering winter holiday weekends and much of spring break.


----------



## kristenrice

Stupid question, but I assume SWA is back to booking all flights to 100% capacity, correct? Should I plan on the middle seats to be filled on our October flights, or are they still flying with "reduced" capacity?  It is just DD16 and I and she says she must have a window seat, while I really prefer an aisle due to claustrophobia issues.  I really do not want that middle seat, but I will take it so that she can have her window seat.


----------



## EACarlson

kristenrice said:


> Stupid question, but I assume SWA is back to booking all flights to 100% capacity, correct? Should I plan on the middle seats to be filled on our October flights, or are they still flying with "reduced" capacity?  It is just DD16 and I and she says she must have a window seat, while I really prefer an aisle due to claustrophobia issues.  I really do not want that middle seat, but I will take it so that she can have her window seat.


SW has been filling all available seats since I think last November.  I know it was reduced capacity last October when I flew MDW-MCO and full capacity when I flew MKE-DEN just before Thanksgiving.  I would recommend sitting down window-aisle and then moving if someone is going to take the middle seat.


----------



## kristenrice

EACarlson said:


> SW has been filling all available seats since I think last November.  I know it was reduced capacity last October when I flew MDW-MCO and full capacity when I flew MKE-DEN just before Thanksgiving.  I would recommend sitting down window-aisle and then moving if someone is going to take the middle seat.


Thanks!  The last flight I took on SWA was last October and they were still keeping the middle seats empty.  I assumed that they had gone back to "normal" operations,  but I wasn't sure.  We are planning to sit window/aisle and then I will move if they announce that the flight is full.  We are flying on the last flight of the night (or the second-to-last) so I guess it's a toss-up if they will be full or not.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Has anyone recently had their upcoming flights changed?  We are traveling Nov 11-14 and have perfect non-stop flights and I check them every day just waiting for SW to come in and change them to horrible flight times..


----------



## Gitelfor

Avery&Todd said:


> Has anyone recently had their upcoming flights changed?  We are traveling Nov 11-14 and have perfect non-stop flights and I check them every day just waiting for SW to come in and change them to horrible flight times..


So far, there are no recently announced changes for that timeframe.  I suggest keeping on top of things by checking Southwest’s flight schedules every day or two, to see if your booked flights are still listed.


----------



## Leigh L

kristenrice said:


> Thanks!  The last flight I took on SWA was last October and they were still keeping the middle seats empty.  I assumed that they had gone back to "normal" operations,  but I wasn't sure.  We are planning to sit window/aisle and then I will move if they announce that the flight is full.  We are flying on the last flight of the night (or the second-to-last) so I guess it's a toss-up if they will be full or not.


It really is. We had an IAD-Chicago (Midway) flight at 6 a.m. three weeks ago, it was pretty full. However, we had limited flight options. If you're in a market with multiple SW flight options a day, I'm guessing less full for nonpeak flights.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Gitelfor said:


> So far, there are no recently announced changes for that timeframe.  I suggest keeping on top of things by checking Southwest’s flight schedules every day or two, to see if your booked flights are still listed.


HA! I check my flights and their schedule for our week every day!

So perhaps that's a little overkill if you're suggesting just every day or 2?


----------



## thanxfornoticin

Avery&Todd said:


> Has anyone recently had their upcoming flights changed?  We are traveling Nov 11-14 and have perfect non-stop flights and I check them every day just waiting for SW to come in and change them to horrible flight times..


We actually did have 2 SW flights changed on us for late September flights - probably came through about 10 days ago.  One was very insignificant.  The other changed a non-stop to a route with a stop, but we got an email notification and were able to fix it, getting us on a later non-stop (although 3 hours waiting on the phone was not fun!).  Changes like this used to be so infrequent for SW.  But the pandemic has changed that.  Good luck with yours - hope you have no changes!


----------



## Gitelfor

Avery&Todd said:


> HA! I check my flights and their schedule for our week every day!
> 
> So perhaps that's a little overkill if you're suggesting just every day or 2?


A confirmed reservation to MCO with an ATL layover was changed by Southwest about 5 weeks ago. Southwest eliminated the originating flight to ATL and renamed the trip ‘ATL-MCO’, totally changing the itinerary.  As the system would not allow me to make changes, a DM was sent to @SouthwestAir.  After days passed, with no response, I called Southwest.  The agent indicated the reservation was in limbo, as it showed it as not ticketed, due to the originating flight being dropped from the schedule and there being no other suitable options.  I check the schedule every few days, or so, now, to get a heads-up on other such mess ups.  Nowadays, you never know what might happen. With other customers affected by changes, as well, I want to be sure to have the option to move to the best flight(s), before available seats are snapped up by others, also needing to rebook.


----------



## Shannon G

DD is flying RDU - BDL tomorrow, with a 2.5 hour layover at BWI. There was another option with a shorter layover, but it’s less than an hour so I booked the longer layover to allow for potential delays. Flight was booked on points. If she gets into BWI on time, is it possible to take the earlier flight for the second leg? How would they price that - I know if we were to change her flight now it would be the difference between the two  RDU - BDL itineraries. Is it the same if she can change it at the gate just for the BWI - BDL leg?


----------



## barb969

Shannon G said:


> DD is flying RDU - BDL tomorrow, with a 2.5 hour layover at BWI. There was another option with a shorter layover, but it’s less than an hour so I booked the longer layover to allow for potential delays. Flight was booked on points. If she gets into BWI on time, is it possible to take the earlier flight for the second leg? How would they price that - I know if we were to change her flight now it would be the difference between the two  RDU - BDL itineraries. Is it the same if she can change it at the gate just for the BWI - BDL leg?


If she checked luggage she probably can’t change. Without checked bags it’s a possibility, but the fare may increase. It can’t hurt to ask.


----------



## Shannon G

barb969 said:


> If she checked luggage she probably can’t change. Without checked bags it’s a possibility, but the fare may increase. It can’t hurt to ask.



I didn’t even think about the luggage issue, and she will be checking a bag. Oh well.


----------



## EACarlson

Shannon G said:


> I didn’t even think about the luggage issue, and she will be checking a bag. Oh well.


It's worth asking.  Usually if the flight is not full they will usually allow it at no charge.  Sometimes the bags make that flight, sometimes they don't and you would have to go back to the airport to pick them up.  Sometimes if there is enough time they will put the bags on an earlier flight to free up the space in the hold.


----------



## Shannon G

EACarlson said:


> It's worth asking.  Usually if the flight is not full they will usually allow it at no charge.  Sometimes the bags make that flight, sometimes they don't and you would have to go back to the airport to pick them up.  Sometimes if there is enough time they will put the bags on an earlier flight to free up the space in the hold.



it seems to be a moot point now anyway - just checked flight status and the first leg of DD’s flight this afternoon is already delayed, and the earlier connection is also delayed, and would only get her home about half an hour earlier.


----------



## mickeynut1

Avery&Todd said:


> Has anyone recently had their upcoming flights changed?  We are traveling Nov 11-14 and have perfect non-stop flights and I check them every day just waiting for SW to come in and change them to horrible flight times..



Our MDW-LAS flights for 10/29-11/3 were slightly changed at the end of July (got an email 7/28 for outgoing and 7/29 for return).  Both are still non-stop and were changed by only 30 minutes (both leaving 30 mins later), but along with changing flight times came new flight numbers as well.


----------



## leeniewdw

We are considering (sort of) a quick trip down to WDW next month as we discovered we've each got a park hopper day left (from when we left WDW a day early in March 2020).  I was kind of surprised that there is only 1 direct flight between RDU and MCO (mid-day).  That will probably work for us as we're thinking of a resort day and a park day, but I was surprised.

Anyone notice fewer direct options on SW to MCO?    I'm hoping for a very early morning flight in Feb so we can head direct to the parks (we did that in March 2020 and our flight was so early, we landed at 6:30am, grabbed our rental, and were IN the studios in time to grab a BG at 8am!).


----------



## MarBee

leeniewdw said:


> We are considering (sort of) a quick trip down to WDW next month as we discovered we've each got a park hopper day left (from when we left WDW a day early in March 2020).  I was kind of surprised that there is only 1 direct flight between RDU and MCO (mid-day).  That will probably work for us as we're thinking of a resort day and a park day, but I was surprised.
> 
> Anyone notice fewer direct options on SW to MCO?    I'm hoping for a very early morning flight in Feb so we can head direct to the parks (we did that in March 2020 and our flight was so early, we landed at 6:30am, grabbed our rental, and were IN the studios in time to grab a BG at 8am!).


Same with the PHL flights to/from MCO.  I am afraid they’ll stop direct flights entirely


----------



## MMSM

MarBee said:


> Same with the PHL flights to/from MCO.  I am afraid they’ll stop direct flights entirely


If the demand to go to MCO is there then they won’t be cancelling.  Many not flying to Florida right now because school began and it’s hurricane season. But flights from northeast during winter months or during breaks will not be cancelled or changed.  They don’t have staff right now.  Consolidating flights is the best they can do until the work force is back to work.


----------



## Lvsdisney

teawar said:


> If you are flying Labor Day weekend, you may want to check if your flight has reduced in price. My flights dropped in price and points last weekend and they dropped again. I originally booked the lowest price when flights first came out $250 each way and now the lowest fare is $98 each way. I decided to switch to business select for $148, so I could get AList and more points! I was able to use the flight credit for our thanksgiving flight! Good luck!


I got almost 6k RR points back, Thanks!


----------



## crazywig

Gitelfor said:


> A confirmed reservation to MCO with an ATL layover was changed by Southwest about 5 weeks ago. Southwest eliminated the originating flight to ATL and renamed the trip ‘ATL-MCO’, totally changing the itinerary.  As the system would not allow me to make changes, a DM was sent to @SouthwestAir.  After days passed, with no response, I called Southwest.  The agent indicated the reservation was in limbo, as it showed it as not ticketed, due to the originating flight being dropped from the schedule and there being no other suitable options.  I check the schedule every few days, or so, now, to get a heads-up on other such mess ups.  Nowadays, you never know what might happen. With other customers affected by changes, as well, I want to be sure to have the option to move to the best flight(s), before available seats are snapped up by others, also needing to rebook.



OMG this just happened to my husband for a trip in October! I was checking his point balance about an hour ago and noticed his trip from SNA>STL>BOS was now just STL>BOS.  He's going to call when he gets home. He received no notification of the first leg being dropped and also no change to point balance.

If anyone has an itinerary with connecting flights it's best to check your reservations.


----------



## Suejacken

MarBee said:


> Same with the PHL flights to/from MCO.  I am afraid they’ll stop direct flights entirely


They already changed my flight on 10/29 from PHL to MCO by an hour but so far it’s still direct. My concern is when I checked southwest September schedule the early flight I have doesn’t exist.  I am hoping they don’t change mine to the only direct flight that day because it doesn’t leave until around noon


----------



## Palaura

I have travel funds available. Has anyone been able to apply them for early check in? Google says I can’t do this-curious if anyone has had luck. Thanks!


----------



## FCDub

Palaura said:


> I have travel funds available. Has anyone been able to apply them for early check in? Google says I can’t do this-curious if anyone has had luck. Thanks!



No, sorry. No “luck” involved. It can’t be done.


----------



## Taylor'sMom

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Here's your friendly reminder that *Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur on THURSDAY September 16th.* (One month from today). For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget! I'll post additional reminders as the date draws nearer.
> 
> - Currently SW is offering flights through 1/5/22 and this next release will take their schedule out to 4/24/22. This will likely be a popular extension covering winter holiday weekends and much of spring break.


 What time does booking open? EST


----------



## JessicaW1234

So we were supposed to fly out on SWA this morning- arrived at PVD and they announced as we were in line to check our luggage that our flight was canceled! was lucky to get another flight that still gets there today


----------



## EACarlson

Taylor'sMom said:


> What time does booking open? EST


Anytime from 0500-1140.  There is no set time.


----------



## Palaura

FCDub said:


> No, sorry. No “luck” involved. It can’t be done.


Thanks for the reply! One last question-can travel funds be used to upgrade to business select from anytime?


----------



## crazywig

JessicaW1234 said:


> So we were supposed to fly out on SWA this morning- arrived at PVD and they announced as we were in line to check our luggage that our flight was canceled! was lucky to get another flight that still gets there today



Oh no . This happened to us at PVD in June but no available flights for days! I'm so glad you can get out today.


----------



## mrsstats79

If you cancel your SW credit card do you lost your Rapid Reward Points that you earned?


----------



## CouponGirl

mrsstats79 said:


> If you cancel your SW credit card do you lost your Rapid Reward Points that you earned?


No

ETA - As long as they’ve already posted to your Rapid Rewards account you do not lose them.


----------



## teawar

Palaura said:


> Thanks for the reply! One last question-can travel funds be used to upgrade to business select from anytime?


You can use flight credits or vouchers to upgrade between “classes” online or on the phone.  You are just “paying” for a higher price ticket. I don’t believe you can do it at the gate.


----------



## Avery&Todd

OK - I'm an overthinker...that's what I do...     and I just got this email from SW stating that if I take 2 qualified RT flights between Aug 19th-Nov 19th then I can keep A-List through Dec. 2022...

and then below that it states that I have 2 flights books and that I'm "almost there" -does that mean that those 2 flights I have on Nov 10- & 14th, dont count? 

Anyone else seen this email??


----------



## EACarlson

Avery&Todd said:


> OK - I'm an overthinker...that's what I do...     and I just got this email from SW stating that if I take 2 qualified RT flights between Aug 19th-Nov 19th then I can keep A-List through Dec. 2022...
> 
> and then below that it states that I have 2 flights books and that I'm "almost there" -does that mean that those 2 flights I have on Nov 10- & 14th, dont count?
> 
> Anyone else seen this email??
> View attachment 598222


That sounds like two one ways out of the four you need.


----------



## Avery&Todd

EACarlson said:


> That sounds like two one ways out of the four you need.


So we have 2 round trip tickets booked for a trip Nov 10-14....

which sounds like I will meet the criteria??


----------



## EACarlson

Avery&Todd said:


> So we have 2 round trip tickets booked for a trip Nov 10-14....
> 
> which sounds like I will meet the criteria??
> 
> View attachment 598260


If a five day span you have two round trip tickets for one trip?  As in you personally will have your BIS out and back, then out and back again?  In that case you would qualify.


----------



## FCDub

Avery&Todd said:


> So we have 2 round trip tickets booked for a trip Nov 10-14....
> 
> which sounds like I will meet the criteria??
> 
> View attachment 598260



I believe YOU specifically need two round-trip flights. Not your traveling party, because their flights would accrue toward their own A-List status.


----------



## Avery&Todd

FCDub said:


> I believe YOU specifically need two round-trip flights. Not your traveling party, because their flights would accrue toward their own A-List status.





EACarlson said:


> If a five day span you have two round trip tickets for one trip?  As in you personally will have your BIS out and back, then out and back again?  In that case you would qualify.



ahhhh....I see.....

yeah, no, I just have a round trip booked for me and DH -flying out to MCO on 11/10 and back home on 11/14..

oh well....I guess that doesn't qualify..

darn it!


----------



## EACarlson

If it's worth $100 for you to have A list next year, just do a mileage run.  $49 tickets, find the shortest segments you can.


----------



## Avery&Todd

EACarlson said:


> If it's worth $100 for you to have A list next year, just do a mileage run.  $49 tickets, find the shortest segments you can.


hmmmmmmm...something to ponder  

and it would technically only cost me taxes since I have plenty of SW points...


----------



## teawar

Avery&Todd said:


> hmmmmmmm...something to ponder
> 
> and it would technically only cost me taxes since I have plenty of SW points...


Be sure to use flight credit, not points.


----------



## EACarlson

teawar said:


> Be sure to use flight credit, not points.


No downside to using points. Award travel is specifically included in the promo.


----------



## teawar

EACarlson said:


> No downside to using points. Award travel is specifically included in the promo.


I didn’t read it carefully


----------



## Lvsdisney

Lvsdisney said:


> I got almost 6k RR points back, Thanks!


 I just checked my flight again on a whim and got another 6k RR points back. definitely check those labor day weekend flights


----------



## FCDub

One of my flights went down 11,000 points this week.


----------



## Avery&Todd

teawar said:


> Be sure to use flight credit, not points.





EACarlson said:


> No downside to using points. Award travel is specifically included in the promo.


Well, I dont have any flight credits, only points so that would have to do!

Now just trying to figure out if its worth taking a day to fly to nowhere and back!


----------



## JessicaW1234

crazywig said:


> Oh no . This happened to us at PVD in June but no available flights for days! I'm so glad you can get out today.


Yes our flight was supposed to be at 6:15am, got up at 3:00am to be there and then spent an extra six hours in the airport waiting for the next flight out. Lost our resort day but made it there after 14 hours of traveling. still grateful to get another flight but very tired since only had two hours of sleep


----------



## Threehearts

Has anyone been following the news reports that the SW pilots/union is considering striking or picketing?  I have to fly north next week and am wondering how this might impact the schedule. If you do a news search, the information is on several major news outlets.  My understanding is that the long hours, lack of food and proper hotel accommodations are just some of the reasons.

My apologies if this topic is being discussed in another thread.  My PC is not 100% this evening and I am missing postings.

Threehearts


----------



## FCDub

Threehearts said:


> Has anyone been following the news reports that the SW pilots/union is considering striking or picketing?  I have to fly north next week and am wondering how this might impact the schedule. If you do a news search, the information is on several major news outlets.  My understanding is that the long hours, lack of food and proper hotel accommodations are just some of the reasons.
> 
> My apologies if this topic is being discussed in another thread.  My PC is not 100% this evening and I am missing postings.
> 
> Threehearts



The pickets are being threatened for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I wouldn’t worry about this for next week.

“Southwest Airlines pilots union is considering picketing at U.S. airports over Thanksgiving and Christmas to protest what it described as a frenetic increase in schedules, among other complaints, its president told CNBC on Thursday”


----------



## EACarlson

Picketing wouldn't concern me at all, those are off duty employees.  There is a long lead time between when a union starts talking about a strike and when one actually starts.


----------



## CouponGirl

EACarlson said:


> Picketing wouldn't concern me at all, those are off duty employees.  There is a long lead time between when a union starts talking about a strike and when one actually starts.


That’s good to know


----------



## Palaura

Is it better to check In on the app or the web for better boarding group? Any tips?


----------



## EACarlson

Check in as close to 24 hours before your flight as you can.  I use the app, but that is primarily because I'm usually either on my way to work or working when my check in window opens.  I'm usually checked in within 1 minutes of T-24 and get an A boarding pass.  Those times I've forgotten I've ended up with a C group and paid to upgrade at the gate.


----------



## momma2ethan

Palaura said:


> Is it better to check In on the app or the web for better boarding group? Any tips?


I haven't found either one to be an advantage over the other. Just this morning I checked myself and DS in for our flights using both simultaneously. He was not home, so I did my check in on the app and his on the computer. My boarding positions are A54/A55, and his are A52/A54. I did our check in's right at the 24hr mark.


----------



## Palaura

momma2ethan said:


> I haven't found either one to be an advantage over the other. Just this morning I checked myself and DS in for our flights using both simultaneously. He was not home, so I did my check in on the app and his on the computer. My boarding positions are A54/A55, and his are A52/A54. I did our check in's right at the 24hr mark.


This is so interesting! Thanks


----------



## DebLovesPooh

Looks like they are examining Oct-Dec flights now. https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...elays-changes-fourth-quarter-cuts/8210108002/


----------



## cmarsh31

Southwest cancelled our flight home from Yellowstone TOMORROW. Yup. We're now stranded. Got rebooked for Sunday but now we're racing and risking a hurricane cancellation. Bonus, our EBCI disappeared and the current hold time is "100 minutes".


----------



## MarBee

Just a heads up for anyone tracking the best prices for their flights.  I often just go to the “change” button on the app and then look at flights on the same day to see if I get refunded any points.  I’ve been looking and seeing “+0” for one of my November flights.  However, when I looked at the flight cost separately, it showed my flights as 3,000 points less.  Usually if points are less than what I paid, it shows “-X” points, but this showed that it was even when using the “change” feature.  
Also, it said that there were 3 left at this cheaper price.  I purchased 3, then went back a minute later and it now said 4 left.
Just an FYI for when you’re searching.  I don’t know if this is a one off situation, or if it’s typical now.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

@MarBee Our early August flights had that issue too and I had to chat with a customer service rep to get a points adjustment. Even on her end, she saw +0 points so I had to point that the price was lower on the book flights page.


----------



## bsmcneil

*** Southwest!? So - I was bumped from a non-stop flight that made things significantly more difficult (mid-ish Sept) to a later connecting. Frustrating, but whatever. I did my usual checking all my flights to see if prices went down ... and the non-stop is back (and, funny enough, the price was 17 dollars less than the flight to which I was bumped). But why did it go away and come back at all?!


----------



## Avery&Todd

Ummm..I have been trying to find it in an earlier post but what is the past schedule for SW releasing new flight schedules throughout the year?

I've now got a trip to Vegas booked for next May and I know this next set of dates is through April 24th, but when will they release flights after then?

Thanks!


----------



## monarchsfan16

Avery&Todd said:


> Ummm..I have been trying to find it in an earlier post but what is the past schedule for SW releasing new flight schedules throughout the year?
> 
> I've now got a trip to Vegas booked for next May and I know this next set of dates is through April 24th, but when will they release flights after then?
> 
> Thanks!


They will post the next release date most likely late in the day, the day that they open the flights through April 24.


----------



## Avery&Todd

monarchsfan16 said:


> They will post the next release date most likely late in the day, the day that they open the flights through April 24.


right - but there is someone who has posted the historical release dates for when they released previous flight schedules so we know about when they've come out in the past - that's what I was looking for - that last post they made..

thanks!


----------



## ultimatefans

Avery&Todd said:


> right - but there is someone who has posted the historical release dates for when they released previous flight schedules so we know about when they've come out in the past - that's what I was looking for - that last post they made..
> 
> thanks!


Post #8863


----------



## lcc2

Avery&Todd said:


> right - but there is someone who has posted the historical release dates for when they released previous flight schedules so we know about when they've come out in the past - that's what I was looking for - that last post they made..
> 
> thanks!





SouthFayetteFan said:


> *ICYMI - Southwest extended their schedule yesterday for flights through January 5, 2022.*
> 
> They also provided their next release date today: It will be 9/16/21 for travel through April 18th, 2022. Given how far out this is, I'd also say that this date could move up, so I'll keep everybody posted!
> 
> Also, Here is my usual *Historical Southwest Release Dates* (for planning purposes) comment.
> 
> *Release Date | Travel Through*
> next release: 9/16/21 | April 18, 2022
> 6/10/21 | January 5, 2022
> 4/1/21 | November 5, 2021
> 12/10/20 | August 16, 2021
> 8/13/20 | April 11th, 2021
> 5/28/20 | January 4th, 2021
> 3/12/20 | October 30th, 2020
> 12/11/19 | August 10th, 2020
> 10/30/19 | June 6th, 2020
> 9/26/19 | April 13th, 2020
> 8/15/19 | March 6th, 2020
> 5/30/19 | January 5th, 2020
> 
> Yesterday's release occurred at 7:15am Eastern. Here is a list of recent release times:
> 
> 6/10/21 | 7:15am
> 4/1/21 | 9:10am
> 12/10/20 | 7:15am
> 8/13/20 | 9:15am
> 5/28/20 | 9:06am
> 3/12/20 | 9:40am
> 12/11/19 | 9:10am
> 10/30/19 | 7:15am
> 9/26/19 | 7:30am
> 8/15/19 | 10:41am
> 5/30/19 | 9:20am


Is this what you're looking for?


----------



## Avery&Todd

lcc2 said:


> Is this what you're looking for?


yes!!

THANK YOU!!!


----------



## focusondisney

Avery&Todd said:


> right - but there is someone who has posted the historical release dates for when they released previous flight schedules so we know about when they've come out in the past - that's what I was looking for - that last post they made..
> 
> thanks!



Edit:
Oops, didn’t see Icc2 already posted it.


----------



## Thumper99

Can Someone answer an early bird question for me.? I bought early bird for an October flight and I want to change the reservation to rebook the same flights because they’re significantly less today. If I do that will I lose the earlybird payment that I made? Or does  the Early Bird stay with the reservation number which stayed the same?  Thanks for any insight on this.


----------



## lcc2

Thumper99 said:


> Can Someone answer an early bird question for me.? I bought early bird for an October flight and I want to change the reservation to rebook the same flights because they’re significantly less today. If I do that will I lose the earlybird payment that I made? Or does  the Early Bird stay with the reservation number which stayed the same?  Thanks for any insight on this.


Yes, early bird will stay with the reservation if you "change" the flight


----------



## Thumper99

lcc2 said:


> Yes, early bird will stay with the reservation if you "change" the flight


Thank you!!!


----------



## VickiVM

YIKES - need a quick answer if anyone can assist!  I was checking on flights for Christmas week and decided to go ahead and bite the bullet and apply for the SW cc for the credit.  It was approved and so I continued to pay with the new cc.  Only thing, I have a $400 credit from cancelled Oct flights and now it doesn't appear I can apply.

I'm in a holding patter and have not clicked the final purchase button.  Is it possible to deduct the credit. BTW...Oct flights were not booked with RR account. Anyone know what recourse I might have?


----------



## ultimatefans

VickiVM said:


> YIKES - need a quick answer if anyone can assist!  I was checking on flights for Christmas week and decided to go ahead and bite the bullet and apply for the SW cc for the credit.  It was approved and so I continued to pay with the new cc.  Only thing, I have a $400 credit from cancelled Oct flights and now it doesn't appear I can apply.
> 
> I'm in a holding patter and have not clicked the final purchase button.  Is it possible to deduct the credit. BTW...Oct flights were not booked with RR account. Anyone know what recourse I might have?


On the payment page there is an "Apply Travel Funds, LUV Vouchers, and gift cards" section.  Enter the confirmation number and the guest name from the October flights to apply the travel funds.  The guest name from the October flight must match the name for the December flight.  When were the October flights purchased?  If they were purchased after December 2020 then you should be able to use the credit from them for December 2021 flights.


----------



## Lynne G

And lucky me, got a few more dollars, total around $80 off now, on my DD’s September flights, and a bit over 7,000 points returned on my points bought September flights.  
Now from our August flights, that significantly went down in price that we first paid, so she and I have enough credits to fly in the Spring.


----------



## VickiVM

ultimatefans said:


> On the payment page there is an "Apply Travel Funds, LUV Vouchers, and gift cards" section.  Enter the confirmation number and the guest name from the October flights to apply the travel funds.  The guest name from the October flight must match the name for the December flight.  When were the October flights purchased?  If they were purchased after December 2020 then you should be able to use the credit from them for December 2021 flights.


Unfortunately, with the new CC, there is only the option to pay with the new card (no cc# required).  However, when I opened another tab, I could book and apply the credit, but it required the cc#, which I don't have yet.  Crap!  Oh well, was worth a try.  I'll see what fares look like next week when I receive the actual card.  Not sure if the $200 credit will apply then.


----------



## Thumper99

VickiVM said:


> Unfortunately, with the new CC, there is only the option to pay with the new card (no cc# required).  However, when I opened another tab, I could book and apply the credit, but it required the cc#, which I don't have yet.  Crap!  Oh well, was worth a try.  I'll see what fares look like next week when I receive the actual card.  Not sure if the $200 credit will apply then.


I’ve had good luck contacting SWA through their Facebook messenger page and they were able to make adjustment and apply travel funds and credit back my credit card. Not the same situation as you did but if you don’t think you’ll use that $400 some other time I would be trying to get it applied to your new trip. I also believe you have 24 hours to cancel flights you have bought and probably cancel that application. Just a thought.
I just went to southwest in messenger. They got back to me pretty quickly.


----------



## VickiVM

Thumper99 said:


> I’ve had good luck contacting SWA through their Facebook messenger page and they were able to make adjustment and apply travel funds and credit back my credit card. Not the same situation as you did but if you don’t think you’ll use that $400 some other time I would be trying to get it applied to your new trip. I also believe you have 24 hours to cancel flights you have bought and probably cancel that application. Just a thought.
> I just went to southwest in messenger. They got back to me pretty quickly.


Gave that a shot...let's see if they have a solution.  Thanks for the tip!


----------



## dez1978

Sorry for the scribbles but can you guys help me understand this?  I booked the flights the day they came out, I think 6/5.  Then I changed our outbound flight from 12/3 to 12/2, then again to a different time on 12/2.  I'm just trying to figure out why it's in this order like it's redeeming for 4 flights and it doesn't show anything for the flights coming back.  These points are for 2 people btw.  so the 27887 is for 2 people flying to orlando.  The next page just has flights from our march trip. I feel incredibly stupid right now for not understanding this.


----------



## Erica Ladd

If I hope to purchase upgraded boarding on the day if the flight for 4 of us do you think I’m out of luck if the flight now shows as unavailable? This flight is a second non stop they added late in the game that I switched to as soon as I saw it (snd it looks like everyone else did too…)


----------



## Thumper99

Erica Ladd said:


> If I hope to purchase upgraded boarding on the day if the flight for 4 of us do you think I’m out of luck if the flight now shows as unavailable? This flight is a second non stop they added late in the game that I switched to as soon as I saw it (snd it looks like everyone else did too…)


Are you talking at the gate? Hoping to pay for a1-15?  We tried that on a partially full flight out of a small airport on a Tuesday and weren’t successful. Why wouldn’t you just pay for early bird?


----------



## Erica Ladd

Because it’s late in the game to buy it now - anyone who wanted it would have purchased it by now (only 2 weeks away). Plus I get 4 free upgraded boardings per year with the SW priority card

sorry - meant to quote the previous poster!


----------



## Thumper99

Erica Ladd said:


> Because it’s late in the game to buy it now - anyone who wanted it would have purchased it by now (only 2 weeks away). Plus I get 4 free upgraded boardings per year with the SW priority card
> 
> sorry - meant to quote the previous poster!


Oh I forget that priority card people can do that . Good luck!!!


----------



## mickeynut1

dez1978 said:


> Sorry for the scribbles but can you guys help me understand this?  I booked the flights the day they came out, I think 6/5.  Then I changed our outbound flight from 12/3 to 12/2, then again to a different time on 12/2.  I'm just trying to figure out why it's in this order like it's redeeming for 4 flights and it doesn't show anything for the flights coming back.  These points are for 2 people btw.  so the 27887 is for 2 people flying to orlando.  The next page just has flights from our march trip. I feel incredibly stupid right now for not understanding this.
> 
> View attachment 599470



The way Southwest does credits with points can be confusing, so please don't feel stupid!  When you change flights or get a credit with pts, the original pts will be refunded and the new lower price pts will be deducted.  If I'm understanding correctly, you originally bought a flight for 12/3 for 30,358 pts/pp.  When you changed to the 12/2 flight, 30,358 pts/pp were refunded and 24,953 pts/pp were deducted for the new flight.  When you then changed flight times for 12/2, you were refunded 24,953 pts/pp and charged 27,877 pts/pp.  They not only add back all pts for a credit and then deduct all pts for the new flights, but they also do it for each person, which is why you see 2 redemptions for each of the purchases as well as the refunds.  I think it'd be easier for them to just subtract or add the difference when changing a flight or getting a credit because it does get confusing the way they do it.  Hope this helps and that I'm understanding what you did .


----------



## jkelly86

Is anyone else stressing out about Sept 16th yet?  I have a list of 8 different flights I need to book through April 24th (kids coming from different cities times 2 trips) and it is making me lose sleep.  Thanksgiving and Christmas flights were insane at the release time this year (and stressfu!) and I am worried that this release will be more of the same.


----------



## dez1978

mickeynut1 said:


> The way Southwest does credits with points can be confusing, so please don't feel stupid!  When you change flights or get a credit with pts, the original pts will be refunded and the new lower price pts will be deducted.  If I'm understanding correctly, you originally bought a flight for 12/3 for 30,358 pts/pp.  When you changed to the 12/2 flight, 30,358 pts/pp were refunded and 24,953 pts/pp were deducted for the new flight.  When you then changed flight times for 12/2, you were refunded 24,953 pts/pp and charged 27,877 pts/pp.  They not only add back all pts for a credit and then deduct all pts for the new flights, but they also do it for each person, which is why you see 2 redemptions for each of the purchases as well as the refunds.  I think it'd be easier for them to just subtract or add the difference when changing a flight or getting a credit because it does get confusing the way they do it.  Hope this helps and that I'm understanding what you did .


I was assuming the 27877 was for 2 people.  because the flight was only 12708 points/pp.  or do they add the points from the flights to and from together for each person, so the total for round trip was 27877/pp and thats why I don't see anything for the return flight?  I guess that would make more sense since 12708x2 is not 27877.  I've never really paid this much attention before, but I've never made this many changes either.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

jkelly86 said:


> Is anyone else stressing out about Sept 16th yet?  I have a list of 8 different flights I need to book through April 24th (kids coming from different cities times 2 trips) and it is making me lose sleep.  Thanksgiving and Christmas flights were insane at the release time this year (and stressfu!) and I am worried that this release will be more of the same.


Yes! We are booking for MA school vacation week in April. We have some LUV vouchers to use then we're booking the rest of the flights on points. My MIL isn't sure if she can come with us yet so we're going to book her on points but on a separate confirmation number because we are going to buy early bird. It's going to be crazy...hopefully my hubs is going to be able to handle the pressure!


----------



## honeymo78

dez1978 said:


> I was assuming the 27877 was for 2 people.  because the flight was only 12708 points/pp.  or do they add the points from the flights to and from together for each person, so the total for round trip was 27877/pp and thats why I don't see anything for the return flight?  I guess that would make more sense since 12708x2 is not 27877.  I've never really paid this much attention before, but I've never made this many changes either.


It looks like each entry is for a round trip flight 12/3-12/5 or 12/2-12/5, based on the text shown in your screenshot.


----------



## leeniewdw

Can you get your Early Bird Check In fees refunded if your flight was canceled due to weather and the rebook had you way in the back?  It just dawned on me that we had that happen for some late June flights returning from a trip.  We were so glad to get home the next day (despite the flight not being direct and having to shell out $$ for a hotel) that it's just dawned on me that the $50 was worthless.


----------



## aokeefe

jkelly86 said:


> Is anyone else stressing out about Sept 16th yet?  I have a list of 8 different flights I need to book through April 24th (kids coming from different cities times 2 trips) and it is making me lose sleep.  Thanksgiving and Christmas flights were insane at the release time this year (and stressfu!) and I am worried that this release will be more of the same.


Yes I am stressing especially if it is a late release. I just told my husband to block his work calendar for that day if I can't book flights before I leave for work since I can't do it at work. We have different scenarios of which flights I want under different accounts. I'm going to have to do some mock bookings with him to show him what I want!


----------



## EACarlson

Erica Ladd said:


> If I hope to purchase upgraded boarding on the day if the flight for 4 of us do you think I’m out of luck if the flight now shows as unavailable? This flight is a second non stop they added late in the game that I switched to as soon as I saw it (snd it looks like everyone else did too…)


  I've never not seen the signs offering upgraded boarding on any SW flight I've ever been on.  And I've never been denied when I've purchased for myself.  I've had A1 on full flights from MCO and A4 on full flights to MCO.  The only way they wouldn't have it is if 15 people bought BS fares.


leeniewdw said:


> Can you get your Early Bird Check In fees refunded if your flight was canceled due to weather and the rebook had you way in the back?  It just dawned on me that we had that happen for some late June flights returning from a trip.  We were so glad to get home the next day (despite the flight not being direct and having to shell out $$ for a hotel) that it's just dawned on me that the $50 was worthless.


It's worth a call, but I wouldn't count on it.  If it was weather they aren't obligated to do anything, but they may if you ask nicely.


----------



## cjsmom5

leeniewdw said:


> Can you get your Early Bird Check In fees refunded if your flight was canceled due to weather and the rebook had you way in the back?  It just dawned on me that we had that happen for some late June flights returning from a trip.  We were so glad to get home the next day (despite the flight not being direct and having to shell out $$ for a hotel) that it's just dawned on me that the $50 was worthless.



Depends. Are you talking about the 'early bird" you purchase on the ticket or the upgraded boarding you can purchase at the gate. If the flight cancels, you can contact SW and if it was upgraded boarding I am sure they will give it back. It depends if you bought the early bird with the ticket and then ended up in the back because all the other boarding passes have been issued. Most likely they will not refund you because it was due to weather. The only way you could have gotten this changed would have been by purchasing the upgrade at the gate (if available) so you could get closer to the front.


----------



## cjsmom5

EACarlson said:


> I've never not seen the signs offering upgraded boarding on any SW flight I've ever been on.  And I've never been denied when I've purchased for myself.  I've had A1 on full flights from MCO and A4 on full flights to MCO.  The only way they wouldn't have it is if 15 people bought BS fares.
> 
> It's worth a call, but I wouldn't count on it.  If it was weather they aren't obligated to do anything, but they may if you ask nicely.



If all fares are showing as unavailable, most likely there will not be any A 1-15 slots available as they "sold out" of all Business Select fares which are the A 1-15. If it was a popular flight this is not unheard of. There are many people who are okay with paying the Business Select fare on a flight - especially a non stop one. Your best shot is to get there VERY early to check in. So you will have to determine if the possible reward is worth the risk of getting there early and them being sold out of A 1-15.


----------



## cjsmom5

Thumper99 said:


> Are you talking at the gate? Hoping to pay for a1-15?  We tried that on a partially full flight out of a small airport on a Tuesday and weren’t successful. Why wouldn’t you just pay for early bird?



Keep in mind early bird does not guarantee you the A boarding group. It only means that because you paid, they will check you in ... in the order of who purchased the ticket with early bird first. I have seen many individuals very upset because they ended up B 24 but purchased Early Bird.  Also, keep in mind, that those who are A List preferred are checked in first. If they have a companion pass or individuals on the same itinerary they are checked in too. So if one A List preferred has 3 people on their itinerary and they were the first person with A List preferred to book a flight they would be issues, A 16 and the three people on the itinerary with them would be issued A 17, A 18 and A 19. They would then go to the next A List preferred. After they do this category they go to A- List. As an A List with a companion I have been as low as A 35 and A 36. Once these two categories are checked in they go to those who purchased a ticket with early bird. Thus, individuals receiving B 25 even though they paid the early bird fee.  Also, with SW they allow individuals who are A list preferred and A list to who did not get an A boarding group to go after A 60. They are then followed by families with children under the age of 6 and military personnel in uniform. The B group follows them.


----------



## cjsmom5

teawar said:


> Be sure to use flight credit, not points.



 A flight booked with points does not count towards A List


----------



## aokeefe

CookieandOatmeal said:


> Yes! We are booking for MA school vacation week in April. We have some LUV vouchers to use then we're booking the rest of the flights on points. My MIL isn't sure if she can come with us yet so we're going to book her on points but on a separate confirmation number because we are going to buy early bird. It's going to be crazy...hopefully my hubs is going to be able to handle the pressure!


We are booking for MA vacation week as well- (flying out of PVD). I'm hoping the evening flight out on Friday is the same price or cheaper than the early morning Sat flight; I would rather that and stay at the Hyatt at MCO Friday night and start our way to WDW on Saturday fully rested. Easter pricing is probably going to throw all my plans off!


----------



## Avery&Todd

cjsmom5 said:


> A flight booked with points does not count towards A List


so far ALL of our flights have been booked with points......we have right now 242k points and I haven't "paid" for a flight in almost 5 years...

and I earned A List last year...and the bonus to earn it again for next year, they were counting our 2 current flights towards the 4 I needed and those are all bought with points...

so


----------



## EACarlson

cjsmom5 said:


> A flight booked with points does not count towards A List


 Unless you have a promotion that specifically includes award travel.


Avery&Todd said:


> so far ALL of our flights have been booked with points......we have right now 242k points and I haven't "paid" for a flight in almost 5 years...
> 
> and I earned A List last year...and the bonus to earn it again for next year, they were counting our 2 current flights towards the 4 I needed and those are all bought with points...
> 
> so


PP was referring to in general.  Your specific offer explicitly includes award travel.  That explicit inclusion overrides the normal rule that only revenue flights count towards A list.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

aokeefe said:


> We are booking for MA vacation week as well- (flying out of PVD). I'm hoping the evening flight out on Friday is the same price or cheaper than the early morning Sat flight; I would rather that and stay at the Hyatt at MCO Friday night and start our way to WDW on Saturday fully rested. Easter pricing is probably going to throw all my plans off!


We fly out of PVD too. The decrease in direct flights to and from MCO is the worst. I don't mind waking up at the crack of dawn to go to Disney but it's the worst flight time for coming home. We chose the last direct flight earlier this month and didn't get home until almost 2am after a bunch of delays. Our poor toddler was such a champ.


----------



## mickeynut1

dez1978 said:


> I was assuming the 27877 was for 2 people.  because the flight was only 12708 points/pp.  or do they add the points from the flights to and from together for each person, so the total for round trip was 27877/pp and thats why I don't see anything for the return flight?  I guess that would make more sense since 12708x2 is not 27877.  I've never really paid this much attention before, but I've never made this many changes either.



I'm sorry, I always book one ways so didn't pay close enough attention to realize it was RT.


----------



## EmilyGahr

aokeefe said:


> Yes I am stressing especially if it is a late release. I just told my husband to block his work calendar for that day if I can't book flights before I leave for work since I can't do it at work. We have different scenarios of which flights I want under different accounts. I'm going to have to do some mock bookings with him to show him what I want!


I'm stressing about timing as well! Historical releases have been anywhere from 7 am - 10:30 am, so looks like I'll have the webpage open on my computer all morning!


----------



## jkelly86

Our flights were changed last night for October 8th.
Also, this article is in the Wall Street Journal:
*Southwest to Cut Fall Flights Following Tough Summer*
*Airline’s pilots and flight attendants have said they’re overworked and frustrated*
*https://www.wsj.com/articles/southwest-to-cut-fall-flights-following-tough-summer-11630027161*
*"The airline said it would cut an average of 27 flights a day from Sept. 7 through Oct. 6, and 162 daily flights from Oct. 7 through Nov. 5. Southwest plans to make additional cuts in November and December, though it said it would work to protect holiday bookings."*


----------



## bookgirl2632

jkelly86 said:


> Our flights were changed last night for October 8th.
> Also, this article is in the Wall Street Journal:
> *Southwest to Cut Fall Flights Following Tough Summer*
> *Airline’s pilots and flight attendants have said they’re overworked and frustrated*
> *https://www.wsj.com/articles/southwest-to-cut-fall-flights-following-tough-summer-11630027161*
> *"The airline said it would cut an average of 27 flights a day from Sept. 7 through Oct. 6, and 162 daily flights from Oct. 7 through Nov. 5. Southwest plans to make additional cuts in November and December, though it said it would work to protect holiday bookings."*


So far, mine are good.  I’ve been checking several times a day for a while now.


----------



## Moneypenny

jkelly86 said:


> Our flights were changed last night for October 8th.
> Also, this article is in the Wall Street Journal:
> *Southwest to Cut Fall Flights Following Tough Summer*
> *Airline’s pilots and flight attendants have said they’re overworked and frustrated*
> *https://www.wsj.com/articles/southwest-to-cut-fall-flights-following-tough-summer-11630027161*
> *"The airline said it would cut an average of 27 flights a day from Sept. 7 through Oct. 6, and 162 daily flights from Oct. 7 through Nov. 5. Southwest plans to make additional cuts in November and December, though it said it would work to protect holiday bookings."*



Our flight on November 3rd was changed, and it isn't favorable.  Waiting to see what happens to our return flight later in the month.  I think I'm done with Southwest now.  These changes really negatively impact our vacations and they come too late to make other adjustments to hotel, work/school schedules, etc.


----------



## mickeynut1

jkelly86 said:


> Our flights were changed last night for October 8th.



I got 2 change emails last night, one for Oct 19 the other for 11/3.  This is the 2nd change for the 11/3 flight.


----------



## elgerber

mickeynut1 said:


> I got 2 change emails last night, one for Oct 19 the other for 11/3.  This is the 2nd change for the 11/3 flight.


I got a change email last night for 10/25.  Literally the only thing that changed was the flight number.


----------



## mickeynut1

elgerber said:


> I got a change email last night for 10/25.  Literally the only thing that changed was the flight number.



Glad your times didn't change.  My 10/19 went from a 5:50am to 7:40am and my 11/3 went from 5:20pm to 6:05pm to currently 7:40pm.


----------



## Erica Ladd

My Question about upgrading seats at the gate is moot because they got rid of the flight I needed it for and put us on our original earlier flight


----------



## kristenrice

mickeynut1 said:


> I got 2 change emails last night, one for Oct 19 the other for 11/3.  This is the 2nd change for the 11/3 flight.





elgerber said:


> I got a change email last night for 10/25.  Literally the only thing that changed was the flight number.



[/QUOTE]
We were supposed to leave for WDW on 10/19 at 5:40pm (so that DD16 can go to school all day), connect through MDW, and arrive around 11:30pm.  DD is on break on the 20th-22nd so I planned on her missing only the 25th which is the day we are scheduled to fly home.  Our flight on 10/25 was scheduled to depart at 7pm and connect through MDW with a 50-minute layover, landing home in GRR at 11:30pm.

Our first change came on the return flight.  It was moved to a 3:10pm departure, connecting through MDW with a FOUR-HOUR layover, landing in GR at 10:45pm.  Good gravy, I can DRIVE home from Chicago in less than 4 hours!!  On top of that, I looked at that flight yesterday (MDW-GRR) and it was CANCELLED!  So I actually might be driving home from Chicago anyways.  I am going to book a "pay at the counter" rental car, just in case.

This morning, I got the second change in plans.  Our flight TO Orlando now departs at 12:15pm, connects through BWI, and lands at 5:55pm.  Well that's fan-freaking-tastic!  Now DD16 will have to miss an extra day of school.  (Fortunately, she is a straight-A student and she has no problems keeping up).  We were planning to stay the night at the MCO Hyatt that night since we were arriving so late and now I guess we will just have a lot of extra time to hang out and enjoy the airport.  My friend is travelling with us but she is flying on Delta and her flight does not arrive until 10:30pm.

I really hope that SWA will stabilize in the next month or so.  This uncertainty is so unnerving.  They used to be so reliable with their schedules and their cancellations and schedule changes were few and far between, with the exception of the 737MAX issue.


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

Does anyone feel that the Southwest credit card offer of 40,000 points is worth it?

Just wondering.


----------



## Lsdolphin

jkelly86 said:


> Our flights were changed last night for October 8th.
> Also, this article is in the Wall Street Journal:
> *Southwest to Cut Fall Flights Following Tough Summer*
> *Airline’s pilots and flight attendants have said they’re overworked and frustrated*
> *https://www.wsj.com/articles/southwest-to-cut-fall-flights-following-tough-summer-11630027161*
> *"The airline said it would cut an average of 27 flights a day from Sept. 7 through Oct. 6, and 162 daily flights from Oct. 7 through Nov. 5. Southwest plans to make additional cuts in November and December, though it said it would work to protect holiday bookings."*



Wow I guess this means a big price increase for flights during this time if you haven’t already booked!


----------



## focusondisney

jkelly86 said:


> Our flights were changed last night for October 8th.
> Also, this article is in the Wall Street Journal:
> *Southwest to Cut Fall Flights Following Tough Summer*
> *Airline’s pilots and flight attendants have said they’re overworked and frustrated*
> *https://www.wsj.com/articles/southwest-to-cut-fall-flights-following-tough-summer-11630027161*
> *"The airline said it would cut an average of 27 flights a day from Sept. 7 through Oct. 6, and 162 daily flights from Oct. 7 through Nov. 5. Southwest plans to make additional cuts in November and December, though it said it would work to protect holiday bookings."*



Great.  We have 2 trips booked in September… one from the 9-16th  & a 2 night trip for the anniversary weekend.  All nonstop flights at our preferred times, booked on points as soon as flights were released.  The prices have dropped significantly but I resisted rebooking because we have EBCI.  Last night I finally called & changed to the new rates. I saved over 10,000 points total for all my flights.    My DH flies free on my Companion Pass, so that is just for my flights.  One of my first thoughts when I saw how low the rates were was that these flights must be pretty empty & I hope they don’t get cancelled.     Ugh.


----------



## Lsdolphin

focusondisney said:


> Great.  We have 2 trips booked in September… one from the 9-16th  & a 2 night trip for the anniversary weekend.  All nonstop flights at our preferred times, booked on points as soon as flights were released.  The prices have dropped significantly but I resisted rebooking because we have EBCI.  Last night I finally called & changed to the new rates. I saved over 10,000 points total for all my flights.    My DH flies free on my Companion Pass, so that is just for my flights.  One of my first thoughts when I saw how low the rates were was that these flights must be pretty empty & I hope they don’t get cancelled.     Ugh.



Yep our trip is 9/7-9/16 both flights have already been changed several times and now price has gone up on both....just hoping neither flight gets canceled going thru BWI which is a hub...


----------



## teawar

Cruzin’Sisters said:


> Does anyone feel that the Southwest credit card offer of 40,000 points is worth it?
> 
> Just wondering.


Those offers are great if you fly southwest a good bit and are working toward either a-list or a companion pass, iMO.


----------



## happ

Cruzin’Sisters said:


> Does anyone feel that the Southwest credit card offer of 40,000 points is worth it?
> 
> Just wondering.


I would wait for a better offer since they regularly elevate offers. Or apply for a SW business card (60,000/80,000 point offers).


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

happ said:


> I would wait for a better offer since they regularly elevate offers. Or apply for a SW business card (60,000/80,000 point offers).


Thank you.  I will hold off for a while.


----------



## bookgirl2632

Obsessively checking my flights several times a day, making sure they haven5 been changed.  We fly from BWI to MCO in mid-October and I’d rather not have them changed.


----------



## kristenrice

bookgirl2632 said:


> Obsessively checking my flights several times a day, making sure they haven5 been changed.  We fly from BWI to MCO in mid-October and I’d rather not have them changed.


Apparently, I am too!  I was connecting through MDW, but our flight was changed and now we connect through BWI.  Fortunately, we had already planned to arrive a day early and spend the night at the airport Hyatt.  We were originally scheduled to land at 11:30pm and now we are scheduled to arrive at 5:55pm so we have a little wiggle room...but I am still nervous.


----------



## Leigh L

bookgirl2632 said:


> Obsessively checking my flights several times a day, making sure they haven5 been changed.  We fly from BWI to MCO in mid-October and I’d rather not have them changed.


I'm wondering if BWI ones are a bit more "safe" since it's a hub? (I know any flight can change, but wondering if less likely to be so drastic and at least stay direct)
Mine changed a few weeks back and that was it. Hoping it holds. We fly mid-September.


----------



## buzzrelly

I actually just came here to post that I got about 6,000 points refunded for my October trip because they went down significantly. Actually got one of those $49 deals, which literally never happens for me at BDL. 

Now I’m just hoping they stick because they are literally the perfect times


----------



## bookgirl2632

Leigh L said:


> I'm wondering if BWI ones are a bit more "safe" since it's a hub? (I know any flight can change, but wondering if less likely to be so drastic and at least stay direct)
> Mine changed a few weeks back and that was it. Hoping it holds. We fly mid-September.


Same.  Since so may flights connect through there, I’m hoping that means my nonstops are okay.  I had one slight change to my flight coming home, but that was a month ago.  My flight was more Ed up by 20 minutes, so not a big change.  We’ll see what happens.


----------



## starry_solo

jkelly86 said:


> Our flights were changed last night for October 8th.
> Also, this article is in the Wall Street Journal:
> *Southwest to Cut Fall Flights Following Tough Summer*
> *Airline’s pilots and flight attendants have said they’re overworked and frustrated*
> *https://www.wsj.com/articles/southwest-to-cut-fall-flights-following-tough-summer-11630027161*
> *"The airline said it would cut an average of 27 flights a day from Sept. 7 through Oct. 6, and 162 daily flights from Oct. 7 through Nov. 5. Southwest plans to make additional cuts in November and December, though it said it would work to protect holiday bookings."*



EEK!  162 daily flights in October and early November?!


----------



## emsstacey

Are the red change banners still a thing or is that over?


----------



## WDWEPCOT

3 calls yesterday to SW to put my Nov flights BACK to where I booked them AND get refunded points as the price went down 
The fact that my nonstop flight went to layover when they were still offering a nonstop made no sense at all but made me so mad - I booked the minute they went on sale - why move me when your still offering the same flight ? Funny SW couldn’t answer that 
When I called to update my Magical Express even the Cast Member said she was receiving so many calls from people because of SW - so unlike them and how this will hurt their business - yup sure will ! I have dropped other airlines for doing these kind of things - come on SW I expect a lot better from you!!


----------



## FCDub

WDWEPCOT said:


> why move me when your still offering the same flight ? Funny SW couldn’t answer that



Phone agents have zero control over this. Don't take it out on them.


----------



## sj3mark

emsstacey said:


> Are the red change banners still a thing or is that over?


From what I've noticed with changes in the last month or so, SW has changed their system to where the change banner now only shows up if you have a flight that has actually been changed by them.  I could be wrong, but I believe the days of the blanket free changes because of systemwide schedule changes are over.


----------



## WDWEPCOT

I didn’t take it out on them why would you assume I did ? 
I am staring a frustration on this web page I do understand how SW system worked and did discuss in a very calm and rational manner with the 3rd agent and she did express her confusion in what happened and she also thanked me for giving her a better way for explaining to customers how SW handles their points when they make adjustments
I do expect better from SW and their is nothing wrong with asking the Agent who I can contact to state those views to 
I did express to the Agent I was sorry people were taking this out on her -  some people don’t know how to act on the phone or on the internet


----------



## Huff

I have a flight going into San Jose that was cancelled.  Says I can change free of charge.  The new times are horrible and won't work.  However, flying into Oakland will work fine and times are perfect but the website will not allow me to change airports, can only change date and time.  Any ideas?


----------



## Lsdolphin

Huff said:


> I have a flight going into San Jose that was cancelled.  Says I can change free of charge.  The new times are horrible and won't work.  However, flying into Oakland will work fine and times are perfect but the website will not allow me to change airports, can only change date and time.  Any ideas?



Call them and ask


----------



## zemmer

Huff said:


> I have a flight going into San Jose that was cancelled.  Says I can change free of charge.  The new times are horrible and won't work.  However, flying into Oakland will work fine and times are perfect but the website will not allow me to change airports, can only change date and time.  Any ideas?


Yes, call and ask. They changed our flights from our small local airport to times that didn’t work and nothing in the new schedule would either. I called and was able to change to the larger nearby airport.


----------



## georgina

Just went and looked at our trips. Our nonstop flight to MCO on a Saturday afternoon in Sept dropped slightly to $49, and DH's flight back on a Friday evening also took a very large drop to $49. Nothing changing on the Dec flights yet.


----------



## Rm4OneMore

I think this has been answered already but I'm asking again in case the info is stale.  We've decided to cancel our Oct SW flight.  Because we booked the flight in April of 2021, we have to travel and return by April 2022.  My question is, if I book a flight in Dec 2021 for using those credits for a flight in March 2022 but we have to cancel that flight, does that reset the "use by" date or am I still stuck with a use by date of April 2022?


----------



## zemmer

Rm4OneMore said:


> I think this has been answered already but I'm asking again in case the info is stale.  We've decided to cancel our Oct SW flight.  Because we booked the flight in April of 2021, we have to travel and return by April 2022.  My question is, if I book a flight in Dec 2021 for using those credits for a flight in March 2022 but we have to cancel that flight, does that reset the "use by" date or am I still stuck with a use by date of April 2022?


Unfortunately you’re stuck with the original April use-by date.


----------



## Avery&Todd

With the flights for Oct/early November that SW said they're changing but are trying to protect the holidays in Nov/Dec, I wonder if they are counting Veteran's day as a protected holiday, or if they're just thinking of Thanksgiving/Christmas?

Since we fly Nov. 10th to MCO and 14th back home, I'm  that they're including Veterans day too!

and I'm all excited about the bookings for after Jan 6th opening up in 2 weeks, but knowing that they'll probably change from what I book to what I end up with just makes me...


----------



## FCDub

Avery&Todd said:


> With the flights for Oct/early November that SW said they're changing but are trying to protect the holidays in Nov/Dec, I wonder if they are counting Veteran's day as a protected holiday, or if they're just thinking of Thanksgiving/Christmas?
> 
> Since we fly Nov. 10th to MCO and 14th back home, I'm  that they're including Veterans day too!
> 
> and I'm all excited about the bookings for after Jan 6th opening up in 2 weeks, but knowing that they'll probably change from what I book to what I end up with just makes me...



It would be Thanksgiving/Christmas.


----------



## Avery&Todd

FCDub said:


> It would be Thanksgiving/Christmas.


Aww come on!!  What's wrong with Veteran's Day??  Its a federal holiday too!

dang blang...

and if SW mucks with my flights then I'm cancelling them and paying for Delta flights!


----------



## VickiVM

VickiVM said:


> YIKES - need a quick answer if anyone can assist!  I was checking on flights for Christmas week and decided to go ahead and bite the bullet and apply for the SW cc for the credit.  It was approved and so I continued to pay with the new cc.  Only thing, I have a $400 credit from cancelled Oct flights and now it doesn't appear I can apply.
> 
> I'm in a holding patter and have not clicked the final purchase button.  Is it possible to deduct the credit. BTW...Oct flights were not booked with RR account. Anyone know what recourse I might have?


All's well that ends well.  I booked one-ways instead...paid for departing flight with cc and returning flight with credit vouchers.


----------



## Erica Ladd

I JUST  registered for 2x points promo towards earning A list status but it only counts for travel booked after registering and completed by 11/30/21. I have a bunch of flights booked in September and October- if the flights are still available snd are the same prices I originally paid, is there any reason I SHOULDN’T cancel snd rebook with the new promo?


----------



## MarBee

Erica Ladd said:


> I JUST  registered for 2x points promo towards earning A list status but it only counts for travel booked after registering and completed by 11/30/21. I have a bunch of flights booked in September and October- if the flights are still available snd are the same prices I originally paid, is there any reason I SHOULDN’T cancel snd rebook with the new promo?


Was wondering the same thing myself,,,


----------



## Gitelfor

Erica Ladd said:


> I JUST  registered for 2x points promo towards earning A list status but it only counts for travel booked after registering and completed by 11/30/21. I have a bunch of flights booked in September and October- if the flights are still available snd are the same prices I originally paid, is there any reason I SHOULDN’T cancel snd rebook with the new promo?





MarBee said:


> Was wondering the same thing myself,,,



If you have EBCI on your original flights and cancel (not change) those flights, you will lose EBCI and its value.  Under those circumstances, EBCI would not be refundable.

I think many customers are holding reservations originally booked during the 50% discount sale.  Those fares will most likely be difficult to match, unless canceling a BS fare and booking a new WGA ticket.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Gitelfor said:


> If you have EBCI on your original flights and cancel (not change) those flights, you will lose EBCI and its value.  Under those circumstances, EBCI would not be refundable.
> 
> I think many customers are holding reservations originally booked during the 50% discount sale.  Those fares will most likely be difficult to match, unless canceling a BS fare and booking a new WGA ticket.



no ECBI here but the flights I’m looking at redoing are still at $49 one way and available…i was looking at them an hour ago…

If that’s the only caveat I may try it. I’m so darn close to A List!!!! I could use a boost anyway I can get one !!!


----------



## Erica Ladd

Also - can I earn TQPs using travel funds?


----------



## EACarlson

Erica Ladd said:


> Also - can I earn TQPs using travel funds?


You should be able to, TFs are a revenue ticket.


----------



## Disneycouple99

So, Southwest canceled our flight this morning for 10:30 at 10:00 last night. Moved us to a 3:45 flight. All 12 flights before ours is sold out. No help on the phone. Not a happy morning.


----------



## MMSM

Disneycouple99 said:


> So, Southwest canceled our flight this morning for 10:30 at 10:00 last night. Moved us to a 3:45 flight. All 12 flights before ours is sold out. No help on the phone. Not a happy morning.


That is awful.  Terrible customer service.


----------



## EACarlson

Disneycouple99 said:


> So, Southwest canceled our flight this morning for 10:30 at 10:00 last night. Moved us to a 3:45 flight. All 12 flights before ours is sold out. No help on the phone. Not a happy morning.


 Can you change routing?


MMSM said:


> That is awful.  Terrible customer service.


What makes you think it's terrible customer service?  What should Southwest have done?


----------



## Disneycouple99

EACarlson said:


> Can you change routing?


Not unless I pay 800 dollars for all of us.


----------



## buzzrelly

In the past week or two, my SW flights from BDL to MCO have gone down significantly…like, it seems every time I check it's lower and I get more points back! At this rate, they'll soon be paying me to fly to Orlando!

What started at 17,171 points RT is now 5,342 points. Not that I'm complaining, but what gives?

Also, I'm more than a little worried that my flights will be cancelled and maybe that has something to do with why they're getting discounted. Any thoughts?


----------



## EACarlson

Disneycouple99 said:


> Not unless I pay 800 dollars for all of us.


HUCA, if they canceled your flight, they should be willing to put you on any other flights that get you from Point A to Point B.  Or even anywhere close to Point A to anywhere close to Point B.  What are they saying you have to pay for?


----------



## Gitelfor

Southwest is having a bad year - mostly due to staffing shortages.  Many employees accepted an early retirement offer, during the height of the pandemic, when traffic was extremely low.  Even though there now is a hiring campaign, it takes months to hire and train new employees.

Most companies like to be rated #1, but not for this. 

Highest Marketing Carrier Rates of Canceled Flights June 2021 (ATCR Table 6)    (Most recent statistics from the Feds)

_Southwest Airlines – 3.3%    _
_American Airlines Network – 2.4%    _
_Allegiant Air – 2.2% _


----------



## Disneycouple99

EACarlson said:


> HUCA, if they canceled your flight, they should be willing to put you on any other flights that get you from Point A to Point B.  Or even anywhere close to Point A to anywhere close to Point B.  What are they saying you have to pay for?


They told me it is not there policy to switch airports. Had time to drive to STL and got there an hour later. Still sitting at MDW. Was able to move up a flight, so only 4 hours late. Only bad part is it is a one day trip.


----------



## BillFromCT

Disneycouple99 said:


> They told me it is not there policy to switch airports. Had time to drive to STL and got there an hour later. Still sitting at MDW. Was able to move up a flight, so only 4 hours late. Only bad part is it is a one day trip.


I've had them cancel my flight out of Providence twice in the last year and a half.  Once the night before, and the other the day of.  Both times they let me move my flight to Hartford.


----------



## EACarlson

Disneycouple99 said:


> They told me it is not there policy to switch airports. Had time to drive to STL and got there an hour later. Still sitting at MDW. Was able to move up a flight, so only 4 hours late. Only bad part is it is a one day trip.


Yeah, there is a limit on how far.  If there was anything from ORD that would have gotten you where you needed to go they would have done it.  Maybe as far as MKE.


----------



## bsmcneil

Erica Ladd said:


> no ECBI here but the flights I’m looking at redoing are still at $49 one way and available…i was looking at them an hour ago…
> 
> If that’s the only caveat I may try it. I’m so darn close to A List!!!! I could use a boost anyway I can get one !!!


I did this - there were two flights where doing it would've resulted in a significant price increase - but I lucked out with others (6, I think).


----------



## Erica Ladd

bsmcneil said:


> I did this - there were two flights where doing it would've resulted in a significant price increase - but I lucked out with others (6, I think).



I have one flight that went up $10 but I switched 3 others and plan on canceling and rebooking 2 more!!


----------



## teawar

Just giving a shout out to a great late night flight experience on SWA out of MCO at 10:00 on Sunday night of Labor Day weekend to BHM. TSA precheck had no line and the gate agents were awesome.


----------



## MMSM

Are most of the flights that are being canceled in the early morning, afternoon, or late evening.  Or is there no pattern.  Deciding on 6pm flight out or a 530 am flight.


----------



## EACarlson

MMSM said:


> Are most of the flights that are being canceled in the early morning, afternoon, or late evening.  Or is there no pattern.  Deciding on 6pm flight out or a 530 am flight.


It appears that most of it is compressing the schedule, what gets cancelled are the very early or very late flights.  I have no analysis of this, just what I've seen most people complaining about.  I think a 6pm is generally safer than a 530 am, but there is no guarantee of anything right now.


----------



## Gitelfor

MMSM said:


> Are most of the flights that are being canceled in the early morning, afternoon, or late evening.  Or is there no pattern.  Deciding on 6pm flight out or a 530 am flight.


Generally, flights that historically have had lighter loads or are projected to have lighter loads are affected.  It’s a very complicated process, as the planes and crews that will no longer be needed for the flight that has been cancelled may be needed for another flight still scheduled to depart from the destination airport of the canceled flight.


----------



## mickeynut1

EACarlson said:


> It appears that most of it is compressing the schedule, what gets cancelled are the very early or very late flights.



This is the pattern I've been seeing as well.  We had a non stop 5:50am outgoing MDW to RSW in mid Oct that was taken away and we were put on the next non stop, which is 7:40am.  For the return, we originally booked the last flight out at 9:15pm as it was the cheapest at $49, but a day or two later changed to the 7:10pm as that went down to $49.  A few days later I noticed the 9:15pm was gone and the 7:10pm is now the last one out.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

For anyone who flies out of PVD during April school vacation to MCO and tend to use points for their flights, could anyone give me a rough estimate on what to expect on opening day for direct flights? It will be my first time booking with points during that time. Trying to make sure I have enough points transferred over from Chase.


----------



## aokeefe

CookieandOatmeal said:


> For anyone who flies out of PVD during April school vacation to MCO and tend to use points for their flights, could anyone give me a rough estimate on what to expect on opening day for direct flights? It will be my first time booking with points during that time. Trying to make sure I have enough points transferred over from Chase.


My guess is a going to be a total crapshoot guess for this year, considering it's Easter weekend and who knows where prices will stand.  I would probably plan for 20,000 round trip per person. (I would hope it would be closer to 15-18k; that is what I consider decent point prices in years past for vacation weeks)


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

aokeefe said:


> My guess is a going to be a total crapshoot guess for this year, considering it's Easter weekend and who knows where prices will stand.  I would probably plan for 20,000 round trip per person. (I would hope it would be closer to 15-18k; that is what I consider decent point prices in years past for vacation weeks)


I was thinking in the ballpark of your numbers too so will err on the side of caution. Thanks!


----------



## MarBee

CookieandOatmeal said:


> For anyone who flies out of PVD during April school vacation to MCO and tend to use points for their flights, could anyone give me a rough estimate on what to expect on opening day for direct flights? It will be my first time booking with points during that time. Trying to make sure I have enough points transferred over from Chase.


The Chase points transfer to SW pretty much instantaneously so I wouldn’t worry about transferring them ahead of time.  You can wait until the airfare is published to see what you need.


----------



## EACarlson

MarBee said:


> The Chase points transfer to SW pretty much instantaneously so I wouldn’t worry about transferring them ahead of time.  You can wait until the airfare is published to see what you need.


Most of the time, there are exceptions, especially if it's your first transfer.  My first transfer took three days, and I've had one other that took 24 hours.


----------



## barb969

MarBee said:


> The Chase points transfer to SW pretty much instantaneously so I wouldn’t worry about transferring them ahead of time.  You can wait until the airfare is published to see what you need.


You can check your point activity on    southwest.com.  Sign in then click “my account”. Down the right  side you will see point activity. Click “all activity“ and you will see all the points you’ve ever earned from all sources with the dates they posted(not date earned).


----------



## jkelly86




----------



## Tink3815

jkelly86 said:


> View attachment 602959


The details say revenue flight. Would this include flights that are booked with points or LUV vouchers?


----------



## Avery&Todd

EACarlson said:


> It appears that most of it is compressing the schedule, what gets cancelled are the very early or very late flights.  I have no analysis of this, just what I've seen most people complaining about.  I think a 6pm is generally safer than a 530 am, but there is no guarantee of anything right now.


I can definitely tell that the flights out of RDU to MCO are sketchy - here is what is showing for RDU-MCO on Nov. 11th when we fly out..



so if your theory pans out, which it seems reasonable it should, then the earliest flights have layovers, so the non-stop we're on at 7:35am should be "safe"??

and then on our return flight on the 14th:


We should also be OK with the nonstop at 10:20 as it's not the earliest, nor the latest - and not the afternoon flight....

but they're also the only nonstops offered...I wonder if that helps us or hurts us..


----------



## Erica Ladd

It’s the nonstop flights that seem to be messed with the most as I’ve been watching…


----------



## starry_solo

jkelly86 said:


> View attachment 602959



Woah?!  Dang it, I already booked flights   What if I cancel and re-book?  Well, modify that is...


----------



## Erica Ladd

jkelly86 said:


> View attachment 602959



I already have a CP valid thru 2022. Am I eligible to use this promo and get a second CP? Saw conflicting info online and it wasn’t specified in the fine print…


----------



## sj3mark

Tink3815 said:


> The details say revenue flight. Would this include flights that are booked with points or LUV vouchers?


Flights booked on points for sure wouldn't be included as they don't consider reward bookings to be revenue earning tickets.  The LUV Vouchers should work as it's simply a form of payment towards a cash ticket, just like travel funds.


----------



## sj3mark

Erica Ladd said:


> I already have a CP valid thru 2022. Am I eligible to use this promo and get a second CP? Saw conflicting info online and it wasn’t specified in the fine print…


When they ran this promotion last year, only one CP per person was allowed.  I had previously earned their promotional CP, but about a month later earned an actual CP.  With the way their system works, the earned CP superseded the promotional CP since it had a later expiration date.


----------



## Gitelfor

Erica Ladd said:


> I already have a CP valid thru 2022. Am I eligible to use this promo and get a second CP? Saw conflicting info online and it wasn’t specified in the fine print…


The promo offer’s only valid to earn CP for not quite the first two months of 2022.  You stated that you already have CP valid thru the entire year of 2022.  As the Passholder, _you_ must be ticketed to have someone fly with you for free, so I am not quite sure of your question.  A customer is not allowed to double-book, nor hold more than one CP at a time.  You can’t book a flight for yourself and have two others fly for free, as a benefit of your single ticket.

Rules and regulations


----------



## Erica Ladd

Gitelfor said:


> The promo offer’s only valid to earn CP for not quite the first two months of 2022.  You stated that you already have CP valid thru the entire year of 2022.  As the Passholder, _you_ must be ticketed to have someone fly with you for free, so I am not quite sure of your question.  A customer is not allowed to double-book, nor hold more than one CP at a time.  You can’t book a flight for yourself and have two others fly for free, as a benefit of your single ticket.
> 
> Rules and regulations



Thanks. That was my question about 2 CP at the same time. We are a family of 5 so I just realized I can purchase a ticket with my daughters RR and she can earn a CP for us to take a family trip at that time next year . At least 5 of us can fly fir the price of 3!!


----------



## Gitelfor

For those interested in the current CP promo,  you need to ask yourself if you would ordinarily or plan to be flying during the short 53 day period in January and February 2022 that the promotional CP will be valid.  I think that Southwest is projecting those days as slow, so they want to fill seats.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Our family has APs at universal that expire March 6 so it works for us!


----------



## BillFromCT

And they've crept into December.  Just got some emails that my PVD to MCO early December flights were changed.  Thankfully they're still direct, and only moved by 5 minutes.


----------



## Lori74

The flight that needs to be taken by Nov to earn this deal, can you change that flight and still get the companion pass?


----------



## Lori74

Nvm, I found the answer


----------



## Tink3815

BillFromCT said:


> And they've crept into December.  Just got some emails that my PVD to MCO early December flights were changed.  Thankfully they're still direct, and only moved by 5 minutes.


I just got notification s on a 11-25 and 1-5-22 change. Still non stop with leaving 30 minutes later.


----------



## JessicaW1234

Disneycouple99 said:


> So, Southwest canceled our flight this morning for 10:30 at 10:00 last night. Moved us to a 3:45 flight. All 12 flights before ours is sold out. No help on the phone. Not a happy morning.


At least they told you ahead of time. We got up at 3:00am and arrived at the airport at 4:30 to learn at 5:00am while in the luggage check line that our 6:15am flight was canceled.


----------



## pianomanzano

Anyone know if you can use funds from a cancelled trip to book the flight that would give you a CP? Wasn't really clear in the fine print, although it said something about booking a new reservation. Since you use the old reservation/confirmation number, does that mean we're not booking a new reservation?


----------



## Erica Ladd

I think using travel funds counts as a revenue flight. The old confirmation number just represents money not a flight itself


----------



## teawar

Our flight home from MCO to BHM at Christmas was just pushed back 5 minutes. I can handle that type of change.


----------



## Avery&Todd

well, it appears that SW was busy overnight mucking with the flights I just posted about yesterday from RDU to MCO on Nov. 10th - here is what showed as available yesterday...


and here is what is left today...


as mentioned by others, they did remove the earliest flight and strangely enough added a 2nd flight leaving at 7:55am...

and the return flights are a little different too...

original flights:


and new amended flights as of today:


once again eliminating the earliest flight and changing another by just a few minutes..

at least Im glad to see that my nonstop flights made this round of cuts - we'll see how long they can last!


----------



## Lvsdisney

buzzrelly said:


> In the past week or two, my SW flights from BDL to MCO have gone down significantly…like, it seems every time I check it's lower and I get more points back! At this rate, they'll soon be paying me to fly to Orlando!
> 
> What started at 17,171 points RT is now 5,342 points. Not that I'm complaining, but what gives?
> 
> Also, I'm more than a little worried that my flights will be cancelled and maybe that has something to do with why they're getting discounted. Any thoughts?


This is a late response but this happened to me for our trip last Thursday! The points kept dropping for our flight and I was 1)nervous they'd cancel the flight and 2) hopeful that the flight wouldn't be full since they obviously were trying to attract customers! Well, neither happened. The flight left a few minutes late and was full to the brim!


----------



## jo-jo

We got an email that our flight home was changed by 5 mins, but it that doesn't work, we can change the flight.     We moved to an afternoon flight that cost $30 more at no cost to us.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Here's your friendly reminder that *Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur on THURSDAY September 16th.* (NEXT WEEK!!). For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget! I'll post additional reminders as the date draws nearer.

Currently SW is offering flights through 1/5/22 and this next release will take their schedule out to *4/24/22.* This will likely be a popular extension covering winter holiday weekends and much of spring break.
For those that care about "release timing" it can vary, but here are the recent "go live" of previous releases:
*Release Date -    Time (eastern)*
6/10/21 -    7:15am
4/1/21 -   9:10am
12/10/20 -   7:15am
8/13/20 -   9:15am
5/28/20 -   9:06am
3/12/20 -   9:40am
12/11/19 -   9:10am
10/30/19 -   7:15am
9/26/19 -   7:30am
8/15/19 -   10:41am
5/30/19 -   9:20am


----------



## aokeefe

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Here's your friendly reminder that *Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur on THURSDAY September 16th.* (NEXT WEEK!!). For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget! I'll post additional reminders as the date draws nearer.
> 
> Currently SW is offering flights through 1/5/22 and this next release will take their schedule out to *4/24/22.* This will likely be a popular extension covering winter holiday weekends and much of spring break.
> For those that care about "release timing" it can vary, but here are the recent "go live" of previous releases:
> *Release Date -    Time (eastern)*
> 6/10/21 -    7:15am
> 4/1/21 -   9:10am
> 12/10/20 -   7:15am
> 8/13/20 -   9:15am
> 5/28/20 -   9:06am
> 3/12/20 -   9:40am
> 12/11/19 -   9:10am
> 10/30/19 -   7:15am
> 9/26/19 -   7:30am
> 8/15/19 -   10:41am
> 5/30/19 -   9:20am


Thank you! I'm keeping fingers crossed for the 7:15 is release!!!


----------



## tarak

We currently have flights booked for November 17 with a return date of the 22nd.  Our Nov. 22 return flight was just modified to leave about 45 minutes earlier, which is fine with me.  These flights were booked with flight credit we received for a completely botched return-flight cancellation from June.  I'm just hoping we don't have a repeat of that trip at this point.


----------



## buzzrelly

Lvsdisney said:


> This is a late response but this happened to me for our trip last Thursday! The points kept dropping for our flight and I was 1)nervous they'd cancel the flight and 2) hopeful that the flight wouldn't be full since they obviously were trying to attract customers! Well, neither happened. The flight left a few minutes late and was full to the brim!




Thank you! That's good to hear!

I'm still checking obsessively every day and so far, so good (knock on wood   ).  This morning the same flight down is +10,800 points! I'm hoping they don't change the schedule since I leave in 18 days!


----------



## kkbookmom

I don't know if anyone has reported yet on December but SWA just altered our flights (December 2nd). We had the last nonstop from CMH to MCO. We were changed to a similarly timed flight that changed planes in Chicago, having us arrive at MCO at 12:15am. We are a group of 11, including a 6 & a 3 y/o. Definitely not ideal.  So I went to work & was able to get everyone onto an earlier nonstop. 

So stressful!


----------



## Gitelfor

Do not rely on receiving an email from Southwest, advising of a change in your upcoming Southwest travel.  They are currently making changes - some confirmed by email notifications and others without any notifications.  Keep in mind, however, that with or without notifications, if Southwest makes a change in your confirmed reservation, due to a schedule change, you are entitled to make a one-time modification, with no change in fare; you must keep the original city pairs, but are allowed to change travel date (within a 14 day window, either way), as well as the particular flight, subject to availability.  If, when viewing your reservation, while logged into your account, you do not see a message indicating a schedule change and advising about allowing one-time modifications, contact Southwest for assistance.  You are not bound by a three-day time limit to make changes, if contacting Southwest, even if you do not see that ability to do so, yourself, online.


----------



## AlohaNow

We are flying to SNA next month. I’ve been checking the flight to make sure it’s still there and to see any price drops. So a while back it did that weird thing where the points dropped by 849 but when you go to change it online there is no point difference shown. No biggie, not too many points. I figured if I see it again and I have free time I’ll give them a call to gain the point difference. So it just happened again and I called SWA. Online, both before and after the call, the difference was holding at 849. But on the call the rep gave me back 3,937 per person! I had to clarify that he wasn’t cancelling the flight, just making the point adjustment. He said yes, the flight is now half off! I didn’t say a word about the difference. Initially I wasn’t even going to waste his time asking for the $12 fare difference for the two seats I paid cash for, but with him telling me it was half off, you betcha I also gave him the record locator for the cash flights! $60 credited back per person rather than $12. All I can say regarding this is that this is not the first time I’ve called them on a Sunday and experienced a weird fare glitch that benefitted me. Now let's just hope the flight actually goes as scheduled!


----------



## Gitelfor

Update on inflight alcoholic beverage service on Southwest:



> ‘With the mask mandate being extended to January 18, 2022, there are no current plans to bring back alcohol prior to January 2022,' advised Randall Miller, senior manager of inflight ops,


----------



## bsmcneil

Gitelfor said:


> Update on inflight alcoholic beverage service on Southwest:


I'm glad to hear this. Mostly 1) for the staff, 2) re: masks/covid, and 3) because next week I'm flying and I would've tried to find wherever I left my drink coupons


----------



## JessicaW1234

I have vouchers with funds on them issued when Southwest canceled our flight.  There are separate ones in my and DD, DS, DD names.  Is there any way to load these into my Rapid Reward account (or other way) to quickly access them when booking?  I'm afraid I'm going to lose out on booking quickly when flights open with having to book four separate flights with separate payments. (And make sure we are all on the same filghts!)


----------



## EACarlson

JessicaW1234 said:


> I have vouchers with funds on them issued when Southwest canceled our flight.  There are separate ones in my and DD, DS, DD names.  Is there any way to load these into my Rapid Reward account (or other way) to quickly access them when booking?  I'm afraid I'm going to lose out on booking quickly when flights open with having to book four separate flights with separate payments. (And make sure we are all on the same filghts!)


You should be able to use yours directly from your RR account, but not any of the others.  I believe I had to also book each person individually in order to use the TF for each person.


----------



## Gitelfor

Southwest is giving away travel awards to qualified non-profit organizations that “spread kindness in the community.”

Registration


----------



## tseitel

I had to change a flight, resulting in a travel credit. If I don’t think I will use it for another flight before it expires, can I use it at the airport/ gate to upgrade boarding position?


----------



## EACarlson

tseitel said:


> I had to change a flight, resulting in a travel credit. If I don’t think I will use it for another flight before it expires, can I use it at the airport/ gate to upgrade boarding position?


No, but you could see how much it would cost to upgrade your ticket to Business Select.


----------



## kristenrice

SWA changed our 5:30pm departure to a 12:15pm departure, connecting through BWI instead of MDW.  I did not want to take DD16 out of school that day, but since I now had no choice, I decided today to go all in...I moved us to the 6:25am flight that connects through MDW.  Now, instead of arriving at 6pm and staying at the MCO Hyatt, we will arrive at 11:10am...and I was able to buy 11 one-time-use DVC points and got us a studio at OKW!  It was actually $60 cheaper than the Hyatt would have been!  Now, I just have to keep my fingers crossed that SWA doesn't mess with this flight.  My friend is coming with us, but she is flying on Delta.  She had a flight that was scheduled to arrive at 10:45pm, but she was able to change hers too and now she is scheduled to arrive at 11:22am.  She is flying out on a flight that departs around 5:30am which is also the first flight of the day.  Hopefully, it doesn't get cancelled.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

I'm used to booking one way flights with points and it was super easy to change them when point values got lower. We are looking at booking round trip this time on opening day. It will just be easier with work. Will it be a pain to change either leg if point values go down?


----------



## Gitelfor

.


CookieandOatmeal said:


> I'm used to booking one way flights with points and it was super easy to change them when point values got lower. We are looking at booking round trip this time on opening day. It will just be easier with work. Will it be a pain to change either leg if point values go down?


When you open your reservation to change, there s/b the option to select the flight(s) you want to change.  You can select one or both, each time you want to modify.  I believe that if you want to cancel one way, however, you may need assistance from Southwest, but I’m not sure; they have been making changes, lately, in the booking engine.


----------



## jcarwash

CookieandOatmeal said:


> I'm used to booking one way flights with points and it was super easy to change them when point values got lower. We are looking at booking round trip this time on opening day. It will just be easier with work. Will it be a pain to change either leg if point values go down?



Just modifying/changing legs on a round trip is super easy, as noted above. You just choose Change Reservation and during that process, you get to pick which leg(s) you want to change.


----------



## boothbay

I am going to be booking my tickets for our (rescheduled) April 2022 trip this Thursday.  The tickets window that is opening only goes through April 24 and our trip is April 23-April 30.  I presume I will just purchase one-way tickets and then wait until the next window opens to purchase our return tickets? Anyone have experience with this?


----------



## LadybugsMum

boothbay said:


> I am going to be booking my tickets for our (rescheduled) April 2022 trip this Thursday.  The tickets window that is opening only goes through April 24 and our trip is April 23-April 30.  I presume I will just purchase one-way tickets and then wait until the next window opens to purchase our return tickets? Anyone have experience with this?


I had to do that for our trip this past April and yes, I just bought the one direction that I could and waited for the next schedule drop to book the return flight.


----------



## Lsdolphin

I have a feeling the rates are going to open at high prices first thing in morning and then gradually drop like what happened last time...which is fine if you’re booking with points but not so great if you’re paying and then you just have to sit with a credit for a year!


----------



## boothbay

Lsdolphin said:


> I have a feeling the rates are going to open at high prices first thing in morning and then gradually drop like what happened last time...which is fine if you’re booking with points but not so great if you’re paying and then you just have to sit with a credit for a year!


That's a good point.  The credits I'm booking with are from our cancelled April 2020 trip. I have to use the credits by Sept 2022.  It will be spring break where I live so I am concerned about the "good" flights getting sold out from our somewhat small regional airport.  
If I was able to get the tickets at a lower price down the road - the travel credits I would earn would also expire in 9/22, correct?  Because I'm not paying cash for them?


----------



## Avery&Todd

Lsdolphin said:


> I have a feeling the rates are going to open at high prices first thing in morning and then gradually drop like what happened last time...which is fine if you’re booking with points but not so great if you’re paying and then you just have to sit with a credit for a year!


I found that the flights I booked for November were crazy low - like my round trip, non stop flight was 9,500 points - and now its almost 30k points for the same flight..

and as I was booking it that morning, while I was in the process, I had a notice that my flight points had increased in just that minute it was taking to book it so it would have been even cheaper than the 9,500 I spent!

It was crazy that morning - but I'll take higher points and just work at getting them back!


----------



## G719

boothbay said:


> I am going to be booking my tickets for our (rescheduled) April 2022 trip this Thursday.  The tickets window that is opening only goes through April 24 and our trip is April 23-April 30.  I presume I will just purchase one-way tickets and then wait until the next window opens to purchase our return tickets? Anyone have experience with this?


Yes, I've had to do this a couple times. It's no big deal. If I'm using cash and not points, it's nice to spread the expensive out over a few months.


----------



## babyruth

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Here's your friendly reminder that *Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur on THURSDAY September 16th.* (NEXT WEEK!!). For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget! I'll post additional reminders as the date draws nearer.
> 
> Currently SW is offering flights through 1/5/22 and this next release will take their schedule out to *4/24/22.* This will likely be a popular extension covering winter holiday weekends and much of spring break.
> For those that care about "release timing" it can vary, but here are the recent "go live" of previous releases:
> *Release Date -    Time (eastern)*
> 6/10/21 -    7:15am
> 4/1/21 -   9:10am
> 12/10/20 -   7:15am
> 8/13/20 -   9:15am
> 5/28/20 -   9:06am
> 3/12/20 -   9:40am
> 12/11/19 -   9:10am
> 10/30/19 -   7:15am
> 9/26/19 -   7:30am
> 8/15/19 -   10:41am
> 5/30/19 -   9:20am



hoping for low prices at release time!


----------



## lionqueen

About what time are the flights released?


----------



## LadybugsMum

lionqueen said:


> About what time are the flights released?


It varies from 7:15 am to 10:45am. See this post: https://www.disboards.com/threads/post-all-sw-questions-concerns-etc-here.2500174/post-63355685


----------



## jwb811

Looking to book flights for Spring Break trip tomorrow using points and am wondering if there is still any benefit to booking 2 one-way trips vs roundtrip?


----------



## babyruth

jwb811 said:


> Looking to book flights for Spring Break trip tomorrow using points and am wondering if there is still any benefit to booking 2 one-way trips vs roundtrip?



I wonder that also. I know my fingers need to fly if the prices are good. From experience I know I don’t have time to check multiple airports and dates.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Just a heads up for those booking tomorrow that traditionally SW updates their Low Fare Calendar before the 'Depart' 'Arrive' dates so you'll want to keep an eye out there.  Not sure where it is on the app but on the website you can access it here:


----------



## aokeefe

babyruth said:


> I wonder that also. I know my fingers need to fly if the prices are good. From experience I know I don’t have time to check multiple airports and dates.


It's only a personal preference to book one ways rather than round trip. Advantage use to be it was easier to adjust one ways but you still can adjust round trip by selecting the leg you want to change.


----------



## mickey916

aokeefe said:


> It's only a personal preference to book one ways rather than round trip. Advantage use to be it was easier to adjust one ways but you still can adjust round trip by selecting the leg you want to change.


Another advantage to one way is if you have multiple credits to apply you can use I believe up to three "payment types" per transaction so booking separately one way enables six "payment types".


----------



## TheMick424

scrappinginontario said:


> Just a heads up for those booking tomorrow that traditionally SW updates their Low Fare Calendar before the 'Depart' 'Arrive' dates so you'll want to keep an eye out there.  Not sure where it is on the app but on the website you can access it here:
> 
> View attachment 605101





scrappinginontario said:


> Just a heads up for those booking tomorrow that traditionally SW updates their Low Fare Calendar before the 'Depart' 'Arrive' dates so you'll want to keep an eye out there.  Not sure where it is on the app but on the website you can access it here:
> 
> View attachment 605101


Do you have to select the number of passengers before booking through the low fare calendar?


----------



## FCDub

TheMick424 said:


> Do you have to select the number of passengers before booking through the low fare calendar?



Yes. You can go on the site right now, click the low fare calendar, and get a feel for it yourself before flights drop tomorrow.


----------



## babyruth

scrappinginontario said:


> Just a heads up for those booking tomorrow that traditionally SW updates their Low Fare Calendar before the 'Depart' 'Arrive' dates so you'll want to keep an eye out there.  Not sure where it is on the app but on the website you can access it here:
> 
> View attachment 605101



I did not know this. So we should be checking the low fare calendar first?


----------



## babyruth

Where is the low fare calendar on the app?


----------



## Gitelfor

babyruth said:


> Where is the low fare calendar on the app?


          It’s on the Southwest mobile site.


----------



## cmarsh31

Ok, let the watch begin! Who's with me?


----------



## Avery&Todd

cmarsh31 said:


> Ok, let the watch begin! Who's with me?


 HERE!

I've already been up this morning getting my Steakhouse 71 reservation for November!!


----------



## KayW

Me!  Dreading if it isn't up before I need to leave for work.  That five minute car ride will last forever!  Taking my computer already logged in if need be.


----------



## NotGoodWithRandomNames

Ok, now I don't feel so bad about already checking five times.


----------



## happ

cmarsh31 said:


> Ok, let the watch begin! Who's with me?


I'm here. I've got the low fare calendar page up in another browser ready to refresh.


----------



## dnbent

Awake and checking since about 5 am CST.  

Tick, tock, tick, tock.......


----------



## dnbent

When is everyone hoping to fly???

I have 12 going down on 1/6 and 3 more on 1/9.  Flying out of Milwaukee.


----------



## Tall Todd

dnbent said:


> When is everyone hoping to fly???
> 
> I have 12 going down on 1/6 and 3 more on 1/9.  Flying out of Milwaukee.



That's a lot of work....


----------



## dnbent

Tall Todd said:


> That's a lot of work....



Oh it gets worse.....

Six of them have travel funds and one has a voucher.....

AND 

my checkbook.......  Family Christmas gift


----------



## happ

dnbent said:


> When is everyone hoping to fly???
> 
> I have 12 going down on 1/6 and 3 more on 1/9.  Flying out of Milwaukee.


Similar timeframe. I'm going marathon weekend too.


----------



## NotGoodWithRandomNames

Four of us for Spring Break from D.C. Wishing that Dulles would have better nonstop flights but probably will have to fly out of National.


----------



## KayW

Drove to work, luckily the high school bus let me go in front of them!

3 from CT


----------



## Avery&Todd

dnbent said:


> Oh it gets worse.....
> 
> Six of them have travel funds and one has a voucher.....
> 
> AND
> 
> my checkbook.......  Family Christmas gift


YIKES!    I couldnt keep up with all of that!

I thought it was bad enough I'd have to book 2 sets of flights -one for me and my cousin and then my DH separately, since he's set up as my CP, and I haven't earned it yet for next year..

but now that I'm thinking of that - I wonder if I should book them all 3 together and then have them split him out when (if) I earn CP again?

I have plenty of points to pay for all 3 flights right now...

and I wonder since I currently have A List, that wont carry over for these March reservations so I'll need to get EB, right??


----------



## dreamer17555

Looking to book spring break to DL for 3 in March. Hoping for good flight to SNA (Orange County) and avoid LAX if I can.


----------



## Leigh L

NotGoodWithRandomNames said:


> Four of us for Spring Break from D.C. Wishing that Dulles would have better nonstop flights but probably will have to fly out of National.


I can't ever get direct flights on SW from IAD to MCO anymore , this was pre-pandemic, I think they only had a Saturday option on occasion?

Good luck!!
I'm probably trying for some late January dates from National.


----------



## KayW

Anyone know the recent time for release of flights?  Used to be around 6:30, but now seems later.  Just wondering if I have time to make copies, get coffee, breathe..


----------



## aokeefe

Here! Been up since 5:30 so I can get ready for work and sit for an hour from 7-8 refreshing! If it's not released by then, I have turned the reigns over to my husband. I gave a presentation last night of how I want flights booked! Booking 4 tickets PVD-MCO in April. Using different RR accounts.


----------



## cmarsh31

4 in Feb, all with LUV vouchers... and 140, yes 140, in April. HS marching band trip. I have to call groups as soon as they're loaded.


----------



## aokeefe

KayW said:


> Anyone know the recent time for release of flights?  Used to be around 6:30, but now seems later.  Just wondering if I have time to make copies, get coffee, breathe..


Anywhere from 7:15ish to 9:15ish has been the latest.


----------



## KayW

aokeefe said:


> Here! Been up since 5:30 so I can get ready for work and sit for an hour from 7-8 refreshing! If it's not released by then, I have turned the reigns over to my husband. I gave a presentation last night of how I want flights booked! Booking 4 tickets PVD-MCO in April. Using different RR accounts.


I brought my stuff to work and will just hit refresh and possibly book flights during homeroom or even period 1 if need be!


----------



## Tall Todd

KayW said:


> Anyone know the recent time for release of flights?  Used to be around 6:30, but now seems later.  Just wondering if I have time to make copies, get coffee, breathe..


https://www.disboards.com/threads/post-all-sw-questions-concerns-etc-here.2500174/post-63355685


----------



## cmarsh31

KayW said:


> I brought my stuff to work and will just hit refresh and possibly book flights during homeroom or even period 1 if need be!



We lucked out with a PD day, and virtual to boot! Otherwise I would have been excused for a half day... because this is a huge school function! Usually, I'm praying they drop during Homeroom when  booking for my family!


----------



## dnbent

aokeefe said:


> Here! Been up since 5:30 so I can get ready for work and sit for an hour from 7-8 refreshing! If it's not released by then, I have turned the reigns over to my husband. I gave a presentation last night of how I want flights booked! Booking 4 tickets PVD-MCO in April. Using different RR accounts.




You have more faith in others than I would.  

Thus me booking tickets for 15....

Why am I such a micro manager????


----------



## momto3boys+aprincess

Trying for 7 for the end of Feb/first of March! Coming from OKlahoma.


----------



## Gitelfor

Southwest confirmed that the schedule will be extended today, on a rolling basis, but unknown as to exactly what time.


----------



## Tall Todd

dnbent said:


> You have more faith in others than I would.
> 
> Thus me booking tickets for 15....
> 
> Why am I such a micro manager????


Not to tempt Fate here... But what happens if you can't get everyone on the same flight?


----------



## Avery&Todd

KayW said:


> Anyone know the recent time for release of flights?  Used to be around 6:30, but now seems later.  Just wondering if I have time to make copies, get coffee, breathe..


last release it was 7:15am - run and get coffee!!


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

Gitelfor said:


> Southwest confirmed that the schedule will be extended today, on a rolling basis, but unknow as to exactly what time.


What does that actually mean?


----------



## KayW

Avery&Todd said:


> last release it was 7:15am - run and get coffee!!


Keurig in my classroom is on and ready!


----------



## aokeefe

cmarsh31 said:


> We lucked out with a PD day, and virtual to boot! Otherwise I would have been excused for a half day... because this is a huge school function! Usually, I'm praying they drop during Homeroom when  booking for my family!


You are lucky!! I had been praying they moved up the release date by even one week- I had a pd last Thursday. I'm in a high needs preschool classroom (with extremely high needs this year) and our lead teacher is out today so I'm taking the reigns. Going to be a crazy day. Come on Southwest release so I can breathe!!!


----------



## Gitelfor

Cruzin’Sisters said:


> What does that actually mean?


Not all routes/fares will be bookable at the same time, during the day; they will be released in batches.


----------



## dnbent

Tall Todd said:


> Not to tempt Fate here... But what happens if you can't get everyone on the same flight?



Only 12 going day 1, other 3 going 3 days later....

Really will not have an issue getting all on the flight.  Just later tickets may cost me much more than first tickets...


----------



## aokeefe

Cruzin’Sisters said:


> What does that actually mean?


Rolling means they will release February... then March.... then April. They don't release the entire dates together. Very annoying!!


----------



## dreamer17555

Gitelfor said:


> Not all routes/fares will be bookable at the same time, during the day; they will be released in batches.


Thanks


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

Gitelfor said:


> Not all routes/fares will be bookable at the same time, during the day; they will be released in batches.


Ok.  thanks.  That make sense. But I don’t figure anyone here isn’t booking to Florida!


----------



## momto3boys+aprincess

So if they only open Feb first do I book one ways instead of round trip?


----------



## dreamer17555

Cruzin’Sisters said:


> Ok.  thanks.  That make sense. But I don’t figure anyone here isn’t booking to Florida!


 If it helps I'm not. Disneyland trip in March for our family who is used to heading to WDW.


----------



## KayW

aokeefe said:


> Rolling means they will release February... then March.... then April. They don't release the entire dates together. Very annoying!!


Ugh...I can't sit on my computer all day hitting refresh.  Knowing my luck my admin will want to do an observation!


----------



## Avery&Todd

IM IN!!!!!!


----------



## Leigh L

I see January!


----------



## momto3boys+aprincess

It’s live but prices seem high, do I wait for them to drop?


----------



## canwegosoon

This is so stressful!!!


----------



## Leigh L

momto3boys+aprincess said:


> It’s live but prices seem high, do I wait for them to drop?


I'm going to wait since I think I might be able to do better on another airline or see if SW drops. Low fare calendar says one price, but it's quite a bit higher when trying to actually book :/

Edited: I filtered non stop that's why the lower price went away. Calendar accurate


----------



## KayW

DONE!!


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

dreamer17555 said:


> If it helps I'm not. Disneyland trip in March for our family who is used to heading to WDW.


I realized after I “spoke” that anyone could be going anywhere on Southwest to “get away “.  Just using our resources here to help each other out.  I am also making other trips but they are flexible.
Good luck everyone!


----------



## KT0191

Flights are loaded but no way am I buying right now. $947 round trip from Indy in February for 3 people. Lollll yeah, okay Southwest.


----------



## NotGoodWithRandomNames

Guess I am taking the train or waiting to see if the price drops later.


----------



## babyruth

Not impressed with the fares unless I missed the good ones by a few seconds


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

I'm holding off. Prices usually go down at some point. It's crazy $304 one way and that's wanna get away. Used to be opening day was some of the cheapest fares, but not anymore.


----------



## NeeseyL

NICE!  Just got PVD to MCO for late January, 4 people, 1000$ total!!!  Merry Christmas kids!!!!


----------



## babyruth

KT0191 said:


> Flights are loaded but no way am I buying right now. $947 round trip from Indy in February for 3 people. Lollll yeah, okay Southwest.


1400 rt for 3 from Providence! In your dreams SW! I paid that for 4 people to Hawaii in April!


----------



## Lsdolphin

Just as I thought rates are way high...I’m not doing it


----------



## Gitelfor

If you don't see dates past 01.05.2022, forget the app or mobile site, and go to the full website, where the schedule extends into April 2022.


----------



## Taylor'sMom

Why am i still not seeing anything past January 5th!?!?!?


----------



## cmarsh31

All booked to return from Feb break and my personal flights for April. On hold for Group Travel.


----------



## Tall Todd

In and done, pretty happy with rates for me....


----------



## LadybugsMum

I was able to get the RDU to MCO and back routes at a reasonable rate. I used points but it would have only been $488 which is the cheapest I've seen. Our return flight would have only been $69 on the way back and $94 on the way down.


----------



## aokeefe

Flights booked. Definitely on the high side ($400 RT) but used points so not as bad of a sting. We do have to take the 7:00 am flight home which STINKS but it was our best option point wise. I was able to take the Friday night flight down so will stay at MCO Hyatt and be ready to go Saturday am- better than the 7 am flight down.


----------



## KT0191

babyruth said:


> 1400 rt for 3 from Providence! In your dreams SW! I paid that for 4 people to Hawaii in April!


Wow! That’s insane!!


----------



## Kelli Pooh

Got ours for January 17 - 28 PIT to MCO Non stop - hoping it stays that way.   Earlyflight down & a late return.  Not a bad price.  I have done better and we have paid more so I will take it.  Just excited that I took the leap and decided to commit to going!!


----------



## Avery&Todd

So here's a question.....I currently have A List for myself and DH is my CP - the flights I booked for us this morning are for March - both of those will expire on 12/31/21

For some reason when I booked the flights this morning for myself, DH and my cousin - all under 1 flights, it kept my A List status and only allowed me to buy EB for DH and my cousin..

what's going to happen on January 1st when my A List goes away?  I'll need to buy EB for me then?


----------



## barb969

Anyone notice that anytime fares are not much more than get away fares? This is on BWI  -  MCO flights. 
AlsoBoston - MCO is less than BWI - MCO even on flights thru BWI. I wonder what this means about changing fares later?


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

High prices from MHT but it is winter break.  Always, always the flights are at 5:45 am. Other airlines are much higher and would have to fly out of Boston and pay baggage fee


----------



## dnbent

All 15 flights booked.

Not cheap, $168 each person each way.  And super early flights down and earlier than we like flights back.

But it will be Florida in the middle of Wisconsin winter so 

All is good.....


----------



## aokeefe

barb969 said:


> Anyone notice that anytime fares are not much more than get away fares? This is on BWI  -  MCO flights.
> AlsoBoston - MCO is less than BWI - MCO even on flights thru BWI. I wonder what this means about changing fares later?


I did notice that.


----------



## boothbay

Cruzin’Sisters said:


> High prices from MHT but it is winter break.  Always, always the flights are at 5:45 am. Other airlines are much higher and would have to fly out of Boston and pay baggage fee



I was shocked at the lack of non-stops from MHT for April break.  Prices are not great either but I'm using travel funds so it hurts a little less as the money was spent long ago...

It's either leave at 5am (my family would kill me) or 12:30pm to get a nonstop.  Guess we'll just make Saturday an early dinner night and get ready to hit the parks Sunday morning instead of Saturday afternoon.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Booked.  Yay!!

Going down is direct with reasonable departure time.  Very happy with points used and flight time.

Return is good point price and departure time is reasonable but 2 stopovers in February is not my preference.  The other thing though is these days, who knows how many changes may be made to those flights.  Also, since this is the 3rd time booking the same trip I do it with cautious optimism that this 2020 trip will finally take place in early 2022.


----------



## KayW

KT0191 said:


> Wow! That’s insane!!


Mine was almost $1500 with early bird for three from CT.  We only go once a year so that is less than what we budgeted for.


----------



## pluto377

Was trying to book in March for 6 of us from ISP.  Prices were too high and the non stop schedule stinks, so JetBlue gets our money this time.  More hassle to get to LGA from our house, but money talks!


----------



## leeniewdw

boothbay said:


> I was shocked at the lack of non-stops from MHT for April break.  Prices are not great either but I'm using travel funds so it hurts a little less as the money was spent long ago...
> 
> It's either leave at 5am (my family would kill me) or 12:30pm to get a nonstop.  Guess we'll just make Saturday an early dinner night and get ready to hit the parks Sunday morning instead of Saturday afternoon.





LadybugsMum said:


> I was able to get the RDU to MCO and back routes at a reasonable rate. I used points but it would have only been $488 which is the cheapest I've seen. Our return flight would have only been $69 on the way back and $94 on the way down.



The lack of direct was surprising for sure!  The RDU/MCO route is ours as well (later Feb) and there was only 1 direct flight each way!  Instead of arriving early, we'll arrive at 1:40pm!  Last time we went, we *arrived* at 6:30am, which was early enough to get a BG on ROTR at 8am in the park!   But I'd rather fly direct than making a connection and get there at 11:30 or whatever.  We're using points and companion pass for 4 people, so this still seems like the best choice.  But stinks anyway.


----------



## dreamer17555

Ouch. Cash was high this morning... ended up booking direct non stop Jetblue instead for less including checked luggage... I guess  it beats the change of planes I would have had with SW. Still not what I had hoped for.


----------



## LadybugsMum

leeniewdw said:


> The lack of direct was surprising for sure!  The RDU/MCO route is ours as well (later Feb) and there was only 1 direct flight each way!  Instead of arriving early, we'll arrive at 1:40pm!  Last time we went, we *arrived* at 6:30am, which was early enough to get a BG on ROTR at 8am in the park!   But I'd rather fly direct than making a connection and get there at 11:30 or whatever.  We're using points and companion pass for 4 people, so this still seems like the best choice.  But stinks anyway.



Weird. Our trip is mid-Feb and there were 3 non stops, but we are flying down and back on Saturdays; so I guess that's the reason for more nonstop flights.


----------



## leeniewdw

LadybugsMum said:


> Weird. Our trip is mid-Feb and there were 3 non stops, but we are flying down and back on Saturdays; so I guess that's the reason for more nonstop flights.



That must be it.  We're doing a Thu/Sun trip.   That's the same as our last pre-Covid trip when our times were perfect.  We'll just have to juggle some plans for arrival day (and maybe pray that they somehow have an After Hours that evening -- which is probably completely not going to happen).


----------



## Tiggerish

I had already booked a one way GRR to MCO for 1/1/22 and was anxiously waiting to see if I would be stuck in Disney forever.  

The low fare calendar showed up at 7 AM, I perused the possibilities and then refreshed, refreshed, refreshed until was able to get the only non-stop MCO to GRR on Sunday, 1/9/22 on points. It seemed odd that the non-stop was also the least expensive flight of the day but I am not complaining.  Because I travel with my own power wheelchair having a non-stop or no change plane flight is always my first priority.


----------



## jcarwash

LadybugsMum said:


> Weird. Our trip is mid-Feb and there were 3 non stops, but we are flying down and back on Saturdays; so I guess that's the reason for more nonstop flights.



Yes, this is the pattern I'm seeing for my potential February or April trips to MCO. Three non-stops on the weekends from my airport, but only one (expensive) nonstop on the weekdays.


----------



## EmilyGahr

Wow... just booked our flights from BDL for January. The Wanna Get Away rates were $69 down and $78 back. Couldn't believe it! 
We had points, so I ended up booking Business Select for only 38,000 points!


----------



## cmarsh31

Looks like the website crashed...


----------



## Chernabob

I've looked back the past page or so and didn't see any comments on this.  Anyone besides me getting sticker shock at the March 2022 prices???  We were looking at a spring break trip to DL, and those prices are crazy compared to pre-COVID.


----------



## anjuan

I did one way of my March trip and now can't get back into the website to book the other way.


----------



## maybethisyear

We are looking at February and it would be $100 more round trip than what we planned (PER person). So we are going to hold out and hope they drop to the regular lower 119 per segment rate in the next couple of months.


----------



## jcarwash

Chernabob said:


> I've looked back the past page or so and didn't see any comments on this.  Anyone besides me getting sticker shock at the March 2022 prices???  We were looking at a spring break trip to DL, and those prices are crazy compared to pre-COVID.



Yes on the sticker shock. A one-way flight to get to MCO for $338, on the specific day I wanted, isn't what I was expecting right when the fares opened at 7:15am. But when they are only offering one non-stop a day at my airport on the days leading up to a holiday/vacation week, I guess I can't be too shocked. Just disappointed.


----------



## anjuan

jcarwash said:


> Yes on the sticker shock. A one-way flight to get to MCO for $338, on the specific day I wanted, isn't what I was expecting right when the fares opened at 7:15am. But when they are only offering one non-stop a day at my airport on the days leading up to a holiday/vacation week, I guess I can't be too shocked. Just disappointed.


That is what I saw for the date for Midway in March that I was looking at. Of course now I can't get in to book it.


----------



## corn princess

anjuan said:


> That is what I saw for the date for Midway in March that I was looking at. Of course now I can't get in to book it.


Same I had my dates selected for our of Indy in February, went to book and keep getting an error message!


----------



## cmarsh31

Good news, if the site is down, then no one can book those flights, so your prices aren't going up while we wait at least!


----------



## anjuan

Was just able to get back in and book.


----------



## BOST99

Are you able to log into your SW account? I can book but getting an error trying to login and I have a credit.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Can't quite understand how they plan flights these days but it's ever changing!

On our Sat BUF-MCO flight there were 4 non-stop options.  On the return from MCO-BUF on a Sunday, only 1.  Weird!


----------



## Chernabob

Chernabob said:


> I've looked back the past page or so and didn't see any comments on this.  Anyone besides me getting sticker shock at the March 2022 prices???  We were looking at a spring break trip to DL, and those prices are crazy compared to pre-COVID.


Replying to my own post here.  Looking through past trips... prices are comparable to my 2018 trip but a lot higher than my (cancelled) 2020 trip.  Just FYI for anyone who's curious.

Not sure if I should wait to see if prices fluctuate, but I'm in no great rush.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Chernabob said:


> I've looked back the past page or so and didn't see any comments on this.  Anyone besides me getting sticker shock at the March 2022 prices???  We were looking at a spring break trip to DL, and those prices are crazy compared to pre-COVID.


YES!! I booked mine with points but my cousin will pay me back in cash, and our flights from RDU to MCO for March were 29,368 points each which was $446.96 A TICKET!!!

YIKES!

Im hoping between now and then that the points drop!


----------



## momto3boys+aprincess

The last time when the prices came out high then dropped, how long before they dropped? Trying to decide if I should do it now or wait. Tickets are $40 more each way than I expected.


----------



## val1234

It depends on the airport if you should buy now or wait and also if you are traveling during a school break week. I logged on at exactly 730 this morning and i got from  ISP to MCO during the spring break week $199 non stop each way Sun 4/17 to Sun 4/24. I was hoping for $150 each way but i guess those were gone. But i’ll take it because i know that week is only going to get higher. We plan to go back in August so if by chance they di go down a little i can always  apply the credit to those flights. And i just checked and the flights I booked have went up $150 pp more!


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

val1234 said:


> It depends on the airport if you should buy now or wait and also if you are traveling during a school break week. I logged on at exactly 730 this morning and i got from  ISP to MCO during the spring break week $199 non stop each way Sun 4/17 to Sun 4/24. I was hoping for $150 each way but i guess those were gone. But i’ll take it because i know that week is only going to get higher. We plan to go back in August so if by chance they di go down a little i can always  apply the credit to those flights. And i just checked and the flights I booked have went up $150 pp more!


The flight I booked from MHT to Miami was $318 one way.  (Also was a Friday) Now that wanna get away fare is unavailable and the next fare up is $580. Yikes!
It was fortunate that I was online with you guys when the fares were released.  It is winter break in the Northeast and the airlines take advantage of that.


----------



## bsmcneil

So - this is a mea culpa. But I hadn't realized I could only use travel funds for me (I've let a little pot grow up thinking that I'd be able to use them for the kids when it was time to fly). Does anyone know if there is a work around? I saw a reference about transitioning them to points but couldn't find more info. Sigh. I guess I just have to fly more! (not really - I'd just be disappointed to lose out on what I have).

ETA - or, are there ways to use those funds I've not thought of (EBIC is a no, I believe)? Upgrades?


----------



## EACarlson

bsmcneil said:


> So - this is a mea culpa. But I hadn't realized I could only use travel funds for me (I've let a little pot grow up thinking that I'd be able to use them for the kids when it was time to fly). Does anyone know if there is a work around? I saw a reference about transitioning them to points but couldn't find more info. Sigh. I guess I just have to fly more! (not really - I'd just be disappointed to lose out on what I have).
> 
> ETA - or, are there ways to use those funds I've not thought of (EBIC is a no, I believe)? Upgrades?


Transferring TF to RR points was only available for a limited window about a year ago.  The only other options are to let them expire then call and they can be converted to LUV vouchers that can be used for anyone, but there is a cost, either $75 or $100 per TF.


----------



## DLmama

I have a question that maybe someone here can answer...

I booked a promotional flight which will give me a companion pass. I won't actually get the companion pass until Jan 6th. We are flying to MCO in Feb. Can I book my flight now and add my companion later when I get the pass or do I have to wait to book both at the same time?


----------



## Gitelfor

DLmama said:


> I have a question that maybe someone here can answer...
> 
> I booked a promotional flight which will give me a companion pass. I won't actually get the companion pass until Jan 6th. We are flying to MCO in Feb. Can I book my flight now and add my companion later when I get the pass or do I have to wait to book both at the same time?


You can book just the other seat later, as long as there is an available seat on that flight.  Sometimes, customers will book both tickets at the same time, in anticipation of a future CP, with the  other person’s ticket booked  using points or on a refundable fare (Business Select or Anytime).  Once the CP is activated, specify your companion, then call Southwest to convert that ticket for your Companion and get your points or fare refunded for the original purchase. That removes the risk of finding the flight sold out, if waiting to book till later.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Ok just as I expected prices dropping! My flights dropped from $158 each way to $116...booked!
I didn’t actually expect prices to drop this quickly thought it would take longer.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

Lsdolphin said:


> Ok just as I expected prices dropping! My flights dropped from $158 each way to $116...booked!
> I didn’t actually expect prices to drop this quickly thought it would take longer.


Just checked mine and still super high (thankfully we grabbed some lower value ones before it shot up). Don’t think I’m going to see much decrease for RI/MA school vacation week.


----------



## val1234

CookieandOatmeal said:


> Just checked mine and still super high (thankfully we grabbed some lower value ones before it shot up). Don’t think I’m going to see much decrease for RI/MA school vacation week.


I just checked mine for NY/LI spring break week and all wanna get away fares are gone!


----------



## Chernabob

val1234 said:


> I just checked mine for NY/LI spring break week and all wanna get away fares are gone!


Can't speak to a high demand week like spring break, but those are known to reappear.  I'd keep checking.

But do keep an eye on it.  That is a sign that inventory might be tight.


----------



## bsmcneil

I'm checking with you all as you're much more knowledgeable about SW than I am: for the past few months, I've been diligently checking my flights and updating things whenever prices dropped (which has been great). I just booked my flights for a Jan trip and the price shifted a bit from when they were released - but I've added my son planning to use my companion pass (which I've not done yet). I keep getting an error message and I can't tell if it's because I added him today and then went to revise the flight today; or, can I just not update the flight if I am using a companion pass (in addition to my own seat, obviously)?


----------



## Erica Ladd

bsmcneil said:


> I'm checking with you all as you're much more knowledgeable about SW than I am: for the past few months, I've been diligently checking my flights and updating things whenever prices dropped (which has been great). I just booked my flights for a Jan trip and the price shifted a bit from when they were released - but I've added my son planning to use my companion pass (which I've not done yet). I keep getting an error message and I can't tell if it's because I added him today and then went to revise the flight today; or, can I just not update the flight if I am using a companion pass (in addition to my own seat, obviously)?



I believe you need to cancel CP, modify the flight then add CP back


----------



## Tink Fans

Erica Ladd said:


> I believe you need to cancel CP, modify the flight then add CP back


Yes, as Erica replied is how I always revise the flight with CP attached.   Much easier than calling which is how I did it the first time.  I always forget to pick the “refund method” so just make sure you do that.


----------



## momto3boys+aprincess

I finally decided yesterday to fly our group of 7 into Tampa. Even with the transport service it was 40 pp each way cheaper than MCO.  So my question is if they drop the price at MCO can I change to that airport?


----------



## EACarlson

momto3boys+aprincess said:


> I finally decided yesterday to fly our group of 7 into Tampa. Even with the transport service it was 40 pp each way cheaper than MCO.  So my question is if they drop the price at MCO can I change to that airport?


Sure, you just cancel and rebook.


----------



## msjprincess

momto3boys+aprincess said:


> I finally decided yesterday to fly our group of 7 into Tampa. Even with the transport service it was 40 pp each way cheaper than MCO.  So my question is if they drop the price at MCO can I change to that airport?


Yes you can modify the reservation to a different airport.


----------



## Sleepyluke

I need some SW advice here, and this seems to be the place to come.  I am looking at the next booking window, but after this one and test dates, i don't have enough points for our 4 tickets (stupid increase) but when you have to split tickets on points vs cash, do you call, or just book 3 on points then one of the adults on cash, in case the fare disappears like some of the wanna get always have done recently?  I know it typically tells you when the fare is getting low, but on opening day, not sure how quick some are getting snatched up these days with the crazy that is the world right now....

Thanks for any advice


----------



## twincruisers

I always remember SW as requiring that all passengers to be booked on all points or all cash, so you would have to do 2 reservations of 3 tickets on points and 1 ticket on cash.


----------



## barb969

Be sure to book yourself or the person who has the rapid reward account for cash so you will earn the points. Also you can break the ressies into one ways to take advantage of the best prices. Or you could buy points. When they are on sale they are too bad of a deal. Then you do not get travel funds if the prices go down or you have to cancel.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Is anyone still checking the SW website 2xs a day to check and make sure your upcoming flights are still there??  

.....Just me??   

Good to know!   

so far my 2 non-stop flights over Veteran's Day week/weekend are still there *knocks on wood*  but boy have the prices/points shot up!! I originally booked (the moment they were released months ago) for just over 9k points/ticket and they're 26.7k now! 

and I'm also checking on my new flights for March I booked on the 16th - no changes to those yet, but I'm sure some will happen since of course I booked the "first out, non-stop" flight of the day which so far, over the last year SW has always cancelled....but a girl can dream, right?

49 days until the flight stress is over, right??


----------



## MMSM

How long does it take for you initial rewards to show? I opened the card in July 2021 and spent my $2000 to earn 65000 points. I did all my spending within 2 weeks so it did not make it right before cycle. My cycle was Aug 19. I called and I saw my pts from purchases but not the bonus points. They transferred me to Chase and they said it would take 2 months. That would bring me to Sept 19.  Today- still nothing.  Can someone tell me how long it took there points to show?


----------



## Doug7856

MMSM said:


> How long does it take for you initial rewards to show? I opened the card in July 2021 and spent my $2000 to earn 65000 points. I did all my spending within 2 weeks so it did not make it right before cycle. My cycle was Aug 19. I called and I saw my pts from purchases but not the bonus points. They transferred me to Chase and they said it would take 2 months. That would bring me to Sept 19.  Today- still nothing.  Can someone tell me how long it took there points to show?


I find that bonus points and promotions sometimes take longer to post than the regular earnings from credit card usage. I had an anniversary extra bonus and it took every bit of three months to post.


----------



## bookgirl2632

Avery&Todd said:


> Is anyone still checking the SW website 2xs a day to check and make sure your upcoming flights are still there??
> 
> .....Just me??
> 
> Good to know!
> 
> so far my 2 non-stop flights over Veteran's Day week/weekend are still there *knocks on wood*  but boy have the prices/points shot up!! I originally booked (the moment they were released months ago) for just over 9k points/ticket and they're 26.7k now!
> 
> and I'm also checking on my new flights for March I booked on the 16th - no changes to those yet, but I'm sure some will happen since of course I booked the "first out, non-stop" flight of the day which so far, over the last year SW has always cancelled....but a girl can dream, right?
> 
> 49 days until the flight stress is over, right??


I check 2 or 3 times a day.  So far, so good.  I did have one slight change to my flight coming home.  They moved it up by o my 15 minutes.  Other than that, no changes so far.


----------



## happ

MMSM said:


> How long does it take for you initial rewards to show? I opened the card in July 2021 and spent my $2000 to earn 65000 points. I did all my spending within 2 weeks so it did not make it right before cycle. My cycle was Aug 19. I called and I saw my pts from purchases but not the bonus points. They transferred me to Chase and they said it would take 2 months. That would bring me to Sept 19.  Today- still nothing.  Can someone tell me how long it took there points to show?


When I opened the SW card last year I completed the spend before my billing cycle ended and the bonus posted with the first statement. Has your second statement posted? Are you sure you spent the full 2000 plus the annual fee?


----------



## barb969

You can see all your point activity on southwest’s website. Sign in and scroll down to My Rapid Rewards.


----------



## Crazyhorse

bookgirl2632 said:


> I check 2 or 3 times a day.  So far, so good.  I did have one slight change to my flight coming home.  They moved it up by o my 15 minutes.  Other than that, no changes so far.


  This morning I received the dreaded red lined change notification about our arrival flight into Orlando in December.  Thankfully, it was only a 15 minute change...from 6:05 am to 6:20am.  Somehow I don't think this will be the last email we get.....


----------



## mickeynut1

Avery&Todd said:


> Is anyone still checking the SW website 2xs a day to check and make sure your upcoming flights are still there??
> 
> .....Just me??
> 
> Good to know!
> 
> so far my 2 non-stop flights over Veteran's Day week/weekend are still there *knocks on wood*  but boy have the prices/points shot up!! I originally booked (the moment they were released months ago) for just over 9k points/ticket and they're 26.7k now!
> 
> and I'm also checking on my new flights for March I booked on the 16th - no changes to those yet, but I'm sure some will happen since of course I booked the "first out, non-stop" flight of the day which so far, over the last year SW has always cancelled....but a girl can dream, right?
> 
> 49 days until the flight stress is over, right??



I check every day multiple times a day...lol.  With that said, I woke up this morning to a change for our 11/7 flight to Tampa.  Our non stop 6:05am was changed to 9am with a 50 min stop/no plane change in Memphis, not getting into Tampa until 2:20pm .  I'm guessing our return will get changed, but I'm waiting to see what happens with that before I make any changes.


----------



## Avery&Todd

mickeynut1 said:


> I check every day multiple times a day...lol.  With that said, I woke up this morning to a change for our 11/7 flight to Tampa.  Our non stop 6:05am was changed to 9am with a 50 min stop/no plane change in Memphis, not getting into Tampa until 2:20pm .  I'm guessing our return will get changed, but I'm waiting to see what happens with that before I make any changes.


OH NO!!!  sorry to hear that!!

I've told my DH time and time again that if SW mucks with my early non-stop flights that I'm biting the bullet and paying for flights with Delta.....

which reminds me - I should go and check those flights as the prices have been crazy, at times they're $900 and others are $500...

ugh


----------



## BillFromCT

I woke up to the flight change email for my 12/05 PVD - MCO flight.  Thankfully all that they did was change the flight number.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Avery&Todd said:


> which reminds me - I should go and check those flights as the prices have been crazy, at times they're $900 and others are $500...
> 
> ugh



PERFECT....the Delta flights are $800 right now for DH and I....

not cool...

*PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SW don't change my 11/10 flight!!*


----------



## barb969

I have a time change on my Jan. 16th flight BWI - MCO. It is leaving 20 minutes earlier and a new flight #.


----------



## JessicaW1234

Does anyone know if you have the southwest plus personal credit card if you can also get the personal premier card for the points? Has anyone done this successfully?


----------



## ultimatefans

JessicaW1234 said:


> Does anyone know if you have the southwest plus personal credit card if you can also get the personal premier card for the points? Has anyone done this successfully?


No, unfortunately that is not possible.  It is possible to have both a business and a personal card and get bonus points for both, but not for two personal cards.  (this changed a couple of years back, it used to be possible to have multiple personal cards at a time)


----------



## happ

JessicaW1234 said:


> Does anyone know if you have the southwest plus personal credit card if you can also get the personal premier card for the points? Has anyone done this successfully?


If you've had the plus for 24 months, you could close it and get another personal card bonus.


----------



## mickeynut1

Avery&Todd said:


> OH NO!!!  sorry to hear that!!
> 
> I've told my DH time and time again that if SW mucks with my early non-stop flights that I'm biting the bullet and paying for flights with Delta.....
> 
> which reminds me - I should go and check those flights as the prices have been crazy, at times they're $900 and others are $500...
> 
> ugh



We've had small changes on our last few flights/trips, but nothing like this.  Going from early morning/first flight out non stop to late morning with a stop is a little hard to take.  Fingers crossed they don't mess with your flights .      



Avery&Todd said:


> PERFECT....the Delta flights are $800 right now for DH and I....
> 
> not cool...
> 
> *PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SW don't change my 11/10 flight!!*







barb969 said:


> I have a time change on my Jan. 16th flight BWI - MCO. It is leaving 20 minutes earlier and a new flight #.



Crazy how they're all over the place with changes.  I just got the change for my early Nov flight and your Jan flight is already changed .


----------



## MKgrlBDE

I received the dreaded email also.  My early morning non-stop flight which had me arriving at MCO at 8:25am has been changed to a layover arriving at 12:30pm.  The flight they rebooked me on has a short layover at MDW-Chicago.  I am concerned with having to go to Chicago because of winter weather, the flight is in January.  I can change the flight and go through Atlanta and arrive at MCO at about the same time as the Chicago flight. Can anyone offer any advice, would it be better to go through Atlanta due to the chance of winter weather in Chicago?


----------



## leeniewdw

MKgrlBDE said:


> I received the dreaded email also.  My early morning non-stop flight which had me arriving at MCO at 8:25am has been changed to a layover arriving at 12:30pm.  The flight they rebooked me on has a short layover at MDW-Chicago.  I am concerned with having to go to Chicago because of winter weather, the flight is in January.  I can change the flight and go through Atlanta and arrive at MCO at about the same time as the Chicago flight.  The flight from Chicago departs at 8:40am, the flight from Atlanta departs at 11am.  Can anyone offer me any advice?



We had this happen for a June trip from RDU - DEN.  We were on a direct flight at like 6pm ish.  They changed us to a TWO STOP itinerary.  When I looked up the routes, there was a direct flight that left at 4pm ish.  I just called and they moved us to that.  I wondered if there is some time limit as to how much *earlier* they'll automatically book you.

I would call.  I presume they'll agree your reasoning is valid and they'll accommodate you.


----------



## MMSM

happ said:


> When I opened the SW card last year I completed the spend before my billing cycle ended and the bonus posted with the first statement. Has your second statement posted? Are you sure you spent the full 2000 plus the annual fee?


I spent all the 2000 before cycle ended plus


happ said:


> When I opened the SW card last year I completed the spend before my billing cycle ended and the bonus posted with the first statement. Has your second statement posted? Are you sure you spent the full 2000 plus the annual fee?


i even had someone on phone say j spent the $2000. What is weird is that it was 40000 pts after I spent 1000 in 3 months (did that) and another 25000 if I spent 2000.  Why wouldn’t the 40000 at least be posted? This is why I should just stick to Jet Blue.


----------



## EACarlson

MKgrlBDE said:


> I received the dreaded email also.  My early morning non-stop flight which had me arriving at MCO at 8:25am has been changed to a layover arriving at 12:30pm.  The flight they rebooked me on has a short layover at MDW-Chicago.  I am concerned with having to go to Chicago because of winter weather, the flight is in January.  I can change the flight and go through Atlanta and arrive at MCO at about the same time as the Chicago flight. Can anyone offer any advice, would it be better to go through Atlanta due to the chance of winter weather in Chicago?


  Where are you flying out of?  One thing about flying into/out of the upper midwest is that the grounds crews and airports can handle it.  You can have an inch of snow an hour and MDW will operate just fine, you get down to CVG and it grinds to a standstill.  It's not quite like needing to avoid the afternoon thunderstorms in the south during the summer, by rule that shuts the airport down.


leeniewdw said:


> We had this happen for a June trip from RDU - DEN.  We were on a direct flight at like 6pm ish.  They changed us to a TWO STOP itinerary.  When I looked up the routes, there was a direct flight that left at 4pm ish.  I just called and they moved us to that.  I wondered if there is some time limit as to how much *earlier* they'll automatically book you.
> 
> I would call.  I presume they'll agree your reasoning is valid and they'll accommodate you.


 By adding a stop it is a "significant schedule change" allowing the traveler to be re-accommodated or the ability to cancel for a full refund.  I'm assuming you mean non-stop above and not just direct, if one non-stop is being removed from the schedule, usually the others are being changed at the same time which means that the only thing the system sees to be automatically rebooked onto are less desireable flights.  It wouldn't be useful to rebook you onto another flight if that was the next one to get cancelled.


----------



## rangerxenos

BillFromCT said:


> I woke up to the flight change email for my 12/05 PVD - MCO flight.  Thankfully all that they did was change the flight number.



I keep checking for my late November flight, hoping the 6:25 a.m. non stop stays there. (though I wouldn't mind it changing to 7:25 a.m. so that I wouldn't have to get to BDL so early, LOL!)  

Glad I did, my flight went down so I was refunded around 4,000 points! (Paid with points.)


----------



## momof2gr8kids

I received a notification about flight change and the opportunity to change it if it doesn't work.
How long do they give you to change it? 24 hrs, a couple days? Just trying to figure out what to do but wondering how much time I have to think about it before the option to change is gone.  Thanks!


----------



## mickeynut1

momof2gr8kids said:


> I received a notification about flight change and the opportunity to change it if it doesn't work.
> How long do they give you to change it? 24 hrs, a couple days? Just trying to figure out what to do but wondering how much time I have to think about it before the option to change is gone.  Thanks!



We've gotten several email changes lately for an upcoming Oct trip and I didn't see any time limit to change.  With that said, the earlier you call the more options you might have, but you can take as much time as you need to decide.  I waited 3-4 weeks before calling and making changes.  The email states you can go online to avoid long phone waits, but I found it was going to charge me more points as flights have gone up quite a bit, so I had to call to avoid being charged the change in fare.


----------



## aokeefe

Next release date- Dec 8th!

We are currently accepting air reservations through April 24, 2022. On December 8, 2021 we will open our schedule for sale through September 5, 2022. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


----------



## EACarlson

momof2gr8kids said:


> I received a notification about flight change and the opportunity to change it if it doesn't work.
> How long do they give you to change it? 24 hrs, a couple days? Just trying to figure out what to do but wondering how much time I have to think about it before the option to change is gone.  Thanks!


Usually you only have a few days to make the change online, after that you would have to call.  I don't recall ever hearing about a customer that had a significant change that wasn't allowed to change, even weeks later.  However the longer you wait, the fewer options you'll have.


----------



## scrappinginontario

aokeefe said:


> Next release date- Dec 8th!
> 
> We are currently accepting air reservations through April 24, 2022. On December 8, 2021 we will open our schedule for sale through September 5, 2022. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


wow!  Guess I need to get myself organized for a possible August trip.  We normally go mid-Sept so flights drop Feb/March.  Forgot I'd need to be ready to plan earlier since our trip will be earlier.

Hoping to have enough points to purchase that way since the border stuff is still so crazy!!  Can't imagine it still being closed next Aug but since we're already 20 months closed....who knows what can happen!!


----------



## Avery&Todd

I JUST saw that they published when their next round of flights would be released - a little too early for my next trip as we're looking to go back to Disney mid-October!


----------



## focusondisney

duplicate post


----------



## focusondisney

MMSM said:


> How long does it take for you initial rewards to show? I opened the card in July 2021 and spent my $2000 to earn 65000 points. I did all my spending within 2 weeks so it did not make it right before cycle. My cycle was Aug 19. I called and I saw my pts from purchases but not the bonus points. They transferred me to Chase and they said it would take 2 months. That would bring me to Sept 19.  Today- still nothing.  Can someone tell me how long it took there points to show?



When my DH & I got SW cards the bonus points posted the same month our spend posted if I remember right.  But that was a few years ago.  The way SW is going, I can see it taking longer right now.  This is the credit card thread on the budget board.  Someone there might have more current experience or info.  


https://www.disboards.com/threads/i...ee-first-page-for-addl-details.3821593/unread


----------



## barb969

MMSM said:


> How long does it take for you initial rewards to show? I opened the card in July 2021 and spent my $2000 to earn 65000 points. I did all my spending within 2 weeks so it did not make it right before cycle. My cycle was Aug 19. I called and I saw my pts from purchases but not the bonus points. They transferred me to Chase and they said it would take 2 months. That would bring me to Sept 19.  Today- still nothing.  Can someone tell me how long it took there points to show?


i got a new card last Feb., spent $3000 and received the bonus in March. Then I spent another $7000 and got the extra bonus around June. Then spent enough to get the companion pass in August.


----------



## momto3boys+aprincess

Flights into MCO just dropped for our dates, so I just changed us from Tampa! Whoo hoo!! That extra long car ride at the end of our trip or extra early on our way home.....gone!!! To say we are excited is an understatement and we are saving $11 per person! Sounds like an extra cupcake to me


----------



## jkelly86

Can anyone tell me how to associate my kids' reservations with mine?  Do I need to call?  I would love it if I could accomplish this online.  My DH is my companion so he will be automatically associated.  Thanks for your help!


----------



## LadybugsMum

jkelly86 said:


> Can anyone tell me how to associate my kids' reservations with mine?  Do I need to call?  I would love it if I could accomplish this online.  My DH is my companion so he will be automatically associated.  Thanks for your help!


I usually pay for mine and theirs at the same time so it's all under one reservation. You'll probably have to call or chat with them to get the reservations linked.


----------



## dez1978

Booked flights for me, dh and 2 kids. Dh used travel funds so his had to be separate. I’m a companion pass, then kids so we have 3 confirmation numbers to check in. Is spending 120 more to get ebc really my only option for us to be able to board together? They are 7&10. Too old for family boarding but too young to sit alone.
ETA funds for his, points for the kids


----------



## EACarlson

dez1978 said:


> Booked flights for me, dh and 2 kids. Dh used travel funds so his had to be separate. I’m a companion pass, then kids so we have 3 confirmation numbers to check in. Is spending 120 more to get ebc really my only option for us to be able to board together? They are 7&10. Too old for family boarding but too young to sit alone.
> ETA funds for his, points for the kids


No you could still board together without EBCI, you would just board at the latest position you get out of the three confirmation numbers.  What I would do is have three devices set up to check in at T-24, then check them all in at the same time.


----------



## scrappinginontario

dez1978 said:


> Booked flights for me, dh and 2 kids. Dh used travel funds so his had to be separate. I’m a companion pass, then kids so we have 3 confirmation numbers to check in. Is spending 120 more to get ebc really my only option for us to be able to board together? They are 7&10. Too old for family boarding but too young to sit alone.
> ETA funds for his, points for the kids


As mentioned by @EACarlson, when this happened to us we used the higher Boarding Group number to board.  

E.g. If my DD was B14 and I was B32, we both lined up at B32 and boarded then.


----------



## Gitelfor

Big joint announcement from Southwest and Disney, celebrating 50th anniversaries.  Southwest flew in media from MCO to HOU for the media event, today.


Credit:  Scott Gustin

From live coverage of event
New Disney livery
Aircraft 954WN


----------



## Lsdolphin

Will Uber drop off right at SWA check in or do they have a set drop off location?  When I arrived I was picked up right outside baggage claim it was great!


----------



## dez1978

scrappinginontario said:


> As mentioned by @EACarlson, when this happened to us we used the higher Boarding Group number to board.
> 
> E.g. If my DD was B14 and I was B32, we both lined up at B32 and boarded then.


ugh.  So when we end up with a C boarding pass as the last # and there aren't seats together we get to be the jerks asking people to move.  I am ridiculously irritated about this lol.  The fact that their system forces you to book those things separately, so you have to check in separately.  My kids are 7 & 10.  too old for family boarding but too young to not sit with a parent.


----------



## MarBee

dez1978 said:


> ugh.  So when we end up with a C boarding pass as the last # and there aren't seats together we get to be the jerks asking people to move.  I am ridiculously irritated about this lol.  The fact that their system forces you to book those things separately, so you have to check in separately.  My kids are 7 & 10.  too old for family boarding but too young to not sit with a parent.


SW does offer family boarding after A group but before B group.  Sometimes they say it’s for families with children 6 and under but no one checks their ages.  I’m sure you can board then with your kids.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

dez1978 said:


> ugh.  So when we end up with a C boarding pass as the last # and there aren't seats together we get to be the jerks asking people to move.  I am ridiculously irritated about this lol.  The fact that their system forces you to book those things separately, so you have to check in separately.  My kids are 7 & 10.  too old for family boarding but too young to not sit with a parent.


I agree with @MarBee - just do family boarding.  Nobody will police it... and it'll save you some stress.  Once your kids look a little older, and it's clear you aren't eligible, then you might need to consider purchasing EBCI.


----------



## EACarlson

dez1978 said:


> ugh.  So when we end up with a C boarding pass as the last # and there aren't seats together we get to be the jerks asking people to move.  I am ridiculously irritated about this lol.  The fact that their system forces you to book those things separately, so you have to check in separately.  My kids are 7 & 10.  too old for family boarding but too young to not sit with a parent.


Or you can buy EBCI, or buy the upgraded boarding at the gate.  Something I missed in your original post, if you are the companion to your husband, the system should automatically assign you a boarding place with him.  Then you only have two to check in.  Another option would be to check the kids in first, have them go and get a window and aisle, odds are very good that no single is going to want to sit between two kids.


----------



## focusondisney

duplicate


----------



## focusondisney

dez1978 said:


> ugh.  So when we end up with a C boarding pass as the last # and there aren't seats together we get to be the jerks asking people to move.  I am ridiculously irritated about this lol.  The fact that their system forces you to book those things separately, so you have to check in separately.  My kids are 7 & 10.  too old for family boarding but too young to not sit with a parent.



Probably too late now, but you could have made the youngest kid his companion.   And then you & the other child could have booked together with cash. Each kid would have been with a parent that way.  You can change the companion 3 times a year, in case you needed to.


----------



## teawar

I have A-list and my child is my companion pass. Her ticket usually ends up being assigned closer in number to my husband, who I book with my points, than with me in business select. All 3 of us have different confirmation numbers, so it’s “really fun” at check in time…


----------



## aokeefe

dez1978 said:


> ugh.  So when we end up with a C boarding pass as the last # and there aren't seats together we get to be the jerks asking people to move.  I am ridiculously irritated about this lol.  The fact that their system forces you to book those things separately, so you have to check in separately.  My kids are 7 & 10.  too old for family boarding but too young to not sit with a parent.


I know it's stressful thinking of SW boarding with kids. Just wanted to ease some stress to say I've gotten C boarding group and still was able to sit with my kids- there were about 6 rows at the back of the plane still empty by the time we boarded.


----------



## teawar

A lot of times you just have to roll with it and usually at least 1/2 kind people will swap seats with a parent and a kid. I would not expect a whole group to swap for an entire large family


----------



## bookgirl2632

Just to let you know, I forgot to check in for my flight for my last Disney trip at the 24 hour mark, realizing it a couple hours later.  I was bummed because we were in the mid Cs.  But my party of three was still able to sit together.  It was toward the back of the plane, but we got a row of three seats.


----------



## Evita_W

Anyone else take advantage of the insanely low prices Southwest is offering right now? From LGB to MCO for $68 each way? And we had a $200 LUV certificate from our flight having been canceled on our last trip, so in the end, we are paying about $70 round trip for two people. Seriously can't beat that. We dud have to adjust our dates slightly to make it work, but we were able to do so and ended up using fewer DVC points as a result since it moved some weekend days to week days.


----------



## jkelly86

Evita_W said:


> Anyone else take advantage of the insanely low prices Southwest is offering right now? From LGB to MCO for $68 each way? And we had a $200 LUV certificate from our flight having been canceled on our last trip, so in the end, we are paying about $70 round trip for two people. Seriously can't beat that. We dud have to adjust our dates slightly to make it work, but we were able to do so and ended up using fewer DVC points as a result since it moved some weekend days to week days.


We have round-trips planned for October, Novembember, December, February, March, and April (from multiple airports) and I haven't seen any price drops since the September 16th opening. I check daily, and we did save substantial points and money throughout early 2021 by repeatedly checking rates.  We are flying during holiday periods and have zero flexibility, though.


----------



## jkelly86




----------



## Tiggerish

We have a trip booked for the first week of January.  SWA has been steadily reducing the price of the outgoing flight which was booked on points.  The points required have dropped by a total of just over 20% and we have rebooked and gotten a significant return of points.  It is the only non-stop flight that day.  While I appreciated the points, now I am worried that SWA will decide to drop the flight if the price reduction does not fill enough seats.


----------



## Lvsdisney

Tiggerish said:


> We have a trip booked for the first week of January.  SWA has been steadily reducing the price of the outgoing flight which was booked on points.  The points required have dropped by a total of just over 20% and we have rebooked and gotten a significant return of points.  It is the only non-stop flight that day.  While I appreciated the points, now I am worried that SWA will decide to drop the flight if the price reduction does not fill enough seats.


I shared this before, but we flew to Colorado in September, and the points dropped significantly. I got a little more half of what it originally cost back. I was nervous the flight would be canceled (and if it wasn't, hopeful it wouldn't be full) and neither happened! Flight left a few minutes late and was totally full.  I hope that eases your fears!


----------



## dez1978

jkelly86 said:


> We have round-trips planned for October, Novembember, December, February, March, and April (from multiple airports) and I haven't seen any price drops since the September 16th opening. I check daily, and we did save substantial points and money throughout early 2021 by repeatedly checking rates.  We are flying during holiday periods and have zero flexibility, though.


Same.  I booked my early december flights the day they were released.  I check pretty frequently and they have not gotten cheaper.


----------



## scrappinginontario

dez1978 said:


> ugh.  So when we end up with a C boarding pass as the last # and there aren't seats together we get to be the jerks asking people to move.  I am ridiculously irritated about this lol.  The fact that their system forces you to book those things separately, so you have to check in separately.  My kids are 7 & 10.  too old for family boarding but too young to not sit with a parent.


It's extra money but I purchase EBCI for us so that this doesn't happen.  One time I forgot to check us in and we were some of the last on and my child was 5 at the time.  Took over 5 mins of asking before anyone offered to move and then the person who we ended up sitting with us glared at me the entire trip.  (Honestly can't blame her as it was my error, not hers.)  Anyway, since this I've purchased EBCI rather than go through that again.


----------



## Gitelfor

Southwest just made some adjustments to their January and February flight schedules.  You may or may not receive notification of changes to your flights.

Reminder - if your flight was changed, you s/b able to make no-change in fare modifications online, within three days; after that, call in to change.  Your no-change in fare modification will be valid for flights within 14 days, either way, of the original travel date.  The new flight must have available seats in the same fare category as the original ticket.


----------



## Gitelfor

Costco now is selling $500 Southwest gift cards at a 10% discount.  The offer only is available online.  There is no expiration date for using the gift card.



Costco’s discounted Southwest gift card


----------



## LadybugsMum

Our early morning Feb flight from RDU to MCO was changed from a nonstop to a layover. I wasn't excited about having to be at the airport by 5 am; so I changed it to the next nonstop flight in mid morning. I really hope that one doesn't change as I don't want to lose the day with the evening nonstop.


----------



## Avery&Todd

LadybugsMum said:


> Our early morning Feb flight from RDU to MCO was changed from a nonstop to a layover. I wasn't excited about having to be at the airport by 5 am; so I changed it to the next nonstop flight in mid morning. I really hope that one doesn't change as I don't want to lose the day with the evening nonstop.


I'm waiting for them to change my early March non-stop from RDU to MCO too....SW has been really good (unfortunately) about dropping the first flight of the day and that's the one we're on...

so far, they haven't mucked with my November flights to MCO but there's still plenty of time for that!


----------



## Shannon G

Our pvd - mco flight was cancelled this evening. The rep told me it was due to the plane being grounded in Orlando due to weather & not making it up here. We are on a 12:30 flight tomorrow, arriving at 3:30 - luckily we were staying offsite & tomorrow was just planned to be a resort day.


----------



## emsstacey

I’m stranded at mco- we were told all flight travel in Florida in cancelled but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Regardless- mco is a total mess.


----------



## focusondisney

Jeez, how is the weather? I checked SW to/from western NY airports, they’re canceled late afternoon & evening too.  Jetblue looks like they flew all their flights tho.


----------



## jkelly86

emsstacey said:


> I’m stranded at mco- we were told all flight travel in Florida in cancelled but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Regardless- mco is a total mess.


It’s not weather.  I’m stuck in Baltimore.  All flights to and from FL were cancelled this evening.  Jacksonville traffic control (for flight traffic in and out of FL) was extremely short staffed.  We were boarded for our flight and the pilot came out to tell us what was going on.  All flights for tomorrow are fully sold out to FL with Southwest.  The pilot mentioned there were some weather issues in Orlando too, but the main problem was Jacksonville.


----------



## hsmamato2

what is happening? this is so concerning


----------



## ddluvsdisney

My 6 am flight was canceled at 4 am. My friends flight was canceled last night both to Orlando. t I don’t know what is going on with SW but I don’t believe it’s weather. I wish they’d just tell you that they’re short staffed instead of making excuses. 
if they would’ve just let us know last night we would’ve gotten in the car and drove down. Now I have to hope my flight won’t be canceled again tomorrow. If so we won’t be able to go.


----------



## bookgirl2632

Fantastic.  I’m flying out Tuesday morning.  I hope they get their crap together before then.  Good luck to everyone here!


----------



## Leigh L

I'm so sorry so many of you are facing this . American did this to us in June and it was so stressful. (But fortunately, they did it the day before - but after boarding passes were issued - so we were at least able to quickly rent a car and drive down since they offered nothing in terms of alternatives that would get us at the same departure and arrival airports or on the same day). 

I hope everyone's upcoming flights stay put and those of you who got canceled can find decent alternatives that don't disrupt your trips too much.


----------



## focusondisney

jkelly86 said:


> It’s not weather.  I’m stuck in Baltimore.  All flights to and from FL were cancelled this evening.  Jacksonville traffic control (for flight traffic in and out of FL) was extremely short staffed.  We were boarded for our flight and the pilot came out to tell us what was going on.  All flights for tomorrow are fully sold out to FL with Southwest.  The pilot mentioned there were some weather issues in Orlando too, but the main problem was Jacksonville.



I don’t think it is traffic control.  Jetblue & Delta flights have been flying as normal, no cancellations.  Air traffic control would effect all airlines, not just SW.


----------



## EACarlson

I don't think ATC makes much sense either.  While there are some cancellations for the other airlines nowhere near as many as there are for SW today.  Some last night with the storms that went through I can understand, but there are a lot this morning.  I asked on flyertalk, I'll post here is anyone there comes up with anything.


----------



## kelpricer

We were notified on our way to the airport to leave Disney last night that southwest had moved our 9:35 P.M. to 12:00. Once we got to ticketing for southwest they lined everyone up and that’s when we found out everything was cancelled for the night.
It was impossible to find a hotel and after being on hold with Disney for a half hour I was able to book 2 nights at movies. We only needed one night because we were lucky enough to get a flight out tonight but Disney showed unavailable for just last night it was a mess!!


----------



## emsstacey

I’m supposed to be flying out of fort Myers later today- they were overbooking everything out of mco today. I did see other airlines cancelled and the entire airport basically shut down last night, but then around midnight- flights started coming in again. I wish I knew what happened.


----------



## kristenrice

Yikes!  This is VERY concerning!  We fly out of GRR next Tuesday and I am flying on points.  I have the cash available to make backup plans on another airline (Delta) but I would need to do it NOW.  Of course, it would be non-refundable (I can't afford refundable airfare), but I don't really want to spend about $800 if the SWA flights will go as planned.  What a mess...

EDIT: UGH...I just looked at our options and it's worse than I thought.  The flights on Delta are about $1000 and the seats that are left in the main cabin are scattered middle seats.  I am traveling with my 16-year old daughter and the thought of rearranging everything (ADR's, park passes, etc) on top of forking over another $1500 for airfare, just on the chance that something might go awry is probably not the best thing to do at this point.  I think right now, I will hope for the best and pray that SWA gets their mess straightened out.  If there is a "mishap" when we travel, then I guess I will just have to be prepared to roll with the punches.  For now, there is no reason for me to get myself even more anxious than I already am.


----------



## EACarlson

FAA put a couple of ground stops on last night due to lightening.  I was watching a softball tournament broadcast from Canaveral and they were shut down for 3 hours.  With how tight crew scheduling is, I wouldn't be surprised if they had crew timeouts during the delays, meaning planes and crew weren't getting to where they needed to be for this morning.


----------



## ddluvsdisney

bookgirl2632 said:


> Fantastic.  I’m flying out Tuesday morning.  I hope they get their crap together before then.  Good luck to everyone here!


Thanks. Good luck to you too


----------



## emsstacey

My fort Myers flight home tonight is now delayed. I’m afraid I will never fly southwest again!


----------



## Shannon G

Woke up this morning to find that the flight they had rebooked us on for today (after cancelling last night’s flight) was also cancelled. Nothing on SW to get us anywhere near Orlando until tomorrow night. Ended up booking a flight on Delta out of Bradley to Jacksonville, connecting in Atlanta. We’ll get into JAX at 8:30 tonight, pick up a rental car & drive the 2 hours to Disney. Luckily today was just a resort day, with our first park scheduled for tomorrow.


----------



## emsstacey

Shannon G said:


> Woke up this morning to find that the flight they had rebooked us on for today (after cancelling last night’s flight) was also cancelled. Nothing on SW to get us anywhere near Orlando until tomorrow night. Ended up booking a flight on Delta out of Bradley to Jacksonville, connecting in Atlanta. We’ll get into JAX at 8:30 tonight, pick up a rental car & drive the 2 hours to Disney. Luckily today was just a resort day, with our first park scheduled for tomorrow.



Just FYI- I haven’t been able to find a rental and places that had cars were not allowing one way rentals. I wouldn’t be surprised if you have a lot of trouble getting a rental tonight. There are so many cancellations- everyone was wanting a rental.


----------



## Gitelfor

There continues to be an extraordinarily large number of cancellations, today, by Southwest, with many customers stranded, and without satisfactory resolution.

Tweeted by Southwest, today:


----------



## EACarlson

Gitelfor said:


> There continues to be an extraordinarily large number of cancellations, today, by Southwest, with many customers stranded, and without satisfactory resolution.
> 
> Tweeted by Southwest, today:
> 
> View attachment 611638View attachment 611639


This looks like much more of a SW issue than ATC or Weather.  I'm looking at the next 4 hours of flights out of MCO, none of the legacies have a delay of more than 10 minutes.  SW looks like half the flights have either been delayed or cancelled.  Frontier has some delayed and cancelled, so does JetBlue, but nothing like SW.  On the plus side, it looks a whole lot better now than it did this morning.


----------



## bookgirl2632

EACarlson said:


> This looks like much more of a SW issue than ATC or Weather.  I'm looking at the next 4 hours of flights out of MCO, none of the legacies have a delay of more than 10 minutes.  SW looks like half the flights have either been delayed or cancelled.  Frontier has some delayed and cancelled, so does JetBlue, but nothing like SW.  On the plus side, it looks a whole lot better now than it did this morning.


I really hope this is cleared up by Tuesday, when I leave.  Flights out of BWI to MCO look okay today, but a few have been canceled or delayed.  Now I’m going to be watching flights like a hawk the next two days.


----------



## Shannon G

I hope that’s not the case. We have an Executive Aisle reservation through National, one way JAX to MCO, so hopefully they actually hold cars for members.


----------



## nicko

My flight from Buffalo to MCO was abruptly canceled Friday. First they said it's just delayed due to weather and then they said crew delays even though the plane was at the gate. Then 10 minutes latter it was canceled entirely. Then it seemed like other SW flights started getting cancelled.

 I got rebooked Saturday evening and now that flight is canceled.  As I look at the departure board, only SW is showing cancellations. This is clearly not ATC or weather related. Flightaware is showing huge nationwide cancellations for SW today. I wish the company would be honest with their customers.  

Good luck to all of you trying to fly Sunday or Monday. I'm giving up on my long weekend trip.


----------



## Gitelfor

Multiple issues causing flight cancellations 

Delayed flights are causing crews to time out,     so even if the aircraft is available, there may not be eligible crew.


----------



## focusondisney

emsstacey said:


> I’m afraid I will never fly southwest again!



Luckily I’m not affected  this weekend.  But between my DH & I, we have over 230,000 points.  And I am just about 15K points from getting another CP for next year.   But after all the cancellations this summer & now this,  I’m seriously wondering if I should even bother.  I’ve always been happy with Jetblue, only stopped them because SW had better times for their nonstops. But they’re getting as unreliable as a start up.


----------



## EACarlson

nicko said:


> My flight from Buffalo to MCO was abruptly canceled Friday. First they said it's just delayed due to weather and then they said crew delays even though the plane was at the gate. Then 10 minutes latter it was canceled entirely. Then it seemed like other SW flights started getting cancelled.


It wasn't a crew delay, it was a crew timeout.  Flight crews and flight attendants are only allowed to be on duty for a certain number of hours straight or in a 24 hour period.   In normal times there have extra crews and aren't scheduling things so close that a minor delay forces a clock issue, these are not normal times.  If SW knew that they were going to force either a member of the flight crew or cabin crew to go over, they can't operate the flight.


----------



## EACarlson

It looks like there were three different things that happened this weekend that all conspired to make it really bad.  Allegedly there was an illegal job action at ATC JAX, that caused a re-route for some flights and some that couldn't take off, supposedly ATC are not happy with the federal vaccine mandate.  An illegal job action on the part of SW pilots against the vaccine mandate, their union is now sueing the company.  And the always lovely central FL thunderstorms.


----------



## ddluvsdisney

My rescheduled flight for today was also canceled. It was a 7 am flight we got notification yesterday at 5:00. I wish they would’ve notified us that early the first time I got canceled bc I’d be in FL right now. We have been loyal SW customers for almost 20 years. I’ve never had a canceled flight. My DH is A-list and we almost always fly on points. I don’t think I’ll be flying with them for much longer. Unfortunately I now have these credits that I need to use. I hope they figure this out by next month when we try again. I had to cancel my long weekend. I’m so pissed!! As a pp said I wish they would just be honest with customers we all know it’s not weather.


----------



## Gitelfor

Approximately 50% of Southwest’s MCO departures through this evening currently show being cancelled.  If the cancellation pattern of the past few days continues today, that number likely will increase.  Customers continue to complain of being notified that their flights are cancelled as late as while they are actually at the airport, waiting to board.

This no longer is an industry wide issue, as all other airlines have returned to normal operations.

If you are scheduled to fly Southwest over the next few days, and just not to/from MCO, try to have a back-up plan.  Southwest has not publicly been offering to cover hotel or car rental expense, related to cancellations.  Neither will they pay to switch you to another airline.

Hopefully, Southwest will be able to recover to normal operations, in the upcoming days.  I’m afraid customers soon will rename the airline “Southworst.”


----------



## bookgirl2632

I fly on Tuesday morning.  I’m checking my flight obsessively right now. So far, it’s still on, but who knows?  I just hope they get this all settled by then.


----------



## hsmamato2

bookgirl2632 said:


> I fly on Tuesday morning.  I’m checking my flight obsessively right now. So far, it’s still on, but who knows?  I just hope they get this all settled by then.


same. I may have to change to a different date.... I truly hope I find out before I head to the airport tho...


----------



## ddluvsdisney

bookgirl2632 said:


> I fly on Tuesday morning.  I’m checking my flight obsessively right now. So far, it’s still on, but who knows?  I just hope they get this all settled by then.


Unfortunately we and a friend of mine were notified 2 hours before


----------



## bookgirl2632

hsmamato2 said:


> same. I may have to change to a different date.... I truly hope I find out before I head to the airport tho...


I’ve already priced out a flight on Spirit.  I’ve never flown them, but if I have to, I will.  I just hope i don’t have to.


----------



## EACarlson

Damn, makes me very glad I'm on Delta for my trip Wednesday.


----------



## EACarlson

ddluvsdisney said:


> Unfortunately I now have these credits that I need to use.


Did you use Travel Funds to book the flight?  Otherwise you should have gotten a complete refund to the original form of payment.


----------



## ddluvsdisney

EACarlson said:


> Did you use Travel Funds to book the flight?  Otherwise you should have gotten a complete refund to the original form of payment.


No they weren’t all points.


----------



## dez1978

With all the changes lately would I be better off with a late night, 9 pm departure to mco or 540 am the next day


----------



## kristenrice

I am truly terrified at this point.  I can book refundable one-way fares on Delta for $700 but I have to upgrade to Comfort to make sure I can sit with my daughter.  That will just (hopefully) get me TO Orlando.  Then, I have to worry about trying to get home.  I would drive if I have to, but a rental car, if I could even get one, is another $800…plus gas…plus a hotel because I can’t drive 1300 miles without a nap. I booked my SWA flights with points so even if the flights are cancelled, I have $0 coming back to be to offset any costs.

My friend is going with me on this trip and she is flying on Delta to Orlando and American home so she doesn’t have any of these issues.  Her expenses are all non-refundable and I certainly can’t abandon her so I HAVE to take this trip.  The only non-refundable money I have invested at this point is our Boo-Bash tickets and the $209 I paid for one-time use points for our extra night at OKW. I stand to lose about 130 DVC points since they would go into holding and with a Feb UY, there is no way they would be used before Jan 31.  I forgot about the fact that our park tickets are military tickets so I would lose the $700 I spent on those too because my friend has to travel with me to activate them.  So I do have over $1000 to lose at this point too.

EDIT:  I bit the bullet and spent ~$1400 to book (2) refundable tickets for myself and my daughter to get to and from Orlando ($750 on Delta to Orlando and $650 on American to get home).  I am going to hope and pray that SWA gets this straightened out this week and they can start making more of their flights.  I am glad that we are blessed enough to have the time and resources (thank God I work in EMS and OT is always available) to scrape together the money to make this happen.  After vacation, I guess I have a few weeks of solid work to look forward to, but I guess that's what I have to do to make this happen.


----------



## zemmer

We’re at MCO now. The SWA line is ridiculous. I called at 5 am and changed my Magical Express to 2 hours earlier. Our flight out is still showing on time but our connection is canceled. Even so, they won’t let us use the kiosk as part is canceled and we might miss our first flight.


----------



## emsstacey

I was notified that my flight was canceled Friday 30 minutes before my magical express pickup. I rescheduled to a direct flight that night and it was canceled 2 hours before departure. Rescheduled to Saturday evening- canceled Saturday morning. I would absolutely have a back up plan!!!


----------



## Gitelfor

As horrible as the Southwest cancellations are for those impacted, I hope that customers can keep their cool and are trying to respectfully interact with the Southwest agents they come in contact with.  Being belligerent will not help with a situation that those Southwest employees, personally, did not cause.


----------



## Crazyhorse

Gitelfor said:


> As horrible as the Southwest cancellations are for those impacted, I hope that customers can keep their cool and are trying to respectfully interact with the Southwest agents they come in contact with.  Being belligerent will not help with a situation that those Southwest employees, personally, did not cause.


  Such an important point to make!  It's not the local employees fault this is happening.  You can bet they don't want to see all the sad/disappointed faces....best work day ever....said no one!


----------



## Lsdolphin

ddluvsdisney said:


> My 6 am flight was canceled at 4 am. My friends flight was canceled last night both to Orlando. t I don’t know what is going on with SW but I don’t believe it’s weather. I wish they’d just tell you that they’re short staffed instead of making excuses.
> if they would’ve just let us know last night we would’ve gotten in the car and drove down. Now I have to hope my flight won’t be canceled again tomorrow. If so we won’t be able to go.



I received a text message at 4:30 am that my 6:00 am non-stop flight on 9/23 from BWI-MCO was cancelled. The text message included a link to reschedule with no charge.  I immediately used link which took me to southwest and all non-stop flights were shown as “unavailable” there were no flights at all shown as available before 4:00 pm. When I called recording said there was a 128 min wait to speak with agent.  Then I went to regular SWA site and lo and behold there were several flight showing availability including a non-stop flight at 9:00 am; however I would have to pay a significant amount extra for the flight!!!!! I had driven into Baltimore to stay at an airport hotel the night before since I had such an early flight so I immediately left for the airport still holding my phone on hold with SWA..when I arrived there I waited in check-in line for 15 min before it was my turn only to be told I was in wrong line and needed to go to other end of terminal to the “Full Service counter”!  After another 25 minutes in that line i still hadn’t reached an agent on the phone I told the agent at counter that I wanted to know why I could see availability on flights on regular site but nothing acceptable on the link I had been texted by SWA...the agent basically ignored my comment about being on phone for so long and the unavailability of flights to reschedule on line. He just asked where I was trying to go!  Which since he knew my flight was cancelled he should have known where I was going...I told him I had seen there was a 9:00 am direct flight showing one available seat left which I assumed was no longer available 
. Again he just ignored me and kept on typing away....then looked up and said “here’s your ticket” no explanation for anything...I looked at ticket and it was for the 9:00am flight.   That flight ended up being delayed and instead of arriving at 8:20 it was 1:00 and then a long wait for baggage...flight was packed with every seat full and 2/3 flight attendants obviously unhappy....definitely an unpleasant experience from start to finish....2 of my last 4 flights have been cancelled and 2 were delayed....
I was definitely not belligerent!!!


----------



## Crazyhorse

Lsdolphin              .Wow....that is an awful experience!


----------



## Lsdolphin

Crazyhorse said:


> Lsdolphin              .Wow....that is an awful experience!


Yes it was an awful experience but I’ve seen several posts from people who were stranded at airport and had to wait til next day so I guess there will always be someone with a worse experience! Hopefully SWA can return to offering the great service they have in the past!
I certainly don’t envy those SWA people behind the check in counters!


----------



## Erica Ladd

Glad we traveled last weekend!


----------



## Lsdolphin

Looks like SWA has cancelled many of their flight to MCO today and many others are delayed


----------



## kristenrice

BY AIRLINEBY ORIGIN AIRPORTBY DESTINATION AIRPORT
CancelledDelayedAIRLINE#%#%1018​28%415​11%Southwest



...from FlightAware...

1018 of SWA flights today have been canceled and 415 have been delayed.


----------



## emsstacey

Despite a lot of unhappy people Friday night at mco- I didn’t see anyone being rude or inpatient to the SWA employees.


----------



## kaguilbeau

I agree that it is wise to have a backup plan. We have an 8:00 pm flight booked on SWA from New Orleans on Wed. This is last flight out for them. The only backup plan I can think of is to drive. I will already have my car at airport parking. How do I book a flight for “just in case” and not be out money? I sssume I would need a  refundable fare. How close to departure can I cancel the backup flight? I am traveling with a child, so the thought of having to deal with “what now?” Is even more escalated.


----------



## emsstacey

I’m not sure the best backup plan but at this point, sitting on the beach in fort Myers, waiting for my 4th flight home… I wish I had just drove to Orlando.


----------



## Lsdolphin

I guess my best back up plan for next trip would be to again book the first flight out and that will give me all day to get out on a plane....


----------



## ddluvsdisney

Lsdolphin said:


> I guess my best back up plan for next trip would be to again book the first flight out and that will give me all day to get out on a plane....


That’s not always guaranteed either. Both my canceled flights were either first or second flight out. The next available flight was next morning- 15 min. after it was canceled


----------



## ddluvsdisney

Lsdolphin said:


> I guess my best back up plan for next trip would be to again book the first flight out and that will give me all day to get out on a plane....


That’s not always guaranteed either. Both my canceled flights were either first or second flight out. The next available flight was next morning- 15 min. after it was canceled


----------



## elgerber

This has just started happening again, with this crazy number of flights, in the last couple of days right?  They had been doing better until now?
I have flight out of MCO in two week, and plan B would cost 77500 Delta miles, or $988 cash, per person!


----------



## jkelly86

They canceled my flight after we all had boarded the plane in Baltimore on Friday night.  I was stranded in Baltimore overnight, but lucked out with one random seat cancellation on Saturday morning.  My advice is to travel with a carry-on only.  Travelers with checked luggage had a horrible experience.

from an article today (linked below):

The airline blamed the problem on air traffic control issues and weather. In a statement Saturday the airline expressed optimism its operations on Sunday would improve, not worsen. 
"We experienced significant impact in the Florida airports yesterday (Friday) evening after an FAA-imposed air traffic management program was implemented due to weather and resulted in a large number of cancellations. We are working hard behind the scenes to minimize challenges and fully recover the operation as we take care of displaced crews and customers as quickly as possible. We will continue to reset our network today and hope to return to close to normal operations as we move into Sunday.''

https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...lines-flight-issues-cancellations/6080308001/


----------



## kristenrice

kaguilbeau said:


> I agree that it is wise to have a backup plan. We have an 8:00 pm flight booked on SWA from New Orleans on Wed. This is last flight out for them. The only backup plan I can think of is to drive. I will already have my car at airport parking. How do I book a flight for “just in case” and not be out money? I sssume I would need a  refundable fare. How close to departure can I cancel the backup flight? I am traveling with a child, so the thought of having to deal with “what now?” Is even more escalated.


The refundable fares that I booked with both American and Delta state that they can be canceled up until "departure".  I spoke with an AA agent and she reiterated that the flight can be canceled "any time before takeoff".  That eased my mind since my SWA flight is scheduled to depart at 3:10pm and the AA flight that I booked as a backup isn't scheduled until 7pm.  I am in a much bigger pickle with my Delta flight because it is scheduled to depart at  5:29am and the SWA flight isn't scheduled until 6:25am.


----------



## Bailey 512

Hello,
I do not post a lot here but this event was awful. My son and his girlfriend were involved in this Southwest mess on Friday the 8th. Their plane was loaded and then they were told that the flight was now cancelled, and that there were no available flights to Buffalo from Orlando the next day. All flights for the next day Orlando to Buffalo and Rochester, NY were not available to them. Ok they could deal with that. I quick got them on JetBlue for the next day and got them a hotel room at Disney where they had come from. These things happen- not good but OK.

Here is the kicker in this whole event. They told all passengers that they would not be getting their luggage off loaded no matter what excuse they gave. They actually said that.The luggage would be on a cart outside until such time they would "eventually" get sent to Buffalo. My son and the rest of the passangers were upset. No chance of getting home and none of their belongings except what was in their carry ons. One passenger said politely, so you're basically telling me that you will not give me my luggage and that is theft. The Southwest rep called the police and had him escorted off airport property! My son witnessed this. One passenger told my son the next day that he had to go to an immediate care facility in Orlando that night in order to get his medications.

So fast forward to the next day. Most of the folks on the cancelled Southwest flight were on the JetBlue flight. They get to baggage claim in Buffalo. Long line of folks trying to see where their luggage was and when it would make it to Buffalo. Some were still in Orlando, some in Phoenix, and some in Chicago.The line was long but at 4:55PM the southwest rep said well I am going off duty bye. There were still a whole line of people  waiting. Finally a baggage handler showed up and tried to help. Funny thing is a southwest flight from Buffalo was canceled and that luggage was being taken off the plane.

They heard many excuses that day. It was storms, well other planes were taking off. Air traffic control strike in Jacksonville- Again other flights were taking off. My son said EVERY person they dealt with at Southwest was nasty, hostile, and arrogant in Orlando. They think the baggage handlers were pissed and walked off the job.
They still do not have their luggage. My question is do they have any recourse or is there any one they can contact to help? Southwest phone says all circuits busy.  I apologize for this being so long. Thanks


----------



## MICKIMINI

I plan to ship my my larger suitcase so we will travel with a couple carry on bags with necessities.  We already plan to start our trip two days earlier (SWA points) since we managed to get a studio at Jambo House with our DVC points.  We have to move to OKW but that is not a big deal.  We have family and friends flying in to meet us at WDW so we can only hope we can get there ahead of them.

It costs us 26 DVC points, another $50 for the rental car (amazing) and 15,000 MORE SWA points to get an early morning flight (no non stops).   The trade of was $800+ for JetBlue out of BOS.  I think we'll have to switch to JetBlue for the future...

I feel for everyone who is stuck...my heart goes out to you all!  

EDIT:  Scheduled shipgo.com (1st time) which will ship large, packed, locked, rolling suitcase via fedex expedited for about $105...hoping it gets to AKV before we do!


----------



## CouponGirl

This is horrible. We are supposed to be flying this week, but feel very uneasy that all these problems will be worked out by the time our flight comes around. But more concerning is if our departure flight gets cancelled and we get stranded. Looks like we will be driving so we don’t have the stress of wondering the entire time if we’ll be able to get home. Not the ideal situation, but thankfully for us it is an option.


----------



## Gitelfor

More info on the current situation from CNBC.


----------



## FCDub

Bailey 512 said:


> Hello,
> I am do not post a lot here but this event was awful. My son and his girlfriend were involved in this Southwest mess on Friday October 9. Their plane was loaded and then they were told that the flight was now cancelled, and that there were no available flights to Buffalo from Orlando the next day. All flights for the next day Orlando to Buffalo and Rochester, NY were not available to them. Ok they could deal with that. I quick got them on JetBlue for the next day and got them a hotel room at Disney where they had come from. These things happen- not good but OK.
> 
> Here is the kicker in this whole event. They told all passengers that they would not be getting their luggage off loaded no matter what excuse they gave. They actually said that.The luggage would be on a cart outside until such time they would "eventually" get sent to Buffalo. My son and the rest of the passangers were upset. No chance of getting home and none of their belongings except what was in their carry ons. One passenger said politely so you're basically telling me that you will not give me my luggage and that is theft. The Southwest rep called the police and had him escorted off airport property! My son witnessed this. *One passenger told my son the next day that he had to go to an immediate care facility in Orlando that night in order to get his medications.*
> 
> So fast forward to the next day. Most of the folks on the cancelled Southwest flight were on the JetBlue flight. They get to baggage claim in Buffalo. Long line of folks trying to see where their luggage was and when it would make it to Buffalo. Some were still in Orlando, some in Phoenix, and some in Chicago.The line was long but at 4:55PM the southwest rep said well I am going off duty bye. There were still a whole line of people still waiting. Finally a baggage handler of showed up and tried to help. Funny thing is a flight from Buffalo was canceled and that luggage was being taken off the plane.
> 
> They heard many excuses that day. It was storms, well other planes were taking off. Air traffic control strike in Jacksonville- Again other flights were taking off. My son said EVERY person they dealt with at Southwest was nasty, hostile, and arrogant in Orlando. They think the baggage handlers were pissed and walked off the job.
> They still do not have their luggage. My question is do they have any recourse or is there any one they can contact to help? Southwest phone says all circuits busy.  I apologize for this being so long. Thanks



All of this is very unfortunate, but the bolded is reason 1-100 of why you don't put medication in checked baggage. A good reminder for everyone reading.


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

Lsdolphin said:


> Yes it was an awful experience but I’ve seen several posts from people who were stranded at airport and had to wait til next day so I guess there will always be someone with a worse experience! Hopefully SWA can return to offering the great service they have in the past!
> I certainly don’t envy those SWA people behind the check in counters!


That was me!    My connection of Baltimore to Raleigh was cancelled. The plane arrived, the passengers deplaned, everything looking good for my 7 pm departure …then cancelled.  The flight attendants had maxed out their work time.  The rebooking lines were so long with mostly Florida destinations from what I overheard.  
I didn’t rebook through Southwest. I lost all confidence. Who was to know if the next days scheduled flight would also be cancelled. I booked a flight on American for 6 am the next day. 
So I parked my self at the American Airlines gate and spent 11 uncomfortable, sleepless hours before boarding.  I spoke with a family trying to also get to Raleigh.  They were going to spend the night in a hotel and rent a car for the 6 hour drive.   There were a lot more sob stories that day.


----------



## kaguilbeau

Out of curiosity, I viewed the flight status online for SW flights out of New Orleans. There were a lot cancelled, but I noticed most were to closer destinations. None of the ones to MCO were cancelled. I’ll travel with carry on only, but think I will have drinks and other things I can’t carry on in my car. If my flight is cancelled while I am on my way to airport, I think I will just keep on driving to Orlando and not stop at airport!


----------



## Avery&Todd

UGH - we fly from RDU to MCO and there were a TON of flights cancelled flying out to MCO this weekend - like ALL of the flights this morning - even the direct ones originating from RDU....

I'm now pondering Delta flights, except where they were priced at $500-$700 they're now $900-$1,200.....


----------



## Gitelfor

Avery&Todd said:


> UGH - we fly from RDU to MCO and there were a TON of flights cancelled flying out to MCO this weekend - like ALL of the flights this morning - even the direct ones originating from RDU....
> 
> I'm now pondering Delta flights, except where they were priced at $500-$700 they're now $900-$1,200.....


I don’t know your departure date, but Frontier  has a nonstop, most days of the week.  Their bundles include priority boarding, seat selection, carry-on and checked bags, and for the Works bundle, the ability to change or cancel, with a full refund when done at least 24 hours prior to scheduled departure.  All passengers under the same confirmation number benefit from the perks, at no additional cost.The Works bundle must be purchased at time of booking.  Even if adding on a bundle, the fare, if booked on short notice, should be a fraction of Delta’s.

Your other option would be JetBlue.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Gitelfor said:


> I don’t know your departure date, but Frontier  has a nonstop, most days of the week.  Their bundles include priority boarding, seat selection, carry-on and checked bags, and for the Works bundle, the ability to change or cancel, with a full refund when done at least 24 hours prior to scheduled departure.  All passengers under the same confirmation number benefit from the perks, at no additional cost.The Works bundle must be purchased at time of booking.  Even if adding on a bundle, the fare, if booked on short notice, should be a fraction of Delta’s.
> 
> Your other option would be JetBlue.


So I just checked frontier with your suggestion,  and there are only 2 flights the day we arrive and one gets us there at 2:10pm and the other is just after midnight the following day.  Jet Blue has more flights but not really earlier than Frontier.  

This is just a quick 4 night trip for us so we need to be in Orlando first thing on our first day. 

Which means I may end up with $900 flights on Delta...

Thanks for trying!!


----------



## Gitelfor

Avery&Todd said:


> So I just checked frontier with your suggestion,  and there are only 2 flights the day we arrive and one gets us there at 2:10pm and the other is just after midnight the following day.  Jet Blue has more flights but not really earlier than Frontier.
> 
> This is just a quick 4 night trip for us so we need to be in Orlando first thing on our first day.
> 
> Which means I may end up with $900 flights on Delta...
> 
> Thanks for trying!!


Hope your plans work out, without any complications.


----------



## bookgirl2632

Crossing my fingers that they’ve cleared this up.  The last 7 or 8 flights out of my airport to MCO took off.  Hoping this is a good sign.


----------



## Gitelfor

Want to check real time status of Air Traffic Control at an airport?

ATC Flight Delay Information


----------



## emsstacey

My 4th flight home was just cancelled. Several flew yesterday but got my text 30 minutes ago. I just went ahead and paid for more flights through allegiant.


----------



## Shannon G

Ugh - the SW fun continues. After our second attempt at flying out this weekend, we a different airline for our outbound flight. Went to the SW desk at the airport, explained we didn’t want the rescheduled flight out & that we need to make changes to our return flight as we were now flying out of a different airport. Was told the changes were made, and only the return flight showed in my account (not the outbound flight). This morning our return flight booking is just gone from my account (the flights still exist on SW). When I search the confirm # it says the reservation was cancelled! All I can think is that when we weren’t on the rescheduled outbound flight last night it somehow counted us as a no-show & cancelled the entire booking, even though they had supposedly removed that leg from our reservation. On hold while we get ready to head to the park, but won’t likely get through before we leave, so I also sent a message on Twitter & will try calling again later tonight after we’re done for the day. Luckily we aren’t scheduled to leave until Sunday.

I’ve been a pretty loyal SW flyer for years, both because they offer nonstops out of our airports & the flexibility of booking with points, but our experience this weekend may well change that.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

My next flight is near Christmas. I'm keeping my eye on this. We fly SW for the direct flights, which are the ones getting cancelled at my airport. Just be honest. I feel it's flight crews, not weather. It's a perfect morning today and the first direct flight to MCO is cancelled while other destinations are taking off. I think SW is ok, but not as great as others think or SW portrays themselves.


----------



## Lsdolphin

SWA still cancelling more flights this morning.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Lsdolphin said:


> SWA still cancelling more flights this morning.



Yep. Some connecting flights can't get you to the MCO leg of the flight. Those are cancelled. Some evening flights are already delayed. The day just started, how can that be.


----------



## kristenrice

348 flights already cancelled today (9% of their schedule)...and it's only 0830


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

I heard on the news a few months ago this could happen, but they pinkie swear holiday travel will be fine.


----------



## Chernabob

I'm anxiously watching this and need to start watching more closely.  Are the cancellations nationwide, or concentrated in certain regions?  We're scheduled to fly SW this Thanksgiving to DLR, not Orlando.


----------



## MICKIMINI

Got an offer from AMEX overnight for a Delta SkyMiles Gold with 70,000 miles LOL!  Someone is on the ball...told DH we may need to consider as Delta flies both MHT and BOS to MCO.  I'm waiting to see what the JetBlue offer (wait - it's coming) will be...  We've been SWA for over 20 years but this might be a break up!


----------



## ddluvsdisney

MICKIMINI said:


> Got an offer from AMEX overnight for a Delta SkyMiles Gold with 70,000 miles LOL!  Someone is on the ball...told DH we may need to consider as Delta flies both MHT and BOS to MCO.  I'm waiting to see what the JetBlue offer (wait - it's coming) will be...  We've been SWA for over 20 years but this might be a break up!


My friend’s flight Friday night to Orlando was canceled from PVD. She drove to Manchester to get a flight Saturday morning…. It worked she got to FL!! Wish I would’ve been able to get on that flight.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

On Saturday or Sunday they cancelled 27% of their flights.


----------



## emsstacey

Mine cancelled this morning was rescheduled for Wednesday morning. I was supposed to be home last Friday night. I will not be flying southwest again- in fact, I won’t be flying anywhere for a good long while. This has been a terrible mess- driving would have been much better and that’s saying a lot!


----------



## maybethisyear

I have been watching out of curiosity, and MHT doesn't seem to be affected in the way some other locations have been.


----------



## aokeefe

maybethisyear said:


> I have been watching out of curiosity, and MHT doesn't seem to be affected in the way some other locations have been.


I noticed that too- wonder why PVD seems to be hit very hard with the cancellations.


----------



## TikiTikiFan

Chernabob said:


> I'm anxiously watching this and need to start watching more closely.  Are the cancellations nationwide, or concentrated in certain regions?  We're scheduled to fly SW this Thanksgiving to DLR, not Orlando.



Same exact situation so also wondering!


----------



## Gitelfor

Casual observation:  There are far fewer cancellations, so far, today, as aircraft and crew are repositioned.  If flights have been delayed, the typical delays have been 5-10 minutes.


----------



## amy1115

Gitelfor said:


> Casual observation:  There are far fewer cancellations, so far, today, as aircraft and crew are repositioned.  If flights have been delayed, the typical delays have been 5-10 minutes.



I am so hoping that this means they are getting back on track. Supposed to fly out early Friday morning Dallas to MCO. Fingers crossed.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

aokeefe said:


> I noticed that too- wonder why PVD seems to be hit very hard with the cancellations.


I'm not flying until April school vacation but definitely nervous this will occur again and the direct flight we are counting on from PVD gets the cut again.


----------



## bookgirl2632

So far, only one flight has been canceled today out of BWI to MCO.  Hoping this holds for tomorrow.  I fly out at 9:10am.


----------



## kristenrice

I am watching like a hawk too.  I set up flight alerts for the first flight from GRR to MDW and the connection from MDW to MCO for every day this week.  We are scheduled on those flights next Tuesday so if they get cancelled at all this week, I would at least like an idea of what time they are being cancelled.  I booked a refundable flight on Delta, but it is scheduled to depart an hour EARLIER so I will need to decide whether or not to get on that plane.  I do not want to make the wrong decision.  If the SWA flights go off as scheduled every day from now through Monday, I will feel a lot more confident in cancelling the Delta flight.  I will also feel a lot better when I see that the SWA plane is sitting on the ground in GRR on Monday night, waiting to take off first thing Tuesday morning.


----------



## Willow1213

We are scheduled to fly out Saturday AM from Love Field (DAL) to Orlando. Checking this morning and all flights, the entire day, are delayed. None cancelled thankfully. It looks like the later in the day, the longer the delay. It's crazy to see they are anticipating delays even this early. 

1pm and 2pm flights both apprx. 20 min delayed. 4pm, 6pm, 7pm all 2 HOURS delayed. Yikes.


----------



## Disney loving Iowan

I don't leave until February but I'm starting to think I should have flown another airline.  I have always preferred SWA but all of these cancellations and delays really have me nervous.


----------



## TikiTikiFan

This really, really sucks. I bought our tickets for Thanksgiving the day they became available to get the best prices and now if I rebook with another airline I'm looking at like a thousand more, easily. Really hope they get it together but like most of you, trying to figure out what to do.


----------



## Disney loving Iowan

TikiTikiFan said:


> This really, really sucks. I bought our tickets for Thanksgiving the day they became available to get the best prices and now if I rebook with another airline I'm looking at like a thousand more, easily. Really hope they get it together but like most of you, trying to figure out what to do.


It really does suck.  I could have bought tickets from another airline but I waited until Southwest put theirs on sale because I have always liked them.  Now this.  I should have just bought from a different airline I guess.  Now if SWA cancels or changes my flight it will mess everything up.


----------



## Chernabob

TikiTikiFan said:


> This really, really sucks. I bought our tickets for Thanksgiving the day they became available to get the best prices and now if I rebook with another airline I'm looking at like a thousand more, easily. Really hope they get it together but like most of you, trying to figure out what to do.


One would *hope* that SW sorts out its business before Thanksgiving.  If they continue to have problems like this weekend, cancelling 1/3 of its flights, I don't see how an airline survives.


----------



## TikiTikiFan

Chernabob said:


> One would *hope* that SW sorts out its business before Thanksgiving.  If they continue to have problems like this weekend, cancelling 1/3 of its flights, I don't see how an airline survives.



Seriously! I know I'm going to be much more hesitant to book with them now, they've had the most flight cancellations out of other airlines this year.... which isn't great. I think the worry is that no one saw this weekend's mess coming... who's to say another mess isn't on the horizon even when this is sorted out? 

Perhaps even just booking with a new airline for your return flight so you're not stranded is the way to go. If a flight was delayed from our departing airport, at least I'm close enough to home to not be stuck there...


----------



## Chernabob

TikiTikiFan said:


> Seriously! I know I'm going to be much more hesitant to book with them now, they've had the most flight cancellations out of other airlines this year.... which isn't great. I think the worry is that no one saw this weekend's mess coming... who's to say another mess isn't on the horizon even when this is sorted out?
> 
> Perhaps even just booking with a new airline for your return flight so you're not stranded is the way to go. If a flight was delayed from our departing airport, at least I'm close enough to home to not be stuck there...


Ha, I'd rather be stranded _there_, unable to get home, than stranded _here_, unable to go!  (Oh no, we're stuck in Orlando?  More Dole Whips!)  Kidding, of course.  Maybe.


----------



## TikiTikiFan

Chernabob said:


> Ha, I'd rather be stranded _there_, unable to get home, than stranded _here_, unable to go!  (Oh no, we're stuck in Orlando?  More Dole Whips!)  Kidding, of course.  Maybe.



Guess we better extend the vacation, oh darn!


----------



## itskeeks23

amy1115 said:


> I am so hoping that this means they are getting back on track. Supposed to fly out early Friday morning Dallas to MCO. Fingers crossed.


I don't post very often, but same here Friday 6AM Dallas to MCO. Very anxious since driving is less likely to be viable option considering it would take 16+ hours. Finger crossed.


----------



## ShelsGoingToDisney

We fly out SW on Saturday morning from Omaha-St. Louis-Orlando. I am really getting worried. I just want to get to MCO! If I get stranded at Disney, I can live with that, just not getting stuck in Omaha with no chance of vacay! I have to wear a heart monitor this week to monitor my heart rate. I am thinking this will not be well-timed!


----------



## Disney loving Iowan

Best of luck to all of you flying out this week.  I hope it all works out. 



ShelsGoingToDisney said:


> We fly out SW on Saturday morning from Omaha-St. Louis-Orlando. I am really getting worried. I just want to get to MCO! If I get stranded at Disney, I can live with that, just not getting stuck in Omaha with no chance of vacay! I have to wear a heart monitor this week to monitor my heart rate. I am thinking this will not be well-timed!



Used to fly out of Omaha all the time when we lived in Council Bluffs.  I hope everything goes well for you.


----------



## amy1115

itskeeks23 said:


> I don't post very often, but same here Friday 6AM Dallas to MCO. Very anxious since driving is less likely to be viable option considering it would take 16+ hours. Finger crossed.


That's our flight! Our only hope is it all gets straightened out. This will be a trip for just DD 16 and I so there is no way I would drive by myself all that way. Buying super expensive tickets on a different airline isn't really an option either so hoping we won't have to reschedule. DD will be heart broken if we do. Who am I kidding though, so will I!! Good luck to you.


----------



## itskeeks23

amy1115 said:


> That's our flight! Our only hope is it all gets straightened out. This will be a trip for just DD 16 and I so there is no way I would drive by myself all that way. Buying super expensive tickets on a different airline isn't really an option either so hoping we won't have to reschedule. DD will be heart broken if we do. Who am I kidding though, so will I!! Good luck to you.


Good luck to you as well!! and I agree, different airline prices are completely insane right now considering its only 4 days away.


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

maybethisyear said:


> I have been watching out of curiosity, and MHT doesn't seem to be affected in the way some other locations have been.


I got out of Manchester just fine, but the connection was cancelled.  If I would have known, I could have extended my vacation in NH instead of camping out all night in the Baltimore terminal.  Not fun!
I did get my money back but I had to pay 2.5x more to book a flight on a different airline for the next day.


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

kristenrice said:


> I am watching like a hawk too.  I set up flight alerts for the first flight from GRR to MDW and the connection from MDW to MCO for every day this week.  We are scheduled on those flights next Tuesday so if they get cancelled at all this week, I would at least like an idea of what time they are being cancelled.  I booked a refundable flight on Delta, but it is scheduled to depart an hour EARLIER so I will need to decide whether or not to get on that plane.  I do not want to make the wrong decision.  If the SWA flights go off as scheduled every day from now through Monday, I will feel a lot more confident in cancelling the Delta flight.  I will also feel a lot better when I see that the SWA plane is sitting on the ground in GRR on Monday night, waiting to take off first thing Tuesday morning.


Check flightaware.com and enter the flight numbers eg swa1234.  You get the flight history as well as “where is the plane now?”  I used it Saturday and I still got stranded.  I knew my plane made it to Baltimore but there she sat without a crew to get me home.  So sad!


----------



## TLSnell1981

Double booked for tomorrow.. my back up flight leaves 3:30 hours before SWA. Waited almost three hours on the phone only to be told..."your flight is scheduled to depart on time... blah, blah, blah. I’m usually flexible but not this trip.  My schedule is tight for departure and return ...can't do cancellations or delays. Guess I will be eating airfare.


----------



## hsmamato2

I'm hanging onto two res also.... AA and SWA b/c I have no confidence the swa will go as planned.... I'm seeing a lot of connector flights canceled today and I'm thinking I'd rather pay more than get stuck


----------



## emsstacey

My 4th swa flight was canceled at 1am this morning- so I booked allegiant and I am finally home!


----------



## TLSnell1981

emsstacey said:


> My 4th swa flight was canceled at 1am this morning- so I booked allegiant and I am finally home!


 Although… happy you are home!


----------



## Disneytam

This isn't a huge surprise to me with  Southwest. We flew from Albany to MCO last month. A week before our flight our nonstop was cancelled and we were switched to a stop at BWI. Not a big deal but I have flown Southwest for years and never had an issue with them. Return flight was also supposed to be a non stop. It was also cancelled and we were put on a flight that stopped at BWI but no flight change. Again we could live with that though we had to leave earlier than we had planned. After boarding the plane we sat for a half an hour and then were told that the connecting flight to Buffalo was canceled and they were trying not to strand those passengers in BWI. We left an hour late departing and were told right before we landed at BWI that we would have to get off the plane because now we had to switch planes. What a mess! We finally got home a couple of hours later but I was really surprised by how it was all handled. I feel so bad for everyone that was effected this past weekend and I'm more than a bit worried about our flight in December.


----------



## disneyfan150

We have two one way flights scheduled.  One is a United flight this Saturday to MCO  and the other is a SW flight home on Tuesday. We booked SW with points.  I am trying to decide if I should just cancel the SW flight and rebook on another airline.


----------



## EACarlson

disneyfan150 said:


> We have two one way flights scheduled.  One is a United flight this Saturday to MCO  and the other is a SW flight home on Tuesday. We booked SW with points.  I am trying to decide if I should just cancel the SW flight and rebook on another airline.


I would wait and see what it looks like the rest of the week before cancelling.  No matter what the confluence of events that led to this weekend's mess, the odds that it happens again the following weekend are not that high.  If it is a systemic problem we will see it in the next few days.


----------



## Tink3815

Not sure if this has been mentioned already.

 On another forum an article was posted that the Southwest Pilots Union is taking Southwest to court to block the mandate. It hinted that cancellations  may be a result of staff calling in.

Quoted from the article

“Other policies the union seeks to block include Southwest’s Covid quarantine rules for pilots and an infectious disease control policy that it says significantly altered work conditions, rules and rates of pay, until the two sides negotiate a resolution to alleged contract violations outlined in its original Aug. 30 lawsuit. The changes violate a “status quo” provision of the RLA by not maintaining terms of an existing contract during negotiations, the lawsuit claimed.

Pilots are at a unique risk because adverse reactions to a vaccine could affect their ability to pass periodic medical examinations required to maintain their license. The union wants to negotiate, among other things, how such instances would be covered by long-term disability policies. “

The case is Southwest Airlines Pilots Association v. Southwest Airlines Co., 3:21-cv-02065-M, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas (Dallas).


----------



## moesy4

My husband earned the companion pass with the help of bonus points on a new SW card. He doesn’t need to keep the card open when the points are earned does he?


----------



## maybethisyear

For those that purchased refundable tickets for future dates and/or were using points....check your flight dates!

One leg of my February flight went down by $85 for our family of three, overnight! This chaos is surely causing people to cancel with them or not book at all. I refunded that leg, and repurchased. I still trust Southwest over Spirit, and those are our two choices for direct flights. We have four 4 non-park days to our trip as cushion due to last time one of us getting sick and missing park days because of it.


----------



## disneyfan150

EACarlson said:


> I would wait and see what it looks like the rest of the week before cancelling.  No matter what the confluence of events that led to this weekend's mess, the odds that it happens again the following weekend are not that high.  If it is a systemic problem we will see it in the next few days.


Thank you for the advice. I think I will wait until Wednesday and make a decision. Ticket prices seem to be holding at the moment.


----------



## Bigmace

What a mess. Heading to Disneyland Wednesday morning and had a Southwest flight early Wednesday morning. Just canceled it and booked a flight on Delta for tomorrow night. We will gamble on the way home Saturday but don’t want to miss out on our trip.


----------



## happ

moesy4 said:


> My husband earned the companion pass with the help of bonus points on a new SW card. He doesn’t need to keep the card open when the points are earned does he?


It is recommended to keep cards open for at least the first full year so you are not seen as a gamer. Besides, there are benefits to keeping it open like offers and spending incentives. He can close it at the one year mark when the anniversary points post to avoid paying an annual fee.


----------



## Avery&Todd

UGH - the debacle that was this past weekend has me really nervous for our flights next month!

We're flying out on Nov. 10th, the day before a "holiday" and I almost pulled the trigger on $1,100 flights on Delta several times!!

It still may happen...


----------



## Bigmace

Avery&Todd said:


> UGH - the debacle that was this past weekend has me really nervous for our flights next month!
> 
> We're flying out on Nov. 10th, the day before a "holiday" and I almost pulled the trigger on $1,100 flights on Delta several times!!
> 
> It still may happen...



Delta hasn't had any major issues recently. It appears to be isolated to Southwest right now and then Spirit about a month ago.


----------



## RookieLady

This is not a political statement, just an FYI. I read that Gov Abbott issued an executive order than bans vaccine mandates for Texas based companies, which I thought Southwest was.  Technically, the president said he was going to issue an order about companies employing over 100 people, but he actually hasn't issued the order yet.  So, query whether the governor's order makes any difference for the crew calling out in the next little bit. 

I fly out of RDU Sunday am on one of the flights that Southwest cancelled last Sunday.  If they cancel, I wish they would tell me the day before, so I can get in the car and drive.  It's a 10 hour drive, but I would leave the day early to shave some hours off to save park time.  I really don't want to because given the price of my tickets, it was cheaper to fly than pay the gas and parking fees, given our length of stay.  However, I have priced other airlines, and it is cheaper to drive versus buying a replacement for the tickets I have.


----------



## bookgirl2632

Our flight left with a slight delay from BWI this morning.  I did not see very many cancellations on the boards.


----------



## FCDub

Things should be closer to normal this week


----------



## focusondisney

MICKIMINI said:


> Got an offer from AMEX overnight for a Delta SkyMiles Gold with 70,000 miles LOL!  Someone is on the ball...told DH we may need to consider as Delta flies both MHT and BOS to MCO.  I'm waiting to see what the JetBlue offer (wait - it's coming) will be...  We've been SWA for over 20 years but this might be a break up!



I checked the Jetblue website a few days ago, their CC offer was at 70K points also, up from 40K the last time I checked.   I know last year it got up to 100K in December I think.  Not sure if I should bite at 70, lol.  Those 30K points are a RT flight!

I’m like 11000 points away from earning another SW  CP for next year.  I just don’t know if I should keep trying or not.  I’m not buying all this is a result of a pilot job action.  I think SW has been running so close to capacity & cut so many flights, they just have no room for recovery.   There’s just no breathing room in their scheduling.  Anything at all is throwing them into chaos.  I don’t think their management team is up to the challenge.


----------



## VickiVM

RookieLady said:


> This is not a political statement, just an FYI. I read that Gov Abbott issued an executive order than bans vaccine mandates for Texas based companies, which I thought Southwest was.  Technically, the president said he was going to issue an order about companies employing over 100 people, but he actually hasn't issued the order yet.  So, query whether the governor's order makes any difference for the crew calling out in the next little bit.



Bingo!  This is my understanding from someone I know who is a SW pilot.


----------



## Chernabob

Not sure if the truth about the weekend will ever come to light, but this piece from earlier today suggests that things are closer to normal in terms of cancellations today/Tuesday at 2%:

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/12/sou...ass-cancellations-from-staffing-shortage.html


----------



## EACarlson

RookieLady said:


> This is not a political statement, just an FYI. I read that Gov Abbott issued an executive order than bans vaccine mandates for Texas based companies, which I thought Southwest was.  Technically, the president said he was going to issue an order about companies employing over 100 people, but he actually hasn't issued the order yet.


That's not quite right, President Biden announced September 9 that he was instructing the Department of Labor to instruct OSHA to promulgate an Emergency Temporary Standard that all employers with over 100 Full Time Equivalent employees require vaccination or weekly testing.  To date OSHA has not published that ETS in the federal register, theoretically it goes into effect immediately upon publication.  The ETS would last for six months unless OSHA promulgates a rule in the meantime using their standard practice.


----------



## Gitelfor

According to this article, several factors came into play, causing the cancellations.
USA Today update on Southwest cancellations


----------



## Crazyhorse

Gitelfor said:


> According to this article, several factors came into play, causing the cancellations.
> USA Today update on Southwest cancellations


   Great article!  It's actually the truth...v.s. the stupid meme that's been going around that "my father is a SW pilot and he sez it's the covid mandate"...etc...etc.   SW certainly has egg on its face.  All this chaos may end up helping in the long run, as SW is gonna have to perform an "autopsy" to see what the heck happened.  They do admit to a leaner work force and there was weather in the area Friday but it all certainly imploded over the weekend and continuing into this week.


----------



## MICKIMINI

Just checked our rebooked flight and I was able to get 3550 points back (southbound MHT-MCO) so double check those flights!


----------



## kristenrice

I am feeling a bit more confident in my flight next week, but this so nerve wracking.  Instead of looking forward to my Disney trip, I am absolutely wrecked with anxiety right now.  I know that “my” flight (the same itinerary I’m scheduled on) has gone off as scheduled and on time for the last two days, but until it’s ACTUALLY my flight, I won’t feel the excitement that I want to feel.


----------



## disneyfan150

kristenrice said:


> I am feeling a bit more confident in my flight next week, but this so nerve wracking.  Instead of looking forward to my Disney trip, I am absolutely wrecked with anxiety right now.  I know that “my” flight (the same itinerary I’m scheduled on) has gone off as scheduled and on time for the last two days, but until it’s ACTUALLY my flight, I won’t feel the excitement that I want to feel.


Good idea!  I checked my flight, too. So far, so good!


----------



## Avery&Todd

after reading all the articles today, I am a little more settled about our trip next month but one thing I read was that over the next 2 weeks SW would be looking at all of their flights for the rest of the year and possibly cut flights...which may affect the holiday travel.

That doesn't sound good for some with Thanksgiving/Christmas flights...

so I'll just sit on pins and needles for the next 2 weeks worrying about SW cancelling my flights on Nov 10th!!


----------



## focusondisney

Avery&Todd said:


> one thing I read was that over the next 2 weeks SW would be looking at all of their flights for the rest of the year and possibly cut flights...



Well that doesn’t sound like a good idea.  Hopefully they’ve learned something this week about cutting things too close to the bone.


----------



## Avery&Todd

focusondisney said:


> Well that doesn’t sound like a good idea.  Hopefully they’ve learned something this week about cutting things too close to the bone.


Well, I think that what they learned from this past weekend is that in their tight schedule there is no wiggle room. There are no extra flights to put bumped folks on so if they cancel some flights now, then if there are issues later because of weather or being short staffed then they might have room to recover. 

Or at least that's how I read the article.


----------



## pfeifer1990

I hope I have all the lingo right and I apologize for my ignorance in advance.  Trying to understand what we can do with vouchers from our May 2020 canceled trip. My understanding is these vouchers expire in September 2022. We have a trip scheduled for May 2022 but we may need to reschedule for January 2023. Is there anything we can do to not lose the money from these vouchers?  I want to be better informed before we call SW to ask questions.


----------



## Gitelfor

pfeifer1990 said:


> I hope I have all the lingo right and I apologize for my ignorance in advance.  Trying to understand what we can do with vouchers from our May 2020 canceled trip. My understanding is these vouchers expire in September 2022. We have a trip scheduled for May 2022 but we may need to reschedule for January 2023. Is there anything we can do to not lose the money from these vouchers?  I want to be better informed before we call SW to ask questions.


Are you referring to LUV Vouchers or travel funds?  If you are unsure, you need to check:

https://www.southwest.com/travel-funds/ and https://www.southwest.com/faq/travel-funds.

When you reference expiration of September (7), 2022, it sounds like travel funds.  Travel funds only may be used by the ticketed customer, with travel completed by the expiration date.  There have been instances, however, of the expiration date being extended for six months, by paying a $100 fee, within 6 months after the expiration date; that is done as a special consideration, on a case by case basis, and the extension is for six months.

LUV vouchers may be used for travel by anyone.

The other possibility is that you have Rapid Rewards points in your account.  The points do not expire, as long as you do not close your account.  Those points may be used to purchase travel for anyone.


----------



## mickey916

pfeifer1990 said:


> I hope I have all the lingo right and I apologize for my ignorance in advance.  Trying to understand what we can do with vouchers from our May 2020 canceled trip. My understanding is these vouchers expire in September 2022. We have a trip scheduled for May 2022 but we may need to reschedule for January 2023. Is there anything we can do to not lose the money from these vouchers?  I want to be better informed before we call SW to ask questions.


I could be wrong but my understanding is that once you use those travel funds to book a new flight the expiration date becomes one year from the date you booked the flight. So, in theory, you could book your May 2022 flight some time in late January/early February 2022 and then if you cancel, your funds would then expire in January/February 2023. That would be the scenario I would propose when/if you call southwest to confirm.


----------



## Erica Ladd

mickey916 said:


> I could be wrong but my understanding is that once you use those travel funds to book a new flight the expiration date becomes one year from the date you booked the flight. So, in theory, you could book your May 2022 flight some time in late January/early February 2022 and then if you cancel, your funds would then expire in January/February 2023. That would be the scenario I would propose when/if you call southwest to confirm.



Nope. TF retain the date from the original reservation or in the case of the blanket extension of 9/7/22 it would be that


----------



## Avery&Todd

this is a good article on the SW issues from this past weekend..

https://www.fool.com/investing/2021...hoo-host&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=article


----------



## Chernabob

Avery&Todd said:


> after reading all the articles today, I am a little more settled about our trip next month but one thing I read was that over the next 2 weeks SW would be looking at all of their flights for the rest of the year and possibly cut flights...which may affect the holiday travel.
> 
> That doesn't sound good for some with Thanksgiving/Christmas flights...


This piece I saw from yesterday included this line regarding holiday travel: "Southwest in August said it would run fewer flights through the end of the year, *apart from holiday windows*, in a bid to match flights to demand and to its ability to operate and staff flights."

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/s...adache-for-airlines-11633976265?siteid=yhoof2


----------



## Avery&Todd

Chernabob said:


> This piece I saw from yesterday included this line regarding holiday travel: "Southwest in August said it would run fewer flights through the end of the year, *apart from holiday windows*, in a bid to match flights to demand and to its ability to operate and staff flights."
> 
> https://www.marketwatch.com/story/s...adache-for-airlines-11633976265?siteid=yhoof2


Yeah - I believe it!  I've snap shotted the flights that were originally offered for my flight days, and on the outbound flight, they've already dropped 2 flights that morning and there are not the usual # of flights for our return flight - with most of them being later in the day.....


----------



## mickey916

Erica Ladd said:


> Nope. TF retain the date from the original reservation or in the case of the blanket extension of 9/7/22 it would be that


Interesting because I did actually call and ask the question and was told what I reported. The customer service person I spoke with must have been mistaken.


----------



## davper

kristenrice said:


> I am feeling a bit more confident in my flight next week, but this so nerve wracking.  Instead of looking forward to my Disney trip, I am absolutely wrecked with anxiety right now.  I know that “my” flight (the same itinerary I’m scheduled on) has gone off as scheduled and on time for the last two days, but until it’s ACTUALLY my flight, I won’t feel the excitement that I want to feel.


I am right there with you. I learned 2 days before my departure in September that my 3 hour direct flight was canceled and I was rebooked on a 9 hour multi-stop excursion. So I am more worried now that the same thing will happen or worse.


----------



## focusondisney

mickey916 said:


> Interesting because I did actually call and ask the question and was told what I reported. The customer service person I spoke with must have been mistaken.



I think the confusion  is that travel using the funds must be completed by the expiration date not booked.  So  any travel using these funds would need to be completed by Sept 22.  Booking & cancelling a flight can’t extend the expiration of the funds beyond then. 

But I think what you were told is correct also.  Example: If the OP had booked a flight in January this year for March, then cancelled, the expiration date would change to January 2022.  One year from the new purchase.  So in that case, there would have been a loss of time to use the funds.  If there was then another flight booked with those funds, the travel would  need to be completed by the new expiration date, January 22, not just booked by then.

In a normal situation, say I book a flight in January 2021 & then cancel. I get travel funds that expire in January 2022. If I wait until December & try to book a flight for April 22, those funds will be expired & not able to be used for April.  I need to travel by the January 22 date, not book by then.  

SW hasn’t said that these funds work any differently than usual.  So I wouldn’t expect any extension of expiration date past September 22.  As a PP said, you may be able to extend the funds with the $100 fee after they expire.  But in the OPs case, they may be cutting that close anyway.


----------



## davper

https://www.southwest.com/faq/travel-fundsWhen will my travel funds expire?

Think of a travel fund like a store credit that expires. The expiration date depends on the payment you used to book the original ticket. Note that all travel must be *booked and completed* by the travel fund’s expiration date.

*Booked with a credit card or gift card:*
The travel fund will expire 12 months from the date you booked the ticket.
*Booked with a Southwest LUV Voucher:*
The travel fund will adopt the expiration date of the voucher used to book the ticket.
*Booked with travel funds:*
The travel fund will *keep the expiration date of the original travel fund used to book the ticket.* For example, on March 1, you use a travel fund that expires May 20 to book a ticket. Later, you cancel that ticket. The expiration date for these funds is still May 20.

If you book with a combination of these payments, the travel fund *adopts the expiration date of the fund that expires soonest*.


----------



## mickey916

focusondisney said:


> I think the confusion  is that travel using the funds must be completed by the expiration date not booked.  So  any travel using these funds would need to be completed by Sept 22.  Booking & cancelling a flight can’t extend the expiration of the funds beyond then.
> 
> But I think what you were told is correct also.  Example: If the OP had booked a flight in January this year for March, then cancelled, the expiration date would change to January 2022.  One year from the new purchase.  So in that case, there would have been a loss of time to use the funds.  If there was then another flight booked with those funds, the travel would  need to be completed by the new expiration date, January 22, not just booked by then.
> 
> In a normal situation, say I book a flight in January 2021 & then cancel. I get travel funds that expire in January 2022. If I wait until December & try to book a flight for April 22, those funds will be expired & not able to be used for April.  I need to travel by the January 22 date, not book by then.
> 
> SW hasn’t said that these funds work any differently than usual.  So I wouldn’t expect any extension of expiration date past September 22.  As a PP said, you may be able to extend the funds with the $100 fee after they expire.  But in the OPs case, they may be cutting that close anyway.


Actually that makes sense because when I called I was asking about using my flight credits last November to book my potential May 2021 trip and was told that although my credit expires in Sept of 2022, if I booked a flight with them in November of 2020 for May of 2021, those credits would then expire one year from November (so I would have shortened my expiration date to Nov. 2021). I guess I thought it went both ways.


----------



## moesy4

If I remember right, that was the automatic date that all travel funds during the shutdown were extended to regardless of the date of the original flight (September 2022). So they weren’t actually tied to a specific booking or flight date, it was literally all the flights that were booked to take off those first two or so months of the pandemic. The expiration is a hard date regardless.
At the end of last year they did offer for people to turn those into SW points that don’t expire, which we did do for our originally booked flights from March 2020. Unfortunately that offer ended quite some time ago.


----------



## Avery&Todd

I saw this online this AM - in case anyone here was affected by the flight debacle last weekend you could get a voucher from SW..

https://www.yahoo.com/news/southwest-quietly-doling-were-sorry-001929375.html


----------



## Gitelfor

Costco’s discounted Southwest gift card

*This offer ends tomorrow (10/15/2021).*


----------



## mickey916

Gitelfor said:


> View attachment 613103
> Costco’s discounted Southwest gift card
> 
> *This offer ends tomorrow (10/15/2021).*


Does BJs ever offer similar discounts?


----------



## LadybugsMum

mickey916 said:


> Does BJs ever offer similar discounts?


They usually have one closer to Thanksgiving for most of their gift cards. I usually pick up several Disney gift cards during that time.


----------



## Avery&Todd

I know some folks have had their upcoming flights drop in points, but mine has gone UP almost by almost 30k points!!  PER PERSON!!

I did book the second they were released many months ago, and was charged 9,588 points for my flight, and now the same flight is:


holy cow!!


----------



## ddluvsdisney

Avery&Todd said:


> I saw this online this AM - in case anyone here was affected by the flight debacle last weekend you could get a voucher from SW..
> 
> https://www.yahoo.com/news/southwest-quietly-doling-were-sorry-001929375.html


Got ours today!!


----------



## kelpricer

I’m wondering if everyone who had a flight canceled will receive a voucher? I just reached out to them so hopefully I’ll hear back


----------



## jkelly86

Avery&Todd said:


> I saw this online this AM - in case anyone here was affected by the flight debacle last weekend you could get a voucher from SW..
> 
> https://www.yahoo.com/news/southwest-quietly-doling-were-sorry-001929375.html


Thank you for posting this.  We reached out via Twitter and will receive a voucher, too.


----------



## bsmcneil

Erica Ladd said:


> Nope. TF retain the date from the original reservation or in the case of the blanket extension of 9/7/22 it would be that


I will say that United just extended the expiration on their credits. I wish SW would do the same, especially given some of their headaches (and that may be exactly why they don't).


----------



## Lsdolphin

Regarding SWA’s giving vouchers to those affected by last weeks flight cancellations I must say they certainly haven’t done this for those that have the same experience over last several weeks...
My flight was was cancelled, I spent hours in line then my rescheduled flight was delayed and I didn’t even receive an apology let alone a voucher.....


----------



## Gitelfor

Lsdolphin said:


> Regarding SWA’s giving vouchers to those affected by last weeks flight cancellations I must say they certainly haven’t done this for those that have the same experience over last several weeks...
> My flight was was cancelled, I spent hours in line then my rescheduled flight was delayed and I didn’t even receive an apology let alone a voucher.....


Those who’ve contacted them on social media, especially those who have had out of pocket expense for hotel, car rental, and/or greater expense for rebooking flight on other airlines at the last minute, have been receiving vouchers.

Try sending them a DM noting your confirmation number, as well as information about extra expenses incurred due to the flight cancellations.

Understand that they are overwhelmed and allow some time for a response.  Contacting them off-hours might elicit a quicker reply.


----------



## monarchsfan16

A different kind of Southwest issue...

Anyone with Rapid Rewards may want to consider changing their password. After nearly three weeks, it appears I have finally had my points that were used fraudulently restored to my account. Restoration was a process, and, well, 3 weeks is awhile. It did sound as though this has been an issue lately; the customer service rep that I talked to minutes after I got the email that my points had been used to purchase video games (something I didn't even know one could do), said they had had three bulletins about fraudulent use of points in recent days.

Change those passwords and watch your account.


----------



## Gitelfor

monarchsfan16 said:


> A different kind of Southwest issue...
> 
> Anyone with Rapid Rewards may want to consider changing their password. After nearly three weeks, it appears I have finally had my points that were used fraudulently restored to my account. Restoration was a process, and, well, 3 weeks is awhile. It did sound as though this has been an issue lately; the customer service rep that I talked to minutes after I got the email that my points had been used to purchase video games (something I didn't even know one could do), said they had had three bulletins about fraudulent use of points in recent days.
> 
> Change those passwords and watch your account.


I am surprised at Southwest’s explanation for your missing points.  AFAIK, the only way to purchase merchandise or gift cards with RR points is through the More Rewards program.  That program was disabled in March of 2020.    The link to More Rewards displays a message about maintenance/under construction, and it will not move past that.


----------



## monarchsfan16

Gitelfor said:


> I am surprised at Southwest’s explanation for your missing points.  AFAIK, the only way to purchase merchandise or gift cards with RR points is through the More Rewards program.  That program was disabled in March of 2020.    The link to More Rewards displays a message about maintenance/under construction, and it will not move past that.


That makes this even more interesting and was a piece I didn't know. The girl I talked to wasn't even able to tell me how the points were used, just that they were. The details I got were from the "your points have been used" email I received that caused me to call.


----------



## Gitelfor

monarchsfan16 said:


> That makes this even more interesting and was a piece I didn't know. The girl I talked to wasn't even able to tell me how the points were used, just that they were. The details I got were from the "your points have been used" email I received that caused me to call.


You may find better or additional information by speaking with someone in the Rapid Rewards department, which will be an option when calling Southwest.


----------



## kristenrice

monarchsfan16 said:


> That makes this even more interesting and was a piece I didn't know. The girl I talked to wasn't even able to tell me how the points were used, just that they were. *The details I got were from the "your points have been used" email I received that caused me to call*.


Was the sender actually Southwest or Rapid Rewards?  This sounds a lot like phishing to me.


----------



## monarchsfan16

kristenrice said:


> Was the sender actually Southwest or Rapid Rewards?  This sounds a lot like phishing to me.


I thought it was phishing too, until I checked my Rapid Rewards account and the points were indeed gone. When this all happened, I received two emails: one from "rewards headquarters" outlining what my points had been used for and one from Rapid Rewards that was the typical "points have been deducted from your account" email. It was at that point that I checked my account (through the app, not through the email) and sure enough, points were gone. I then contacted Southwest Rapid Rewards by phone, and they started their resolution process.


----------



## monarchsfan16

Gitelfor said:


> You may find better or additional information by speaking with someone in the Rapid Rewards department, which will be an option when calling Southwest.


That is who I talked to when I first saw the points were no longer in my account. The rep apparently is unable to see exactly how points are used, just the activity point values. 

The good news is, it has been resolved. But with a trip that will require booking on December 8, it was a concerning couple of weeks waiting for resolution, and definitely a lesson in password security for me.


----------



## Disney loving Iowan




----------



## bsmcneil

I've read through a lot but I just wanted to check in and see if anyone had particular concrete advice, particularly in 2021/2022. I had a ton of travel funds, with which I bought my ticket to MCO. I have a companion pass (for my 8/9 year old) and so that was free (save tax) and I had a lot of points to use for my 2nd kid (5), so I only spent the tax there, too. What should I do to ensure we're together?

For instance, I don't really want to spend the extra OOP to buy EBCI, as I'm trying to save where I can, etc. Can I even buy EBCI for my companion pass? I didn't immediately see that - but may have missed it. Similarly, I assume you can pay the ECBI fee for tickets bought with points - but I haven't looked into it yet. So, the other option is, theoretically, I could upgrade to Business Select and use my travel funds to cover getting a good position, right (and do the same with my points ticket)? I feel like what I've read is that if my points ticket gets a later spot, I'd need to move to that instead of whatever I have, right? Maybe this is the best use? FWIW, I "paid":

$218 for my R/T flight (Wanna Get Away). To upgrade to Business Select, it would be an extra 140 (leaving me with ~150 in travel funds and no particular other trips in mind).
14,606 points for my other ticket. To upgrade it, it would cost 12,354 points (leaving me with ~32K).
That seems the best move to make, doesn't it?

I also thought about the whole upgraded boarding upon check-in. I signed up for the SW Priority Card this past year, so I should have 3 - maybe 4  - upgraded boardings left to be reimbursed. And, I've found that those are super hard to come by - I've taken 16 flights this year and on only *1* was upgraded boarding available (coincidentally going from MCO-home). So, I don't necessarily want to risk it. I think I'll make the upgrades - but I'm curious if anyone has any other thoughts!


----------



## kristenrice

I have a question...

Our flight home to GRR currently has a 4-hour layover at MDW which is just under a 3-hour drive from our house.  I am not thrilled with that, but it is what it is.  The kicker is that I have been watching that itinerary over the past several weeks and the flight has been delayed a LOT.  This past week, it was on time ONCE.  It is the last flight of the night and that plane is the first one out of GRR in the morning so I am fairly confident that, barring a staffing issue, the flight will eventually go, but it has been up to 3 hours late.  If it is known that it is going to be 2-3 HOURS delayed, my husband can drive to MDW and pick us up and get us home sooner than the flight would, depending on what time we are made aware of the delay.  On the off chance that there is a rental car available, I would be happy to go that route too.  My question is, would SWA penalize me in any way for not taking the second leg of the flight if there is a substantial delay?  We have only carry-on luggage so baggage isn't an issue.  I know that the "hidden city" itineraries can cause problems.  I genuinely wanted to fly MDW-GRR until SWA changed our original flight to the 4-hour layover.  Now, I'm not so happy about it, but I will tolerate it, but not if there is going to be a 2-hour delay tacked on as well.


----------



## PCFriar80

Disney loving Iowan said:


> View attachment 613736


----------



## Arouge

bsmcneil said:


> I've read through a lot but I just wanted to check in and see if anyone had particular concrete advice, particularly in 2021/2022. I had a ton of travel funds, with which I bought my ticket to MCO. I have a companion pass (for my 8/9 year old) and so that was free (save tax) and I had a lot of points to use for my 2nd kid (5), so I only spent the tax there, too. What should I do to ensure we're together?
> 
> For instance, I don't really want to spend the extra OOP to buy EBCI, as I'm trying to save where I can, etc. Can I even buy EBCI for my companion pass? I didn't immediately see that - but may have missed it. Similarly, I assume you can pay the ECBI fee for tickets bought with points - but I haven't looked into it yet. So, the other option is, theoretically, I could upgrade to Business Select and use my travel funds to cover getting a good position, right (and do the same with my points ticket)? I feel like what I've read is that if my points ticket gets a later spot, I'd need to move to that instead of whatever I have, right? Maybe this is the best use? FWIW, I "paid":
> 
> $218 for my R/T flight (Wanna Get Away). To upgrade to Business Select, it would be an extra 140 (leaving me with ~150 in travel funds and no particular other trips in mind).
> 14,606 points for my other ticket. To upgrade it, it would cost 12,354 points (leaving me with ~32K).
> That seems the best move to make, doesn't it?
> 
> I also thought about the whole upgraded boarding upon check-in. I signed up for the SW Priority Card this past year, so I should have 3 - maybe 4  - upgraded boardings left to be reimbursed. And, I've found that those are super hard to come by - I've taken 16 flights this year and on only *1* was upgraded boarding available (coincidentally going from MCO-home). So, I don't necessarily want to risk it. I think I'll make the upgrades - but I'm curious if anyone has any other thoughts!



Not sure if you're aware, but if you are flying on SW with a 6 year old or under, you qualify for family boarding which boards after the A's and before the B's. That might work for you- and no charge for that.


----------



## EACarlson

bsmcneil said:


> I've read through a lot but I just wanted to check in and see if anyone had particular concrete advice, particularly in 2021/2022. I had a ton of travel funds, with which I bought my ticket to MCO. I have a companion pass (for my 8/9 year old) and so that was free (save tax) and I had a lot of points to use for my 2nd kid (5), so I only spent the tax there, too. What should I do to ensure we're together?
> 
> For instance, I don't really want to spend the extra OOP to buy EBCI, as I'm trying to save where I can, etc. Can I even buy EBCI for my companion pass? I didn't immediately see that - but may have missed it. Similarly, I assume you can pay the ECBI fee for tickets bought with points - but I haven't looked into it yet. So, the other option is, theoretically, I could upgrade to Business Select and use my travel funds to cover getting a good position, right (and do the same with my points ticket)? I feel like what I've read is that if my points ticket gets a later spot, I'd need to move to that instead of whatever I have, right? Maybe this is the best use? FWIW, I "paid":
> 
> $218 for my R/T flight (Wanna Get Away). To upgrade to Business Select, it would be an extra 140 (leaving me with ~150 in travel funds and no particular other trips in mind).
> 14,606 points for my other ticket. To upgrade it, it would cost 12,354 points (leaving me with ~32K).
> That seems the best move to make, doesn't it?
> 
> I also thought about the whole upgraded boarding upon check-in. I signed up for the SW Priority Card this past year, so I should have 3 - maybe 4  - upgraded boardings left to be reimbursed. And, I've found that those are super hard to come by - I've taken 16 flights this year and on only *1* was upgraded boarding available (coincidentally going from MCO-home). So, I don't necessarily want to risk it. I think I'll make the upgrades - but I'm curious if anyone has any other thoughts!


  Companions are now automatically assigned boarding positions immediately in front of the person they are the companion to.  So if you would get A30 when you check in, that is given to your companion and you are assigned A31.  If you bought a ticket for a 5 year old solo it should have required you to associate it with an adult on the flight or be charged for Unaccompanied Minor.  Worst case I would use Family boarding if available.  No GA is going to say anything about one adult and two kids during family boarding.


kristenrice said:


> I have a question...
> 
> Our flight home to GRR currently has a 4-hour layover at MDW which is just under a 3-hour drive from our house.  I am not thrilled with that, but it is what it is.  The kicker is that I have been watching that itinerary over the past several weeks and the flight has been delayed a LOT.  This past week, it was on time ONCE.  It is the last flight of the night and that plane is the first one out of GRR in the morning so I am fairly confident that, barring a staffing issue, the flight will eventually go, but it has been up to 3 hours late.  If it is known that it is going to be 2-3 HOURS delayed, my husband can drive to MDW and pick us up and get us home sooner than the flight would, depending on what time we are made aware of the delay.  On the off chance that there is a rental car available, I would be happy to go that route too.  My question is, would SWA penalize me in any way for not taking the second leg of the flight if there is a substantial delay?  We have only carry-on luggage so baggage isn't an issue.  I know that the "hidden city" itineraries can cause problems.  I genuinely wanted to fly MDW-GRR until SWA changed our original flight to the 4-hour layover.  Now, I'm not so happy about it, but I will tolerate it, but not if there is going to be a 2-hour delay tacked on as well.


I would be shocked if SW had any issues with it, if it's just once, especially if there is a flight delay.  Most of the problems people have had with hidden city tickets are those that were doing it consistently.  If it was booked as a RT, there would be no issues at all.


----------



## bsmcneil

Arouge said:


> Not sure if you're aware, but if you are flying on SW with a 6 year old or under, you qualify for family boarding which boards after the A's and before the B's. That might work for you- and no charge for that.


Thanks - I hadn't thought of that!



EACarlson said:


> Companions are now automatically assigned boarding positions immediately in front of the person they are the companion to.  So if you would get A30 when you check in, that is given to your companion and you are assigned A31.  If you bought a ticket for a 5 year old solo it should have required you to associate it with an adult on the flight or be charged for Unaccompanied Minor.  Worst case I would use Family boarding if available.  No GA is going to say anything about one adult and two kids during family boarding.


Helpful to know - this will be my first (and probably only, sadly) companion flight. And I do have the 5 year old's ticket connected to mine but I haven't flown with them lately (or even as a non-lap seat kid) so I wasn't sure how that worked.


----------



## sandam1

I just got an email from Chase re. my Southwest credit card and with my RR Plus credit card, I now have two free early bird check-ins each anniversary year. Since I've never used the EBCI (I'm cheap and it usually isn't necessary for my travel style), I have a question - if I have a connecting flight, does one EBCI check me in for both flights or do I have to do each one separately? Also, can I check someone else in as well (obviously this would be my second usage)? I have a friend traveling from another city and would love to treat her to this.


----------



## Minniemoomoo

Has anyone found a website that lists when their flight times were removed or adjusted? So Southwest has changed my flight for December from an 8:40pm departure time to a 5:45, and they state that I knew all about it. I have confirmation emails that are all the 8:40. I am sure that it was changed and they did not send me an email or call regarding the change. I have been looking for a website that says hey this flight is now no longer available and has been pulled by this airline. Thank you so much in advance.


----------



## EACarlson

Minniemoomoo said:


> Has anyone found a website that lists when their flight times were removed or adjusted? So Southwest has changed my flight for December from an 8:40pm departure time to a 5:45, and they state that I knew all about it. I have confirmation emails that are all the 8:40. I am sure that it was changed and they did not send me an email or call regarding the change. I have been looking for a website that says hey this flight is now no longer available and has been pulled by this airline. Thank you so much in advance.


There is a pay service called Expert Flyer that offers alerts whenever your flight is changed.  But I don't know of a free service that does it.


----------



## Disney loving Iowan

Minniemoomoo said:


> Has anyone found a website that lists when their flight times were removed or adjusted? So Southwest has changed my flight for December from an 8:40pm departure time to a 5:45, and they state that I knew all about it. I have confirmation emails that are all the 8:40. I am sure that it was changed and they did not send me an email or call regarding the change. I have been looking for a website that says hey this flight is now no longer available and has been pulled by this airline. Thank you so much in advance.


They did the same thing to me in April.  Change my time and never sent me an alert.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Avery&Todd said:


> I know some folks have had their upcoming flights drop in points, but mine has gone UP almost by almost 30k points!!  PER PERSON!!
> 
> I did book the second they were released many months ago, and was charged 9,588 points for my flight, and now the same flight is:
> View attachment 613142
> 
> holy cow!!


so I check my upcoming flight on occassion (ok, I check it multiple times a day....) and last time I reported it had increased in points from the 9,588 I originally paid for this flight was up to 39,157..

and now today...its up to 45,103...yikes!


----------



## focusondisney

Avery&Todd said:


> so I check my upcoming flight on occassion (ok, I check it multiple times a day....) and last time I reported it had increased in points from the 9,588 I originally paid for this flight was up to 39,157..
> 
> and now today...its up to 45,103...yikes!
> View attachment 614797



It’s 3 weeks away, over a  popular holiday weekend.  Not surprising it increased a lot.  Just checked your dates from my airport…. Nonstop flights both ways were 41000 points with an afternoon return  or 52000+ for a late evening return. Very popular time to go so prices reflect it.


----------



## jkelly86

I just want to thank all of my friendly Dis'ers on this thread.  We have no flexibility with work and only can travel on peak days.  I camp out with all of you on release dates, and I work as quickly as I can when the schedule opens up.  Still, this year we were paying $600pp one way on the Sunday evening of Thanksgiving.  Last night, by chance, for our flight only on that date, we were able to receive a $250pp refund (not flight credit).  Immediately after our changes were confirmed, our power and internet went out overnight (we have no cell service without it).  It was a crazy, random, unfathomable, gift!  So, don't give up hope and keep on stalking those flights!


----------



## Avery&Todd

I woke up this morning to a "we've changed your flight" email for our March 5th flights - my stomach totally sunk when I saw the email....

but then I saw the times and I was OK with it - the outbound flight to MCO is still a non-stop and it's leaving a whole 15 minutes EARLIER!

that's a first for me - usually they have cancelled that flight and bumped us to a layover later in the day as I like to leave first thing and get to MCO!

I'll take that Southwest!


----------



## BillFromCT

My direct 2/27 flight from PVD changed as well.  10 minutes earlier.  Also, fine by me.


----------



## Lsdolphin

When do they release schedule for May?


----------



## mickey916

Next round of flights are scheduled to be released on Dec. 8


----------



## Erica Ladd

i currently have a flight booked from RDU-ATL early morning 11/6. I want to book a flight for the night before (11/5) because I might be able to go earlier depending on forthcoming info. Do you think they will cancel the flights because they are less than 24 hours away from each other or will I be ok since they are on different days?  FWIW I should be able to cancel one of the fights myself in the next 24-36 hours when I find out if I’m free to go earlier. Thanks


----------



## Disney loving Iowan

Avery&Todd said:


> I woke up this morning to a "we've changed your flight" email for our March 5th flights - my stomach totally sunk when I saw the email....
> 
> but then I saw the times and I was OK with it - the outbound flight to MCO is still a non-stop and it's leaving a whole 15 minutes EARLIER!
> 
> that's a first for me - usually they have cancelled that flight and bumped us to a layover later in the day as I like to leave first thing and get to MCO!
> 
> I'll take that Southwest!


Glad that it worked out for the better for you.  I keep waiting for them to change our flights.  It happened twice the past trip and they never emailed me.


----------



## leeniewdw

Avery&Todd said:


> so I check my upcoming flight on occassion (ok, I check it multiple times a day....) and last time I reported it had increased in points from the 9,588 I originally paid for this flight was up to 39,157..
> 
> and now today...its up to 45,103...yikes!
> View attachment 614797



I am so very jealous of your flight times!  We're doing RDU/MCO in Feb and the only direct leaves RDU at 11:30am.   I hate it since we've in the past arrived and hit the parks first thing -- we even got to DHS before opening on our last trip!


----------



## Avery&Todd

leeniewdw said:


> I am so very jealous of your flight times!  We're doing RDU/MCO in Feb and the only direct leaves RDU at 11:30am.   I hate it since we've in the past arrived and hit the parks first thing -- we even got to DHS before opening on our last trip!



I'm STILL holding my breath that these flights don't get cancelled....

We've been to Disney 3 other times from Oct 2020-Feb 2021, and we had early morning non-stop flights and in all 3 cases, they were cancelled and we were put on layover flights up to BWI or ATL...OR that direct flight at 11:30am...

We DID get surprise rescheduled non-stop flights from RDU to LAS this past May which was super nice!

The direct flights from now until our flight on Nov 10th don't leave as early as our flight - our flights are only available our week and the following week...so we kinda lucked out picking those dates for our trip!


----------



## leeniewdw

I have a situation I haven't faced before.  I've got the CP until end of Feb.  We've used most of my points to book a trip in Feb for 4 people.  Currently I've only got 27k points left.  I'm toying with the idea of a very quick trip down to WDW in early Dec.   The pts would be 25k (and I'd use the CP for my DH).   Here's the concern.  We put a large deposit on this card back in May ($5000), it's not related to earning the CP or anything, but we finally decided to cancel the order (it was for a small travel trailer that will not be ready this year).  So that will be a -5000 when they process the credit in the next 2 weeks.   

What's the right way to proceed so I don't go negative.  It's essentially 3000 in the hole.  I don't really have a 5k spend I could do right now unless I pay more power bill for the next 2 years lol.  Is there a way to only use 22k of my points and pay the difference. 

Oh -- I guess I could just pay for the flight, lol.  It's like $350.  Certainly not the cheapest we've paid to get to MCO, but with the CP, I guess it's no so bad.  Then I can just leave my points alone.


----------



## G719

leeniewdw said:


> I have a situation I haven't faced before.  I've got the CP until end of Feb.  We've used most of my points to book a trip in Feb for 4 people.  Currently I've only got 27k points left.  I'm toying with the idea of a very quick trip down to WDW in early Dec.   The pts would be 25k (and I'd use the CP for my DH).   Here's the concern.  We put a large deposit on this card back in May ($5000), it's not related to earning the CP or anything, but we finally decided to cancel the order (it was for a small travel trailer that will not be ready this year).  So that will be a -5000 when they process the credit in the next 2 weeks.
> 
> What's the right way to proceed so I don't go negative.  It's essentially 3000 in the hole.  I don't really have a 5k spend I could do right now unless I pay more power bill for the next 2 years lol.  Is there a way to only use 22k of my points and pay the difference.
> 
> Oh -- I guess I could just pay for the flight, lol.  It's like $350.  Certainly not the cheapest we've paid to get to MCO, but with the CP, I guess it's no so bad.  Then I can just leave my points alone.


Are you saying that is the cost of a round trip? If so, then I would book 2 one way trips instead of round trip. Pay one leg on points and just pay for the other leg.


----------



## leeniewdw

G719 said:


> Are you saying that is the cost of a round trip? If so, then I would book 2 one way trips instead of round trip. Pay one leg on points and just pay for the other leg.



Yes, that was round trip!  So that's a great idea!!!

Thank you!


----------



## spokanemom

leeniewdw said:


> I have a situation I haven't faced before.  I've got the CP until end of Feb.  We've used most of my points to book a trip in Feb for 4 people.  Currently I've only got 27k points left.  I'm toying with the idea of a very quick trip down to WDW in early Dec.   The pts would be 25k (and I'd use the CP for my DH).   Here's the concern.  We put a large deposit on this card back in May ($5000), it's not related to earning the CP or anything, but we finally decided to cancel the order (it was for a small travel trailer that will not be ready this year).  So that will be a -5000 when they process the credit in the next 2 weeks.
> 
> What's the right way to proceed so I don't go negative.  It's essentially 3000 in the hole.  I don't really have a 5k spend I could do right now unless I pay more power bill for the next 2 years lol.  Is there a way to only use 22k of my points and pay the difference.
> 
> Oh -- I guess I could just pay for the flight, lol.  It's like $350.  Certainly not the cheapest we've paid to get to MCO, but with the CP, I guess it's no so bad.  Then I can just leave my points alone.



alternately, you could purchase enough points to make up the difference so you can still book the RT tickets. Price out which is cheaper, the flight or the points.


----------



## Avery&Todd

leeniewdw said:


> Yes, that was round trip!  So that's a great idea!!!
> 
> Thank you!


I have done this before too when I was low on points - booked 2 1-way flights with points and then return flights with cash.  

Good luck!


----------



## leeniewdw

Thanks all!  I've booked the trip for 2 and am out around $100.  Not bad for 2 people for a "round" trip (booked as 2 sets of one ways)!


----------



## Gitelfor

> Tune in on our Inflight Entertainment Portal for an exclusive look at all that’s in store at @WaltDisneyWorld Resort as they celebrate their 50th anniversary this year.


Disney entertainment portal onboard Southwest flights


----------



## Gitelfor

For those who have a Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card or are thinking of applying for one, the benefits were recently expanded. 
For instance, Plus and Premier cards now include adding EarlyBird Check-In 2x per year, at no cost.


----------



## piglet1979

Gitelfor said:


> For those who have a Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card or are thinking of applying for one, the benefits were recently expanded.
> For instance, Plus and Premier cards now include adding EarlyBird Check-In 2x per year, at no cost.
> View attachment 616141



Do you know where I can get a list of the services covered for the "earn 2 points for every $1 on internet, cable, phone services and select streaming"?


----------



## ultimatefans

Can anyone confirm the process to change to a different flight the day of at no charge if there is a seat available if the original ticket was booked as an Anytime fare?  Is it the same process as a typical change?  Can I make the change anytime after midnight?


----------



## MakiraMarlena

has anybody with a premier card tried to redeem the Early Bird booking? Mine still asks for $20 and since it's not refundable, I want to see if it works before I click "purchase." I assume you need to use the SW credit card number. It also looks like it possibly does not apply to current cardholders.


----------



## Gitelfor

.


MakiraMarlena said:


> has anybody with a premier card tried to redeem the Early Bird booking? Mine still asks for $20 and since it's not refundable, I want to see if it works before I click "purchase." I assume you need to use the SW credit card number. It also looks like it possibly does not apply to current cardholders.


Check your email, if you currently have this card.  Notifications of new benefits were emailed to cardholders last week.

Terms & conditions for comped EBCI:



> 2 *Southwest® EarlyBird Check-In®: *Each anniversary year you will be reimbursed for the purchase of up to 2 EarlyBird Check-In services made with your Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card. Each EarlyBird Check-In service means a purchase made for EarlyBird Check-In one-way, per Passenger. Anniversary year means the year beginning with your account open date through the first statement date after your account open date anniversary, and the 12 monthly billing cycles after that each year. If you switch to this product from another Chase credit card, your account open date is the date the switch to the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card is completed. EarlyBird Check-In provides automatic check-in before the traditional 24-hour check-in and can be purchased as part of the original flight purchase or added to a flight after purchase. Price of EarlyBird Check-In may vary. Statement credit(s) will post to your account the same day your purchase posts to your account and will appear on your monthly credit card billing statement within 1-2 billing cycles. Account must be open and not in default at the time the statement credit is posted to your account. Statement credits will be issued for the anniversary year in which the transaction posts to your account. For example, if you purchase EarlyBird Check-In and Southwest does not post the transaction until after your current anniversary year ends, the cost of the EarlyBird Check-In services will be allocated towards the following year's maximum of 2 services.


----------



## Crazyhorse

So....I saw something on line about "new" Covid regulations for flying, starting November 8.   I can't find the article again but I know November 8th is when the USA borders open again for other countries.  The article didn't say it was only for foreign travel...it was written as though even domestic travelers will need a negative Covid test....Unvaccinated 1 day prior, vaccinated 3 days prior.   Does anyone know if that's true?  Are those of us who are flying domestic gonna have to have a negative test?  I went to SW website and it only indicates for foreign countries but this blurb I saw on line looks like it's something brand new.  Would that mean we'd have to test prior to getting on both flights?  Departure and Return flights?
EDIT to add that what I'm finding on line, not including the blurb I saw but can't find again...is that November 8 is for travelers coming into the USA...they will need negative tests.


----------



## Gitelfor

Crazyhorse said:


> So....I saw something on line about "new" Covid regulations for flying, starting November 8.   I can't find the article again but I know November 8th is when the USA borders open again for other countries.  The article didn't say it was only for foreign travel...it was written as though even domestic travelers will need a negative Covid test....Unvaccinated 1 day prior, vaccinated 3 days prior.   Does anyone know if that's true?  Are those of us who are flying domestic gonna have to have a negative test?  I went to SW website and it only indicates for foreign countries but this blurb I saw on line looks like it's something brand new.  Would that mean we'd have to test prior to getting on both flights?  Departure and Return flights?
> EDIT to add that what I'm finding on line, not including the blurb I saw but can't find again...is that November 8 is for foreign travelers coming into the USA...they will need negative tests.


This is a very reliable report from Reuters, regarding November 8 changes for international travelers to the U.S (no impact on domestic travel by Americans):

restrictions & vax regulations for international pax entering U.S.

From Reuters:




> Foreign air travelers will need to provide vaccination documentation from an "official source" and airlines must confirm the last dose was at least two weeks earlier than the travel date.
> 
> International air travelers will need to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure. The White House said unvaccinated Americans and foreign nationals receiving exemptions will need to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test within 24 hours of departing.


----------



## FCDub

MakiraMarlena said:


> has anybody with a premier card tried to redeem the Early Bird booking? Mine still asks for $20 and since it's not refundable, I want to see if it works before I click "purchase." I assume you need to use the SW credit card number. It also looks like it possibly does not apply to current cardholders.



As the PP stated, it's reimbursement – not automatically free. Same deal for upgraded boarding at the gate. You pay for it with your card and it comes off later.


----------



## MakiraMarlena

no, I don't have an email. I do have a premier card though. I also see it's reimbursement, and it's your card date that starts the year, not the calendar year.


----------



## CouponGirl

MakiraMarlena said:


> no, I don't have an email. I do have a premier card though. I also see it's reimbursement, and it's your card date that starts the year, not the calendar year.


I believe my email just came today, so it may be that all emails haven’t gone out yet

ETA - or may depend on which card you have as to when the email was sent


----------



## Gitelfor

CouponGirl said:


> I believe my email just came today, so it may be that all emails haven’t gone out yet
> 
> ETA - or may depend on which card you have as to when the email was sent


I know someone with a Business card who received the email today, while last week's email message was for a personal card.  They probably do send the notices in batches, either by type of card, expiration date, or ???


----------



## happ

MakiraMarlena said:


> has anybody with a premier card tried to redeem the Early Bird booking? Mine still asks for $20 and since it's not refundable, I want to see if it works before I click "purchase." I assume you need to use the SW credit card number. It also looks like it possibly does not apply to current cardholders.


I've been waiting to read a datapoint on this as well. It does apply to existing cardholders, but it's not clear to me if we have to wait until our cardmember annniversary to use it.


----------



## Gitelfor

happ said:


> I've been waiting to read a datapoint on this as well. It does apply to existing cardholders, but it's not clear to me if we have to wait until our cardmember annniversary to use it.


As the benefit rolls over every year, based on anniversary date, if you wait till you hit the next anniversary date, you will lose the two comped EBCI for this year.  The benefit is 2X per year, based on your anniversary (renewal) date of the card.

The posting date also is important.



> Statement credits will be issued for the anniversary year in which the transaction posts to your account. For example, if you purchase EarlyBird Check-In and Southwest does not post the transaction until after your current anniversary year ends, the cost of the EarlyBird Check-In services will be allocated towards the following year's maximum of 2 services.


----------



## ultimatefans

MakiraMarlena said:


> has anybody with a premier card tried to redeem the Early Bird booking? Mine still asks for $20 and since it's not refundable, I want to see if it works before I click "purchase." I assume you need to use the SW credit card number. It also looks like it possibly does not apply to current cardholders.





happ said:


> I've been waiting to read a datapoint on this as well. It does apply to existing cardholders, but it's not clear to me if we have to wait until our cardmember annniversary to use it.



You can check your current rewards offerings (i.e. check to see if you can use the new benefits now) by doing the following:
1) Log into your Chase account
2) Next to the Southwest credit card click More -> Rewards dashboard
3) The right column states the benefits on your card, how many are remaining, and when they reset


----------



## Avery&Todd

ultimatefans said:


> You can check your current rewards offerings (i.e. check to see if you can use the new benefits now) by doing the following:
> 1) Log into your Chase account
> 2) Next to the Southwest credit card click More -> Rewards dashboard
> 3) The right column states the benefits on your card, how many are remaining, and when they reset


THANK YOU! This was great information!


----------



## mrsstats79

I already booked a trip and bought the Early Bird.  Can I get reimbursed for it?


----------



## happ

ultimatefans said:


> You can check your current rewards offerings (i.e. check to see if you can use the new benefits now) by doing the following:
> 1) Log into your Chase account
> 2) Next to the Southwest credit card click More -> Rewards dashboard
> 3) The right column states the benefits on your card, how many are remaining, and when they reset


Thanks. I see a list of benefits, but I'm not seeing a right column with numbers remaining/dates.


----------



## MICKIMINI

SWA cancelled our nonstop out of MHT to MCO earlier this summer.  We changed flights dates/time several times, but ended up on MHT-BWI-MCO yesterday.  It ended up the worst two flights we can remember.  Every single seat was booked and BWI-MCO was delayed leaving so we were late arriving.  We got to the airport at 4 am and finally got to FL around 2 pm.  Just happy to be here but so glad despite not getting our regular nonstop, we started on the first flight.


----------



## leeniewdw

Super frustrating!!  That's one of the reasons that despite the direct flight not arriving in MCO until 1:30pm, we opted for that flight in Feb.  The non-direct only got in about an hour earlier and leaves open more delays.  Of course, it's possible that the direct flight gets changed between now and Feb.

We got SO SPOILED with our 5:15am direct in 2020 that had us land, grab bags, rental car, and make it to DHS before (just before) 8am opening!


----------



## puppytrainer

happ said:


> Thanks. I see a list of benefits, but I'm not seeing a right column with numbers remaining/dates.


I don't see it either, wonder if I'm not looking in quote the right spot?


----------



## focusondisney

happ said:


> Thanks. I see a list of benefits, but I'm not seeing a right column with numbers remaining/dates.



I scrolled down on the dashboard.  Mine was down on the page a bit, not in a right column.


----------



## Gitelfor

FYI - Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card enhanced benefits became effective 10/19/2021.


----------



## leeniewdw

I went ahead and added Early Bird for our Dec flights (we each have a SW CC) and so far the charges are pending.   We'll see if they get reversed before they hit or if it comes thru as a charge and then a credit.


----------



## focusondisney

leeniewdw said:


> I went ahead and added Early Bird for our Dec flights (we each have a SW CC) and so far the charges are pending.   We'll see if they get reversed before they hit or if it comes thru as a charge and then a credit.



I get the 4 upgraded boardings with my card.  It showed  on my statement as a change, with the credit as the next line item.  This will probably work the same way.


----------



## happ

leeniewdw said:


> I went ahead and added Early Bird for our Dec flights (we each have a SW CC) and so far the charges are pending.   We'll see if they get reversed before they hit or if it comes thru as a charge and then a credit.


I look forward to seeing what happens. I read a datapoint on the CC thread about the new points transfer credit posting right after the charge. Hopefully this works the same way.


----------



## dez1978

This is a dumb question probably, but if I have a flight booked on my husbands points, but I have my RR # in for my reservation, do I get points for that or does my husband? Or neither since it's booked with points


----------



## dez1978

EACarlson said:


> Companions are now automatically assigned boarding positions immediately in front of the person they are the companion to.


Dang it, when did this start?  Like a month ago I booked flights and SW told me I'd have to get the ECBI for all of us to be able to board together since I am on a diff reservation # as the companion.  I finally gave in a bought the ecbi yesterday and now I see this lol.


----------



## jcarwash

dez1978 said:


> This is a dumb question probably, but if I have a flight booked on my husbands points, but I have my RR # in for my reservation, do I get points for that or does my husband? Or neither since it's booked with points



You don't accrue points on flights that you purchase with points.


----------



## EACarlson

dez1978 said:


> Dang it, when did this start?  Like a month ago I booked flights and SW told me I'd have to get the ECBI for all of us to be able to board together since I am on a diff reservation # as the companion.  I finally gave in a bought the ecbi yesterday and now I see this lol.


I believe it was confirmed on FlyerTalk by a SW employee in July.  Not surprising that a SW phone rep wouldn't know the rules.  I've found I get much better information here and FT than I do directly from the companies.


----------



## Gitelfor

dez1978 said:


> Dang it, when did this start?  Like a month ago I booked flights and SW told me I'd have to get the ECBI for all of us to be able to board together since I am on a diff reservation # as the companion.  I finally gave in a bought the ecbi yesterday and now I see this lol.


The perk of having your companion board with you (boarding position next to yours) began early this year. That applies only to your companion, not everyone in your party.


----------



## ultimatefans

Gitelfor said:


> The perk of having your companion board with you (boarding position next to yours) began early this year. That applies only to your companion, not everyone in your party.


I wonder if that's why I had trouble when I flew in July?  My companion checked in separately like he always had, bur our check-in positions were modified to whoever got the later boarding position.  One time the companion had the later number and one time the main person did.  Both times both boarding positions were changed to the later one.  We'd never seen that before, so maybe that's because the companion is automatically assigned now?  Next time we won't check in the companion and hopefully won't have an issue.


----------



## leeniewdw

Ugh, looks like I wasted the 2 Early Bird additions for my companion.   I was actually thinking of just doing one and hoping no one would sit in the middle seat before he got on board, but I realize now that wasn't even necessary.

Does anyone know if they'll refund EB cost if they end up having to put you on a different flight because yours was canceled?   We had that happen this summer when weather delayed our aircraft and we had to reschedule for the next day.  Obviously we were way at the back of boarding given it was like 12 hours later and we didn't get to sit together, etc.   I meant to call but there was always such a long wait (and completely forgot to ask when they were rebooking us.  given we had to get a hotel etc, it was the last thing on my mind).


----------



## Gitelfor

leeniewdw said:


> Does anyone know if they'll refund EB cost if they end up having to put you on a different flight because yours was canceled?   We had that happen this summer when weather delayed our aircraft and we had to reschedule for the next day.  Obviously we were way at the back of boarding given it was like 12 hours later and we didn't get to sit together, etc.   I meant to call but there was always such a long wait (and completely forgot to ask when they were rebooking us.  given we had to get a hotel etc, it was the last thing on my mind).


I think they will issue a refund if they cancelled the flight (and you nicely ask).  The best way usually is to send them a DM on social media (i.e. Twitter).  The employees who handle Twitter messages are from the department that can make special accommodations.  Weather cancellations is a gray area, though.


----------



## focusondisney

ultimatefans said:


> Next time we won't check in the companion and hopefully won't have an issue.



Everyone still needs to check in, even someone on a CP.  SW can not just  put someone in front of you later. If you get A20… someone else has already checked in & gotten A19.  So if you wait, you may end up having to move back to the position behind your CP.  SW isn’t going to displace someone else to put your CP with you.  Or add A20 1 & 2. If your CP gets C1, they’ll move you back to C2.  People have reported getting emails that changed their boarding positions after check in.  

I buy EBCI for both myself & my CP, we always get As in sequential order.  I’d say check you both in at the same time, or as close as possible.


----------



## BillFromCT

Gitelfor said:


> I think they will issue a refund if they cancelled the flight (and you nicely ask).  The best way usually is to send them a DM on social media (i.e. Twitter).  The employees who handle Twitter messages are from the department that can make special accommodations.  Weather cancellations is a gray area, though.


It happened to me in 2019 when the flight was canceled 3 hours before departure and I got put in C35 on the last minute rebooked flight.  I sent an email in and asked for my early bird to be refunded. The reply was that they couldn’t refund my early bird but sent me a $150 LUV certificate instead.  I told my coworker, who was also supposed to be on the canceled flight to email.  She got the same $150 certificate.


----------



## leeniewdw

leeniewdw said:


> I went ahead and added Early Bird for our Dec flights (we each have a SW CC) and so far the charges are pending.   We'll see if they get reversed before they hit or if it comes thru as a charge and then a credit.





happ said:


> I look forward to seeing what happens. I read a datapoint on the CC thread about the new points transfer credit posting right after the charge. Hopefully this works the same way.





focusondisney said:


> I get the 4 upgraded boardings with my card.  It showed  on my statement as a change, with the credit as the next line item.  This will probably work the same way.



This is exactly what happened.  The charges were pending for a day or 2 but when they actually hit, the credit was there as well.  It worked well (other than me wasting 2 of them because I'm using a CP on these flights, so apparently didn't need to do it for DH).


----------



## rangerxenos

Wow, it pays to keep checking flights, my return flight home in December just dropped almost $85!!!   I've never had a fare this cheap before!  More credit to use for another trip next year!


----------



## Disneytam

MakiraMarlena said:


> has anybody with a premier card tried to redeem the Early Bird booking? Mine still asks for $20 and since it's not refundable, I want to see if it works before I click "purchase." I assume you need to use the SW credit card number. It also looks like it possibly does not apply to current cardholders.


yes I did it with mine a little over a week ago and was pleasantly surprised to see the $25 charge already refunded back to my card. They do charge your card when you book it but on your next billing cycle you will see the refund put back on your card.


----------



## LadybugsMum

For those that fly out of RDU, do you find that EBCI is worth it? My kids are too old and too tall for family boarding now; so it’d be nice to not have to remember to check in, but it would add $60 each way.


----------



## Gitelfor

To those who have a Chase Southwest credit card and are familiar with the More Rewards program, but have not been able to take advantage of it, recently, due to it undergoing "maintenance," the site is back up and running.

If you have RR points that you are not planning to use for flights, you can use your points to make other purchases. This program only is available to current Rapid Rewards Credit Cardholders.

*More Reward Options for Rapid Rewards Members*
With the More Rewards program, Rapid Rewards® Credit Cardmembers can use their points for merchandise, international flights on global carriers, hotel stays, rental cars, gift cards, and exclusive Cardmember experiences.

More Rewards

If you have LOTS of points to burn, check out some of the experiences, such as:

Starting At: 926,250 Points
Just Rewards All-Star Disney Vacation

The accommodations are at ASM or similar !


----------



## BLTtinkerbell

MICKIMINI said:


> SWA cancelled our nonstop out of MHT to MCO earlier this summer.  We changed flights dates/time several times, but ended up on MHT-BWI-MCO yesterday.  It ended up the worst two flights we can remember.  Every single seat was booked and BWI-MCO was delayed leaving so we were late arriving.  We got to the airport at 4 am and finally got to FL around 2 pm.  Just happy to be here but so glad despite not getting our regular nonstop, we started on the first flight.



Sorry that’s how your trip started. 
I wish SW would stop taking away their non-stop flights from MHT to MCO.
I hope you have a wonderful vacation!


----------



## leeniewdw

LadybugsMum said:


> For those that fly out of RDU, do you find that EBCI is worth it? My kids are too old and too tall for family boarding now; so it’d be nice to not have to remember to check in, but it would add $60 each way.



I don't have recent experience at RDU, but I flew SW twice this summer from RDU.  Direct to Denver and used EBCI for a very full flight.  We got screwed with the EBCI on the way back because our flight was canceled due to storms (aircraft didn't arrive) and had to take non-direct flights the next day with no EBCI transferred.  Didn't get to sit together and were stuck in middle seats (PLUS had to pay for a hotel). 

Second time was a trip connecting thru ATL -- I can't even recall if I got EBCI, I don't think I did because it was just me and I knew I'd be able to do the check-ins at the appropriate time.  Flights weren't full.

IOW, who knows!?


----------



## firstwdw

Those with Southwest Visa....I see we get 2 Early Bird Check-in's per year now. How does this work? Do I just use the SW credit cart to pay for Early Bird and then I'm refunded for 2? I would be buying 6 Early Birds at $25 each way pp. It's just 3 of us and the trip is in 3 weeks. We don't qualify for family boarding but we want to sit with each other-especially due to Covid.....So #1.....not sure if I should purchase Early Bird and #2.....how do I get refunded for the 2 free Early Birds that come with the credit card?


----------



## leeniewdw

firstwdw said:


> Those with Southwest Visa....I see we get 2 Early Bird Check-in's per year now. How does this work? Do I just use the SW credit cart to pay for Early Bird and then I'm refunded for 2? I would be buying 6 Early Birds at $25 each way pp. It's just 3 of us and the trip is in 3 weeks. We don't qualify for family boarding but we want to sit with each other-especially due to Covid.....So #1.....not sure if I should purchase Early Bird and #2.....how do I get refunded for the 2 free Early Birds that come with the credit card?



I did this just this week (look back about 8 posts) and it worked exactly this way.  The charge for the EB hit (as pending) but when it actually hit my card a credit appeared as well.  Net 0 on the same day it posted.


----------



## firstwdw

leeniewdw said:


> I did this just this week (look back about 8 posts) and it worked exactly this way.  The charge for the EB hit (as pending) but when it actually hit my card a credit appeared as well.  Net 0 on the same day it posted.


THANK YOU! I wonder if it's worth the extra $100 to ensure we can hopefully sit together....this is our first flight since Covid


----------



## leeniewdw

You might also want to review the last few pages.  If anyone is flying with you as a Companion Pass, apparently you don't have to buy the EB for them, they'll be seated with you automatically.  I haven't done this personally, but people have reported that.


----------



## firstwdw

Also if everyone is on the same roundtrip confirmation number, we MUST purchase EBCI for EVERYONE in the party correct? No purchasing for 1 or 2 instead of all 3 to ensure that at least the older kid is with a parent? (we don't qualify for family boarding)
. thanks


----------



## Gitelfor

firstwdw said:


> Also if everyone is on the same roundtrip confirmation number, we MUST purchase EBCI for EVERYONE in the party correct? No purchasing for 1 or 2 instead of all 3 to ensure that at least the older kid is with a parent? (we don't qualify for family boarding)
> . thanks


Correct


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

LadybugsMum said:


> For those that fly out of RDU, do you find that EBCI is worth it? My kids are too old and too tall for family boarding now; so it’d be nice to not have to remember to check in, but it would add $60 each way.





BLTtinkerbell said:


> Sorry that’s how your trip started.
> I wish SW would stop taking away their non-stop flights from MHT to MCO.
> I hope you have a wonderful vacation!


There are still non stop to Orlando.  Because if I want to fly to RDU from MHT, I have to change planes in Orlando.  10 hr trip as opposed to 4 or 5. I hear what you are saying.  There used to be multiple flights…


----------



## CouponGirl

leeniewdw said:


> This is exactly what happened.  The charges were pending for a day or 2 but when they actually hit, the credit was there as well.  It worked well (other than me wasting 2 of them because I'm using a CP on these flights, so apparently didn't need to do it for DH).


I don’t know that you wasted two...all of their red “fine print” says the companion must check in separately.

I’d be hesitant to assume they check them in automatically unless a lot of people start reporting that has happened to them. We flew in September and one of the ways we were not in sequential order. (I believe it was only one number in between)


----------



## leeniewdw

CouponGirl said:


> I don’t know that you wasted two...all of their red “fine print” says the companion must check in separately.
> 
> I’d be hesitant to assume they check them in automatically unless a lot of people start reporting that has happened to them. We flew in September and one of the ways we were not in sequential order. (I believe it was only one number in between)



I meant that we're flying in Dec.  2 people, 1 companion pass.  Perhaps I misunderstood, but it sounds like I only needed to purchase the EBCI for me and it would apply to my CP person?   We both have SW CC, so I added EBCI to us both.  I guess I thought the posts indicated my CP person didn't need to pay for theirs.


----------



## barb969

i have a companion pass for DH. i called SW a couple of days ago. They said if I have early bird he will automatically get number next to mine.


----------



## CouponGirl

leeniewdw said:


> I meant that we're flying in Dec.  2 people, 1 companion pass.  Perhaps I misunderstood, but it sounds like I only needed to purchase the EBCI for me and it would apply to my CP person?   We both have SW CC, so I added EBCI to us both.  I guess I thought the posts indicated my CP person didn't need to pay for theirs.


Oh, I’m sorry, I think it’s me who misunderstood. I was thinking for just normal checkin with a companion pass. I don’t have any experience with early bird check in.


----------



## elgerber

CouponGirl said:


> I don’t know that you wasted two...all of their red “fine print” says the companion must check in separately.
> 
> I’d be hesitant to assume they check them in automatically unless a lot of people start reporting that has happened to them. We flew in September and one of the ways we were not in sequential order. (I believe it was only one number in between)


We flew last week, and I only purchased one EBCI. I had A39 and CP had A40 on both legs of our flight.


----------



## leeniewdw

elgerber said:


> We flew last week, and I only purchased one EBCI. I had A39 and CP had A40 on both legs of our flight.



Thanks. And I presume I can't retract the one I unnecessarily add to my CP?


----------



## LadybugsMum

Cruzin’Sisters said:


> There are still non stop to Orlando.  Because if I want to fly to RDU from MHT, I have to change planes in Orlando.  10 hr trip as opposed to 4 or 5. I hear what you are saying.  There used to be multiple flights…


Do you have any guidance on EBCI for flying out of RDU to MCO?


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

LadybugsMum said:


> Do you have any guidance on EBCI for flying out of RDU to MCO?


Sorry, no. I have always been able to get A or B boarding passes right at  24 hr mark. My son is fully grown now and can sit wherever he likes.


----------



## jkelly86

I apologize for asking this because I think it's already been covered here, but I can't find it!  What happens with A-list check-in if they have a CP travrling with them?  Also, the highest annual fee SW Visa (Priority?) has 4 upgraded boardings per year instead of the free EBCI's correct?  I have not had luck with upgraded boarding availability.


----------



## Gitelfor

jkelly86 said:


> I apologize for asking this because I think it's already been covered here, but I can't find it!  What happens with A-list check-in if they have a CP travrling with them?  Also, the highest annual fee SW Visa (Priority?) has 4 upgraded boardings per year instead of the free EBCI's correct?  I have not had luck with upgraded boarding availability.


A-Lister with a CP should have sequential boarding numbers for the two, with the Companion as low as A16 and the CP holder as low as A17.

You are correct about the new credit card perks.  Word of warning, though, if purchasing the BS upgraded boarding position at the gate.  If you only purchase for the CP holder, under the assumption that the Companion gets a sequential boarding number, that probably won’t work.  I know someone who purchased upgraded boarding at the gate, which turned out to be A15.  His companion had to board at the position assigned at T-24, which was B38.  Neither customer had A-List status.

What I’m not sure about, however, is what happens if the CP holder purchases one upgraded boarding at the gate, lower than A15.  Will the agent pull another upgraded boarding position for the Companion, without  charging for it, so both board together under the CP guidelines?


----------



## rangerxenos

BLTtinkerbell said:


> Sorry that’s how your trip started.
> I wish SW would stop taking away their non-stop flights from MHT to MCO.
> I hope you have a wonderful vacation!



There's only one non stop flight for me coming home to BDL from MCO in December.  There used to be 3 a day!


----------



## Gitelfor

There is an update to the 2022 schedule extension.  The next extension only will go thru 06/04/2022.



> We are currently accepting air reservations through April 24, 2022. On December 8, 2021 we will open our schedule for sale through June 4th, 2022. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


----------



## scrappinginontario

firstwdw said:


> Also if everyone is on the same roundtrip confirmation number, we MUST purchase EBCI for EVERYONE in the party correct? No purchasing for 1 or 2 instead of all 3 to ensure that at least the older kid is with a parent? (we don't qualify for family boarding)
> . thanks


If you all want to sit together then yes, you must purchase EBCI for all.

An exception to 'booking for all' is when we travel with my parents.  They like to board early and sit as close to the front as possible.  My DD and I do not need to board early or sit with them so I purchase EBCI for them (after completing the ticket purchase for all 4 of us).  They sit together and we sit together but I choose not to pay EBCI for my DD and I.


----------



## Avery&Todd

so if this is my flight down to MCO and it's sold out in all categories, does this mean it's a full flight or perhaps they're pondering removing the flight?

it's next Wednesday!!


----------



## scrappinginontario

Avery&Todd said:


> so if this is my flight down to MCO and it's sold out in all categories, does this mean it's a full flight or perhaps they're pondering removing the flight?
> 
> it's next Wednesday!!
> 
> View attachment 618921


Yikes!!  I hope for your sake it means it's full.  Have you noticed the price increasing before it was listed as 'Unavailable'?


----------



## Gitelfor

Avery&Todd said:


> so if this is my flight down to MCO and it's sold out in all categories, does this mean it's a full flight or perhaps they're pondering removing the flight?
> 
> it's next Wednesday!!


Did you try searching your flight for the day after and day before your departure date?  If the flight shows available for those dates, your flight is probably sold out, IMHO.  You could also call and ask, for more peace of mind.


----------



## Avery&Todd

scrappinginontario said:


> Yikes!!  I hope for your sake it means it's full.  Have you noticed the price increasing before it was listed as 'Unavailable'?


Yes -I had posted earlier that we got this flight for just over 9k/ticket and it was up to 30k and then I saw it at almost 40k..

that can't be good...perhaps they're going to cancel it??

if they're going to do that then I need them to do it now and now later....so I can make other plans!


----------



## Avery&Todd

scrappinginontario said:


> Yikes!!  I hope for your sake it means it's full.  Have you noticed the price increasing before it was listed as 'Unavailable'?


OK -so in a moment of panic I reached out to SW via FB and asked them and they said that my flight is SOLD OUT!!!

WOOT!  I guess that's better than being cancelled!!

I also noticed that most of the flights coming home on Sunday are sold out of Wanna Get Away fares:


----------



## Lsdolphin

So I just saved another $20 off flights I booked back on the day SwA schedule opened thru April 24th.  my flights have dropped 5X since I booked. I can’t believe I’m checking everyday!  I now have $182 credit including credits from flights for Dec and Feb.  I was also able to save $300 with the new AP resort discount that dropped this am.


----------



## Gitelfor

Lsdolphin said:


> So I just saved another $20 off flights I booked back on the day SwA schedule opened thru April 24th.  my flights have dropped 5X since I booked. I can’t believe I’m checking everyday!  I now have $182 credit including credits from flights for Dec and Feb.  I was also able to save $300 with the new AP resort discount that dropped this am.



That's great news!

They had a new "sale" that started today.  I also saved on some flights, earlier this morning.

A reminder for those with travel credits...if you use more than one credit toward purchase of a new flight, all credits used for that flight will inherit the expiration date of the oldest credit.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Gitelfor said:


> That's great news!
> 
> They had a new "sale" that started today.  I also saved on some flights, earlier this morning.
> 
> A reminder for those with travel credits...if you use more than one credit toward purchase of a new flight, all credits used for that flight will inherit the expiration date of the oldest credit.



Also, i might be wrong but I think you can only use up to 2 refund credits on a reservation so I plan to book 2-one ways flights so I can use 4 travel fund credits.


----------



## scrappinginontario

I received today's email also and decided to check my flights again.  I was able to save almost 5,000 points (just under 2,500 pts/person) by leave 3 hours later.  It will mean pretty much just checking in, unpacking and getting ready for the following day when we arrive but was worth it for those extra points.

LOL, and other Canadians may understand, gives me a few more shopping hours before our flight to grab the things we've missed by not being able to 'hop across the border' for the past 20 months!!


----------



## leeniewdw

It's so interesting as every time people post about fares/points-needed dropping, I check and my itineraries have gone up in price/points.   At this point I'm just praying we don't get canceled or have our direct turn into a connecting.  I'll consider that a win.


----------



## Avery&Todd

leeniewdw said:


> It's so interesting as every time people post about fares/points-needed dropping, I check and my itineraries have gone up in price/points.   At this point I'm just praying we don't get canceled or have our direct turn into a connecting.  I'll consider that a win.


Im with you!  My flights for next week went up from 9k points to over 40k points a ticket and the ones for March haven't dropped a point - in fact they've gone up over 6k a ticket!

I must not fly out of a popular enough airport to get my prices to drop!


----------



## scrappinginontario

leeniewdw said:


> It's so interesting as every time people post about fares/points-needed dropping, I check and my itineraries have gone up in price/points.   At this point I'm just praying we don't get canceled or have our direct turn into a connecting.  I'll consider that a win.


My late Jan flight had always gone up until today and it required me flying at a different time to save points.


----------



## dez1978

leeniewdw said:


> It's so interesting as every time people post about fares/points-needed dropping, I check and my itineraries have gone up in price/points.   At this point I'm just praying we don't get canceled or have our direct turn into a connecting.  I'll consider that a win.


Same!!!  My return flight has tripled.


----------



## leeniewdw

scrappinginontario said:


> My late Jan flight had always gone up until today and it required me flying at a different time to save points.



Ah, I didn't really check other itineraries, but that's because I'm on the only direct flight they have that day and our trip is so short we can't add the risk/time of connections.


----------



## Gitelfor

Earn up to 3500 bonus RR points through the Southwest shopping portal, for a limited time.



> **During the “Holiday Bonus” offer, which runs from November 1, 2021 at 12:00 a.m. ET through November 22, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. ET (the “Bonus Period”), Rapid Rewards Shopping® member will earn a one-time bonus of up to 3,500 Rapid Rewards® bonus points on qualifying purchases, in addition to the standard Rapid Rewards points earned from shopping online through Rapid Rewards Shopping. “Qualifying purchases” do not include returns, cancellations, shipping and handling, taxes, gift card, or other cash equivalent purchases, and certain products that are not eligible for bonus points. Please see the Rapid Rewards Shopping site for details on product eligibility and other restrictions.
> 
> This one-time bonus award will be determined using one of the following tiers, based on member’s cumulative qualifying purchases made during the Bonus Period: Tier one bonus: Earn 500 Rapid Rewards bonus points for qualifying purchases of $100 - $499.99; Tier two bonus: Earn 1,000 Rapid Rewards bonus points for qualifying purchases of $500 - $999.99; or Tier three bonus: Earn 3,500 Rapid Rewards bonus points for qualifying purchases of $1,000 or more. Rapid Rewards bonus points should post to your Rapid Rewards account by December 31, 2021. The Tier 3 bonus provides the maximum number of points that will be awarded to an eligible Rapid Rewards account. Void where prohibited by law.
> 
> All Rapid Rewards rules and regulations apply and can be found at Southwest.com/rrterms. Bonus points for this Holiday Bonus offer will count toward A-List, A-List Preferred and Companion Pass® qualification. Southwest® reserves the right to amend, suspend, or change the Rapid Rewards program and/or Rapid Rewards program rules at any time without notice. Rapid Rewards Members do not acquire property rights in accrued points. The number of points needed for a particular Southwest flight is set by Southwest and will vary depending on destination, time, day of travel, demand, fare type, point redemption rate, and other factors, and is subject to change at any time until the booking is confirmed.
> 
> Program Terms for All Transactions: Transactions are not eligible for points on purchases made with coupons or discount codes that are not found on the Rapid Rewards Shopping® site. Prices, offers, and point earning rates are subject to change. Please check specific merchant restrictions and terms and conditions on the Rapid Rewards Shopping site to determine specific offer requirements and/or if purchases of gift cards, certificates, or other cash equivalents are eligible for points.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Avery&Todd said:


> Im with you!  My flights for next week went up from 9k points to over 40k points a ticket and the ones for March haven't dropped a point - in fact they've gone up over 6k a ticket!
> 
> I must not fly out of a popular enough airport to get my prices to drop!



I think it’s because your/our airport IS that popular!!!

2 questions-

This weekend is my first time checking in as an A lister (woot woot!)  When exactly am I supposed to check in? It’s me and ds plus DH as my CP

Also - where does everyone look to see if flights/routes have been canceled previously… I may need to book on AA for an upcoming trip (sorry SW - make a non stop to Miami for me!!!) and with all the turmoil at AA I want to know if the flight I’m looking at has been canceled a bunch recently!!


----------



## Gitelfor

Erica Ladd said:


> I think it’s because your/our airport IS that popular!!!
> 
> 2 questions-
> 
> This weekend is my first time checking in as an A lister (woot woot!)  When exactly am I supposed to check in? It’s me and ds plus DH as my CP
> 
> Also - where does everyone look to see if flights/routes have been canceled previously… I may need to book on AA for an upcoming trip (sorry SW - make a non stop to Miami for me!!!) and with all the turmoil at AA I want to know if the flight I’m looking at has been canceled a bunch recently!!


As an A-Lister, you and DH will receive sequential boarding positions automatically assigned at about T-36, just before EBCI positions are assigned.  Unless DS has EBCI,  his check-in s/b at T-24.  You will be able to access boarding passes for you and DH at  T-24.  I would confirm in advance that your status has been attached to your account, so that there are no glitches for your automatic check-in.

I don’t know if past flight cancellations would be a good indicator of future cancellations.  You can check recent flight history on FlightAware.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Gitelfor said:


> As an A-Lister, you and DH will receive sequential boarding positions automatically assigned at about T-36, just before EBCI positions are assigned.  Unless DS has EBCI,  his check-in s/b at T-24.  You will be able to access boarding passes for you and DH at  T-24.  I would confirm in advance that your status has been attached to your account, so that there are no glitches for your automatic check-in.
> 
> I don’t know if past flight cancellations would be a good indicator of future cancellations.  You can check recent flight history on FlightAware.



Thanks for the reply. For some reason I thought everyone on the same reservation would get sequential boarding numbers. Oh well - I guess I’ll still be setting the alarm to be ready at T-24!!


----------



## Gitelfor

Erica Ladd said:


> Thanks for the reply. For some reason I thought everyone on the same reservation would get sequential boarding numbers. Oh well - I guess I’ll still be setting the alarm to be ready at T-24!!


Yes, sorry, just assumed each person had different confirmation numbers. So, if your son was booked on same reservation as you,  he will also be automatically checked in with you.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Awesome!  I have separated us because of cash vs points tickets in the past but this time it is the two of us on one reservation and then the CP so that’s best news! Do I have to rush at T-24 or can I just do it somewhere around there?


----------



## Gitelfor

Erica Ladd said:


> Awesome!  I have separated us because of cash vs points tickets in the past but this time it is the two of us on one reservation and then the CP so that’s best news! Do I have to rush at T-24 or can I just do it somewhere around there?


As long as your A-List is activated on your account, you don’t need to do T-24.  If this is your first flight with A-List, I personally would just double-check with Southwest to make sure your status was linked to your reservations.  Then, you won’t have to worry about anything, but having a great time on your trip and enjoying your A-List benefits.

BTW, I think one of the better perks is the dedicated phone number for A-Listers, which can shorten hold times, when they are very busy.  Of course, you can also contact them on social media.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Here’s a thing- my DH decided at the last minute to come and I forgot to add him as my cp until just now at T-34.5  Will this totally mess things up or should we still be ok?

eta - I just added him for our 5:05 pm flight tomorrow and it worked but when I check now for available seats there are none! Hoping this all works out’


----------



## Erica Ladd

Just to report that I called the A-list number and DH was not checked in immediately after the 36 hour mark. there is a chance they will do a sweep and check him in prior to T 24 but at this point it looks like I will have to check him in right at 5:05 PM and hope that he gets a boarding pass somewhere close to us or that they link him to my reservation. Thank you for the advice to call the A-list number


----------



## Gitelfor

Erica Ladd said:


> Just to report that I called the A-list number and DH was not checked in immediately after the 36 hour mark. there is a chance they will do a sweep and check him in prior to T 24 but at this point it looks like I will have to check him in right at 5:05 PM and hope that he gets a boarding pass somewhere close to us or that they link him to my reservation. Thank you for the advice to call the A-list number


If your DH was not checked in prior to the             T-24 check-in, I would just suggest you and your son select aisle and window seats in a row, leaving the center seat open.  If you can check him in promptly at T-24, it is unlikely that anyone else will want to sit in that seat, prior to your husband boarding.  FYI, there is no official Southwest policy for saving seats, either way.

I have heard reports of an extra sweep, before T-24 check-begins, so that just might work out.

Please let us know how it works out.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Gitelfor said:


> If your DH was not checked in prior to the             T-24 check-in, I would just suggest you and your son select aisle and window seats in a row, leaving the center seat open.  If you can check him in promptly at T-24, it is unlikely that anyone else will want to sit in that seat, prior to your husband boarding.  FYI, there is no official Southwest policy for saving seats, either way.
> 
> I have heard reports of an extra sweep, before T-24 check-begins, so that just might work out.
> 
> Please let us know how it works out.


I definitely will!  They said I can call back and see if a sweep was done. We have 3 alarms set just in case 5 minutes before T-24!!!


----------



## Gitelfor

Erica Ladd said:


> I definitely will!  They said I can call back and see if a sweep was done. We have 3 alarms set just in case 5 minutes before T-24!!!


If someone else also can try to check him in at the same time on a different device, sometimes a few seconds can make a difference.

You’ve got this!


----------



## jkelly86

I received some flight changes today (just flight number/aircraft but same times) today for March and April flights.  Those rates did decrease so I was able to refund some points to our accounts.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Update - DH was on his desktop and I was on my phone. He clicked through right at 5 but had to click again as it said it was t time yet. I was there on my phone to check ds and I in. DH got B14 and we got A25&26!!!  Should be easy to get a decent row and leave the middle seat open for him until he boards.  
FWIW I did try and call the a-list number again around 4pm and he still had not been checked in. I told him from now on the rule is if he decides to tag along he needs to do so by T-36 plus 10 minutes for me to find his travel funds!!!

thanks all!


----------



## Kazi7

I've seen much written about the posting of the 50,000 points for new SW credit cards but I don't want to screw it up. If my next posting date will be Dec 5th, then if I hit my $2000 charges after that, the 50k points shouldn't post until 2022, correct?   Should I really be concerned that purchases made between Dec 5 and Jan 5 will somehow trigger points to post before the Jan posting date?  I've read posts that advise waiting until after the first of the year to even charge anything just in case.


----------



## dez1978

Kazi7 said:


> I've seen much written about the posting of the 50,000 points for new SW credit cards but I don't want to screw it up. If my next posting date will be Dec 5th, then if I hit my $2000 charges after that, the 50k points shouldn't post until 2022, correct?   Should I really be concerned that purchases made between Dec 5 and Jan 5 will somehow trigger points to post before the Jan posting date?  I've read posts that advise waiting until after the first of the year to even charge anything just in case.


why would we not want it to post until 2022?  I think I missed something lol


----------



## sj3mark

dez1978 said:


> why would we not want it to post until 2022?  I think I missed something lol


If it posts in 2022, those 50,000 bonus points will count for Companion Pass earnings for 2022, giving a significant boost towards the 125,000 points needed to earn it for 2022-2023.


----------



## Kazi7

Exactly this. Need all bonus points to post to 2022 for companion pass. So what about my original question?


----------



## sj3mark

From what I've found, you would be correct.  As long as its after your December statement is sent out, it should post in 2022.  This is taken directly from the Rapid Rewards CC FAQ page (sorry, it took me forever to find it again).  Hopefully this answers your question.



> IMPORTANT: Know your credit card's annual earning cutoff date.
> Your December statement closing date is the cutoff for purchases made with your Rapid Rewards Credit Card to count towards a Companion Pass for that calendar year.
> For example, if your December statement closes on December 16, points for purchases posted to your statements made after that date will not count toward qualifying points for the year.


----------



## Kazi7

Thanks!  I agree it sure seems to indicate that is the way it's supposed to work.


----------



## dez1978

sj3mark said:


> If it posts in 2022, those 50,000 bonus points will count for Companion Pass earnings for 2022, giving a significant boost towards the 125,000 points needed to earn it for 2022-2023.


Well *insert all the bad words here....

Just hit my spend for the 1st part of it last week,  Maybe itll take the full 8 weeks to post...


----------



## EACarlson

New sale fares dropped today.  I saved almost 4,000 points by rebooking for a trip in January.


----------



## Jhondy

So, I have 4 travel funds in my name and 4 for DD under same reservation number. When I book my next flight can I use all four or is the only way to use all 4 is to book one way tickets for me and DD?

i’m annoyed cause it sounds like I can’t easily use all 4 and the expiration of a year doesn’t give much time to use them.


----------



## EACarlson

Jhondy said:


> So, I have 4 travel funds in my name and 4 for DD under same reservation number. When I book my next flight can I use all four or is the only way to use all 4 is to book one way tickets for me and DD?
> 
> i’m annoyed cause it sounds like I can’t easily use all 4 and the expiration of a year doesn’t give much time to use them.


You can only use three at one time.  You could use two one way and two the other, there used to be a method to combine travel funds but it is technically against the contract of carriage to do so and I don't know if it still works.  If you call in you may be able to get a representative to help you figure it out.


----------



## Jhondy

EACarlson said:


> You can only use three at one time.  You could use two one way and two the other, there used to be a method to combine travel funds but it is technically against the contract of carriage to do so and I don't know if it still works.  If you call in you may be able to get a representative to help you figure it out.



if three of them are all from one reservation number (like the flight price went down 3 times) does that count as 1 or 3 since it has same reservation number. For example first 6 numbers are the same when I look it up but the last 4 numbers are different


----------



## mjdis17

Jhondy said:


> So, I have 4 travel funds in my name and 4 for DD under same reservation number. When I book my next flight can I use all four or is the only way to use all 4 is to book one way tickets for me and DD?
> 
> i’m annoyed cause it sounds like I can’t easily use all 4 and the expiration of a year doesn’t give much time to use them.


The website says three forms of payment *per passenger* can be used when checking out. Are all 4 funds under different confirmation numbers? I wasn't sure what you meant by under same reservation number. When you apply travel funds it only asks for the confirmation number and passenger first/last name so if they were all from the same initial reservation you would only actually have 1 travel fund per person. Not saying you are wrong, just mentioning it 

If you really do have 4 funds each you'll need to book each leg of the trip as a one way, but you could use up to 3 for each person so I you can easily use all of your funds - use up to 3 on the first leg, then book the second leg using the anything left over from the 3rd one you used on the first leg and then your 4th one, plus a card if you need to make up the difference.


----------



## mjdis17

Jhondy said:


> if three of them are all from one reservation number (like the flight price went down 3 times) does that count as 1 or 3 since it has same reservation number. For example first 6 numbers are the same when I look it up but the last 4 numbers are different


Travel funds always go off the 6 digit confirmation number. When you look up the original 6 digit confirmation number and first/last name here it would tell you the value and that would let you know if you have 4 or 1: https://www.southwest.com/travel-funds/


----------



## Jhondy

mjdis17 said:


> Travel funds always go off the 6 digit confirmation number. When you look up the original 6 digit confirmation number and first/last name here it would tell you the value and that would let you know if you have 4 or 1: https://www.southwest.com/travel-funds/



thanks. I think that means me and my daughter each have two and my husband has one. It’s just confusing cause when I put in the 6 digit confirmation number, it just shows me 3 individual amounts because it was 3 times those set of tickets went down in price.

since me and my 2 year old each have the same 2 confirmation number vouchers and my husband has a different travel fund number, will I have to buy each of our tickets separate so I can use the 2 vouchers for me, and then the 2 vouchers for DD, and then the one voucher for DH?


----------



## mjdis17

Jhondy said:


> thanks. I think that means me and my daughter each have two and my husband has one. It’s just confusing cause when I put in the 6 digit confirmation number, it just shows me 3 individual amounts because it was 3 times those set of tickets went down in price.
> 
> since me and my 2 year old each have the same 2 confirmation number vouchers and my husband has a different travel fund number, will I have to buy each of our tickets separate so I can use the 2 vouchers for me, and then the 2 vouchers for DD, and then the one voucher for DH?


Each passenger can have up to 3 payment methods. So you should be able to do them all at once since you only have 2, your DD has 2, and DH has 1. Then you’d still even be able to use a credit card to cover any additional costs if your vouchers don’t cover it all.


----------



## Jhondy

mjdis17 said:


> Each passenger can have up to 3 payment methods. So you should be able to do them all at once since you only have 2, your DD has 2, and DH has 1. Then you’d still even be able to use a credit card to cover any additional costs if your vouchers don’t cover it all.



awesome! Thanks so much for your help!


----------



## EmilyGahr

Just checked our January dates - was able to get 6,100 points back because of the current sale!


----------



## ultimatefans

COMPANION PASS CHECK-IN TEST
There have been rumors that starting earlier this year companions are automatically checked in when the companion pass holder is checked in but nothing has been confirmed by Southwest that I've seen, so I did my own test to see what would happen.  Neither I nor my companion are A-list and we did not pay for EBCI.  

This past summer we both checked in exactly at the 24-hour mark and saw strange behavior that we'd never seen before - the companion holder and the companion were both automatically moved back to whoever received the later boarding position.  This happened for both of our flights to and from Orlando.  One time the companion had the later boarding position and one time the companion pass holder had the later boarding position.  Both times the earlier position was automatically changed to be next to the later position.  My kids and I (companion pass holder) were all on the same reservation, and my boarding position was moved back to be next to my husband's (companion) while my kids retained the earlier boarding position.  So strange.  Maybe that behavior has been fixed?  Not sure.  But I'm guessing it's related to whatever changes they made to automatically check in companions.

A couple weeks ago I booked a cheap test flight to see what would happen if I did *not* check in my companion at exactly 24 hours.  This morning I checked myself (companion pass holder) in for that flight at exactly 24 hours and received A60.  A few hours later I clicked the "Check-In" button for my companion and he received position A59.  So it appears that my companion was automatically checked in when I checked in.  No A-List and no EBCI.  This isn't anything official (obviously) but I wanted to share my experience in case it's helpful.


----------



## EACarlson

ultimatefans said:


> COMPANION PASS CHECK-IN TEST
> There have been rumors that starting earlier this year companions are automatically checked in when the companion pass holder is checked in but nothing has been confirmed by Southwest that I've seen, so I did my own test to see what would happen.  Neither I nor my companion are A-list and we did not pay for EBCI.
> 
> This past summer we both checked in exactly at the 24-hour mark and saw strange behavior that we'd never seen before - the companion holder and the companion were both automatically moved back to whoever received the later boarding position.  This happened for both of our flights to and from Orlando.  One time the companion had the later boarding position and one time the companion pass holder had the later boarding position.  Both times the earlier position was automatically changed to be next to the later position.  My kids and I (companion pass holder) were all on the same reservation, and my boarding position was moved back to be next to my husband's (companion) while my kids retained the earlier boarding position.  So strange.  Maybe that behavior has been fixed?  Not sure.  But I'm guessing it's related to whatever changes they made to automatically check in companions.
> 
> A couple weeks ago I booked a cheap test flight to see what would happen if I did *not* check in my companion at exactly 24 hours.  This morning I checked myself (companion pass holder) in for that flight at exactly 24 hours and received A60.  A few hours later I clicked the "Check-In" button for my companion and he received position A59.  So it appears that my companion was automatically checked in when I checked in.  No A-List and no EBCI.  This isn't anything official (obviously) but I wanted to share my experience in case it's helpful.


It has been confirmed by SWA employees officially allowed to comment on such things over on FlyerTalk.  What you experienced this morning is exactly how it is supposed to work and has for the last few months.


----------



## CouponGirl

ultimatefans said:


> COMPANION PASS CHECK-IN TEST
> There have been rumors that starting earlier this year companions are automatically checked in when the companion pass holder is checked in but nothing has been confirmed by Southwest that I've seen, so I did my own test to see what would happen.  Neither I nor my companion are A-list and we did not pay for EBCI.
> 
> This past summer we both checked in exactly at the 24-hour mark and saw strange behavior that we'd never seen before - the companion holder and the companion were both automatically moved back to whoever received the later boarding position.  This happened for both of our flights to and from Orlando.  One time the companion had the later boarding position and one time the companion pass holder had the later boarding position.  Both times the earlier position was automatically changed to be next to the later position.  My kids and I (companion pass holder) were all on the same reservation, and my boarding position was moved back to be next to my husband's (companion) while my kids retained the earlier boarding position.  So strange.  Maybe that behavior has been fixed?  Not sure.  But I'm guessing it's related to whatever changes they made to automatically check in companions.
> 
> A couple weeks ago I booked a cheap test flight to see what would happen if I did *not* check in my companion at exactly 24 hours.  This morning I checked myself (companion pass holder) in for that flight at exactly 24 hours and received A60.  A few hours later I clicked the "Check-In" button for my companion and he received position A59.  So it appears that my companion was automatically checked in when I checked in.  No A-List and no EBCI.  This isn't anything official (obviously) but I wanted to share my experience in case it's helpful.


Thanks for sharing!


EACarlson said:


> It has been confirmed by SWA employees officially allowed to comment on such things over on FlyerTalk.  What you experienced this morning is exactly how it is supposed to work and has for the last few months.


That’ll make check in so much easier!


----------



## Elle23

Hello everyone!!

I recently snagged a great new job that I am thrilled about. I start on Monday 12/6. To celebrate, and since I have time off before I start, my daughter and I were wanting to take a last minute trip to WDW. We were all set to start booking everything until I remembered the Great Cancellation Disaster from last month!

We were planning on flying back on Southwest (on points) early the Sunday before I start my job.

Now I am worried I’m going to get stranded and not be able to get home for the first day ( of a week of training, etc).

Do y’all have any suggestions other than ditching the whole trip? I had even thought of booking a refundable flight on a different airline as a backup. It is sad that I have to even think about doing that!

What would y’all do?


----------



## EACarlson

Elle23 said:


> What would y’all do?


I wouldn't worry about it.  Beginning of the month, flights early in the day and a very small likelihood of weather issues in FL.


----------



## leeniewdw

This is a personal risk tolerance issue.  Personally, I would be concerned about getting stuck (but that's very on brand for me!).  But I'd look at all the flights from MCO to wherever you are headed to consider the amount of risk and options should things go south.  Congrats on the new job!


----------



## focusondisney

Elle23 said:


> Hello everyone!!
> 
> I recently snagged a great new job that I am thrilled about. I start on Monday 12/6. To celebrate, and since I have time off before I start, my daughter and I were wanting to take a last minute trip to WDW. We were all set to start booking everything until I remembered the Great Cancellation Disaster from last month!
> 
> We were planning on flying back on Southwest (on points) early the Sunday before I start my job.
> 
> Now I am worried I’m going to get stranded and not be able to get home for the first day ( of a week of training, etc).
> 
> Do y’all have any suggestions other than ditching the whole trip? I had even thought of booking a refundable flight on a different airline as a backup. It is sad that I have to even think about doing that!
> 
> What would y’all do?



Congratulations on your new job.  Any chance you could come home Saturday? Not sure where you live, but in December,   I would be  nervous about weather issues even more than airline issues.


----------



## dez1978

Early bird question. Today I was boarding. We bought EBCI but the whole fam in ground of us did not. How did they get an earlier spot than we did? They weren’t a list or anything. And we’d ended up at b20-23


----------



## starry_solo

dez1978 said:


> Early bird question. Today I was boarding. We bought EBCI but the whole fam in ground of us did not. How did they get an earlier spot than we did? They weren’t a list or anything. And we’d ended up at b20-23



when did you buy it?


----------



## dez1978

starry_solo said:


> when did you buy it?


A month ago. So I get ppl who bought before then would get better spots… but to not buy it at all and have better spots than those who did?


----------



## starry_solo

dez1978 said:


> A month ago. So I get ppl who bought before then would get better spots… but to not buy it at all and have better spots than those who did?



was there anyone under six in the family before you? If so, SWA let’s that child plus two adults in for family boarding.


----------



## dez1978

starry_solo said:


> was there anyone under six in the family before you? If so, SWA let’s that child plus two adults in for family boarding.


Nope. No kids. They didn’t do family boarding on this flight. Went right from a to b. And their spots on their passes were just those numbers ahead of us. Like their passes were b13-whatever and ours were b20


----------



## scrappinginontario

Just curious, how did you know they didn't purchase EBCI?  I've often had mid-B's even when purchasing EBCI.


----------



## dez1978

b


scrappinginontario said:


> Just curious, how did you know they didn't purchase EBCI?  I've often had mid-B's even when purchasing EBCI.


Because they told me they didn’t


----------



## scrappinginontario

dez1978 said:


> Because they told me they didn’t


 I will say that’s the first time I’ve ever heard of that happening in all the years I’ve flown SW which is 20+ years.  I do not think
It’s common.

I was trying to think if they had a connecting flight it might have happened but even then they would have had to purchase EBCI for the first flight so nope.

I’m stumped.  Possibly someone else knows how this might happen.


----------



## Gitelfor

dez1978 said:


> Early bird question. Today I was boarding. We bought EBCI but the whole fam in ground of us did not. How did they get an earlier spot than we did? They weren’t a list or anything. And we’d ended up at b20-23



If even only one member of the party had elite status, and all in the group were under the same confirmation number, everyone in that group would have consecutive boarding positions, based on the A-List or A-List Preferred status. The boarding positions of those customers are assigned just before EBCI.

The likelier reason is that other customers purchased EBCI, but ended up canceling or changing their reservations, after their boarding positions were assigned.  That could have opened up their boarding positions to other customers, who were checking in at T-24.


----------



## dez1978

Gitelfor said:


> If even only one member of the party had elite status, and all in the group were under the same confirmation number, everyone in that group would have consecutive boarding positions, based on the A-List or A-List Preferred status. The boarding positions of those customers are assigned just before EBCI.
> 
> The likelier reason is that other customers purchased EBCI, but ended up canceling or changing their reservations, after their boarding positions were assigned.  That could have opened up their boarding positions to other customers, who are checking in at T-24.


It was not the 1st thing.  There were no A list or anything of the 2 in their party.  I supposed the 2nd makes more sense, but it still irks me to have paid 60$ for the 4 of us to be behind those who didn't pay anything.  And yeah, I know that makes me sound entitled, but I did pay for the entitlement lol.


----------



## dez1978

one more question.. Do the bonus points from the spend requirements in the 1st 3 months of a card count towards companion and A list? ok 2 questions.  I got the 40K bonus the other day....  But will that reset Jan 1st as far as earning towards a companion pass?


----------



## Gitelfor

dez1978 said:


> one more question.. Do the bonus points from the spend requirements in the 1st 3 months of a card count towards companion and A list? ok 2 questions.  I got the 40K bonus the other day....  But will that reset Jan 1st as far as earning towards a companion pass?


Rapid Rewards points reset every year, normally.
Bonus and credit card sign up points do not count toward A-List status, only paid flights count, unless there is a special promotion.

As far as EBCI, if you only paid $15 per person, you got a good deal, as most are $25.


----------



## focusondisney

Gitelfor said:


> The likelier reason is that other customers purchased EBCI, but ended up canceling or changing their reservations, after their boarding positions were assigned. That could have opened up their boarding positions to other customers, who were checking in at T-24.



Yep, probably this. There have been rare reports of this happening before. Haven’t heard it in quite awhile. But posters have said it happened with their traveling groups. Someone had EBCI, someone else didn’t but ended up with lower boarding number. This is the theory most often given when that has been talked about before.


----------



## EACarlson

Gitelfor said:


> The likelier reason is that other customers purchased EBCI, but ended up canceling or changing their reservations, after their boarding positions were assigned.  That could have opened up their boarding positions to other customers, who were checking in at T-24.


Per SW, this not supposed to happen anymore.  They stopped recycling boarding positions about six months ago.  Policy now is that they will extend C beyond 45 if necessary.


----------



## focusondisney

EACarlson said:


> Per SW, this not supposed to happen anymore.  They stopped recycling boarding positions about six months ago.  Policy now is that they will extend C beyond 45 if necessary.



Good to know. Wonder what reason there could be for this incident then. Always possible the policy wasn’t followed.


----------



## EACarlson

Computer error is always a possibility, so is that someone paid for EBCI but didn't remember it or didn't tell the other half.


----------



## focusondisney

EACarlson said:


> Computer error is always a possibility, so is that someone paid for EBCI but didn't remember it or didn't tell the other half.



I was thinking also possible the Posters EBCI got lost or deleted somehow. Normally it carries over if changes are made. But it can get lost if certain changes are made to the flight.  Ex, I purchased it for a nonstop flight, which SW changed to a connecting flight.  There was a nonstop with a new flight number so I called to move to that flight.  My EBCI did not carry over because the arrival/ departure cities no longer matched.  Customer service did refund what I paid but I did have to repurchase EBCI.


----------



## Elle23

Thanks for all of the replies about my fear of missing my first day of my new job. We decided to come home late on Saturday instead (flight leaves at 8:35). That way I can monitor the flight situation that day to get a feel of things. And it would give us time to get another flight should the flight be canceled.

We are in Dallas/ Fort Worth, and there are plenty of flights the next day with other airlines.


----------



## dez1978

EACarlson said:


> Per SW, this not supposed to happen anymore.  They stopped recycling boarding positions about six months ago.  Policy now is that they will extend C beyond 45 if necessary.


I sent sw a message asking and the answer was that is was likely a cancellation and some one else had been given that spot


----------



## dez1978

focusondisney said:


> I was thinking also possible the Posters EBCI got lost or deleted somehow. Normally it carries over if changes are made. But it can get lost if certain changes are made to the flight.  Ex, I purchased it for a nonstop flight, which SW changed to a connecting flight.  There was a nonstop with a new flight number so I called to move to that flight.  My EBCI did not carry over because the arrival/ departure cities no longer matched.  Customer service did refund what I paid but I did have to repurchase EBCI.


No, my EBCI was fine. It didn’t get deleted. Just someone got ahead of me without it.


----------



## leeniewdw

Finally my RDU flight actually changed and went down.  It's 2000 points less, but I have a CP with it.  So I have to cancel the CP, then change the flight to the same one, then add CP back?   For whatever reason that makes me nervous.

Edit:  not it's the same in points actually, lol.  I was looking at a different intinerary.


----------



## barb969

leeniewdw said:


> Finally my RDU flight actually changed and went down.  It's 2000 points less, but I have a CP with it.  So I have to cancel the CP, then change the flight to the same one, then add CP back?   For whatever reason that makes me nervous.


If you have time you can call.  1-800-435-9792
 I don't like changing online as I'm afraid I'll lose my early bird.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Here's your friendly reminder that Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur on *WEDNESDAY December 8th.* For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget! I'll post additional reminders as the date draws nearer.

Currently SW is offering flights through 4/24/22 and this next release will take their schedule out to *6/4/22. THIS IS A MAJOR ADJUSTMENT FROM MY PRIOR NOTIFICATIONS!* Previously this extension was going to cover all of summer through Labor Day, they have now cut 3 months from this release.

For those that care about "release timing" it can vary, but here are the recent "go live" of previous releases:

Release Date // Time (eastern)
06/10/21 // 7:15am
04/01/21 // 9:10am
12/10/20 // 7:15am
08/13/20 // 9:15am
05/28/20 // 9:06am
03/12/20 // 9:40am


----------



## leeniewdw

Thanks for this update.  It chops off my late June travel from the release.  Hmmm.


----------



## Gitelfor

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Here's your friendly reminder that Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur on *WEDNESDAY December 8th.* For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget! I'll post additional reminders as the date draws nearer.
> 
> Currently SW is offering flights through 4/24/22 and this next release will take their schedule out to *6/4/22. THIS IS A MAJOR ADJUSTMENT FROM MY PRIOR NOTIFICATIONS!* Previously this extension was going to cover all of summer through Labor Day, they have now cut 3 months from this release.
> 
> For those that care about "release timing" it can vary, but here are the recent "go live" of previous releases:
> 
> Release Date // Time (eastern)
> 06/10/21 // 7:15am
> 04/01/21 // 9:10am
> 12/10/20 // 7:15am
> 08/13/20 // 9:15am
> 05/28/20 // 9:06am
> 03/12/20 // 9:40am


In case you had not noticed it before, Southwest changed the next booking window back on November 1.  They can sneak things in, sometimes.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Gitelfor said:


> In case you had not noticed it before, Southwest changed the next booking window back on November 1.  They can sneak things in, sometimes.
> View attachment 623552


I had noticed, just had been too busy to go back and pull my previous notifications and provide a full update.  I provide this information in over a dozen different channels.


----------



## hsmamato2

rangerxenos said:


> There's only one non stop flight for me coming home to BDL from MCO in December.  There used to be 3 a day!


 I hear you! there used to a lot of choices nonstop out of BDL!


----------



## Neener16

hsmamato2 said:


> I hear you! there used to a lot of choices nonstop out of BDL!


I agree, very depressing!!


----------



## scrappinginontario

Thanks for this update @SouthFayetteFan.  Takes some pressure off as our travel dates are late August so no need to buy flights almost 9 months in advance.  Thankful!


----------



## aokeefe

Thanks for the update @SouthFayetteFan. I hadn't noticed the date changed thru June only. Bummer bc I'm looking for summer flights. I guess it at least gives me more time to earn more points with Christmas spending!


----------



## nicko

leeniewdw said:


> Finally my RDU flight actually changed and went down.  It's 2000 points less, but I have a CP with it.  So I have to cancel the CP, then change the flight to the same one, then add CP back?   For whatever reason that makes me nervous.
> 
> Edit:  not it's the same in points actually, lol.  I was looking at a different intinerary.


It always makes me a bit queasy cancelling my CP as well when rebooking for a lower fair. 

What I do is try a test booking for 6 seats to see if there are at least 6 seats available.  Obviously I don't complete the transaction.  With at least 6 seats available your are likely safe cancelling the CP to rebook and then grabbing a new CP. Just do it quickly. 
I avoid calling because the hold times are ridiculous and I have found that as soon as a SW rep has touched my booking,  I can no longer make additional changes online. I have to call instead.  Good luck.


----------



## Avery&Todd

nicko said:


> It always makes me a bit queasy cancelling my CP as well when rebooking for a lower fair.
> 
> What I do is try a test booking for 6 seats to see if there are at least 6 seats available.  Obviously I don't complete the transaction.  With at least 6 seats available your are likely safe cancelling the CP to rebook and then grabbing a new CP. Just do it quickly.
> I avoid calling because the hold times are ridiculous and I have found that as soon as a SW rep has touched my booking,  I can no longer make additional changes online. I have to call instead.  Good luck.


I have also changed my flights, with a CP attached, through FB messenger!  They've always been quite helpful and it can be quicker than via phone!


----------



## jo-jo

Has anyone flown out of phila recently?   I've been trying to fine out if Phila has curbside checkin operating and can't find a thing.

I was thrilled when someone in another thread posted that curbside at MCO is operating.



My old school brain realized I could text SW.    They DO have curbside checking, but depending on staffing, they may not be open at all times.


----------



## bsmcneil

Since this is SW related but not specifically about transportation, it may be that this isn't the right place (I did post in the Credit Card thread, too) - but since this is sort of all things SW, I thought I'd try here, too. Does anyone know for sure _which_ streaming services count towards the 2p/$1 that SW introduced for their CC earlier this fall? I haven't seen a listing anywhere!


----------



## PCFriar80

Most Costco members probably already know this but thought I would throw a PSA out here.  
$500 SWA eGift Cards for $449.99.  Limit 5.


----------



## Leigh L

PCFriar80 said:


> Most Costco members probably already know this but thought I would throw a PSA out here.
> $500 SWA eGift Cards for $449.99.  Limit 5.


Thanks, I didn't see that!


----------



## Kazi7

So sorry but I'm new to the SW perks and I'm confused.    I will get the 125,000 points from the new credit card spending + bonuses in early 2022.  So I understand that will allow me to have the companion pass for 2022 to the end of 2023.  What I don't understand is the A-list status.  Do my 125,000 points do anything towards that?  How do I get that perk?  I only fly 3 or 4 round trips a year, so I won't meet it with flights.


----------



## EACarlson

Kazi7 said:


> So sorry but I'm new to the SW perks and I'm confused.    I will get the 125,000 points from the new credit card spending + bonuses in early 2022.  So I understand that will allow me to have the companion pass for 2022 to the end of 2023.  What I don't understand is the A-list status.  Do my 125,000 points do anything towards that?  How do I get that perk?  I only fly 3 or 4 round trips a year, so I won't meet it with flights.


You fly a lot and/or spend a lot of money flying on SW.  You need 35,000 TQP to get A list or 25 segments.  You only get 1,500 TQP for each $10,000 in CC spend so without flying you aren't going to get it.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Has anyone had SW change their early Feb flights?  I've been able to alter our late Jan flights a couple of times and save points but it's the early Feb flights I really want to change as we currently have 2 stopovers and I'd really like to avoid one or both of those if at all possible.  Hoping to see a red banner sometime but so far haven't seen that.


----------



## puppytrainer

scrappinginontario said:


> Has anyone had SW change their early Feb flights?  I've been able to alter our late Jan flights a couple of times and save points but it's the early Feb flights I really want to change as we currently have 2 stopovers and I'd really like to avoid one or both of those if at all possible.  Hoping to see a red banner sometime but so far haven't seen that.


Our 2/10 flight got changed about 2 months ago. Our 2/13 flight has not. Neither of those are really early Feb, but Feb nonetheless.


----------



## LadybugsMum

scrappinginontario said:


> Has anyone had SW change their early Feb flights?  I've been able to alter our late Jan flights a couple of times and save points but it's the early Feb flights I really want to change as we currently have 2 stopovers and I'd really like to avoid one or both of those if at all possible.  Hoping to see a red banner sometime but so far haven't seen that.


Our 2/12 early nonstop flight was canceled and we were put on another set with a layover. I was able to change to the next nonstop mid morning. So far our 2/19 flight home has not been changed.


----------



## CarlyMur09

scrappinginontario said:


> Has anyone had SW change their early Feb flights?  I've been able to alter our late Jan flights a couple of times and save points but it's the early Feb flights I really want to change as we currently have 2 stopovers and I'd really like to avoid one or both of those if at all possible.  Hoping to see a red banner sometime but so far haven't seen that.



Our return trip 2/13 was changed from MCO-ATL-PIT to MCO-STL-PIT about 3 weeks ago. I was able to change that to a nonstop MCO-PIT with no extra charge. No change for our trip to MCO (2/10- PIT-ATL-MCO) yet and am hoping it’ll happen since my family would rather not deal with any layovers.


----------



## Doug7856

bsmcneil said:


> Since this is SW related but not specifically about transportation, it may be that this isn't the right place (I did post in the Credit Card thread, too) - but since this is sort of all things SW, I thought I'd try here, too. Does anyone know for sure _which_ streaming services count towards the 2p/$1 that SW introduced for their CC earlier this fall? I haven't seen a listing anywhere!


I received double points for DisneyPlus.com. Not sure what others earn the extra points.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Thanks everyone.  Our  home is Feb 6 so we may have missed changes but I’ll still hope they make more in the future.


----------



## georgina

Our flight this Sunday home from MCO dropped from 14,252 to 11,936 points. Yay, was just checking to make sure the times hadn't changed, and saved some points. Was not expecting a drop so close to the trip.


----------



## MarBee

jo-jo said:


> Has anyone flown out of phila recently?   I've been trying to fine out if Phila has curbside checkin operating and can't find a thing.
> 
> I was thrilled when someone in another thread posted that curbside at MCO is operating.
> 
> 
> 
> My old school brain realized I could text SW.    They DO have curbside checking, but depending on staffing, they may not be open at all times.


The last time (end of September) I was there it was not open unfortunately.


----------



## piglet1979

bsmcneil said:


> Since this is SW related but not specifically about transportation, it may be that this isn't the right place (I did post in the Credit Card thread, too) - but since this is sort of all things SW, I thought I'd try here, too. Does anyone know for sure _which_ streaming services count towards the 2p/$1 that SW introduced for their CC earlier this fall? I haven't seen a listing anywhere!



It took me forever to find this a few months ago.  They really have it buried.  Here is a link to the information.  

https://www.chase.com/personal/credit-cards/rewards-category-faq
"Merchants in the select streaming services category specialize in delivering music and video content over the internet. Only subscriptions paid for or purchases made with the following select merchants will qualify for this category: Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, Netflix, Sling, Vudu, Fubo TV, Apple Music, SiriusXM, Pandora, Spotify and YouTube TV. The listed merchant(s) should not be considered sponsors or co-sponsors of this program. All trademarks are the property of their respective owner(s)."


----------



## jo-jo

MarBee said:


> The last time (end of September) I was there it was not open unfortunately.



We have a possible trip booked for first week in April.  So if we go, maybe they will be open for that one.


----------



## Doug7856

piglet1979 said:


> It took me forever to find this a few months ago.  They really have it buried.  Here is a link to the information.
> 
> https://www.chase.com/personal/credit-cards/rewards-category-faq
> "Merchants in the select streaming services category specialize in delivering music and video content over the internet. Only subscriptions paid for or purchases made with the following select merchants will qualify for this category: Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, Netflix, Sling, Vudu, Fubo TV, Apple Music, SiriusXM, Pandora, Spotify and YouTube TV. The listed merchant(s) should not be considered sponsors or co-sponsors of this program. All trademarks are the property of their respective owner(s)."



Thank you for posting this! It's very helpful!


----------



## Tink3815

I have the Southwest Credit Card and will receive the free early bird check in. From reading on line looks like you buy at time of purchase and the southwest credit is not charged. I may end up having to cancel this flight. I am booking with points. Will I lose my free early bird if I cancel and do not rebook.


----------



## Gitelfor

Tink3815 said:


> I have the Southwest Credit Card and will receive the free early bird check in. From reading on line looks like you buy at time of purchase and the southwest credit is not charged. I may end up having to cancel this flight. I am booking with points. Will I lose my free early bird if I cancel and do not rebook.


Early Bird Check-in is not refundable on a flight voluntarily cancelled. EBCI will transfer to a new flight, if you change the flight, however, keeping the same confirmation number.  So, the charge will remain on your credit card, if cancelled,  and I would think will count toward your annual reimbursed perk.  You can always contact Southwest RR dept. to confirm that, however.


----------



## EACarlson

Gitelfor said:


> Early Bird Check-in is not refundable on a flight voluntarily cancelled. EBCI will transfer to a new flight, if you change the flight, however, keeping the same confirmation number.  So, the charge will remain on your credit card, if cancelled,  and I would think will count toward your annual reimbursed perk.  You can always contact Southwest to confirm that, however.


It would not be a Southwest question but rather a Chase question.  I would expect you would lose it, same as you would had you paid cash for it.  What happens is that you purchase it on your Chase SW CC, then Chase issues a credit for that amount.  If you cancel, Chase isn't going to take the hit since SW isn't going to refund them.


----------



## mickey916

Can't wait for Wednesday for finally book my May trip!


----------



## DisneyinPA

Does anyone have any experience having a business select fair returning out of MCO? Is it worth it to have your own designated check in lane? I see MCO doesn’t have a designated security lane for business select.   Would think they would since it’s a major city for them. I found a good price of $139 one way for business select. Thanks!


----------



## EACarlson

DisneyinPA said:


> Does anyone have any experience having a business select fair returning out of MCO? Is it worth it to have your own designated check in lane? I see MCO doesn’t have a designated security lane for business select.   Would think they would since it’s a major city for them. I found a good price of $139 one way for business select. Thanks!


For me, the biggest advantage of a BS fare is the boarding position, especially out of MCO, and I suppose the additional RR earnings.  If it were more than $40 difference I probably wouldn't.
I don't believe MCO offers any of the airlines elite security lanes.  You can book an appointment to go through security at a certain time, or you can get Precheck which cuts about 80% of the wait time to get through security.


----------



## teawar

I would book it for that price because you get more points than the basic fair and better boarding. That’s a good price for even a basic fare on SWA from my home airport, so I would jump on it. Unfortunately, there are no priority lanes for SWA at MCO besides A-list to check in luggage.


----------



## Neener16

teawar said:


> I would book it for that price because you get more points than the basic fair and better boarding. That’s a good price for even a basic fare on SWA from my home airport, so I would jump on it. Unfortunately, there are no priority lanes for SWA at MCO besides A-list to check in luggage.


I haven't had a cup of coffee yet, so sorry if this is a dumb question. So I have Business Select out of MCO, are you telling me there is no special line to check in my luggage and I have to wait in the sometimes miles long line to get it checked?? If so, I am depressed I spent the money on Business Select.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Neener16 said:


> I haven't had a cup of coffee yet, so sorry if this is a dumb question. So I have Business Select out of MCO, are you telling me there is no special line to check in my luggage and I have to wait in the sometimes miles long line to get it checked?? If so, I am depressed I spent the money on Business Select.


When we flew SW out of MCO in mid-November there was just a separate line for A-List folks which lucky for us had only 4 folks in it vs. the regular line which had about 12,000 folks - I will say that the 12,000 folks in line did move pretty quickly, since they have many kiosks to do self check in and it seemed organized but the line was shocking at first!


----------



## Gitelfor

Neener16 said:


> I haven't had a cup of coffee yet, so sorry if this is a dumb question. So I have Business Select out of MCO, are you telling me there is no special line to check in my luggage and I have to wait in the sometimes miles long line to get it checked?? If so, I am depressed I spent the money on Business Select.


Customers booked on Business Select tickets are entitled to use Fly By, which is available at MCO.  A-List and A-List Preferred customers also may use Fly By.


----------



## Neener16

Thank you Gitelfor!


----------



## Gitelfor

Neener16 said:


> Thank you Gitelfor!


Note - MCO does not have Fly By for Security, just at the counter for check-in.


----------



## Neener16

Yes, that's all I was interested in. I have TSA pre-check. Thanks again.


----------



## leeniewdw

Yesterday at MCO, flying SW,  the bag check area was crazy.  We decided to check our small suitcase since we had 2+ hours to be in the airport.   A SW person suggested using curbside check-in so we walked outside and got our bag checked in like 5 minutes.

It took us about 45 minutes to get thru security (no TSA Precheck) when we went around 9am?   Lines were shorter when we arrived but we were in no hurry since DME gets you there very early and decided to get something to eat first.


----------



## Gitelfor

Neener16 said:


> Yes, that's all I was interested in. I have TSA pre-check. Thanks again.


I’ve had TSA Pre for about seven years.  After using MCO’s PreCheck lane for the first time, I decided it was one of the best investments I ever made.


----------



## Leigh L

Gitelfor said:


> I’ve had TSA Pre for about seven years.  After using MCO’s PreCheck lane for the first time, I decided it was one of the best investments I ever made.


Agreed!! We were traveling MCO during the holidays in 2018 and got precheck (because of non holiday security headaches from a previous trip at MCO).

Best money spent ever! Used it in numerous airports since, but mostly MCO. 100% plan to renew.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Gitelfor said:


> Customers booked on Business Select tickets are entitled to use Fly By, which is available at MCO.  A-List and A-List Preferred customers also may use Fly By.
> 
> View attachment 628534
> 
> View attachment 628533


I had NO idea about this!!  I do have a clarification question - so if I buy a ticket under Business Select, and my DH is a CP, does that mean I can only check in here and NOT DH?  This is under the Q&A section....


----------



## EACarlson

That's correct, but there is a simple fix.  Unless you need to check more than two bags, you can just check them both under your name.  Then he wouldn't have to go to the counter at all.


----------



## DisneyinPA

leeniewdw said:


> Yesterday at MCO, flying SW,  the bag check area was crazy.  We decided to check our small suitcase since we had 2+ hours to be in the airport.   A SW person suggested using curbside check-in so we walked outside and got our bag checked in like 5 minutes.
> 
> It took us about 45 minutes to get thru security (no TSA Precheck) when we went around 9am?   Lines were shorter when we arrived but we were in no hurry since DME gets you there very early and decided to get something to eat first.


Was most of the long line before or after they check your ID? I was thinking about signing up for a CLEAR 2 month trial but it only lets you bypass the long line before ID check and not after.


----------



## leeniewdw

It was long before AND after the ID check.  Probably 50% of the time for each.

We found the security scanning pretty poor at MCO.  I realize they probably have staffing issues, but in addition to having some scanning queues closed, they kept opening and closing one for seemingly random reasons.   Most airports have 2 "conveyor belts" for your bags/shoes/etc that feed into one human scanner thing.   For us, they were mostly using just 1 "belt" but randomly directing people to the other.   The security guy kept getting annoyed if the next group also followed to the other belt.   There was no sign saying it was closed and he'd walk over and point to the belt so a group would go, then the next group would go (when space allowed) and he'd be like "no, just them".  It made no sense since he was STANDING THERE working.

We said if we had to go thru MCO security like that frequently we'd definitely get TSA Precheck.


----------



## georgina

DisneyinPA said:


> Was most of the long line before or after they check your ID? I was thinking about signing up for a CLEAR 2 month trial but it only lets you bypass the long line before ID check and not after.


I was in the pre-check line (for the SW gates) at MCO yesterday, which is right next to the Clear line. I thought the people in the Clear line were funneled into the pre-check security line, not the regular one?

I didn't realize that is not always the case, but the Clear line was to our left and the regular security to our right, they weren't crossing over to regular scanning line that I could see. Unless there is a separate line for those who have both Clear & precheck? didn't pay close attention, could be wrong (wouldn't be the first time!)


----------



## Avery&Todd

EACarlson said:


> That's correct, but there is a simple fix.  Unless you need to check more than two bags, you can just check them both under your name.  Then he wouldn't have to go to the counter at all.


GENIUS!!  and flying to MCO we usually only bring 1 back per person so this would totally work!!  

now, just to remember it until next time! HA!


----------



## focusondisney

Avery&Todd said:


> I had NO idea about this!!  I do have a clarification question - so if I buy a ticket under Business Select, and my DH is a CP, does that mean I can only check in here and NOT DH?  This is under the Q&A section....
> 
> View attachment 628556



Hmm, other posters have said the CP now gets checked in just before the paying passenger.  If that’s the case, your husband will have a business select spot too.   Some families might have 1 member who is A list but on the same reservation number as the rest of the party.. in that case, only the actual A list member can use it.  That’s how I’m reading it anyway.   We have a trip booked in January, same situation.   I’m interested to see what position my DH will get.


----------



## Avery&Todd

focusondisney said:


> Hmm, other posters have said the CP now gets checked in just before the paying passenger.  If that’s the case, your husband will have a business select spot too.   Some families might have 1 member who is A list but on the same reservation number as the rest of the party.. in that case, only the actual A list member can use it.  That’s how I’m reading it anyway.   We have a trip booked in January, same situation.   I’m interested to see what position my DH will get.


ooohhh..I see what you're saying!  I might chat with SW - they're always so helpful in answering my questions!

thanks!


----------



## EACarlson

georgina said:


> I was in the pre-check line (for the SW gates) at MCO yesterday, which is right next to the Clear line. I thought the people in the Clear line were funneled into the pre-check security line, not the regular one?
> 
> I didn't realize that is not always the case, but the Clear line was to our left and the regular security to our right, they weren't crossing over to regular scanning line that I could see. Unless there is a separate line for those who have both Clear & precheck? didn't pay close attention, could be wrong (wouldn't be the first time!)


 I haven't watched too closely how it's done at MCO, at MCO you go through Clear, then are directed to either the regular or Pre lines depending on which your boarding pass says.  IIRC there is one line for Clear with Pre and one for Clear without at MCO.  If someone finds enough value to pay for Clear or travels enough to get it through status they most likely are going to have Pre as well.


focusondisney said:


> Hmm, other posters have said the CP now gets checked in just before the paying passenger.  If that’s the case, your husband will have a business select spot too.   Some families might have 1 member who is A list but on the same reservation number as the rest of the party.. in that case, only the actual A list member can use it.  That’s how I’m reading it anyway.   We have a trip booked in January, same situation.   I’m interested to see what position my DH will get.


SW will not assign a BS spot to a companion.  They will be checked in based on time.  If PP had an Anytime or WGA ticket it, their companion would be checked in and assigned a boarding position next to them.


----------



## disneylover81

So I know SWA will release the May flight schedule tomorrow - I am wondering if it is best to go ahead and book my flights tomorrow or take the chance and wait for them to go on sale for a lower price later on . . . 

Most of the time, I book on the first day they are released, but then they will be cheaper later on and I end up with a lot of credits, that I may not get to use; but then again, I have waited to book my flights hoping for a sale later on that never came, only to end up paying more than I would have from the day they were released. I know it's a gamble either way, just wanting some feedback. We usually only go to WDW in July, but May 4th will be our 20th Anniversary so we are going to go early and I am not familiar with May flight price trends.


----------



## ultimatefans

When purchasing the $500 Southwest egift card deal through Coscto, does that count for 3x points with the Southwest card?  I'm guessing no but wondering if anyone knows for certain.


----------



## focusondisney

EACarlson said:


> I haven't watched too closely how it's done at MCO, at MCO you go through Clear, then are directed to either the regular or Pre lines depending on which your boarding pass says.  IIRC there is one line for Clear with Pre and one for Clear without at MCO.  If someone finds enough value to pay for Clear or travels enough to get it through status they most likely are going to have Pre as well.
> 
> SW will not assign a BS spot to a companion.  They will be checked in based on time.  If PP had an Anytime or WGA ticket it, their companion would be checked in and assigned a boarding position next to them.



Our question is for Business Select.  When does their CP get checked in? I normally always get EBCI which I am fine doing for my CP passenger. But if they get checked in when I do anyway, that isn’t needed.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

ultimatefans said:


> When purchasing the $500 Southwest egift card deal through Coscto, does that count for 3x points with the Southwest card?  I'm guessing no but wondering if anyone knows for certain.


According to SWA it has to be made directly through them:

"*3 points:* You’ll earn 3 points for each $1 spent on purchases made directly with Southwest Airlines®, including flight, inflight, Southwest® gift card, and Southwest Vacations® package purchases."


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

Here's your friendly reminder that Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur *TOMORROW *on *WEDNESDAY December 8th.* For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget! I'll post additional reminders as the date draws nearer. This is my final reminder 

Currently SW is offering flights through 4/24/22 and this next release will take their schedule out to *6/4/22.*
For those that care about "release timing" it can vary, but here are the recent "go live" of previous releases:

Release Date // Time (eastern)
06/10/21 // 7:15am
04/01/21 // 9:10am
12/10/20 // 7:15am
08/13/20 // 9:15am
05/28/20 // 9:06am
03/12/20 // 9:40am


----------



## mickey916

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Here's your friendly reminder that Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur *TOMORROW *on *WEDNESDAY December 8th.* For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget! I'll post additional reminders as the date draws nearer. This is my final reminder
> 
> Currently SW is offering flights through 4/24/22 and this next release will take their schedule out to *6/4/22.*
> For those that care about "release timing" it can vary, but here are the recent "go live" of previous releases:
> 
> Release Date // Time (eastern)
> 06/10/21 // 7:15am
> 04/01/21 // 9:10am
> 12/10/20 // 7:15am
> 08/13/20 // 9:15am
> 05/28/20 // 9:06am
> 03/12/20 // 9:40am


Thank you! I was just searching for this info...


----------



## EACarlson

focusondisney said:


> Our question is for Business Select.  When does their CP get checked in? I normally always get EBCI which I am fine doing for my CP passenger. But if they get checked in when I do anyway, that isn’t needed.


Whenever the Companion checks in.  There was a report either here or on FlyerTalk, similar situation, CP holder purchased a BS ticket and was A1.  Neither CP holder or Companion thought they needed to check in at T-24. Companion ended up C25 or somewhere thereabouts.


----------



## focusondisney

EACarlson said:


> Whenever the Companion checks in.  There was a report either here or on FlyerTalk, similar situation, CP holder purchased a BS ticket and was A1.  Neither CP holder or Companion thought they needed to check in at T-24. Companion ended up C25 or somewhere thereabouts.



Thanks, I hadn’t read that.  I purchased EBCI for our January trip & will do it when I book tomorrow too.


----------



## Gitelfor

EACarlson said:


> Whenever the Companion checks in.  There was a report either here or on FlyerTalk, similar situation, CP holder purchased a BS ticket and was A1.  Neither CP holder or Companion thought they needed to check in at T-24. Companion ended up C25 or somewhere thereabouts.


Similar story - CP holder was A15 with BS; Companion was checked in promptly at T-24 and got B16.

Of course, there is no official Southwest policy on saving/not saving seats, so.....

I don’t think other boarding pax mind someone saving one or two seats, but more than that might be pushing it a bit too far, especially when the flight is near or at capacity.


----------



## mcd2745

SouthFayetteFan said:


> Here's your friendly reminder that Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur *TOMORROW *on *WEDNESDAY December 8th.* For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget! I'll post additional reminders as the date draws nearer. This is my final reminder
> 
> Currently SW is offering flights through 4/24/22 and this next release will take their schedule out to *6/4/22.*
> For those that care about "release timing" it can vary, but here are the recent "go live" of previous releases:
> 
> Release Date // Time (eastern)
> 06/10/21 // 7:15am
> 04/01/21 // 9:10am
> 12/10/20 // 7:15am
> 08/13/20 // 9:15am
> 05/28/20 // 9:06am
> 03/12/20 // 9:40am



I feel like in the past (thinking around 5 years or so ago) they used to "go live" earlier in the morning on release dates...like around 6am EST. Am I just imagining that?


----------



## mickey916

mcd2745 said:


> I feel like in the past (thinking around 5 years or so ago) they used to "go live" earlier in the morning on release dates...like around 6am EST. Am I just imagining that?


I seem to remember getting online around 5:45 am back in 2010 when I booked my flight so I think you're not imagining it...really hoping for 7:15 tomorrow and not 9:15...


----------



## disneylover81

I’m disappointed that apparently the daily nonstop flights from Memphis to MCO are no longer an option for booking. Southwest has posted on their website that they offer a daily nonstop flight from Memphis to Orlando, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. Does anyone know anything about it or think they’ll add a nonstop flight later on? I plan on traveling late April / early May.


----------



## TexasErin

So I signed up for a new Chase credit card to get the 100K mile bonus. I just completed the required spend on Friday. The charge showed as pending this weekend and as of today it shows that I have 104,000 points; the statement closing date was 12/6. I want to book a one-way flight for June 4 tomorrow. Even though, it mentions that it would take eight weeks to post, I see that the points are already showing. However I read that you can’t just book Southwest through the Chase portal. I don’t want to miss out on potentially booking a cheaper flight when they open tomorrow. Would I do better to call the Chase travel center to have them book, or slowly transfer 1000 points at a time? Obviously that may take a while and I would miss out on a potentially good deal tomorrow. I need four one-way flights from DAL to LAX. Any advice?


----------



## Gitelfor

While waiting for the schedule extension, this morning, I browsed the Low Fare Calendar.  There is no guarantee of how the new flights will be priced, till the schedule extension loads, but the fares for currently-available flights really shot up.


----------



## focusondisney

TexasErin said:


> So I signed up for a new Chase credit card to get the 100K mile bonus. I just completed the required spend on Friday. The charge showed as pending this weekend and as of today it shows that I have 104,000 points; the statement closing date was 12/6. I want to book a one-way flight for June 4 tomorrow. Even though, it mentions that it would take eight weeks to post, I see that the points are already showing. However I read that you can’t just book Southwest through the Chase portal. I don’t want to miss out on potentially booking a cheaper flight when they open tomorrow. Would I do better to call the Chase travel center to have them book, or slowly transfer 1000 points at a time? Obviously that may take a while and I would miss out on a potentially good deal tomorrow. I need four one-way flights from DAL to LAX. Any advice?



Is it a SW rapid reward credit card? If it is, the points will transfer right to the SW site & you’ll just book with points there.  Mine always show the day after statement closing, so they might be there for you today.  If not a SW card, sorry, I don’t know anything about booking thru chase.


----------



## cmarsh31

Fyi early April flight time change. Only by 5 minutes... but be aware.


----------



## Physics Guy

The SW website says they are now accepting reservations through June 4, 2022, but the calendar has not yet extended to allow choosing dates past April 24.  Great, now I'll be obsessively checking for the rest of the morning...

OK, they're live as of 6:45am


----------



## teawar

In regards to boarding pass numbers and CP: Over Thanksgiving Break, my daughter is my CP and her boarding pass always coincided with my pass number. One flight was booked with the base fare and we ended up in the A group and the other flight we were BS and were both As again. My husband was using my points and we joked that he was In steerage with a B pass, checking in a few minutes after I checking in the first 2 tickets.


----------



## Avery&Todd

BOOKED!! Our May flights to Vegas were showing for me at 6:44am!!!

DONE!

More than I wanted to spend and no direct flights unlike this year's trip..but we're BOOKED!!

EDITED TO ADD COSTS:  yikes - so for the 2 of us, it was 77,452 points which  = $1,135.94 for 2 NOT non-stop flights fro RDU to LAS in mid-May....

holy schmoley!


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## monarchsfan16

So glad I took a personal day to sit by the computer obsessively refreshing 

Got our flight home from Vegas for May 1. Like the previous poster, more than I wanted price wise, but times are good enough and it's booked! We had already booked our flight out on JetBlue. I'm just thrilled I had enough points to cover this leg. Now I guess I can go back to bed


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## aokeefe

Wow- early release of flights today and already announcing next flight release- which is next week!! So unlike Southwest. 

We are currently accepting air reservations through June 4, 2022. On December 16, 2021 we will open our schedule for sale through September 5, 2022. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


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## focusondisney

I’m looking from Buffalo to Orlando April 26, return May 3rd.  There is only 1 nonstop per day & the times are terrible.  Departing 4 pm, returning at 10:45 am. If I try moving the return a day or 2, it’s a 7 am return flight.!  I booked the hotel Tuesday to Tuesday , knowing flights are usually cheaper.  Flighta are better if we go Saturday-Saturday. So now I have to try to rearrange hotels.


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## Gitelfor

focusondisney said:


> I’m looking from Buffalo to Orlando April 26, return May 3rd.  There is only 1 nonstop per day & the times are terrible.  Departing 4 pm, returning at 10:45 am. If I try moving the return a day or 2, it’s a 7 am return flight.!  I booked the hotel Tuesday to Tuesday , knowing flights are usually cheaper.  Flighta are better if we go Saturday-Saturday. So now I have to try to rearrange hotels.


I have found that Southwest schedules additional nonstop flights to/from MCO on Saturdays, to accommodate leisure traveler demand.  The more available seats, the lower the per seat cost, as the demand is spread out over a number of flights, instead of everyone booking the one or two weekday/Sunday nonstops.  With more nonstops scheduled on Saturdays, especially at smaller or mid-size markets, the times usually are more desirable.


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## MICKIMINI

*$915* for two SWA RT MHT/MCO May tix only one of which is non stop?  Flight total* 64,916 PTS+ $22.40* SWA always had non stops MHT/MCO.  

I booked Delta two weeks ago (BOS/MCO) May tix for *$673* BOTH are non stop.  I also got 2 RT BOS/MCO in September (non stop) for *$580*!  Oh, and all flights are _refundable..._

We have two SWA miles cards, however after last month's awful flight MHT/BWI/MCO we'll hang on to our miles but are pivoting toward Delta.  I hope other routes are better!


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## focusondisney

MICKIMINI said:


> *$915* for two SWA RT MHT/MCO May tix only one of which is non stop?  Flight total* 64,916 PTS+ $22.40* SWA always had non stops MHT/MCO.
> 
> I booked Delta two weeks ago (BOS/MCO) May tix for *$673* BOTH are non stop.  I also got 2 RT BOS/MCO in September (non stop) for *$580*!  Oh, and all flights are _refundable..._
> 
> We have two SWA miles cards, however after last month's awful flight MHT/BWI/MCO we'll hang on to our miles but are pivoting toward Delta.  I hope other routes are better!



I wish Delta had nonstops from Buffalo. Only  SW, JB or Frontier have nonstops from here.  But I’m seriously annoyed with SW & kind of ticked I worked so hard to renew my companion pass.  This is a big trip to celebrate my 65th birthday & our retirement.  We have a club level room at CR & it isn’t available if I try to change dates. I’m considering SW down & JB back.  So annoyed right now.


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## kc51570

MICKIMINI said:


> *$915* for two SWA RT MHT/MCO May tix only one of which is non stop?  Flight total* 64,916 PTS+ $22.40* SWA always had non stops MHT/MCO.
> 
> I booked Delta two weeks ago (BOS/MCO) May tix for *$673* BOTH are non stop.  I also got 2 RT BOS/MCO in September (non stop) for *$580*!  Oh, and all flights are _refundable..._
> 
> We have two SWA miles cards, however after last month's awful flight MHT/BWI/MCO we'll hang on to our miles but are pivoting toward Delta.  I hope other routes are better!


Non stop options are almost non existent and prices are crazy. So frustrating. MHT does now have frontier but I don‘t know how good of an experience that is.


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## MICKIMINI

focusondisney said:


> I wish Delta had nonstops from Buffalo. Only  SW, JB or Frontier have nonstops from here.  But I’m seriously annoyed with SW & kind of ticked I worked so hard to renew my companion pass.  This is a big trip to celebrate my 65th birthday & our retirement.  We have a club level room at CR & it isn’t available if I try to change dates. I’m considering SW down & JB back.  So annoyed right now.


We just got our 100,000 point card yesterday and I am ready to plunk down 12K in the next few months to get those points.  I used lots of points in OCT/NOV for MHT/BWI/MCO and MCO/MHT which were nightmare flights leaving me about 11K points in that account.  I am beginning to regret not getting Delta Gold Amex offer which I think was 70,000 points.  I'm sure we'll use those 111,000 SWA points in retirement and probably be glad we have so darn many, but I'm certainly irritated with SWA right now!


----------



## AuroraluvsPhillip

Providence to MCO round trip
2 adults
Retired now, so I'm able to avoid weekend flights
2 nonstops available each way
Total cost $630,  44190 points

Jet Blue has one nonstop from PVD/MCO daily. I could have saved about $140 booking with them, but the SW nonstops had better times and I booked with my huge bank of SW points anyway.

E.T.A. This was my first time booking SW since 2019 and I noticed my EBCI fees went up from $15 to $25 a leg, so total of $100.


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## CarlyMur09

PIT-MCO RT Friday 5/6 to Sunday 5/15 was actually not horrible for once. 158 pp per nonstop to start off with, so hoping those go down at some point and we can get credit for a later flight. Managed to snag a 5:20 PM flight out and a 7:20 AM back to PIT. was under $1600 for the 5 of us.  I've seen it at 2k+ in the past so 1600 is more bearable. Didn't have any travel credits to use up this time.

Now need to get confirmation on the last member of our family if she's coming down at all and for what dates. Hoping I can just use points for her flight since her job keeps changing her vacation allowances on her.


----------



## monarchsfan16

MHT is my home airport too. We are flying Boston more and more, which I hate. I really miss the pre Covid flight schedules from Manchester, and I don't find the new addition of Spirit to the airport to be a reasonable alternative. This trip I just booked has us flying Boston again. If I wanted to fly from Vegas to Manchester I had to either leave Vegas at 5 am (no) or get in to MHT at 11 pm on a Sunday night. I work in education so also no. Our flight to Boston is just about perfect...leave LAS at 9 am, layover in Chicago and in to Boston before 7 pm. I'm sure they'll change flight times Going out we are nonstop with JetBlue from BOS. February to MCO is also JetBlue from Boston.

 Southwest seems to have increased their options from BOS faster than MHT, which was my fear when they added BOS ten+ years ago. Hopefully someday I can regularly fly MHT again.


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## mickey916

Got our flights...going down a little earlier and coming home a little later than planned...more time in Disney I guess! Used my credits from May 2020 and still have credits left.


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## SouthFayetteFan

I’ll try to put together my full update with charts later…


ICYMI - Southwest extended their schedule today for flights through June 4, 2022.

*Also of MAJOR importance Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur on THURSDAY December 16th. Yes - that is correct... just one week from tomorrow! *For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget! I'll post additional reminders as the date draws nearer.

*Currently SW is offering flights through 6/4/22 and this next release will take their schedule out to 9/5/22. *This will likely be a popular extension covering all of summer!


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## Leigh L

kc51570 said:


> Non stop options are almost non existent and prices are crazy. So frustrating. MHT does now have frontier but I don‘t know how good of an experience that is.


Frontier is totally a no-frills airline but I flew them in February when I knew my flight at BWI two days later would be canceled due to snow moving in. Booked a flight at 1 p.m. and was on the 4:30 flight from Dulles. It was great!

That being said, Frontier can really be hit or miss. Honestly, I'd only fly them for last-minute bookings (less likely to cancel flights) or for trips that are really flexible. The problem with Frontier is from what I've seen they only run a handful of flights a week, so if yours is messed up due to cancelations or even weather, choices are slim pickings. I've experienced that as well with Frontier and pretty much had to change the entire trip and move to another airline. (Plus the phone CS was horrible!! She hung up on me. I had to dispute on my CC to get my $ back.)


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## EACarlson

TexasErin said:


> So I signed up for a new Chase credit card to get the 100K mile bonus. I just completed the required spend on Friday. The charge showed as pending this weekend and as of today it shows that I have 104,000 points; the statement closing date was 12/6. I want to book a one-way flight for June 4 tomorrow. Even though, it mentions that it would take eight weeks to post, I see that the points are already showing. However I read that you can’t just book Southwest through the Chase portal. I don’t want to miss out on potentially booking a cheaper flight when they open tomorrow. Would I do better to call the Chase travel center to have them book, or slowly transfer 1000 points at a time? Obviously that may take a while and I would miss out on a potentially good deal tomorrow. I need four one-way flights from DAL to LAX. Any advice?


 If you are transferring UR to RR points you can do whatever amount you want.  I transferred 20,000 a couple months ago.  In my mind I would rather book with RR points and save on issues down the road.  There are reports that those that book through the Chase Travel Portal are not able to reprice if the flight goes down.  It would also take less points, since a CSP gives you 1.25 cpp and usually SW points are 1.4-1.6 cpp.  Transfers usually take a minute or two, although I have had them take 24 hours.


focusondisney said:


> Is it a SW rapid reward credit card? If it is, the points will transfer right to the SW site & you’ll just book with points there.  Mine always show the day after statement closing, so they might be there for you today.  If not a SW card, sorry, I don’t know anything about booking thru chase.


 I think PP was talking about a Sapphire Preferred since they mention transferring points.


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## focusondisney

Leigh L said:


> Frontier is totally a no-frills airline but I flew them in February when I knew my flight at BWI two days later would be canceled due to snow moving in. Booked a flight at 1 p.m. and was on the 4:30 flight from Dulles. It was great!
> 
> That being said, Frontier can really be hit or miss. Honestly, I'd only fly them for last-minute bookings (less likely to cancel flights) or for trips that are really flexible. The problem with Frontier is from what I've seen they only run a handful of flights a week, so if yours is messed up due to cancelations or even weather, choices are slim pickings. I've experienced that as well with Frontier and pretty much had to change the entire trip and move to another airline. (Plus the phone CS was horrible!! She hung up on me. I had to dispute on my CC to get my $ back.)



I looked at Fronteir just for the heck of it.  Going home has 1 nonstop, early morning so no. There are 2 itineraries with 1 stop also.  One of them goes from Orlando to *Denver* to Buffalo, a 22+ hour itinerary.  Why even present that??


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## LadybugsMum

Got our May tickets and used points. Our flight from RDU to MCO is twice the points as from MCO back to RDU. I'll have to keep an eye out for any price changes.


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## Poohlovr

Booked our return flight MCO-SDF {have had SDF-MCO for forever}. One non-stop per day either way. Our NS flight down down is at 0600. Coming back, it's at 1720. Just enough to increase the car rental by about $60.
Each flight was 136 OW pp. We had funds from fee changes last year each way so that was helpful. Return we had $66 that expired today. That just about covers the increased cost of the car.
We can fly Breeze or Allegiant but they each have limited days at cheap prices. Some days on Allegiant are more than what I ended up paying, so I'm OK with  SW fares this time, but I hate the times.


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## Avery&Todd

and NOT that this makes me feel any better about the crazy high flights I bought this am on SW but here are almost the exact same flights (times and layovers) thru Delta:

to recap, my SW flights were cash $1,135.94 / pts 77,452


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## leeniewdw

disneylover81 said:


> I’m disappointed that apparently the daily nonstop flights from Memphis to MCO are no longer an option for booking. Southwest has posted on their website that they offer a daily nonstop flight from Memphis to Orlando, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. Does anyone know anything about it or think they’ll add a nonstop flight later on? I plan on traveling late April / early May.



SW used to have multiple direct to MCO from RDU, but for our Feb dates it's only 1 and it's mid-day.   2 years ago we were able to LAND in MCO at 6:30am, this time it's like 1:40pm.   No changes between the time we booked (a few months ago) and now for a mid-feb trip.


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## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

So we got ours for our May trip leaving the 4th coming back the 15th both ways were $168/per way per person or 11,859 points per way per person.

We used points for my flights and my husband used travel vouchers from 2019 extended due to the pandemic.

Non-stop was our preferred choice and there were 3 non-stop flights on that Wednesday and also that Sunday for the return.

We thought our flight to Vegas this Sunday was early at 6am but our flight from KC to Orlando on May 4th is at 5:20am!? I think that's the earliest I've flown out of our airport. Our flight home is at 9:05pm as the other non-stops were too early and we didn't really want to take a stop.

Husband checked and the flights home are now $179 so it's good we booked.

Last time we flew to MCO from KCI was back in September 2017 the flight prices did drop after initial release day price so we'll monitor that.


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## LadybugsMum

leeniewdw said:


> SW used to have multiple direct to MCO from RDU, but for our Feb dates it's only 1 and it's mid-day.   2 years ago we were able to LAND in MCO at 6:30am, this time it's like 1:40pm.   No changes between the time we booked (a few months ago) and now for a mid-feb trip.



The schedule starts with 3 flights on Saturdays, but tends to condense down to 2 or even 1 depending on demand. Sundays have been starting out with 2 flights and weekdays just one.


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## leeniewdw

Just checked RDU-BZN for May (our travel dates are June) and while the points aren't terrible, the times certainly are.   I think the BZN routes are fairly new, but odd to have crack of dawn departures on a Friday, but mid-day departures on Saturday.   Perhaps it'll change for the full June release next week.


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## mickey916

Weird thing happened when I booked mine. I did one-ways as we had a lot of travel funds to use. As I discussed with my husband which return flight to do, the price went up by $2 per person...very odd. Not a huge deal but seems weird they adjusted by $2 in that timeframe.


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## dez1978

Random question.  We are planning to do 2 days at USO and then the beach for 2-3 days.  Should I look to mook 1 way flights to MCO then return flights from Tampa maybe?  Thinking Clearwater beach.  Or just do round trip from MCO?  I've never been in any other Fl airport so idk if any of them are easier or cheaper

edit. nvm, I see SW doesn't fly into.out of Tampa


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## TexasErin

focusondisney said:


> Is it a SW rapid reward credit card? If it is, the points will transfer right to the SW site & you’ll just book with points there.  Mine always show the day after statement closing, so they might be there for you today.  If not a SW card, sorry, I don’t know anything about booking thru chase.





EACarlson said:


> If you are transferring UR to RR points you can do whatever amount you want.  I transferred 20,000 a couple months ago.  In my mind I would rather book with RR points and save on issues down the road.  There are reports that those that book through the Chase Travel Portal are not able to reprice if the flight goes down.  It would also take less points, since a CSP gives you 1.25 cpp and usually SW points are 1.4-1.6 cpp.  Transfers usually take a minute or two, although I have had them take 24 hours.
> I think PP was talking about a Sapphire Preferred since they mention transferring points.



Thank you both! It is a Chase Sapphire Preferred. I was able to go ahead and transfer over 104,000 points to DH’s RR account. They showed up within two or three minutes and he was able to book one-way flights for the four of us. They were roughly 33,000 points total for the four of us together so we were quite pleased.

Due to previous flight delays, SW gave each of us some travel funds of I think $100. Although we probably have enough points to book our return flight when they open up, I would like to use these travel funds. How would I do this and combine with points since $100 will almost definitely not be enough to book a flight for any of us? Can travel funds be transferred amongst each other so that maybe one or two people can use those to book a return flight and the other two of us use points?


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## Kazi7

My son got the credit card and met the spending while ago but the points don't show up yet.  He thinks that he didn't put his RR# in the credit card application.  Who should he call to add it--Southwest or Chase?


----------



## FCDub

Kazi7 said:


> My son got the credit card and met the spending while ago but the points don't show up yet.  He thinks that he didn't put his RR# in the credit card application.  Who should he call to add it--Southwest or Chase?



Chase


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## Kazi7

Thanks, that's what I thought.


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## jennb529

Booked our flights today using points.  Based on my previous stalking of flights over the past few months, we were planning to fly out of LUV to MCO direct.  However, when I looked this morning there were very few direct LUV to MCO flights and the ones they had were significantly higher than what I was expecting!  So we ended up booking Houston Hobby (HOU) direct to MCO.  We have to drive 2 hrs to get to LUV and 3.5 to get to HOU, but the savings in points makes it worth the further drive.

HOU to MCO direct, 22,140 pts for 2 people.   On Memorial Day.


----------



## Poohlovr

dez1978 said:


> Random question.  We are planning to do 2 days at USO and then the beach for 2-3 days.  Should I look to mook 1 way flights to MCO then return flights from Tampa maybe?  Thinking Clearwater beach.  Or just do round trip from MCO?  I've never been in any other Fl airport so idk if any of them are easier or cheaper
> 
> edit. nvm, I see SW doesn't fly into.out of Tampa



Where are you flying from? I flew into TPA recently from SDF


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## EACarlson

TexasErin said:


> Due to previous flight delays, SW gave each of us some travel funds of I think $100. Although we probably have enough points to book our return flight when they open up, I would like to use these travel funds. How would I do this and combine with points since $100 will almost definitely not be enough to book a flight for any of us? Can travel funds be transferred amongst each other so that maybe one or two people can use those to book a return flight and the other two of us use points?


Travel Funds or LUV Vouchers?  Travel Funds can only be used by the person named and would be attached to a confirmation number of a previous flight.  LUV Vouchers can be treated like gift cards and used for flights by anyone.  Usually Customer Service gives LUV Vouchers and not Travel Funds.  You can't combine Points and TF or cash for one flight.  What you would have to do is pay cash for whatever your TF doesn't cover.


----------



## Sleepyluke

disneylover81 said:


> I’m disappointed that apparently the daily nonstop flights from Memphis to MCO are no longer an option for booking. Southwest has posted on their website that they offer a daily nonstop flight from Memphis to Orlando, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. Does anyone know anything about it or think they’ll add a nonstop flight later on? I plan on traveling late April / early May.


The NS has been hit or miss.  It shows up, people book it and then it gets cancelled.  I have a coworker that has booked it twice for Feb/Mar only to have it disappear and reappear.  Nothing makes sense anymore.


----------



## TexasErin

EACarlson said:


> Travel Funds or LUV Vouchers?  Travel Funds can only be used by the person named and would be attached to a confirmation number of a previous flight.  LUV Vouchers can be treated like gift cards and used for flights by anyone.  Usually Customer Service gives LUV Vouchers and not Travel Funds.  You can't combine Points and TF or cash for one flight.  What you would have to do is pay cash for whatever your TF doesn't cover.



They are LUV vouchers that expire 8/4/2022.  So can we transfer them to one person to combine them so that one person's return flight can be booked when they release the next round?


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## MICKIMINI

monarchsfan16 said:


> MHT is my home airport too. We are flying Boston more and more, which I hate. I really miss the pre Covid flight schedules from Manchester, and I don't find the new addition of Spirit to the airport to be a reasonable alternative. This trip I just booked has us flying Boston again. If I wanted to fly from Vegas to Manchester I had to either leave Vegas at 5 am (no) or get in to MHT at 11 pm on a Sunday night. I work in education so also no. Our flight to Boston is just about perfect...leave LAS at 9 am, layover in Chicago and in to Boston before 7 pm. I'm sure they'll change flight times Going out we are nonstop with JetBlue from BOS. February to MCO is also JetBlue from Boston.
> 
> Southwest seems to have increased their options from BOS faster than MHT, which was my fear when they added BOS ten+ years ago. Hopefully someday I can regularly fly MHT again.


SWA had lots of non stops out of MHT pre covid and BOS continues to be connections.  MHT is so easy...we were three spots from the door to the terminal in the garage last month!  We swore off connections more than a decade ago _unless _it is a far off destination.  I hate BOS too but I hate connections more LOL!


----------



## MICKIMINI

EACarlson said:


> If you are transferring UR to RR points you can do whatever amount you want.  I transferred 20,000 a couple months ago.  In my mind I would rather book with RR points and save on issues down the road.  There are reports that those that book through the Chase Travel Portal are not able to reprice if the flight goes down.  It would also take less points, since a CSP gives you 1.25 cpp and usually SW points are 1.4-1.6 cpp.  Transfers usually take a minute or two, although I have had them take 24 hours.
> I think PP was talking about a Sapphire Preferred since they mention transferring points.


I was unable to reprice through Chase Travel Portal last week to save $160 on two Delta flights.  Thankfully I bought refundable tickets and cancelled (phone) and rebooked direct through Delta.


----------



## MICKIMINI

Kazi7 said:


> My son got the credit card and met the spending while ago but the points don't show up yet.  He thinks that he didn't put his RR# in the credit card application.  Who should he call to add it--Southwest or Chase?


My son made the same mistake several years ago...they would not correct it and _he_ made the error.  He now has an AMEX Plat and DID get his promo and the SWA is a secondary card.  Lesson learned.


----------



## cmarsh31

focusondisney said:


> I wish Delta had nonstops from Buffalo. Only  SW, JB or Frontier have nonstops from here.  But I’m seriously annoyed with SW & kind of ticked I worked so hard to renew my companion pass.  This is a big trip to celebrate my 65th birthday & our retirement.  We have a club level room at CR & it isn’t available if I try to change dates. I’m considering SW down & JB back.  So annoyed right now.



We do the SW/JB combo all the time. No reason to book round-trip on either.


----------



## focusondisney

cmarsh31 said:


> We do the SW/JB combo all the time. No reason to book round-trip on either.



I agree,  we’ve done it before.  But, we have 270,000 SW rewards points &  I just earned  an extension of my Companion Pass into 2022.  I really don’t want to pay $450 for the 2 of us to fly home on JB,  when I can book with SW points & my DH can fly free.  So now I’m thinking we can fly down a day earlier.  There is an early morning flight that day &  fly home on the 10:30 am flight. That gives us just about the same time in Disney.  But instead of paying JB, I’ll have to pay for an extra hotel night, so it’s probably a wash.    It’s annoying having worked to earn the CP & not get the most out of it.


----------



## Avery&Todd

I wonder what SW has up their sleeve...

https://www.yahoo.com/news/southwest-airlines-introduce-fare-category-194420660.html


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## dez1978

Poohlovr said:


> Where are you flying from? I flew into TPA recently from SDF


Stl.


----------



## EACarlson

TexasErin said:


> They are LUV vouchers that expire 8/4/2022.  So can we transfer them to one person to combine them so that one person's return flight can be booked when they release the next round?


They can't be combined, but you can use more than one to pay for a flight.  You are allowed three sources of payment per transaction.  Each of the LUV Vouchers would be a separate one, then your CSP for the third.


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## disny_luvr

I have a Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card. I’d like to use my points to book travel on Southwest. How do I transfer my points from Chase to Southwest? Also, can I transfer the points into my Southwest account and book travel for everyone in my party, or do I need to transfer points into everyone’s Southwest account? I’m looking to book next week when they release the summer dates.


----------



## EACarlson

disny_luvr said:


> I have a Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card. I’d like to use my points to book travel on Southwest. How do I transfer my points from Chase to Southwest? Also, can I transfer the points into my Southwest account and book travel for everyone in my party, or do I need to transfer points into everyone’s Southwest account? I’m looking to book next week when they release the summer dates.


Go into the UR section of your Chase account, choose "Use Points", Transfer to a partner, choose SWA, enter in your RR number and you should be able to transfer any number of points in multiples of 1,000.  You can use your points to book travel for anyone, if the price goes down or you have to cancel, all of those points go back to your account.


----------



## disny_luvr

EACarlson said:


> Go into the UR section of your Chase account, choose "Use Points", Transfer to a partner, choose SWA, enter in your RR number and you should be able to transfer any number of points in multiples of 1,000.  You can use your points to book travel for anyone, if the price goes down or you have to cancel, all of those points go back to your account.



Thank you so much! This is very helpful!


----------



## disneylover81

LadybugsMum said:


> The schedule starts with 3 flights on Saturdays, but tends to condense down to 2 or even 1 depending on demand. Sundays have been starting out with 2 flights and weekdays just one.


I just wish they would have 1 nonstop flight per day again. Layovers stress me out and the best option they have right now is a 45 minute layover in ATL, which probably isn’t a good thing because if there are any delays on the first flight, we will get left if the second flight leaves on time. We almost got left at MDW in July because of this happening. I had to send my daughter running as fast as she could to try and catch them before they left us. She made it just as they were about to close the door.


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## Beast2Prince

Southwest bumped out our March flight to MCO by 30 minutes, giving me the opportunity to change to an earlier flight. However, that means our Early Bird would move to the end of the line of those that already purchased Early Bird for the new flight. Unfortunately there's no way of knowing how many would now be in front of us and what our boarding group/number might be.  We always purchase our flights as soon as they're released and typically end up with A or early B boarding groups. It's a spring break flight out of Indy. Debating if we should keep the 8:30p flight or switch to the 5:20p. We're a family of 4 that likes to sit together.


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## DebbieB

Beast2Prince said:


> Southwest bumped out our March flight to MCO by 30 minutes, giving me the opportunity to change to an earlier flight. However, that means our Early Bird would move to the end of the line of those that already purchased Early Bird for the new flight. Unfortunately there's no way of knowing how many would now be in front of us and what our boarding group/number might be.  We always purchase our flights as soon as they're released and typically end up with A or early B boarding groups. It's a spring break flight out of Indy. Debating if we should keep the 8:30p flight or switch to the 5:20p. We're a family of 4 that likes to sit together.



I would switch it, your number should still be low enough to sit together.  I don’t do early bird and never had a problem sitting together.


----------



## leeniewdw

The only time we were unable to sit together (with or w/o EBCI) was when our flight was canceled (weather) and we had to fly the next day, so we rescheduled onto the flight less than 12 hours before it left.  (Which reminds me, I never did call and see if we could get a credit for the EBCI that we lost.)


----------



## dez1978

I have 47000 points, but need 95000 to book flights for 7 of us.  I prefer using points that way if we have to cancel we get the points back vs travel funds.  I can buy the remaining points for $792.  The total cash prices for flights is 1330.  What is my best option here?  I'd use my SW card to buy the points so I'd get points on that as well


----------



## Poohlovr

dez1978 said:


> Stl.




Not knowing your dates,  of course,  I just stuck any of days on and Tampa came up.
Maybe try again?


----------



## Avery&Todd

Eeekk!!!

I just got this email from SW and they're extending my A-List status through 2022!  WOOT for me!

Here's hoping others get this early Christmas present too!!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Avery&Todd said:


> Eeekk!!!
> 
> I just got this email from SW and they're extending my A-List status through 2022!  WOOT for me!
> 
> Here's hoping others get this early Christmas present too!!
> View attachment 629363


Back in October my husband got an offer to keep his A-list through 2022 (which had already been extended due to the pandemic) if he completed 4 one-way trips or 2 round trips by a date in November (I think that was it). He ended up doing 2 quick 2 day 1 night golf trips although he ended up doing a 3rd trip for work. He just found cheap places to go to (first was Chicago, second was Dallas). SWA is def. trying to encourage travel 

There was also that Companion Pass offer where if you booked by X date you'd get it. He got that one as well although it's a promotional Companion good in portions of Jan-Feb so we're trying to figure out if we can use it with a place we want to go to. I know they do those periodically with the promotional Companion Pass so keep an eye out for those!


----------



## Avery&Todd

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Back in October my husband got an offer to keep his A-list through 2022 (which had already been extended due to the pandemic) if he completed 4 one-way trips or 2 round trips by a date in November (I think that was it). He ended up doing 2 quick 2 day 1 night golf trips although he ended up doing a 3rd trip for work. He just found cheap places to go to (first was Chicago, second was Dallas). SWA is def. trying to encourage travel
> 
> There was also that Companion Pass offer where if you booked by X date you'd get it. He got that one as well although it's a promotional Companion good in portions of Jan-Feb so we're trying to figure out if we can use it with a place we want to go to. I know they do those periodically with the promotional Companion Pass so keep an eye out for those!


I also got that offer to extend my A-List by doing the 4 flights and I had 2 of the 4, but I was only scheduled for 1 additional flight during that time so who knows if they just gave it to me or what but I'm not asking questions or complaining!   

HA!  

Right now I have CP for DH, but it'll be slim if I can make the spending requirement between now and then - $125k is a lot to spend and we even put DS's college tuition on that SW card to get the points!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Avery&Todd said:


> I'm not asking questions or complaining!


I wouldn't be either lol!


Avery&Todd said:


> Right now I have CP for DH, but it'll be slim if I can make the spending requirement between now and then - $125k is a lot to spend and we even put DS's college tuition on that SW card to get the points!


We've earned Companion once (this promotional one is the second time we had Companion) by a combination of my husband flying every 2 weeks (WGA fares so it didn't add up as quick) and signing up for the SWA CC. That was when the requirement was for 110K points. It can def. be quite a benchmark even more so now with the raised requirement to get that Companion without it being a promotional one or due to a signup bonus. I do look fondly back on the time when we had Companion, we def. found ways to use it before the expiration date lol.


----------



## scrappinginontario

I did a search of this thread but wasn't able to locate the answer.

If I purchase EBCI but choose to cancel our trip (have cancelled twice already but thankfully border open now), will my EBCI be refunded if I purchase it?  We are flying using points.

Our return trip sadly has 2 stopovers....ugh!....but EBCI would be more beneficial with that situation.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

scrappinginontario said:


> I did a search of this thread but wasn't able to locate the answer.
> 
> If I purchase EBCI but choose to cancel our trip (have cancelled twice already but thankfully border open now), will my EBCI be refunded if I purchase it?  We are flying using points.
> 
> Our return trip sadly has 2 stopovers....ugh!....but EBCI would be more beneficial with that situation.




Unfortunately no if you cancel your flight your EBCI is not refundable.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> View attachment 629390
> 
> Unfortunately no if you cancel your flight your EBCI is not refundable.


Thanks so much!  They refunded my EBCI in 2020 when the border was closed but probably did it as it was an exception due to unusual circumstances.

I think I'm going to wait until closer to our travel dates to purchase it and see if we truly are going this time before purchasing it.  Basically all I want to do is ensure my DD and I can sit together and don't really care where in the plane that is so purchasing it, even closer to travel dates, should still secure that...hopefully!


----------



## MICKIMINI

I found and booked a *non stop BOS-MCO *5/21/2022 flight!  We are still on a Delta flight to return unless SWA puts up a non stop.  I thought there was some "agreement" that there are no non-stop BOS-MCO flights?  Not my problem...LOL!


FLIGHT
# 3544DEPARTS
*BOS 07:00*AM
Boston Logan



ARRIVES
*MCO 09:55*AM
Orlando


----------



## Sleepyluke

dez1978 said:


> I have 47000 points, but need 95000 to book flights for 7 of us.  I prefer using points that way if we have to cancel we get the points back vs travel funds.  I can buy the remaining points for $792.  The total cash prices for flights is 1330.  What is my best option here?  I'd use my SW card to buy the points so I'd get points on that as well


We cant even buy 4 tickets for that anymore!


----------



## aokeefe

MICKIMINI said:


> I found and booked a *non stop BOS-MCO *5/21/2022 flight!  We are still on a Delta flight to return unless SWA puts up a non stop.  I thought there was some "agreement" that there are no non-stop BOS-MCO flights?  Not my problem...LOL!
> 
> 
> 
> FLIGHT
> # 3544DEPARTS
> *BOS 07:00*AM
> Boston Logan
> 
> 
> 
> ARRIVES
> *MCO 09:55*AM
> Orlando


There is usually 1 non-stop flight from BOS-MCO (and MCO-BOS) on Saturdays only.


----------



## G719

scrappinginontario said:


> Thanks so much!  They refunded my EBCI in 2020 when the border was closed but probably did it as it was an exception due to unusual circumstances.
> 
> I think I'm going to wait until closer to our travel dates to purchase it and see if we truly are going this time before purchasing it.  Basically all I want to do is ensure my DD and I can sit together and don't really care where in the plane that is so purchasing it, even closer to travel dates, should still secure that...hopefully!


I had tickets booked on points for November for the beach and we decided not to go. I didn't cancel but changed the trip to a date in the future so I could keep the EBCI.  We are now going to Disney in October so I plan to change the trip to those dates when October opens.


----------



## MICKIMINI

aokeefe said:


> There is usually 1 non-stop flight from BOS-MCO (and MCO-BOS) on Saturdays only.


Thanks - I guess I never paid attention as we always flew from MHT and any schedules I saw were connections!


----------



## scrappinginontario

G719 said:


> I had tickets booked on points for November for the beach and we decided not to go. I didn't cancel but changed the trip to a date in the future so I could keep the EBCI.  We are now going to Disney in October so I plan to change the trip to those dates when October opens.


Thanks.  That's a great idea if you're sure you can travel within a year.  Unfortunately for us we haven't been to Disney in over 2.5 years so an option like this won't work for us.  Things I used to take for granted planning a Disney trip, I no longer do.  In the past, being 6 weeks out I'd start pulling things together for our trip.  Now we don't even really let ourselves get too excited due to the disappointment of having to cancel so many trips.


----------



## G719

scrappinginontario said:


> Thanks.  That's a great idea if you're sure you can travel within a year.  Unfortunately for us we haven't been to Disney in over 2.5 years so an option like this won't work for us.  Things I used to take for granted planning a Disney trip, I no longer do.  In the past, being 6 weeks out I'd start pulling things together for our trip.  Now we don't even really let ourselves get too excited due to the disappointment of having to cancel so many trips.


I hope you get to go on your trip!


----------



## scrappinginontario

G719 said:


> I hope you get to go on your trip!


Thank you!!


----------



## loveswdw

Not sure if this is a special deal or a regular price as I haven't priced them regularly. If you are a Costco member, you can buy a $500 Southwest email gift card for $450. Limit of 5. Just a reminder that you can only use I think 3 forms of payment when booking a ticket.


----------



## Kazi7

We have a flight booked June 4 and my husband will get to Companion pass level probably in February with the cc bonus.  Is it correct that we can cancel my flight and rebook it as a Companion? I assume I'd need to call to do this.  I'm booked with 2 of my kids, and my husband is booked separately from us.  Is that going to matter for them switching me to Companion?


----------



## ultimatefans

Kazi7 said:


> We have a flight booked June 4 and my husband will get to Companion pass level probably in February with the cc bonus.  Is it correct that we can cancel my flight and rebook it as a Companion? I assume I'd need to call to do this.  I'm booked with 2 of my kids, and my husband is booked separately from us.  Is that going to matter for them switching me to Companion?


It won't be a problem but yes you will need to call since you and your kids are on the same reservation.  You will end up with 3 different reservation numbers - one for your husband, one for you, and one for your kids.  If you purchase EBCI then checking in is done automatically, but if not, you'll need to check in both your husband and your kids.  If you purchased a Wanna Get Away or Anytime fare you will be checked in automatically with your husband.


----------



## Kazi7

I don't have EBCI, but I bought on points + the $5.60 fee.  So will they just cancel my flight and refund everything for my ticket?


----------



## ultimatefans

Kazi7 said:


> I don't have EBCI, but I bought on points + the $5.60 fee.  So will they just cancel my flight and refund everything for my ticket?


They will put the points back in your account.  The companion ticket requires the same $5.60 in taxes though, so you can either get the $5.60 refunded and then pay it again, which is the best option if you want to be sure you can refund the $5.60 if you end up canceling the flight in the future.  Or the simpler method is you can take the $5.60 as Travel Funds and then pay for the taxes for the companion ticket with the Travel Funds - they will do that for you when you call.


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

ICYMI: Here's your friendly reminder that *Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur THIS THURSDAY December 16th.* For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget! I'll post additional reminders as the date draws nearer. If this seems quick, that's because it is! In an odd move, Southwest is doing 2 schedule extensions in the same month roughly just 1 week apart.

- Currently SW is offering flights through 6/4/22 and *this next release will take their schedule out to 9/5/22.* This will likely be a popular extension covering all of summer!

For those that care about "release timing" it can vary, but here are the recent "go live" of previous releases:

Release Date | Time (eastern)
12/08/21 | 6:45am
06/10/21 | 7:15am
04/01/21 | 9:10am
12/10/20 | 7:15am
08/13/20 | 9:15am


----------



## scrappinginontario

WOW!!  Thanks for posting this!  So much for my, 'I have time to save and see where things are at' before purchasing our Aug flights.  Here's hoping I have enough points to use.  We've cancelled so many flights that I hate to spend $$ that I might lose if we don't travel.


----------



## EACarlson

Kazi7 said:


> We have a flight booked June 4 and my husband will get to Companion pass level probably in February with the cc bonus.  Is it correct that we can cancel my flight and rebook it as a Companion? I assume I'd need to call to do this.  I'm booked with 2 of my kids, and my husband is booked separately from us.  Is that going to matter for them switching me to Companion?


Depending on the ages of the kids it might make more sense to have one of the kids as the companion than you.  By splitting the reservations this way you may get a hassle about the kids being by themselves on one PNR.  Any IRROPS and that could be an issue.  This would also ensure that one of you is boarding with each kid.


----------



## Kazi7

Thanks for the advice but my "kids" are adults, so no need to make special arrangements for them.


----------



## leeniewdw

Transferring UR to RR is instantaneous, correct?

Unsure what the cost/points will be when they release the rest of June this week, but might choose to top off my RRs to cover the tickets I need.  Obviously don't want to make that transfer until I know what I'm going to need.


----------



## EACarlson

leeniewdw said:


> Transferring UR to RR is instantaneous, correct?
> 
> Unsure what the cost/points will be when they release the rest of June this week, but might choose to top off my RRs to cover the tickets I need.  Obviously don't want to make that transfer until I know what I'm going to need.


Usually yes, I have had it take up to 24 hours.


----------



## cmarsh31

Good morning SW. If you could please release the fares before I have to teach 1st period at 8:05am that would be awesome thanks.

Sincerely,
A High School teacher only 2 days away from Christmas break who really needs an easy SW release today.


----------



## mzozzietj

cmarsh31 said:


> Good morning SW. If you could please release the fares before I have to teach 1st period at 8:05am that would be awesome thanks.
> 
> Sincerely,
> A High School teacher only 2 days away from Christmas break who really needs an easy SW release today.


they are loaded but expensive for my dates!


----------



## Jfsag123

Fares are out and are high


----------



## han22735

mzozzietj said:


> they are loaded but expensive for my dates!


Agreed.  I booked with points but really didn't want to waste the points.  77k R//T for 3 people. Hoping for a sale.


----------



## crazywig

Same, SUPER high out of PVD. $418RT  June 24-July 2

I booked 4 on points and 1 using a Luv voucher and cash. June is a long way off, will monitor for drops.


----------



## han22735

crazywig said:


> Same, SUPER high out of PVD. $418RT  June 25-July 2
> 
> I booked 4 on points and 1 using a Luv voucher and cash. June is a long way off, will monitor for drops.


Pvd for me as well.  Also the first direct flight wasn't until 10:45.  Much later than I've ever booked.


----------



## leeniewdw

I didn't even get to the final pts/cost because the itinerary I need (RDU -> BZN) has ONLY 2 stop options.  Very different choices than may/early june.


----------



## Sandiz08

$158 for us each way. Not terrible but not great, I guess it is a summer fare.


----------



## scrappinginontario

I booked August out of Buffalo and was happy to see low rates compared to other times.  $127 one direction and $86 the other which is a price we haven't seen in a long, long time.  Both direct also which is nice.

Booked using points as once again not sure we'll ever be able to travel again.   I was fairly confident our Jan trip was going to happen but things are deteriorating her daily so it's in jeopardy...again.


----------



## catsinawindow

Poor options out of PHL to MCO for July as well.  Prices were pretty typical, but not a single direct flight on my travel dates!  Generally there have been 2 nonstops per weekday and more on weekends.  I booked the best available option on RR points for now and will cross my fingers that they release some nonstops in the future that I can switch to!


----------



## dez1978

quick question.  Is tampa a better airport than MCO?  Like easier/quicker?  We are flying into MCO but then spending the last part of our trip at clearwater beach so Tampa would be closer (right?) They have a flight that would work perfectly for us.


----------



## ultimatefans

scrappinginontario said:


> I booked August out of Buffalo and was happy to see low rates compared to other times.  $127 one direction and $86 the other which is a price we haven't seen in a long, long time.  Both direct also which is nice.
> 
> Booked using points as once again not sure we'll ever be able to travel again.   I was fairly confident our Jan trip was going to happen but things are deteriorating her daily so it's in jeopardy...again.


I have an $86 fare booked out of Buffalo in May that I grabbed last week and was soooo thrilled to get that price!  I agree, it's been a long time since we've seen that.

Really hoping your January trip can *finally* happen!


----------



## cmarsh31

August out of ALB was cheap, even for August. Got them before school started!


----------



## scrappinginontario

ultimatefans said:


> I have an $86 fare booked out of Buffalo in May that I grabbed last week and was soooo thrilled to get that price!  I agree, it's been a long time since we've seen that.
> 
> Really hoping your January trip can *finally* happen!


Thank you!

Glad you were able to book an $86 fare also!!


----------



## disny_luvr

Quick question before I book my summer flights. If I book our flights using points, do I have to use points to purchase EBCI? If we need to cancel and I do use points to purchase EBCI, do those points go back into my account or do I lose them?

TIA!


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

catsinawindow said:


> Poor options out of PHL to MCO for July as well.  Prices were pretty typical, but not a single direct flight on my travel dates!  Generally there have been 2 nonstops per weekday and more on weekends.  I booked the best available option on RR points for now and will cross my fingers that they release some nonstops in the future that I can switch to!



I was shocked by the lack of direct flights PHL to MCO as well. To the point that I'm wondering if everything isn't loaded yet (my dates are late August).


----------



## barb969

disny_luvr said:


> Quick question before I book my summer flights. If I book our flights using points, do I have to use points to purchase EBCI? If we need to cancel and I do use points to purchase EBCI, do those points go back into my account or do I lose them?
> 
> TIA!


You can’t pay with points for EBCI.


----------



## disny_luvr

barb969 said:


> You can’t pay with points for EBCI.


 
Great, thank you!


----------



## scrappinginontario

disny_luvr said:


> Great, thank you!


You will also want to know that if you cancel your flights, EBCI will not be refunded to you so purchase with caution during these uncertain times.


----------



## catsinawindow

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> I was shocked by the lack of direct flights PHL to MCO as well. To the point that I'm wondering if everything isn't loaded yet (my dates are late August).


I wondered the same...in the meantime, I decided to book flights out of BWI as there are a bunch of nonstop flights between BWI and MCO.  It's an extra 1.5 hour drive for us, but we'll more than makeup the time by having a nonstop flight.  Plus avoiding the headache of catching the next plane, luggage being transferred, etc.  Might be worth looking into.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

catsinawindow said:


> I wondered the same...in the meantime, I decided to book flights out of BWI as there are a bunch of nonstop flights between BWI and MCO.  It's an extra 1.5 hour drive for us, but we'll more than makeup the time by having a nonstop flight.  Plus avoiding the headache of catching the next plane, luggage being transferred, etc.  Might be worth looking into.



Yup, I was looking at BWI options, too. We're only 20ish minutes from PHL depending on traffic, so BWI would be a bummer, but we're considering it. My kids have had issues with motion sickness on airplanes, so we were trying to avoid double take off and landing.


----------



## dez1978

You can't combine points with any other method of payment correct?


----------



## LadybugsMum

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Yup, I was looking at BWI options, too. We're only 20ish minutes from PHL depending on traffic, so BWI would be a bummer, but we're considering it. My kids have had issues with motion sickness on airplanes, so we were trying to avoid double take off and landing.



Dramamine is great for motion sickness. I've been using it since I was a young child and now use it with my kids.


----------



## dez1978

I'm 25k points shy of what I need to book flights one way.  If I buy those it's $412.  I have a 10% cb offer on my SW card ($30 max I think) so that would get me 30 back.  plus 2x points for using my SW card.  So $382 after the 10% plus 825 points right?  Does that seem like a decent price? Cash price is 158 pp.


----------



## PCFriar80

dez1978 said:


> You can't combine points with any other method of payment correct?


From the SWA website: 
*Can I combine points and cash for a reservation?
No. But keep in mind, you can book a one-way reservation using points and book your return using cash or any other accepted form of payment or vice-versa.*


----------



## disny_luvr

scrappinginontario said:


> You will also want to know that if you cancel your flights, EBCI will not be refunded to you so purchase with caution during these uncertain times.



Yes, that happened to us back in 2020, unfortunately.


----------



## barb969

&


scrappinginontario said:


> You will also want to know that if you cancel your flights, EBCI will not be refunded to you so purchase with caution during these uncertain times.


If you need to cancel a flight with EBCI, don’t cancel. Rebook the flight for a future  date and have the EBCI transferred. I call SW for tHis. You can rebook several times Upto a year after you made the first ressie.  I think it has to between the same airports. My DH wa going to a family reunion in May 2020. I got his flight to MCO with EBCI in Feb. Of course the reunion was canceled. I rebooked him on a later date. Reunion canceled again. We had ressies for WDW, rebooked again. We decided not go in Dec. We had WDW ressies in Jan. So I rebooked again. Still transferring the EBCI. I had myself convinced I would lose the cost of EBCI Since we decided not to go in Jan. A little pixie dust landed and SW canceled the flight and I got my money back. I felt bad for those who had their flight canceled.  Thank goodness I used points so I didn’t have to deal with travel funds.


----------



## EACarlson

dez1978 said:


> I'm 25k points shy of what I need to book flights one way.  If I buy those it's $412.  I have a 10% cb offer on my SW card ($30 max I think) so that would get me 30 back.  plus 2x points for using my SW card.  So $382 after the 10% plus 825 points right?  Does that seem like a decent price? Cash price is 158 pp.


$382 for 25k points is 1.53 cpp so within the realm of RR point valuations of 1.3-1.6 cpp.  As far as whether it's a better deal to pay cash or points depends on many factors.  Including how many tickets you're talking about here, and the likelihood of this trip being cancelled.  If you have to cancel and the bookings are made in points, you get all the points back.  If the booking is made in cash it becomes travel funds tied to each specific traveler named.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

LadybugsMum said:


> Dramamine is great for motion sickness. I've been using it since I was a young child and now use it with my kids.



That's the plan for next time. They are fine in cars, amusement parks, etc, so we were caught off guard when the gastro-fireworks started on the flight home from Disney. Poor kiddos were tossing into Disney souvenir bags!

This time, we're doing Dramamine and and no park on the travel day. Last time, we tried to go out with a bang by doing a big MK day and flying late. So, it was rollercoasters, ice cream, then flight. This trip, it's whole grain toast for breakfast and onto the plane our last day


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

catsinawindow said:


> I wondered the same...in the meantime, I decided to book flights out of BWI as there are a bunch of nonstop flights between BWI and MCO.  It's an extra 1.5 hour drive for us, but we'll more than makeup the time by having a nonstop flight.  Plus avoiding the headache of catching the next plane, luggage being transferred, etc.  Might be worth looking into.



I convinced my husband to book BWI. He isn't thrilled because PHL is so close, but that would mean paying more money for 5-7 hour travel times because of the connection. The fact that BWI is cheaper and shorter (even with the 2 hour drive) was enough to sway him.

We're still hoping they drop some PHL non stop that we can change into, but at least we have something on the books now.


----------



## disneygal55

Does anyone know why SW would list 9 out of 11 Wanna Get Away flights for 5/1/21 as unavailable? They are MCO to BDL.


----------



## EACarlson

disneygal55 said:


> Does anyone know why SW would list 9 out of 11 Wanna Get Away flights for 5/1/21 as unavailable? They are MCO to BDL.


Because they are sold out of that fare bucket would be the obvious answer.


----------



## disneygal55

But I think that this date just opened up fairly recently. I could see a couple of dates being unavailable but 9 out of 11? Seems rather odd. I've been using SW for years and have booked really early and closer to travel (even with Covid era travel) and have never witnessed this situation.


----------



## MICKIMINI

Grayed out flights happen all the time from MHT to MCO.  Just watch for new prices as they seem to release flights at that time.  Other times there is no movement until closer to the flight.  I end up booking a flight with the hopes I can rebook when a time opens up.  Delta is actually cheaper now paying cash with refundable tickets from MHT-MCO.  I booked two trips with the thought if SWA opens desirable flights I'll rebook with points and cancel Delta.  Crazy!


----------



## aokeefe

disneygal55 said:


> But I think that this date just opened up fairly recently. I could see a couple of dates being unavailable but 9 out of 11? Seems rather odd. I've been using SW for years and have booked really early and closer to travel (even with Covid era travel) and have never witnessed this situation.


I was watching the MCO-PVD fares for 4/25 on the day it as released. 2 of my friends needed to book and the Wanna Get Away fares for the late flight never showed. In fact the the late flight (there are only 2 direct MCO-PVD that day) all fares were grayed out until later in the afternoon and still no Wanna Get Away fares. It is definitely odd.


----------



## monarchsfan16

disneygal55 said:


> Does anyone know why SW would list 9 out of 11 Wanna Get Away flights for 5/1/21 as unavailable? They are MCO to BDL.


Is that the end of school vacation week? It is in NH, not sure which week CT has.


----------



## EmilyGahr

Question on Business Select - do we still have to check in 24 hours before to get our boarding pass, even though we're guaranteed A1-A15? Or will we automatically get our boarding passes?


----------



## PCFriar80

EmilyGahr said:


> Question on Business Select - do we still have to check in 24 hours before to get our boarding pass, even though we're guaranteed A1-A15? Or will we automatically get our boarding passes?


You are automatically checked in with the Business Select fare.


----------



## EmilyGahr

PCFriar80 said:


> You are automatically checked in with the Business Select fare.


Thanks!


----------



## mcd2745

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> I was shocked by the lack of direct flights PHL to MCO as well. To the point that I'm wondering if everything isn't loaded yet (my dates are late August).



Same thing here in NY. For early August, _zero_ nonstop flights from LGA to MCO, and only one from ISP (around 6am). Getting really frustrated with SW lately.  They used to have 4 or 5 nonstop flights every day - in each direction - between ISP and MCO. When they left EWR (Newark), they said most of the route/flights would be replaced with ones at LGA. Well they used to have several nonstops to/from EWR, and have none to/from LGA. There is probably no route flown more than between NY and Florida (our 6th borough!). Why they have practically abandoned it is a real head-scratcher. I also looked at PHL (we can be there in less than 2 hours) as we have gone down there for cheaper flights in the past (usually Feb break), and was surprised to see no options there either. We ended up having to book JetBlue. SW seems to want out of routes that go to leisure/vacation destinations, instead favoring business travel routes.


----------



## Sleepyluke

disneygal55 said:


> But I think that this date just opened up fairly recently. I could see a couple of dates being unavailable but 9 out of 11? Seems rather odd. I've been using SW for years and have booked really early and closer to travel (even with Covid era travel) and have never witnessed this situation.


over half of our Get Away fares are gone as well to MCO for May, a couple less flights per day, but either they are changing the numbers in each tier, or there is more pent up travel coming than I realized.  Couple are even showing nothing available in Anytime fares, with a few more at 5 or less.


----------



## Gitelfor

Southwest will be introducing a 4th fare class in Q2 2022, which will be between WGA and Anytime fares.  The new fare class will include some enhancement(s) to WGA.  I wonder if Southwest is starting to block some seats for the new fare class, in preparation for its release.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

mcd2745 said:


> We ended up having to book JetBlue. SW seems to want out of routes that go to leisure/vacation destinations, instead favoring business travel routes.



We're working on companion passes with SW, so we're committed there. BWI it is (2 hour drive for us). Otherwise, I'd be looking at PHL alternate airlines.


----------



## dez1978

Purchases made on SW Rewards card...  Those don't post until the end of the cycle date right?  So if I buy something today, and the end of the cycle is JAn 13, those would count on 2022 towards the CP?


----------



## thanxfornoticin

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> We're working on companion passes with SW, so we're committed there. BWI it is (2 hour drive for us). Otherwise, I'd be looking at PHL alternate airlines.


We also have utilized BWI a few times since they have way more options as a SW hub.  They've left EWR and have been reducing options from Philly.  They're getting less appealing very quickly as our go-to airline.


----------



## EACarlson

mcd2745 said:


> There is probably no route flown more than between NY and Florida (our 6th borough!). Why they have practically abandoned it is a real head-scratcher.


  Why pay the insane fees at NYC area airports to compete with every other airline?  And with limited slot availability they chose to prioritize other less heavily competitive routes.  Not to mention the crew limitations that all of the airlines are dealing with.


dez1978 said:


> Purchases made on SW Rewards card...  Those don't post until the end of the cycle date right?  So if I buy something today, and the end of the cycle is JAn 13, those would count on 2022 towards the CP?


Correct, all points would be included for 2022-2023 CP.  It's actually usually a day or two after the statement cuts.


----------



## dez1978

EACarlson said:


> Why pay the insane fees at NYC area airports to compete with every other airline?  And with limited slot availability they chose to prioritize other less heavily competitive routes.  Not to mention the crew limitations that all of the airlines are dealing with.
> 
> Correct, all points would be included for 2022-2023 CP.  It's actually usually a day or two after the statement cuts.


Thank you.  I thought thats what I'd read but I wanted to be sure.  I screwed up and got my bonus points too soon so the are this year, but way too short to get the CP lol. I thought they would take a bit to post as it says may take 8 weeks, but was immediate.  So now I'm trying to rack up the points to get it early next year.  Putting our taxes on it and all our normal spending including phone and internet (2x points) so hopefully I can get it fairly early in the year. But I didn't want to screw that up too and have them post right away.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

dez1978 said:


> Thank you.  I thought thats what I'd read but I wanted to be sure.  I screwed up and got my bonus points too soon so the are this year, but way too short to get the CP lol. I thought they would take a bit to post as it says may take 8 weeks, but was immediate.  So now I'm trying to rack up the points to get it early next year.  Putting our taxes on it and all our normal spending including phone and internet (2x points) so hopefully I can get it fairly early in the year. But I didn't want to screw that up too and have them post right away.


When we earned the companion back in 2016 (for the rest of that year and through 2017) it posted almost immediately too. I think they tell people the longer timeframe just to give padding but in practice it seems to be fairly quickly.


----------



## ultimatefans

Gitelfor said:


> Southwest will be introducing a 4th fare class in Q2 2022, which will be between WGA and Anytime fares.  The new fare class will include some enhancement(s) to WGA.  I wonder if Southwest is starting to block some seats for the new fare class, in preparation for its release.


I wondered the same thing.  The availability of WGA fares for spring-summer next year definitely doesn't follow normal patterns.  WGA fares are rarely (if ever) sold out 6 months in advance for non-holiday weeks.


----------



## MICKIMINI

This is posted on the SWA Companion Pass info sheet online:

_Points earned through spending using the Rapid Rewards Credit Card will count toward Companion Pass qualification based on when they are posted to your Rapid Rewards account and NOT based on spending date. The points post to your Rapid Rewards account after your statement closing date.

*Credit card points posted to your Rapid Rewards account in 2021, including bonus points, will count toward qualifying for a 2022 Companion Pass.*_

Is this typical?  I'm trying for CP 2022/2023.  Thanks in advance for the any insight!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

MICKIMINI said:


> This is posted on the SWA Companion Pass info sheet online:
> 
> _Points earned through spending using the Rapid Rewards Credit Card will count toward Companion Pass qualification based on when they are posted to your Rapid Rewards account and NOT based on spending date. The points post to your Rapid Rewards account after your statement closing date.
> 
> *Credit card points posted to your Rapid Rewards account in 2021, including bonus points, will count toward qualifying for a 2022 Companion Pass.*_
> 
> Is this typical?  I'm trying for CP 2022/2023.  Thanks in advance for the any insight!


If you earned a CP in 2021 it will be good until December 31st 2022. If you're looking to get a CP for travel in 2023 you'd need to earn it in 2022.


----------



## EACarlson

MICKIMINI said:


> This is posted on the SWA Companion Pass info sheet online:
> 
> _Points earned through spending using the Rapid Rewards Credit Card will count toward Companion Pass qualification based on when they are posted to your Rapid Rewards account and NOT based on spending date. The points post to your Rapid Rewards account after your statement closing date.
> 
> *Credit card points posted to your Rapid Rewards account in 2021, including bonus points, will count toward qualifying for a 2022 Companion Pass.*_
> 
> Is this typical?  I'm trying for CP 2022/2023.  Thanks in advance for the any insight!


It's somewhat confusing when you aren't used to it.  When you earn Companion Pass you actually earn it for the following year.  They give you the rest of the current year as a bonus.  The best way to look at it is that you are earning the companion pass expiration date. So you want the 2023 companion pass which you can start earning towards on 1/1/22.


----------



## MICKIMINI

THANKS for the info!  I've had a card for nearly a decade and most flights have been free.  We were able to get a second card recently with the 125K CP bonus.  We're hoping to go to Aulani in 2023 from MHT which will include several connections and a stay at LAX both ways, so we it will be a huge savings.  I have the spend without even trying!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

mcd2745 said:


> SW seems to want out of routes that go to leisure/vacation destinations, instead favoring business travel routes.


I wouldn't pin this on SWA. Delta recently cut some routes (dropped 3 destinations entirely and adjusted 7 routes) and I just saw they cut 10 more routes today. Looks like for Delta Minneapolis and Salt Lake City were the most impacted.

Airlines adjust as needed. Not just in a pandemic of course though. But right now with staffing shortages they may need to make more or make ones that will upset X many customers but serve Y many customers in a better way.

I think SWA just got hit in the last few years with the MAX-8 issue as that has caused basically several years back to back including the pandemic of restructured routes.

But airlines in general favor business travel and they should because the business travelers are the ones flying the most. That said it's hard to necessarily say that an airline is cutting a particular route due to business travel routes rather than other factors. Things like passenger counts, fuel costs, other more favorable connections that pick up more passengers, etc. It's possible after looking at their schedules the non-stop options no longer were filling up enough to make them worth while (just thinking out loud).

When SWA left Newark it was just before the pandemic, they may have had every intention of doing what they said and life had to go and change it. If I do look at it they basically fly daily out of LGA to MCO. Also they do have 1 non-stop flight every day of the week at this moment but schedules change. I'm not going to look week by week to figure out when it changes but at some point they change from having a non-stop option to not sometime in 2022.

If you want to look at their intended schedule (as they change by necessity at times) you can go to this link: https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/index.html?clk=GFOOTER-FLY-FLTSCHEDULES

I'm not saying it doesn't suck because it does


----------



## PS11

Our flight this past weekend was canceled within an hour of boarding and SW gave us LUV vouchers to use with the expiration 12/20/22. Before this, we were planning a January 2023 trip to Disney. Is there any method, hack, etc to get this expiration extended?


----------



## EACarlson

PS11 said:


> Our flight this past weekend was canceled within an hour of boarding and SW gave us LUV vouchers to use with the expiration 12/20/22. Before this, we were planning a January 2023 trip to Disney. Is there any method, hack, etc to get this expiration extended?


Nothing I am aware of.  Although LUV vouchers can be used to book for anyone, so if you have any family or close friends travelling on SW you could use the LUV vouchers to book their travel and have them pay you.


----------



## focusondisney

ultimatefans said:


> I wondered the same thing.  The availability of WGA fares for spring-summer next year definitely doesn't follow normal patterns.  WGA fares are rarely (if ever) sold out 6 months in advance for non-holiday weeks.



Over the years, I have seen WGA fares listed as sold out & then come back weeks later.  Several years ago it happened a couple of times.  This wasn’t at any particular time of the year, definitely not at a holiday time & just weeks after release.  It wasn’t just one city.  I remember that every city I checked showed WGA fares gone for several flights.  Many posters complained about WGA fares being gone.  And then, they just all came back.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

focusondisney said:


> Over the years, I have seen WGA fares listed as sold out & then come back weeks later.  Several years ago it happened a couple of times.  This wasn’t at any particular time of the year, definitely not at a holiday time & just weeks after release.  It wasn’t just one city.  I remember that every city I checked showed WGA fares gone for several flights.  Many posters complained about WGA fares being gone.  And then, they just all came back.


I just saw this with a local DISer, we all are going down for a wedding in Orlando and coming back on the same day (we're all going down at different dates though). The 11am non-stop option and another option with a stop showed unavailable for WGA but the 11am non-stop option is back open available. This is for middle of May.

I assume it's people booking, canceling or moving, or SWA adjusting how many in the fare class they'll have or any combination of that or something else I haven't thought of. But you're right it has happened over the years, seen it myself too.


----------



## Kazi7

I'm considering booking an Anytime fare (with $, not points) for the better refund policy if I cancel.  If the fare goes down and I rebook for the lower rate, would my fare difference also refund to my original payment method (not give me a travel voucher)?  I'm assuming "yes" but I don't have any experience with the Anytime fares.


----------



## ultimatefans

Kazi7 said:


> I'm considering booking an Anytime fare (with $, not points) for the better refund policy if I cancel.  If the fare goes down and I rebook for the lower rate, would my fare difference also refund to my original payment method (not give me a travel voucher)?  I'm assuming "yes" but I don't have any experience with the Anytime fares.


Yes, I just did this exact thing a couple of weeks ago.  The difference was refunded to my credit card.  I did have the choice to receive a travel fund or have the difference refunded to the original form of payment - I can't remember which one was the default so be sure to watch closely and make sure you select to receive a refund.


----------



## Lvsdisney

dez1978 said:


> quick question.  Is tampa a better airport than MCO?  Like easier/quicker?  We are flying into MCO but then spending the last part of our trip at clearwater beach so Tampa would be closer (right?) They have a flight that would work perfectly for us.



 I'm not sure if anyone answered you, but YES, Tampa is much closer to Clearwater (it's right across the bay). We flew in/out of there in 2018 and I don't remember it being hard. It was the week before Easter so a busy travel week, and we didn't have to wait long for security. Of course, that could be vastly different now! But if you're in Clearwater, it'll be much easier to fly out of TPA versus driving an hour to MCO.


----------



## dez1978

Lvsdisney said:


> I'm not sure if anyone answered you, but YES, Tampa is much closer to Clearwater (it's right across the bay). We flew in/out of there in 2018 and I don't remember it being hard. It was the week before Easter so a busy travel week, and we didn't have to wait long for security. Of course, that could be vastly different now! But if you're in Clearwater, it'll be much easier to fly out of TPA versus driving an hour to MCO.


Thank you!  Thats what I was thinking.  Does the Tampa airport have on site car rental returns?  I'd have a rental I'd need to drop off.


----------



## EACarlson

dez1978 said:


> Thank you!  Thats what I was thinking.  Does the Tampa airport have on site car rental returns?  I'd have a rental I'd need to drop off.


It appears they do, not quite as convenient as MCO but not horrible like some places (DEN.)  Another thing you have to be cognizant of if you do this is that there may be one way rental charges picking up from MCO and dropping off at TPA.  I think I saw someone earlier this year quoted $200 to drop at the WDW CCC rather than returning to MCO.
https://blog.autoslash.com/tampa-international-airport-tpa-car-rental-guide/


----------



## monarchsfan16

dez1978 said:


> Thank you!  Thats what I was thinking.  Does the Tampa airport have on site car rental returns?  I'd have a rental I'd need to drop off.


Yes they do. It's actually a beautiful facility, connected to the airport by about a 5 minute tram ride ("sky train" or something like that). We flew in and out of TPA in April for a Clearwater trip and really liked the Tampa airport. Easy to navigate, very logically laid out, clean.


----------



## dez1978

EACarlson said:


> It appears they do, not quite as convenient as MCO but not horrible like some places (DEN.)  Another thing you have to be cognizant of if you do this is that there may be one way rental charges picking up from MCO and dropping off at TPA.  I think I saw someone earlier this year quoted $200 to drop at the WDW CCC rather than returning to MCO.
> https://blog.autoslash.com/tampa-international-airport-tpa-car-rental-guide/


Oh, well I should be good.  We go to Denver frequently and I've never found it to be too horrible.  Other than the last time when the shuttle to the rental car place didn't show up for almost an hour.


----------



## Lvsdisney

dez1978 said:


> Thank you!  Thats what I was thinking.  Does the Tampa airport have on site car rental returns?  I'd have a rental I'd need to drop off.


Yes they do! It's actually very easy to return a car there.


----------



## Avery&Todd

EACarlson said:


> It's somewhat confusing when you aren't used to it.  When you earn Companion Pass you actually earn it for the following year.  They give you the rest of the current year as a bonus.  The best way to look at it is that you are earning the companion pass expiration date. So you want the 2023 companion pass which you can start earning towards on 1/1/22.


----------



## Avery&Todd

EACarlson said:


> It's somewhat confusing when you aren't used to it.  When you earn Companion Pass you actually earn it for the following year.  They give you the rest of the current year as a bonus.  The best way to look at it is that you are earning the companion pass expiration date. So you want the 2023 companion pass which you can start earning towards on 1/1/22.



OK - so I have confused myself...even though I've had CP for the last 3 or 4 years....  

In my SW RR account, I have just over 79k points but I know I need 125k points for CP.  When it hits 1/1/22 do my earned points poof and I have to start all over again trying to earn the 125k or do I keep the current points and then those are applied towards my next CP?

AND, lets say I earn those 125k points in April, does that mean I'll have CP for the rest of 2022 AND 2023??

thanks!


----------



## barb969

Avery&Todd said:


> OK - so I have confused myself...even though I've had CP for the last 3 or 4 years....
> 
> In my SW RR account, I have just over 79k points but I know I need 125k points for CP.  When it hits 1/1/22 do my earned points poof and I have to start all over again trying to earn the 125k or do I keep the current points and then those are applied towards my next CP?
> 
> AND, lets say I earn those 125k points in April, does that mean I'll have CP for the rest of 2022 AND 2023??
> 
> thanks!



First question- you will lose the points at the the end of 2021 and start over in 2022.
Second question- yes. I did this last year and got the CP in June. It’s good until 12/22.


----------



## Avery&Todd

barb969 said:


> First question- you will lose the points at the the end of 2021 and start over in 2022.
> Second question- yes. I did this last year and got the CP in June. It’s good until 12/22.


so that means if I lose all the 79k points I've earned so far towards the CP on 1/1/22, then there is no way I'll earn 125k by April 2022 since I'll have to start all over again at zero and get back to 125k...

oh well - it was nice having CP while I did!  I do have A-List for next year so there's that!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Avery&Todd said:


> so that means if I lose all the 79k points I've earned so far towards the CP on 1/1/22, then there is no way I'll earn 125k by April 2022 since I'll have to start all over again at zero and get back to 125k...
> 
> oh well - it was nice having CP while I did!  I do have A-List for next year so there's that!


CP is normally quite hard to get it repeatedly just because of the high threshold. When it was 110,000 it was hard now it's even harder.

Also don't forget about their Rapid Rewards Shopping. I really don't earn much (on average 11 points or so each transaction) when I do it with my cat's wet food through Petsmart. The way I see it is I'm literally doing nothing different except making sure to log into my SWA account first and go through their shopping portal. You may still not even get close to a Companion Pass but it helps I suppose (and you'll just keep adding points onto your account little by little).


----------



## EACarlson

Rapid Rewards Dining as well.  No effort, register your credit card number and when you eat at participating restaurants you get RR points.  3pt/$ spent.  I've gotten enough in the last two years to pay for my flight to MCO next month.


----------



## barb969

EACarlson said:


> Rapid Rewards Dining as well.  No effort, register your credit card number and when you eat at participating restaurants you get RR points.  3pt/$ spent.  I've gotten enough in the last two years to pay for my flight to MCO next month.


Rapid rewards surveys can add some.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

barb969 said:


> Rapid rewards surveys can add some.


I haven't done them in a while (sorta forget about them) but one of the ones I did over the summer got me 100 points for like a 20min survey


----------



## Gitelfor

Car rentals booked thru the Southwest RR portal can give your RR account a quick boost.  Several years ago, when I was regularly booking rentals for a number of weeks in the same city, I would return and then check the car out again, on a weekly basis.  With 3000 RR points per weekly rental, my RR account increased in value in good spurts.  Of course, it’s always worth checking to see if the rate is competitive against rates available thru other booking channels, to see if the bonus points are worth booking thru Southwest. Unfortunately,     3000 point bonuses are no longer offered; the largest bonus, for companies such as Avis and Hertz, is up to 2400 RR points, per rental.

Hotels booked thru Booking.com on Southwest’s site can sometimes offer large bonuses, but I find that the room rates usually are out of line, when compared against other OTAs.  There are hotels that have rates with up to 10000 RR points, per night, sometimes. There can be different room rates displayed for the exact same room, with a higher rate for more points, compared to the same room with fewer points awarded.  So, you basically are buying those bonus points by booking the higher rate room.
Southwest hotel offers with bonus RR points


----------



## focusondisney

Avery&Todd said:


> OK - so I have confused myself...even though I've had CP for the last 3 or 4 years....
> 
> In my SW RR account, I have just over 79k points but I know I need 125k points for CP.  *When it hits 1/1/22 do my earned points poof *and I have to start all over again trying to earn the 125k or do I keep the current points and then those are applied towards my next CP?
> 
> AND, lets say I earn those 125k points in April, does that mean I'll have CP for the rest of 2022 AND 2023??
> 
> thanks!





barb969 said:


> First question- *you will lose the points at the the end of 2021 *and start over in 2022.
> Second question- yes. I did this last year and got the CP in June. It’s good until 12/22.



Just to clarify, you won’t “lose” the points. You’ll still have them & be able to use them to book flights.  But every January, you start over in your attempt to earn a CP.  You must earn 125,000 points from January 1-  December 31 to earn the CP.


----------



## Avery&Todd

focusondisney said:


> Just to clarify, you won’t “lose” the points. You’ll still have them & be able to use them to book flights.  But every January, you start over in your attempt to earn a CP.  You must earn 125,000 points from January 1-  December 31 to earn the CP.



we "easily" earned CP for many years when our oldest was in college as we would put his tuition/expenses on the card and then  just paid it off and it earned us CP quite easily, but he's now done with that and our youngest is going to a cheaper college so his expenses are "less"...therefore fewer RR points..

and yes, I realize I keep the points earned for flight but its a bummer to realize I lose them towards CP...

oh well...

thanks everyone - this is why I love this thread!


----------



## Gitelfor

For a change, Southwest is not the airline with high rates of flight cancellations.

Reviewing flights in/out of MCO, this weekend, Delta and jetBlue have had quite a few cancellations and delays, while Southwest has had a few rare cancellations or delays.  Hopefully, Southwest will be able to continue with this trend.


----------



## teawar

Our family had great travels in and out of Orlando before the Christmas break. SWA impressed me when our flight crew was stuck in traffic outside of the airport and they had another set of flight attendants help with the boarding process. They worked to get us out on time until our crew arrived. This crew didn’t have to do this, but they did it with smiles on Christmas Eve.


----------



## Gitelfor

teawar said:


> Our family had great travels in and out of Orlando before the Christmas break. SWA impressed me when our flight crew was stuck in traffic outside of the airport and they had another set of flight attendants help with the boarding process. They worked to get us out on time until our crew arrived. This crew didn’t have to do this, but they did it with smiles on Christmas Eve.


It may or may not be well-known, but the flight attendants only are paid when the airplane’s door is closed and secured on the flight they are working.  They are not paid while passengers are boarding/deplaning.  For those F/As to help board passengers on a flight they are not assigned is a great gesture.

You may want to let Southwest on social media know about this.  They will ask you to DM your confirmation number, so that those crew members can get recognized for their actions.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

teawar said:


> Our family had great travels in and out of Orlando before the Christmas break. SWA impressed me when our flight crew was stuck in traffic outside of the airport and they had another set of flight attendants help with the boarding process. They worked to get us out on time until our crew arrived. This crew didn’t have to do this, but they did it with smiles on Christmas Eve.


When we landed back in KC from Vegas on 12/15 it was about 12:30am and SWA played "Kansas City" by The New Basement Tapes as we connected up with the jetway. While normally that would appreciated most of us were just sorta grumpy because of a flight delay/extended boarding/halting of boarding, etc. Plus the Derecho was occurring back home that day (had mostly subsided though the winds provided us with an amazing tailwind) most of us were worried about our homes and stuff. BUT I do love the added touch SWA had to do that. We were also flying on a MAX-8 and just after boarding they changed the lights to be green and red momentarily before going back to blue, still a nice touch. I've found over the years SWA to be quite good as a whole


----------



## teawar

Gitelfor said:


> It may or may not be well-known, but the flight attendants only are paid when the airplane’s door is closed and secured on the flight they are working.  They are not paid while passengers are boarding/deplaning.  For those F/As to help board passengers on a flight they are not assigned is a great gesture.
> 
> You may want to let Southwest on social media know about this.  They will ask you to DM your confirmation number, so that those crew members can get recognized for their actions.


Thanks for sharing this and I will definitely push it out on Twitter/Instagram.


----------



## Kazi7

I'm sorry, I know this question gets asked a lot but I don't want to screw up.  My new credit card closed on Dec 24th with $1500 charged so far, next posting date is Jan 24th.  Is it correct that everything charged this week will post in January, so therefore my 50,000 bonus points will post after the Jan 24th date?  I've seen people advise to wait until Jan 1 "just in case", but I have several expenses due this week so I really want to use it before Jan 1.

And if I get to the $12,000 mark before Jan 24, will I get the second 50,000 points at the same time? I need to book flights this spring and I'm anxiously holding off to get the points.


----------



## barb969

Yes
yes


----------



## Kazi7

barb969 said:


> Yes
> yes



Thanks, straight to the point!  I love it.


----------



## BLTtinkerbell

If you book Business Select are you guaranteed A1 - A15 boarding? 
Would you still need Early Bird?

Thoughts on different fare categories?

I am thinking refundable fare could be helpful during uncertain Covid times.


----------



## teawar

If you book business select, you will definitely be in the first 30, if not 15 to board the plane.  You would not need early board booking. The only people in front of you would be preboards with special passes. You also get a lot more Rapid Reward Points with this booking class.


----------



## EACarlson

BLTtinkerbell said:


> If you book Business Select are you guaranteed A1 - A15 boarding?
> Would you still need Early Bird?
> 
> Thoughts on different fare categories?
> 
> I am thinking refundable fare could be helpful during uncertain Covid times.


Business select is guaranteed A1-A15, no need for early bird, in the before times it also came with free drinks.  A refundable fare would make sense if you think you may have to cancel.  Another option and one I avail myself of regularly is to book with points.  If you book with points and have to cancel for any reason all of the points get returned to you.
I only book WGA fares.  To me, if I have to pay Anytime fare prices, I can usually find the flight cheaper on another airline.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

BLTtinkerbell said:


> I am thinking refundable fare could be helpful during uncertain Covid times.


This part depends on how frequently you fly and fly SWA. WGA don't come with refundable fare but your money isn't all lost either. You'd get a voucher valid for 1 year _from booking date (_not flying date) that can be used.


BLTtinkerbell said:


> If you book Business Select are you guaranteed A1 - A15 boarding?


Yes you would be but I'll have to disagree with the other person's comment regarding how many people are on the plane. Pre-boards are 1 aspect but so are connecting flights. On flights where you are the connection point people are already on the plane. All that said I wouldn't purchase EBCI and Business Select. I would just do Business Select if you are considering it (for us the cost difference between WGA and Business Select is usually too much). Also keep in mind if there is any slots left from A1-A15 at the gate you can pay for Upgraded Boarded which fills in those leftover spots.


----------



## teawar

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> This part depends on how frequently you fly and fly SWA. WGA don't come with refundable fare but your money isn't all lost either. You'd get a voucher valid for 1 year _from booking date (_not flying date) that can be used.
> 
> Yes you would be but I'll have to disagree with the other person's comment regarding how many people are on the plane. Pre-boards are 1 aspect but so are connecting flights. On flights where you are the connection point people are already on the plane. All that said I wouldn't purchase EBCI and Business Select. I would just do Business Select if you are considering it (for us the cost difference between WGA and Business Select is usually too much). Also keep in mind if there is any slots left from A1-A15 at the gate you can pay for Upgraded Boarded which fills in those leftover spots.


Good point about people already on the plane with connections.  From my experience, there are definitely more people boarding than those connecting through.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

teawar said:


> Good point about people already on the plane with connections.  From my experience, there are definitely more people boarding than those connecting through.


Mine too on average  , I just mentioned it as it's a possibility.


----------



## BLTtinkerbell

If you book Anytime or Business Select and the fare goes down, can you get the difference back?


----------



## EACarlson

BLTtinkerbell said:


> If you book Anytime or Business Select and the fare goes down, can you get the difference back?


Yes, same as with WGA except you should get a choice between a TF and back to the original form of payment.


----------



## BLTtinkerbell

EACarlson said:


> Yes, same as with WGA except you should get a choice between a TF and back to the original form of payment.


Thank you! 
Can you do it online or do you have to call?


----------



## teawar

BLTtinkerbell said:


> Thank you!
> Can you do it online or do you have to call?


You can do it online, unless you have a companion pass linked with the flight. In that instance, you would have to call.


----------



## Lsdolphin

SWA keeps adver how safe it is to fly and yet cancelling many flights due to high rates of COVID among their employees...


----------



## scrappinginontario

Lsdolphin said:


> SWA keeps adver how safe it is to fly and yet cancelling many flights due to high rates of COVID among their employees...


SW employees, like all of us, spend only a certain portion of their time doing their jobs.  Personally, I don’t equate sick employees from getting that way  at work.  It can happen but like all of us, it can happen just going about day to day life too.


----------



## Doug7856

Lsdolphin said:


> SWA keeps adver how safe it is to fly and yet cancelling many flights due to high rates of COVID among their employees...


From what I've read, the panes are safe due to air circulation, it's the airports that may be problematic. Sitting close waiting for the flight, unknown air circulation, etc.


----------



## tlg588

I was wondering, what’s the air circulation when the plane is airborne vs setting at the gate?


----------



## Gitelfor

Check upcoming reservations for fare reductions.  There seem to have been minor adjustments for some flights in certain months...such as in April.


----------



## mrsstats79

Gitelfor said:


> Check upcoming reservations for fare reductions.  There seem to have been minor adjustments for some flights in certain months...such as in April.


Thank you - just saved 6700 points


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

We checked ours for May and right now a tiny reduction only in point value. The price in dollars is still the same but the point amount slightly lower.

We booked my ticket in points and got 32 points back. We're going to keep checking though for a least a little bit longer to see if there's more reductions. For this reason we haven't added EBCI yet for my ticket.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Gitelfor said:


> Check upcoming reservations for fare reductions.  There seem to have been minor adjustments for some flights in certain months...such as in April.


 Thanks! Just saved a few points but more importantly, was able to move to a direct flight to Orlando 7 hours earlier than our original flight.  Yay!!


----------



## Lsdolphin

Gitelfor said:


> Check upcoming reservations for fare reductions.  There seem to have been minor adjustments for some flights in certain months...such as in April.



yes very minor I saved a $1


----------



## mickey916

Just saved $30 for my April trip! Thanks!


----------



## Sleepyluke

Checking to see if I can save today, our flights have gone up 22,000 points for the 4 of us in May, so glad I booked day 1 this go round!!


----------



## leeniewdw

I'm in the process of canceling our Feb trip (many reasons).  I may have gone about our points usage incorrectly, so hoping someone can advise.    I had a SW Companion pass, so made me + DH reservation on my account, paying my fare with points.  That one was easy, I canceled and everything is fine.

We made flights reservations for our adult son +  gf using my DH's available points.  But I can't see that reservation in his account.   How do I go about canceling those???  That's a chunk of points I'd really like to get back!

ETA:  I figured it out.  Just had to use the conf # (that I got from the activity history) and look it up on the same screen where any active flights for him would be showing.   Nevermind


----------



## ADisneyQueen

Did I miss the southwest sale for flights in mid March? My dates are March 19/20 -March 24/25.


----------



## EACarlson

No, there seems to be a wall at March 9 where everything after that is more expensive.  The last fare sale even ended right there.  Prime spring break time you may not see any sales that are worthwhile.


----------



## Palaura

SOS-I went to check when late summer reservations would be avail and they were posted!?!?  How did I miss this? Flying PHL to MCO late August.  The schedules are less than ideal.  I am hoping they didn't load some flights. What's my best next move? We pay cash...not points.  Do I wait?


----------



## catsinawindow

Palaura said:


> SOS-I went to check when late summer reservations would be avail and they were posted!?!?  How did I miss this? Flying PHL to MCO late August.  The schedules are less than ideal.  I am hoping they didn't load some flights. What's my best next move? We pay cash...not points.  Do I wait?


Would flying out of BWI be an option for you?  Lots of nonstop flights between BWI and MCO.  Our home airport is PHL, but we decided to go this route (at least for now) due to the lack of direct flights.  Not having the connecting flight and layover will more than make up for the extra 1.5 hr drove to BWI for us.


----------



## leeniewdw

Palaura said:


> SOS-I went to check when late summer reservations would be avail and they were posted!?!?  How did I miss this? Flying PHL to MCO late August.  The schedules are less than ideal.  I am hoping they didn't load some flights. What's my best next move? We pay cash...not points.  Do I wait?



The rest of the summer flights were available about a week after the last ones were released.   No one knows, but I wouldn't make any decision that included thinking they'd add flights.  We just canceled a Feb trip that I checked and checked for an earlier direct option, but there was no way to get to MCO before noon (that's not why we're canceling).   I have  June trip out west and the itineraries are terrible with 2 stops.   Nothing has changed there either.


----------



## Gitelfor

New “fare sale” with fares for select markets and dates starting at $39 each way.



*Sale valid for flights booked by 01/06/2022*


----------



## EACarlson

Gitelfor said:


> New “fare sale” with fares for select markets and dates starting at $39 each way.
> 
> View attachment 635716
> 
> *Sale valid for flights booked by 01/06/2022*


Fare sale on flights through May 18.  I looked and my flights went up 25% compared to when I booked them.


----------



## mickey916

EACarlson said:


> Fare sale on flights through May 18.  I looked and my flights went up 25% compared to when I booked them.


My May flights were higher too...


----------



## Gitelfor

EACarlson said:


> Fare sale on flights through May 18.  I looked and my flights went up 25% compared to when I booked them.





mickey916 said:


> My May flights were higher too...


A friend’s April round trip had a fare reduction  of more than 8,000 points, from when first booked on the schedule release date.


----------



## Palaura

catsinawindow said:


> Would flying out of BWI be an option for you?  Lots of nonstop flights between BWI and MCO.  Our home airport is PHL, but we decided to go this route (at least for now) due to the lack of direct flights.  Not having the connecting flight and layover will more than make up for the extra 1.5 hr drove to BWI for us.


I thought about it and it makes more sense to fly frontier out of Philly than it does to drive to Baltimore.  I dont think I can quite convince my family that driving to baltimore is a good idea.


----------



## Palaura

leeniewdw said:


> The rest of the summer flights were available about a week after the last ones were released.   No one knows, but I wouldn't make any decision that included thinking they'd add flights.  We just canceled a Feb trip that I checked and checked for an earlier direct option, but there was no way to get to MCO before noon (that's not why we're canceling).   I have  June trip out west and the itineraries are terrible with 2 stops.   Nothing has changed there either.


This is kind of where I am with the schedule.  I feel like Soutwest is breaking up with me.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Palaura said:


> SOS-I went to check when late summer reservations would be avail and they were posted!?!? How did I miss this? Flying PHL to MCO late August. The schedules are less than ideal. I am hoping they didn't load some flights. What's my best next move? We pay cash...not points. Do I wait?





catsinawindow said:


> Would flying out of BWI be an option for you? Lots of nonstop flights between BWI and MCO. Our home airport is PHL, but we decided to go this route (at least for now) due to the lack of direct flights. Not having the connecting flight and layover will more than make up for the extra 1.5 hr drove to BWI for us.



We went the BWI route as well. Much better times and fares. I'd rather drive and direct than connect anyway.



Palaura said:


> I thought about it and it makes more sense to fly frontier out of Philly than it does to drive to Baltimore. I dont think I can quite convince my family tha



We're working on SW points and companion passes, so not an option here. Glad you could make it work!


----------



## Leigh L

Palaura said:


> I thought about it and it makes more sense to fly frontier out of Philly than it does to drive to Baltimore.  I dont think I can quite convince my family that driving to baltimore is a good idea.


Have you flown them before? Do they have multiple alternative options or are you flexible if they cancel you? (before they suspended flights altogether from my airport last month, they only flew to MCO 3x per week so pretty limited service from a big airport).

Frontier is pretty inflexible. I only will fly them for last-minute flights these days. In March I canceled my April 2020 I  flight just before things shut down, so was left with a credit that needed to be rebooked within 90 days or lost, so in May or June, I rebooked for summer. Frontier ended up canceling all flights to MCO from Dulles that summer through the winter - beyond the 90 days since 2021 flights hadn't been released yet - and wouldn't give me a refund since I made the initial cancelation, despite them canceling all flight options to MCO. (I ended up disputing it with CC after the rude CS rep hung up on me and did get $$ back.)

However, we flew them last February, but only because I needed a same-day flight. That went 100% fine.

My son is going through a problem with Frontier right now since the people he'd been traveling to visit this coming weekend have COVID. Frontier is not allowing them credit after he canceled their flights online and it remains to be seen if he'll get slapped with the cancelation fee too.

I know driving is a pain, but wanted to share these experiences in case you hadn't dealt with Frontier before .


----------



## catsinawindow

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> We went the BWI route as well. Much better times and fares. I'd rather drive and direct than connect anyway.
> 
> 
> 
> We're working on SW points and companion passes, so not an option here. Glad you could make it work!



Same here, wanted to stick with SW since we have a bunch of RR points (paid for all 5 of our roundtrip tickets entirely using points) and are working on a companion pass that we should have well before this trip.  If I wasn't tied to SW, I'd probably have looked at another airline (likely AA) that had nonstops between PHL and MCO instead.


----------



## georgina

One of my May flights was down today from 5373 pts to 3813. Another one went down a whole 16 RR points? Didn't bother rebooking that one!


----------



## Palaura

Leigh L said:


> Have you flown them before? Do they have multiple alternative options or are you flexible if they cancel you? (before they suspended flights altogether from my airport last month, they only flew to MCO 3x per week so pretty limited service from a big airport).
> 
> Frontier is pretty inflexible. I only will fly them for last-minute flights these days. In March I canceled my April 2020 I  flight just before things shut down, so was left with a credit that needed to be rebooked within 90 days or lost, so in May or June, I rebooked for summer. Frontier ended up canceling all flights to MCO from Dulles that summer through the winter - beyond the 90 days since 2021 flights hadn't been released yet - and wouldn't give me a refund since I made the initial cancelation, despite them canceling all flight options to MCO. (I ended up disputing it with CC after the rude CS rep hung up on me and did get $$ back.)
> 
> However, we flew them last February, but only because I needed a same-day flight. That went 100% fine.
> 
> My son is going through a problem with Frontier right now since the people he'd been traveling to visit this coming weekend have COVID. Frontier is not allowing them credit after he canceled their flights online and it remains to be seen if he'll get slapped with the cancelation fee too.
> 
> I know driving is a pain, but wanted to share these experiences in case you hadn't dealt with Frontier before .


Thanks for the input-weirdly enough we have flown Frontier a ton and have never had an issue. Flying them next month to PBI again.  I know horror story issues happen and I'm not sure how long we will be in the good graces of the Frontier Fairies. I have a chase sapphire and they cover a ton of travel issues so I use that as some of my rationale for using them.


----------



## MarBee

Palaura said:


> Thanks for the input-weirdly enough we have flown Frontier a ton and have never had an issue. Flying them next month to PBI again.  I know horror story issues happen and I'm not sure how long we will be in the good graces of the Frontier Fairies. I have a chase sapphire and they cover a ton of travel issues so I use that as some of my rationale for using them.


Without going too far off topic here, I was curious if you’ve ever had to cancel/change a Frontier flight.  I recently got their 50k status and was given an offer to pay to become a 100k member.  It states that flights booked while you’re at 100k status are fully refundable.  I love SW because I’m able to change my bookings with ease, but I’m running into the same issues with lack of direct flights at PHL.  I’m just wondering if Frontier changes/rebooking are able to be done with the same ease as SW.


----------



## sam_gordon

It's been a couple of years since I've flown SW, so I have some really important questions   ...

1) In flight entertainment.  I assume it's BYOD?  You join to wifi and then access a webpage/app for selection of shows (that's how Delta's works)?  Do they have it turned on on the ground or do you need to wait until a certain altitude?  Do they have decent choices (movies & TV shows)? If app based, what's the app?
2) One of our flights goes through Philadelphia, but we don't change planes.  I assume those of us not changing planes just stay on and we'll be able to change seats if needed before they start boarding.  Correct?  Or does everyone have to get off the plane and you line back up to board?  Or does it depend?  

Thank you


----------



## georgina

sam_gordon said:


> It's been a couple of years since I've flown SW, so I have some really important questions   ...
> 
> 1) In flight entertainment.  I assume it's BYOD?  You join to wifi and then access a webpage/app for selection of shows (that's how Delta's works)?  Do they have it turned on on the ground or do you need to wait until a certain altitude?  Do they have decent choices (movies & TV shows)? If app based, what's the app?
> 2) One of our flights goes through Philadelphia, but we don't change planes.  I assume those of us not changing planes just stay on and we'll be able to change seats if needed before they start boarding.  Correct?  Or does everyone have to get off the plane and you line back up to board?  Or does it depend?
> 
> Thank you


Yes BYOD. I think they have a decent selection of movies, but not that many new ones.  I haven't tried TV shows. Usually it is not on until they hit a certain altitude, but I have occasionally been able to start a movie earlier. I have also been able to continue watching after landing, while we are taxiing to the gate. I use a web browser but I think you can also access through the app.

https://www.southwest.com/inflight-entertainment-portal/
2) It's been several years since I have done this. Used to be they said stay in your seats until they come through and count who's left, then you can switch seats. You could also get off to buy food and get back on. No idea if this has changed, but you won't have a boarding number if it is a continuation flight, so I doubt they would make you get off.


----------



## Palaura

MarBee said:


> Without going too far off topic here, I was curious if you’ve ever had to cancel/change a Frontier flight.  I recently got their 50k status and was given an offer to pay to become a 100k member.  It states that flights booked while you’re at 100k status are fully refundable.  I love SW because I’m able to change my bookings with ease, but I’m running into the same issues with lack of direct flights at PHL.  I’m just wondering if Frontier changes/rebooking are able to be done with the same ease as SW.


Hi fellow Philladelphian! I have had to change but luckily was 60 days out so it was free. The fee is hefty 59 days out. Their app/process is nowhere as nice as SW. We have been using Trenton as our airport here and there. It’s a tad bit further from me in Manayunk but the parking is dirt cheap and so much less hassle with my little ones.


----------



## Best Aunt

From Southwest's website:
https://www.southwest.com/inflight-entertainment-portal/?clk=5736122


----------



## DebbieB

I flew a one stop last month.  Pittsburgh > Midway > Long Beach.    There were 5 of us continuing to Long Beach, they asked us to remain in our seats until they did a count.   We elected not to change seats but we could have.

I accessed the in flight entertainment through the app.   Since it was a long flight, I paid $8 to have wifi access.  It was painfully slow.   Luckily I have a Southwest Visa and got 25% off.


----------



## DebbieB

My April 2-8 flights PIT/MCO went down this week.  I booked with points, got about 4000 points back.    Waiting for them to release September 11 so that I can book my SNA-PIT flight after D23.     I'm going out September 3 and the SW flight choices were bad and expensive, I booked American for $164 (one way).   We'll see what they offer for the return.


----------



## MarBee

Palaura said:


> Hi fellow Philladelphian! I have had to change but luckily was 60 days out so it was free. The fee is hefty 59 days out. Their app/process is nowhere as nice as SW. We have been using Trenton as our airport here and there. It’s a tad bit further from me in Manayunk but the parking is dirt cheap and so much less hassle with my little ones.


I love TTN myself!  So small and easy to navigate! But good to know about the 60+ days.  Thanks for your help!


----------



## lvdis

Sorry if I missed this in the thread somewhere; any speculation on when October 2022 dates will be released?


----------



## FCDub

lvdis said:


> Sorry if I missed this in the thread somewhere; any speculation on when October 2022 dates will be released?



https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/index.html?clk=GFOOTER-FLY-FLTSCHEDULES
"We are currently accepting air reservations through September 5th, 2022. At this time, we do not have a date for our next schedule extension therefore please check back frequently."

No one knows but Southwest.


----------



## lvdis

FCDub said:


> https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/index.html?clk=GFOOTER-FLY-FLTSCHEDULES
> "We are currently accepting air reservations through September 5th, 2022. At this time, we do not have a date for our next schedule extension therefore please check back frequently."
> 
> No one knows but Southwest.


I saw that, but thought maybe someone knew a typical timeframe for when they were released. But maybe there is no usual timing. Thanks!


----------



## EACarlson

lvdis said:


> I saw that, but thought maybe someone knew a typical timeframe for when they were released. But maybe there is no usual timing. Thanks!


@SouthFayetteFan is your guy on this.  In the last three years they have released on 4/1/21, 3/12/20 and 3/15/19


----------



## dez1978

Does anyone by chance still have the email about the 2nd 50K points if you spent 12000 in the 1st year?  I must have deleted mine, but now SW is saying my account isn't eligible for that. So I was trying to copy the exact wording


----------



## Kazi7

dez1978 said:


> Does anyone by chance still have the email about the 2nd 50K points if you spent 12000 in the 1st year?  I must have deleted mine, but now SW is saying my account isn't eligible for that. So I was trying to copy the exact wording


That is very concerning to me.  I got a card in November and should be getting the 50,000 + 50,000 points this month as I have spent the $12k already.  My email from Chase doesn't say anything about any bonus points.  It only lists the $75 credit, the upgraded boardings, the anniversary points, etc.  I think the bonus points were listed on the SW website when I signed up, but it's not there anymore.  I can't find any email from SW Rapid Rewards about the card.


----------



## dez1978

Kazi7 said:


> That is very concerning to me.  I got a card in November and should be getting the 50,000 + 50,000 points this month as I have spent the $12k already.  My email from Chase doesn't say anything about any bonus points.  It only lists the $75 credit, the upgraded boardings, the anniversary points, etc.  I think the bonus points were listed on the SW website when I signed up, but it's not there anymore.  I can't find any email from SW Rapid Rewards about the card.


I swear there was an email about it, but now I can't find it.  And it was listed on the website and I can find plenty of on line articles about it.  But they said I had to have a screen shot of the email with my name on it in order to get the points.  I got my card like the end of Oct and just a couple days later got an email about it. I got my 1st set of points but now they said the offer was just 2x points on dining for the 1st year.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

I hope this is the right e-mail y'all are asking about



Here's the terms and conditions listed for that e-mail:

SOUTHWEST® RAPID REWARDS® PROGRAM INFORMATION
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card is brought to you by Southwest Airlines® and Chase. Southwest Airlines is responsible for the redemption of Rapid Rewards points toward benefits and services. The number of points needed for a particular Southwest flight is set by Southwest and will vary depending on destination, time, day of travel, demand, fare type, point redemption rate, and other factors, and are subject to change at any time until the booking is confirmed. Rapid Rewards points can only be transferred to the primary Cardmember’s Rapid Rewards account. All Rapid Rewards rules and regulations apply and can be found at *Southwest.com/rrterms*. Southwest reserves the right to amend, suspend, or change the program and/or program rules at any time without notice. Rapid Rewards Members do not acquire property rights in accrued points.
1*50,000 Bonus Points After You Spend $2,000 On Purchases In The First 3 Months From Account Opening and 50,000 Bonus Points After You Spend A Total Of $12,000 On Purchases In The First 12 Months From Account Opening: The product is not available to either (i) current Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Card, or (ii) previous Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card who received a new Cardmember bonus within the last 24 months. This does not apply to Cardmembers of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Business Card and Employee Credit Card products.* You will qualify for 50,000 bonus points if you make $2,000 in Purchases within 3 months of account opening. You will qualify for 50,000 bonus points if you make a total of $12,000 in Purchases within 12 months of account opening (for a possible total of 100,000 bonus points). After qualifying, please allow up to 8 weeks for bonus points to post to your Rapid Rewards® account. (“Purchases” do not include balance transfers, cash advances, travelers checks, foreign currency, money orders, wire transfers or similar cash-like transactions, lottery tickets, casino gaming chips, race track wagers or similar betting transactions, any checks that access your account, interest, unauthorized or fraudulent charges, and fees of any kind, including an annual fee, if applicable.) To be eligible for this bonus offer, account must be open and not in default at the time of fulfillment.
2*Earning Points:
 Rewards Program Agreement:* For more information about the Rapid Rewards® Plus card rewards program, view the latest *Rewards Program Agreement*. We will mail your Rewards Program Agreement once your account is established. If you become a Chase Online customer, your Rewards Program Agreement will also be available after logging in to chase.com.
*How you can earn points:* You’ll earn points on purchases of products and services, minus returns or refunds, made with a Rapid Rewards® Credit Card by you or an authorized user of the account. Buying products and services with your card, in most cases, will count as a purchase; however, the following types of transactions won’t count as a purchase and won’t earn points: balance transfers, cash advances and other cash-like transactions, lottery tickets, casino gaming chips, race track wagers or similar betting transactions, any checks that access your account, interest, unauthorized or fraudulent charges, and fees of any kind, including an annual fee, if applicable. *2 points:* You’ll earn 2 points for each $1 spent on purchases made directly with Southwest Airlines®, including flight, inflight, Southwest® gift card, and Southwest Vacations® package purchases, and at participating Rapid Rewards® hotel and rental car partners. *2 points:* You’ll earn 2 points for each $1 spent on purchases in the local transit and commuting rewards category. *2 points:* You’ll earn 2 points for each $1 spent on purchases in the following rewards categories: internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming services. *1 point:* You’ll earn 1 point for each $1 spent on all other purchases. *1 point on balance transfers:* You’ll earn 1 point for each $1 of the first $10,000 of balance transfers made during the first 90 days from your original account open date. *3,000 bonus points each account anniversary year:* You’ll receive 3,000 bonus points each account anniversary year. “Account anniversary year” means the year beginning with your account open date through the anniversary of your account open date, and each 12 months after that. *Information about earning/ transferring points to Southwest Airlines®:* Points earned during a billing cycle will be automatically transferred to Southwest Airlines after the end of each billing cycle. *Losing points:* You’ll immediately lose all points that haven’t been transferred to Southwest Airlines if your card account status changes, or your card account is closed for program misuse, fraudulent activities, failure to pay, bankruptcy, or other reasons described in the terms of the Rewards Program Agreement. Rewards Categories: Merchants who accept Visa/Mastercard credit cards are assigned a merchant code, which is determined by the merchant or its processor in accordance with Visa/ Mastercard procedures based on the kinds of products and services they primarily sell. We group similar merchant codes into categories for purposes of making rewards offers to you. Please note: We make every effort to include all relevant merchant codes in our rewards categories. However, even though a merchant or some of the items that it sells may appear to fit within a rewards category, the merchant may not have a merchant code in that category. When this occurs, purchases with that merchant won’t qualify for rewards offers on purchases in that category. Purchases submitted by you, an authorized user, or the merchant through third-party payment accounts, mobile or wireless card readers, online or mobile digital wallets, or similar technology will not qualify in a rewards category if the technology is not set up to process the purchase in that rewards category. For more information about Chase rewards categories, see chase.com/RewardsCategoryFAQs.
3*Southwest® EarlyBird Check-In®:*
Each anniversary year you will be reimbursed for the purchase of up to 2 EarlyBird Check-In services made with your Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card. Each EarlyBird Check-In service means a purchase made for EarlyBird Check-In one-way, per Passenger. Anniversary year means the year beginning with your account open date through the first statement date after your account open date anniversary, and the 12 monthly billing cycles after that each year. If you switch to this product from another Chase credit card, your account open date is the date the switch to the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card is completed. EarlyBird Check-In provides automatic check-in before the traditional 24-hour check-in and can be purchased as part of the original flight purchase or added to a flight after purchase. Price of EarlyBird Check-In may vary. Statement credit(s) will post to your account the same day your purchase posts to your account and will appear on your monthly credit card billing statement within 1-2 billing cycles. Account must be open and not in default at the time the statement credit is posted to your account. Statement credits will be issued for the anniversary year in which the transaction posts to your account. For example, if you purchase EarlyBird Check-In and Southwest does not post the transaction until after your current anniversary year ends, the cost of the EarlyBird Check-In services will be allocated towards the following year’s maximum of 2 services. More information can be found at Southwest.com/early-bird.
4*No Blackout Dates Or Seat Restrictions*
No blackout dates and unlimited reward seats apply to flights booked with points.
5*No Change Fees:*
Fare difference may apply.
6*Bags Fly Free:*
First and second checked bags. Weight and size limits apply.
The Contactless Symbol and Contactless Indicator are trademarks owned by and used with the permission of EMVCo, LLC.
Accounts subject to credit approval. Restrictions and limitations apply. Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Cards are issued by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC.The account information in this email is only an estimate for a specific point in time. Please reference your Rapid Rewards account on *Southwest.com*® for the most up-to-date information on available points, tier status, including tier qualifying points or flights, and Companion Pass® qualifying points or flights.
All Rapid Rewards rules and regulations apply.
Cualquier información publicitaria, promocional o de mercadotecnia contenida en este correo electrónico sólo será efectiva y únicamente será aplicable en los Estados Unidos de América.
This is a post-only mailing from Southwest Airlines®. Please do not attempt to respond to this message.
Southwest Airlines
2702 Love Field Drive
Dallas, TX 75235
1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792)







If I had to guess make sure you were NOT a current card member or a PAST card member who received a bonus within the last 24 months. I feel like that's the likeliest reason someone doesn't become eligible but that's me purely guessing here.


----------



## dez1978

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I hope this is the right e-mail y'all are asking about
> 
> View attachment 636739
> 
> Here's the terms and conditions listed for that e-mail:
> 
> SOUTHWEST® RAPID REWARDS® PROGRAM INFORMATION
> The Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card is brought to you by Southwest Airlines® and Chase. Southwest Airlines is responsible for the redemption of Rapid Rewards points toward benefits and services. The number of points needed for a particular Southwest flight is set by Southwest and will vary depending on destination, time, day of travel, demand, fare type, point redemption rate, and other factors, and are subject to change at any time until the booking is confirmed. Rapid Rewards points can only be transferred to the primary Cardmember’s Rapid Rewards account. All Rapid Rewards rules and regulations apply and can be found at *Southwest.com/rrterms*. Southwest reserves the right to amend, suspend, or change the program and/or program rules at any time without notice. Rapid Rewards Members do not acquire property rights in accrued points.
> 1*50,000 Bonus Points After You Spend $2,000 On Purchases In The First 3 Months From Account Opening and 50,000 Bonus Points After You Spend A Total Of $12,000 On Purchases In The First 12 Months From Account Opening: The product is not available to either (i) current Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Card, or (ii) previous Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card who received a new Cardmember bonus within the last 24 months. This does not apply to Cardmembers of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Business Card and Employee Credit Card products.* You will qualify for 50,000 bonus points if you make $2,000 in Purchases within 3 months of account opening. You will qualify for 50,000 bonus points if you make a total of $12,000 in Purchases within 12 months of account opening (for a possible total of 100,000 bonus points). After qualifying, please allow up to 8 weeks for bonus points to post to your Rapid Rewards® account. (“Purchases” do not include balance transfers, cash advances, travelers checks, foreign currency, money orders, wire transfers or similar cash-like transactions, lottery tickets, casino gaming chips, race track wagers or similar betting transactions, any checks that access your account, interest, unauthorized or fraudulent charges, and fees of any kind, including an annual fee, if applicable.) To be eligible for this bonus offer, account must be open and not in default at the time of fulfillment.
> 2*Earning Points:
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> 3*Southwest® EarlyBird Check-In®:*
> Each anniversary year you will be reimbursed for the purchase of up to 2 EarlyBird Check-In services made with your Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card. Each EarlyBird Check-In service means a purchase made for EarlyBird Check-In one-way, per Passenger. Anniversary year means the year beginning with your account open date through the first statement date after your account open date anniversary, and the 12 monthly billing cycles after that each year. If you switch to this product from another Chase credit card, your account open date is the date the switch to the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card is completed. EarlyBird Check-In provides automatic check-in before the traditional 24-hour check-in and can be purchased as part of the original flight purchase or added to a flight after purchase. Price of EarlyBird Check-In may vary. Statement credit(s) will post to your account the same day your purchase posts to your account and will appear on your monthly credit card billing statement within 1-2 billing cycles. Account must be open and not in default at the time the statement credit is posted to your account. Statement credits will be issued for the anniversary year in which the transaction posts to your account. For example, if you purchase EarlyBird Check-In and Southwest does not post the transaction until after your current anniversary year ends, the cost of the EarlyBird Check-In services will be allocated towards the following year’s maximum of 2 services. More information can be found at Southwest.com/early-bird.
> 4*No Blackout Dates Or Seat Restrictions*
> No blackout dates and unlimited reward seats apply to flights booked with points.
> 5*No Change Fees:*
> Fare difference may apply.
> 6*Bags Fly Free:*
> First and second checked bags. Weight and size limits apply.
> The Contactless Symbol and Contactless Indicator are trademarks owned by and used with the permission of EMVCo, LLC.
> Accounts subject to credit approval. Restrictions and limitations apply. Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Cards are issued by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC.The account information in this email is only an estimate for a specific point in time. Please reference your Rapid Rewards account on *Southwest.com*® for the most up-to-date information on available points, tier status, including tier qualifying points or flights, and Companion Pass® qualifying points or flights.
> All Rapid Rewards rules and regulations apply.
> Cualquier información publicitaria, promocional o de mercadotecnia contenida en este correo electrónico sólo será efectiva y únicamente será aplicable en los Estados Unidos de América.
> This is a post-only mailing from Southwest Airlines®. Please do not attempt to respond to this message.
> Southwest Airlines
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> 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If I had to guess make sure you were NOT a current card member or a PAST card member who received a bonus within the last 24 months. I feel like that's the likeliest reason someone doesn't become eligible but that's me purely guessing here.


Thats it!  Thank you.  What date did that email come out?


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

dez1978 said:


> Thats it!  Thank you.  What date did that email come out?


The first one I have is from October 20th,2021 but it's possible I deleted e-mails with that offer from before that time. I got multiple "reminder" e-mails for it.


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## Kazi7

To be clear, I haven't reached my closing date for January yet, so maybe my bonus points will stilI post, but I can't find any email to me like the above one.  I'm going to be super disappointed if I need to have an email invitation that I can't find to get the bonus.  I just applied for the credit card straight from the website where it listed the offer.


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## dez1978

Kazi7 said:


> To be clear, I haven't reached my closing date for January yet, so maybe my bonus points will stilI post, but I can't find any email to me like the above one.  I'm going to be super disappointed if I need to have an email invitation that I can't find to get the bonus.  I just applied for the credit card straight from the website where it listed the offer.


Im crossing my fingers but not hopeful.  They act like no such promotion ever existed via the secure message.


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## Kazi7

That is so weird.  It was clearly on the SW website for weeks.  Are they disputing that the offer existed? Or just that you aren't eligible?  You are talking to Southwest, right?  Not Chase.


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## dez1978

Kazi7 said:


> That is so weird.  It was clearly on the SW website for weeks.  Are they disputing that the offer existed? Or just that you aren't eligible?  You are talking to Southwest, right?  Not Chase.


I was talking to Chase as they are the card issuer, I assumed thats who I needed to talk to.  They said the only offer associated with my account was the original bonus points for the spend in 3 months and 2x points on dining.  And that I'd need to provide them a screenshot of the email with my name on it.  Like they have no idea about said offer. Do I need to talk to Southwest instead?  I just assumed it would be chase


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## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

dez1978 said:


> I was talking to Chase as they are the card issuer, I assumed thats who I needed to talk to.  They said the only offer associated with my account was the original bonus points for the spend in 3 months and 2x points on dining.  And that I'd need to provide them a screenshot of the email with my name on it.  Like they have no idea about said offer. Do I need to talk to Southwest instead?  I just assumed it would be chase


Talk to SWA, if you happen to have A-list call that number. It's part of SWA's RR program so they would be the one's to speak with.

I mentioned a bit back about a promotional companion pass we got that works from yesterday or the day before until end of Feb. Originally it said you had to go through a link or something like that and book a flight from there. My husband only discovered that after we had ironically had him book a flight to help keep his A-List a few hours prior. I had him call the A-list line and the person said they were trying to hook it up with the system because they could see he had in fact booked a flight but because it was a specific promotion they weren't completely positive it would work out but they were hopeful it would. In the end though it did and the promotional companion pass (that we're not even sure we'll be using because omicron...annoyingly) shows up on his account.


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## Kazi7

Yes I’m not an expert but I was going to say the same thing. Talk to Southwest because they are the one that issues the points when you hit the spending limits.


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## dez1978

Kazi7 said:


> Yes I’m not an expert but I was going to say the same thing. Talk to Southwest because they are the one that issues the points when you hit the spending limits.


Cool.  I will give that a try then.


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## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Kazi7 said:


> That is very concerning to me.  I got a card in November and should be getting the 50,000 + 50,000 points this month as I have spent the $12k already.  My email from Chase doesn't say anything about any bonus points.  It only lists the $75 credit, the upgraded boardings, the anniversary points, etc.  I think the bonus points were listed on the SW website when I signed up, but it's not there anymore.  I can't find any email from SW Rapid Rewards about the card.



Do you have the Chase App? Hubby and I are both working on the 50k+50k bonus. In the app, once you've selected the card, scan down past your transactions and there should be a section called "Your new account bonus" with a tracker of how close you are to the bonus. At first, it tracks you up to $2k for the first points dump, then it converts over to $12k for the second points dump. Mine won't hit until later this month, but I can see that I hit the $12k for the bonus.


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## Kazi7

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Do you have the Chase App? Hubby and I are both working on the 50k+50k bonus. In the app, once you've selected the card, scan down past your transactions and there should be a section called "Your new account bonus" with a tracker of how close you are to the bonus. At first, it tracks you up to $2k for the first points dump, then it converts over to $12k for the second points dump. Mine won't hit until later this month, but I can see that I hit the $12k for the bonus.


Thanks! On the app I do see my tracker says “Congratulations” on earning the bonus for $12,000. When I tap “See rewards details” it says that I have 110,000 points pending. So all seems good hopefully.


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## Lsdolphin

Wow!  Looks like flights between BWI and Mco have jumped since yesterday! The flight I booked yesterday for $99 is $158 this morning.  Flights for last 2 wks of March and all of April back up to $158


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## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Lsdolphin said:


> Wow!  Looks like flights between BWI and Mco have jumped since yesterday! The flight I booked yesterday for $99 is $158 this morning.  Flights for last 2 wks of March and all of April back up to $158


Sale ended yesterday


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## Lsdolphin

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Sale ended yesterday



it was a very good sale!!!


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## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Lsdolphin said:


> it was a very good sale!!!


It was. I saw flights for our May trip dip down but not the flights we were on unfortunately


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## Chilbert

Maybe I missed it but did Southwest discontinue nonstops from Philadelphia to Orlando ?  Just checked August and September - not one nonstop listed...


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## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Chilbert said:


> Maybe I missed it but did Southwest discontinue nonstops from Philadelphia to Orlando ?  Just checked August and September - not one nonstop listed...


They presently still have them according to their website but I do believe not too long ago someone was looking at late August and didn't see good options for PHL. FWIW I do see there are some non-stops in August and September at least departing from PHL so perhaps it's just the days you're looking at that's not an option.


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## maybethisyear

Good morning everyone!

So our February trip seems to be up in the air. I am not willing to spend thousands of dollars on an 11 day trip just to end up with covid halfway through, and it really be a few days of enjoyment and the rest quarantine. I'm still hesitant to cancel the whole thing out, because there is the chance we all get covid here before the trip and wouldn't have to worry while there.

In trying to figure out our options, one of them is shortening the trip length with the hopes that if we got sick it would be after we got back home.

Thinking ahead, I purchased all returnable flight tickets. Has anyone ever purchased more than one return flight as insurance, and then canceled the one you didn't need? Right now, if I booked an alternate return flight it would be the same price as our current return flight. And then when we decided what type of trip (or any trip) to still take, we could cancel the one we don't need. Thoughts??


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## Chilbert

Thanks.  I checked everyday from 8/1 to 9/5 and the only day they have nonstops is Saturday.  And they aren't bargains...


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## MICKIMINI

maybethisyear said:


> Good morning everyone!
> 
> So our February trip seems to be up in the air. I am not willing to spend thousands of dollars on an 11 day trip just to end up with covid halfway through, and it really be a few days of enjoyment and the rest quarantine. I'm still hesitant to cancel the whole thing out, because there is the chance we all get covid here before the trip and wouldn't have to worry while there.
> 
> In trying to figure out our options, one of them is shortening the trip length with the hopes that if we got sick it would be after we got back home.
> 
> Thinking ahead, I purchased all returnable flight tickets. Has anyone ever purchased more than one return flight as insurance, and then canceled the one you didn't need? Right now, if I booked an alternate return flight it would be the same price as our current return flight. And then when we decided what type of trip (or any trip) to still take, we could cancel the one we don't need. Thoughts??


I booked both SWA with points and Delta with cash for our May trip.  I was able to get better deals and continued to watch prices and it turned out that our best flights and prices are SWA down and Delta back.  I had never double booked our flights before but it was no big deal as I got both points and cash back!

Good luck!


----------



## EACarlson

Chilbert said:


> Thanks.  I checked everyday from 8/1 to 9/5 and the only day they have nonstops is Saturday.  And they aren't bargains...


Why would you expect them to be bargains?  That's the height of the summer flying season going up to the start of schools and a holiday weekend.  Unless there is great competition SW has gone up to the same prices as the legacies in many markets.


maybethisyear said:


> Thinking ahead, I purchased all returnable flight tickets. Has anyone ever purchased more than one return flight as insurance, and then canceled the one you didn't need? Right now, if I booked an alternate return flight it would be the same price as our current return flight. And then when we decided what type of trip (or any trip) to still take, we could cancel the one we don't need. Thoughts??


Many business flyers did this in the before times.  As long as the flights aren't on the same day you should be alright, how would you decide if you were going to take the earlier flight vs the later one?  I think the difference in exposure for 5 days vs 10 days is going to be negligible, if you're willing to take the trip at all I'd say go for the whole thing.


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## Chilbert

EACarlson said:


> That's the height of the summer flying season going up to the start of schools and a holiday weekend.



Given that, I still don't understand why they would cancel the nonstops.  Anybody know if Chepak is on the SW Board...


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## elgerber

maybethisyear said:


> Good morning everyone!
> 
> So our February trip seems to be up in the air. I am not willing to spend thousands of dollars on an 11 day trip just to end up with covid halfway through, and it really be a few days of enjoyment and the rest quarantine. I'm still hesitant to cancel the whole thing out, because there is the chance we all get covid here before the trip and wouldn't have to worry while there.
> 
> In trying to figure out our options, one of them is shortening the trip length with the hopes that if we got sick it would be after we got back home.
> 
> Thinking ahead, I purchased all returnable flight tickets. Has anyone ever purchased more than one return flight as insurance, and then canceled the one you didn't need? Right now, if I booked an alternate return flight it would be the same price as our current return flight. And then when we decided what type of trip (or any trip) to still take, we could cancel the one we don't need. Thoughts??


I have booked flights on different days, until plans solidified before.


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## EACarlson

Chilbert said:


> Given that, I still don't understand why they would cancel the nonstops.  Anybody know if Chepak is on the SW Board...


Because they don't have the pilots or flight attendants to staff all of the planes. 15,000 employees took leave during the pandemic, if 20 percent didn't come back, that would be 3,000 employees.  I'd much rather have them cut the schedule than have a repeat of the disaster that happened a couple months back where folks couldn't get out of MCO for 4 days.


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## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Chilbert said:


> Given that, I still don't understand why they would cancel the nonstops.  Anybody know if Chepak is on the SW Board...


Here's a snippet from what came about for my airport KCI for summer travel
"Their flight schedule for June, July and August shows confidence that air travel is returning to normal after two years of depressed demand.
According to data provided by the Kansas City Aviation Department, Southwest’s seat capacity is up 24% from the same period in 2021. But its summer schedule remains 14% below the same three months during the pre-pandemic year of 2019. Although future flights are subject to change, the airline’s overall schedule at KCI currently shows about 814,100 seats across 5,414 flights during the summer of 2022. This year (meaning 2021 as the information is from early December 2021), it only offered 4,087 flights out of KCI with a seating capacity of nearly 617,700. Before the pandemic, Southwest offered more than 948,200 seats on 96 flights during the months of June, July and August 2019."

SWA is KCI's largest carrier.

However SWA did cut several routes with this last release from KCI. 

If I had to guess they are restructuring routes and has opted to concentrate non-stop to Saturdays mostly for the summer for PHL. The information from KCI I posted just to show while they are amping up travel (a good sign) it's still not there yet in rebounding fully.


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## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

EACarlson said:


> Because they don't have the pilots or flight attendants to staff all of the planes. 15,000 employees took leave during the pandemic, if 20 percent didn't come back, that would be 3,000 employees.  I'd much rather have them cut the schedule than have a repeat of the disaster that happened a couple months back where folks couldn't get out of MCO for 4 days.


I'm not sure it's entirely that. SWA has been routinely adding back routes, some being purely seasonal but others just being added again. If it was a staffing issue primarily they would be reducing routes completely and reducing the number of flights going out. As is when I look at PHL for the other poster's question they appear to have plenty of staff to operate a good amount of flights with connections per day so I'm guessing it's more to do with profitability and seeing that they can pick up travelers in those connection points while concentrating on Saturdays being their more heavy non-stop routes likely seeing that Saturdays can still routinely sell enough seats to make a non-stop (and 4 of them which is a good amount IMO) more worthwhile.


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## barb969

EACarlson said:


> Why would you expect them to be bargains?  That's the height of the summer flying season going up to the start of schools and a holiday weekend.  Unless there is great competition SW has gone up to the same prices as the legacies in many markets.
> 
> Many business flyers did this in the before times.  As long as the flights aren't on the same day you should be alright, how would you decide if you were going to take the earlier flight vs the later one?  I think the difference in exposure for 5 days vs 10 days is going to be negligible, if you're willing to take the trip at all I'd say go for the whole thing.


The extra cannot be in the middle of a round trip, The computer might drop it.  If it is before or after a RT, it should be ok.
Also you cannot book 2 fights on the same day.


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## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

barb969 said:


> The extra cannot be in the middle of a round trip, The computer might drop it.  If it is a the beginning or end it should be ok.


I seem to remember a few years back them cracking down on this where people would have more than one flight a day booked or where like you said it's something in the middle. I think SWA's system is more designed now to see that as a placeholder position rather than an intended flight you will actually be utilizing.


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## maybethisyear

EACarlson said:


> Why would you expect them to be bargains?  That's the height of the summer flying season going up to the start of schools and a holiday weekend.  Unless there is great competition SW has gone up to the same prices as the legacies in many markets.
> 
> Many business flyers did this in the before times.  As long as the flights aren't on the same day you should be alright, how would you decide if you were going to take the earlier flight vs the later one?  I think the difference in exposure for 5 days vs 10 days is going to be negligible, if you're willing to take the trip at all I'd say go for the whole thing.




We are booked 1/31-2/10 right now. If we were exposed on day 3, and sick by day 6, half our trip would be us sitting in a hotel room sick.
I am considering moving it to 2/6-2-12. If we are exposed in a similar time frame, we wouldn't be sick until we got back. Of course, neither scenario takes into account that we could be exposed before we even board to go down there.


----------



## dez1978

Kazi7 said:


> Thanks! On the app I do see my tracker says “Congratulations” on earning the bonus for $12,000. When I tap “See rewards details” it says that I have 110,000 points pending. So all seems good hopefully.


Ugh mine does not have this


----------



## GingerPilot

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I'm not sure it's entirely that. SWA has been routinely adding back routes, some being purely seasonal but others just being added again. If it was a staffing issue primarily they would be reducing routes completely and reducing the number of flights going out. As is when I look at PHL for the other poster's question they appear to have plenty of staff to operate a good amount of flights with connections per day so I'm guessing it's more to do with profitability and seeing that they can pick up travelers in those connection points while concentrating on Saturdays being their more heavy non-stop routes likely seeing that Saturdays can still routinely sell enough seats to make a non-stop (and 4 of them which is a good amount IMO) more worthwhile.



I can assure you that there is not enough staffing in philly, or anywhere else, to do anything except optimize every single airplane and every single seat. Saturdays are typically the lowest volume day for airlines (few business travelers, only leisure travelers typically) and thus they have more aircraft to operate to less desirable leisure destinations. Air travel is a dumpster fire right now, and the airlines are having to figure out what to cut just to survive a typical wee, much less a holiday or a weather event. The airlines can’t hire pilots and flight attendants quickly enough, and at southwest those are very desirable positions but they’re still behind. Then you have mechanics, gate agents, reservations agents, baggage guys, catering company etc.., the entire system is so strained from coming to a stop and then a rather violent launch they have to cut schedules and change the way they do things.


now if someone wants to apply for a part time job at an airport for an airline I bet everything is available and you’d be helping your fellow traveler and getting flight benefits.


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## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

GingerPilot said:


> I can assure you that there is not enough staffing in philly, or anywhere else, to do anything except optimize every single airplane and every single seat. Saturdays are typically the lowest volume day for airlines (few business travelers, only leisure travelers typically) and thus they have more aircraft to operate to less desirable leisure destinations. Air travel is a dumpster fire right now, and the airlines are having to figure out what to cut just to survive a typical wee, much less a holiday or a weather event. The airlines can’t hire pilots and flight attendants quickly enough, and at southwest those are very desirable positions but they’re still behind. Then you have mechanics, gate agents, reservations agents, baggage guys, catering company etc.., the entire system is so strained from coming to a stop and then a rather violent launch they have to cut schedules and change the way they do things.
> 
> 
> now if someone wants to apply for a part time job at an airport for an airline I bet everything is available and you’d be helping your fellow traveler and getting flight benefits.


I didn't say the airlines were fully staffed..I said that wouldn't be the reason for them cutting out non-stop flights from PHL in August and September when at the moment they do have non-stop flights throughout the week. We're talking about August and September not right now.

If you look right now at least on SWA's main page so if there are staffing issues out of PHL that prevent them from offering (key word there) non-stop flights they don't appear to be affecting them right now (screenshot shows offerings until 1/31/22 from PHL to MCO):



However SWA has opted (whether it's normal or newer) to drop the non-stops everyday switching to offering only the 4 non-stops on Saturday but maintain numerous connecting flights from PHL to Orlando in August and September throughout the days and on Saturday.

The poster was asking about late summer/early fall travel which is why I mentioned my home airport because for the summer months (june, july and august) they are *increasing* the number of flights out of our airport for the summer travel. The poster wasn't talking about right now this very moment. You'd have to be living under a rock (no offense) to not know about the present issues with staffing of which go into covid territory and this thread is NOT the one for that conversation


----------



## GingerPilot

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I didn't say the airlines were fully staffed..I said that wouldn't be the reason for them cutting out non-stop flights from PHL in August and September when at the moment they do have non-stop flights throughout the week. We're talking about August and September not right now.
> 
> If you look right now at least on SWA's main page so if there are staffing issues out of PHL that prevent them from offering (key word there) non-stop flights they don't appear to be affecting them right now (screenshot shows offerings until 1/31/22 from PHL to MCO):
> View attachment 637493
> 
> 
> However SWA has opted (whether it's normal or newer) to drop the non-stops everyday switching to offering only the 4 non-stops on Saturday but maintain numerous connecting flights from PHL to Orlando in August and September throughout the days and on Saturday.
> 
> The poster was asking about late summer/early fall travel which is why I mentioned my home airport because for the summer months (june, july and august) they are *increasing* the number of flights out of our airport for the summer travel. The poster wasn't talking about right now this very moment. You'd have to be living under a rock (no offense) to not know about the present issues with staffing of which go into covid territory and this thread is NOT the one for that conversation



demand for winter travel and summer travel are two separate beasts. In the summer they have to make sacrifices and forecast what they have available and shift to other seasonal markets. Just because they can do it today does not mean that with summer travel schedules they have the ability. I’m not here to debate but I think it’s important the general public have some understand if what is going on out there “on the line”.

All, please be kind and understand the travel industry is doing its best. It’s rough out there.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

GingerPilot said:


> demand for winter travel and summer travel are two separate beasts. In the summer they have to make sacrifices and forecast what they have available and shift to other seasonal markets. Just because they can do it today does not mean that with summer travel schedules they have the ability. I’m not here to debate but I think it’s important the general public have some understand if what is going on out there “on the line”.
> 
> All, please be kind and understand the travel industry is doing its best. It’s rough out there.


What SWA has told us for KCI is summer travel is economically looking up in comparison to summer 2021 but not yet at the 2019 levels. I'm comparing summer to summer travel with the same airport and was using KCI as an example, there's no sacrifices being made, they anticipate more travel than summer 2021 and have added flights on for that reason.

I feel like we're getting away from the poster's question which was about non-stop lack of options for their home airport to Orlando in August or September. They are keeping numerous daily connections from PHL to Orlando just not daily non-stop. That signals to me that it's more about picking up passengers elsewhere (although totally my opinion) because if they could fill the non-stop routes fully they would keep them, SWA even pre-pandemic was all about full flights. It takes more time to operate flights with stops and presumably more crew to do so but if it nets them more money they'd do it and passenger count is a big part of that.

A few pages back I said in a nutshell people should be understanding in response to someone else's post so definitely don't have to tell me. For the sake of this thread which is really just a more point blank informational thread I'll politely leave it at that so we don't continue to go back and forth


----------



## Gitelfor

My home airport is mid-sized.  For many years, when Southwest was the “only game in town” for nonstop flights to MCO, there was a multitude of daily nonstops, as well as additional service on Saturdays.  As ULCCs came into the market, added nonstops on the route, and drew customers with their barebones lower fares, Southwest could no longer charge it’s customary  fare, as when it held a “monopoly” on the route.  As competition increased, Southwest decreased its weekday nonstops to MCO, but kept the extra flights on Saturdays, to meet demand, and which usually flew/fly at capacity.

Southwest, like all carriers, allocates available aircraft and staff to where it can generate the most revenue.  Empty seats and ridiculously-low fares just don’t fly.  They forecast future demand, using data purchased from various sources, including OTAs, which can provide info on future demand, based on flight searches.

In the end, every airline will base service on how it can generate the most revenue, sometimes to the dismay of its customers, when service from their home airport is cut or decreased in frequency.


----------



## dez1978

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Talk to SWA, if you happen to have A-list call that number. It's part of SWA's RR program so they would be the one's to speak with.
> 
> I mentioned a bit back about a promotional companion pass we got that works from yesterday or the day before until end of Feb. Originally it said you had to go through a link or something like that and book a flight from there. My husband only discovered that after we had ironically had him book a flight to help keep his A-List a few hours prior. I had him call the A-list line and the person said they were trying to hook it up with the system because they could see he had in fact booked a flight but because it was a specific promotion they weren't completely positive it would work out but they were hopeful it would. In the end though it did and the promotional companion pass (that we're not even sure we'll be using because omicron...annoyingly) shows up on his account.


So I tried this and their line is those points all are issued by Chase and I need to speak with them.


----------



## lvdis

Next set of dates (through 11/5/22) scheduled to open March 3. Just saw this on Southwest's website.


> On March 3, 2022 we will open our schedule for sale through November 5, 2022. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

dez1978 said:


> So I tried this and their line is those points all are issued by Chase and I need to speak with them.


Ugh. Yeah I don't think that's right. Especially as you talked to Chase and they were like "huh?". Can you reach out to SWA via FB?


----------



## dez1978

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Ugh. Yeah I don't think that's right. Especially as you talked to Chase and they were like "huh?". Can you reach out to SWA via FB?


I spoke with them on the phone and via their chat.  Would FB be a different group of people?

This was from the chat:Bonus Points for new Cardmembers as well as Anniversary Points come directly from our Partner, Chase. Chase displays these points on your monthly statement and deposits them with the points you earned from net spending activity (they do not appear as a separate transaction in your Rapid Rewards account). If you have questions, you can call Chase Customer Relations at 1-800-792-0001.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

dez1978 said:


> I spoke with them on the phone and via their chat.  Would FB be a different group of people?


Likely a different group since social media is used so often I can't imagine they could keep up with the chat and phone with just the same people but that's my guess. 

These days I find social media to be one of the quicker ways to get a hold of people. I've even done an exchange last summer from a company via FB and they sent me the return label and did the ordering of the color I wanted all via that. Then I had an issue with a workout machine I bought, I sent a video to them via a FB message and they got back to me almost immediately and helped me out. Not saying this method will get you the answer you're needing but I don't think it hurts to try.


----------



## dez1978

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Likely a different group since social media is used so often I can't imagine they could keep up with the chat and phone with just the same people but that's my guess.
> 
> These days I find social media to be one of the quicker ways to get a hold of people. I've even done an exchange last summer from a company via FB and they sent me the return label and did the ordering of the color I wanted all via that. Then I had an issue with a workout machine I bought, I sent a video to them via a FB message and they got back to me almost immediately and helped me out. Not saying this method will get you the answer you're needing but I don't think it hurts to try.


I'll give it a shot.  Thanks

So a follow up question.  I need to book flights for 7.  Since it seems I won't be getting the otehr 50K points I needed, which would be my best way to do this?  I have just over 65K ponts.  Total is 78K points each way for 7 or $1105.  I could either use points to book 6 of the 7 flights one way and my SW card for the rest of it.  Or I could buy the SW gc at Sams and save 10% that way (I'd pay for those w my SW card too).  If I buy the gc would I earn miles on the $1000 purchase at sams and then miles on the flights as well?  Or would I earn more by just paying directly at SW with my SW card?


----------



## EACarlson

dez1978 said:


> So a follow up question.  I need to book flights for 7.  Since it seems I won't be getting the otehr 50K points I needed, which would be my best way to do this?  I have just over 65K ponts.  Total is 78K points each way for 7 or $1105.  I could either use points to book 6 of the 7 flights one way and my SW card for the rest of it.  Or I could buy the SW gc at Sams and save 10% that way (I'd pay for those w my SW card too).  If I buy the gc would I earn miles on the $1000 purchase at sams and then miles on the flights as well?  Or would I earn more by just paying directly at SW with my SW card?


If you buy SW GC on your SW CC you would get the 1x points for the purchase from Sam's, then whomever is flying would get the BIS points for actually taking the flight.  You would earn more SW points by buying the flights directly from SW since you would earn 2x or 3x depending on which card you have, then again whomever is flying would get the BIS miles.


----------



## Gitelfor

dez1978 said:


> Does anyone by chance still have the email about the 2nd 50K points if you spent 12000 in the 1st year?  I must have deleted mine, but now SW is saying my account isn't eligible for that. So I was trying to copy the exact wording


There is a disclaimer about the offer not being available to those who hold a Chase RR credit card at the time of application; nor is the bonus offer available to those who held the card during the last 24 months, for which a bonus offer was received.  By any chance, do either of these eligibility requirements apply, possibly explaining the current issues with the bonus offer?  Probably not your issue, but they are strict with terms and conditions, as well as when spend occurs.


----------



## Avery&Todd

WOOT!!  next date for new flight schedule is out:


----------



## Avery&Todd

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> If you look right now at least on SWA's main page so if there are staffing issues out of PHL that prevent them from offering (key word there) non-stop flights they don't appear to be affecting them right now (screenshot shows offerings until 1/31/22 from PHL to MCO):
> View attachment 637493


hey!!  where did you find out this information on flights from PHL to MCO??  I would like to find it for my local airport..

Thanks!


----------



## dez1978

EACarlson said:


> If you buy SW GC on your SW CC you would get the 1x points for the purchase from Sam's, then whomever is flying would get the BIS points for actually taking the flight.  You would earn more SW points by buying the flights directly from SW since you would earn 2x or 3x depending on which card you have, then again whomever is flying would get the BIS miles.


So each person flying would earn miles individually?  Not all to my account?  Only like 3 of us have RR numbers.  Sorry for so many questions.  I've not tried to book like this before and I don't want to screw it up. 


Gitelfor said:


> There is a disclaimer about the offer not being available to those who hold a Chase RR credit card at the time of application; nor is the bonus offer available to those who held the card during the last 24 months, for which a bonus offer was received.  By any chance, do either of these eligibility requirements apply, possibly explaining the current issues with the bonus offer?  Probably not your issue, but they are strict with terms and conditions, as well as when spend occurs.


That might be it.  I got it a couple of days after I was approved for the card, but before I actually recieved the card in the mail so I assumed it applied bc why would they still be sending me offers for a card I'd already been approved for.  I'm an idiot apparently.  Which sucks because when budgeting for this trip I'd counted on those miles for this trip. Flights for 7 is costly.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Avery&Todd said:


> hey!!  where did you find out this information on flights from PHL to MCO??  I would like to find it for my local airport..
> 
> Thanks!


TBH I have played around with their website before on this and found that just google searching southwest (airport name) to (airport name) worked the best.

So if I search PHL to MCO in google by saying "southwest PHL to MCO" the first option is this page: https://www.southwest.com/routes/flights-from-philadelphia-to-orlando

Scroll down the page.

From there it does give "other popular destinations from philly" as an easy way.

I don't know why but just going to SWA's route section of their website doesn't produce the page you want unless it's part of one of their popular destinations listed at the time. Unless someone else has found a better way that's just how I've done it in the past when questions pop up about flight options. Hope that helps!


----------



## Avery&Todd

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> TBH I have played around with their website before on this and found that just google searching southwest (airport name) to (airport name) worked the best.
> 
> So if I search PHL to MCO in google by saying "southwest PHL to MCO" the first option is this page: https://www.southwest.com/routes/flights-from-philadelphia-to-orlando
> 
> Scroll down the page.
> 
> From there it does give "other popular destinations from philly" as an easy way.
> 
> I don't know why but just going to SWA's route section of their website doesn't produce the page you want unless it's part of one of their popular destinations listed at the time. Unless someone else has found a better way that's just how I've done it in the past when questions pop up about flight options. Hope that helps!


you're a GENIUS!!
I googled exactly what you said and this is what popped up for RDU to MCO - I was hoping for more nonstops but I guess we can't all get what we want!:


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

dez1978 said:


> That might be it. I got it a couple of days after I was approved for the card, but before I actually recieved the card in the mail so I assumed it applied bc why would they still be sending me offers for a card I'd already been approved for. I'm an idiot apparently. Which sucks because when budgeting for this trip I'd counted on those miles for this trip. Flights for 7 is costly.


That's why I mentioned that in my first comment. I think it's really easy to bypass that little nugget when looking at offers. I think Chase used to be more lenient on this but people churn cards more than they used to so I think they put these things in to slow that down a bit. I actually never asked my husband if he got that offer. He's the one with the SWA CC but I am an authorized user on his. I do not have a SWA CC in my name. I really hope you qualify though    and if you ask at least you'll find out. I hate mysteries myself.


dez1978 said:


> So each person flying would earn miles individually? Not all to my account? Only like 3 of us have RR numbers. Sorry for so many questions. I've not tried to book like this before and I don't want to screw it up.


Yes the miles are earned on an individual passenger basis. Before booking the flights just have those people sign up for a RR account so they can at least earn something. The good news is RR points used to expire if you didn't activate your account (which was super easy to do) once every 24 months but SWA made a change to that and points don't expire. There's no reason anymore to not have your own RR.

______________________________________-
For a future reference when it comes to booking people's tickets you can use your points towards a purchase of someone else's tickets. That's what we've been doing for a while since my husband has a crap ton more points than I do. But the downside to that is you don't earn miles when flying on a ticket purchased with points.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Avery&Todd said:


> you're a GENIUS!!
> I googled exactly what you said and this is what popped up for RDU to MCO - I was hoping for more nonstops but I guess we can't all get what we want!:
> 
> View attachment 637650


No problem 

I would keep checking over time. I noticed the last time I looked at that page in December it was until December 31st. When I looked the other day for the Philly's poster's question it said til 1/31/22 so I think they release that particular route information page on a month by month basis. Doesn't help for future travel but sorta helps ya figure out for right about now travel.


----------



## EACarlson

dez1978 said:


> So each person flying would earn miles individually?  Not all to my account?  Only like 3 of us have RR numbers.  Sorry for so many questions.  I've not tried to book like this before and I don't want to screw it up.


With the SW card you are earning points two different ways, through the credit card and through the actual flying.  You will get all of the points through the credit card for buying the flights.  To use the numbers you posted upthread, if you paid for all of the tickets on your SW card, $2210, you would earn either 4420 or 3630 points depending on which card you hold. Those points would all go to you.   At $158/ticket, each person actually flying would earn 947 points for each direction.  Those points would go to each individual.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> No problem
> 
> I would keep checking over time. I noticed the last time I looked at that page in December it was until December 31st. When I looked the other day for the Philly's poster's question it said til 1/31/22 so I think they release that particular route information page on a month by month basis. Doesn't help for future travel but sorta helps ya figure out for right about now travel.


Yeah - i see that too!!  I was hoping to have information on March since that's when we fly to MCO but perhaps I have to wait until closer to March or even IN March....

and we head to Vegas in May - last year our multi-stop flight was changed to a non-stop ~ 30 days before our departure date and Im hoping that happens again!

Thanks!


----------



## ZeeWP

Avery&Todd said:


> WOOT!!  next date for new flight schedule is out:
> 
> View attachment 637641


Darn! I will have to wait till summer for T-giving tickets!


----------



## SouthFayetteFan

*Southwest next release will be THURSDAY 3/3/22 for travel through November 5th, 2022*.

Schedule Release dates and parameters are subject to change so stay posted! Given that this is still roughly 2 months away, my next reminder won't be for a while unless something changes.


For those that care about "release timing" it can vary, but here are the recent "go live" of previous releases including today: 

Release Date | Time (eastern)
12/16/21 | 7:50am
12/08/21 | 6:45am
06/10/21 | 7:15am
04/01/21 | 9:10am
12/10/20 | 7:15am
08/13/20 | 9:15am


----------



## Erica Ladd

Question for the experts - 
DH and I are A-List. He is my companion (CP)
I have both SW Priority and Premier cards
Here’s the question-
I have never used standby before but see it is free for A list members, including CP as long as they are also A list. We are booked on a late Saturday afternoon flight RDU-MCO. There is a flight that leaves at 10:45am that day (it’s more expensive but that shouldn’t matter if we are stand by right?). We have an issue with timing and will be cutting it close to get to the airport and make the early flight but we live close to the airport so it’s not that big of a deal. IF we make it on time and IF there is room on the plane can I upgrade at the gate (pending availability) using 2 of my free upgraded boarding spots?

been a long day so please lmk what I need to clarify! Basically can I upgrade boarding position on a standby flight? Lol


----------



## Erica Ladd

***update, kinda.
I called the AList number and they said no to upgraded boarding but as A listers we would get boarding between groups A and B, depending on availability, etc.

The agent said we would HAVE to go to the ticket counter to try for standby, online says we could go straight to the gate OR the ticket counter just not call or kiosk. This is major as the time  crunch is the biggest factor. ***- if we are already checked in to a later flight that day with boarding passes do we NEED TO  go to the ticket counter or can we just go to the gate? TIA!!!


----------



## dez1978

Stupid southwest.  I had to break reservations up into 2 bookings bc paying w points and cash.  Booked the 1st 4 then went to book the last 3 and points went up 2K each!!!


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

dez1978 said:


> Stupid southwest.  I had to break reservations up into 2 bookings bc paying w points and cash.  Booked the 1st 4 then went to book the last 3 and points went up 2K each!!!


That happened to me.  One ticket was lower in price/points than the second ticket.  I could have bought them separately at 2 different prices or both together at the higher price.  I ended up buying 2 together at the higher point value so I could get my son on my preTSA boarding out of Orlando.


----------



## dez1978

Cruzin’Sisters said:


> That happened to me.  One ticket was lower in price/points than the second ticket.  I could have bought them separately at 2 different prices or both together at the higher price.  I ended up buying 2 together at the higher point value so I could get my son on my preTSA boarding out of Orlando.


I ended up calling SW and over the phone she booked my other 3 flights at the same price/points as the 1st set.


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

dez1978 said:


> I ended up calling SW and over the phone she booked my other 3 flights at the same price/points as the 1st set.


Thanks for letting me know.  It was only a few hundred points but now I know there are options!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

@Erica Ladd I know you were asking your questions I don't want you to think they were being ignored, I personally just don't have the answer to your question. I've never been in the position to be both A-list and a Companion at the same time and my husband has never used his standby perk for A-list so I'm unaware of how perks work in practice with that. I hope you get your answer somehow (either SWA or this thread)


----------



## Erica Ladd

Thanks!  No worries, my questions tend to be crazy complicated and very specific. I got more clarification about going straight to the gate to try for standby. One helpful rep told me yes you can go straight to the gate if you want to try for standby BUT if our existing boarding passes are for more than 4 hours away, they won’t let us through security (we would be trying for a flight 6 hours earlier, the only other nonstop flight that day) so even though we will have valid boarding passes we might not get to the gate so we should probably go to the ticketing agent. But time crunch is the issue so I’m still debating trying security first since lately it’s been a 50/50 chance whether they ask to see/scan boarding passes when we show ID. With Fly By Security it may be quicker to take a chance and try the security to gate route First then double back to the ticket counter if we get denied… thanks for replying!!!

* flying back ATL to RDU they stopped scanning boarding passes about 4 people in front of me
* I can’t remember if at RDU they make us show our boarding passes EVERY TIME, only sometimes or just for my kids who don’t have IDs yet… any RDU travelers know about showing boarding passes at security every time?


----------



## LadybugsMum

Erica Ladd said:


> * I can’t remember if at RDU they make us show our boarding passes EVERY TIME, only sometimes or just for my kids who don’t have IDs yet… any RDU travelers know about showing boarding passes at security every time?


I've always had to show my boarding pass at security in RDU. Now, I am not a frequent traveler - I leave there up to 3 (4 max) times a year - so more frequent flyers may have a better sense of that.


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

LadybugsMum said:


> I've always had to show my boarding pass at security in RDU. Now, I am not a frequent traveler - I leave there up to 3 (4 max) times a year - so more frequent flyers may have a better sense of that.


I left Rdu on Saturday and they only wanted my license in the slot and briefly drop my mask.  I was there early in the morning so the 3 hr requirement may not have applied.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Cruzin’Sisters said:


> I left Rdu on Saturday and they only wanted my license in the slot and briefly drop my mask.  I was there early in the morning so the 3 hr requirement may not have applied.



thanks! I feel like last couple of times we were there they only needed a boarding pass for my son with no ID so this is helpful!!! I’m thinking the way security is set up relative to the ticket agents it’s worth a shot to try for the gate first then back track. Worst thing would be not making it in time or no standby and going back home for a few hours. We are that close!


----------



## Gitelfor

Erica Ladd said:


> thanks! I feel like last couple of times we were there they only needed a boarding pass for my son with no ID so this is helpful!!! I’m thinking the way security is set up relative to the ticket agents it’s worth a shot to try for the gate first then back track. Worst thing would be not making it in time or no standby and going back home for a few hours. We are that close!


I presume you will check availability, before heading to the airport.  It would be disappointing to rush to the airport, only to find the flight sold out.  If you see 8 open seats, when checking online, that should be a good indication of being able to switch flights.  If there’s only one open seat (or none), it’s a judgement call, if you want to make the trip to the airport and hope there’s a cancellation or no-show.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Gitelfor said:


> I presume you will check availability, before heading to the airport.  It would be disappointing to rush to the airport, only to find the flight sold out.  If you see 8 open seats, when checking online, that should be a good indication of being able to switch flights.  If there’s only one open seat (or none), it’s a judgement call, if you want to make the trip to the airport and hope there’s a cancellation or no-show.



yes! And thanks for the reminder. I’ve checked several times (and funny when I look at the flight for 8 the price goes up!) but I’m gonna keep checking and hopefully will know before we even  try that morning…


----------



## Gitelfor

Erica Ladd said:


> yes! And thanks for the reminder. I’ve checked several times (and funny when I look at the flight for 8 the price goes up!) but I’m gonna keep checking and hopefully will know before we even  try that morning…


There only are so many seats per fare bucket.  The booking engine will price out all seats being searched at a time at the same fare, so searching for eight seats at a time will very often quote a higher fare, per person, than searching for four+four, for instance.  That’s why it’s a good idea to check a fare starting for one person and work your way up to the total number you are booking, to find the lowest available fare for the greatest number of customers.

In your case, obviously, the fare makes no difference.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Thanks for all your help!


----------



## Avery&Todd

and sorry I didnt have any information on the flying stand-by question as I've never done it before!! 

I do have a question about upgrading your seat at the gate - I know with our SW visa we get 4 upgrades a year and we're flying out of RDU /LAS in May and right now we have a flight with 1 stop- if I upgrade my seat at the gate at RDU it only upgrades my seat just from RDU to MDW where my first stop is, and doesn't upgrade it from MDW to LAS, right?


----------



## EACarlson

Avery&Todd said:


> and sorry I didnt have any information on the flying stand-by question as I've never done it before!!
> 
> I do have a question about upgrading your seat at the gate - I know with our SW visa we get 4 upgrades a year and we're flying out of RDU /LAS in May and right now we have a flight with 1 stop- if I upgrade my seat at the gate at RDU it only upgrades my seat just from RDU to MDW where my first stop is, and doesn't upgrade it from MDW to LAS, right?


Correct, you are buying one upgraded boarding position on one segment.


----------



## Avery&Todd

EACarlson said:


> Correct, you are buying one upgraded boarding position on one segment.


thanks!  that's what I was thinking but I wasn't sure!


----------



## Gitelfor

TRAVEL ADVISORY

Midwest Winter Weather
Based on the forecasted weather conditions for the cities and dates listed below, our scheduled service may be disrupted (flights may be delayed, diverted, and/or cancelled):

*Friday-Saturday, January 14-15*


*Des Moines, IA (DSM)*
*Kansas City, MO (MCI)*
*Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN (MSP)*
*Omaha, NE (OMA)*
*St. Louis, MO (STL)*
Customers holding reservations to/from/through the cities above on the corresponding dates, may rebook in the original class of service or travel standby (within 14 days of their original date of travel between the original city-pairs and in accordance with our accommodation procedures) without paying any additional charge.

Customers who purchased their itinerary via *Southwest.com* or our mobile app are eligible to reschedule their travel plans online or from their mobile device.

Customers who did not purchase a ticket via *Southwest.com* can call 1-800-435-9792 to speak with a Customer Representative.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Our next flight is in 30 days and I got a confirmation email today which seemed weird. I checked the departure/arrival times and those are the same. There wasn't a confirmation number change either. Was this a reminder email? I don't remember getting these in the past.


----------



## Pirate1+Princess4

LadybugsMum said:


> Our next flight is in 30 days and I got a confirmation email today which seemed weird. I checked the departure/arrival times and those are the same. There wasn't a confirmation number change either. Was this a reminder email? I don't remember getting these in the past.


Well.... i got an email overnight last night and our 3/11 return departing at 10:55 pm was cancelled and they put us on a 7:20 PM (which is now the latest flight that day).  So we now lose 1/2 a park day on our last day.  Scrambling to figure how to not add a gaziillion dollars with an extra overnight for 7 adults AND pay more for flight the next day.  I recommend you keep checking for emails.  I guess it's better than a "day of" cancellation.


----------



## Gary2T

Pirate1+Princess4 said:


> Well.... i got an email overnight last night and our 3/11 return departing at 10:55 pm was cancelled and they put us on a 7:20 PM (which is now the latest flight that day).
> ...
> AND pay more for flight the next day.  ...



They will typically work with you on flight changes they initiated.  You should be able to change your flight to the next day without paying the fare difference.  If it doesn't let you do so online at no cost, give them a call and explain that the earlier time doesn't work for you.  Have your desired flight (number, departure time, routing) the next day picked out already and ask for that instead.

You're on your own for the extra night hotel stay though.


----------



## EACarlson

Pirate1+Princess4 said:


> Well.... i got an email overnight last night and our 3/11 return departing at 10:55 pm was cancelled and they put us on a 7:20 PM (which is now the latest flight that day).  So we now lose 1/2 a park day on our last day.  Scrambling to figure how to not add a gaziillion dollars with an extra overnight for 7 adults AND pay more for flight the next day.  I recommend you keep checking for emails.  I guess it's better than a "day of" cancellation.


@Gary2T nailed it.  You can call and they will put you on any reasonable routing within a few days of your original flight.  It should let you do this online, but sometimes that is hit or miss.  Know exactly what you want, flights, times and as long as there is space there should not be any problem.


----------



## Pirate1+Princess4

EACarlson said:


> @Gary2T nailed it.  You can call and they will put you on any reasonable routing within a few days of your original flight.  It should let you do this online, but sometimes that is hit or miss.  Know exactly what you want, flights, times and as long as there is space there should not be any problem.


Thanks!  I was able to change to the next day at no additional cost.  I had no idea they offered this and really appreciate at least I don't have to pay more.  It was really seamless.  Now to find a decent hotel with airport shuttle that won't break the bank.


----------



## Evita_W

Gitelfor said:


> View attachment 638586   TRAVEL ADVISORY
> 
> Midwest Winter Weather
> Based on the forecasted weather conditions for the cities and dates listed below, our scheduled service may be disrupted (flights may be delayed, diverted, and/or cancelled):
> 
> *Friday-Saturday, January 14-15*
> 
> 
> *Des Moines, IA (DSM)*
> *Kansas City, MO (MCI)*
> *Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN (MSP)*
> *Omaha, NE (OMA)*
> *St. Louis, MO (STL)*
> Customers holding reservations to/from/through the cities above on the corresponding dates, may rebook in the original class of service or travel standby (within 14 days of their original date of travel between the original city-pairs and in accordance with our accommodation procedures) without paying any additional charge.
> 
> Customers who purchased their itinerary via *Southwest.com* or our mobile app are eligible to reschedule their travel plans online or from their mobile device.
> 
> Customers who did not purchase a ticket via *Southwest.com* can call 1-800-435-9792 to speak with a Customer Representative.


This is why we are flying through Texas next month.


----------



## EACarlson

Evita_W said:


> This is why we are flying through Texas next month.


That's still a risk, look at what happened in DAL and HOU last year.  Flying through MSP or MDW you expect cold and snow so they know how to deal with it.  If DAL sees a flake of snow they're shut down for three days.  MSP got 4" of snow yesterday, this morning they are showing 4 delays, at least two of which I'm pretty sure are due to the destinations.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

It's been a while since I flew into TX (last time was in 2015) but almost all the times before that to Austin, to Dallas, to Houston, etc we always had delays, some were storms like thunderstorms but usually it was just always late and I'm meaning it was issues *in* TX not issues in KC.

For KCI most of the delays are going to be ice related. The snow we got while the airport did get more (it's still snowing here) they'll be able to clear that off the runways more effectively than if it was an ice related issue where de-icing of the plane is needed or runway issues. The NY Day storm was ice and ice pellets this one is mainly snow. Looking at KCI's website only 1 flight (outbound flights at least) is showing delayed and that's a KCI to Vegas at 1:40pm with SWA. We'll see how it goes throughout the day so it's possible stuff started to get affected (hopefully not too bad if they do) but the snow started last night, I'm sure they've been working hard at the airport to continue treating and plowing up there.


----------



## DisneyinPA

Party of 5 flying next month PIT-MCO with a connection in ATL. Our connection time in ATL is 2 1/2 hours. However there is a MCO flight that leaves 25 minutes after we land in ATL which isn’t enough minimum connection time to book it. If we land early I am tempted to go to the MCO gate if it is close by to see if there are any empty seats. The only factors would be luggage delay possibly in MCO and trying to get seats somewhat together. Has anyone flown on an earlier flight in a connection city? Thanks!


----------



## jkelly86

DisneyinPA said:


> Party of 5 flying next month PIT-MCO with a connection in ATL. Our connection time in ATL is 2 1/2 hours. However there is a MCO flight that leaves 25 minutes after we land in ATL which isn’t enough minimum connection time to book it. If we land early I am tempted to go to the MCO gate if it is close by to see if there are any empty seats. The only factors would be luggage delay possibly in MCO and trying to get seats somewhat together. Has anyone flown on an earlier flight in a connection city? Thanks!


You won’t be allowed to fly standby on the earlier flight if you have checked your luggage.  If you carry-on only, then it is possible if there are open seats.  You likely will not be sitting together unless you have A-list and can board between the As and the Bs.  I think it would be worth sitting separately to gain a few more hours in Florida!


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

jkelly86 said:


> You won’t be allowed to fly standby on the earlier flight if you have checked your luggage.  If you carry-on only, then it is possible if there are open seats.  You likely will not be sitting together unless you have A-list and can board between the As and the Bs.  I think it would be worth sitting separately to gain a few more hours in Florida!


That happened to my sister.  Her plane landed late and she ran to make her connection.  Got to the gate before boarding began. She got a text that she had been rebooked on the next flight 3 hours from now.  When she talked to the gate attendant, they wouldn’t let her board without her checked luggage.  After a while, more passengers from her delayed flight made their way to the connection gate.  Someone made a big to do and they called a supervisor.  The plane was held until all their bags were transferred and then let them board.  At least it saved her from sitting in the airport an additional 3 hours.  Remember:  squeaky wheel gets the grease.


----------



## EACarlson

DisneyinPA said:


> Party of 5 flying next month PIT-MCO with a connection in ATL. Our connection time in ATL is 2 1/2 hours. However there is a MCO flight that leaves 25 minutes after we land in ATL which isn’t enough minimum connection time to book it. If we land early I am tempted to go to the MCO gate if it is close by to see if there are any empty seats. The only factors would be luggage delay possibly in MCO and trying to get seats somewhat together. Has anyone flown on an earlier flight in a connection city? Thanks!


I haven't on SW but have on other airlines.  If the airline is willing to let you do this with checked bags you would be responsible for staying at MCO until your bags were delivered, so not worth it unless you're going to leave one person back to get the bags while the rest leave.  No chance of your bags making the earlier flight.  Some airlines make the bag be on the same flight as the traveler, some don't.


----------



## scrappinginontario

I don’t know the rules in the US but in Canada, since 911 Canada will not fly passengers (purposely  ) separate from their checked baggage.

I've been delayed more than once when a passenger didn't make a connection so the plane was held while they found and removed the missing passenger(s) luggage.  It's a bit of a pain but a policy personally I'm happy they have.


----------



## EACarlson

scrappinginontario said:


> I don’t know the rules in the US but in Canada, since 911 Canada will not fly passengers (purposely  ) separate from their checked baggage.


It has never been a requirement in the US.  Positive Passenger Bag Matching is one of the options if the baggage isn't screened by TSA as per normal.  Very rarely are they going to allow a passenger to decide to travel separately but it is permissible.  The last time I took my kids to WDW, our bags went on an earlier flight with Delta.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

DisneyinPA said:


> Party of 5 flying next month PIT-MCO with a connection in ATL. Our connection time in ATL is 2 1/2 hours. However there is a MCO flight that leaves 25 minutes after we land in ATL which isn’t enough minimum connection time to book it. If we land early I am tempted to go to the MCO gate if it is close by to see if there are any empty seats. The only factors would be luggage delay possibly in MCO and trying to get seats somewhat together. Has anyone flown on an earlier flight in a connection city? Thanks!


I personally wouldn't do it at Atlanta (tight connections always make me unnerved in Atlanta) and I wouldn't do it if I had checked luggage. More than likely your luggage wouldn't make it anyways and you'd be waiting around for it so the time gain would be wasted.

If you're leaning towards an earlier flight don't do checked luggage and at least all you'll be worrying about is catching the plane. As far as seats together or somewhat together don't count on that. People have a hard enough time when they actually booked the flight so if this is what you're leaning towards just go in with the assumption you won't be and if there happen to be any then that's extra pixie dust for your day


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

scrappinginontario said:


> I don’t know the rules in the US but in Canada, since 911 Canada will not fly passengers (purposely  ) separate from their checked baggage.


In 2013 on our way back from our honeymoon our flights got all messed up because of the government furloughs. Ironically to the PP's question our connection from St. Lucia was in Atlanta. Technically the jetway had been closed but the plane doors had not and we were running (because we were from the international part and had to get many concourses away) through the airport. We were on Delta. We barely made it on the plane, took any seat rather than our own selected ones and about 2 mins later the plane left the jetway, some people didn't make it. Our luggage did not make it. Delta delivered our luggage to our house around lunchtime the next day.

I think there is a preference towards luggage staying with the passenger but variables allow for it to not be absolute.


----------



## aokeefe

Does anyone know if Southwest ever offers a special on transferring points between accounts? I want to transfer my son's RR to my account but figured I could wait it out it if a reduced or free transaction could occur.


----------



## EACarlson

The only way I've ever seen it happen is with the Business Credit Card.  That offers reimbursement of up to $500 of transfer charges each year.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

EACarlson said:


> The only way I've ever seen it happen is with the Business Credit Card.  That offers reimbursement of up to $500 of transfer charges each year.


I don't think they are talking about that


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

aokeefe said:


> Does anyone know if Southwest ever offers a special on transferring points between accounts? I want to transfer my son's RR to my account but figured I could wait it out it if a reduced or free transaction could occur.


Reading e-mails I've gotten regarding promotions on purchasing points they seem to exclude a transfer of points from that promotion. I'm not sure if I can recall off the top of my head if they offer promotional deals on transferring points like they do for the purchasing of points. I don't know if they ever do transferring for free though either.

Are you thinking of transferring because your son doesn't have enough points in his account or something like that?


----------



## aokeefe

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Reading e-mails I've gotten regarding promotions on purchasing points they seem to exclude a transfer of points from that promotion. I'm not sure if I can recall off the top of my head if they offer promotional deals on transferring points like they do for the purchasing of points. I don't know if they ever do transferring for free though either.
> 
> Are you thinking of transferring because your son doesn't have enough points in his account or something like that?


Yes- he doesn't have enough points to book a flight (and we have been using points on our SW flights so he isn't earning any) so I would rather just have his points in my account to make it easier.  He has about 4,500 so it would cost me $45 dollars to transfer to mine so it's not a lot of money but still- if it can be cheaper... I will wait.


----------



## scrappinginontario

I have transferred point in the past but always paid a fee.  I’m not sure if transfer fees ever go on sale like purchasing points do.


----------



## sophy1996

DisneyinPA said:


> Party of 5 flying next month PIT-MCO with a connection in ATL. Our connection time in ATL is 2 1/2 hours. However there is a MCO flight that leaves 25 minutes after we land in ATL which isn’t enough minimum connection time to book it. If we land early I am tempted to go to the MCO gate if it is close by to see if there are any empty seats. The only factors would be luggage delay possibly in MCO and trying to get seats somewhat together. Has anyone flown on an earlier flight in a connection city? Thanks!



When we have tried to do this Southwest would allow it only if we paid the difference in fare. We usually end up waiting at the airport for our original flights.  I think they want to protect the A-list benefit of same-day changes with no charge.


----------



## jkelly86

aokeefe said:


> Yes- he doesn't have enough points to book a flight (and we have been using points on our SW flights so he isn't earning any) so I would rather just have his points in my account to make it easier.  He has about 4,500 so it would cost me $45 dollars to transfer to mine so it's not a lot of money but still- if it can be cheaper... I will wait.


When there is a sale on points, you could purchase enough points for his account to purchase a ticket for yourself instead of paying to transfer the points.


----------



## Spunky946

DisneyinPA said:


> Party of 5 flying next month PIT-MCO with a connection in ATL. Our connection time in ATL is 2 1/2 hours. However there is a MCO flight that leaves 25 minutes after we land in ATL which isn’t enough minimum connection time to book it. If we land early I am tempted to go to the MCO gate if it is close by to see if there are any empty seats. The only factors would be luggage delay possibly in MCO and trying to get seats somewhat together. Has anyone flown on an earlier flight in a connection city? Thanks!


May I ask why you aren’t flying direct?  Usually 4 or 5 choices.  Much better then connecting.  We’ve gone standby on an earlier flight, and yes they usually make you pay the difference.  One time for we got on the flight, and they didn’t charge us, I think because of my husbands status.  our flight was 3.5 hours later and we did have to go back to get luggage, which was a pain.


----------



## sjdrr1313

Spunky946 said:


> May I ask why you aren’t flying direct?  Usually 4 or 5 choices.  Much better then connecting.  We’ve gone standby on an earlier flight, and yes they usually make you pay the difference.  One time for we got on the flight, and they didn’t charge us, I think because of my husbands status.  our flight was 3.5 hours later and we did have to go back to get luggage, which was a pain.


 I was going to say the same thing, we fly PIT to MCO all the time and I have always just done direct. It's actuallly usually less expensive than the flights with connections.


----------



## Evita_W

sjdrr1313 said:


> I was going to say the same thing, we fly PIT to MCO all the time and I have always just done direct. It's actuallly usually less expensive than the flights with connections.


I so wish they had nonstop from Southern California to MCO.


----------



## Erica Ladd

I got a red change banner for my Saturday flight from ATL to RDU. I’m guessing it’s weather related but nothings been canceled yet. If I it gets canceled or I decide to rebook for Sunday do I have to make sure I do it as close to 36 hours before the Sunday flight to get a good A list boarding position?


----------



## Gitelfor

Erica Ladd said:


> I got a red change banner for my Saturday flight from ATL to RDU. I’m guessing it’s weather related but nothings been canceled yet. If I it gets canceled or I decide to rebook for Sunday do I have to make sure I do it as close to 36 hours before the Sunday flight to get a good A list boarding position?


Yes, probably; otherwise, you can check in at T-24 or board between A and B boarding groups.  Sometimes, there will be an additional sweep for A-Listers, prior to T-24.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Erica Ladd said:


> I got a red change banner for my Saturday flight from ATL to RDU. I’m guessing it’s weather related but nothings been canceled yet. If I it gets canceled or I decide to rebook for Sunday do I have to make sure I do it as close to 36 hours before the Sunday flight to get a good A list boarding position?


We're supposed to get somewhere between 0-50 inches of snow; so it'll cause some delays here.


----------



## focusondisney

LadybugsMum said:


> We're supposed to get somewhere between 0-50 inches of snow; so it'll cause some delays here.



0-50?? That’s some range.  What area  are you in? Most forecasters should do a little better than that.


----------



## LadybugsMum

focusondisney said:


> 0-50?? That’s some range.  What area  are you in? Most forecasters should do a little better than that.


It’s a joke from this meme and perfectly sums up how snow gets forecasted here in NC.


----------



## cmarsh31

That was our forecast last weekend. Literally 1-12 inches. We got 3.5 and it was clear by 10am.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Still holding out on changing my flight from Saturday to Sunday. But I guess SW can always cancel it and make me change it. Hoping the snow is a no go


----------



## focusondisney

LadybugsMum said:


> It’s a joke from this meme and perfectly sums up how snow gets forecasted here in NC.
> View attachment 640774



Oh, sorry.  I’m sometimes too literal.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Erica Ladd said:


> Still holding out on changing my flight from Saturday to Sunday. But I guess SW can always cancel it and make me change it. Hoping the snow is a no go


We got 3-5 inches of snow depending on where one lives in RTP. Flights will be canceled or really delayed.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Just landed! Funny my airport shuttle to ATL got canceled last night due to inclement weather (flurries and cold temps) but I was lucky to find a last minute ride with a friend!

How long does it take for a flight to show up towards A list status? It was a relatively empty flight and they didn’t even scan my boarding pass when I got on. And I was at the gate 4 minutes after boarding began. She knew my name as soon as I got there and told me I was good to go. But I’m worried not scanning will prevent this flight from showing on my A list progress. Should I be worried? Maybe it didn’t show up yet? Can I call or do I need to go to a ticketing agent? Thx!


----------



## Lsdolphin

I’ve noticed my upcoming flight is on a Max-8 but seems like they have switching to the 737-800 planes instead...are they still flying the Max 8s?


----------



## Lsdolphin

scrappinginontario said:


> I have transferred point in the past but always paid a fee.  I’m not sure if transfer fees ever go on sale like purchasing points do.


sometimes due to special circumstances they will transfer points with no charge.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Lsdolphin said:


> I’ve noticed my upcoming flight is on a Max-8 but seems like they have switching to the 737-800 planes instead...are they still flying the Max 8s?


We just flew in one a little over a month ago. MAX-8 have been back in service for a while IIRC.


----------



## piglet1979

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> We just flew in one a little over a month ago. MAX-8 have been back in service for a while IIRC.



I think I just heard about the Max 8's going back out of service again.  I will see if I can find that article.  I could be wrong though.


----------



## piglet1979

I think I was wrong.  I think I just read a headline that said something about the previous grounding and that more are coming on line.  China and Indonesia just brought theirs back on line.  I am guessing this is what I saw.


----------



## Redart59

Does anybody have any experience with SW having a weather travel advisory?

we are supposed to fly to Mco this Saturday from the northeast where they are calling for a Nor’easter/blizzard. Still nothing definite but it’s looking probable.

There are no direct flights Friday night but there is 1 at 4:55 1 hour layover. I’m willing to do the layover but it would cost and extra 42,000 points per person. Yes!! 42 THOUSAND Extra per person.

According to the research I’ve done, if sw issues a travel advisory for my area, I would be able to move my Saturday flight to Friday night at no extra charge.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Redart59 said:


> Does anybody have any experience with SW having a weather travel advisory?
> 
> we are supposed to fly to Mco this Saturday from the northeast where they are calling for a Nor’easter/blizzard. Still nothing definite but it’s looking probable.
> 
> There are no direct flights Friday night but there is 1 at 4:55 1 hour layover. I’m willing to do the layover but it would cost and extra 42,000 points per person. Yes!! 42 THOUSAND Extra per person.
> 
> According to the research I’ve done, if sw issues a travel advisory for my area, I would be able to move my Saturday flight to Friday night at no extra charge.


The only experience I have is with hurricane Irma and yes it worked like that where we were able to fly back home a day later than we originally were supposed to by way of rebooking for no additional fare or points. The days you want to switch you have to be covered under the travel advisory or at least that's how it worked for Irma. Someone may be able to give details for an experience much more recent than mine.


----------



## Gitelfor

Redart59 said:


> Does anybody have any experience with SW having a weather travel advisory?
> 
> we are supposed to fly to Mco this Saturday from the northeast where they are calling for a Nor’easter/blizzard. Still nothing definite but it’s looking probable.
> 
> There are no direct flights Friday night but there is 1 at 4:55 1 hour layover. I’m willing to do the layover but it would cost and extra 42,000 points per person. Yes!! 42 THOUSAND Extra per person.
> 
> According to the research I’ve done, if sw issues a travel advisory for my area, I would be able to move my Saturday flight to Friday night at no extra charge.


Yes, if your upcoming travel is affected by weather, you are allowed to move to Friday night, subject to availability.  That availability may have to be for the same fare class as your current flight, i.e. WGA.  I would keep a very watchful eye on both your reservation and Southwest’s homepage for a Travel Advisory notice.  If your flight is impacted, there should be a link for you to rebook, at no additional cost.
You can try to contact Southwest proactively, but I don’t think they will make any no-cost changes to your itinerary, till the advisory is put in place.

I wish you good luck with the weather.


----------



## Redart59

Gitelfor said:


> Yes, if your upcoming travel is affected by weather, you are allowed to move to Friday night, subject to availability.  That availability may have to be for the same fare class as your current flight, i.e. WGA.  I would keep a very watchful eye on both your reservation and Southwest’s homepage for a Travel Advisory notice.  If your flight is impacted, there should be a link for you to rebook, at no additional cost.
> You can try to contact Southwest proactively, but I don’t think they will make any no-cost changes to your itinerary, till the advisory is put in place.
> 
> I wish you good luck with the weather.


Thanks. Ya. I have obsessively been checking the Southwest app and the weather app all day today. Thanks again for your help.


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

Redart59 said:


> Does anybody have any experience with SW having a weather travel advisory?
> 
> we are supposed to fly to Mco this Saturday from the northeast where they are calling for a Nor’easter/blizzard. Still nothing definite but it’s looking probable.
> 
> There are no direct flights Friday night but there is 1 at 4:55 1 hour layover. I’m willing to do the layover but it would cost and extra 42,000 points per person. Yes!! 42 THOUSAND Extra per person.
> 
> According to the research I’ve done, if sw issues a travel advisory for my area, I would be able to move my Saturday flight to Friday night at no extra charge.


That is correct. Keep checking for red banner that says you can move your reservation to another flight, before or after. No extra charge.


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

Cruzin’Sisters said:


> That is correct. Keep checking for red banner that says you can move your reservation to another flight, before or after. No extra charge.


Update to post:  We’re expecting a Nor’Easter in NH on Saturday.  I’ve been waiting for the red banner. Instead I called SW 800 number.  The call centers have been hearing about upcoming storm and they thankfully moved my flight to Friday morning instead.  No fare change.  It won’t hurt to give SWA a call.


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

Redart59 said:


> Thanks. Ya. I have obsessively been checking the Southwest app and the weather app all day today. Thanks again for your help.


They proactively moved my flight to Friday morning! Yay!


----------



## kc51570

Redart59 said:


> Does anybody have any experience with SW having a weather travel advisory?
> 
> we are supposed to fly to Mco this Saturday from the northeast where they are calling for a Nor’easter/blizzard. Still nothing definite but it’s looking probable.
> 
> There are no direct flights Friday night but there is 1 at 4:55 1 hour layover. I’m willing to do the layover but it would cost and extra 42,000 points per person. Yes!! 42 THOUSAND Extra per person.
> 
> According to the research I’ve done, if sw issues a travel advisory for my area, I would be able to move my Saturday flight to Friday night at no extra charge.


Yes, happened to us while we were in Florida. There was a snow storm forecasted in the NE for our flight home. Got the alert 1-2 days before suggesting we change flights at no extra charge.


----------



## Erica Ladd

I recently got the advisory last weekend where they were expecting bad weather on the Saturday of my flight.  But note - I did NOT see the advisory on the app until I clicked on the Details of my upcoming flight. I didn’t change and thankfully my flight left as scheduled. Empty flight too! I bet a lot of people switched


----------



## Redart59

Just an update. I called Southwest last night and they literally had not 1 flight with 2 seats on it for anything on Friday.

I refreshed all day today and a 1 layover flight popped up and I was able to call and have it switched at no additional points.

booked a room at the Hyatt at Mco for 12,000 points. Not an ideal situation but better than where we were at yesterday. Thanks to everyone who gave advice.


----------



## Gitelfor

Southwest travel advisory issued today* in anticipation of severe weather in the northeast.

If your city is listed and you have confirmed reservations for the referenced dates, you may adjust your flight/travel date at no additional cost, subject to availability of same fare class and same city pairs, within a 14 day window.

_**Updated (expanded) advisory issued 01/27/2022:*_

*East Coast Winter Weather*
_Based on the forecasted weather conditions for the cities and dates listed below, our scheduled service may be disrupted (flights may be delayed, diverted, and/or cancelled).
Friday- Saturday, January 28-29_

_Albany, NY (ALB)_
_Baltimore/Washington, MD (BWI)_
_Boston-Logan, MA (BOS)_
_Charleston, SC (CHS)_
_Charlotte, NC (CLT)_
_Greenville/Spartanburg, SC (GSP)_
_Hartford, CT (BDL)_
_Long Island/Islip, NY (ISP)_
_Manchester, NH (MHT)_
_Myrtle Beach, SC (MYR)_
_New York-LaGuardia, NY (LGA)_
_Norfolk, VA (ORF)_
_Philadelphia, PA (PHL)_
_Portland, ME (PWM)_
_Providence, RI (PVD)_
_Raleigh/Durham, NC (RDU)_
_Richmond, VA (RIC)_
_Washington-Dulles, DC (IAD)_
_Washington-Reagan National, DC (DCA)_
_Customers holding reservations to/from/through the cities listed above on the corresponding dates may rebook in the original class of service or travel standby (within 14 days of their original date of travel between the original city-pairs and in accordance with our accommodation procedures) without paying any additional charge.
Customers who purchased their itinerary via Southwest.com or our mobile app are eligible to reschedule their travel plans online or from their mobile device.
Customers who did not purchase a ticket via Southwest.com can call 1-800-435-9792 to speak with a Customer Representative.
Customers in the U.S. scheduled to travel internationally must call 1-800-435-9792 to speak with a Customer Representative for assistance with rebooking.
Additionally, Customers holding reservations for a flight that is cancelled may request a refund for an unused ticket/travel itinerary._


----------



## Avery&Todd

I got the dreaded email from SW this morning that they had changed my March trip - I was hoping to be in the clear since they hadn't changed it yet, but I got bit by the "change bug"!

However, it wasn't a bad change - they didnt touch our non-stop super early flight down to MCO from RDU but they changed the flight home -we had a MCO/BWI/RDU flight at 9:55am getting home at 3:45pm and they pushed it to 10:35am still getting home at 3:45 so that wasn't too bad at all!

They had actually automatically put us on the non-stop back home leaving at like 6:30am but I can't leave Disney that early after doing hard at the parks for 6 days which is why it was kinda nice to have our flight delayed 40 min but still getting home at the same time - I can handle 40 less minutes in BWI!

Sooo...check your flights!


----------



## Avery&Todd

annnnnddd....just to top it off - I thought to myself I should look and see the point value of the "new flights" for our departure date and the SAME new flight that I had just changed us to, which was basically the same flight we were on before.... was CHEAPER!!

so I turned around and re-booked the SAME flight and saved us over *39k points*!!  AMAZE-BALLS!!


----------



## Gitelfor

*UPDATED WEATHER ADVISORY ISSUED  BY SOUTHWEST*​Based on the forecasted weather conditions for the cities and dates listed below, our scheduled service may be disrupted (flights may be delayed, diverted, and/or cancelled).

*Friday- Saturday, January 28-29*

*Albany, NY (ALB)*
*Baltimore/Washington, MD (BWI)*
*Charleston, SC (CHS)*
*Charlotte, NC (CLT)*
*Greenville/Spartanburg, SC (GSP)*
*Long Island/Islip, NY (ISP)*
*Myrtle Beach, SC (MYR)*
*New York-LaGuardia, NY (LGA)*
*Norfolk, VA (ORF)*
*Philadelphia, PA (PHL)*
*Raleigh/Durham, NC (RDU)*
*Richmond, VA (RIC)*
*Washington-Dulles, DC (IAD)*
*Washington-Reagan National, DC (DCA)*
*Friday-Sunday, January 28-30*

*Boston-Logan, MA (BOS)*
*Hartford, CT (BDL)*
*Manchester, NH (MHT)*
*Portland, ME (PWM)*
*Providence, RI (PVD)*


----------



## Kazi7

Who else loves to modify your flight when the price goes down but struggles to use the stupid travel credit?  I try to book on points so it's not an issue, but I recently booked a cash flight since I had some travel credit to use.  The fare has since gone down, and I have $51 credit.  But I also have recently accumulated the 100,000 RR points from the credit card.  It's so hard to see the travel credit go to waste, but I'm not sure I can justify spending cash on a reservation.  Maybe if I can find something really cheap I guess.


----------



## ultimatefans

Kazi7 said:


> Who else loves to modify your flight when the price goes down but struggles to use the stupid travel credit?  I try to book on points so it's not an issue, but I recently booked a cash flight since I had some travel credit to use.  The fare has since gone down, and I have $51 credit.  But I also have recently accumulated the 100,000 RR points from the credit card.  It's so hard to see the travel credit go to waste, but I'm not sure I can justify spending cash on a reservation.  Maybe if I can find something really cheap I guess.


I've definitely lost travel credit before, it always bums me out.  Lately I've been looking at Anytime fares.  Sometimes the difference is very small and it's worth it to me to spend the extra $.  Recently I was able to get $ back on an Anytime fare when the price went down, that was really nice to have it refunded to my card instead of getting travel funds that I might not use.  For each trip I take I decide between using points, using a SW giftcard from Costco, WGA or Anytime fare, etc, based on how expensive it is when booking and the likelihood that the price will go down or if I'll need to change or cancel my flight.  I really love the flexibility of Southwest and try to use their perks to my advantage as much as possible.   I hope you're able to use your travel funds!


----------



## georgina

Kazi7 said:


> Who else loves to modify your flight when the price goes down but struggles to use the stupid travel credit?  I try to book on points so it's not an issue, but I recently booked a cash flight since I had some travel credit to use.  The fare has since gone down, and I have $51 credit.  But I also have recently accumulated the 100,000 RR points from the credit card.  It's so hard to see the travel credit go to waste, but I'm not sure I can justify spending cash on a reservation.  Maybe if I can find something really cheap I guess.


It is a bummer to lose travel credit. i Was happy a few years ago when they let us change our Covid cancellation credits into RR points. Now I try to only book on points, we have a Chase Sapphire card and can transfer some URs if necessary to do a points booking.


----------



## mickey916

georgina said:


> It is a bummer to lose travel credit. i Was happy a few years ago when they let us change our Covid cancellation credits into RR points. Now I try to only book on points, we have a Chase Sapphire card and can transfer some URs if necessary to do a points booking.


I wish I had done that instead of just holding onto my credit from May 2020. I did know about the option at the time but not sure why I didn't do it. Just booked our flights for May and they were cheaper than in 2020 so we have credits left over that will expire in September. Don't really think we'll be using the remainder before then...


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

mickey916 said:


> I wish I had done that instead of just holding onto my credit from May 2020. I did know about the option at the time but not sure why I didn't do it. Just booked our flights for May and they were cheaper than in 2020 so we have credits left over that will expire in September. Don't really think we'll be using the remainder before then...


Here is a suggestion if you have excess travel credits.  I booked the anytime fare which was at the time about $50 more then WGA fares and the credits would have gone to waste.  The Anytime fares give more miles to your Rapid Rewards account when the trip is complete.


----------



## mickey916

Cruzin’Sisters said:


> Here is a suggestion if you have excess travel credits.  I booked the anytime fare which was at the time about $50 more then WGA fares and the credits would have gone to waste.  The Anytime fares give more miles to your Rapid Rewards account when the trip is complete.


That's a great suggestion!


----------



## Avery&Todd

We are flying out to Vegas in mid-May and I check those flights all the time to see if I can get a lower fare...and saw this today - makes me think that they're going to be re-doing the flights out to Vegas and back!  I've never seen the higher flight options unavailable leaving only the cheaper ones!

 

from RDU to LAS: 


from LAS to RDU:


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Avery&Todd said:


> We are flying out to Vegas in mid-May and I check those flights all the time to see if I can get a lower fare...and saw this today - makes me think that they're going to be re-doing the flights out to Vegas and back!  I've never seen the higher flight options unavailable leaving only the cheaper ones!
> 
> 
> 
> from RDU to LAS:
> View attachment 643594
> 
> from LAS to RDU:
> View attachment 643595


If I check my May 4th (departure) and May 15th (return) to Orlando it reflects fairly similar to yours. It's possible some tweaking is going on company wide. It's also possible that new tier they kept talking about could be making it's appearance soon (purely wondering out loud here).


----------



## Avery&Todd

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> If I check my May 4th (departure) and May 15th (return) to Orlando it reflects fairly similar to yours. It's possible some tweaking is going on company wide. It's also possible that new tier they kept talking about could be making it's appearance soon (purely wondering out loud here).


OH YES!! I forgot about the new tier! Maybe that does have something to do with it!

Im secretly hoping that they have some switching up of schedules and reducing the points planned!  We paid 38k per ticket to fly from RDU/LAS and we dont have non-stop flights like last year..but they weren't booked as non-stop originally - we had a flight change about 5 weeks prior to our departure..so there is still plenty of time for me to swoop up some non-stops!


----------



## DisTXMom

Our March travel dates have “unavailable” on nearly every flight today. I’m worried they are reducing flights. We are on one of the only nonstop flights, so hoping it’s not cancelled because every other option is challenging. It seems like their current method is have way more flights published than they intend to have and then just cancel a bunch a month or two out. Last time they rebooked us not making it home to our departure city. Cmon SWA, you’re better than that.  Needless to say we will be watching closely to see where this heads.


----------



## Rich M

Everyone check your flights if your traveling this week.  I see another Travel Advisory effecting a lot of airports.  I am flying out Saturday and hope I am not effected.  Good luck to everyone.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

DisTXMom said:


> Our March travel dates have “unavailable” on nearly every flight today. I’m worried they are reducing flights. We are on one of the only nonstop flights, so hoping it’s not cancelled because every other option is challenging. It seems like their current method is have way more flights published than they intend to have and then just cancel a bunch a month or two out. Last time they rebooked us not making it home to our departure city. Cmon SWA, you’re better than that.  Needless to say we will be watching closely to see where this heads.


To be fair airlines have been canceling and reducing flights in general. SWA is not the only one. I did see that they cut flights in March (33 flights) for my home airport but so did American (48 flights or 6.7% of their March schedule for our airport) which was announced on 1/28. In recent months Delta and United have cancelled flights too from my home airport.

I don't think they are purposefully having more flights than they intend in the way you are thinking. It isn't uncommon if flights don't get sold enough to restructure them/combine if they don't need a specific plane a flight was for to be at its original destination. That's not what I necessarily think is going on with the Unavailable the PP and I were seeing but I don't think they are doing something nefarious/on purpose with these flights like you might be thinking. I do think things are less predictable than they were in the past due in large part to you know the pandemic.


----------



## Avery&Todd

oh no......these are the dates for our early March trip...

from RDU/MCO


MCO/RDU


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Avery&Todd said:


> oh no......these are the dates for our early March trip...
> 
> from RDU/MCO
> View attachment 643617
> 
> MCO/RDU
> View attachment 643618


Now that is really crazy.


----------



## mickey916

Avery&Todd said:


> oh no......these are the dates for our early March trip...
> 
> from RDU/MCO
> View attachment 643617
> 
> MCO/RDU
> View attachment 643618


Something is definitely going on, my April and May flights look the same, the only thing available for cash payments are the "wanna get away" flights.


----------



## mrp4352

I've even done this with Business Select fares!  I must admit - holding A1 is very, very cool! 




Cruzin’Sisters said:


> Here is a suggestion if you have excess travel credits.  I booked the anytime fare which was at the time about $50 more then WGA fares and the credits would have gone to waste.  The Anytime fares give more miles to your Rapid Rewards account when the trip is complete.


----------



## Rich M

mrp4352 said:


> I've even done this with Business Select fares!  I must admit - holding A1 is very, very cool!



I think I wouldn't know what to do with so many choices. I might panic and hate my seat


----------



## Gitelfor

Due to severe weather forecasted for a great portion of the lower 48, this week, Southwest has issued *three separate travel advisories* for dozens of cities, ranging from Buffalo in the north, to Dallas in the south.  Southwest is suspending ops at Love Field on Thursday, due to the impending winter storm.

Cities covered by advisories:

*Tuesday-Wednesday, February 1-2*

Albuquerque, NM (ABQ)
Colorado Springs, CO (COS)
Denver, CO (DEN)
Montrose (Telluride/Crested Butte), CO (MTJ)
Steamboat Springs (Hayden), CO (HDN)
*Wednesday-Thursday, February 2-3*

Amarillo, TX (AMA)
Austin, TX (AUS)
Dallas, TX (DAL)
Little Rock, AR (LIT)
Louisville, KY (SDF)
Lubbock, TX (LBB)
Memphis, TN (MEM)
Midland/Odessa, TX (MAF)
Nashville, TN (BNA)
Oklahoma City, OK (OKC)
San Antonio, TX (SAT)
Tulsa, OK (TUL)
Wichita, KS (ICT)
*Wednesday-Friday, February 2-4*

Dallas, TX (DAL)
*Wednesday-Thursday, February 2-3*

Buffalo/Niagara, NY (BUF)
Chicago-Midway, IL (MDW)
Chicago-O'Hare, IL (ORD)
Cincinnati, OH (CVG)
Cleveland, OH (CLE)
Columbus, OH (CMH)
Detroit, MI (DTW)
Grand Rapids, MI (GRR)
Indianapolis, IN (IND)
Kansas City, MO (MCI)
Milwaukee, WI (MKE)
Pittsburgh, PA (PIT)
Rochester, NY (ROC)
St. Louis, MO (STL)
Syracuse, NY (SYR)


----------



## Rich M

Gitelfor said:


> Due to severe weather forecasted for a great portion of the lower 48, this week, Southwest has issued *three separate travel advisories* for dozens of cities, ranging from Buffalo in the north, to Dallas in the south.  Southwest is suspending ops at Love Field on Thursday, due to the impending winter storm.
> *Dallas winter storm to greatly affect air travel this week*


Do you think this will effect flights on Saturday? Will Southwest bump others to get the stranded ones home? My flight goes through Austin on Saturday


----------



## Gitelfor

Rich M said:


> Do you think this will effect flights on Saturday? Will Southwest bump others to get the stranded ones home? My flight goes through Austin on Saturday


Customers with confirmed reservations will not be bumped to make room for others.  Of course, it is always a good idea to keep an eye on the status of your flight and to get to the airport with time to spare. Southwest’s counter can have long lines, when there have been cancellations on previous days, but curbside check-in can be a good option, if available, and needing to check bags.

Unless the forecast changes, it looks like things s/b back on schedule by Saturday.


----------



## Lewisc

Rich M said:


> Do you think this will effect flights on Saturday? Will Southwest bump others to get the stranded ones home? My flight goes through Austin on Saturday


No, but if you're not at the gate at least 10 minutes prior to departure you could lose your reservation to a standby pax


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Rich M said:


> Do you think this will effect flights on Saturday? Will Southwest bump others to get the stranded ones home? My flight goes through Austin on Saturday


In the past the way it would work IME passengers could be put on standby for a flight if their flight was missed or cancelled and the gate agents would ask if anyone would be willing to give up their seat (I don't know how common this is happening anymore) or if you yourself do not check in/get your boarding pass/be at the gate 10 mins prior to your flight and do not board the plane your "seat" (I say that that way since they don't do assigned seats) will be forfeit thereby opening up to the first person to was put on standby.

They don't automatically bump like you're thinking though.

As far as effect into Saturday while the weather will be gone the effects is hard to predict. Just depends on the cascading effect but I wouldn't go in thinking just yet your flight will be impacted.


----------



## DisneyinPA

Just thinking ahead for our trip in 2 weeks has anyone ever been rebooked out of another city on your origination leg due to weather.  Our flight is out of PIT but if we were to get a storm and PIT would be full for the day we live as close to BWI/DCA/IAD as we do PIT. Thanks!


----------



## Rich M

DisneyinPA said:


> Just thinking ahead for our trip in 2 weeks has anyone ever been rebooked out of another city on your origination leg due to weather.  Our flight is out of PIT but if we were to get a storm and PIT would be full for the day we live as close to BWI/DCA/IAD as we do PIT. Thanks!



I live in the Bay Area and when our flight has been changed we get the option to change our flight for free to any flight we want out of any of the three airports near by. Not sure how it works with other states though


----------



## Evita_W

Rich M said:


> I live in the Bay Area and when our flight has been changed we get the option to change our flight for free to any flight we want out of any of the three airports near by. Not sure how it works with other states though


I believe that either the starting airport or ending airport has to remain the same, but you for the other you can choose any airport.


----------



## Gitelfor

Additional travel advisory was issued for
February 2-4, at the following cities:

*Albany, NY (ALB)*
*Boston-Logan, MA (BOS)*
*Hartford, CT (BDL)*
*Long Island-Islip, NY (ISP)*
*Manchester, NH (MHT)*
*New York-LaGuardia, NY (LGA)*
*Philadelphia, PA (PHL)*
*Portland, ME (PWM)*
*Providence, RI (PVD)*
*If rebooking, due to travel advisory:



			Travel must take place within 14 days of the original travel date between the original city pairs. In some cases when a particular airport is affected, and Southwest serves a "sister airport" or "co-terminal", we will offer the flexibility to depart from/arrive into an alternate airport. For example, if San Francisco International Airport is affected, Customers may be offered the opportunity to change to the San Jose or Oakland airports.
		
Click to expand...

*


----------



## Leigh L

Rich M said:


> I live in the Bay Area and when our flight has been changed we get the option to change our flight for free to any flight we want out of any of the three airports near by. Not sure how it works with other states though


Same for DC, we've been offered IAD/DCA/BWI


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

By the way I checked my May flights again today and they are back to being fine as in no longer showing Unavailable for all those ones it did.

It's possible a flight was removed but I didn't pay close enough attention to the other flights for those days, there still seems to be plenty of flights for those days.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> By the way I checked my May flights again today and they are back to being fine as in no longer showing Unavailable for all those ones it did.
> 
> It's possible a flight was removed but I didn't pay close enough attention to the other flights for those days, there still seems to be plenty of flights for those days.


YES - Our March trip to MCO and our May trip to LAS are back to normal with most of the flights/times having availability in all 3 categories!

Phew...

but I guess that still doesn't meant that flights won't be changed between now and then...


----------



## Avery&Todd

oh, and did anyone else activate that bonus rewards on the SW site for 25% more points if you spent more than $18k between like Nov 1st - Jan 31st?  Anyone have any idea on how long it would take to see those bonus points in our account??

thanks!


----------



## ultimatefans

Avery&Todd said:


> oh, and did anyone else activate that bonus rewards on the SW site for 25% more points if you spent more than $18k between like Nov 1st - Jan 31st?  Anyone have any idea on how long it would take to see those bonus points in our account??
> 
> thanks!


Huh, for my offer I had to spend $25K during that same time period to get the 25% bonus points.  (which I didn't get)  They say it can take up to 8 weeks for bonus points to show up but in my experience it's been much less than that.  I don't remember exactly how long it took though.  Congrats on getting the bonus, I always love seeing those extra points added!


----------



## Avery&Todd

ultimatefans said:


> Huh, for my offer I had to spend $25K during that same time period to get the 25% bonus points.  (which I didn't get)  They say it can take up to 8 weeks for bonus points to show up but in my experience it's been much less than that.  I don't remember exactly how long it took though.  Congrats on getting the bonus, I always love seeing those extra points added!


I only made the $18k because we charge DS's college tuition and that always puts us over the top!  

I was thinking that it had said 8 weeks but I wasn't sure...

thanks!


----------



## piglet1979

Rich M said:


> Do you think this will effect flights on Saturday? Will Southwest bump others to get the stranded ones home? My flight goes through Austin on Saturday



I am not sure where you are headed, but the Cleveland area I would think would be good.  The snow has pretty much stopped already and we are only supposed to some light flurries here and there today.  It will still be cold on Saturday but close to 40 starting Sunday.


----------



## Avery&Todd

it looks like SW is bringing back "adult beverages" on their flights this month....not that I ever needed one for the 1.5 flight from RDU to MCO!  

and when we fly SW to Vegas I'm usually too tired!   

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/southwest-airlines-bring-alcohol-back-040721597.html


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Avery&Todd said:


> it looks like SW is bringing back "adult beverages" on their flights this month....not that I ever needed one for the 1.5 flight from RDU to MCO!
> 
> and when we fly SW to Vegas I'm usually too tired!
> 
> https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/southwest-airlines-bring-alcohol-back-040721597.html


I had heard a rumor about them considering for Spring.

Now to know will they treat prior vouchers that clearly expired as no good OR will they be generous to SWA peeps with vouchers...


----------



## jcarwash

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I had heard a rumor about them considering for Spring.
> 
> Now to know will they treat prior vouchers that clearly expired as no good OR will they be generous to SWA peeps with vouchers...



They are going to accept drink coupons expiring in 2020 and 2021 through December 31, 2022, once they resume:

https://community.southwest.com/t5/Knowledge-Base/Expired-2020-or-2021-Drink-Coupons/ta-p/114294


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

jcarwash said:


> They are going to accept drink coupons expiring in 2020 and 2021 through December 31, 2022, once they resume:
> 
> https://community.southwest.com/t5/Knowledge-Base/Expired-2020-or-2021-Drink-Coupons/ta-p/114294


Well that is just great that I saved the ones from being shredded then! Thanks for sharing


----------



## Gitelfor

*Southwest is offering a 25% discount* to/from select domestic cities for travel 02/11/2022 thru 02/13/2022, booked 02/07/2022 - 02/08/2022, using promo code *25GO.  *Tickets are non-refundable and are subject to availability.  Any available fare class may be booked.


----------



## bsmcneil

I just wanted to follow-up in case anyone else has this experience/has questions. I recognize that I must've made the mistake in understanding here. I had asked and tried to search beyond this forum if my kids would be able to board when I boarded as I had A-list and had purchased a business select (I think - whatever the highest tier is) ticket (I had a decent amount of travel funds to use). I had a CP for my oldest kid (8) and used my points for my youngest kid (5). I got A2 and I forget but I think my CP got something similar (I honestly don't recall right now). My youngest, however, got C30. And so, you can guess where we were expected to board (I ended up using family boarding). It was really frustrating to have intentionally bought Business Select (which I enjoy being abbreviated as BS) to help (single parent, two young kids, first time traveling with covid) and I had gone through hassles to get the tickets appropriately connected, etc. 

So, just a data point for anyone going through that situation (and the staff at SW, understandably overwhelmed during this time, was not helpful and felt downright rude when it happened - although it was 5:30am and I was frustrated so it could be that my perspective was skewed).


----------



## EACarlson

This was all done according to what the SW rules are right now.  The way to get all three of you with the highest boarding position would have been for you to purchase the BS fare for your youngest, buy an AT or WGA fare for you and your companion.  As A list you would have been given a boarding position at T-36, your companion would have been given the boarding position either immediately in front or behind you.  A BS ticket holder never gets to bring a companion with them to their A1-15 boarding position.  Your youngest, having no status on a WGA fare got the boarding position dictated by check in time, which I'm guessing was not exactly at T-24.


----------



## bsmcneil

EACarlson said:


> This was all done according to what the SW rules are right now.  The way to get all three of you with the highest boarding position would have been for you to purchase the BS fare for your youngest, buy an AT or WGA fare for you and your companion.  As A list you would have been given a boarding position at T-36, your companion would have been given the boarding position either immediately in front or behind you.  A BS ticket holder never gets to bring a companion with them to their A1-15 boarding position.  Your youngest, having no status on a WGA fare got the boarding position dictated by check in time, which I'm guessing was not exactly at T-24.


Right - I definitely didn't check us in at T-24 (1 because it was at 5:30 the previous morning but 2 because I thought I had taken care of the issue). Clearly SW made off fine and no one was hurt - it also didn't help my feelings of customer loyalty.


----------



## EACarlson

bsmcneil said:


> Right - I definitely didn't check us in at T-24 (1 because it was at 5:30 the previous morning but 2 because I thought I had taken care of the issue). Clearly SW made off fine and no one was hurt - it also didn't help my feelings of customer loyalty.


Why would your customer loyalty feelings be hurt because they followed the exact procedures that they have laid out in their program terms and conditions?  Never have those on "linked" reservations been checked in with a flyer with status, they've always needed to check themselves in at the appropriate time.  CP boarding with Primary traveler still has not been officially announced although it's been done for the last 8-10 months.  And even then it's been pretty clear cut that BS benefits don't extend to companions, frankly I'm surprised they gave her the A list benefit and she got an A group at all.


----------



## Gitelfor

Southwest schedule extension has been pushed back.



> We are currently accepting air reservations through September 5, 2022. On March 31, 2022 we will open our schedule for sale through November 5, 2022. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Gitelfor said:


> Southwest schedule extension has been pushed back.


DANG BLANG!!

I was so looking forward to booking our Oct flights in a few weeks!  We leave for Disney on March 5th and booking flights for another trip in October just 2 days before then was exciting..

and I guess this means I need to move the reminder on my calendar!

Thanks for the heads up!


----------



## LadybugsMum

I've never done EBCI since I could just use family boarding. But my kids are too old and too tall for that now and I got EBCI for convenience. Do you get a an email when you're checked in? Or does something pop up in your account with the boarding passes? I'm just past the 36 hour mark and I can't see any boarding passes yet.


----------



## G719

LadybugsMum said:


> I've never done EBCI since I could just use family boarding. But my kids are too old and too tall for that now and I got EBCI for convenience. Do you get a an email when you're checked in? Or does something pop up in your account with the boarding passes? I'm just past the 36 hour mark and I can't see any boarding passes yet.


Even though the system checks you in, you have to go on the website or the app and check in to see your boarding position. You can do this starting at 24 hours before your flight.


----------



## LadybugsMum

G719 said:


> Even though the system checks you in, you have to go on the website or the app and check in to see your boarding position. You can do this starting at 24 hours before your flight.


Thank you!


----------



## disneyeveryyear

Avery&Todd said:


> I only made the $18k because we charge DS's college tuition and that always puts us over the top!
> 
> I was thinking that it had said 8 weeks but I wasn't sure...
> 
> thanks!



I loved the days when I could charge tuition without a surcharge.  I think I did that for 4 semester for my oldest, then they started charging 3%.  It was never available free for my youngest.


----------



## disneyeveryyear

bsmcneil said:


> Right - I definitely didn't check us in at T-24 (1 because it was at 5:30 the previous morning but 2 because I thought I had taken care of the issue). Clearly SW made off fine and no one was hurt - it also didn't help my feelings of customer loyalty.


 Wow.  I have never had a C boarding pass if I remember to check in at T-24.  When I have forgotten I have seen an occassional C boarding pass.  Everyone must have bought EBCI.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

disneyeveryyear said:


> Wow.  I have never had a C boarding pass if I remember to check in at T-24.  When I have forgotten I have seen an occassional C boarding pass.  Everyone must have bought EBCI.


Coming back from Vegas in mid-December I got B60 checking in right at 24 hours ahead. I spoke with the guy in front of me for a bit while boarding was happening and he remarked "I checked in right at 24 hours in advance looks like I beat you by a second". It was the furthest I had been except for what we think was a random glitch where I was the Companion and we checked in right at 24 hours and got C something or rather, that was not something with a bunch of EBCI. This past December flight we are thinking that's what happened as in a lot of EBCI and people with A-list (like my husband was). I think the bumps SWA gave may have helped with that a bit. My husband with A-list was low A's like A24 or something like that.


----------



## LadybugsMum

And we got A26-28 - so EBCI was worth it especially since I used points for the tickets themselves.


----------



## bsmcneil

disneyeveryyear said:


> Wow.  I have never had a C boarding pass if I remember to check in at T-24.  When I have forgotten I have seen an occassional C boarding pass.  Everyone must have bought EBCI.


No, to be clear, I didn't check in at t-24 (I thought the problem had been solved - usually I do). So, I don't think it would've been a problem (I don't even remember when I checked in - single parent taking kids to Disney World on our first trip since the pandemic ... it was all a blur


----------



## bsmcneil

EACarlson said:


> Why would your customer loyalty feelings be hurt because they followed the exact procedures that they have laid out in their program terms and conditions?  Never have those on "linked" reservations been checked in with a flyer with status, they've always needed to check themselves in at the appropriate time.  CP boarding with Primary traveler still has not been officially announced although it's been done for the last 8-10 months.  And even then it's been pretty clear cut that BS benefits don't extend to companions, frankly I'm surprised they gave her the A list benefit and she got an A group at all.


I hear you and have been clear since my follow-up that I clearly misunderstood. To answer the question about loyalty, I felt like the gate agent/CSR could've taken a moment to say, "Here's the mistake - we're sorry for confusion. You can board when family boarding begins." She did none of that and, even as I understand a number of reasons why it could be that way, I felt she was super rude (I think subconsciously - she's dealing with a ton of people at the beginning of a long day). I personally feel (and in my own current job with Customer Service) that it's not terribly out of line to hear people, and then try to explain or fix (with any grace, kindness, compassion, etc one can find). I also don't fundamentally know what mattered to them since we weren't going to have to board with the C group (my base-level goal was 3 seats together and my preference was to be pretty far back so I didn't have to deal with people as much). It's not like it's a mad rush for first-class seats. But anyway, I hear you and thought I already said it but will reiterate - clearly my mistake. I apologize if trying to clear it up here (since I believe that when I asked about this situation earlier this year, I got the info that led me to my erroneous belief and I didn't want others to have to experience that) is a problem. But yeah, you definitely are 100% right.


----------



## Gitelfor

Southwest recently posted on social media:



> Southwest is in the process of revising our flight schedule, which includes removing some select flights operation-wide.



So, I suppose it’s a good idea to keep an eye on upcoming trips, for any unexpected changes.


----------



## focusondisney

LadybugsMum said:


> I've never done EBCI since I could just use family boarding. But my kids are too old and too tall for that now and I got EBCI for convenience. Do you get a an email when you're checked in? Or does something pop up in your account with the boarding passes? I'm just past the 36 hour mark and I can't see any boarding passes yet.



No, you won’t get any notice. Your position was secured at 36 hours, but you still need to go thru the actual check in process. So anytime after the 24 hour mark, you  check in & your boarding pass will have the number you were assigned with EBCI.

edit, just realized you asked that on Thursday, so you already figured it out. Sorry. Hope you’re having a great trip!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

bsmcneil said:


> I hear you and have been clear since my follow-up that I clearly misunderstood. To answer the question about loyalty, I felt like the gate agent/CSR could've taken a moment to say, "Here's the mistake - we're sorry for confusion. You can board when family boarding begins." She did none of that and, even as I understand a number of reasons why it could be that way, I felt she was super rude (I think subconsciously - she's dealing with a ton of people at the beginning of a long day). I personally feel (and in my own current job with Customer Service) that it's not terribly out of line to hear people, and then try to explain or fix (with any grace, kindness, compassion, etc one can find). I also don't fundamentally know what mattered to them since we weren't going to have to board with the C group (my base-level goal was 3 seats together and my preference was to be pretty far back so I didn't have to deal with people as much). It's not like it's a mad rush for first-class seats. But anyway, I hear you and thought I already said it but will reiterate - clearly my mistake. I apologize if trying to clear it up here (since I believe that when I asked about this situation earlier this year, I got the info that led me to my erroneous belief and I didn't want others to have to experience that) is a problem. But yeah, you definitely are 100% right.


She might not have offered Family Boarding because technically it's meant for 6 and under with you having a child older than that. There are reports that kids older than 6 have boarded with Family Boarding especially when they have those younger siblings who qualify with no issues and you've already reported that you did that but that could be why the gate agent did not. I'm sure some gate agents might suggest it but they aren't under an obligation to as it goes against SWA's official policy. Their policy only speaks to 2 adults can board with a child 6 and under. I don't mean to spark a debate on that but just to say I can understand why the gate agent didn't suggest it.

I don't know that she was doing it to be less than helpful. It's also kind of hard for the gate agent to rectify a situation like had been done because it was how the tickets were purchased.

I think your mistake was just the Business Select purchase and I'm not sure what the prior comments were on that here on this thread but yeah you can't piggy back off of each other since those Boarding assignments are a main perk of it. If people could just purchase one Business Select but have others board with them you know many people would lol. What you might have been able to do was purchase Upgraded Boarding at the gate for your 5 year old had there been any spots left in the Business Select A1-A15 of course that would have been more money.

I do appreciate you coming back on here to give your experience for others to know and I do think you were quite understanding that a oops had occurred


----------



## Sandiz08

On our most recent flight  I received a late B boarding group number, and since my son is 9, didn’t qualify for family boarding. We got to the last row of seats where there were three empty seats together and just as we were about to sit down, a flight attendant told me the seats were reserved for another family making a connection. While my son is 9, he might be able to sit alone, but I prefer to sit with him. I didn’t make a big deal out of it, but another passenger asked what the difference was between us and the other family.  No response was given, but another gentleman voluntarily gave up his seats so me and my son could sit together.  If you must sit with your child, I don’t even think a B boarding is a guarantee that things will be smooth sailing. This experience has now made me at least look at other airlines where I can actually purchase a reserved seat.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Sandiz08 said:


> a flight attendant told me the seats were reserved for another family making a connection.


I've not ever had that happened. Wonder if there were some issues that made the family miss the connection that SWA was trying to make up for? Only reason I can think of as it wouldn't be standard procedure for SWA FA's to actually hold seats themselves.


----------



## Sandiz08

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I've not ever had that happened. Wonder if there were some issues that made the family miss the connection that SWA was trying to make up for? Only reason I can think of as it wouldn't be standard procedure for SWA FA's to actually hold seats themselves.


Yeah , could’ve been, but I was actually trying to avoid confrontation with the flight attendant. I wanted to get home lol. A couple of nice people made it all better, but I also thought it was weird that they had reserved seats for a family.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Sandiz08 said:


> Yeah , could’ve been, but I was actually trying to avoid confrontation with the flight attendant. I wanted to get home lol. A couple of nice people made it all better, but I also thought it was weird that they had reserved seats for a family.


I would think it would be weird too but would have done exactly as you not really wanting that sort of confrontation. I asked my husband just now and he's never heard of it happening either out of all the flights he's been on. I totally get though why that experience would make you look around at other airlines.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

Gitelfor said:


> Southwest recently posted on social media:
> 
> 
> So, I suppose it’s a good idea to keep an eye on upcoming trips, for any unexpected changes.



My 4pm nonstop flight home during April school vacation has all 3 fares marked as "Unavailable". I hope that is not a sign that they will get rid of it. The next nonstop doesn't get home until after midnight which would suck with a 2 year old!


----------



## sophy1996

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I've not ever had that happened. Wonder if there were some issues that made the family miss the connection that SWA was trying to make up for? Only reason I can think of as it wouldn't be standard procedure for SWA FA's to actually hold seats themselves.



I’ve seen that happen several times.  Once the last three rows or so on both sides of the plane were held, leaving those already there to go back to middle seats. Doesn’t seem quite fair.


----------



## Doug7856

disneyeveryyear said:


> Wow.  I have never had a C boarding pass if I remember to check in at T-24.  When I have forgotten I have seen an occassional C boarding pass.  Everyone must have bought EBCI.


On a recent trip, I checked in at exactly T-24 and we got C-14 and C-15. I was shocked. Ended up using two of our credits for A1-15 at the counter 2 hours early and we got A13 and A14. Seems the EBCI is very widely purchased now.


----------



## EACarlson

Doug7856 said:


> On a recent trip, I checked in at exactly T-24 and we got C-14 and C-15. I was shocked. Ended up using two of our credits for A1-15 at the counter 2 hours early and we got A13 and A14. Seems the EBCI is very widely purchased now.


Not just EBCI but SW gave out a lot of A-List status last year.  All of those folks get their boarding assignment before even EBCI.  I think it depends entirely on the route though.  I flew MKE-MCO and back last month, I had A31 with EBCI bought two weeks before on the way down and A56 on the way back.


----------



## Doug7856

EACarlson said:


> Not just EBCI but SW gave out a lot of A-List status last year.  All of those folks get their boarding assignment before even EBCI.  I think it depends entirely on the route though.  I flew MKE-MCO and back last month, I had A31 with EBCI bought two weeks before on the way down and A56 on the way back.


I hadn't thought about the A-List status. It was a learning moment for me on the importance to me of boarding group and number.


----------



## MinnieMSue

EACarlson said:


> Not just EBCI but SW gave out a lot of A-List status last year.  All of those folks get their boarding assignment before even EBCI.  I think it depends entirely on the route though.  I flew MKE-MCO and back last month, I had A31 with EBCI bought two weeks before on the way down and A56 on the way back.



them giving out all those A list statuses has really hurt our boarding position in the last year with early bird. We usually are still A at least but we went from an average of a20 to a 40 or so. Still good but I bet would be much further back without early  bird. We also usually buy tickets soon after flights become available.


----------



## tlg588

Doug7856 said:


> On a recent trip, I checked in at exactly T-24 and we got C-14 and C-15. I was shocked. Ended up using two of our credits for A1-15 at the counter 2 hours early and we got A13 and A14. Seems the EBCI is very widely purchased now.



I think this happens sometimes when I have a direct flight and others have a connection to my direct flight. Their 24 hour time starts before mine. Maybe a combination of this and the other things that have been mentioned.


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## jo-jo

We got a "we've changed your flight".   I didn't panic, since they've done it before and the changes was 10 mins or so.     I was wrong.     Our  Saturday 3:30 pm nonstop, went to 9:45 am with a change of planes in Nashville.   Taking our 2 1/2 hour trip to 5 1/2 hours.    The only other non stop of the day was at 7 am, which means getting up at 4.   Not going to happen.

We switched to a Friday evening 7:30 flight .    I didn't know if I could get that flight because it was showing no get away fares....the next level up was $5XX a ticket, about 3 times what we paid.    But it went through.  

So I'm happy we got the flight, not happy we lose a day.


----------



## DisTXMom

jo-jo said:


> We got a "we've changed your flight".   I didn't panic, since they've done it before and the changes was 10 mins or so.     I was wrong.     Our  Saturday 3:30 pm nonstop, went to 9:45 am with a change of planes in Nashville.   Taking our 2 1/2 hour trip to 5 1/2 hours.    The only other non stop of the day was at 7 am, which means getting up at 4.   Not going to happen.
> 
> We switched to a Friday evening 7:30 flight .    I didn't know if I could get that flight because it was showing no get away fares....the next level up was $5XX a ticket, about 3 times what we paid.    But it went through.
> 
> So I'm happy we got the flight, not happy we lose a day.


Can you share your date range? We are traveling mid March and curious if those notices have gone out yet.


----------



## jo-jo

DisTXMom said:


> Can you share your date range? We are traveling mid March and curious if those notices have gone out yet.



First week in April.


----------



## MarBee

Is anyone familiar with flying Southwest at STL?  Just got an email that our flight from PHL to DAL has changed its itinerary.  There is a layover/plane change in our trip.  We have a 40 minute timeframe to change planes once we land in STL.  Does this seem like enough time? I’ve only flown direct on SW previously and have never been in STL.


----------



## Gitelfor

MarBee said:


> Is anyone familiar with flying Southwest at STL?  Just got an email that our flight from PHL to DAL has changed its itinerary.  There is a layover/plane change in our trip.  We have a 40 minute timeframe to change planes once we land in STL.  Does this seem like enough time? I’ve only flown direct on SW previously and have never been in STL.


One factor to consider is time of year and weather-related delays which could occur during the winter.  Another factor is time of day.  As there can be a domino effect for delayed flights, departures scheduled for later in the day have a slightly greater chance of running behind schedule.

Have you checked the _website_ for on time performance stats for the originating and connecting flights?  When searching for a new booking for your itinerary, those stats should be available to review.

Southwest is located in Terminal 2, with all of its 17 gates being on the E Concourse 
(E4, E6, E8, E10, E12, E14, E16, E18, E20, E22, E24, E31, E33, E34, E36, E38, E40).


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## Gitelfor

If you have been involuntarily rebooked due to upcoming schedule adjustments, from a nonstop or direct flight to connecting, look at Southwest’s schedule for your travel date.  There are instances where Southwest rebooks customers to a less desirable flight(s), when only the flight number is changed, with the nonstop previously booked still available - just under a different flight number.


----------



## jo-jo

Gitelfor said:


> If you have been involuntarily rebooked due to upcoming schedule adjustments, from a nonstop or direct flight to connecting, look at Southwest’s schedule for your travel date.  There are instances where Southwest rebooks customers to a less desirable flight(s), when only the flight number is changed, with the nonstop previously booked still available - just under a different flight number.



I looked, the only non stop is the 7 am flight .

Our afternoon flight is gone completely.   They have an evening flight but that was unavailable for all levels forever.


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## Redart59

I received an email yesterday that our direct flight leaving Mco at 8:55 PM (a two hour and minute flight) had been moved to a connecting flight leaving at 3:50 and is a 9 hour flight. 

my only option is a direct flight leaving at 1:05PM. This “option” sucks as we will will have to wake up early on the morning to pack and our last Last in Florida is shot. 
going to check other airlines to see if there is a better option.


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## hsmamato2

MarBee said:


> Is anyone familiar with flying Southwest at STL?  Just got an email that our flight from PHL to DAL has changed its itinerary.  There is a layover/plane change in our trip.  We have a 40 minute timeframe to change planes once we land in STL.  Does this seem like enough time? I’ve only flown direct on SW previously and have never been in STL.


I've done STL many times. IMHO unless you have a problem getting around it'll be tight but shouldn't be a problem,as all the gates are right near each other... (barring flight delay issues)


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## hsmamato2

Redart59 said:


> I received an email yesterday that our direct flight leaving Mco at 8:55 PM (a two hour and minute flight) had been moved to a connecting flight leaving at 3:50 and is a 9 hour flight.
> 
> my only option is a direct flight leaving at 1:05PM. This “option” sucks as we will will have to wake up early on the morning to pack and our last Last in Florida is shot.
> going to check other airlines to see if there is a better option.


This is what I'm seeing across the board with SWA,it's pretty disappointing,all the difficult schedules they have now. What used to be a great airline with lots of easy times to fly has clearly become something to be conquered If I still want to use them (which I do,I have points and a CP) but it's different from what it used to be. Our last flight out of MCO left at 7 am.....  we just sucked it up and made it part of the plans.


----------



## dez1978

MarBee said:


> Is anyone familiar with flying Southwest at STL?  Just got an email that our flight from PHL to DAL has changed its itinerary.  There is a layover/plane change in our trip.  We have a 40 minute timeframe to change planes once we land in STL.  Does this seem like enough time? I’ve only flown direct on SW previously and have never been in STL.


Stl is my normal airport.  You should be fine as long as your 1st plane lands on time.


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## BlackTea

We have been flying Southwest for many years, but recently saw some strange things on their site.

We are in an area we could fly out from Buffalo, Cleveland or Pittsburgh. For the past 6 weeks that I have been checking, Mid-April flight to Orlando, just one way, almost never dropped below $500. While in the old times, there were so many options below $200. Eventually this forced me to book one flight from Columbus, $99 one way. Then yesterday I also got an email saying the flight was changed, they shifted us to a later time, but when I took a look, Columbus is now the same as other 3 airports, more than half flights unavailable, the rest are all >$500.

Something must be going on...not sure anybody has more information about this. I understand flights around Good Friday week would be more expensive, but last year it only cost us <$800 for family of 4, now we have to consider $4000?


----------



## jo-jo

BlackTea said:


> We have been flying Southwest for many years, but recently saw some strange things on their site.
> 
> We are in an area we could fly out from Buffalo, Cleveland or Pittsburgh. For the past 6 weeks that I have been checking, Mid-April flight to Orlando, just one way, almost never dropped below $500. While in the old times, there were so many options below $200. Eventually this forced me to book one flight from Columbus, $99 one way. Then yesterday I also got an email saying the flight was changed, they shifted us to a later time, but when I took a look, Columbus is now the same as other 3 airports, more than half flights unavailable, the rest are all >$500.
> 
> Something must be going on...not sure anybody has more information about this. I understand flights around Good Friday week would be more expensive, but last year it only cost us <$800 for family of 4, now we have to consider $4000?




Yeah, we were thrilled with SW came to our airport years ago.   And we liked having a year to use cancelled tickets etc. but to change a 2 hr flight to a 5-9 hour flight , to go from  8 pm flight to a 8 am flight and act like "good news, we changed your flight for you, oh happy day", is pretty sad.

I dropped a day off our trip. I was looking to extend a day but 6 weeks out, DVC is pretty slim picking and the flight times would get us home even later and we are depending on DS for getting us from Airport.  Nothing like getting home at 1 am and having to get up for work the next day.   We wouldn't do that to DS.


----------



## tlg588

MarBee said:


> Is anyone familiar with flying Southwest at STL?  Just got an email that our flight from PHL to DAL has changed its itinerary.  There is a layover/plane change in our trip.  We have a 40 minute timeframe to change planes once we land in STL.  Does this seem like enough time? I’ve only flown direct on SW previously and have never been in STL.



STL is usually the airport I fly out of. The gates are all close to each other, maybe 5 minutes apart at the most. 40 minutes will be plenty of time to get to the plane.


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## Sandiz08

If your flight is the first or last in the day , be prepared for it to get rescheduled. This has been happening more and more with Southwest since the pandemic. Before the pandemic , we just didn’t really experience this.


----------



## jo-jo

Sandiz08 said:


> If your flight is the first or last in the day , be prepared for it to get rescheduled. This has been happening more and more with Southwest since the pandemic. Before the pandemic , we just didn’t really experience this.


Our's was the middle of the day.    One of three non stops.    When I booked a few months ago, the evening flight was not open on any level.    Not happy with a 7 am flight, so we book, the 3:30 flight.   Now it's gone.    The later flight is still booked on all levels.


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## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Sandiz08 said:


> If your flight is the first or last in the day , be prepared for it to get rescheduled. This has been happening more and more with Southwest since the pandemic. Before the pandemic , we just didn’t really experience this.


I think those are the safer routes in terms of changes.

SWA doesn't operate red eyes (Hawaii being different) so if it's the first flight out the plane has to be there already typically speaking and the last flight out it has to make it to it's destination to be there for the next day.

Many changes however can be done to connecting flights in the middle of the day to early evening to make up for flight crew issues or plane issues, switch routes, etc.

If I look at my May flight to Orlando there are 2 flights that connect in STL, 2 flights that connect in DAL, 2 flights that connect in ATL chances are if SWA needs to adjust they'll take out one of those connecting flights as they are redundant. They do have 3 non-stop flights that day (1 in the very early morning, 1 in late afternoon around 3:30 and 1 the last flight out at 8:20pm) but that afternoon one would be the more at risk for being changed.

Some of this too will be airport-dependent and where you are located at in the U.S.


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## focusondisney

I have extended family members  returning to Buffalo on  April 9.  They were booked on 7 pm & 10 pm nonstops. Those were both eliminated late yesterday.  There are 2 morning nonstops @ 7 & 10 am.  The 7 was a no go for them.  There weren’t enough seats for their whole party in the 10:00, so 2 of them are taking an 11:00 flight & changing in BWI.  One of those 2 has a  physical disability & uses a wheelchair in the airport.  I don’t know if the agent they spoke to felt bad about making someone with a disability change planes after booking a nonstop or what, but the whole travel party was given a $200 luv voucher each.  I have had flights cancelled before & was never given anything other than a new flight or a refund.  They have no more travel plans so have said they probably won’t use them anyway.


----------



## jo-jo

focusondisney said:


> I have extended family members  returning to Buffalo on  April 9.  They were booked on 7 pm & 10 pm nonstops. Those were both eliminated late yesterday.  There are 2 morning nonstops @ 7 & 10 am.  The 7 was a no go for them.  There weren’t enough seats for their whole party in the 10:00, so 2 of them are taking an 11:00 flight & changing in BWI.  One of those 2 has a  physical disability & uses a wheelchair in the airport.  I don’t know if the agent they spoke to felt bad about making someone with a disability change planes after booking a nonstop or what, but the whole travel party was given a $200 luv voucher each.  I have had flights cancelled before & was never given anything other than a new flight or a refund.  They have no more travel plans so have said they probably won’t use them anyway.




yes, nothing was offered to us, just we moved your flight.    Once when our flight was moved , it did work in our favor.   Since you could rebook with no upcharge, we were able to book a later flight that we were too cheap to book ourselves.   But I would think, 90% of the time, moving a flight more than an hour or from a non stop to connecting is the last thing people want.    People choose the flight they did for a reason.

But now that you mentioned it, can you get wheelchair help with a change of plane flight?   I had requested that for DH for our nonstop., but didn't even think about it when they gave us the new flights.


----------



## focusondisney

jo-jo said:


> But now that you mentioned it, can you get wheelchair help with a change of plane flight? I had requested that for DH for our nonstop., but didn't even think about it when they gave us the new flights.



I’m not sure, as she has only flown nonstop since the disability.  She doesn’t need it for short distances, doesn’t use one around the house.  But she does for the long distances in Disney & the airport.  Although it seems like if you have one getting on the plane, they always have one waiting when you get off.


----------



## mom2elle

Our flight from PHL to MCO on April 9th was cancelled/changed. Instead of a 9:35am direct flight that got us into MCO at 12:15 - we were rebooked on a flight from Philly to St Louis, St. Louis to Omaha, Omaha to Orlando (8:10 am to 4:20 pm). Um, no thanks. Trying to rebook now but options are dreadful. Southwest has dropped almost all nonstops from PHL to MCO - I don’t get it!


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## mickey916

Okay..pros...so I just looked at the schedule for my return flight on April 10 and it doesn't show up on their flight schedule. However, when I look directly at my particular itinerary it's still showing me on the flight I booked...what does that mean? I'm guessing my non stop flight is gone but they just haven't moved me to one of the other flights yet? Do I call to try and get the best substitute flight before they re-arrange it for me? Is there a chance it's a glitch and my flight still exists? UGH.


----------



## Gitelfor

mickey916 said:


> Okay..pros...so I just looked at the schedule for my return flight on April 10 and it doesn't show up on their flight schedule. However, when I look directly at my particular itinerary it's still showing me on the flight I booked...what does that mean? I'm guessing my non stop flight is gone but they just haven't moved me to one of the other flights yet? Do I call to try and get the best substitute flight before they re-arrange it for me? Is there a chance it's a glitch and my flight still exists? UGH.


I suggest you call ASAP.  The other option is to contact them on social media, such as @SouthwestAir on Twitter.  Only they know what is going on with your reservation.


----------



## jkelly86

I agree!  Contact SWA ASAP so you can get ahead of others from your flight who also need an itinerary change.


----------



## mickey916

Update: Just got the email they switched me automatically from a 4 pm to a 10 pm flight...still non-stop...just hoping my DH got changed to the same flight (his is booked through work)...more Disney time for us I guess.
EDIT to add: DH just got his notification too and we're on the same flight...thank goodness! Pretty relieved it affected the trip home and not the one there!


----------



## Gitelfor

mickey916 said:


> Update: Just got the email they switched me automatically from a 4 pm to a 10 pm flight...still non-stop...just hoping my DH got changed to the same flight (his is booked through work)...more Disney time for us I guess.
> EDIT to add: DH just got his notification too and we're on the same flight...thank goodness! Pretty relieved it affected the trip home and not the one there!


Glad to see everything worked out.


----------



## PittPantherfan

mom2elle said:


> Our flight from PHL to MCO on April 9th was cancelled/changed. Instead of a 9:35am direct flight that got us into MCO at 12:15 - we were rebooked on a flight from Philly to St Louis, St. Louis to Omaha, Omaha to Orlando (8:10 am to 4:20 pm). Um, no thanks. Trying to rebook now but options are dreadful. Southwest has dropped almost all nonstops from PHL to MCO - I don’t get it!


To you and all others posting cancellation of non-stop. This seems to be such a pattern with SW - last year book flight to Phoenix from east coast and purposefully wanted non-stop. Same outcome = cancelled and this happened to several other people I know in the last several months going a variety of places.


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## scrappinginontario

Many direct flight are being  cancelled but not all.  2 weeks ago we flew direct from Buffalo to MCO.  Last week we flew direct from MCO to Buffalo.

I’m saddened to hear how many direct flights are being cancelled!


----------



## Jacksonian

mom2elle said:


> Our flight from PHL to MCO on April 9th was cancelled/changed. Instead of a 9:35am direct flight that got us into MCO at 12:15 - we were rebooked on a flight from Philly to St Louis, St. Louis to Omaha, Omaha to Orlando (8:10 am to 4:20 pm). Um, no thanks. Trying to rebook now but options are dreadful. Southwest has dropped almost all nonstops from PHL to MCO - I don’t get it!



We live in a suburb of Philly and have also noticed that SW has cut back on the direct flights from PHL to MCO.  We have been driving to BWI and flying out of there as there seems to be many more direct flights to MCO.  The drive to BWI is approx 1.5 hrs depending on where you live, plus better parking options with PHL's long term lot closed.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Not sure this makes any sense but I got ”the email” that my non-stop April flight leaving at 5:40 pm and arriving in Baltimore at 7:50 pm has been changed to a flight leaving MCO @1:55 pm and going to Boston And then going to Baltimore and arriving at 6:55!  Seems crazy to me flying to Boston and turning around and flying back to Baltimore!  first I did try using the link given to reschedule a non-stop flight when that didn’t work I called southwest and after a lengthy amount of time spent waiting and waiting some more I ended up changing my flight to the next day and than spending hours to add another day to my resort reservation ...makes me angry that now I’m paying for an extra night which of course  happens to a Sat so more expensive.just hope this is all worth it!!!  So much for booking a non-stop flight months ahead and then to have my fight cancelled with nothing acceptable to replace the only nonstop that was available to replace my 5:40 pm flight was a flight leaving at 9:00 am....


----------



## Gitelfor

I just rebooked an elderly friend’s flight that originally was a mid morning nonstop to MCO, but changed to an itinerary with a nighttime departure, connecting at BWI, and ETA after 1:00 a.m.!  What was amazing was that there was an available evening nonstop that they did not move her to.

It was possible to move her over to that original morning nonstop, but 15 days earlier, at no change in cost.


----------



## aokeefe

Flying in April (PVD-MCO) and just got notification of a flight change- only changed it by 5 minutes but I went to see if I could move it to an earlier flight and noticed that instead of the usual 3 direct flights, they cut a flight.  Anxious to see if anything happens to our return flight home.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Gitelfor said:


> I just rebooked an elderly friend’s flight that originally was a mid morning nonstop to MCO, but changed to an itinerary with a nighttime departure, connecting at BWI, and ETA after 1:00 a.m.!  What was amazing was that there was an available evening nonstop that they did not move her to.
> 
> It was possible to move her over to that original morning nonstop, but 15 days earlier, at no change in cost.


I think what happens in those cases is they can only move so many passengers to each selected flight. I think sometimes people are fine with the new flight they were given (or don't even realize they can go back in and play around to move to a different flight) and then sometimes people are like "yeah no this isn't going to work".


----------



## Gitelfor

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I think what happens in those cases is they can only move so many passengers to each selected flight. I think sometimes people are fine with the new flight they were given (or don't even realize they can go back in and play around to move to a different flight) and then sometimes people are like "yeah no this isn't going to work".


I was previously told by Southwest that the changes are computer-generated, and the program has some glitches.  Even though the changes are supposed to be checked, very often they are not.  I once had a connecting itinerary that Southwest changed, but somehow, only the second leg got rebooked, with no way to get me to the connecting flight. 

BTW, the unsatisfactory itinerary thru BWI is now sold out, but that nonstop is still available.


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## Neener16

Got the dreaded email tonight. Both our departing and returning flights were changed. The flight from BDL to MCO was changed, but at least it remained a nonstop flight. It was the last one of the day so I’m not surprised. The flight home went from a nonstop leaving at 5:30 pm, to a 9:30 am flight that stopped in Baltimore. We would have lost an entire day. Switched to a nonstop the following day and made a 1 night reservation at the Swan. Sigh.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Gitelfor said:


> I was previously told by Southwest that the changes are computer-generated, and the program has some glitches.  Even though the changes are supposed to be checked, very often they are not.  I once had a connecting itinerary that Southwest changed, but somehow, only the second leg got rebooked, with no way to get me to the connecting flight.
> 
> BTW, the unsatisfactory itinerary thru BWI is now sold out, but that nonstop is still available.


Yeah it's all computer stuff. It can't possibly move every passenger from a cancelled flight all to one flight, they'll space it out with some passengers going to this flight others to another, etc. Makes sense why you're seeing one flight now sold out but another not although it could easily be that non-stop one with the connection in BWI not. I'm betting you _some_ passengers were moved to the non-stop flight though.

That glitch you mentioned though would be annoying to see, and a SMH moment for sure.


----------



## mom2elle

mom2elle said:


> Our flight from PHL to MCO on April 9th was cancelled/changed. Instead of a 9:35am direct flight that got us into MCO at 12:15 - we were rebooked on a flight from Philly to St Louis, St. Louis to Omaha, Omaha to Orlando (8:10 am to 4:20 pm). Um, no thanks. Trying to rebook now but options are dreadful. Southwest has dropped almost all nonstops from PHL to MCO - I don’t get it!


Now I just got the email about our return flight home - which was another am direct flight (arriving in Phl around noon) that got cancelled and I was rebooked on an evening flight with a connection (arriving back in PHL at 11:15pm). There are no other SW options that will get me home at a decent hour. Any chance I can request a refund? It was a WGA fare…


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## Gitelfor

mom2elle said:


> Now I just got the email about our return flight home - which was another am direct flight (arriving in Phl around noon) that got cancelled and I was rebooked on an evening flight with a connection (arriving back in PHL at 11:15pm). There are no other SW options that will get me home at a decent hour. Any chance I can request a refund? It was a WGA fare…


Contact Southwest to request a complete refund to original form of payment.  The time change is substantial enough for a refund.  Make sure to let them know you do not want a travel credit.


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## EACarlson

mom2elle said:


> Now I just got the email about our return flight home - which was another am direct flight (arriving in Phl around noon) that got cancelled and I was rebooked on an evening flight with a connection (arriving back in PHL at 11:15pm). There are no other SW options that will get me home at a decent hour. Any chance I can request a refund? It was a WGA fare…


You absolutely can request a full refund.  DOT regulations require that airlines give a full refund on request for any "substantial schedule change."  What is considered "substantial" is left to each airline, but adding a stop, changing flight number are all automatically eligible.


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## Lsdolphin

Oh my gosh!! I just posted on Sunday about my 4/9 flight being changed from a direct flight from MCO to BWI to a flight going from MCO to Boston than on to BWI....there were no direct flights available for me to change to so I ended up spending 2 hours on phone trying to add an additional night on to my resort reservation and then changing return flight from MCO to BWI to a direct  flight on 4/10 in the morning.   I received a confirmation for the new flight!  Then this morning I was Just checking to see if price had changed and lo and behold my flight had been changed again  from a 9:00 am flight to a flight leaving MCO at 9;20pm and arriving at BWI at 11:20 pm.  I have a 3 hour drive home from BWI aireport!   I didn’t even get an email from SWA about this change! And when I  immediately went to change the flight the site would not allow me to make a change and I had to call instead.  I could see that there were only a few seats left on the few remaining direct flights and nothing at fare level...after being on hold for 84 minutes I didn’t see anything left that was direct!
The SWA rep finally got me the last seat on the 6:40 flight out of MCO on 4/9 which hadn’t even  been available when I was trying to change my flight on Sunday.  So now flight has been changed back 4/9 and I just spent another hour on the phone charging my resort reservation to delete the extra day I had to add since I couldnt do that online.
Soooo, in the end after hours and hours on the phone between SWA and Disney on 2 different days I’m basically back where I started....with a 6:40 pm flight instead of my original 5:40 pm flight for the day I’d originally booked!!!  This is insane!  And the flight that I paid $114 is now $595!  Although I didn’t have to pay that increased amount but I still think I should have received some compensation for what I’ve been through.


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## Avery&Todd

Lsdolphin said:


> Oh my gosh!! I just posted on Sunday about my 4/9 flight being changed from a direct flight from MCO to BWI to a flight going from MCO to Boston than on to BWI....there were no direct flights available for me to change to so I ended up spending 2 hours on phone trying to add an additional night on to my resort reservation and then changing return flight from MCO to BWI to a direct  flight on 4/10 in the morning.   I received a confirmation for the new flight!  Then this morning I was Just checking to see if price had changed and lo and behold my flight had been changed again  from a 9:00 am flight to a flight leaving MCO at 9;20pm and arriving at BWI at 11:20 pm.  I have a 3 hour drive home from BWI aireport!   I didn’t even get an email from SWA about this change! And when I  immediately went to change the flight the site would not allow me to make a change and I had to call instead.  I could see that there were only a few seats left on the few remaining direct flights and nothing at fare level...after being on hold for 84 minutes I didn’t see anything left that was direct!
> The SWA rep finally got me the last seat on the 6:40 flight out of MCO on 4/9 which hadn’t even  been available when I was trying to change my flight on Sunday.  So now flight has been changed back 4/9 and I just spent another hour on the phone charging my resort reservation to delete the extra day I had to add since I couldnt do that online.
> Soooo, in the end after hours and hours on the phone between SWA and Disney on 2 different days I’m basically back where I started....with a 6:40 pm flight instead of my original 5:40 pm flight for the day I’d originally booked!!!  This is insane!  And the flight that I paid $114 is now $595!  Although I didn’t have to pay that increased amount but I still think I should have received some compensation for what I’ve been through.


What a friggin MESS!!


----------



## mickey916

Lsdolphin said:


> Oh my gosh!! I just posted on Sunday about my 4/9 flight being changed from a direct flight from MCO to BWI to a flight going from MCO to Boston than on to BWI....there were no direct flights available for me to change to so I ended up spending 2 hours on phone trying to add an additional night on to my resort reservation and then changing return flight from MCO to BWI to a direct  flight on 4/10 in the morning.   I received a confirmation for the new flight!  Then this morning I was Just checking to see if price had changed and lo and behold my flight had been changed again  from a 9:00 am flight to a flight leaving MCO at 9;20pm and arriving at BWI at 11:20 pm.  I have a 3 hour drive home from BWI aireport!   I didn’t even get an email from SWA about this change! And when I  immediately went to change the flight the site would not allow me to make a change and I had to call instead.  I could see that there were only a few seats left on the few remaining direct flights and nothing at fare level...after being on hold for 84 minutes I didn’t see anything left that was direct!
> The SWA rep finally got me the last seat on the 6:40 flight out of MCO on 4/9 which hadn’t even  been available when I was trying to change my flight on Sunday.  So now flight has been changed back 4/9 and I just spent another hour on the phone charging my resort reservation to delete the extra day I had to add since I couldnt do that online.
> Soooo, in the end after hours and hours on the phone between SWA and Disney on 2 different days I’m basically back where I started....with a 6:40 pm flight instead of my original 5:40 pm flight for the day I’d originally booked!!!  This is insane!  And the flight that I paid $114 is now $595!  Although I didn’t have to pay that increased amount but I still think I should have received some compensation for what I’ve been through.


Wow! Sorry to hear you went through all that but happy to hear it worked out okay (fingers crossed that no more changes come through for you). 4/10 was the date of my flight change too! I'm still on a non-stop flight but now we're not arriving home until 12:50 am...looks like we may be putting in for an additional vacation day off on Monday the 11th. Not a biggie since we have so many leftover vacation days due to the pandemic. I'm more concerned about our May trip since my sons won't have as much flexibility from work if our flights get changed.


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## Gitelfor

If your flight was involuntarily changed by Southwest and the system will not let you change to a more desirable direct (with layover, but no change of plane) or nonstop flight, you may need to contact Southwest for help.   If you are booked on a WGA fare, but only Anytime and BS seats are left
(the most expensive seats), Southwest agents can book you, even though it’s a different fare class; of course, everything is subject to availability.


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## focusondisney

I had a flight booked April 14 - 21, nonstop from Buffalo. The flight on the 14th was around 6:45 am, getting in before 9:30. We decided to change our dates to about 2 weeks later.  I didn’t like the times on SW for those new dates, so last week I booked on Jetblue.  But I had forgotten I didn’t cancel the SW flights yet.  Anyway, last night I got an email that my flight to Orlando from Buffalo was changed.  Original flight: 6:45 AM, nonstop, arriving in Orlando at 9:25 AM.  New flight: 6:20 PM, 2 hour layover in Baltimore, arriving in Orlando 11:45 PM!  Arriving 14 hours after originally booked.  The kicker is there is a nonstop at 11:30 am but they didn’t move my itinerary to that flight.    Luckily I was just canceling anyway. And this was a business select so I had no issues with canceling for a refund.   But if I had really wanted to keep that ticket I would be really annoyed.  There was a survey after I cancelled. I listed SW last minute flight & schedule changes as the primary reason for cancelling. Hopefully others are commenting on it too.

Nonstop flights on the Buffalo - Orlando routes have gone from 4 each way  to 1.  And the times most days are not acceptable… 4:30 PM to Orlando & either 7 AM or 10:30 AM to Buffalo.  I don’t mind getting up at 3:30 AM to go on vacation, but sure don’t want to do that to go home.  And I don’t like doing layovers on SW with no assigned seats, people already on connecting flights before we can board etc.  I worked hard to renew my Companion Pass for this year, which now looks like I won’t be using it at all.   DH & I have over 270,000 SW points between us.  Good thing they don’t expire.  Until they get their act back together I’ll be willing to pay more for better flight times, assigned seats & nonstop flights on Jetblue. I may cancel the SW credit card & get JetBlue’s which gives 1 free suitcase for up to 4 people on the cardholder’s itinerary.


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## Neener16

Lsdolphin said:


> Oh my gosh!! I just posted on Sunday about my 4/9 flight being changed from a direct flight from MCO to BWI to a flight going from MCO to Boston than on to BWI....there were no direct flights available for me to change to so I ended up spending 2 hours on phone trying to add an additional night on to my resort reservation and then changing return flight from MCO to BWI to a direct  flight on 4/10 in the morning.   I received a confirmation for the new flight!  Then this morning I was Just checking to see if price had changed and lo and behold my flight had been changed again  from a 9:00 am flight to a flight leaving MCO at 9;20pm and arriving at BWI at 11:20 pm.  I have a 3 hour drive home from BWI aireport!   I didn’t even get an email from SWA about this change! And when I  immediately went to change the flight the site would not allow me to make a change and I had to call instead.  I could see that there were only a few seats left on the few remaining direct flights and nothing at fare level...after being on hold for 84 minutes I didn’t see anything left that was direct!
> The SWA rep finally got me the last seat on the 6:40 flight out of MCO on 4/9 which hadn’t even  been available when I was trying to change my flight on Sunday.  So now flight has been changed back 4/9 and I just spent another hour on the phone charging my resort reservation to delete the extra day I had to add since I couldnt do that online.
> Soooo, in the end after hours and hours on the phone between SWA and Disney on 2 different days I’m basically back where I started....with a 6:40 pm flight instead of my original 5:40 pm flight for the day I’d originally booked!!!  This is insane!  And the flight that I paid $114 is now $595!  Although I didn’t have to pay that increased amount but I still think I should have received some compensation for what I’ve been through.


This makes me so nervous. I did not even bother to try and add to my existing Disney reservation. We are at the Beach Club and no way I want to pay 2 more days at those prices. Booked Doubletree at the beginning or the trip and Swan at the end, left our existing Disney reservation as is. I am hoping there are no more changes....Sorry you had to go through this.


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## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

focusondisney said:


> The kicker is there is a nonstop at 11:30 am but they didn’t move my itinerary to that flight.


I checked and that flight shows unavailable for all fare classes although I don't think it's necessarily a flight completely full (they might be temporarily blocking it due to background stuff), but not every person can be moved to the same flight. If you had let's say 100 people on a certain flight they cancelled they can't all move 100 people to 1 flight and they probably wouldn't even if that other flight wasn't completely sold out since it means they wouldn't be able to allow people to book it. If you were still going with SWA (which I know you've booked with JetBlue for a different time period) I would have said keep an eye out for that 11:30am flight to see if it opened back up again (or was removed entirely)


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## Lsdolphin

Neener16 said:


> This makes me so nervous. I did not even bother to try and add to my existing Disney reservation. We are at the Beach Club and no way I want to pay 2 more days at those prices. Booked Doubletree at the beginning or the trip and Swan at the end, left our existing Disney reservation as is. I am hoping there are no more changes....Sorry you had to go through this.



its Definitely crazy!!!!  this morning there was nothing available direct so my flight was moved to different day and now I just checked and the flight i wanted is now available on the  same day they just moved me from


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## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Neener16 said:


> This makes me so nervous. I did not even bother to try and add to my existing Disney reservation. We are at the Beach Club and no way I want to pay 2 more days at those prices. Booked Doubletree at the beginning or the trip and Swan at the end, left our existing Disney reservation as is. I am hoping there are no more changes....Sorry you had to go through this.


Yeah I think if I was there it would be easier to add a day to Disney's reservation (we did that during Hurricane Irma) but for flight changes like this I do feel like other hotels are a bit easier to add or remove days in advance. I was nervous enough when in 2017 I was "changing" our Disney reservation to apply a room only discount lol. But I feel more comfortable with say changing Hilton or something like that.


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## focusondisney

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I checked and that flight shows unavailable for all fare classes although I don't think it's necessarily a flight completely full (they might be temporarily blocking it due to background stuff), but not every person can be moved to the same flight. If you had let's say 100 people on a certain flight they cancelled they can't all move 100 people to 1 flight and they probably wouldn't even if that other flight wasn't completely sold out since it means they wouldn't be able to allow people to book it. If you were still going with SWA (which I know you've booked with JetBlue for a different time period) I would have said keep an eye out for that 11:30am flight to see if it opened back up again (or was removed entirely)



I’m sure it is blocked for moving people to.  If I was keeping the times I would have called immediately & requested to move to that flight.  I have family members traveling the week before that & had their flights cancelled Sunday night.  They were originally moved to a late evening connecting flight, called & most got put on the late morning nonstop. The other 2 were moved to an  connecting flight at a similar time  so at least they can all travel to the airport together.  But the agent told them same thing, keep an eye on that nonstop & they can use their 1 request to move to it if it opens up again.


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## Lsdolphin

SWA insane today!  There was nothing available for MCO to BWI for 4/9 on Sun and my flight was caged to 4/10 and I had to change my resort reservatio.  This morning my 4/10 flight was cancelled and they moved me back to 4/9 because there was nothing else to change me to on 4/10.  So flight availability is changing from minute to minute!!!  It’s a roller coaster


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## Lsdolphin

Neener16 said:


> This makes me so nervous. I did not even bother to try and add to my existing Disney reservation. We are at the Beach Club and no way I want to pay 2 more days at those prices. Booked Doubletree at the beginning or the trip and Swan at the end, left our existing Disney reservation as is. I am hoping there are no more changes....Sorry you had to go through this.


Just keep checking!


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## dez1978

I think what irritates me the most about SW changes is that every single time they have moved me to a different, less desireable flight, my original flight was still available.  I wasn't moved bc the flight was canceled.  I've been able to call and have us all put right back on the flight I originally booked.  I'd be slightly more understanding if my flight was canceled.  But why are you kicking me off a flight that is still available for booking?


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## leeniewdw

Gitelfor said:


> I just rebooked an elderly friend’s flight that originally was a mid morning nonstop to MCO, but changed to an itinerary with a nighttime departure, connecting at BWI, and ETA after 1:00 a.m.!  What was amazing was that there was an available evening nonstop that they did not move her to.



 We had this happen in June 2021 on a direct flight from RDU to DEN.  They moved us from a direct flight to a itinerary with TWO stops!  When I went and looked, there was a direct flight departing about 2 hours earlier than our original flight.  They did switch us easily.  I thought maybe their algorithm didn't want to move people to an earlier flight, but this thread disproves that theory. 

We're currently planning a quick trip first weekend in March to WDW on the only direct flight from RDU.  It's way later than we'd choose for such a quick trip, but no connecting itinerary gets us there sooner.   Guess we just have to hope I don't get an email since I know there won't be any direct options.  I think we'd probably just cancel if it came to that.   We'd probably prefer to stay home and not risk getting stuck somewhere an losing an entire day of an already super short trip.


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## focusondisney

I hope if any of you get a survey on the DW website, you’ll fill it out with your thoughts on all these changes


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## dez1978

All of these changes made me think about our next trip.  We have 8 people on 3 reservations bc we used a combo of points, cash and vouchers.  Is there a way to link those so that if changes are made we don't end up on all different flights?  I know we'd have to check in seperately, still.


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## Gitelfor

dez1978 said:


> All of these changes made me think about our next trip.  We have 8 people on 3 reservations bc we used a combo of points, cash and vouchers.  Is there a way to link those so that if changes are made we don't end up on all different flights?  I know we'd have to check in seperately, still.


Contact Southwest and request that they notate the associated confirmation numbers.


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## TNKim

dez1978 said:


> All of these changes made me think about our next trip.  We have 8 people on 3 reservations bc we used a combo of points, cash and vouchers.  Is there a way to link those so that if changes are made we don't end up on all different flights?  I know we'd have to check in seperately, still.



Last May, SW changed our flight and my Companion Pass was changed to a different flight than we were on.  I had to call and actually had to change all 4 of us to a totally different flight because there was not an extra seat for the CP on the flight we had been changed to.  Totally crazy because a CP cannot fly without the person who added the CP.


----------



## aokeefe

Gitelfor said:


> Contact Southwest and request that they notate the associated confirmation numbers.


Thank you for the suggestion to contact Southwest as I'm in a similar situation for 4/22 flight that I'm expecting to be changed anyway now.


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## hsmamato2

you guys are freaking me out


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## mickeyfino

Boy am I glad I checked this thread last night. Our mid-April PVD-MCO early morning flight was cancelled but I didn't get an email. It wouldn't let me update it online so I called SWA and spent almost an hour on hold before reaching the most helpful agent ever who rebooked our flights. We lose almost an entire day (original 5:10am flight, now 6:30pm - slim pickins for nonstops due to school vacation week in the northeast) but at least I don't need to change our resort reservations.

Does anyone know if I need to change my car rental reservation now? Original pickup time was 9am, now it's going to be 10pm. I booked at $700 for the week and now the rates are up to $850 ugh. I did input my original flight info on the reservation but I'm worried the time difference is too great.

Thanks and good luck to everyone, this is so nerve wrecking!


----------



## leeniewdw

I'd be leery of trying to change anything online for a car rental.  I would call and see if there is anything that can be done so you don't lose the car but don't change your rate.


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## jkelly86

Our flight on April 14th was changed last night.  It's perplexing because we were on a sold-out flight on the Thursday before Easter.  Southwest worked really hard to reaccomodate us, so I am still a loyal fan (even though the new flight times are less than ideal).


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## Gitelfor

Is there anyone whose flights were changed this time around for any month other than April?

I recall that the March and April 2022 flight schedules had some modifications last November.  So, there probably are those whose flight arrangements have had involuntarily changes more than once, since originally booked.


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## Lsdolphin

focusondisney said:


> I’m sure it is blocked for moving people to.  If I was keeping the times I would have called immediately & requested to move to that flight.  I have family members traveling the week before that & had their flights cancelled Sunday night.  They were originally moved to a late evening connecting flight, called & most got put on the late morning nonstop. The other 2 were moved to an  connecting flight at a similar time  so at least they can all travel to the airport together.  But the agent told them same thing, keep an eye on that nonstop & they can use their 1 request to move to it if it opens up again.


It’s crazy when you call you can Be on hold around 2 hours or more they used to offer to call you back when it was your turn but that certainly happen for me on Sunday or today. Then whilleyour on hold the available seats are disappearing and availability disappears for some flights than reappears after you have been rescheduled of course...


----------



## mickeyfino

Lsdolphin said:


> It’s crazy when you call you can Be on hold around 2 hours or more they used to offer to call you back when it was your turn but that certainly happen for me on Sunday or today. Then whilleyour on hold the available seats are disappearing and availability disappears for some flights than reappears after you have been rescheduled of course...


Oh definitely, this was happening for me last night and omg so frustrating! I was ready to rebook for two days before our original flight, but thankfully availability opened up for the evening of our original flight just as the agent answered and she was able to grab them for me. Nail biting for sure!


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## CookieandOatmeal

Another person flying the PVD-MCO route whose flights during April school vacation were changed. Ugh I really like the early morning nonstop (which they got rid of) and didn't rebook us on anything and then got rid of our return flight home which was a nice afternoon nonstop. They put us on the last nonstop that night which didn't get us home until almost 1am. That is just not going to work with a 2 year old. We decided to move our return flight home to Saturday and grabbed the last nonstop/flight out to PVD which actually leaves at a decent hour of 4:50. All these flights were showing 8,060pts/person so I was able to get a decent refund in points back. Now I'm just hoping we don't get pushed too far back with early bird since we're on a new flight. The points refund is the only positive in this since I had to book an extra day with our DVC points. Luckily there was a studio open at BLT that night but it's not going to be fun cramming 3 adults and a toddler in that tiny space. Hoping my WL for a 1 bedroom comes through now!


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## aokeefe

I'm another PVD-MCO flyer and have been monitoring the flights all day. We are flying Fri-Fri and had that early 7:05 am flight home and noticed it was now listed at 7:25 but hadn't received any notifications. I at too at least was able to change the flight on my own and get 17k in points back. We gave up on taking the last flight home; I don't like not having a home base all day. I keep monitoring to see if I can move my departure flight to the 1 lone earlier direct but if not- it is what it is and our changes didn't change too much from original flights.


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## mickey916

My changed flight was MCO-PVD as well on 4/10 that got moved to the 10:10 pm flight...I'm obsessively checking my flight down on 3/31 but so far no change there...also May flights still seem intact.


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## CookieandOatmeal

I think I beat the crowd with getting my flights adjusted after they were changed. Now I'm looking again and most flights to/from all say unavailable for all three fares.


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## Poohlovr

Our 4/19 SDF-MCO  flight was changed. No email but thought I should check since so many other people have flights getting changed. 
Originally we were on 0600-0805 but now it's 0950-1155. Sucks that we lost 4 hrs on our arrival day.  
Lots of other flights in the 0600-0630 range but with long layovers

So far our 1720 return flight is Istanbul


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## Lsdolphin

CookieandOatmeal said:


> I think I beat the crowd with getting my flights adjusted after they were changed. Now I'm looking again and most flights to/from all say unavailable for all three fares.



yep it’s been a wild day!!!


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## bsmcneil

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> She might not have offered Family Boarding because technically it's meant for 6 and under with you having a child older than that. There are reports that kids older than 6 have boarded with Family Boarding especially when they have those younger siblings who qualify with no issues and you've already reported that you did that but that could be why the gate agent did not. I'm sure some gate agents might suggest it but they aren't under an obligation to as it goes against SWA's official policy. Their policy only speaks to 2 adults can board with a child 6 and under. I don't mean to spark a debate on that but just to say I can understand why the gate agent didn't suggest it.
> 
> I don't know that she was doing it to be less than helpful. It's also kind of hard for the gate agent to rectify a situation like had been done because it was how the tickets were purchased.
> 
> I think your mistake was just the Business Select purchase and I'm not sure what the prior comments were on that here on this thread but yeah you can't piggy back off of each other since those Boarding assignments are a main perk of it. If people could just purchase one Business Select but have others board with them you know many people would lol. What you might have been able to do was purchase Upgraded Boarding at the gate for your 5 year old had there been any spots left in the Business Select A1-A15 of course that would have been more money.
> 
> I do appreciate you coming back on here to give your experience for others to know and I do think you were quite understanding that a oops had occurred


Are you suggesting that if a family has any kid older than 6 (while also having one under 6), they're not supposed to use family boarding? Because that really doesn't seem to be the words on SW's website and it seems to be what you're saying. Nor do I quite get the two adult thing (are you suggesting that single parents wouldn't be able to use family boarding if their kids are under 6 since they reference two adults? Logically, does it quite add up to you that if family boarding is meant for families with kids under 6 that making it more complicated for those families would be beneficial to _any_ part of the boarding process?). If anything, a single parent with a kid under 6 (even if I have one over 6) probably can use the time since kids under 6 can be hard to direct and get into the plane (and fwiw, many of the families returning and using family boarding - I paid less attention departing - seemed to _only_ have kids over 6 instead of one in each group like I had). At no point did anyone ask about the age of kids when scanning passes (though I presume they might've all come up on the screen - maybe not) - but I can't wrap my head around what seems to be your suggestion that because I was one adult and/or had one kid over 6, I wouldn't have met the requirements for (or benefitted from) family boarding.

As you mentioned what you diagnose as my mistake, you seem to be correct - though I had specifically asked about it since I was using the CP earned through the CC as well as points. I had understood that since reservations for a minor traveling with me would be connected to my boarding pass, this would make sense (and I think I literally wrote that out far before the trip in this long thread) and somewhere along the way I got it wrong. I now know that it's a poor use of the SW card, CP, points, etc and won't make the same mistake (and hopefully others can avoid it). I mean you said something like "everyone would do this" but I spent more funds purchasing the Business Select ticket than I would've had I simply purchased EBCI for the three of us (which I couldn't figure out how to do with the CP) and this seemed like the simplest/least expensive way to do what I needed (which was have time to board with my two kids as a single parent, managing one of them - the 5 year old - for their first flight ever). Obviously, yes, I could have bought all three of us Business Select tickets, even forgoing the Companion Pass and points I had earned over the previous 6-12 months. Maybe your implication is that if you have kids, you should spend as much money as possible?

A simple acknowledgement from a gate agent, "You seem to have your hands full" would have been representative of the typical good customer service and friendliness that Southwest is known for; that didn't happen. Not unlike Guest Relations at Disney Parks (or really any customer facing job anywhere), simply acknowledging a customer's story can go a long way to helping them feel like they had a positive interaction. In my current job, I'm regularly discouraged from making a problem that occurred - even if it's absolutely clear the customer made a mistake - _about_ the customer's fault (and instead am told to say things like, "I'm sorry this didn't go as planned - how can I help in the moment?"). But, it's a stressful job (the gate agent), it's 5:30am, and I recognize she may not have had a ton of time to think on her feet to say anything like, "Yeah, this really does stink for you because you had an expectation and it's not being met, regardless of how we got there." At that point, it's not about "rectifying" a situation (this is where I often think people on the boards go wrong with expecting Disney to offer "pixie dust") so much as a positive interaction with another human (or, at the absolute least, not a negative interaction which is what I had). And if that's asking too much, then I do think it makes sense that I don't go out of my way to give them business (which I've been doing since just before covid). It's not a slight against the person or company - just an honest to god consideration of what they say at the end of each flight ("we realize you have a choice as to who you fly").


----------



## KayW

My 4/16 nonstop flight out of BDL was completely cancelled and I did not receive an email.  Thank God I saw a post on Facebook and checked. Was able to get the last seats on the other nonstop that AM.  Now I get an email that my return flight has changed from nonstop to a stop in Baltimore.  Waiting on DH to decide if we should add a day to get a nonstop the next day or just take the one we have.  Glad I took today off!!


----------



## Lsdolphin

KayW said:


> My 4/16 nonstop flight out of BDL was completely cancelled and I did not receive an email.  Thank God I saw a post on Facebook and checked. Was able to get the last seats on the other nonstop that AM.  Now I get an email that my return flight has changed from nonstop to a stop in Baltimore.  Waiting on DH to decide if we should add a day to get a nonstop the next day or just take the one we have.  Glad I took today off!!



good luck!


----------



## KayW

Lsdolphin said:


> good luck!


Thanks!  We decided to just go with what they put us on.  In the end, I didn't want to change flights and then have to add a room reservation.


----------



## Avery&Todd

We have an early March flights from RDU to MCO which were originally booked in Sept when those flights came out and SW changed our departure time by 15 min earlier back in October, then I made a change to our return home flight in November and then SW changed our return home flights (again) on Jan 27th.

So that makes 2 changes by SW and 1 change my me.

on the last change SW made I rebooked our flight home and saved almost 40k points between our 3 tickets!

Im hoping that all changes are DONE *fingers crossed, knocks on wood* and we can just get there already!  17 days and counting!


----------



## Lsdolphin

KayW said:


> Thanks!  We decided to just go with what they put us on.  In the end, I didn't want to change flights and then have to add a room reservation.


That’s what I did...added an extra night than they ended up canceling that flight and changing me back to the day before so as of now Im still booked for the extra day....


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

bsmcneil said:


> Are you suggesting that if a family has any kid older than 6 (while also having one under 6), they're not supposed to use family boarding? Because that really doesn't seem to be the words on SW's website and it seems to be what you're saying. Nor do I quite get the two adult thing (are you suggesting that single parents wouldn't be able to use family boarding if their kids are under 6 since they reference two adults? Logically, does it quite add up to you that if family boarding is meant for families with kids under 6 that making it more complicated for those families would be beneficial to _any_ part of the boarding process?). If anything, a single parent with a kid under 6 (even if I have one over 6) probably can use the time since kids under 6 can be hard to direct and get into the plane (and fwiw, many of the families returning and using family boarding - I paid less attention departing - seemed to _only_ have kids over 6 instead of one in each group like I had). At no point did anyone ask about the age of kids when scanning passes (though I presume they might've all come up on the screen - maybe not) - but I can't wrap my head around what seems to be your suggestion that because I was one adult and/or had one kid over 6, I wouldn't have met the requirements for (or benefitted from) family boarding.
> 
> As you mentioned what you diagnose as my mistake, you seem to be correct - though I had specifically asked about it since I was using the CP earned through the CC as well as points. I had understood that since reservations for a minor traveling with me would be connected to my boarding pass, this would make sense (and I think I literally wrote that out far before the trip in this long thread) and somewhere along the way I got it wrong. I now know that it's a poor use of the SW card, CP, points, etc and won't make the same mistake (and hopefully others can avoid it). I mean you said something like "everyone would do this" but I spent more funds purchasing the Business Select ticket than I would've had I simply purchased EBCI for the three of us (which I couldn't figure out how to do with the CP) and this seemed like the simplest/least expensive way to do what I needed (which was have time to board with my two kids as a single parent, managing one of them - the 5 year old - for their first flight ever). Obviously, yes, I could have bought all three of us Business Select tickets, even forgoing the Companion Pass and points I had earned over the previous 6-12 months. Maybe your implication is that if you have kids, you should spend as much money as possible?
> 
> A simple acknowledgement from a gate agent, "You seem to have your hands full" would have been representative of the typical good customer service and friendliness that Southwest is known for; that didn't happen. Not unlike Guest Relations at Disney Parks (or really any customer facing job anywhere), simply acknowledging a customer's story can go a long way to helping them feel like they had a positive interaction. In my current job, I'm regularly discouraged from making a problem that occurred - even if it's absolutely clear the customer made a mistake - _about_ the customer's fault (and instead am told to say things like, "I'm sorry this didn't go as planned - how can I help in the moment?"). But, it's a stressful job (the gate agent), it's 5:30am, and I recognize she may not have had a ton of time to think on her feet to say anything like, "Yeah, this really does stink for you because you had an expectation and it's not being met, regardless of how we got there." At that point, it's not about "rectifying" a situation (this is where I often think people on the boards go wrong with expecting Disney to offer "pixie dust") so much as a positive interaction with another human (or, at the absolute least, not a negative interaction which is what I had). And if that's asking too much, then I do think it makes sense that I don't go out of my way to give them business (which I've been doing since just before covid). It's not a slight against the person or company - just an honest to god consideration of what they say at the end of each flight ("we realize you have a choice as to who you fly").


What I was saying is the older than six wouldn't qualify for Family Boarding under SWA's official policy. If that means you (general you) are uncomfortable with the other individual boarding in their position then you board at their position (as is the case with anyone) trust me you're far from the only one to be in that position. It actually used to only be "an" adult but they adjusted that to allow for 2. That has nothing to do with single parenting you may be confusing the wording and thinking you have to have 2 adults..no...it's just an allowance up to 2 when before it was just "an" adult.

This thread is very long and Family Boarding tends to bring up a debate which is what I was trying NOT to do. SWA has not put in their official policy that older than 6 are able to board during Family Boarding (they are actually generous there because most airlines Family Boarding is 2 and younger). It does happen but it's also not happened. I was simply responding to your comment that the gate agent should have suggested Family Boarding. I gave a reason why. On this thread it's usually best to stick with official stuff because individual situations may arise. There's no suggestion here involved, just me telling you official policy, me trying to explain why a gate agent, who you viewed gave you poor customer service, didn't just suggest Family Boarding. While sizing all varies most could probably see an 8 year old being older than 6. It's a long-drawn out discussion that was never intended to happen here, just a simple explanation offered for why the gate agent didn't do what you think she should have done.



With the Business Select everyone would do it I was meaning if someone could purchase 1 ticket but bringing along others without also purchasing Business Select for them everyone would do it...why wouldn't they? That's not anything towards you just a practical comment. Minors, connecting itineraries, etc wouldn't matter here because Business Select isn't formatted to extend benefits like that. It's strictly for Boarding positions A1-A15 (among higher point earning and a drink) and allowing others to Board there without purchasing a Business Select would dilute that benefit. But it's why I mentioned Upgraded Boarding which is done at the gate and you can select it for each flight in a variable price but sells the remainder of the Boarding positions in A1-A15 should there be any left.

I'm sorry you were misled. I didn't converse with you about this months ago (I wasn't really back on the thread at that time IIRC) so really don't know what transpired. I was attempting to clear things up in terms of the error and the customer service, I thought you were quite understanding given what your situation led to but in fairness to SWA with the customer service aspect that opened up a different conversation. FWIW I'm really big on just showing understanding and I can understand how in your shoes someone who doesn't act like they care is going to come across but I can also understand SWA's position here with your unique situation in how the tickets were purchased. I guess I didn't quite get that your only issue with the customer service was just her attitude because you mentioned that she could have just suggested Family Boarding (and that's why I responded about that) as that sounded like you were dinging them for both attitude and an inability to try and solve the problem. Although to me solving the problem would have been to tell you to purchase Upgraded Boarding and that early in the morning with tempers flaring I'm not sure that would have been as well received but would have been an appropriate suggestion. I agree with your "how can I help" comments but coming from a customer service background as well sometimes there is no way you can help or the way you can causes further anger on the guests part (like spending more money).

Anyways obviously me commenting made this worse so respectfully just going to let this go


----------



## Gitelfor

*New travel advisory was issued for February 16-17, mostly for states in the Midwest.*


----------



## Lsdolphin

Interesting how SWA is still showing just about all the direct flights between MCO and BWI as unavailable for both 4/9 and 4/10 and we are only halfway thru Feb. so I would expect many more people would be trying to book flights.   This is prime Easter break time and yet they are only flying the smaller 737-700 planes instead of the larger 737-800 or 800 Max planes??,


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## mickey916

Lsdolphin said:


> Interesting how SWA is still showing just about all the direct flights between MCO and BWI as unavailable for both 4/9 and 4/10 and we are only halfway thru Feb. so I would expect many more people would be trying to book flights.   This is prime Easter break time and yet they are only flying the smaller 737-700 planes instead of the larger 737-800 or 800 Max planes??,


Definitely something odd happening. I also think it's weird my non-stop went from leaving at 4 pm to leaving at 10:10 pm...guessing that's a staffing issue...


----------



## ultimatefans

My April flight was still in tact yesterday so I thought maybe I was spared, but nope.  My 1:50pm flight home was changed to a 7:25am flight.  And no other flight that weekend into BUF or ROC (nonstop or connecting) can accommodate our party of 9.  REALLY not looking forward to a 4:30am pickup and a stressful end to the vacation.    Traveling with 7 teenagers is stressful enough!  I don't get how SW can cancel flights that were almost fully booked.  So frustrating.  Hoping something opens between now and then.  Let the stalking continue...


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Our April flight departs 75 minutes later. There were five or six non stops yesterday. Some offered at $119. Today there are three non stops. They condensed their schedule quite a bit.


----------



## Lsdolphin

mickey916 said:


> Definitely something odd happening. I also think it's weird my non-stop went from leaving at 4 pm to leaving at 10:10 pm...guessing that's a staffing issue...


Sounds like they just cancelled that 4 pm flight.  I’m just wondering why if it’s a staffing issue they just don’t use the larger planes to accommodate more people and fly fewer planes...


----------



## mickey916

Lsdolphin said:


> Sounds like they just cancelled that 4 pm flight.  I’m just wondering why if it’s a staffing issue they just don’t use the larger planes to accommodate more people and fly fewer planes...


That would make a lot of sense to fly bigger planes at fewer times. What's odd is that there wasn't a 10 pm flight when I booked it originally I don't think. I think I booked the latest nonstop at the time..it seems they canceled the 4 pm and then added the 10 pm...I would think the 10 pm would be WAY less popular for people to book.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Lsdolphin said:


> Interesting how SWA is still showing just about all the direct flights between MCO and BWI as unavailable for both 4/9 and 4/10 and we are only halfway thru Feb. so I would expect many more people would be trying to book flights.   This is prime Easter break time and yet they are only flying the smaller 737-700 planes instead of the larger 737-800 or 800 Max planes??,





Lsdolphin said:


> Sounds like they just cancelled that 4 pm flight.  I’m just wondering why if it’s a staffing issue they just don’t use the larger planes to accommodate more people and fly fewer planes...



I think it depends on route.

If I check my May dates (so not really Spring Break) there are a few though not many flights that use the 737-800 or MAX8 to Orlando. If I check let's say Vegas for the dates you listed (so Spring Break) they do fly the 737-800 or MAX8 plane from my home airport to Vegas depending on the time.

The 737-700 though make up a huge part of their fleet though. When I look at it they only have active 69 MAX8 planes, 207 active 737-800 but 444 active 737-700.

SWA looks at revenue though too, and anticipates whether a specific route AND time will net the need for a larger plane.

Air travel is sorta an up and down demand with the pandemic depending on variants, waves, rules in one's own area and their destination, etc and that probably makes it harder for them and more confusing for us lol on their decisions they make.


----------



## Lsdolphin

mickey916 said:


> That would make a lot of sense to fly bigger planes at fewer times. What's odd is that there wasn't a 10 pm flight when I booked it originally I don't think. I think I booked the latest nonstop at the time..it seems they canceled the 4 pm and then added the 10 pm...I would think the 10 pm would be WAY less popular for people to book.


Seriously I would think so as well....but who knows what is going on with SWA right now....I’m just checking my flights a few times a day and that’s crazy too!


----------



## ambula603

Our April 11 return flight was changed from 1 PM to 10 PM!  We were able to switch to 6 PM but it is not ideal because there are no available cars to rent from Port Canaveral and don't want to be stuck at the airport all day after our cruise.  I had no idea it was such a big issue until I saw this thread.  I am nervous it will continue to change!!  Our departure flight also changed but it didn't affect us as much.


----------



## cmarsh31

Our April flights are an absolute disaster. Large group of Marching Band students, booked as a GROUP with SW, but had to split up in to multiple confirmation numbers because they only had xx of fares available - because that's how SW insisted we book - we didn't want to be 3 separate groups! Now the groups are on separate flights! As in, they put the chaperones on one flight and students on another... and this is fine because they're over 14. They absolutely refuse to help us or put us all on one flight, because "that's all that's showing available". THREE HOURS on the phone today. Nothing. This is the worst customer service we have ever experienced. Doesn't matter that we booked all 3 groups on one non-stop flight the day flights opened and there is still a non-stop flight. It somehow was filled with passengers who weren't on the original non-stop flight. Lucky them.

So if you see unattended teenagers running around random airports in April, apparently that's all good with SW.


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## leeniewdw

My RDU-MCO in 2 weeks is holding for now. 

I did just look for RDU-MSY in late April, hoping case counts continue to trend down so I can feel comfortable visiting my 93 yo Mom (and stay with my older sister who has a husband with health issues).  Anyway, it was odd to see that all the connecting flights go thru airports except ATL.  I've never seen that.   I wasn't surprised that there were no direct (I think that's been gone for a long time), but I've always flown via ATL on SW.

Turns out Delta has some very cheap flights into BTR which is actually closer to where they all live.


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## KayW

cmarsh31 said:


> Our April flights are an absolute disaster. Large group of Marching Band students, booked as a GROUP with SW, but had to split up in to multiple confirmation numbers because they only had xx of fares available - because that's how SW insisted we book - we didn't want to be 3 separate groups! Now the groups are on separate flights! As in, they put the chaperones on one flight and students on another... and this is fine because they're over 14. They absolutely refuse to help us or put us all on one flight, because "that's all that's showing available". THREE HOURS on the phone today. Nothing. This is the worst customer service we have ever experienced. Doesn't matter that we booked all 3 groups on one non-stop flight the day flights opened and there is still a non-stop flight. It somehow was filled with passengers who weren't on the original non-stop flight. Lucky them.
> 
> So if you see unattended teenagers running around random airports in April, apparently that's all good with SW.


Oh no!!  Is there anyway to put a chaperone or two with some of the groups of kids?  Seems crazy!  As a former high school and college band kid, they are the best and will rise to the occasion and show their leadership skills.  Or they will break out the instruments in the airport and put on a performance


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## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

mickey916 said:


> That would make a lot of sense to fly bigger planes at fewer times. What's odd is that there wasn't a 10 pm flight when I booked it originally I don't think. I think I booked the latest nonstop at the time..it seems they canceled the 4 pm and then added the 10 pm...I would think the 10 pm would be WAY less popular for people to book.


We almost always take the last non-stop flight back home for all of our vacations and generally it's almost always completely full with a few exceptions. My husband when he would travel took the last flight out back home and when he was in Maryland and Texas those were always non-stop and it was always completely full. When he was in California he took a stop (usually Vegas) because he didn't like dealing with LAX when going back to CA and they were full there as well.

A lot has to do with maximizing your time in whatever destination you're at. We live in the middle of the country so our flights aren't usually extraordinarily long and right now at least while getting in after midnight, 1am, etc isn't always the most ideal we offset that with what we gain (either cheaper cost or time on vacation usually both).


----------



## mickey916

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> We almost always take the last non-stop flight back home for all of our vacations and generally it's almost always completely full with a few exceptions. My husband when he would travel took the last flight out back home and when he was in Maryland and Texas those were always non-stop and it was always completely full. When he was in California he took a stop (usually Vegas) because he didn't like dealing with LAX when going back to CA and they were full there as well.
> 
> A lot has to do with maximizing your time in whatever destination you're at. We live in the middle of the country so our flights aren't usually extraordinarily long and right now at least while getting in after midnight, 1am, etc isn't always the most ideal we offset that with what we gain (either cheaper cost or time on vacation usually both).


I'm actually secretly happy my return flight got changed from 4pm to 10 pm!


----------



## mom2rtk

My nonstop home from Orlando in January had 99 open seats. We were shocked and thrilled. Most of our flights are always full. This was also the last flight of the night.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

mom2rtk said:


> My nonstop home from Orlando in January had 99 open seats. We were shocked and thrilled. Most of our flights are always full. This was also the last flight of the night.


that doesn't surprise me given Omicron and how it was in January.


----------



## cmarsh31

KayW said:


> Oh no!!  Is there anyway to put a chaperone or two with some of the groups of kids?  Seems crazy!  As a former high school and college band kid, they are the best and will rise to the occasion and show their leadership skills.  Or they will break out the instruments in the airport and put on a performance



At the moment, that would be a "name change" on the tickets, which is not allowed! There's absolutely no way our liability for our school would allow kids under 18 to fly or travel without a chaperone, and the parents will 100% freak out. We have a couple work-arounds, but literally involve us paying more money than our already expensive flights... and having essentially a shuttle bus running from MCO to our resort! With no DME, we have to pay for a charter bus to transport. Now instead of one, we need three, both days! They have made it completely clear that there's no availability for us and flights are subject to change. They offered to change the flights... but it's Spring Break/Easter, you're right, there's no actual flights. Plus, of course, we have a large block of rooms reserved at Disney - and a marching day that's set in stone by Disney. All of which were booked AFTER we secured our flights. Next they offered another airport... how we get to the nearest airport 3 hours away? Nope, no solution for that. Even Disney tries to keep groups/families together in hotels. SW doesn't even try to keep groups all booked together, through their GROUP service, on the same flights.


----------



## KayW

cmarsh31 said:


> At the moment, that would be a "name change" on the tickets, which is not allowed! There's absolutely no way our liability for our school would allow kids under 18 to fly or travel without a chaperone, and the parents will 100% freak out. We have a couple work-arounds, but literally involve us paying more money than our already expensive flights... and having essentially a shuttle bus running from MCO to our resort! With no DME, we have to pay for a charter bus to transport. Now instead of one, we need three, both days! They have made it completely clear that there's no availability for us and flights are subject to change. They offered to change the flights... but it's Spring Break/Easter, you're right, there's no actual flights. Plus, of course, we have a large block of rooms reserved at Disney - and a marching day that's set in stone by Disney. All of which were booked AFTER we secured our flights. Next they offered another airport... how we get to the nearest airport 3 hours away? Nope, no solution for that. Even Disney tries to keep groups/families together in hotels. SW doesn't even try to keep groups all booked together, through their GROUP service, on the same flights.


That's horrible!  The school may need to weigh in in some way.


----------



## boothbay

So annoyed with Southwest at the moment. I just got the dreaded email that our flight was changed. Instead of leaving at 12:30 and arriving at 3:30pm (which was later than I wanted but would be non-stop) we got bumped to a flight leaving at 3:30 and arriving at 6:30pm.
I went to look to see what was available instead and the other non-stop of the day is, wait for it, 12:30 arriving at 3:30.  So they added another 12:30 flight at some point and bumped ours to 3:30. Not cool! (And the new 12:30 flight of course sold out)
Now trying to decide if it’s worth it to switch to a flight that leaves at 5:30am  and connects through BWI but gets us there by noon. Frustrating how many fewer flights there are these days.


----------



## mickeyfino

boothbay said:


> So annoyed with Southwest at the moment. I just got the dreaded email that our flight was changed. Instead of leaving at 12:30 and arriving at 3:30pm (which was later than I wanted but would be non-stop) we got bumped to a flight leaving at 3:30 and arriving at 6:30pm.
> I went to look to see what was available instead and the other non-stop of the day is, wait for it, 12:30 arriving at 3:30.  So they added another 12:30 flight at some point and bumped ours to 3:30. Not cool! (And the new 12:30 flight of course sold out)
> Now trying to decide if it’s worth it to switch to a flight that leaves at 5:30am  and connects through BWI but gets us there by noon. Frustrating how many fewer flights there are these days.


Whoa, that is insane! It's frustrating enough with all these flight cancellations and very little available flights to reschedule to, but wow, for them to add a new - and now sold out - flight that is the same time as your original flight? Unreal.


----------



## boothbay

I also just read about the marching band situation - what the heck? You need some supervisor to break some rules and do “name change” and reassign some adults to each plane!


----------



## Gitelfor

*New travel advisory, due to forecasted weather conditions;

Friday, February 18*

*Buffalo/Niagara, NY (BUF)*
*Cleveland, OH (CLE)*
*Indianapolis, IN (IND)*
*Rochester, NY (ROC)*
*Syracuse, NY (SYR)*


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

mickeyfino said:


> Whoa, that is insane! It's frustrating enough with all these flight cancellations and very little available flights to reschedule to, but wow, for them to add a new - and now sold out - flight that is the same time as your original flight? Unreal.


You guys should check flights now.  I was literally booking a flight for April. As I was toggling between a Thursday and Friday to compare prices (they were both sky high), they disappeared. I logged out and came back…all new flight times and decent prices in comparison.  I don’t know if it was all destinations.


----------



## disneygal55

boothbay said:


> So annoyed with Southwest at the moment. I just got the dreaded email that our flight was changed. Instead of leaving at 12:30 and arriving at 3:30pm (which was later than I wanted but would be non-stop) we got bumped to a flight leaving at 3:30 and arriving at 6:30pm.
> I went to look to see what was available instead and the other non-stop of the day is, wait for it, 12:30 arriving at 3:30.  So they added another 12:30 flight at some point and bumped ours to 3:30. Not cool! (And the new 12:30 flight of course sold out)
> Now trying to decide if it’s worth it to switch to a flight that leaves at 5:30am  and connects through BWI but gets us there by noon. Frustrating how many fewer flights there are these days.




My son let me know at 10:15 pm last night that he got an email from SW saying that our non stop flight 6AM-`9AM was changed to leaving at 5PM arriving at 10:30! I got the email around 15 minutes later. Not happy at all.
We were able to change it to a non stop 12noon-3PM this morning but still losing a big part of our WDW day.


----------



## Rachel GB

disneygal55 said:


> My son let me know at 10:15 pm last night that he got an email from SW saying that our non stop flight 6AM-`9AM was changed to leaving at 5PM arriving at 10:30! I got the email around 15 minutes later. Not happy at all.
> We were able to change it to a non stop 12noon-3PM this morning but still losing a big part of our WDW day.



Mine went from a 6:45 am nonstop to a connecting flight that lands at midnight with all nonstop sold out! Fingers crossed this turns out for all of us.
And they just changed my return to a rough flight! Maybe this trip is not meant to be.


----------



## Gitelfor

Received notification of early a.m. nonstop cancellation which Southwest changed to an itinerary with layover at BWI.  ETA is about 12 hours later than original flight, in the wee hours of the morning. There are no acceptable options for the original travel date.  The system is supposed to allow changes within 14 days, either way, but will not allow moving date later than the return date of this round trip booking, as the return flight was not affected and is not eligible for change.  Unfortunately, this was the one time where a round trip was booked, instead of two one-ways! ☹


----------



## Rachel GB

Gitelfor said:


> Received notification of early a.m. nonstop cancellation which Southwest changed to an itinerary with layover at BWI.  ETA is about 12 hours later than original flight, in the wee hours of the morning. There are no acceptable options for the original travel date.  The system is supposed to allow changes within 14 days, either way, but will not allow moving date later than the return date of this round trip booking, as the return flight was not affected and is not eligible for change.  Unfortunately, this was the one time where a round trip was booked, instead of two one-ways! ☹



Our return flight was just changed on us (to something awful) 24 hours after departure was changed to something awful. So you may still be able to change both!


----------



## Grankm21

What is going on with SW?  They cancelled our mid April direct flights as well.  The remaining flight options are horrible.  Not one direct option.  I’m even checking two other nearby airports…nothing.  I would have thought that they’d be adding options to FL over Spring Break, not eliminating them.

Since July 2021 we’ve had 6 out of 8 SW flights cancelled and rebooked by SW.


----------



## BillFromCT

And they've crept into May.  Got an email about an an hour and a half ago.  Both the 5/01 and 5/06 flights between PVD-MCO have changed.  They each move forward by a few hours. A 10:45am departure instead of 5:30am.   A 10:10pm MCO departure instead of 6:55pm.  They both stayed direct, and got a $49.01 credit for the flight going down.  The coming back flight gave the change for free option.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

It's so strange that April is being so affected like this. I know for March our airport was affected by flight cancellations by SWA and American, hadn't seen about April yet.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Grankm21 said:


> Since July 2021 we’ve had 6 out of 8 SW flights cancelled and rebooked by SW.


And see we haven't. Although we've only been to Vegas. We flew in March 2021, husband flew to Vegas in October 2021 (for work), we flew to Vegas in December and the next weekend husband flew back to Vegas (for work). No flight changes. I will keep a big eye out though for our May Orlando trip, normally I don't even worry about this but dang sure seems like might have to.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Well spoke too soon literally 5 mins ago got an e-mail our May 4th flight down to Orlando was 5:20am and is now 5:10am. Original arrival 9am, new arrival 8:55am. It's not updated on the account though.

I forget does the change flight option to get points back (because the flight is now cheaper) keep the EBCI on there?


----------



## boothbay

We ended up moving our outbound flight to a connecting flight leaving at 5:30am which will be painful but we live very close to our regional airport so we'll. manage.  Good news is we should get to the parks by midday and we'll plan for an early dinner and bed with little expectations beyond that for day 1.  

Of course as I'm puttering around tonight I get another email from SW saying that our return flight has been changed.  Before I opened the message I wagered a bet with my husband as to which direction our flight would change (originally it was set to leave MCO at 9:30am).  I was pleasantly surprised it was only moved back by an hour to 10:30am. 

I do find it strange that the week of our state's spring vacation the are cutting flights left and right.   I would think you could sell lots of seats to Orlando during that time!


----------



## Gitelfor

If you think your new flight arrangements are bad, someone was booked to fly BUF-PHL and had his flight changed to BUF-MCO-PHL (a ten hour trip, with a 5 hour layover at MCO).


----------



## focusondisney

Gitelfor said:


> If you think your new flight arrangements are bad, someone was booked to fly BUF-PHL and had his flight changed to BUF-MCO-PHL (a ten hour trip, with a 5 hour layover at MCO).



That’s  just insane.  People who _want_ a nonstop from Buffalo to Orlando are getting their flights cancelled. 

We’ve been flying to Orlando fo over 30 years.  I’ve never seen anything like this SW mess. Not even after 9/11 or the bad economic times in 2007-2009.


----------



## bsmcneil

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Upgraded Boarding


This makes sense (especially if since I have the reimbursed Upgraded Boardings). Unfortunately, that didn't come up. Thanks for giving your input and helping set me straight - I definitely feel more prepared for any future trips (the kids are ALREADY dying to go back and we just got back Feb 6!).


----------



## disneylover81

I purchased my tickets and EBCI for my April trip on the flight release date. Last night my nonstop flight got canceled and I was put on a different flight with a plane change, so I changed it this morning to a new nonstop flight that was available. I’m wondering about my EBCI … since SWA is the one that canceled my original flight and forced me to change it, do I keep my place in line from when I first bought it or does it start over from when they released this new flight in the order of people purchasing or changing to it ?


----------



## Gitelfor

disneylover81 said:


> I purchased my tickets and EBCI for my April trip on the flight release date. Last night my nonstop flight got canceled and I was put on a different flight with a plane change, so I changed it this morning to a new nonstop flight that was available. I’m wondering about my EBCI … since SWA is the one that canceled my original flight and forced me to change it, do I keep my place in line from when I first bought it or does it start over from when they released this new flight in the order of people purchasing or changing to it ?


The good news is if you used the “Change” link, you keep EBCI.  The  bad news is you go to the back of the line, as it counts the date of change as your purchase date.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

bsmcneil said:


> (the kids are ALREADY dying to go back and we just got back Feb 6!).


That's really good to hear


----------



## disneylover81

Gitelfor said:


> The good news is if you used the “Change” link, you keep EBCI.  The  bad news is you go to the back of the line, as it counts the date of change as your purchase date.


That’s what I was afraid of. It seems to me, since they changed my flight and not me, it shouldn’t change my position, but it is what it is I guess. Hopefully we don’t get pushed too far back in line.


----------



## rangerxenos

If you're traveling in early May, check your flight prices, they may have gone down this morning.


----------



## monarchsfan16

Ugh. We are doing a Las Vegas/Zion/Bryce trip over April vacation. Booked our flight home on release date for May 1. Booked a 9 am departure from Vegas, into Boston by 7 pm so we can work the next day.

Last night it got changed to 5 am departure from Vegas, into Boston before 7 pm. Ugh no. Actually found a better (sort of) much cheaper flight into Manchester. Canceled the changed flight, remembering as I canceled that I had paid for EBCI. Booked the new flight that leaves Vegas at 630 am (ugh but better than 5 am, and into Manchester around 6 pm, business select to accommodate for my error, and still ended up with 20,000 points credited back. Thankfully the EBCI was covered with my cc benefit so at least I just lost that and not the actual cash. 

I'm really glad our flight to Vegas is with JetBlue. Their flight changes have been more like half an hour adjustments which I can deal with.


----------



## Leigh L

monarchsfan16 said:


> Ugh. We are doing a Las Vegas/Zion/Bryce trip over April vacation. Booked our flight home on release date for May 1. Booked a 9 am departure from Vegas, into Boston by 7 pm so we can work the next day.
> 
> Last night it got changed to 5 am departure from Vegas, into Boston before 7 pm. Ugh no. Actually found a better (sort of) much cheaper flight into Manchester. Canceled the changed flight, remembering as I canceled that I had paid for EBCI. Booked the new flight that leaves Vegas at 630 am (ugh but better than 5 am, and into Manchester around 6 pm, business select to accommodate for my error, and still ended up with 20,000 points credited back. Thankfully the EBCI was covered with my cc benefit so at least I just lost that and not the actual cash.
> 
> I'm really glad our flight to Vegas is with JetBlue. Their flight changes have been more like half an hour adjustments which I can deal with.


I'm so sorry to read so many of you are having flights canceled right now 

Thanks for sharing your JB experience - I was wondering about them - they were pretty iffy in 2020-21 from my home airport (DC) but seem to have brought back flights since I last checked (they would originally list several options and then pare down to one 4 pm flight to MCO). I'm pondering a quick early April trip and since time will be limited, was looking for options that might be more stable. JetBlue is one of my current choices that is surprisingly reasonably priced for that week.

DH still has SW credits from 2020 that expire in Sept 2022...it's funny, at the time that seemed sooooo far away. It's coming up quick.


----------



## EACarlson

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Well spoke too soon literally 5 mins ago got an e-mail our May 4th flight down to Orlando was 5:20am and is now 5:10am. Original arrival 9am, new arrival 8:55am. It's not updated on the account though.
> 
> I forget does the change flight option to get points back (because the flight is now cheaper) keep the EBCI on there?


Changing the flight should keep the EBCI. Cancelling and rebooking will not.  Depending on which switches were flipped in SW's IT, you may not be able to change flights and get points back since you may be in a free change period.


----------



## ultimatefans

cmarsh31 said:


> At the moment, that would be a "name change" on the tickets, which is not allowed! There's absolutely no way our liability for our school would allow kids under 18 to fly or travel without a chaperone, and the parents will 100% freak out. We have a couple work-arounds, but literally involve us paying more money than our already expensive flights... and having essentially a shuttle bus running from MCO to our resort! With no DME, we have to pay for a charter bus to transport. Now instead of one, we need three, both days! They have made it completely clear that there's no availability for us and flights are subject to change. They offered to change the flights... but it's Spring Break/Easter, you're right, there's no actual flights. Plus, of course, we have a large block of rooms reserved at Disney - and a marching day that's set in stone by Disney. All of which were booked AFTER we secured our flights. Next they offered another airport... how we get to the nearest airport 3 hours away? Nope, no solution for that. Even Disney tries to keep groups/families together in hotels. SW doesn't even try to keep groups all booked together, through their GROUP service, on the same flights.


Was this booked with the group department?  Unless something has changed recently, name changes are allowed on group flights until 3 business days before travel.  It sounds like they didn't book it with a group contract but instead 3 separate regular reservations??  Leading a group of high school kids is enough stress on its own without this added mess.  I wish you lots luck and that the right agent would be helping you as you sort it all out.


----------



## dez1978

How do you guys check your flights?  Just go in and look up your reservations?  I keep seeing posts where flights were changed and emails weren't sent and it's making me paranoid lol


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

EACarlson said:


> Changing the flight should keep the EBCI. Cancelling and rebooking will not.  Depending on which switches were flipped in SW's IT, you may not be able to change flights and get points back since you may be in a free change period.


Yeah that's what we found out last night unfortunately. Change flight option didn't give the 5:10am flight option to choose from assumedly because of the one time change for no additional fare part. No biggie to us although it would have been nice to get a wee bit more back. Thanks for answering


----------



## Gitelfor

dez1978 said:


> How do you guys check your flights?  Just go in and look up your reservations?  I keep seeing posts where flights were changed and emails weren't sent and it's making me paranoid lol


I check Southwest’s *flight schedules* to make sure my flight is still listed with no changes.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

monarchsfan16 said:


> I'm really glad our flight to Vegas is with JetBlue. Their flight changes have been more like half an hour adjustments which I can deal with.


We're just now getting JetBlue, flights start next month. SWA dominates KCI (and has a lot of clout here, they were instrumental in pushing for the new terminal to be built with in the beginning being against it then saying they really wanted it and needed it) so it will be interesting if any of that adjusts with JetBlue.


----------



## hsmamato2

AM I wrong, or does a lot of this seem to be shakeups in the Northeast- Florida areas the most? I'm seeing a dramatic change in good schedules etc in my own personal view, but reading this thread has me wondering if their big plan is to eliminate all nonstops on these routes to route them thru BWI?


----------



## mickey916

hsmamato2 said:


> AM I wrong, or does a lot of this seem to be shakeups in the Northeast- Florida areas the most? I'm seeing a dramatic change in good schedules etc in my own personal view, but reading this thread has me wondering if their big plan is to eliminate all nonstops on these routes to route them thru BWI?


sure seems that way....definitely has something to do with BWI for sure.


----------



## mickey916

Gitelfor said:


> I check Southwest’s *flight schedules* to make sure my flight is still listed with no changes.


That's what I do too. Before I received my email, I checked the flight schedule and saw that my flight was gone but for a little bit when I logged into "my flights" it was still showing me on a flight that no longer existed...so best thing to do is simply check the overall flight schedules (which I too have been obsessively doing now for my May trip).


----------



## cmarsh31

ultimatefans said:


> Was this booked with the group department?  Unless something has changed recently, name changes are allowed on group flights until 3 business days before travel.  It sounds like they didn't book it with a group contract but instead 3 separate regular reservations??  Leading a group of high school kids is enough stress on its own without this added mess.  I wish you lots luck and that the right agent would be helping you as you sort it all out.



It's a group (I booked it with Groups...) but names had *just* been submitted hours before the change. However, we have now discovered that they CANCELED and rebooked us, with a different confirmation number at 1am! So they definitely screwed something up. We've got a semi-solution, but we're literally running a shuttle bus between MCO and our resort now, because we're split onto 3 different flights instead of 1.


----------



## CarlyMur09

Our May 6 flight changed too. PIT - MCO nonstop changed from 5:20 PM departure to 7:05 PM departure. Kind of works in our favor since some of us work and don’t get home til 3, so we can leave at 3:30 from home instead of right from work.


----------



## mickey916

CarlyMur09 said:


> Our May 6 flight changed too. PIT - MCO nonstop changed from 5:20 PM departure to 7:05 PM departure. Kind of works in our favor since some of us work and don’t get home til 3, so we can leave at 3:30 from home instead of right from work.


Kinda hoping for that too for our May flights. We wanted a later departure on Friday but we're stuck with a 3:50...if that moved to later time it would be great! Oh to be so lucky...


----------



## Avery&Todd

it sounds like my May 15th flights to Vegas may get changed soon!  I was thinking it would be closer to April, but it looks like SW is the eager-beaver when it comes to changing their May flights!

Last year they changed our May flights to Vegas as well but it was in our favor since we went from layover flights to non-stops so *fingers crossed* that happens again!


----------



## dez1978

mickey916 said:


> That's what I do too. Before I received my email, I checked the flight schedule and saw that my flight was gone but for a little bit when I logged into "my flights" it was still showing me on a flight that no longer existed...so best thing to do is simply check the overall flight schedules (which I too have been obsessively doing now for my May trip).


Thats when I'm going too.  End of may.


----------



## roctavia

Glad to see I'm not crazy and the Southwest flight schedule changed a ton overnight! I've been following prices for an early May trip and was bummed that things just got more expensive (return flight is booked, but flight there i've been waiting for a price drop) the new flight times way different from what i've been following and the nonstop flights are still very pricy, but I ended up booking a cheap flight with a quick stop in Atlanta, so overall travel day isn't too bad, and this way if the nonstop options are okay or drop in price I can change it... I was getting a little nervous before this, since everything was expensive. 

I just hope things don't keep changing so dramatically!


----------



## nlenguyen

roctavia said:


> Glad to see I'm not crazy and the Southwest flight schedule changed a ton overnight! I've been following prices for an early May trip and was bummed that things just got more expensive (return flight is booked, but flight there i've been waiting for a price drop) the new flight times way different from what i've been following and the nonstop flights are still very pricy, but I ended up booking a cheap flight with a quick stop in Atlanta, so overall travel day isn't too bad, and this way if the nonstop options are okay or drop in price I can change it... I was getting a little nervous before this, since everything was expensive.
> 
> I just hope things don't keep changing so dramatically!


It has been crazy how expensive some of the flights are. I always see advertisements for $49 but I must never want to go to those places because it is always 4-5x that each way


----------



## Gitelfor

Check your Southwest account on the website.  There is a targeted promo for comped A-List status through 04/30/2022.  Out of four RR members I checked with, 3 out of 4 received the offer today.

With all of the cancellations and flight consolidations, Southwest has to do something to maintain their loyal customer base.


----------



## dez1978

SW RR card question.  Don't points earned from spending on the credit card count towards A list?

Edit: Or is this only the top tier cards


----------



## Gitelfor

dez1978 said:


> SW RR card question.  Don't points earned from spending on the credit card count towards A list?
> 
> Edit: Or is this only the top tier cards


No, just toward Companion Pass.  Credit card spend never counted toward A-List.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

dez1978 said:


> SW RR card question.  Don't points earned from spending on the credit card count towards A list?


It has to be considered tier qualifying to count.

A Member who flies 25 qualifying one-way flight segments booked through Southwest or earns 35,000 tier qualifying points per calendar year will qualify for A-List status. A Member who flies 50 qualifying one-way flights booked through Southwest or earns 70,000 tier qualifying points per calendar year will qualify for A-List Preferred status.

A flight segment is defined as a one-way trip booked through Southwest from an origin city to a destination city, including any intermediate stops and/or connections on Southwest. Tier qualifying points are earned through the purchase of qualifying flights or through the use of the Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card or the Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card, Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card, or Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Cards Card from Chase. Tier qualifying points earned during a billing cycle on a Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority or Premier Credit Cards from Chase are not available for qualification for benefits such as A-List and A-List Preferred status until they are posted on your billing statement and posted to your Rapid Rewards account. 

The following will not count toward qualification for A-List or A-List Preferred status: Rapid Rewards program enrollment points; Rapid Rewards reward flights or any  travel with any portion of the purchase price paid for with Rapid Rewards points; Rapid Rewards Companion Pass travel; Rapid Rewards partner points except for tier qualifying points earned on the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card, Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card, Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card, or Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Cards  from Chase (as per the rules described below); bonus points, unless specifically designated as such; nonrevenue travel, unless specifically designated as eligible; stops at intermediate cities on connecting or through flights; and charter flights. Tier qualifying points are not redeemable for travel on Southwest  or through the "More Rewards" site.

A Member who has a Rapid Rewards® Priority Card, a Rapid Rewards Premier Card, Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card, or Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Cards from Chase will earn 1,500 tier qualifying points for every $10,000 in eligible net purchases on that card.

For full info: https://www.southwest.com/faq/rapid-rewards-program-terms-and-conditions scroll down or search for A-List.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Gitelfor said:


> No, just toward Companion Pass.  Credit card spend never counted toward A-List.


Not true, see above.

Companion and A-list/Preferred usually have different things that qualify for them but spending does earn points, you gotta spend on the right stuff though with the right card.


----------



## ultimatefans

Gitelfor said:


> Check your Southwest account on the website.  There is a targeted promo for comped A-List status through 04/30/2022.  Out of four RR members I checked with, 3 out of 4 received the offer today.
> 
> With all of the cancellations and flight consolidations, Southwest has to do something to maintain their loyal customer base.


Where would we see this if we received it?  I clicked My Account at the top and there isn't anything listed under My Promotions.  Am I looking in the right place?


----------



## dez1978

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> It has to be considered tier qualifying to count.
> 
> A Member who flies 25 qualifying one-way flight segments booked through Southwest or earns 35,000 tier qualifying points per calendar year will qualify for A-List status. A Member who flies 50 qualifying one-way flights booked through Southwest or earns 70,000 tier qualifying points per calendar year will qualify for A-List Preferred status.
> 
> A flight segment is defined as a one-way trip booked through Southwest from an origin city to a destination city, including any intermediate stops and/or connections on Southwest. Tier qualifying points are earned through the purchase of qualifying flights or through the use of the Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card or the Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card, Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card, or Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Cards Card from Chase. Tier qualifying points earned during a billing cycle on a Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority or Premier Credit Cards from Chase are not available for qualification for benefits such as A-List and A-List Preferred status until they are posted on your billing statement and posted to your Rapid Rewards account.
> 
> The following will not count toward qualification for A-List or A-List Preferred status: Rapid Rewards program enrollment points; Rapid Rewards reward flights or any  travel with any portion of the purchase price paid for with Rapid Rewards points; Rapid Rewards Companion Pass travel; Rapid Rewards partner points except for tier qualifying points earned on the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card, Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card, Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card, or Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Cards  from Chase (as per the rules described below); bonus points, unless specifically designated as such; nonrevenue travel, unless specifically designated as eligible; stops at intermediate cities on connecting or through flights; and charter flights. Tier qualifying points are not redeemable for travel on Southwest  or through the "More Rewards" site.
> 
> A Member who has a Rapid Rewards® Priority Card, a Rapid Rewards Premier Card, Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card, or Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Cards from Chase will earn 1,500 tier qualifying points for every $10,000 in eligible net purchases on that card.
> 
> For full info: https://www.southwest.com/faq/rapid-rewards-program-terms-and-conditions scroll down or search for A-List.


So then spending on the regular card ($69 fee) wouldn't count.  Dang it.


----------



## Gitelfor

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> A Member who has a Rapid Rewards® Priority Card, a Rapid Rewards Premier Card, Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card, or Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Cards from Chase will earn 1,500 tier qualifying points for every $10,000 in eligible net purchases on that card.



The big caveat for the above is you’ll receive 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points for every $10,000 you spend, with a maximum of 15,000 points ($100,000 in purchases).

Unless there is a promo that temporarily lifts the limit of 15,000 TQP per year toward A-List, only credit card spend (assuming the member only has one qualifying card), would not be enough to earn A-List status.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Gitelfor said:


> The big caveat for the above is you’ll receive 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points for every $10,000 you spend, with a maximum of 15,000 points ($100,000 in purchases).
> 
> Unless there is a promo that temporarily lifts the limit of 15,000 TQP per year toward A-List, only credit card spend (assuming the member only has one qualifying card), would not be enough to earn A-List status.


That wasn't the question the poster asked nor did I say it was enough. I just point blank gave the information straight from SWA's website with the link to see the information in its entirety.

The poster asked if they earned points *towards* A-List using the card. The answer is yes (with the stipulations SWA set forth on being tier qualifying). You answered no they never did count towards it.

No intent to be harsh here, there's just no reason to quibble about a caveat in this situation (at least IMO   ) with the question asked.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

dez1978 said:


> So then spending on the regular card ($69 fee) wouldn't count.  Dang it.


Yeah sounds like it


----------



## dez1978

My May 21 flights just got changed


----------



## mickey916

I just went in and saw that my May 13 flight disappeared. I was able to modify to a 6:30 pm nonstop and save $25 ticket before they switched me to something else. Now to keep stalking my 5/22 return flight. Thank goodness for this thread!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

dez1978 said:


> My May 21 flights just got changed


Our May 15th flight back home did too.

Original leaving Orlando at 9:05pm (was the original last flight time) arriving back home at 11pm 

New flight time leaving Orlando at 10:55pm arriving back home at 12:50am. That late time getting back home isn't an issue for us we're used to that.

I still see the same number of non-stop flights for that day on the way home but the times were shifted. There was an 11am which is now 2:35pm


----------



## jo-jo

Has SW gone crazy like this before?    Maybe because we had flights switched big time, It just seems everyone is having issues.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

jo-jo said:


> Has SW gone crazy like this before?    Maybe because we had flights switched big time, It just seems everyone is having issues.


I don't think I've ever seen it like this. You know it's interesting the timing given there's a new CEO as of the first of this month and these flight schedule changes hitting so many days and so many people has just started this week maybe last week?

Changes here and there for people is one thing but really seems like they are just trying to implement a new strategy on schedules, maybe at the direction of the new CEO?? IDK just thinking out loud.


----------



## PittPantherfan

In the crap of all this - SW did not open May bookings until early Dec, so just 2 short months later - total upheaval. Shame and glad I didn't book with them this go around.


----------



## PittPantherfan

jo-jo said:


> Has SW gone crazy like this before?    Maybe because we had flights switched big time, It just seems everyone is having issues.


Did it for us last year for early July flights as well as several of our friends going different places around the same time frame last year.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

PittPantherfan said:


> Did it for us last year for early July flights as well as several of our friends going different places around the same time frame last year.


My husband flew 4 times (8 total flights) and I 2 times (4 total flights) last year no issues. Others who flew (to Chicago, to Idaho, to Orlando, to LA, to Austin) last year also didn't have changes made and this was throughout the year.

It's not that the flights are changing because that can happen it's that it's hitting March, April, and now May and seems to be affecting a larger group of people. This suggests it's a company-wide altering of flight schedules on a grand scale such that does not seem to have happened before.


----------



## serenitynow

Our May 20 flight was just changed to a flight 2 hours earlier. Still nonstop, so I can live with it. Fingers crossed  nothing else changes.


----------



## dez1978

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Our May 15th flight back home did too.
> 
> Original leaving Orlando at 9:05pm (was the original last flight time) arriving back home at 11pm
> 
> New flight time leaving Orlando at 10:55pm arriving back home at 12:50am. That late time getting back home isn't an issue for us we're used to that.
> 
> I still see the same number of non-stop flights for that day on the way home but the times were shifted. There was an 11am which is now 2:35pm


That’s kind of what I saw too. My 220 pm flight to stl was changed to 5. The 220 no longer exists but now there is a 3pm that wasn’t there before. I changed to that.  It wasn’t any huge change like some have but with 4 kids I don’t want to arrive at 1030 pm


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

dez1978 said:


> That’s kind of what I saw too. My 220 pm flight to stl was changed to 5. The 220 no longer exists but now there is a 3pm that wasn’t there before. I changed to that.


We've got a couple of us KC DISers going down for a wedding and we're all flying back home on the 15th but different times during the day. I just alerted at least one of them to check their flights. I know she originally wasn't wanting the early morning non-stop back home but then didn't book the 11am non-stop back home before it got pricier but now that one is a little later on so that may or may not be bad if that's what it got changed to for her. ETA: the person did book the 11am flight and it was changed to the 2:35pm flight. 

The bride just said her flight from Orlando to PA in April for her bridal shower back home also was changed although I don't know just when that change occurred.

ETA: talked with the person and she's flying down 5/6 in the evening and said her flight down to Orlando was moved up although I don't have the times (more just that this is another May person whose flight was changed). Looks like her flight used to land in Orlando at 11pm and now arrives at 8:30pm, she's happy with the change, but is like me hoping nothing else gets changed.


----------



## mickeyfino

Does it look like they are done with the April changes, for now anyway? I posted above about our mid-April PVD-MCO flight being changed and having to scramble to find a new flight. Our return flight on 4/24 had a slight change - original flight time was 7:05am and changed to 7:25am. I want to be able to relax now and not have to frantically keep checking for more April changes.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

mickeyfino said:


> Does it look like they are done with the April changes, for now anyway? I posted above about our mid-April PVD-MCO flight being changed and having to scramble to find a new flight. Our return flight on 4/24 had a slight change - original flight time was 7:05am and changed to 7:25am. I want to be able to relax now and not have to frantically keep checking for more April changes.


I couldn't say with confidence but it does sound like a lot of us with new changes in the last day or so are for May flights


----------



## jo-jo

I had thought about adding a day and getting a Sunday non stop home, but I would have had to borrow DVC points and then was concerned what if SW switched more flights.  So instead, I chopped a day off the trip.   But still holding onto extra  room day for a few more weeks, juuuuussssst in case schedule changes again.


----------



## DisTXMom

I had read an article a ways back about them getting a new flight scheduling system that would let them book flights based on preliminary intentions and then the computer rebooks everyone when they finalize schedules and eliminate a number of flights. The article said that before, a person would rebook you so you got things that made sense. Now, the computer rebooks you and you get the nonsensical results that so many have gotten upset about.  We love SWA, but their recent operational policies leave much to be desired.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Ugh, our May 13 flight down to MCO was pushed back 6 hours! I do not want to land at MCO at 8:30pm with kids. I’ve canceled my SW flights and got nonstop flights with Delta that land at 9:30am (and picked my seats).


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

DisTXMom said:


> I had read an article a ways back about them getting a new flight scheduling system that would let them book flights based on preliminary intentions and then the computer rebooks everyone when they finalize schedules and eliminate a number of flights. The article said that before, a person would rebook you so you got things that made sense. Now, the computer rebooks you and you get the nonsensical results that so many have gotten upset about.  We love SWA, but their recent operational policies leave much to be desired.


Oohh that would be an interesting article to read. Do you remember by any chance where you saw that at?


----------



## Avery&Todd

oh good heavens.... 

I received notification this evening that our flights from RDU to LAS May 15-19 were just victim of the HORRIBLE SW flight changes going on...

now instead of leaving RDU early (which I LOVE) and getting into Vegas at 10am we now leave at 10:30am, have a layover in Austin and get into Vegas at 3pm - they are cutting into my gambling time!!

ARGH!

and we leave Vegas at 7:45am - who leaves Vegas that early??? 

I'm just hoping that between now and then they come out with some better options and perhaps even a non-stop or 2!!

and can I tell you that they originally put us on a flight with 2 layovers to get to Vegas...what in the world..


----------



## jo-jo

LadybugsMum said:


> Ugh, our May 13 flight down to MCO was pushed back 6 hours! I do not want to land at MCO at 8:30pm with kids. I’ve canceled my SW flights and got nonstop flights with Delta that land at 9:30am (and picked my seats).



Your fares were refunded?

In our case, we had to cancel a trip in Dec, so we were using credit for our April trip.  Not sure if they would have given us cash at that point.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Avery&Todd said:


> we leave Vegas at 7:45am - who leaves Vegas that early???


Right there with you who is even partially awake at that time let alone ready at the airport to leave Vegas


----------



## Sleepyluke

Just got our flight change.  Not only did they change us from a 4 hour total trip to a 7.5 hour, they moved the departure time up 4 hours to within 30 min of TSA opening at our airport.  Not gonna happen...  I see a few flights did go down in price, but I am getting a functional flight first, then deal with a deal.....  This is for a flight in May.   Good luck everyone!!


----------



## Avery&Todd

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Right there with you who is even partially awake at that time let alone ready at the airport to leave Vegas


EXACTLY!!  and we rent a car so we'll have to leave extra-extra early to return that to the car center, take the bus to the airport....ugh...

UGH.....on a high note I did get back 44k in points bc the points dropped for these new crappy flights!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Avery&Todd said:


> EXACTLY!!  and we rent a car so we'll have to leave extra-extra early to return that to the car center, take the bus to the airport....ugh...
> 
> UGH.....on a high note I did get back 44k in points bc the points dropped for these new crappy flights!


Not liking your post for all the ickiness you have to deal with but just that I feel ya   

Silver lining getting all those points back! but completely annoying all the changes at the same time


----------



## TNKim

Got an email for a flight change in May. Does anyone know if you’re not happy with the time you’ve been changed to, and not happy with any other choices for that day, can you change your flight to arrive in another city?  For example, instead of the original flight from Vegas to Atlanta, could you choose to arrive in Nashville instead? It’s a round trip ticket, not one way each way. So I would fly from Atlanta to Vegas, but return from Vegas to Nashville. Is this doable since SW made the change?


----------



## CarlyMur09

And our May 15 MCO - PIT flight changed as well. Went from 7:20 AM departure to 10:25 AM, so guess that works in our favor as well. Did not get a change yet for my sister’s flight on May 9… so, does that mean they probably won’t touch it for a while?
ETA- spoke too soon. Her flight was changed… from a 8:30 PM nonstop to a 6:40 flight with a layover in BWI…. Oy. I guess I’ll be talking to her tomorrow to see if she wants to keep or change.


----------



## LadybugsMum

jo-jo said:


> Your fares were refunded?


I used points; so those were returned. I’m really glad I hadn’t bought EBCI yet as I was seriously considering it.


----------



## jo-jo

I know this is a SW thread, but do other airlines do this?   I haven't flown anything but SW for years.  Of course the only place we have flown to is disney for years.

Listening to all these reports, my faith in SW is sinking.


----------



## mickey916

Just looked at 5/1, 5/8, 5/15 and all of them now show the nonstop evening flight being moved to 10:10 pm, just like my 4/10 flight....making me very nervous that my 5/22 flight is going to be moved as well from 6:30 pm to 10:10 pm..this is nerve-wracking. That won't work for my sons who will have to be at work Monday morning.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Delta changes their schedules and there's been quite a lot of posters in the past left scrambling to put their traveling parties back together as their seats where changed (a con for booking specific seats I suppose as it's a risk they can get changed) 

It's been a long time so my experience is out of date but in 2016 when we flew to Hawaii it was a total of 5 flights (2 flight there 3 flights back home) and 4 out of the 5 IIRC were changed. Minimally but I do remember one of the flights they changed the aircraft and so our seats were changed (smaller aircraft) though they kept us together on the side that had 2 seats.


----------



## Grankm21

TNKim said:


> Got an email for a flight change in May. Does anyone know if you’re not happy with the time you’ve been changed to, and not happy with any other choices for that day, can you change your flight to arrive in another city?  For example, instead of the original flight from Vegas to Atlanta, could you choose to arrive in Nashville instead? It’s a round trip ticket, not one way each way. So I would fly from Atlanta to Vegas, but return from Vegas to Nashville. Is this doable since SW made the change?



Not exactly the same situation, but l called to change my cancelled April flights today. Not only did I change the departure/return city, but I changed the return flight date by 5 days. They gave me a little push back on the departure airport change, but I just explained that I originally chose to fly out of an airport over an hour from my house because the flight was direct. But if now my only options have layovers, I preferred to fly from the airport closer to my house.  I think if you provide a decent reason, they will make the change.


----------



## TNKim

Grankm21 said:


> Not exactly the same situation, but l called to change my cancelled April flights today. Not only did I change the departure/return city, but I changed the return flight date by 5 days. They gave me a little push back on the departure airport change, but I just explained that I originally chose to fly out of an airport over an hour from my house because the flight was direct. But if now my only options have layovers, I preferred to fly from the airport closer to my house.  I think if you provide a decent reason, they will make the change.



So were You booked round trip and both departure and return flights were changed by SW? Then you changed city for both? Our departure flight did not change, but the return flight did.  I’d like to change only the city of the return flight. I’m using a shuttle, so either city will work, but the only nonstop flight remaining is to the other city. I’m sure I will need to call but I just hate waiting on hold.


----------



## Grankm21

TNKim said:


> So were You booked round trip and both departure and return flights were changed by SW? Then you changed city for both? Our departure flight did not change, but the return flight did.  I’d like to change only the city of the return flight. I’m using a shuttle, so either city will work, but the only nonstop flight remaining is to the other city. I’m sure I will need to call but I just hate waiting on hold.


Sorry about the confusion.  To clarify SW had cancelled both our departure and return flight. So we were able to make the adjustments to both flights. If SW had only cancelled/changed one flight, I’m not sure we would have been able to change the other flight, but it’s worth a try.


----------



## Sleepyluke

Well just got our return trip screwed up now.  New flight before we get off the ship and no option for an afternoon flight at all!  What is going on SW........


----------



## roctavia

jo-jo said:


> I know this is a SW thread, but do other airlines do this?   I haven't flown anything but SW for years.  Of course the only place we have flown to is disney for years.
> 
> Listening to all these reports, my faith in SW is sinking.



American had mass flight changes a couple of months ago and really screwed up destination wedding travel plans for us, and everyone had to rebook since they changed everything so dramatically... some people had to change days/airlines completely... so unfortunately I think it's kind of the norm right now.


----------



## georgina

Got some emails. One flight change was only by 5 minutes, another was to a later flight that cost fewer points. They wouldn't let me modify it to get points back so I cancelled to rebook, but even though it said 3 seats left at that price, it wouldn't let me book the same flight. Had to book another one, and now I see the price of the one I was trying for has gone from 7600 to 19,000 points. 

One other flight on May 10 has been removed from the schedule, but no change email yet so I don't know whats up.


----------



## AlohaNow

Our late April flight was changed this week. The weirdest part is that they switched us to depart 2 hours later, when our ‘original’ flight still exists with a slight adjustment of leaving/arriving 5 minutes later. So I went online and switched us back to the ‘original’ flight, the one with the whopping 5 minute difference. SW is being so bizarre recently. The past couple of trips and two upcoming trips we’ve flown out on SW and back on other carriers. It’s just how the time/price choices worked out best for us. That has worked out well because I never buy EBCI and I can always check in right at the 24 hour mark because I’m at home, not usually doing anything else! But our loyalty to SW is waning at this point. I hate paying for baggage, but c’mon SW!


----------



## aokeefe

I have Jet Blue booked for a May and July trip and they made changes several weeks ago- nothing like SW but enough that the times shortened our trips so we had to make some changes to our days.


----------



## Avery&Todd

and I just realized that the EB that I purchased for DH's flights on our flights from RDU-LAS and home again are GONE!   

I'm the A-List so I buy it for him and I can see on my original confirmation # 2 charges for $20 - AND my confirmation # did not change....there was a blip with me changes the return flight last night and I had to reach out to SW via FB and they adjusted it and returned my points...

so I'm "chatting" with them on FB again - well, they haven't answered me yet but last night took a little bit of time for them to respond but then they were super helpful!


----------



## MICKIMINI

I got my email last night regarding our non stop 5/21 MHT depart 6 am, arrive MCO 9 am paid for with hard earned points.  Nothing like wasting an entire day with Southwest!

SWA changed them to:

FLIGHT
#3501DEPARTS
MHT 4:10PM
Manchester



ARRIVES
MDW 5:35PM
Chicago (Midway)
Stop: 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Change planes
FLIGHT
#3082DEPARTS
MDW 7:30PM
Chicago (Midway)



ARRIVES
MCO 11:00PM
Orlando

I was able to switch to a 6:30 am MHT-MCO via BWI arriving around 11:30 am.  We took these flights in October and it was awful, long layover in BWI and our flight was late getting out.  I am disabled and it just adds to the pain of flying.  We fly back on 6/2 and booked separately so no email yet...

In about two years we will start driving when DH retires.  Our September trip is booked with Delta which I planned to change but am now keeping.  Bad on you Southwest for screwing up everyone's vacations!


----------



## EACarlson

TNKim said:


> Got an email for a flight change in May. Does anyone know if you’re not happy with the time you’ve been changed to, and not happy with any other choices for that day, can you change your flight to arrive in another city?  For example, instead of the original flight from Vegas to Atlanta, could you choose to arrive in Nashville instead? It’s a round trip ticket, not one way each way. So I would fly from Atlanta to Vegas, but return from Vegas to Nashville. Is this doable since SW made the change?


 It should not be a problem, but you are going to have to call in.  You may need to explain why you're asking for this to the CSR but it should be easy to be done.


jo-jo said:


> I know this is a SW thread, but do other airlines do this?   I haven't flown anything but SW for years.  Of course the only place we have flown to is disney for years.
> 
> Listening to all these reports, my faith in SW is sinking.


Yes, Delta has a thing called Schedule Change Saturday where you're pretty much told not to look at your flights on the weekends because the schedule changes screw everything up until Monday morning.  In October they cancelled the second leg on my return home from MCO, my options were to double connect, leaving 4 hours earlier, take the lone remaining single connection through ATL 9 hours earlier or change my connecting point leaving 3 hours later and getting home 6 hours later.


----------



## dez1978

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Right there with you who is even partially awake at that time let alone ready at the airport to leave Vegas


more than once we have flown out of vegas at 730 am.  Idk why we do that to ourselves lol.  Must have been the only flights that worked that day or something stupid like that.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

dez1978 said:


> more than once we have flown out of vegas at 730 am.  Idk why we do that to ourselves lol.  Must have been the only flights that worked that day or something stupid like that.


My husband is trying to get me to go back to Vegas because we have another comp offer (which is why we went again in December) that works again for The Wynn or the Encore (actually prefer the Encore's rooms) but with all these schedule changes I'm not comfortable booking at this moment. I think we have til the early part of March to book. But you can rest assured we will not be flying out of Vegas that early..we'd miss breakfast at Mon Ami Gabi and that there isn't right . Now arriving in Vegas that early? We've totally done that (our December flight we arrived before 8am IIRC as our flight left KC at like 6am)


----------



## Avery&Todd

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> My husband is trying to get me to go back to Vegas because we have another comp offer (which is why we went again in December) that works again for The Wynn or the Encore (actually prefer the Encore's rooms) but with all these schedule changes I'm not comfortable booking at this moment. I think we have til the early part of March to book. But you can rest assured we will not be flying out of Vegas that early..we'd miss breakfast at Mon Ami Gabi and that there isn't right . Now arriving in Vegas that early? We've totally done that (our December flight we arrived before 8am IIRC as our flight left KC at like 6am)


I LOVE getting into Vegas super early - it's like a whole extra day for FREE!!

and we're going b/c of a comped offer at the Bellagio - and because of the exciting outdoor activities I have planned - driving Razors in the desert and kayaking on the Colorado river!  

and DH is all about a fancy dinner...so there's that too!


----------



## mickey916

Anyone traveling on May 22 have a change yet? My flight is still intact but I'm guessing they just haven't gone that far on the schedule yet...I've seen reports of 5/20 and 5/21 changes...


----------



## Avery&Todd

mickey916 said:


> Anyone traveling on May 22 have a change yet? My flight is still intact but I'm guessing they just haven't gone that far on the schedule yet...I've seen reports of 5/20 and 5/21 changes...


Mine were May 15 & 19th...

maybe you're next?  Sorry!

  

and I'm also wondering since we're so far out from our May trips if they'll come back with another round of changes closer to our dates? I know we don't want to hear that, but I wonder if these changes were like "whole" schedule changes, and I've been seeing SW change our flights about a month prior to our flights, so maybe there's another round coming?

I mean, these were horrible changes so if better changes are coming I'm all for it - but if not, then SW can keep them!


----------



## Sleepyluke

mickey916 said:


> Anyone traveling on May 22 have a change yet? My flight is still intact but I'm guessing they just haven't gone that far on the schedule yet...I've seen reports of 5/20 and 5/21 changes...


I got our 5/21 cancel email last night and just read this.  They removed all afternoon flights on the 21st, and we can't get to the airport in time getting off the cruise ship, so going to have to spend the night, but this now scares me to move to a noon/early afternoon on the 22nd, as they may have just not gotten to moving them around yet....


----------



## Sleepyluke

Am I correct - If SW changes my flight, I get to change to a new one free.  If they change that new one between now and the flight, I get to change that one as well if it does not work, correct?

Also, is there any way other than phone to get points returned if the new flight is less?


----------



## georgina

georgina said:


> Got some emails. One flight change was only by 5 minutes, another was to a later flight that cost fewer points. They wouldn't let me modify it to get points back so I cancelled to rebook, but even though it said 3 seats left at that price, it wouldn't let me book the same flight. Had to book another one, and now I see the price of the one I was trying for has gone from 7600 to 19,000 points.
> 
> One other flight on May 10 has been removed from the schedule, but no change email yet so I don't know whats up.


Quoting myself - and the weirdness continues. DH's original May 14th flight change that went from 7600  to 19,000 pts changed by 10 minutes today and is back down to 5700 pts. So I rebooked him again to that one.

My 7 AM May 10th flight to MCO is now 6 AM. The next non-stop isn't until 2:20, so I will get up early.


----------



## mickey916

Sleepyluke said:


> Am I correct - If SW changes my flight, I get to change to a new one free.  If they change that new one between now and the flight, I get to change that one as well if it does not work, correct?
> 
> Also, is there any way other than phone to get points returned if the new flight is less?


I believe you have 14 days to switch to a new one with no additional cost. I don't know about points returned if the new flight is less. My suspicion is if you change before they do, you get the points back, not sure if they change you if you get them back. I changed my 5/13 flight before they changed me and saved $25 cash per flight ($100 total). I'm guessing I wouldn't have gotten that had they simply moved me to the same flight.


----------



## focusondisney

DisTXMom said:


> I had read an article a ways back about them getting a new flight scheduling system that would let them book flights based on preliminary intentions and then the computer rebooks everyone when they finalize schedules and eliminate a number of flights. The article said that before, a person would rebook you so you got things that made sense. Now, the computer rebooks you and you get the nonsensical results that so many have gotten upset about.  We love SWA, but their recent operational policies leave much to be desired.



So this is gonna be the new booking method? Intentionally misleading customers on what they’re purchasing??? Hard NOPE.  I understand flights get changed sometimes.  But to intentionally take my money, knowing full well you don’t intend to honor what I booked is not gonna work for me.  I will cancel all 3 of our SW credit cards, hold onto the 275,000 points we have & go back to flying Jetblue.


----------



## georgina

Sleepyluke said:


> Also, is there any way other than phone to get points returned if the new flight is less?


DH had a flight at 12:45 and they moved him to one at 2:20 which was less points than the original. Last night I tried to cancel and rebook at the lower rate, however even though it said 3 seats available at that price, I couldn't do it and when I looked again the points required had soared. So I rebooked a different flight at 11:00, and today the new flight was changed to 2:10 and even lower points. I was able to change him to that one. So you can potentially cancel and rebook at the lower rate but be careful of price changes. (The estimated call wait time was 2 hours so I didn't do that)


----------



## Avery&Todd

Sleepyluke said:


> Am I correct - If SW changes my flight, I get to change to a new one free.  If they change that new one between now and the flight, I get to change that one as well if it does not work, correct?
> 
> Also, is there any way other than phone to get points returned if the new flight is less?


Last night I got the red banner saying both of our May flights were changed.

I was able to go in and amend both flights at no charge since SW made this change.  If they change the flights again, then once again I'll be able to change at no cost to me.

Between my original flights and the new flights I booked us on bc SW changed our flights, I was able to get back almost 40k in points.  There was a glitch when I was changing our return flight so I reached out to SW via FB and they were able to confirm the new return flight and refund my 40k in points.

I really like chatting with SW via FB - I've also heard that Twitter is easy too!

Good luck!


----------



## Sleepyluke

Avery&Todd said:


> Last night I got the red banner saying both of our May flights were changed.
> 
> I was able to go in and amend both flights at no charge since SW made this change.  If they change the flights again, then once again I'll be able to change at no cost to me.
> 
> Between my original flights and the new flights I booked us on bc SW changed our flights, I was able to get back almost 40k in points.  There was a glitch when I was changing our return flight so I reached out to SW via FB and they were able to confirm the new return flight and refund my 40k in points.
> 
> I really like chatting with SW via FB - I've also heard that Twitter is easy too!
> 
> Good luck!


I got my flights switched, but literally while i was on hold, the points per flight jumped 10,000 points.  Would have liked to have those points back, but like knowing that I have a flight, although now the wrong day, and will have to pay for a hotel room.  But she did tell me that they think, what is there now on the 5/21-5/22 time frame should be the final big changes.


----------



## mickey916

Sleepyluke said:


> I got my flights switched, but literally while i was on hold, the points per flight jumped 10,000 points.  Would have liked to have those points back, but like knowing that I have a flight, although now the wrong day, and will have to pay for a hotel room.  But she did tell me that they think, what is there now on the 5/21-5/22 time frame should be the final big changes.


Please let this be true!!!!!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Avery&Todd said:


> I LOVE getting into Vegas super early - it's like a whole extra day for FREE!!
> 
> and we're going b/c of a comped offer at the Bellagio - and because of the exciting outdoor activities I have planned - driving Razors in the desert and kayaking on the Colorado river!
> 
> and DH is all about a fancy dinner...so there's that too!


I so agree..I mean we don't get any alcoholic drinks I'm barely awake as is when the flight is that early but it is like getting a whole day free.

Off topic for here but we stayed comped at the Bellagio in December as well (used MyVegas rewards although I think we had to pay resort fees and the fully comp offers from Wynn and Encore we were able to waive the resort fees which meant we couldn't use what was included but that was fine). Have you tried Scarpetta? It's in the Cosmo and not long walking from Bellagio (you know how even being next door can be a walk in Vegas lol). It's a nice dinner and if you get sat in the right place you can see the fountains going off. We had that as an early anniversary dinner back in March 2021 and then again in December because we liked it. 

This sounds like a great trip you have planned! We did do Hoover Dam back in 2017 as well as Red Rock Canyon but have not done quite as adventurous stuff as you've got planned.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

mickey916 said:


> Please let this be true!!!!!


Same keeping fingers crossed here


----------



## Avery&Todd

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I so agree..I mean we don't get any alcoholic drinks I'm barely awake as is when the flight is that early but it is like getting a whole day free.
> 
> Off topic for here but we stayed comped at the Bellagio in December as well (used MyVegas rewards although I think we had to pay resort fees and the fully comp offers from Wynn and Encore we were able to waive the resort fees which meant we couldn't use what was included but that was fine). Have you tried Scarpetta? It's in the Cosmo and not long walking from Bellagio (you know how even being next door can be a walk in Vegas lol). It's a nice dinner and if you get sat in the right place you can see the fountains going off. We had that as an early anniversary dinner back in March 2021 and then again in December because we liked it.
> 
> This sounds like a great trip you have planned! We did do Hoover Dam back in 2017 as well as Red Rock Canyon but have not done quite as adventurous stuff as you've got planned.


HA! I play MyVegas too!!  Im hoping this time to cash in for free play @ Bellagio, a BOGO breakfast buffet at Bellagio, BOGO 2-day monorail passes, and free dessert at Tom Colicchio's Craftsteak @ MGM!

We have not been to Scarpetta yet - but I think I did look it over this trip but we've settled on:

Giada's on arrival night, Tom Colicchio's Craftsteak , Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab (my absolute FAVORITE and a must do each trip!!) and then Jaleo (at Cosmo) on our last night -I know there's one at Disney Springs but we've never been!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Avery&Todd said:


> HA! I play MyVegas too!!  Im hoping this time to cash in for free play @ Bellagio, a BOGO breakfast buffet at Bellagio, BOGO 2-day monorail passes, and free dessert at Tom Colicchio's Craftsteak @ MGM!
> 
> We have not been to Scarpetta yet - but I think I did look it over this trip but we've settled on:
> 
> Giada's on arrival night, Tom Colicchio's Craftsteak , Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab (my absolute FAVORITE and a must do each trip!!) and then Jaleo (at Cosmo) on our last night -I know there's one at Disney Springs but we've never been!


We have not been to any of those restaurants you mentioned but I should check them out. My husband likes to use his rewards often on buy one get one drinks sometimes gelato at Bellagio, I think once we may have used some for Hash House A Go Go . We had used one for the Wynn buffet back in April 2020 but that trip got rescheduled to March 2021 and the buffet was not open then


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

MICKIMINI said:


> I got my email last night regarding our non stop 5/21 MHT depart 6 am, arrive MCO 9 am paid for with hard earned points.  Nothing like wasting an entire day with Southwest!
> 
> SWA changed them to:
> 
> FLIGHT
> #3501DEPARTS
> MHT 4:10PM
> Manchester
> 
> 
> 
> ARRIVES
> MDW 5:35PM
> Chicago (Midway)
> Stop:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Change planes
> FLIGHT
> #3082DEPARTS
> MDW 7:30PM
> Chicago (Midway)
> 
> 
> 
> ARRIVES
> MCO 11:00PM
> Orlando
> 
> I was able to switch to a 6:30 am MHT-MCO via BWI arriving around 11:30 am.  We took these flights in October and it was awful, long layover in BWI and our flight was late getting out.  I am disabled and it just adds to the pain of flying.  We fly back on 6/2 and booked separately so no email yet...
> 
> In about two years we will start driving when DH retires.  Our September trip is booked with Delta which I planned to change but am now keeping.  Bad on you Southwest for screwing up everyone's vacations!


Today I got an email for a may 14 flight change.  I was going MHT to BWI to RDU.  Well I was rerouted with a non stop to Orlando with a 5 hour layover, then back up to Raleigh.  I guess I could have done some shopping.  I changed to an earlier flight through Baltimore.


----------



## mickey916

Not good...just went in for the millionth time to check my flight on May 22 and the flight schedule says "We're sorry there are no flights on May 22 from MCO to PVD" obviously change is coming....


----------



## mickey916

Looks like they're changing to the same flight schedule that my April trip has which stinks because there's no way my boys can take a flight that lands at 1:00 am and be at work that morning. Looks like we lose a day from our trip.


----------



## MICKIMINI

Cruzin’Sisters said:


> Today I got an email for a may 14 flight change.  I was going MHT to BWI to RDU.  Well I was rerouted with a non stop to Orlando with a 5 hour layover, then back up to Raleigh.  I guess I could have done some shopping.  I changed to an earlier flight through Baltimore.


You can almost do a park at WDW with a 5 hour layover at MCO LOL!  I plan to watch to see if a non stop comes back.   I think there will be more changes coming to schedules before May.  Thankfully, I have 3 or 4 rental cars booked for various hours which I will keep until day of!


----------



## mickey916

So, the good news I guess is I was successful to switch my flight to another one before they randomly assigned me to one and saved $83 per person but now we're on a connecting flight and leaving at 11:50 instead of 6:30, that day just becomes a travel day. Stinks...no Chef Art Smith farewell brunch for us.


----------



## DCJ

Was walking to the gate after tsa check about an hour before the flight was supposed to take off @ 6 am this morning in Philly when we got an email from Southwest that the flight was cancelled. 1 hour wait on the phone, 1 agent at the booth to handle everyone on that flight. No flights to move to until tomorrow afternoon. Moved us to a flight out of DC tonight. Waiting for that flight now, hour late so far.


----------



## aokeefe

mickey916 said:


> Not good...just went in for the millionth time to check my flight on May 22 and the flight schedule says "We're sorry there are no flights on May 22 from MCO to PVD" obviously change is coming....


Have you checked again? I was curious since I fly out of PVD and it looks like May is changing over to the April changes (2 flights a day to MCO 10:45 am and 6:30 pm)


----------



## mickey916

aokeefe said:


> Have you checked again? I was curious since I fly out of PVD and it looks like May is changing over to the April changes (2 flights a day to MCO 10:45 am and 6:30 pm)


Yes it appears they changed to the April schedule. I already moved my flight down on 5/13 to the 6:30 pm flight but it's the flight home on Sunday 5/22 that's all messed up..only a 7:30 am or 10:10 pm only nonstops.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

DCJ said:


> Was walking to the gate after tsa check about an hour before the flight was supposed to take off @ 6 am this morning in Philly when we got an email from Southwest that the flight was cancelled. 1 hour wait on the phone, 1 agent at the booth to handle everyone on that flight. No flights to move to until tomorrow afternoon. Moved us to a flight out of DC tonight. Waiting for that flight now, hour late so far.


Did they tell you why your flight was canceled? Usually when it's that close it's a weather issue (either at the airport OR elsewhere), aircraft change or issue, crew issue,etc. Unfortunately that is a normal part of travel


----------



## serenitynow

Our May 26 flight home from Orlando was just changed. The flight number changed but the time only changed by leaving 40 minutes later.  Phew- I hope Southwest is done messing with May flights.


----------



## PrincessDJC

mickey916 said:


> Anyone traveling on May 22 have a change yet? My flight is still intact but I'm guessing they just haven't gone that far on the schedule yet...I've seen reports of 5/20 and 5/21 changes...


Just got a notification. For both flights going and returning.


----------



## dez1978

My May 28 flight out of Tampa was just changed tonight


----------



## AuroraluvsPhillip

Both of my flights in and out of PVD changed times, but at least they are both still nonstops.


----------



## DCJ

They told us crew issue, reluctantly. We had some weather but other airlines were still flying. We rented a car one way and drove to DC to get that other flight. 19 hours later, we're finally here. Could be worse.... Saw a lady was at the Frontier gate, they overbooked the flight, she couldn't get on and her luggage was already on the plane and gone apparently.


----------



## PrincessDJC

AuroraluvsPhillip said:


> Both of my flights in and out of PVD changed times, but at least they are both still nonstops.


One of mine they changed to a 3 hour layover but I was able to change. The other they now have us home at 1am. Ugh


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

DCJ said:


> They told us crew issue, reluctantly. We had some weather but other airlines were still flying. We rented a car one way and drove to DC to get that other flight. 19 hours later, we're finally here. Could be worse.... Saw a lady was at the Frontier gate, they overbooked the flight, she couldn't get on and her luggage was already on the plane and gone apparently.


My husband had a crew issue before, basically the current crew couldn't log any more hours legally and they didn't have a crew to replace yet. Flight wasn't canceled but heavily delayed. It happens and might be more likely with this pandemic (if they can even find the crew to begin with that is who knows maybe that was the issue). Still is frustrating for sure. Glad you made it home even as long as it took 

I'd be so mad about my luggage though with that Frontier flight and worried where my luggage would end up.


----------



## disny_luvr

Are all these flight changes for flights happening in the next few weeks? We are flying to Denver from Baltimore on June 26th and returning on July 10th and all these changes are making me nervous. I check our flights daily and no changes yet.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

disny_luvr said:


> Are all these flight changes for flights happening in the next few weeks? We are flying to Denver from Baltimore on June 26th and returning on July 10th and all these changes are making me nervous. I check our flights daily and no changes yet.


Just observationally it started with flights occurring in March, moved through that month, then went to April, moved through that month, then went to May, moved through that month (and may not be complete for the month of May).

I don't know yet if we know if these changes will sweep through June, July, etc (we just haven't had reports *yet* here on this thread I don't think) but to answer your question no these changes are not just for flights in the next few weeks it's for flights occurring even months in the future. So best advice you may want to watch your flights.


----------



## disny_luvr

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Just observationally it started with flights occurring in March, moved through that month, then went to April, moved through that month, then went to May, moved through that month (and may not be complete for the month of May).
> 
> I don't know yet if we know if these changes will sweep through June, July, etc (we just haven't had reports *yet* here on this thread I don't think) but to answer your question no these changes are not just for flights in the next few weeks it's for flights occurring even months in the future. So best advice you may want to watch your flights.



Thanks for letting me know. I’ll keep watching my flights. It’s a good thing we are flying out a day earlier than planned.


----------



## RMO87

Has anyone had their flight changed to an earlier time? Mine, and many others I see posted, all look to be changed to a later time.  Just wondering if it could work both ways.


----------



## chrisp

Flights May 20 and 26 both changed to later time.  Original nonstop 11:35 am flight was changed  by SW to 3:15 pm even though the new nonstop was at 11:40.  So I changed it to the 11:40.  Ridiculous.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

RMO87 said:


> Has anyone had their flight changed to an earlier time? Mine, and many others I see posted, all look to be changed to a later time.  Just wondering if it could work both ways.


Our May 4th flight to Orlando was changed to earlier by 10mins.

One of my DISer friends her May 6th flight to Orlando originally was supposed to land at 11pm her new time now lands at 8:30pm

So yes it has worked both ways.


----------



## TNKim

RMO87 said:


> Has anyone had their flight changed to an earlier time? Mine, and many others I see posted, all look to be changed to a later time.  Just wondering if it could work both ways.



Yes, my departure flight changed from leaving at 7:45 am to 6:55 am. Not thrilled but at least it is still nonstop.  Our return flight was changed to instead of returning at 3:15pm on a nonstop to having to change planes and returning at 1:00 am the next day. I was able to change it to a flight still with a stop but not having to change planes, arriving at 7:25 pm. SW removed 2 nonstop flights so we didn’t have much choice.


----------



## roctavia

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> My husband had a crew issue before, basically the current crew couldn't log any more hours legally and they didn't have a crew to replace yet. Flight wasn't canceled but heavily delayed. It happens and might be more likely with this pandemic (if they can even find the crew to begin with that is who knows maybe that was the issue). Still is frustrating for sure. Glad you made it home even as long as it took
> 
> I'd be so mad about my luggage though with that Frontier flight and worried where my luggage would end up.



We spent an extra 4 hours in Miami waiting for a connection due to being short a flight attendant on American... I think the airlines are all struggling with staff right now, plus COVID outages etc. It's really frustrating given how high prices are...  But it's happening to all airlines.


----------



## MICKIMINI

Our June 2 flight MCO-MHT was changed overnight.  The flight they changed us to was another ridiculous 5 pm arriving at 11 pm with a stop.  I was able to change it back to a non-stop now leaving at 9 am which is fine.  I'm still mad about our May 21 connecting flight but am hoping for a nonstop, which is what we originally had.


----------



## mickey916

MICKIMINI said:


> Our June 2 flight MCO-MHT was changed overnight.  The flight they changed us to was another ridiculous 5 pm arriving at 11 pm with a stop.  I was able to change it back to a non-stop now leaving at 9 am which is fine.  I'm still mad about our May 21 connecting flight but am hoping for a nonstop, which is what we originally had.


I'm hoping for a nonstop too to resurface for our May 22 flight as well. I'll keep stalking.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

MICKIMINI said:


> Our June 2 flight MCO-MHT was changed overnight.  The flight they changed us to was another ridiculous 5 pm arriving at 11 pm with a stop.  I was able to change it back to a non-stop now leaving at 9 am which is fine.  I'm still mad about our May 21 connecting flight but am hoping for a nonstop, which is what we originally had.


Well I guess your post may be the first of the June flights, guess we'll have to see if others post back about their flights changing to see if the pattern holds up.


----------



## Avery&Todd

mickey916 said:


> I'm hoping for a nonstop too to resurface for our May 22 flight as well. I'll keep stalking.


Me too!!  Our May 15th flights are now horrible and I'm hoping between now and then that SW opens up some nonstop flights!!  They did that about a month out last year..

*fingers crossed*


----------



## serenitynow

RMO87 said:


> Has anyone had their flight changed to an earlier time? Mine, and many others I see posted, all look to be changed to a later time.  Just wondering if it could work both ways.


Mine was 2 hours earlier


----------



## mickey916

Avery&Todd said:


> Me too!!  Our May 15th flights are now horrible and I'm hoping between now and then that SW opens up some nonstop flights!!  They did that about a month out last year..
> 
> *fingers crossed*


That gives me hope! Maybe I'll book brunch at Chef Art Smith's for that morning at my 60 days, just in case I hit it lucky!


----------



## mhf

Gitelfor said:


> Is there anyone whose flights were changed this time around for any month other than April?
> 
> I recall that the March and April 2022 flight schedules had some modifications last November.  So, there probably are those whose flight arrangements have had involuntarily changes more than once, since originally booked.


Yes, my June flight was changed by 12 hours.  I canceled it.  May go Delta instead.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Well the flight I originally booked for $89 is currently $561-$601....I’m still wondering why they are using the 737-700 instead of the larger 737-800 planes when so many of these flights for April on are already sold out....is it more costly to fly those planes even with accommodating more passengers?   With the rising costs of fuel I can’t imagine what the flights for Sept will be when schedule opens on March 30th.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Lsdolphin said:


> Well the flight I originally booked for $89 is currently $561-$601....I’m still wondering why they are using the 737-700 instead of the larger 737-800 planes when so many of these flights for April on are already sold out....is it more costly to fly those planes even with accommodating more passengers?   With the rising costs of fuel I can’t imagine what the flights for Sept will be when schedule opens on March 30th.


I already gave the stats for what was in their fleet as far as 737-700, 737-800 and MAX8 when you last asked this question. They are in fact using 737-800 and MAX8 planes, they may not be using them on *your* flight though.

On our May 4th traveling to Orlando from KC date 7 flights (includes connections) use the 737-800 
On our May 15th traveling to KC from Orlando 9 flights (including connections) use the 737-800, an additional segment uses the MAX8


----------



## Lsdolphin

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I already gave the stats for what was in their fleet as far as 737-700, 737-800 and MAX8 when you last asked this question. They are in fact using 737-800 and MAX8 planes, they may not be using them on *your* flight though.
> 
> On our May 4th traveling to Orlando from KC date 7 flights (includes connections) use the 737-800
> On our May 15th traveling to KC from Orlando 9 flights (including connections) use the 737-800, an additional segment uses the MAX8


Sorry must have missed your post....I fly in and out of BWI and I was checking those flights going back and forth from MCO and really didn’t see many of the 737-700/ 800 on those flights...


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Lsdolphin said:


> Sorry must have missed your post....I fly in and out of BWI and I was checking those flights going back and forth from MCO and really didn’t see many of the 737-700/ 800 on those flights...


No worries  

Previously this is what I had said about their fleet: "The 737-700 though make up a huge part of their fleet though. When I look at it they only have active 69 MAX8 planes, 207 active 737-800 but 444 active 737-700."


***That information was current as of when I posted it which was Wednesday*** A notation this was before the May flights got changed so I know a flight or two were eliminated from my May flights. The amount of 737-800s and MAX8 in the quote today has already taken into consideration the reduced flights for those dates and is going off the current schedule as it stands today for the dates I mentioned.

They will be flying the 737-700 regardless the most because it makes up the majority of their fleet (if using the figures above it's almost 62% is 737-700). And flight times and routes and airports and all sorts of things are taken into consideration.

FWIW I checked the same May dates for BWI to MCO and May 4th had 7 segments using 737-800 and May 15th back to BWI also had 7 segments using the 737-800. These count connections. I know you're talking about April though.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> No worries
> 
> Previously this is what I had said about their fleet: "The 737-700 though make up a huge part of their fleet though. When I look at it they only have active 69 MAX8 planes, 207 active 737-800 but 444 active 737-700."
> 
> 
> ***That information was current as of when I posted it which was Wednesday*** A notation this was before the May flights got changed so I know a flight or two were eliminated from my May flights. The amount of 737-800s and MAX8 in the quote today has already taken into consideration the reduced flights for those dates and is going off the current schedule as it stands today for the dates I mentioned.
> 
> They will be flying the 737-700 regardless the most because it makes up the majority of their fleet (if using the figures above it's almost 62% is 737-700). And flight times and routes and airports and all sorts of things are taken into consideration.
> 
> FWIW I checked the same May dates for BWI to MCO and May 4th had 7 segments using 737-800 and May 15th back to BWI also had 7 segments using the 737-800. These count connections. I know you're talking about April though.



yes our dates are 4/3 ( am flight) and 4/9 later flight which was a 9:20 flight that was an 737-800 and that flight was cancelle.


----------



## Avery&Todd

mickey916 said:


> That gives me hope! Maybe I'll book brunch at Chef Art Smith's for that morning at my 60 days, just in case I hit it lucky!


I do love having a second plan!! And if you have Chef Art's booked you'll know ahead of time if SW doesn't add more flights in plenty of time to cancel those ADRs!!


----------



## Poohlovr

We booked our flights for optimal park time coupled with non- stop flights.
So out of SDF @ 0600 with an 0800 arrival.
Return flight was at 1720 and arrive home at 1935.

First change was SDF - MCO to 0950 and arrive at 1155.
Only non- stop of the day. 
Didn't bother rebooking because the only flight that arrived much earlier was only about 90 min earlier and was going to cost me about $200 pp more.
Everything was fine for several days.  Rebooked the car rental and of course...
The following day our return flight was changed  to a layover in Chicago and a total flight time of almost 6 hrs.
Since we had lost half a park day on our first day,  we chose to just change our return flight to a non- stop the next morning at 0700 so we can spend that entire last day in the parks. We'll stay at a hotel near the airport that night after the parks close. 
Now that I've said that, watch this flight get changed


----------



## Avery&Todd

I decided to poke around the SW schedule and it seems that the RDU-LAS flight options leaving on a Sunday and coming back on a Thursday, which is what we usually do as our Vegas trip, have the same exact flight options for all of April and May - which is super odd..

Usually, I've found that SW flies the same schedule out of RDU for only a few weeks, and then there are flight changes...

so I do wonder if they'll come back with even more flight changes for our May trip...

I love being an over-thinker...


----------



## Sleepyluke

RMO87 said:


> Has anyone had their flight changed to an earlier time? Mine, and many others I see posted, all look to be changed to a later time.  Just wondering if it could work both ways.


We had early afternoon flights completely disappear.  Went from a 1:45 flight out of MCO to 9:45 AM.  That is now the latest flight of the day.


----------



## Shannon G

Just venting here… As much as I hate to say it, I think I’m reaching the end of the line with SW. Back in October we (3 travelers) got caught up in the flight fiascos they had. Incurred over $1,000 in additional costs, including a hotel room after our first flight cancellation, then rebooking on another airline when our rescheduled flight was also cancelled. Then spent hours of our vacation on hold with SW after our return flight reservations vanished into thin air - just gone from our account & a search with the confirmation # said our reservation had been cancelled. After reaching out to SW no fewer than 3 times, I finally got a response 4 months later, saying they’re sending me a $250 voucher. There were 3 of us in our group - not sure where $250 is supposed to get 3 people. I’ve flown SW for years, but nonstop flights are fewer & fewer, prices are often no longer much cheaper than other airlines, and service has dropped significantly. I think it’s time to use up the points I have & then start looking at other options.


----------



## focusondisney

Shannon G said:


> I think it’s time to use up the points I have & then start looking at other options.



Totally understand.  I have a companion pass for this year & my DH & I have a combined 275,000 points.  We cancelled a January trip for family issues.  I cancelled April flights after SW moved us from a 6 am nonstop to a 6 pm layover flight not getting into Orlando until 11:45 pm. Rebooked nonstops at great times on Jetblue for a decent price.   We’ll probably take another trip in September or December.  If SW  keeps screwing with their schedules like this, I’ll book with JB again. The points don’t expire so I’ll just hold onto them until SW gets their act together. The companion pass might never get used but its not  worth the stress at this point.


----------



## Shannon G

focusondisney said:


> Totally understand.  I have a companion pass for this year & my DH & I have a combined 275,000 points.  We cancelled a January trip for family issues.  I cancelled April flights after SW moved us from a 6 am nonstop to a 6 pm layover flight not getting into Orlando until 11:45 pm. Rebooked nonstops at great times on Jetblue for a decent price.   We’ll probably take another trip in September or December.  If SW  keeps screwing with their schedules like this, I’ll book with JB again. The points don’t expire so I’ll just hold onto them until SW gets their act together. The companion pass might never get used but its not  worth the stress at this point.



I have a companion pass through this year too. I did use it twice in 2021, and will be using it next month, so I at least got something out of it. I may try to use SW another time or two this year because of that & the points I have, but then my focus will be to build other reward points & fly other airlines


----------



## Evita_W

jo-jo said:


> Your fares were refunded?
> 
> In our case, we had to cancel a trip in Dec, so we were using credit for our April trip.  Not sure if they would have given us cash at that point.


They are legally required to do so for that massive of a time change if you ask them to.


----------



## jo-jo

Evita_W said:


> They are legally required to do so for that massive of a time change if you ask them to.



Good to know in the future.


----------



## Captain Morgan Sparrow

How far out are they tweaking?

our flights got moved about 2.5 months out. I can live with the new times of i must.

however, are they typically continuing to tweak/cancel/reroute after the initial shuffle?


----------



## Avery&Todd

Captain Morgan Sparrow said:


> How far out are they tweaking?
> 
> our flights got moved about 2.5 months out. I can live with the new times of i must.
> 
> however, are they typically continuing to tweak/cancel/reroute after the initial shuffle?


I don't think we know if they're done tweaking for now.

Our flights to Vegas for this May were just adjusted - last year we went around the same time and our flights then were adjusted twice - the last time being almost 30 days prior.

so....


----------



## Kazi7

Captain Morgan Sparrow said:


> How far out are they tweaking?
> 
> our flights got moved about 2.5 months out. I can live with the new times of i must.
> 
> however, are they typically continuing to tweak/cancel/reroute after the initial shuffle?


Our June 4 flight was changed this past Friday.  No changes so far for our June 10 flight.   When I booked it, the June 4 flight was the furthest out the schedule was going.  I had to wait until the next cycle to book the June 10 return.


----------



## jo-jo

I understand tweaking.   Moving a flight a little bit timewise.    I don't understand cancelling an entire flight and why is it that's it seems it's always a non stop that's affected.    Why not cancel one of the 8 -10  flights that stop somewhere , instead of the two or three non stops.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Flights with stops get impacted too, some of this is airport specific and where you are located in the U.S. as in some places may have more non-stop flights swapped out for connections, sometimes they just eliminate the amount of flights out of an airport for that day entirely. You have to keep everyone's experience with understanding it's a sampling.

If you prefer non-stop and booked that did you even pay attention to options available *before* flights were adjusted? And vice versa. I rarely keep track of what other options are available because I'm only concerned with the flight I ended up booking. Just an opinion but I think many people book non-stop options when they are available (at least that's their first choice).

I looked back at my comment from before flight changes occurred and on the May 4th date flights to Orlando they eliminated 1 out of the 3 non-stop options (so 2 are still left although flights times differ slightly from before the shakeup) BUT they also eliminated both flights that connect out of DAL. I *know* other flights were impacted but since I booked the non-stop flight that is going to be what I post on this thread when talking about what was changed..because that's what I booked.


----------



## Evita_W

jo-jo said:


> I understand tweaking.   Moving a flight a little bit timewise.    I don't understand cancelling an entire flight and why is it that's it seems it's always a non stop that's affected.    Why not cancel one of the 8 -10  flights that stop somewhere , instead of the two or three non stops.


Because the legs of the nonstop mean more people can be on each leg of the flight, as you may have people coming from 5 or 6 different locations for a layover, but a nonstop means everyone on the plane has to have come from the same place.


----------



## TNKim

I need to book flights for 4 people and am using my points for all 4. Should I book all 4 together round trip, or each person separately?  Or should I book all 4 one way, then the return flight book all 4 with a separate confirmation number? Which would be easier if we need to make changes to flight times?


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

TNKim said:


> I need to book flights for 4 people and am using my points for all 4. Should I book all 4 together round trip, or each person separately?  Or should I book all 4 one way, then the return flight book all 4 with a separate confirmation number? Which would be easier if we need to make changes to flight times?


Book all 4 one way.  Then all 4 return trip.  Two separate reservation numbers.  If one person has a TSA number for the speedy line, evertone will get in.  If there are changes on each leg, you can just deal with that specifically.


----------



## G719

Cruzin’Sisters said:


> Book all 4 one way.  Then all 4 return trip.  Two separate reservation numbers.  If one person has a TSA number for the speedy line, evertone will get in.  If there are changes on each leg, you can just deal with that specifically.


TSA pre check does not work that way. Just because one person has it doesn't automatically mean the others get it too. I've booked tickets for 2 people where 1 person has pre and one doesn't. It only showed up for the one who had purchased precheck. Children under 13 can go through with the adults and don't need to purchase pre check if the parent has it.


----------



## EACarlson

Cruzin’Sisters said:


> If one person has a TSA number for the speedy line, evertone will get in.


No, that's not how Pre works.  If one member of the party has Pre, anyone else in the party under the age of 12 should get it.  Others in the party may get it depending on many factors, but there is no guarantee. It all depends on where the fall in the threat matrix, being booked as a one way actual makes others in your party getting Pre less likely.


----------



## G719

TNKim said:


> I need to book flights for 4 people and am using my points for all 4. Should I book all 4 together round trip, or each person separately?  Or should I book all 4 one way, then the return flight book all 4 with a separate confirmation number? Which would be easier if we need to make changes to flight times?


It doesn't really matter. It's easy to change just one leg of a round trip. On your southwest account you can choose just one leg of the trip to make changes to if needed.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

I'm guessing the pre-check confusion is that there is paid pre-check and free pre-check given (as in you're randomly selected). Sometimes those two coincide on the same reservation and sometimes they don't.

I actually don't know how often randomly selected pre-check is being done these days.


----------



## EACarlson

I've been meaning to post this as I haven't seen it here yet.  SW last week rolled out a method of saving profiles of those you travel with frequently.  It will save their Name, RR#, KTN# and everything else you need to book flights.  Under My Profile, all the way on the right hand side is a tab labelled "Frequent Travelers" click on that and then add traveler.


----------



## G719

TNKim said:


> I need to book flights for 4 people and am using my points for all 4. Should I book all 4 together round trip, or each person separately?  Or should I book all 4 one way, then the return flight book all 4 with a separate confirmation number? Which would be easier if we need to make changes to flight times?


Also, I wouldn't book each person separately. Then you would have to check each person in one at a time.


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

EACarlson said:


> No, that's not how Pre works.  If one member of the party has Pre, anyone else in the party under the age of 12 should get it.  Others in the party may get it depending on many factors, but there is no guarantee. It all depends on where the fall in the threat matrix, being booked as a one way actual makes others in your party getting Pre less likely.


My apologies.  I must have been misinformed.  I will find out next month when I fly.  I purchased preTSA check in.  I was hoping everyone on my same record locator would automatically get pre TSA as well.


----------



## Leigh L

Cruzin’Sisters said:


> My apologies.  I must have been misinformed.  I will find out next month when I fly.  I purchased preTSA check in.  I was hoping everyone on my same record locator would automatically get pre TSA as well.


I flew with my mom in October (not SW), she didn't get the pre-check. I didn't expect her to but was curious. 

One time SW did grant my family pre-check (DH is military and the CS rep seemed to indicate that's why), but only the one time.


----------



## Mle8308

Question for anyone familiar with the Nashville airport. How many gates does SW have? More importantly, are they all close? I’ve never flown through BNA and have about 55 minutes between connecting flights. Not a fan of connecting flights, especially with limited time between, but I couldn’t avoid it this time. Thank you!


----------



## FCDub

Mle8308 said:


> Question for anyone familiar with the Nashville airport. How many gates does SW have? More importantly, are they all close? I’ve never flown through BNA and have about 55 minutes between connecting flights. Not a fan of connecting flights, especially with limited time between, but I couldn’t avoid it this time. Thank you!



Have you looked at the airport map? Southwest flies out of terminals C and D: https://map.flynashville.com/?s=W3s...wLCJiZWFyaW5nIjowLCJwaXRjaCI6MH0sIm9yZCI6M31d


----------



## Mle8308

FCDub said:


> Have you looked at the airport map? Southwest flies out of terminals C and D: https://map.flynashville.com/?s=W3s...wLCJiZWFyaW5nIjowLCJwaXRjaCI6MH0sIm9yZCI6M31d


Good point! Didn’t even think about that.


----------



## TNKim

Mle8308 said:


> Question for anyone familiar with the Nashville airport. How many gates does SW have? More importantly, are they all close? I’ve never flown through BNA and have about 55 minutes between connecting flights. Not a fan of connecting flights, especially with limited time between, but I couldn’t avoid it this time. Thank you!



Nashville has a new concourse for Southwest with 6 gates. You should have no issues if your arrival flight is on time.


----------



## Mle8308

TNKim said:


> Nashville has a new concourse for Southwest with 6 gates. You should have no issues if your arrival flight is on time.


Thank you! This helps. Sometimes it’s hard to tell just by the map.


----------



## TNKim

EACarlson said:


> I've been meaning to post this as I haven't seen it here yet.  SW last week rolled out a method of saving profiles of those you travel with frequently.  It will save their Name, RR#, KTN# and everything else you need to book flights.  Under My Profile, all the way on the right hand side is a tab labelled "Frequent Travelers" click on that and then add traveler.


Thank you for posting this info. I need to buy flights for 4 people soon and this will surely be quicker than typing each person in. I’m guessing when you purchase the flight and add passengers that there is somewhere to click to simply add the frequent traveler info that is already typed?


----------



## TNKim

Does anyone know when you transfer points from Chase Sapphire to Southwest, do they transfer immediately or is there a wait?


----------



## EACarlson

TNKim said:


> Does anyone know when you transfer points from Chase Sapphire to Southwest, do they transfer immediately or is there a wait?


Usually it's instant.  Occasionally it takes a day.


----------



## nicko

TNKim said:


> Does anyone know when you transfer points from Chase Sapphire to Southwest, do they transfer immediately or is there a wait?


In my experience it wasn't immediate but the transfer completed the same day.


----------



## Lewisc

Leigh L said:


> One time SW did grant my family pre-check (DH is military and the CS rep seemed to indicate that's why), but only the one time.


SW doesn't grant pre-check. The pax manifest goes through the TSAs database


----------



## LadybugsMum

EACarlson said:


> I've been meaning to post this as I haven't seen it here yet.  SW last week rolled out a method of saving profiles of those you travel with frequently.  It will save their Name, RR#, KTN# and everything else you need to book flights.  Under My Profile, all the way on the right hand side is a tab labelled "Frequent Travelers" click on that and then add traveler.


So this only works for adults as I had no problem adding my kids. I've been using my kids RR points for some of our trips and I can't add frequent travelers to their accounts.


----------



## Leigh L

Lewisc said:


> SW doesn't grant pre-check. The pax manifest goes through the TSAs database


Grant was probably the wrong word. We'd never been marked before. But that unexpected pre-check did convince us of its benefits! (Best $ ever spent)


----------



## focusondisney

Cruzin’Sisters said:


> My apologies.  I must have been misinformed.  I will find out next month when I fly.  I purchased *preTSA check in.*  I was hoping everyone on my same record locator would automatically get pre TSA as well.



Are you meaning TSA Precheck or Early Bird Check in?  Did you purchase something with SW when you booked? That’s EBCI.  TSA Precheck is a paid government program, you have to go to the assigned site with your proof of identity & get a background check in order to qualify.   It costs $85 for 5 years.  Everyone on your reservation doesn’t get it because it is a ”trusted traveler” program, meaning you have passed a background check & been deemed not a security risk.  Other passengers with you who haven’t had that background check won’t qualify for Precheck.  Years ago airlines sometimes had the ability to assign Precheck to their passengers, no one knows how or why they did it.  But  now more people are paying for Precheck & that doesn’t seem to happen as much anymore. 

Early bird Check In with Southwest means they will check you in at 36 hours. TSA Precheck means you use a special line for the airport security screening. You’re kind of combining them both terms so I’m not sure which you mean.


----------



## ultimatefans

EACarlson said:


> I've been meaning to post this as I haven't seen it here yet.  SW last week rolled out a method of saving profiles of those you travel with frequently.  It will save their Name, RR#, KTN# and everything else you need to book flights.  Under My Profile, all the way on the right hand side is a tab labelled "Frequent Travelers" click on that and then add traveler.


Thank you for this!  I just entered my family, this will make things so much easier when booking.


----------



## ultimatefans

When Southwest canceled our afternoon nonstop flight home around Easter they moved us to a 7:25am flight (yuck!) but all the  flights later that day and the following day were fully booked so we were stuck. This morning many options opened up so I was able to move back to an afternoon flight.  (With a stop but I’ll take it!).  If you were in the same situation check your flights, maybe something opened for you too??


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Well I didn't really expect this as it was sorta looked at changes were mostly done but our May 4th flight was changed again.

Still non-stop and I'm not sure when it changed (had to be either today or the past few days because I've continued to check back frequently enough). Haven't gotten an e-mail on this change not sure if we will or not since it's a minor change.

Instead of leaving our home airport at 5:10am arriving in Orlando at 8:55am it's now leaving at 5:05am arriving in Orlando at 8:45am. The flight number stayed the same, last time the change from the original itinerary of 5:20am did have a new flight number.

I joked with my husband we should just sleep overnight in the airport at this rate (I've done that before years ago being stranded at the airport in TX so this is really just a joke)

I do not know if our May 15th from Orlando back home will change again.

So check your flights like the above poster mentioned maybe they done more adjustments. I noticed a non-stop on May 4th was ADDED back (originally started with 3 went down to 2 mid-February shake up now back up to 3 again).


----------



## mickey916

No more changes yet on my April or May flights but really hoping to have a new non-stop added eventually to my May return flight...at least your post indicates it's possible for that to happen.


----------



## Tiggerish

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Well I didn't really expect this as it was sorta looked at changes were mostly done but our May 4th flight was changed again.



I also woke up to a change notification email for a May 4th flight.  But like you the flight number did not change and the times were adjusted by only 5 minutes.  So more of a tweak than a change because having to arrive at the airport at 4:00 AM instead of 4:05 AM is pretty insignificant.


----------



## Avery&Todd

No more changes or additions to our RDU-LAS flights on May 15th - but I'm holding out for a non-stop that morning to be added -they did that last year around the same time and the new flights they put us on last week are NOT my favorite...


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

Just checked and they added a nonstop back to the day we are flying home. The last two flights out of MCO that Saturday to PVD is both nonstop. Imagine that!


----------



## aokeefe

CookieandOatmeal said:


> Just checked and they added a nonstop back to the day we are flying home. The last two flights out of MCO that Saturday to PVD is both nonstop. Imagine that!


Are you flying home on the 23rd? I just saw they added it as well- though says unavailable. I'm hoping they add an extra flight home on the 22nd. I have been checking multiple times a day since the change last week.
I'm currently flying out on 4/15 on the 6:30 pm flight and keep watching to see if anything opens up on the 10:45 am direct flight. Of course today 3 fares opened up in both business and the anytime fare. I need 4 tickets so it's not letting me switch over (probably need 4 of the same fare categories) So frustrating


----------



## mickey916

CookieandOatmeal said:


> Just checked and they added a nonstop back to the day we are flying home. The last two flights out of MCO that Saturday to PVD is both nonstop. Imagine that!


What dates are you looking at? Really hoping for MCO-PVD non-stop on 5/22.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Can someone school me quick or point me to where I can find the info on Extra bonus points you earn per spending $10,000 on the premier and priority cards. Where does that show up? I know there’s a limit of how many bonus points you can earn and once I reach it on one card I’d like to start earning on the other card. I didn’t see anything specifically on my dashboard. Thanks


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Erica Ladd said:


> Can someone school me quick or point me to where I can find the info on Extra bonus points you earn per spending $10,000 on the premier and priority cards. Where does that show up? I know there’s a limit of how many bonus points you can earn and once I reach it on one card I’d like to start earning on the other card. I didn’t see anything specifically on my dashboard. Thanks



To be clear, they aren't "extra" bonus points. Of the points you earn, a portion of them also count as tier qualifying. I see the below when I log into SW and click on Rapid Rewards. That 1,500 tier qualifying credited when my first statement closed with over 10k spend.

ETA- you can only earn 15k tier qualifying per card so, if you spent $200,000 on both cards in a year, you would still need 5,000 other qualifying points to hit A list. If you're forcing that kind of spending through the card, I'd assume you're booking all flights on points and you won't have any cash flights that boost your qualifying miles.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

aokeefe said:


> Are you flying home on the 23rd? I just saw they added it as well- though says unavailable. I'm hoping they add an extra flight home on the 22nd. I have been checking multiple times a day since the change last week.
> I'm currently flying out on 4/15 on the 6:30 pm flight and keep watching to see if anything opens up on the 10:45 am direct flight. Of course today 3 fares opened up in both business and the anytime fare. I need 4 tickets so it's not letting me switch over (probably need 4 of the same fare categories) So frustrating





mickey916 said:


> What dates are you looking at? Really hoping for MCO-PVD non-stop on 5/22.


Yes, we're flying home 4/23. We were originally on the nonstop on the 22nd which was suppose to fly out at 4pm-ish but then they got rid of that flight. The one they put us on was the last nonstop which wasn't suppose to come home until 1am. Just not going to work with a 2 year old so we decided to fly back on Saturday instead. I am super glad I hopped right on changing it because I caught that 4:50pm nonstop when they first changed the schedule and it only cost each one of us 8,060pts per flight! The original flights were 17,726pts each. I caught the morning nonstop out of PVD at that price too. There are four of us flying so it was an amazing deal so it made the changes less annoying lol.


----------



## TNKim

I’m about to buy our return flights.  Is it best to fly out of MCO on a Saturday in the morning or afternoon? Just wondering about the jam up at security. We have precheck.  Would you need to be there more than 2 hours before the flight?


----------



## EACarlson

TNKim said:


> I’m about to buy our return flights.  Is it best to fly out of MCO on a Saturday in the morning or afternoon? Just wondering about the jam up at security. We have precheck.  Would you need to be there more than 2 hours before the flight?


Personaly, I would do morning, but I'm also up incredibly early no matter what.
With Pre I would plan on being there no later than 90 minutes prior to scheduled time.


----------



## hsmamato2

TNKim said:


> I’m about to buy our return flights.  Is it best to fly out of MCO on a Saturday in the morning or afternoon? Just wondering about the jam up at security. We have precheck.  Would you need to be there more than 2 hours before the flight?


I honestly don't know that it matters..... a couple of years ago we were on a late  flight out,so like 9 pm- security wasn't too terrible..a few weeks ago we were on a 7 am flight and I thought security wouldn't be too busy at 5 am.....I was WRONG. it was soooooo busy. (side note, at our home airport,we arrived at about 10 am, a time when I'd normally think busy...security was so quiet there!)


----------



## TNKim

So I went ahead and booked our 4 flights for June and they are extremely expensive. Much more than any domestic flight I’ve ever taken, especially from BNA to MCO.  I’m using points and hoping SW will drop rates. It’s been awhile since I modified flights to refund the point difference. Can you modify online for the same flight and receive the point difference or do you need to cancel and rebook at the lower points?  

Also, on one flight the Wanna Getaway fare was not available so I had to get the Anytime fare.  Is there a chance SW will add more Wanna Getaway seats? And is it at all likely the rates will drop before May 29?


----------



## mickey916

I don't know about using points but I've been able to "modify" when the rate has gone down and received travel credit for the difference in price without having to cancel and rebook. Keep checking because I've seen a lot of fluctuation since I booked my April and May flights last fall.


----------



## okw19

Apologies if this has been asked before and I'm sure it has-
I am planning to book flights for the end of September. Am I correct to assume I should book the morning of March 3rd when the schedule opens? Or does SW start prices high due to demand then drop them? Hoping for Wanna Getaway fares similar to what I've seen for August which are ~$70-80 each way.


----------



## aokeefe

okw19 said:


> Apologies if this has been asked before and I'm sure it has-
> I am planning to book flights for the end of September. Am I correct to assume I should book the morning of March 3rd when the schedule opens? Or does SW start prices high due to demand then drop them? Hoping for Wanna Getaway fares similar to what I've seen for August which are ~$70-80 each way.


FYI- The schedule release date has been pushed out to March 30. I've always had the best luck booking the morning of release dates.


----------



## okw19

aokeefe said:


> FYI- The schedule release date has been pushed out to March 30. I've always had the best luck booking the morning of release dates.


Dang I didn't realized they changed it! Thanks for your advice.


----------



## Lvsdisney

TNKim said:


> So I went ahead and booked our 4 flights for June and they are extremely expensive. Much more than any domestic flight I’ve ever taken, especially from BNA to MCO.  I’m using points and hoping SW will drop rates. It’s been awhile since I modified flights to refund the point difference. Can you modify online for the same flight and receive the point difference or do you need to cancel and rebook at the lower points?
> 
> Also, on one flight the Wanna Getaway fare was not available so I had to get the Anytime fare.  Is there a chance SW will add more Wanna Getaway seats? And is it at all likely the rates will drop before May 29?



just make sure select "change" when you want to modify to the lesser rate. Then I select the flight I'm already booked on - southwest will show you the difference in fare (if it's less points it'll show a negative number). Then follow the remaining steps! The points show up in account pretty quickly.


----------



## LadybugsMum

aokeefe said:


> I've always had the best luck booking the morning of release dates.


Same. Usually flights from RDU to MCO go up in price rather than down.


----------



## TNKim

Lvsdisney said:


> just make sure select "change" when you want to modify to the lesser rate. Then I select the flight I'm already booked on - southwest will show you the difference in fare (if it's less points it'll show a negative number). Then follow the remaining steps! The points show up in account pretty quickly.


Thank you for your reply. This helps refresh my memory!


----------



## mom2mikel

I added EBCI to my return flight of an upcoming trip.  My reservation shows the EBCI icon, but doesn't indicate which leg it pertains to.  Is there a way to double check to ensure it was credited to the proper segment?


----------



## starry_solo

TNKim said:


> So I went ahead and booked our 4 flights for June and they are extremely expensive. Much more than any domestic flight I’ve ever taken, especially from BNA to MCO.  I’m using points and hoping SW will drop rates. It’s been awhile since I modified flights to refund the point difference. Can you modify online for the same flight and receive the point difference or do you need to cancel and rebook at the lower points?
> 
> Also, on one flight the Wanna Getaway fare was not available so I had to get the Anytime fare.  Is there a chance SW will add more Wanna Getaway seats? And is it at all likely the rates will drop before May 29?



Modify for the same flight.


----------



## CarlyMur09

Is there a way I can get my ticket split off from the rest of my group's, so I can change their flight to an earlier time? The initial plan was for all six of us to fly down together. DSis1 would fly back a few days later on her own (Her RT ticket is separate from ours), and then we'd fly back at the end of the next week. But now we're considering having the other four fly down earlier to get groceiries and the wheelchair/scooter all in order for the next day, and I and DSis1 can't get off work any earlier, so we'd just fly down at our original time. But my ticket is packaged with the other four's right now. I don't want to cancel, just split into a different number.


----------



## aokeefe

CarlyMur09 said:


> Is there a way I can get my ticket split off from the rest of my group's, so I can change their flight to an earlier time? The initial plan was for all six of us to fly down together. DSis1 would fly back a few days later on her own (Her RT ticket is separate from ours), and then we'd fly back at the end of the next week. But now we're considering having the other four fly down earlier to get groceiries and the wheelchair/scooter all in order for the next day, and I and DSis1 can't get off work any earlier, so we'd just fly down at our original time. But my ticket is packaged with the other four's right now. I don't want to cancel, just split into a different number.


I had to call Southwest when I wanted to make changes to 2 out of 4 on our reservations


----------



## georgina

TNKim said:


> So I went ahead and booked our 4 flights for June and they are extremely expensive. Much more than any domestic flight I’ve ever taken, especially from BNA to MCO.  I’m using points and hoping SW will drop rates. It’s been awhile since I modified flights to refund the point difference. Can you modify online for the same flight and receive the point difference or do you need to cancel and rebook at the lower points?
> 
> Also, on one flight the Wanna Getaway fare was not available so I had to get the Anytime fare.  Is there a chance SW will add more Wanna Getaway seats? And is it at all likely the rates will drop before May 29?


You can modify to the same flight usually, it is very easy. Since the time changes affected our flights I have not found a way to do it, and have cancelled and rebooked. 

As far as rates dropping, it depends. I check rates frequently, our May flights have all dropped since I booked. (The times have also all been changed) Just today our Friday night flight home May 20 dropped from 8539 to 4971 pts. I am flying to MCO on a weekday early morning and that one I got as low as 3813 pts.


----------



## mickeynut1

okw19 said:


> Apologies if this has been asked before and I'm sure it has-
> I am planning to book flights for the end of September. Am I correct to assume I should book the morning of March 3rd when the schedule opens? Or does SW start prices high due to demand then drop them? Hoping for Wanna Getaway fares similar to what I've seen for August which are ~$70-80 each way.



I think it depends on where you're flying from.  We fly out of Chicago Midway and I've always seen fares to be a little on the high side when first released, but then gradually go down.  With more people starting to travel that might change, but that's always been my experience, even pre-covid.


----------



## okw19

LadybugsMum said:


> Same. Usually flights from RDU to MCO go up in price rather than down.


 I'd be flying out of RDU so I'm glad to see this advice! 


mickeynut1 said:


> I think it depends on where you're flying from.  We fly out of Chicago Midway and I've always seen fares to be a little on the high side when first released, but then gradually go down.  With more people starting to travel that might change, but that's always been my experience, even pre-covid.


Thanks! I'll be flying out of Raleigh so looks like I'll book right away.


----------



## Leigh L

What are the odds SW is done messing with early April flights?  I just booked a very late-in-the-game flight.

I was hesitant to book because of all the problems lately, but JB and United prices were crazy high, even though SW flight wasn't cheap, it was significant enough of a difference.


----------



## CarlyMur09

aokeefe said:


> I had to call Southwest when I wanted to make changes to 2 out of 4 on our reservations



Yeah, just did the call with them and now my family's on a different confirmation number. Pretty much painless aside from when the rep almost charged $400, but after we pointed out that it should have been free due to us still being in that 14 day window, they put us on hold for a few minutes, to verify and change, I guess, and it went through without a charge.


----------



## Llama mama

Chicago Midway -Southwest flyers. 
5:40 am flight this Sunday morning. What time do I need to be at Midway? I think security opens at 3:30am . I need to check bags and saw on the Southwest page Midway kiosks and ticket counters open at 90 minutes prior to first departure. 
I was thinking of a 4 am arrival but now I am doubting myself.
We have early bird so hoping to be in group A. My guess is boarding would start about 5:10-5:15 am  . Any suggestions


----------



## EACarlson

Llama mama said:


> Chicago Midway -Southwest flyers.
> 5:40 am flight this Sunday morning. What time do I need to be at Midway? I think security opens at 3:30am . I need to check bags and saw on the Southwest page Midway kiosks and ticket counters open at 90 minutes prior to first departure.
> I was thinking of a 4 am arrival but now I am doubting myself.
> We have early bird so hoping to be in group A. My guess is boarding would start about 5:10-5:15 am  . Any suggestions


I took this same flight last year, the counter doesn't open until 4.  The machines don't get turned on until 4, then there is a mad scramble to get bags tagged and brought up to the counter.  Then TSA if you don't have Pre.  I had Pre and never stopped moving from the time I dropped by bags until the gate, but the line did not look pretty at standard.


----------



## Avery&Todd

LadybugsMum said:


> Same. Usually flights from RDU to MCO go up in price rather than down.


100% agree on this!!


----------



## Llama mama

EACarlson said:


> I took this same flight last year, the counter doesn't open until 4.  The machines don't get turned on until 4, then there is a mad scramble to get bags tagged and brought up to the counter.  Then TSA if you don't have Pre.  I had Pre and never stopped moving from the time I dropped by bags until the gate, but the line did not look pretty at standard.


discouraging, 
I am hoping we get through quickly as we do not have Pre-check. Security says it opens at 3:30am. I will plan on grabbing a kiosk quickly hopefully. We are early bird purchasers so we will hopefully be A group boarding. It will be a race to the gate I guess. 
May I ask when did you fly? What month and day of the week?


----------



## EACarlson

Llama mama said:


> discouraging,
> I am hoping we get through quickly as we do not have Pre-check. Security says it opens at 3:30am. I will plan on grabbing a kiosk quickly hopefully. We are early bird purchasers so we will hopefully be A group boarding. It will be a race to the gate I guess.
> May I ask when did you fly? What month and day of the week?


It was a Wednesday in October.  Security opens at 3:30 but since the counters don't open until 4 there isn't much for them to do until then.


----------



## Team Bunch

Our direct flights from Rochester, NY were cancelled about a month ago and I rebooked with layovers.  I now see Buffalo New York has direct flights. If I re-book the flights do I have to pay the difference in price? (The prices are much higher than when I originally booked.)


----------



## Llama mama

EACarlson said:


> It was a Wednesday in October.  Security opens at 3:30 but since the counters don't open until 4 there isn't much for them to do until then.


Hoping it’s changed . I reached out to SW  ,I asked and SW rep said counter and kiosks open at 3:30 for Midway . Maybe they had a lot of complaining. I am going to show up in the middle at 3:45 am and hope for the best.


----------



## bakerworld

Does any one know why SW decided to eliminate mid-week NS flights from PHL to MCO? They just disappear in June. I read SW is going to have a new category of pricing but I don't know why this would impact the NS flights.


----------



## focusondisney

Team Bunch said:


> Our direct flights from Rochester, NY were cancelled about a month ago and I rebooked with layovers.  I now see Buffalo New York has direct flights. If I re-book the flights do I have to pay the difference in price? (The prices are much higher than when I originally booked.)



  Did SW move you to the layover flights or did you do it yourself?  If they moved you, they let you rebook once with no increase in price.    But usually they make you keep the same departure & destination cities.  I think a few people have reported they were able to change cities for better flight times by calling.  The only way to know for sure is to call & ask.

If you noticed the change & already moved yourself to the layover flights, this probably won’t apply.


----------



## ultimatefans

Team Bunch said:


> Our direct flights from Rochester, NY were cancelled about a month ago and I rebooked with layovers.  I now see Buffalo New York has direct flights. If I re-book the flights do I have to pay the difference in price? (The prices are much higher than when I originally booked.)





focusondisney said:


> Did SW move you to the layover flights or did you do it yourself?  If they moved you, they let you rebook once with no increase in price.    But usually they make you keep the same departure & destination cities.  I think a few people have reported they were able to change cities for better flight times by calling.  The only way to know for sure is to call & ask.
> 
> If you noticed the change & already moved yourself to the layover flights, this probably won’t apply.



Just confirming that switches between Buffalo and Rochester are typically not included and cannot be done online, but you might have luck when calling.  I have switched between those cities at no cost before due to a weather disruption, and a friend just did because of the April schedule change fiasco as Buffalo had better flight times.  I have noticed that they added a second nonstop to the Buffalo schedule since they originally made the April changes, so even if you made the change yourself to switch from a rescheduled terrible nonstop time to a better connecting time, the agent still might switch for you for free because of all the schedule changes.  It's at their discretion.  If the first change was made by Southwest and you haven't used your free change yet as the poster above mentioned, then your chances are pretty high that they'll allow the change at no charge.


----------



## TSM

Does anyone think SW flights for June will go down from where they are now? We don't fly enough to change them for future flights if they do go down so I'm trying to buy them when they are cheapest.  We usually fly Pitt to MCO.


----------



## Avery&Todd

TSM said:


> Does anyone think SW flights for June will go down from where they are now? We don't fly enough to change them for future flights if they do go down so I'm trying to buy them when they are cheapest.  We usually fly Pitt to MCO.


I feel like SW has some sales but my airport never seems to be one that is included, or the flights on sale are never the ones I want.

I have found that flights are usually cheapest when they are first released and if SW has a big change in flight schedules.  For example, SW just did a major schedule overhaul on some of their May flights and they cancelled my original flight and put me on something horrible so I was able to rebook my flight and the new flights/points were much cheaper so I got those points back to my account.


----------



## FCDub

TSM said:


> Does anyone think SW flights for June will go down from where they are now? We don't fly enough to change them for future flights if they do go down so I'm trying to buy them when they are cheapest.  We usually fly Pitt to MCO.



Literally … LITERALLY … no way to predict, nor use any historical data to make an assumption.


----------



## serenitynow

Ask  the Magic 8 ball


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

bakerworld said:


> Does any one know why SW decided to eliminate mid-week NS flights from PHL to MCO? They just disappear in June. I read SW is going to have a new category of pricing but I don't know why this would impact the NS flights.



Because they heard our family was getting CPs this year?? 

We're planning lots of '22 and '23 traveling, decided to go all in on SW credit cards to get CPs since they have lots of direct options PHL to MCO. Then, after cards are opened, etc, the next fare drop included no summer, weekday directs.

We're flying BWI as a back up and hoping that SW will resume more PHL-MCO direct as pandemic recovery continues.


----------



## RMO87

Southwest has now changed my non-stop flight two times in two weeks!  The first time, it was pushed back 50 minutes, and now today, another 20 minutes later (leaving at 5:05 p.m. and arriving at 8.45 p.m.).  Does anyone think it is possible SW could cancel this flight totally?  Beginning to worry with all the revisions with over 2 1/2 months left before we depart!


----------



## LadybugsMum

So, SW moved our nonstop flight from RDU to MCO from 11:45am to 6:55 pm a couple weeks back. I've been randomly checking for changes and today there is now a second nonstop flight at 3:20pm which had to have been added in the last few days. I'm keeping our Delta flights as we'll arrive by 9:45 am and therefore give us most of the day in the Disney bubble. But, apparently they are adding some new flights as there was only ever a single nonstop when the schedule first came out.


----------



## bakerworld

SW eliminated the NS flights every day except Saturday for PHL to MCO from June to September. Geez.


----------



## EACarlson

Stupid question of the day.  Flying with my wife next week on one PNR with one Confirmation Number.  When I check myself in at T24 is it going to check her in also?  Or am I going to have to check us each in separately?  Usually when we fly we either get EBCI or are on separate PNRs.


----------



## mickey916

EACarlson said:


> Stupid question of the day.  Flying with my wife next week on one PNR with one Confirmation Number.  When I check myself in at T24 is it going to check her in also?  Or am I going to have to check us each in separately?  Usually when we fly we either get EBCI or are on separate PNRs.


It should check you in together and you'll get sequential boarding numbers.


----------



## EACarlson

mickey916 said:


> It should check you in together and you'll get sequential boarding numbers.


Thank you.


----------



## MarBee

Not sure if anyone is familiar with this route or not. I will be flying PHL-STL-DAL.  SW changed the flight so now there’s only a 40 min layover in STL.  There really are no other flights/times on other airlines that will work for us, so we are going to risk it and just hope the first flight arrives in STL on time and hope that we can get to board onto the DAL flight.
A couple of questions, though…
1) We are going to use our complimentary EBCI for this flight.  I’ve never used EBCI before, so can anyone tell me if it will apply to both flights? 
2) Do you think we will be better off checking bags or bringing our carryons?  (I was hoping for the four of us to carry on but got a panicked image in my head where we just make it before the gate closes, but then there’s nowhere for us to put our bags. I’ll be carrying some medical devices with us as well so it’s necessary for them to come with us.)
3) What kind of compensation should we expect if SW gets us to our connection too late?  I know other airlines will rebook and then give some type of voucher typically.  

I know these are all “what if” scenarios and my mileage will vary, I’m just getting excited and anxious for our trip and looking for best guesses/opinions.  Thanks in advance!


----------



## MarBee

Now I have another question, I want to use our complimentary EBCI given from our credit cards.  DH and myself have several cards that offer this, some in his name and some in mine.  On an upcoming trip, my family of 4 is booked on one reservation under my points.  I want to use our complimentary EBCIs for all of us.  Would anyone mind walking me through the process?  I can’t really find anything recent in my online search.


----------



## FCDub

MarBee said:


> Now I have another question, I want to use our complimentary EBCI given from our credit cards.  DH and myself have several cards that offer this, some in his name and some in mine.  On an upcoming trip, my family of 4 is booked on one reservation under my points.  I want to use our complimentary EBCIs for all of us.  Would anyone mind walking me through the process?  I can’t really find anything recent in my online search.



You pay for it with your eligible SW card and then it gets refunded.


----------



## tlg588

The early bird will be good for both segments of the flight.


----------



## leeniewdw

Just providing info in case it's helpful for anyone.  We used SW for a quick Fri-Sun trip last weekend (3/4-6).  We much prefer an early direct, but only had the option of a 11:50am-1:40pm RDU-> MCO if we wanted direct.   We returned on Sunday morning 9:30am-11:20am MCO--> RDU.   Both flights were 100% full, both flights left on time and landed a little early.  Would have been earlier if departure and landing paths weren't from the opposite direction as the flight itself.    We used EBCI on both, 1 leg booked about a week in advance, got A59,60 and 1 booked after getting to MCO for the return:  got A54, 55.

We were 4 hrs 30 mins from our house to POP on the way down and 4 hours POP to our house on the way back.  Not bad!   We may have pushed it arriving at MCO just an hour before boarding, but security was fast this time (maybe 8-10 mins).


----------



## okw19

leeniewdw said:


> Just providing info in case it's helpful for anyone.  We used SW for a quick Fri-Sun trip last weekend (3/4-6).  We much prefer an early direct, but only had the option of a 11:50am-1:40pm RDU-> MCO if we wanted direct.   We returned on Sunday morning 9:30am-11:20am MCO--> RDU.   Both flights were 100% full, both flights left on time and landed a little early.  Would have been earlier if departure and landing paths weren't from the opposite direction as the flight itself.    We used EBCI on both, 1 leg booked about a week in advance, got A59,60 and 1 booked after getting to MCO for the return:  got A54, 55.
> 
> We were 4 hrs 30 mins from our house to POP on the way down and 4 hours POP to our house on the way back.  Not bad!   We may have pushed it arriving at MCO just an hour before boarding, but security was fast this time (maybe 8-10 mins).


I have a feeling I'm going to end up with a layover on my return flight in September. I don't want to leave that early MCO-->RDU and it seems they're only offering one nonstop per day at the moment.


----------



## EACarlson

Flight 0930 Sunday morning after the time change.  Do I check in 24 clock hours before my flight at 0930 Saturday or 24 actual hours before my flight at 0830 Saturday?


----------



## dez1978

Does anyone here use the rapid rewards dining to get extra points?  Do those count towards the companion pass points?


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

dez1978 said:


> Does anyone here use the rapid rewards dining to get extra points?  Do those count towards the companion pass points?



Dining counts. Bonuses on dining (like get 1k points with your first order over $xx) do not count.


----------



## dez1978

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Dining counts. Bonuses on dining (like get 1k points with your first order over $xx) do not count.


Thanks!!!


----------



## msjprincess

EACarlson said:


> Flight 0930 Sunday morning after the time change.  Do I check in 24 clock hours before my flight at 0930 Saturday or 24 actual hours before my flight at 0830 Saturday?


Actual 24 hours at 8:30. I made that mistake last year. Luckily I wasn't the only one and still got a mid B boarding pass 15 minutes after the 24 hour mark.


----------



## skagway

MarBee said:


> Not sure if anyone is familiar with this route or not. I will be flying PHL-STL-DAL.  SW changed the flight so now there’s only a 40 min layover in STL.  There really are no other flights/times on other airlines that will work for us, so we are going to risk it and just hope the first flight arrives in STL on time and hope that we can get to board onto the DAL flight.
> A couple of questions, though…
> 1) We are going to use our complimentary EBCI for this flight.  I’ve never used EBCI before, so can anyone tell me if it will apply to both flights?
> 2) Do you think we will be better off checking bags or bringing our carryons?  (I was hoping for the four of us to carry on but got a panicked image in my head where we just make it before the gate closes, but then there’s nowhere for us to put our bags. I’ll be carrying some medical devices with us as well so it’s necessary for them to come with us.)
> 3) What kind of compensation should we expect if SW gets us to our connection too late?  I know other airlines will rebook and then give some type of voucher typically.
> 
> I know these are all “what if” scenarios and my mileage will vary, I’m just getting excited and anxious for our trip and looking for best guesses/opinions.  Thanks in advance!


Just a quick note, if southwest changes your flight, you have the option to rebook for free. My flight got rescheduled by SW (and a few pages up a lot of folks are saying the same), and I got a mail saying I can rebook without cost for up to 14 days of the scheduled flight. The only problem is that you can't do it online (it will charge you), so you have to call and do it. So, as long as there is another flight (you can even change the days of travel) with an open seat, I believe they will give it to you.

If you are concerned about connecting flight, you might want explore the rebooking option.

Edit: Others seem to have had better luck with changing flights online for no cost, maybe I did not check the mail soon enough.


----------



## mickey916

Wondering if more changes are coming. Just went in to check my March 31-April 10 flight and all of the connecting flights MCO-BWI-PVD on April 10 are "unavailable" in all price categories. My direct 10 pm flight is still there...thinking more adjustments are being made.


----------



## aokeefe

skagway said:


> Just a quick note, if southwest changes your flight, you have the option to rebook for free. My flight got rescheduled by SW (and a few pages up a lot of folks are saying the same), and I got a mail saying I can rebook without cost for up to 14 days of the scheduled flight. The only problem is that you can't do it online (it will charge you), so you have to call and do it. So, as long as there is another flight (you can even change the days of travel) with an open seat, I believe they will give it to you.
> 
> If you are concerned about connecting flight, you might want explore the rebooking option.


You should be able to do it online- if you have the red banner about the flight change on your SW online account, you go in to change flight and the available flights you can change to should have a $0 in the new fare price.


----------



## scrappinginontario

skagway said:


> Just a quick note, if southwest changes your flight, you have the option to rebook for free. My flight got rescheduled by SW (and a few pages up a lot of folks are saying the same), and I got a mail saying I can rebook without cost for up to 14 days of the scheduled flight. The only problem is that you can't do it online (it will charge you), so you have to call and do it. So, as long as there is another flight (you can even change the days of travel) with an open seat, I believe they will give it to you.
> 
> If you are concerned about connecting flight, you might want explore the rebooking option.





aokeefe said:


> You should be able to do it online- if you have the red banner about the flight change on your SW online account, you go in to change flight and the available flights you can change to should have a $0 in the new fare price.


I've done it online a number of times myself.  As @aokeefe says, I enter the changes I want to make and when I look at the price being charged it's always said $0.00.


----------



## jcarwash

skagway said:


> Just a quick note, if southwest changes your flight, you have the option to rebook for free. My flight got rescheduled by SW (and a few pages up a lot of folks are saying the same), and I got a mail saying I can rebook without cost for up to 14 days of the scheduled flight. The only problem is that you can't do it online (it will charge you), so you have to call and do it.



I also wanted to say that when I've been notified of a schedule change, I've been able (very easily, actually) to change to another flight online at no cost.

For my last trip, the schedule change was great because I could move to a flight I really wanted (on a Friday vs. the original Wednesday) that otherwise was prohibitively expensive.


----------



## MarBee

skagway said:


> Just a quick note, if southwest changes your flight, you have the option to rebook for free. My flight got rescheduled by SW (and a few pages up a lot of folks are saying the same), and I got a mail saying I can rebook without cost for up to 14 days of the scheduled flight. The only problem is that you can't do it online (it will charge you), so you have to call and do it. So, as long as there is another flight (you can even change the days of travel) with an open seat, I believe they will give it to you.
> 
> If you are concerned about connecting flight, you might want explore the rebooking option.
> 
> Edit: Others seem to have had better luck with changing flights online for no cost, maybe I did not check the mail soon enough.


Thank you!  I did have the option but unfortunately we are stuck with this flight as there really weren’t any other options that would work for us.  I’m super nervous but at the point where I really don’t have another choice unfortunately.


----------



## JoJoGirl

Southwest is going to have a bad couple of days. My flight home got this afternoon got canceled at around 8:30 am - I assume due to the terrible storms throughout the Southeast yesterday. I got rebooked immediately to a later time today with a connection, and within an hour there were no flights available to my home airport (Columbus OH) until Monday.  Oh boy, I hope I do not have to spend all night tonight in an airport!


----------



## EACarlson

msjprincess said:


> Actual 24 hours at 8:30. I made that mistake last year. Luckily I wasn't the only one and still got a mid B boarding pass 15 minutes after the 24 hour mark.


Even after you answered and I read it, I still forgot.  Thankfully the SW app reminded me only about 30 seconds late.  B6 and 7.


----------



## tlg588

At 8:00 this morning SWA told me my 2:20 pm flight was delayed until 6:16 pm . At 11:30 am they told me it was ontime. But man did we have to scramble.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

tlg588 said:


> At 8:00 this morning SWA told me my 2:20 pm flight was delayed until 6:16 pm . At 11:30 am they told me it was ontime. But man did we have to scramble.


Scramble in what way? Did they change your gate on your last minute by telling you it was now on time?


----------



## tlg588

I live 3 hours away from the airport and was not planning to be there until 4:00


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

tlg588 said:


> I live 3 hours away from the airport and was not planning to be there until 4:00


ooohhh I gotcha. I always plan for my original flight time. Sometimes they are able to get a different plane for you, sometimes it's an anticipated delay that they can make up throughout the day. But I don't change my plans for a flight delay. I'm so glad you made it though!


----------



## tlg588

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> ooohhh I gotcha. I always plan for my original flight time. Sometimes they are able to get a different plane for you, sometimes it's an anticipated delay that they can make up throughout the day. But I don't change my plans for a flight delay. I'm so glad you made it though!



I had never had a delay improve like that. Glad it did and now I know.


----------



## LadybugsMum

tlg588 said:


> At 8:00 this morning SWA told me my 2:20 pm flight was delayed until 6:16 pm . At 11:30 am they told me it was ontime. But man did we have to scramble.


We had something similar happen when leaving. I got notice our flight was delayed, then back on time and then delayed again. When we got to the airport and checked our bag, I was given a little lecture that I should always assume that the plane will leave on time. I rolled my eyes after I turned around. I was checking our flight status every 15ish min just in case the time moved up.


----------



## Neener16

tlg588 said:


> At 8:00 this morning SWA told me my 2:20 pm flight was delayed until 6:16 pm . At 11:30 am they told me it was ontime. But man did we have to scramble.


Wow, I wonder how many people missed this flight. That’s never happened to me, postponed, then unpostponed. Glad you were able to make it.


----------



## PittPantherfan

Neener16 said:


> Wow, I wonder how many people missed this flight. That’s never happened to me, postponed, then un-postponed. Glad you were able to make it.


Happened to us last summer - never had it happen before.  Departure moved ahead several hours but we were already on way to airport so we went - then they moved it back but not to the original time. Numerous people were late and then that held up things because they waited for the stragglers.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Neener16 said:


> Wow, I wonder how many people missed this flight. That’s never happened to me, postponed, then unpostponed. Glad you were able to make it.


We've had it happen enough times either when on vacation or business travel.

I'd often see my husband's flight home from CA when he was there for a work assignment for 9 months or when he was in MD for over 8 months get a delayed and then make up time. Weather would typically play a role (weather in TX was a biggie for that) as storms would cause issues as a domino effect so they'd put out an alert the flight was delayed many hours in advance and then they'd make up the time in the background. They didn't always make up the time but it def. did happen.

We've also had a inbound plane be used for our flight and normally you can tell that when there's a gate change (not always a new plane being used but that can happen) because the plane that was originally scheduled to be yours no longer is and another has taken its place.

This was from 2019 (looking over text messages) but around 3pm my husband had been sent a notification his flight from CA was delayed by several hours (flight delays in Chicago airports and storms elsewhere). Almost 2 hours later it was now only listed as 20mins late then about 2 more hours later it was listed back on time.

I have always been taught to go with the original time (and I don't mean that as a lecture it's just what I've always been taught). Airline travel is unpredictable and changes a lot. I hate to be stranded for hours at the airport over even overnight but what I would hate worse is missing my flight.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

PittPantherfan said:


> Happened to us last summer - never had it happen before.  Departure moved ahead several hours but we were already on way to airport so we went - then they moved it back but not to the original time. Numerous people were late and then that held up things because they waited for the stragglers.


Now that would be rather unusual to have a flight pushed up and by several hours day of and would totally make me frustrated especially because for most airports and most times for domestic travel you're advised to be at the airport 90-120 minutes ahead of your flight (you mentioned moved ahead by several hours) although during the pandemic I don't remember if they've advised to be there more than 120 mins or not for a domestic flight.

When they call a delay far in advance it's def. a possibility they can make up time by whatever means in the background but totally different to push up a flight day of. That makes me wonder if they technically canceled your flight but had issues with trying to get people still to their destination and they tried something (like maybe getting another plane) and it failed (pushing the flight later than the new time). That sounds like a cluster that day


----------



## samandryanmom

Our flight was cancelled for 5Am tomorrow. Can’t get on new until Tuesday. We’re coming home Wednesday. Already five hours from home at airport hotel. Have you ever gone to the airport and tried to fly standby?


----------



## Avery&Todd

PHEW - our flights home on Friday were ROUGH!!!   

We were scheduled to fly from MCO-BWI-RDU at 10:30am - our flight was pushed by like 15 minutes which was no big deal as we had an almost 2.5 hr layover in BWI to catch our flight home to RDU..

however, once we boarded the plane there were a few issues - apparently we were missing 2 passengers and the self calculating luggage weight system wasn't working so after sitting for about an hour we (1.) found 1 of the 2 missing passengers and (2.) had the luggage manually calculated and we were on our way..or so we thought..  

as we get to the end of the runway where you turn and then head out, a lady in the back of the plane passed out so we turned around for a medical emergency.  We did have 2 medical staff on board and once we arrived back at the gate, the lady (and her entire party) were able to walk off the plane.  At this time we had to refuel and therefore sat another hour...

needless to say, in mid-flight our connection for that afternoon was cancelled for us, and we were bumped to a flight on SATURDAY afternoon.  Once we landed we raced to a gate agent who was able to get us the last 3 seats on a flight later that Friday evening and we finally made it home late Friday night - without our bags.  

My husband got on the phone with the local SW luggage folks on Saturday and tried calling over 31 times and they never picked up - at the same time (on his phone) he called the SW 1-800 luggage line and was on hold for over 4.5 hrs and no one ever picked up!  I finally got a hold of a person Saturday night at the local office and was told that 2 bags had arrived - mine and my cousins, but my husbands bag was still in Baltimore!!

As of Sunday night it was still in Baltimore...sitting somewhere........the agent last nigh said she'd try to send Baltimore a note to put it on the last flight out last night but she couldnt guarantee anything and I can't get a hold of anyone in the office this morning.

SW sent me a $200 voucher via FB messenger when I reached out to them when we couldnt get in touch with anyone in luggage and then the luggage folks sent each one of us $100 voucher for the luggage issues...even though they're not resolved yet...

This was the WORST travel experience so far!!


----------



## Lsdolphin

Avery&Todd said:


> PHEW - our flights home on Friday were ROUGH!!!
> 
> We were scheduled to fly from MCO-BWI-RDU at 10:30am - our flight was pushed by like 15 minutes which was no big deal as we had an almost 2.5 hr layover in BWI to catch our flight home to RDU..
> 
> however, once we boarded the plane there were a few issues - apparently we were missing 2 passengers and the self calculating luggage weight system wasn't working so after sitting for about an hour we (1.) found 1 of the 2 missing passengers and (2.) had the luggage manually calculated and we were on our way..or so we thought..
> 
> as we get to the end of the runway where you turn and then head out, a lady in the back of the plane passed out so we turned around for a medical emergency.  We did have 2 medical staff on board and once we arrived back at the gate, the lady (and her entire party) were able to walk off the plane.  At this time we had to refuel and therefore sat another hour...
> 
> needless to say, in mid-flight our connection for that afternoon was cancelled for us, and we were bumped to a flight on SATURDAY afternoon.  Once we landed we raced to a gate agent who was able to get us the last 3 seats on a flight later that Friday evening and we finally made it home late Friday night - without our bags.
> 
> My husband got on the phone with the local SW luggage folks on Saturday and tried calling over 31 times and they never picked up - at the same time (on his phone) he called the SW 1-800 luggage line and was on hold for over 4.5 hrs and no one ever picked up!  I finally got a hold of a person Saturday night at the local office and was told that 2 bags had arrived - mine and my cousins, but my husbands bag was still in Baltimore!!
> 
> As of Sunday night it was still in Baltimore...sitting somewhere........the agent last nigh said she'd try to send Baltimore a note to put it on the last flight out last night but she couldnt guarantee anything and I can't get a hold of anyone in the office this morning.
> 
> SW sent me a $200 voucher via FB messenger when I reached out to them when we couldnt get in touch with anyone in luggage and then the luggage folks sent each one of us $100 voucher for the luggage issues...even though they're not resolved yet...
> 
> This was the WORST travel experience so far!!


oh my gosh...you win! I’m not complaining about my last delay/cancellation experience!


----------



## bakerworld

I just want SW to go back to offering NS service Sunday thru Friday instead of just Saturday.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Lsdolphin said:


> oh my gosh...you win! I’m not complaining about my last delay/cancellation experience!


I think I might have jinxed myself with all the "travel excitement" that day - it seems that you're always reading about disruptive flyers & medical issues on planes lately and I said TO MYSELF (and not even out loud!!) that I had never experienced any of that before and then BAM!!!!..I got all of them at once..

I should have knocked on wood as I thought it.

and here is the funny/ironic part that we realized....IF, we hadn't been delayed because of the missing passenger & baggage weight issue then we would have been in mid-flight if the lady had still passed out and IF that had happened, we probably would have been re-routed to RDU, our home airport....    ...now, if they would have let us off the flight would have been another question...but still..

so many IFs from the Friday fiasco...


----------



## Avery&Todd

bakerworld said:


> I just want SW to go back to offering NS service Sunday thru Friday instead of just Saturday.


SAME!!  we love flying out on Sundays...and in fact for our Vegas trip in May we leave on a Sunday and when we go to Disney in October we leave on a Sunday -and I'd LOVE to have a nonstop for both!!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Avery&Todd said:


> we were bumped to a flight on SATURDAY afternoon. Once we landed we raced to a gate agent who was able to get us the last 3 seats on a flight later that Friday evening and we finally made it home late Friday night - without our bags.


First off my goodness what a rough trip home for sure! Golly I would just be exhausted and drained at that point.

I'm guessing, though I couldn't be positive, that the above quote I pulled out was why your luggage got wonky. Once you got off the plane they may have been internally routed within the airport for the flight you were put on for Saturday afternoon. Obviously though the fact that your luggage and your cousin's were together but your husband's is MIA means they got messed up even further.

I've only called the luggage assist line during the day, does anyone know if there are hours like the SWA luggage counters have? Wondering if that's why they never answered. The last time we used the line was in 2018 in Jamaica when our luggage was damaged and we called (because we accidentally left the airport before going to the SWA counter in Jamaica), sent in photos, got a report number and because it was done that way we were just sent a link to a website where we selected our new luggage and they shipped it to us.

I would be so annoyed though with not knowing where my luggage is 2 days later.

Did they deliver yours and your cousin's luggage to your house? We had to have that happen coming back from our honeymoon (FAA furloughs at that time) where we barely made our connection in Atlanta on Delta to get back home but of course our luggage wasn't with us there wasn't any time for them to transfer it but they got it out onto a flight the next morning and delivered it to our house but that was with Delta.

On an aside I sure hope that woman with the medical emergency is okay!


----------



## Avery&Todd

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> First off my goodness what a rough trip home for sure! Golly I would just be exhausted and drained at that point.
> 
> I'm guessing, though I couldn't be positive, that the above quote I pulled out was why your luggage got wonky. Once you got off the plane they may have been internally routed within the airport for the flight you were put on for Saturday afternoon. Obviously though the fact that your luggage and your cousin's were together but your husband's is MIA means they got messed up even further.
> 
> I've only called the luggage assist line during the day, does anyone know if there are hours like the SWA luggage counters have? Wondering if that's why they never answered. The last time we used the line was in 2018 in Jamaica when our luggage was damaged and we called (because we accidentally left the airport before going to the SWA counter in Jamaica), sent in photos, got a report number and because it was done that way we were just sent a link to a website where we selected our new luggage and they shipped it to us.
> 
> I would be so annoyed though with not knowing where my luggage is 2 days later.
> 
> Did they deliver yours and your cousin's luggage to your house? We had to have that happen coming back from our honeymoon (FAA furloughs at that time) where we barely made our connection in Atlanta on Delta to get back home but of course our luggage wasn't with us there wasn't any time for them to transfer it but they got it out onto a flight the next morning and delivered it to our house but that was with Delta.
> 
> On an aside I sure hope that woman with the medical emergency is okay!


and yes, we totally agree that our bags got messed up because of us being able to switch our flight - however we DID have a 2 hrs wait from when we landed in BWI to when we flew out to RDU so we were hoping to have the bags moved as well, but that didnt happen obviously.

and YES, we are also stumped as to how 2 of the 3 bags made it on the Saturday flight but not my husbands - if you ask him, he'll tell you that they just threw his bag in a room and shut the door never to be seen from again!   

I JUST now got a hold of the local RDU baggage office and his bag did NOT make the late flight last night and they're going to send the BWI office another message (allegedly message #3) requesting that they send his bag on the next flight this afternoon so *fingers crossed* it comes in then!!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Avery&Todd said:


> and yes, we totally agree that our bags got messed up because of us being able to switch our flight - however we DID have a 2 hrs wait from when we landed in BWI to when we flew out to RDU so we were hoping to have the bags moved as well, but that didnt happen obviously.
> 
> and YES, we are also stumped as to how 2 of the 3 bags made it on the Saturday flight but not my husbands - if you ask him, he'll tell you that they just threw his bag in a room and shut the door never to be seen from again!
> 
> I JUST now got a hold of the local RDU baggage office and his bag did NOT make the late flight last night and they're going to send the BWI office another message (allegedly message #3) requesting that they send his bag on the next flight this afternoon so *fingers crossed* it comes in then!!


Oh geez  Well I sure hope the bag make it on a plane today


----------



## mom2elle

bakerworld said:


> I just want SW to go back to offering NS service Sunday thru Friday instead of just Saturday.


Totally agree. We have always flown SW from PHL but I really have no desire to fly on flights wth connections. American has many NS flights every day; I am close to breaking up w SW. This summer we are flying down on Amer Air (on a Monday) and home via SW (on a Sat). I just can’t figure out why they are doing this….the PHL-MCO flights have always been full!


----------



## bakerworld

mom2elle said:


> Totally agree. We have always flown SW from PHL but I really have no desire to fly on flights wth connections. American has many NS flights every day; I am close to breaking up w SW. This summer we are flying down on Amer Air (on a Monday) and home via SW (on a Sat). I just can’t figure out why they are doing this….the PHL-MCO flights have always been full!


Agree Totally - If/when we go in July we'll be the same with the air: SW on Saturday and American mid-week. So weird SW is giving away business.


----------



## Avery&Todd

**BAG UPDATE**

We received a phone call from the BWI luggage office last night - of course we were eating dinner and missed the call - and they told us they had my husbands bag and to call back....but failed to leave a #..and when he tried to call back the # they called from it was not an "incoming phone line"....  

After chatting with SW via FB, they provided us the # and we called back and actually got a person on try #2!

They HAD HIS BAG!!  Apparently BOTH the long baggage claim sticker thingy was GONE along with his personal ID tag but they found his previous tag from our trip down to MCO and tracked him down that way...  

anyway...after verifying that it was indeed him since the tag on the bag said his name but for some reason when SW checked us in at the A-List desk they put his bag under MY NAME - they sent it out on the late night flight last night and I called this am and ITS HERE!!!

WOOT!! He's going to swing by the airport sometime today and pick it up!  


PHEW..that was a hot mess and I'd like to never repeat that travel day!!


----------



## mla973

jcarwash said:


> I also wanted to say that when I've been notified of a schedule change, I've been able (very easily, actually) to change to another flight online at no cost.
> 
> For my last trip, the schedule change was great because I could move to a flight I really wanted (on a Friday vs. the original Wednesday) that otherwise was prohibitively expensive.



Really? SW changed my April flight back in February. I noticed in the app on 2/15 before they notified me via email on 2/26. When I called, the agent told me I could change to any other flight available without cost (i.e. no change fee) but if the total was more expensive, then I would owe the difference. Is that not correct? We are losing a day of our WDW trip since they moved the flight up one day, and we now have a layover (previous route was non-stop). I'm beyond pissed, but I understand, and made the decision not to pay extra for another flight. (I booked this one the day spring flights opened.) The agent did tell me I could rebook to/from the same destinations online, but I had to call to rebook from a different destination.

Now I'm wondering what is correct. I found other options at a different departing airport, but they were significantly more, so I didn't try for them due to her comment about me being responsible to pay the difference in flight costs. Can anyone confirm what I was told was accurate? Is there a timeframe by which to make changes?


----------



## mickey916

mla973 said:


> Really? SW changed my April flight back in February. I noticed in the app on 2/15 before they notified me via email on 2/26. When I called, the agent told me I could change to any other flight available without cost (i.e. no change fee) but if the total was more expensive, then I would owe the difference. Is that not correct? We are losing a day of our WDW trip since they moved the flight up one day, and we now have a layover (previous route was non-stop). I'm beyond pissed, but I understand, and made the decision not to pay extra for another flight. (I booked this one the day spring flights opened.) The agent did tell me I could rebook to/from the same destinations online, but I had to call to rebook from a different destination.
> 
> Now I'm wondering what is correct. I found other options at a different departing airport, but they were significantly more, so I didn't try for them due to her comment about me being responsible to pay the difference in flight costs. Can anyone confirm what I was told was accurate? Is there a timeframe by which to make changes?


When they changed my April flight I got a notice that I had 14 days to change to a different flight for no additional charge. I, like you, noticed before they changed my May flight and changed it first and since I initiated the change before they did, I actually got a credit back. I think if I had waited it would be no charge but also no credit....I don't know about changing to a different airport though.


----------



## aokeefe

mickey916 said:


> When they changed my April flight I got a notice that I had 14 days to change to a different flight for no additional charge. I, like you, noticed before they changed my May flight and changed it first and since I initiated the change before they did, I actually got a credit back. I think if I had waited it would be no charge but also no credit....I don't know about changing to a different airport though.


You have to call to switch airports- you are not allowed to do that online.


----------



## jcarwash

mla973 said:


> Really? SW changed my April flight back in February. I noticed in the app on 2/15 before they notified me via email on 2/26. When I called, the agent told me I could change to any other flight available without cost (i.e. no change fee) but if the total was more expensive, then I would owe the difference. Is that not correct? We are losing a day of our WDW trip since they moved the flight up one day, and we now have a layover (previous route was non-stop). I'm beyond pissed, but I understand, and made the decision not to pay extra for another flight. (I booked this one the day spring flights opened.) The agent did tell me I could rebook to/from the same destinations online, but I had to call to rebook from a different destination.
> 
> Now I'm wondering what is correct. I found other options at a different departing airport, but they were significantly more, so I didn't try for them due to her comment about me being responsible to pay the difference in flight costs. Can anyone confirm what I was told was accurate? Is there a timeframe by which to make changes?



Southwest's FAQ (https://www.southwest.com/faq/changing-flights) says: "If you have been affected by an involuntary change, you can change your flight date/time by up to 14 days from your original travel date at no additional cost."

In my experience the parameters were: Southwest instigated the changes to my flight (time/number/etc). Then online, I could change to any other flight within 14 days of original departure, and within the same city pairs. So the last time I did this, I changed my MHT to MCO flight (same city pairs) from a Wednesday to a Friday (two days later). Keeping the same city pairs and staying with 14 days of original departure is what I could do without paying anything else (dollars or points).

Changing the city pairs wouldn't be covered by this -- then it'd become a "regular" change were you'd be responsible for the price difference (or get a travel credit if it's less).


----------



## aokeefe

Can anyone with an upcoming flight in the next month check to see if they are able to change their flight online (without actually changing it). I'm getting an error message saying I can not change my flight online and must call SWA. I've never seen this before so curious if it's a glitch or something is going on. (I must check multiple times a day if an earlier flight on my departure day opens up)


----------



## BillFromCT

aokeefe said:


> Can anyone with an upcoming flight in the next month check to see if they are able to change their flight online (without actually changing it). I'm getting an error message saying I can not change my flight online and must call SWA. I've never seen this before so curious if it's a glitch or something is going on. (I must check multiple times a day if an earlier flight on my departure day opens up)


I usually check my flights every day.  This morning I got that error on both of my May flights, and one of my August flights.  The "lucky" fare sale must have broken something.


----------



## aokeefe

BillFromCT said:


> I usually check my flights every day.  This morning I got that error on both of my May flights, and one of my August flights.  The "lucky" fare sale must have broken something.


Thank you- guess a definite glitch. I went to check my departure flights and all flights showed available- even the Wanna Get Away fares (none have been available for months). So I go to change, it won't allow me. I go to recheck and all fares are unavailable. This was all within 5 minutes.


----------



## n2mm

aokeefe said:


> Can anyone with an upcoming flight in the next month check to see if they are able to change their flight online (without actually changing it). I'm getting an error message saying I can not change my flight online and must call SWA. I've never seen this before so curious if it's a glitch or something is going on. (I must check multiple times a day if an earlier flight on my departure day opens up)



thank you for posting.  I’m getting the same.  I hope it clears up.  I’m freaking out that I have to call.  Lmk if anything changes.


----------



## aokeefe

n2mm said:


> thank you for posting.  I’m getting the same.  I hope it clears up.  I’m freaking out that I have to call.  Lmk if anything changes.


I think it's fixed now- I'm able to change my flights online (though still don't have a flight to change it too though. )


----------



## n2mm

aokeefe said:


> I think it's fixed now- I'm able to change my flights online (though still don't have a flight to change it too though. )



I know.  The prices are outrages.  kicking myself for not booking earlier.  Thanks for the update.


----------



## Leigh L

aokeefe said:


> Can anyone with an upcoming flight in the next month check to see if they are able to change their flight online (without actually changing it). I'm getting an error message saying I can not change my flight online and must call SWA. I've never seen this before so curious if it's a glitch or something is going on. (I must check multiple times a day if an earlier flight on my departure day opens up)


I have a SW flight on April 2nd and I made a switch just this morning with no error message (lots of checking also before I made the swap).


----------



## Lsdolphin

Leigh L said:


> I have a SW flight on April 2nd and I made a switch just this morning with no error message (lots of checking also before I made the swap).





Leigh L said:


> I have a SW flight on April 2nd and I made a switch just this morning with no error message (lots of checking also before I made the swap).


Didn’t you have to pay a fare increase?


----------



## Leigh L

Lsdolphin said:


> Didn’t you have to pay a fare increase?


Yes, $25 pp (I'd also found a small credit in my account I didn't realize I'd had ). But I had no errors when switching.

Our original flight had us landing late at night and at the time I booked, I'd needed a nighttime flight, but that's changed. Decided it was worth it to jump to get an earlier flight that lands us mid-afternoon.


----------



## n2mm

I managed to switch my flights last night. No longer getting the errors.


----------



## leeniewdw

bakerworld said:


> Agree Totally - If/when we go in July we'll be the same with the air: SW on Saturday and American mid-week. So weird SW is giving away business.



Our direct flights to/from RDU-MCO on the first Friday and Sunday in March were completely full.  Not sure why they only have 1 per day on that route now.


----------



## Avery&Todd

leeniewdw said:


> Our direct flights to/from RDU-MCO on the first Friday and Sunday in March were completely full.  Not sure why they only have 1 per day on that route now.


AGREED!

We flew from RDU to MCO on March 5th and took the early am direct flight to MCO - it was fabulous getting to Disney so early but on our return trip to RDU on Friday the 11th, we had a MCO-BWI-RDU flight and it was a nightmare..

I did talk to DH last night about his thoughts on splitting flights on 2 different airlines - and taking whichever ones have direct flights - he was agreeable but didnt want to pay out the nose for the non-SW flights since we fly on points...

ugh

and I have RDU-MCO flights to book for October at the end of this month and I'm SUPER worried about what my options will be!


----------



## focusondisney

Avery&Todd said:


> I did talk to DH last night about his thoughts on splitting flights on 2 different airlines - and taking whichever ones have direct flights - he was agreeable but didnt want to pay out the nose for the non-SW flights since we fly on points...



i totally understand.  I spent/ charged  a fortune on my SW card to qualify for a companion pass for this year. Plus we have 275,000 points.   But after months of SW cancelling & changing flights, the last round was enough.  I cancelled our SW flights & booked on Jetblue for our April trip.  Nonstop each way & decent prices.  JB has similar flights & prices for the other weeks we’re considering for later in the year. I’m seriously considering just booking those now & not even waiting for SW’s release. The SW points don’t expire so I could use them next year or when ever they get their act together.

I figure not dealing with the stress SW was causing me is worth the price of the JB flights.


----------



## VandVsmama

Avery&Todd said:


> **BAG UPDATE**
> 
> We received a phone call from the BWI luggage office last night - of course we were eating dinner and missed the call - and they told us they had my husbands bag and to call back....but failed to leave a #..and when he tried to call back the # they called from it was not an "incoming phone line"....
> 
> After chatting with SW via FB, they provided us the # and we called back and actually got a person on try #2!
> 
> They HAD HIS BAG!!  Apparently BOTH the long baggage claim sticker thingy was GONE along with his personal ID tag but they found his previous tag from our trip down to MCO and tracked him down that way...
> 
> anyway...after verifying that it was indeed him since the tag on the bag said his name but for some reason when SW checked us in at the A-List desk they put his bag under MY NAME - they sent it out on the late night flight last night and I called this am and ITS HERE!!!
> 
> WOOT!! He's going to swing by the airport sometime today and pick it up!
> 
> 
> PHEW..that was a hot mess and I'd like to never repeat that travel day!!



What an absolute nightmare!  This makes me very motivated to consider only bringing carry on luggage for our trip in October!


----------



## Avery&Todd

VandVsmama said:


> What an absolute nightmare!  This makes me very motivated to consider only bringing carry on luggage for our trip in October!


it was the WORST....and here's the icing on the cake..

when DH went to fetch his bag from the SW luggage office we had been told that there were "no tags" on the bag and that's why it took so long to get in touch with us - and I will admit that the white, really long sticky tag that SW put on the bag was MIA...however his PERSONAL tag with his name, address and cell # were clearly still on the bag!!  They said that that tag "didn't count" when it came to finding the owner....    

 There is NO WAY that I could only pack a carry on bag for a 6 night stay @ Disney..I need too many "things" as I'm high maintenance!!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Avery&Todd said:


> it was the WORST....and here's the icing on the cake..
> 
> when DH went to fetch his bag from the SW luggage office we had been told that there were "no tags" on the bag and that's why it took so long to get in touch with us - and I will admit that the white, really long sticky tag that SW put on the bag was MIA...however his PERSONAL tag with his name, address and cell # were clearly still on the bag!!  They said that that tag "didn't count" when it came to finding the owner....
> 
> There is NO WAY that I could only pack a carry on bag for a 6 night stay @ Disney..I need too many "things" as I'm high maintenance!!


Ugh goodness well at least the bag was found but still


----------



## leeniewdw

Avery&Todd said:


> AGREED!
> 
> We flew from RDU to MCO on March 5th and took the early am direct flight to MCO - it was fabulous getting to Disney so early but on our return trip to RDU on Friday the 11th, we had a MCO-BWI-RDU flight and it was a nightmare..
> 
> I did talk to DH last night about his thoughts on splitting flights on 2 different airlines - and taking whichever ones have direct flights - he was agreeable but didnt want to pay out the nose for the non-SW flights since we fly on points...
> 
> ugh
> 
> and I have RDU-MCO flights to book for October at the end of this month and I'm SUPER worried about what my options will be!



Speaking of that -- what's the status of release dates?  We've been trying to get our grown kids to WDW for 2 years now and the most recent "target" is November.

We LOVED the early flight to WDW.  In March 2020 it was 5:15am (okay maybe that was too early) but it allowed us to arrive, get our rental car and get INTO DHS just before 8am back when you were having to grab boarding groups for RotR!  We got in with 3 mins to spare.   Since then we've done a 9:30am departing flight (Dec Friday) and this last time (Mar 4, Friday) only direct was 11:50am!


----------



## Avery&Todd

leeniewdw said:


> Speaking of that -- what's the status of release dates?  We've been trying to get our grown kids to WDW for 2 years now and the most recent "target" is November.
> 
> We LOVED the early flight to WDW.  In March 2020 it was 5:15am (okay maybe that was too early) but it allowed us to arrive, get our rental car and get INTO DHS just before 8am back when you were having to grab boarding groups for RotR!  We got in with 3 mins to spare.   Since then we've done a 9:30am departing flight (Dec Friday) and this last time (Mar 4, Friday) only direct was 11:50am!


We were on a 6am direct flight on the 5th (Saturday) and it was great!!

They are taking reservations through Sept 5th and here is the next release date:


----------



## n2mm

What the heck!  So I switched my daughter’s flight from June 4th to April 30.  Thank goodness because the flight on June 4th is gone now.  We use to have a lot of flights from mco into dca (wash. DC). While I paid a lot for April 30th, I would’ve been upset to lose her June 4th flight.  I check twice a day now to make sure she still has a flight.  We are more of a jetblue family, but I started with a SW fare back in January, which was changed because she canceled her cruise, now moved to April.  I’m thinking I might need to book a rental car as a back up to get her home on April 30th (15 hour drive)


----------



## bakerworld

Avery&Todd said:


> We were on a 6am direct flight on the 5th (Saturday) and it was great!!
> 
> They are taking reservations through Sept 5th and here is the next release date:
> 
> View attachment 654954


 SW is adding back NS on more days than Saturday for PHL to MCO.


----------



## Avery&Todd

bakerworld said:


> SW is adding back NS on more days than Saturday for PHL to MCO.


 we get some NS back for RDU to MCO and back home!!


----------



## mickey916

I just need one mid-day NS from MCO to PVD on May 22nd...is that too much to ask?


----------



## Leigh L

n2mm said:


> What the heck!  So I switched my daughter’s flight from June 4th to April 30.  Thank goodness because the flight on June 4th is gone now.  We use to have a lot of flights from mco into dca (wash. DC). While I paid a lot for April 30th, I would’ve been upset to lose her June 4th flight.  I check twice a day now to make sure she still has a flight.  We are more of a jetblue family, but I started with a SW fare back in January, which was changed because she canceled her cruise, now moved to April.  I’m thinking I might need to book a rental car as a back up to get her home on April 30th (15 hour drive)


Between DCA-MCO has slim pickings it seems, down to 2 direct flights? Used to be a lot more of them. A flight I changed a couple of days ago, I ended up moving to BWI.

I hope your DD's flight works out!


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Planning on going around Thanksgiving. Does anyone remember when flights were released in the past for that time of year? I see the upcoming release is up to the first week of November.


----------



## AussieFan8

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> Planning on going around Thanksgiving. Does anyone remember when flights were released in the past for that time of year? I see the upcoming release is up to the first week of November.


They were released on June 10 last year.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Thank you.


----------



## FCDub

People ask, “when is it safe to assume Southwest will stop changing their schedule?” and the answer is not until your wheels have left the ground.

They canceled my 11 a.m. flight last night at 10 p.m. The only other flight with availability left at 6 a.m. and made two stops for a total travel time of 9 hours. I rebooked on Delta for $287 and a middle seat, which was miraculous considering all the American flights were $6XX.


----------



## jkelly86

I think many of the airlines are having scheduling difficulties at the moment.  My friend's daughter's flight was cancelled with American this morning, and she can't get out until Monday (single seat).  My sister-in-law's flight was cancelled with Delta on her way to the airport yesterday (single seat) and she can't get out until tomorrow.  The airlines are running lean (every seat booked or oversold) so any cancellation or missed connection has a ripple effect.  If you have more than one person in your party, it is extremely difficult to rebook at the last minute.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

bakerworld said:


> SW is adding back NS on more days than Saturday for PHL to MCO.



I am harboring the (extremely unlikely) hope that, when they drop the next section of the calendar, they also slip in some weekday summer PHL-MCO directs. A girl can dream, right??


----------



## Kazi7

I'm wondering about the RR credit card stipulation that you can't have received a new cardmember bonus within the past 24 months.  Does that mean 24 months from when the bonus points posted to your account?  If so, does that mean that you shouldn't even apply for the new card until 24 months since your last bonus posted?  

I got the Priority card in Sept 2020 and spent the required amount by my Oct 6 statement.  I'm not sure exactly when the bonus points posted.  My RR account activity only shows back to Jan of 2021.   I'd like to take advantage of any special offers that may be available this fall.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Kazi7 said:


> I'm wondering about the RR credit card stipulation that you can't have received a new cardmember bonus within the past 24 months.  Does that mean 24 months from when the bonus points posted to your account?  If so, does that mean that you shouldn't even apply for the new card until 24 months since your last bonus posted?
> 
> I got the Priority card in Sept 2020 and spent the required amount by my Oct 6 statement.  I'm not sure exactly when the bonus points posted.  My RR account activity only shows back to Jan of 2021.   I'd like to take advantage of any special offers that may be available this fall.



Your bonus would have posted a couple of days after your statement closed where you hit the spend. So, if the statement was dated 10/6/20, by 10/10/20 most likely. 

I vaguely remember reading on the credit card thread that you should wait to apply until 24 months after that date, but I'm only maybe 65% on that. I'd try asking over there if you don't have someone else give you a definitive answer here.


----------



## EACarlson

New fare class announced today.  Depending on cost it might be worthwhile.
https://www.swamedia.com/releases/r...90eb3f93baa5f-new-fare-product-media-briefing


----------



## ultimatefans

EACarlson said:


> New fare class announced today.  Depending on cost it might be worthwhile.
> https://www.swamedia.com/releases/r...90eb3f93baa5f-new-fare-product-media-briefing


This is fantastic!  The added transferable flight credit is huge.  And I like the added benefits for Anytime as well.


----------



## Laurabearz

Anyone know what time SW will release new flights on the 30th?


----------



## happ

Laurabearz said:


> Anyone know what time SW will release new flights on the 30th?


This post has past info.


----------



## Lsdolphin

So anyone have an opinion as to which is better:   a full 6:30 pm flight or a less crowded 9:30 pm flight between MCO and BWI?  also the 6:30 pm flight is via a 737-700 plane vs. a 9:30 pm flight via 737-800 plane.


----------



## PCFriar80

Lsdolphin said:


> So anyone have an opinion as to which is better:   a full 6:30 pm flight or a less crowded 9:30 pm flight between MCO and BWI?  also the 6:30 pm flight is via a 737-700 plane vs. a 9:30 pm flight via 737-800 plane.


I'm curious as to how you know the flight is full vs. the one that is less crowded?  But to answer your question, I would go with the 6:30 PM flight.
As the day wears on, flights can get delayed for various reasons so the extra 3 hours [earlier] is worth it in my mind.  Generally speaking, there are 40 extra seats on an 800 series vs. 700 series so could be a factor in what you're seeing for current flight capacity.


----------



## Lsdolphin

PCFriar80 said:


> I'm curious as to how you know the flight is full vs. the one that is less crowded?  But to answer your question, I would go with the 6:30 PM flight.
> As the day wears on, flights can get delayed for various reasons so the extra 3 hours [earlier] is worth it in my mind.  Generally speaking, there are 40 extra seats on an 800 series vs. 700 series so could be a factor in what you're seeing for current flight capacity.



i know the 6:30 pm flight is full since I already have a ticket for that flight and there are no longer any seats available and there are still seats available on the 9:30 pm flight at all price tiers.
possibility of delays for that later flight is a good point...I have been trying to decide whether to keep my current flight or change to the later one.  Thanks


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

I don't think I would ever look at flights that way because how would you know that a flight wouldn't end up full anyhow (either by people booking it or being moved to it or doing day of changes) or a plane switch wouldn't occur?


----------



## Poohlovr

Lsdolphin said:


> Didn’t you have to pay a fare increase?


I know I'm late to the game.  I just haven't been in this board for quite some time.
But in Feb , my flights were changed.  The new flights I chose were only $5 each for 2 of us and I was charged  the d8fference. My daughter made the same flight change the next day and wasn't charged the difference


----------



## FCDub

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I don't think I would ever look at flights that way because how would you know that a flight wouldn't end up full anyhow (either by people booking it or being moved to it or doing day of changes) or a plane switch wouldn't occur?



Yes, prospecting on flight loads is not a way I would make that decision.


----------



## focusondisney

Lsdolphin said:


> i know the 6:30 pm flight is full since I already have a ticket for that flight and there are no longer any seats available and there are still seats available on the 9:30 pm flight at all price tiers.
> possibility of delays for that later flight is a good point...I have been trying to decide whether to keep my current flight or change to the later one.  Thanks



When is your flight.  Flights on SW often show as unavailable but then reopen days later.  And although not to BWI, I have seen flights to/ from Buffalo show seats available night before then be full the day of.  You just can’t predict one way or the other.


----------



## mla973

Leaving next weekend. Booked the Early Bird Check-in for the first time. Do I really not need to do _anything _for check-in?

Also, if our flight is canceled, any idea how long before the funds are refunded? I guess we will need to drive as there is already nothing available via SW at multiple airports. Our flight has already been changed once (we lost a day of our trip), so I'm hoping that's the extent of it, but trying to be flexible just in case.


----------



## FCDub

mla973 said:


> Leaving next weekend. Booked the Early Bird Check-in for the first time. Do I really not need to do _anything _for check-in?
> 
> Also, if our flight is canceled, any idea how long before the funds are refunded? I guess we will need to drive as there is already nothing available via SW at multiple airports. Our flight has already been changed once (we lost a day of our trip), so I'm hoping that's the extent of it, but trying to be flexible just in case.



You'll still need to go through the check-in process at 24 hours (or any time after) to get your boarding pass, but the actual checking in takes place at T-36.


----------



## EACarlson

FCDub said:


> You'll still need to go through the check-in process at 24 hours (or any time after) to get your boarding pass, but the actual checking in takes place at T-36.


 This, I usually go ahead and check in whenever I notice the notification on my phone.


mla973 said:


> Also, if our flight is canceled, any idea how long before the funds are refunded? I guess we will need to drive as there is already nothing available via SW at multiple airports. Our flight has already been changed once (we lost a day of our trip), so I'm hoping that's the extent of it, but trying to be flexible just in case.


As soon as you call to get it refunded.  If you do nothing the computer system will try to rebook you, if that is not possible for some reason they will give you a TravelFund.  To get an actual refund you have to call in and wait.


----------



## disny_luvr

Is it possible to transfer Rapid Reward points from one person to another?


----------



## monarchsfan16

disny_luvr said:


> Is it possible to transfer Rapid Reward points from one person to another?


Yes for a fee.


----------



## disny_luvr

Lsdolphin said:


> So anyone have an opinion as to which is better:   a full 6:30 pm flight or a less crowded 9:30 pm flight between MCO and BWI?  also the 6:30 pm flight is via a 737-700 plane vs. a 9:30 pm flight via 737-800 plane.



I guess my deciding factor would be the distance from BWI to my house. We live about 1 hr. 45 mins. from BWI so I'd want to take the earlier flight so I don't get home to my house so late.


----------



## disny_luvr

monarchsfan16 said:


> Yes for a fee.



Thank you!


----------



## lilmc

disny_luvr said:


> Is it possible to transfer Rapid Reward points from one person to another?





monarchsfan16 said:


> Yes for a fee.



Or just purchase yourself under their name. They’ll have to come to you for changes, but saves the fee.


----------



## Lsdolphin

disny_luvr said:


> I guess my deciding factor would be the distance from BWI to my house. We live about 1 hr. 45 mins. from BWI so I'd want to take the earlier flight so I don't get home to my house so late.


I live about 2 hrs 45 min from BWI but I was planning on staying overnight at my Moms (25 min from BWI) and going home next day.


----------



## jo-jo

Just PSA........I have a flight on Friday out of Philadelphia. no curbside check for SW.      I checked last night.

So sad, it's such a help to get rid of bags in the first 10 mins.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

jo-jo said:


> Just PSA........I have a fight on Friday out of Philadelphia. no curbside check for SW.      I checked last night.
> 
> So sad, it's such a help to get rid of bags in the first 10 mins.


Bummer! That was clutch when we had 3 preschoolers, two strollers, and luggage for the five of us!!


----------



## jo-jo

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Bummer! That was clutch when we had 3 preschoolers, two strollers, and luggage for the five of us!!



Yeah, there are just the two of us, but DH uses a rollator, so not much help with luggage.  We'll have two medium bags and two carry on (like back packs).   I'll do the luggage and he can carry a backpack on his rollator.    But the sooner we get rid of luggage the better.


----------



## Tink3815

This is on on the web site, Does this mean the schedule will not open until after 7am for new reservations?

*Rapid Rewards Maintenance*
We're making a few updates to our Rapid Rewards experience between 11 p.m. on 3/29 and 7 a.m. on 3/30. This means you won’t be able to access the My Account section or book/change flights using your Rapid Rewards account on Southwest.com or through the app. We'll be up and running soon.


----------



## katallo

I would think so!  Maybe they are adding the new category of fares??


----------



## okw19

Getting anxious for tomorrow! The general consensus is still that it's best to book my September flight tomorrow morning right when they drop, right?
If the fare lowers, I can get back the difference? I'm thinking I'll do the mid-tier instead of wanna get away this time so I can get cash back if we have to cancel.


----------



## AuroraluvsPhillip

TEMPORARY RAPID REWARDS OUTAGE
You won’t be able to use your account from 11 p.m. CDT on 3/29 to 5 a.m. CDT on 3/30. Use confirmation number to get a boarding pass or check-in during outage.

I got this on my laptop when I went into my RR account. So looks like it should be good to go by 6am EDT tomorrow? ( Not holding my breath, haha)


----------



## mickey916

Ugh I have to check in tomorrow at 5:10 am EDT...does this mean I can check but just can't do it through Rapid Rewards or the app?


----------



## LadybugsMum

Has anyone had their August flights changed? We're flying in Aug (not to Disney) and I really don't want any changes as we have limited time for our trip.


----------



## Avery&Todd

mickey916 said:


> Ugh I have to check in tomorrow at 5:10 am EDT...does this mean I can check but just can't do it through Rapid Rewards or the app?


this is what I see when I log into my RR account:


----------



## mickey916

That's what I saw too was just making sure I was reading it correctly...one more thing to stress about!


----------



## Avery&Todd

EEEKK!! I almost shot myself in the foot! I was looking at my reminder on my computer calendar for the next set of date drops for SW - which is TOMORROW and I had the 31st ON MY CALENDAR!!!

I almost missed it!

dang it!


----------



## Neener16

I know there was a post on this, but I can't find it. What time does Southwest usually drop their new flights? Trying to figure out when I have to get up......


----------



## Avery&Todd

Neener16 said:


> I know there was a post on this, but I can't find it. What time does Southwest usually drop their new flights? Trying to figure out when I have to get up......


There is a post in this thread with actual historical drop times, but I can tell you that I was able to book flights just after 7am last time - but that's not always the case - sometimes earlier and sometimes later..

let me see if I can find the post..


----------



## jo-jo

Why is it that some airports have skycaps and others don't?   So sad Phila doesn't.


----------



## MinnieMSue

jo-jo said:


> Why is it that some airports have skycaps and others don't?   So sad Phila doesn't.



Columbus doesn’t either (or didn’t early February when I flew last). MCO had them which was very helpful on my last flight out from there with my elderly parents.


----------



## Laurabearz

okw19 said:


> Getting anxious for tomorrow! The general consensus is still that it's best to book my September flight tomorrow morning right when they drop, right?
> If the fare lowers, I can get back the difference? I'm thinking I'll do the mid-tier instead of wanna get away this time so I can get cash back if we have to cancel.


last time I booked SWA on opening day, for funsies I checked the cost the next day and they were A LOT more… so if you can book tomorrow, I would!


----------



## jkelly86

seems like rapid rewards is logging me out every time I refresh....


----------



## mickey916

jkelly86 said:


> seems like rapid rewards is logging me out every time I refresh....


There's an update going on this morning. Rapid Rewards isn't available.


----------



## Neener16

Mine is showing, and not logging me out. The new schedule hasn't dropped though. This is on my laptop, not the app.


----------



## jkelly86

mickey916 said:


> There's an update going on this morning. Rapid Rewards isn't available.


The update completed at 5am CDT.  However, the problem of getting logged off seems to be resolved.


----------



## AuroraluvsPhillip

Poured my second cup of coffee. At least we can take comfort knowing we are not the only fools frantically refreshing at this time of the morning.


----------



## Neener16

AuroraluvsPhillip said:


> Poured my second cup of coffee. At least we can take comfort knowing we are not the only fools frantically refreshing at this time of the morning.


The thing is, you never know if that perfect flight that you pick today will not be changed before you go. This is with every airline. We are working with a very narrow schedule, so I am more nervous than ever.


----------



## AlohaNow

Here waiting with you all! Looking for flights for D23 Expo in September and Mexico in October. If they don't drop soon, I've got to get out the door to work. Do opening day prices tend to fluctuate throughout the day, or stay pretty steady for the day?


----------



## Avery&Todd

AlohaNow said:


> Here waiting with you all! Looking for flights for D23 Expo in September and Mexico in October. If they don't drop soon, I've got to get out the door to work. Do opening day prices tend to fluctuate throughout the day, or stay pretty steady for the day?


I've seen them fluctuate and go up as the day goes on - I've had them change the price on me from when I selected flights to when I got to the checkout!!


----------



## JKMastalski

AlohaNow said:


> Here waiting with you all! Looking for flights for D23 Expo in September and Mexico in October. If they don't drop soon, I've got to get out the door to work. Do opening day prices tend to fluctuate throughout the day, or stay pretty steady for the day?


I think they are usually somewhat steady the first day…or that has been my random experiences. .do you have the option to be able to book while you’re at work?


----------



## AuroraluvsPhillip

Neener16 said:


> The thing is, you never know if that perfect flight that you pick today will not be changed before you go. This is with every airline. We are working with a very narrow schedule, so I am more nervous than ever.


Yeah, that's almost guaranteed now. My flight home in May was changed to an almost 1am arrival, that'll be a fun drive home, not.


----------



## Laurabearz

Refreshing with you all. I hope it opens up soon just so I do t have to deal with things at work lol (also thankful they will let me deal with it at work lol)


----------



## Laurabearz

It’s working!


----------



## Laurabearz

And flights secured at the price I thought they would be so I’m very happy!  woohoo! WDW here we come!


----------



## TitusPullo

Good luck everyone!  Flights secured to Oahu for our Aulani trip!


----------



## okw19

OOOF flights are double what I usually pay, and much higher than the august flights I'd been stalking! I don’t know what to do


----------



## AlohaNow

Woo hoo! It's open! The prices are meh. They're matching the United prices for my September trip, so I'm no longer concerned about booking today. But I'm happy for everyone that is getting what they want!


----------



## Vinelander

Well this is annoying.  I need a flight on 11/5, but flights on that date don't seem to exist.  Just flights through 11/4.  Even the Low Fare calendar says Unavailable for that date.  Guess I keep refreshing...


----------



## Neener16

Doing a RunDisney event. Flights out of Hartford are horrible. 1 nonstop, and it doesn't work for us. Booking JetBlue, but I'm not confident the flight will stick.


----------



## JKMastalski

Ugh double what I usually pay out of Phl. Going to only book one way home and fly American going down, they have been great since Southwest dropped all the non stop flights from PHL. They will get my business for sure.


----------



## back4more OH

Vinelander said:


> Well this is annoying.  I need a flight on 11/5, but flights on that date don't seem to exist.  Just flights through 11/4.  Even the Low Fare calendar says Unavailable for that date.  Guess I keep refreshing...


I know I am having the same problem. Thats the day of our return flight, so as of right now guess we are gonna be stuck in Orlando. Ha ha!!!


----------



## Avery&Todd

Good gravy that was a mess - a mess that I created myself!!  

I selected flights and got all the way to checkout when it dawned on me that I had intended to use the credits/vouchers we earned when SW lost/misplaced/couldnt find our luggage on our flights in March..

so then I had to race across the house and pull out the voucher from my super-secret top dresser drawer, race back, and then restart the flight search using cash vs. points...

and then I had to enter those 3 vouchers, and then I remembered I had some funds left on a SW gift card - so I ran back across the house and back into my super-secret top drawer and got my gift card and then raced back..

Flights would have been $665.92 but with vouchers/gift card I brought it down to $188.32...

and DH is NOT happy that I picked the 5:30am departure, with a layover in BWI, and then into MCO at 10am...there was a nonstop but it was a 12:15pm and got in at 1:55pm - and arrival day is a park day for us so I wasn't loosing those 4 hours!!

I did get us a nonstop at 10:40am home....

these were flights from RDU to MCO mid-October..

what a morning!  

and I can't get the emoji's to work - how do I post without those guys???


----------



## AuroraluvsPhillip

Weird. Prices out of PVD are almost identical for weekdays and weekend flights except for Columbus Day weekend and around Halloween. Usually there's a little more variation. I'm booked anyway with nonstops, we'll see how long they last.


----------



## lurkernj

JKMastalski said:


> Ugh double what I usually pay out of Phl. Going to only book one way home and fly American going down, they have been great since Southwest dropped all the non stop flights from PHL. They will get my business for sure.


We usually fly out of phl on SW also.  Newark is closer for us, but since SW stopped flying out of Newark, we've been going out of PHL to use our SW points.  What a letdown.  We used to fly direct PHL to MCO, Las vegas, and New Orleans, all of them now have stopovers.


----------



## mmackeymouse

Laurabearz said:


> And flights secured at the price I thought they would be so I’m very happy!  woohoo! WDW here we come!




Glad it worked out for you! 

Most people I have seen have said prices are much, much higher. That has been my experience as well.


----------



## Vinelander

back4more OH said:


> I know I am having the same problem. Thats the day of our return flight, so as of right now guess we are gonna be stuck in Orlando. Ha ha!!!


Just got off with SW and it's a known issue.  They said it should be resolved later this morning and to just keep checking.  Also confirmed that they wouldn't be able to do anything about booking a flight for that date until the website was running, so no need to hammer the phones.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Vinelander said:


> Well this is annoying.  I need a flight on 11/5, but flights on that date don't seem to exist.  Just flights through 11/4.  Even the Low Fare calendar says Unavailable for that date.  Guess I keep refreshing...


I noticed the same thing when playing around. Hopefully they'll get loaded soon.


----------



## Tiggerette

I agree, prices were higher than usual. However, I've noticed that on other schedule-drop openings for the markets I fly. They don't tend to open with the best price, but they do open with the most availability on all the flights listed. Sometimes having more choices for a better flight is worth the higher price in the long run. I'm in the same boat with a flight into MCO for the rD races but not out.... Now I'll never leave, muhahahahaa!! Just kidding... like cookies, Orlando is a Sometimes-Dish.


----------



## Vinelander

LadybugsMum said:


> I noticed the same thing when playing around. Hopefully they'll get loaded soon.


Flights for 11/5 are up now.


----------



## MinnieMSue

Booked early morning flight out of Columbus and the late flight out of MCO for our HHN trip for pretty much what I expected to pay. The afternoon flights were very pricy. I thought they were going to add the new fare class but they didn’t.


----------



## JoJoGirl

MinnieMSue said:


> Booked early morning flight out of Columbus and the late flight out of MCO for our HHN trip for pretty much what I expected to pay. The afternoon flights were very pricy. I thought they were going to add the new fare class but they didn’t.



This morning I booked CMH - MCO for October also.  Prices were higher than in the past, and the nonstops were very disappointing - either fly obnoxiously early (for me 6:00 am means leaving home at 2:30 am)  or late enough to lose your first day of vacation.  Unfortunately, unless you’re brave enough to book Spirit, the other airlines’ prices are still higher and most of those flights have connections.  *sigh*

So I will by flying in a day early on the late nonstop and spending the night at the MCO Hyatt.  That way I can sleep in and still have a good “first day” once I get to Disney.


----------



## okw19

JoJoGirl said:


> So I will by flying in a day early on the late nonstop and spending the night at the MCO Hyatt.  That way I can sleep in and still have a good “first day” once I get to Disney.


I may end up doing this if rates for my travel day drop on Hyatt. I'd rather have a layover and arrive at MCO 11:35pm than to fly out the next morning nonstop at 5:45am.


----------



## Lsdolphin

I got an email from SWA offering rewards points up to 40% off and wasn’t going to purchase but than I also received an email offering a promotion code for 20% off flights when using reward points to purchase...thinking I’m going to go ahead and purchase the rewards points then if southwest drops the price I can get difference back in points instead of a travel fund credit....although I doubt they would drop the prices more than the 20% I would have already saved in points.


----------



## mmackeymouse

MinnieMSue said:


> Booked early morning flight out of Columbus and the late flight out of MCO for our HHN trip for pretty much what I expected to pay. The afternoon flights were very pricy. I thought they were going to add the new fare class but they didn’t.



Curious.

When you say what you expected to pay...did you have a built-in price increase already imagined? Or based on your previous trips, you had a pricing in mind, and it pretty much matched it?


----------



## mmackeymouse

Lsdolphin said:


> I got an email from SWA offering rewards points up to 40% off and wasn’t going to purchase but than I also received an email offering a promotion code for 20% off flights when using reward points to purchase...thinking I’m going to go ahead and purchase the rewards points then if southwest drops the price I can get difference back in points instead of a travel fund credit....although I doubt they would drop the prices more than the 20% I would have already saved in points.



I believe the 20% only applies on flights through May.


----------



## Lsdolphin

mmackeymouse said:


> I believe the 20% only applies on flights through May.


Oh wow!  you’re right!  I’m looking at booking Sept. dates so maybe purchasing the rewards points not such a great idea.


----------



## MinnieMSue

JoJoGirl said:


> This morning I booked CMH - MCO for October also.  Prices were higher than in the past, and the nonstops were very disappointing - either fly obnoxiously early (for me 6:00 am means leaving home at 2:30 am)  or late enough to lose your first day of vacation.  Unfortunately, unless you’re brave enough to book Spirit, the other airlines’ prices are still higher and most of those flights have connections.  *sigh*
> 
> So I will by flying in a day early on the late nonstop and spending the night at the MCO Hyatt.  That way I can sleep in and still have a good “first day” once I get to Disney.



Yeah we usually take the early morning which means leaving home around 3:00-3:30 which sucks. But we can’t go the evening before so we just gotta suck it up lol. Trying to decide what to do the day we do the late fly out to come home. Deciding between poolside cabana at sapphire falls or a day room at the Hyatt at MCO or just sucking it up and going to the parks or hanging out at the sapphire falls pool without paying for a cabana. We are doing HHN first and last nights of our trip and a 6 house unmasking the horror tour in the middle day. Gonna be real tired


----------



## MinnieMSue

mmackeymouse said:


> Curious.
> 
> When you say what you expected to pay...did you have a built-in price increase already imagined? Or based on your previous trips, you had a pricing in mind, and it pretty much matched it?



I had a built in price increase already imagined lol. I figured for my early and late flights it would be about $30 more and it was. Actually I hoped it wouldn’t be more than that. I was hoping to get for around $179 or less. It was $169 for one and $179 for the other. Obviously I was hoping for less but not expecting it. I have seen prices over $200 opening day for those flights. Afternoon non-stops were over $200 which was  more than I wanted to pay. Also the time too late to get into the park for stay and scream so we are gonna have a very long arrival day lol


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

This drop is just before our next flights (11/6-11/13) but it looks like October is back to having PHL-MCO directs! Not nearly as many and the times aren't my favorite, but fingers crossed they're there for the next chunk of the calendar.


----------



## thanxfornoticin

Glad I read this post this morning and was reminded of the additional schedules SW put out today.  I had forgotten!  Yes, prices disappointingly higher, but not unexpected.  So many things higher these days, and with airlines trying to recover from a couple rough years of pandemic and unpredictable travel, along with higher fuel prices (and probably economic impacts I don't know about) - it's not shocking I didn't see $79 fares this morning!  Maybe they'll return someday......


----------



## JoJoGirl

MinnieMSue said:


> Yeah we usually take the early morning which means leaving home around 3:00-3:30 which sucks. But we can’t go the evening before so we just gotta suck it up lol. Trying to decide what to do the day we do the late fly out to come home. Deciding between poolside cabana at sapphire falls or a day room at the Hyatt at MCO or just sucking it up and going to the parks or hanging out at the sapphire falls pool without paying for a cabana. We are doing HHN first and last nights of our trip and a 6 house unmasking the horror tour in the middle day. Gonna be real tired



That sounds so fun!  At least the flight home will be short. Enjoy!!!


----------



## mmackeymouse

MinnieMSue said:


> I had a built in price increase already imagined lol. I figured for my early and late flights it would be about $30 more and it was. Actually I hoped it wouldn’t be more than that. I was hoping to get for around $179 or less. It was $169 for one and $179 for the other. Obviously I was hoping for less but not expecting it. I have seen prices over $200 opening day for those flights. Afternoon non-stops were over $200 which was  more than I wanted to pay. Also the time too late to get into the park for stay and scream so we are gonna have a very long arrival day lol



Yeah, we had a built-in increase in mind as well, and unfortunately the prices have exceeded our thoughts.

Our typical slight baseline is $200 RT. Sometimes we get it a little less, which is great. But, usually $99 each way is what we are looking at. Based on that, we kind of had in mind to be prepared for $250 RT. We were hopeful for $220 but realistically were prepared for $250. It's $326 RT. $75 more than our elevated guess.

Now, we have in the past flown out of Nashville, more for flight time reasons than anything else. It's a further drive for us, so it's not our first airport choice. But...it is usually on the cheaper side for Florida flights. So, we definitely kept Nashville in mind as a backup. It is cheaper, but not a lot cheaper.


----------



## Angelboys3

Got our flights set for our September trip. Ideal nonstop flight times for us at about the price we have seen trending. Obviously we had hoped for less but $317 per person was within our "acceptable" range. None of us wanted to drive 18+ hours with a whole herd of teens/children lol My sister was like that price is fine, book it now lol


----------



## BillFromCT

Looks like the holiday bookings won't be for a few months:

*We are currently accepting air reservations through November 5, 2022. On June 16, 2022 we will open our schedule for sale through January 4, 2023. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.*


----------



## TNKim

What time would I need to be at MCO for a Saturday 9:45 a.m. Southwest flight? I know checking bags and going through security is terrible at MCO but we’ve never left on a Saturday morning before and always arrived by Magical Express.  We have TSA precheck and will be coming from a Universal resort by Uber.  we want to have a time to grab fast food breakfast before the flight.


----------



## nekonekoneko

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> This drop is just before our next flights (11/6-11/13) but it looks like October is back to having PHL-MCO directs! Not nearly as many and the times aren't my favorite, but fingers crossed they're there for the next chunk of the calendar.


The October non-stop flights, both ways to and from Philly, look like that they are on the weekends only.  I hope they come back to the weekdays on the next iteration.

Edit: punctuation


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

nekonekoneko said:


> The October non-stop flights both ways to and from Philly  like that they are on the weekends only.  I hope they come back to the weekdays on the next iteration.


It's so weird, I was hopping around days and I could have sworn there were a couple non stops on weekdays, too. I bet my browser hadn't totally refreshed yet. 

Saturday and Sundays is at least better than just Saturdays?  Maybe????


----------



## EACarlson

TNKim said:


> What time would I need to be at MCO for a Saturday 9:45 a.m. Southwest flight? I know checking bags and going through security is terrible at MCO but we’ve never left on a Saturday morning before and always arrived by Magical Express.  We have TSA precheck and will be coming from a Universal resort by Uber.  we want to have a time to grab fast food breakfast before the flight.


To get breakfast before security I would say you need to be there by 7:45.  If you are getting breakfast after security I would say 8:15.


----------



## nekonekoneko

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> It's so weird, I was hopping around days and I could have sworn there were a couple non stops on weekdays, too. I bet my browser hadn't totally refreshed yet.
> 
> Saturday and Sundays is at least better than just Saturdays?  Maybe????



Maybe!  But it doesn't help me, when I'm planning on leaving for Disney on a Wednesday.


----------



## JKMastalski

lurkernj said:


> We usually fly out of phl on SW also.  Newark is closer for us, but since SW stopped flying out of Newark, we've been going out of PHL to use our SW points.  What a letdown.  We used to fly direct PHL to MCO, Las vegas, and New Orleans, all of them now have stopovers.


I know, its so frustrating. I live only about 30 min from PHL, so its my go-to airport. Not happy with SW lately lol


----------



## Leigh L

If my DH has travel funds expiring April 18, 2022, can they be used for a flight booking for summer? Or do they have to be used before that date? ( I think we're still good?)

He had that original 9/7/22 date SW issued back in 2020 but I think we may have partially used some of his funds last year and it converted to the new expiry date.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Leigh L said:


> If my DH has travel funds expiring April 18, 2022, can they be used for a flight booking for summer? Or do they have to be used before that date? ( I think we're still good?)
> 
> He had that original 9/7/22 date SW issued back in 2020 but I think we may have partially used some of his funds last year and it converted to the new expiry date.


No, the funds must be used - that is the flights completed - by that date. And yes, the expiry date would have changed if you used the funds and then canceled the flight.


----------



## Leigh L

LadybugsMum said:


> No, the funds must be used - that is the flights completed - by that date. And yes, the expiry date would have changed if you used the funds and then canceled the flight.


Thanks for the quick response!  I was hoping it was we could book before 4/18, I think I was mixing it up with Frontier or Spirit's policy and their 3-6 month expiration if you don't book something.

I think maybe a quick weekend trip to visit his dad is in DH's very near future, lol. 

Thanks again


----------



## nlenguyen

I am noticing more 1 or 2 stop flights than before. We come from phx and usually there is one or two direct flights but that has slowly dwindled


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

TNKim said:


> What time would I need to be at MCO for a Saturday 9:45 a.m. Southwest flight? I know checking bags and going through security is terrible at MCO but we’ve never left on a Saturday morning before and always arrived by Magical Express.  We have TSA precheck and will be coming from a Universal resort by Uber.  we want to have a time to grab fast food breakfast before the flight.


I just got back from Orlando on a Saturday.  Got there 2 hours before my flight. Checked bags curbside and the lines were long.  They were twice  as long inside so do it!  Had a bite to eat then TSA.  If you have pre-tsa, you should be ok with 2 hours before.


----------



## Peaseblossom36

Does it make a difference if I add on early bird check in later than my initial purchase? It didn’t show up on the screen to add when I bought the tickets but I am now getting emails about adding it.


----------



## PCFriar80

Peaseblossom36 said:


> Does it make a difference if I add on early bird check in later than my initial purchase? It didn’t show up on the screen to add when I bought the tickets but I am now getting emails about adding it.


I would do it sooner vs. later.  The longer you wait, the more travelers who purchase flights in your fare category [and EBCI] will be ahead of you.
No one really knows the magic behind the EBCI assignment, but higher fare paying customers will get priority over the lower fares regardless of the purchase date.


----------



## Neener16

A friend of mine went through security etc and was then notified his SW flight was canceled. No other flights going out tonight. JetBlue was charging $1000/person and that flight is iffy. It was only a weekend trip, but I do know they had plans to meet grandchildren and tickets for Disney for tomorrow. They ended up by just deciding to go at another time. We fly out a week from Sunday, I am more than a little nervous. Airport is Hartford.


----------



## EACarlson

Peaseblossom36 said:


> Does it make a difference if I add on early bird check in later than my initial purchase? It didn’t show up on the screen to add when I bought the tickets but I am now getting emails about adding it.


The way it is supposed to work is that at 36 hours before scheduled take off, SW automatically checks in all A list Preferred members and their companions, then A list members and their companions, then those that bought EBCI in the order they purchased it.  In theory the fare bucket (Anytime vs WGA) is irrelevant except as a tie breaker between two people that purchased EBCI at the same second.  So yes it does make a difference adding EBCI when purchasing the tickets and adding it later.


----------



## mla973

Just checked in for my flight. We did EBCI, and my son (who is 11) ended up in Group A, while my husband and I are in Group B. Can I adjust this at the gate? I don’t want my son to board, then families, then the rest of us. Can I swap an adult to be “alone” in Group A so my son boards with a parent?


----------



## EACarlson

mla973 said:


> Just checked in for my flight. We did EBCI, and my son (who is 11) ended up in Group A, while my husband and I are in Group B. Can I adjust this at the gate? I don’t want my son to board, then families, then the rest of us. Can I swap an adult to be “alone” in Group A so my son boards with a parent?


I would just swap boarding passes, by rule the three of you should be boarding with the lowest boarding number.


----------



## Peaseblossom36

PCFriar80 said:


> I would do it sooner vs. later.  The longer you wait, the more travelers who purchase flights in your fare category [and EBCI] will be ahead of you.
> No one really knows the magic behind the EBCI assignment, but higher fare paying customers will get priority over the lower fares regardless of the purchase date.


Ah, that’s frustrating. I couldn’t find the option to purchase it when I bought the tickets and was short on time to search around. I went with business so hopefully won’t knock us down too much.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Peaseblossom36 said:


> Ah, that’s frustrating. I couldn’t find the option to purchase it when I bought the tickets and was short on time to search around. I went with business so hopefully won’t knock us down too much.


Did you purchase Business Select?

If you purchased that you'll be assigned A1-A15 there would be no need to purchase EBCI


----------



## Peaseblossom36

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Did you purchase Business Select?
> 
> If you purchased that you'll be assigned A1-A15 there would be no need to purchase EBCI


I did. Won’t I still need to check in how ever many hours before the flight? I’m worried about needing to remember that.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Peaseblossom36 said:


> I did. Won’t I still need to check in how ever many hours before the flight? I’m worried about needing to remember that.



https://www.southwest.com/getbusinessselect/index.html

It automatically checks you in at 36 hours in advanced though you will need to go through the check in process at 24 hours in advance in order to get your actual boarding pass. The system will assign you a boarding position anywhere between A1-A15 which _should_ depend on when you purchased your ticket. 

The reason you were not able to purchase it when you bought your tickets is EBCI isn't an option when you purchase Business Select because you're already getting the automatic check in (Same for A-listers, it's not an option).

https://www.southwest.com/help/booking/earlybird-checkin

_Customers who have purchased electronic tickets at the Wanna Get Away® or Anytime fares can benefit from purchasing EarlyBird Check-In®. Priority boarding privileges are already included with the purchase of Business Select® fares and are a benefit of being a Rapid Rewards® A-List Preferred or A-List Member or a Passenger on a reservation that includes an A-List Preferred or A-List Member.

EarlyBird Check-In® Customers will receive boarding positions after Business Select Customers and A-List Preferred, as well as A-List Members and Passengers on the same reservations as A-List Preferred and A-List Members.

NOTE: EarlyBird Check-In® should not be purchased for (1) for Passengers on the same reservation as an A-List or an A-List Preferred Member as they will receive priority boarding or (2) Unaccompanied Minors since they will preboard the flight. Please review our unaccompanied minor policies for more details._


----------



## Peaseblossom36

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> https://www.southwest.com/getbusinessselect/index.html
> 
> It automatically checks you in at 36 hours in advanced though you will need to go through the check in process at 24 hours in advance in order to get your actual boarding pass. The system will assign you a boarding position anywhere between A1-A15 which _should_ depend on when you purchased your ticket.
> 
> The reason you were not able to purchase it when you bought your tickets is EBCI isn't an option when you purchase Business Select because you're already getting the automatic check in (Same for A-listers, it's not an option).
> 
> https://www.southwest.com/help/booking/earlybird-checkin
> 
> _Customers who have purchased electronic tickets at the Wanna Get Away® or Anytime fares can benefit from purchasing EarlyBird Check-In®. Priority boarding privileges are already included with the purchase of Business Select® fares and are a benefit of being a Rapid Rewards® A-List Preferred or A-List Member or a Passenger on a reservation that includes an A-List Preferred or A-List Member.
> 
> EarlyBird Check-In® Customers will receive boarding positions after Business Select Customers and A-List Preferred, as well as A-List Members and Passengers on the same reservations as A-List Preferred and A-List Members.
> 
> NOTE: EarlyBird Check-In® should not be purchased for (1) for Passengers on the same reservation as an A-List or an A-List Preferred Member as they will receive priority boarding or (2) Unaccompanied Minors since they will preboard the flight. Please review our unaccompanied minor policies for more details._


 Wow! I feel silly for not reading through everything when I purchased, thank you! I’ve only flown once before so don’t have a lot of experience with it, this time my biggest concern was with tickets being refundable so I just kind of jumped on it. Thanks!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Peaseblossom36 said:


> Wow! I feel silly for not reading through everything when I purchased, thank you! I’ve only flown once before so don’t have a lot of experience with it, this time my biggest concern was with tickets being refundable so I just kind of jumped on it. Thanks!


No worries! SWA can be easy but also complicated at the same time, even harder when you're not flying a whole lot, it's totally understandable


----------



## Leigh L

May the Force be with everyone today flying SW! App and website down to retrieve boarding pass this morning. Kiosk worked.

At gate and 2 gates down an announcement was made that they can't board due to system being down.

I'm waiting for the same announcement since we board in 2 minutes and no movement here.

Eta, the other gate said updates every 15 minutes while they wait for paperwork.

Wanted to give heads up for anyone traveling this weekend.

Edit: App is finally up! (Been trying since 3:30 am) But multiple announcements about inability to board. "Hopefully soon" they're saying.


----------



## DrJenski

Leigh L said:


> May the Force be with everyone today flying SW! App and website down to retrieve boarding pass this morning. Kiosk worked.
> 
> At gate and 2 gates down an announcement was made that they can't board due to system being down.
> 
> I'm waiting for the same announcement since we board in 2 minutes and no movement here.
> 
> Eta, the other gate said updates every 15 minutes while they wait for paperwork.
> 
> Wanted to give heads up for anyone traveling this weekend.
> 
> Edit: App is finally up! (Been trying since 3:30 am) But multiple announcements about inability to board. "Hopefully soon" they're saying.


We’re stuck here at MCO. I guess both Disney and Southwest need to hire more IT professionals!!


----------



## Shelly F - Ohio

DrJenski said:


> We’re stuck here at MCO. I guess both Disney and Southwest need to hire more IT professionals!!


Your stuck because of the pilot strike. Alaska airline pilots walked off and SWA and Spirit are now cancelling a ton of flights just in case.


----------



## DrJenski

Shelly F - Ohio said:


> Your stuck because of the pilot strike. Alaska airline pilots walked off and SWA and Spirit are now cancelling a ton of flights just in case.


Our pilots were here at gate on time. One was pissed off and went on a mini rant. Computer systems are not communicating with each other to share needed paperwork.


----------



## Leigh L

Our pilots here also quite early. We are taking off about 90 to 2 hrs late from DC to mco once boarding process is done.


----------



## mla973

EACarlson said:


> I would just swap boarding passes, by rule the three of you should be boarding with the lowest boarding number.


So the “rule” is that we have to board as a group, even though that’s not how we were assigned (split between A and B)?


----------



## georgina

mla973 said:


> So the “rule” is that we have to board as a group, even though that’s not how we were assigned (split between A and B)?


No. I think what previous poster meant was if you all want to board together you have to do the B group. It is fine for one adult to use the A pass and the other 2 use B's. A person should be able to save the other 2 seats if they are not too close to the front rows.


----------



## mla973

georgina said:


> No. I think what previous poster meant was if you all want to board together you have to do the B group. It is fine for one adult to use the A pass and the other 2 use B's. A person should be able to save the other 2 seats if they are not too close to the front rows.


Thank you! Just got a notice that we’re delayed 3 hours and 20 minutes so now we have plenty of time to figure it out.


----------



## VandVsmama

Bought our plane tickets for our October trip on Southwest on 3/30.  We're flying from PHX.  Got direct flights both going to MCO and going back home.  Round trip cost including paying for Early Bird Check In ended up $500 per person, which is what I expected.  

We're traveling on Saturdays.  SW has 3 direct flights per day PHX-->MCO.  Also has 3 direct flights per day MCO-->PHX.  

1 person in our group is blind, so I think maybe to be on the safe side, I should list him in the reservation as visually impaired.  Won't need extra assistance at airport or gate because his wife takes care of that (she's going on the trip, too!).  

Am remotely concerned about possibility of us having our flights shifted/moved around by SW closer to our travel dates because the blind friend & wife really need to travel together on same flights, and preferably on same flights as we are...hence, that's why we purchased the tickets all together on the same confirmation #/reservation instead of 2 separate purchases.  this is the 1st time in forever (like, >10 years) that they've flown anywhere, so they're a little anxious about the process.


----------



## EACarlson

mla973 said:


> So the “rule” is that we have to board as a group, even though that’s not how we were assigned (split between A and B)?


If you have split boarding numbers and want to board together you are to board with the worst position. https://www.southwest.com/help/day-of-travel/boarding-process  You can certainly board individually, in the order on your boarding passes.


georgina said:


> No. I think what previous poster meant was if you all want to board together you have to do the B group. It is fine for one adult to use the A pass and the other 2 use B's. A person should be able to save the other 2 seats if they are not too close to the front rows.


It will probably be fine but it is against the law to use someone else's boarding pass to get on the plane.  Please don't suggest that people do unethical and illegal things. 
There is no seat saving on SW planes.  If your group has A60, B1 and B2.  If an A lister wants to sit in seats you've "saved" there is nothing you can or the FA will do about it.


----------



## Muhlenberg

VandVsmama said:


> Bought our plane tickets for our October trip on Southwest on 3/30.  We're flying from PHX.  Got direct flights both going to MCO and going back home.  Round trip cost including paying for Early Bird Check In ended up $500 per person, which is what I expected.
> 
> We're traveling on Saturdays.  SW has 3 direct flights per day PHX-->MCO.  Also has 3 direct flights per day MCO-->PHX.
> 
> 1 person in our group is blind, so I think maybe to be on the safe side, I should list him in the reservation as visually impaired.  Won't need extra assistance at airport or gate because his wife takes care of that (she's going on the trip, too!).
> 
> Am remotely concerned about possibility of us having our flights shifted/moved around by SW closer to our travel dates because the blind friend & wife really need to travel together on same flights, and preferably on same flights as we are...hence, that's why we purchased the tickets all together on the same confirmation #/reservation instead of 2 separate purchases.  this is the 1st time in forever (like, >10 years) that they've flown anywhere, so they're a little anxious about the process.


You'll be fine if you are all on the same confirmation number.  My mother, who's basically blind but could see big things, traveled with us a lot, and I never checked the visually impaired box.  However, I always checked the "can walk but needs wheelchair/assistance" box as it was too far to walk in the airport.  That allowed her, and me as her assistant, to pre-board.  

You might want to check that box so he can get wheelchair assistance.  (The visually impaired box probably also allows pre-boarding.)

There was only one time when we ALMOST were not sitting together.  And that was because the flight times were changed 7 times and we were almost last to board.  Someone had to move so I could sit next to her.  I think they understood that she needed help during the flight and they didn't want to provide it. ;-)


----------



## mla973

EACarlson said:


> If you have split boarding numbers and want to board together you are to board with the worst position. https://www.southwest.com/help/day-of-travel/boarding-process  You can certainly board individually, in the order on your boarding passes.
> 
> It will probably be fine but it is against the law to use someone else's boarding pass to get on the plane.  Please don't suggest that people do unethical and illegal things.
> There is no seat saving on SW planes.  If your group has A60, B1 and B2.  If an A lister wants to sit in seats you've "saved" there is nothing you can or the FA will do about it.


Thanks for the additional info. It was delayed again and again, so we made a last minute pivot to drive the 18 hours. Wish me luck!! Already canceled for a full refund. Now I don’t have to worry about delays on the way home either.


----------



## VandVsmama

Muhlenberg said:


> You'll be fine if you are all on the same confirmation number.  My mother, who's basically blind but could see big things, traveled with us a lot, and I never checked the visually impaired box.  However, I always checked the "can walk but needs wheelchair/assistance" box as it was too far to walk in the airport.  That allowed her, and me as her assistant, to pre-board.
> 
> You might want to check that box so he can get wheelchair assistance.  (The visually impaired box probably also allows pre-boarding.)
> 
> There was only one time when we ALMOST were not sitting together.  And that was because the flight times were changed 7 times and we were almost last to board.  Someone had to move so I could sit next to her.  I think they understood that she needed help during the flight and they didn't want to provide it. ;-)


Thanks for that information! He’s able to walk just fine so I only checked the visually impaired box.


----------



## Lsdolphin

I can’t even believe this!  Got text message at 11:45 pm that my flight at 6:15am from BWI has been cancelled! I tried going online and there is NOTHING available until Tuesday and I checked Disney website and no availability for me to change my resort reservation til end of April on...and it looks like SWA will only allow up to 14 days to reschedule my flight...Ive been on hold since 11:50 pm and disconnected 2x....if I just cancel and reschedule for May rates are a lot higher than what I’ve already paid...and of course only more expensive rooms left at Disney...came to Baltimore last night and am staying in hotel at BWI just so I’d be here for my early flight. So now out for that expense as well!


----------



## Lsdolphin

Now apparently the Disney site is down so I can’t even try to get something rescheduled! I guess I should have gotten the travel insurance since now I’ll have to pay the penalty fee just to change reservation... still on hold with southwest ...nothing available to change to online for tomorrow or Monday.


----------



## Lsdolphin

OMG Im still on hold with SWA!  Have been on hold since 11:50 pm and it’s now 4:02 am.  Worst experience ever with this airline!
thinking I’m going to have to hang up at 7:00 am if they haven’t answered in order to call and deal with Disney resort reservation...


----------



## Lsdolphin

Help! I’m still on hold with SWA it’s been over 5 hrs.   Does anyone know any other way to contact them?  There are no longer any flights available today or tomorrow showing online.


----------



## Elle23

Lsdolphin said:


> Help! I’m still on hold with SWA it’s been over 5 hrs.   Does anyone know any other way to contact them?  There are no longer any flights available today or tomorrow showing online.



I am so sorry you are going through this. What a nightmare!

I’m kind of regretting having just purchased  tickets for SWA for our June Disneyland trip!

What is going on with SWA?!!


----------



## Lsdolphin

Elle23 said:


> I am so sorry you are going through this. What a nightmare!
> 
> I’m kind of regretting having just purchased  tickets for SWA for our June Disneyland trip!
> 
> What is going on with SWA?!!


supposedly current issues due to “technical difficulties “ due their having delays and cancella from the weather and most of the flights this week have already been full due to spring breaks and Easter....so there are no flights to reschedule....but now I also have the issues with penalty fees and rescheduling with Disney...I really am frustrated with SWA as I’ve had issues with my last several flights with delays and cancellations but this is the worst eve!
And...I’m still holding!


----------



## EACarlson

Elle23 said:


> I am so sorry you are going through this. What a nightmare!
> 
> I’m kind of regretting having just purchased  tickets for SWA for our June Disneyland trip!
> 
> What is going on with SWA?!!


Peak travel weekend, idiotic decision to roll out a system "upgrade" on a Friday night during spring break, weather issues in FL and no excess capacity in staff to recover.


----------



## xipotec

EACarlson said:


> Peak travel weekend, idiotic decision to roll out a system "upgrade" on a Friday night during spring break, weather issues in FL and no excess capacity in staff to recover.


Ill take it one step further, its management maximizing “profits” with a system that has almost no flexibility built in for weather any more.

Airlines have plenty of planes, but as we see across the country, they do not want to pay the labor to fly them. They prefer to give that money to stock holders.

The entire companies flight schedile ahould not crash just because of weather on the other side of the country.  But its what happens now everytime.

I had an 8 hour delay 2 months ago, on Delta at the Delta HUB….tones of planes just sitting around….no pilots to fly them, no crew to staff them. We essentially waited for a crew to fly in from another route to replace the crew that didn't make it from our connecting flight.
They just will not hire enough staff.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Other threads show JetBlue, Alaska Airlines and others having cancelations. It's not just SWA but SWA is having system outages affecting it big time. Remember this happens with other airlines both with weather and with system outages and it's happened recently too taking out airlines for days. No matter what it is the worst a person can have for their trip but it's not isolated to just one airline


----------



## Toolulu22

Lsdolphin said:


> supposedly current issues due to “technical difficulties “ due their having delays and cancella from the weather and most of the flights this week have already been full due to spring breaks and Easter....so there are no flights to reschedule....but now I also have the issues with penalty fees and rescheduling with Disney...I really am frustrated with SWA as I’ve had issues with my last several flights with delays and cancellations but this is the worst eve!
> And...I’m still holding!


Hopefully you’ve gotten through by now- but, if you are at the airport I would go there and try in person. Maybe someone else’s connection was cancelled and you can get on a flight today if you are in the right place at the time.


----------



## EACarlson

xipotec said:


> Ill take it one step further, its management maximizing “profits” with a system that has almost no flexibility built in for weather any more.
> 
> Airlines have plenty of planes, but as we see across the country, they do not want to pay the labor to fly them. They prefer to give that money to stock holders.
> 
> The entire companies flight schedile ahould not crash just because of weather on the other side of the country.  But its what happens now everytime.
> 
> I had an 8 hour delay 2 months ago, on Delta at the Delta HUB….tones of planes just sitting around….no pilots to fly them, no crew to staff them. We essentially waited for a crew to fly in from another route to replace the crew that didn't make it from our connecting flight.
> They just will not hire enough staff.


By "maximizing 'profits'" you mean limiting losses?  In 2021 SWA lost 1.3 Billion dollars, there were no payments to stockholders, I know, I am one.  

There may be planes but there are not pilots and flight crew to staff them.  It was known that was going to be an issue when they convinced many of the pilots and flight attendants to take early retirement at the start of the pandemic.


----------



## xipotec

EACarlson said:


> By "maximizing 'profits'" you mean limiting losses?  In 2021 SWA lost 1.3 Billion dollars, there were no payments to stockholders, I know, I am one.
> 
> There may be planes but there are not pilots and flight crew to staff them.  It was known that was going to be an issue when they convinced many of the pilots and flight attendants to take early retirement at the start of the pandemic.


am I suppose to feel sorry for SW? It was a pandemic. If the market is too tough for them to run thier business woth thier customers in mind, then they should fail and be replaced by a better airline.

Capitalism 101.

The government bailing them out with out tax dollars is not the answerz


----------



## EACarlson

xipotec said:


> am I suppose to feel sorry for SW? It was a pandemic. If the market is too tough for them to run thier business woth thier customers in mind, then they should fail and be replaced by a better airline.
> 
> Capitalism 101.
> 
> The government bailing them out with out tax dollars is not the answerz


I certainly didn't bring feelings into this, frankly I don't care how you feel about SW or just about any company other than mine.  I stated facts of contributing factors to the operational difficulty SWA had yesterday.  You opined that it was "maximizing profits."  I pointed out that SWA had no profits and your response is to ask if you are supposed to feel sorry for SWA.  

So are you in favor of Capitalism and the company should be allowed to make it's own choices and the market will settle it?  Or are you in favor of demanding they run their business as you see fit "woth thier customers in mind?"  I honestly can't tell.

Completely agree that there should have been no bailouts.  Why is this relevant?  No one mentioned bailouts.


----------



## jkelly86

Lsdolphin said:


> Help! I’m still on hold with SWA it’s been over 5 hrs.   Does anyone know any other way to contact them?  There are no longer any flights available today or tomorrow showing online.


Hopefully your issue was resolved, and you have made it to FL today!

I just wanted to say that I'm not on FB but I did create a Twitter account simply to communicate with SWA during times like this.  You can send them a personal message and customer service can often resolve your problem without waiting more than 30 minutes.  HTH!


----------



## SM1992

We were one of the hundreds stuck at MCO yesterday. 5 different texts changing our flight time as well as gate change. Our plane was available but the crew for it was stuck on the runway waiting for a gate to open.  Finally boarded an hour and 40 minutes late and got in line behind 19 other planes!  Sat there for another 90 minutes
until we were cleared for take off. We were VERY lucky, at least we made it home, just a few hours later than expected.
The decision to do a system update on a spring break weekend was foolish to say the  least.


----------



## serenitynow

Lsdolphin said:


> Help! I’m still on hold with SWA it’s been over 5 hrs.   Does anyone know any other way to contact them?  There are no longer any flights available today or tomorrow showing online.


Try Twitter


----------



## Tink3815

SM1992 said:


> We were one of the hundreds stuck at MCO yesterday. 5 different texts changing our flight time as well as gate change. Our plane was available but the crew for it was stuck on the runway waiting for a gate to open.  Finally boarded an hour and 40 minutes late and got in line behind 19 other planes!  Sat there for another 90 minutes
> until we were cleared for take off. We were VERY lucky, at least we made it home, just a few hours later than expected.
> The decision to do a system update on a spring break weekend was foolish to say the  least.


We also were lucky to get out with only a 20 minute delay. Our flight was scheduled for 720 am. We normally take the last flight and thought of switching to later in the day. When I saw the weather report for the afternoon, I keep the first nonstop.  Southwest is making some poor decisions regarding IT. They upgraded the RR system the night before the new schedule was released this past Wednesday.


----------



## SM1992

SM1992 said:


> We were one of the hundreds stuck at MCO yesterday. 5 different texts changing our flight time as well as gate change. Our plane was available but the crew for it was stuck on the runway waiting for a gate to open.  Finally boarded an hour and 40 minutes late and got in line behind 19 other planes!  Sat there for another 90 minutes
> until we were cleared for take off. We were VERY lucky, at least we made it home, just a few hours later than expected.
> The decision to do a system update on a spring break weekend was foolish to say the  least.


UPDATE:  I was considering calling Southwest to see if they were offering anything because of our delay. Then an email came from them and we are getting two $100 credits for future travel!


----------



## cmarsh31

SM1992 said:


> UPDATE:  I was considering calling Southwest to see if they were offering anything because of our delay. Then an email came from them and we are getting two $100 credits for future travel!


I hope I hear from them soon. I was stuck in the mess on Friday, diverted to Raleigh, came in 3+ hours late to MCO.


----------



## Lsdolphin

So my SWA nightmare continues....i Had stayed at hotel nearby airport so I would be close for my 6:15 am flight this morning and as I reported I spent the rest of night on hold trying to reschedule my flight ....I did try via Twitter and website and received no help so finally I went over to the Fast Park and just took shuttle over to airport.  I got in the line for the “Full Sevice” counter at 8:02am. And stayed in line until 10:50 am.   There were only a few people behind the counters and a huge number of people in the line.  There were no flights available at all today and nothing tomorrow the soonest flight I was able to get was Tuesday at 11:45 am arriving at MCO at 2:10 Pm.   I live 2 hrs. and 45 minutes from the airport and already paid to stay at a nearby hotel last night.  So I’m drove all the way home this afternoon and now have to drive all the way back early Tuesday morning.  they  did agree to change my return flight to add 2 days so I will still have the 6 nights at Disney but that was only after I insisted that it was due to them cancelling my flight and being unable to reschedule for me.  I can’t understand how there is no real compensation for this mess when I’ve seen people being given vouchers and or refunds for far less!  Meanwhile I then spent 2 hours on hold on the Disney AP phone line and while Imwas on phone I received a message that my room was not ready and on the message it gave the number of “front desk” I called that number and someone answered immediately and explained to me that because I had done the “online check-in” I was therefore automatically checked in and they couldn’t make changes to my reservation.  I was hoping to change my checkin to Tuesday and add 2 days to end stay.  I understand this mess certainly wasn’t Disney’s fault and Inreally didn’t expect a refund I was just hoping they could find a room for the extra 2 days. Anyway the front desk person was very calm and told me there were many guests calling with flight issues and specifically with SWA.  She took my phone number and told me she was trying to reach out on my behalf to guest services.  I received a phone call from a wonderful guest services cast member about 40 minutes later and they added the 2 days on to my reservation and changed the reservation from 4/3-4/9 to a new reservation for 4/5 to 4/11!  Now I’m just praying that my flight actually takes off Tuesday morning despite new storm predictions.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

FWIW SWA did have the high cancellation but JetBlue, American Airlines, Spirit and Delta were hit hard this weekend.

A news story I read said for today SWA canceled about 400 flights but delayed almost 800 due to weather and the system outage. Yesterday was a really bad day for them with 520 flights canceled BUT it put it in perspective almost 500 of those flight cancelations occurred in Orlando (with the weather being a big issue in FL). The article said Miami, Tampa and Ft Lauderdale had flights from all carriers canceled yesterday.

Delta canceled almost 240 flights yesterday and while the news story didn't list the numbers it said 1/5th of Delta's flights yesterday were delayed. AA canceled over 360 yesterday but delayed over 620 as well. Today AA canceled over 250 flights and delayed over 230 flights. Spirit canceled 1/4th of its flights (representing just over 220 yesterday and almost 240 today). JetBlue canceled just over 160 flights yesterday but over 350 flights canceled today.

FL and NY airports listed as huge impacts due to weather (and then for SWA system issues as well).

It may seem like SWA is the only one out there experiencing issues and they def. are as far as a percentage of their flights on a daily basis but they are/were not the only airline with problems this weekend. It really stinks that a system issue had to be heaped onto a weather issue but in the past other airlines have had system issues taking them out for days and recovering for days too. It's so frustrating though.

I did learn in the news article that ATC (Air Traffic Control) reduced routes due to weather this weekend meaning the airlines had no choice (AA specifically said they were playing catch up due to that with that being a result of the weather), that the ATC themselves had the control not the airlines. I guess I didn't think about that, that it's not always the airlines sitting there making those decisions but of course that's who us the passengers only tend to think about.

I know a lot of numbers thrown out just wanted to put it in perspective. I would not have wanted to travel this weekend to the east coast and I'm so sorry for those stranded or unable to get to the east coast


----------



## JoJoGirl

Lsdolphin said:


> So my SWA nightmare continues....i Had stayed at hotel nearby airport so I would be close for my 6:15 am flight this morning and as I reported I spent the rest of night on hold trying to reschedule my flight ....I did try via Twitter and website and received no help so finally I went over to the Fast Park and just took shuttle over to airport.  I got in the line for the “Full Sevice” counter at 8:02am. And stayed in line until 10:50 am.   There were only a few people behind the counters and a huge number of people in the line.  There were no flights available at all today and nothing tomorrow the soonest flight I was able to get was Tuesday at 11:45 am arriving at MCO at 2:10 Pm.   I live 2 hrs. and 45 minutes from the airport and already paid to stay at a nearby hotel last night.  So I’m drove all the way home this afternoon and now have to drive all the way back early Tuesday morning.  they  did agree to change my return flight to add 2 days so I will still have the 6 nights at Disney but that was only after I insisted that it was due to them cancelling my flight and being unable to reschedule for me.  I can’t understand how there is no real compensation for this mess when I’ve seen people being given vouchers and or refunds for far less!  Meanwhile I then spent 2 hours on hold on the Disney AP phone line and while Imwas on phone I received a message that my room was not ready and on the message it gave the number of “front desk” I called that number and someone answered immediately and explained to me that because I had done the “online check-in” I was therefore automatically checked in and they couldn’t make changes to my reservation.  I was hoping to change my checkin to Tuesday and add 2 days to end stay.  I understand this mess certainly wasn’t Disney’s fault and Inreally didn’t expect a refund I was just hoping they could find a room for the extra 2 days. Anyway the front desk person was very calm and told me there were many guests calling with flight issues and specifically with SWA.  She took my phone number and told me she was trying to reach out on my behalf to guest services.  I received a phone call from a wonderful guest services cast member about 40 minutes later and they added the 2 days on to my reservation and changed the reservation from 4/3-4/9 to a new reservation for 4/5 to 4/11!  Now I’m just praying that my flight actually takes off Tuesday morning despite new storm predictions.



I am so glad that Disney was able to change your resort reservation so you can get a full trip after everything you’ve been through! 

FWIW, I was part of the big SNAFU two weeks ago and SW canceled my flight home with only a few hours notice.  (Luckily I got rebooked onto the last flight that night that finally made it home at 4:30 am.)  One or two days later I got the email from SW saying they were sending a $100 voucher to apologize.  Hopefully you will receive something similar or better soon.  That said, $100 doesn’t really compensate for your time and stress, but I’ve been in similar situations with other airlines and received nothing at all. 

Fingers crossed that your flight on Tuesday goes smoothly and that you have a great trip!


----------



## Lsdolphin

JoJoGirl said:


> I am so glad that Disney was able to change your resort reservation so you can get a full trip after everything you’ve been through!
> 
> FWIW, I was part of the big SNAFU two weeks ago and SW canceled my flight home with only a few hours notice.  (Luckily I got rebooked onto the last flight that night that finally made it home at 4:30 am.)  One or two days later I got the email from SW saying they were sending a $100 voucher to apologize.  Hopefully you will receive something similar or better soon.  That said, $100 doesn’t really compensate for your time and stress, but I’ve been in similar situations with other airlines and received nothing at all.
> 
> Fingers crossed that your flight on Tuesday goes smoothly and that you have a great trip!



thank you!  I’m just grateful that I didn’t have to lose the $ spent for the 2 nights at Disney I’m missing  and that hopefully I will be there on Tuesday.  A voucher of some type from SWA would be nice but Im good with just getting on my flight Tues with no problem.  Considering this issue was system wide with other airlines as well as SWA I see no purpose in sending nasty emails regardless of what I stated in earlier post about feeling due some compensation...


----------



## disneyfan150

Lsdolphin said:


> thank you!  I’m just grateful that I didn’t have to lose the $ spent for the 2 nights at Disney I’m missing  and that hopefully I will be there on Tuesday.  A voucher of some type from SWA would be nice but Im good with just getting on my flight Tues with no problem.  Considering this issue was system wide with other airlines as well as SWA I see no purpose in sending nasty emails regardless of what I stated in earlier post about feeling due some compensation...


I am so sorry! Traveling is just so crazy, now. Your situation and others has me rethinking my August trip.  We are only going for a couple days and booked SW. I am going change my plans to leave a day early. I am also going to book a back up fully refundable fare on another airline.

Fingers crossed that you make your flight on Tuesday and have a great time.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Lsdolphin said:


> So my SWA nightmare continues....i Had stayed at hotel nearby airport so I would be close for my 6:15 am flight this morning and as I reported I spent the rest of night on hold trying to reschedule my flight ....I did try via Twitter and website and received no help so finally I went over to the Fast Park and just took shuttle over to airport.  I got in the line for the “Full Sevice” counter at 8:02am. And stayed in line until 10:50 am.   There were only a few people behind the counters and a huge number of people in the line.  There were no flights available at all today and nothing tomorrow the soonest flight I was able to get was Tuesday at 11:45 am arriving at MCO at 2:10 Pm.   I live 2 hrs. and 45 minutes from the airport and already paid to stay at a nearby hotel last night.  So I’m drove all the way home this afternoon and now have to drive all the way back early Tuesday morning.  they  did agree to change my return flight to add 2 days so I will still have the 6 nights at Disney but that was only after I insisted that it was due to them cancelling my flight and being unable to reschedule for me.  I can’t understand how there is no real compensation for this mess when I’ve seen people being given vouchers and or refunds for far less!  Meanwhile I then spent 2 hours on hold on the Disney AP phone line and while Imwas on phone I received a message that my room was not ready and on the message it gave the number of “front desk” I called that number and someone answered immediately and explained to me that because I had done the “online check-in” I was therefore automatically checked in and they couldn’t make changes to my reservation.  I was hoping to change my checkin to Tuesday and add 2 days to end stay.  I understand this mess certainly wasn’t Disney’s fault and Inreally didn’t expect a refund I was just hoping they could find a room for the extra 2 days. Anyway the front desk person was very calm and told me there were many guests calling with flight issues and specifically with SWA.  She took my phone number and told me she was trying to reach out on my behalf to guest services.  I received a phone call from a wonderful guest services cast member about 40 minutes later and they added the 2 days on to my reservation and changed the reservation from 4/3-4/9 to a new reservation for 4/5 to 4/11!  Now I’m just praying that my flight actually takes off Tuesday morning despite new storm predictions.


I’m sure you’ve thought of this but if you are staying longer you will want to book your park reservations ASAP as many are full/almost full depending on what type of tickets/AP you have.


----------



## Avery&Todd

so torn and I was hoping others could give me their thoughts...

we are headed back to Disney in October - flying out Oct 16th and back on Oct 21st from RDU...

I am currently booked for this 5:30am departure flight out of RDU which has a layover in BWI and we arrive in MCO at 10am...

or I can switch to this non-stop leaving RDU at 12:15pm and arriving at 1:55pm....


our arrival day is at least a partial park day but I'm trying to determine how important those 4 hours are to me of arriving at 10am vs. 2pm??

and if this was your arrival day which park would you do that day? We are staying at BLT and we'll be there 5 nights and will have 1 full park day per park so this partial day is a "bonus" park day AND I plan on getting tickets to whatever version of Halloween party there is...

Thoughts?  and GO!


----------



## Ohiostatefan606

Avery&Todd said:


> so torn and I was hoping others could give me their thoughts...
> 
> we are headed back to Disney in October - flying out Oct 16th and back on Oct 21st from RDU...
> 
> I am currently booked for this 5:30am departure flight out of RDU which has a layover in BWI and we arrive in MCO at 10am...
> 
> or I can switch to this non-stop leaving RDU at 12:15pm and arriving at 1:55pm....
> View attachment 660120
> 
> our arrival day is at least a partial park day but I'm trying to determine how important those 4 hours are to me of arriving at 10am vs. 2pm??
> 
> and if this was your arrival day which park would you do that day? We are staying at BLT and we'll be there 5 nights and will have 1 full park day per park so this partial day is a "bonus" park day AND I plan on getting tickets to whatever version of Halloween party there is...
> 
> Thoughts?  and GO!


The question you have to answer is, if you take the flight that goes to BWI.  How many other flights from BWI to MCO are available that day if something happens to your flight.

I am all about the non-stop flight.  One less thing that can go wrong.  I also understand, wanting to get to MCO and get your vacation started.

I fly from Cleveland to MCO in January.  Regardless of the airline, we go non-stop, too many weather variables that time of year.  You are a bit safer with weather, than I am in January.    I will say this year we took a non-stop from Cleveland at 6:00 am (on Frontier).  We were up at 3, drove 1 hour to Cleveland, flight, rental, drive, change clothes, off to EPCOT, which we were in the park by 11:00 am.  But you are dragging because you are up so early.  

I would take the non-stop flight.  I would probably monorail to EPCOT and get some drinks and dinner!


----------



## Avery&Todd

Ohiostatefan606 said:


> The question you have to answer is, if you take the flight that goes to BWI.  How many other flights from BWI to MCO are available that day if something happens to your flight.
> 
> I am all about the non-stop flight.  One less thing that can go wrong.  I also understand, wanting to get to MCO and get your vacation started.
> 
> I fly from Cleveland to MCO in January.  Regardless of the airline, we go non-stop, too many weather variables that time of year.  You are a bit safer with weather, than I am in January.    I will say this year we took a non-stop from Cleveland at 6:00 am (on Frontier).  We were up at 3, drove 1 hour to Cleveland, flight, rental, drive, change clothes, off to EPCOT, which we were in the park by 11:00 am.  But you are dragging because you are up so early.
> 
> I would take the non-stop flight.  I would probably monorail to EPCOT and get some drinks and dinner!


I do like your reasoning here..and when the flights came out I asked DH what he preferred and of course he said "whatever you want" which  means I booked the ones that would get us there the earliest!

but now I'm second guessing myself..

AND I like your thoughts on heading to Epcot - AND since we know that Guardian will be coming out before then perhaps we could ride Guardian that afternoon AND again on our full Epcot day..

hhmmm.....


----------



## SM1992

Agree with Ohiostatefan, we only take non-stops. We  fly out of Providence and  want nothing to do with layovers, changing planes  etc. Even if it means giving up a park day, (we've been to them all already haha) we'll hit the pool or have a nice dinner to get ready for the rest of the trip.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Avery&Todd said:


> so torn and I was hoping others could give me their thoughts...
> 
> we are headed back to Disney in October - flying out Oct 16th and back on Oct 21st from RDU...
> 
> I am currently booked for this 5:30am departure flight out of RDU which has a layover in BWI and we arrive in MCO at 10am...
> 
> or I can switch to this non-stop leaving RDU at 12:15pm and arriving at 1:55pm....
> View attachment 660120
> 
> our arrival day is at least a partial park day but I'm trying to determine how important those 4 hours are to me of arriving at 10am vs. 2pm??
> 
> and if this was your arrival day which park would you do that day? We are staying at BLT and we'll be there 5 nights and will have 1 full park day per park so this partial day is a "bonus" park day AND I plan on getting tickets to whatever version of Halloween party there is...
> 
> Thoughts?  and GO!


Normally I would say take the earliest flight but we almost always take a non-stop flight unless it's just literally not an option so my vote would be non-stop however with us only going about every 6 years we would be unlikely to use up a park day for just the evening. But that is purely an us thing. If you're okay with only a few hours in the parks I would go with non-stop IMO. I haven't kept up on things with their halloween stuff have they released party days? That may make a difference on park utilization with having that short day.

One other thing to consider I checked and saw they have a non-stop the night before (about $10 cheaper than the Sunday non-stop) that would arrive at 8pm. Would it cost a whole lot to stay at a hotel the night before? not necessarily BLT. Was just wondering if that would be feasible to both get you there at a decent hour the night before and allow for more park time on Sunday with hopefully having had no issues the night before getting into Orlando.


----------



## Ensusieasm

Avery&Todd said:


> so torn and I was hoping others could give me their thoughts...
> 
> we are headed back to Disney in October - flying out Oct 16th and back on Oct 21st from RDU...
> 
> I am currently booked for this 5:30am departure flight out of RDU which has a layover in BWI and we arrive in MCO at 10am...
> 
> or I can switch to this non-stop leaving RDU at 12:15pm and arriving at 1:55pm....
> View attachment 660120
> 
> our arrival day is at least a partial park day but I'm trying to determine how important those 4 hours are to me of arriving at 10am vs. 2pm??
> 
> and if this was your arrival day which park would you do that day? We are staying at BLT and we'll be there 5 nights and will have 1 full park day per park so this partial day is a "bonus" park day AND I plan on getting tickets to whatever version of Halloween party there is...
> 
> Thoughts?  and GO!


Nonstop. Less to go wrong and no 0-dark-30 trip to the airport.


----------



## Avery&Todd

I DID IT!!  I just did it - I switched our 5:30am layover to the non-stop getting us in around 2pm...

and we'll just do a few hours in Epcot and *fingers crossed* be able to ride Guardians that afternoon/evening and perhaps get some pizza at Via Napoli for dinner since that's our favorite!!

I'm SUCH a pushover!!


----------



## FCDub

Layovers are fine. The mentality here around them is so weird.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

FCDub said:


> Layovers are fine. The mentality here around them is so weird.


They *are* fine, that doesn't mean someone can't have a preference towards not having to take one. 

And in our airport the cheapest flights generally are the non-stop flights.


----------



## FCDub

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> They *are* fine, that doesn't mean someone can't have a preference towards not having to take one.
> 
> And in our airport the cheapest flights generally are the non-stop flights.



Someone a few pages back said they would rather let their credits expire than use them to book a flight with a layover. That’s wild to me.


----------



## Lsdolphin

scrappinginontario said:


> I’m sure you’ve thought of this but if you are staying longer you will want to book your park reservations ASAP as many are full/almost full depending on what type of tickets/AP you have.


Thanks but I’m good I have an AP and a resort reservation and haven’t had any problem with park reservations.   I already had park reservations for the 3-9th and was able to cancel my park reservations for yesterday and today and add park reservations for my just added last 2 days the 10th & 11th.   Have my 3 rd Boarding Pass and hoping it’s the lucky one for flight at 6:15 am tomorrow morning...we have an ECV coming from gold Mobility and they have been fantastic although they are pretty much sold out for this week they are delivering our ECV tomorrow and letting us keep for the extra 2 days.  They have kept in touch with me via phone/text/email.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Ohiostatefan606 said:


> The question you have to answer is, if you take the flight that goes to BWI.  How many other flights from BWI to MCO are available that day if something happens to your flight.
> 
> I am all about the non-stop flight.  One less thing that can go wrong.  I also understand, wanting to get to MCO and get your vacation started.
> 
> I fly from Cleveland to MCO in January.  Regardless of the airline, we go non-stop, too many weather variables that time of year.  You are a bit safer with weather, than I am in January.    I will say this year we took a non-stop from Cleveland at 6:00 am (on Frontier).  We were up at 3, drove 1 hour to Cleveland, flight, rental, drive, change clothes, off to EPCOT, which we were in the park by 11:00 am.  But you are dragging because you are up so early.
> 
> I would take the non-stop flight.  I would probably monorail to EPCOT and get some drinks and dinner!


There really are quite a lot of flights from BWI to MCO.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

My MIL has decided that she will not come on our trip with us. I knew that there was a chance that she would cancel since my BIL has special needs so I booked her on a separate reservation. When I go to cancel it online, is there a way that I can make sure I get the security fee refunded back to my card instead of getting a travel fund? I booked the reservation on points so I really don't want to deal with any kind of travel fund situation. I know the early bird is a lost.


----------



## EACarlson

Avery&Todd said:


> so torn and I was hoping others could give me their thoughts...
> 
> we are headed back to Disney in October - flying out Oct 16th and back on Oct 21st from RDU...
> 
> I am currently booked for this 5:30am departure flight out of RDU which has a layover in BWI and we arrive in MCO at 10am...
> 
> or I can switch to this non-stop leaving RDU at 12:15pm and arriving at 1:55pm....
> View attachment 660120
> 
> our arrival day is at least a partial park day but I'm trying to determine how important those 4 hours are to me of arriving at 10am vs. 2pm??
> 
> and if this was your arrival day which park would you do that day? We are staying at BLT and we'll be there 5 nights and will have 1 full park day per park so this partial day is a "bonus" park day AND I plan on getting tickets to whatever version of Halloween party there is...
> 
> Thoughts?  and GO!


I would book the non-stop and drop the partial park day.  With airline schedules the way they have been for the last two years it's not uncommon for flights to change.  Personally I wouldn't expect a park day on either arrival or departure days just so I wouldn't have to worry about it when the schedule changes.  I"m also the type of person that gets upset when things don't go according to my schedule, I know I'd be very upset if I planned on a park day and couldn't do it.  Much less so if I didn't have anything planned.


----------



## ultimatefans

CookieandOatmeal said:


> My MIL has decided that she will not come on our trip with us. I knew that there was a chance that she would cancel since my BIL has special needs so I booked her on a separate reservation. When I go to cancel it online, is there a way that I can make sure I get the security fee refunded back to my card instead of getting a travel fund? I booked the reservation on points so I really don't want to deal with any kind of travel fund situation. I know the early bird is a lost.


When you cancel there is a radio button to select whether the taxes will be refunded as a travel fund or to the original form of payment.  The default is travel fund so be sure to change that before clicking the confirmation to cancel.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

ultimatefans said:


> When you cancel there is a radio button to select whether the taxes will be refunded as a travel fund or to the original form of payment.  The default is travel fund so be sure to change that before clicking the confirmation to cancel.


Does it matter that the fare is a Wanna Get Away one? Thanks!

*Edit* I just did it. It was easier than I thought. Thanks!


----------



## ultimatefans

CookieandOatmeal said:


> Does it matter that the fare is a Wanna Get Away one? Thanks!


If it's booked with points, then no, it doesn't matter.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Finally my 3rd boarding pass of this trip turned out to the lucky one...left on first flight this am out of BWI....plane was packed with a several people waiting standby who didn’t get on...every seat was filled then they they started asking people to move around to accommodate families with small children who I guess must have missed the time for such families to board before the “B” people. The line for security both reg and TSA were enormous even that early in the morning.  last night I did the”free” offer for “Clear” which I figured I would just cancel before end of trial period but now I’m keeping it!  It took about 5 minutes to complete the process and I was escorted right to the front of the line.   Plane left right on time and landed a little early and bags were coming out by the time I got to baggage claim!   I can’t believe I’m actually here! Weather had been calling thunder showers but it’s beautifu! Oh, there were several pilots that boarded and one of them told me that with the huge mess they had over the weekend they were Displaced and were being returned to MCO.


----------



## MaggieBags

Hi - our outbound was changed to a new time/different flight number. The original flight (same time and flight number) are still showing as available online.  Why did they change our flight if it is still being sold? If I change it back is this just going to happen again?

Thank you!


----------



## MarBee

Hello, just double checking…I’ve never used EBCI before but have it for a flight that departs at 7:20 PM on Thursday.  I thought that meant I did nothing and at 7:20 AM on Wednesday I would be automatically checked in.  However, when I just looked at my app, there was a message above the trip reservation that says “check in is 24 hours before departure.”
Is this just a standard message that does not update even if you have EBCI?  Or is there a mess up and my EBCI was lost?
I really don’t want to fight through the call queue to ask customer service myself, so I was hoping someone with EBCI experience could help.


----------



## sandam1

MarBee said:


> Hello, just double checking…I’ve never used EBCI before but have it for a flight that departs at 7:20 PM on Thursday.  I thought that meant I did nothing and at 7:20 AM on Wednesday I would be automatically checked in.  However, when I just looked at my app, there was a message above the trip reservation that says “check in is 24 hours before departure.”
> Is this just a standard message that does not update even if you have EBCI?  Or is there a mess up and my EBCI was lost?
> I really don’t want to fight through the call queue to ask customer service myself, so I was hoping someone with EBCI experience could help.


You still have to go through the check in process (i.e. hit the button) sometime in the 24 hours before your flight. The difference is that a computer has already assigned you your boarding number in the background instead of happening when you press the button. 

Your EBCI should be visible somewhere on your reservation page if you look at the flight information if you want to double-check.


----------



## MakiraMarlena

Layovers mean another chance to screw stuff up. I don't believe I'm getting where I'm going until the plane leaves the runway


----------



## Avery&Todd

So DH and I head to Vegas next month - 39 days to be exact but who's counting?? HA!

I reached out to SW via FB messenger and asked if they knew of any more changes to May flights between now and then and they said "We don't have any further anticipated revisions to our May flight schedule at this time. We look forward to welcoming you onboard again soon. -Kayla"..

Which is kinda a bummer since we have horrible flights and won't be getting into Vegas until 3pm....

I assume that Kayla @ SW is pretty knowledgeable and knows if they'll be having any more schedule changes, right?

and if I want to reduce my round-trip SW flights to a non-stop I can just go into my flight and "change it" right?  To eliminate just a leg and basically convert it from a round trip to a one-way without changing the other leg that I want to keep?

Thanks!


----------



## MarBee

sandam1 said:


> You still have to go through the check in process (i.e. hit the button) sometime in the 24 hours before your flight. The difference is that a computer has already assigned you your boarding number in the background instead of happening when you press the button.
> 
> Your EBCI should be visible somewhere on your reservation page if you look at the flight information if you want to double-check.


Thanks for this!  Got A48-52 for both flights.  Hopefully we make it!  Super nervous with everything going on!


----------



## FCDub

Avery&Todd said:


> So DH and I head to Vegas next month - 39 days to be exact but who's counting?? HA!
> 
> I reached out to SW via FB messenger and asked if they knew of any more changes to May flights between now and then and they said "We don't have any further anticipated revisions to our May flight schedule at this time. We look forward to welcoming you onboard again soon. -Kayla"..
> 
> Which is kinda a bummer since we have horrible flights and won't be getting into Vegas until 3pm....
> 
> I assume that Kayla @ SW is pretty knowledgeable and knows if they'll be having any more schedule changes, right?
> 
> and if I want to reduce my round-trip SW flights to a non-stop I can just go into my flight and "change it" right?  To eliminate just a leg and basically convert it from a round trip to a one-way without changing the other leg that I want to keep?
> 
> Thanks!



There's not a chance a customer service rep knows that. That's just the canned line they're told to use, so asking about something like that is not going to get a usable answer.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Does anyone have an email address for SWA?  I am aware of the address offered via their “contact us” link but it limits the number of words you can type in space allowed I want to be able to contact regarding several issues I have regarding my recent experience and not just have to check off one aspect.


----------



## G719

Lsdolphin said:


> Does anyone have an email address for SWA?  I am aware of the address offered via their “contact us” link but it limits the number of words you can type in space allowed I want to be able to contact regarding several issues I have regarding my recent experience and not just have to check off one aspect.


I've had succes using Facebook messenger or Twitter message to contact them. You could try that.


----------



## Lsdolphin

G719 said:


> I've had succes using Facebook messenger or Twitter message to contact them. You could try that.


Thank you! I contacted them via FB messenger and got an immediate response. I sent them additional info as requested and they responded that they are looking into my situatio.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Wow I have been trying to contact SWA via phone regarding my return flight home which was booked separately from my flight to get here and since i got here 2 days later than planned due to swa issues I was trying to change my flight home which I thought had been taken care of but my confirmation was still showing original return date and of course when I tried to change online they wanted me to pay price difference .....I just contacted swa via FB messenger and they have already resolved my flight issue rebooked it for me at no additional cost and in addition i was told they would be sending me a voucher which I didn’t ask for....I did also let them know of the problems I had with my flight including the hours spent on hold on phone, hours spent in line at airport, and the limited number of agents actually assisting customers at full service counters....


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Lsdolphin said:


> Thank you! I contacted them via FB messenger and got an immediate response. I sent them additional info as requested and they responded that they are looking into my situatio.





Lsdolphin said:


> Wow I have been trying to contact SWA via phone regarding my return flight home which was booked separately from my flight to get here and since i got here 2 days later than planned due to swa issues I was trying to change my flight home which I thought had been taken care of but my confirmation was still showing original return date and of course when I tried to change online they wanted me to pay price difference .....I just contacted swa via FB messenger and they have already resolved my flight issue rebooked it for me at no additional cost and in addition i was told they would be sending me a voucher which I didn’t ask for....I did also let them know of the problems I had with my flight including the hours spent on hold on phone, hours spent in line at airport, and the limited number of agents actually assisting customers at full service counters....



These days FB is one of the best ways. The evolution of communication lol.

Twitter is as well although I personally don't have a twitter account. I just contacted a clothing company (who sells their products via their website but also on Amazon) earlier this week on FB messenger and got a response within 20mins, I've handled an exchange via FB messenger with another clothing company (where they sent me the return shipping label through that and processed the new order for me), and other companies as well.

Phone can def. be useful at times but chat features on websites and social media is quickly becoming one of the best ways to get in contact with companies.


----------



## ultimatefans

Lsdolphin said:


> Wow I have been trying to contact SWA via phone regarding my return flight home which was booked separately from my flight to get here and since i got here 2 days later than planned due to swa issues I was trying to change my flight home which I thought had been taken care of but my confirmation was still showing original return date and of course when I tried to change online they wanted me to pay price difference .....I just contacted swa via FB messenger and they have already resolved my flight issue rebooked it for me at no additional cost and in addition i was told they would be sending me a voucher which I didn’t ask for....I did also let them know of the problems I had with my flight including the hours spent on hold on phone, hours spent in line at airport, and the limited number of agents actually assisting customers at full service counters....


I'm so glad they resolved it for you and that you received an extra voucher too.  I hope you can enjoy the rest of your trip and that it's smooth sailing from here on out!


----------



## dez1978

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> They *are* fine, that doesn't mean someone can't have a preference towards not having to take one.
> 
> And in our airport the cheapest flights generally are the non-stop flights.


Same at ours.  Which always makes me wonder why anyone would pay more money for a flight that can take 2-3x longer than the non stop.  STL-MCO is 2 h 15 m.  I paid 163 when I booked.  But the flights with layovers, some would take 8-9 hrs to get there and were $300.  I don't know why anyone would choose that 

Has the new terminal opened at your airport yet?


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

dez1978 said:


> Has the new terminal opened at your airport yet?


No it's about a year away (so they say lol) with an anticipated opening of March 2023 but they have been giving periodic updates to the construction. According a news story last month they were about 80% complete. I just hope they really really really stuck with the feature us locals loved the most---being dropped off at the curb and inside through security within a short time frame. There's so many airports out there where you're walking and walking and walking before you get to security and KCI was never like that it's a glorious thing. Supposedly they were intent on keeping some key features that locals liked with the new airport just seeing how it will pan out. The only reason the airport passed in the first place was because the taxpayers didn't have to pay for it, it had been voted down time and time and time again when the taxpayers had to pay. Us on the KS side do not get a say though.

They are putting a lot of stuff in it though from an airplane simulation room (to help kids and others get used to airplane travel and is supposed to even have a simulated cabin), a muli-sensory room designed mainly for kids and adults with autism, dementia, or sensory processing disorders. Then a mediation room, better restroom facilities (which admittedly once you're past security they do suck presently) and more encompassing restroom facilities like adult assist changing rooms, and more.


dez1978 said:


> STL-MCO is 2 h 15 m.


Yeah ours is about 2 hours 40ish mins or so.

We only take stops when it's really necessary as in we just can't make the non-stop work.


----------



## MarBee

Currently on hold with SW for 40 mins.  As we were pulling out of our driveway we got notice that our flight is delayed and will make us miss our connection.  Even though I was expecting this to happen, I’m still so disappointed- I was so looking forward to this trip.  
Any advice on the best way to handle this/salvage this trip?
For the record we were going PHL-STL-DAL.  Last flights of the night unfortunately.


----------



## Toolulu22

MarBee said:


> Currently on hold with SW for 40 mins.  As we were pulling out of our driveway we got notice that our flight is delayed and will make us miss our connection.  Even though I was expecting this to happen, I’m still so disappointed- I was so looking forward to this trip.
> Any advice on the best way to handle this/salvage this trip?
> For the record we were going PHL-STL-DAL.  Last flights of the night unfortunately.


Seems as though contacting them through Facebook is getting fast response times. Maybe you can book a morning flight?


----------



## jkelly86

Just a warning that today SWA changed a flight we have booked for late June.  Check your reservations.


----------



## jkelly86

MarBee said:


> Currently on hold with SW for 40 mins.  As we were pulling out of our driveway we got notice that our flight is delayed and will make us miss our connection.  Even though I was expecting this to happen, I’m still so disappointed- I was so looking forward to this trip.
> Any advice on the best way to handle this/salvage this trip?
> For the record we were going PHL-STL-DAL.  Last flights of the night unfortunately.


You can also try messaging customer serviceon Twitter.
Have you considered driving to BWI and flying from there?


----------



## maccagerl

I just booked non stop flights from Providence to MCO on April 4  for a June trip.
They have already changed my flights TWICE to  flights with layovers.The flight to Disney won't get in until 8 pm, so I lose that entire day.


----------



## MarBee

MarBee said:


> Currently on hold with SW for 40 mins.  As we were pulling out of our driveway we got notice that our flight is delayed and will make us miss our connection.  Even though I was expecting this to happen, I’m still so disappointed- I was so looking forward to this trip.
> Any advice on the best way to handle this/salvage this trip?
> For the record we were going PHL-STL-DAL.  Last flights of the night unfortunately.


Just an update and for anyone else that gets this…
Got a message our flight was delayed 2 hours, then changed it to only 90 minutes, then changed it to 45 minutes. Then it was an hour.  At one point I got a message from SW saying they had rebooked us on another flight but they didn’t.
All in all there was a ton of conflicting and false messaging.  We wound up landing about an hour and fifteen minutes later than we were originally supposed to, but our connection was also delayed so we made it with seconds to spare. I’m happy to say we are finally here 
So for anyone getting delay messages, you may want to just be at the airport regular time anyway.  Good luck everyone!


----------



## Leigh L

MarBee said:


> Just an update and for anyone else that gets this…
> Got a message our flight was delayed 2 hours, then changed it to only 90 minutes, then changed it to 45 minutes. Then it was an hour.  At one point I got a message from SW saying they had rebooked us on another flight but they didn’t.
> All in all there was a ton of conflicting and false messaging.  We wound up landing about an hour and fifteen minutes later than we were originally supposed to, but our connection was also delayed so we made it with seconds to spare. I’m happy to say we are finally here
> So for anyone getting delay messages, you may want to just be at the airport regular time anyway.  Good luck everyone!


Glad you made it, have a great trip!!!


----------



## Sammy

MarBee said:


> Just an update and for anyone else that gets this…
> Got a message our flight was delayed 2 hours, then changed it to only 90 minutes, then changed it to 45 minutes. Then it was an hour.  At one point I got a message from SW saying they had rebooked us on another flight but they didn’t.
> All in all there was a ton of conflicting and false messaging.  We wound up landing about an hour and fifteen minutes later than we were originally supposed to, but our connection was also delayed so we made it with seconds to spare. I’m happy to say we are finally here
> So for anyone getting delay messages, you may want to just be at the airport regular time anyway.  Good luck everyone!


That happened to us last week for our flight home from WDW.  We were 5 minutes away from Sunshine Flyer picking us up at OKW when we got a text saying our SWA flight was delayed three hours.   By the time we got through security at MCO, we had received 4 additional texts bumping the flight back towards the original time.  In the end, we departed only 35 minutes later than planned.  Stressful!


----------



## BLTtinkerbell

maccagerl said:


> I just booked non stop flights from Providence to MCO on April 4  for a June trip.
> They have already changed my flights TWICE to  flights with layovers.The flight to Disney won't get in until 8 pm, so I lose that entire day.


Sorry this is happening, I know it is frustrating. Check their website to see if there is another flight available you would rather take and then contact them to make the change. Good luck!


----------



## mrsstats79

MarBee said:


> Just an update and for anyone else that gets this…
> Got a message our flight was delayed 2 hours, then changed it to only 90 minutes, then changed it to 45 minutes. Then it was an hour.  At one point I got a message from SW saying they had rebooked us on another flight but they didn’t.
> All in all there was a ton of conflicting and false messaging.  We wound up landing about an hour and fifteen minutes later than we were originally supposed to, but our connection was also delayed so we made it with seconds to spare. I’m happy to say we are finally here
> So for anyone getting delay messages, you may want to just be at the airport regular time anyway.  Good luck everyone!


When this happened to us we were told you need to show up at the normal time even if you are advised the flight is delayed just for that reason that it could change at the drop of a hat..   Glad you were able to get there.


----------



## kristenrice

I am flying to MCO in October with DD18.  I already booked our flight home using points.  We live 10 minutes from GRR so we are flying home to GRR via MDW on what is currently the last flight of the night from MCO.  Currently, SWA lists flights at 3:15pm, 4:15pm and 5:45pm departing to MDW and then a flight from MDW to GRR at 8:50pm, arriving in GRR at 10:50pm.  I booked us on the 5:45-10:50pm itinerary, but I fully expect that the 5:45 and 4:15 departures will probably get dropped and we will end up on the 3:15pm flight out of Orlando and have a 4 1/2 hour layover in Chicago...but it is what it is.

That brings me to the dilemma of how we are going to get TO Orlando.  We live about 3 hours from Chicago-MDW and about 2.5 hours from DTW.  I have enough remaining SWA points to get (1) more ticket with points and I will need to pay OOP for the other one.  I also have enough Marriott points to get a hotel near either airport at no additional cost.  I priced out a one-way rental car from Alamo (and reserved one to each destination to lock in the price) and that will be about $60 so I do not need to worry about parking at either location.  The logistics for either location are about even...but the flight choices are my biggest dilemma...

Flying out of DTW, we are faced with a stop in Baltimore.  The flight departs at 6:00am and arrives at noon with a 2-hour layover.   Out of Chicago, the flight departs at 7:15am and lands at 10:55am and is NON-STOP.  It seems like a no-brainer...but the biggest concern that I have is that I have never flown out of Chicago and I am VERY familiar with the DTW airport and it's surrounding area.  I would be very comfortable driving around and navigating the DTW area in the late evening/early morning hours, whereas the Chicago-Midway area is all-new territory for me.  We would be arriving there around 8-9pm and we would be leaving the hotel (which is about 30 minutes from the airport) around 5am and we would need to stop and gas up the rental car.

Obviously, I am more comfortable flying out of Detroit.  My concern though is with SWA and their cancellations and delays.  By flying non-stop out of MDW, we mitigate that risk a little bit.  On the other hand, our connection out of DTW is through BWI which is a fairly major hub for SWA (I think?) and our flight is the first one of the day to MCO from BWI.  We are not planning to do a park on that day, but we were hoping to do the DVC Member night at Splitsville at 6pm so we are not exactly in a hurry, but we do have tentative plans.


----------



## EACarlson

kristenrice said:


> I am flying to MCO in October with DD18.  I already booked our flight home using points.  We live 10 minutes from GRR so we are flying home to GRR via MDW on what is currently the last flight of the night from MCO.  Currently, SWA lists flights at 3:15pm, 4:15pm and 5:45pm departing to MDW and then a flight from MDW to GRR at 8:50pm, arriving in GRR at 10:50pm.  I booked us on the 5:45-10:50pm itinerary, but I fully expect that the 5:45 and 4:15 departures will probably get dropped and we will end up on the 3:15pm flight out of Orlando and have a 4 1/2 hour layover in Chicago...but it is what it is.
> 
> That brings me to the dilemma of how we are going to get TO Orlando.  We live about 3 hours from Chicago-MDW and about 2.5 hours from DTW.  I have enough remaining SWA points to get (1) more ticket with points and I will need to pay OOP for the other one.  I also have enough Marriott points to get a hotel near either airport at no additional cost.  I priced out a one-way rental car from Alamo (and reserved one to each destination to lock in the price) and that will be about $60 so I do not need to worry about parking at either location.  The logistics for either location are about even...but the flight choices are my biggest dilemma...
> 
> Flying out of DTW, we are faced with a stop in Baltimore.  The flight departs at 6:00am and arrives at noon with a 2-hour layover.   Out of Chicago, the flight departs at 7:15am and lands at 10:55am and is NON-STOP.  It seems like a no-brainer...but the biggest concern that I have is that I have never flown out of Chicago and I am VERY familiar with the DTW airport and it's surrounding area.  I would be very comfortable driving around and navigating the DTW area in the late evening/early morning hours, whereas the Chicago-Midway area is all-new territory for me.  We would be arriving there around 8-9pm and we would be leaving the hotel (which is about 30 minutes from the airport) around 5am and we would need to stop and gas up the rental car.
> 
> Obviously, I am more comfortable flying out of Detroit.  My concern though is with SWA and their cancellations and delays.  By flying non-stop out of MDW, we mitigate that risk a little bit.  On the other hand, our connection out of DTW is through BWI which is a fairly major hub for SWA (I think?) and our flight is the first one of the day to MCO from BWI.  We are not planning to do a park on that day, but we were hoping to do the DVC Member night at Splitsville at 6pm so we are not exactly in a hurry, but we do have tentative plans.


Is there an evening flight you can take from GRR-MDW the night before?  I'd rather book an airport hotel with a shuttle than drive three hours into Chicago, especially if you're not used to driving in Chicago traffic.  The area around MDW is fine, especially at 5am.  You'd be coming off I-55 and driving about a mile on deserted city streets to the rental car center, then a 5 minute shuttle trip to the terminal.  I'd be more concerned about where you're staying the night before.  30 minutes from the airport can put you in a really nice area, or one of the worst areas of the country.  I live about the same distance from MDW as you do, just on the WI side and I usually stay in Burr Ridge, about 10 minutes south of MDW.


----------



## kristenrice

EACarlson said:


> Is there an evening flight you can take from GRR-MDW the night before?  I'd rather book an airport hotel with a shuttle than drive three hours into Chicago, especially if you're not used to driving in Chicago traffic.  The area around MDW is fine, especially at 5am.  You'd be coming off I-55 and driving about a mile on deserted city streets to the rental car center, then a 5 minute shuttle trip to the terminal.  I'd be more concerned about where you're staying the night before.  30 minutes from the airport can put you in a really nice area, or one of the worst areas of the country.  I live about the same distance from MDW as you do, just on the WI side and I usually stay in Burr Ridge, about 10 minutes south of MDW.


Well, it’s a thought, but we are looking to stay at Pop Century when we arrive (for just the day/night) since our DVC stay starts the following day.  The evening flight out of GRR is at 3:50pm and connects through BWI, landing at 9:50pm.  Since it is more of an “afternoon” departure, we would both be taking the whole day off of work instead of working the morning and driving to Chicago after work.   I would then need to book (2) nights at Pop Century which would significantly add to my cost.  It is something to consider though….


----------



## EACarlson

kristenrice said:


> Well, it’s a thought, but we are looking to stay at Pop Century when we arrive (for just the day/night) since our DVC stay starts the following day.  The evening flight out of GRR is at 3:50pm and connects through BWI, landing at 9:50pm.  Since it is more of an “afternoon” departure, we would both be taking the whole day off of work instead of working the morning and driving to Chicago after work.   I would then need to book (2) nights at Pop Century which would significantly add to my cost.  It is something to consider though….


I was suggesting fly from GRR to MDW the night before your flight to MCO.  Get a room at one of the hotels near MDW that has a shuttle, then shuttle back to the MDW for your flight to MCO.  Then you don't have to drive into Chicago, deal with traffic and drive around MDW.


----------



## my523

*posted in I Love Credit Cards, but looking for broader input*

I need help making a decision on which credit card to get. Here's the situation:

We plan to book our Disney plane tickets as soon as the SW calendar opens up for December, which will be in mid-June. We plan to buy 6 tickets using points and will need approx 137,500 points (if they are about the same as they are right now). We currently have 105,000 points on our CSP credit card to transfer. We do not have any other cards. 

Question:
Should we open a SW credit card for 40,000 extra points (for $1,000 spending in 3mo, plus $69 fee) or another CSP for 75,000 extra points (for $4,000 in 3mo, plus $95 fee...I am calculating the bonus based on 40,000 points welcome offer + referral bonus)???

We would get more points with opening a new CSP, but spend less overall with SW. We wouldn't continue to use the SW card after the ticket purchase, honestly. Wondering which would be the best option and cause us not to "waste" any points or spend extra $ in the process. Hope that makes sense!


----------



## kristenrice

EACarlson said:


> I was suggesting fly from GRR to MDW the night before your flight to MCO.  Get a room at one of the hotels near MDW that has a shuttle, then shuttle back to the MDW for your flight to MCO.  Then you don't have to drive into Chicago, deal with traffic and drive around MDW.


That would be a huge budget-buster, unfortunately.  I am not averse to driving, per se.  I just prefer to have a little experience in the area, but the only way to get it is to just bite the bullet and take the trip.

I priced out the options and it looks like the option to drive to Chicago on Tuesday night and fly out Wednesday morning is going to be our cheapest option.  I did a little more "research" and the hotel I am looking at (FourPoints by Sheraton, Westchester/OakBrook) is about 15 miles from the airport.  I did a search on Google maps and there is a 24-hour Exxon gas station along the route (about halfway) so I would not have to hunt for fuel which puts me more at ease as well.  There are (2) flights that we can choose from right now...a 5:30am and a 7:15am...and we would plan to leave the hotel about 3 hours early.  We only fly with carry-ons and we both have TSA-precheck so no worries about major waits at the airport.  The only concern would be the rental car return...I'm not sure how it works in the morning when the counter isn't open yet.  From what I understand, the rental car counters aren't in the terminal so I do not know where we return the car...is it off site?  If so, how do we get to the terminal at that hour??

Our second choice option (right now) will be to fly out of GR (connecting through BWI) on Tuesday night, and land in Orlando around 9:30pm.  It's about $300 more to do it that way, mainly because it adds another hotel night on to the trip that I cannot cover with points, but that night will be IN Orlando instead of in Chicago.  It's a "riskier" option because (a) we have a connection (although the second leg is NOT the last flight of the night from BWI into MCO) and (b) it is the last flight of the day out of GRR so we have no other options if it gets cancelled...we'd have to drive to Chicago anyways and try to catch one of the first flights out in the morning.


----------



## EACarlson

kristenrice said:


> That would be a huge budget-buster, unfortunately.  I am not averse to driving, per se.  I just prefer to have a little experience in the area, but the only way to get it is to just bite the bullet and take the trip.
> 
> I priced out the options and it looks like the option to drive to Chicago on Tuesday night and fly out Wednesday morning is going to be our cheapest option.  I did a little more "research" and the hotel I am looking at (FourPoints by Sheraton, Westchester/OakBrook) is about 15 miles from the airport.  I did a search on Google maps and there is a 24-hour Exxon gas station along the route (about halfway) so I would not have to hunt for fuel which puts me more at ease as well.  There are (2) flights that we can choose from right now...a 5:30am and a 7:15am...and we would plan to leave the hotel about 3 hours early.  We only fly with carry-ons and we both have TSA-precheck so no worries about major waits at the airport.  The only concern would be the rental car return...I'm not sure how it works in the morning when the counter isn't open yet.  From what I understand, the rental car counters aren't in the terminal so I do not know where we return the car...is it off site?  If so, how do we get to the terminal at that hour?


According to the MDW airport page the shuttle runs every 15 minutes 24/7 from the rental car facility.  The facility is right on 55th next to economy parking.  I've done the 5:30, with Pre I never stopped walking from the time they opened the SW counters, all the way through security to the gate.  If you go that way be aware that the SW counters don't open until 4.  Usually to drop off a rental prior to opening there is a key drop, make sure you take pictures of the car in the spot, preferably with something that identifies where you are, the fuel level and odometer.


----------



## jkelly86

SWA just changed the flight schedules for all of our June flights (we had 3 different itineraries) and it isn't pretty.   Check your reservations.


----------



## disny_luvr

Can someone remind me how to rebook a flight at a lower price point? My flight just changed to an earlier time and it’s $456 cheaper! I’d like to rebook that same flight at the cheaper price to get travel credits.


----------



## nekonekoneko

disny_luvr said:


> Can someone remind me how to rebook a flight at a lower price point? My flight just changed to an earlier time and it’s $456 cheaper! I’d like to rebook that same flight at the cheaper price to get travel credits.


You can change the flight online, either via the website or app, and change it to the same time.  It will adjust the price for you, and then tell you how the fare change will be processed


----------



## MarBee

my523 said:


> *posted in I Love Credit Cards, but looking for broader input*
> 
> I need help making a decision on which credit card to get. Here's the situation:
> 
> We plan to book our Disney plane tickets as soon as the SW calendar opens up for December, which will be in mid-June. We plan to buy 6 tickets using points and will need approx 137,500 points (if they are about the same as they are right now). We currently have 105,000 points on our CSP credit card to transfer. We do not have any other cards.
> 
> Question:
> Should we open a SW credit card for 40,000 extra points (for $1,000 spending in 3mo, plus $69 fee) or another CSP for 75,000 extra points (for $4,000 in 3mo, plus $95 fee...I am calculating the bonus based on 40,000 points welcome offer + referral bonus)???
> 
> We would get more points with opening a new CSP, but spend less overall with SW. We wouldn't continue to use the SW card after the ticket purchase, honestly. Wondering which would be the best option and cause us not to "waste" any points or spend extra $ in the process. Hope that makes sense!


I *think* I may have a referral link for 50,000 point sign up bonus.  Let me check and see.  I could totally be mistaking this for another card…
ETA: Sorry, I could only find 40,000 point links.  Even when I check a few other referral links from other DISers that advertised 60 or 80 thousand, they all linked to a 40,000 point offer.  

My only other thought was if you could do another Chase card that offered UR points that you could transfer to SW.  You’ve prob already explain everything on the credit cards thread, but I can try to help you here if you didn’t get any help over there.  The folks on that board though are amazing though and prob better than me. Which cards do you already have?


----------



## shellsbell

jkelly86 said:


> SWA just changed the flight schedules for all of our June flights (we had 3 different itineraries) and it isn't pretty.   Check your reservations.


Yup…our great non-stops leaving at 10:30 are now  a layover and leaving at 5:55 am ….took an hour on the phone to change to a better layover because no non-stops …uugh


----------



## my523

MarBee said:


> I *think* I may have a referral link for 50,000 point sign up bonus.  Let me check and see.  I could totally be mistaking this for another card…
> ETA: Sorry, I could only find 40,000 point links.  Even when I check a few other referral links from other DISers that advertised 60 or 80 thousand, they all linked to a 40,000 point offer.
> 
> My only other thought was if you could do another Chase card that offered UR points that you could transfer to SW.  You’ve prob already explain everything on the credit cards thread, but I can try to help you here if you didn’t get any help over there.  The folks on that board though are amazing though and prob better than me. Which cards do you already have?


We only have the CSP with 105,000 points. Just looking to get enough points to purchase the flights the cheapest way.


----------



## disny_luvr

I tried to change my flight online to the same flight so that I can get travel credits, but once I select the flight I want to change (the one I’m currently booked on), I don’t get the same flight as an option I want to change to. Any ideas how to select the same flight?


----------



## Avery&Todd

disny_luvr said:


> I tried to change my flight online to the same flight so that I can get travel credits, but once I select the flight I want to change (the one I’m currently booked on), I don’t get the same flight as an option I want to change to. Any ideas how to select the same flight?


I have also worked with changing my SW flights through FB messenger - the agents there can change your flights if you can't get the website to work for you!

Good luck!


----------



## happ

my523 said:


> We only have the CSP with 105,000 points. Just looking to get enough points to purchase the flights the cheapest way.


If you can get the 80k in branch CSP offer with the waived fee, that's the way I'd go. The minimum spend is higher than the SW card, but keep in mind that URs are flexible. They can even be cashed out at 0.01 if you want. Plus, if your flights end up being a lot more RRs than expected, you'd have extra URs to transfer.


----------



## TNKim

Quick question about the 2 free Early Birds per year now offered as a perk through the Southwest VISA.  If you have 4 seats with 1 confirmation number, can you purchase 2 Early Birds instead of buying all 4?  If you can, and I add the 2 Early Birds, is that amount credited back to my VISA?  Or how exactly do the 2 free Early Birds per year work?


----------



## jkelly86

disny_luvr said:


> Can someone remind me how to rebook a flight at a lower price point? My flight just changed to an earlier time and it’s $456 cheaper! I’d like to rebook that same flight at the cheaper price to get travel credits.




It will be too late to help you now, but if SWA changed your flight, you get one flight change at no cost (higher or lower fare will not pertain).  So, in this case you must cancel the current reservation and rebook or ask for help from SWA customer service to receive a partial refund/flight credit.


----------



## disny_luvr

jkelly86 said:


> It will be too late to help you now, but if SWA changed your flight, you get one flight change at no cost (higher or lower fare will not pertain).  So, in this case you must cancel the current reservation and rebook or ask for help from SWA customer service to receive a partial refund/flight credit.



I emailed them last night. It said I’ll hear back within 10 days. I’d cancel and rebook on my own, but then I’ll lose my EBCI, won’t I? Hopefully once someone reaches out to me they’ll be able to help.


----------



## disny_luvr

Avery&Todd said:


> I have also worked with changing my SW flights through FB messenger - the agents there can change your flights if you can't get the website to work for you!
> 
> Good luck!


That’s a great idea! Thank you!


----------



## jkelly86

SWA just changed the flight schedules for our mid-July flights.  Check your reservations.


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## catsinawindow

jkelly86 said:


> SWA just changed the flight schedules for our mid-July flights.  Check your reservations.


Same here.  My flights were only moved back by 5 min, so no big deal.  Fingers crossed these are the only changes we see!


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## msjprincess

disny_luvr said:


> I emailed them last night. It said I’ll hear back within 10 days. I’d cancel and rebook on my own, but then I’ll lose my EBCI, won’t I? Hopefully once someone reaches out to me they’ll be able to help.


I would try FB messenger. I usually hear back in less than an hour


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## poochie

What is happening to all the non stop flights with Southwest? I spent a lot of time yesterday evening  on the phone with Sunshine Flyer Bus line changing our pickup at MCO due to our early NON STOP flight being cancelled. Southwest now has us booked to fly from Buffalo to Baltimore/Washington. Then from Bal to MCO extra 2 hours plus we need to now be at the airport around 4:00am.  To make matters worse I also had to change my daughter and granddaughters bus information also as they were flying on the same flight as us. 

Well I just checked my email and now I received another email stating our NON STOP flight from MCO to BUF has been cancelled. The put us on another flight later in the day.   Anyone know what is happening. I also noticed other people posting their flights are being cancelled also. This is all happening  last week of June thru the July  holiday week.  I know it cannot be due to lack of bookings. These are the flights we usually take and they are always booked solid.  Now it looks like I have to call Sunshine Flyer again once I hear from my daughter if she got the same email. She is currently on a trip to Washington DC with her family so I will not hear from her until tomorrow.


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## Rachel GB

I have nonstop Southwest flights booked for later this month, BUF to MCO. These were already significantly altered by Southwest some time ago (I was able to eventually grab decent times, even though not what I wanted), but no recent changes. 
Are they still cancelling April flights the day before/ day of the flight, or is that calming down after the craziness of a week or so ago? 
TIA!!!


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## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

poochie said:


> What is happening to all the non stop flights with Southwest? I spent a lot of time yesterday evening  on the phone with Sunshine Flyer Bus line changing our pickup at MCO due to our early NON STOP flight being cancelled. Southwest now has us booked to fly from Buffalo to Baltimore/Washington. Then from Bal to MCO extra 2 hours plus we need to now be at the airport around 4:00am.  To make matters worse I also had to change my daughter and granddaughters bus information also as they were flying on the same flight as us.
> 
> Well I just checked my email and now I received another email stating our NON STOP flight from MCO to BUF has been cancelled. The put us on another flight later in the day.   Anyone know what is happening. I also noticed other people posting their flights are being cancelled also. This is all happening  last week of June thru the July  holiday week.  I know it cannot be due to lack of bookings. These are the flights we usually take and they are always booked solid.  Now it looks like I have to call Sunshine Flyer again once I hear from my daughter if she got the same email. She is currently on a trip to Washington DC with her family so I will not hear from her until tomorrow.


It's been a rolling month to month adjustment recently with SWA. Many of us on this thread had March, then April, then May and now June and July schedule changes. Sometimes it's the flights getting canceled completely, some are just minor flight time adjustment and some are major flight time adjustments.

Take note it hasn't been on this scale before the sheer amount of things going on.


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## Memorymakerfor4

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> No it's about a year away (so they say lol) with an anticipated opening of March 2023 but they have been giving periodic updates to the construction. According a news story last month they were about 80% complete. I just hope they really really really stuck with the feature us locals loved the most---being dropped off at the curb and inside through security within a short time frame. There's so many airports out there where you're walking and walking and walking before you get to security and KCI was never like that it's a glorious thing. Supposedly they were intent on keeping some key features that locals liked with the new airport just seeing how it will pan out. The only reason the airport passed in the first place was because the taxpayers didn't have to pay for it, it had been voted down time and time and time again when the taxpayers had to pay. Us on the KS side do not get a say though.
> 
> They are putting a lot of stuff in it though from an airplane simulation room (to help kids and others get used to airplane travel and is supposed to even have a simulated cabin), a muli-sensory room designed mainly for kids and adults with autism, dementia, or sensory processing disorders. Then a mediation room, better restroom facilities (which admittedly once you're past security they do suck presently) and more encompassing restroom facilities like adult assist changing rooms, and more.



I've always loved MCI. Before 9/11 you went curb to gate in about 2 minutes. Even after I moved away, I would sometimes schedule a long layover and have a meal with my dad because going in and out was so easy.

The sensory room is awesome too. I took my son to the play area at Dallas Love and we left after we got enough dirty looks because of his noises.


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## shellsbell

poochie said:


> What is happening to all the non stop flights with Southwest? I spent a lot of time yesterday evening  on the phone with Sunshine Flyer Bus line changing our pickup at MCO due to our early NON STOP flight being cancelled. Southwest now has us booked to fly from Buffalo to Baltimore/Washington. Then from Bal to MCO extra 2 hours plus we need to now be at the airport around 4:00am.  To make matters worse I also had to change my daughter and granddaughters bus information also as they were flying on the same flight as us.
> 
> Well I just checked my email and now I received another email stating our NON STOP flight from MCO to BUF has been cancelled. The put us on another flight later in the day.   Anyone know what is happening. I also noticed other people posting their flights are being cancelled also. This is all happening  last week of June thru the July  holiday week.  I know it cannot be due to lack of bookings. These are the flights we usually take and they are always booked solid.  Now it looks like I have to call Sunshine Flyer again once I hear from my daughter if she got the same email. She is currently on a trip to Washington DC with her family so I will not hear from her until tomorrow.


Same here… both non stops from providence to MCO and back home during the same time have both been cancelled and replaced with layovers… hoping this is the final change


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## focusondisney

poochie said:


> What is happening to all the non stop flights with Southwest?



SW has been screwing with their flight schedules all year.  Like the PP, my Buffalo- MCO nonstops for late April/ early May were deleted a few months ago.  Moved to horribly timed connecting flights. We have a companion pass & almost 300,000 points.  I was so disgusted in how SW was changing things I cancelled my new flights & booked Jetblue.  And within a week of them doing all that screwing around, they added a new nonstop.  There is now a 2nd nonstop on my dates.  But I’m sticking with my Jetblue flights.  

I did book SW for an early September trip when they opened the schedules.  But I’m prepared to cancel & book JB if they do the same thing again.  All airlines are having issues, but SW seems to be worse than everyone else.  They used to say “we know you have choices in airlines“.  I think they forgot that bit of info.   I’m not rewarding them for this nonsense.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Memorymakerfor4 said:


> Even after I moved away, I would sometimes schedule a long layover and have a meal with my dad because going in and out was so easy.


I feel like you're the only person I've ever heard who purposefully booked a long layover here lol but I'll take it haha



Memorymakerfor4 said:


> The sensory room is awesome too.


I think it is too. Airports can be so noisy and big and well everything. It's nice that if they are going to build a new terminal that they try and include multiple features that bring it up to more current understanding of people's needs.


----------



## bakerworld

Our July NS time changed but so far it's still NS. 

We're flying with SW thru their vacation entity in May and I haven't received any changes with those flights - hopefully their TA will let us know it there've been changes. This will be the last vacation we can fly RT NS with SW. The July vacation I have to book a one-way home with another provider. Our October trip is mid-week to mid-week so it will have to be booked with another provider. Our December vacation will be - hopefully - SW departure from FL and another provider for the arrival. Hopefully SW will get themselves together or hopefully I can used our points before they completely stop flying NS into Philly.


----------



## Sabres431

Our nonstop flight from SYR-MCO changed from 12:10pm to 2:45p.  Thankfully we could change to the 6:30AM(with a stop in BWI) and will arrive in Orlando at 12:20p.  Downside is no nonstop and editing stroller rental and bus with Sunshine Flyer.  Upside is earlier arrival to Disney and no change fee.


----------



## Terpsichore

Currently scheduled to fly on an early morning NS out of BWI in July.  I'm seeing that the flight times have been adjusted for the week before ours so I figure it's coming.  There are NS flights available on the new schedule but they are at slightly different times.  For those who have been affected, did SW reassign you to a NS if you already had one or did you suddenly have a layover?


----------



## Sabres431

Terpsichore said:


> Currently scheduled to fly on an early morning NS out of BWI in July.  I'm seeing that the flight times have been adjusted for the week before ours so I figure it's coming.  There are NS flights available on the new schedule but they are at slightly different times.  For those who have been affected, did SW reassign you to a NS if you already had one or did you suddenly have a layover?


They just changed the flight time on my NS.  I didn't like the new time so used the free change to get a new flight time.


----------



## shellsbell

Terpsichore said:


> Currently scheduled to fly on an early morning NS out of BWI in July.  I'm seeing that the flight times have been adjusted for the week before ours so I figure it's coming.  There are NS flights available on the new schedule but they are at slightly different times.  For those who have been affected, did SW reassign you to a NS if you already had one or did you suddenly have a layover?


We were changed from a mid morning NS out of Providence to a 6:00 am layover… we changed it to a mid morning layover because the  1 NS for the entire day was at 5am and that doesn’t work for our party of 7


----------



## catsinawindow

Terpsichore said:


> Currently scheduled to fly on an early morning NS out of BWI in July.  I'm seeing that the flight times have been adjusted for the week before ours so I figure it's coming.  There are NS flights available on the new schedule but they are at slightly different times.  For those who have been affected, did SW reassign you to a NS if you already had one or did you suddenly have a layover?


Also flying BWI to MCO in July on an early morning flight.  Flight time was originally 7:35AM, now changed to 7:40AM (still nonstop).  Fingers crossed that's the only change for us and yours is similar, if any at all!


----------



## DVC9218

Also really curious if these last minute changes have settled down. I’m flying in mid May and had my flights already changed by several hours from BUF/ ROC to MCO. Was originally going to fly out of BUF but changed to ROC after the new flight times.


----------



## Erica Ladd

How do I use the 2 free EBCI I get with my premier card? We are taking a trip and bringing two friends and I want to get their tickets with points in case their plans change. My family has CP and TF and im A list so I want them to board as close to us as possible!!!

Also - is there a way to link our reservations since the friends are 14? I know SWA has an easy policy for traveling minors but I want to have everything run smoothly!! Thx!


----------



## FCDub

Erica Ladd said:


> How do I use the 2 free EBCI I get with my premier card? We are taking a trip and bringing two friends and I want to get their tickets with points in case their plans change. My family has CP and TF and im A list so I want them to board as close to us as possible!!!
> 
> Also - is there a way to link our reservations since the friends are 14? I know SWA has an easy policy for traveling minors but I want to have everything run smoothly!! Thx!



Pay for the EBCI with that card. The charge will drop off on the next statement. Easy peasy.


----------



## MarBee

MarBee said:


> I *think* I may have a referral link for 50,000 point sign up bonus.  Let me check and see.  I could totally be mistaking this for another card…





my523 said:


> We only have the CSP with 105,000 points. Just looking to get enough points to purchase the flights the cheapest way.


Do you have a spouse that you can refer the CSP to?  Then when they get it they could get their sign up bonus points, and you’ll have more than enough.


----------



## Avery&Todd

*lordy, I posted this in the wrong thread*....    

I feel I'm being a little obsessive compulsive but we fly RDU to LAS next month and I've been checking the flight we booked daily just to make sure its flying out ok..   

apparently the flight we have, RDU-AUS-LAS is a current flight now through the end of May so every morning I check to see if it left RDU on time, did it leave AUS on time and did it arrive in Vegas on time..  I mean, that doesn't sounds SOOO crazy does it??   


so far, it's been looking pretty good.      We fly out on a Sunday and that flight last Sunday wasn't late at all...  fingers crossed they can keep it together for the next month!


----------



## cmarsh31

My 3pm direct flight out of MCO on 7/7 became a 7am  direct. Umm. No thank you. I guess I'll visit BWI on my way home.


----------



## my523

MarBee said:


> Do you have a spouse that you can refer the CSP to?  Then when they get it they could get their sign up bonus points, and you’ll have more than enough.


Yes, I am factoring that referral bonus in.  Thanks!


----------



## Lsdolphin

Terpsichore said:


> Currently scheduled to fly on an early morning NS out of BWI in July.  I'm seeing that the flight times have been adjusted for the week before ours so I figure it's coming.  There are NS flights available on the new schedule but they are at slightly different times.  For those who have been affected, did SW reassign you to a NS if you already had one or did you suddenly have a layover?


I fly out of BWI and I’ve had my last 2/4 early flights (6:15 am NS) cancelled!!!  both times I was rescheduled to a flight with stops and I was able to change both to NS...the most recent issue was the infamous mess last weekend my 6:15 am flight on Sunday, 4/3 was cancelled and I was unable to get anything out until Tuesday.,4/5....


----------



## DebbieB

I had a 9:30am non-stop PIT-MCO on 7/13.  Perfect, don’t need to get up in the middle of the night and will be there by noon.  Changed to 6:20am with a 2 hour connection in Nashville!  Non-stops are either 5:30am or 5:30pm.  Ugh!  Ended up changing to a 10:10am one stop through BWI.  Return flight changed 5 minutes but gave me the opportunity to switch to an earlier flight I wish I would have taken to start with that was more points.


----------



## Lsdolphin

cmarsh31 said:


> My 3pm direct flight out of MCO on 7/7 became a 7am  direct. Umm. No thank you. I guess I'll visit BWI on my way home.


You will be able to pick up some Maryland Crabcakes packed frozen to travel


----------



## Terpsichore

Yikes! Our flight is currently scheduled for a 6:25 departure.  From what I am seeing, the revised schedule is showing two early NS flights - a 6:15 departure and a 7:00 one.  Crossing fingers if they make a change, we are switched to one of those.  If not, we are considering switching to an evening flight the day before.


----------



## my523

my523 said:


> OK, so now the online offer is 80,000 bonus points.
> 
> I called my local branch and they can't tell me anything over the phone. I have to go in person (which I just have to find time for with 4 kids! lol).
> 
> So, should I get the in-branch offer of 80,000 + fee waived first year OR 80,000 + 15,000 referral bonus?


Referring to the Chase Sapphire Preferred so I can transfer for SW Rewards for our flight in December.


----------



## PCFriar80

Just a quick PSA; for those of you who booked flights on the last release date [3/30] check your itinerary.  I, like others paid a lot more than usual  for our R/T fare.  For me it was BDL/MCO.  I checked yesterday and the return fare came down by $53.


----------



## mamamelody2

PCFriar80 said:


> Just a quick PSA; for those of you who booked flights on the last release date [3/30] check your itinerary.  I, like others paid a lot more than usual  for our R/T fare.  For me it was BDL/MCO.  I checked yesterday and the return fare came down by $53.


Thanks for the heads-up. Saved a few thousand points.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

We leave tomorrow and I just checked in for us...even with Early Bird, we ended up being A57, A60, and B2! Anyways, since my son (2 year old) is A60, do you think we can just have my hubs (B2) board with us since its right before family boarding?


----------



## Peaseblossom36

Question for experienced flyers, I just read that if a flight is oversold or they need to bump people around they will sometimes refund seats for children under two and make parents have them as a lap child. Is this true? And does Southwest do this?


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

CookieandOatmeal said:


> We leave tomorrow and I just checked in for us...even with Early Bird, we ended up being A57, A60, and B2! Anyways, since my son (2 year old) is A60, do you think we can just have my hubs (B2) board with us since its right before family boarding?


No I wouldn't try IMO. Most gate agents are paying enough attention to Boarding Groups.

The last time I flew in December 2021 a person with a C tried to Board with us B's. I don't know what this person had but it likely was an honest mistake in Boarding process confusion than trying to scam the system. The gate agent told them they were only Boarding B's right now and to go back and wait for C's to be called. This is not the first time this has happened. Of course some people skate by. But if you're asking would I suggest your husband with a B Board intentionally with A's? I would tell you no.

If you want to all Board together then all of you should Board with Family Boarding since it's just 2 adults and a child under 6. SWA has always had that as a suggestion when you all want to Board together to Board at the furthest back Boarding Position which would be B2 for you but in this case you qualify for Family Boarding and can utilize that instead.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> No I wouldn't try IMO. Most gate agents are paying enough attention to Boarding Groups.
> 
> The last time I flew in December 2021 a person with a C tried to Board with us B's. I don't know what this person had but it likely was an honest mistake in Boarding process confusion than trying to scam the system. The gate agent told them they were only Boarding B's right now and to go back and wait for C's to be called. This is not the first time this has happened. Of course some people skate by. But if you're asking would I suggest your husband with a B Board intentionally with A's? I would tell you no.
> 
> If you want to all Board together then all of you should Board with Family Boarding since it's just 2 adults and a child under 6. SWA has always had that as a suggestion when you all want to Board together to Board at the furthest back Boarding Position which would be B2 for you but in this case you qualify for Family Boarding and can utilize that instead.


We plan on asking the gate agent if he can board with us since we’ll be boarding at the A60 spot. Figure it wouldn’t hurt to ask since it’s  literally right before family boarding. If it’s a “no” than my son and I will board first. I doubt anyone would want to sit in the same row as us lol. It would be nice to have some help while getting my son situated with the CARES harness with his dad right there but it’s not the end of the world if we have to wait for him.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

CookieandOatmeal said:


> We plan on asking the gate agent if he can board with us


Respectfully I'm not sure why you would ask here on the Boards. It's not really something we can advise to do something against SWA's policy and what you're asking to do is against their policy.

The difference between your given Boarding positions and B don't really matter. If they did then everyone in your position would feel like they should ask the gate agent to be given an exception to the Boarding process because they too are A57 and A60 and someone else is B2, there are many times traveling parties could have your situation even with young children. The process works when all adhere to it . It's also why SWA has multiple ways to do it such as Family Boarding.

In any case just like other things determinations for some things are able to be discretionary to the gate agent or flight attendant. But you asked here and the answer would be don't do it..even my husband who has flown countless times said the same thing..don't do it.

Have a good flight though


----------



## FCDub

The DIS way: Ask for advice and then immediately disregard the advice you get but don't like!


----------



## FCDub

CookieandOatmeal said:


> We plan on asking the gate agent if he can board with us since we’ll be boarding at the A60 spot. Figure it wouldn’t hurt to ask since it’s  literally right before family boarding. If it’s a “no” than my son and I will board first. I doubt anyone would want to sit in the same row as us lol. It would be nice to have some help while getting my son situated with the CARES harness with his dad right there but it’s not the end of the world if we have to wait for him.



Why not just board together during family boarding?


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

FCDub said:


> Why not just board together during family boarding?


I'm just trying to avoid the whole chaos of family boarding...really the only reason we bought early bird. Family boarding gives me so much anxiety since its not exactly orderly. We tried it last trip and I hated it so much. I knew there could be chances where early bird could land us into B category but I didn't anticipate this situation!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

CookieandOatmeal said:


> I'm just trying to avoid the whole chaos of family boarding...really the only reason we bought early bird. Family boarding gives me so much anxiety since its not exactly orderly. We tried it last trip and I hated it so much. I knew there could be chances where early bird could land us into B category but I didn't anticipate this situation!


Early Bird has never guaranteed A Boarding and SWA has always been transparent about that. Even pre-pandemic people would get B's with EBCI (stories in this thread as well). I understand that doesn't help you now but SWA would never advise you to purchase EBCI expecting to get A's. I do understand how your situation is we're just telling you how the process is laid out as intended


----------



## mickey916

Chiming in here anecdotally, we just flew last week on Southwest. My DH and I were under separate reservations since he was going for business and booked through his employer and I was just tagging along. About a month ago he got an email from Southwest congratulating him that he would be guaranteed an A boarding group for the rest of 2022. When we checked in separately for our PVD-MCO, he got an A-57 and I got B-11. Then, when we checked in 24 hours before our return flight, my DH took his time since he knew he'd be an A and I clicked as quickly as I could. I got A-56 and he got B-3, so much for guaranteed A. I will say though that on both flights we boarded close enough to each other to be able to sit together.


----------



## EACarlson

Peaseblossom36 said:


> Question for experienced flyers, I just read that if a flight is oversold or they need to bump people around they will sometimes refund seats for children under two and make parents have them as a lap child. Is this true? And does Southwest do this?


I've never heard that one before.  I would think under DOT rules you'd be eligible for Involuntary Denied Boarding which is 4x the one way flight cost plus some other things and something almost never done anymore.  Once you pay for a seat you have the seat.  Can you link me to the source where you read this?


----------



## FCDub

CookieandOatmeal said:


> I'm just trying to avoid the whole chaos of family boarding...really the only reason we bought early bird. Family boarding gives me so much anxiety since its not exactly orderly. We tried it last trip and I hated it so much. I knew there could be chances where early bird could land us into B category but I didn't anticipate this situation!



So here is what I, me, personally, would do:

You and your son stand at A60, with your husband behind you. As you approach the boarding agent, literally say “we have A57 and A60 and would like to use family boarding to board with my husband who has B02”

They might wave you all through with the As. They might start family boarding right there, with your group as the first group. Either way, you are doing the _correct_ thing and boarding with the worst number (in this case superseded by family boarding) rather than asking for a special exception for everyone to board in the As.

It’s splitting hairs, but I’m cognizant that these employees get asked to many special exceptions so many times every single day and are likely so sick of it.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

FCDub said:


> So here is what I, me, personally, would do:
> 
> You and your son stand at A60, with your husband behind you. As you approach the boarding agent, literally say “we have A57 and A60 and would like to use family boarding to board with my husband who has B02”
> 
> They might wave you all through with the As. They might start family boarding right there, with your group as the first group. Either way, you are doing the _correct_ thing and boarding with the worst number (in this case superseded by family boarding) rather than asking for a special exception for everyone to board in the As.
> 
> It’s splitting hairs, but I’m cognizant that these employees get asked to many special exceptions so many times every single day and are likely so sick of it.


Your suggestion is literally what I want to do but just wanted to ask in advance when we go get our gate check tag for the stroller instead of holding up the line. All I want to do is avoid getting in that family boarding line. If it’s a no, I’ll just board with my son first. I’m not going to throw a tantrum if they say no.


----------



## LadybugsMum

I would just board with your son and put a jacket or backpack or some personal item in between and have your husband board with the B group.


----------



## sandam1

Peaseblossom36 said:


> I just read that if a flight is oversold or they need to bump people around they will sometimes refund seats for children under two and make parents have them as a lap child. Is this true? And does Southwest do this?


 Southwest doesn't overbook flights and hasn't for many years.


----------



## Peaseblossom36

sandam1 said:


> Southwest doesn't overbook flights and hasn't for many years.


Thank you! I've only flown once that I actually remember and didn't have a kiddo to worry about then. I read that and panicked a bit 

So they wouldn't resell a seat if they needed to move people after cancelling flights? I'm worried that if things continue with cancellations that could happen.


----------



## Peaseblossom36

EACarlson said:


> I've never heard that one before.  I would think under DOT rules you'd be eligible for Involuntary Denied Boarding which is 4x the one way flight cost plus some other things and something almost never done anymore.  Once you pay for a seat you have the seat.  Can you link me to the source where you read this?


That makes me feel a lot better! It came up in a facebook group discussion where a family was moved onto a different flight after theirs was cancelled and they were separated from their children (assigned seating, not Southwest). Someone else mentioned that airlines may refund a ticket to children under two if they need more seats for adults, with cancellations I was concerned since my kiddo is under two. We want her in her carseat and I definitely would not be okay with it getting put in cargo, so was worried. 

It was just something I stumbled on, and of course I can't find it now. I don't put a lot of stock in things I read on facebook, but since I know so little about flying came here to ask.


----------



## sandam1

Peaseblossom36 said:


> That makes me feel a lot better! It came up in a facebook group discussion where a family was moved onto a different flight after theirs was cancelled and they were separated from their children (assigned seating, not Southwest). Someone else mentioned that airlines may refund a ticket to children under two if they need more seats for adults, with cancellations I was concerned since my kiddo is under two. We want her in her carseat and I definitely would not be okay with it getting put in cargo, so was worried.
> 
> It was just something I stumbled on, and of course I can't find it now. I don't put a lot of stock in things I read on facebook, but since I know so little about flying came here to ask.



I don't remember when it was - like I said it was quite a while ago - and Southwest (along with a bunch of other airlines) had a service meltdown which had a lot of people being involuntarily bumped and other unpleasant things like what you describe. But at that point, SW said "that's not how we chose to treat our customers" and made a statement that they weren't going to oversell their flights. I have to admit that I admire the way they put their money where their mouth is and showed that their corporate value system wasn't just meaningless words.


----------



## Leigh L

sandam1 said:


> Southwest doesn't overbook flights and hasn't for many years.


They were looking to give $400 vouchers 2 weeks ago and a free new flight. I think it was for 4 seats IIRC.

Edited to say that was the morning all their systems went down. But DD and I had the impression it was oversold.  This was for 6 am flight, but maybe was from previous cancelations


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

So, does this mean that SW is about to start messing with my August/September flights? Seems unlikely that all non-stops are completely sold out of higher class fares but the cheaper ones are open.


----------



## LadybugsMum

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> So, does this mean that SW is about to start messing with my August/September flights? Seems unlikely that all non-stops are completely sold out of higher class fares but the cheaper ones are open.


Oh, I hope they don't mess with our flights. I've got the perfect itinerary for our visit to my grandmother


----------



## MarBee

I realize I’m asking for pure speculation.  But what are the chances SW will add more direct flights in their schedule later on?  All of the dates I have browsed, there are zero direct flights PHL to MCO.  I know it’s first world problems, but I’m stuck with a bunch of points and nowhere to use them unless I want a layover, which I’m desperately trying to avoid.


----------



## Betty Rohrer

CookieandOatmeal said:


> We plan on asking the gate agent if he can board with us since we’ll be boarding at the A60 spot. Figure it wouldn’t hurt to ask since it’s  literally right before family boarding. If it’s a “no” than my son and I will board first. I doubt anyone would want to sit in the same row as us lol. It would be nice to have some help while getting my son situated with the CARES harness with his dad right there but it’s not the end of the world if we have to wait for him.


if you would need to use family boarding I would have other parent board in with A group and do the CARES harness


----------



## tseitel

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> View attachment 663295
> 
> So, does this mean that SW is about to start messing with my August/September flights? Seems unlikely that all non-stops are completely sold out of higher class fares but the cheaper ones are open.


This is what’s showing for my October flights as well


----------



## mickey916

tseitel said:


> This is what’s showing for my October flights as well


Sadly this is what I saw before my April and May flights were changed.


----------



## tseitel

mickey916 said:


> Sadly this is what I saw before my April and May flights were changed.


Noooooo!!!!!   (Lol)


----------



## DisTXMom

Seeing similar things for July flights- many unavailables. Yes, I think it means they are messing with things, but last time I had this, our flights didn’t change although they definitely did make some changes- we just got lucky. Our July flights changed once already, so hoping no more changes. My advice is just watch closely so you can pivot as needed to quickly rebook something if you have an adverse change. I have many thoughts on SWA’s current flight scheduling but don’t want to write a novel, sooo….  Good luck everyone! Stay diligent


----------



## Lsdolphin

Has anyone had September flights changed yet?  Usually i see where they have 9 or more non stop flights BWI-MCO they end of reducing those flights to 7....right now looks like they have already reduced the number of non stop flights for Sept...


----------



## nekonekoneko

MarBee said:


> I realize I’m asking for pure speculation.  But what are the chances SW will add more direct flights in their schedule later on?  All of the dates I have browsed, there are zero direct flights PHL to MCO.  I know it’s first world problems, but I’m stuck with a bunch of points and nowhere to use them unless I want a layover, which I’m desperately trying to avoid.


This is disappointing to me, too.  The only non-stops are on the weekends; service from PHL to MCO (and back) is no where near as good as it used to be.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Lsdolphin said:


> Has anyone had September flights changed yet?  Usually i see where they have 9 or more non stop flights BWI-MCO they end of reducing those flights to 7....right now looks like they have already reduced the number of non stop flights for Sept...


My Sept MCO-BWI hasn't changed yet, but it looks the same as my screenshot above for my August flight into Orlando.

I tried to search again just now (3pm ET) and SW says they don't have *any* flights from BWI to MCO that day. So, either IT issues or changes are afoot.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

ETA: It's showing this way for all available dates. Has to be IT problem.


----------



## thanxfornoticin

MarBee said:


> I realize I’m asking for pure speculation.  But what are the chances SW will add more direct flights in their schedule later on?  All of the dates I have browsed, there are zero direct flights PHL to MCO.  I know it’s first world problems, but I’m stuck with a bunch of points and nowhere to use them unless I want a layover, which I’m desperately trying to avoid.


Adding flights seems extremely unlikely with SW, especially something nonstop from Philly to Orlando.  That's a round-trip, non-stop option we used to love, too, but it's been getting less and less friendly over the years (even starting before pandemic).  First they dumped Newark, and then the nonstops from Philly were reduced.  Wouldn't be shocked if they did away with non-stop options completely between the cities, but that remains to be seen.  We've been opting for Baltimore instead, which is farther, but more options for us.  Part of me thinks it might be the proximity to Baltimore, as a SW hub, that has Philly flights adjusted.


----------



## Angelboys3

LadybugsMum said:


> Oh, I hope they don't mess with our flights. I've got the perfect itinerary for our visit to my grandmother


I really hope they don't mess with ours either. Our itinerary is exactly what I wanted, not to mention we have 15 people booked so that would be a major headache I don't need.


----------



## Lsdolphin

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> My Sept MCO-BWI hasn't changed yet, but it looks the same as my screenshot above for my August flight into Orlando.
> 
> I tried to search again just now (3pm ET) and SW says they don't have *any* flights from BWI to MCO that day. So, either IT issues or changes are afoot.


I just checked flights BWI/MCO and all direct flights for my dates 9/7-9/14 are $163 lowest fares.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Lsdolphin said:


> I just checked flights BWI/MCO and all direct flights for my dates 9/7-9/14 are $163 lowest fares.


Yup, mine are back to having normal pricing for all three fare classes and my flights are still there. Must have just been an error.


----------



## MarBee

nekonekoneko said:


> This is disappointing to me, too.  The only non-stops are on the weekends; service from PHL to MCO (and back) is no where near as good as it used to be.





thanxfornoticin said:


> Adding flights seems extremely unlikely with SW, especially something nonstop from Philly to Orlando.  That's a round-trip, non-stop option we used to love, too, but it's been getting less and less friendly over the years (even starting before pandemic).  First they dumped Newark, and then the nonstops from Philly were reduced.  Wouldn't be shocked if they did away with non-stop options completely between the cities, but that remains to be seen.  We've been opting for Baltimore instead, which is farther, but more options for us.  Part of me thinks it might be the proximity to Baltimore, as a SW hub, that has Philly flights adjusted.


I know!  I’m super bummed.  It seems like SW is on its way out of Philly.  All of the direct routes it advertises have virtually no direct flights on the dates I’ve played with.  BWI is just too far for me (about 2.5 hours) for a 2.5 hour flight.  Looks like I will be flying other carriers for my Disney trips.  But now I have to burn about 85,000 points (not hard these days with the point pricing) before they abandon Philly altogether.   
First world problems, I totally know, but still a bummer.  I love the free WiFi and bags on SW.


----------



## leeniewdw

Our airport (RDU) has 2 terminals and one is solely SW.....well WAS solely SW until today.  Now they've given 4 gates to Spirit.   Of course, I have no idea how high the usage was at all gates in that terminal, but I know SW used all of them.  Not sure if that means they are operating more efficiently or if SW has actually scaled back the number of flights.


----------



## Leigh L

thanxfornoticin said:


> Adding flights seems extremely unlikely with SW, especially something nonstop from Philly to Orlando.  That's a round-trip, non-stop option we used to love, too, but it's been getting less and less friendly over the years (even starting before pandemic).  First they dumped Newark, and then the nonstops from Philly were reduced.  Wouldn't be shocked if they did away with non-stop options completely between the cities, but that remains to be seen.  We've been opting for Baltimore instead, which is farther, but more options for us.  Part of me thinks it might be the proximity to Baltimore, as a SW hub, that has Philly flights adjusted.


That's a good point about BWI.
DCA currently has 2 direct flights left to MCO, and far as I can tell no more evening ones. Prepandemic I think there were 4 or 5 directs throughoutthe day. Seems the most popular flights are at bwi.


----------



## Neener16

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> View attachment 663295
> 
> So, does this mean that SW is about to start messing with my August/September flights? Seems unlikely that all non-stops are completely sold out of higher class fares but the cheaper ones are open.


My daughter’s flight to San Francisco just got messed with yesterday. It was supposed to be a 1 stop July 9th and got changed to a 2 stop on July 8th. Absolutely no flights out of Hartford on July 9. She is still waiting to see what they will do with her return flight on July 23rd.


----------



## Avery&Todd

I saw this on the SW website - I guess its true about masks being no longer required on flights:


DH and I will still be wearing them on the plane....he has really appreciated the mask mandates on planes the last 2 years...


----------



## EACarlson

sandam1 said:


> Southwest doesn't overbook flights and hasn't for many years.


They don't intentionally oversell flights like the legacies but there are still ways that they end up overbooked.  Usually either IRROPS or a downgauge from a Max or 738 to -7.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Avery&Todd said:


> I saw this on the SW website - I guess its true about masks being no longer required on flights:
> View attachment 663474
> 
> DH and I will still be wearing them on the plane....he has really appreciated the mask mandates on planes the last 2 years...


We'll be wearing our masks too. It's been nice not to have a lot of colds.


----------



## Avery&Todd

LadybugsMum said:


> We'll be wearing our masks too. It's been nice not to have a lot of colds.


YES!!  our non-stops to Disney are super quick at 1.5 hrs but our Vegas flights will be a little longer since they have layover, but at least I'll be taking my mask off in the airport during our layover...

DH says I'm "strong" and can wear a mask for those short plane rides....


----------



## Lsdolphin

So no more masks on planes required as of today....but think I’ll still wear one anyway.


----------



## lilkimmyk

Just curious if anyone knows why SW has been inching their way out of PHL?  We've flown AA but tried SW about 6yrs ago or so and loved the airline.  The terminal in Philly is also nicer and cleaner IMO.  We always flew on full flights.  It seemed like they had a good thing going.  It just seems odd bc it's Philly and Newark and where I am from those are the 2 airports everyone here uses.  Especially for direct flights.


----------



## disny_luvr

Terpsichore said:


> Currently scheduled to fly on an early morning NS out of BWI in July.  I'm seeing that the flight times have been adjusted for the week before ours so I figure it's coming.  There are NS flights available on the new schedule but they are at slightly different times.  For those who have been affected, did SW reassign you to a NS if you already had one or did you suddenly have a layover?



We are booked to fly from BWI to Denver on a NS in late June and fly home on a NS in July. Both flights have been changed, but they are both still NS flights.


----------



## disny_luvr

lilkimmyk said:


> Just curious if anyone knows why SW has been inching their way out of PHL?  We've flown AA but tried SW about 6yrs ago or so and loved the airline.  The terminal in Philly is also nicer and cleaner IMO.  We always flew on full flights.  It seemed like they had a good thing going.  It just seems odd bc it's Philly and Newark and where I am from those are the 2 airports everyone here uses.  Especially for direct flights.



My guess would be it’s because BWI is a hub for SW and it really isn’t that far from Philly. I think they’d like to push more people to fly out of BWI.

BWI and Philly are about the same distance for us and we much prefer BWI. We avoid Philly if we can, but we did just fly from/to there last week because I could get better prices on AA. I was quickly reminded how much we hate that airport.


----------



## lvdis

I just got checked in for my flight and got boarding positions B6 through B9. Is that good? I haven't flown Southwest in so long.


----------



## mickey916

lvdis said:


> I just got checked in for my flight and got boarding positions B6 through B9. Is that good? I haven't flown Southwest in so long.


Not bad at all...you probably won't be in the first ten rows unless you're only looking for a one or two seat but should have plenty of options still. Edited to add: Noticed there are four of you, if you want to do 2 and 2 or 3 and 1 you should still be fine.


----------



## dez1978

has there been any updates to the new fare SW was supposed to start?


----------



## disny_luvr

I posted about this a few pages ago, and have an update now, but I am looking for advice so I don't have this problem in the future.

Both of our nonstop flights from BWI to DEN were changed to new, nonstop flights. When they were changed, the price went down and so did the amount of points needed to book the flights. Two of us were booked on points and two of us were booked on cash. I tried several times to rebook the same flight to receive a travel credit and points back to our accounts, but I was never offered the option to choose the same flight. I ended up sending SW an email, and today they got back to me telling me that they would be issuing my family four $150 LUV vouchers. While I'm happy with this, I was hoping that the two of us booked on points would get points back into our accounts. Anyway, going forward, if this happens again, should I just cancel the flights and rebook them to receive travel credits and/or points refunded to our accounts? The reason I didn't want to do this is because I had purchased EBCI for both legs of the trip. Am I correct in assuming that if I canceled the flights and rebooked them that I would have to pay again for EBCI and be out the $200 ($100 each way)? 

As for the LUV vouchers, are these like travel credits? Do I have 12 months to use them before they expire? 

Thank you.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Lsdolphin said:


> So no more masks on planes required as of today....but think I’ll still wear one anyway.





LadybugsMum said:


> We'll be wearing our masks too. It's been nice not to have a lot of colds.


hmmm..I wonder why someone is *angry* emoji'd the comments that we're still going to choose to wear a mask on a plane??



perhaps we're not the cool kids if we choose to wear a mask still??


----------



## LadybugsMum

Avery&Todd said:


> hmmm..I wonder why someone is *angry* emoji'd the comments that we're still going to choose to wear a mask on a plane??
> 
> 
> 
> perhaps we're not the cool kids if we choose to wear a mask still??


I was going to call them out, but whatever. That person can leave masks at home and we can wear ours.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Avery&Todd said:


> hmmm..I wonder why someone is *angry* emoji'd the comments that we're still going to choose to wear a mask on a plane??
> 
> 
> 
> perhaps we're not the cool kids if we choose to wear a mask still??


I don’t know or care what others plan to do but for us bottom line is although masks are no longer required it is still flu season and COVID is still an issue ...we are fully vaccinated and boostered and have plenty of antibodies after having had COVID but my Mom is 89 and we prefer to be as safe as possible there are a significant number of people who have chosen not to be vaccinated or may just have a cold so we will be masking.


----------



## Lsdolphin

oops


----------



## Lsdolphin

disny_luvr said:


> I posted about this a few pages ago, and have an update now, but I am looking for advice so I don't have this problem in the future.
> 
> Both of our nonstop flights from BWI to DEN were changed to new, nonstop flights. When they were changed, the price went down and so did the amount of points needed to book the flights. Two of us were booked on points and two of us were booked on cash. I tried several times to rebook the same flight to receive a travel credit and points back to our accounts, but I was never offered the option to choose the same flight. I ended up sending SW an email, and today they got back to me telling me that they would be issuing my family four $150 LUV vouchers. While I'm happy with this, I was hoping that the two of us booked on points would get points back into our accounts. Anyway, going forward, if this happens again, should I just cancel the flights and rebook them to receive travel credits and/or points refunded to our accounts? The reason I didn't want to do this is because I had purchased EBCI for both legs of the trip. Am I correct in assuming that if I canceled the flights and rebooked them that I would have to pay again for EBCI and be out the $200 ($100 each way)?
> 
> As for the LUV vouchers, are these like travel credits? Do I have 12 months to use them before they expire?
> 
> Thank you.


Hi I also had my flights canceled and re-booked and it was a nightmare process. SWA sent me an email with a voucher good for one year and the voucher is for “*Travel Funds*”. It included a link to access the directions for using the travel funds.


----------



## lilmc

Avery&Todd said:


> hmmm..I wonder why someone is *angry* emoji'd the comments that we're still going to choose to wear a mask on a plane??
> 
> 
> 
> perhaps we're not the cool kids if we choose to wear a mask still??


In hindsight we discussed how many vacations I have been sick on and using ibuprofen to stay upright while trying to not be miserable. I’ve loved being well on my vacations from not picking up some cold in the airport since traveling with a mask. Never again will I board public transportation without a mask, I suspect, especially on vacation.


----------



## han22735

Our end of July flights just changed.  PVD-MCO  is much worse.  Coming home slightly better.  Only direct flights on a Sunday are now 5:10am or 6:30pm. Used to be 10:45am direct. I just hope our end of August flights don't follow a similar path.


----------



## BillFromCT

Just got an email that our August 13th flight PVD-MCO was changed.  It moved our 2:30pm direct to a 12:30pm direct.  Fine by me.  Our August 19th flight back remains the same.


----------



## LadybugsMum

BillFromCT said:


> Just got an email that our August 13th flight PVD-MCO was changed.  It moved our 2:30pm direct to a 12:30pm direct.  Fine by me.  Our August 19th flight back remains the same.


That means I need to be OTL for changes to my Aug 21-27 flights (not to MCO). Sigh. I really hope it doesn't change too much.


----------



## Realgrumpy

Ugh.  Just got the email our August 6th flight is moved from an early non stop flight to a later flight with a stop in Baltimore.  Not happy.


----------



## mrsstats

Just got changes to my August flights to Tampa.  i Switched my outgoing flight. It is a longer layover but get in earlier. Home leaves later but it works so we left it as they set iy
t.


----------



## KNJWDW

My August flight to MCO just got changed too, leaving 4 hours later, so I switched to an early morning flight.  I had booked with points and the flight I switched to was actually fewer points.  I didn’t get a refund for the difference in points though, but I should have - right?  I’ve done this before and I know I have gotten the points back.

Update!  I contacted SW via Twitter last night.  They didn’t reply until this morning.  They did refund points, however it wasn’t enough.  Then I realized the price had gone up overnight and that’s what they based my refund on.  However, I had taken a screenshot last night of the price and sent that back to them.  They  then adjusted my points correctly.  Once they replied to me this morning, everything was handled very quickly.  I got  about 40,000 points back.


----------



## Sleepyluke

Lsdolphin said:


> Hi I also had my flights canceled and re-booked and it was a nightmare process. SWA sent me an email with a voucher good for one year and the voucher is for “*Travel Funds*”. It included a link to access the directions for using the travel funds.


We got one too after the 4th flight change for May causing an extra night of hotel and expenses.  Cant be used for EBCI or anything useful, guess it is just a discount for the next price hike when we can travel again, which probably wont be within the year.


----------



## Mle8308

BillFromCT said:


> Just got an email that our August 13th flight PVD-MCO was changed.  It moved our 2:30pm direct to a 12:30pm direct.  Fine by me.  Our August 19th flight back remains the same.


Same situation here, but worked out better for us. Had a connecting flight from Boston (5:25am) to Orlando via Nashville on 8/10. Got the e-mail yesterday it was now connecting through Baltimore (not a fan of that airport), times changed by about 30 minutes. Called SW today and they changed it to a direct flight out of Providence (same distance as Boston for the rest of my travel party). We now leave at 5:10am and arrive at 8am instead of 11:30am. We'll hang out at my brother's house and do a Publix run before heading over to the WL. Nothing about the return flight - yet!


----------



## puppytrainer

Looks like my Aug flights are in the process of changing. My reservation still has the original times but when I search the dates all new times are showing.  So do I beat SW to the punch and move us to where I want. or wait until they do it...will me making a change preemptively screw something up if they're working on it?


----------



## LadybugsMum

puppytrainer said:


> Looks like my Aug flights are in the process of changing. My reservation still has the original times but when I search the dates all new times are showing.  So do I beat SW to the punch and move us to where I want. or wait until they do it...will me making a change preemptively screw something up if they're working on it?


Wait for the change and then choose the one you want just in case they pull the flight you move to.


----------



## monarchsfan16

Just got the email that my flight home in August was changed, costing me half a day of vacation. When I try to change it, I keep getting errors


----------



## cmarsh31

Same. Direct, perfect time flights in August changed to layover or terrible time (7:25am leaving MCO). Feel like it's bait & switch. I booked SW because they had the better flight than JetBlue. Now JetBlue would be better, but the prices has gone up and my $ is tied up in SW.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Got the dreaded email, stomach dropped. Thank goodness, it's just a flight number and 10 minute difference.

That's for my return on 9/4, I think I might be the furthest out date changed so far on the thread??


----------



## focusondisney

Our 7:30 am  nonstop flight on Labor Day has changed to a 5:45 am connecting in BWI.  . I am so done with SW. These flights were _just _released a month ago for God’s sake. This isn’t 2020. They should have some kind of handle on what they’re doing by now. We fly out of Buffalo, things have gotten much busier here  now that Canadians are traveling again too. And they’re cancelling nonstops. 

We’re going down next week too.  When our nonstop SW flights for this trip got deleted, I cancelled & rebooked on JB.  Decent price & our nonstops are at perfect times with NO changes.   Within days, SW added nonstops back in.      We had 300K SW points & a companion pass, so I booked September with them.   I’ll wait a few days to see if our return flights are cancelled too.  JB has another nonstop so I will cancel this 5:45 flight & again book on JB.   I am beyond irritated  with SW.


----------



## focusondisney

cmarsh31 said:


> Same. Direct, perfect time flights in August changed to layover or terrible time (7:25am leaving MCO). Feel like it's bait & switch. I booked SW because they had the better flight than JetBlue. Now JetBlue would be better, but the prices has gone up and my $ is tied up in SW.



Don’t forget, since SW cancelled your flight, you can get a full refund.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Our Aug 10th and 23rd flights were changed yesterday (10th) and today.  I was able to change for free to a flight with only 1 stopover (Buffalo - San Jose) and arriving 3 hours earlier.  Very happy with that!


----------



## han22735

cmarsh31 said:


> Same. Direct, perfect time flights in August changed to layover or terrible time (7:25am leaving MCO). Feel like it's bait & switch. I booked SW because they had the better flight than JetBlue. Now JetBlue would be better, but the prices has gone up and my $ is tied up in SW.


Same for me.  We had perfect direct flights going and coming back.  Now they only direct are 5am or 630pm and coming home 715am or 845pm.  Worst flight choices ever for me on SW


----------



## LadybugsMum

Our great flight schedule has been changed for Aug 21. Instead of leaving at 7 am, we're now leaving at 5:15 am. I'm probably going to move the flights to the day before so we can leave at a very slightly more civilized 6:10am, but it only gives us 50min at BWI. Sigh. No word about our return flights yet, but they are at least still showing on the schedule as of right now.


----------



## DebbieB

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> View attachment 663336
> 
> ETA: It's showing this way for all available dates. Has to be IT problem.


 They fly BWI to PHL?


lilkimmyk said:


> Just curious if anyone knows why SW has been inching their way out of PHL?  We've flown AA but tried SW about 6yrs ago or so and loved the airline.  The terminal in Philly is also nicer and cleaner IMO.  We always flew on full flights.  It seemed like they had a good thing going.  It just seems odd bc it's Philly and Newark and where I am from those are the 2 airports everyone here uses.  Especially for direct flights.


They have pulled out of other Legacy Hubs or reduced service.  PHL is American, Newark is United, Detroit is Delta.  Tough competition I guess.


----------



## Evita_W

I posted this question in the disabilities forum as well, but figured some here may also have more insight.

We are going to be cruising out of Miami and Southwest just changed our flights to where we only have a 40 minute layover in Austin. That seems like too tight of a squeeze to make the connection with a scooter or needing wheelchair service and still preboard, which we need to do as we have paid for an extra seat and need the three together.

Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of time options to get us from Austin to Miami, so we are looking at changing to Fort Lauderdale, 2hich has better time options, but we already have a hotel in Miami, so we need a form of transportation from the Fort Lauderdale airport to our hotel in Miami that can accomodate a Pride Victory 10.2 scooter if we went that route.

Wondering if anyone has any suggestions? Or is there a better option that I am overlooking? We are flying from Long Beach, California of that helps.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

DebbieB said:


> They fly BWI to PHL?
> 
> They have pulled out of other Legacy Hubs or reduced service.  PHL is American, Newark is United, Detroit is Delta.  Tough competition I guess.


Lol! That's why everything disappeared! I am one of many who has caved and will be flying BWI to MCO for the non stop even though PHL is closer for me. I keep randomly checking to see if they snuck in any direct PHL flights (wishful thinking, I know) so I must have accidentally had it in one of the fields.

I *thought* I was looking at my BWI-MCO dates when I posted that ss. Obviously not.


----------



## EACarlson

KNJWDW said:


> My August flight to MCO just got changed too, leaving 4 hours later, so I switched to an early morning flight.  I had booked with points and the flight I switched to was actually fewer points.  I didn’t get a refund for the difference in points though, but I should have - right?  I’ve done this before and I know I have gotten the points back.
> 
> Update!  I contacted SW via Twitter last night.  They didn’t reply until this morning.  They did refund points, however it wasn’t enough.  Then I realized the price had gone up overnight and that’s what they based my refund on.  However, I had taken a screenshot last night of the price and sent that back to them.  They  then adjusted my points correctly.  Once they replied to me this morning, everything was handled very quickly.  I got  about 40,000 points back.


For anyone else here or for future reference, because you were in a free change window due to your flight changes.  The system ignores all price differences if the other conditions are met (within 14 days, same city pair, etc.) In this situation you need to call them to get the points/money back.


----------



## han22735

Only positive about this change for me is we are now coming in a day earlier in order to get the flight we wanted.  Lol


----------



## elle101me

Our August flights were both changed. The positive is that I changed both to better flight times. Here's hoping that they don't make changes again as we're still 4 months out.


----------



## my523

Any tips of finding the cheapest SW flights using points when your dates are set for Disney?

We wont be going until December, but I am looking at the current pricing for IND to MCO. Cheapest one way is 11,457 points. During summer 2020, it was way cheaper. I get COVID travel had a lot to do with it, but I don't know what to expect right now.


----------



## happ

my523 said:


> Any tips of finding the cheapest SW flights using points when your dates are set for Disney?
> 
> We wont be going until December, but I am looking at the current pricing for IND to MCO. Cheapest one way is 11,457 points. During summer 2020, it was way cheaper. I get COVID travel had a lot to do with it, but I don't know what to expect right now.


My tip would be to book as soon as the schedule is released, check the points cost regularly after booking, and hope that the price goes down so you can get some points back. Then there's the part where you hold your breath until travel day waiting for the flight to get changed.


----------



## Toolulu22

Arrrggghhhh.  Our August flights were also changed.  Non-stop to MCO now has a stop in BWI and arrives at 11:30 am instead of 8:50 am.  Return is still non-stop, but is getting us home at 11 pm instead of 7:35 pm.  

We are flexible with our travel dates, but a quick search isn’t yielding many non-stop options that appeal.  I agree with pp who referred to these tactics as similar to “bait-and-switch”.  This flight change shenanigans with SW has happened one to many times.  My husband and I both cancelled our SW cards over the past 2 years and we’ve continued to fly them because they fly out of a small airport 10 minutes from our home.  This is getting ridiculous though.  It started happening before the pandemic and hasn‘t improved.

I have to check some other dates my husband has booked, and then we may just been done.


----------



## mamamelody2

SW changed our 9/3 GRR to MCO flight yesterday. We were able to switch to a morning flight 9/2, which is much better than the evening flight we had 9/3. We didn't want that flight in the first place, but flights had already been open a while when we booked and that's the only flight we had enough points for. Happy to get a better flight!

They also changed our horrible 6 AM home-bound flight on 6/5. They only changed it by 5 minutes, but thanks to their change policies, we were able to change to an evening flight which would have been $500 each person if we had to actually pay for it. Lovely!


----------



## RLGNC

This thread is making me very nervous.  I don't fly frequently and never before with SW.  I had no IDEA it was so frequent for flights to get changed like what I'm reading here.  I carefully constructed my flight times (as I'm sure everyone here did) to make the most of my travel days (well at least my arrival day...by choice flying out at 5:45 a.m. to have a max day in MK).  I'll be crossing my fingers until September hoping things don't get changed.  I assume they notify you by email, or do you just have to check periodically to see if anything has changed?


----------



## cmarsh31

RLGNC said:


> This thread is making me very nervous.  I don't fly frequently and never before with SW.  I had no IDEA it was so frequent for flights to get changed like what I'm reading here.  I carefully constructed my flight times (as I'm sure everyone here did) to make the most of my travel days (well at least my arrival day...by choice flying out at 5:45 a.m. to have a max day in MK).  I'll be crossing my fingers until September hoping things don't get changed.  I assume they notify you by email, or do you just have to check periodically to see if anything has changed?


Just assume your flights will be changed, probably sometime in the next 6 weeks. I haven't had a single flight on SW or JB not changed in the past 2 years.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Y’all are beginning to make me worry about our perfect flights RDU-MCO on 9/10!!!!


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

RLGNC said:


> This thread is making me very nervous.  I don't fly frequently and never before with SW.  I had no IDEA it was so frequent for flights to get changed like what I'm reading here.  I carefully constructed my flight times (as I'm sure everyone here did) to make the most of my travel days (well at least my arrival day...by choice flying out at 5:45 a.m. to have a max day in MK).  I'll be crossing my fingers until September hoping things don't get changed.  I assume they notify you by email, or do you just have to check periodically to see if anything has changed?


All airlines are rearranging flight times. Here is my sister’s tale of woe.  She booked a noon return flight MIA to MHT following a DCL cruise on American because the only one Southwest had was at 5:30 pm getting in at 11:30 pm. (1.5 hr layover in BWI). Well, American changed her flight to leave at 2:30 pm.  Then last week it changed to leaving at 4:30 pm arriving at 11:30. (2.5 layover) in Chicago. American won’t refund money if flight change is less than 4 hours.  If her flight was at noon but now 4:30, that seems like 4 + hours to me.  They argued that is was only a 2 hour change.  She couldn’t cancel the first change to 2:30. Anyway she held her ground and after an hour later on hold, she got her refund.  Then she booked the Southwest flight at 5:30 pm which “stinks“ to get back home so late, but using rewards points makes it smell a bit better. And no baggage fees….


----------



## MinnieMSue

I am especially frustrated with SW changing flights so soon after opening booking last month. This seems very irresponsible of them. I wonder why they would do this? Surely they have flight schedules figured out by now coming out of the pandemic. I did see some press about pilots complaining of fatigue. Is this why? We will probably never know but this is really not a good look for them and quite frustrating for the consumer. Ugh. Waiting to see how my October flights will be affected…


----------



## disneyfan150

Evita_W said:


> I posted this question in the disabilities forum as well, but figured some here may also have more insight.
> 
> We are going to be cruising out of Miami and Southwest just changed our flights to where we only have a 40 minute layover in Austin. That seems like too tight of a squeeze to make the connection with a scooter or needing wheelchair service and still preboard, which we need to do as we have paid for an extra seat and need the three together.
> 
> Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of time options to get us from Austin to Miami, so we are looking at changing to Fort Lauderdale, 2hich has better time options, but we already have a hotel in Miami, so we need a form of transportation from the Fort Lauderdale airport to our hotel in Miami that can accomodate a Pride Victory 10.2 scooter if we went that route.
> 
> Wondering if anyone has any suggestions? Or is there a better option that I am overlooking? We are flying from Long Beach, California of that helps.


I think you are correct in looking at other options.  I have flown out of Austin. It is not a huge airport, but 40 minutes is just way too tight for anyone IMHO. FLL is probably easier to navigate than MIA. So that may work out.  I am going to PM you about an idea.


----------



## han22735

MinnieMSue said:


> I am especially frustrated with SW changing flights so soon after opening booking last month. This seems very irresponsible of them. I wonder why they would do this? Surely they have flight schedules figured out by now coming out of the pandemic. I did see some press about pilots complaining of fatigue. Is this why? We will probably never know but this is really not a good look for them and quite frustrating for the consumer. Ugh. Waiting to see how my October flights will be affected…


I agree completely.  I'm used to a slight change here and there but to move direct flights at 11am to 5am is significant.  We shall see what happens to September flights and beyond in the new few weeks


----------



## cmarsh31

han22735 said:


> I agree completely.  I'm used to a slight change here and there but to move direct flights at 11am to 5am is significant.  We shall see what happens to September flights and beyond in the new few weeks


My 3pm direct (only one available on release day) was changed to layover. Only direct now, brand new, 7:25am.


----------



## Leigh L

Cruzin’Sisters said:


> All airlines are rearranging flight times. Here is my sister’s tale of woe.  She booked a noon return flight MIA to MHT following a DCL cruise on American because the only one Southwest had was at 5:30 pm getting in at 11:30 pm. (1.5 hr layover in BWI). Well, American changed her flight to leave at 2:30 pm.  Then last week it changed to leaving at 4:30 pm arriving at 11:30. (2.5 layover) in Chicago. American won’t refund money if flight change is less than 4 hours.  If her flight was at noon but now 4:30, that seems like 4 + hours to me.  They argued that is was only a 2 hour change.  She couldn’t cancel the first change to 2:30. Anyway she held her ground and after an hour later on hold, she got her refund.  Then she booked the Southwest flight at 5:30 pm which “stinks“ to get back home so late, but using rewards points makes it smell a bit better. And no baggage fees….


Last June, American canceled our flights and scattered us across 2 different departing and arrival airports on different days (we had a few separate bookings between 5 of us). It was not easy getting refunds from them. I vowed never to fly them again lol. Although the way things are going they are the cheapest option now 

But we're planning to drive in June rather than deal with this since we need to rent a car this time anyway.


----------



## teawar

I also experienced a change for Labor Day…my flight went from a direct 6 am flight, allowing for a full day of parks to an 11:00 flight arriving at 1:30 to MCO. We are hard core rope droppers, so this puts a crinkle in our plans. I’m glad I checked the boards to see this happened. No other direct flights from our town.  On the bright side, we can sleep in…


----------



## RLGNC

Erica Ladd said:


> Y’all are beginning to make me worry about our perfect flights RDU-MCO on 9/10!!!!



We're also coming from RDU, but on 9/13! Let me know if your flight changes and I'll do the same.  



teawar said:


> I also experienced a change for Labor Day…my flight went from a direct 6 am flight, allowing for a full day of parks to an 11:00 flight arriving at 1:30 to MCO. We are hard core rope droppers, so this puts a crinkle in our plans. I’m glad I checked the boards to see this happened. No other direct flights from our town.  On the bright side, we can sleep in…



Where are you flying from?


----------



## teawar

RLGNC said:


> We're also coming from RDU, but on 9/13! Let me know if your flight changes and I'll do the same.
> 
> 
> 
> Where are you flying from?


I am coming from Birmingham.


----------



## Erica Ladd

We fly in from RDU to MCO 9/10 and plan on flying back 9/13 but in delta so we leave late afternoon. Would NOT mind IF SWA added an afternoon return flight instead!


----------



## Neverbeast

Add me to the September just-booked-immediately-rescheduled club.  we had planned to let all the kids finish school Friday, had a nonstop 6:50 flight arriving at mco 8:50. So perfect to get to hotel and early parks the next day… now they put us on a 9:55 flight arriving well after midnight. All the earlier options involve layovers and taking kids out of school earlier in the day. I’m worried everyone will be so grouchy traveling so late but here’s hoping the excitement sees us through? 

I half expect it will still change between now and then anyway so it’s hard to get too attached to the new times either.


----------



## Avery&Todd

ugh - we head to MCO in mid-October, so I guess I have about a month before they change our flights!


----------



## kristenrice

Avery&Todd said:


> ugh - we head to MCO in mid-October, so I guess I have about a month before they change our flights!


Us too…I guess we will just roll with it.  We aren’t really planning anything for the first two days of our trip so getting there is pretty flexible.  Getting home is another story.  We aren’t planning anything for our checkout day and I booked us on the last flight of the day so if we get moved earlier, so be it.  I just don’t want to get moved TOO early.


----------



## scrappinginontario

my523 said:


> Any tips of finding the cheapest SW flights using points when your dates are set for Disney?
> 
> We wont be going until December, but I am looking at the current pricing for IND to MCO. Cheapest one way is 11,457 points. During summer 2020, it was way cheaper. I get COVID travel had a lot to do with it, but I don't know what to expect right now.a to keep an eye on this thread as the date of next flights release will be published here.


Suggestion : Be online by 6AM that morning snd just keep refreshing.  Book as soon as they drop.


----------



## Avery&Todd

kristenrice said:


> Us too…I guess we will just roll with it.  We aren’t really planning anything for the first two days of our trip so getting there is pretty flexible.  Getting home is another story.  We aren’t planning anything for our checkout day and I booked us on the last flight of the day so if we get moved earlier, so be it.  I just don’t want to get moved TOO early.


and we're the opposite! Right now I have us on nonstops that arrive at MCO at 2pm - and I'd LOVE to be able to buy an ILL+ for GoG that evening and eat at Epcot!!

we have another full day at Epcot, but I wanted the opportunity to ride GOG twice!

however, with the schedule changes Im seeing for late Aug/Sept it does look like the morning non-stop is now earlier, which would be ideal!  Gimmie more time at Epcot!


----------



## Mle8308

SW now changed our return flight! Was at 9:30pm, late, but we planned on spending the day with family & friends. Now it departs MCO at 7:45pm, not a huge difference and still direct, thank goodness! But annoying. There still about 3.5 months before we go, I wonder how many more times it will change….


----------



## Lsdolphin

So still waiting to book Sept flights.  rates are still the same as the day they opened schedule for Sept....


----------



## DebbieB

EACarlson said:


> For anyone else here or for future reference, because you were in a free change window due to your flight changes.  The system ignores all price differences if the other conditions are met (within 14 days, same city pair, etc.) In this situation you need to call them to get the points/money back.


My friend is coming off a cruise on 7/13.  Coincidentally, another friend and I planned 7/13 to 7/16 for the DVC Moonlight Magic.  Got the tickets last week, so my friend will be joining us. Her 7/13 return flight was changed and she was able to switch to 7/16 for free.  The new flight is currently showing $519 (wanna get away sold out) so it was a great deal for her!


----------



## Avery&Todd

Moments of panic here - I keep checking the "flight status" of the flights we have from RDU-LAS next month as we have a layover on the way over through AUS and we've never flown through there before and I know Austin (AUS) was in the news last month for the crazy busy time they were having..

but then last night I said to myself -maybe you should start checking your return home flights as we go through Dallas (DAL) and have just under an hour layover...

this is what our flight looks like:



But this is what it looked like yesterday.....and this means we would have MISSED OUR FLIGHT, right?? If we arrived in DAL at 1:14, but our flight left at 1:11pm??!!!  They would have allowed us to miss our flight by 3 min and that we'd been close as we would have arrived at Gate #7 and flown out of Gate #4...



Now the panic is really setting in and flashbacks from our flight trying to get home from MCO in March that got pushed 2 hrs bc of plane weight issues and then a medical emergency and THEN they put us on a flight the next day, and then lost my DH's bag for 4 days...


----------



## EACarlson

I personally wouldn't book anything with less than a two hour layover.  Two weeks ago I flew to LAS and back, in both cases I had a 1:45 layover scheduled and in both cases I was almost running through airports to make my connections.  Each was on a different airline and neither was SW but delays seem to be happening more than before.


----------



## pfeifer1990

Southwest novice flyer here. I have a few questions to understand how to use the app etc for check in etc. 
We are flying out of MKE to MCO non stop in mid May. We have ECB. There are 4 of us. Checking 1 piece of luggage and each of us has a carry on.
Should we use the SW app and if so in what way? At what point do we find out our boarding group? 
Any tips and tricks would be much appreciated. 
Thank you in advance.


----------



## EACarlson

pfeifer1990 said:


> Southwest novice flyer here. I have a few questions to understand how to use the app etc for check in etc.
> We are flying out of MKE to MCO non stop in mid May. We have ECB. There are 4 of us. Checking 1 piece of luggage and each of us has a carry on.
> Should we use the SW app and if so in what way? At what point do we find out our boarding group?
> Any tips and tricks would be much appreciated.
> Thank you in advance.


If you have Early Bird Check In, which I'm assuming is what you mean by ECB, anytime between 24 hours prior to scheduled take off and when you get to the airport you'll need to check in.  That is when you will find out your boarding position.  If you have the app on your phone and notifications on it will push a notification at T-23:58, tap on the notification and it takes you right to the check in screen.  There really aren't any tricks once you have EBCI, two hacks for MKE though, I always park at Rapid Park & Relax on Howell.  It is the same price as the saver lot, shorter shuttle trip and much faster shuttle service.   And you can buy 12 packs of New Glarus at the Italian restaurant at the end of the terminal to bring with you.


----------



## jcarwash

pfeifer1990 said:


> Southwest novice flyer here. I have a few questions to understand how to use the app etc for check in etc.
> We are flying out of MKE to MCO non stop in mid May. We have ECB. There are 4 of us. Checking 1 piece of luggage and each of us has a carry on.
> Should we use the SW app and if so in what way? At what point do we find out our boarding group?
> Any tips and tricks would be much appreciated.
> Thank you in advance.



You can use the SWA app for your boarding passes, so you don't need to print them at home or at the terminal. You can put the boarding passes into your phone's wallet if you want, too.


----------



## EACarlson

jcarwash said:


> You can use the SWA app for your boarding passes, so you don't need to print them at home or at the terminal. You can put the boarding passes into your phone's wallet if you want, too.


If you do this make sure you have a back up plan.  I've seen people get to the boarding door and not be let on because their phone battery was dead.  I always get a hard copy printed when I'm checking my bags.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

EACarlson said:


> If you do this make sure you have a back up plan.  I've seen people get to the boarding door and not be let on because their phone battery was dead.  I always get a hard copy printed when I'm checking my bags.


I used to print off boarding passes but haven't in a very long time. I use the app but take a screenshot of my boarding pass. On the other hand I always travel with a portable battery and the brick with the cord (and try to charge the phone if I can while I wait to board) and just about every airport is going to have a way to purchase a portable charger should you find yourself in that position without one but need one.

**Not saying a paper copy is bad just that if you're at the point of boarding with a dead battery you def. weren't traveling for the modern smart phone era lol


----------



## LadybugsMum

EACarlson said:


> If you do this make sure you have a back up plan.  I've seen people get to the boarding door and not be let on because their phone battery was dead.  I always get a hard copy printed when I'm checking my bags.


I had issues with the Delta app a few weeks ago and had to go to the desk to have them print off my boarding passes.


----------



## Leigh L

EACarlson said:


> If you do this make sure you have a back up plan.  I've seen people get to the boarding door and not be let on because their phone battery was dead.  I always get a hard copy printed when I'm checking my bags.


This!
If not, screenshot each pass and text a copy to whoever has a phone in your traveling party. I always do this, except this last time with a 6 a.m. flight.

Of course, that was the recent day all of SW systems were down and we couldn't access the app lol. Luckily, the kiosk was still working.

Edit: Should have read further and seen @Mackenzie Click-Mickelson response . I don't carry a portable charger (one DD does) but the way these apps drain tend to batteries in the parks I should!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Leigh L said:


> Edit: Should have read further and seen @Mackenzie Click-Mickelson response . I don't carry a portable charger (one DD does) but the way these apps drain tend to batteries in the parks I should!


Ain't that the truth!

Now I have new strategies such as charging my phone while in Carousel of Progress or on PeopleMover or Haunted Mansion or Spaceship Earth (notice a trend of type of attraction  ).All of those where the phone and charger is in my park bag or jacket pocket if I'm wearing one.

Then while we're eating we'll do that too. 3 out of the 4 chargers we have have two usb ports to them so it can be used by two people. It will drain the portable charger faster that way but means less bulk. We then charge overnight the portable chargers.


----------



## Mle8308

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Ain't that the truth!
> 
> Now I have new strategies such as charging my phone while in Carousel of Progress or on PeopleMover or Haunted Mansion or Spaceship Earth (notice a trend of type of attraction  ).All of those where the phone and charger is in my park bag or jacket pocket if I'm wearing one.
> 
> Then while we're eating we'll do that too. 3 out of the 4 chargers we have have two usb ports to them so it can be used by two people. It will drain the portable charger faster that way but means less bulk. We then charge overnight the portable chargers.


If you want lightweight portable chargers you can swap out for fresh ones (no need to recharge), buy Fuel Rods from Amazon. A 2 pack is about $30 and you can swap them out in the parks for fresh ones for free. They may have some resort locations, too. There are other locations to swap them out in the US, though some kiosks do, I believe, charge a nominal fee.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Mle8308 said:


> If you want lightweight portable chargers you can swap out for fresh ones (no need to recharge), buy Fuel Rods from Amazon. A 2 pack is about $30 and you can swap them out in the parks for fresh ones for free. They may have some resort locations, too. There are other locations to swap them out in the US, though some kiosks do, I believe, charge a nominal fee.


Thanks for the info! We're actually using 2 chargers bought years ago at Nebraska Furniture Mart for like 5 bucks (normally $55 got a black Friday deal) and 2 we received as gifts over the years (those are more lightweight than the other 2 we have).

Definitely though for other people it's good info 

Fuel Rod is what Disney has on property for sure and swapping out is good when you don't normally carry chargers.


----------



## pfeifer1990

EACarlson said:


> If you have Early Bird Check In, which I'm assuming is what you mean by ECB, anytime between 24 hours prior to scheduled take off and when you get to the airport you'll need to check in.  That is when you will find out your boarding position.  If you have the app on your phone and notifications on it will push a notification at T-23:58, tap on the notification and it takes you right to the check in screen.  There really aren't any tricks once you have EBCI, two hacks for MKE though, I always park at Rapid Park & Relax on Howell.  It is the same price as the saver lot, shorter shuttle trip and much faster shuttle service.   And you can buy 12 packs of New Glarus at the Italian restaurant at the end of the terminal to bring with you.


Thank you! Our son will love the New Glarus tip!


----------



## Lsdolphin

OMG!!! Those traveling in September check your flights right away!!!! I paid $163 each way from BWI to MCO  and my flights dropped from $163 to $59 each way!
I was hoping for a price drop but never imagined prices would drop this far!!!  I now have $208.00 in travel funds and paid $117.96 round trip!


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Lsdolphin said:


> OMG!!! Those traveling in September check your flights right away!!!! I paid $163 each way from BWI to MCO  and my flights dropped from $163 to $59 each way!
> I was hoping for a price drop but never imagined prices would drop this far!!!  I now have $208.00 in travel funds and paid $117.96 round trip!


Wow, that's great! 

My Aug-Sep BWI-MCO dates just keep climbing! I'm glad I booked on opening day because they're way higher now. 

That said, they changed my flight time by a few minutes, but it was enough to prompt free ticket changes. I moved us to a 9:45am return flight instead of the 8:10am. The later flight has always been over $75 more per person, which is why we were sucking it up and planning for a crack of dawn departure. But, with the free change, we get the better morning wake up without the price tag!


----------



## Leigh L

Lsdolphin said:


> OMG!!! Those traveling in September check your flights right away!!!! I paid $163 each way from BWI to MCO  and my flights dropped from $163 to $59 each way!
> I was hoping for a price drop but never imagined prices would drop this far!!!  I now have $208.00 in travel funds and paid $117.96 round trip!


Awesome!! That's a nice chunk of savings 
Can I please ask what timeframe if that's OK?

I just booked 2nd week of September flights yesterday (went with a diff airline this time) and prices had gone up $40 pp a few hours after I booked.  SW was higher and times at DCA weren't good for the time constraints I have for this trip, but wondering if I should relook BWI, they were higher than DCA yesterday.

(I'm wondering if prices are dropping I can still cancel my original reservation for about another 8 hours lol.)


----------



## Lsdolphin

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Wow, that's great!
> 
> My Aug-Sep BWI-MCO dates just keep climbing! I'm glad I booked on opening day because they're way higher now.
> 
> That said, they changed my flight time by a few minutes, but it was enough to prompt free ticket changes. I moved us to a 9:45am return flight instead of the 8:10am. The later flight has always been over $75 more per person, which is why we were sucking it up and planning for a crack of dawn departure. But, with the free change, we get the better morning wake up without the price tag!


When I checked earlier this am there were some $59 flights BWI-MCO


----------



## Lsdolphin

Leigh L said:


> Awesome!! That's a nice chunk of savings
> Can I please ask what timeframe if that's OK?
> 
> I just booked 2nd week of September flights yesterday (went with a diff airline this time) and prices had gone up $40 pp a few hours after I booked.  SW was higher and times at DCA weren't good for the time constraints I have for this trip, but wondering if I should relook BWI, they were higher than DCA yesterday.
> 
> (I'm wondering if prices are dropping I can still cancel my original reservation for about another 8 hours lol.)


9/5-9/14


----------



## Leigh L

Lsdolphin said:


> 9/5-9/14


Thank you! Our dates overlap in there so will double check


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Lsdolphin said:


> When I checked earlier this am there were some $59 flights BWI-MCO


Yeah, we're technically traveling in September for our return, but it's Labor Day weekend. 

Outbound cheapest direct is $119, return cheapest direct is $173, and that's for the crappiest times. Our current flights at reasonable times would be another $80 per person round trip. 

I'm sure other folks are snagging good deals, but our flights are about 150% of what they were on opening fare day.


----------



## teawar

Just sharing…if SWA changes your flight due to a schedule adjustment and you select to change to a different flight online that is a lower price, sometimes your points/dollars are not automatically adjusted. If that happens, just call and they should be able to take care of it. I was able to get 3000 points back for Labor Day weekend and $11.99 back to my credit card! Every little bit helps


----------



## Erica Ladd

What is the process for a list standby? We have a flight on Saturday afternoon and I’m thinking of trying to get him the early morning flight. How does this work? Will we not get a good boarding position? That is even if it’s available. So far I can still book 8 tickets on that flight but they are super expensive.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Erica Ladd said:


> What is the process for a list standby? We have a flight on Saturday afternoon and I’m thinking of trying to get him the early morning flight. How does this work? Will we not get a good boarding position? That is even if it’s available. So far I can still book 8 tickets on that flight but they are super expensive.


Depending on the type of ticket you bought stand by may not be available to you without paying the fare difference. Even on the same day. I think that's how it works.


----------



## Amcd33

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> Depending on the type of ticket you bought stand by may not be available to you without paying the fare difference. Even on the same day. I think that's how it works.


This is accurate. We originally bought tickets on the Wanna Get Away Fare for a mid-March 2020 trip.  It was a two week trip, but the world was shutting down, so we needed to leave early. Even though they were flying empty planes at that point, they still wouldn’t make an emergency exception to let us change our flight or fly standby without charging us $$$ for the upgrade or flight change.  We ended up renting a car, driving home and getting credit for the flight.


----------



## EACarlson

Erica Ladd said:


> What is the process for a list standby? We have a flight on Saturday afternoon and I’m thinking of trying to get him the early morning flight. How does this work? Will we not get a good boarding position? That is even if it’s available. So far I can still book 8 tickets on that flight but they are super expensive.


Show up at the airport and tell the agent at the check in desk you want to standby for the earlier flight.  They print you a new boarding pass, it will be a very bad position if there is a boarding position listed at all. Although with A List, once confirmed onto the flight you'd board at A61.  Other airlines don't clear standbys onto the flight until boarding has concluded, I'm not sure whether SW confirms onto the flight right away or if you have to go to the gate and see if you clear onto it.  


DisneyRunner2009 said:


> Depending on the type of ticket you bought stand by may not be available to you without paying the fare difference. Even on the same day. I think that's how it works.


A List and A List Preferred are allowed to fly standby for free on an earlier flight if there is space available.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Amcd33 said:


> This is accurate. We originally bought tickets on the Wanna Get Away Fare for a mid-March 2020 trip.  It was a two week trip, but the world was shutting down, so we needed to leave early. Even though they were flying empty planes at that point, they still wouldn’t make an emergency exception to let us change our flight or fly standby without charging us $$$ for the upgrade or flight change.  We ended up renting a car, driving home and getting credit for the flight.


We’re you A-list at the time?


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Erica Ladd said:


> What is the process for a list standby? We have a flight on Saturday afternoon and I’m thinking of trying to get him the early morning flight. How does this work? Will we not get a good boarding position? That is even if it’s available. So far I can still book 8 tickets on that flight but they are super expensive.


I did want to point out that the benefits only apply to A-List and A-List Preferred members, meaning if anyone else on your reservation or traveling with you is not also an A-list or A-list Preferred member they don't qualify for the benefit.

_***A-List and A-List Preferred Members will have same-day standby benefits free of airline charges, but will be required to pay any additional government taxes and fees associated with changes in their itinerary. On the day of travel, please see a Customer Service Agent at the airport for this benefit and for information regarding any additional government taxes and fees. This benefit is not available at Southwest® kiosks. This benefit will be provided for A-List and A-List Preferred Members traveling prior to the original scheduled departure, between the same airport pairs, on the original date of travel, where a seat is available. On flights that do not meet these qualifications, A-List and A-List Preferred Members will receive priority standby and will be required to pay the difference in fare and any additional government taxes and fees if a seat becomes available. A-List Preferred Members will be prioritized ahead of A-List Members. If an A-List or A-List Preferred Member is traveling on a multiple-Passenger reservation, same-day standby and priority standby will not be provided for non-A-List or non-A-List Preferred Members in the same reservation. For A-List and A-List Preferred Members who have also qualified for a Companion Pass®, A-List and A-List Preferred benefits are not available to the Companion unless the Companion is also an A-List or A-List Preferred Member._

I don't know if my husband has flown standby on an earlier flight but I do know he has taken an earlier flight day of. He is A-list and this has only been done when he's been traveling for business.


----------



## Amcd33

Erica Ladd said:


> We’re you A-list at the time?


My husband was A-list but the rest of us weren’t.  A-list standby only applies to the actual A-list member, not the entire party.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Amcd33 said:


> My husband was A-list but the rest of us weren’t.  A-list standby only applies to the actual A-list member, not the entire party.


Anyone know if this would apply to my DH who is my CP??????


----------



## BelleOftheBall16

Erica Ladd said:


> Anyone know if this would apply to my DH who is my CP??????


_For A-List and A-List Preferred Members who have also qualified for a Companion Pass®, A-List and A-List Preferred benefits are not available to the Companion unless the Companion is also an A-List or A-List Preferred Member._


----------



## perchy

Is there an FAQ? 

I get that there seem to be some good tips for flying Southwest. I need to book a flight for August and I’d love all the tips…


----------



## disny_luvr

Does anyone know if a cooler is allowed as checked luggage? I was on the website and found information about everything else but coolers. 

We are going out west for a two week road trip and I’d love to bring our cooler from home and not have to buy one there.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Found my answer. Thx


----------



## FCDub

disny_luvr said:


> Does anyone know if a cooler is allowed as checked luggage? I was on the website and found information about everything else but coolers.
> 
> We are going out west for a two week road trip and I’d love to bring our cooler from home and not have to buy one there.



Googled and found this: https://community.southwest.com/t5/Travel-Policies/cooler-as-a-checked-bag/td-p/69097


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Anybody else scared of fare pricing for Thanksgiving and Christmas?


----------



## EACarlson

disny_luvr said:


> Does anyone know if a cooler is allowed as checked luggage? I was on the website and found information about everything else but coolers.
> 
> We are going out west for a two week road trip and I’d love to bring our cooler from home and not have to buy one there.


Yes it is, I would duct tape it shut but I see it all the time from softball teams heading to FL.


----------



## LadybugsMum

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> Anybody else scared of fare pricing for Thanksgiving and Christmas?


Yes! I have the feeling that we’ll be driving down instead of flying for the week after Turkey day.


----------



## katallo

Yes,  If  fares are high we will either drive or postpone.  We need our return flight in November so we would only have to cancel one way.  Waiting for June 16th to decide.  Honestly, the flight TO FL was expensive so I cannot imagine the new fares,


----------



## jkelly86

In my experience, the flight home on Sunday after Thanksgiving is our most expensive flight of the year.  Currently, JetBlue is $550 one-way on that date for my daughter returning to Boston.  Not a good sign.


----------



## LadybugsMum

jkelly86 said:


> In my experience, the flight home on Sunday after Thanksgiving is our most expensive flight of the year.  Currently, JetBlue is $550 one-way on that date for my daughter returning to Boston.  Not a good sign.


Yeah, that's the day we go down; so I'm thinking we'll just drive and save the cost of flights and a rental car.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Even the Monday after Thanksgiving seems higher with airlines that have their flight schedules out.


----------



## disny_luvr

EACarlson said:


> Yes it is, I would duct tape it shut but I see it all the time from softball teams heading to FL.


Great, thank you!


----------



## pens4821

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> Even the Monday after Thanksgiving seems higher with airlines that have their flight schedules out.


We noticed this too. We are lucky that our families schedules are a little flexible. We booked Monday to Tuesday. It saved us near $1000 for three of us when we booked it. It did end up going down but just looked and coming home Tuesday still saves 500. 

We were waiting for southwest fares but decided to book United. It was a price we felt was good (around 400/pp round trip) and non stop (southwest doesn’t do non stop Pittsburgh to Houston). Of course the price dropped 111 after we booked, but now we have a credit good until December 2023.


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

pens4821 said:


> We noticed this too. We are lucky that our families schedules are a little flexible. We booked Monday to Tuesday. It saved us near $1000 for three of us when we booked it. It did end up going down but just looked and coming home Tuesday still saves 500.
> 
> We were waiting for southwest fares but decided to book United. It was a price we felt was good (around 400/pp round trip) and non stop (southwest doesn’t do non stop Pittsburgh to Houston). Of course the price dropped 111 after we booked, but now we have a credit good until December 2023.


Wow!  I didn’t know United let you rebook at lower fare.  Was there a change fee?


----------



## pens4821

Cruzin’Sisters said:


> Wow!  I didn’t know United let you rebook at lower fare.  Was there a change fee?



No. I’ve only flown southwest since when I was a kid flying different airlines so they are all I really know.  I also didn’t know that. I saw that it went down, and googled it and found that you could rebook through them like southwest. I know that the most basic fare you can’t but we did the one up from that (basic is no carryon, can’t pick your seat, or make changes and next up was only like 20 more). Everything I read said it was the same as southwest about having to use the credit one year from booking, but my credit says good until December 2023. Which is nice because we will actually be able to use it (never end up flying within a year of booking).


----------



## Leigh L

Cruzin’Sisters said:


> Wow!  I didn’t know United let you rebook at lower fare.  Was there a change fee?


I didn't know that either! This must be new-ish. In 2020, I had to change flights, there was no fee but I didn't get the difference back in credits. (I don't think it was Basic since social distancing was firmly in place and they'd been only offering Economy fares from my airport.)

Thank you @pens4821! we have a September United flight that I felt was higher, but not crazy like some other fares, so we took it rather than wait. I'll keep an eye on it to see if it goes down. They've been the most reliable carrier from here as of late.

The late June ones are now up to $600-800 RT pp from here   They were $450+ when I started looking.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Bonus tier qualifying points for the Spend 10,000 get 1500 tier qualifying points are for cumulative spending, right? I feel like I’ve spent waay more than that this year so far but have yet to earn anything! (Tier qualifying bonus points I mean)


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Erica Ladd said:


> Bonus tier qualifying points for the Spend 10,000 get 1500 tier qualifying points are for cumulative spending, right? I feel like I’ve spent waay more than that this year so far but have yet to earn anything! (Tier qualifying bonus points I mean)



So, just to be clear, they are tier qualifying points, but they aren't a bonus on your overall point total. It just means that, of the 10k points you have earned from that spend, 1500 qualify for tier status. This is also only true on some of the SW card types.

I can see my tier qualifying points in the app when I click into Rapid Rewards.


----------



## Erica Ladd

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> So, just to be clear, they are tier qualifying points, but they aren't a bonus on your overall point total. It just means that, of the 10k points you have earned from that spend, 1500 qualify for tier status. This is also only true on some of the SW card types.
> 
> I can see my tier qualifying points in the app when I click into Rapid Rewards.


Yes, thank you.  I just see on my statement that every month that goes by it shows me 0 for my RR Tier Qualifying Points earned and I am sure I have put more than $10,000 on it since January but maybe I didn't...


----------



## jkelly86

Erica Ladd said:


> Yes, thank you. I just see on my statement that every month that goes by it shows me 0 for my RR Tier Qualifying Points earned and I am sure I have put more than $10,000 on it since January but maybe I didn't...


If you log into your Rapid Rewards account at Southwest.com: go to "My Account", then "see all points activity" under "My rapid rewards", then use the drop down menu under "point type" to sort for Tier Qualifying Points you have earned.


----------



## jkelly86

Check your August flight schedules.  Southwest just changed two of our flights slightly. (By about an hour each).


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

jkelly86 said:


> Check your August flight schedules.  Southwest just changed two of our flights slightly. (By about an hour each).


 
September, too. 15 minute difference, new flight number here. It's 15 more minutes of sleep, so I'm not complaining!


----------



## Avery&Todd

*PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE * SW Gods change my Oct 16th 12:15pm nonstop from RDU to MCO to an earlier time - I dont want to get into MCO at 2pm!


----------



## RLGNC

Avery&Todd said:


> *PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE * SW Gods change my Oct 16th 12:15pm nonstop from RDU to MCO to an earlier time - I dont want to get into MCO at 2pm!


Another RDU'er here.  We're flying out at 5:45 am...arriving at MCO at 7:35 am!!!   I'm excited about it though!

ETA:  I hope it doesn't get changed!


----------



## Avery&Todd

RLGNC said:


> Another RDU'er here.  We're flying out at 5:45 am...arriving at MCO at 7:35 am!!!   I'm excited about it though!
> 
> ETA:  I hope it doesn't get changed!


EEEEKKK!!  that is an AWESOME time!!  We arrived really early on our last trip, had a car service and we stopped by the Publix, went to check out and found out we were too early to buy WINE!!  So.....we ordered some through Instacart on the drive over to the hotel!!

I'm hoping for an early flight like that!

#jealous


----------



## dez1978

Erica Ladd said:


> Yes, thank you.  I just see on my statement that every month that goes by it shows me 0 for my RR Tier Qualifying Points earned and I am sure I have put more than $10,000 on it since January but maybe I didn't...


What type of card do you have?  I don't think anything counts if you have the lowest fee one.


----------



## Erica Ladd

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> To be clear, they aren't "extra" bonus points. Of the points you earn, a portion of them also count as tier qualifying. I see the below when I log into SW and click on Rapid Rewards. That 1,500 tier qualifying credited when my first statement closed with over 10k spend.
> 
> ETA- you can only earn 15k tier qualifying per card so, if you spent $200,000 on both cards in a year, you would still need 5,000 other qualifying points to hit A list. If you're forcing that kind of spending through the card, I'd assume you're booking all flights on points and you won't have any cash flights that boost your qualifying miles.
> 
> View attachment 649928


Thanks again for this. I just came back and reviewed your post. I am booking revenue flights until I hit A list and earn CP (still confused about what qualifies as points towards CP) but my tier qualifying points did show in my account on the desktop. So just to make sure there’s a 15k max per card on those, right? I should  hit my goals before I need to switch cards but it’s always good to know!


----------



## Erica Ladd

dez1978 said:


> What type of card do you have?  I don't think anything counts if you have the lowest fee one.


I have priority and premier


----------



## MinnieMSue

On my daily check of flights I just noticed they added wanna get away plus fare today to the flight options. It was $30 more than wanna get away fare.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Erica Ladd said:


> Thanks again for this. I just came back and reviewed your post. I am booking revenue flights until I hit A list and earn CP (still confused about what qualifies as points towards CP) but my tier qualifying points did show in my account on the desktop. So just to make sure there’s a 15k max per card on those, right? I should  hit my goals before I need to switch cards but it’s always good to know!


I just looked on my app. I have priority and it says I earn "unlimited" tier qualifying points. 1500 for every 10k spend.

I could have sworn I read that maxed out at 15k points per card somewhere else. Maybe that's one of the features that changed in late 2021?


----------



## Leigh L

MinnieMSue said:


> On my daily check of flights I just noticed they added wanna get away plus fare today to the flight options. It was $30 more than wanna get away fare.


Looks like it'll vary? A flight I was looking at for next month is $20 difference.

I didn't realize transferable flight credit?  Does anyone know what that means exactly?

Edit looks like 1 time credit transfer to another rapid rewards member. Original booking date still applies for expiration


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

I can't remember if they mentioned that WGA+ could vary when the limited details about the new fare was announced.


----------



## Leigh L

After checking this morning at BWI, I looked at a DCA for the same date it was a $30 difference for the new fare category. Then I just checked the original BWI flight again...it says $30. Then I checked for a day earlier, $30.  I'm using my laptop right now.

I could have sworn it was $20 this morning, but now wondering if I read it wrong on my phone (tinier print! lol) Maybe they're all $30?


----------



## MinnieMSue

Leigh L said:


> After checking this morning at BWI, I looked at a DCA for the same date it was a $30 difference for the new fare category. Then I just checked the original BWI flight again...it says $30. Then I checked for a day earlier, $30.  I'm using my laptop right now.
> 
> I could have sworn it was $20 this morning, but now wondering if I read it wrong on my phone (tinier print! lol) Maybe they're all $30?



Idk I just noticed it on the 4 flights I am taking that it is $30 more. I will have to snoop at the flights some more lol. I honestly have no interest in paying it though.


----------



## teawar

I had random a $38.80 travel credit expiring on June 2nd, and I used it to upgrade a flight that is before Memorial Day! Yippee


----------



## Lsdolphin

More Monkey Business from SWA....just got their email regarding their new “plus fare”...at same time I see the fare I paid $59 for just jumped to $119...I haven’t booked my return flight yet as all the return non stop flights that day have been sitting at $163 since the new schedule dropped.
so now wondering whether I should just go ahead and pay the $163 for the return flight or wait a little longer and hope price drops.   the entire month of August had been $163 everyday until a few weeks ago when many flights dropped to $59...


----------



## jkelly86

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> I just looked on my app. I have priority and it says I earn "unlimited" tier qualifying points. 1500 for every 10k spend.
> 
> I could have sworn I read that maxed out at 15k points per card somewhere else. Maybe that's one of the features that changed in late 2021?


I thought it was limited to 15k per card, too.  I am interested in learning the answer to this question.


----------



## cmarsh31

When SW messed with the flights for July & August, they canceled all the afternoon direct flights and added just one... 7:45am OUT of MCO. Shockingly, that's now, by far, the cheapest flight of the day. Good job SW, you created a flight option so bad that people are actually choosing the BWI layover option.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Lsdolphin said:


> at same time I see the fare I paid $59 for just jumped to $119...


I'm guessing you booked the $59 as part of a sale. 

If so I personally don't look at the pricing as "just jumped" as that makes me think of fluctuations in pricing rather than getting a fare booked when it was on sale. That's just me though


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

I wanted to mention there was a earlier conversation a long while back about some group having an A and another part of the group having a B. Our flight home from MCO to KCI on Sunday (the 15th) they did specifically call out "only A's Boarding, no B or C. If you have a B or C do not get in line, you need to wait, again only A's, no B or C please do not try to Board if you don't have an A group"

When we went from KCI to MCO on the 4th it was more like a brief "now Boarding A's just A's"

We purchased EBCI for me a few months ago (I think it was February) and for the flight down I was A 40 and the flight back home I was A 34. My husband who is A-list was A20 something, I can't remember exactly (maybe A24?) on the way down and on the way back he was A29.

Surprisingly neither flight had a ton of pre-Boards. Since we were A's I'm not sure how many participated in Family Boarding but it didn't seem like a lot of kids like I've seen in the past. To be fair it was a 5:05am flight down and a 10:55pm flight on the way home (that got delayed and didn't leave til just after midnight) so the chances of kids being on it were probably slimmer from the beginning.

I did notice though a few people on each flight def. overpacked their carryon to the point where on the way down one of them the plastic handle was damaged (it completely broke off) trying to get it in the overhead bin compartment. The FA was the one trying to get it in the overhead bin but her coworker at the front with the phone PA was just trying to speed up boarding and immediately went to "we'll have to gate check that". Luckily (well except for the damage) it wasn't a long process to shove that in there. PSA..try not to overpack your carryon. Those expander zippers are great but they can make you think you can pack more than the space truly allows for.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I'm guessing you booked the $59 as part of a sale.
> 
> If so I personally don't look at the pricing as "just jumped" as that makes me think of fluctuations in pricing rather than getting a fare booked when it was on sale. That's just me though


No the flight has been $59 for a few weeks and was the same yesterday


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Lsdolphin said:


> No the flight has been $59 for a few weeks and was the same yesterday


Sure, sales though can last that long though too. $59 is a pretty common sale price listed depending on your airport and destination that's what made me immediately think of sale rather than $59 being a normal fare, then shooting up to $119 

For example this is an e-mail sent to me end of March:







IDK was just a thought  , I know how a lot of us have been watching airfare pricing lately


----------



## VandVsmama

Our October flights jumped in price a lot compared to last week.  Our PHX-->MCO flight on 10/1 is now >$600 one way!


----------



## Seabean

Questions related to PHL and BWI....

Does SW have more flights out of BWI than PHL?   

If so, is it *slightly* more ... or *substantially* more?

And also if so, is that the main reason fares to MCO seem much less expensive? (from BWI)


----------



## Gary2T

> Does SW have more flights out of BWI than PHL?
> 
> If so, is it *slightly* more ... or *substantially* more?



Yes.  Substantially more.  BWI is the Southwest equivalent of a hub, even though they don't call it that.

https://thepointsguy.com/news/does-southwest-airlines-have-hubs/


----------



## nekonekoneko

Seabean said:


> Questions related to PHL and BWI....
> 
> Does SW have more flights out of BWI than PHL?
> 
> If so, is it *slightly* more ... or *substantially* more?
> 
> And also if so, is that the main reason fares to MCO seem much less expensive? (from BWI)



Baltimore is a focus airport for Southwest, so they bounce a lot of flights in and out of there, especially for connections.  They offer plenty of non stops to Orlando every day.

They've been pulling out of the Philly to Orlando route slowly.  They used to offer a non stop every morning.  That's gone, with what used to be a non stop at least once a day.  Now, they only offer random ones on the weekends.  All weekday flights to Orlando have at least one layover.


----------



## MarBee

Seabean said:


> Questions related to PHL and BWI....
> 
> Does SW have more flights out of BWI than PHL?
> 
> If so, is it *slightly* more ... or *substantially* more?
> 
> And also if so, is that the main reason fares to MCO seem much less expensive? (from BWI)


As the others have said, there are way more options from BWI than PHL.  I’m currently trying to burn my remaining points since PHL is my home airport, and I can’t find any direct flights to anywhere I want to go using the entire current schedule with multiple flexible dates.  I’m super bummed because I love SW, but the 2.5 hour drive to BWI for me is not going to work.


----------



## Lsdolphin

MarBee said:


> As the others have said, there are way more options from BWI than PHL.  I’m currently trying to burn my remaining points since PHL is my home airport, and I can’t find any direct flights to anywhere I want to go using the entire current schedule with multiple flexible dates.  I’m super bummed because I love SW, but the 2.5 hour drive to BWI for me is not going to work.


BWI is closest major airport to me and it’s 2 hr 45 min drive.


----------



## npatellye

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I wanted to mention there was a earlier conversation a long while back about some group having an A and another part of the group having a B. Our flight home from MCO to KCI on Sunday (the 15th) they did specifically call out "only A's Boarding, no B or C. If you have a B or C do not get in line, you need to wait, again only A's, no B or C please do not try to Board if you don't have an A group"
> 
> When we went from KCI to MCO on the 4th it was more like a brief "now Boarding A's just A's"


That may or may not have been me. It happened to us in 2021 where my husband, 8 year old, and I were given As. Then there were a few random people after us and our 5 year old was given B. All of our tickets were purchased together and I checked us all in together.

One gate agent at BWI said to go ahead and board with A with her because they know that something went awry and there’s no way a child should be boarding so far apart from the rest of the party. Then our gate was changed and the gate agent at the new gate was an absolute jerk and said something very loudly about how I couldn’t understand letters and there is no way a B can board with me, no exceptions. We exited the line and went to family boarding. When we got to her again, she had another snarky comment about now this wasn’t so hard was it. Needless to say, we have never flown Southwest again after that and we never will. I have $200 of travel funds for each of us sitting there and we’ve opted to let them expire and we used other airlines for our last trip to Disney and other trips between that trip and now.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

npatellye said:


> That may or may not have been me. It happened to us in 2021 where my husband, 8 year old, and I were given As. Then there were a few random people after us and our 5 year old was given B. All of our tickets were purchased together and I checked us all in together.
> 
> One gate agent at BWI said to go ahead and board with A with her because they know that something went awry and there’s no way a child should be boarding so far apart from the rest of the party. Then our gate was changed and the gate agent at the new gate was an absolute jerk and said something very loudly about how I couldn’t understand letters and there is no way a B can board with me, no exceptions. We exited the line and went to family boarding. When we got to her again, she had another snarky comment about now this wasn’t so hard was it. Needless to say, we have never flown Southwest again after that and we never will. I gave $200 of travel funds for each of us sitting there and we’ve opted to let them expire and we used other airlines for our last trip to Disney and other trips between that trip and now.


I don't think it was you   because the trip IIRC was to be this year. That said I'm sorry to hear about the gate agent snark, generally speaking they are usually quite pleasant but as with other airlines and TSA agents and other airport staff you sometimes get them on a quite bad day


----------



## MarBee

Lsdolphin said:


> BWI is closest major airport to me and it’s 2 hr 45 min drive.


Bummer!


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I don't think it was you   because the trip IIRC was to be this year. That said I'm sorry to hear about the gate agent snark, generally speaking they are usually quite pleasant but as with other airlines and TSA agents and other airport staff you sometimes get them on a quite bad day


I think you are thinking of my trip last month. We had 2 As and 1 B...all bought early bird on the same reservation. In our experience, we asked the gate agent politely beforehand if my hubs who ended up with the B number could board at the end of the As with us (me and our 2 year old). Agent didn't even bat an eye and said it was fine.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

CookieandOatmeal said:


> I think you are thinking of my trip last month. We had 2 As and 1 B...all bought early bird on the same reservation. In our experience, we asked the gate agent politely beforehand if my hubs who ended up with the B number could board at the end of the As with us (me and our 2 year old). Agent didn't even bat an eye and said it was fine.


Might have been, I don't remember too too much just remember it was this year not last year. They def. mentioned it for our flights so I thought I'd reiterate that here as a recent flying experience. I had forgotten about it until the gate agent made their announcements when we were flying to Orlando and then it caught my attention again when we were leaving Orlando (especially because they were much more specific than our home airport). Very to the point..don't do it was their message


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Oh on the topic of WGA+ it does seem like $30 is the going difference observationally . We were pricing out both Vegas (which *sigh* my husband has convinced me to go to again in September) and Hawaii and both destinations were $30 difference between WGA and WGA+


----------



## jujubiee4

We have have expiring credits for end of month/beginning of June. I know they offer the voucher
for 100 fee. I just called and the agent said you can only get that AFTER the credit has expired so 
call back that day or next day? Is that correct?

I thought I read on a travel forum somewhere that you should call to get it before expiration date.


----------



## TNKim

Does Southwest ever give complimentary Early Bird check in?  I was just checking my account on the SW app for my flight next Sunday and it shows that all 4 of us have Early Bird. I did not purchase Early Bird. Our return flight was booked separately and it does not show Early Bird. I know SW sometimes randomly gives pre-check but I’ve never known of them adding a free Early Bird. Does anyone know?


----------



## focusondisney

TNKim said:


> Does Southwest ever give complimentary Early Bird check in?  I was just checking my account on the SW app for my flight next Sunday and it shows that all 4 of us have Early Bird. I did not purchase Early Bird. Our return flight was booked separately and it does not show Early Bird. I know SW sometimes randomly gives pre-check but I’ve never known of them adding a free Early Bird. Does anyone know?



Dis you book any Anytime fare? Early Bird is now included with Anytime fares.


----------



## ultimatefans

focusondisney said:


> Dis you book any Anytime fare? Early Bird is now included with Anytime fares.


I have an upcoming flight that I purchased as an Anytime fare and see EarlyBird listed. Purchase was made well before the EarlyBird benefit was included with AnyTime fares so I’m glad to see it’s retroactive. Yay!


----------



## TNKim

focusondisney said:


> Dis you book any Anytime fare? Early Bird is now included with Anytime fares.



Yes!  Thank you!  I totally forgot I had to book the Anytime fare because Wanna Get Away was sold out.  So having Early Bird means I don’t have to check in exactly at 24 hours, just sometime before the flight?


----------



## focusondisney

TNKim said:


> Yes!  Thank you!  I totally forgot I had to book the Anytime fare because Wanna Get Away was sold out.  So having Early Bird means I don’t have to check in exactly at 24 hours, just sometime before the flight?



Right! SW will automatically check you in 36 hours before the flight.  Anytime after the 24 hour mark, you go thru the check in process to see your boarding position & get you boarding pass.  But your number was assigned at 36 hours & doesn’t change no matter when you check in.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Well, it looks like we're using our companion passes earlier than anticipated. Our kids got covid in the lead up to a very important concert for them (waiting two years to see the band, bought the VIP and everything). After many, many tears and "it's not fair" (me just as much as them, if we're being honest) we decided to throw money at the situation and fly to Nashville to see the show over Memorial Day weekend.

It was a huge chunk of our points to book 3 last minute round trip tickets, but at least having the two CPs essentially gets us 40% off flights as a family!

This will be our first time flying with kids who are too old for family boarding but, given their history of air sickness, should probably have a parent available to hold the barf bag, just in case. We've got kids Dramamine, sea bands, and hopefully an understanding flight crew...


----------



## disneyfan150

focusondisney said:


> Dis you book any Anytime fare? Early Bird is now included with Anytime fares.


Did this just start with the addition of WGA+?


----------



## disneyfan150

So, I checked in on this thread this morning. That lead me to check on my flights for July/Aug trip. Nonstops have been added back into the schedule and 2 of my 3 flights are now no longer on the schedule. So far, I have not received an updated itinerary from Southwest.  I am looking forward to changing my connecting flight BACK to a direct flight.

My question: How long does it take SW to change your flights and let you know? 

Will I be able to keep EB since they are changing the flight not me?


----------



## scrappinginontario

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Well, it looks like we're using our companion passes earlier than anticipated. Our kids got covid in the lead up to a very important concert for them (waiting two years to see the band, bought the VIP and everything). After many, many tears and "it's not fair" (me just as much as them, if we're being honest) we decided to throw money at the situation and fly to Nashville to see the show over Memorial Day weekend.
> 
> It was a huge chunk of our points to book 3 last minute round trip tickets, but at least having the two CPs essentially gets us 40% off flights as a family!
> 
> This will be our first time flying with kids who are too old for family boarding but, given their history of air sickness, should probably have a parent available to hold the barf bag, just in case. We've got kids Dramamine, sea bands, and hopefully an understanding flight crew...


If you need to sit with your kids it’s best to purchase EBCI as there is no guarantee you will be together without it.  It is not the airline’s responsibility nor other passengers obligation to move if you choose not to purchase it.  If your children struggle with sit sickness, please do this for the sake of all.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

scrappinginontario said:


> If you need to sit with your kids it’s best to purchase EBCI as there is no guarantee you will be together without it.  It is not the airline’s responsibility nor other passengers obligation to move if you choose not to purchase it.  If your children struggle with sit sickness, please do this for the sake of all.


1) There is no guarantee we'd we together with it, either

2) We don't have to sit together. The kids are aware enough that they know when they're getting sick and can reach for the bag. I think it would definitely be better if we can be together, but they'll be prepared to sit alone if that's how it shakes out.

3) We shouldn't have to pay more because of a medical condition. If the staff wants us together to accommodate the kids, they can have us family board.


----------



## robinb

disneyfan150 said:


> So, I checked in on this thread this morning. That lead me to check on my flights for July/Aug trip. Nonstops have been added back into the schedule and 2 of my 3 flights are now no longer on the schedule. So far, I have not received an updated itinerary from Southwest.  I am looking forward to changing my connecting flight BACK to a direct flight.
> 
> My question: How long does it take SW to change your flights and let you know?
> 
> Will I be able to keep EB since they are changing the flight not me?


I would not count on them to change your flight back to a non stop. I would call them today and have them change you back.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> 1) There is no guarantee we'd we together with it, either
> 
> 2) We don't have to sit together. The kids are aware enough that they know when they're getting sick and can reach for the bag. I think it would definitely be better if we can be together, but they'll be prepared to sit alone if that's how it shakes out.
> 
> 3) We shouldn't have to pay more because of a medical condition. If the staff wants us together to accommodate the kids, they can have us family board.


Paying for EBCI or not is really just for everyone, there's a multitude of reasons why someone would purchase it or not purchase it. We situationally purchase it meaning there are a good amount of times we don't and certain circumstances we do.

I get motion sickness on airplanes, I can relate, right now I have to look at a fixed object (I choose the front bathroom sign) during take off and keep my head elevated (so no resting it on the headrest) until we reach altitude, I seem to have largely gotten away from any big feelings on the descent.

The PP recommend EBCI as it increases the odds of being able to find seats together (never guaranteed just increases the odds). This isn't related to your children's air sickness, this is because you would prefer to sit with them. Therefore if that is the intended goal that would be the going advice. Looking at it as if you shouldn't have to pay for a medical condition..well that is probably not the best foot to start off with   I certainly never had that outlook as a kid, nor did my parents. On the other hand I usually have the spiel that if it's paramount to sit together (which it looks like here it's more of a would be better situation but not paramount) SWA is not the airline to use.

Last advice I can give you is usually back of plane fills last (aside from middle seats), if you head for that you might have a better chance there. Many of our flights the flight attendants alert people to this. I know on our flight down to Orlando in early May they were practically begging people to head towards the back.


----------



## ultimatefans

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Well, it looks like we're using our companion passes earlier than anticipated. Our kids got covid in the lead up to a very important concert for them (waiting two years to see the band, bought the VIP and everything). After many, many tears and "it's not fair" (me just as much as them, if we're being honest) we decided to throw money at the situation and fly to Nashville to see the show over Memorial Day weekend.
> 
> It was a huge chunk of our points to book 3 last minute round trip tickets, but at least having the two CPs essentially gets us 40% off flights as a family!
> 
> This will be our first time flying with kids who are too old for family boarding but, given their history of air sickness, should probably have a parent available to hold the barf bag, just in case. We've got kids Dramamine, sea bands, and hopefully an understanding flight crew...


COVID has caused so many heartbreak moments like that - so glad you were able to reschedule!  And yay for Companion Passes that make it doable cost-wise.   I hope the air sickness doesn't cause any problems and you have a fabulous time at the concert!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

disneyfan150 said:


> Did this just start with the addition of WGA+?


I believe so. I know they announced several changes so I think when WGA+ went live so did the updates like Anytime fare getting EBCI. It almost seems like a quiet going live though so it's possible a benefit or two started before WGA+ was officially available to purchase.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Looking at it as if you shouldn't have to pay for a medical condition..well that is probably not the best foot to start off with



For us, the only reason we would be concerned about not sitting together is the air sickness. We would obviously try either way, but I would be 100% comfortable getting split up if not for the vomit risk. So, for our family situation, ECBI would be paying more for a medical condition; we wouldn't have purchased it otherwise. 

As it stands, if we are split up, the kids will have directions for what to do in case they get sick, bags, and wipes. I do plan on letting the staff know about the situation and leaving it to their discretion if they want to ensure we're seated together.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> ECBI would be paying more for a medical condition; we wouldn't have purchased it otherwise.


And we purchased it only for the trip to Orlando, we don't otherwise. We purchased it the first time I flew by myself to visit my husband while he was on site on a power plant, we don't otherwise. That's what I mean, don't try and sparse it out like you're paying more for a medical condition. EBCI is for so many reasons. You're in the same boat as many other people, it's not a special scenario such that you should realistically view it the way you are.



TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> . I do plan on letting the staff know about the situation and leaving it to their discretion if they want to ensure we're seated together.


This is exactly what the PP was trying to get away from and myself as well. Please do not do this. It puts the FAs in a tight spot unnecessarily. There are millions of people who fly all the time with motion sickness even severe enough to actually use the bags provided. It just simply isn't something, especially in this day and age, that an FA needs to deal with with a passenger. If you want to ensure you're seated together don't fly SWA and go with an airline where you can select seats together. Delta for instance now blocks rows. That would be perfect for your situation!


----------



## robinb

Hmmm … I hadn’t really researched the WGA+ program change. It took place while I was at WDW.  The addition of free Early Bird to Anytime fares would explain my check in experience on the way back home on Saturday.  I checked into my flight right at 24 hours in advance. I had time.gov up and I checked in literally seconds after it opened.  I was at the END of the B boarding group. I can’t imagine that nearly 120 people ahead of me were quicker on the draw than me.  My guess is that a lot of people had Early Bird.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

robinb said:


> Hmmm … I hadn’t really researched the WGA+ program change. It took place while I was at WDW.  The addition of free Early Bird to Anytime fares would explain my check in experience on the way back home on Saturday.  I checked into my flight right at 24 hours in advance. I had time.gov up and I checked in literally seconds after it opened.  I was at the END of the B boarding group. I can’t imagine that nearly 120 people ahead of me were quicker on the draw than me.  My guess is that a lot of people had Early Bird.


That may have been the case but I'll give you an example my Vegas flight home in December I was B60..yup B60. That was however with no EBCI. I checked in right at T-24. The guy ahead of me joked he was one second faster than me lol.

I think with flights right now it's a toss up between how many A-listers (and those who Board with them if on the same reservation) including ones who were extended the benefits due to the pandemic or ones chosen to randomly get it and then EBCI people.

Now going forward with Anytime getting EBCI included your experience and my experience of getting really high B's even at T-24 without EBCI may be more common. Also I would say we booked EBCI for this past Orlando trip in part due to thinking there would be a lot of pre-boards and children (which there actually was not) and because it was reimbursed through the SWA CC my husband had  (which was a new part of the program) and needed to be used by June (the anniversary date of the CC). We booked EBCI for me back in February I believe just before they changed our flights but it was after the flight had originally been booked, we booked the flights on release day back in December.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> This is exactly what the PP was trying to get away from and myself as well. Please do not do this. It puts the FAs in a tight spot unnecessarily. There are millions of people who fly all the time with motion sickness even severe enough to actually use the bags provided. It just simply isn't something, especially in this day and age, that an FA needs to deal with with a passenger.



I respectfully disagree here. SW website specifies that customers that may need a specific seat or boarding assistance should tell the ticket counter or gate agent. 

" Our Agents are trained to ask fact-finding questions to determine if the Customer meets the qualifications described above. Those Customers who qualify for preboarding will receive a new boarding pass with a preboarding designation. "

I genuinely don't know if an eight year old that has in the past tossed on an airplane is something that SW would say is worth them having a seat next to a responsible adult.  Perhaps you are right and there are enough young people flying with motion sickness that it wouldn't flag as an issue for them. Perhaps they would want a parent with that child. It's their discretion and the mechanism they have established for making that determination is to ask at the counter or the gate. If they decide that it is appropriate, they can designate us to board between A and B. If they think the kids are fine to board in their assigned positions, we will do so and be prepared to get split up. I have no intentions of demanding accommodation but I will be asking if it is appropriate in our circumstances.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> I respectfully disagree here. SW website specifies that customers that may need a specific seat or boarding assistance should tell the ticket counter or gate agent.
> 
> " Our Agents are trained to ask fact-finding questions to determine if the Customer meets the qualifications described above. Those Customers who qualify for preboarding will receive a new boarding pass with a preboarding designation. "
> 
> I genuinely don't know if an eight year old that has in the past tossed on an airplane is something that SW would say is worth them having a seat next to a responsible adult.  Perhaps you are right and there are enough young people flying with motion sickness that it wouldn't flag as an issue for them. Perhaps they would want a parent with that child. It's their discretion and the mechanism they have established for making that determination is to ask at the counter or the gate. If they decide that it is appropriate, they can designate us to board between A and B. If they think the kids are fine to board in their assigned positions, we will do so and be prepared to get split up. I have no intentions of demanding accommodation but I will be asking if it is appropriate in our circumstances.


I did presuppose you might have (no offense intended) brought up the seating assistance (which is pre-boarding) and that's precisely why I didn't mention it because in your situation that does not fit with what you've explained.

You keep mentioning that they could designate you board with Family Boarding but you have already said they are too old for this. I don't think you would be demanding accommodation, but asking in this specific situation puts the FA in a tight spot, unnecessarily. You're like "I'll just leave it up to the FA" except that puts them in a bind, their priority is our safety on board but unfortunately they at times get tasked with playing passenger jockey.

What you're saying is you understand you might be split up, your kids can sit alone but there's a preference to sit with an adult. Poster mentioned purchasing EBCI, you balked at that because you don't want to have to pay for it. Your situation as laid it is like many other people also flying. And also by suggesting multiple times that your family could just board with Family Boarding you're brushing off all those other passengers behind that who may have purchased EBCI (or not) who may also have reasons to have a preference to sit with someone, consideration for all is how I like to approach things personally speaking  

It's not something we should really debate back and forth. Like another poster said a long while back about a different situation, if you post on this thread about advice for SWA and you're met with advice you don't like don't just ignore said advice and decide to go rogue basically just because you didn't like what you heard. This thread is primarily for informational purposes. So informationally you were given advice on what to do:

1) Purchase EBCI to increase odds of getting a better Boarding position
2) don't fly SWA if you need seats together (in this case you've said you're fine being split up)

I really hope you have a good time at the concert, sounds like a much deserved trip, but we'll have to agree to disagree here and I'll move on


----------



## robinb

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> So informationally you were given advice on what to do:
> 
> 1) Purchase EBCI to increase odds of getting a better Boarding position
> 2) don't fly SWA if you need seats together (in this case you've said you're fine being split up)



I agree.  @TheOneWithTheTriplets, I would not rely on SWA to agree that you have special circumstances and allow you to preboard.  I would make two reservations.  One for you and the barfy 8-year old and another for the rest of your family.  Buy the EBCI for you two and skip it for the others.  Head to the back of the plane and hopefully the rest of your family will be able to sit with you.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

robinb said:


> I agree.  @TheOneWithTheTriplets, I would not rely on SWA to agree that you have special circumstances and allow you to preboard.  I would make two reservations.  One for you and the barfy 8-year old and another for the rest of your family.  Buy the EBCI for you two and skip it for the others.  Head to the back of the plane and hopefully the rest of your family will be able to sit with you.



I'm lucky enough to have three barfy eight year olds, so splitting the reservation is a no go. I appreciate yours and @Mackenzie Click-Mickelson 's feedback. I'll be prepared to board as assigned and make sure the kids each know what to do if they start to feel unwell. I'm all for age appropriate independence. If SW says that barfy eight year olds are able to sit without parents, then OK, we'll give it a go.


----------



## disneyfan150

robinb said:


> I would not count on them to change your flight back to a non stop. I would call them today and have them change you back.


Welp, I am an idiot! I must have plugged in the wrong dates. No new direct flights on the way to MCO after all. Boo

Thanks, anyway!


----------



## StephPlum

Does anyone know if buying SW gift cards on SW site will trigger the SW CC credit?  I’m trying to use my $75 credit before I have to pay the Annual fee. Thanks.


----------



## BillFromCT

StephPlum said:


> Does anyone know if buying SW gift cards on SW site will trigger the SW CC credit?  I’m trying to use my $75 credit before I have to pay the Annual fee. Thanks.


I’m not sure about the gift cards, but if you buy points on the SW site it does go toward your $75 yearly credit.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Just a reminder that the next schedule drop is June 16 and will go through Jan 4, 2023.


----------



## sandam1

LadybugsMum said:


> Just a reminder that the next schedule drop is June 16 and will go through Jan 4, 2023.



Does anyone have any guesses on when the next release date is going to be? I have a Florida trip that straddles this next release date (leaving on 1/4 and coming back on 1/10) and am trying to plan ahead.


----------



## Avery&Todd

I was JUST wondering this as we have a trip we MIGHT take in February!!!


sandam1 said:


> Does anyone have any guesses on when the next release date is going to be? I have a Florida trip that straddles this next release date (leaving on 1/4 and coming back on 1/10) and am trying to plan ahead.


----------



## LadybugsMum

sandam1 said:


> Does anyone have any guesses on when the next release date is going to be? I have a Florida trip that straddles this next release date (leaving on 1/4 and coming back on 1/10) and am trying to plan ahead.


I'd say it's a least 2 months - so no earlier than Aug 16 most likely. But we won't know for sure until a couple weeks after the June 16 drop.


----------



## georgina

Going to be a crazy travel day on the east coast! DH had a 1 PM flight out of Reagan, SW cancelled it at 10 AM. Luckily he was able to get through on the phone and rebooked on an 11:45 AM flight, also lucky we only live 10 mins from the airport and he was all packed and ready to go. Fingers crossed it goes. Severe storms and tornado watches in western Virginia.

12:35 and they are boarded but still at the gate, didn't get out ahead of the fast moving storms. The plane is too heavy so they took off some bags and 4 people who were going to miss their connection. He has a flight on another airline tomorrow to Cozumel, he and his luggage need to get to his destination today.


----------



## JoJoGirl

Any idea when SW will update their flight schedules for late September into October? 

Looking to switch to an earlier flight for my October trip, but don’t want to pay the extra now, knowing it will probably be changed to something else anyway.

Maybe they are waiting until after the June 16 flight release, or maybe demand for early fall flights is ambiguous and they want it to firm up before they make changes.  Who knows, but the waiting is driving me nuts!


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## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

I'm sure other people have gotten them but just wanted to mention new drink coupons are being issued, we just got ones in the mail expiring May 2023..we still have our ones expiring in 2020 and 2021 we can use until the end of this year but I haven't been able to make myself want something when it's a 5am flight


----------



## Henlady

I have a credit from a past flight that says they expire on June 30, 2022.  Can I use that toward flights to be taken in November 2022 or do I have to use them to purchase a flight leaving before June 30?  Thanks for your help.


----------



## nekonekoneko

Henlady said:


> I have a credit from a past flight that says they expire on June 30, 2022.  Can I use that toward flights to be taken in November 2022 or do I have to use them to purchase a flight leaving before June 30?  Thanks for your help.


The flight has to be booked and completed before the expiration date.  So, in your case, out has to be for a flight that takes off by the end of June


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

I need tickets for one day of Thanksgiving weekend and early February.


----------



## nekonekoneko

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> I need tickets for one day of Thanksgiving weekend and early February.


Tickets from November 6 to January 4 go on sale on June 16, so you should be able to get your Thanksgiving tickets then.

February will be the next update, which might be sometime in August?


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

I'm afraid of what Thanksgiving prices will be.


----------



## tripplanner2

So I always book Southwest with flights. Because things are so high this year, I was forced to use some cash. I just acquired additional points and I am hoping to switch my cash reservation for points. Is this possible?


----------



## nekonekoneko

tripplanner2 said:


> So I always book Southwest with flights. Because things are so high this year, I was forced to use some cash. I just acquired additional points and I am hoping to switch my cash reservation for points. Is this possible?



That can only be done as a cancel and a rebook. So your original flight money would likely go back as a flight credit, unless you booked a refundable type of fare.  

I wouldn't bother unless the points/cash ratio really tips the scales.  About 1.3 points per penny


----------



## EACarlson

nekonekoneko said:


> That can only be done as a cancel and a rebook. So your original flight money would likely go back as a flight credit, unless you booked a refundable type of fare.
> 
> I wouldn't bother unless the points/cash ratio really tips the scales.  About 1.3 points per penny


1.3 cents per point.


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## Avery&Todd

I just got an email from SW about this sale - and I was super stoked since we're traveling to MCO during that time...



so I enter my travel dates and I get an error message.....which stated either my dates were wrong/ineligible or my city pairs were not eligible...hmmmm...

so I go back to the offer and scroll through the available cities and I CAN fly out of RDU to a variety of cities, but NOT into MCO..here is the list of cities that do not qualify for the current promotion....







oh well....


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

I was able to save over 4000 points rebooking with this deal. I need all the points I can get for Thanksgiving weekend.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Haven't seen prices this low in awhile, $110 one way.


----------



## happ

Avery&Todd said:


> I just got an email from SW about this sale - and I was super stoked since we're traveling to MCO during that time...
> 
> View attachment 674609
> 
> so I enter my travel dates and I get an error message.....which stated either my dates were wrong/ineligible or my city pairs were not eligible...hmmmm...
> 
> so I go back to the offer and scroll through the available cities and I CAN fly out of RDU to a variety of cities, but NOT into MCO..here is the list of cities that do not qualify for the current promotion....
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 674608
> 
> 
> 
> oh well....


I was excited too, but my pairing, PVD to MCO, isn't eligible either.


----------



## Lsdolphin

already got $59 flight coming down and was just able to book flight home for $102 instead of $163!


----------



## MinnieMSue

happ said:


> I was excited too, but my pairing, PVD to MCO, isn't eligible either.



MCO to Columbus isn’t an option either. We are flying home the first day of the sale


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

We got points back too. Our flight home from Vegas on Labor Day week (flying home on Sep 8th) had already dropped before so it dropped again. The flight to Vegas on Labor Day (Sep 5th) hadn't dropped but did with this sale. Both flights each way were less than 8,000 points per person. We could do Business Select for basically what it originally cost for WGA but there's no point to booking Business Select in our case since my husband has A-list and for the first time I'm actually on the reservation with him lol so I should be getting his benefit. But dang I've not seen Business Select be that cheap.


----------



## cmarsh31

Nope for ALB to MCO as well... and my Aug/Sept flights have all gone up since I booked them. Great sale.


----------



## VandVsmama

Avery&Todd said:


> I just got an email from SW about this sale - and I was super stoked since we're traveling to MCO during that time...
> 
> View attachment 674609
> 
> so I enter my travel dates and I get an error message.....which stated either my dates were wrong/ineligible or my city pairs were not eligible...hmmmm...
> 
> so I go back to the offer and scroll through the available cities and I CAN fly out of RDU to a variety of cities, but NOT into MCO..here is the list of cities that do not qualify for the current promotion....
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 674608
> 
> 
> 
> oh well....



Yep, it's disappointing.  Even with 40% off for our travel dates, the fares that we already have are still the cheapest ones.


----------



## rdrjj5

happ said:


> I was excited too, but my pairing, PVD to MCO, isn't eligible either.


I was able to save $37per person mid September to fly down from PVD.  Coming back would have saved the same but would rather keep my flight time and not have a 7am flight


----------



## Avery&Todd

VandVsmama said:


> Yep, it's disappointing.  Even with 40% off for our travel dates, the fares that we already have are still the cheapest ones.


Same.

The fares we have are hundreds less per ticket than what is on sale right now!! 

The only thing that I'm holding my breath and crossing my fingers for is that when we get closer to our travel dates that SW will shake up the flight schedule, come out with better non-stop flights and that they'll be cheaper and I can score something better!

BUT, that's a lot to ask of SW so for now I'm just wishing and hoping that they don't get rid of our non-stop flights!!


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Sale not working for us either. Only qualifying fares are connections, not direct. We're already driving from Philly area to BWI to avoid a connection. Switching to a connection is not worth the savings.


----------



## focusondisney

When SW made September changes, they  cancelled our nonstop to Orlando on Labor Day & moved us to a connecting flight departing at 5:45 am & connecting in BWI.  I had been looking at changing to a 4 pm nonstop the day before but hadn’t gotten to it yet. (I just don’t want to get up at 3:30 am to deal with  a connecting flight).  I was able to make the change today & got almost 7,000 points back.  Now I have business select for 10,700 points.  DH is flying on my companion pass.   Our return flight isn’t included, but I’m  happy with the sale.


----------



## puppytrainer

Some cities must work with MCO and some must not. I'm seeing sale prices from MKE to MCO and back again for our late Aug trip...$110 each way direct flights. We were booked with points and got a nice chunk back (originally booked at the point equivalent of $173 both directions).


----------



## happ

rdrjj5 said:


> I was able to save $37per person mid September to fly down from PVD.  Coming back would have saved the same but would rather keep my flight time and not have a 7am flight


Do you have a connection? MCO doesn't show as an option on the sale page for PVD departures?


----------



## TNKim

I have questions about using LUV vouchers and also purchasing points.  I was just issued a LUV voucher for the first time due to damage to a bag during our recent flight.  Can I use the LUV voucher and combine it with points to book a flight?  If so, if I need to cancel that flight, I know the points are returned to my account, but is the LUV voucher still good to use again (if I use it before the expiration date)?

Also, if I purchase points on the special 45% off right now, are they immediately transferred into my account to use?  We need more points than what we have to book a flight.  And again, if we need to cancel the flight, are all points, accumulated and purchased, returned to my account?


----------



## rdrjj5

happ said:


> Do you have a connection? MCO doesn't show as an option on the sale page for PVD departures?


No we have direct flight on 9/10


----------



## rlduvall

TNKim said:


> Also, if I purchase points on the special 45% off right now, are they immediately transferred into my account to use?  We need more points than what we have to book a flight.  And again, if we need to cancel the flight, are all points, accumulated and purchased, returned to my account?



I purchased points last week using the 45% discount and while it says can take up to 72 hours to show in your account, it was instantaneous.  And yes, any points used for a flight that needs to be cancelled will go right back to your points account.  It's the only reason I did it as I know that it's not usually wise to purchase points, but with 45% off and points go back to my account without staying attached to a certain person - no brainer for me.   I'm all about the flexibility.


----------



## momof2gr8kids

rlduvall said:


> I purchased points last week using the 45% discount and while it says can take up to 72 hours to show in your account, it was instantaneous.  And yes, any points used for a flight that needs to be cancelled will go right back to your points account.  It's the only reason I did it as I know that it's not usually wise to purchase points, but with 45% off and points go back to my account without staying attached to a certain person - no brainer for me.   I'm all about the flexibility.


I was just going to ask about this.  Is the 45% a good deal?  We got that offer too and since we are planning to book Christmas travel, I anticipate we might need more points than we have.


----------



## ultimatefans

TNKim said:


> I have questions about using LUV vouchers and also purchasing points.  I was just issued a LUV voucher for the first time due to damage to a bag during our recent flight.  Can I use the LUV voucher and combine it with points to book a flight?  If so, if I need to cancel that flight, I know the points are returned to my account, but is the LUV voucher still good to use again (if I use it before the expiration date)?
> 
> Also, if I purchase points on the special 45% off right now, are they immediately transferred into my account to use?  We need more points than what we have to book a flight.  And again, if we need to cancel the flight, are all points, accumulated and purchased, returned to my account?


LUV vouchers and points cannot be combined for a flight.  However, you can purchase 2 separate one-way tickets and use the LUV voucher + cash for one way and then points for the other way.  If you cancel the flight the entire flight cost (LUV voucher plus cash) will be issued as a credit with the original expiration date for the LUV voucher OR one year from the flight purchase date, whichever is earlier.  The flight purchased with points will be refunded to your account with no expiration date.

ETA: the statement above assumes a WGA or WGA+ fare.  Higher fares are refundable.


----------



## ultimatefans

momof2gr8kids said:


> I was just going to ask about this.  Is the 45% a good deal?  We got that offer too and since we are planning to book Christmas travel, I anticipate we might need more points than we have.


If buying points then yes it's a good deal, the best I've seen.  I've done the math and determined that the 45% off offer is slightly better than the 75% bonus points offer.


----------



## Lsdolphin

ultimatefans said:


> If buying points then yes it's a good deal, the best I've seen.  I've done the math and determined that the 45% off offer is slightly better than the 75% bonus points offer.


I just got a 40% offer and it doesn’t look that great...


----------



## nekonekoneko

momof2gr8kids said:


> I was just going to ask about this.  Is the 45% a good deal?  We got that offer too and since we are planning to book Christmas travel, I anticipate we might need more points than we have.



Some quick math with Excel shows that 45% discount makes those points cost 1.5125 cents per point.  It's a little worse than the generally accepted 1.3 cents per point for Southwest, but for a quick top off, it's not terrible.  It's about a16.3% premium for purchasing the points.


----------



## ultimatefans

nekonekoneko said:


> Some quick math with Excel shows that 45% discount makes those points cost 1.5125 cents per point.  It's a little worse than the generally accepted 1.3 cents per point for Southwest, but for a quick top off, it's not terrible.  It's about a16.3% premium for purchasing the points.



I've done the same math and have gotten the same results.   Thanks for sharing the numbers!  Buying points will never be less than buying the flight outright, but sometimes the flexibility of the points is worth the extra cost.  Of the offers I've seen (excluding the anniversary offer which was one time and very limited), the best offers in order are 45% off, 75% bonus points, 70% bonus points, 40% off, and then down from there.


----------



## kristenrice

nekonekoneko said:


> Some quick math with Excel shows that 45% discount makes those points cost 1.5125 cents per point.  It's a little worse than the generally accepted 1.3 cents per point for Southwest, but for a quick top off, it's not terrible.  It's about a16.3% premium for purchasing the points.


I don't remember what the discount was when I purchased the "top off" points that I needed for our trip, but I know that I needed about 3K points.  On my budget spreadsheet, I have my airfare cost listed at $179.65 which includes EBCI and the fees.  I was reimbursed for (2) of the EBCI since my SW Visa includes 2 Free EBCI per year so that is not included in that total.  Overall, I think that paying under $200 for (2) people to fly from GRR to MCO in October is a pretty decent deal.  By using points, I can cancel (or change) the flight without penalty up until 10 minutes before departure so it's almost like it is a "refundable" fare.  The only downside is that my "cash" is tied up with Southwest.  If SW cancels the flight, I get my points back, but they are useless to me if I have to rebook on another airline.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Question about changing CP - I know it says you can change it up to 3 times. Is that per calendar year? For example I earned CP last May? And it’s good thru 2022. I will definitely earn CP for 2023 but not until October or November. So I’m trying to figure out the best way to use or change CP to take a few mom and kid trips. So can I change it 3 times in 2022 still and then also change 3 times in 2023?


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Erica Ladd said:


> Question about changing CP - I know it says you can change it up to 3 times. Is that per calendar year? For example I earned CP last May? And it’s good thru 2022. I will definitely earn CP for 2023 but not until October or November. So I’m trying to figure out the best way to use or change CP to take a few mom and kid trips. So can I change it 3 times in 2022 still and then also change 3 times in 2023?


While you could also double verify this with SWA this is from their website:


----------



## Lsdolphin

OMG I just did my daily check to see if there is any change in my flights for Sept.  9/5-9/14...and WOW!  My $59 flight from BWI to MCO is now $163 and my Business Select $133 fare from MCO to BWI is now $283!.  I sure everybody who was planning on flying August-sept has already booked their flights!
oh I also just got an email from SWA celebrating their Birthday with a game to play...you push the button and a big “YOU LOST” pops up.....but I think I’ve already won by booking my flights when I did!


----------



## tripplanner2

nekonekoneko said:


> That can only be done as a cancel and a rebook. So your original flight money would likely go back as a flight credit, unless you booked a refundable type of fare.
> 
> I wouldn't bother unless the points/cash ratio really tips the scales.  About 1.3 points per penny


Thank you so much for replying. I read it to be this way. I was hoping I was wrong.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Has anyone had their flights for Sept changed lately?? I feel that SW does these changes in waves and I haven't heard about any lately..maybe they're going to wait until the new schedule drop on the 16th??


----------



## JoJoGirl

Avery&Todd said:


> Has anyone had their flights for Sept changed lately?? I feel that SW does these changes in waves and I haven't heard about any lately..maybe they're going to wait until the new schedule drop on the 16th??



They do seem a little late in making the next batch of flight changes. Just last week they released a new fall sale for that time period, so maybe they are waiting to see the results of that before they adjust their schedule.

I’d like to make a change to my October flights, but won’t do so until after they make at least the first round of changes.  No sense paying extra for something that will probably be changed anyway.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Avery&Todd said:


> Has anyone had their flights for Sept changed lately?? I feel that SW does these changes in waves and I haven't heard about any lately..maybe they're going to wait until the new schedule drop on the 16th??





JoJoGirl said:


> They do seem a little late in making the next batch of flight changes. Just last week they released a new fall sale for that time period, so maybe they are waiting to see the results of that before they adjust their schedule.
> 
> I’d like to make a change to my October flights, but won’t do so until after they make at least the first round of changes.  No sense paying extra for something that will probably be changed anyway.



Shhhhh, don't remind them!! 

I'm waiting on another round of possible changes for late August / early September but haven't seen anything recently.


----------



## happ

What does this mean? I'm trying to modify a flight online and keep getting this. Also, just found out that the app no longer works on my android phone. It worked fine in Jan. Silly me, I uninstalled it thinking a reinstall would fix it only to find out that the updated app will not work on my phone at all. Ugh!


----------



## LadybugsMum

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Shhhhh, don't remind them!!
> 
> I'm waiting on another round of possible changes for late August / early September but haven't seen anything recently.


I've been checking our Aug flights 2-3 times a week so I can catch any changes. We only have a 45 min layover in BWI and I'm concerned that we'll either miss it or I won't be able to sit with my kids who are only 8. I'm planning on getting EBCI for the outbound flights, but haven't decided if I'll get it for the way home.


----------



## BLTtinkerbell

happ said:


> View attachment 675935
> What does this mean? I'm trying to modify a flight online and keep getting this. Also, just found out that the app no longer works on my android phone. It worked fine in Jan. Silly me, I uninstalled it thinking a reinstall would fix it only to find out that the updated app will not work on my phone at all. Ugh!


Could be you typed in something wrong like the #0 instead of the letter O.


----------



## Callsdodisney

Erica Ladd said:


> Question about changing CP - I know it says you can change it up to 3 times. Is that per calendar year? For example I earned CP last May? And it’s good thru 2022. I will definitely earn CP for 2023 but not until October or November. So I’m trying to figure out the best way to use or change CP to take a few mom and kid trips. So can I change it 3 times in 2022 still and then also change 3 times in 2023?


Yes, you got some good information from Mackenzie.

The issue with changing companion pass is you can only have one companion ticket booked at a time.  So you can't have Susie have a companion trip in April and then try to book a trip in February with Bob as companion-- it will invalidate the first companion ticket.  As long as you just want to book a few months in advance, you should be fine.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

LadybugsMum said:


> I've been checking our Aug flights 2-3 times a week so I can catch any changes. We only have a 45 min layover in BWI and I'm concerned that we'll either miss it or I won't be able to sit with my kids who are only 8. I'm planning on getting EBCI for the outbound flights, but haven't decided if I'll get it for the way home.


Ick, that is a tight layover! I'd be watching regularly, too. 

So far, my summer flights have only been impacted by minor (under 15 minute) differences, but even 15 minutes matters a ton with a layover that short. 

I've decided to be zen and just be OK with not sitting with my 8 year olds, if that's how things shake out. In May, I had each of their carry-ons packed so that they knew where everything was, just in case. It turned out to be unnecessary; both times, we got mid Bs by checking in right at 24 hours and sat together without a problem.


----------



## happ

BLTtinkerbell said:


> Could be you typed in something wrong like the #0 instead of the letter O.


Thanks, but unfortunately it happens both when I click "change" from my reservation and when I type it in.


----------



## Avery&Todd

happ said:


> Thanks, but unfortunately it happens both when I click "change" from my reservation and when I type it in.


If you can't reach SW via your app, I've had really good luck chatting with an agent via FB messenger - or I've heard they're active on Twitter...

or I guess you have to call!

Good luck!


----------



## BGinCali

I am going to be purchasing a ticket for myself and my adult niece for a trip to California. If I purchase for 2 passengers and we later change flights/prices drop - would the travel funds belong to me or to each passenger?

Also, if I have enough, can I use my points to purchase both of our flights if I am selecting 2 passengers?


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

BGinCali said:


> I am going to be purchasing a ticket for myself and my adult niece for a trip to California. If I purchase for 2 passengers and we later change flights/prices drop - would the travel funds belong to me or to each passenger?
> 
> Also, if I have enough, can I use my points to purchase both of our flights if I am selecting 2 passengers?


1- Wanna get away fares- travel funds associated with the confirmation number are per passenger. New, wanna get away plus, the funds are transferrable between people. I haven't seen any DPs yet about exactly how that works.

2- Yes, you can use your points to book both flights. If they were cancelled, price difference, etc, the points would go back to your rapid rewards number.


----------



## LadybugsMum

BGinCali said:


> I am going to be purchasing a ticket for myself and my adult niece for a trip to California. If I purchase for 2 passengers and we later change flights/prices drop - would the travel funds belong to me or to each passenger?
> 
> Also, if I have enough, can I use my points to purchase both of our flights if I am selecting 2 passengers?


1. Funds are by passenger. When I had to cancel flights for me and my children, I could not pool the money to use on a flight just for myself.
2. Yes, you can use points to purchase flights for more than one person. We are going to see my grandmother in a few months and I was able to use my points to get flights for me and my kids.


----------



## marthachick

I am booking 5 tickets for family and me. I have 2 SW Chase cards, DH (one of the 5) has one and DS (also one of the 5) has one too. If I use my points, can we use EBCI  on return flights from each of our accounts to cover return flights? We will be at MK and I don’t want to have to remember to check in at 24 hours. Also, I’ve never used this option, so how does it work?


----------



## Erica Ladd

marthachick said:


> I am booking 5 tickets for family and me. I have 2 SW Chase cards, DH (one of the 5) has one and DS (also one of the 5) has one too. If I use my points, can we use EBCI  on return flights from each of our accounts to cover return flights? We will be at MK and I don’t want to have to remember to check in at 24 hours. Also, I’ve never used this option, so how does it work?


Are they all premier cards? I think that’s the only one with this benefit. I think you purchase the tix and EBCI and pay with the card and it automatically gives you a credit on your statement (but I may be wrong on this?) Also each purchase would be its own reservation, don’t think you can get them on the same reservation using different cards   Someone correct me if I’m wrong please!


----------



## ibob52

. . . the SWA Plus Card has EBCI Benefit and the SWA Business Premier has EBCI Benefit too


----------



## katallo

I need a quick refresher.  Travel funds cannot be used if you book with points, correct?


----------



## mickeynut1

katallo said:


> I need a quick refresher.  Travel funds cannot be used if you book with points, correct?


Correct.  You cannot combine points with cash/travel funds on one reservation, must be one or the other.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

marthachick said:


> I am booking 5 tickets for family and me. I have 2 SW Chase cards, DH (one of the 5) has one and DS (also one of the 5) has one too. If I use my points, can we use EBCI  on return flights from each of our accounts to cover return flights? We will be at MK and I don’t want to have to remember to check in at 24 hours. Also, I’ve never used this option, so how does it work?


Are these both "Plus" or "Premier" cards? If either is Priority, it has 4 upgraded boardings per year, but no EBCI benefit. Priority upgraded boardings you redeem at the desk in the airport.

Assuming you have the right card types:

Step one- book the tickets with points. Put EBCI on none of them.
Step two- go to your reservation details, should see button for Add EarlyBird Check-In. Do this for two of the tickets using the first credit card.
Step three- go back to reservations details, Add EarlyBird Check-in again for two more tickets using the second Chase card.

You'll end up with one person without EBCI. However, if the ones who do use EBCI grab the aisle and window for the row you want, I can't imagine someone elbowing into that middle seat before your 5th boarder comes to take it.

ETA- Double checked Hubby's Plus card. We added two EBCIs using this method and they credited back off the same day.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Lsdolphin said:


> OMG I just did my daily check to see if there is any change in my flights for Sept.  9/5-9/14...and WOW!  My $59 flight from BWI to MCO is now $163 and my Business Select $133 fare from MCO to BWI is now $283!.  I sure everybody who was planning on flying August-sept has already booked their flights!
> oh I also just got an email from SWA celebrating their Birthday with a game to play...you push the button and a big “YOU LOST” pops up.....but I think I’ve already won by booking my flights when I did!


Glad to see I'm not the only one who checks flights daily.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Anyone else concerned with possible pricing over Thanksgiving weekend?


----------



## BGinCali

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> Anyone else concerned with possible pricing over Thanksgiving weekend?


Very nervous about tomorrow!


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

happ said:


> View attachment 675935
> What does this mean? I'm trying to modify a flight online and keep getting this. Also, just found out that the app no longer works on my android phone. It worked fine in Jan. Silly me, I uninstalled it thinking a reinstall would fix it only to find out that the updated app will not work on my phone at all. Ugh!


I'm having trouble logging in through the app or desktop. Not cool when I want to buy tickets tomorrow. My husband's app seems to be working,  but I'm the one with the most points. Called in and got right through!!! Good to go for tomorrow.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Anybody remember what time the schedule drop happened on Mar 30? Here's what it was prior to that.

Release Date | Time (eastern)
12/16/21 | 7:50am
12/08/21 | 6:45am
06/10/21 | 7:15am
04/01/21 | 9:10am
12/10/20 | 7:15am
08/13/20 | 9:15am


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

BGinCali said:


> Very nervous about tomorrow!


Sweating tomorrow over here, too.

Bring some more PHL-MCO direct, pretty please?!?!?


----------



## nekonekoneko

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Sweating tomorrow over here, too.
> 
> Bring some more PHL-MCO direct, pretty please?!?!?


I'm so worried that I'll fly out of Baltimore just to get a decently early flight out.


----------



## Lsdolphin

I’m afraid that the flights between BWI-MCO are going to stay right where they are now around $163  and not open any lower tomorrow with expanded schedule.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

nekonekoneko said:


> I'm so worried that I'll fly out of Baltimore just to get a decently early flight out.


That's what we did with August. I don't want to play that game in November, though. Our schedule is much tighter since it's during the school year.


----------



## nekonekoneko

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> That's what we did with August. I don't want to play that game in November, though. Our schedule is much tighter since it's during the school year.



This trip is just me and DW, so I'll go with whatever gets us down to Orlando the soonest


----------



## katallo

mickeynut1 said:


> Correct.  You cannot combine points with cash/travel funds on one reservation, must be one or the other.


Thanks.  For all those waiting for tomorrow, let's hope for decent pricing.


----------



## BillFromCT

LadybugsMum said:


> Anybody remember what time the schedule drop happened on Mar 30? Here's what it was prior to that.
> 
> Release Date | Time (eastern)
> 12/16/21 | 7:50am
> 12/08/21 | 6:45am
> 06/10/21 | 7:15am
> 04/01/21 | 9:10am
> 12/10/20 | 7:15am
> 08/13/20 | 9:15am


7:30am for 03/30/22


----------



## LadybugsMum

Thank you @BillFromCT!

Updated: 

Release Date | Time (eastern)
03/30/22 | 7:30am
12/16/21 | 7:50am
12/08/21 | 6:45am
06/10/21 | 7:15am
04/01/21 | 9:10am
12/10/20 | 7:15am
08/13/20 | 9:15am


----------



## Avery&Todd

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> Glad to see I'm not the only one who checks flights daily.


Wait.  

you only check DAILY???  Umm....sometimes I check a few times a day....


----------



## MinnieMSue

Avery&Todd said:


> Wait.
> 
> you only check DAILY???  Umm....sometimes I check a few times a day....



Me too. I check at least once a day. Always in the morning but now that I’m thinking about it I am going to check again lol


----------



## indyannamom

Anyone else on and refreshing already?


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Yep.


----------



## mlittig

Up early and waiting


----------



## disneyeveryyear

Here I sit, constantly refreshing.


----------



## disneyeveryyear

Has anyone seen any routes start to load yet?

I used to be able to manually change a date in the URL to see individual updates before the full schedule dropped.  It doesn't seem to be working this time.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Was wondering about that, too. I'm using the app.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Not 6:15.


----------



## Neener16

This is getting boring. Last time I got up early, constantly refreshed, only to find there was no flight that worked for our schedule. Hoping there’s something for our return trip.


----------



## pixiegoose

Add me to the refreshing constantly list! Come on, Southwest, I have things to do today (but also really need to book flights for our beginning of December trip!)!


----------



## BillFromCT

They're on the low fare calendar.


----------



## 5DisneyNuts

Not for me


----------



## MaleficentRN

These airfares are killing me. If this keeps up, I am very unlikely to fly anywhere next year.


----------



## Avery&Todd

It looks like the next set of dates is UP and they'll be rolling out through March 8th on July 21st!!


----------



## denecarter

For me, Wanna Get Away and WGA+ show Unavailable.


----------



## 5DisneyNuts

Got it thanks


----------



## 5DisneyNuts

No WGA or WGA+ available for me and times are awful. Frontier here I come


----------



## disneyeveryyear

All booked.  Not the best prices I have ever seen, but they are all purchased with points, so I will just watch for price drops.


----------



## snoopy5386

How are WGA and WGA+ sold out pretty much immediately?


----------



## Lsdolphin

Well fares between BWI - MCO are exactly what I expected...


----------



## Roborn

Sky high fares (Expected) AND no non stops from PHL? PASS


----------



## Neener16

I expect high prices, but the schedule itself is awful. I guess nonstop flights are a thing of the past. The JetBlue schedule was no better for me, and we did have travel funds and points to use so we will fly SW.  The schedule itself is very disappointing.


----------



## BGinCali

Was surprised that WGA fares were sold out as I had kept refreshing.  Not as bad of pricing as I feared. Just glad I am booked! (Though now will play the waiting game to see how many changes are made to my flights before December, lol).


----------



## rcs

disneyeveryyear said:


> Has anyone seen any routes start to load yet?
> 
> I used to be able to manually change a date in the URL to see individual updates before the full schedule dropped.  It doesn't seem to be working this time.



Changing the URL? Absolutely brilliant. I had never thought of that before. I just tried that and was able to snag the last 4 low Wanna Get Away seats for my travel dates. The calendar to select dates was still not allowing selection into the new window and I had my tickets in hand. You just saved me hundreds. Thank you.


----------



## nekonekoneko

I just booked mine!  The options were all weird!  But it's done!


----------



## KerryCM

Just booked mine, Nashville to MCO, December 6-13 nonstop. $205 round trip! Very happy with times and price. My husband flies on a companion pass, so not bad at all!


----------



## nekonekoneko

Lsdolphin said:


> Well fares between BWI - MCO are exactly what I expected...





Roborn said:


> Sky high fares (Expected) AND no non stops from PHL? PASS



Yeah, I couldn't find anything out of Philly nonstop, either.  I found cheap flights from DCA, but that's traveling all the way into The District, blah.  Well, Baltimore, here I go in January.  Now to hope the fare drops.


----------



## pixiegoose

Booked mine- nonstop between PVD and MCO with early bird for 4 people came out to about $1800. Not the times or prices I was hoping for but way better than JetBlue out of BOS. I am annoyed though because I had to choose flights THREE times because they kept changing the fare while I was checking out so after inputting aaaallllllll the information and trying to purchase, I’d get an error message and have to go back.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Slight nightmare trying to book. The calendar helped with our decision to book November 28 and not 27. We'll need to drop the 27 on our reservation. Paid some cash and some points. Booked each leg separately. I'll continue to watch for price drops, as I always do.


----------



## LadybugsMum

I'm glad my kids would rather drive down considering these fares and times.


----------



## Lsdolphin

nekonekoneko said:


> Yeah, I couldn't find anything out of Philly nonstop, either.  I found cheap flights from DCA, but that's traveling all the way into The District, blah.  Well, Baltimore, here I go in January.  Now to hope the fare drops.


Yes I’m also waiting for Jan to open up and hoping fares drop by than...


----------



## nekonekoneko

Lsdolphin said:


> Yes I’m also waiting for Jan to open up and hoping fares drop by than...



I have to book 2 one-way flights because I'm heading down in early January, and coming back a little after Southwest's cutoff.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Here's the updated schedule release info:

Release Date | Time (eastern)
06/16/22 | 7:30am 
03/30/22 | 7:30am
12/16/21 | 7:50am
12/08/21 | 6:45am
06/10/21 | 7:15am
04/01/21 | 9:10am
12/10/20 | 7:15am
08/13/20 | 9:15am

As said above, the next schedule drop will be 7/21/2022 and go through March 8. 2022


----------



## indyannamom

I hope everyone gets what they needed!
It went live for me at 7:30!


----------



## Lsdolphin

nekonekoneko said:


> I have to book 2 one-way flights because I'm heading down in early January, and coming back a little after Southwest's cutoff.


I actually prefer to book 2 one-way flights as it’s easier to make changes or cancel one of the flights if necessary to get a better rate also if I don’t have enough points for RT I can use points to book one way and pay for other flight.


----------



## mickeynut1

katallo said:


> Thanks.


You're welcome


----------



## Neener16

I previously posted and said I was disappointed in the flight times. I should add I went to Google flights to look at other airlines, and they are no better. Nonstops seem to be not a thing anymore.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Lsdolphin said:


> I actually prefer to book 2 one-way flights as it’s easier to make changes or cancel one of the flights if necessary to get a better rate also if I don’t have enough points for RT I can use points to book one way and pay for other flight.


Same. It's so much easier that way.


----------



## AussieFan8

Prices were awful as expected, though not much worse than last Thanksgiving, but I was actually pleased with the nonstop options. I had four nonstop options each way and got with times I wanted. Now I just have to hope there are no changes.


----------



## Crazyhorse

Wow.  WGA for two passengers...round trip non stop Midway to MCO...12/1-12/8....Including Early Boarding....$732.00.  Sign of the times I guess.


----------



## nlenguyen

Prices looked about what they have been for us from PHX-MCO. The only thing that I notice is that some flights are already almost booked up so next release, when my trip is, I will need to be on early that morning


----------



## marthachick

Hope everyone got what they wanted!


----------



## denecarter

snoopy5386 said:


> How are WGA and WGA+ sold out pretty much immediately?


I don’t think they offered them for all dates.  I’m going to Aulani for Thanksgiving and they didn’t have any WGA or WGA+ for that week.  It was painful to buy full-priced tickets.


----------



## Memorymakerfor4

Flights booked for Thanksgiving and I'm pleased! All done on points and less than it was for us to fly at the same time in 2019, even with me springing for the Anytime over WGA.


----------



## cgodzyk

300,000 points spent and 3 trips booked from MHT to MCO!   Now to replenish the points balance so we can travel in 2023!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

denecarter said:


> I don’t think they offered them for all dates.  I’m going to Aulani for Thanksgiving and they didn’t have any WGA or WGA+ for that week.  It was painful to buy full-priced tickets.


I've never not seen a fare class on SWA not be offered. Sold out? Yes but not offered? No

It's not how SWA operates

Keep in mind they've been doing a lot of adjusting this year (so fares may show unavailable but then available again) and typically at least on release day fares can be slow to load


----------



## nlenguyen

Right now SWA sent me that bonus for 7x on SW purchases. If I were to purchase points on their website, does it come up under that 7x or the 5x other travel purchases?


----------



## leeniewdw

Got my RDU-MCO booked for November.  Wasn't bad points/price wise, but the ONLY direct is now 3:25pm!  I thought 11:30am was bad.   I booked since I can cancel, but we've now gone from a park day + the MVMCP to probably arriving late for the MVMCP!  We can do a connecting flight that arrives around noon, but that introduces more risk I think.

Boy I miss those early direct flights from RDU!


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Lsdolphin said:


> Well fares between BWI - MCO are exactly what I expected...





Roborn said:


> Sky high fares (Expected) AND no non stops from PHL? PASS





nekonekoneko said:


> Yeah, I couldn't find anything out of Philly nonstop, either.  I found cheap flights from DCA, but that's traveling all the way into The District, blah.  Well, Baltimore, here I go in January.  Now to hope the fare drops.



Gosh darn it, SW, give me back my nonstop PHL-MCO!!!!!!!

We settled on BWI-MCO for our November trip. I'm so freaking annoyed, but the drive-flight is faster, cheaper, and less hassle than connecting. Both the flights I booked this morning were higher than I was hoping AND are already more expensive 90 minutes later.

Of course, they start eliminating the PHL flights the year that we go all in on SW credit cards to earn two companion passes. Hubby has AA miles, but having two kids fly free each time at SW is a huge points saving compared to having to book 5 AA flights.


----------



## ultimatefans

nlenguyen said:


> Right now SWA sent me that bonus for 7x on SW purchases. If I were to purchase points on their website, does it come up under that 7x or the 5x other travel purchases?


It should be the 7x.  When I purchased points they counted as a SW purchase and I got the higher points.


----------



## disneyeveryyear

rcs said:


> Changing the URL? Absolutely brilliant. I had never thought of that before. I just tried that and was able to snag the last 4 low Wanna Get Away seats for my travel dates. The calendar to select dates was still not allowing selection into the new window and I had my tickets in hand. You just saved me hundreds. Thank you.


You are welcome.  I have also found by using the low fare calendar instead of specific dates I have been able to do it faster too.


----------



## nlenguyen

We travel from PHX and are used to now having to do a stop somewhere. Wish they could bring back more nonstop flights, but probably not going to happen. 
I am still going to stick with SWA for our travels. Looking at the other airlines, it is about the same price or more, but we usually also have luggage which can add up these days


----------



## ultimatefans

disneyeveryyear said:


> Has anyone seen any routes start to load yet?
> 
> I used to be able to manually change a date in the URL to see individual updates before the full schedule dropped.  It doesn't seem to be working this time.


I didn't know this was a thing!  I tried it right after I saw your message (around 7:15) and was able to see fares for Christmas travel to see family (not the mouse).  I took about 10 minutes to look at different dates and cities and had my flights booked right before they were available on the Low Fare Calendar.  Thank you!


----------



## denecarter

Do Anytime and/or Business Class fares ever drop once in the system?  And if by some crazy miracle WGA shows up, could tix be switched?

One last question… if I got Business Class with the A1-A15 guarantee and automatic checkin, does my companion also get that?  I can buy it and get reimbursed, if I have to.  Don’t really want my 5 year old granddaughter boarding after the rest of us.


----------



## merdie

leeniewdw said:


> Got my RDU-MCO booked for November.  Wasn't bad points/price wise, but the ONLY direct is now 3:25pm!  I thought 11:30am was bad.   I booked since I can cancel, but we've now gone from a park day + the MVMCP to probably arriving late for the MVMCP!  We can do a connecting flight that arrives around noon, but that introduces more risk I think.
> 
> Boy I miss those early direct flights from RDU!



Me, too! The direct is way later than I wanted so I’m doing a stop in ATL, which stinks but it gets me there so much earlier. I loved those early am directs from RDU.


----------



## leeniewdw

merdie said:


> Me, too! The direct is way later than I wanted so I’m doing a stop in ATL, which stinks but it gets me there so much earlier. I loved those early am directs from RDU.



I just looked at the sched and the ATL connection does get us landing before noon, so will consider.   We are coordinating with our adults kids/SOs for this trip, so while they know the "arrival day" I could see them getting in late as well, so will have to see how all that shakes out.   We could shave 1 day off 6 park tickets, so maybe I won't worry too much at this point.


----------



## ultimatefans

denecarter said:


> Do Anytime and/or Business Class fares ever drop once in the system?  And if by some crazy miracle WGA shows up, could tix be switched?
> 
> One last question… if I got Business Class with the A1-A15 guarantee and automatic checkin, does my companion also get that?  I can buy it and get reimbursed, if I have to.  Don’t really want my 5 year old granddaughter boarding after the rest of us.


Yes, I've seen Anytime fares go down and have gotten reimbursed for the difference.  I've also switched from Anytime to WGA and gotten reimbursed for the difference.  Once the switch is made to WGA the fare is no longer reimbursable and the complimentary early bird check-in is removed.

I'm not certain how Business Class and companion pass work together so leaving that for someone else to answer.


----------



## DebbieB

They are up.


Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I've never not seen a fare class on SWA not be offered. Sold out? Yes but not offered? No
> 
> It's not how SWA operates
> 
> Keep in mind they've been doing a lot of adjusting this year (so fares may show unavailable but then available again) and typically at least on release day fares can be slow to load


I've seen it Thanksgiving weekend in the past when they first come out.    As soon as I went in this morning, the first flights on 11/26 did not have WGA.    I got an afternoon one that did.


----------



## Memorymakerfor4

Everyone in my family got Anytime fares except for me, I have a Companion pass. Will I be checked in early as well or do I need to add Early Bird?

*Nevermind! Just got my answer from the post below.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

DebbieB said:


> I've seen it Thanksgiving weekend in the past when they first come out.    As soon as I went in this morning, the first flights on 11/26 did not have WGA.    I got an afternoon one that did.


That's not the same as not offering the fare (which is what the PP had said), that just means not all are loaded. Unavailable means either not loaded, sold out, being adjusted in number of people who can purchase, etc.

The equivalent would be like Delta not offering Basic Economy on all flights and routes such that all you would ever see is Business Select and Anytime fare and WGA (or now WGA+) not even a line there ever. SWA doesn't operate that way, they don't have assigned seating, they do have a number of seats they sell per fare category (and price as well which is why you'll see X number left at that price within the fare class).


----------



## focusondisney

denecarter said:


> Do Anytime and/or Business Class fares ever drop once in the system?  And if by some crazy miracle WGA shows up, could tix be switched?
> 
> One last question… if I got Business Class with the A1-A15 guarantee and automatic checkin, does my companion also get that?  I can buy it and get reimbursed, if I have to.  Don’t really want my 5 year old granddaughter boarding after the rest of us.



No, your companion does not get checked in with your Business Select.  A listers get everyone on their itinerary checked in with them, but not those buying BS.  There are only 15 BS spots, they don’t give those spots  away for free. 

There have been several times when WGA fares either weren’t available when fares dropped or when they sold out quickly after release. And they always show up after. Sometimes a day later, sometimes longer than that.  But they will show up again.


----------



## calitook

I was surprisingly pleased with what I got for Thanksgiving considering I slept in until 7 a.m. Central Time (traveled all day yesterday, so just kind of strange timing that fares released today.) Early morning OKC to MCO on Thanksgiving Day w/ a stop in Houston but no plane change and an afternoon NONSTOP return the following Monday. Nonstops between OKC and MCO are very, very rare. About 60,000 points total for me and the husband. I just wanted to have enough points to cover everything and I did.


----------



## cropper

WGA and WGA+ was never available for my dates to Aulani this morning.  Will they ever be?


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

cropper said:


> WGA and WGA+ was never available for my dates to Aulani this morning.  Will they ever be?


Just keep checking over time


----------



## Disneytam

Happy to have our non stop flight on Thanksgiving but not happy that it wont arrive until 6 pm. Keep checking as many times as you can a day for price changes. Checked a September flight for my son today when I was booking our Thanksgiving flights and it was the same. Went back in this afternoon to see if there were any changes for my trip and checked his again and the price had dropped from $164 to $123. Booked on points so I quickly went in and changed them to get some points back. That price had only gone up the past month so I was shocked to see it drop.


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

rcs said:


> Changing the URL? Absolutely brilliant. I had never thought of that before. I just tried that and was able to snag the last 4 low Wanna Get Away seats for my travel dates. The calendar to select dates was still not allowing selection into the new window and I had my tickets in hand. You just saved me hundreds. Thank you.


I am not tech savvy, I guess. What do you mean by “changing the URL”?


----------



## cropper

Cruzin’Sisters said:


> I am not tech savvy, I guess. What do you mean by “changing the URL”?


https://www.southwest.com/air/booking/select.html?adultPassengersCount=1&departureDate=2022-12-17&departureTimeOfDay=


----------



## pxidst119

Does anyone know if you have A list at booking, does it stand for those flights if you no longer have it at the travel dates?  I have it now and booked the flights but I may not have it again next year at the time of the flights.


----------



## buzzrelly

I kind of dropped the ball and literally forgot today was the day to book but I saw a facebook post that reminded me we needed to get tickets for December.  I ended up paying about 367 RT for Non-stop from CT to MCO 12/3-12/10. Surprisingly, they had three non-stops per day to choose from. I hope they don't change too much before then! Overall, I'm ok with what we paid...I think I've paid more in the past.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

pxidst119 said:


> Does anyone know if you have A list at booking, does it stand for those flights if you no longer have it at the travel dates?  I have it now and booked the flights but I may not have it again next year at the time of the flights.


A-list benefits are only for the calendar year. Unless you earn A-list this year (which will mean the benefits would be for the year 2023) your A-list benefits will expire at the end of this year, your flight next year will not have any A-list benefits attached.


----------



## pxidst119

Thanks! I have temporary A-list until June 30 from some sort of promotional email not the regular A-List.  I think I have to book AND fly before June 30.  We used it once during the promotional period but I don’t think my next flights qualify even though I booked while still in the promotional period ended.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

pxidst119 said:


> Thanks! I have temporary A-list until June 30 from some sort of promotional email not the regular A-List.  I think I have to book AND fly before June 30.  We used it once during the promotional period but I don’t think my next flights qualify even though I booked while still in the promotional period ended.


You can check the email if you still have it but if it said "complete travel by" or something like that then it means flights traveled on after that date don't count towards the promotion.

When my husband had gotten an offer last year to extend his A-List benefits through 2022 it was like that as well, his was complete 2 RT or 4 one-way by X date....so he just booked two very quick (fly one day then fly back the next day) golf trips   , his sister went with him and they picked basically the cheapest from our airport that would have golfing stuff. So he went golfing in Chicago and Dallas lol.


----------



## Doug7856

Well, we are waiting. I'm a little unsure of the economy so our December trip is just a maybe. We're booked and I'll hold that at least until we decide for sure. The flights from BWI were the same prices as the fall prices, so that was a pleasant surprise. Last year our prices went down after the first booking day prices. I'm hoping something similar happens this year.


----------



## Neener16

buzzrelly said:


> I kind of dropped the ball and literally forgot today was the day to book but I saw a facebook post that reminded me we needed to get tickets for December.  I ended up paying about 367 RT for Non-stop from CT to MCO 12/3-12/10. Surprisingly, they had three non-stops per day to choose from. I hope they don't change to much before then! Overall, I'm ok with what we paid...I think I've paid more in the past.


I am happy for you, but I can’t understand why/how they go from 1 nonstop flight from that same airport in November to 3 in  December. It’s not like it was Christmas week. Our nonstop return flight on November 8 leaves at 6:55 am! That’s it for the day. I’m sure there is some logic behind why, but boy, I wish they had maybe 2 nonstops a day. Ok, I’m done whining. I still love the flexibility of Southwest so will stick with them for now.


----------



## buzzrelly

Neener16 said:


> Our nonstop return flight on November 8 leaves at 6:55 am! That’s it for the day.



Ugh, that's awful. Is that what you booked? I don't understand it either, but we had our choice of three different return times so we picked the middle one at 11:25 am. I miss the days of my favorite return time of about 3-4pm, but I'm not complaining. The next one was at 8:15pm and we are traveling with my 7 year-old niece so we don't want to have her out that late.


----------



## Neener16

buzzrelly said:


> Ugh, that's awful. Is that what you booked? I don't understand it either, but we had our choice of three different return times so we picked the middle one at 11:25 am. I miss the days of my favorite return time of about 3-4pm, but I'm not complaining. The next one was at 11:15pm and we are traveling with my 7 year-old niece so we don't want to have her out that late.


We were actually looking to come back on the 7th, but wanted to take a late nonstop flight to get another full day in. We are just there for a long weekend. The only nonstop on the 7th was 8:30 am. My daughter is going to take another half day off from work and we’ll come back early on the 8th.


----------



## pixiegoose

buzzrelly said:


> I kind of dropped the ball and literally forgot today was the day to book but I saw a facebook post that reminded me we needed to get tickets for December.  I ended up paying about 367 RT for Non-stop from CT to MCO 12/3-12/10. Surprisingly, they had three non-stops per day to choose from. I hope they don't change too much before then! Overall, I'm ok with what we paid...I think I've paid more in the past.


We’re flying those same days PVD/MCO and they had 3 nonstops for each of them, though none were the ideal times we’ve had in the past. Our flight down leaves at 5:10 am! But the next nonstop wouldn’t have gotten us down there until about 4:30 and we really wanted to use that day to meander the monorail resort decorations and let the kids swim before we switch to Yacht Club on Sunday and start hitting the parks, so super early flight it is (I think we’re going to get a hotel near the airport the night before as PVD is about an hour-ish drive for us). Our flight home is the last flight of the day back to PVD and leaves at 7:55 pm, getting us in around 10:30 but the other nonstops were earlier than we wanted so late flight it is. That’s why we decided to fly on Saturdays, to give a bit more flexibility because we’re not rushing home to get ready for school/work the next day. But I do miss my old nonstop flight times.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

If you are able to switch flights because SW has made a change to your original flight, can you book a flight that departs a day earlier? Our flight usually changes within minutes of the original flight time, so I'm not as familiar with this process. Thanks.


----------



## buzzrelly

pixiegoose said:


> We’re flying those same days PVD/MCO and they had 3 nonstops for each of them, though none were the ideal times we’ve had in the past. Our flight down leaves at 5:10 am!




Our flight down leaves at 5 am too . But we figured we'd be landing by 8 and pretty much have that whole day there to hit the parks. We'll be leaving forBDL around 2:30 am since we're about 1/2hour from there


----------



## EACarlson

denecarter said:


> Do Anytime and/or Business Class fares ever drop once in the system?  And if by some crazy miracle WGA shows up, could tix be switched?
> 
> One last question… if I got Business Class with the A1-A15 guarantee and automatic checkin, does my companion also get that?  I can buy it and get reimbursed, if I have to.  Don’t really want my 5 year old granddaughter boarding after the rest of us.


All fares have the possibility of being lowered, it depends on how many tickets are sold and how many they think will be sold.
Companions do not get an A1-A15 boarding pass, they will get a boarding position based on when they check in.


pxidst119 said:


> Does anyone know if you have A list at booking, does it stand for those flights if you no longer have it at the travel dates?  I have it now and booked the flights but I may not have it again next year at the time of the flights.


It goes by what your status is when the flight is scheduled to take off, possibly by what your status is when you would be checked in.  But definitely not by what your status is when you book.


DisneyRunner2009 said:


> If you are able to switch flights because SW has made a change to your original flight, can you book a flight that departs a day earlier? Our flight usually changes within minutes of the original flight time, so I'm not as familiar with this process. Thanks.


You should be able to, as long as it is the same city pair.  Usually the automated system will let you move up to 14 days.


----------



## disny_luvr

We are checking a cooler next week on our flight to Denver. It doesn’t have a lock. Should/can we keep it closed with a ratchet strap or a bungee cord? We aren’t planning on putting anything in it so if the lid opens it’s okay.


----------



## beldred

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> If you are able to switch flights because SW has made a change to your original flight, can you book a flight that departs a day earlier? Our flight usually changes within minutes of the original flight time, so I'm not as familiar with this process. Thanks.



You definitely can. I did this recently for a July flight. They changed our flight time by literally 5 minutes. I had been hoping for this because we decided we wanted to fly down a day earlier but the flights were a lot more expensive. I used the change link in the email they sent and had zero issues switching to a flight 24 hours before the one they changed.


----------



## cropper

disny_luvr said:


> We are checking a cooler next week on our flight to Denver. It doesn’t have a lock. Should/can we keep it closed with a ratchet strap or a bungee cord? We aren’t planning on putting anything in it so if the lid opens it’s okay.


We used duct tape on one the was full and it was ok.  We also took some tape for the flight home.


----------



## mrsstats79

We have an offer to buy points at a 45% discount.   Is it worth buying them.  We will be planning a trip to Vegas in March?


----------



## nekonekoneko

mrsstats79 said:


> We have an offer to buy points at a 45% discount.   Is it worth buying them.  We will be planning a trip to Vegas in March?



They come out being a little worse than the accepted 1.3 cents / point ratio that people like to claim is the value for SW points, but it's not bad if you need a top up.  It's also good for the flexibility of a price drop or cancellation, that the points to back into your account, instead of a travel credit when purchasing a ticket on points.


----------



## Terpsichore

beldred said:


> You definitely can. I did this recently for a July flight. They changed our flight time by literally 5 minutes. I had been hoping for this because we decided we wanted to fly down a day earlier but the flights were a lot more expensive. I used the change link in the email they sent and had zero issues switching to a flight 24 hours before the one they changed.


We did the same.  We had paid with points and I did not want to spend any more to get there.  When our flight was changed by five minutes, we were able to switch flights with no added costs.


----------



## mrsdoubie

Has SW begun to make changes to September flights? There’s an awful lot of directs going out of Indy to MCO right now. (I’m not so secretly hoping they haven’t because when they do I want to take an earlier flight and don’t want to waste any points )


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

mrsdoubie said:


> Has SW begun to make changes to September flights? There’s an awful lot of directs going out of Indy to MCO right now. (I’m not so secretly hoping they haven’t because when they do I want to take an earlier flight and don’t want to waste any points )


There were changes a while ago, but it's been a minute. I think we're all expecting another set soon, given the frequency of changes they made over the spring.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Just looked at Christmas flights for fun. Wow!! It follows what's going on in the industry right now. My next purchase is February.


----------



## Spunky946

Ok so I have a problem.  We are flying to San Juan from Pittsburgh for a cruise over Christams.  I was expecting the fares to be high, but there are no wanna get away or wanna get away plus availabl.  It’s like they didn’t release them.  So we have 4 of us flying, but one is a companion, so we have to buy three tickets.  We have enough points basically for one way.  So to buy points  is about the same as buying three tickets.  So which would you do?  It’s the refunable fare, so we’d get that back, but if there is a price break is it easier to deal with points?  So what would u do?


----------



## mrsstats79

Thank you.  I guess I will pass at this point.  


nekonekoneko said:


> They come out being a little worse than the accepted 1.3 cents / point ratio that people like to claim is the value for SW points, but it's not bad if you need a top up.  It's also good for the flexibility of a price drop or cancellation, that the points to back into your account, instead of a travel credit when purchasing a ticket on points.


----------



## focusondisney

Spunky946 said:


> Ok so I have a problem.  We are flying to San Juan from Pittsburgh for a cruise over Christams.  I was expecting the fares to be high, but there are no wanna get away or wanna get away plus availabl.  It’s like they didn’t release them.  So we have 4 of us flying, but one is a companion, so we have to buy three tickets.  We have enough points basically for one way.  So to buy points  is about the same as buying three tickets.  So which would you do?  It’s the refunable fare, so we’d get that back, but if there is a price break is it easier to deal with points?  So what would u do?



Personally, if it was me & the cost was pretty similar, I’d pay for the seat outright, especially a refundable fare.  You’ll earn a decent amount of points if you pay for it.  You don’t earn points if you pay with points.  And don’t rule out WGA fares showing up down the road.  It has happened before that they were unavailable on initial release, but then were  offered later.


----------



## DebbieB

Spunky946 said:


> Ok so I have a problem.  We are flying to San Juan from Pittsburgh for a cruise over Christams.  I was expecting the fares to be high, but there are no wanna get away or wanna get away plus availabl.  It’s like they didn’t release them.  So we have 4 of us flying, but one is a companion, so we have to buy three tickets.  We have enough points basically for one way.  So to buy points  is about the same as buying three tickets.  So which would you do?  It’s the refunable fare, so we’d get that back, but if there is a price break is it easier to deal with points?  So what would u do?


Fellow Pittsburgher here.  Based on past experience with holiday fares, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them released later. One time I went to Disney the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the flight down was $400.  I really wanted that morning flight and bought it.  About a month before, it dropped to $200.  I got the credit and used it for a future flight.

One concern I have right now is they seem to be dropping frequency. I am flying down the Saturday after Thanksgiving, frequency was good, I got a flight for about 20,000 points.  Coming back on 12/4, non-stops are around 7:00am and 6:30pm.  I was hoping for around noon.  Connections aren’t even good.  I’m going out to DL in early September, schedules were bad.  I’m flying American out.  Coming back I have SW connection I am happy with but am scared they will cancel or change times.


----------



## nekonekoneko

Roborn said:


> Sky high fares (Expected) AND no non stops from PHL? PASS


I did a quick search for nonstops from Philly to Orlando, it's only 3 flights on Saturdays,1 flight a day Christmas Week, and 1 flight on January 2nd... I might have missed some, but that's but good from what used to be like 4 a day, everyday.


----------



## Lsdolphin

DebbieB said:


> Fellow Pittsburgher here.  Based on past experience with holiday fares, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them released later. One time I went to Disney the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the flight down was $400.  I really wanted that morning flight and bought it.  About a month before, it dropped to $200.  I got the credit and used it for a future flight.
> 
> One concern I have right now is they seem to be dropping frequency. I am flying down the Saturday after Thanksgiving, frequency was good, I got a flight for about 20,000 points.  Coming back on 12/4, non-stops are around 7:00am and 6:30pm.  I was hoping for around noon.  Connections aren’t even good.  I’m going out to DL in early September, schedules were bad.  I’m flying American out.  Coming back I have SW connection I am happy with but am scared they will cancel or change times.


I hate to say it but I’m very scared of SWA these days....


----------



## Doug7856

Lsdolphin said:


> I hate to say it but I’m very scared of SWA these days....


I think it's air travel in general, but Southwest seems to have its share of troubles.


----------



## disneyfan150

Lsdolphin said:


> I hate to say it but I’m very scared of SWA these days....


Me, too.  Quite frankly, all airlines scare me these days.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Doug7856 said:


> I think it's air travel in general, but Southwest seems to have its share of troubles.


Yeah news stories from Friday reflect Delta and AA had the highest cancellations that day. Sometimes it's SWA, other times it's Delta, AA, Frontier, etc A lot of us are complaining about SWA which of course this is the SWA thread but apparently Delta pilots have been for several months warning Delta their schedule isn't feasible with the amount of pilots they have, it's like how we've been talking about SWA releasing flights only to change, or cancel those later on.


----------



## Doug7856

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Yeah news stories from Friday reflect Delta and AA had the highest cancellations that day. Sometimes it's SWA, other times it's Delta, AA, Frontier, etc A lot of us are complaining about SWA which of course this is the SWA thread but apparently Delta pilots have been for several months warning Delta their schedule isn't feasible with the amount of pilots they have, it's like how we've been talking about SWA releasing flights only to change, or cancel those later on.


Long-term trends for the airlines aren't good. I've read that their primary source of pilots, the military, isn't producing as many pilots. Airlines will need to perhaps train their own pilots and, I suspect, extend the age a pilot can fly.


----------



## disneyfan150

Doug7856 said:


> Long-term trends for the airlines aren't good. I've read that their primary source of pilots, the military, isn't producing as many pilots. Airlines will need to perhaps train their own pilots and, I suspect, extend the age a pilot can fly.


How old are pilots able to fly?


----------



## jo-jo

I'm so bummed Baltimore has 8 or so non stop flights  to Orlando on Sunday  Nov  27 but Phila has one and for a return flight on Dec 11, they have none.


----------



## Memorymakerfor4

disneyfan150 said:


> How old are pilots able to fly?


65. There's a push lately to make it 67.


----------



## focusondisney

jo-jo said:


> I'm so bummed Baltimore has 8 or so non stop flights  to Orlando on Sunday  Nov  27 but Phila has one and for a return flight on Dec 11, they have none.


Baltimore is their hub.  They’re deleting nonstops from other cities & making us change planes in Baltimore.  I wouldn’t be flying SW anymore if I had to change in BWI & then stop somewhere else too.


----------



## jo-jo

focusondisney said:


> *Baltimore is their hub*.  They’re deleting nonstops from other cities & making us change planes in Baltimore.  I wouldn’t be flying SW anymore if I had to change in BWI & then stop somewhere else too.


I didn't know that.   

 I really don't like switching planes.    We bring a rollator for gate checking, so we would need to wait for that and then move to next gate.


----------



## georgina

Doug7856 said:


> Long-term trends for the airlines aren't good. I've read that their primary source of pilots, the military, isn't producing as many pilots. Airlines will need to perhaps train their own pilots and, I suspect, extend the age a pilot can fly.


Unfortunately it's not up to the airlines. It's an FAA rule, and an international rule.


----------



## jujubiee4

Flying in the day before for a DCL cruise and nervous. I chose Delta a few months ago because
at that time it seemed other lines were bad.  Flying home from MCO with Southwest and that
makes me really nervous because it is on weekend.


----------



## Ariel 1715

jo-jo said:


> I didn't know that.
> 
> I really don't like switching planes.    We bring a rollator for gate checking, so we would need to wait for that and then move to next gate.


Baltimore isnt that large of an airport. All the Southwest gates are in A/B/C and are all fairly easy to get to. If you have more than 30 minutes connection time, you should be fine


----------



## LadybugsMum

Ariel 1715 said:


> Baltimore isnt that large of an airport. All the Southwest gates are in A/B/C and are all fairly easy to get to. If you have more than 30 minutes connection time, you should be fine


That's good to hear considering we have a 45 min layover there in August.


----------



## Ariel 1715

LadybugsMum said:


> That's good to hear considering we have a 45 min layover there in August.


You should be just fine with 45 minutes.


----------



## poochie

Question about prescription medications on flights. Both my husband and I have a total of 9 prescriptions along with Arthritis pain pills and 4 types of vitamins. We both have a variety of health issues. Can we use the pill boxes for our weeks' worth of pills? Or will we have to bring our medications in their original scrip bottles? On my last trip the zip travel bag was pretty intense with all the bottles, and I read somewhere they must be in the original bottles.  To think I used to think my MIL's medications were bad as she kept everything in a plastic shoe box on her kitchen table.


----------



## mrsstats79

I always bring mine in the weekly pill box.  Never had an issued.


----------



## Betty Rohrer

poochie said:


> Question about prescription medications on flights. Both my husband and I have a total of 9 prescriptions along with Arthritis pain pills and 4 types of vitamins. We both have a variety of health issues. Can we use the pill boxes for our weeks' worth of pills? Or will we have to bring our medications in their original scrip bottles? On my last trip the zip travel bag was pretty intense with all the bottles, and I read somewhere they must be in the original bottles.  To think I used to think my MIL's medications were bad as she kept everything in a plastic shoe box on her kitchen table.


something our daughter was able to get for her prescriptions for traveling was a print out of her prescriptions including the number so she carried that along with her travel box of pills. there are certain ones that need to be in original bottles I would ask when you pick up if you have any of those


----------



## Bsams1654

I was very happy with the flight release last week. My expectations were very low based off scoping out the flights for the weeks before our trip. We (4 adults, 1 toddler, 1 infant) are flying out of BDL (Hartford CT) to MCO Nov 12 and coming back from MCO to BDL on Nov 19. There were 3 nonstop options on the 12th. We went with the 5am flight for arrival of 8am. Yes, it's early and yes the small kids, yada yada. They will be fine. There were other options with layovers, but those turned a 3 hour trip into 5 or 6. Then the next nonstop was to arrive at 5:45. Departing on the 19th we are leaving at 8:15pm and again, that was one of 3 nonstop options. I feel bad for everyone who didn't have as good of options, but still hope everyone enjoys themselves!


----------



## MinnieMSue

poochie said:


> Question about prescription medications on flights. Both my husband and I have a total of 9 prescriptions along with Arthritis pain pills and 4 types of vitamins. We both have a variety of health issues. Can we use the pill boxes for our weeks' worth of pills? Or will we have to bring our medications in their original scrip bottles? On my last trip the zip travel bag was pretty intense with all the bottles, and I read somewhere they must be in the original bottles.  To think I used to think my MIL's medications were bad as she kept everything in a plastic shoe box on her kitchen table.



I always take a pill box with everything in it. Never had an issue. They are more worried about weapons than my allergy and arthritis sleep meds


----------



## jo-jo

My DH takes 10 pills, a few several times a day.   He takes three pill boxes.   Morning, evening, and then an extra 3 or 4 days in case we get stuck there for some reason.    He puts a heavy duty rubber band around each box to make sure the litte sections stay closed.


----------



## EACarlson

poochie said:


> Question about prescription medications on flights. Both my husband and I have a total of 9 prescriptions along with Arthritis pain pills and 4 types of vitamins. We both have a variety of health issues. Can we use the pill boxes for our weeks' worth of pills? Or will we have to bring our medications in their original scrip bottles? On my last trip the zip travel bag was pretty intense with all the bottles, and I read somewhere they must be in the original bottles.  To think I used to think my MIL's medications were bad as she kept everything in a plastic shoe box on her kitchen table.


I've never had a problem with my prescription medications being in a pill case.  Including my insulin and the requisite needles that I'm sure look weird on the xray.  As long as you're travelling domestically it shouldn't be a problem, if flying internationally I would have them in original prescription containers.


----------



## indyannamom

I think it’s more of a problem if the medications are controlled substances.  We always travel with those in their prescription bottles  (our kids have ADHD and the methylphenidate is controlled).  If they’re not a controlled substance, I don’t think there’s a problem.


----------



## disneylover81

I have a September flight scheduled from JAN (Jackson, MS) leaving at 6:30 pm that arrives in ATL at 8:45 pm with a 50 minute layover that departs ATL at 9:35 pm and arrives at MCO at 11:05 pm (which is the last flight of the day). Is this a good idea or cutting it too close? I have never flown to ATL so I am not sure of the airport size or layout, but I have heard how busy it is. We wanted to take the last flight that day so we could work at our jobs until lunch time, plus that would give us a whole park day the next day instead of losing time traveling. We could take an earlier flight that day, but would have to miss a whole day of work, which is going to be difficult. I have been seeing and hearing about many flight delays recently and I am worried a 50 minute layover, plus being booked on the last flight of the day may not be a risk worth taking. We will have a 2 year old, so being trapped in an airport for too long can be bad also. Last year our first flight got delayed in Memphis, but our connecting flight in Chicago didn't and we almost got left behind. The plane was not going to wait for us and we made it with just a couple minutes to spare before they closed the door. Definitely don't want to go through that again. I would love to hear some opinions on what to do or if anyone has any experience with this.


----------



## Erica Ladd

disneylover81 said:


> I have a September flight scheduled from JAN (Jackson, MS) leaving at 6:30 pm that arrives in ATL at 8:45 pm with a 50 minute layover that departs ATL at 9:35 pm and arrives at MCO at 11:05 pm (which is the last flight of the day). Is this a good idea or cutting it too close? I have never flown to ATL so I am not sure of the airport size or layout, but I have heard how busy it is. We wanted to take the last flight that day so we could work at our jobs until lunch time, plus that would give us a whole park day the next day instead of losing time traveling. We could take an earlier flight that day, but would have to miss a whole day of work, which is going to be difficult. I have been seeing and hearing about many flight delays recently and I am worried a 50 minute layover, plus being booked on the last flight of the day may not be a risk worth taking. We will have a 2 year old, so being trapped in an airport for too long can be bad also. Last year our first flight got delayed in Memphis, but our connecting flight in Chicago didn't and we almost got left behind. The plane was not going to wait for us and we made it with just a couple minutes to spare before they closed the door. Definitely don't want to go through that again. I would love to hear some opinions on what to do or if anyone has any experience with this.


I don't often take connecting flights but can say that most of the SW gates are relatively close to each other even if ATL is huge


----------



## disneylover81

Erica Ladd said:


> I don't often take connecting flights but can say that most of the SW gates are relatively close to each other even if ATL is huge


Thanks! I don't normally take connecting flights either, but these days it's the only way you can get a flight a lot of the time from the airports in our area. Hopefully one day they will go back to daily nonstop flights. I guess I am more worried about a flight delay and missing the last flight out of ATL to MCO that day.


----------



## Doug7856

georgina said:


> Unfortunately it's not up to the airlines. It's an FAA rule, and an international rule.


The chatter I hear from pilots is that there are those seeking to increase the age with the FAA and it's brought up from time to time. I suspect there will be pressure to move in that direction.


----------



## beldred

So I have flights that is taking me through the Houston airport (apparently there's no nonstop flights from Memphis to Orlando anymore ) in July. Going down on Friday I'm not too worried, as we have 1.5 hrs between, but returning home on Monday we have only 50 minutes between landing time and take off time of the next flight. We will have at least 1 checked bag. I've never been to the Houston airport... is this going to be a problem? Will we have enough time to get to the next gate before boarding is called? (I'm a nervous flyer and wouldn't do great separated from my husband. I need my A boarding lol) Will our luggage make the 2nd flight okay? 
Getting super nervous about it, but the other flight options are all terrible and at this point costly to switch.


----------



## Callsdodisney

beldred said:


> So I have flights that is taking me through the Houston airport (apparently there's no nonstop flights from Memphis to Orlando anymore ) in July. Going down on Friday I'm not too worried, as we have 1.5 hrs between, but returning home on Monday we have only 50 minutes between landing time and take off time of the next flight. We will have at least 1 checked bag. I've never been to the Houston airport... is this going to be a problem? Will we have enough time to get to the next gate before boarding is called? (I'm a nervous flyer and wouldn't do great separated from my husband. I need my A boarding lol) Will our luggage make the 2nd flight okay?
> Getting super nervous about it, but the other flight options are all terrible and at this point costly to switch.


Check to see if it’s Houston Hobby (more likely) or intercontinental.  Hobby is much smaller and easier to get around. 50 mins should be plenty of time there.


----------



## JoJoGirl

Heads up, it looks like SW did some flight changes overnight. My October flights changed by 5 minutes on the departure.  Not much, but it was enough for me to be able to hop on an earlier flight without an upcharge.  Here’s hoping the new schedule holds!


----------



## disneyfan150

beldred said:


> So I have flights that is taking me through the Houston airport (apparently there's no nonstop flights from Memphis to Orlando anymore ) in July. Going down on Friday I'm not too worried, as we have 1.5 hrs between, but returning home on Monday we have only 50 minutes between landing time and take off time of the next flight. We will have at least 1 checked bag. I've never been to the Houston airport... is this going to be a problem? Will we have enough time to get to the next gate before boarding is called? (I'm a nervous flyer and wouldn't do great separated from my husband. I need my A boarding lol) Will our luggage make the 2nd flight okay?
> Getting super nervous about it, but the other flight options are all terrible and at this point costly to switch.


Houston Hobby airport is the main airport SW uses in Houston and the biggest carrier at that airport. For the most part, it shouldn't be too difficult to get to your departure gate. The major portion of the gate area is one long rectangle.  The passage to the ticketing area is at the midway point. Even if you have to go from one end to the other end, it is doable with a 50 minute lay over. There are 4ish newer gates. To get to these gates, you have to travel down the passage to the ticketing area. As you approach the point where most people would go downstairs for ground transportation/baggage, you would go left and keep on walking to the new gate area.  You would still be within the secure area. The chances of this new area being your connection is small. Don't worry - I just wanted you to be prepared just in case. You could still make it to the further area with a 50 minute lay over. You would just want to walk with a purpose to be sure you make it to the A boarding group.

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport is huge. But the SW gate area is very small. I'll check with DD as she has flown SW several times from here recently. But I am pretty sure there are only a limited number of gates all close together.  I arrived here once, but she is my SW expert. SW is just now trying to reestablish a presence at IAH after many years of having no flights here. Your chances of this being the connection are probably very small. If you were to have a connection at IAH, it should be easy peasy. 

Sometimes I like to print a PDF of the airport that I am flying into or connecting with prior to my flight.  Then, when the gate is assigned, I am able to figure out where I will be going ahead of time. Of course, just when I have it all figured out, my gate is changed.  

Your chances of flying into the main gate area at Hobby are very good. Flying at this time is so unpredictable. Changing the flight may or may not even help on travel day.


----------



## beldred

Callsdodisney said:


> Check to see if it’s Houston Hobby (more likely) or intercontinental.  Hobby is much smaller and easier to get around. 50 mins should be plenty of time there.


It is Houston (Hobby). 
Sounds like we should be okay, as long as the flight is on time.  
Hopefully our luggage can changeover that quickly as well.


----------



## disny_luvr

I just checked in for my flight to Denver and even with purchasing EBCI, my family got boarding group B 19-22. Are we still going to be able to find two seats together? My boys would like to sit beside each other. In all my years of flying SW and always buying EBCI, I never got boarding group B.


----------



## karen4546

disneylover81 said:


> I have a September flight scheduled from JAN (Jackson, MS) leaving at 6:30 pm that arrives in ATL at 8:45 pm with a 50 minute layover that departs ATL at 9:35 pm and arrives at MCO at 11:05 pm (which is the last flight of the day). Is this a good idea or cutting it too close? I have never flown to ATL so I am not sure of the airport size or layout, but I have heard how busy it is. We wanted to take the last flight that day so we could work at our jobs until lunch time, plus that would give us a whole park day the next day instead of losing time traveling. We could take an earlier flight that day, but would have to miss a whole day of work, which is going to be difficult. I have been seeing and hearing about many flight delays recently and I am worried a 50 minute layover, plus being booked on the last flight of the day may not be a risk worth taking. We will have a 2 year old, so being trapped in an airport for too long can be bad also. Last year our first flight got delayed in Memphis, but our connecting flight in Chicago didn't and we almost got left behind. The plane was not going to wait for us and we made it with just a couple minutes to spare before they closed the door. Definitely don't want to go through that again. I would love to hear some opinions on what to do or if anyone has any experience with this.


We have had a 35 minute layover many times landing in ATL on Delta and the terminal are not close to each other.  they are boarding when we get there but we have yet to miss a flight.

we are fly out of JAN in September on SW for the first time.  Any tips on parking at JAN?  
we have a direct flight booked with SW -scored a great deal for $59 each way.


----------



## disneyfan150

disny_luvr said:


> I just checked in for my flight to Denver and even with purchasing EBCI, my family got boarding group B 19-22. Are we still going to be able to find two seats together? My boys would like to sit beside each other. In all my years of flying SW and always buying EBCI, I never got boarding group B.


I am sorry that I don't have an answer but bet the experts will arrive to help. I actually have a question for you. When did you purchase the EBCI?

I am flying solo to MCO and bought EBCI because I didn't want to end up in a middle seat. After SW added EBCI as a perk for Anytime Fare, I got nervous.

Edited to correct mistake


----------



## jcarwash

disny_luvr said:


> I just checked in for my flight to Denver and even with purchasing EBCI, my family got boarding group B 19-22. Are we still going to be able to find two seats together? My boys would like to sit beside each other. In all my years of flying SW and always buying EBCI, I never got boarding group B.


I’d expect finding two seats together should be okay with these B positions. (I get B positions more often than I would like with EBCI.)


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

disneyfan150 said:


> I am sorry that I don't have an answer but bet the experts will arrive to help. I actually have a question for you. When did you purchase the EBCI?
> 
> I am flying solo to MCO and bought EBCI because I didn't want to end up in a middle seat. After SW added EBCI as a perk for Business Select, I got nervous.


Business Select doesn't have EBCI. I think you may mean Anytime Fare


----------



## disneyfan150

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Business Select doesn't have EBCI. I think you may mean Anytime Fare


Yes, sorry about that mistake. I corrected it.


----------



## EACarlson

disny_luvr said:


> I just checked in for my flight to Denver and even with purchasing EBCI, my family got boarding group B 19-22. Are we still going to be able to find two seats together? My boys would like to sit beside each other. In all my years of flying SW and always buying EBCI, I never got boarding group B.


Between A-List, Anytime fares getting EBCI and the number of connecting flights it's not surprising.  There are only 45 spaces in the A group,  If 50 people book on release day and either buy Anytime fares or add EBCI right away, they're all gone.  Anybody that has EBCI on a connecting flight is going to get a higher number on their second flight since they are getting checked in before EBCI check in happens for originating passengers.


----------



## Doug7856

EACarlson said:


> Between A-List, Anytime fares getting EBCI and the number of connecting flights it's not surprising.  There are only 45 spaces in the A group,  If 50 people book on release day and either buy Anytime fares or add EBCI right away, they're all gone.  Anybody that has EBCI on a connecting flight is going to get a higher number on their second flight since they are getting checked in before EBCI check in happens for originating passengers.


I've thought there was a lot of competition for those early numbers but seeing it written out is eye-opening.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Doug7856 said:


> I've thought there was a lot of competition for those early numbers but seeing it written out is eye-opening.


Also Business Select is guaranteed a seat from A1-15.


----------



## disneylover81

karen4546 said:


> We have had a 35 minute layover many times landing in ATL on Delta and the terminal are not close to each other.  they are boarding when we get there but we have yet to miss a flight.
> 
> we are fly out of JAN in September on SW for the first time.  Any tips on parking at JAN?
> we have a direct flight booked with SW -scored a great deal for $59 each way.


That’s kind of what I’m afraid of. Last year on that Chicago flight we were the last to board so we all had to separate, which is fine, but we will have a toddler this time so that changes things for us.  

That’s exactly what we did was book on that $59 deal! We’ve never flown out of JAN before so I have no idea about parking or where that airport even is. We live closer to Memphis so that’s our normal airport, but the MEM prices were not $59.


----------



## disneylover81

beldred said:


> So I have flights that is taking me through the Houston airport (apparently there's no nonstop flights from Memphis to Orlando anymore ) in July. Going down on Friday I'm not too worried, as we have 1.5 hrs between, but returning home on Monday we have only 50 minutes between landing time and take off time of the next flight. We will have at least 1 checked bag. I've never been to the Houston airport... is this going to be a problem? Will we have enough time to get to the next gate before boarding is called? (I'm a nervous flyer and wouldn't do great separated from my husband. I need my A boarding lol) Will our luggage make the 2nd flight okay?
> Getting super nervous about it, but the other flight options are all terrible and at this point costly to switch.


I’ve been super sad about no more direct flights from MEM to MCO lately too. I hate having to change planes! I’ve flown to Hobby many times from MEM. The gates are very close to each other so you should be fine as long as your first flight isn’t delayed and they wait for you on the second flight if it is. I can’t say about your luggage making it though. I try to only do carry on as much as possible when changing planes is involved.


----------



## MakiraMarlena

I'm getting so I fly down to Orlando on SW (DCA) and back on American or JetBlue, to take JetBlue means I can't use the overhead bin because I won't pay them $30-50 extra to use it. None of these airlines are free from issues.


----------



## bobbo99

disneylover81 said:


> That’s kind of what I’m afraid of. Last year on that Chicago flight we were the last to board so we all had to separate, which is fine, but we will have a toddler this time so that changes things for us.


If you have a toddler, jump in line when they announce Family Boarding (after A, but before B).  Should help you get some seats together (at least for one adult and the toddler).


----------



## scrappinginontario

disneylover81 said:


> That’s kind of what I’m afraid of. Last year on that Chicago flight we were the last to board so we all had to separate, which is fine, but we will have a toddler this time so that changes things for us.
> 
> That’s exactly what we did was book on that $59 deal! We’ve never flown out of JAN before so I have no idea about parking or where that airport even is. We live closer to Memphis so that’s our normal airport, but the MEM prices were not $59.





bobbo99 said:


> If you have a toddler, jump in line when they announce Family Boarding (after A, but before B).  Should help you get some seats together (at least for one adult and the toddler).


I would recommend joining the Family Boarding line (both parents can board with 1 child) approx 30 mins before departure time or, as soon as you see someone else line up.  The line will build quickly and get quite long for flights to/from MCO.

Per the SW website:  _Two adults traveling with a child six years old or younger may board during Family Boarding, which occurs after the “A” group has boarded and before the “B” group begins boarding. If the child and the adult are both holding an “A” boarding pass, they should board in their assigned boarding position._


----------



## disneylover81

bobbo99 said:


> If you have a toddler, jump in line when they announce Family Boarding (after A, but before B).  Should help you get some seats together (at least for one adult and the toddler).


Yes! I definitely will unless we have A Boarding Position on our tickets. We did purchase EBCI.


----------



## disneylover81

scrappinginontario said:


> I would recommend joining the Family Boarding line (both parents can board with 1 child) approx 30 mins before departure time or, as soon as you see someone else line up.  The line will build quickly and get quite long for flights to/from MCO.
> 
> Per the SW website:  _Two adults traveling with a child six years old or younger may board during Family Boarding, which occurs after the “A” group has boarded and before the “B” group begins boarding. If the child and the adult are both holding an “A” boarding pass, they should board in their assigned boarding position._


Thanks! We purchased EBCI so we may have an A Boarding position, but if not this is my Plan B.


----------



## kittehkay

When has been the best time to buy tickets recently? I’m planning on going in February, so tickets get released this month. During the last drop, I looked at the prices, but they were comparable to how they normally are.


----------



## my523

Does anyone know if Southwest typically has sales for December flights? I saw they had a 40% off promo a short while ago, but that was before December dates were available.


----------



## focusondisney

kittehkay said:


> When has been the best time to buy tickets recently? I’m planning on going in February, so tickets get released this month. During the last drop, I looked at the prices, but they were comparable to how they normally are.



I don’t think there’s any specific best time.  Some posters find prices are good as soon as they are released; some people wait & find better prices later; some people find no Wanna Get Away fares when they try to book on release day.  Every date & city combo can be different too.  The best advice is to know what a good price is from your city & book when you see a price you’re comfortable with.  

I booked a business select ticket for our September trip immediately on release.  A few weeks later, our departure flight was cancelled & we were moved from a mid morning nonstop to a 5:30 am connecting flight.  Not happy with that, I moved it to a late afternoon nonstop the day before.  Since then, I have caught 2 price drops & gotten about 7000 total points back.  Our flight home has not changed & the price has gone up slightly, about 4000 points.     There have been a few sales since I booked but they haven’t effected my flights except for the way down once.  None have applied to our way home,


----------



## Avery&Todd

I guess since we haven't seen anyone posting there haven't been any other schedule changes/updates?

We're heading to MCO mid-October and so far when I go back on the SW calendar our same flights are offered Sept. 11th and through our travel dates but I'm really hoping they release some earlier flight times like they have the week of Sept. 4th...


----------



## LadybugsMum

So far our August flights have been unchanged and we're about 45ish days out now.


----------



## disneylover81

Just changed our flights on 9/14 from JAN to ATL to MCO to an earlier one. We were booked on the last flight of the day, but with all the delays I keep seeing plus there was already only a 50 minute layover, I was afraid we might get left behind and stuck in the airport overnight if we had one thing go wrong.  So now we are on the second to last flight of the day. I sure do miss nonstop daily flights to MCO!


----------



## Neverbeast

We did the same thing for our 9/11 flight. At this point I’d rather end my trip with leaving a little earlier and having a layover (best case) that gives us some buffer for delays and cancelations vs having a relaxed day with a late flight that ends with a red eye or having to fly out a day or two later if things go sideways.


----------



## catsinawindow

Does anyone have an idea as to whether the Club lounges at BWI or MCO are accessible from the Southwest gates?  From the maps, it looks like they aren't very close to each other and I wouldn't want to have to go through security twice.  I have a credit card with free Priority Pass and I've never been in an airport lounge before, so I'm interested to check it out if we can on our upcoming trip!


----------



## rdrjj5

Does anyone have any experience with the wanna get away plus making same day flight changes? How early on that day can you change(I am hoping the answer to this is midnight)? I am looking at booking a 7am flight but if there is one later in the day available we would like to option to change without having to be at the airport.


----------



## georgina

catsinawindow said:


> Does anyone have an idea as to whether the Club lounges at BWI or MCO are accessible from the Southwest gates?  From the maps, it looks like they aren't very close to each other and I wouldn't want to have to go through security twice.  I have a credit card with free Priority Pass and I've never been in an airport lounge before, so I'm interested to check it out if we can on our upcoming trip!


There is a priority pass lounge that is accessible from the SW gates at MCO, but you have to take a different shuttle (to gates 70-99) once you get through security.When you leave the Club, be careful which side you get back on the shuttle because one is for international arrivals and will take you out of the security bubble. It is marked overhead I believe in the shuttle area.


----------



## catsinawindow

georgina said:


> There is a priority pass lounge that is accessible from the SW gates at MCO, but you have to take a different shuttle (to gates 70-99) once you get through security.When you leave the Club, be careful which side you get back on the shuttle because one is for international arrivals and will take you out of the security bubble. It is marked overhead I believe in the shuttle area.


This is helpful, thank you!


----------



## georgina

catsinawindow said:


> This is helpful, thank you!


We use it frequently when we have extra time. It is right off the area where the shuttle drops off, have to take an elevator up a level.


----------



## Erica Ladd

georgina said:


> We use it frequently when we have extra time. It is right off the area where the shuttle drops off, have to take an elevator up a level.



Who has access to this lounge and what do they have there?


----------



## disny_luvr

EACarlson said:


> Between A-List, Anytime fares getting EBCI and the number of connecting flights it's not surprising.  There are only 45 spaces in the A group,  If 50 people book on release day and either buy Anytime fares or add EBCI right away, they're all gone.  Anybody that has EBCI on a connecting flight is going to get a higher number on their second flight since they are getting checked in before EBCI check in happens for originating passengers.


Thank you for explaining all of this. We did end up getting a row of three together in the back of the plane with my husband across the aisle. On our flight home we had B 21-24 and again we were able to get a row of three together in the back of the plane. My husband sat a few rows in front of us. I’m really glad I purchased the EBCI. After these two flights, I don’t think I’d fly without it again.


----------



## LadybugsMum

The website is still saying that the next schedule drop is 7/21 and will go through 3/8. I'm hoping for some good flight times and prices.


----------



## Avery&Todd

LadybugsMum said:


> The website is still saying that the next schedule drop is 7/21 and will go through 3/8. I'm hoping for some good flight times and prices.


me too!  we're headed back to Vegas in February and I'd like better flight times than on our last trip!!

and then to Cocoa Beach in April for our first trip there!!!  (and we're even sneaking in 2 days at the parks!!)


----------



## Lsdolphin

LadybugsMum said:


> The website is still saying that the next schedule drop is 7/21 and will go through 3/8. I'm hoping for some good flight times and prices.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Avery&Todd said:


> me too!  we're headed back to Vegas in February and I'd like better flight times than on our last trip!!
> 
> and then to Cocoa Beach in April for our first trip there!!!  (and we're even sneaking in 2 days at the parks!!)


Our flight time is even earlier on our Vegas flight on Labor Day  than it was in December 2021 (when we left at like 6am). We leave our home airport at 5:10am arrive in Vegas at 6::05am  our hotel room for sure won't be ready even after accounting for the few to get the rental car BUT we did make like a 7am or so Mon Ami Gabi breakfast reservation so there is that lol.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Avery&Todd said:


> me too!  we're headed back to Vegas in February and I'd like better flight times than on our last trip!!
> 
> and then to Cocoa Beach in April for our first trip there!!!  (and we're even sneaking in 2 days at the parks!!)


I'm finally getting a girls trip with my bestie from college and I want to maximize my time while my parents have my kids.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Our flight time is even earlier on our Vegas flight on Labor Day  than it was in December 2021 (when we left at like 6am). We leave our home airport at 5:10am arrive in Vegas at 6::05am  our hotel room for sure won't be ready even after accounting for the few to get the rental car BUT we did make like a 7am or so Mon Ami Gabi breakfast reservation so there is that lol.


I LOVE getting into Vegas early!!  that's a whole extra day to gamble!!  

Last trip (May 2022) we got in at 3pm, and then took us almost an hour to get our rental car (Thrifty was "out" of cars)   

so our dinner the first night was at 7pm and I felt rushed after we landed - I'm hoping we can get earlier flights in February!!

and I want non-stop flights....did I mention that too?  Last time we had layovers both ways and it was not good!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Avery&Todd said:


> I LOVE getting into Vegas early!!  that's a whole extra day to gamble!!
> 
> Last trip (May 2022) we got in at 3pm, and then took us almost an hour to get our rental car (Thrifty was "out" of cars)
> 
> so our dinner the first night was at 7pm and I felt rushed after we landed - I'm hoping we can get earlier flights in February!!
> 
> and I want non-stop flights....did I mention that too?  Last time we had layovers both ways and it was not good!


It is true it's nice to get there early but I swear I'm more dead than awake at that ungodly hour and I haven't even gotten to the Vegas stuff yet   

I do hate feeling rushed though so I get how you felt. Fingers crossed your flights are better this time around!


----------



## mrsdoubie

LadybugsMum said:


> The website is still saying that the next schedule drop is 7/21 and will go through 3/8. I'm hoping for some good flight times and prices.


I hate that it’s only thru 3/8. My flight is 3/5-3/9 and I always get early bird. Now it’ll cost me twice as much.


----------



## focusondisney

mrsdoubie said:


> I hate that it’s only thru 3/8. My flight is 3/5-3/9 and I always get early bird. Now it’ll cost me twice as much.



Why would it cost twice as much? EBCI is charged per flight.   You will just buy 2 one way flights.  There’s no discount if you buy it for both legs at once.


----------



## mrsdoubie

focusondisney said:


> Why would it cost twice as much? EBCI is charged per flight.   You will just buy 2 one way flights.  There’s no discount if you buy it for both legs at once.


Hmmm guess I don’t know what I was thinking.


----------



## AngieInOH

Points are 45% off!  Best deal they have.  I've been looking because I anticipate I'll have to buy a few points next week.


----------



## PolyAddict

Flying with a 1.5 year old in December.  In need of all the tips.  

We want to carry on a MINU V2 stroller, anyone know if it fits? Experience with gate checking strollers?

Planning on keeping him on our laps, does that sound do able?

If flight is not fully booked, I assume he can sit in seat?

TIA


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

PolyAddict said:


> If flight is not fully booked, I assume he can sit in seat?


A lap baby is free. If you think you may put your child in a seat if there is an empty spot I would kindly suggest you pay for the ticket and then if/when your child needs your lap you can pick them up and put them in your lap.

SWA considers a lap child as one not occupying a seat.


----------



## Betty Rohrer

PolyAddict said:


> Flying with a 1.5 year old in December.  In need of all the tips.
> 
> We want to carry on a MINU V2 stroller, anyone know if it fits? Experience with gate checking strollers?
> 
> Planning on keeping him on our laps, does that sound do able?
> 
> If flight is not fully booked, I assume he can sit in seat?
> 
> TIA


you did not ask but make sure you have a copy of his birth certificate with you. only time you will need this is when flying as a lap child. How long is your flight? does he like to sit on or be held when still? he will most likely not be allowed in extra seat for landing or take off.  you will not be able to use tray table for play when he is on your lap. carry something for him to suck on for take off and landing. pack a change of clothes for him and all adults in your carryon. think spills or throw up. nothing worse than having to wait for checked bag to be off loaded when needing a change. you will need headphones to be able to use anything with sound/movies or use on silent


----------



## PolyAddict

Betty Rohrer said:


> you did not ask but make sure you have a copy of his birth certificate with you. only time you will need this is when flying as a lap child. How long is your flight? does he like to sit on or be held when still? he will most likely not be allowed in extra seat for landing or take off.  you will not be able to use tray table for play when he is on your lap. carry something for him to suck on for take off and landing. pack a change of clothes for him and all adults in your carryon. think spills or throw up. nothing worse than having to wait for checked bag to be off loaded when needing a change. you will need headphones to be able to use anything with sound/movies or use on silent


flight is 1.5 hours


----------



## Donald Duck888

If your flight gets cancelled on Southwest does the rate type you reserved make any difference on where you end up boarding the flight you eventually end up on? For example if you pay the extra to buy Business Select to be able to board 1-15 does that carry over to boarding the replacement flight? If it does not do they refund the fare difference between that and what you would have spent on Wanna get Away?


----------



## MarBee

PolyAddict said:


> Flying with a 1.5 year old in December.  In need of all the tips.
> 
> We want to carry on a MINU V2 stroller, anyone know if it fits? Experience with gate checking strollers?
> 
> Planning on keeping him on our laps, does that sound do able?
> 
> If flight is not fully booked, I assume he can sit in seat?
> 
> TIA


My kids are older now but for years we gate checked our double stroller without issue.  I found gate checking with SW to be less of a pain than trying to fit in an overhead.  

Is it doable to keep a 1.5 year old on your lap?  Absolutely.  Especially for a quick flight.  However, your baby’s personality and mobility level will play a big factor into this.  Assuming the baby is just a year now, so much will change with their personality and energy levels between now and then, it will be hard to tell.  If you can afford it, you may want to book a seat for the baby separately (you’ll have to call SW to do this I believe), then cancel his ticket if you think he won’t need it.  

If the flight is not fully booked, he can sit in an empty seat.  Most likely no one will try to sit with you and your toddler if they can help it, so you’re prob one of the most likely to have the row to yourselves 

Some tips for you- bring anything and everything that will fit into a backpack that will hold their attention- books, iPad, coloring, snacks, and something to suck on during take off and landing to help with ears.  

Best of luck!  Try not to stress to far in advance.


----------



## AngieInOH

PolyAddict said:


> Flying with a 1.5 year old in December.  In need of all the tips.
> 
> We want to carry on a MINU V2 stroller, anyone know if it fits? Experience with gate checking strollers?
> 
> Planning on keeping him on our laps, does that sound do able?
> 
> If flight is not fully booked, I assume he can sit in seat?
> 
> TIA


I have yet to be on a Southwest flight that hasn't been sold out.  It's not something I would count on.


----------



## Neverbeast

PolyAddict said:


> Flying with a 1.5 year old in December.  In need of all the tips.
> 
> We want to carry on a MINU V2 stroller, anyone know if it fits? Experience with gate checking strollers?
> 
> Planning on keeping him on our laps, does that sound do able?
> 
> If flight is not fully booked, I assume he can sit in seat?
> 
> TIAG


I’m cheap so I always kept my kids on my lap at that age. Bring snacks they can pick up like puffs or cheerios and be prepared to make a mess and feel flustered and it will still be ok. A million small things they already like is better than big things or new things to keep their attention. Once you’re in flight taking some slow walks up and down to the bathroom is pretty exciting and timing flying for naps is good too- the engine noise and cozy on lap experience often conked my kids out… I had very sore arms after a flight to Hawaii but my toddler slept like 5 of the 6 hours so worth it!


----------



## EACarlson

PolyAddict said:


> Flying with a 1.5 year old in December.  In need of all the tips.
> 
> We want to carry on a MINU V2 stroller, anyone know if it fits? Experience with gate checking strollers?
> 
> Planning on keeping him on our laps, does that sound do able?
> 
> If flight is not fully booked, I assume he can sit in seat?
> 
> TIA


Don't try to put a stroller in the overhead, gate check it or just check it.  It's incredibly rude to take up space that two or three passengers bags would fit in so you don't have to wait a couple minutes on the jetway.  I would personally book a seat and bring the car seat for the child.  Kids that age don't want to sit still for 90 minutes, especially in a new environment like a plane.  Bringing their seat gives them some level of familiarity, allows you to keep them contained and stops them from from causing trouble for other people.
Whether the FA's will allow you to put your child in a seat if there is an empty one is going to depend on the FAs.  By rule, no, you must keep the child on your lap from pushback to engine shutdown.


AngieInOH said:


> I have yet to be on a Southwest flight that hasn't been sold out.  It's not something I would count on.


I was on a flight two weeks ago that was only half full, first one in 18 months.


Neverbeast said:


> I’m cheap so I always kept my kids on my lap at that age. Bring snacks they can pick up like puffs or cheerios and be prepared to make a mess and feel flustered and it will still be ok. A million small things they already like is better than big things or new things to keep their attention. Once you’re in flight taking some slow walks up and down to the bathroom is pretty exciting and timing flying for naps is good too- the engine noise and cozy on lap experience often conked my kids out… I had very sore arms after a flight to Hawaii but my toddler slept like 5 of the 6 hours so worth it!


No chance on a 90 minutes SW flight there will be time for a "slow walk up and down to the bathroom."  Most flights of that length they don't even turn the seat belt sign off, claiming turbulence.


----------



## Neverbeast

EACarlson said:


> No chance on a 90 minutes SW flight there will be time for a "slow walk up and down to the bathroom."  Most flights of that length they don't even turn the seat belt sign off, claiming turbulence.


That has not been my experience but a good point not to count on it.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Neverbeast said:


> That has not been my experience but a good point not to count on it.


I agree on your point. We've had short flights before (like KC to Denver) including ones where there just enough time to get drink service out and you barely have time to drink before you're descending again (like the random one off connection times we've done KC to STL) but there's def. been times the seatbelt sign goes off once cruising altitude has been met. Will it stay on for long enough for a young one to be antsy enough to need a quick walk is another story. Turbulence of course agreed with the PP can happen causing the seatbelt sign to go back on or not go off at all so yes a good reminder that you may not be able to just walk about vs getting up to just go to the bathroom and then going back to your seat to put your seatbelt on.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

EACarlson said:


> Don't try to put a stroller in the overhead, gate check it or just check it. It's incredibly rude to take up space that two or three passengers bags would fit in so you don't have to wait a couple minutes on the jetway.


I agree with you however it's really because the PP's stroller is too large to count as a carry on item per SWA not that that counts for a huge ton though because I've seen fully stuffed duffel bags up in the overhead bin that are def. over the length of the carry on size so they have to fit in sideways.

While vast majority of people gate check strollers (more than likely because they are way too big even folded) I've seen a stroller or two that are folded up quite small enough to work in the overhead bin.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

I've been too busy to double check my November and December flights for at least a couple of weeks. I just went today to see if fares had moved and half of the BWI-MCO direct on my November date are sold out of WGA/WGA+. The ones left are a few thousand more points than when I booked opening day. 

I know people hold off on adding companions so that they can possibly rebook at lower points, but I'm pretty sure, for November at least, that's a lost cause.  I went ahead and added my companions before any flights sell out entirely. December rates are much closer to opening day, and nothing is sold out of WGA, so I'll give those a little more time.

If, by some miracle, flights do go down for November, do I have to cancel companion/rebook/add companion or can I call SW to make the changes? I know when I wanted to change my August flights when we got the red banner, fee free change option, I was able to do it over the phone despite having companions on the reservation.


----------



## Angelboys3

So glad that I’m obsessive about checking our  flights! While I was poking around the website today I saw that our flights had dropped. I wasn’t sure if we could get an adjustment since it was under a group booking (15 of us) but I called anyway. The very nice agent said “We can make adjustments up until final payment, just not after. Let me refigure  it for you and see what we can do.” Then said “Oh you’re going to be so happy!” Our flights went from $317/pp round trip to $199. Multiply that by 15 people and it’s a decent savings.


----------



## teawar

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> I've been too busy to double check my November and December flights for at least a couple of weeks. I just went today to see if fares had moved and half of the BWI-MCO direct on my November date are sold out of WGA/WGA+. The ones left are a few thousand more points than when I booked opening day.
> 
> I know people hold off on adding companions so that they can possibly rebook at lower points, but I'm pretty sure, for November at least, that's a lost cause.  I went ahead and added my companions before any flights sell out entirely. December rates are much closer to opening day, and nothing is sold out of WGA, so I'll give those a little more time.
> 
> If, by some miracle, flights do go down for November, do I have to cancel companion/rebook/add companion or can I call SW to make the changes? I know when I wanted to change my August flights when we got the red banner, fee free change option, I was able to do it over the phone despite having companions on the reservation.


Just call and they will adjust the prices with companion pass. I’ve had it happen before that the original price I booked was higher than a different tier, and I was able to adjust that ticket online by upgrading and received a price refund. I was shocked. But it happened. 

If I can tell the flight is wide open with availability, I will sometimes quickly cancel my companion, adjust my flight using the SWA “change flight feature”  and rebook my companion. This is risky, because your companion spot could disappear, but I’ve lucked out every time.  I’ve heard of others having a different experience.


----------



## Betty Rohrer

Neverbeast said:


> I’m cheap so I always kept my kids on my lap at that age. Bring snacks they can pick up like puffs or cheerios and be prepared to make a mess and feel flustered and it will still be ok. A million small things they already like is better than big things or new things to keep their attention. Once you’re in flight taking some slow walks up and down to the bathroom is pretty exciting and timing flying for naps is good too- the engine noise and cozy on lap experience often conked my kids out… I had very sore arms after a flight to Hawaii but my toddler slept like 5 of the 6 hours so worth it!


that sounds great but mine at that age would not sleep on plane even at nap or bed time. on the red eye flight fell asleep at 4 hours into a 5.5 hour flight and had not slept on way to plane


----------



## PolyAddict

If I gate check the stroller does it get collected with luggage or is it waiting when I get off?


----------



## LadybugsMum

PolyAddict said:


> If I gate check the stroller does it get collected with luggage or is it waiting when I get off?


Should be at the end of the gangway with the other stroller and gate checked items. You may have to wait a few minutes.


----------



## PolyAddict

LadybugsMum said:


> Should be at the end of the gangway with the other stroller and gate checked items. You may have to wait a few minutes.


Is it best put in a bag?


----------



## LadybugsMum

PolyAddict said:


> Is it best put in a bag?


No idea as I’ve never flown with a stroller. I have twins and didn’t try to fly with them until they were 5.


----------



## Neverbeast

PolyAddict said:


> Is it best put in a bag?


Depends on the stroller. If it’s expensive and/or has stuff sticking out when folded up then yes probably. In practice that’s a huge hassle and not something I would personally bother with. They are going to literally throw it in after all the other bags with anything else that gets gate checked, so a bag will protect it from getting snagged or dirty, but most strollers are tough enough to deal with a little bit of jostling around. 


PolyAddict said:


> Is it best put in a bag?


----------



## scrappinginontario

PolyAddict said:


> Is it best put in a bag?


I purchased a stroller bag and it was filthy after each trip.  I can only imagine what our stroller would have looked like without the bag.  The underbelly of planes is dirty and greasy in places.  Our bag quickly displayed what would have been on our stroller instead of a bag I tossed into the wash.


----------



## tinkerbell615

I apologize if this question has been previously asked, but I have only flown a few different times. Each time being with Southwest. The last time our flights were cancelled and we had to leave from a different state. We are flying to MCO from IND in October and a few weeks ago, I checked and the price had dropped for our tip on the way down. I did call and get a credit for that. I checked today and they have dropped even more. I am going to call to get a credit for that also. My question is.... Since the price keeps dropping, do I assume that the flight isn't filling, and there is a bigger possibility that it will be cancelled? We are only going to WDW for 3 days and our arrival date is the first day. I know there is no crystal ball to tell me what will happen with the flights, but I thought maybe some of the expert Southwest fliers could give me a little insight as to what I should be thinking. Thanks in advance for your replies.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

tinkerbell615 said:


> I apologize if this question has been previously asked, but I have only flown a few different times. Each time being with Southwest. The last time our flights were cancelled and we had to leave from a different state. We are flying to MCO from IND in October and a few weeks ago, I checked and the price had dropped for our tip on the way down. I did call and get a credit for that. I checked today and they have dropped even more. I am going to call to get a credit for that also. My question is.... Since the price keeps dropping, do I assume that the flight isn't filling, and there is a bigger possibility that it will be cancelled? We are only going to WDW for 3 days and our arrival date is the first day. I know there is no crystal ball to tell me what will happen with the flights, but I thought maybe some of the expert Southwest fliers could give me a little insight as to what I should be thinking. Thanks in advance for your replies.


SWA is running a sale right now so no it's not indicative of cancelation chances.


----------



## 2binak

PolyAddict said:


> Is it best put in a bag?


When we traveled with a stroller, we always put our in a bag and like another person said above, the bag was filthy with dirt & grease after the first flight.

A bag also protects the stroller from rain. We once landed during a downpour and the strollers that weren’t in bags were soaking wet and unusable because they sat outside for a few minutes.


----------



## MarBee

LadybugsMum said:


> No idea as I’ve never flown with a stroller. I have twins and didn’t try to fly with them until they were 5.


I’m going to be the opposite of the others and say that a bag isn’t necessary.  We’ve seen parents struggling while holding their little ones and bags trying to get their strollers out of the bags to put their babies’ in while waiting in the tunnel and trying to not be in everyone’s way.  It just seemed like a pain to me.  We had the city mini double stroller and while it did have some scuffs on it, we just wiped it down and found minimal dirt on it. Plus I could open it with one arm YMMV though.


----------



## krissyh

Decisions, decisions…
I have only done one trip since the pandemic began and was very fortunate with my flights. Now that people are flying again and all we are hearing are nightmare accounts of cancellations, lost luggage and non-existent rental cars I am very concerned about my February trip.
We will be traveling to Sarasota and I am anxiously awaiting SW’s schedule release on Thursday. 
So many variables to take into consideration:
*Fly direct to Tampa and have less concern about a weather delay at home causing a missed connection.
*Fly direct and have to make the drive down to Sarasota and back.
*Fly direct and if there is no rental car really have to scramble.
*Fly with a connect and have two flight to worry about.
* Fly with a connect and if we don’t have a rental we really don’t have to worry as the hotel has a shuttle, there is a free trolley in a small area and there is Uber. 
I am very much overthinking this because I really need my winter vacations!
Help.


----------



## krissyh

And what time has SW been releasing recently?  Eastern?


----------



## LadybugsMum

krissyh said:


> And hat time has SW been releasing recently?  Eastern?


See this post: https://www.disboards.com/threads/p...cerns-etc-here.2500174/page-582#post-64086163


----------



## krissyh

LadybugsMum said:


> See this post: https://www.disboards.com/threads/p...cerns-etc-here.2500174/page-582#post-64086163


This is awesome . Thank you.


----------



## aokeefe

krissyh said:


> Decisions, decisions…
> I have only done one trip since the pandemic began and was very fortunate with my flights. Now that people are flying again and all we are hearing are nightmare accounts of cancellations, lost luggage and non-existent rental cars I am very concerned about my February trip.
> We will be traveling to Sarasota and I am anxiously awaiting SW’s schedule release on Thursday.
> So many variables to take into consideration:
> *Fly direct to Tampa and have less concern about a weather delay at home causing a missed connection.
> *Fly direct and have to make the drive down to Sarasota and back.
> *Fly direct and if there is no rental car really have to scramble.
> *Fly with a connect and have two flight to worry about.
> * Fly with a connect and if we don’t have a rental we really don’t have to worry as the hotel has a shuttle, there is a free trolley in a small area and there is Uber.
> I am very much overthinking this because I really need my winter vacations!
> Help.


I have flown several times in the past few months- including Tampa and Sarasota (flew into Tampa and out of Sarasota). I wouldn't worry about February bc honestly, it's such a crap shoot of which flights are delayed, cancelled or take off without any glitches. I definitely would fly direct over a connect. As for Sarasota or Tampa- really it's your call. It's an easy drive from Tampa to Sarasota but the Tampa airport is huge compared to Sarasota. Personally I would pick a direct flight to either Tampa or Sarasota depending upon the cost.


----------



## jkelly86

krissyh said:


> Decisions, decisions…
> I have only done one trip since the pandemic began and was very fortunate with my flights. Now that people are flying again and all we are hearing are nightmare accounts of cancellations, lost luggage and non-existent rental cars I am very concerned about my February trip.
> We will be traveling to Sarasota and I am anxiously awaiting SW’s schedule release on Thursday.
> So many variables to take into consideration:
> *Fly direct to Tampa and have less concern about a weather delay at home causing a missed connection.
> *Fly direct and have to make the drive down to Sarasota and back.
> *Fly direct and if there is no rental car really have to scramble.
> *Fly with a connect and have two flight to worry about.
> * Fly with a connect and if we don’t have a rental we really don’t have to worry as the hotel has a shuttle, there is a free trolley in a small area and there is Uber.
> I am very much overthinking this because I really need my winter vacations!
> Help.


We rarely have a direct option to TPA anymore, so we usually opt for SRQ (we flew monthly into SRQ the last year or so).  It is a much smaller airport at SRQ in terms of departure day and the TRAFFIC to TPA is awful.  Some tips for flying with a stopover: do not check any luggage so you have flexibility if needed,  do not take the last connection of the day, fly though an airport with additional flights to TPA, or an alternative airport, if needed.  So far it has worked out ok for us (we fly from a small, regional airport to SRQ) but there have been hiccups along the way.  If we had more options for direct flights to TPA, we would take them.


----------



## snoopy352

Noobie question - we have DVC and Annual Passes. We have a lunch ressie at Sanaa at noon later in July and are doing a day trip from our Treasure Island hotel.  We are considering going to AK for a couple rides. Do we get free parking at AK? I know we get free parking for three hours at Sanaa but would like to know the best recommendation as to whether to bus it to AK or drive to AK before or after lunch for a couple hours. TIA!


----------



## FCDub

snoopy352 said:


> Noobie question - we have DVC and Annual Passes. We have a lunch ressie at Sanaa at noon later in July and are doing a day trip from our Treasure Island hotel.  We are considering going to AK for a couple rides. Do we get free parking at AK? I know we get free parking for three hours at Sanaa but would like to know the best recommendation as to whether to bus it to AK or drive to AK before or after lunch for a couple hours. TIA!



You will get free theme park parking with your annual pass.


----------



## snoopy352

FCDub said:


> You will get free theme park parking with your annual pass.


thank you - last question as we are used to staying on site and taking the boats and buses - is there a tram that takes you to the front of the park? We have someone unable to walk a long distance from the parking lot to the front gate.


----------



## AngieInOH

Need an early drop on Thur....have a 2 hr meeting at 9:30.


----------



## AngieInOH

Question/Confirmation:  If I'm buying tickets with points and buying tickets with cash I have to have two separate transactions, correct?  I also will have to check in separately, as there is no way to link the reservations and check in all at once (so one group will probably get B boarding and the other group will likely get C).  Thanks!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

AngieInOH said:


> as there is no way to link the reservations and check in all at once (so one group will probably get B boarding and the other group will likely get C).


Having a separate reservation doesn't mean one is doomed to a C. I'm almost always on a separate reservation than my husband, actually this Vegas trip is the first time in years I'll be on the same reservation as my husband lol and consequently it's the first time I'll actually get to benefit from the extension of A-list benefits to those on the same reservation. In the past it was because we had Companion, then it was how we were paying like using up travel funds vs points for us both vs cash for both. 

Everyone just needs to check in at T-24 unless they purchase Anytime Fare which comes with EBCI or if they purchase EBCI separately where the system will assign them a position at T-36. How your Boarding positions end up depends on each flight but just by being on separate reservations does not mean you're doomed.


----------



## AngieInOH

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Having a separate reservation doesn't mean one is doomed to a C. I'm almost always on a separate reservation than my husband, actually this Vegas trip is the first time in years I'll be on the same reservation as my husband lol and consequently it's the first time I'll actually get to benefit from the extension of A-list benefits to those on the same reservation. In the past it was because we had Companion, then it was how we were paying like using up travel funds vs points for us both vs cash for both.
> 
> Everyone just needs to check in at T-24 unless they purchase Anytime Fare which comes with EBCI or if they purchase EBCI separately where the system will assign them a position at T-36. How your Boarding positions end up depends on each flight but just by being on separate reservations does not mean you're doomed.



Thanks for the info.  I will stay hopeful, but have typically found the boarding groups go pretty fast for my flights.  Hopefully I have a bunch of people on my flight who don't know the importance of checking in at 24 hrs or they forget!!!


----------



## CT Disney

Question for you SW Experts:

Say I buy a $300 Anytime fare (which is fully refundable) and I put $100 on a LUV Voucher and the remaining $200 on my credit card...

What happens if the flight price drops to $250? Would they refund $50 to my credit card or to the LUV Voucher? 

I just called Southwest to ask this question and the representative really confused me. At first he said the $50 credit would go back to my credit card. But then he said that I'd have to do it over the phone and that they would refund the ENTIRE purchase (so I'd get $100 back in new travel funds and $200 back to my credit card); and then they would have to completely repurchase the new flight using the new $100 travel funds, and the remaining $150 going to my credit card via a brand new charge.

Honestly, the way he described it seemed like a hassle especially if the flight price drops more than once (which it often does on Southwest).

Anyone do anything similar before?


----------



## ultimatefans

CT Disney said:


> Question for you SW Experts:
> 
> Say I buy a $300 Anytime fare (which is fully refundable) and I put $100 on a LUV Voucher and the remaining $200 on my credit card...
> 
> What happens if the flight price drops to $250? Would they refund $50 to my credit card or to the LUV Voucher?
> 
> I just called Southwest to ask this question and the representative really confused me. At first he said the $50 credit would go back to my credit card. But then he said that I'd have to do it over the phone and that they would refund the ENTIRE purchase (so I'd get $100 back in new travel funds and $200 back to my credit card); and then they would have to completely repurchase the new flight using the new $100 travel funds, and the remaining $150 going to my credit card via a brand new charge.
> 
> Honestly, the way he described it seemed like a hassle especially if the flight price drops more than once (which it often does on Southwest).
> 
> Anyone do anything similar before?


I’ve been in the same situation once and the difference went back to my credit card.  I actually think I made the change online and I could see the difference would be refunded (not credited) before I made the change.


----------



## nekonekoneko

Just a reminder that flights from Jan 5 to March 8 2023 will open up later today (Thursday)


----------



## kristenrice

I'm having an early morning brain fart...

Can I MODIFY a flight that I booked on points to depart from a different city in order to keep my EBCI??

I am currently booked on a flight from GRR-MCO that connects through MDW.  We depart GRR at 12:15pm and land in MCO at 6:35pm.  My friend and her family are also flying GRR-MCO on SWA, but they are departing on an earlier flight, also connecting through MDW, but they opted for a 4 1/2 hour layover.  They will be landing at MCO at 3:10pm.  

Since it is just DD19 and I and we are flying on points, I have been watching the cost of the MDW-MCO leg that my friend and her family are booked on.  I am thinking that if the price drops LOWER than what I paid for our GRR-MCO tickets, I could switch us to that flight.  We could drive to MDW the day before (it's a 3-hour drive after work, I have Marriott points to cover the hotel and a one-way rental car is $100) and we could get to Orlando 3 hours earlier.  For an extra $100, it would be worth it to me to "surprise" my friend AND we could get the extra time at the resort.


----------



## aokeefe

Up and ready to book for February. I'm unable to log in to my Rapid Rewards account (also the low fare schedule isn't showing any fares for the current booking dates) so I'm guessing site maintenance but wanted to check to see if anyone else was having trouble.


----------



## npcougar

Can't log in either.

"
Rapid Rewards Maintenance​We're making a few updates to the Rapid Rewards experience. As a result, Customers will be temporarily unable to access My Account or book or manage redemption travel online or on mobile platforms. We'll be back up and running soon."


----------



## monarchsfan16

Perfectly logical time to do maintenance


----------



## aokeefe

Hopefully this doesn't delay the release! I've never seen this maintenance before.


----------



## scrappinginontario

The maintenance error most likely has to do with uploading the code for the new flights being offered today.  Not concerned with what we’re seeing.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Also, just a reminder that they normally load the Low Fare Calendar first. For those waiting for flights to drop, be sure to check there.


----------



## jkelly86

I'm still unable to log in


----------



## npcougar

jkelly86 said:


> I'm still unable to log in


Front page of southwest still says RR maintenance.


----------



## jkelly86

npcougar said:


> Front page of southwest still says RR maintenance.


Ok, thanks.  It doesn't say anything about maintenance on my desktop (Safari).

It just gives me this error code when I try to log in: We are currently unable to complete your request. Please try again later.


----------



## npcougar

jkelly86 said:


> Ok, thanks.  It doesn't say anything about maintenance on my desktop (Safari).
> 
> It just gives me this error code when I try to log in: We are currently unable to complete your request. Please try again later.


Yeah, mine show the alert under the travel advisory area.  Their twitter also confirms it.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Thinking the half hour at the earliest. Nothing showing in the fare calendar. Working three devices.


----------



## BillFromCT

I see prices on the low fare calendar, but still can't log in.


----------



## npcougar

Booked flight but can't log in.  Added RR info after purchase since I couldn't log in.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Low fare calendar is UP!!


----------



## aokeefe

Same- and prices are super high


----------



## LadybugsMum

Ugh, I can't get logged in


----------



## LadybugsMum

Finally in, but the times are not good.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Price as expected. Not able to book.


----------



## rockabyemonkey

Southwest rep on phone said that they cannot access RR either and expect RR to be fixed around 8am.


----------



## npcougar

Avery&Todd said:


> Low fare calendar is UP!!


Low fare calendar, oxymoron right now.  Some of those prices are ouch.


----------



## katallo

Prices are way too high for us.


----------



## rockabyemonkey

RR is up!


----------



## monarchsfan16

Had to book cash for flights we had intended to use points for. Not impressed but I also know how NH school vacation week flight prices go so not willing to wait. Flight time was actually good which means it'll change. Price was not great but better than JetBlue so that's all I could ask for.


----------



## Avery&Todd

GOOD GRAVY!!  So I booked our RDU-LAS for mid-February - flight times were horrible!!!  I basically mostly had layover choices going through CHI-Midway - I try to avoid "up there" during the winter months because of weather..

I could have chosen a Dallas layover but then we wouldnt have arrived until 5pm and that's too late for Vegas!!

My only 2 thoughts are (1.) I have a while before these flights so maybe they'll come out with better flight options...and (2.) DH has applied for a job within his company in ORLANDO  and if he gets it we'll move there before then and then we can fly out of MCO which has WAY better flight times than RDU!!


----------



## Avery&Todd

npcougar said:


> Low fare calendar, oxymoron right now.  Some of those prices are ouch.


oh, I agree - the flights I booked were DEFINITELY NOT low!!


----------



## aokeefe

I was able to book using Rapid Rewards. OUCH- the most expensive I've ever booked for Southwest. I'm flying during a school vacation so I don't have much wiggle room.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Here's the release update:

Release Date | Time (eastern)
07/21/22 | 7:20am
06/16/22 | 7:30am
03/30/22 | 7:30am
12/16/21 | 7:50am
12/08/21 | 6:45am
06/10/21 | 7:15am
04/01/21 | 9:10am
12/10/20 | 7:15am
08/13/20 | 9:15am


----------



## LadybugsMum

I was able to get a return flight for my Feb trip using points, but I'm going to use Delta for the trip down as they have much better times. I'm just going to keep an eye on prices.


----------



## monarchsfan16

Just rebooked on points and canceled the cash reservation. Within 24 hours of booking, you can get refunded. Phew. Now to wait for them to change the schedule in December for February


----------



## Sherrkel

Booked for our Jan/Feb '23 trip...felt the flight time down from New England was good (non-stop)...trip home from MCO could have been a better time, but still prefer non-stop so took it.
Didn't use points this time (low balance)...the prices, while not great, are somewhat better than what I expected.
Happy traveling everyone!


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

What a flightmare. Couldn't log in. Then got my husband a flight at $195. Over tried my account, so I'm locked out. Was able to book, but at $206 through guest check out. Wanted to use points for me. The introductory price for us is $173.  They must have two seats at that price. Booking only one way. Looked at return flights and they are way up, too. Crazy.


----------



## focusondisney

Omg that was painful.  I saw the flights open at 7:25.  Two tries to log into my RR account.  But the site was the absolute sloooooowest  I have ever seen.   Took about 20 minutes to book for 1 person. Then went back in & booked my DH.  I used points for mine, cash for his.  I have pretty much decided to book business select from now on.  I have always paid for EBCI anyway, so the difference in price is not as bad.  Plus you get double the RR points.  Getting the guaranteed A1-15 is worth it for now.    I booked mine with points, paid for his.  The prices were higher than our September trip, but with gas prices & winter vacations, not horrible.  Times were excellent.  Now, as PP said, we wait to see what they get changed to.


----------



## SleeplessInTO

Managed to book my Jan 8 flight. It’s a sign of the times that I thought $216 one way was a decent price.


----------



## nlenguyen

Prices were what we were expecting from PHX-MCO, but our family traveling from SLC and DEN to MCO are really high. Did not expect this high for them. Maybe they will have to fly different airlines


----------



## nlenguyen

SleeplessInTO said:


> Managed to book my Jan 8 flight. It’s a sign of the times that I thought $216 one way was a decent price.


That seems like a typical price for us from PHX


----------



## AngieInOH

Booked for Feb.  Wanted RT to be at least under $400, came it at $444.  Ouch, not used to paying that much.  Got nonstop and can't complain too much about the times.  Now it's time to stalk SW for lower prices.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

After months of checking, one of my flights actually did go down today. I need to call to make the change as there are two companions on the reservation and I'm not dealing with the cancel-cancel-rebook-rebook-rebook. But, of course, now I'm trying to get through on the phones with everyone on fare drop day. Oooops!


----------



## jkelly86

I was not on my game this morning.  I'm going to chalk it up to not being able to log in.  I booked manually one way the wrong direction with cash.  Then, I panicked and changed it to the correct direction with a large flight credit instead of canceling for refund within 24 hours.  To top it off, I transferred some of the flight credit out of desperation to my companion.  Ugh.  It wasn't pretty.  May you all find better fares and great flight times!


----------



## mickeynut1

kristenrice said:


> I'm having an early morning brain fart...
> 
> Can I MODIFY a flight that I booked on points to depart from a different city in order to keep my EBCI??
> 
> I am currently booked on a flight from GRR-MCO that connects through MDW.  We depart GRR at 12:15pm and land in MCO at 6:35pm.  My friend and her family are also flying GRR-MCO on SWA, but they are departing on an earlier flight, also connecting through MDW, but they opted for a 4 1/2 hour layover.  They will be landing at MCO at 3:10pm.
> 
> Since it is just DD19 and I and we are flying on points, I have been watching the cost of the MDW-MCO leg that my friend and her family are booked on.  I am thinking that if the price drops LOWER than what I paid for our GRR-MCO tickets, I could switch us to that flight.  We could drive to MDW the day before (it's a 3-hour drive after work, I have Marriott points to cover the hotel and a one-way rental car is $100) and we could get to Orlando 3 hours earlier.  For an extra $100, it would be worth it to me to "surprise" my friend AND we could get the extra time at the resort.


Yes, EBCI will follow the flight when you modify, even when changing departure cities.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

While we presently don't have a flight to book I was eagerly awaiting this release to see when the next one would be.

We have a Mexico trip April 10th-18th.

Next release right now is



*sigh* and I figured this would probably happen based on past releases covering the April time period. We already were thinking of taking one airline down and another on the way back moreso due to schedules but we're now in that boat like others have found themselves in where the trip covers more than one release which I knew was likely but secretly hoped it wouldn't happen. SWA is by far the most flexible in terms of if we need/want to cancel or change flights so it's why we've held out rather than already booking through Delta or some other airline that can get us to Cancun.

Delta doesn't do non-stop from our airport to Cancun but SWA does so does American and Frontier (and Apple and Vacation Express although neither of those two options are even being considered). I've flown American before but can't remember doing Frontier. Delta was reasonable in flight pricing when we checked a while back but having stops is not our preferred method especially as the stops would have us going north then back south, I don't think Atlanta was one of the stops in the flight times that would work.

Ugh, I hate being in this position.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Booked our Disney cruise flights for Feb/Mar.  More expensive than has been in the past (double - ouch!) but with the cost of fuel these days I anticipated paying more.

Interesting thought @focusondisney re: Business Class getting priority booking plus earning double points.  Might consider that in the future if the price is right and I'm booking EBCI.  I don't normally book that but for return flight from cruise I did as we won't have wifi on the ship most likely.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> While we presently don't have a flight to book I was eagerly awaiting this release to see when the next one would be.
> 
> We have a Mexico trip April 10th-18th.
> 
> Next release right now is
> 
> View attachment 686641
> 
> *sigh* and I figured this would probably happen based on past releases covering the April time period. We already were thinking of taking one airline down and another on the way back moreso due to schedules but we're now in that boat like others have found themselves in where the trip covers more than one release which I knew was likely but secretly hoped it wouldn't happen. SWA is by far the most flexible in terms of if we need/want to cancel or change flights so it's why we've held out rather than already booking through Delta or some other airline that can get us to Cancun.
> 
> Delta doesn't do non-stop from our airport to Cancun but SWA does so does American and Frontier (and Apple and Vacation Express although neither of those two options are even being considered). I've flown American before but can't remember doing Frontier. Delta was reasonable in flight pricing when we checked a while back but having stops is not our preferred method especially as the stops would have us going north then back south, I don't think Atlanta was one of the stops in the flight times that would work.
> 
> Ugh, I hate being in this position.


It's interesting as we're all different.  I like when this happens as it gives me more time to save for the return flight and also opens a larger window for reusing funds should the price of the return flight drop.

I'm always excited when the cost of a flight drops but 90% of the time I can't use it as it expires before we fly again.  Wish their window was 1 year from the date of the flight booked, not the date of booking.  I have travel credits in both of our accounts today but couldn't use them because they expire.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

scrappinginontario said:


> It's interesting as we're all different.  I like when this happens as it gives me more time to save for the return flight and also opens a larger window for reusing funds should the price of the return flight drop.
> 
> I'm always excited when the cost of a flight drops but 90% of the time I can't use it as it expires before we fly again.  Wish their window was 1 year from the date of the flight booked, not the date of booking.  I have travel credits in both of our accounts today but couldn't use them because they expire.


Depending on the amount of travel credits you could call and get an extension (well request one that is), I think there's a $100 or so penalty fee taken out of the travel funds. It's been several years since I've known someone doing that so not sure how things are now.

Depending on the cost I think we were going to use points if we flew SWA, sorta depends on how much those are and how much we would earn if doing cash.

I think the issue with our situation is that normally we would just be with SWA but for this trip it may not make sense to do it for both there and back or even at all if the schedules don't work out. Ordinarily if we weren't with SWA it would be because our destination isn't serviced by SWA but this one is so it's more just we'd like to have this booked lol. We also have others going, up to 5 others besides us, and while no one is required to be on the same flight/airline as us we know that would be the preference so it's also giving others the information too.


----------



## dez1978

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Next release right now is


I knew someone here would have this!!! Thanks.  I'm needing to book for end of March.  Idk why I'm doing Disney at Spring break...


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

dez1978 said:


> I knew someone here would have this!!! Thanks.  I'm needing to book for end of March.  Idk why I'm doing Disney at Spring break...


Oh you're brave...very brave


----------



## dez1978

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Oh you're brave...very brave


Probably more stupid than brave lol. The choice was the last week of March or Christmas break.  Neither one seemed a good option lol


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

dez1978 said:


> Probably more stupid than brave lol. The choice was the last week of March or Christmas break.  Neither one seemed a good option lol


With how Midwest weather can be at least on that front end of March is a better choice. Fingers crossed all goes well in the parks!


----------



## Avery&Todd

Here's a dumb question - if your flight has a 45 min layover, but it states that you don't change planes, does that mean both you and your luggage do NOT get off the plane??

is it just as "safe" like having a non-stop with regards to your luggage not making a plane transfer?  I do realize that even though I wouldnt change planes that maybe the departure could still be delayed..

anyone have experience with a non-plane change flight??


----------



## SleeplessInTO

Avery&Todd said:


> Here's a dumb question - if your flight has a 45 min layover, but it states that you don't change planes, does that mean both you and your luggage do NOT get off the plane??
> 
> is it just as "safe" like having a non-stop with regards to your luggage not making a plane transfer?  I do realize that even though I wouldnt change planes that maybe the departure could still be delayed..
> 
> anyone have experience with a non-plane change flight??


I had one many years ago in South America. Just sat on the plane while some people got off and others got on. Then continued on our way. No issues with checked bags. But this is ages ago.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Avery&Todd said:


> Here's a dumb question - if your flight has a 45 min layover, but it states that you don't change planes, does that mean both you and your luggage do NOT get off the plane??
> 
> is it just as "safe" like having a non-stop with regards to your luggage not making a plane transfer?  I do realize that even though I wouldnt change planes that maybe the departure could still be delayed..
> 
> anyone have experience with a non-plane change flight??


You can stay on the plane and they’ll let you move up closer to the front before the next flight starts boarding.


----------



## georgina

scrappinginontario said:


> It's interesting as we're all different.  I like when this happens as it gives me more time to save for the return flight and also opens a larger window for reusing funds should the price of the return flight drop.
> 
> I'm always excited when the cost of a flight drops but 90% of the time I can't use it as it expires before we fly again.  Wish their window was 1 year from the date of the flight booked, not the date of booking.  I have travel credits in both of our accounts today but couldn't use them because they expire.


I was disappointed today’s fares included my Feb/March trip because I am not certain of my dates, and had to pay cash because my 75,000 RR from my new credit card won’t hit my account for another week. The prices for the dates I did book have already increased a lot, so I hope I don’t need to change them! Prefer to book with points because much easier to take advantage of fare drops


----------



## pooh'smate

Avery&Todd said:


> Here's a dumb question - if your flight has a 45 min layover, but it states that you don't change planes, does that mean both you and your luggage do NOT get off the plane??
> 
> is it just as "safe" like having a non-stop with regards to your luggage not making a plane transfer?  I do realize that even though I wouldnt change planes that maybe the departure could still be delayed..
> 
> anyone have experience with a non-plane change flight??


We have had this with SW a lot and yes you just stay on the plane. The FA asked us to all stay seated until the people that needed to get off got off and they had walked through and picked up the garbage eat. Then they announced we could get up and use the rest room and switch seats if we wanted. One flight I was waiting in the line for the restroom with my daughter and the fa told us we could get off and use the restroom just as long as we got back on so that is what we did. My dd was 5 at the time and I think she could tell she really had to go


----------



## Erica Ladd

pooh'smate said:


> We have had this with SW a lot and yes you just stay on the plane. The FA asked us to all stay seated until the people that needed to get off got off and they had walked through and picked up the garbage eat. Then they announced we could get up and use the rest room and switch seats if we wanted. One flight I was waiting in the line for the restroom with my daughter and the fa told us we could get off and use the restroom just as long as we got back on so that is what we did. My dd was 5 at the time and I think she could tell she really had to go


So did you get to go right back on board or did they make you wait for them to restart the boarding process?


----------



## pooh'smate

Erica Ladd said:


> So did you get to go right back on board or did they make you wait for them to restart the boarding process?


We were able to walk right back on. I did bring boarding passes with us just in case


----------



## RMO87

Looking to fly on Southwest next June (2023). Does anyone know when Southwest will release their schedule so that I can be one of the first to book a flight?

Thanks in advance!
Ryan


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

RMO87 said:


> Looking to fly on Southwest next June (2023). Does anyone know when Southwest will release their schedule so that I can be one of the first to book a flight?
> 
> Thanks in advance!
> Ryan


No one knows right now. The next release is scheduled for September 8th, 2022 and will open up the dates through April 10th, 2023. However it's always subject to change (and has done so in the past)

Sometimes a release only opens the dates an additional month or so and other times it opens it up for several months and there isn't necessarily a consistency to it. Last year's dates are different than this year's dates for example.

Just keep checking SWA's website. Where I go to check is Book a Flight and either click on Low Fare Calendar or Advanced Search you'll see this



Click on the "i" that I have the arrow for and you'll get the next release information. Again subject to change


----------



## FCDub

RMO87 said:


> Looking to fly on Southwest next June (2023). Does anyone know when Southwest will release their schedule so that I can be one of the first to book a flight?
> 
> Thanks in advance!
> Ryan



Good news is this thread is very active around the time of new windows opening up, so you can stick around here and join the anticipation!


----------



## kelpricer

We had an issue with our evening flight being delayed more and more Monday night coming home from Disney. Because it was a 9:45 PM flight and within an hour had been pushed back at least 4 times to a 11:10PM flight I got too worried about it being cancelled and stuck at the airport so I switched the flight before we left the hotel until the next day. i paid the difference in flights but my question is how much does the flight need to be delayed before you can switch flights with no charge?


----------



## MarBee

Anyone familiar with MDW (Chicago Midway)?  I have two options for a flight with a layover (I don’t want a layover but there are no direct flights).  I will fly PHL-MDW-SNA.  There is an option that leaves PHL at 5:30 am with an almost 5 hour layover, or one that leaves at 8:45 am with a 55 minute layover.  Obviously I don’t want to hang around an airport for 5 hours but am nervous the 55 minute layover will not be enough time.  I will purchase EBCI either way. I’ve never flown into MDW before, so I’m completely unfamiliar. Both flights cost the same.  WWYD?


----------



## kristenrice

MarBee said:


> Anyone familiar with MDW (Chicago Midway)?  I have two options for a flight with a layover (I don’t want a layover but there are no direct flights).  I will fly PHL-MDW-SNA.  There is an option that leaves PHL at 5:30 am with an almost 5 hour layover, or one that leaves at 8:45 am with a 55 minute layover.  Obviously I don’t want to hang around an airport for 5 hours but am nervous the 55 minute layover will not be enough time.  I will purchase EBCI either way. I’ve never flown into MDW before, so I’m completely unfamiliar. Both flights cost the same.  WWYD?


I have connected through MDW a few times…I recall that the gates are fairly close together, but 55 minutes would be my absolute minimum for a connection.  I would NEVER do a 5 hour layover there.  I am by no means a frequent traveler (I’ve been to about 3 airports) but I can’t stand MDW.  Hopefully, someone with more experience will chime in and we can both learn something .


----------



## FreeTime

MarBee said:


> Anyone familiar with MDW (Chicago Midway)?  I have two options for a flight with a layover (I don’t want a layover but there are no direct flights).  I will fly PHL-MDW-SNA.  There is an option that leaves PHL at 5:30 am with an almost 5 hour layover, or one that leaves at 8:45 am with a 55 minute layover.  Obviously I don’t want to hang around an airport for 5 hours but am nervous the 55 minute layover will not be enough time.  I will purchase EBCI either way. I’ve never flown into MDW before, so I’m completely unfamiliar. Both flights cost the same.  WWYD?


Keep in mind with 55 mins EBCI may not do you much good. If you are delayed a few mins getting in, you stop to use the restroom, the flight may already be boarding when you get to your second leg. If your boarding order has already been called, you can join the line BUT it is possible that they will already be at the end of C boarding. I would not expect to sit together or near each other.


----------



## Tink3815

New information on the Southwest web site this morning

Flight credits unexpired on or created on or after July 28, 2022 will not expire. No action is required on your part! If you have unexpired flight credits as of July 28, they will not expire and are available for you to use.

It will take us some time to update our systems with this new policy. With that in mind, you may notice an expiration date on your unexpired flight credits. Please pardon our dust while we make this change!


----------



## jcarwash

MarBee said:


> Anyone familiar with MDW (Chicago Midway)?  I have two options for a flight with a layover (I don’t want a layover but there are no direct flights).  I will fly PHL-MDW-SNA.  There is an option that leaves PHL at 5:30 am with an almost 5 hour layover, or one that leaves at 8:45 am with a 55 minute layover.  Obviously I don’t want to hang around an airport for 5 hours but am nervous the 55 minute layover will not be enough time.  I will purchase EBCI either way. I’ve never flown into MDW before, so I’m completely unfamiliar. Both flights cost the same.  WWYD?



I'd pick the 55 minute connection time especially if the price is the same. MDW can be very busy but it's not big at all. Even if you have to go from terminal A to B the walk takes like 5-10 minutes, but it's also really likely your connecting flight will be at a nearby gate in the same terminal. 5 hours is just way too long.


----------



## focusondisney

Tink3815 said:


> New information on the Southwest web site this morning
> 
> Flight credits unexpired on or created on or after July 28, 2022 will not expire. No action is required on your part! If you have unexpired flight credits as of July 28, they will not expire and are available for you to use.
> 
> It will take us some time to update our systems with this new policy. With that in mind, you may notice an expiration date on your unexpired flight credits. Please pardon our dust while we make this change!



Where did you see this on the website? Want to share with a family member & don’t see it.  Thanks!


edit: found it! Thanks for the heads up!


----------



## ultimatefans

Tink3815 said:


> New information on the Southwest web site this morning
> 
> Flight credits unexpired on or created on or after July 28, 2022 will not expire. No action is required on your part! If you have unexpired flight credits as of July 28, they will not expire and are available for you to use.
> 
> It will take us some time to update our systems with this new policy. With that in mind, you may notice an expiration date on your unexpired flight credits. Please pardon our dust while we make this change!


Wow, that is HUGE!!!  I'm a point hoarder because I love the flexibility of them.  This makes cash bookings so much more flexible!  Love it!

Also I found this on the Southwest website which refers to the new policy: https://www.southwest.com/help/changes-and-cancellations/flight-credit


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

ultimatefans said:


> I'm a point hoarder because I love the flexibility of them. This makes cash bookings so much more flexible!


This is exactly what I just told my husband lol.

We haven't been using cash much especially with the pandemic going since points give us that flexibility but if the credits don't expire that really helps even if it's still tied to a passenger. It makes it easier too for people who do flight price reductions since they can have those amounts especially the small ones.


----------



## GrandMum

MarBee said:


> Anyone familiar with MDW (Chicago Midway)?  I have two options for a flight with a layover (I don’t want a layover but there are no direct flights).  I will fly PHL-MDW-SNA.  There is an option that leaves PHL at 5:30 am with an almost 5 hour layover, or one that leaves at 8:45 am with a 55 minute layover.  Obviously I don’t want to hang around an airport for 5 hours but am nervous the 55 minute layover will not be enough time.  I will purchase EBCI either way. I’ve never flown into MDW before, so I’m completely unfamiliar. Both flights cost the same.  WWYD?


I was looking at flights that changed in PHL but was told that sometimes flights can be at a different terminal there.  Transferring from one terminal to another takes a shuttle.  My SIL told me there is no way I would make a connection with less than 2 hours particularly with a child.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Tink3815 said:


> New information on the Southwest web site this morning
> 
> Flight credits unexpired on or created on or after July 28, 2022 will not expire. No action is required on your part! If you have unexpired flight credits as of July 28, they will not expire and are available for you to use.
> 
> It will take us some time to update our systems with this new policy. With that in mind, you may notice an expiration date on your unexpired flight credits. Please pardon our dust while we make this change!



Awesome news!! My September flight went down a bit, but I wasn't bothering to adjust it because I won't have another cash booking before those credits were set to expire in December (I booked on opening day). Now that they are non-expiring, I'm definitely calling to get that price difference and I'll just hold it until we burn through our points and need to make another cash reservation!


----------



## elgerber

jcarwash said:


> I'd pick the 55 minute connection time especially if the price is the same. MDW can be very busy but it's not big at all. Even if you have to go from terminal A to B the walk takes like 5-10 minutes, but it's also really likely your connecting flight will be at a nearby gate in the same terminal. 5 hours is just way too long.


I do think 55 minutes is tight, but I would LOSE MY MIND if I had to spend 5 hours at MDW LOL.
When my dad was dying, I had several layovers at MDW over the course of several months.  It's very small, and very busy, with no place to just sit peacefully.


----------



## Lsdolphin

So my nephew is thinking of getting the Saphire Visa card and/or a SWA visa card as part of his plan to qualify for the companion pass to use next year.  In addition to number of flights booked what else counts toward a companion pass?


----------



## MarBee

GrandMum said:


> I was looking at flights that changed in PHL but was told that sometimes flights can be at a different terminal there.  Transferring from one terminal to another takes a shuttle.  My SIL told me there is no way I would make a connection with less than 2 hours particularly with a child.


PHL is our home airport.  To my knowledge, all of the SW flights leave and land at one terminal.  The gates are all within feet of each other.  
I’ve also gone from terminal to terminal with never having a shuttle but we don’t have any mobility issues fortunately.  I am not a big fan of PHL, but it’s fairly small for a large international airport.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Does anyone know if Nashville has fly by security with Southwest?


----------



## happ

Lsdolphin said:


> So my nephew is thinking of getting the Saphire Visa card and/or a SWA visa card as part of his plan to qualify for the companion pass to use next year.  In addition to number of flights booked what else counts toward a companion pass?


A Sapphire card wouldn't count toward a companion pass. Or do you mean he'll get a Sapphire card to purchase flights, and then those flights will count toward it? Here's the page on SW that lists what counts: https://www.southwest.com/rapidrewards/tiers-more-companion-pass


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Lsdolphin said:


> So my nephew is thinking of getting the Saphire Visa card and/or a SWA visa card as part of his plan to qualify for the companion pass to use next year.  In addition to number of flights booked what else counts toward a companion pass?



There are a ton of good resources out there about ways to earn a CP. It's either 100 flights in a year (nearly impossible for most people) or 125,000 points in a year (doable with the credit card depending on how good the bonus is, how much one spends monthly, etc). In addition to points for spending on the card, you earn points for flying on paid fares (those hit when you fly, not when you book), you can link your card for restaurant points, and you can use their shopping portal to earn points.

It's calendar year, not 12 month rolling, so everything resets on 1/1. Most people try to stack their bonus and spending in such a way that they start earning heavy points first thing in January and then, once they earn the pass, they have it for the rest of that year and the whole next year. (My CP was earned in April 2022, I can use it through December 2023.) Depending on when your nephew plans to actually use the CP, he either needs to get moving ASAP on 2022 spending or hold off and do it all starting in 2023. If he can't hit 125,000 points this year, then better to wait and do everything he can first thing in January of 2023.


----------



## holyrita

I'm sure this has been asked here before but I'm new to the thread and 595 pages is a lot  With Southwest's new policy of travel credits never expiring I'd like to give them a try. 

If I fly SW I would check a bag since that is included in the price of your ticket but I've never done that before (frequent flyer with a carry-on!). I always arrive for my flight home at MCO and see what appears to be never ending lines for what I assume are people checking in their bags. Can anyone share their Southwest/MCO experiences checking in with any tips they've learned to expedite? Traveling with only a carry-on and PreCheck I normally don't show up to MCO for my flight home 30(ish) minutes before boarding (risky I know!).


----------



## G719

holyrita said:


> I'm sure this has been asked here before but I'm new to the thread and 595 pages is a lot  With Southwest's new policy of travel credits never expiring I'd like to give them a try.
> 
> If I fly SW I would check a bag since that is included in the price of your ticket but I've never done that before (frequent flyer with a carry-on!). I always arrive for my flight home at MCO and see what appears to be never ending lines for what I assume are people checking in their bags. Can anyone share their Southwest/MCO experiences checking in with any tips they've learned to expedite? Traveling with only a carry-on and PreCheck I normally don't show up to MCO for my flight home 30(ish) minutes before boarding (risky I know!).


Last summer, we got dropped off and checked our luggage curbside. It was very quick. They do expect a tip out there but a few bucks is worth it to skip the inside line. We used a car service to get back to the airport.


----------



## Jacksonian

GrandMum said:


> I was looking at flights that changed in PHL but was told that sometimes flights can be at a different terminal there.  Transferring from one terminal to another takes a shuttle.  My SIL told me there is no way I would make a connection with less than 2 hours particularly with a child.


I flew SW out of PHL in June and all gates are in Terminal E very close to one another.  No need to take a shuttle


----------



## holyrita

G719 said:


> Last summer, we got dropped off and checked our luggage curbside. It was very quick. They do expect a tip out there but a few bucks is worth it to skip the inside line. We used a car service to get back to the airport.


Do you think you could still use this if you're returning a rental car? I think that may be on the other side


----------



## BillFromCT

holyrita said:


> I'm sure this has been asked here before but I'm new to the thread and 595 pages is a lot  With Southwest's new policy of travel credits never expiring I'd like to give them a try.
> 
> If I fly SW I would check a bag since that is included in the price of your ticket but I've never done that before (frequent flyer with a carry-on!). I always arrive for my flight home at MCO and see what appears to be never ending lines for what I assume are people checking in their bags. Can anyone share their Southwest/MCO experiences checking in with any tips they've learned to expedite? Traveling with only a carry-on and PreCheck I normally don't show up to MCO for my flight home 30(ish) minutes before boarding (risky I know!).


Southwest check in at MCO is mostly self check kiosks.  They’re arranged in a way that a line can’t really form easily.  There’s always a seasoned traveler who can tag their bag in under 2 minutes.  Always move toward the person who seems to have a clue what they’re doing.  I’ve not had a problem with the precheck lines.  Always remember there are two security sides that dump out to the same place.  I‘ve found the A side sometimes has a longer line.  Taking 50 steps over to the other security check point can also save some time.


----------



## jo-jo

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Awesome news!! My September flight went down a bit, but I wasn't bothering to adjust it because I won't have another cash booking before those credits were set to expire in December (I booked on opening day). Now that they are non-expiring, I'm definitely calling to get that price difference and I'll just hold it until we burn through our points and need to make another cash reservation!


I believe the no expiring points only start today.    If I'm wrong I'd be thrilled.    We booked a few weeks ago so those still expire.

*Later posters are  sharing that credits that they have have changed to no expiration.     Whooo hoo    So happy to be wrong.*


----------



## BillFromCT

I have a credit left over from a May flight that I booked last December.  The expiration date switched from a December expiration date to None.


----------



## G719

holyrita said:


> Do you think you could still use this if you're returning a rental car? I think that may be on the other side


I think so. If the inside line is crowded, I think it's ok just to go outside and check your luggage there if you want. It's right outside the door near the southwest counter.


----------



## AntJulie

Some of our travel credits have no expiration date, others have December 31, 2040 (this is temporary and should change to no expiration). I had credits to expire August 2nd (next week) and now they have no expiration date!


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

jo-jo said:


> I believe the no expiring points only start today.    If I'm wrong I'd be thrilled.    We booked a few weeks ago so those still expire.


Any funds unexpired as of 7/28 no longer have an expiration date. It's really awesome of them to do it that way, as it gives people added benefit who booked assuming an expiring funds rule (myself included) this past year and now get the unexpiring benefit.


----------



## jo-jo

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Any funds unexpired as of 7/28 no longer have an expiration date. It's really awesome of them to do it that way, as it gives people added benefit who booked assuming an expiring funds rule (myself included) this past year and now get the unexpiring benefit.


At the moment we have tickets but no funds.    So if we find a cheaper fare , those credits will be no expiration?


----------



## MarBee

Did funds used to expire after one year?  I think I have a few bucks from an August 2021 trip out there…


----------



## jcarwash

holyrita said:


> If I fly SW I would check a bag since that is included in the price of your ticket but I've never done that before (frequent flyer with a carry-on!). I always arrive for my flight home at MCO and see what appears to be never ending lines for what I assume are people checking in their bags. Can anyone share their Southwest/MCO experiences checking in with any tips they've learned to expedite? Traveling with only a carry-on and PreCheck I normally don't show up to MCO for my flight home 30(ish) minutes before boarding (risky I know!).



My experience with the MCO SWA bag check is that the "line" can look daunting, but it actually moves fairly quickly despite it looking like chaos. Most everyone is funneling into the set of self-serve kioks which are reasonably easy to use (especially if you're familiar with them). I've usually seen SWA staff inside the line directing people to open kiosks to keep things moving.


----------



## LadybugsMum

jcarwash said:


> My experience with the MCO SWA bag check is that the "line" can look daunting, but it actually moves fairly quickly despite it looking like chaos. Most everyone is funneling into the set of self-serve kioks which are reasonably easy to use (especially if you're familiar with them). I've usually seen SWA staff inside the line directing people to open kiosks to keep things moving.


This is how it was back in Feb. The line was really long but only took about 25 minutes.


----------



## georgina

MarBee said:


> Did funds used to expire after one year?  I think I have a few bucks from an August 2021 trip out there…


It was one year from the date of purchase, not travel date. Those may have already expired, wouldn’t hurt to check though. I have been so out of the loop I hadn’t heard about the change to no expiration.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

BillFromCT said:


> I have a credit left over from a May flight that I booked last December.  The expiration date switched from a December expiration date to None.
> 
> View attachment 688841


Thanks for putting that screenshot in there  My husband checked his funds last night and it had the 2040 date but I showed him your screenshot so we know that will eventually update to none.


----------



## Wood Nymph

Tink3815 said:


> New information on the Southwest web site this morning
> 
> Flight credits unexpired on or created on or after July 28, 2022 will not expire. No action is required on your part! If you have unexpired flight credits as of July 28, they will not expire and are available for you to use.


This is great news! I always accumulate travel funds because I always look for my flights to go on sale. Last year I lost some funds because they expired before I could take another flight. Now I don't have to worry about it.


----------



## focusondisney

jo-jo said:


> At the moment we have tickets but no funds.    So if we find a cheaper fare , those credits will be no expiration?



Correct!


----------



## nekonekoneko

MarBee said:


> Did funds used to expire after one year?  I think I have a few bucks from an August 2021 trip out there…


They used to expire 1 year from date of purchase.  So if you had bought your tickets in May for your August trip, and then either got some money back or cancelled, then those funds would've expired the next May.


----------



## Lsdolphin

So I currently have Business Select ticket and considering changing to a lower fare I don’t see the value for us in keeping the higher priced ticket....don’t need the free drink and already have TSA PRE and Clear so don’t need the priority lines....I originally upgraded to the business select ticket in order to use up the travel funds I had that were expiring on 9/29/22 and were going to go to waste but now if I change to the lower fare I’ll save $80 which will become a non-expiring travel fund.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

jo-jo said:


> At the moment we have tickets but no funds.    So if we find a cheaper fare , those credits will be no expiration?


Correct. If you find a cheaper fare and adjust your ticket from here forward, those funds to not have expiration.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Lsdolphin said:


> So I currently have Business Select ticket and considering changing to a lower fare I don’t see the value for us in keeping the higher priced ticket....don’t need the free drink and already have TSA PRE and Clear so don’t need the priority lines....I originally upgraded to the business select ticket in order to use up the travel funds I had that were expiring on 9/29/22 and were going to go to waste but now if I change to the lower fare I’ll save $80 which will become a non-expiring travel fund.


Sounds like a plan to me. The non-expiring funds is a really great benefit, in my opinion. Hubby and I have a bunch of points right now from having worked to earn CPs, so we aren't traveling on cash any time soon. But, if we can grab a refund now on cash flights and then use that later, after we've burned through our points, all the bettter!!!


----------



## Lsdolphin

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Sounds like a plan to me. The non-expiring funds is a really great benefit, in my opinion. Hubby and I have a bunch of points right now from having worked to earn CPs, so we aren't traveling on cash any time soon. But, if we can grab a refund now on cash flights and then use that later, after we've burned through our points, all the bettter!!!


Well I made the change and the paid  part was refunded to my credit card and the remainder was changed back into travel fund but its showing an expiration date for 9/29/2022...so now I’m hoping that will change to non expiring.
Update:  travel fund has changed to “non expiring


----------



## scrappinginontario

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Any funds unexpired as of 7/28 no longer have an expiration date. It's really awesome of them to do it that way, as it gives people added benefit who booked assuming an expiring funds rule (myself included) this past year and now get the unexpiring benefit.


Sorry, do you have a link to this announcement?  Just trying to understand it and when it begins.

Thanks!


----------



## Lsdolphin

scrappinginontario said:


> Sorry, do you have a link to this announcement?  Just trying to understand it and when it begins.
> 
> Thanks!








No action needed—your flight credit is ready to use. View in web browser | View our mobile site







AIR  |  HOTEL  |  CAR  |  VACATIONS  |  RAPID REWARDS®














We have good news to share! 
As of July 28, our flight credit policy has changed. With this change, now your flight credit(s) that are unexpired on or created on or after July 28, 2022 will not expire! No action is required on your part—your applicable flight credit is available and ready for you to use. When viewing your flight credit, you will temporarily see an expiration date until we are able to update our systems. That said, there is no longer an expiration date for your flight credit. Remember a flight credit with an expiration date on or before July 27, 2022 is still expired and not available for use.
Check the balance of your flight credit:

If your Rapid Rewards® number was included in the reservation associated with your flight credit, you can check your flight credit balance in your My Account Payments Tab (on Southwest.com®) or under My Travel Funds (on the mobile app and mobile website). 
If you did not include a Rapid Rewards number in your booking, you can also check the balance on the Check Travel Funds page using the confirmation number from your canceled reservation. 
Use your flight credit to book travel:
When you're ready to use your flight credit, go through the booking flow as you normally would and choose your date, destination, and flight times. 

Access the payment details depending on your booking source.
From Southwest.com: 
On the Passenger & Payment Info page, expand the Apply Flight Credits, LUV Vouchers, and gift cards section. 
From the mobile app or mobile website: 
On the purchase screen, select Apply Travel Funds. 
Enter Confirmation Number, Passenger First Name, and Passenger Last Name and click Apply Funds
We look forward to seeing you onboard soon! 





Southwest.com® Privacy Southwest Experience 


Cualquier información publicitaria, promocional o de mercadotecnia contenida en este correo electrónico solo será efectiva y únicamente será aplicable en los Estados Unidos de América. 
This is a post-only mailing from Southwest Airlines. Please do not attempt to reply to this message. 
Southwest Airlines
2702 Love Field Drive
Dallas, TX 75235 
This e-mail was sent to: abjolles@gmail.com
© Copyright 2022 Southwest Airlines Co. All Rights Reserved.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Lsdolphin said:


> ​
> 
> ​
> No action needed—your flight credit is ready to use.View in web browser | View our mobile site
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> AIR  |  HOTEL  |  CAR  |  VACATIONS  |  RAPID REWARDS®
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We have good news to share!
> As of July 28, our flight credit policy has changed. With this change, now your flight credit(s) that are unexpired on or created on or after July 28, 2022 will not expire! No action is required on your part—your applicable flight credit is available and ready for you to use. When viewing your flight credit, you will temporarily see an expiration date until we are able to update our systems. That said, there is no longer an expiration date for your flight credit. Remember a flight credit with an expiration date on or before July 27, 2022 is still expired and not available for use.
> Check the balance of your flight credit:
> 
> If your Rapid Rewards® number was included in the reservation associated with your flight credit, you can check your flight credit balance in your My Account Payments Tab (on Southwest.com®) or under My Travel Funds (on the mobile app and mobile website).
> If you did not include a Rapid Rewards number in your booking, you can also check the balance on the Check Travel Funds page using the confirmation number from your canceled reservation.
> Use your flight credit to book travel:
> When you're ready to use your flight credit, go through the booking flow as you normally would and choose your date, destination, and flight times.
> 
> Access the payment details depending on your booking source.
> From Southwest.com:
> On the Passenger & Payment Info page, expand the Apply Flight Credits, LUV Vouchers, and gift cards section.
> From the mobile app or mobile website:
> On the purchase screen, select Apply Travel Funds.
> Enter Confirmation Number, Passenger First Name, and Passenger Last Name and click Apply Funds
> We look forward to seeing you onboard soon!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​
> Southwest.com®PrivacySouthwest Experience
> 
> 
> Cualquier información publicitaria, promocional o de mercadotecnia contenida en este correo electrónico solo será efectiva y únicamente será aplicable en los Estados Unidos de América.
> This is a post-only mailing from Southwest Airlines. Please do not attempt to reply to this message.
> Southwest Airlines
> 2702 Love Field Drive
> Dallas, TX 75235
> This e-mail was sent to: abjolles@gmail.com
> © Copyright 2022 Southwest Airlines Co. All Rights Reserved.



Thanks so much!  I had a small flight credit that I tried to use when I booked earlier this month but it would not allow me as it was going to expire before our flights in Feb.  It's still showing now so guessing I will be able to use it the next time I book.

This is great news as I always purchase flights on opening day and many times any advantage I've earned when flight prices drop, expire before we'd be able to use them.  So happy with this change!  Thanks Southwest!!


----------



## mickey916

Southwest is pretty smart doing this. We had credits leftover from 2020 that were expiring on Sept 7. By removing the expiration we now just decided to use those credits to fly in December instead of driving. Cost us an additional $200 total for two of us on top of our credits. More $ for Southwest...and good for us too..


----------



## DebbieB

> Last summer, we got dropped off and checked our luggage curbside. It was very quick. They do expect a tip out there but a few bucks is worth it to skip the inside line. We used a car service to get back to the airport.


We did curbside 2 weeks ago after walking in to long lines.  3 or 4 people ahead of us.


TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Any funds unexpired as of 7/28 no longer have an expiration date. It's really awesome of them to do it that way, as it gives people added benefit who booked assuming an expiring funds rule (myself included) this past year and now get the unexpiring benefit.


Coincidence it was announced the same day as the Jet Blue/ Spirit merger?  -


----------



## dobball23

RE: the flight credit never expiring.

Let's say I'm a week away from my trip and my plans change. I can cancel that flight, get my money "back" in the form of a flight credit and then use that to book new flights in 2025 (for example)? If so, this is a HUGE change.

We were scheduled to fly to Disney World for Marathon Weekend followed by a cruise this past January. To make sure we remained healthy for those two events, we decided to drive literally days before. But then we had to use those flights by June (when we originally booked them). We didn't have a trip planned, so we used the credits to visit my snowbird parents, which was nice, but not necessary. It would have been better to have the credits to use for a future vacation flight.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

dobball23 said:


> RE: the flight credit never expiring.
> 
> Let's say I'm a week away from my trip and my plans change. I can cancel that flight, get my money "back" in the form of a flight credit and then use that to book new flights in 2025 (for example)? If so, this is a HUGE change.
> 
> We were scheduled to fly to Disney World for Marathon Weekend followed by a cruise this past January. To make sure we remained healthy for those two events, we decided to drive literally days before. But then we had to use those flights by June (when we originally booked them). We didn't have a trip planned, so we used the credits to visit my snowbird parents, which was nice, but not necessary. It would have been better to have the credits to use for a future vacation flight.


Yup!! 

It really is a game changer for cash flights. There's the situation like yours where you had to totally cancel the trip, but it also makes those little changes when a fare drops actually worthwhile for folks who don't travel a ton. If you take one family trip a year, then the "no fee change, get a credit for the difference if a flight goes down" was essentially useless for that group. They weren't using the credit before it expired. Now, they can hold those funds and SW becomes a better deal when they start looking at their next big trip in the coming year(s).


----------



## EACarlson

MarBee said:


> Anyone familiar with MDW (Chicago Midway)?  I have two options for a flight with a layover (I don’t want a layover but there are no direct flights).  I will fly PHL-MDW-SNA.  There is an option that leaves PHL at 5:30 am with an almost 5 hour layover, or one that leaves at 8:45 am with a 55 minute layover.  Obviously I don’t want to hang around an airport for 5 hours but am nervous the 55 minute layover will not be enough time.  I will purchase EBCI either way. I’ve never flown into MDW before, so I’m completely unfamiliar. Both flights cost the same.  WWYD?


I would take the 55 min layover unless you really have an issue with mobility or have to have a specific seat.  You have a morning flight which is better than a late flight for delays, you don't say when in the year it is but even in winter I would book now the 55 minute layover and if the weather looks bad in either PHL or Chicago be prepared to change on the fly and either go to the earlier flight, change connection airports or change days. 
Since the construction I've never had any problems making it anywhere in the concourses in less than 10 minutes.


----------



## Tink3815

I am going to purchase some tickets for my son and daughter in law to be for travel in the fall. They will be married when they travel  and she will have her married name on her ID assume. Do I just call to adjust the name to her married name?

Thanks


----------



## han22735

Anyone ever experience EBCI purchased at the same time but I got B26, 31,37 for today's flight.  I've never had them be out of order in the past.  Seem weird?


----------



## jo-jo

DebbieB said:


> *We did curbside 2 weeks ago after walking in to long lines.  3 or 4 people ahead of us.*
> 
> Coincidence it was announced the same day as the Jet Blue/ Spirit merger?  -


We went a year ago and thought we'd die seeing the 7 million people  ahead of us.   A SW person had pity on us and sent us to upgraded checkin.    This past April we saw the curb side at MCO and danced all the way over to  the line of one.

We had decided about 8 years ago, curbside is the best think since slice bread.


----------



## MarBee

Tink3815 said:


> I am going to purchase some tickets for my son and daughter in law to be for travel in the fall. They will be married when they travel  and she will have her married name on her ID assume. Do I just call to adjust the name to her married name?
> 
> Thanks


If you’re certain she will have her new ID by then, why don’t you just book it now in her new name?


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

han22735 said:


> Anyone ever experience EBCI purchased at the same time but I got B26, 31,37 for today's flight.  I've never had them be out of order in the past.  Seem weird?


Yeah it can happen.

Couple of things to clear up:

Are all these the same fare class?
Are all these the same reservation?
Is anyone A-List?


----------



## han22735

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Yeah it can happen.
> 
> Couple of things to clear up:
> 
> Are all these the same fare class?
> Are all these the same reservation?
> Is anyone A-List?


Ok...never before for us. 

Yes, yes, no

We just spent $120 and upgraded to A6,7,8 at the gate.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

han22735 said:


> Ok...never before for us.
> 
> Yes, yes, no
> 
> We just spent $120 and upgraded to A6,7,8 at the gate.


If you paid with a SWA CC check to see if it qualifies for reimbursement of some or all of the Priority Boarding purchasing.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> If you paid with a SWA CC check to see if it qualifies for reimbursement of some or all of the Priority Boarding purchasing.


That’s for the priority card, right?  I’ve been wanting to take advantage of this but we usually get a good a-list position


----------



## MinnieMSue

han22735 said:


> Anyone ever experience EBCI purchased at the same time but I got B26, 31,37 for today's flight.  I've never had them be out of order in the past.  Seem weird?



Yes we have been out of order before. When my daughter was little whoever was in the first position moved back to board together at the later boarding position. Now that she is older we just board in whatever position we get. It has happened a number of times. Once I had A60 and she had B 5 or something. That was annoying. I said see ya later and boarded with my number. She was able to sit beside me after family boarding. She was around 15-16 years old at the time so not child abandonment lol


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Erica Ladd said:


> That’s for the priority card, right?  I’ve been wanting to take advantage of this but we usually get a good a-list position


Yeah looking at it it's that one and the Business Performance that get it up to 4

We personally have the Premier one which does not qualify for that however it does qualify for 2 EBCI. We used that benefit for me for our May 2022 Orlando flights since I was on a separate reservation than my husband who had the A-list.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Yeah looking at it it's that one and the Business Performance that get it up to 4
> 
> We personally have the Premier one which does not qualify for that however it does qualify for 2 EBCI. We used that benefit for me for our May 2022 Orlando flights since I was on a separate reservation than my husband who had the A-list.


Thanks! Do you know if the benefit to upgrade at the gate is per calendar year or anniversary year?


----------



## ultimatefans

Erica Ladd said:


> Thanks! Do you know if the benefit to upgrade at the gate is per calendar year or anniversary year?


Anniversary year.  You can look up the reward benefits on the Chase site and it will let you how many are left and when they reset


----------



## BillFromCT

ultimatefans said:


> Anniversary year.  You can look up the reward benefits on the Chase site and it will let you how many are left and when they reset


Speaking of the upgrade at the gate.  I thought I saw as part of their changes including WGA+ they were adding the ability to upgrade the day of, instead of having to wait to get to the gate.  Did I make that up in my head?


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Erica Ladd said:


> Thanks! Do you know if the benefit to upgrade at the gate is per calendar year or anniversary year?


Yeah like the poster said anniversary year, my husband had to look that up as well before using the EBCI benefit as we had sorta assumed calendar year.


----------



## focusondisney

BillFromCT said:


> Speaking of the upgrade at the gate.  I thought I saw as part of their changes including WGA+ they were adding the ability to upgrade the day of, instead of having to wait to get to the gate.  Did I make that up in my head?



You can upgrade your ticket anytime of course, but you’ll pay the full business select fare.  For the $30-45 upgrade fee, it’s still at the gate or ticket counter.  From the website:


----------



## MICKIMINI

For those NH-MA-VT-ME   MHT-MCO travelers:

We switched our MHT-MCO over the weekend to MHT-TPA for November flights (I have to admit, it was DH's genius idea).   The flights aren't any better with few non-stops however the points per flight are way cheaper.  I was able to switch us over to similar times (two round trips) and got over 25,000 points back!  Cha-ching!

Cars are cheaper too...is this a sign of a slowing economy hitting TPA first?  I was able to get a 20 night Luxury SUV (we will have guests) from Alamo through AP discounts for $1577 including taxes and fees. 

Happy travels! 

EDIT (8/25):  I've changed cars a few times since and prices are going down


----------



## lilmc

DH is in charge of all the minutiae regarding our flights so I just scan these boards to give him a heads up as needed. He wanted me to let you all know he saved 18k points today on previously booked flights on some 30% off sale today. I hadn’t seen it posted yet today.


----------



## PCFriar80

I know it's pretty standard now for SWA, but we just got a flight change notification for our connecting flight in BWI to MCO for December.  Nothing too drastic but changes are happening.  Just wanted to give folks a heads up to check their itineraries.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Now that flight credits don't expire, I find myself going in far more often to see if things have changed.  Saved money today on 2 flights we're taking in less than 2 weeks.


----------



## LadybugsMum

PCFriar80 said:


> I know it's pretty standard now for SWA, but we just got a flight change notification for our connecting flight in BWI to MCO for December.  Nothing too drastic but changes are happening.  Just wanted to give folks a heads up to check their itineraries.


I'm wondering how soon flight changes will occur for the Jan-Mar 2023 flights since they're already playing with the December schedule.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

scrappinginontario said:


> Now that flight credits don't expire, I find myself going in far more often to see if things have changed.  Saved money today on 2 flights we're taking in less than 2 weeks.


Agreed! For whatever reason, my 9/4 flight keeps going down after weeks of being steady/higher than opening day. I'm on my third round of changing to capture more of the travel funds back. 

We have a ton of points to use, but I saw somewhere (upthread here? credit card thread?) that you can use these funds for taxes and fees, too. Definitely going to take advantage of that for our Spring Break 2023 travel.


----------



## sandam1

LadybugsMum said:


> I'm wondering how soon flight changes will occur for the Jan-Mar 2023 flights since they're already playing with the December schedule.



I got a change notice this morning for my flight on 1/4. Thankfully, the change was small (about an extra half hour to my layover at BWI).


----------



## kristenrice

I'm nervous...

We fly in October and haven't had any changes!  Booked on "opening day" and not a thing has moved!  We connect through MDW on our flight down and our flight back.  Our return flight is the last flight of the evening from MDW-GRR, but we are within driving distance.  We don't have plans on our last day (except breakfast at Boma), but I detest the idea of a 5-6 hour layover at MDW when we are only a 3-hour drive from home...


----------



## nekonekoneko

The moved my flight for the beginning of January.  Landing a whopping 5 minutes earlier.  But they still gave me the option to change it.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

nekonekoneko said:


> The moved my flight for the beginning of January.  Landing a whopping 5 minutes earlier.  But they still gave me the option to change it.


I had the same thing happen for my August flights and absolutely jumped on a flight that was a better time for us but originally just too expensive to justify. If you'll give me the better, more expensive time slot for free, why thank you!!


----------



## nekonekoneko

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> I had the same thing happen for my August flights and absolutely jumped on a flight that was a better time for us but originally just too expensive to justify. If you'll give me the better, more expensive time slot for free, why thank you!!


I already have the flight I want, and it was the cheapest flight of the day, at least last I checked, so I'm ok with not changing it.  But it was still funny how a change of 5 minutes can trigger so many things.  And it's possible that they'll move it right back.


----------



## AngieInOH

Back in April our flight at 10:55 PM got cancelled and they bumped us to a 3:25 flight.  Went to check on other flights that day and they added a flight for 10:45 PM - 10 min difference.  So I rebooked the 10:45 time.  Always got to keep an eye on them!


----------



## MinnieMSue

kristenrice said:


> I'm nervous...
> 
> We fly in October and haven't had any changes!  Booked on "opening day" and not a thing has moved!  We connect through MDW on our flight down and our flight back.  Our return flight is the last flight of the evening from MDW-GRR, but we are within driving distance.  We don't have plans on our last day (except breakfast at Boma), but I detest the idea of a 5-6 hour layover at MDW when we are only a 3-hour drive from home...



My august and October flights have not changed at all (probably cursed myself here sadly).


----------



## ultimatefans

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Agreed! For whatever reason, my 9/4 flight keeps going down after weeks of being steady/higher than opening day. I'm on my third round of changing to capture more of the travel funds back.
> 
> We have a ton of points to use, but I saw somewhere (upthread here? credit card thread?) that you can use these funds for taxes and fees, too. Definitely going to take advantage of that for our Spring Break 2023 travel.


Yes, travel funds can be used for taxes and fees.  Vouchers (received when bumped or sometimes with a severely delayed flight) cannot be used for taxes and fees.


----------



## Henlady

PCFriar80 said:


> I know it's pretty standard now for SWA, but we just got a flight change notification for our connecting flight in BWI to MCO for December.  Nothing too drastic but changes are happening.  Just wanted to give folks a heads up to check their itineraries.


Our return trip on November 13 MCO-PIT is now leaving 15 minutes later.  But the price per person also changed from $343 to $519. 🥹


----------



## MinnieMSue

MinnieMSue said:


> My august and October flights have not changed at all (probably cursed myself here sadly).



And I cursed myself. My flight down was cancelled with no good replacement flight


----------



## MICKIMINI

We have four flights coming up for November/December.   Thanks all for the reminders to check, check, check for point drops!  I scored 2008 points from one flight, two have not changed and one has gone up!  Cha-ching!


----------



## MinnieMSue

Hum. Interesting. My flight was gone for next week and is now back. Maybe a website blip or is it a sign of things to come. It was cancelled today though. Ugh. Well I am trying to change my karma. I have been sad about the new magic bands not coming for my trip and now the flight blip. I signed up to donate blood in memory of a friend’s daughter and as part of a fund raiser for the high school band my daughter was in until graduation last may. Maybe that will reset things for me. At least it will help someone.


----------



## han22735

MinnieMSue said:


> And I cursed myself. My flight down was cancelled with no good replacement flight


Same thing happened to my August flight...It forced me to go a day earlier.


----------



## MinnieMSue

han22735 said:


> Same thing happened to my August flight...It forced me to go a day earlier.


Yeah keeping an eye on it and will be ready to run to the airport night before if necessary. There is a late flight out then. Hopefully with 2 seats


----------



## MICKIMINI

MinnieMSue said:


> Hum. Interesting. My flight was gone for next week and is now back. Maybe a website blip or is it a sign of things to come. It was cancelled today though. Ugh. Well I am trying to change my karma. I have been sad about the new magic bands not coming for my trip and now the flight blip. I signed up to donate blood in memory of a friend’s daughter and as part of a fund raiser for the high school band my daughter was in until graduation last may. Maybe that will reset things for me. At least it will help someone.


The Universe will hear you.


----------



## Lsdolphin

At this point I know a number of posters must have experienced delays with SWA ...I have as well the longest delay I’ve had leaving MCO to go home was 3 hours which combine with having arrived at the airport over 2 hours early meant I sat for 5 hours and another 3 hours on the plane....Ive been checking times for my upcoming flights daily for delays/cancellations and I see that if I was flying this evening my flight would have been cancelled and the only flight available would be leaving 4 hours later and arriving at BWI well after midnight.  I would have a 3 hr drive home after that!  Soooo my question is this: if this scenario should actually happen to me when I come in Sept. and I decided to try and rebook my flight for next day and find a hotel to spend the night ....would I be able to retrieve my suitcase or would it just stay in airport over night and automatically be put on my flight?   Up until now my flights have been cancelled before I’ve actually checked my bag in.


----------



## scrappinginontario

Lsdolphin said:


> At this point I know a number of posters must have experienced delays with SWA ...I have as well the longest delay I’ve had leaving MCO to go home was 3 hours which combine with having arrived at the airport over 2 hours early meant I sat for 5 hours and another 3 hours on the plane....Ive been checking times for my upcoming flights daily for delays/cancellations and I see that if I was flying this evening my flight would have been cancelled and the only flight available would be leaving 4 hours later and arriving at BWI well after midnight.  I would have a 3 hr drive home after that!  Soooo my question is this: if this scenario should actually happen to me when I come in Sept. and I decided to try and rebook my flight for next day and find a hotel to spend the night ....would I be able to retrieve my suitcase or would it just stay in airport over night and automatically be put on my flight?   Up until now my flights have been cancelled before I’ve actually checked my bag in.


I’m not sure things would be as easy as you are considering. My experience with many, many SW flights (close to 100 is my guess) us that they fly at near capacity so a cancelled flight does not necessarily mean you could be placed on the next flight.  There could be many people they’re trying to accommodate so being placed on the very next flight may not happen for all.

I would guess the option to retrieve your luggage would depend on when they rebook you.  I would pack extra items in your carryon of absolute necessities you may need.  This is a good practice at all times as luggage being misplaced is a reality when travelling.


----------



## Avery&Todd

UGH...Im still hoping that SW will make 2 changes for our flights in October...I'm asking very nicely out into the universe that (1.) my flights are moved to an earlier flight...we currently leave at 12pm....and I'd like something slightly earlier...like lets say...7am??  

and (2) I'd like my non-stop to stick around..

that's not too much to ask for, right??


----------



## Lsdolphin

scrappinginontario said:


> I’m not sure things would be as easy as you are considering. My experience with many, many SW flights (close to 100 is my guess) us that they fly at near capacity so a cancelled flight does not necessarily mean you could be placed on the next flight.  There could be many people they’re trying to accommodate so being placed on the very next flight may not happen for all.
> 
> I would guess the option to retrieve your luggage would depend on when they rebook you.  I would pack extra items in your carryon of absolute necessities you may need.  This is a good practice at all times as luggage being misplaced is a reality when travelling.


Yes.  my fight back on April 3 from BWI was cancelled and I wasn’t able to get another flight for 2 days had to drive 3 hrs home and than drive back to airport 2 days later...but I hadn’t checked my luggage yet.


----------



## jkelly86

Lsdolphin said:


> Yes.  my fight back on April 3 from BWI was cancelled and I wasn’t able to get another flight for 2 days had to drive 3 hrs home and than drive back to airport 2 days later...but I hadn’t checked my luggage yet.


I wanted to add that once you check your luggage at the airport, you are unable to rebook your flights online or over the phone.  You must stand in line with the other customers to change your booking and then head down to retrieve your luggage after.  It’s a bit of a nightmare.


----------



## Lsdolphin

jkelly86 said:


> I wanted to add that once you check your luggage at the airport, you are unable to rebook your flights online or over the phone.  You must stand in line with the other customers to change your booking and then head down to retrieve your luggage after.  It’s a bit of a nightmare.


Thank you. That’s what I wanted to know!


----------



## MarBee

Can someone help me please?  I’m looking for SW’s flight map (city to city list of where they fly directly).  I’ve always had the site saved on my phone but just cleared my cache, and now I’m not finding it at all.  I have wasted way too much time driving myself crazy looking for it today.  Can anyone provide a link for my fried brain please?


----------



## nekonekoneko

MarBee said:


> Can someone help me please?  I’m looking for SW’s flight map (city to city list of where they fly directly).  I’ve always had the site saved on my phone but just cleared my cache, and now I’m not finding it at all.  I have wasted way too much time driving myself crazy looking for it today.  Can anyone provide a link for my fried brain please?


https://www.southwest.com/route-map-list-view/?clk=RTMAPLIST


----------



## MarBee

nekonekoneko said:


> https://www.southwest.com/route-map-list-view/?clk=RTMAPLIST


Thank you!  That just would not come up for me on my phone for some reason.  You saved me a ton of frustration


----------



## Threehearts

Can I share my Southwest drink coupons with others in my row(or just give them away)?   I have about 20 drink coupons that expire in a year and I expect to get more this year.  I will never use most of these.  I went to Southwest's Community board and the answers to this are quite old so I'm wondering what your experience has been.

Anyone?


----------



## elgerber

Threehearts said:


> Can I share my Southwest drink coupons with others in my row(or just give them away)?   I have about 20 drink coupons that expire in a year and I expect to get more this year.  I will never use most of these.  I went to Southwest's Community board and the answers to this are quite old so I'm wondering what your experience has been.
> 
> Anyone?


I don’t see why not. I gave mine to some people at the gate. I don’t know if they used them but I also mailed some to a friend and they did use them.


----------



## Threehearts

That's great news!  Thanks.  I didn't know if they were non-transferrable.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Should I be worried that my flights for Jan/Feb have not gone up in price at all? It's weird to ask, but I'm wondering if the flights will get changed since it appears that the demand isn't there for those flights. I might also just be finding something to worry about.


----------



## nekonekoneko

LadybugsMum said:


> Should I be worried that my flights for Jan/Feb have not gone up in price at all? It's weird to ask, but I'm wondering if the flights will get changed since it appears that the demand isn't there for those flights. I might also just be finding something to worry about.



There's a couple of prices around the time that I fly that gave changed a bit, but most of them are the same as opening day.

I'm wondering if the lowering of jet fuel prices have anything to do with it.  It's similar to the lowering of gasoline prices recently.  But, airlines tend to buy futures, so that the price of jet fuel is fixed, regardless of its fluctuations.


----------



## Bsams1654

I was reading the new posts on here and it reminded me to check my flights for November again to see if costs or times changed. Well, no time changes thank goodness, but the cost on our flight down was $55 cheaper per person! Super excited and now everyone has $55 to use in the future. Thank you all!


----------



## Avery&Todd

Bsams1654 said:


> I was reading the new posts on here and it reminded me to check my flights for November again to see if costs or times changed. Well, no time changes thank goodness, but the cost on our flight down was $55 cheaper per person! Super excited and now everyone has $55 to use in the future. Thank you all!


and YOUR post made me check our flights to/from Vegas in February and I was able to save 3,300 points on our 2 flights for the return flight!  
SCORE!

Thanks!


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Bsams1654 said:


> I was reading the new posts on here and it reminded me to check my flights for November again to see if costs or times changed. Well, no time changes thank goodness, but the cost on our flight down was $55 cheaper per person! Super excited and now everyone has $55 to use in the future. Thank you all!





Avery&Todd said:


> and YOUR post made me check our flights to/from Vegas in February and I was able to save 3,300 points on our 2 flights for the return flight!
> SCORE!
> 
> Thanks!



And, you two got me excited, so I checked my flights... and I broke the chain! Whomp, whomp.  

I've already been able to snap up $60 a person on my Sept return flight since they switched to non-expiring credits, so no complaints here. I'm still holding out hope that my 8/25 outbound does something...


----------



## Kazi7

This is kind of an obscure question about the credit card perks.......my renewal date is Oct 1.  It is during my 9/7 - 10/6 statement period.  If I purchase a cash ticket during that statement period (say on 9/8 when the next round of flights come out), will I be able to use the $75 credit I get, or do I have to wait until the next statement period to purchase it?


----------



## ultimatefans

Kazi7 said:


> This is kind of an obscure question about the credit card perks.......my renewal date is Oct 1.  It is during my 9/7 - 10/6 statement period.  If I purchase a cash ticket during that statement period (say on 9/8 when the next round of flights come out), will I be able to use the $75 credit I get, or do I have to wait until the next statement period to purchase it?


If you log into your Chase account and click More / Rewards Dashboard, it will give you the month when your annual credit resets.  It will be after your statement closing date in xx month (whatever month they say).  So if it resets after your statement closing date in October, and your closing date is the 6th, then you will have to wait until after October 7th.  But if it resets on your statement closing date in September, and your statement closes 9/6, then you should be able to use it on 9/8.


----------



## Kazi7

ultimatefans said:


> If you log into your Chase account and click More / Rewards Dashboard, it will give you the month when your annual credit resets.  It will be after your statement closing date in xx month (whatever month they say).  So if it resets after your statement closing date in October, and your closing date is the 6th, then you will have to wait until after October 7th.  But if it resets on your statement closing date in September, and your statement closes 9/6, then you should be able to use it on 9/8.


OK thanks.  It resets on Oct 8 which is what I was afraid of.  What else can I use the $75 for besides a fare and the $5.60 fee when booking with points?


----------



## BillFromCT

Kazi7 said:


> OK thanks.  It resets on Oct 8 which is what I was afraid of.  What else can I use the $75 for besides a fare and the $5.60 fee when booking with points?


Early bird can be used for the $75, or purchasing points.


----------



## lorimt

Kazi7 said:


> OK thanks.  It resets on Oct 8 which is what I was afraid of.  What else can I use the $75 for besides a fare and the $5.60 fee when booking with points?


I think I was able to buy a gift card and received the credit a few years ago.


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

lorimt said:


> I think I was able to buy a gift card and received the credit a few years ago.


If not, points are “on sale”.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Kazi7 said:


> OK thanks.  It resets on Oct 8 which is what I was afraid of.  What else can I use the $75 for besides a fare and the $5.60 fee when booking with points?


How about upgraded boarding at the gate?


----------



## elaine amj

Kazi7 said:


> OK thanks.  It resets on Oct 8 which is what I was afraid of.  What else can I use the $75 for besides a fare and the $5.60 fee when booking with points?


I used the $75 for a gift card which I then sold for a 10% discount. 

Normally though, I book enough flights on points that the $5.60/ each way covers the whole $75.

With the 4 free upgraded boardings a year, it doesn’t make sense to use the credit for that.


----------



## Kazi7

elaine amj said:


> With the 4 free upgraded boardings a year, it doesn’t make sense to use the credit for that.


If the 4 free upgrades are gone, can you use the $75 for that?


----------



## elaine amj

Kazi7 said:


> If the 4 free upgrades are gone, can you use the $75 for that?


Unfortunately I don’t know. I imagine so but hopefully some SW gurus on here will know for sure.


----------



## AngieInOH

Keep checking, my Feb flight to MCO went down $75.  Got 17,373 points back and a credit of $225.  Not too bad.


----------



## Grenaldo

Southwest took about an hour to release the bags from my flight to a carousel on August 6 after my arrival around 6 PM.


----------



## Walk This Way

Grenaldo said:


> Southwest took about an hour to release the bags from my flight to a carousel on August 6 after my arrival around 6 PM.


That's too long to stand around waiting! Frustrating when you just want the day's travel to be over with. I miss the luggage delivery more than the actual ride on Magical Express.


----------



## focusondisney

Grenaldo said:


> Southwest took about an hour to release the bags from my flight to a carousel on August 6 after my arrival around 6 PM.



How was the weather? I’ve had that happen during afternoon rain storms.  If there is lightening within a certain distance all the tarmac workers get pulled inside.   Of course, it could also be they were short staffed for that job.


----------



## Grenaldo

focusondisney said:


> How was the weather? I’ve had that happen during afternoon rain storms.  If there is lightening within a certain distance all the tarmac workers get pulled inside.   Of course, it could also be they were short staffed for that job.


It was a clear night. Staffing appeared to be the issue.


----------



## han22735

We arrived yesterday at 330 and it took over 45 minutes for us as well.  The lady on the mic kept talking about being short drivers.


----------



## elgerber

Grenaldo said:


> Southwest took about an hour to release the bags from my flight to a carousel on August 6 after my arrival around 6 PM.


We had that issue with Suncountry a few weeks back. Took 45 minutes. We were not happy. Then after half came out the rest of the bags came out on a different carousel.


----------



## mickey916

Not sure how to ask this question but...does anyone know how long after you get a notification about a change to your flight that you can make a change and get refunded the difference? Here's my scenario: My return flight in December got moved by 5 minutes and I got the "make a change for no additional cost" email. When I went to look at the current rates for that flight, my flight went down by $15 a person and I'd like to reap that back as a credit. However because they recently changed the flight, it won't show me -$15 when I select that same flight to modify. It just offers to modify for no change in fee...it's been 11 days since the notification, just hoping that eventually I can "change" to the same flight and get the $15/person back in credits (assuming the reduced fee is still available).


----------



## jcarwash

mickey916 said:


> Not sure how to ask this question but...does anyone know how long after you get a notification about a change to your flight that you can make a change and get refunded the difference? Here's my scenario: My return flight in December got moved by 5 minutes and I got the "make a change for no additional cost" email. When I went to look at the current rates for that flight, my flight went down by $15 a person and I'd like to reap that back as a credit. However because they recently changed the flight, it won't show me -$15 when I select that same flight to modify. It just offers to modify for no change in fee...it's been 11 days since the notification, just hoping that eventually I can "change" to the same flight and get the $15/person back in credits (assuming the reduced fee is still available).



In this situation where you are in the "make a change for no additional cost" state, you can call to have them make the change so you can get the travel funds. They can help you.


----------



## mickey916

jcarwash said:


> In this situation, you have to call to have them make the change so you can get the travel funds. They can help you.


Thank you!


----------



## MinnieMSue

Grenaldo said:


> Southwest took about an hour to release the bags from my flight to a carousel on August 6 after my arrival around 6 PM.



Ours took that long too!  Other flights that came before ours had their luggage come out while people on our flight was standing there. It was very annoying.


----------



## mindy lou

Grenaldo said:


> Southwest took about an hour to release the bags from my flight to a carousel on August 6 after my arrival around 6 PM.


We waited an hour for bags to arrive on the carousel after an 8:15 am arrival at the end of June. And then another hour to get our rental car from Budget!


----------



## holyrita

Hello! Have my first flight with Southwest coming up in a few weeks and have been keeping an eye on the schedule/pricing. This morning the Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away Plus fares for my flight to Orlando are 'Unavailable'. Does that mean those tickets sold out? I didn't purchase EarlyBird check-in but if the flight is selling out I'm wondering if I made the wrong choice by not..


----------



## focusondisney

holyrita said:


> Hello! Have my first flight with Southwest coming up in a few weeks and have been keeping an eye on the schedule/pricing. This morning the Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away Plus fares for my flight to Orlando are 'Unavailable'. Does that mean those tickets sold out? I didn't purchase EarlyBird check-in but if the flight is selling out I'm wondering if I made the wrong choice by not..



It might.  Are other fares showing as available? I have seen  WGA fares as unavailable & then they later come back. This has happened several times.  I’ve also seen whole flights (all categories) show unavailable & then come back.  I think that happens sometimes when flights are getting cancelled or having major changes  & they stop selling new reservations  until they get everyone rebooked. Never heard that officially, it’s just my theory. 

If other fares are showing, try to make a fake booking. I’ll usually see if it lets you search for 8 people & decrease as needed to see how many seats are left on the plane.


----------



## mickey916

jcarwash said:


> In this situation where you are in the "make a change for no additional cost" state, you can call to have them make the change so you can get the travel funds. They can help you.


Just to follow up, I called today and the representative helped me quickly. Thanks for the suggestion.


----------



## holyrita

focusondisney said:


> It might.  Are other fares showing as available? I have seen  WGA fares as unavailable & then they later come back. This has happened several times.  I’ve also seen whole flights (all categories) show unavailable & then come back.  I think that happens sometimes when flights are getting cancelled or having major changes  & they stop selling new reservations  until they get everyone rebooked. Never heard that officially, it’s just my theory.
> 
> If other fares are showing, try to make a fake booking. I’ll usually see if it lets you search for 8 people & decrease as needed to see how many seats are left on the plane.


Yes other fares are showing but if I select more than 2 passengers.. no fares are showing as available  is this a full flight? The flight is in 17 days and from everything I've read EarlyBird is prioritized by timestamp of when its purchased. Do you think it's even worth purchasing at this point? I could be the last person on the plane to buy it


----------



## focusondisney

holyrita said:


> Yes other fares are showing but if I select more than 2 passengers.. no fares are showing as available  is this a full flight? The flight is in 17 days and from everything I've read EarlyBird is prioritized by timestamp of when its purchased. Do you think it's even worth purchasing at this point? I could be the last person on the plane to buy it



Yes, sounds like there are only 2 seat left on the plane. If you buy now, you’ll still be checked in before anyone who didn’t purchase.


----------



## dobball23

I booked flights about a week before Southwest changed their policy where credits never expire. If I cancel/change those flights, will the credits never expire? Or will they still be under the previous 1-year expiration?

I am mainly curious because we recently got bumped from a flight and have $800+ in credits for each of us via LUV vouchers. However, they have a 1-year expiration date. I'd prefer to rebook with those.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

dobball23 said:


> I booked flights about a week before Southwest changed their policy where credits never expire. If I cancel/change those flights, will the credits never expire? Or will they still be under the previous 1-year expiration?
> 
> I am mainly curious because we recently got bumped from a flight and have $800+ in credits for each of us via LUV vouchers. However, they have a 1-year expiration date. I'd prefer to rebook with those.



No expiration! I booked months before the policy change (12/2021) and the credits I've received when flights reduced have no expiration date. In fact, any credits that were still out there, unexpired as of the announcement date also became unexpiring. Rebook away.


----------



## aokeefe

Received an email that my February PVD-MCO flight changed from 7:50 am to the dreaded 5:25 am. Just can't do early morning flights anymore unless absolutely necessary!! So easily switched to a 12:35 pm flight. Of course after I made the switched I realized I should have checked the times for the day before. Oh well!


----------



## jo-jo

When you get that email of doom saying Good news, your flight was canceled, but we booked you on a 2 am flight with 4 stops and 12 hour layovers.    Or you can pick another flight.    Do you have to pick a flight in your same purchase level.     So if I spent $300 at the cheapest level, but the one pm flight only has the top two tiers open at a cost of $600.    Can you switch to that?


----------



## aokeefe

jo-jo said:


> When you get that email of doom saying Good news, your flight was canceled, but we booked you on a 2 am flight with 4 stops and 12 hour layovers.    Or you can pick another flight.    Do you have to pick a flight in your same purchase level.     So if I spent $300 at the cheapest level, but the one pm flight only has the top two tiers open at a cost of $600.    Can you switch to that?


You can book at any price level- any flight that has open seats will be available for you to switch too


----------



## maui2k5

We (me, wife, girls 12/14 at the time of travel) will be flying to Orlando from Houston in March and tickets for Southwest open up on Sept 8th for our dates.  We have not flown Southwest in over 10 years so I’m not too familiar with how things work today (usually fly United).

We do not want to be separated on the plane and want to be seated together.  My question is how likely is it with the Anytime fare that we will still fall into a lower boarding group?  Wondering if Business Select is worth the extra cost to guarantee A1-A-15 vs automatic early bird check in 36 hours prior on Anytime.

Thoughts?


----------



## PCFriar80

maui2k5 said:


> We (me, wife, girls 12/14 at the time of travel) will be flying to Orlando from Houston in March and tickets for Southwest open up on Sept 8th for our dates.  We have not flown Southwest in over 10 years so I’m not too familiar with how things work today (usually fly United).
> 
> We do not want to be separated on the plane and want to be seated together.  My question is how likely is it with the Anytime fare that we will still fall into a lower boarding group?  Wondering if Business Select is worth the extra cost to guarantee A1-A-15 vs automatic early bird check in 36 hours prior on Anytime.
> 
> Thoughts?


I personally would go with the cheaper fare [Wanna Get Away] and purchase EBCI.  In most cases, the cost for EBCI plus Wanna Get Away is less than the price you would pay in the other fare categories.  I would also purchase EBCI the day your flights come out when you purchase those tickets.


----------



## Mome Rath

maui2k5 said:


> We (me, wife, girls 12/14 at the time of travel) will be flying to Orlando from Houston in March and tickets for Southwest open up on Sept 8th for our dates.  We have not flown Southwest in over 10 years so I’m not too familiar with how things work today (usually fly United).
> 
> We do not want to be separated on the plane and want to be seated together.  My question is how likely is it with the Anytime fare that we will still fall into a lower boarding group?  Wondering if Business Select is worth the extra cost to guarantee A1-A-15 vs automatic early bird check in 36 hours prior on Anytime.
> 
> Thoughts?


The Early Bird also "holds your place" in line, as far as when you buy your tickets.  So, if you are one of the first ones to buy Early Bird for the flight, then you will be one of the first ones to checked in to the flight.

The only "issue" is if the tickets fall in price, and you re-book at the lower price, you still keep the Early Bird, but I THINK you "lose your place in line" as far as who on the flight has already purchased Early Bird, someone please correct me if I'm wrong.


----------



## Bsams1654

Mome Rath said:


> The Early Bird also "holds your place" in line, as far as when you buy your tickets.  So, if you are one of the first ones to buy Early Bird for the flight, then you will be one of the first ones to checked in to the flight.
> 
> The only "issue" is if the tickets fall in price, and you re-book at the lower price, you still keep the Early Bird, but I THINK you "lose your place in line" as far as who on the flight has already purchased Early Bird, someone please correct me if I'm wrong.


I really hope this is incorrect as I’ve edited my flight twice now to get the credits for lower fares. I originally purchased 7:45am right when the flight opened so I’d be screwed apparently. That would be a load of you know what if that’s the case and I’ll probably write to Southwest to tell them that as well.


----------



## Mome Rath

Bsams1654 said:


> I really hope this is incorrect as I’ve edited my flight twice now to get the credits for lower fares. I originally purchased 7:45am right when the flight opened so I’d be screwed apparently. That would be a load of you know what if that’s the case and I’ll probably write to Southwest to tell them that as well.


I think this used to be the case, but I just emailed them to find out.


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## Lsdolphin

Bsams1654 said:


> I really hope this is incorrect as I’ve edited my flight twice now to get the credits for lower fares. I originally purchased 7:45am right when the flight opened so I’d be screwed apparently. That would be a load of you know what if that’s the case and I’ll probably write to Southwest to tell them that as well.


I’m pretty sure your “EB place in line changes if you change your flight”...the EB carries over to new flight but you would be placed behind those who have already booked the new flight and have purchased EB.


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## Betty Rohrer

Mome Rath said:


> I think this used to be the case, but I just emailed them to find out.


think of changing flights with EBCI how would you like it if you had bought tickets with EBCI on the second flight and they were putting people who change their flight after you bought to ahead of you?


----------



## Mome Rath

Betty Rohrer said:


> think of changing flights with EBCI how would you like it if you had bought tickets with EBCI on the second flight and they were putting people who change their flight after you bought to ahead of you?


Right, I think that's why it does boot you to the back of the line; however, you aren't really changing a flight as it's still the same flight number, same confirmation, same everything, just cheaper.  I'm guessing they treat it as though you are changing a flight.


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## PCFriar80

Lsdolphin said:


> I’m pretty sure your “EB place in line changes if you change your flight”...the EB carries over to new flight but you would be placed behind those who have already booked the new flight and have purchased EB.


EBCI is tied to your reservation number.  If you simply change your reservation for price benefits then there should be no impact to your position.
If you change your reservation to a different flight #, departure city, etc. then you'll be reassigned based on the date/time stamp of that change and fall behind those who already have been assigned EBCI for that flight.  That's how I understand it, but full disclosure I'm sure there's an algorithm that's a little more complex than my simple thinking!


----------



## Bsams1654

Lsdolphin said:


> I’m pretty sure your “EB place in line changes if you change your flight”...the EB carries over to new flight but you would be placed behind those who have already booked the new flight and have purchased EB.


I’m not even changing the flight though. It’s literally the same flight that I’ve already booked BEFORE all those people. I’m just editing to get some money back. So why should those people who really did technically buy EBCI after I did get pushed ahead? That’s a bit ridiculous. I will probably just call southwest to see if they have an answer. But I’m sure it will be one of those obscure things that no one actually knows the answer to. 


PCFriar80 said:


> EBCI is tied to your reservation number.  If you simply change your reservation for price benefits then there should be no impact to your position.
> If you change your reservation to a different flight #, departure city, etc. then you'll be reassigned based on the date/time stamp of that change and fall behind those who already have been assigned EBCI for that flight.  That's how I understand it, but full disclosure I'm sure there's an algorithm that's a little more complex than my simple thinking!


So this is my situation. I didn’t change the flight. Didn’t cancel. Didn’t get a whole new booking with a new reservation. I literally kept the same flight details and everything but I just figured I would get some flight credits. Never thought it would change my place in EBCI and they should probably make that very clearly written out somewhere. If it does change it, I want my money back for EBCI. I bought it the day they released the flights for a reason.


----------



## PCFriar80

Bsams1654 said:


> I’m not even changing the flight though. It’s literally the same flight that I’ve already booked BEFORE all those people. I’m just editing to get some money back. So why should those people who really did technically buy EBCI after I did get pushed ahead? That’s a bit ridiculous. I will probably just call southwest to see if they have an answer. But I’m sure it will be one of those obscure things that no one actually knows the answer to.
> 
> So this is my situation. I didn’t change the flight. Didn’t cancel. Didn’t get a whole new booking with a new reservation. I literally kept the same flight details and everything but I just figured I would get some flight credits. Never thought it would change my place in EBCI and they should probably make that very clearly written out somewhere. If it does change it, I want my money back for EBCI. I bought it the day they released the flights for a reason.


I agree with you, but as you mentioned there's no where that it is written.  I have done this a lot and there are so many variables that go in to the "final decision".  The best one I ever had was when I payed for EBCI and the rest of the flight to MCO to BDL were local high school bands going to Disney.  We got A16 & 17.  I was like wow the night before!  The rest of the troops followed us in and they were a great bunch of young adults!


----------



## Bsams1654

PCFriar80 said:


> I agree with you, but as you mentioned there's no where that it is written.  I have done this a lot and there are so many variables that go in to the "final decision".  The best one I ever had was when I payed for EBCI and the rest of the flight to MCO to BDL were local high school bands going to Disney.  We got A16 & 17.  I was like wow the night before!  The rest of the troops followed us in and they were a great bunch of young adults!


Hey I fly in and out of BDL too! Lol
I have always had pretty good positions with it but I know flying anywhere right now can be hectic and Florida in particular seems to always have packed flights. 
I guess I’m just worked up about it because I don’t like flying as it is so I am very particular about where I sit  

I did just go look at a few things online including the Southwest community forum and most everyone agrees that as long as you are not changing the actual flight it shouldn’t affect you. If you are just editing to get money back you should be in the clear. I did send an email to Southwest CS just in case though because as previously hinted at, I am a head case.


----------



## lklasing

Does anyone know how the checkin for bags at MCO is these days?  Last time I flew out of MCO was early March and it was AWFUL.  The line to check bags was over an hour both inside and outside.  I'm hoping it's better now!


----------



## disny_luvr

Regarding EBCI, we flew from BWI to/from Denver earlier this summer. I purchased our tickets and EBCI pretty soon after they were released. A few weeks after I purchased, our flights were canceled and we were rebooked on new ones. Our confirmation number did not changed, but I think we were bumped back farther in the boarding numbers because we got B 18-21 on our way to Denver and even higher B’s on our way from Denver. I was shocked because in all our years of flying SW and purchasing EBCI, we never had a boarding group of B. On the way to Denver, my sons and I got the last row of three in row 21 and my DH sat across from us, so no problems there, but flying home, there were no rows of three left when we boarded. We were in the back again, and my one son and I were going to sit together and my other son and DH were going to sit together a few rows ahead of us, but the guy who was sitting in the row my son and I were going to sit in kindly offered to move up a few rows and he sat with my DH so my sons and I could be in the same row. That was so nice of him!

Choosing seats on SW never bothered me before, but it did add a little stress this time. As long as we can sit two and two, we are fine, although my boys would rather sit together with either myself or DH; the horror of maybe having to sit with someone they don’t know, lol. Going to Denver there was a mom and her two kids that were probably early teens and they boarded shortly after us and there were only single seats available by that time. She just was not having it. Someone did finally offer their seat so she could sit with her son. 

I think if you’re not in boarding group A, when family boarding happens between A and B, a lot of the remaining rows get taken. In a way, I think it’s nice that SW offers family boarding, but I guess I also don’t understand why families just don’t buy EBCI if they want to increase their chances of sitting together. We’ve always purchased EBCI even when our sons qualified us for family boarding.


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## Dean1953

Not Orlando related, but I’m flying SWA from KC to Seattle on August 31.  The last flight of the day, leaving at 8:50 and arriving at 1:10 AM.    I am leaving the next morning at 10:20 AM on Singapore airlines for Singapore and then Bangkok. There are lots of flights to Seattle but, for that day only, all of the seats in the first 2 categories were sold out.   If for any reason, the flight that I’m on is canceled, there would be no way to get to Seattle in time for my flight to Singapore. I talked with a SWA agent this morning and, as they moved me to that flight months ago, I am allowed one change.  Would it be advisable to change it to the day before?  Or, since the odds are in my favor, just keep the current reservation and take my chances?


----------



## jujubiee4

How is the departure out of MCO these days? We will be flying back home on  a Saturday
after 12 in a week or two. Is it still very busy..especially at SouthWest?


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Dean1953 said:


> Not Orlando related, but I’m flying SWA from KC to Seattle on August 31.  The last flight of the day, leaving at 8:50 and arriving at 1:10 AM.    I am leaving the next morning at 10:20 AM on Singapore airlines for Singapore and then Bangkok. There are lots of flights to Seattle but, for that day only, all of the seats in the first 2 categories were sold out.   If for any reason, the flight that I’m on is canceled, there would be no way to get to Seattle in time for my flight to Singapore. I talked with a SWA agent this morning and, as they moved me to that flight months ago, I am allowed one change.  Would it be advisable to change it to the day before?  Or, since the odds are in my favor, just keep the current reservation and take my chances?


To give a recent story from my DISer friends that flew from KC (we also live here) to Chicago and then Chicago to Paris......fly the day before just do it..do not chance *anything* these days with that hard of a international flight. It's hard enough with domestic travel.


Here's the story saga starting 8/3 

Weather delay in KC (and storm heading to Chicago) on United, unfortunately they did not catch it that their flight from KC to Chicago had been canceled already (that occurred the day before and United did advise that day via e-mail storms may impact their flights).
They were put on a standby flight from KC to Chicago. They were not able to be on that flight, put on standby for a later flight however that flight was extremely close to their flight from Chicago to Paris (that flight was scheduled to be delayed already so they had some hope).
They made that later flight to Chicago, on the plane....and then sent back to the gate flight won't leave for 2 hours so still stuck in KC. They eventually left KCI and drove back home.

8/4 made it to Chicago, made it from Chicago to Paris. Unfortunately they missed Versailles.

8/12 flight from Paris to DC diverted to Boston due to mechanical issues, arrived in Boston and rebooked onto a flight from Boston to  Newark to KC.


My husband also flew Delta from Seattle to KC Thursday night (8/18) last flight out was supposed to land in KC at 11:30pm but got delayed until just after 1am. Got on the plane left the gate and the plane had a sensor go off, returned to gate and luckily they were able to get it fixed. We're about 40-45mins from the airport, he got home at 3:30am Friday.

My husband flew SWA 7/20 from New Orleans back home to KC. Left the gate, returned to the gate due to critical malfunction or as the pilot described "hard broke" Maintenance called those connecting in KC deplaned, those where end flight is KC stayed on the plane, not too too long after all passengers deplaned, now looking for another plane to fly. Found another plane, left a few hours late and he arrived home.

DISer friends flying SWA from MCO to KC on 7/15 however they got delayed 1 hour, sat on the tarmac for another 2 hours and then had to return to the gate as the pilots timed out on hours. Now the flight from MCO to KC is 2hr 30mins or so to 2hrs 45mins or so, if the pilots only had 3 hours before timing out they _knew_ they would be cutting it very close. Luckily they were able to get a flight the next morning on 7/16 from MCO to KC because we were leaving early afternoon as a group from KC to Branson to go to Silver Dollar City.

And these stories are from within 1 month's time frame.
______________________________________________________________-
I know an extremely long post but flying these days is anything but a mess and I just would not chance it. Fly the morning before if you can to allow for delay issues but even these days that is pushing it 

And it's all airlines not just one, no one airline is necessarily better than another in all this mess. I have never had so many instances I've personally heard of where people were on the plane and either left the gate and had to return or sat connected to the jetway only to have to deplane. It used to be much more secure once you were on the plane and left the jetway for you to know your flight was likely going to go through. These days not at all the case.


----------



## Dean1953

The only thing that I have going in my instance is that my flight, if on time, will arrive in Seattle (direct flight that stops in Phoenix) at 1 AM. My flight to Singapore leaves at 10:20 AM    That leaves me 9 hours between flights.  Only a cancellation will affect me.   I’ll wait a few days but my inclination is to try to change my flight to late morning/early afternoon. If I do that, I’ll definitely need a hotel for that night.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Dean1953 said:


> The only thing that I have going in my instance is that my flight, if on time, will arrive in Seattle (direct flight that stops in Phoenix) at 1 AM. My flight to Singapore leaves at 10:20 AM    That leaves me 9 hours between flights.  Only a cancellation will affect me.   I’ll wait a few days but my inclination is to try to change my flight to late morning/early afternoon. If I do that, I’ll definitely need a hotel for that night.


I'd go with your inclination. Having to go from Phoenix then to Seattle further complicates things. I did look the flight up and while it's not a plane change pilots or crew could time out, mechanical issues, etc. And you're flying leading up to Labor Day.

It used to be not as big of a deal with that long of a layover and in the past I wouldn't have likely worried about it (except for cruises where I would fly the day before been there done that when I was a teen missing half a cruise because we didn't do that). When I was giving the examples I was trying to show that cancellations are but one issue. We used to just have delays mostly weather sometimes mechanical but it usually wasn't catastrophic or as frequently but now you have high instances of mechanical, weather, pilot time outs/flight crew issues, air traffic controller issues, etc. You could even get stuck in Phoenix (fingers crossed of course that nothing like that happens) if there's an issue there weather, plane related, crew related, etc. It's just a much more instance than before and it really sucks from a stress standpoint


----------



## LadybugsMum

Ugh. Even with EBCI, our boarding numbers are B33-35. What’s the likelihood that we’ll be able to get a row to ourselves? My twins are too young to sit by themselves, but are too old (and too tall to pass) for family boarding.


----------



## Mome Rath

Just a reminder that you can also purchase an A1-15 boarding group at the airport if they haven't all been taken already.  Have I before? Yup, once (I was in the C boarding group).  Stinks to spend the money on it, but it is an option.  And, you may be able to get away with just 1 person buying it and getting a row of seats.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Mome Rath said:


> Just a reminder that you can also purchase an A1-15 boarding group at the airport if they haven't all been taken already.  Have I before? Yup, once (I was in the C boarding group).  Stinks to spend the money on it, but it is an option.  And, you may be able to get away with just 1 person buying it and getting a row of seats.


It’s just me with my kids; so they need to board with me. I tried to upgrade in the app, but it said it wasn’t available. However, it wanted me to use points to upgrade since I used points for the tickets and I don’t have enough for that. I’ll check at the airport when we get there.


----------



## aokeefe

LadybugsMum said:


> Ugh. Even with EBCI, our boarding numbers are B33-35. What’s the likelihood that we’ll be able to get a row to ourselves? My twins are too young to sit by themselves, but are too old (and too tall to pass) for family boarding.


We never buy EBCI for my family of 4 and have always gotten a row of 3 and 4 sits close by. We usually get mid to high B group. Even with a boarding group C one time. Granted we are almost always  towards the back of the plane but works for us.


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## BillFromCT

lklasing said:


> Does anyone know how the checkin for bags at MCO is these days?  Last time I flew out of MCO was early March and it was AWFUL.  The line to check bags was over an hour both inside and outside.  I'm hoping it's better now!


We flew out of MCO last night.  Got to MCO around 6:30pm.  No issues checking our bags.  There were a couple of Southwest employees managing the kiosks, but there was no one there so they weren’t really needed.  Security had a sign that said 11-13 minutes.   Now the lightening delayed flight, and putting us on the wrong plane is a different story all together.


----------



## Kazi7

We've flown 4 legs now with a WGA fare for hubby and a companion pass for me.  Each time we've checked in separately at 24 hours and gotten back-to-back boarding positions.  Is that just a lucky coincidence or are they somehow linked?  I thought with different confirmation numbers, we wouldn't necessarily have adjacent boarding positions.  

Also, if he has a Business Select ticket, I would just check in at 24 hours with my companion ticket and get whatever position I get, correct?  He also has an Anytime ticket coming up so I went ahead and bought EB for myself so hopefully we can both be in A.  It's all so confusing.  I know about upgrading to Priority boarding at the gate, but it's been sold out sometimes when we tried to get it, so I'm nervous about relying on that.


----------



## MinnieMSue

lklasing said:


> Does anyone know how the checkin for bags at MCO is these days?  Last time I flew out of MCO was early March and it was AWFUL.  The line to check bags was over an hour both inside and outside.  I'm hoping it's better now!



We flew out last Monday evening and no wait to check bags - no wait at kiosk to print labels and no wait to hand off bags. It was busy but they must have been very efficient because we didn’t wait at all. Getting our bags when we landed in Orlando was a different story. Took forever for them to arrive at the carousel.


----------



## focusondisney

LadybugsMum said:


> It’s just me with my kids; so they need to board with me. *I tried to upgrade in the app, but it said it wasn’t available. *However, it wanted me to use points to upgrade since I used points for the tickets and I don’t have enough for that. I’ll check at the airport when we get there.



Upgrading to A1-15 (if available) can only be done at the gate on the day of your flight.  I think  getting an A with EBCI is gonna happen less & less going forward.  Anytime fares include EBCI and now 2 of the SW Visa cards included 2 EBCI each year.  There are only 45 spots in the A category & more people seem to be using it.  So I think getting B spots will be more common.


----------



## sophy1996

Kazi7 said:


> We've flown 4 legs now with a WGA fare for hubby and a companion pass for me.  Each time we've checked in separately at 24 hours and gotten back-to-back boarding positions.  Is that just a lucky coincidence or are they somehow linked?  I thought with different confirmation numbers, we wouldn't necessarily have adjacent boarding positions.



With a Companion Pass, they are somehow connected even though they are separate numbers.  My husband is A-list, and I have the Companion Pass, and when he is my companion we always get consecutive numbers based on his A-list status.


----------



## MinnieMSue

focusondisney said:


> Upgrading to A1-15 (if available) can only be done at the gate on the day of your flight.  I think  getting an A with EBCI is gonna happen less & less going forward.  Anytime fares include EBCI and now 2 of the SW Visa cards included 2 EBCI each year.  There are only 45 spots in the A category & more people seem to be using it.  So I think getting B spots will be more common.



Last trip we barely made A group - 58&59. I wouldn’t mind B if so many didn’t do family boarding. I know EBCI is not supposed to be anything more than earlier checkin to improve boarding position but putting it behind family boarding is annoying. Also seeing them let everyone and their brother into family boarding on some flights doesn’t help. I saw a family with teenagers who had c boarding group go up and talk their way into family boarding recently. I didn’t think they would succeed but they boarded very soon after us and we were A group so they must have succeeded.


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## maui2k5

All this frustration with boarding groups makes me wonder if the less expensive price on SW over United out of Houston is really worth it.


----------



## teawar

Kazi7 said:


> We've flown 4 legs now with a WGA fare for hubby and a companion pass for me.  Each time we've checked in separately at 24 hours and gotten back-to-back boarding positions.  Is that just a lucky coincidence or are they somehow linked?  I thought with different confirmation numbers, we wouldn't necessarily have adjacent boarding positions.
> 
> Also, if he has a Business Select ticket, I would just check in at 24 hours with my companion ticket and get whatever position I get, correct?  He also has an Anytime ticket coming up so I went ahead and bought EB for myself so hopefully we can both be in A.  It's all so confusing.  I know about upgrading to Priority boarding at the gate, but it's been sold out sometimes when we tried to get it, so I'm nervous about relying on that.


The companion pass is linked through your rapid rewards number.  Depending on when you check in, the companion pass will be back to back with your pass. This works for A-list too. I have A-list and my companion is always close to me when I book the 3 lower fares.

Whenever I book Business Select, I check my companion in first at the 24 hour mark, trying to get them a better boarding pass. Sometimes I’ve lucked out with higher A group, other time it’s B group. I don’t worry about checking in when I’m business select, since I’m automatically a1-a15. I’ll check myself in last, and everyone else in my party first.


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## LoveDaisy

I travel for work and I have seen southwest not offer family boarding on more than one occasion. They announced there were to many people in family boarding and to use your boarding assignment. I have seen this in Orlando 4 times. It’s something I haven’t seen anyone mention and families were flipping out because they assumed there would be family boarding and didn’t check in right at 24 hours. 

If I were flying with someone and I wanted to assure I was seated with I would purchase early bird check in or use another airline that guaranteed seats together. It’s interesting to me people assume someone will give up a seat because I’ve also seen everyone refuse to move. They paid extra for early bird check in for that seat for a reason and southwest doesn’t give it back to you if you move.


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## Angelboys3

disny_luvr said:


> In  a way, I think it’s nice that SW offers family boarding, but I guess I also don’t understand why families just don’t buy EBCI if they want to increase their chances of sitting together. We’ve always purchased EBCI even when our sons qualified us for family boarding.


Sometimes EBCI isn’t available depending on how you book. We booked a group rate since there’s 15 of us and you can’t add it to the tickets. I looked at doing it for everyone and for just some of us. So we will use family boarding if it’s offered for part of our group


----------



## Lsdolphin

PCFriar80 said:


> EBCI is tied to your reservation number.  If you simply change your reservation for price benefits then there should be no impact to your position.
> If you change your reservation to a different flight #, departure city, etc. then you'll be reassigned based on the date/time stamp of that change and fall behind those who already have been assigned EBCI for that flight.  That's how I understand it, but full disclosure I'm sure there's an algorithm that's a little more complex than my simple thinking!





LoveDaisy said:


> I travel for work and I have seen southwest not offer family boarding on more than one occasion. They announced there were to many people in family boarding and to use your boarding assignment. I have seen this in Orlando 4 times. It’s something I haven’t seen anyone mention and families were flipping out because they assumed there would be family boarding and didn’t check in right at 24 hours.
> 
> If I were flying with someone and I wanted to assure I was seated with I would purchase early bird check in or use another airline that guaranteed seats together. It’s interesting to me people assume someone will give up a seat because I’ve also seen everyone refuse to move. They paid extra for early bird check in for that seat for a reason and southwest doesn’t give it back to you if you move.


It’s amazing to me just how many people board at the last minute and there is the announcement asking for a “volunteer” to give up a seat....I always pay for the EB and I have ended up giving up my window seat multiple times and ending up in a middle seat. I have never been offered any compensation. One time I did go to the counter after my flight and request a refund for the EB but I was told “no”.  I know no one is forcing me to give up my seat but I do think that when someone does so they should have the EB refunded.


----------



## LoveDaisy

Lsdolphin said:


> It’s amazing to me just how many people board at the last minute and there is the announcement asking for a “volunteer” to give up a seat....I always pay for the EB and I have ended up giving up my window seat multiple times and ending up in a middle seat. I have never been offered any compensation. One time I did go to the counter after my flight and request a refund for the EB but I was told “no”.  I know no one is forcing me to give up my seat but I do think that when someone does so they should have the EB refunded.


It’s why I have not given up my seat. If Southwest offered me that money back I would consider it, but honestly I planned appropriately and others should too. When I fly with those who need to be seated together (small children, elderly, those with other needs) I choose a different airline, pay a little more and know I have assigned seats.


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## Jules123

I am traveling in November with my 3 year old nephew and 2 other adults. It will be my first time utilizing family boarding. I know it’s just 2 adults allowed to board with the child so I was thinking of buying EBCI for myself so hopefully I could get a seat semi-close to them? Or do I try to board with them?


----------



## focusondisney

Jules123 said:


> I am traveling in November with my 3 year old nephew and 2 other adults. It will be my first time utilizing family boarding. I know it’s just 2 adults allowed to board with the child so I was thinking of buying EBCI for myself so hopefully I could get a seat semi-close to them? Or do I try to board with them?



You know the rules for family boarding but you’re asking if you should try to break them anyway???    Ok……..  Pay for EBCI.  Why should 3 adults board with 1 kid???? You won‘t all sit in 1 row  anyway.


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## Dean1953

Just to remove the stress leading up to taking the last flight of the day and not having a plan B if that flight is canceled, I had Southwest  switch my flight to KC to Denver to Seattle, leaving at 11:40 AM and arriving at Seattle at 5:20 PM.   Hopefully, my bags make it at the same time but if they don’t, I’ll have about 6 hours that night at the airport to check on their whereabouts.


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## dobball23

Is there a way on Southwest.com to change your payment information (i.e., from a credit card to a LUV voucher) for an already booked flight?


----------



## georgina

maui2k5 said:


> All this frustration with boarding groups makes me wonder if the less expensive price on SW over United out of Houston is really worth it.


That's something only you can decide. It's worth it to me, but I am an adult traveling without small children. I always check in at 24 hrs and usually have a B seat and there are plenty of empty rows when I board. Now if your flight is one which already has passengers on it from an earlier leg, could be tougher. I book the first flight of the day out of my airport, so it is empty.


dobball23 said:


> Is there a way on Southwest.com to change your payment information (i.e., from a credit card to a LUV voucher) for an already booked flight?


You have already paid, your credit card has been charged. You could cancel and rebook, but unless you booked a refundable fare you will just get a credit for future use so not much different from your LUV voucher. There may be a refund if cancelling within 24 hours of booking? Not sure.


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## TexasErin

WWYD....I keep hoping that we'll get a change banner for our flight from DAL to MCO for our Friday, 12/9 flight.  We only book nonstop because I hate take-offs with all my heart and soul, lol.  We are currently booked from 3:35 pm - 7:05 pm, but we bought tix to the MVMCP that night and the party tix were too expensive to only make it to half of the party.  There is a nonstop that lands several hours earlier which would be perfect!  But it is almost twice the number of points and we don't have enough points to cover the difference...the flight we booked was like 13K points and the one we want is roughly 25K points.  We booked Wanna Getaway fares. Should I bite the bullet and buy some points to cover the additional points for four people, or just keep compulsively checking my SW app every few hours hoping that maybe our flight will be changed by a few minutes?  Our flight home got changed by 15 minutes and has the change banner...oh how, I wish it were the flight there instead.

My husband used his RR points to book himself and our son.  I used my RR to book my flight.  And DD (25) used her RR account to buy her flight if that makes any difference.  I have like 10K points. DD has like 3K points.  And I think DH has like 14K points.  So none of us have enough points to cover changing our flights.


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## teawar

TexasErin said:


> WWYD....I keep hoping that we'll get a change banner for our flight from DAL to MCO for our Friday, 12/9 flight.  We only book nonstop because I hate take-offs with all my heart and soul, lol.  We are currently booked from 3:35 pm - 7:05 pm, but we bought tix to the MVMCP that night and the party tix were too expensive to only make it to half of the party.  There is a nonstop that lands several hours earlier which would be perfect!  But it is almost twice the number of points and we don't have enough points to cover the difference...the flight we booked was like 13K points and the one we want is roughly 25K points.  We booked Wanna Getaway fares. Should I bite the bullet and buy some points to cover the additional points for four people, or just keep compulsively checking my SW app every few hours hoping that maybe our flight will be changed by a few minutes?  Our flight home got changed by 15 minutes and has the change banner...oh how, I wish it were the flight there instead.
> 
> My husband used his RR points to book himself and our son.  I used my RR to book my flight.  And DD (25) used her RR account to buy her flight if that makes any difference.  I have like 10K points. DD has like 3K points.  And I think DH has like 14K points.  So none of us have enough points to cover changing our flights.


IMO I would change my flight to any earlier time. Christmas party tickets are too expensive! It’s risky that you will even get to the party by 8:30, depending on transportation. There are so many moving parts that out of your control. 

My family recently experienced a 3 hour delay on SWA when we were trying to get to a DVC moonlight magic party at AK. Our flight was originally going to land at 6 and it didn’t take off until then due to weather and a ground stoppage in MCO. We didn’t land until closer to 8:30 and arrived finally at the park at 9;30 after getting our rental car.  We missed 1/2 of the party, but we made the best of it. 

You can consider buying points, transferring points for a fee, or even consolidate points and book for one person off of another person’s account. 

Good luck and I hope you can get to the party!


----------



## TexasErin

teawar said:


> IMO I would change my flight to any earlier time. Christmas party tickets are too expensive! It’s risky that you will even get to the party by 8:30, depending on transportation. There are so many moving parts that out of your control.
> 
> My family recently experienced a 3 hour delay on SWA when we were trying to get to a DVC moonlight magic party at AK. Our flight was originally going to land at 6 and it didn’t take off until then due to weather and a ground stoppage in MCO. We didn’t land until closer to 8:30 and arrived finally at the park at 9;30 after getting our rental car.  We missed 1/2 of the party, but we made the best of it.
> 
> You can consider buying points, transferring points for a fee, or even consolidate points and book for one person off of another person’s account.
> 
> Good luck and I hope you can get to the party!



Thanks for the suggestions about the points. We definitely don’t want to miss out on half of the party. That sucks about y‘all missing half of the Moonlight Magic party since those things are like gold. I agree that there are so many pieces that could go wrong.


----------



## maui2k5

Are the flight prices currently available for booking in early March 2023 a good representation of the likely prices of the flights being released on Sept 8th for the remaining days in March 2023 not yet available for booking?


----------



## Kazi7

@maui2k5   I think it's really hard to say, but in my market, flying from IND, prices on the past 2 release days have been pretty steady at $163 per one-way NS.  That's what prices are now for early March.  Sometimes less desirable times go down in price after a few days or weeks.  Some weekdays in Feb have evening flights that dropped to $126.  I like to look at the Low Fare Calendar to get an idea what prices are running coming up to a release date.


----------



## EACarlson

TexasErin said:


> WWYD....I keep hoping that we'll get a change banner for our flight from DAL to MCO for our Friday, 12/9 flight.  We only book nonstop because I hate take-offs with all my heart and soul, lol.  We are currently booked from 3:35 pm - 7:05 pm, but we bought tix to the MVMCP that night and the party tix were too expensive to only make it to half of the party.  There is a nonstop that lands several hours earlier which would be perfect!  But it is almost twice the number of points and we don't have enough points to cover the difference...the flight we booked was like 13K points and the one we want is roughly 25K points.  We booked Wanna Getaway fares. Should I bite the bullet and buy some points to cover the additional points for four people, or just keep compulsively checking my SW app every few hours hoping that maybe our flight will be changed by a few minutes?  Our flight home got changed by 15 minutes and has the change banner...oh how, I wish it were the flight there instead.
> 
> My husband used his RR points to book himself and our son.  I used my RR to book my flight.  And DD (25) used her RR account to buy her flight if that makes any difference.  I have like 10K points. DD has like 3K points.  And I think DH has like 14K points.  So none of us have enough points to cover changing our flights.


I would go the day before, or first flight out in the morning.  No way am I planning anything I really care about doing or that is really expensive on arrival or departure day with airline travel the way it is right now.  I've got the first flight out for my October trip the day before I actually need to be there for anything.


----------



## TexasErin

teawar said:


> IMO I would change my flight to any earlier time. Christmas party tickets are too expensive! It’s risky that you will even get to the party by 8:30, depending on transportation. There are so many moving parts that out of your control.
> 
> My family recently experienced a 3 hour delay on SWA when we were trying to get to a DVC moonlight magic party at AK. Our flight was originally going to land at 6 and it didn’t take off until then due to weather and a ground stoppage in MCO. We didn’t land until closer to 8:30 and arrived finally at the park at 9;30 after getting our rental car.  We missed 1/2 of the party, but we made the best of it.
> 
> You can consider buying points, transferring points for a fee, or even consolidate points and book for one person off of another person’s account.
> 
> Good luck and I hope you can get to the party!





EACarlson said:


> I would go the day before, or first flight out in the morning.  No way am I planning anything I really care about doing or that is really expensive on arrival or departure day with airline travel the way it is right now.  I've got the first flight out for my October trip the day before I actually need to be there for anything.


I ended up taking the advice of both of you. I really started worrying about missing half of the party on Friday night, but I just couldn’t see getting up at 3 AM for a 6 AM flight on Friday morning either since the thought made me feel physically ill, so we decided to book the 9:30 flight the night before. We will land at 12:50 AM on Friday morning and we decided to book the night at the hotel at the airport. It will be so nice since we will have the full day ahead of us. We will check out of the hotel mid-morning on Friday and head to Disney Springs for Everglazed and maybe check out some of the Christmas decorations at a couple of resorts. Hopefully our room at VGF will be ready sometime that afternoon, but if not, we will just leave our carry-on bags with bell services and head to MK using our party tickets at 4 pm. Thanks for the advice!


----------



## leeniewdw

For the first time ever -- I modified 2 flights home from MCO and got about 1500 pts back per seat.  That's never happened before!

We're doing a Delta flight down and SW back in Nov because no single airline had decent direct flight times both ways.   I know early early flights can stink, but I still wish we could get a flight that put us in the parks in the morning.   Our greatest accomplishment was taking a SW flight that was supposed to land around 7am but landed at 6:30am.  We were able to get luggage, get rental car, and be in HS 3 minutes before having to grab a Boarding Pass for Rise at 8am! LOL.   Each subsequent trip, the SW direct flights get later and later.


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## disneylover81

I’m wondering if anyone knows the answer to this. Sorry, I’m going to be long winded …. Here’s a little backstory…Heading from JAN (Jackson, MS) to MCO in 3 weeks. It’ll be me, my husband, 16 yo, 18 yo and 2 yo grandbaby. We first purchased a 1:10 pm flight with a 3 hour ATL layover and then lands at MCO at 8:05 pm. Well the more I thought about it, I decided we needed to take an earlier flight so I just switched us to a 7:30 am with a 40 min ATL layover that lands at MCO at 11:55 am. Here’s my dilemma.. now I think I must be crazy for changing it because that 40 min layover has me worried because we’ve never flown or stepped foot in ATL before so I’m not sure how the layout is or how far apart the SWA terminals are, plus we will have a 2 year old. We did buy EBCI when we originally booked in July, but obviously we are not sure of what our position will be yet. And seeing how if we aren’t really close to the front of the plane, it could take forever to get off it having to wait on all the people in front of us to get off. So basically IF the flight is actually on time and there are no delays (which I’m not very hopeful about) on the first part, we have about 10 minutes to get in line for the second part of the flight if we are in the A boarding group since it boards 30 min early. Is there anyone that has experience with this short of a layover lately or thinks this is doable as is or is it too risky? If I were more confident that the plane wouldn’t leave us stranded in ATL if we did have any kind of delay, i wouldn’t worry about a thing, but unfortunately last year we almost got left at MDW on the very last flight out that night due to our first flight being delayed, but not the second flight. We were running as fast as we could, my daughter was crying, and they were about to shut the door on us when we came through screaming like crazy people at the attendant to let us on - we barely made it. We do not want to ever go through that again if we can help it. My poor daughter was traumatized and then she had to sit by herself with strangers, which freaked her out. I wish they’d bring back daily direct flights again!  I don’t think JAN is a big airport or would be crowded on flights, but we’ve never flown from there before either so who knows.
Now, I’m also contemplating upgrading to business select tickets so we are guaranteed A1-A15 boarding so we know we will be able to sit close to the front and get off quickly, but that comes at a $600 cost for the 5 of us, assuming we also have to buy it for the 2 year old to board with us? What I mean is, if the 4 adults have business select, but not the 2 year old, would he be able to board with all of us or would someone have to stay back in the line to wherever his boarding position is? We are so new to flying with an infant, we don’t know all the rules. Is it worth that and if we did upgrade, would we be able to be refunded for the EBCI that we already purchased since we would no longer need it ? I know you can upgrade to A1-A15 at the gate for less money, if available, but that’s not a guarantee either until you are there. Is there a way to know how full the flight actually is besides just watching the prices ? I’d hate to wait too long to upgrade to business select and the prices be even higher than now. It’s all such a gamble and I’m just not a gambler!

I appreciate any words of wisdom and advice on what would be our best option.


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## ibob52

if you could possibly switch your departure day to a Saturday they have a Non Stop for $80 . . . JAN - MCO . 9:45am - 12:30pm


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## disneylover81

ibob52 said:


> if you could possibly switch your departure day to a Saturday they have a Non Stop for $80 . . . JAN - MCO . 9:45am - 12:30pm


Right ! I sure wish we could, but we have limited time off on this trip. We just took a sat-sat trip at the end of April so our bosses are already not happy we are going back so soon. At both our jobs, there’s no one to cover for us when we are gone so it potentially puts them in a bind, but I don’t get bothered too much about it because family time is important to us and we always work ahead as much as possible when we will be out. Thanks for the suggestion though.


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## EACarlson

disneylover81 said:


> I’m wondering if anyone knows the answer to this. Sorry, I’m going to be long winded …. Here’s a little backstory…Heading from JAN (Jackson, MS) to MCO in 3 weeks. It’ll be me, my husband, 16 yo, 18 yo and 2 yo grandbaby. We first purchased a 1:10 pm flight with a 3 hour ATL layover and then lands at MCO at 8:05 pm. Well the more I thought about it, I decided we needed to take an earlier flight so I just switched us to a 7:30 am with a 40 min ATL layover that lands at MCO at 11:55 am. Here’s my dilemma.. now I think I must be crazy for changing it because that 40 min layover has me worried because we’ve never flown or stepped foot in ATL before so I’m not sure how the layout is or how far apart the SWA terminals are, plus we will have a 2 year old. We did buy EBCI when we originally booked in July, but obviously we are not sure of what our position will be yet. And seeing how if we aren’t really close to the front of the plane, it could take forever to get off it having to wait on all the people in front of us to get off. So basically IF the flight is actually on time and there are no delays (which I’m not very hopeful about) on the first part, we have about 10 minutes to get in line for the second part of the flight if we are in the A boarding group since it boards 30 min early. Is there anyone that has experience with this short of a layover lately or thinks this is doable as is or is it too risky? If I were more confident that the plane wouldn’t leave us stranded in ATL if we did have any kind of delay, i wouldn’t worry about a thing, but unfortunately last year we almost got left at MDW on the very last flight out that night due to our first flight being delayed, but not the second flight. We were running as fast as we could, my daughter was crying, and they were about to shut the door on us when we came through screaming like crazy people at the attendant to let us on - we barely made it. We do not want to ever go through that again if we can help it. My poor daughter was traumatized and then she had to sit by herself with strangers, which freaked her out. I wish they’d bring back daily direct flights again!  I don’t think JAN is a big airport or would be crowded on flights, but we’ve never flown from there before either so who knows.
> Now, I’m also contemplating upgrading to business select tickets so we are guaranteed A1-A15 boarding so we know we will be able to sit close to the front and get off quickly, but that comes at a $600 cost for the 5 of us, assuming we also have to buy it for the 2 year old to board with us? What I mean is, if the 4 adults have business select, but not the 2 year old, would he be able to board with all of us or would someone have to stay back in the line to wherever his boarding position is? We are so new to flying with an infant, we don’t know all the rules. Is it worth that and if we did upgrade, would we be able to be refunded for the EBCI that we already purchased since we would no longer need it ? I know you can upgrade to A1-A15 at the gate for less money, if available, but that’s not a guarantee either until you are there. Is there a way to know how full the flight actually is besides just watching the prices ? I’d hate to wait too long to upgrade to business select and the prices be even higher than now. It’s all such a gamble and I’m just not a gambler!
> 
> I appreciate any words of wisdom and advice on what would be our best option.


I wouldn't worry about making your flight, you'll be fine with that.  Short flights are padded beyond belief, more than likely you'll be early on a morning flight.  Try and book your JAN-ATL flight with 8 people and see if BS is still available, if it is there are plenty of seats left.  I've made it on 40 minutes connections with plenty of time at MSP and ORD, as long as the baby is ready when it's time to get off you'll make it fine.  SW gates aren't that far apart at ATL, they just don't take up too many gates.  Remember two adults can board with the two year old after the A group.


----------



## Leigh L

EACarlson said:


> I wouldn't worry about making your flight, you'll be fine with that.  Short flights are padded beyond belief, more than likely you'll be early on a morning flight.  Try and book your JAN-ATL flight with 8 people and see if BS is still available, if it is there are plenty of seats left.  I've made it on 40 minutes connections with plenty of time at MSP and ORD, as long as the baby is ready when it's time to get off you'll make it fine.  SW gates aren't that far apart at ATL, they just don't take up too many gates.  Remember two adults can board with the two year old after the A group.


I agree - and good point about family boarding for part of the group.

@disneylover81 IIRC (and this is about 4 years ago so could have changed) but I believe all SW flights are in one gate area? We had a 2 hr+ layover and it took us about 3 minutes to reach our gate to connect. I remember being worried since Atlanta is huge so took a longer connection, but with SW it wasn't a problem at all.


----------



## maui2k5

We will be flying out of Houston (either George Bush or Hobby) on our Spring Break 2023 UNI/WDW trip. My question is about SW reliability.  Out of George Bush (much more convenient airport for us) SW has one non-stop daily flight out and non-stop two daily flights back from Orlando.  

My question is how concerned about cancellation should I be with SW as an airline?  Being there is only 1 non-stop flight out of IAH and 5 non-stop flights out of Hobby daily, I am thinking more about Hobby.  Another plus for IAH in addition to the location convince factor, is the flight time compared to Hobby.  IAH may have only one n on-stop flight out per day to Orlando, but the time is perfect for us.

We usually fly United to MCO, but the prices are crazy expensive ($700-800 each).

We have not flown on SW in 15 years so any advice is appreciated.


----------



## disneylover81

EACarlson said:


> I wouldn't worry about making your flight, you'll be fine with that.  Short flights are padded beyond belief, more than likely you'll be early on a morning flight.  Try and book your JAN-ATL flight with 8 people and see if BS is still available, if it is there are plenty of seats left.  I've made it on 40 minutes connections with plenty of time at MSP and ORD, as long as the baby is ready when it's time to get off you'll make it fine.  SW gates aren't that far apart at ATL, they just don't take up too many gates.  Remember two adults can board with the two year old after the A group.


Thank you for the info. I checked and there are still 8 BS available. We will have the baby ready to go as soon as that plane lands!


----------



## disneylover81

Leigh L said:


> I agree - and good point about family boarding for part of the group.
> 
> @disneylover81 IIRC (and this is about 4 years ago so could have changed) but I believe all SW flights are in one gate area? We had a 2 hr+ layover and it took us about 3 minutes to reach our gate to connect. I remember being worried since Atlanta is huge so took a longer connection, but with SW it wasn't a problem at all.


That's a relief and I am glad to know that the gates are close to each other. We have only ever flown Southwest and have never had an issue, except that one time last year at MDW, but since then I worry about connecting flights with shorter layovers. I guess in reality if we are in a super bad time crunch, as long as one of us can run ahead and make it to the connecting gate, they will wait for the rest of us before they close the door.


----------



## han22735

FYI I was able to upgrade my boarding group in the app from the hotel today for our flights.  So you may not longer have to do it at the gate.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

han22735 said:


> FYI I was able to upgrade my boarding group in the app from the hotel today for our flights.  So you may not longer have to do it at the gate.


Were you upgrading to Business Select or doing Upgraded Boarding. The reason I ask is because the price is different between the two even though both are for A1-A15 Boarding positions.

Business Select is whatever the fare difference would be between what you booked and what it is now. Upgraded Boarding is a fee (starts at $30 IIRC these days) based on each individual flight and is variable like EBCI is in price.


----------



## han22735

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Were you upgrading to Business Select or doing Upgraded Boarding. The reason I ask is because the price is different between the two even though both are for A1-A15 Boarding positions.
> 
> Business Select is whatever the fare difference would be between what you booked and what it is now. Upgraded Boarding is a fee (starts at $30 IIRC these days) based on each individual flight and is variable like EBCI is in price.


Normal upgrade.  Cost $30 fee also saw this posted by SW back in May so maybe "this summer" is now. 

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1524465177189658626


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## Mome Rath

Yes, they've made it so you can do it online.


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## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

han22735 said:


> Normal upgrade.  Cost $30 fee also saw this posted by SW back in May so maybe "this summer" is now.
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1524465177189658626





Mome Rath said:


> Yes, they've made it so you can do it online.


Thanks y'all, this is good info to have now


----------



## ultimatefans

han22735 said:


> FYI I was able to upgrade my boarding group in the app from the hotel today for our flights.  So you may not longer have to do it at the gate.


Was it obvious how to do this?  I traveled about 3 weeks ago and didn't see this option.  Maybe it's new since then?

ETA: Nevermind!  I see this feature was just added a couple of days ago.  Very exciting!


----------



## Mome Rath

ultimatefans said:


> Was it obvious how to do this?  I traveled about 3 weeks ago and didn't see this option.  Maybe it's new since then?
> 
> ETA: Nevermind!  I see this feature was just added a couple of days ago.  Very exciting!


I think it went live 3 days ago.


----------



## aokeefe

han22735 said:


> FYI I was able to upgrade my boarding group in the app from the hotel today for our flights.  So you may not longer have to do it at the gate.


Do you have the SW credit card that gives you 4 free boarding group upgrades? (Just wondering if this is the feature I can use with my SW cc)

Edited to add that this article was just in my fb feed. Eyes are watching me. https://thepointsguy.com/news/south...g_8espi15yM8BJNsI1a0tV9qbS4x1NAlVLEW8HFaAWwpI


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## jo-jo

We have a late flight on Thanksgiving weekend.     I was concerned about it being so late, it might be cancelled....I've been checking the other nonstops about mid day.     Almost was willing to spent the money for the higher levels to get that flight.

Today I woke up and the flight we wanted was open at the wanna get away level.    Got the flight we wanted and no extra cash outlay.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

jo-jo said:


> We have a late flight on Thanksgiving weekend.     I was concerned about it being so late, it might be cancelled....I've been checking the other nonstops about mid day.     Almost was willing to spent the money for the higher levels to get that flight.
> 
> Today I woke up and the flight we wanted was open at the wanna get away level.    Got the flight we wanted and no extra cash outlay.


Similar situation. I have a dvc reservation over Thanksgiving weekend. Today I was able to change my flight to the day my reservation starts. I would have had to drop the first day of my stay, because I wasn't willing to pay $500 plus one way. Got them just over $200 one way. My DH ticket was no change in fare. Mine was an up charge of $11. I'll do it and the first flight out.


----------



## jo-jo

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> Similar situation. I have a dvc reservation over Thanksgiving weekend. Today I was able to change my flight to the day my reservation starts. I would have had to drop the first day of my stay, because I wasn't willing to pay $500 plus one way. Got them just over $200 one way. My DH ticket was no change in fare. Mine was an up charge of $11. I'll do it and the first flight out.


First flight out is always a good plan.    But the day we were traveling it was 5 am.    A tad too early by about 5 hours.    Our DS drives us to airport.   No way would we ask him to get up at 2 am.    And we find getting up that early plus travel just ruins the whole day.   Have a good trip.


----------



## dez1978

I feel like this has been answered before.  But I can't find it.  If I have EB check in for 3 of us, do I also need to buy it for the 4th person who is 8, and booked as a companion?


----------



## ultimatefans

dez1978 said:


> I feel like this has been answered before.  But I can't find it.  If I have EB check in for 3 of us, do I also need to buy it for the 4th person who is 8, and booked as a companion?


No.  As of about a year ago the companion (no matter what age) will be checked in with you.  My companion is always assigned the boarding position ahead of me.


----------



## lilmc

Just whining so ignore me. I had pretty much talked my hubby into a ”last minute” cruise Oct 14 (and ditching a prev scheduled trip to San Fran) on the Wish and the flights DEN-MCO costs are awful!! We fly points exclusively with a Companion Pass as well, but the Oct 13 and 17 flight so the kids don’t miss school are just too expensive. So not fair! We have DEN to SFO flights that same timeframe that are stoopid cheap. What’s up with Orlando then making flights so bad?


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

lilmc said:


> Just whining so ignore me. I had pretty much talked my hubby into a ”last minute” cruise Oct 14 (and ditching a prev scheduled trip to San Fran) on the Wish and the flights DEN-MCO costs are awful!! We fly points exclusively with a Companion Pass as well, but the Oct 13 and 17 flight so the kids don’t miss school are just too expensive. So not fair! We have DEN to SFO flights that same timeframe that are stoopid cheap. What’s up with Orlando then making flights so bad?


Fall Break for schools, Columbus Day being a few days before (the 10th) could be part of it

Just looking at the big school districts in my area
One of them is out October 14th with 12th being half day
Another is out October 13th and 14th with the 12th being half day
Another is out October 14th


----------



## MinnieMSue

lilmc said:


> Just whining so ignore me. I had pretty much talked my hubby into a ”last minute” cruise Oct 14 (and ditching a prev scheduled trip to San Fran) on the Wish and the flights DEN-MCO costs are awful!! We fly points exclusively with a Companion Pass as well, but the Oct 13 and 17 flight so the kids don’t miss school are just too expensive. So not fair! We have DEN to SFO flights that same timeframe that are stoopid cheap. What’s up with Orlando then making flights so bad?



Yeah I bought those dates because it is my daughter’s fall college break so we can go to HHN and universal hotels have been mostly sold out for quite awhile those dates. Wanna get away has been sold out a long time on the 13th and both  flights are over $400 when I paid $163 each


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## mickey916

Check your flights. Some of the December ones dropped to $86 one way in Providence.


----------



## deannaf87

mickey916 said:


> Check your flights. Some of the December ones dropped to $86 one way in Providence.



Just saved $150 on 2 tickets in January!


----------



## mickey916

deannaf87 said:


> Just saved $150 on 2 tickets in January!


Awesome! All the flights were at $86 or $95 on the way down for my date except for my non-stop flight...still at $173 (I paid $154)...tempting to switch to the other non-stop at $86 but then I lose my first half-day...think I'd rather be in Disney earlier than save a little $...


----------



## deannaf87

mickey916 said:


> Awesome! All the flights were at $86 or $95 on the way down for my date except for my non-stop flight...still at $173 (I paid $154)...tempting to switch to the other non-stop at $86 but then I lose my first half-day...think I'd rather be in Disney earlier than save a little $...



Agreed! Luckily, I was able to keep the same, nonstop flights and both legs went from $163 to $126.


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## georgina

Got an email about the BEACHES25 code. My Dec flights went from 99 to 86. Great that credits don't expire anymore!


----------



## Erica Ladd

georgina said:


> Got an email about the BEACHES25 code. My Dec flights went from 99 to 86. Great that credits don't expire anymore!


I must have missed that - what is it?


----------



## mickey916

Erica Ladd said:


> I must have missed that - what is it?


I wasn't using a code and saw a lot of $86 flights. This afternoon I was able to save $60 each on my return flight (still not $86) but at least a little less.


----------



## DrFacilier

If my wife booked SW tickets for both of us with her points and I now have a companion pass, can she cancel her ticket to get points back and fly as my companion?


----------



## barb969

DrFacilier said:


> If my wife booked SW tickets for both of us with her points and I now have a companion pass, can she cancel her ticket to get points back and fly as my companion?


Cancel whoever has the CP and rebook for free as the companion. it makes no difference whose account the points came from.


----------



## DrFacilier

barb969 said:


> Cancel whoever has the CP and rebook for free as the companion. it makes no difference whose account the points came from.


Great! That's what I thought I remembered but didn't feel like calling SW to talk to someone.  Thanks!


----------



## jo-jo

georgina said:


> Got an email about the BEACHES25 code. My Dec flights went from 99 to 86. Great that credits don't expire anymore!


I just tried the code for my trip.   Didn't help my flights, but there were some 1 stop flights on that day , that were lower.     I don't care for those.


----------



## georgina

Erica Ladd said:


> I must have missed that - what is it?


It said 25% off base fare to and from Florida, Hawaii, Mexico, Caribbean, and Central America. Book from 8/30-9/1, good for travel 11/1-2/15. While my Florida flights went down, DH has flights to Belize and Grand Cayman in that time frame and they didn’t drop any.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Is there a place to enter the promo code on the mobile app or do I need to do it from a desktop?


----------



## Mome Rath

I already have flights booked in that time period, where do I put the code in to see if it drops the price?


----------



## FCDub

Erica Ladd said:


> Is there a place to enter the promo code on the mobile app or do I need to do it from a desktop?



Tap BOOK A FLIGHT and the promo code box is right above the yellow FIND FLIGHTS button.


----------



## disneygal55

This morning I noticed that points for a flight had come down by 2300 points so I changed the flight to get credit. It was  confirmed but it's been several hours and no email about the change and no difference in points showing up in my account.
On the SW site a banner shows that there was a system issue. Anyone know what's going on?


----------



## nekonekoneko

georgina said:


> Got an email about the BEACHES25 code. My Dec flights went from 99 to 86. Great that credits don't expire anymore!



I saw this a couple of days ago, so I went to change my flights.  I saved 7 points one way.

Yay, I saved 10 whole cents per person!


----------



## Tay N Evie's Mom

I had the same issue this morning too. Points dropped for my flights, I changed and it confirmed, but no email. When I look at my flight on the APP, it says I need to contact SWA for any changes and my EBCI isn’t showing up. I’ll call tomorrow if it doesn’t resolve today.


----------



## Danicat77

TexasErin said:


> I ended up taking the advice of both of you. I really started worrying about missing half of the party on Friday night, but I just couldn’t see getting up at 3 AM for a 6 AM flight on Friday morning either since the thought made me feel physically ill, so we decided to book the 9:30 flight the night before. We will land at 12:50 AM on Friday morning and we decided to book the night at the hotel at the airport. It will be so nice since we will have the full day ahead of us. We will check out of the hotel mid-morning on Friday and head to Disney Springs for Everglazed and maybe check out some of the Christmas decorations at a couple of resorts. Hopefully our room at VGF will be ready sometime that afternoon, but if not, we will just leave our carry-on bags with bell services and head to MK using our party tickets at 4 pm. Thanks for the advice!


I think that’s a great plan! I felt anxious for you when I read your first post!!


----------



## Mome Rath

Just FYI, I just rebooked two December flights and saved a bunch, they dropped prices some point this morn.


----------



## Tay N Evie's Mom

Tay N Evie's Mom said:


> I had the same issue this morning too. Points dropped for my flights, I changed and it confirmed, but no email. When I look at my flight on the APP, it says I need to contact SWA for any changes and my EBCI isn’t showing up. I’ll call tomorrow if it doesn’t resolve today.


A follow up on my problem… I called SWA this morning and the flights that I rebooked and had issues with were not showing up as ticketed. They had to get customer support involved to get my tickets reissued, make sure my EBCI was still showing and give me the credit for the lower fare. They did get it resolved.


----------



## mickey916

Mome Rath said:


> Just FYI, I just rebooked two December flights and saved a bunch, they dropped prices some point this morn.


Wow! I went in this morning and my return flight was $10 cheaper then after you posted this I went in again and it's another $15 cheaper. I've gone from $189 each to 119 with all the recent reductions.


----------



## georgina

Mome Rath said:


> Just FYI, I just rebooked two December flights and saved a bunch, they dropped prices some point this morn.


Thanks. My flights that had dropped from 99 to 86 each way a couple of days ago are now 67. Oddly, when I went to modify, they were only showing me a $1 credit instead of 19. So I had to cancel and rebook each.


----------



## lionqueen

Does anyone know the time that southwest has been releasing flights?  i know it is this thursday for the next round but was wondering about time


----------



## BillFromCT

lionqueen said:


> Does anyone know the time that southwest has been releasing flights?  i know it is this thursday for the next round but was wondering about time


Release Date | Time (eastern)
07/21/22 | 7:20am
06/16/22 | 7:30am
03/30/22 | 7:30am
12/16/21 | 7:50am
12/08/21 | 6:45am
06/10/21 | 7:15am
04/01/21 | 9:10am
12/10/20 | 7:15am
08/13/20 | 9:15am


----------



## scrappinginontario

lionqueen said:


> Does anyone know the time that southwest has been releasing flights?  i know it is this thursday for the next round but was wondering about time


Just a heads up that the Liw Fare Calendar will be updated first so you’ll want to watch that.


----------



## Mome Rath

Another price drop today on my mid December flight, just FYI.


----------



## Avery&Todd

I just saw this pop up on the SW website today about earning a FREE companion pass from Jan 4-March 4, 2023

I have booked cash flights Oct 16-21st but I'm thinking even if I re-book them at a slightly higher price they won't count towards this since it says here:



but what if I cancel and then re-book - with a new booking # that should work - but is it worth it.....  

and I booked these cash flights with credits from other cancelled flights....



here are the details:


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Avery&Todd said:


> I just saw this pop up on the SW website today about earning a FREE companion pass from Jan 4-March 4, 2023
> 
> I have booked cash flights Oct 16-21st but I'm thinking even if I re-book them at a slightly higher price they won't count towards this since it says here:
> 
> View attachment 700240
> 
> but what if I cancel and then re-book - with a new booking # that should work - but is it worth it.....
> 
> and I booked these cash flights with credits from other cancelled flights....
> 
> View attachment 700238
> 
> here are the details:
> View attachment 700239



CP dates are really tight. Will you be traveling again during that time? If so, I would call in and ask the rep on the phone if using a travel credit impacts whether a flight is considered a "qualifying new revenue flight." If you are flying in that window, the free ticket would be worth the hassle. 

That's coming from someone who churned the heck out of two SW credit cards Q1 of this year to get two CPs (prepaid a year of water bill, called music instructor and asked to prepay lessons, really hammered it) so I obviously put a high value on a CP. BUT, mine are earned for about 22 months, not just 2...


----------



## Avery&Todd

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> CP dates are really tight. Will you be traveling again during that time? If so, I would call in and ask the rep on the phone if using a travel credit impacts whether a flight is considered a "qualifying new revenue flight." If you are flying in that window, the free ticket would be worth the hassle.
> 
> That's coming from someone who churned the heck out of two SW credit cards Q1 of this year to get two CPs (prepaid a year of water bill, called music instructor and asked to prepay lessons, really hammered it) so I obviously put a high value on a CP. BUT, mine are earned for about 22 months, not just 2...


Technically we ARE traveling in February to Vegas and I've already booked our flights using points (~70.9k points for both flights) so if I did this, then I'd get back about 35k in points...

however, when I booked our October trip it was a cash/voucher combo and the costs were $585.92 for both flights and of that I paid ~ $188 out of pocket.  Now, the same flights are $873.92 so if I get credits for the original flights I'd have to pay $288 out of pocket...

and is paying ~$300 for these flights worth getting back ~ 35k in points for the flights in Feb. to Vegas??

and is it worth the hassle??


----------



## lionqueen

BillFromCT said:


> Release Date | Time (eastern)
> 07/21/22 | 7:20am
> 06/16/22 | 7:30am
> 03/30/22 | 7:30am
> 12/16/21 | 7:50am
> 12/08/21 | 6:45am
> 06/10/21 | 7:15am
> 04/01/21 | 9:10am
> 12/10/20 | 7:15am
> 08/13/20 | 9:15am


Thank you!!


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Avery&Todd said:


> Technically we ARE traveling in February to Vegas and I've already booked our flights using points (~70.9k points for both flights) so if I did this, then I'd get back about 35k in points...
> 
> however, when I booked our October trip it was a cash/voucher combo and the costs were $585.92 for both flights and of that I paid ~ $188 out of pocket.  Now, the same flights are $873.92 so if I get credits for the original flights I'd have to pay $288 out of pocket...
> 
> and is paying ~$300 for these flights worth getting back ~ 35k in points for the flights in Feb. to Vegas??
> 
> and is it worth the hassle??



With that price differential, probably not. You could always watch and only jump on it if your October flights go down.


----------



## Erica Ladd

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> CP dates are really tight. Will you be traveling again during that time? If so, I would call in and ask the rep on the phone if using a travel credit impacts whether a flight is considered a "qualifying new revenue flight." If you are flying in that window, the free ticket would be worth the hassle.
> 
> That's coming from someone who churned the heck out of two SW credit cards Q1 of this year to get two CPs (prepaid a year of water bill, called music instructor and asked to prepay lessons, really hammered it) so I obviously put a high value on a CP. BUT, mine are earned for about 22 months, not just 2...


Wait - how do I earn 2 CP? I do have 2 SW cards…


----------



## Avery&Todd

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> With that price differential, probably not. You could always watch and only jump on it if your October flights go down.


I reached out to SW via FB messenger and they did confirm that I'd have to completely cancel and rebook my existing October flights, I couldnt just upgrade my fare and have that count..

but they also confirmed that if I cancelled my existing October flight I could use the credits from that cancellation to rebook and then that would count towards this promotion..

but at this time I'm not thinking its worth it - especially since flights have gone up $200 since I originally booked.

oh well - it was a nice thought!


----------



## VandVsmama

3 1/2 weeks away from the start of our trip and so far, no flight changes.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Erica Ladd said:


> Wait - how do I earn 2 CP? I do have 2 SW cards…



One person can't earn two, but spouses can each earn one.

When they ran the really good bonus at the end of last year, Hubby opened his card first but then didn't put spend on it until the statement closing in 2022.

Meanwhile, I waited until the last possible moment to use his support link and also open my card in '21, but have both my support on his card and spending on my card hit in 2022.

The bonus was 100k on $12k spend. With the natural 12k points and the 20k support, Hubby kicked over as soon as he spent 12K. He earned CP first. We didn't do any 2x or 3x category spend for his cards, since he didn't need it. But, we did max out the weeks when Staples ran fee free Visa GCs and dealt with figuring out where and how we could use them without too much hassle.

My card was harder because 100k bonus plus $12k spend only puts you at 112k points, more if you've spent in bonus categories. So, we did things like put SW airfare on my card for the bonus, prepay as much of the water and electric bill as possible for the bonus, prepay a big dump on EZPass as it coded as 2x for commuting expenses, etc. I ended up churning about $17k in total spend to earn the 25k points required to hit the second CP for me.

I'm sorry if my initial post was unclear. I did work my but off this year to earn two CPs, but they aren't both in my name. I have to trust Hubby to keep one of the kids as his companion, too.


----------



## buckeev

Took a little work…and “luck”…but for $11.00,  I was able to do some tweaking/canceling/rebooking of our October MNSSHP/HHN Trip…and meet the requirements for the Companion Pass. (Well, at least this portion of the requirements.) Now to figure out how to squeeze in another trip in that early 2023 tight travel window!


----------



## Erica Ladd

So before CoVid I remember all airlines being very strict about carry on sizing. But for the past 18 motive seen people bring all sorts of bags onto the flight that definitely exceed dimensions in one or more ways!!

We have 3 from our family traveling and 2 of our roller carryons are super compliant. I have an older one with the following dimensions.
14.75 wide x 10.5 deep x 22.25 high with wheels

Do you think I will have any problems bringing that as my carryon? I guess it just looks ‘fatter’ compared to our other two and I so don’t want to have to check bags and don’t really feel like shelling out $60-$80 for another one as it’s usually just two of us traveling…

ETA - this is what’s on their site. I don’t remember the dimensions being this generous but I should be ok with the bag above, yes? It’s smaller everywhere but that 10.5”!!! Think they will notice? Need to put that bag on a diet lol

SWA
Your carryon can be no bigger than 24” (L) + 16” (W) + 10” (H). If it’s bigger than those dimensions, it will need to be checked


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Erica Ladd said:


> So before CoVid I remember all airlines being very strict about carry on sizing. But for the past 18 motive seen people bring all sorts of bags onto the flight that definitely exceed dimensions in one or more ways!!
> 
> We have 3 from our family traveling and 2 of our roller carryons are super compliant. I have an older one with the following dimensions.
> 14.75 wide x 10.5 deep x 22.25 high with wheels
> 
> Do you think I will have any problems bringing that as my carryon? I guess it just looks ‘fatter’ compared to our other two and I so don’t want to have to check bags and don’t really feel like shelling out $60-$80 for another one as it’s usually just two of us traveling…
> 
> ETA - this is what’s on their site. I don’t remember the dimensions being this generous but I should be ok with the bag above, yes? It’s smaller everywhere but that 10.5”!!! Think they will notice? Need to put that bag on a diet lol
> 
> SWA
> Your carryon can be no bigger than 24” (L) + 16” (W) + 10” (H). If it’s bigger than those dimensions, it will need to be checked


I agree that I didn't see any bags getting verified on our two recent SW trips. I would expect that one will be fine, although I wouldn't super load it so that it sticks out any farther. (I have been known to shove in to the point that I have to sit on the bag and say a prayer on behalf of the zipper, lol).

And, I'd be prepared to be told you had to check that one, worst case, and not pack any urgent needs or medication in it. I'd guess you're 95% fine on that half inch but I always go in assuming that my rollers *might* have to be checked if overhead space is at a premium.


----------



## EACarlson

Erica Ladd said:


> So before CoVid I remember all airlines being very strict about carry on sizing. But for the past 18 motive seen people bring all sorts of bags onto the flight that definitely exceed dimensions in one or more ways!!
> 
> We have 3 from our family traveling and 2 of our roller carryons are super compliant. I have an older one with the following dimensions.
> 14.75 wide x 10.5 deep x 22.25 high with wheels
> 
> Do you think I will have any problems bringing that as my carryon? I guess it just looks ‘fatter’ compared to our other two and I so don’t want to have to check bags and don’t really feel like shelling out $60-$80 for another one as it’s usually just two of us traveling…
> 
> ETA - this is what’s on their site. I don’t remember the dimensions being this generous but I should be ok with the bag above, yes? It’s smaller everywhere but that 10.5”!!! Think they will notice? Need to put that bag on a diet lol
> 
> SWA
> Your carryon can be no bigger than 24” (L) + 16” (W) + 10” (H). If it’s bigger than those dimensions, it will need to be checked


I've never seen anyone asked to put their bags in the sizer on any of the major carriers.  I have seen it on Frontier and Allegiant but not on any of my flights on Delta, United or Southwest.  My last flight there were people with big framed backpacking packs that were let on without any hassle.  For what it's worth my Samsonite carryon is 21.5 x 10.25 x 14 and I've never been asked to put it in the sizer in the 14 years I've been flying with it.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> although I wouldn't super load it so that it sticks out any farther.


That would be my advice too. Don't over pack it. That's where you tend to run into issues with the height and trying to close the overhead bin and if it's really wide having to fit sideways which that part is only a problem if there isn'tmuch overhead bin space left in the specific area.

Like I mentioned back in May on our flight to Orlando at the first sign of a bag not fitting for passengers in the row in front of us the front FA was like "we're going to have to gate check" while the FA near us went to work trying to get it to fit (and broke the plastic handle while doing so).

I don't think they do precise measuring but they can and do have people gate check.


----------



## nekonekoneko

EACarlson said:


> I've never seen anyone asked to put their bags in the sizer on any of the major carriers.  I have seen it on Frontier and Allegiant but not on any of my flights on Delta, United or Southwest.  My last flight there were people with big framed backpacking packs that were let on without any hassle.  For what it's worth my Samsonite carryon is 21.5 x 10.25 x 14 and I've never been asked to put it in the sizer in the 14 years I've been flying with it.



As long as the overhead bin can close with the carry-on inside of it, Southwest doesn't really care.  It's when the hatch won't close is when they have to figure out the offending item.

A few hatches are slightly bigger than others, so that's why it might fit in one plane, and not another.  But the sizer for SW is based on the smallest possible cubby that they have.


----------



## vwlfan

scrappinginontario said:


> Just a heads up that the Liw Fare Calendar will be updated first so you’ll want to watch that.


We all Ed yesterday to ask when booking window would open today. One Sw employee told me it was 8AM EDT. My son in la who is traveling with his family with us called last night. That rep told him it would open at midnight. I tried at that time but the window was not open.forced myself up a few times during the night to try with no luck. 6AM now and still nothing.

undera bit of pressure to book asap, since it’s very difficult to book during the day with work responsibilities.

so maybe it’s 8 after all? After that it gets tacky for us.

ill post here when I see it is open.

wacky system, surely tied to tech capacity I guess.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

BillFromCT said:


> Release Date | Time (eastern)
> 07/21/22 | 7:20am
> 06/16/22 | 7:30am
> 03/30/22 | 7:30am
> 12/16/21 | 7:50am
> 12/08/21 | 6:45am
> 06/10/21 | 7:15am
> 04/01/21 | 9:10am
> 12/10/20 | 7:15am
> 08/13/20 | 9:15am



@vwlfan    Here are the historic drop times. Past year has been in the 7-8am hour. 

People have also found that it shows up on the low fare calendar first. So, search for your party size and airports for a date that's already open, choose low fare calendar, and refresh that page.


----------



## vwlfan

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> @vwlfan    Here are the historic drop times. Past year has been in the 7-8am hour.
> 
> People have also found that it shows up on the low fare calendar first. So, search for your party size and airports for a date that's already open, choose low fare calendar, and refresh that page.


Great thanks


----------



## vwlfan

Do I understand that Early Bird option is only for Anytime correctly?


----------



## vwlfan

Do I understand that Early Bird option is only for Anytime correctly?


----------



## maui2k5

And the Southwest Spring Break 2023 ”refresh party” begins…


----------



## mickey916

Looks like it's up.


----------



## Memorymakerfor4

Yikes, my flight dates to Aulani are rough to see.


----------



## maui2k5

Houston to Orlando prices made my eyes bleed


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Excited over here! They're back to offering a Saturday direct BWI to Grand Cayman, only $164 per person. (And, clearly I've gotten used to 2022 airline prices since I thought $164 was low). Booked on points with unexpiring flight credit to cover the taxes. Now, I just need the next fair drop to get us home...


----------



## Avery&Todd

I have to wait until the next date drop since our next trip is April 15th!

I'm hoping that some of our trips between now and then drop in price but I'm not holding my breath!!


----------



## vwlfan

Done. Thants for the heads up re the low fare site. I see that the “general?” Site still isn’t open. And nowadays low fare is defined differently. Will take a second mortgage out out later. Grateful though that it. Can be done. Grateful for your advice.


----------



## vwlfan

maui2k5 said:


> And the Southwest Spring Break 2023 ”refresh party” begins…


----------



## EmilyGahr

Does anyone have a list of historical release dates over the past few years?


----------



## vwlfan

EmilyGahr said:


> Does anyone have a list of historical release dates over the past few years?


Take a look at p 606 re half way up. Most helpful!


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Next release date: On October 27, 2022 we will open our schedule for sale through July 10, 2023.

Setting my reminder now to grab our return flight for Spring Break.


----------



## RLGNC

Southwest newbie here.  I apologize if this has been answered elsewhere.  We have WGA tickets for next Tuesday.  No early-bird.  What's my check-in and seat selection process?  Thank you!


----------



## JStu

RLGNC said:


> Southwest newbie here.  I apologize if this has been answered elsewhere.  We have WGA tickets for next Tuesday.  No early-bird.  What's my check-in and seat selection process?  Thank you!


24 hours prior to departure go to southwests website and check in. You’ll be given a boarding group A B or C and a number 1-60. That’s the other you board the plane. 

A1-30. A31-60. B1-30. B31-60. C1-30. C31-60. Sooner and closer to 24 hours better the boarding group you have. If you are in A or B you should be able to find 2-3 seats together. C is where it gets hairy


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

RLGNC said:


> Southwest newbie here.  I apologize if this has been answered elsewhere.  We have WGA tickets for next Tuesday.  No early-bird.  What's my check-in and seat selection process?  Thank you!





JStu said:


> 24 hours prior to departure go to southwests website and check in. You’ll be given a boarding group A B or C and a number 1-60. That’s the other you board the plane.
> 
> A1-30. A31-60. B1-30. B31-60. C1-30. C31-60. Sooner and closer to 24 hours better the boarding group you have. If you are in A or B you should be able to find 2-3 seats together. C is where it gets hairy


We had an attendent who said "C is for center. If you see a seat, it's yours."

Definitely check in right at 24 hours for your best choices day of. And, if you're traveling with kids under 7, then each under 7 can have 2 adults board with them during family boarding (between A and B).


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

RLGNC said:


> Southwest newbie here.  I apologize if this has been answered elsewhere.  We have WGA tickets for next Tuesday.  No early-bird.  What's my check-in and seat selection process?  Thank you!


There is no seat selection process. SWA is an open seating airline. Your Boarding position determines the order of when you board the plane but once on the plane you find your own seat.

When you board you line up in sequential order by pillars. Pre-boards are in a separate spot. Once pre-boards are called A1-30 are called, then A31-60. They will also order it depending on the gate agent A1-A15 (Business Select fares/Upgraded Boarding) then A16-30, A31-A60

B boarding position lines up and the process repeats however before B are allowed to board Family Boarding, any A-listers who did not get an A Boarding group and I can't remember if military is then as well.

C boarding position lines up and the process repeats

Line up only with your group don't hold a B boarding group and line up with A's. As mentioned you board sequential. If you hold a B21 but your traveling companion has B41 you can board separately in your respective positions or you can board with your traveling companion at B41, SWA has no issues if you want to board at the higher boarding position. Periodically SWA will give reminders about this at the gate (like they did Monday when we flew from KC to Vegas) and they will depending on the gate agent catch you on this if you attempt to do it while boarding.

Others mentioned checking in at 24 hours before your flight and what is qualifying for Family Boarding.


----------



## RLGNC

JStu said:


> Sooner and closer to 24 hours better the boarding group you have.





TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Definitely check in right at 24 hours for your best choices day of.





Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> There is no seat selection process. SWA is an open seating airline. Your Boarding position determines the order of when you board the plane but once on the plane you find your own seat.


Thank you all so much!  This is extremely helpful.  Our flight is at 5:45 a.m., so looks like it will be 2 early mornings in a row   Luckily it's just me and DH traveling, so if for some reason we don't get seats together it won't be the end of the world.


----------



## scrappinginontario

RLGNC said:


> Thank you all so much!  This is extremely helpful.  Our flight is at 5:45 a.m., so looks like it will be 2 early mornings in a row   Luckily it's just me and DH traveling, so if for some reason we don't get seats together it won't be the end of the world.



This happened to us last month with a 5:30AM flight but, many will be up early with you at the 24 hour mark, snagging their boarding groups.  I was watching the second hand on my apple watch visible at the 24 hour mark and clicked immediately but even with that we were B45 and B46.  thankfully we were able to find seats together at the back of the plane.


----------



## RLGNC

scrappinginontario said:


> This happened to us last month with a 5:30AM flight but, many will be up early with you at the 24 hour mark, snagging their boarding groups. I was watching the second hand on my apple watch visible at the 24 hour mark and clicked immediately but even with that we were B45 and B46. thankfully we were able to find seats together at the back of the plane.


Will I be able to get boarding groups for both of us with one click since we are under the same confirmation #?


----------



## Erica Ladd

RLGNC said:


> Will I be able to get boarding groups for both of us with one click since we are under the same confirmation #?


Yes. If on the same reservation you should get sequential boarding numbers


----------



## nlenguyen

I have a question about the companion pass, we booked two one way flights to qualify. 
The question is that the companion pass is valid from Jan 4 to March 6. We have a trip coming up Jan 7-15 and have already bought tickets for me and my parents. My parents are the ones that qualified for the CP. When the flights are completed at the end of the month and the companion pass is good for the trip, when can you book the flights with the companion? The representative told us you cannot start booking until Jan 4, but that would seem weird because there would hardly be any flights available. The way we booked our flights now, I used points to help me and my mom on one reservation but my dad on another. If we can save the points, I would like to change the reservation now while the prices are still low, but want to see what others have experienced with these temporary passes.

Thank you


----------



## BelleOftheBall16

nlenguyen said:


> The question is that the companion pass is valid from Jan 4 to March 6. We have a trip coming up Jan 7-15 and have already bought tickets for me and my parents. My parents are the ones that qualified for the CP. When the flights are completed at the end of the month and the companion pass is good for the trip, when can you book the flights with the companion? The representative told us you cannot start booking until Jan 4, but that would seem weird because there would hardly be any flights available. The way we booked our flights now, I used points to help me and my mom on one reservation but my dad on another. If we can save the points, I would like to change the reservation now while the prices are still low, but want to see what others have experienced with these temporary passes.
> 
> Thank you


CP is not valid until the first day of the promo period

If I book a reservation prior to January 4, 2023 for travel between January 4 and March 4, 2023, when can I book my Companion’s reservation?​Once your Promotional Companion Pass has been awarded to your account (January 4, 2023), you can book your Companion’s reservation (subject to flight capacity and availability at the time of booking the Promotional Companion Pass).


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

nlenguyen said:


> If we can save the points, I would like to change the reservation now while the prices are still low, but want to see what others have experienced with these temporary passes.



I'm confused by this part. When you change the reservation, you'll receive the refund of what you paid, regardless of whether prices fluctuate in the interim. Do you need to use the points between now and then and that's why you want them back in the account sooner? 

I agree that the CP being bookable 1/4 for a 1/7 flight is very tight. I'd be keeping that January reservation as is so that I know there's a guaranteed seat and only cancelling it when I can book that person as a CP ASAP.


----------



## nlenguyen

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> I'm confused by this part. When you change the reservation, you'll receive the refund of what you paid, regardless of whether prices fluctuate in the interim. Do you need to use the points between now and then and that's why you want them back in the account sooner?
> 
> I agree that the CP being bookable 1/4 for a 1/7 flight is very tight. I'd be keeping that January reservation as is so that I know there's a guaranteed seat and only cancelling it when I can book that person as a CP ASAP.


Well the amount of points we have it booked now were the lowest we have seen them. I myself am not part of the CP, but I bought my mom's ticket with my points. If I were to cancel that reservation, I am tied to that and would have to book with the difference in price. My mom thinks it is a bad idea to make two separate reservations now because if we are not guaranteed a spot with CP on our flight, then we each have a different confirmation number to check in, etc. Which she does not want to deal with.

On the otherhand, because my dad booked his flight with points so it is on a different confirmation number and the flight was 13,000 points. On Jan 4 if the flights were like 40,000 points, would he have to cancel his 13,000 to rebook with companion for the 40,000?


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

nlenguyen said:


> Well the amount of points we have it booked now were the lowest we have seen them. I myself am not part of the CP, but I bought my mom's ticket with my points. If I were to cancel that reservation, I am tied to that and would have to book with the difference in price. My mom thinks it is a bad idea to make two separate reservations now because if we are not guaranteed a spot with CP on our flight, then we each have a different confirmation number to check in, etc. Which she does not want to deal with.
> 
> On the otherhand, because my dad booked his flight with points so it is on a different confirmation number and the flight was 13,000 points. On Jan 4 if the flights were like 40,000 points, would he have to cancel his 13,000 to rebook with companion for the 40,000?


You do not cancel when you add the companion. You keep exactly your reservation, click to add companion, and pay the $11.20 round trip taxes and fees. If you paid $59 for a crazy deal and the only remaining ticket is a $500 anytime, it's still just the $11.20 for a round trip ticket.

As to your mom on your reservation, when she's officially confirmed as his CP, you can call to cancel just her off of your reservation without it impacting the rate that you pay for your portion of the flight. You keep the rate you paid for your ticket when you booked it.

So, in both cases, fluctuating prices don't impact your scenario. You don't have to cancel/rebook at current rate to make this happen, so you don't care about current rate.


----------



## nlenguyen

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> You do not cancel when you add the companion. You keep exactly your reservation, click to add companion, and pay the $11.20 round trip taxes and fees. If you paid $59 for a crazy deal and the only remaining ticket is a $500 anytime, it's still just the $11.20 for a round trip ticket.
> 
> As to your mom on your reservation, when she's officially confirmed as his CP, you can call to cancel just her off of your reservation without it impacting the rate that you pay for your portion of the flight. You keep the rate you paid for your ticket when you booked it.
> 
> So, in both cases, fluctuating prices don't impact your scenario. You don't have to cancel/rebook at current rate to make this happen, so you don't care about current rate.


Thank you


----------



## KayW

Early Bird Question
I am gearing up to book for the next flight release.  I alway buy Early Bird and Wanna Get Away.  Do those who buy Wanna Get Away Plus get prioiry in EB over Wanna Get Away?  Or is it just who ever books it first?  

Thanks!


----------



## disneylover81

This is my son’s current flight status. He’s flying by himself for the first time and is kinda panicked that he will get stranded at the airport overnight. I told him to be sure and let all of the SWA staff and maybe call the 1-800 number to let them know that he will be running through the airport “Home Alone” style to make it to the next leg of his flight. I’m just wondering if y’all think they will wait at the gate for them for a few extra minutes. This is the last flight out of Houston tonight.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

disneylover81 said:


> This is my son’s current flight status. He’s flying by himself for the first time and is kinda panicked that he will get stranded at the airport overnight. I told him to be sure and let all of the SWA staff and maybe call the 1-800 number to let them know that he will be running through the airport “Home Alone” style to make it to the next leg of his flight. I’m just wondering if y’all think they will wait at the gate for them for a few extra minutes. This is the last flight out of Houston tonight.
> 
> View attachment 701215


It honestly just depends if they hold the planes or not. But the gate agents, FAs and pilots would be aware of all of this, they know passenger itineraries and such. Of course it doesn't hurt if he wants to talk to the gate agent in Jackson. It's entirely possible he's not the only passenger either needing that connection.

Our flight Thursday night out of Vegas they held the plane (10-15 mins was the time they notified us we would be expected to depart late for that) because the passengers incoming that were going to be on our plane were landing in Gate B and we were departing from Gate C so they had transit of the trams and such accounted for. That was also the last flight out from Vegas to KC and that flight had already been delayed 15 mins. The flight departing in the gate next to us also held the plane because the FA for that flight was landing in Gate B and the flight was departing from Gate C however an FA for a flight is def. different than a passenger.


----------



## MinnieMSue

disneylover81 said:


> This is my son’s current flight status. He’s flying by himself for the first time and is kinda panicked that he will get stranded at the airport overnight. I told him to be sure and let all of the SWA staff and maybe call the 1-800 number to let them know that he will be running through the airport “Home Alone” style to make it to the next leg of his flight. I’m just wondering if y’all think they will wait at the gate for them for a few extra minutes. This is the last flight out of Houston tonight.
> 
> View attachment 701215



I have been on a plane (southwest) when they have told us they were holding us waiting on some people to make their connection from a late arriving flight so it is possible they will do that for him.


----------



## disneylover81

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> It honestly just depends if they hold the planes or not. But the gate agents, FAs and pilots would be aware of all of this, they know passenger itineraries and such. Of course it doesn't hurt if he wants to talk to the gate agent in Jackson. It's entirely possible he's not the only passenger either needing that connection.
> 
> Our flight Thursday night out of Vegas they held the plane (10-15 mins was the time they notified us we would be expected to depart late for that) because the passengers incoming that were going to be on our plane were landing in Gate B and we were departing from Gate C so they had transit of the trams and such accounted for. That was also the last flight out from Vegas to KC and that flight had already been delayed 15 mins. The flight departing in the gate next to us also held the plane because the FA for that flight was landing in Gate B and the flight was departing from Gate C however an FA for a flight is def. different than a passenger.


Thanks. That makes me feel a little better. I told him to tell everyone he sees to please hold the plane before and during the flight. Last year I flew from Memphis to MDW to MCO and the MDW plane was about to leave us. Like literally closing the door when we came running and screaming to let us on. We barely made it so I know that’s why he is so worried.


----------



## disneylover81

MinnieMSue said:


> I have been on a plane (southwest) when they have told us they were holding us waiting on some people to make their connection from a late arriving flight so it is possible they will do that for him.


Thanks. I hope that’s the case for him tonight. I hope as long as he makes all the staff aware of his situation, that they will wait for him.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

disneylover81 said:


> Thanks. That makes me feel a little better. I told him to tell everyone he sees to please hold the plane before and during the flight. Last year I flew from Memphis to MDW to MCO and the MDW plane was about to leave us. Like literally closing the door when we came running and screaming to let us on. We barely made it so I know that’s why he is so worried.


It's been since 2013 but I know exactly how that feels coming back from our honeymoon having to go through customs and running to our plane that had the jetway door but not the aircraft door closed us running through the Atlanta airport, etc. Def. got some exercise then!


----------



## disneylover81

disneylover81 said:


> This is my son’s current flight status. He’s flying by himself for the first time and is kinda panicked that he will get stranded at the airport overnight. I told him to be sure and let all of the SWA staff and maybe call the 1-800 number to let them know that he will be running through the airport “Home Alone” style to make it to the next leg of his flight. I’m just wondering if y’all think they will wait at the gate for them for a few extra minutes. This is the last flight out of Houston tonight.
> 
> View attachment 701215


Just following up from my earlier post … the flight got delayed a few more times and there was no way they were going to make the connecting flight to LAS so SWA put them up in a Houston hotel for the night, gave them $200 each in LUV vouchers and booked them on an early morning flight to LAS. My son seemed satisfied with that solution. I then called his hotel in Las Vegas and explained what happened with the flight and they fully refunded him for his room tonight. So all in all, I guess it worked out ok for them.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

disneylover81 said:


> Just following up from my earlier post … the flight got delayed a few more times and there was no way they were going to make the connecting flight to LAS so SWA put them up in a Houston hotel for the night, gave them $200 each in LUV vouchers and booked them on an early morning flight to LAS. My son seemed satisfied with that solution. I then called his hotel in Las Vegas and explained what happened with the flight and they fully refunded him for his room tonight. So all in all, I guess it worked out ok for them.


Bummer that he got delayed, but thank goodness they didn't blame weather or some other circumstance where they wouldn't have put him up for the night. It sounds like he's getting the best of a bad situation, as the travel delay isn't also leading to added expense.


----------



## ultimatefans

nlenguyen said:


> Thank you


I haven’t fully digested your scenario, but if you keep all tickets and call in once the companion pass is valid the agent should be able to modify the reservation from a points ticket to a CP ticket without canceling anything if the CP holder and Companion were originally booked on the same reservation.  (Not sure they could do this if on different reservations but maybe). The points paid for the ticket that is now CP will be refunded.  I’ve done this before, although it was a regular CP and not a temporary one.  Not sure why it would be different though.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

disneylover81 said:


> Just following up from my earlier post … the flight got delayed a few more times and there was no way they were going to make the connecting flight to LAS so SWA put them up in a Houston hotel for the night, gave them $200 each in LUV vouchers and booked them on an early morning flight to LAS. My son seemed satisfied with that solution. I then called his hotel in Las Vegas and explained what happened with the flight and they fully refunded him for his room tonight. So all in all, I guess it worked out ok for them.


Ugh sorry to hear about the flight and the overnight stay for him but glad SWA got him taken care of!


----------



## nlenguyen

ultimatefans said:


> I haven’t fully digested your scenario, but if you keep all tickets and call in once the companion pass is valid the agent should be able to modify the reservation from a points ticket to a CP ticket without canceling anything if the CP holder and Companion were originally booked on the same reservation.  (Not sure they could do this if on different reservations but maybe). The points paid for the ticket that is now CP will be refunded.  I’ve done this before, although it was a regular CP and not a temporary one.  Not sure why it would be different though.


I will definitely ask them to see if they can modify our reservation if there are seats available. Does the CP only work in the same category. for instance, if we book WGA, we cannot book the companion at the Anytime price?


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

nlenguyen said:


> I will definitely ask them to see if they can modify our reservation if there are seats available. Does the CP only work in the same category. for instance, if we book WGA, we cannot book the companion at the Anytime price?


As long as there is any seat, the companion can be booked. They are not booked at WGA or Anytime or whatever. They are booked at Companion aka just pay taxes and fees.


----------



## focusondisney

nlenguyen said:


> I will definitely ask them to see if they can modify our reservation if there are seats available. Does the CP only work in the same category. for instance, if we book WGA, we cannot book the companion at the Anytime price?



As PP said, it’s booked as a Companion, no matter what you book.  If you book Business Select, your companion does not get those benefits & will not be assigned 1-15.


----------



## RLGNC

JStu said:


> 24 hours prior to departure go to southwests website and check in. You’ll be given a boarding group A B or C and a number 1-60. That’s the other you board the plane.
> 
> A1-30. A31-60. B1-30. B31-60. C1-30. C31-60. Sooner and closer to 24 hours better the boarding group you have. If you are in A or B you should be able to find 2-3 seats together. C is where it gets hairy





TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Definitely check in right at 24 hours for your best choices day of.





scrappinginontario said:


> This happened to us last month with a 5:30AM flight but, many will be up early with you at the 24 hour mark, snagging their boarding groups. I was watching the second hand on my apple watch visible at the 24 hour mark and clicked immediately but even with that we were B45 and B46. thankfully we were able to find seats together at the back of the plane.



I checked-in right at 24 hours prior (5:45 a.m.) and got A39 and A40, so I feel pretty good about that.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

RLGNC said:


> I checked-in right at 24 hours prior (5:45 a.m.) and got A39 and A40, so I feel pretty good about that.


Wow, that's great!! Highest I've gotten at 24 is teen Bs. Must not be a lot of EBCI on that flight. You'll have great seating options with those positions!


----------



## jkelly86

Southwest is counting award flights flown between Jan. 1, 2022, and Sept. 19, 2022, toward tier status requirements. Many Southwest Rapid Rewards members were notified of this promotion on their account page, but no public announcement has been made.

https://thepointsguy.com/news/southwest-to-count-some-2022-award-travel-toward-tier-status/


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

jkelly86 said:


> Southwest is counting award flights flown between Jan. 1, 2022, and Sept. 19, 2022, toward tier status requirements. Many Southwest Rapid Rewards members were notified of this promotion on their account page, but no public announcement has been made.
> 
> https://thepointsguy.com/news/southwest-to-count-some-2022-award-travel-toward-tier-status/


Yup, this is already reflected on my account. Now it's only 21 flights to go, instead of 23! If only I had unlimited vacation time and budget...


----------



## Erica Ladd

jkelly86 said:


> Southwest is counting award flights flown between Jan. 1, 2022, and Sept. 19, 2022, toward tier status requirements. Many Southwest Rapid Rewards members were notified of this promotion on their account page, but no public announcement has been made.
> 
> https://thepointsguy.com/news/southwest-to-count-some-2022-award-travel-toward-tier-status/


I was 2 flights away and I noticed I already earned A-list and wasn’t quite sure how but now I know! Wish I had known sooner bc I do have a ton of points!!


----------



## Memorymakerfor4

I forgot to check in yesterday right at the 24 hour mark. Two hours later, fully expecting to be somewhere in the C group, we were able to get A 27 and 28, I couldn't believe it. Do I dare hope for a flight that's not completely packed???


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Memorymakerfor4 said:


> I forgot to check in yesterday right at the 24 hour mark. Two hours later, fully expecting to be somewhere in the C group, we were able to get A 27 and 28, I couldn't believe it. Do I dare hope for a flight that's not completely packed???


Did you purchase Anytime Fare? Anytime Fare now comes with EBCI included.
Did you purchase WGA fare but also purchase EBCI but not remember?


----------



## scrappinginontario

Memorymakerfor4 said:


> I forgot to check in yesterday right at the 24 hour mark. Two hours later, fully expecting to be somewhere in the C group, we were able to get A 27 and 28, I couldn't believe it. Do I dare hope for a flight that's not completely packed???


While that would be nice, I would not anticipate that happening.  I agree with @Mackenzie Click-Mickelson that whatever ticket you purchased much have included EBCI or, you must have purchased it and forgotten.  Getting A27 and A28 2 hours after check-in would mean your flight would probably have less than 20 people on it so I cannot see that flight flying.


----------



## MinnieMSue

Memorymakerfor4 said:


> I forgot to check in yesterday right at the 24 hour mark. Two hours later, fully expecting to be somewhere in the C group, we were able to get A 27 and 28, I couldn't believe it. Do I dare hope for a flight that's not completely packed???



Maybe someone who was already checked in changed their flight - you might have gotten lucky and got their spots.


----------



## Memorymakerfor4

Nope, definitely not ECBI. As it turns out, our colleague forgot to check in until this morning and got C. So either it’s like MinnieC suggested or I am apparently flying with a bunch of other forgetful people.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Memorymakerfor4 said:


> Nope, definitely not ECBI. As it turns out, our colleague forgot to check in until this morning and got C. So either it’s like MinnieC suggested or I am apparently flying with a bunch of other forgetful people.


What fare did you book?


----------



## Memorymakerfor4

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> What fare did you book?


WGA.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Memorymakerfor4 said:


> WGA.


Thanks.

It hasn't happened in a very long time, at least reported here on this thread, if they were filling in spots between the 36 hour and 24 hour mark if someone with A-list or EBCI adjusted their flight during that time period. It _used_ to be that way where you _could _get lucky and get what that spot was but since the pandemic and updates to how they assign boarding positions (like giving A-list benefit to passengers on same reservation number, etc) it did not seem to be happening like in the past (reported at least on this thread).


----------



## Memorymakerfor4

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Thanks.
> 
> It hasn't happened in a very long time, at least reported here on this thread, if they were filling in spots between the 36 hour and 24 hour mark if someone with A-list or EBCI adjusted their flight during that time period. It _used_ to be that way where you _could _get lucky and get what that spot was but since the pandemic and updates to how they assign boarding positions (like giving A-list benefit to passengers on same reservation number, etc) it did not seem to be happening like in the past (reported at least on this thread).


Yeah it absolutely shocked me! I did hear from one other person at this conference that they were on a half full flight on the way up, which is something I haven’t heard of since the early pandemic days.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Memorymakerfor4 said:


> Yeah it absolutely shocked me! I did hear from one other person at this conference that they were on a half full flight on the way up, which is something I haven’t heard of since the early pandemic days.


Our flight home from Vegas last Thursday had more room than I had seen in recent travels but def. not half full! That must have been sooo nice.


----------



## Llama mama

I received a rewards member thank you for flying with us in the mail today. Announcing they are serving liquor again. Kindly gave us 4 drink tickets


----------



## Memorymakerfor4

Llama mama said:


> I received a rewards member thank you for flying with us in the mail today. Announcing they are serving liquor again. Kindly gave us 4 drink tickets


Yes, definitely serving liquor again. Woman next to me had two drinks on the way home.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Llama mama said:


> I received a rewards member thank you for flying with us in the mail today. Announcing they are serving liquor again. Kindly gave us 4 drink tickets





Memorymakerfor4 said:


> Yes, definitely serving liquor again. Woman next to me had two drinks on the way home.


Alcohol has been served on SWA since mid-Feb with them accepting expired drink coupons.

We've got old and new drink coupons but struggle to want alcohol at 5am or at almost 10pm/11pm on our flights to/from Vegas. Oddly my husband hasn't found a time yet when he's flying for work to want the alcohol. Most of the time it's just our flight times being so early or late (my husband often takes the last flight out if coming back home) but I did used to get them every now and then pre-pandemic. I ended up finding a fav beer from Lagunitas one time lol


----------



## FreeTime

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Alcohol has been served on SWA since mid-Feb with them accepting expired drink coupons.
> 
> We've got old and new drink coupons but struggle to want alcohol at 5am or at almost 10pm/11pm on our flights to/from Vegas. Oddly my husband hasn't found a time yet when he's flying for work to want the alcohol. Most of the time it's just our flight times being so early or late (my husband often takes the last flight out if coming back home) but I did used to get them every now and then pre-pandemic. I ended up finding a fav beer from Lagunitas one time lol


For the old coupons, on the last flight I was told they were no longer accepting them. This was in August. Has anyone used them recently? Also, I used to be the only one to get drink coupons but they are really pushing them out lately. One DD got them after one flight and the other DD got them two weeks in a row in the mail.  16 between the three of us plus our expired ones. Way more than we need. It was nice when you used to be able to use them on vitamin water.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

FreeTime said:


> For the old coupons, on the last flight I was told they were no longer accepting them. This was in August. Has anyone used them recently?


That would be against the policy they announced when they brought back alcohol

https://www.southwest.com/help/on-the-plane/food-and-drinks?clk=SITESEARCH



I would just pushback against the FA if they declined. Sure after the end of this year they are under no obligation to unless they change that again but that was SWA's decision to allow the coupons to be used til the end of the year.


----------



## canyoncam

FreeTime said:


> For the old coupons, on the last flight I was told they were no longer accepting them. This was in August. Has anyone used them recently? Also, I used to be the only one to get drink coupons but they are really pushing them out lately. One DD got them after one flight and the other DD got them two weeks in a row in the mail.  16 between the three of us plus our expired ones. Way more than we need. It was nice when you used to be able to use them on vitamin water.



Not really pushing them out. I haven’t received a drink coupon in what feels like 10 years. I don’t fly a ton but average 6 flights a year. All on rewards so I guess they feel they do not need to reward me anymore!!!


----------



## AntJulie

FreeTime said:


> For the old coupons, on the last flight I was told they were no longer accepting them. This was in August. Has anyone used them recently? Also, I used to be the only one to get drink coupons but they are really pushing them out lately. One DD got them after one flight and the other DD got them two weeks in a row in the mail.  16 between the three of us plus our expired ones. Way more than we need. It was nice when you used to be able to use them on vitamin water.


I was able to use an expired one 8/31/22. Pre-Covid, I would offer a passenger in my row one to use because of the expiration dates.


----------



## Erica Ladd

I’ve been flying a bunch and had received coupons twice close together earlier in the year and nothing since… maybe I’m flying too much to get more?


----------



## Tink Fans

We used a few drink coupons on Thursday night – – they expired mid 2021. We didn’t ask-we just gave them to the flight attendant.


----------



## karen4546

Has anyone paid for upgraded boarding at the 24hr check in?  

Does the option come up when you check in?
Does it say you will get “A” boarding? Or is it like EBCI?

Or do you have to wait until you are at the airport to purchase?  

We have only flown SW a few times and I have usually purchased EB but I decided to wait to try out the new boarding upgrade option.

Thanks


----------



## nekonekoneko

karen4546 said:


> Has anyone paid for upgraded boarding at the 24hr check in?
> 
> Does the option come up when you check in?
> Does it say you will get “A” boarding? Or is it like EBCI?
> 
> Or do you have to wait until you are at the airport to purchase?
> 
> We have only flown SW a few times and I have usually purchased EB but I decided to wait to try out the new boarding upgrade option.
> 
> Thanks



The upgraded boarding is to buy specifically for A1-A15.  So there will be, at most, 15 spots available. This used to only be able to be purchased at the airport, but they added it online recently.


----------



## Erica Ladd

karen4546 said:


> Has anyone paid for upgraded boarding at the 24hr check in?
> 
> Does the option come up when you check in?
> Does it say you will get “A” boarding? Or is it like EBCI?
> 
> Or do you have to wait until you are at the airport to purchase?
> 
> We have only flown SW a few times and I have usually purchased EB but I decided to wait to try out the new boarding upgrade option.
> 
> Thanks


I haven’t tried it yet but for the past few weeks maybe two months it has been popping up automatically at the 24 hour mark when you check in


----------



## karen4546

nekonekoneko said:


> The upgraded boarding is to buy specifically for A1-A15.  So there will be, at most, 15 spots available. This used to only be able to be purchased at the airport, but they added it online recently.


Ah okay.  Thank you.


----------



## focusondisney

karen4546 said:


> Does the option come up when you check in?
> Does it say you will get “A” boarding? Or is it like EBCI?




I did it for my DH early this month.  When I checked him in, it showed his boarding position.  Right next to it was a box to purchase upgraded boarding.  Very noticeable & easy to do. I then had to reload his boarding pass.


----------



## disny_luvr

Has anyone had any luck getting a LUV voucher extended? We have four vouchers totally $600 that we were planning on using for a long weekend in March, but I just found out my boys have the SATs that Saturday. The vouchers expire in April and I just don’t see us being able to use them before then, but I hate to lose them, too.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Is there a way to see all the nonstop cities that SWA flies to from my home city?

ETA -RDU


----------



## BelleOftheBall16

disny_luvr said:


> Has anyone had any luck getting a LUV voucher extended? We have four vouchers totally $600 that we were planning on using for a long weekend in March, but I just found out my boys have the SATs that Saturday. The vouchers expire in April and I just don’t see us being able to use them before then, but I hate to lose them, too.


Now that travel funds no longer expire all you need to do is book a flight with the luv vouchers then cancel which will result in the amount turning into travel funds. It can take a few hours after you cancel for them to show as no expiration travel funds so don’t be alarmed.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

BelleOftheBall16 said:


> Now that travel funds no longer expire all you need to do is book a flight with the luv vouchers then cancel which will result in the amount turning into travel funds. It can take a few hours after you cancel for them to show as no expiration travel funds so don’t be alarmed.



Definitely this. Additionally, for maximum flexibility, book WGA plus flights. Then, your flight credit will be eligible for a one-time transfer to another name if you decide you want to, say, just use it on a couples trip instead of a family trip. Since you're booking with intent to cancel, I'd be looking for the combination of flights for your intended travelers that gets as close as possible to maxing out the Luv voucher with WGA+. Then, if the intended travelers change, you transfer the credit.


----------



## EACarlson

Erica Ladd said:


> Is there a way to see all the nonstop cities that SWA flies to from my home city?
> 
> ETA -RDU


https://www.southwest.com/route-map/#map-section
Looks like Atlanta, Austin, BWI, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, KC, Vegas, Nashville, New Orleans, Orlando, Phoenix, St. Louis, Tampa,


----------



## Erica Ladd

BelleOftheBall16 said:


> Now that travel funds no longer expire all you need to do is book a flight with the luv vouchers then cancel which will result in the amount turning into travel funds. It can take a few hours after you cancel for them to show as no expiration travel funds so don’t be alarmed.


What a great idea! Never crossed my mind lol! And it’s perfect bc I already reached a list for next year and have one that expires early January!!


----------



## disny_luvr

BelleOftheBall16 said:


> Now that travel funds no longer expire all you need to do is book a flight with the luv vouchers then cancel which will result in the amount turning into travel funds. It can take a few hours after you cancel for them to show as no expiration travel funds so don’t be alarmed.



I never thought of this. Thank you so much!


----------



## disny_luvr

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Definitely this. Additionally, for maximum flexibility, book WGA plus flights. Then, your flight credit will be eligible for a one-time transfer to another name if you decide you want to, say, just use it on a couples trip instead of a family trip. Since you're booking with intent to cancel, I'd be looking for the combination of flights for your intended travelers that gets as close as possible to maxing out the Luv voucher with WGA+. Then, if the intended travelers change, you transfer the credit.



Great tip! Thank you!


----------



## KNJWDW

Check your flights!  I just randomly looked up the current prices on my flights. The return flight to MKE in early November dropped over 10,000 points.  I wasn’t expecting that!


----------



## TNKim

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Definitely this. Additionally, for maximum flexibility, book WGA plus flights. Then, your flight credit will be eligible for a one-time transfer to another name if you decide you want to, say, just use it on a couples trip instead of a family trip. Since you're booking with intent to cancel, I'd be looking for the combination of flights for your intended travelers that gets as close as possible to maxing out the Luv voucher with WGA+. Then, if the intended travelers change, you transfer the credit.



A question about this - if I have a LUV voucher for $150 and I find a WGA+ flight for $149, with $5 or so taxes added, I would receive $149 refunded in travel funds, then the $5 taxes would be returned to my credit card? Or should I look for a flight that is around $140 or so instead of $149?


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

TNKim said:


> A question about this - if I have a LUV voucher for $150 and I find a WGA+ flight for $149, with $5 or so taxes added, I would receive $149 refunded in travel funds, then the $5 taxes would be returned to my credit card? Or should I look for a flight that is around $140 or so instead of $149?


I'm not sure on that one. I believe WGA+ taxes and fees come as part of the travel funds, so you want your full total to be $150.

Anyone else more sure?


----------



## EACarlson

TNKim said:


> A question about this - if I have a LUV voucher for $150 and I find a WGA+ flight for $149, with $5 or so taxes added, I would receive $149 refunded in travel funds, then the $5 taxes would be returned to my credit card? Or should I look for a flight that is around $140 or so instead of $149?


WGA+ fares are not eligible for method of payment refunds.  The entire amount would be converted to a flight credit, commonly called travel funds.


----------



## focusondisney

TNKim said:


> A question about this - if I have a LUV voucher for $150 and I find a WGA+ flight for $149, with $5 or so taxes added, I would receive $149 refunded in travel funds, then the $5 taxes would be returned to my credit card? Or should I look for a flight that is around $140 or so instead of $149?





EACarlson said:


> WGA+ fares are not eligible for method of payment refunds.  The entire amount would be converted to a flight credit, commonly called travel funds.



I believe taxes are refundable.  I think you’re given an option for a refund or a travel fund when you cancel. The only portion that will be refundable will be the taxes & the rest will become travel credits. I have cancelled WGA fares & been given the option for taxes to be refunded.  

Edit: sorry, my bad. This may only apply to flights booked on points.  From the SW site:

“I booked a flight with Rapid Rewards points. If I cancel, will I get my points back?
Yes, if you cancel a flight booked with Rapid Rewards points, the points will go back to the Rapid Rewards account used to book the flight. You can choose whether the taxes and fees will be refunded as a method-of-payment refund or a flight credit to be used toward a future flight.”


----------



## jkelly86

Posted in our RR account:

"New Reward Bookings

Q: Can my new reward travel qualify toward tier status?
A: Yes, Members who register for this promotion and book new reward reservations for travel between September 21 and November 30, 2022 will receive credit for flight segments toward the number of one-way flights needed to achieve/retain tier status.
Q: What do I need to do in order to participate in this promotion?
A: All participants must register for the promotion by either clicking on the special registration link in their email or by logging in to their account between September 21 and November 30, 2022 in order for their reward travel to count toward tier status. Please note that the Member must register prior to booking and commencement of travel to qualify for the promotion.
Q: Do reward flight segment credits also apply to Companion Pass® qualification?
A: No, this promotion is for tier status only. Any reward flight segment credits earned as a result of this promotion will not count toward Companion Pass qualification.
Q: Will the Member also earn points/tier qualifying points for the fare associated with the reward reservation(s)?
A: No."


----------



## Erica Ladd

Just to circle back about the LUV vouchers - After reading about booking a flight and converting them to travel funds that do not expire I searched my email to find the one I had but discovered I actually have two vouchers!! I am so glad I checked because now I have $200 worth of credit to use. Thanks everyone!!


----------



## Erica Ladd

jkelly86 said:


> Posted in our RR account:
> 
> "New Reward Bookings
> 
> Q: Can my new reward travel qualify toward tier status?
> A: Yes, Members who register for this promotion and book new reward reservations for travel between September 21 and November 30, 2022 will receive credit for flight segments toward the number of one-way flights needed to achieve/retain tier status.
> Q: What do I need to do in order to participate in this promotion?
> A: All participants must register for the promotion by either clicking on the special registration link in their email or by logging in to their account between September 21 and November 30, 2022 in order for their reward travel to count toward tier status. Please note that the Member must register prior to booking and commencement of travel to qualify for the promotion.
> Q: Do reward flight segment credits also apply to Companion Pass® qualification?
> A: No, this promotion is for tier status only. Any reward flight segment credits earned as a result of this promotion will not count toward Companion Pass qualification.
> Q: Will the Member also earn points/tier qualifying points for the fare associated with the reward reservation(s)?
> A: No."


So wait - flights I book with points between 9/21-11/30 can count towards a list preferred status? But I have to book after I register? I’ve got a bunch of flights already booked on points most of which are still the same price. Should I cancel them and rebook after registering? Just checking if I read that correctly!!


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

jkelly86 said:


> Posted in our RR account:
> 
> "New Reward Bookings
> 
> Q: Can my new reward travel qualify toward tier status?
> A: Yes, Members who register for this promotion and book new reward reservations for travel between September 21 and November 30, 2022 will receive credit for flight segments toward the number of one-way flights needed to achieve/retain tier status.
> Q: What do I need to do in order to participate in this promotion?
> A: All participants must register for the promotion by either clicking on the special registration link in their email or by logging in to their account between September 21 and November 30, 2022 in order for their reward travel to count toward tier status. Please note that the Member must register prior to booking and commencement of travel to qualify for the promotion.
> Q: Do reward flight segment credits also apply to Companion Pass® qualification?
> A: No, this promotion is for tier status only. Any reward flight segment credits earned as a result of this promotion will not count toward Companion Pass qualification.
> Q: Will the Member also earn points/tier qualifying points for the fare associated with the reward reservation(s)?
> A: No."



So, you need 25 flights in a calendar year for status, right?

I have 4 credited right now, will be flying on points for 2 segments in '22, probably 4 in '23, so new calendar year.

There's no reason for me to bother with this if I'm still that far off from 25 flights, right? There's no difference between 4 and 10 segments as neither qualifies for any darn thing, right? I haven't even gotten any drink coupons yet....

(First world problem alert: complaining about drink coupons when your family is flying free on points / CPs! Lol!)


----------



## aokeefe

KNJWDW said:


> Check your flights!  I just randomly looked up the current prices on my flights. The return flight to MKE in early November dropped over 10,000 points.  I wasn’t expecting that!


Me too! In all my years traveling school vacation weeks, I have never had a price drop. I was lucky bc of the 3 direct flights, only mine had a drop. Got 26,000 points returned! (4 tickets).


----------



## IndtoMco

KNJWDW said:


> Check your flights!  I just randomly looked up the current prices on my flights. The return flight to MKE in early November dropped over 10,000 points.  I wasn’t expecting that!


Thanks! I just checked and was able to get points back.


----------



## Erica Ladd

A-list question. I know about standby but if I have a morning flight and want to switch to an evening flight (same day) can i switch to the later flight with no charge if a seat is available? Since it’s later in the day can I call that morning rather than go to the gate?


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Erica Ladd said:


> A-list question. I know about standby but if I have a morning flight and want to switch to an evening flight (same day) can i switch to the later flight with no charge if a seat is available? Since it’s later in the day can I call that morning rather than go to the gate?


According to SWA's website 

"*Customers who book Business Select®, Anytime, and Wanna Get Away Plus™ fares can complete their free same-day change online; Wanna Get Away® fares can be changed online by paying a fare difference. A-List and A-List Preferred Members with a Wanna Get Away fare are eligible for free same-day change, but they must call Customer Service or visit a Southwest Gate Agent to make the confirmed change without paying the fare difference."

So for you

1) You're A-List so no fare difference applies
2) You can call or visit gate agent IF you booked WGA as opposed to the other fares listed where you can do it online.



___________
My husband does this from time to time, he actually did this last week flying home from San Jose due to his work being done early there so he caught an earlier flight.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> According to SWA's website
> 
> "*Customers who book Business Select®, Anytime, and Wanna Get Away Plus™ fares can complete their free same-day change online; Wanna Get Away® fares can be changed online by paying a fare difference. A-List and A-List Preferred Members with a Wanna Get Away fare are eligible for free same-day change, but they must call Customer Service or visit a Southwest Gate Agent to make the confirmed change without paying the fare difference."
> 
> So for you
> 
> 1) You're A-List so no fare difference applies
> 2) You can call or visit gate agent IF you booked WGA as opposed to the other fares listed where you can do it online.
> 
> 
> 
> ___________
> My husband does this from time to time, he actually did this last week flying home from San Jose due to his work being done early there so he caught an earlier flight.


From the looks of it there’s only 5 seats left so I’m running out of room anyway!!


----------



## karen4546

Checked in and got a42 and hubs got b1.  Both are okay but I upgraded and I got a2 and he got a3.


----------



## TNKim

focusondisney said:


> I believe taxes are refundable.  I think you’re given an option for a refund or a travel fund when you cancel. The only portion that will be refundable will be the taxes & the rest will become travel credits. I have cancelled WGA fares & been given the option for taxes to be refunded.
> 
> Edit: sorry, my bad. This may only apply to flights booked on points.  From the SW site:
> 
> “I booked a flight with Rapid Rewards points. If I cancel, will I get my points back?
> Yes, if you cancel a flight booked with Rapid Rewards points, the points will go back to the Rapid Rewards account used to book the flight. You can choose whether the taxes and fees will be refunded as a method-of-payment refund or a flight credit to be used toward a future flight.”



Okay, so I just tried to book a WGA+ flight to use my $150 LUV voucher, with plans to cancel it in order to convert the LUV voucher to travel funds that don't expire.  It's been a while since I booked paying cash instead of booking with points, and I evidently thought the taxes would be a small amount like $5 or so when I had booked with points. 

So the $149 flight I chose to book, $125 was flight cost and $23.98 was taxes & fees, meaning the $150 LUV voucher I wanted to use in full would only be worth $125, with $23.98 being charged in taxes and fees.  So I'm going to need to book a more expensive flight to use up the $150 LUV voucher, and go through the booking process to see how much the actual flight cost is vs. flight cost and taxes and fees.


----------



## EACarlson

TNKim said:


> Okay, so I just tried to book a WGA+ flight to use my $150 LUV voucher, with plans to cancel it in order to convert the LUV voucher to travel funds that don't expire.  It's been a while since I booked paying cash instead of booking with points, and I evidently thought the taxes would be a small amount like $5 or so when I had booked with points.
> 
> So the $149 flight I chose to book, $125 was flight cost and $23.98 was taxes & fees, meaning the $150 LUV voucher I wanted to use in full would only be worth $125, with $23.98 being charged in taxes and fees.  So I'm going to need to book a more expensive flight to use up the $150 LUV voucher, and go through the booking process to see how much the actual flight cost is vs. flight cost and taxes and fees.


No, the taxes and fees would have been included in the TF.  Airlines are mandated to show prices with all applicable taxes and fees included.


----------



## ultimatefans

TNKim said:


> Okay, so I just tried to book a WGA+ flight to use my $150 LUV voucher, with plans to cancel it in order to convert the LUV voucher to travel funds that don't expire.  It's been a while since I booked paying cash instead of booking with points, and I evidently thought the taxes would be a small amount like $5 or so when I had booked with points.
> 
> So the $149 flight I chose to book, $125 was flight cost and $23.98 was taxes & fees, meaning the $150 LUV voucher I wanted to use in full would only be worth $125, with $23.98 being charged in taxes and fees.  So I'm going to need to book a more expensive flight to use up the $150 LUV voucher, and go through the booking process to see how much the actual flight cost is vs. flight cost and taxes and fees.


This was a surprise to me too when I recently booked a trip with a LUV voucher.  When paying with points only the 9/11 security fee has to be paid with cash.  But when using a LUV voucher all of the taxes and fees have to be paid in cash.

*Fares include:
Excise taxes, including:*

7.5% of base fare for domestic travel within the Continental United States and between the Hawaiian islands; prorated for travel between the Continental United States and Hawaii.
Arrival/Departure Tax of $9.90 each way for travel between the Continental United States and Hawaii.
U.S. Transportation Tax of $19.70 each way for travel between the Continental United States and Puerto Rico.
Federal segment fee of $4.50 that will be imposed on each flight segment. Flight segment is defined as a takeoff and a landing.
*Other taxes*

Government-imposed September 11th Security Fee starting at $5.60 per one-way trip.
Airport assessed Passenger Facility Charges (PFCs) of up to $18.
 
*Fares Booked with Points or a Companion Pass:*

Government-imposed September 11th Security Fee starting at $5.60 per one-way trip.


----------



## TNKim

EACarlson said:


> No, the taxes and fees would have been included in the TF.  Airlines are mandated to show prices with all applicable taxes and fees included.



Even if the $23.98 taxes and fees are turned into TF when I cancel the dummy flight, I'm still having to pay extra taxes and fees by credit card which still leaves $25 unused from the $150 LUV Voucher.  It will only take $125 from the $150 voucher for the flight cost. 

I've searched for another WGA+ flight and a $172 flight only results in $146.40 flight cost, with fee & taxes added.  The next tier flight is $183 and the flight cost is $156.63, with fee & taxes added, which would result in me needing to pay $6.63 extra.   

So I guess the $172 flight is the better option.


----------



## Erica Ladd

If Southwest canceled my flight and then rebooked me on a different connecting flight due to the hurricane do I have to still keep the same arrival city as my original flight? I’m just wondering if I can fly someplace completely different…


----------



## nekonekoneko

Erica Ladd said:


> If Southwest canceled my flight and then rebooked me on a different connecting flight due to the hurricane do I have to still keep the same arrival city as my original flight? I’m just wondering if I can fly someplace completely different…



I think on a rebook, you have to stay at least close to the original airport to not pay for any difference in fare.  For like BWI, you could go to DCA or IAD for free.  You could go to PHL, but then you'd be subject to their normal change policy.


----------



## JoJoGirl

I’m not flying into Orlando until Sunday afternoon, 10/2 and returning home 10/8. My Southwest flights are tagged for free flight changes for those dates as well.

Right now I’m sitting tight and seeing if by Sunday, things will be straightened out at least on my routes. No guarantees but fingers crossed.  This was a risk I chose by booking this time of year. 

Safe travels to everyone trying to get somewhere during the upcoming week.


----------



## disny_luvr

TNKim said:


> Even if the $23.98 taxes and fees are turned into TF when I cancel the dummy flight, I'm still having to pay extra taxes and fees by credit card which still leaves $25 unused from the $150 LUV Voucher.  It will only take $125 from the $150 voucher for the flight cost.
> 
> I've searched for another WGA+ flight and a $172 flight only results in $146.40 flight cost, with fee & taxes added.  The next tier flight is $183 and the flight cost is $156.63, with fee & taxes added, which would result in me needing to pay $6.63 extra.
> 
> So I guess the $172 flight is the better option.


Thanks for sharing this! It is very helpful!


----------



## Erica Ladd

So I just canceled a flight and I’m not sure what is going on with my points. On my points activity it shows a refund for the points plus a redeem where it shows the negative amount, not giving me any net gain. Did I do something wrong? This is a flight that SW originally canceled and rescheduled


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Erica Ladd said:


> So I just canceled a flight and I’m not sure what is going on with my points. On my points activity it shows a refund for the points plus a redeem where it shows the negative amount, not giving me any net gain. Did I do something wrong? This is a flight that SW originally canceled and rescheduled


This happened to me too. The initial redeem got moved from the date I booked to the date I cancelled, so you see the in-and-out right next to each other 

If you go back to the original booking date on your history, you'll see that the redemption is no longer listed there.


----------



## Erica Ladd

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> This happened to me too. The initial redeem got moved from the date I booked to the date I cancelled, so you see the in-and-out right next to each other
> 
> If you go back to the original booking date on your history, you'll see that the redemption is no longer listed there.


Yea to this! Looks like something changed in their system that points redeemed are more like a credit card ‘authorization’ and don’t come out of the account at the time of booking. I complained that it’s much more difficult for people to keep track of points balances with it set up that way. She said she would pass that along to the higher ups


----------



## Doug7856

Erica Ladd said:


> Yea to this! Looks like something changed in their system that points redeemed are more like a credit card ‘authorization’ and don’t come out of the account at the time of booking. I complained that it’s much more difficult for people to keep track of points balances with it set up that way. She said she would pass that along to the higher ups


I agree with your perspective!


----------



## kelpricer

I’m sure I’ve seen the answer to this question, I can’t find it though. If I paid the $20 for early bird check in and cancel my flight am I out that money? I canceled my flight last night and dont see a refund for that


----------



## jcarwash

kelpricer said:


> I’m sure I’ve seen the answer to this question, I can’t find it though. If I paid the $20 for early bird check in and cancel my flight am I out that money? I canceled my flight last night and dont see a refund for that



No, if you cancel your own flight, then EBCI is nonrefundable. 

From their FAQ: "EarlyBird Check-In purchases are non-refundable. Customers who cancel their flight will forfeit the previously purchased EarlyBird Check-In option for that particular flight."


----------



## jkelly86

Check your flights.  We had January, February and March flight changes this morning.


----------



## AngieInOH

jkelly86 said:


> Check your flights.  We had January, February and March flight changes this morning.



Thanks.  My Feb flights changed, both there and back.  Thankfully just by 15 min.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

You might want to check flights especially if you booked in points.

Our April 2023 flight to Cancun did not drop in dollars BUT did drop in points. We paid in points and for 2 tickets we'll get 830 points back.

IIRC it did this either on our May Orlando flight or our September Vegas flight can't remember which one.


----------



## piglet1979

The points on my flight dropped.  How do I get the new rate to get some points back?


----------



## jcarwash

piglet1979 said:


> The points on my flight dropped.  How do I get the new rate to get some points back?



On the web site, you use the change flight feature and choose the same flight/leg again. That adjusts to the new rate and refunds the points.


----------



## piglet1979

jcarwash said:


> On the web site, you use the change flight feature and choose the same flight/leg again. That adjusts to the new rate and refunds the points.


Thank you.  It was my first time doing this.  I got 3706 points back.


----------



## kristenrice

I just realized that our return flight (October 25) has gone down by a few points.  When I tried to "change" the flight to "rebook" it for the same one, I got this message...

 "Your reservation contains segments or passenger types that prevent you from changing it online. Please contact your TMC/Travel Agency or a Southwest Airlines Customer Representative for assistance"

The confirmation number is for myself and DD19 and I booked us both with just points....no vouchers, no travel funds...just points.  Any ideas why I would have to call?  It's less than 500 points for each ticket so, honestly, I am not going to bother at this point.  I don't fly enough to worry about going through a hassle to try and get 900-ish points back.  I figured it's easy enough to do it online, but I'm wondering what's up with the error message....I've never had that happen before...


----------



## teawar

kristenrice said:


> I just realized that our return flight (October 25) has gone down by a few points.  When I tried to "change" the flight to "rebook" it for the same one, I got this message...
> 
> "Your reservation contains segments or passenger types that prevent you from changing it online. Please contact your TMC/Travel Agency or a Southwest Airlines Customer Representative for assistance"
> 
> The confirmation number is for myself and DD19 and I booked us both with just points....no vouchers, no travel funds...just points.  Any ideas why I would have to call?  It's less than 500 points for each ticket so, honestly, I am not going to bother at this point.  I don't fly enough to worry about going through a hassle to try and get 900-ish points back.  I figured it's easy enough to do it online, but I'm wondering what's up with the error message....I've never had that happen before...


I’ve had this happen before because our flight was booked round trip on points. I made the quick phone call and the agent was able to change it. The agent suggested that I book one ways trips on points to avoid having to make the call, and that’s what I’ve done since then. It’s pretty easy to call, but I prefer to take care of flight changes on my own using the website.


----------



## Doug7856

kristenrice said:


> I just realized that our return flight (October 25) has gone down by a few points.  When I tried to "change" the flight to "rebook" it for the same one, I got this message...
> 
> "Your reservation contains segments or passenger types that prevent you from changing it online. Please contact your TMC/Travel Agency or a Southwest Airlines Customer Representative for assistance"
> 
> The confirmation number is for myself and DD19 and I booked us both with just points....no vouchers, no travel funds...just points.  Any ideas why I would have to call?  It's less than 500 points for each ticket so, honestly, I am not going to bother at this point.  I don't fly enough to worry about going through a hassle to try and get 900-ish points back.  I figured it's easy enough to do it online, but I'm wondering what's up with the error message....I've never had that happen before...


This happened to us when we booked our family on points. For the points reservation, each family member is on a separate itinerary. Any minors must be linked to an adult. When this happens, you must call Southwest to make any changes because changes are made on each individual reservation and minors may end up accidentally separated from the adult flyer. The Southwest rep will make the changes to all reservations to ensure everyone is on the same flight. This includes all changes, include price changes, unfortunately.


----------



## kristenrice

Doug7856 said:


> This happened to us when we booked our family on points. For the points reservation, each family member is on a separate itinerary. Any minors must be linked to an adult. When this happens, you must call Southwest to make any changes because changes are made on each individual reservation and minors may end up accidentally separated from the adult flyer. The Southwest rep will make the changes to all reservations to ensure everyone is on the same flight. This includes all changes, include price changes, unfortunately.


Hmmm....my daughter is 18, but I did book us both on points.  I booked both flights as one-ways, in case one way went down.
Another question...there is only (1) ticket left at the lower price.  My ticket and my daughter's ticket have separate confirmation numbers.  Can I "change" one of them to get the lower price and therefore the refunded difference?  Or would it have to be both of them, and therefore the higher (same) price?


----------



## focusondisney

kristenrice said:


> Hmmm....my daughter is 18, but I did book us both on points.  I booked both flights as one-ways, in case one way went down.
> Another question...there is only (1) ticket left at the lower price.  My ticket and my daughter's ticket have separate confirmation numbers.  Can I "change" one of them to get the lower price and therefore the refunded difference?  Or would it have to be both of them, and therefore the higher (same) price?




Oh sure, change one of them & get your points back.  If they’re separate confirmations, no reason not to.   And still keep checking,  you might see another drop & be able to change the other one soon too.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Check your flights again at least for spring!

Our Cancun flight dropped in dollars this time as well as points (just a week and a half ago it was only points that it dropped).

We got 2,656 points per person or 5,312 total points back (this was in addition to getting 830 points a week and a half ago).


----------



## Lsdolphin

Wow just checked to see if price had dropped at all on my fares from BWI to MCO and they have jumped from the $123 I paid each way to $163+


----------



## Doug7856

Lsdolphin said:


> Wow just checked to see if price had dropped at all on my fares from BWI to MCO and they have jumped from the $123 I paid each way to $163+


Looks like all of the BWI routes to Florida went up today.


----------



## Tink3815

Doug7856 said:


> Looks like all of the BWI routes to Florida went up today.


Look what is happening to the price of gas, Jet fuel will be on the rise again and so will airline fares.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Doug7856 said:


> Looks like all of the BWI routes to Florida went up today.


I've been watching since opening day, hoping to get some points back, but mine just keep climbing. Booked when they were $163 out, $216 back which I thought was high. My outbound is now sold out with other, reasonable times at $353 and the returns are all Anytime or higher, so $571. Oooof! Someone who wanted reasonably priced last minute travel on my days would need to take the late flight that lands at 1am in either direction and they'd still be paying more than my opening day fares. 

A good reminder to us all that the next fare drop is in one week, so get on that if you need flights through 7/10/23


----------



## Erica Ladd

So the next drop is on which day exactly again?  This is the first time I’ve been waiting for flights to drop!


----------



## BillFromCT

Erica Ladd said:


> So the next drop is on which day exactly again?  This is the first time I’ve been waiting for flights to drop!


----------



## Tink3815

Erica Ladd said:


> So the next drop is on which day exactly again?  This is the first time I’ve been waiting for flights to drop!


We are currently accepting air reservations through April 10, 2023. On October 27, 2022 we will open our schedule for sale through July 10, 2023. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently


----------



## Tink3815

Southwest is currently running a promotion for 50% off buying points. I wonder if they are preparing us for for the high fares that are coming with the next drop.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Tink3815 said:


> Southwest is currently running a promotion for 50% off buying points. I wonder if they are preparing us for for the high fares that are coming with the next drop.


Now don't jinx us   

We have the return flight home from Cancun to book with this next release


----------



## puppytrainer

Tink3815 said:


> Southwest is currently running a promotion for 50% off buying points. I wonder if they are preparing us for for the high fares that are coming with the next drop.


Is the 50% off for everyone? I'm seeing 45% when I log into my account.


----------



## Tink3815

puppytrainer said:


> Is the 50% off for everyone? I'm seeing 45% when I log into my account.


We received an email on my husbands southwest for 50, mine was only 45


----------



## CalSea12

I am hoping to get a little insight. We are flying SW bc they had the best prices this time around.

I am curious if anyone has ever qualified for pre boarding with my DD and my issues.

My DD7 is ASD1 (Autism spectrum level 1) and has sensory issues. She will have melt downs if she feels crowded or rushed. She is also specific on where she sits and needs her seat cleaned. 

I have issues with blood clots in my legs and swelling. I am also highly claustrophobic and need to see the door so have to be semi up front. 

Anyone have even a guess if we would possibly qualify? If they turn you down is it  big deal? 

TIA


----------



## nekonekoneko

CalSea12 said:


> I am hoping to get a little insight. We are flying SW bc they had the best prices this time around.
> 
> I am curious if anyone has ever qualified for pre boarding with my DD and my issues.
> 
> My DD7 is ASD1 (Autism spectrum level 1) and has sensory issues. She will have melt downs if she feels crowded or rushed. She is also specific on where she sits and needs her seat cleaned.
> 
> I have issues with blood clots in my legs and swelling. I am also highly claustrophobic and need to see the door so have to be semi up front.
> 
> Anyone have even a guess if we would possibly qualify? If they turn you down is it  big deal?
> 
> TIA



I think that should be alright.  I mean, the worst they can say is no.  But the mobility issues for you, and your daughter's autism should be enough to get to pre-board.

Worst case, you're boarding at your assigned number.  If it's too far back, you may have to buy upgraded boarding to move you into the A1-A15 range.


----------



## JoJoGirl

CalSea12 said:


> I am hoping to get a little insight. We are flying SW bc they had the best prices this time around.
> 
> I am curious if anyone has ever qualified for pre boarding with my DD and my issues.
> 
> My DD7 is ASD1 (Autism spectrum level 1) and has sensory issues. She will have melt downs if she feels crowded or rushed. She is also specific on where she sits and needs her seat cleaned.
> 
> I have issues with blood clots in my legs and swelling. I am also highly claustrophobic and need to see the door so have to be semi up front.
> 
> Anyone have even a guess if we would possibly qualify? If they turn you down is it  big deal?
> 
> TIA



No guarantees, but I have definitely seen children with ASD preboard on SW. If you politely explain your situation to the gate agent ahead of time, they may even try to save you the bulkhead seats to minimize you and your daughter’s anxiety. Again no guarantees because this is up to the individual gate agent, but I have seen SW do this in the past.


----------



## Doug7856

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> I've been watching since opening day, hoping to get some points back, but mine just keep climbing. Booked when they were $163 out, $216 back which I thought was high. My outbound is now sold out with other, reasonable times at $353 and the returns are all Anytime or higher, so $571. Oooof! Someone who wanted reasonably priced last minute travel on my days would need to take the late flight that lands at 1am in either direction and they'd still be paying more than my opening day fares.
> 
> A good reminder to us all that the next fare drop is in one week, so get on that if you need flights through 7/10/23


Travel demand appears to continue at high levels. Anecdotally, there was a brief reprieve and I was able to save about $44 round trip on a flight to Sarasota in January, but those prices are back at higher levels. Does not bode well for summer travel prices. Car rentals are very high too. Usually in November/December we're able to get some $79 or $99 flights to Florida cities for winter travel. Hoping we see that this year, but my expectations are rather low.


----------



## Doug7856

Tink3815 said:


> Look what is happening to the price of gas, Jet fuel will be on the rise again and so will airline fares.


Not to mention high demand for travel. The combination = high fares for now.


----------



## Disneytam

We are flying to Orlando on Thanksgiving day. We have an hour layover at BWI, should I be concerned about making the connecting flight? We almost always do a direct flight from our area but this time Southwest only had one nonstop flight and it ended up being a pretty late flight so we opted for the layover.  I actually just noticed that the layover was only an hour.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Disneytam said:


> We are flying to Orlando on Thanksgiving day. We have an hour layover at BWI, should I be concerned about making the connecting flight? We almost always do a direct flight from our area but this time Southwest only had one nonstop flight and it ended up being a pretty late flight so we opted for the layover.  I actually just noticed that the layover was only an hour.


We've done a couple of those layovers at BWI and it's been fine. My kids are good at following in crowds and pulling their luggage at the same time.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

LadybugsMum said:


> My kids are good at following in crowds and pulling their luggage at the same time.


Man, I wish I could say the same. My kids just want to go as slowly as possible and look at ALL THE THINGS. 

I get it, guys, that's an interesting Nat Geo cover over at Hudson News, but you can't just stop dead to comment on how cute the meerkats are!


----------



## LadybugsMum

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Man, I wish I could say the same. My kids just want to go as slowly as possible and look at ALL THE THINGS.
> 
> I get it, guys, that's an interesting Nat Geo cover over at Hudson News, but you can't just stop dead to comment on how cute the meerkats are!


It did take some training.


----------



## Melora

I am trying to book plane tickets from Phoenix to MCO.
Right now best I can get is $400 round trip.
If was flying from LAX (my old home airport) it's only $200ish round trip.
I've never heard about times when the prices are specifically lower (as someone said a few posts back.)
Am I understanding that tickets may go down on Oct 27th?
This time last year I booked for our January 2021 trip and then checked back a few weeks later and found them to be $40 cheaper so I rebooked and now have that $40 as flight credit.
I just hate having to spend SO much to get there.


----------



## mrsstats79

Disneytam said:


> We are flying to Orlando on Thanksgiving day. We have an hour layover at BWI, should I be concerned about making the connecting flight? We almost always do a direct flight from our area but this time Southwest only had one nonstop flight and it ended up being a pretty late flight so we opted for the layover.  I actually just noticed that the layover was only an hour.


----------



## motherof5

What codes?  Is it for discounts?  Interested


----------



## mrsstats79

We fly into BWI all the time and make connections.   Under normal circumstances an hour is more than enough.  Not sure with all the delays and cancellations due to lack of personnel that you can count on no having issues.


----------



## focusondisney

Melora said:


> I've never heard about times when the prices are specifically lower (as someone said a few posts back.)
> Am I understanding that tickets may go down on Oct 27th?
> credit.



Are you referring to this post? 



Erica Ladd said:


> So the next drop is on which day exactly again?  This is the first time I’ve been waiting for flights to drop!




The poster was asking when the next batch of flights will be released as answered below. Not when flight prices will go down. 




Tink3815 said:


> We are currently accepting air reservations through April 10, 2023. On October 27, 2022 we will open our schedule for sale through July 10, 2023. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Melora said:


> I am trying to book plane tickets from Phoenix to MCO.
> Right now best I can get is $400 round trip.
> If was flying from LAX (my old home airport) it's only $200ish round trip.
> I've never heard about times when the prices are specifically lower (as someone said a few posts back.)
> Am I understanding that tickets may go down on Oct 27th?
> This time last year I booked for our January 2021 trip and then checked back a few weeks later and found them to be $40 cheaper so I rebooked and now have that $40 as flight credit.
> I just hate having to spend SO much to get there.


10/27 is opening day for a new batch of fights. Many of those are likely to be lowest that day and then climb as the travel date approaches. So, that's a good day to book the new dates available.


I would *not* expect other flights already in the system to go down that day in particular.


----------



## jkelly86

Use promotion code SAVE20NOW from 10/18-10/20 for travel through 12/15/2022. Thanksgiving and Black Friday included.
Blackout dates: 11/18-11/23 & 11/26-11/29/22

*Must book with points


----------



## Erica Ladd

jkelly86 said:


> Use promotion code SAVE20NOW from 10/18-10/20 for travel through 12/15/2022. Thanksgiving and Black Friday included.
> Blackout dates: 11/18-11/23 & 11/26-11/29/22
> 
> *Must book with points


Darn!  Of course I didn't dee this - AND I booked 2 flights with points on Wednesday!!! UGH!!!!!!


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

Erica Ladd said:


> Darn!  Of course I didn't dee this - AND I booked 2 flights with points on Wednesday!!! UGH!!!!!!


Go to change flights and enter the code.  You may get points refunded.


----------



## Erica Ladd

Cruzin’Sisters said:


> Go to change flights and enter the code.  You may get points refunded.


I don't see anywhere to add a promo code when modifying....am I missing it?


----------



## scrappinginontario

Erica Ladd said:


> I don't see anywhere to add a promo code when modifying....am I missing it?





jkelly86 said:


> Use promotion code SAVE20NOW from 10/18-10/20 for travel through 12/15/2022. Thanksgiving and Black Friday included.
> Blackout dates: 11/18-11/23 & 11/26-11/29/22
> 
> *Must book with points


According to the OP, offer was only available Oct 18 - 20 so is no longer available.


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

scrappinginontario said:


> According to the OP, offer was only available Oct 18 - 20 so is no longer available.


Oops, sorry.  I didn’t realize it was over.  That was fast.


----------



## orangecuse

First time considering SW flights 

1. If purchasing EBCI about a month out what are our odds of getting A? 

2. If we got B, what are our odds of finding seats together during family boarding. I have a 3 year old and 5 year old so we need a row of 3 together and ideally my husband would be close by somewhere. 

3. If they were available and its needed, can we buy A1-15 spots anytime before boarding? Wed be coming off a cruise on the way back and I wouldnt be checking until several hours before the flight.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

orangecuse said:


> First time considering SW flights
> 
> 1. If purchasing EBCI about a month out what are our odds of getting A?
> 
> 2. If we got B, what are our odds of finding seats together during family boarding. I have a 3 year old and 5 year old so we need a row of 3 together and ideally my husband would be close by somewhere.
> 
> 3. If they were available and its needed, can we buy A1-15 spots anytime before boarding? Wed be coming off a cruise on the way back and I wouldnt be checking until several hours before the flight.


You will find seats together during family boarding. I wouldn't bother with ECBI. I've gotten seats together for a family of 5 (so full row of 3 and set of 2) with B group teens.


----------



## nlenguyen

Melora said:


> I am trying to book plane tickets from Phoenix to MCO.
> Right now best I can get is $400 round trip.
> If was flying from LAX (my old home airport) it's only $200ish round trip.
> I've never heard about times when the prices are specifically lower (as someone said a few posts back.)
> Am I understanding that tickets may go down on Oct 27th?
> This time last year I booked for our January 2021 trip and then checked back a few weeks later and found them to be $40 cheaper so I rebooked and now have that $40 as flight credit.
> I just hate having to spend SO much to get there.


We fly from PHX to MCO in January, We got our tickets several months ago and they really have not changed prices, just going up


----------



## Mome Rath

orangecuse said:


> First time considering SW flights
> 
> 1. If purchasing EBCI about a month out what are our odds of getting A?
> 
> 2. If we got B, what are our odds of finding seats together during family boarding. I have a 3 year old and 5 year old so we need a row of 3 together and ideally my husband would be close by somewhere.
> 
> 3. If they were available and its needed, can we buy A1-15 spots anytime before boarding? Wed be coming off a cruise on the way back and I wouldnt be checking until several hours before the flight.


1.  It's really hard to guess, because it depends on the popularity of the flight, and how many people bought Early Bird when they first purchased.  Usually if I wait til a few weeks before to get EB I get low B's.  If I get it right when I purchase tickets I get A's.  But those are all-full popular flights.
2.  I would say it is pretty likely you can find seats together.
3.  Yes you can.  Used to you would buy at the gate (which you still can do), or now you can do it online.  I bought at the gate one time where the flight was full, and I forgot to check in early, so got C's.  Bought A 1-15 and was the first one on the plane.


----------



## MinnieMSue

orangecuse said:


> First time considering SW flights
> 
> 1. If purchasing EBCI about a month out what are our odds of getting A?
> 
> 2. If we got B, what are our odds of finding seats together during family boarding. I have a 3 year old and 5 year old so we need a row of 3 together and ideally my husband would be close by somewhere.
> 
> 3. If they were available and its needed, can we buy A1-15 spots anytime before boarding? Wed be coming off a cruise on the way back and I wouldnt be checking until several hours before the flight.



1- I wouldn’t bother purchasing EBCI at this point if you qualify for family boarding. We don’t always get A purchasing well in advance. 
2- you will get seats together with family boarding - that’s the point of it and why they do it after A - the 4 of you can board since you have 2 qualifying kids. You should easily get a row plus a seat across the aisle or in front or behind you. Go to the back - it will mostly be empty at that time. 
3- you can pay for seats 1-15 if not sold out but prob would be a waste of money since you can do family boarding. Last flight I took they were sold out ahead of time (full flight).


----------



## LadybugsMum

To add to the chorus, just do family boarding since you have young children. I bought EBCI in June for an August trip to ME. We got B boarding numbers for our first flight; so I paid for us to upgrade to A1-15 to guarantee that we had seats together. We had A boarding numbers for second flight; so I didn't bother upgrading then.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

Getting ready to purchase flights for April and June to MCO from PVD on the next release. Just wondering if there has been much movement in flight changes? SW flight schedules this past spring/summer shifted so much that we ended up with flight times that weren't the best and had to add a day on our April vacation.


----------



## mickey916

CookieandOatmeal said:


> Getting ready to purchase flights for April and June to MCO from PVD on the next release. Just wondering if there has been much movement in flight changes? SW flight schedules this past spring/summer shifted so much that we ended up with flight times that weren't the best and had to add a day on our April vacation.


I don't want to jinx anything but there's been no significant changes to my December flights to/from PVD to MCO since I booked them on the release date. Only one five minute move to my return flight...fingers crossed it stays that way! Our April and May trips got really messed up due to SW changing flight schedules about one month out. We lost a day on our May trip and had to do a connecting flight.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

mickey916 said:


> I don't want to jinx anything but there's been no significant changes to my December flights to/from PVD to MCO since I booked them on the release date. Only one five minute move to my return flight...fingers crossed it stays that way! Our April and May trips got really messed up due to SW changing flight schedules about one month out. We lost a day on our May trip and had to do a connecting flight.


We love the nonstops and those were the ones that they got rid of when they consolidated flights in the spring/summer. Currently eyeing a nonstop home at 5:10pm which I’m hoping they will have for the next release.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

CookieandOatmeal said:


> Getting ready to purchase flights for April and June to MCO from PVD on the next release. Just wondering if there has been much movement in flight changes? SW flight schedules this past spring/summer shifted so much that we ended up with flight times that weren't the best and had to add a day on our April vacation.


Just based on the chatter on this thread (or lack thereof) the advanced changes have been significantly cut down. It seemed like they were moving the entire spring and early summer schedule multiple times. One morning, there would suddenly be pages of angry folks. That hasn't happen since maybe June.

By contrast, my BWI MCO for Aug and Sep moved by less than 10 minutes, Nov out and back has not moved at all since opening day, April out BWI to GCM staying steady, although it's early. Same day cancellations/delays are a whole different thing, but the major schedule changes that were happening in the weeks and months leading up to flights have stopped (for now).


----------



## Avery&Todd

the flights we just took last week from RDU to MCO did not move from when I booked them...the price went down slightly once but that's all.

For our December dates the flight times have not changed and again, there was a slight decrease in points so I got those back.

We also have flights in mid-February to Vegas and those flight times have not changed, even though I would prefer they would change since I don't like them....but the points have decreased and got back almost 10k the other day.

We're headed to Cocoa Beach in April and am hoping for some good non-stop flights into/out of MCO when those flights drop on the 27th....

flying out of MCO on Friday was scarily easy - no wait in the A-List line, no wait at TSA precheck and the flight left on time....oh, and both flights were 100% full....


----------



## aokeefe

CookieandOatmeal said:


> Getting ready to purchase flights for April and June to MCO from PVD on the next release. Just wondering if there has been much movement in flight changes? SW flight schedules this past spring/summer shifted so much that we ended up with flight times that weren't the best and had to add a day on our April vacation.


I'm flying PVD-MCO for February vacation. Only flight change was my 7:50 am PVD-MCO changed to a 5:00 am. Way too early for us so we switched to the 12:35 pm flight. 3 weeks later I noticed that early morning flight was changed back to 7:50.


----------



## Kaufeegurl

aokeefe said:


> I'm flying PVD-MCO for February vacation. Only flight change was my 7:50 am PVD-MCO changed to a 5:00 am. Way too early for us so we switched to the 12:35 pm flight. 3 weeks later I noticed that early morning flight was changed back to 7:50.





mickey916 said:


> I don't want to jinx anything but there's been no significant changes to my December flights to/from PVD to MCO since I booked them on the release date. Only one five minute move to my return flight...fingers crossed it stays that way! Our April and May trips got really messed up due to SW changing flight schedules about one month out. We lost a day on our May trip and had to do a connecting flight.





CookieandOatmeal said:


> Getting ready to purchase flights for April and June to MCO from PVD on the next release. Just wondering if there has been much movement in flight changes? SW flight schedules this past spring/summer shifted so much that we ended up with flight times that weren't the best and had to add a day on our April vacation.


@mickey916 , @CookieandOatmeal, @aokeefe  - WOW! Lots of PVD members repping our small corner of the world! We fly PVD to MCO several times a year, and I fly several other routes.  SW has settled into their new normal with almost no schedule changes. We love the non-stop flights and don't mind the earlier ones - less chance of a delay from the previous flight and we are 'home' with a full day of fun ahead of us! We leave next on 11/28 for 8 days - we have never done the Christmas holidays in Disney and are excited!


----------



## happ

Kaufeegurl said:


> @mickey916 , @CookieandOatmeal, @aokeefe  - WOW! Lots of PVD members repping our small corner of the world! We fly PVD to MCO several times a year, and I fly several other routes.  SW has settled into their new normal with almost no schedule changes. We love the non-stop flights and don't mind the earlier ones - less chance of a delay from the previous flight and we are 'home' with a full day of fun ahead of us! We leave next on 11/28 for 8 days - we have never done the Christmas holidays in Disney and are excited!


Sorry this is off-topic, but since you brought up pvd. Where is the best place to park? Garage C looks to be the cheapest, but I don't want to deal with a shuttle. Is it walkable like B?


----------



## Kaufeegurl

happ said:


> Sorry this is off-topic, but since you brought up pvd. Where is the best place to park? Garage C looks to be the cheapest, but I don't want to deal with a shuttle. Is it walkable like B?


Garage C is very walkable - download the Red Beam Garage app to make a reservation and prepay, then all you have to do is scan your barcode. There’s a coupon code floating around for a discount.


----------



## happ

Kaufeegurl said:


> Garage C is very walkable - download the Red Beam Garage app to make a reservation and prepay, then all you have to do is scan your barcode. There’s a coupon code floating around for a discount.


Sorry, I meant Garage E. That's the one that mentions a shuttle. Is it walkable? Red Beam is more expensive than E but less than B. I tried signing up for the Red Beam rewards program because it said I'd get an automatic free day, but it didn't work.


----------



## G719

Our trip was supposed to be Wednesday but we had to postpone today. The flights were booked on points and the website wasn't working for me to cancel so I called. The person I spoke with said they were having some issues with cancellations with points but they took care of it for me. The person helping me was very nice and the hold time was short.


----------



## Frwinkley

Is there a particular time when they release flights or do you just keep refreshing the page?


----------



## aokeefe

happ said:


> Sorry, I meant Garage E. That's the one that mentions a shuttle. Is it walkable? Red Beam is more expensive than E but less than B. I tried signing up for the Red Beam rewards program because it said I'd get an automatic free day, but it didn't work.


Lot E is an open lot not a garage. It is not walkable but the shuttle does run continuously. Probably the most I've ever had to wait is 5 minutes and it's quick drop off to the terminal. Did you check the TF Green website for parking coupons. There are coupons for Lot E for $12/day and Garage B for $17/day
https://parkpvdairport.com/


----------



## happ

aokeefe said:


> Lot E is an open lot not a garage. It is not walkable but the shuttle does run continuously. Probably the most I've ever had to wait is 5 minutes and it's quick drop off to the terminal. Did you check the TF Green website for parking coupons. There are coupons for Lot E for $12/day and Garage B for $17/day
> https://parkpvdairport.com/


Thank you! I did see the coupons but it's hard to tell how far it is. I didn't realize it was an open lot. I may be alone on the way back at night, so I'm not sure about using the shuttle. Thanks for your help.


----------



## mickey916

happ said:


> Thank you! I did see the coupons but it's hard to tell how far it is. I didn't realize it was an open lot. I may be alone on the way back at night, so I'm not sure about using the shuttle. Thanks for your help.


I've used Garage C through Red Beam.  It's $12.95/day but sometimes you can get a pop up to provide your email and receive $8.95/day. It is enclosed and not much of a walk.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Frwinkley said:


> Is there a particular time when they release flights or do you just keep refreshing the page?


It’s been in the morning anywhere from 6:30-9:30.


----------



## AuroraluvsPhillip

@happ I used the shuttle Lot E for the first time in September. Used a coupon from the airport website and just scanned the QR from the email they sent me on my phone after I inserted the ticket to leave and got the discount. 

The shuttle literally was right behind my car 30 seconds after I parked. I had to force myself to take my time and make sure I didn't forget anything before locking up. My DD called it the Knight Bus as it seemed to appear out of no where. 

We got back in late (about 11pm on a Thursday night) and waited about 10 minutes for the shuttle. There were plenty of people with us waiting, we filled it up, so I felt perfectly safe. The driver will take you right to your general parking area so make sure you write it in your phone ( we were in "N3" for example).

I would feel comfortable using them again, as long as I wasn't leaving my car during an expected snowstorm or something.


----------



## BillFromCT

Here are the last 10 flight release times, in preparation for those of us joining the Thursday morning refresh party.  Remember the Low Fare Calendar tends to show the flights before the main page.   

Release Date | Time (eastern)
09/08/22 | 7:25am
07/21/22 | 7:20am
06/16/22 | 7:30am
03/30/22 | 7:30am
12/16/21 | 7:50am
12/08/21 | 6:45am
06/10/21 | 7:15am
04/01/21 | 9:10am
12/10/20 | 7:15am
08/13/20 | 9:15am


----------



## hsmamato2

ah! those times are all over the place.... anywhere from 6:45-9:15! In the "old days" wasn't it usually like 7 am and done?


----------



## focusondisney

hsmamato2 said:


> ah! those times are all over the place.... anywhere from 6:45-9:15! In the "old days" wasn't it usually like 7 am and done?



Eh, those 9ish outliers were last year when airlines were still trying to figure everything out with staffing, increasing travel & vaccines.  Look at this year, only 10 minute timeframe.


----------



## babyruth

Getting ready for tomorrow morning! Another PVD to MCO hopeful here. Thanks BillfromCT for the low fare calendar reminder. I haven’t had an “opening day” SW booking in awhile. Hoping that best prices are available!


----------



## disneylover81

I’m about to book my husband and I flights for our May trip today when the schedule opens up.. I’m working on my CP and hope to have earned it by May, but just in case I don’t, I will be paying cash for our 2 tickets today. I think my best bet is to purchase the WGA+ fare since I’m not booking with points, right? That way if I do get the CP, I can cancel the ticket and get the transferable flight credit and use it for my daughter later on since my hubby will be my companion. Can I add a companion to my already booked flight when the time comes? I really want to purchase EBCI, but I’m not sure if I should in this instance. But on the other hand, I don’t want to get stuck with a bad boarding position. If I end up having to cancel DH’s ticket, I’d be out $40 though, which sucks. I do have the SW biz card, which allows upgraded boarding positions when available, but that’s also not a guarantee. I wonder what’s my best bet.


----------



## KayW

Up and ready to refresh!!  Fingers crossed for decent flights from BDL.


----------



## mlittig

Nothing yet


----------



## AuroraluvsPhillip

Another PVD fan here, just sat down with my coffee.


----------



## BGinCali

Coffee here too…just keep refreshing, if only I had a nickel for each refresh this morning


----------



## LadybugsMum

I've joined the fast fingers club and am waiting to see what deals I can get from RDU to MCO for our May trip.


----------



## dobball23

I have a lot of flights to look at this morning. We typically fly BWI->MCO. However, based on dog-sitting options, it might make sense to fly out of Syracuse or Rochester (family who may watch dog is up there). But flights are more limited from those airports. A lot of variables to dissect!


----------



## Bellabully

Also part of the PVD crew Ready and waiting!


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Happy Fare Drop Morning!! I'm bopping between refreshing my low fare calendar and getting the kids ready for school. I wish they would do 6am and then I could get this done before I had to parent!


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

disneylover81 said:


> I’m about to book my husband and I flights for our May trip today when the schedule opens up.. I’m working on my CP and hope to have earned it by May, but just in case I don’t, I will be paying cash for our 2 tickets today. I think my best bet is to purchase the WGA+ fare since I’m not booking with points, right? That way if I do get the CP, I can cancel the ticket and get the transferable flight credit and use it for my daughter later on since my hubby will be my companion. Can I add a companion to my already booked flight when the time comes? I really want to purchase EBCI, but I’m not sure if I should in this instance. But on the other hand, I don’t want to get stuck with a bad boarding position. If I end up having to cancel DH’s ticket, I’d be out $40 though, which sucks. I do have the SW biz card, which allows upgraded boarding positions when available, but that’s also not a guarantee. I wonder what’s my best bet.


If you're working on CP, do you have enough points yet to book him on points and then cancel when your CP comes through?

Yes, you can add CP on later. I wait to add CPs until I see WGAs selling out on our flight days.

ETA: If you're working towards a CP, that also means 125k points balance. So, having that flight credit, even a transferable one, is going to be less valuable to you if you're booking all of your flights on points for a while. I wouldn't want that much flight credit if I knew I had that many points coming.


----------



## LadybugsMum

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Happy Fare Drop Morning!! I'm bopping between refreshing my low fare calendar and getting the kids ready for school. I wish they would do 6am and then I could get this done before I had to parent!


Right??


----------



## KayW

Main site says it is open, but the dates aren't open on the calendar.  AAAAAAAAAAAGH!!


----------



## Avery&Todd

ITS UP!!!!!!!


----------



## LadybugsMum

Low fare calendar was up at 7:25


----------



## disneylover81

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> If you're working on CP, do you have enough points yet to book him on points and then cancel when your CP comes through?
> 
> Yes, you can add CP on later. I wait to add CPs until I see WGAs selling out on our flight days.
> 
> ETA: If you're working towards a CP, that also means 125k points balance. So, having that flight credit, even a transferable one, is going to be less valuable to you if you're booking all of your flights on points for a while. I wouldn't want that much flight credit if I knew I had that many points coming.


We don’t have enough points at the moment to book his flight. We wiped a lot of them out on a previous trip so he’s down to 11k and I only have 9k left. I wish we had enough.  

I know what you mean about the flight credit. I wish I had another way to do it. I guess the good thing is they don’t expire anymore, but I hate to be out the cash.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Got $119 each way for a total of $714 for the 3 of us. Not the cheapest we've had, but not terrible either. I booked each way separately and will keep watching the prices at SW and Delta as we get closer to the trip.


----------



## hsmamato2

had to alter my planned dates to an odd day of the week but got some return flights! one day it's 13k points, the next few days it's almost 50k points for same flight


----------



## Avery&Todd

We're headed to Cocoa Beach in April 15-22 - and I was able to snap 2 non-stop flights for 45k pts for the 2 of us..which would have been $641 if we'd paid cash..

They're great times - I just hope they stick!

Hope everyone else had the same luck!


----------



## KayW

Got my flight but couldn't figure out where to add EBCI.  Now on hold for four minutes to see if they can add it.  Stress is slowly relaxing.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Fares as expected. Booked only one way with points. Prices fluctuate so I'll keep an eye on it.


----------



## disneylover81

Got ours booked for May. Not really excited about the times or the price since I had to pay cash. $814 for the 2 of us , but on the plus side I’m glad they brought back daily nonstops. It’s 2:30 pm heading to MCO and 3:10 pm heading back to MEM. I’m having sticker shock at the flight home prices. It used to be so cheap to fly in and out of Memphis.


----------



## AuroraluvsPhillip

Used up about half my points, about 10K points more than my flight last month, but glad to see three nonstops each way from PVD on weekday flights in May.


----------



## BillFromCT

KayW said:


> Got my flight but couldn't figure out where to add EBCI.  Now on hold for four minutes to see if they can add it.  Stress is slowly relaxing.


For future reference, if you hit the Details button under your booked flight you can add Early Bird without calling or modifying your flight.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Avery&Todd said:


> They're great times - I just hope they stick!


Same here! Their schedules seem to be more stable and there haven't been as many changes.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Updated release times:

Release Date | Time (eastern)
10/27/22 | 7:25am
09/08/22 | 7:25am
07/21/22 | 7:20am
06/16/22 | 7:30am
03/30/22 | 7:30am
12/16/21 | 7:50am
12/08/21 | 6:45am
06/10/21 | 7:15am
04/01/21 | 9:10am
12/10/20 | 7:15am
08/13/20 | 9:15am


----------



## Avery&Todd

Oh here's a question for whomever might know...

Currently I have A-List, which has been fabulous by the way...BUT it shows its only good through the end of this year BUT I have flights booked for Feb and now April and its still showing my A-List status so I didnt have to purchase EB...

I'm assuming January 1st the A-List will just drop off and then I'll go back in an purchase EB?

I know previously when I had Companion Pass for my DH it wouldnt even allow me to book him under CP for dates after it expired and then when I earned it again I had to call and get his flights changed...

It should be a seamless drop off of A-List right?


----------



## LaynahD

Out of curiosity for those of you who book on the release date regularly…
I refreshed at 7:25 (probably not right on the dot but close) and every single Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away + fare for my date was “Unavailable.” Was I just too slow or does Southwest sometimes hold these for a popular date? Wondering if it’s worth it to keep checking throughout the day. 
Thanks for any help!


----------



## BGinCali

Got our flights from RDU to LGB for May just under $500 each, which I will take as a win.  Some options for times, though the return flights were not as favorable as I have had recently. Just happy it’s done!


----------



## buzzrelly

Not at all happy with our options to fly home to BDL on April 17. It was either at 8:30 am or 8:50 pm, neither of which we want to do. I ended up booking Jet Blue for a little bit more this morning but they had way better options. What happened to the mid-afternoon flights to BDL? Such a bummer.


----------



## AuroraluvsPhillip

LaynahD said:


> Out of curiosity for those of you who book on the release date regularly…
> I refreshed at 7:25 (probably not right on the dot but close) and every single Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away + fare for my date was “Unavailable.” Was I just too slow or does Southwest sometimes hold these for a popular date? Wondering if it’s worth it to keep checking throughout the day.
> Thanks for any help!


Definitely keep checking. I've seen that happen here before and all of a sudden flights would open up shortly thereafter.


----------



## focusondisney

LaynahD said:


> Out of curiosity for those of you who book on the release date regularly…
> I refreshed at 7:25 (probably not right on the dot but close) and every single Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away + fare for my date was “Unavailable.” Was I just too slow or does Southwest sometimes hold these for a popular date? Wondering if it’s worth it to keep checking throughout the day.
> Thanks for any help!



They definitely don’t always release them right away for popular dates & routes.  It might take days or weeks, but they’ll show up eventually.


----------



## jkelly86

Next release:
On December 15, 2022, our schedule will open for sale through August 14, 2023. (Date is subject to change).


----------



## rcs

The April spring vacation dates for New Hampshire (April 22-30) opened up this morning. The Anytime fares are $600 each way! SWA actually nearly doubled the typical Anytime fare vs. non-vacation date travel. And of course there were no Wanna Get Away fares for those dates when the schedule opened. You used to have to be up early to get the discounted fares, but that didn't matter this time. 

Jacking the Anytime fares is not a move I've seen for this market before. Not feeling any LUV at all for SWA at this point.


----------



## piglet1979

I was able to book our flight this morning.  Heading home from MCO is about 10,000 points cheaper then the flight down.  It was a pleasant surprise.  I was expecting them to be much higher.  We are flying Business Select this time because we are trying to use our points plus it is a trip without the kids and we treated ourselves.  Southwest no longer has great times out of CLE and no non stop flights any longer.


----------



## Neener16

LaynahD said:


> Out of curiosity for those of you who book on the release date regularly…
> I refreshed at 7:25 (probably not right on the dot but close) and every single Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away + fare for my date was “Unavailable.” Was I just too slow or does Southwest sometimes hold these for a popular date? Wondering if it’s worth it to keep checking throughout the day.
> Thanks for any help!


Same thing happened to my daughter. Flying from MCO to Hartford. They must be holding some. Seems like a weird strategy because it will cause people to look into other airlines. Hopefully they will release some more.


----------



## rcs

Avery&Todd said:


> Oh here's a question for whomever might know...
> 
> Currently I have A-List, which has been fabulous by the way...BUT it shows its only good through the end of this year BUT I have flights booked for Feb and now April and its still showing my A-List status so I didnt have to purchase EB...
> 
> I'm assuming January 1st the A-List will just drop off and then I'll go back in an purchase EB?
> 
> I know previously when I had Companion Pass for my DH it wouldnt even allow me to book him under CP for dates after it expired and then when I earned it again I had to call and get his flights changed...
> 
> It should be a seamless drop off of A-List right?


This happened to me a couple years ago.  Online I couldn't add EB for the spring because I was already an A-List member, even though I was not going to be when the flight actually occurred. I called in to to the main number and asked if they could add EB for the spring flight. I *believe*they were able to add it when I called in.


----------



## crazywig

PVD>MCO June 9 WGA $204
MCO>PVD June 16 WGA $173

Which is ridiculous but this is a 10 person trip so I needed this locked up.


----------



## KayW

BillFromCT said:


> For future reference, if you hit the Details button under your booked flight you can add Early Bird without calling or modifying your flight.
> 
> View attachment 714132
> 
> View attachment 714133


I went back to the site right after I posted and added it then.  Thanks!


----------



## KayW

Got good times from BDL and then back.  We don't mind the early flights.  This is our last year flying during MA April break as our DD will be heading to college next fall.  Price was less than we thought but I think we over estimate price.  It was roughly what we paid last year.


----------



## dobball23

dobball23 said:


> I have a lot of flights to look at this morning. We typically fly BWI->MCO. However, based on dog-sitting options, it might make sense to fly out of Syracuse or Rochester (family who may watch dog is up there). But flights are more limited from those airports. A lot of variables to dissect!


I was able to get RT from ROC to MCO for $212/per person. The two flights we booked were 1/3 to 1/2 the price of most of the other flights on the same day. We certainly lucked out!


----------



## LadybugsMum

I just priced out flghts on Delta and I would have paid $1311 - well, I definitely wouldn't have paid that! But, I'll keep watching as Delta does lower prices closer to time.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

rcs said:


> The April spring vacation dates for New Hampshire (April 22-30) opened up this morning. The Anytime fares are $600 each way! SWA actually nearly doubled the typical Anytime fare vs. non-vacation date travel. And of course there were no Wanna Get Away fares for those dates when the schedule opened. You used to have to be up early to get the discounted fares, but that didn't matter this time.
> 
> Jacking the Anytime fares is not a move I've seen for this market before. Not feeling any LUV at all for SWA at this point.


Honestly? I was always surprised at how low everyone's Anytime and Business Select Fares were. It was the norm here at KCI that those two fares were $600-$700+ per way. They used to be $400+ then went up to $500+ then up more. Admittedly this last year or two I'm seeing more in the $400-$600 range but for years before that the Business Select and Anytime Fares were much higher than people on this thread were quoting. That said the way the new KCI airport is being funded partially is by way of ticket prices so when that opens next spring it's possible flight pricing will get up there again. I do feel for everyone because it's quite a shock to see pricing up that high. We never purchased Business Select or Anytime Fares in the past because it was never worth the price (with exception my husband has purchased Anytime Fares a handful of times when traveling for business and WGA was not available).


----------



## LaynahD

Neener16 said:


> Same thing happened to my daughter. Flying from MCO to Hartford. They must be holding some. Seems like a weird strategy because it will cause people to look into other airlines. Hopefully they will release some more.


This is my exact route too! It seemed so bizarre. I don’t do this all the time but it’s not my first time either and I never saw this before. Usually I only miss out if I wait and debate the date. This time I was ready to go with the day and time I was looking for. Good luck to your daughter.


----------



## Lsdolphin

I think fares between BWI and MCO are high and looks  like most non stops are $163-173...I’m holding out and waiting for them to drop but may book flight out there with points since it’s easy to modify later with points.  I do remember when fall schedule first opened flights were also around $163 one way and dropped significantly..


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

We booked our return flight home from Cancun on 4/18, it was for WGA $248/pp or 12,865 points/pp. Points-wise that's not bad. Our flight to Cancun started at 18,000+ points and eventually went down so we'll see if this one does too although I don't think it will get too too much lower.

Both of our flights go through Houston. TX is not my fav connection point but hopefully things go decently smooth. Unfortunately the non-stops to/from Cancun are only the weekend which bites. 

My husband just squeaked by and earned A-list for next year which I'm happy about that (we've been putting purchases on a different Chase card that yields higher rewards due to our cruise next year but needed to make sure between flights taken and purchases done we could still earn A-list if we were close enough to doing so). We do have reimbursement for EBCI on the CC which if we had to we would have done for the flights home (so we didn't have to worry about checking in while trying to enjoy our vacation) but now we won't worry about that. Right now though I'm wishing SWA flew to Europe because contrary to the past Europe flights are stupid expensive (we'll be going in July next year so we know that is still high season).


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Oh my goodness, what a rollercoaster!

Return flight Grand Cayman to BWI didn't release a non-stop (even though they were doing one non-stop each Saturday for several weeks prior). Connecting flights are long and expensive (24k points each when outbound were 11k) but I start booking. I enter my travelers, travel funds, hit purchase, nothing. Page refreshes for a bit then stays on that same page, neither purchases nor gives me an error as to why. 

I try again on a different, incognito browser, but now points are up to 27K each!! It will not go through with my travel funds, so I give up and put the full taxes and fees ($272.58 because GCM has a bunch of fees) on a card. Ugh. 

I call SW to see if there's anything they can do. After an hour of work, a very kind and patient customer rep is able to assist me with getting the 24k point booking and applying travel funds as well. Apparently, in my account I have Hubby's full middle name but in his he only has his middle initial saved. So, initial versus full name was hanging up his travel funds but it didn't tell me that on the page. 

I'm still bummed about the cost and the connection, but at least I got back the 9k points difference and was able to use $120 in travel funds against the taxes! In the meantime, WGA are gone for the day, so 24k is now looking cheap compared to the 40k Anytimes.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> was able to use $120 in travel funds against the taxes!


I honestly hadn't even thought about it but that's what my husband did this morning for our Cancun to KC flights, used travel funds to cover the taxes since we were flying on points. It's a good tip you shared


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I honestly hadn't even thought about it but that's what my husband did this morning for our Cancun to KC flights, used travel funds to cover the taxes since we were flying on points. It's a good tip you shared


I learned about it from someone else here on the boards. Love Dis!!!


----------



## LoveDaisy

My southwest flights for December no longer show on the website but when I go into the app  all my flight info is there and I don’t see any flight changes. Should I assume changes are coming?


----------



## focusondisney

Prices & nonstop times weren’t good for our 4th of July trip.  Wanted early morning down Sunday; back late day Friday.  The only nonstops were  the opposite of that, late afternoon down & early morning back.  Prices weren’t good either.  Ended up booking a late morning Saturday down & a late afternoon nonstop back on Jetblue.  Prices were high on SW  also.  I’ve been booking BS for about 17K points last couple of trips.  Booked 1 seat at 24K, other was 27K. Would have been over $300 cash.   JB was $180.   My DH likes the extra leg room, so I paid $275 with bags & the extra leg room seat.  Still less than SW, plus I got the day, time & seats we want.

edit to add: this is for Buffalo airport.  July 2-8th.


----------



## PRomano

I booked MHT to MCO for mid June for 8 people, the price was a little higher than I wanted, but I did it.  I had purchased the SWA gift cards at Costco right before booking so that saved a little.  I didn't add EBCI, I will probably add that closer to the date.  Flying from MHT will save from getting to BOS via limo etc.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

The sting of Early Bird for 5 people round trip...over $225 so we opted not to do it. At least my in-laws can board together and hopefully get seats together. We can do family boarding with my 2 year old.


----------



## PRomano

My kids can pay for EBCI if they want.  I might end up adding it, at least on the way home.  As long as I can sit with my mother it is good.  I know I have to talk to them about that when we get to the airport.


----------



## 1420Elexismc

Was able to snag our May flights from BDL to MCO for $268 each nonstop ...I'll take it!


----------



## Memorymakerfor4

I wasn't able to get on until just a bit ago and didn't like prices for my chosen dates to Oahu, so we bumped the trip forward two days. I should (fingers crossed) be able to modify our Aulani reservation, we're not booking an easy to fill up category. Paid with points on the way there, but only had enough for one person on the way back, so the rest are cash. Still not a terrible price for the distance though.

Unfortunately I'm thinking I'm going to lose my companion status next year, otherwise we would've made it round trip to HAWAII on points. Small disappointment there, but instead I'm focusing on our fabulous vacation that's becoming a reality!


----------



## mickey916

LoveDaisy said:


> My southwest flights for December no longer show on the website but when I go into the app  all my flight info is there and I don’t see any flight changes. Should I assume changes are coming?


ugh! That's what happened to me in April and May....right before changes were made.


----------



## mrsdoubie

The 1st week of June from IND to MCO was super expensive. We can’t do the cheaper flights since the times don’t work for us. Even with 2 flight credits of over $700 I still paid $600 for the 3 of us and skipped on EB this time.


----------



## Neener16

rcs said:


> The April spring vacation dates for New Hampshire (April 22-30) opened up this morning. The Anytime fares are $600 each way! SWA actually nearly doubled the typical Anytime fare vs. non-vacation date travel. And of course there were no Wanna Get Away fares for those dates when the schedule opened. You used to have to be up early to get the discounted fares, but that didn't matter this time.
> 
> Jacking the Anytime fares is not a move I've seen for this market before. Not feeling any LUV at all for SWA at this point.


I’m figuring it’s not like the Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away Plus were sold out, they never put them up. I am assuming/hoping they will do this. I plan on checking back frequently to see if this is so.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

I'm not sure if this is impacting anyone but it does coincide with the most recent release. What got me thinking to post it is the discussion around pricing and flight options because as we know there's only so many planes, so many pilots and flight crews and they've been running on that line for a while now. I hope they've been able to beef things up though as time is going on, fingers crossed that's the case.

SWA has advised with the new KCI terminal opening up (anticipated to be March) they are/will: 

"restore nonstop service to Albuquerque and Indianapolis in April. Both routes were discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic."
"New daily flights to Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Diego and St. Louis also will be added, while new flights to Las Vegas as well as two Florida destinations, Orlando and Pensacola, will be added in June."
"Southwest has promised “an increase of six daily departures in April 2023 compared to March 2023 and an additional two in June 2023 — a total of up to 67 daily departures depending on (the) day,”


----------



## disneylover81

I booked our MEM to MCO for May this morning, but the nonstop times and prices were not ideal and we wouldn’t arrive at MCO until 5:30 pm so we would basically lose a whole day. I just talked DH into leaving on the last flight the night before and just staying at the MCO Hyatt, which is also not ideal, but at least it will give us mostly a full park us the next day. It’s not a nonstop flight, but we won’t have to change planes and it’s just a 50 minute layover, so that suits me just fine I guess. With an 11:15 pm arrival, he said he’d rather just stay at the Hyatt, then to ride the Mears bus so late at night. So now we will just catch the Mears bus as early as we can get up and moving, drop our bags off with Bell Services and head to the park.


----------



## zilp

ugh, somehow forgot all about checking SW for opening day flights .  Trying to book PVD-MCO during April MA vacation week.  Got ok prices (low $200's) for return to PVD later in week.  Every single flight is sold out for Friday/Saturday/Sunday for PVD-MCO, am I missing something or are they really all sold out??


----------



## Neener16

zilp said:


> ugh, somehow forgot all about checking SW for opening day flights .  Trying to book PVD-MCO during April MA vacation week.  Got ok prices (low $200's) for return to PVD later in week.  Every single flight is sold out for Friday/Saturday/Sunday for PVD-MCO, am I missing something or are they really all sold out??


There have been a couple posts about this. People tried to book exactly when the flights opened reported there were no Wanna Get Away flights at all. It's the same situation from MCO to Hartford. The theory is SW may be holding those flights for later release. It's anybody's guess.


----------



## zilp

Neener16 said:


> There have been a couple posts about this. People tried to book exactly when the flights opened reported there were no Wanna Get Away flights at all. It's the same situation from MCO to Hartford. The theory is SW may be holding those flights for later release. It's anybody's guess.


After I refreshed the page a few times, a few flights did show availability. Most still say "unavailable", so I think I may have missed my window of decent flights. ugh, so mad at myself for missing opening day flights!


----------



## Erica Ladd

Anyone have experience checking bags at ATL? I rarely check bags and I’m wondering if they have curbside bag check or maybe a special line for A list?


----------



## Kaufeegurl

zilp said:


> ugh, somehow forgot all about checking SW for opening day flights .  Trying to book PVD-MCO during April MA vacation week.  Got ok prices (low $200's) for return to PVD later in week.  Every single flight is sold out for Friday/Saturday/Sunday for PVD-MCO, am I missing something or are they really all sold out??


They are not sold out. SW does not release the Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away+ fares for a popular travel time (Thanksgiving, Christmas, school vacations). They wait to see how many Business Select and Anytime fares they can sell at higher prices. We experienced this booking our Thanksgiving timeframe flight to MCO. We ponied up points to make sure we had a flight and about 8 weeks later, the lower fare categories were added and we made the change. I always watch the fares for my booked trips, and have actually rebooked that flight 2 more times as fares dropped significantly. This tactic has been confirmed by a relative who used to work for SW


----------



## zilp

Kaufeegurl said:


> They are not sold out. SW does not release the Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away+ fares for a popular travel time (Thanksgiving, Christmas, school vacations). They wait to see how many Business Select and Anytime fares they can sell at higher prices. We experienced this booking our Thanksgiving timeframe flight to MCO. We ponied up points to make sure we had a flight and about 8 weeks later, the lower fare categories were added and we made the change. I always watch the fares for my booked trips, and have actually rebooked that flight 2 more times as fares dropped significantly. This tactic has been confirmed by a relative who used to work for SW


Thank you so much for your reply.  I feel a bit better now.  I will definitely keep looking at airfare and hope that something decent pops up soon


----------



## motherof5

Only a hour is difficult in case of delays.


----------



## nekonekoneko

Kaufeegurl said:


> They are not sold out. SW does not release the Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away+ fares for a popular travel time (Thanksgiving, Christmas, school vacations). They wait to see how many Business Select and Anytime fares they can sell at higher prices. We experienced this booking our Thanksgiving timeframe flight to MCO. We ponied up points to make sure we had a flight and about 8 weeks later, the lower fare categories were added and we made the change. I always watch the fares for my booked trips, and have actually rebooked that flight 2 more times as fares dropped significantly. This tactic has been confirmed by a relative who used to work for SW



There was an article that I read (that I can't find now) where they said that Southwest knows how busy fare release day is, now.  So they won't necessarily offer the cheapest fare on those days.  The airline wait for the dust to settle a bit, see how much was sold at their release price, and then drop the fares if a flight didn't sell as well as they hoped.  If a flight did sell like they wanted, then they'll hold prices firm, or maybe raise them a bit.


----------



## Disneytam

Neener16 said:


> There have been a couple posts about this. People tried to book exactly when the flights opened reported there were no Wanna Get Away flights at all. It's the same situation from MCO to Hartford. The theory is SW may be holding those flights for later release. It's anybody's guess.


This happened to us when we tried to book a flight on Thanksgiving Day. A few weeks later Southwest posted the Wanna Get Away flights at absolutely ridiculous prices. We kept checking and after a few days those prices were cut in half. You just have to check often and at sometimes crazy times.


----------



## EACarlson

I booked flights for a work trip at the end of January yesterday and noticed something different.  All of the points prices were the same regardless of timing, number of stops or cash price.  Has anyone else noticed this and I'm just late to the realization?


----------



## focusondisney

EACarlson said:


> I booked flights for a work trip at the end of January yesterday and noticed something different.  All of the points prices were the same regardless of timing, number of stops or cash price.  Has anyone else noticed this and I'm just late to the realization?



We’re flying to MCO from/ to Buffalo January 22-28. I just checked, point prices are normal… they vary from 6K + for a layover flight to 50K for BS on an afternoon nonstop.  You must have caught a glitch.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

EACarlson said:


> I booked flights for a work trip at the end of January yesterday and noticed something different.  All of the points prices were the same regardless of timing, number of stops or cash price.  Has anyone else noticed this and I'm just late to the realization?


No, have never seen that. Agree with PP sounds like a strange glitch.


----------



## nekonekoneko

EACarlson said:


> I booked flights for a work trip at the end of January yesterday and noticed something different.  All of the points prices were the same regardless of timing, number of stops or cash price.  Has anyone else noticed this and I'm just late to the realization?



My flight home from Disney is doing that.  Every flight is exactly the same price, from first thing to last out.  And that's been from the time the flights were released to yesterday, which was the last time I checked.


----------



## rangerxenos

Don't forget to keep checking fares for your trip, price for my flight home in December has dropped twice in the last week, $39 now.  More credits for next year's trip!


----------



## Wood Nymph

We always fly Southwest to Orlando, and I constantly watch for prices to go down. As I result, I have gotten a lot of travel credits listed as separate transaction numbers for the same confirmation number. SWA adds a four-digit number to the original confirmation number every time you change the ticket price. For example, I have $70 in travel credits from one flight, but they are broken down into four separate amounts. And I have a different flight with a $31 credit. SWA only allows three forms of payment per flight which means I would probably have to take three flights to use up these credits. 

Does anyone know if SWA will combine the credits if you contact them? The only other suggestion I have heard is to book a dummy flight using as many credits as possible and then cancel the flight. The new number would combine some of the credits. It is a tedious process but would solve the problem.


----------



## Lsdolphin

Wood Nymph said:


> We always fly Southwest to Orlando, and I constantly watch for prices to go down. As I result, I have gotten a lot of travel credits listed as separate transaction numbers for the same confirmation number. SWA adds a four-digit number to the original confirmation number every time you change the ticket price. For example, I have $70 in travel credits from one flight, but they are broken down into four separate amounts. And I have a different flight with a $31 credit. SWA only allows three forms of payment per flight which means I would probably have to take three flights to use up these credits.
> 
> Does anyone know if SWA will combine the credits if you contact them? The only other suggestion I have heard is to book a dummy flight using as many credits as possible and then cancel the flight. The new number would combine some of the credits. It is a tedious process but would solve the problem.


Actually I did call SWA in Sept to ask about just this!  I had accumulated 4 travel funds from one flight where the price kept dropping. they refused to combine the Travel funds even though it was the same flights each travel fund had the extra 4 numbers...so I guess they probably want to make it more difficult to actually use your travel funds.  They made sure to remind me that travel funds no longer expire...so now I’m waiting for air fares to drop before booking my flights and hoping the fares don’t just increase instead!  I have been booking  one-way flights as I thought it was better to it that way.


----------



## jcarwash

Wood Nymph said:


> We always fly Southwest to Orlando, and I constantly watch for prices to go down. As I result, I have gotten a lot of travel credits listed as separate transaction numbers for the same confirmation number. SWA adds a four-digit number to the original confirmation number every time you change the ticket price. For example, I have $70 in travel credits from one flight, but they are broken down into four separate amounts. And I have a different flight with a $31 credit. SWA only allows three forms of payment per flight which means I would probably have to take three flights to use up these credits.
> 
> Does anyone know if SWA will combine the credits if you contact them? The only other suggestion I have heard is to book a dummy flight using as many credits as possible and then cancel the flight. The new number would combine some of the credits. It is a tedious process but would solve the problem.



If I understand your question correctly...I also had a long list of travel fund entries all tied to the same confirmation number. Last week when I purchased tickets, I entered the "master" confirmation number as one form of payment and it applied as many of the "entries" (with those extra four digit numbers on them) as possible to pay for the ticket. I have two "entries" left after that transaction. I was pleasantly surprised it worked that way.


----------



## CarlyMur09

Wood Nymph said:


> We always fly Southwest to Orlando, and I constantly watch for prices to go down. As I result, I have gotten a lot of travel credits listed as separate transaction numbers for the same confirmation number. SWA adds a four-digit number to the original confirmation number every time you change the ticket price. For example, I have $70 in travel credits from one flight, but they are broken down into four separate amounts. And I have a different flight with a $31 credit. SWA only allows three forms of payment per flight which means I would probably have to take three flights to use up these credits.
> 
> Does anyone know if SWA will combine the credits if you contact them? The only other suggestion I have heard is to book a dummy flight using as many credits as possible and then cancel the flight. The new number would combine some of the credits. It is a tedious process but would solve the problem.


I had that issue during the summer as well. What I did to get around that was I used the trick of modifying my flight to a higher cost flight, using the extra travel funds as I could, then once they were all used up, modified back to the original flight and I had one travel fund left at that point. I did need to add a little more, but I figured they weren’t expiring anymore so I wasn’t concerned with losing that value.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Lsdolphin said:


> so I guess they probably want to make it more difficult to actually use your travel funds.


I doubt that's necessarily the case. But I do think it helps when people make changes for minor adjustments. Like $10 here, $20 here, then $5 here, etc. 

If they wanted to make it very difficult to use your travel funds they would block you from making adjustments to get the travel funds in the first place after a certain amount of times adjusting. But they don't care how many times you rebook to get reduced fare (points or cash). Remember both are a net loss for the airline so I don't mind it not being a free for all.


----------



## Wood Nymph

Lsdolphin said:


> Actually I did call SWA in Sept to ask about just this! I had accumulated 4 travel funds from one flight where the price kept dropping. they refused to combine the Travel funds


Thanks for the info. I always book one-way flights, too, because it is easier to use up the travel credits that way.


----------



## Mrs.AMC

We just flew Southwest in and out of MCO last weekend. We haven't flown Southwest out of MCO in quite a while.  
Not a fan of their new gate system at MCO. Well, I say new, it was new to us. 
We've already reduced our Southwest trips, just because we've been favoring flying out of our local airport when possible. 
If they are dropping the numbered gates then I'm not sure I like it at all. 
It made for a huge mess boarding, passengers had no where to stand but in the aisle and it was all but blocked. It just did not seem more efficient. I mean, I liked the numbered signs. You knew where to stand and it avoided the free for all bottle neck that you get with legacy airlines that I actually don't like. 
Am I alone is not caring for it? What was wrong with the numbered signs? And just how are you supposed to know what order you go in with out them?  All they did was call A1-15, A15-30, etc. No getting in order. I mean, that's their entire system, right? Is that going away?


----------



## Mrs.AMC

jcarwash said:


> If I understand your question correctly...I also had a long list of travel fund entries all tied to the same confirmation number. Last week when I purchased tickets, I entered the "master" confirmation number as one form of payment and it applied as many of the "entries" (with those extra four digit numbers on them) as possible to pay for the ticket. I have two "entries" left after that transaction. I was pleasantly surprised it worked that way.


My last credits worked this way also. No longer do you have to enter each individually. It "added" them all up and applied everything as if it was one big credit.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Every time I've flown SW people line up in numerical order below the sign numbers.


----------



## focusondisney

Mrs.AMC said:


> We just flew Southwest in and out of MCO last weekend. We haven't flown Southwest out of MCO in quite a while.
> Not a fan of their new gate system at MCO. Well, I say new, it was new to us.
> We've already reduced our Southwest trips, just because we've been favoring flying out of our local airport when possible.
> If they are dropping the numbered gates then I'm not sure I like it at all.
> It made for a huge mess boarding, passengers had no where to stand but in the aisle and it was all but blocked. It just did not seem more efficient. I mean, I liked the numbered signs. You knew where to stand and it avoided the free for all bottle neck that you get with legacy airlines that I actually don't like.
> Am I alone is not caring for it? What was wrong with the numbered signs? And just how are you supposed to know what order you go in with out them?  All they did was call A1-15, A15-30, etc. No getting in order. I mean, that's their entire system, right? Is that going away?



Not sure what happened at your gate.  But we flew SW from MCO 6 times since early 2021.  We’ve had the numbered stanchions every time.


----------



## MinnieMSue

focusondisney said:


> Not sure what happened at your gate.  But we flew SW from MCO 6 times since early 2021.  We’ve had the numbered stanchions every time.


We flew mid October and had the numbers at the gate to stand under too


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

My husband just flew Monday to Long Beach and back home on Wednesday neither of which had what the PP described. Last week his was in Reno same just the normal procedure. I'm guessing there was a particular reason why that was done at that time for the PP but from what we know doesn't appear to be a shift in procedure. 

For sure if people notice this let us know that would be quite the change if it became the norm.


----------



## lilmc

Mrs.AMC said:


> We just flew Southwest in and out of MCO last weekend. We haven't flown Southwest out of MCO in quite a while.
> Not a fan of their new gate system at MCO. Well, I say new, it was new to us.
> We've already reduced our Southwest trips, just because we've been favoring flying out of our local airport when possible.
> If they are dropping the numbered gates then I'm not sure I like it at all.
> It made for a huge mess boarding, passengers had no where to stand but in the aisle and it was all but blocked. It just did not seem more efficient. I mean, I liked the numbered signs. You knew where to stand and it avoided the free for all bottle neck that you get with legacy airlines that I actually don't like.
> Am I alone is not caring for it? What was wrong with the numbered signs? And just how are you supposed to know what order you go in with out them? All they did was call A1-15, A15-30, etc. No getting in order. I mean, that's their entire system, right? Is that going away?


We flew in July from MCO once and we weren’t at a “normal” Southwest gate. We hadn’t even checked our gate number because we “know” where the Southwest gates are at MCO and we ended up on the wrong tram. But because it was just another gate in another terminal, it didn’t have the posts with the boarding numbers installed. Boarding was a cluster, for sure. I’m not sure you experienced a “new system” or just not a gate outfitted for SW flights routinely.


----------



## MinnieMSue

lilmc said:


> We flew in July from MCO once and we weren’t at a “normal” Southwest gate. We hadn’t even checked our gate number because we “know” where the Southwest gates are at MCO and we ended up on the wrong tram. But because it was just another gate in another terminal, it didn’t have the posts with the boarding numbers installed. Boarding was a cluster, for sure. I’m not sure you experienced a “new system” or just not a gate outfitted for SW flights routinely.



I was wondering if that was what happened to the prior poster. Or maybe they had to remove the signs briefly for some work at the gate. Something weird like that. I can’t believe they would want the cluster situation that would occur with removal of the signs


----------



## Mrs.AMC

lilmc said:


> We flew in July from MCO once and we weren’t at a “normal” Southwest gate. We hadn’t even checked our gate number because we “know” where the Southwest gates are at MCO and we ended up on the wrong tram. But because it was just another gate in another terminal, it didn’t have the posts with the boarding numbers installed. Boarding was a cluster, for sure. I’m not sure you experienced a “new system” or just not a gate outfitted for SW flights routinely.


Nope. It was new. A southwest gate.  They are using a new biometric scanning system


----------



## thanxfornoticin

We've flown SW dozens of times in recent years, and 99% of the time it's at a gate with numbers to simplify the process.  The only time we didn't have the numbered gates was at a small gate set up in the Bahamas, but even there they had a monitor that would show boarding A1-A30, then next showed A31-A60, etc.  Must've just been an unusual occurrence of a SW flight at a gate not set up for normal SW boarding.  Perhaps MCO is going through some growing pains with the new Terminal?  Just a guess....


----------



## focusondisney

Not sure what was going on with your trip @Mrs.AMC .   Did you notice if other gates had the posts & if people were lining up?  I also will not be happy if they start doing away with lining up.  Not for nothing, but I have been buying BS  when fares are first released.  Several times I have gotten A1.  I will not be going behind 14 other people if I planned & purchased far enough ahead to get that position.  Same with any other A position I get.  JB has nonstops from our city too.  I’d much rather switch to them & pay for the seat I want rather than go back to the SW days when you had to get there early & stake you spot in line.  Which tho limited is what this seems to be.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Anyone checked in the day before time change?

My flight is 2pm EST tomorrow, it's 2:02 now and I'm still getting the error to come back on November 5th when it is 2pm in Baltimore.

I'm wondering if the time change means I have to wait until 3pm even though the error message says 2pm.

ETA- I'm seeing a banner that indicates it is time change. The error message has the wrong time listed, but the banner says to check in at 23 hours because of Daylight Savings.


----------



## EACarlson

@Mrs.AMC Do you recall what gate number it was?  Maybe someone who has a trip down soon can take a look?  I've seen biometric gates used by Delta and United at MCO but never seen Southwest use them anywhere.  Is it possible it was not one of the normal SW gates and that's why it didn't have the stanchions?  No one has complained about this over on FlyerTalk which I'm pretty sure would have happened if this was an MCO wide change.


----------



## thanxfornoticin

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Anyone checked in the day before time change?
> 
> My flight is 2pm EST tomorrow, it's 2:02 now and I'm still getting the error to come back on November 5th when it is 2pm in Baltimore.
> 
> I'm wondering if the time change means I have to wait until 3pm even though the error message says 2pm.
> 
> ETA- I'm seeing a banner that indicates it is time change. The error message has the wrong time listed, but the banner says to check in at 23 hours because of Daylight Savings.


Interesting.  Never experienced it, but often wondered how they handled it.  As a long-time IT person, I think I speak for many of us when I say we'd be very happy if the US Govt moves forward with plans to do away with DST!!  It was always a headache from a programming and maintenance standpoint!  Sounds like that's the case with SW and checking in!


----------



## Doug7856

orangecuse said:


> First time considering SW flights
> 
> 1. If purchasing EBCI about a month out what are our odds of getting A?
> 
> 2. If we got B, what are our odds of finding seats together during family boarding. I have a 3 year old and 5 year old so we need a row of 3 together and ideally my husband would be close by somewhere.
> 
> 3. If they were available and its needed, can we buy A1-15 spots anytime before boarding? Wed be coming off a cruise on the way back and I wouldnt be checking until several hours before the flight.


We fly SW multiple times a year and generally with EBCI get A or more frequently B. On a recent flight we were B7,8 & 9. There was a very large party from a family reunion cruise returning home and they split up the children so that everyone in the group got the middle family boarding. Even with our low B numbers, we could not sit together due to this tactic. It was frustrating, but it was the only time in over twenty years of flying Southwest that we experienced such a situation and the first time we couldn't sit together.


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## TheOneWithTheTriplets

A1-15 Priority Boarding Upgrade Data Point:

I get this benefit for free with my credit card, so upgraded Hubby and the kids for tomorrow's flight. I checked in right at 24 hours (which was really 23 hours, darn daylight savings!!) and clicked to upgrade boarding. We got A12-A15 in what I would say was less than a minute from the 24 hour window opening. 

I know availability on these positions can vary based on how many other passengers on the flight qualify based on ticket type or status level. I just thought it was worth noting that this option sold out almost immediately. To some degree, it makes the benefit better on lower fee SW cards that get two EBCI. The high cost priority card ends up giving you a benefit that you can only use if you're quick on the draw anyway.


----------



## focusondisney

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> The high cost priority card ends up giving you a benefit that you can only use if you're quick on the draw anyway.



Just like anything else, this will vary quite a bit.  I booked business select on the day flights were released for myself on our last trip, with my DH booked as my companion. Flight was full both ways.   I got A1 both ways. At the 24 hour mark, I upgraded my husband‘s position.  He got A6 to Orlando & A5 on the way back.  They also announced at the gate on both flights there were still spots available.

edit to add: I used my SW priority card benefit for his upgrades as well.


----------



## Doug7856

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> A1-15 Priority Boarding Upgrade Data Point:
> 
> I get this benefit for free with my credit card, so upgraded Hubby and the kids for tomorrow's flight. I checked in right at 24 hours (which was really 23 hours, darn daylight savings!!) and clicked to upgrade boarding. We got A12-A15 in what I would say was less than a minute from the 24 hour window opening.
> 
> I know availability on these positions can vary based on how many other passengers on the flight qualify based on ticket type or status level. I just thought it was worth noting that this option sold out almost immediately. To some degree, it makes the benefit better on lower fee SW cards that get two EBCI. The high cost priority card ends up giving you a benefit that you can only use if you're quick on the draw anyway.


Thanks for sharing this. I was wondering how the online availability would impact this benefit.


----------



## ultimatefans

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Anyone checked in the day before time change?
> 
> My flight is 2pm EST tomorrow, it's 2:02 now and I'm still getting the error to come back on November 5th when it is 2pm in Baltimore.
> 
> I'm wondering if the time change means I have to wait until 3pm even though the error message says 2pm.
> 
> ETA- I'm seeing a banner that indicates it is time change. The error message has the wrong time listed, but the banner says to check in at 23 hours because of Daylight Savings.


Yes!  I did in March when it was spring forward.  Checkin was at exactly 24 hours, so if my flight was at 2 then checkin was at 1.  (fall would be the opposite)


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## KJSJpipe

I was going on to look at my December flights in the app and saw this.


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## teawar

Check your flights to Orlando for possible fare drops. I was able to save $122 on my thanksgiving, Christmas, and MLK Day travel.


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## TheOneWithTheTriplets

focusondisney said:


> Just like anything else, this will vary quite a bit.  I booked business select on the day flights were released for myself on our last trip, with my DH booked as my companion. Flight was full both ways.   I got A1 both ways. At the 24 hour mark, I upgraded my husband‘s position.  He got A6 to Orlando & A5 on the way back.  They also announced at the gate on both flights there were still spots available.
> 
> edit to add: I used my SW priority card benefit for his upgrades as well.


I'm glad to hear it's not all flights, but I do think the limited availability degrades the benefit.

If you use EBCI, you can check in at your leisure and know you'll have good boarding position. Especially for return trips where check in is the last day of vacation, you can be happily on a roller coaster when your 24 hits and get to it when you get to it.

The upgrade benefit is unreliable because it might not be available. You end up having to check in at 24 hours or risk bad position if A1-15 are sold out.


----------



## focusondisney

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> I'm glad to hear it's not all flights, but I do think the limited availability degrades the benefit.
> 
> If you use EBCI, you can check in at your leisure and know you'll have good boarding position. Especially for return trips where check in is the last day of vacation, you can be happily on a roller coaster when your 24 hits and get to it when you get to it.
> 
> The upgrade benefit is unreliable because it might not be available. You end up having to check in at 24 hours or risk bad position if A1-15 are sold out.



For years I  purchased EBCI for every trip.  I have the priority CC & have also used the upgrade benefit a few times too.  The last few years  I‘ve read so many reports  of people with EBCI getting B positions, even late Bs.   But now that SW has added the free EBCI to anytime fares & as a benefit with their other credit cards, I think many more people will be getting it.  Which I think might  lead to even higher boarding positions.  My DS & DDIL had Bs with EBCI on their last trip, although they only booked about 2 months out.  I‘m concerned EBCI won’t be as reliable as it once was for getting a good boarding position.  I know SW doesn’t guarantee an A position, but I’ve always gotten an A with  it.  So for me, getting a B with EBCI would be a downgrade.  

Usually I have our vacation  plans set before fares are released.  I noticed on release day Business Select isn’t that much more than WGA fares in my airport.  Especially if I’m gonna pay for EBCI too.  So for now my plan is to book BS if I can.  Bit if not, I’ll still use EBCI for the convenience.  Or book JB so I can pick my seat & be done with it, lol.


----------



## Mrs.AMC

focusondisney said:


> Not sure what was going on with your trip @Mrs.AMC .   Did you notice if other gates had the posts & if people were lining up?  I also will not be happy if they start doing away with lining up.  Not for nothing, but I have been buying BS  when fares are first released.  Several times I have gotten A1.  I will not be going behind 14 other people if I planned & purchased far enough ahead to get that position.  Same with any other A position I get.  JB has nonstops from our city too.  I’d much rather switch to them & pay for the seat I want rather than go back to the SW days when you had to get there early & stake you spot in line.  Which tho limited is what this seems to be.


None of them had posts. They were all southwest  gates


----------



## Mrs.AMC

focusondisney said:


> Not sure what was going on with your trip @Mrs.AMC .   Did you notice if other gates had the posts & if people were lining up?  I also will not be happy if they start doing away with lining up.  Not for nothing, but I have been buying BS  when fares are first released.  Several times I have gotten A1.  I will not be going behind 14 other people if I planned & purchased far enough ahead to get that position.  Same with any other A position I get.  JB has nonstops from our city too.  I’d much rather switch to them & pay for the seat I want rather than go back to the SW days when you had to get there early & stake you spot in line.  Which tho limited is what this seems to be.


None of them had posts. They were all southwest  gates


----------



## AussieFan8

If your flight drops in price and you change it to the new fare, do you hold the spot from the date you initially paid for EBCI, or does it drop you on the list to the date that you changed the flight?


----------



## Wood Nymph

focusondisney said:


> But now that SW has added the free EBCI to anytime fares & as a benefit with their other credit cards, I think many more people will be getting it. Which I think might lead to even higher boarding positions.


We usually buy Wanna get away fares and add Early bird. We have been getting boarding groups that were all group A, so far, but towards the end, i.e. A40 to A59. I bought an Anytime flight in October and got boarding group A22. That would support your theory that the more expensive Anytime fare would give a better boarding group.

What I am seeing, though, is an increase in pre-boards. SWA doesn't really have any kind of proof that you are qualified to pre-board, and some people take advantage of that. I don't know what the solution would be, though, to limit the abuse.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Wood Nymph said:


> We usually buy Wanna get away fares and add Early bird. We have been getting boarding groups that were all group A, so far, but towards the end, i.e. A40 to A59. I bought an Anytime flight in October and got boarding group A22. That would support your theory that the more expensive Anytime fare would give a better boarding group.


Anytime fare *always* had higher priority than WGA fares (ETA this is talking about EBCI). Before SWA added the EBCI into Anytimes fares if two people purchased EBCI but one of them had purchased Anytime fare and the other WGA, the Anytime fare was put ahead of WGA fares.

Keep in mind A-list is ahead of everyone, within that A-list preferred should be ahead of just A-list.

I think what people are seeing is just that with Anytime fare having EBCI included in it that puts a bit more people in front of those with just WGA fare with EBCI since instead of someone selecting to choose to purchase EBCI all get it within Anytimes fare.


----------



## EACarlson

I think the biggest development that lowered EBCI boarding numbers is that A list is being achieved much more than previously and everyone on a PNR with an A lister gets that benefit too.  If I'm travelling for work and get A list and then take my family, instead of just me getting an A boarding spot, now all four of us would.  Including EBCI on Anytime fares adds a few but I don't think it's as much as the A list change.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

EACarlson said:


> I think the biggest development that lowered EBCI boarding numbers is that A list is being achieved much more than previously and everyone on a PNR with an A lister gets that benefit too.  If I'm travelling for work and get A list and then take my family, instead of just me getting an A boarding spot, now all four of us would.  Including EBCI on Anytime fares adds a few but I don't think it's as much as the A list change.


It's still not *that* easy to get A-list. 

However there were people, like my husband, who had A-list that would have expired at the end of 2021 that were given opportunities to extend that and that was already on top of an extension due to the pandemic. For instance my husband's A-list was extended from ending in 2021 through 2022 because he was given an offer and completed it to do 4 one way or 2 RT flights last late fall. However no such offer was given this year and he had to fully earn his A-list and he barely made it despite flying quite a bit for work. And the bump they just gave for reward travel counting I don't think that truly helped many people, it's just a goodwill gesture on behalf of SWA that doesn't net too much benefit for many.

Yes people who are on the same reservation get A-list benefits (other than same day standby and such unless also A-list) but that was already the case in 2020 IIRC.

I want to say it's just a weird place we're at. You have people whose A-list will be running out at the end of this year due to extensions combined with Anytime Fares getting EBCI. I think the number of A-listers effect will level off next year.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Mrs.AMC said:


> None of them had posts. They were all southwest  gates


Yeah I just talked to my DISer friend who used to live here, he's lived in Orlando for a few years and he left for KC from Orlando on Wednesday...normal SWA procedures then.

Are you sure these were actual Southwest gates and not ones that were used temporarily but didn't actually belong to SWA?


----------



## BillFromCT

Wood Nymph said:


> We usually buy Wanna get away fares and add Early bird. We have been getting boarding groups that were all group A, so far, but towards the end, i.e. A40 to A59. I bought an Anytime flight in October and got boarding group A22. That would support your theory that the more expensive Anytime fare would give a better boarding group.
> 
> What I am seeing, though, is an increase in pre-boards. SWA doesn't really have any kind of proof that you are qualified to pre-board, and some people take advantage of that. I don't know what the solution would be, though, to limit the abuse.


We flew out to Vegas on Sunday via BWI.  There was not a single pre board, and they announced the flight was full.  And I think there was one group for family boarding.  It was a rare sight.


----------



## Wood Nymph

BillFromCT said:


> We flew out to Vegas on Sunday via BWI.  There was not a single pre board, and they announced the flight was full.  And I think there was one group for family boarding.  It was a rare sight.


We found that to be true for our flight from Chicago to Portland, Maine. There weren't any pre-boards.


----------



## sandam1

A weird thing happened on Sunday when we went to check in for our flight from MCO to Buffalo. My friend and I were both online, attempting to check in. I was able to check in easily while it took her another minute or two because she needed to go to her email, find her confirmation number and enter it in the app. However, I got B52 and she got B32. Wait, what? Yep, it happened. It really didn't matter much in the long run, but it was definitely odd.


----------



## nekonekoneko

sandam1 said:


> A weird thing happened on Sunday when we went to check in for our flight from MCO to Buffalo. My friend and I were both online, attempting to check in. I was able to check in easily while it took her another minute or two because she needed to go to her email, find her confirmation number and enter it in the app. However, I got B52 and she got B32. Wait, what? Yep, it happened. It really didn't matter much in the long run, but it was definitely odd.



More thank likely, after you checked in, the person who had B32 either purchased Upgraded Boarding, or changed/cancelled their ticket.  So your friend got what's next, which was the now abandoned boarding place.


----------



## mickey916

Check your December flights! I just lowered my return flight from $189 to $64...same flight. I booked Wanna Get Away so I could just get travel funds but we'll use them!


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## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Sale is going on from today until the 10th, certain blackout dates of course apply like the other recent sales


----------



## focusondisney

nekonekoneko said:


> More thank likely, after you checked in, the person who had B32 either purchased Upgraded Boarding, or changed/cancelled their ticket.  So your friend got what's next, which was the now abandoned boarding place.



Exactly what I thought, whoever got B32 immediately upgraded their position, so the friend got the vacated B32.


----------



## sandam1

nekonekoneko said:


> More thank likely, after you checked in, the person who had B32 either purchased Upgraded Boarding, or changed/cancelled their ticket.  So your friend got what's next, which was the now abandoned boarding place.



Ah, that makes sense!


----------



## Threehearts

Can I buy an empty seat and if I pay for ECBI for both, can I use that second no passenger seat for the middle seat?

Over the past month, I've been diagnosed with a life-threatening problem and had a piece of my shoulder and a piece of humerus in my arm removed.  The grafting is not working.  My arm/shoulder is very unstable, but I must get to my elderly mother in the next few weeks and that will be on a 2 hour SW flight to get there.

It won't matter what class I am in for such a short flight but it will matter if the bones in my arm are jostled.  I have read conflicting reports about whether the airline will honor this kind of purchase.  I am trying desperately to preserve the function in my arm and I thought the spare seat idea might work.

Thank you.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Threehearts said:


> Can I buy an empty seat and if I pay for ECBI for both, can I use that second no passenger seat for the middle seat?
> 
> Over the past month, I've been diagnosed with a life-threatening problem and had a piece of my shoulder and a piece of humerus in my arm removed.  The grafting is not working.  My arm/shoulder is very unstable, but I must get to my elderly mother in the next few weeks and that will be on a 2 hour SW flight to get there.
> 
> It won't matter what class I am in for such a short flight but it will matter if the bones in my arm are jostled.  I have read conflicting reports about whether the airline will honor this kind of purchase.  I am trying desperately to preserve the function in my arm and I thought the spare seat idea might work.
> 
> Thank you.


I would assume so since they allow larger passengers to buy 2 seats for comfort.


----------



## Threehearts

LadybugsMum said:


> I would assume so since they allow larger passengers to buy 2 seats for comfort.


Thank you LadybugsMum.

There are reports from people who tried this.  They said that if the airline was overbooked or a passenger needed to be moved, that their spare seat was taken and they were refunded.


----------



## LadybugsMum

Threehearts said:


> Thank you LadybugsMum.
> 
> There are reports from people who tried this.  They said that if the airline was overbooked or a passenger needed to be moved, that their spare seat was taken and they were refunded.


You have medical reason to have 2 seats though. Also, I would ask for preboarding and then put something in the seat so it doesn't look like an open seat.


----------



## leeniewdw

Just an FYI -- I literally just moved (last night) our SW flight from this Sunday to a date in December and when checking today the points per ticket went down over 2000 per ticket.   

So if you are flying on 12/11, check your cost/points!


----------



## shu24

Off to a grumpy start. I checked in at exactly 8am and still ended up with C boarding.  I should have upgraded to EarlyBird.  Hindsight is 20/20.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

shu24 said:


> Off to a grumpy start. I checked in at exactly 8am and still ended up with C boarding.  I should have upgraded to EarlyBird.  Hindsight is 20/20.


Last December our flight from home to Vegas with WGA no EBCI was B24 however the flight home from Vegas I had gotten B60 right on the dot, it was however the latest I've gotten ever (other than a random glitch when we had Companion and I ended up with a C back in like 2017). 

When we went to WDW in May my husband was A-list, I was on a separate reservation with EBCI purchased (reimbursed through the CC) with just WGA and it was A40. On the way home with EBCI also purchased for me it was A34. We used the EBCI benefit for this one as it runs on a June/July (can't remember) cycle. 

When we went to Vegas in September we were both on the same reservation so I was getting his A-list benefit and my position was A20 on the way there (keep in mind it was a 4:40am boarding time though) and on the way back home it was A28 (a 8:45pm boarding time).

It can be all over the place, for us we typically take the early flights and the late flights to places. When my husband travels for business typically early to mid-morning with afternoon to late evening flights depending on non-stop vs connections.


_____________
You could see if you felt like purchasing the Upgraded Boarding if that is still available for your flight, that would be any leftover positions between A1-A15.


----------



## shu24

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Last December our flight from home to Vegas with WGA no EBCI was B24 however the flight home from Vegas I had gotten B60 right on the dot, it was however the latest I've gotten ever (other than a random glitch when we had Companion and I ended up with a C back in like 2017).
> 
> When we went to WDW in May my husband was A-list, I was on a separate reservation with EBCI purchased (reimbursed through the CC) with just WGA and it was A40. On the way home with EBCI also purchased for me it was A34. We used the EBCI benefit for this one as it runs on a June/July (can't remember) cycle.
> 
> When we went to Vegas in September we were both on the same reservation so I was getting his A-list benefit and my position was A20 on the way there (keep in mind it was a 4:40am boarding time though) and on the way back home it was A28 (a 8:45pm boarding time).
> 
> It can be all over the place, for us we typically take the early flights and the late flights to places. When my husband travels for business typically early to mid-morning with afternoon to late evening flights depending on non-stop vs connections.
> 
> 
> _____________
> You could see if you felt like purchasing the Upgraded Boarding if that is still available for your flight, that would be any leftover positions between A1-A15.


I ended up booking the Upgraded boarding. My frugal nature is ashamed, but I am going to repeat to myself that I have spent more on stupider things in the past.  The flight is full and boarding group C would have not allowed for us to get seats together for sure. Our departure airport often doesn't follow the Family boarding policy well and prior flights we often would see 3/4 full planes before we boarded when we were group B.  Thanks for mentioning it, I would have not known to look for an upgrade option otherwise.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

shu24 said:


> I ended up booking the Upgraded boarding. My frugal nature is ashamed, but I am going to repeat to myself that I have spent more on stupider things in the past.  The flight is full and boarding group C would have not allowed for us to get seats together for sure. Our departure airport often doesn't follow the Family boarding policy well and prior flights we often would see 3/4 full planes before we boarded when we were group B.  Thanks for mentioning it, I would have not known to look for an upgrade option otherwise.


You're welcome   

While I do think it may lead to more people using the feature having the ability to do it on the app is nice and I wouldn't have realized it was available on the app unless the other lovely DISers on this thread mentioned it  , I def. appreciate all the information we share on here!


----------



## nlenguyen

Currently SW is hosting a 50% off points for me over 20,000 points. Is this a good deal?

I have a chase offer for 10% cash back for a Southwest purchase and thought about getting some points if this is a good deal


----------



## ultimatefans

nlenguyen said:


> Currently SW is hosting a 50% off points for me over 20,000 points. Is this a good deal?
> 
> I have a chase offer for 10% cash back for a Southwest purchase and thought about getting some points if this is a good deal


It definitely is!  Combined with the 10% cash back that’s fantastic.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

EBCI data point:

We only added it about a week before the flight as we were waiting for a credit card to kick over to a new card year.

Got B8 and 9 (with companions in 10 and 11). Checked in right at 24 hours and the non EBCI on our res got C15.

This was a return from Orlando, so there was a ton of family boarding. We were still able to get a set of two empty rows with maybe 4 more empty rows behind us.


----------



## MICKIMINI

We flew MHT-MCO yesterday on the 6 am flight.  Crew showed up at 5:30 am, flight left on time and we got to Orlando around 9 am.  It was a full flight of course, however the best flight since 2019 before the pandemic.  Just like *the good old days*!

QUICK EDIT:  Our 12/2 flight was as good or better!  People were chilling, attendants were quietly doing their jobs and the flight was not full...and we arrived early.  The anxiety level dropped tremendously on those two flights.  Last year and earlier this year, people were scared and acting out but those that scared them were over the top in some of the theatrics.  Let's have a restart please!  Vacation is good, flights can be good and don't forget to pack your sunscreen LOL!


----------



## FreeTime

I keep telling myself I imagined this but I repeated it and the same thing happened. 

I attempted to book a flight in January to Las Vegas on a Thursday WGA fare and I was not prompted to add EBCI. I went through the process again and the same thing. I then selected Wednesday and I was presented with the EBCI option. I wonder if so many EBCI and upgraded fares have already been purchased for the one flight that they aren’t selling it. 

On another note, EBCI for tomorrow from Las Vegas and got B18. In the last several years I have always gotten A with EBCI with one exception when I got a C. I know that is rare but my experience with trying to add it and it not being an option makes me think that more people are getting bad boarding positions and increased complaints. 

I really am hoping it was a fluke and all EBCI are not gone.


----------



## jkelly86

Check your March and April flights.  We had two flight schedule changes yesterday.   The schedule changes didn't come with the same fare reductions that we have seen in the recent past, though.


----------



## CookieandOatmeal

jkelly86 said:


> Check your March and April flights.  We had two flight schedule changes yesterday.   The schedule changes didn't come with the same fare reductions that we have seen in the recent past, though.


Does the schedule change allow you to move to a different flight at no cost or is that a thing of the past?


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Thanks for the alert on flight changes! We checked our April Cancun flights and no schedule changes yet for us _but_ the fare did go down again for the flight from KC to Cancun and so we got 1,577 points back per person/3,154 total.

A tally so far is 830 points, 5,312, and 3,154=9,296 total for 2 people.

Flight from Cancun back to KC is higher presently than we booked it for but will continue to watch out for that.


----------



## MarBee

I booked a trip for my family of 4 using points under my account.  I want to be able to use my SW credit card and DH’s SW credit card to book EBCI, as each gives a complimentary EBCI for 2 people each.  I couldn’t do it on the app, so I planned on calling.  I just wanted to see if this is possible to do before I waste mine or someone else’s time by calling in to ask.  Does anyone know if this can be done?


----------



## monarchsfan16

MarBee said:


> I booked a trip for my family of 4 using points under my account.  I want to be able to use my SW credit card and DH’s SW credit card to book EBCI, as each gives a complimentary EBCI for 2 people each.  I couldn’t do it on the app, so I planned on calling.  I just wanted to see if this is possible to do before I waste mine or someone else’s time by calling in to ask.  Does anyone know if this can be done?


Just go on the Southwest website and book the EBCI. You shouldn't need to call to add EBCI. I have the card that gives Southwest travel credit rather than EBCI and just used it once my annual credit reset to purchase EBCI for my husband and I, who are on two separate reservations. I went online and did the two separate transactions and within a couple days the statement credit appeared on my Southwest card.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

MarBee said:


> I booked a trip for my family of 4 using points under my account.  I want to be able to use my SW credit card and DH’s SW credit card to book EBCI, as each gives a complimentary EBCI for 2 people each.  I couldn’t do it on the app, so I planned on calling.  I just wanted to see if this is possible to do before I waste mine or someone else’s time by calling in to ask.  Does anyone know if this can be done?


I've done this on the website as well. I only wanted to use two EBCI on a party of 3 and it was easy to select which individual segments and tickets I was applying it to.


----------



## MarBee

monarchsfan16 said:


> Just go on the Southwest website and book the EBCI. You shouldn't need to call to add EBCI. I have the card that gives Southwest travel credit rather than EBCI and just used it once my annual credit reset to purchase EBCI for my husband and I, who are on two separate reservations. I went online and did the two separate transactions and within a couple days the statement credit appeared on my Southwest card.





TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> I've done this on the website as well. I only wanted to use two EBCI on a party of 3 and it was easy to select which individual segments and tickets I was applying it to.


Great thanks!  I only tried on the mobile app and just assumed it was the same on a desktop site.  This will make my life easier now


----------



## jkelly86

CookieandOatmeal said:


> Does the schedule change allow you to move to a different flight at no cost or is that a thing of the past?


----------



## Henlady

I was under the understanding that for family boarding, a child under 6 and o
Two parents were allowed to board between A and B.    Last Sunday in MCO, there were multiple families  some with 5 or 6 members who boarded together. Several of the families had one possibly under 6 and 2-3 teenagers along with both parents boarding together   Has the policy changed?   There were over 40 people in family boarding


----------



## LadybugsMum

Henlady said:


> I was under the understanding that for family boarding, a child under 6 and one parent were allowed to board between A and B.    Last Sunday in MCO, there were multiple families  some with 5 or 6 members who boarded together. Several of the families had one possibly under 6 and 2-3 teenagers along with both parents boarding together   Has the policy changed?   There were close to 40 people in family boarding


It hasn't changed that I know of but it's really sporadically enforced and entirely dependent on the gate staff. ,


----------



## focusondisney

Henlady said:


> I was under the understanding that for family boarding, a child under 6 and o
> Two parents were allowed to board between A and B.    Last Sunday in MCO, there were multiple families  some with 5 or 6 members who boarded together. Several of the families had one possibly under 6 and 2-3 teenagers along with both parents boarding together   Has the policy changed?   There were over 40 people in family boarding



That is still SW’s official policy. Enforcement or exceptions are always up to the gate agent.  Most of the time, it seems they let the whole family board together. So siblings too, no matter their age.  They are usually strict about not letting grandparents, aunts etc join them tho.  And 40 people sounds like some of the lines I see.  Between that & the 15 - 20 preboards, it’s a lot of special boarding.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

LadybugsMum said:


> It hasn't changed that I know of but it's really sporadically enforced and entirely dependent on the gate staff. ,


Yup! I heard the gate staff on our recent flights make the announcement a couple of times that family boarding was for one child under 7 and up to two adults. But, when push came to shove, they weren't turning away the older siblings or grandparents to actually enforce the announcement they were making. 

While it's frustrating to see those large groups boarding ahead of you in B group, it's really asking a lot of the staff there to keep stopping the line and pulling people aside. No one wants the flight delayed because splitting people back out of family boarding took too long; I'm guessing a lot go with the path of least resistance.


----------



## Doug7856

Henlady said:


> I was under the understanding that for family boarding, a child under 6 and o
> Two parents were allowed to board between A and B.    Last Sunday in MCO, there were multiple families  some with 5 or 6 members who boarded together. Several of the families had one possibly under 6 and 2-3 teenagers along with both parents boarding together   Has the policy changed?   There were over 40 people in family boarding


We had the same experience in August. Our B boarding group was effectively a C boarding group.


----------



## FCDub

Henlady said:


> I was under the understanding that for family boarding, a child under 6 and o
> Two parents were allowed to board between A and B.    Last Sunday in MCO, there were multiple families  some with 5 or 6 members who boarded together. Several of the families had one possibly under 6 and 2-3 teenagers along with both parents boarding together   Has the policy changed?   There were over 40 people in family boarding



The policy has no changed. Some gate agents are just better at enforcing it.


----------



## focusondisney

Doug7856 said:


> We had the same experience in August. Our B boarding group was effectively a C boarding group.



Exactly why I started getting business select. If I buy on release day, it’s not that much more than WGA & adding EBCI.  And I don’t have to,worry about getting stuck behind family boarding.


----------



## Doug7856

focusondisney said:


> Exactly why I started getting business select. If I buy on release day, it’s not that much more than WGA & adding EBCI.  And I don’t have to,worry about getting stuck behind family boarding.


I guess that was Southwest's intent all along.


----------



## focusondisney

Doug7856 said:


> I guess that was Southwest's intent all along.


Probably &  I fell for  it too. Although, for our July trip I only booked SW one way & JB the other.  I was sucked into SW several years ago with bonus points & a companion pass.  But I actually prefer JB.  Seriously considering closing my DH’s SW credit cards & having him get JB‘s for the  free luggage perks.  The older I get the less I can tolerate SW’s free for all.


----------



## Henlady

We purchased our flights within 2 hours of release along with early bird check in.  We ended up being B 1,2 & 3


----------



## kristenrice

Question about WGA+, specifically, the same day change benefit...

My daughter and I are looking for flights to Boston in June and the (cheapest/fastest) return flight is at 5:30am.  The hotel we are staying at is 30-40 minutes from the airport, plus we'd have a rental car to drop off.  I would prefer not to take that flight, but the only other option is a flight at 12:30 and it is over $100/pp more.  If I opted for the WGA+ fare, would we be able to make a same-day (what is that? after midnight??) switch to the 12:30 flight, if there are still available seats?  And if so, would I have to pay the difference in price?  If yes, then I am not sure what the benefit is of the "same day change" benefit.  Couldn't I just cancel and rebook the flight using the flight credit?  Or is it not immediate?  I usually book with points so paying OOP is totally new to me.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

kristenrice said:


> Question about WGA+, specifically, the same day change benefit...
> 
> My daughter and I are looking for flights to Boston in June and the (cheapest/fastest) return flight is at 5:30am.  The hotel we are staying at is 30-40 minutes from the airport, plus we'd have a rental car to drop off.  I would prefer not to take that flight, but the only other option is a flight at 12:30 and it is over $100/pp more.  If I opted for the WGA+ fare, would we be able to make a same-day (what is that? after midnight??) switch to the 12:30 flight, if there are still available seats?  And if so, would I have to pay the difference in price?  If yes, then I am not sure what the benefit is of the "same day change" benefit.  Couldn't I just cancel and rebook the flight using the flight credit?  Or is it not immediate?  I usually book with points so paying OOP is totally new to me.


I'm not sure what time of day they consider "same-day" as in does it show available at midnight or not (it just says same calendar day) however here's a weblink for the same-day change benefit for  WGA+. Scroll down too for the FAQs about it.

https://www.southwest.com/html/air/samedaychange.html

On there it does say with WGA+ you don't have to pay a far difference. 

A key thing to keep in mind it does explicitly tell you you will lose your Boarding position associated with your prior flight assuming you have already checked in for that flight (which I assume pretty much everyone will have already checked in who is using this benefit). So just keep that in mind. My husband has done same-day changes several times but he's A-list. And yes he has had C Boarding due to that but with A-list you get to Board after A so the negative effect wasn't a big issue for him.


----------



## MinnieMSue

Henlady said:


> We purchased our flights within 2 hours of release along with early bird check in.  We ended up being B 1,2 & 3



Ugh I had that happen once. I think I had A60 and my (not little) daughter  had B1. But when i went to line up a gate agent pulled me to preboard because I had a walker and she also had my daughter preboard with me. I didn’t ask for that or anything. I was kind of glad though. So many families on flights during family boarding. I did not ask to preboard. One other time I was A30 or 31 - the front person in that row and they asked me to preboard then with the walker. Definitely not necessary but nice. I think they were worried I would slow people down though that really isn’t the case. That’s why I never asked to preboard ever.


----------



## Avery&Todd

Points drop alert!!!  We are booked RDU to MCO on Saturday, Dec. 3rd and just looked and that flight was 14k points CHEAPER than before - so I rebooked that leg and got back 14k points!!  The return flight on Dec. 6th was no change...

but I'll take it!!


----------



## Avery&Todd

AND I  checked our RDU to MCO for April 15-22nd and got back 9,728 (total) for our return flight on April 22nd..

WINNING!!

so that's a total of 23,781 for both flights back - that could almost be a round trip flight somewhere!!


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Avery&Todd said:


> Points drop alert!!!  We are booked RDU to MCO on Saturday, Dec. 3rd and just looked and that flight was 14k points CHEAPER than before - so I rebooked that leg and got back 14k points!!  The return flight on Dec. 6th was no change...
> 
> but I'll take it!!





Avery&Todd said:


> AND I  checked our RDU to MCO for April 15-22nd and got back 9,728 (total) for our return flight on April 22nd..
> 
> WINNING!!
> 
> so that's a total of 23,781 for both flights back - that could almost be a round trip flight somewhere!!



Thanks so much for the reminder! My return trip from Grand Cayman in April has been consistently only showing Anytime/Business fares for $$$$. Today, WGAs opened back up and I was able to save 19,000 points! We're hoping to use our points balance for a trip to Cali in August and that 19k is going to give us a much better chance of booking all of us on points then, too.


----------



## Avery&Todd

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Thanks so much for the reminder! My return trip from Grand Cayman in April has been consistently only showing Anytime/Business fares for $$$$. Today, WGAs opened back up and I was able to save 19,000 points! We're hoping to use our points balance for a trip to Cali in August and that 19k is going to give us a much better chance of booking all of us on points then, too.


NICE!!!!!

I love it when we all remind each other of these price/points changes!!

Such a great thread!


----------



## dez1978

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Thanks so much for the reminder! My return trip from Grand Cayman in April has been consistently only showing Anytime/Business fares for $$$$. Today, WGAs opened back up and I was able to save 19,000 points! We're hoping to use our points balance for a trip to Cali in August and that 19k is going to give us a much better chance of booking all of us on points then, too.


Nice!  I keep checking on my flights mid december and they have doubled in price.  And I'm going to Denver, not even anywhere warm and nice lol


----------



## EACarlson

Henlady said:


> I was under the understanding that for family boarding, a child under 6 and o
> Two parents were allowed to board between A and B.    Last Sunday in MCO, there were multiple families  some with 5 or 6 members who boarded together. Several of the families had one possibly under 6 and 2-3 teenagers along with both parents boarding together   Has the policy changed?   There were over 40 people in family boarding


That's the policy, whether gate agents enforce the policy is another question.  I've seen some be very strict and some probably would have let me and my wife do family boarding if we asked.


kristenrice said:


> Question about WGA+, specifically, the same day change benefit...
> 
> My daughter and I are looking for flights to Boston in June and the (cheapest/fastest) return flight is at 5:30am.  The hotel we are staying at is 30-40 minutes from the airport, plus we'd have a rental car to drop off.  I would prefer not to take that flight, but the only other option is a flight at 12:30 and it is over $100/pp more.  If I opted for the WGA+ fare, would we be able to make a same-day (what is that? after midnight??) switch to the 12:30 flight, if there are still available seats?  And if so, would I have to pay the difference in price?  If yes, then I am not sure what the benefit is of the "same day change" benefit.  Couldn't I just cancel and rebook the flight using the flight credit?  Or is it not immediate?  I usually book with points so paying OOP is totally new to me.


Yes, after midnight local time at point of departure you can attempt a same day change.  If there are available seats you would be confirmed at no additional charge.  You would have to check in again and most probably have a low C boarding position.


----------



## APiratesLifeForMe2

Finalized our summer trip and these flights for June are really tough to stomach. Before Covid we usually paid between $89-$125 one way. It’s $255 one way now. It’s so far out of the budget I cancelled our January trip just to put that towards our June flights. Do we see any chance of these coming down or is this still just post Covid travel demand?


----------



## rangerxenos

Keep checking your flights, my outgoing flight just dropped down to $39 for December 6th!  Now BOTH legs of my flight are $39, I have NEVER paid under $100 round trip for a flight to MCO in all the years I've been traveling!


----------



## Avery&Todd

rangerxenos said:


> Keep checking your flights, my outgoing flight just dropped down to $39 for December 6th!  Now BOTH legs of my flight are $39, I have NEVER paid under $100 round trip for a flight to MCO in all the years I've been traveling!


Great job on that flight price!!  My flight on Dec. 6th is $139/each person and I was super stoked about that!!  HA!

I'd have a cow with $39/each!!


----------



## rangerxenos

Avery&Todd said:


> Great job on that flight price!!  My flight on Dec. 6th is $139/each person and I was super stoked about that!!  HA!
> 
> I'd have a cow with $39/each!!



For some reason my last three trips I've been able to find at least one leg of the flight for a really low price.  This trip wins, I don't think Soutwest flies cheaper than $39 from BDL - MCO and visa versa!


----------



## EACarlson

APiratesLifeForMe2 said:


> Do we see any chance of these coming down or is this still just post Covid travel demand?


Some prices are coming down.  Obviously dependent on other factors such as competition and load factors into it.  I don't think air travel will be as expensive in the coming year as it was in the past year.  Not everyone will be willing to pay the same amount to fly with everything else getting more expensive.  I booked roundtrip in January MKE-MCO for 25,000 points, same flights in October were 40,000.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Checked flights because of this thread and for getting to Cancun we got back an additional 1,660 points each for a total of 3,320 points back 

Tally so far of point reduction is 830, 5,312, 3,154 and 3,320 points= 12,616 total for 2 people.


----------



## focusondisney

rangerxenos said:


> Keep checking your flights, my outgoing flight just dropped down to $39 for December 6th!  Now BOTH legs of my flight are $39, I have NEVER paid under $100 round trip for a flight to MCO in all the years I've been traveling!



Good for you! Can you give some more info… what city do you fly from, what day of the week, nonstops or change planes & what time of day are you flying?  I think those details help explain why some flights go down & others don’t.


----------



## scrappinginontario

I checked my flights and am shocked in the opposite way!! Our flight we paid $216 for (and that was HIGH!) is posted at $602/person right now!! Yikes!!! I’ve paid less than $602, round trip for 2 of us often. For some reason crazy prices that particular day!!


----------



## Doug7856

scrappinginontario said:


> I checked my flights and am shocked in the opposite way!! Our flight we paid $216 for (and that was HIGH!) is posted at $602/person right now!! Yikes!!! I’ve paid less than $602, round trip for 2 of us often. For some reason crazy prices that particular day!!


Yes, similar for our upcoming January flight too.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

scrappinginontario said:


> I checked my flights and am shocked in the opposite way!! Our flight we paid $216 for (and that was HIGH!) is posted at $602/person right now!! Yikes!!! I’ve paid less than $602, round trip for 2 of us often. For some reason crazy prices that particular day!!


Was that the same fare class like it was WGA @ $212 and now it's WGA @ $602?


----------



## scrappinginontario

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Was that the same fare class like it was WGA @ $212 and now it's WGA @ $602?


Good point! I hadn’t clicked into the fare.  We purchased WGA and the only dates left for our flight (and many that day) are the Anytime fares.  I guess many are travelling that day.


----------



## rangerxenos

focusondisney said:


> Good for you! Can you give some more info… what city do you fly from, what day of the week, nonstops or change planes & what time of day are you flying?  I think those details help explain why some flights go down & others don’t.



I'm flying out of Bradley in Windsor Locks, CT, always nonstop as I'm not getting a connecting flight for a 3 hour or so flight.  The one downside is that will all the cutbacks, I usually only have once choice of non stop flights on Southwest each day, so the times aren't what I'd like.  But Southwest is always the cheapest option for me out of BDL because I get 2 free checked bags, so I make do.

I'm fortunate that I am flexible and am able to work within flying whatever days give me the best fares, so I will play with dates before booking.  I usually fly on Tuesdays or Wednesdays as it's cheaper, but even that isn't the case anymore.

I'm guessing my flight on on the 6th isn't anywhere near full, and that's why the price dropped this close to my travel date.  I booked back in Summer at $112 each way, which I was happy with; now each flight is $39, which I'm ecstatic with!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

scrappinginontario said:


> Good point! I hadn’t clicked into the fare.  We purchased WGA and the only dates left for our flight (and many that day) are the Anytime fares.  I guess many are travelling that day.


That's good to hear..well the fact that it wasn't WGA pricing!


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Do you think SW will offer anything for Travel Tuesday? Does SW allow you to use their app in flight? I want to check for fare drops, but I'll be in the air when prices release.


----------



## teawar

For what it’s worth…on my flight back from MCO, the crew announced that there should be some discounts (around 30% off) coming out on Monday or Tuesday this week.


----------



## jkelly86

On the Southwest website:
Use promotion code CYBER30 from 11/28-12/1/2022 for travel on select flights from 1/10-3/8/2023. Blackout dates, restrictions, and exclusions apply.


----------



## Lsdolphin

I was able to get a small credit on my flights for 1/31 and 2/8...only $14 but it’s something...was hoping for the sale to apply to my much higher April flights nomsuch luck


----------



## EACarlson

5,000 points back on my January roundtrip MKE-MCO


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Lsdolphin said:


> I was able to get a small credit on my flights for 1/31 and 2/8...only $14 but it’s something...was hoping for the sale to apply to my much higher April flights nomsuch luck


Also bummed it didn't include April.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

A sale will most likely come along for April stuff at some point, SWA runs these frequently. The sales for Jan-early March are just to drum up traffic during an otherwise slower time (with exception to holidays during that time period). Our promotional companion pass we got a month or two ago ends March 8th as well  (starting early January, probably the 10th as well or right around there) because mid-March is start of Spring break season.


----------



## nlenguyen

ultimatefans said:


> It definitely is!  Combined with the 10% cash back that’s fantastic.


Just an update on this. I purchased the points but now Chase is saying that they did not qualify for the offer. I have been messaging them but do not think they will budge. I thought I did my research but apparently rapid reward points are not Southwest. If I would have bought a giftcard I wonder if that would have worked. All well. Learned my lesson


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

Lots of medical pre board this morning. The first 8 to 9 rows  of the plane were taken up pre board. This was flying into MCO. We've never had that many flying into MCO.


----------



## Mrs.AMC

I've tried to search because I do feel like I've read this info here over the years but I couldn't find it so I'm asking again, and apologize for a repeat question in advance
Regarding companion tickets, designated companions and changing said companions.
I know they can be changed up to 3 times.
The blurb mentions it can take 21 days to take affect.
Is this actually been your experience, if you've gone through this process?
I'm considering flights with a friend but DH and I have a trip planned exactly 1 month before. By the time I wait till that trip is over it will be cutting it very close if it's a full 21 days before I can add on the new companion. I'm thinking we'll be ok, but it's close


----------



## katallo

I tried a search without luck.  Before I book a Wanna Getaway Plus seat I want to ask how this works.  Let's say I book a 8:00 am flight but decide to try for a later one.  I'm assuming this will be done without an upcharge for the new flight.  But, when do you go online to check for availability?  12:01am the same day?  Or do you have to call?  Thanks!


----------



## aokeefe

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> Lots of medical pre board this morning. The first 8 to 9 rows  of the plane were taken up pre board. This was flying into MCO. We've never had that many flying into MCO.


Could it be a big snowbird population? Seems like the week after Thanksgiving is when a lot of people head south.


----------



## EACarlson

katallo said:


> I tried a search without luck.  Before I book a Wanna Getaway Plus seat I want to ask how this works.  Let's say I book a 8:00 am flight but decide to try for a later one.  I'm assuming this will be done without an upcharge for the new flight.  But, when do you go online to check for availability?  12:01am the same day?  Or do you have to call?  Thanks!


Yes, after midnight local time at point of departure you can attempt a same day change online. If there are available seats you would be confirmed at no additional charge. You would have to check in again and most probably have a low C boarding position.


----------



## dobball23

Due to the cost of my flights going down multiple times, I now have a bunch of $10-$50 credits for Southwest. I also have some vouchers that have multiple hundreds of dollars on them. Since you can only use 3 forms of payment for a flight, my best option to combine these credits would be to book a flight I don't intent to use and just cancel it, right? Are there any other more efficient ways to get my credits combined?


----------



## jcarwash

dobball23 said:


> Due to the cost of my flights going down multiple times, I now have a bunch of $10-$50 credits for Southwest. I also have some vouchers that have multiple hundreds of dollars on them. Since you can only use 3 forms of payment for a flight, my best option to combine these credits would be to book a flight I don't intent to use and just cancel it, right? Are there any other more efficient ways to get my credits combined?



In my recent experience, if your travel funds are from the same confirmation number, then you enter that single confirmation number as one form of payment, and it will use as many of the "individual" credits as possible. Much better than it used to be where each credit was treated as a single form of payment.


----------



## Lsdolphin

dobball23 said:


> Due to the cost of my flights going down multiple times, I now have a bunch of $10-$50 credits for Southwest. I also have some vouchers that have multiple hundreds of dollars on them. Since you can only use 3 forms of payment for a flight, my best option to combine these credits would be to book a flight I don't intent to use and just cancel it, right? Are there any other more efficient ways to get my credits combined?


I book my flights one way so I can use up to 3 travel funds on each flight.


----------



## Mrs.AMC

jcarwash said:


> In my recent experience, if your travel funds are from the same confirmation number, then you enter that single confirmation number as one form of payment, and it will use as many of the "individual" credits as possible. Much better than it used to be where each credit was treated as a single form of payment.


This. No longer is each credit treated separately. Each confirmation number now gets combined to be 1 credit.


----------



## Mrs.AMC

dobball23 said:


> Due to the cost of my flights going down multiple times, I now have a bunch of $10-$50 credits for Southwest. I also have some vouchers that have multiple hundreds of dollars on them. Since you can only use 3 forms of payment for a flight, my best option to combine these credits would be to book a flight I don't intent to use and just cancel it, right? Are there any other more efficient ways to get my credits combined?


If they have separate confirmation numbers, yes.


----------



## shu24

Henlady said:


> I was under the understanding that for family boarding, a child under 6 and o
> Two parents were allowed to board between A and B.    Last Sunday in MCO, there were multiple families  some with 5 or 6 members who boarded together. Several of the families had one possibly under 6 and 2-3 teenagers along with both parents boarding together   Has the policy changed?   There were over 40 people in family boarding


Southwest at MCO does this far too often.  Most of my trips from MCO back home I have experienced the same thing. It is crazy, when you figure that most flights out of Orlando stand a good chance of being full of families, they need to play by the rules they set so that it is fair to every passenger.  I think this 'I need to board early ' business is out of control.  On my flight last week a guy demanded early boarding due to a tree nut allergy, Since SW doesn't serve peanuts, I'm not sure how early boarding would be needed.  On my flight last week there were several teens and grandparents lined up along with the parents and under 6 yr olds as well as a guy with an enormous dog (and the dog was in bad need of a bath and the plane smelled like wet/dirty dog),  and the tree nut guy. It was insane. Unless you have A boarding, you are not getting a decent seat out of MCO.


----------



## ultimatefans

Mrs.AMC said:


> I've tried to search because I do feel like I've read this info here over the years but I couldn't find it so I'm asking again, and apologize for a repeat question in advance
> Regarding companion tickets, designated companions and changing said companions.
> I know they can be changed up to 3 times.
> The blurb mentions it can take 21 days to take affect.
> Is this actually been your experience, if you've gone through this process?
> I'm considering flights with a friend but DH and I have a trip planned exactly 1 month before. By the time I wait till that trip is over it will be cutting it very close if it's a full 21 days before I can add on the new companion. I'm thinking we'll be ok, but it's close


My experience is that the companion switch was effective immediately after I called.  I've switched a few times and never had an issue booking a new flight right away.  I think March of this year was the most recent time I did this - no issues.


----------



## Mrs.AMC

ultimatefans said:


> My experience is that the companion switch was effective immediately after I called.  I've switched a few times and never had an issue booking a new flight right away.  I think March of this year was the most recent time I did this - no issues.


Thank you!


----------



## teawar

shu24 said:


> Southwest at MCO does this far too often.  Most of my trips from MCO back home I have experienced the same thing. It is crazy, when you figure that most flights out of Orlando stand a good chance of being full of families, they need to play by the rules they set so that it is fair to every passenger.  I think this 'I need to board early ' business is out of control.  On my flight last week a guy demanded early boarding due to a tree nut allergy, Since SW doesn't serve peanuts, I'm not sure how early boarding would be needed.  On my flight last week there were several teens and grandparents lined up along with the parents and under 6 yr olds as well as a guy with an enormous dog (and the dog was in bad need of a bath and the plane smelled like wet/dirty dog),  and the tree nut guy. It was insane. Unless you have A boarding, you are not getting a decent seat out of MCO.


I agree that a lot of people tend to stretch the family boarding rule. On our flight out of MCO on the Saturday after thanksgiving, they made several announcements about the rule and remind people at the gate what they expectation was. It seemed like it was followed. I know it varies from situation to situation. Sometimes I’ve seen it abused, other times strictly followed. FWIW,  I’m a parent of a 10 year old, and we loved family boarding when she was younger. It took some stress off getting the A group/beginning of B.


----------



## catsinawindow

shu24 said:


> Southwest at MCO does this far too often.  Most of my trips from MCO back home I have experienced the same thing. It is crazy, when you figure that most flights out of Orlando stand a good chance of being full of families, they need to play by the rules they set so that it is fair to every passenger.  I think this 'I need to board early ' business is out of control.  On my flight last week a guy demanded early boarding due to a tree nut allergy, Since SW doesn't serve peanuts, I'm not sure how early boarding would be needed.  On my flight last week there were several teens and grandparents lined up along with the parents and under 6 yr olds as well as a guy with an enormous dog (and the dog was in bad need of a bath and the plane smelled like wet/dirty dog),  and the tree nut guy. It was insane. Unless you have A boarding, you are not getting a decent seat out of MCO.


When I was using the family boarding out of MCO, I noticed the same.  Trying to find the end of the family boarding line (with my two small children), I passed an older couple and a single man who both insisted they were waiting for family boarding.  No children ever joined them in line and they weren't stopped from boarding with the families.  There was still plenty of room once we got on, so it didn't bother me much, but I would have been ticked if I had problems sitting with my kids because of them.


----------



## MichelleRenee76

Is there a sticky somewhere to learn about all of this.  We just started our Southwest Journey and I want to maximize doing allll the things


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

MichelleRenee76 said:


> Is there a sticky somewhere to learn about all of this.  We just started our Southwest Journey and I want to maximize doing allll the things


Oh man, I'm sure there are blog posts out there, but I can't think of a sticky in here. Info is split between here and the credit card thread, too.

How large is your travel party? How many times do you expect to fly in the 2023-24? Are you willing to consider opening multiple credit cards to maximize rewards? 

You're jumping in at a good time if you want to play the credit card game to generate points or earn a companion pass (free flights for 2nd person)...


----------



## Erica Ladd

Can someone remind me of the best use strategy for my 2 LU V vouchers? If I use them to buy more expensive WGA Plus tickets can I then use the travel funds for anyone? And can I use them on lesser WGA fares? Thx!!


----------



## teawar

I believe LUV vouchers can be used for anyone, while flight credits are attached to an individual person. The WGA plus is transferrable, but I don’t know if flight credit from before the new magical transfer date will stick with the new reservation or old one…


----------



## FCDub

MichelleRenee76 said:


> Is there a sticky somewhere to learn about all of this.  We just started our Southwest Journey and I want to maximize doing allll the things



Agree with the other poster. Your best bet is to start asking questions here and people can point you in the right direction. Lots of variables.


----------



## Erica Ladd

teawar said:


> I believe LUV vouchers can be used for anyone, while flight credits are attached to an individual person. The WGA plus is transferrable, but I don’t know if flight credit from before the new magical transfer date will stick with the new reservation or old one…


I’m assuming it will turn into non expiring travel funds. But if I book WGA Plus fares for myself and then it changes to TF, will I be able to make the one time change and let someone else use the travel funds?


----------



## EACarlson

Erica Ladd said:


> I’m assuming it will turn into non expiring travel funds. But if I book WGA Plus fares for myself and then it changes to TF, will I be able to make the one time change and let someone else use the travel funds?


The answer should be yes, you used non-limited LUV vouchers to purchase WGA+, so it should be an unlocked TF.  I don't think there is a large enough data set to know for sure that is how it would work.  FlyerTalk might be a better place for that question.


----------



## Erica Ladd

EACarlson said:


> The answer should be yes, you used non-limited LUV vouchers to purchase WGA+, so it should be an unlocked TF.  I don't think there is a large enough data set to know for sure that is how it would work.  FlyerTalk might be a better place for that question.


Thanks! I’m not really familiar with FlyerTalk but I’m willing to try!!!


----------



## EACarlson

Erica Ladd said:


> Thanks! I’m not really familiar with FlyerTalk but I’m willing to try!!!


https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/sou...now-transfer-unused-travel-funds-via-wga.html

No one has come along and said it hasn't worked for them.


----------



## ultimatefans

Erica Ladd said:


> I’m assuming it will turn into non expiring travel funds. But if I book WGA Plus fares for myself and then it changes to TF, will I be able to make the one time change and let someone else use the travel funds?


Yes.  I used a LUV Voucher to purchase a WGA+ fare.  Our plans changed and I had to cancel and I was able to assign those funds to someone else and booked a WGA fare with it.


----------



## ultimatefans

Mrs.AMC said:


> This. No longer is each credit treated separately. Each confirmation number now gets combined to be 1 credit.


Unfortunately this was not my experience today.  I have 3 credits from the same confirmation number but since all 3 together aren't enough for the flight (only $1 short, ugh) it will only apply 2 of those credits since my credit card has to be used for the third method of payment.  I'm going to call to see if there's anything they can do.


----------



## dcassetta

Saw an article today that Southwest is piloting a new boarding program for families with children. Now instead of being seated after the A group they will be able to board the plane before the A group so that they can sit together. The qualifier is though they cannot sit in the first 15 rows of the plane. Our last few flights on Southwest had so many pre-borders, people who needed a wheelchair at the departing airport but didn’t need one of the arriving airport, it’ll be interesting to see how this affects boarding in the future on Southwest.


----------



## focusondisney

dcassetta said:


> Saw an article today that Southwest is piloting a new boarding program for families with children. Now instead of being seated after the A group they will be able to board the plane before the A group so that they can sit together. The qualifier is though they cannot sit in the first 15 rows of the plane. Our last few flights on Southwest had so many pre-borders, people who needed a wheelchair at the departing airport but didn’t need one of the arriving airport, it’ll be interesting to see how this affects boarding in the future on Southwest.



_If _they enforce the 15 row thing.  They don’t enforce who goes in there most of the time.  So that would be it for me.  We’ve been buying business select.  Not paying that fare to be after 15 preboards & 30 + family boardings.  Jetblue will get my business.  And we’ll cancel our SW credit cards.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

focusondisney said:


> They don’t enforce who goes in there most of the time.


This is the key, really. Enforcement is all over the place.

I'd like to see them implement a system where you actually have to have family boarding assigned on your ticket in order to use it. For each lap child or ticket with a DoB in the correct range, you get that person and 2 other tickets tagged family. If you try to scan during family without a tagged ticket, the system errors, same as if you try to jump into B with a C. You could do it yourself in the app when you check in, at the kiosk when you check bags, or with an agent, but the system would be enforcing DoBs and 2 adults, instead of the attendants.

Then, you won't see these huge clumps family boarding, or people playing the game with a kid who is too old but looks young enough.


----------



## LaynahD

FYI: They finally released those Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away+ fares for April for me if anyone is still looking and checking. (MCO-BDL) HUGE price differences from when I booked.


----------



## focusondisney

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> I'd like to see them implement a system where you actually have to have family boarding assigned on your ticket in order to use it




Me too!  And I wonder if they’re moving in that direction.  I noticed this on the SW website the other day:



I never noticed anything that broke down ages of children before.  Maybe it was there & I missed it, but I think it’s new.  It’s only on the website, the app just listed adults & lap children.  But I’m wondering if this is part of the plan to designate specific family boarding tickets.  And a way for SW to know exactly how many people to expect in family boarding, maybe so they’ll know how many rows are needed?   Interesting anyway.


----------



## jcarwash

focusondisney said:


> I never noticed anything that broke down ages of children before.  Maybe it was there & I missed it, but I think it’s new.  It’s only on the website, the app just listed adults & lap children.  But I’m wondering if this is part of the plan to designate specific family boarding tickets.  And a way for SW to know exactly how many people to expect in family boarding, maybe so they’ll know how many rows are needed?   Interesting anyway.



That's new. The Low Fare Calendar doesn't have it yet, still has the 1-8 passengers selections.


----------



## LadybugsMum

focusondisney said:


> Me too!  And I wonder if they’re moving in that direction.  I noticed this on the SW website the other day:
> 
> View attachment 723546
> 
> I never noticed anything that broke down ages of children before.  Maybe it was there & I missed it, but I think it’s new.  It’s only on the website, the app just listed adults & lap children.  But I’m wondering if this is part of the plan to designate specific family boarding tickets.  And a way for SW to know exactly how many people to expect in family boarding, maybe so they’ll know how many rows are needed?   Interesting anyway.


I noticed that when I bought my tickets for May. It doesn't help me but hopefully it will help the gate agents with notations on the boarding pass. Since birthdates need to be entered, the tickets can be matched with the right age group.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

focusondisney said:


> Me too!  And I wonder if they’re moving in that direction.  I noticed this on the SW website the other day:
> 
> View attachment 723546
> 
> I never noticed anything that broke down ages of children before.  Maybe it was there & I missed it, but I think it’s new.  It’s only on the website, the app just listed adults & lap children.  But I’m wondering if this is part of the plan to designate specific family boarding tickets.  And a way for SW to know exactly how many people to expect in family boarding, maybe so they’ll know how many rows are needed?   Interesting anyway.





LadybugsMum said:


> I noticed that when I bought my tickets for May. It doesn't help me but hopefully it will help the gate agents with notations on the boarding pass. Since birthdates need to be entered, the tickets can be matched with the right age group.



It's certainly interesting, although those age ranges don't correspond with the family boarding age ranges. Plus, since they capture DoB on each ticket, they don't need to ask during the quoting process, really. I think a change at point of searching for pricing would be more likely related to possible sales that are age based going forward.


----------



## Mrs.AMC

ultimatefans said:


> Unfortunately this was not my experience today.  I have 3 credits from the same confirmation number but since all 3 together aren't enough for the flight (only $1 short, ugh) it will only apply 2 of those credits since my credit card has to be used for the third method of payment.  I'm going to call to see if there's anything they can do.


Strange. Haven’t had that happen in a  couple of years. Wondered what was different about yours?


----------



## kristenrice

dcassetta said:


> Saw an article today that Southwest is piloting a new boarding program for families with children. Now instead of being seated after the A group they will be able to board the plane before the A group so that they can sit together. The qualifier is though they cannot sit in the first 15 rows of the plane. Our last few flights on Southwest had so many pre-borders, people who needed a wheelchair at the departing airport but didn’t need one of the arriving airport, it’ll be interesting to see how this affects boarding in the future on Southwest.


I saw this too…it really confuses me because I have such flight anxiety and it helps me a lot to sit in an aisle seat near the front of the plane.  As long as I am ahead of the exit rows, I’m ok, but that’s right around the limit that they are talking about.  So does this mean that it will be pre-boarders (taking the front few rows), then families (taking rows 16 and back) and then A1-60? So my best hope is to get in the A group or there will be NO hope anymore to get in front of the exit row?


----------



## Erica Ladd

Question, as I am about to board! I have fa premier and a priority card… Which is the best one to use for in-flight purchases? I don’t have any drink coupons…Boo!!!


----------



## nekonekoneko

kristenrice said:


> I saw this too…it really confuses me because I have such flight anxiety and it helps me a lot to sit in an aisle seat near the front of the plane.  As long as I am ahead of the exit rows, I’m ok, but that’s right around the limit that they are talking about.  So does this mean that it will be pre-boarders (taking the front few rows), then families (taking rows 16 and back) and then A1-60? So my best hope is to get in the A group or there will be NO hope anymore to get in front of the exit row?



Honestly, this might be a reason to request pre-boarding yourself.

The very first sentence on SW's website about pre-boarding says:



> Preboarding is available for Customers who have a specific seating need to accommodate their disability



And not all disabilities are physical.


----------



## DisneyRunner2009

I saw the family boarding is being tested in ATL. The whole SW boarding process gives me anxiety. Between the preboard, now families what's the point of A1 to 15 or EBCI? You never know someone's need, but there were enough preboards that took up about the first nine rows of the plane down to MCO. This was on a November 29 flight.


----------



## PCFriar80

DisneyRunner2009 said:


> I saw the family boarding is being tested in ATL. The whole SW boarding process gives me anxiety. Between the preboard, now families what's the point of A1 to 15 or EBCI? You never know someone's need, but there were enough preboards that took up about the first nine rows of the plane down to MCO. This was on a November 29 flight.


I agree with you and had similar experiences on our 12/1 and 12/8 flights between BDL/MCO.  I'll wait to see how this plays out and give SW the chance to at least go through the "testing" process.  I'm sure they're already getting unsolicited feedback.  The good news for me is that I have other options for airlines from BDL and as a backup PVD is only an extra 15 minutes away.


----------



## disneylover81

I’m purchasing SWA tickets to MCO for our July trip on Thursday’s release date. I’m working on earning my CP after the first of the year, but I will have to buy our 2 tickets with cash (not enough RR points right now). I plan to buy Business Select tickets so when I do earn my CP, I can switch DH’s to my CP and get the refund for his. Being new to all the ins and outs of the CP, if I have a Business Select ticket, when DH is my companion, will he also get A1-A15 or how will he be positioned for boarding? Will I need to purchase EBCI for him or try and wait and just upgrade his ticket at check-in if I can? I have the SWA Performance Biz card, where I can get reimbursed for upgrades also. Should I buy our 2 tickets separately with different confirmation numbers or does it matter? I would buy anytime tickets, but I’m worried with all the talk I see about tons of people pre-boarding and letting families board even sooner than they do now, it doesn’t seem to be worth it not to have a guaranteed A1-A15 position. So EBCI, doesn’t hardly seem a good value anymore. I’ve always purchased it and luckily have never even been in the B group before, but now my faith in that is wavering. I like to sit up as close to the front of the plane as I can. 

Also, on another topic, we will need to travel from MCO to Port Canaveral to catch a Carnival cruise. Does anyone know the best way to get there and back to MCO after?


----------



## dez1978

My son broke his leg yesterday. We are attempting to figure out a way to keep some holiday plans if we can and he’s up to it. He’s in a full leg cast so pretty sure I either need to get the 1st row seating so he has the extra space to stretch his leg out. Or I need to buy an extra seat so he can sit sideways. What is the best way to approach this?


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

disneylover81 said:


> I’m working on earning my CP after the first of the year


Just to make sure you understand Companion and A-list are done via calendar year meaning Jan-Dec so when January 1st hits everything goes back to 0 in terms of earning towards these two things.


----------



## FCDub

dez1978 said:


> My son broke his leg yesterday. We are attempting to figure out a way to keep some holiday plans if we can and he’s up to it. He’s in a full leg cast so pretty sure I either need to get the 1st row seating so he has the extra space to stretch his leg out. Or I need to buy an extra seat so he can sit sideways. What is the best way to approach this?



You will medical pre-board with him. Keep in mind there might be through passengers who’ve moved up to sit in the first few rows. Sometimes FAs are proactive in holding those for preboards though.


----------



## dez1978

FCDub said:


> You will medical pre-board with him. Keep in mind there might be through passengers who’ve moved up to sit in the first few rows. Sometimes FAs are proactive in holding those for preboards


I wonder if they would allow us one of those inflatable things to rest it on up there. He can’t bend it at all


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

dez1978 said:


> I wonder if they would allow us one of those inflatable things to rest it on up there. He can’t bend it at all


 There's just no way to guarantee he would get the front row. My main concern would be what happens if there's a full flight or other passengers that also need that front row. 

SWA technically has purchasing of two seats for customer of size but makes no mention to other types of need with respects to proactively purchasing 2 seats (and I'm not sure if you'd get a refund on that one like you can with customer of size). 

You may want to contact SWA regarding your specific needs to see if you could still purchase 2 seats for him and if it follows the same procedure as customer of size as well as what to inform the gate agents about.


----------



## dez1978

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> There's just no way to guarantee he would get the front row. My main concern would be what happens if there's a full flight or other passengers that also need that front row.
> 
> SWA technically has purchasing of two seats for customer of size but makes no mention to other types of need with respects to proactively purchasing 2 seats (and I'm not sure if you'd get a refund on that one like you can with customer of size).
> 
> You may want to contact SWA regarding your specific needs to see if you could still purchase 2 seats for him and if it follows the same procedure as customer of size as well as what to inform the gate agents about.


I’m going to call them tomorrow morning. As of right now the flights not full as they have seats available at all 4 prices. It’s this coming weekend so I’m hopeful it will stay that way. This whole thing is a messI’m trying to salvage the trip bc he still wants to go if it’s possible. I just don’t know of it is


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

dez1978 said:


> I’m going to call them tomorrow morning. As of right now the flights not full as they have seats available at all 4 prices. It’s this coming weekend so I’m hopeful it will stay that way. This whole thing is a messI’m trying to salvage the trip bc he still wants to go if it’s possible. I just don’t know of it is


I feel ya  and that's gotta be really hard trying to figure out what you can do while on the trip much less getting on the plane!

The reason I mentioned flight full is because you can't rely on online booking for knowing this. Last month my husband was coming back from Long Beach, the flight before that that was also supposed to go to KC got cancelled that day and they merged that flight into my husband's flight (which was several hours later) which turned his original flight from not full to more than full.


----------



## puppytrainer

nlenguyen said:


> Just an update on this. I purchased the points but now Chase is saying that they did not qualify for the offer. I have been messaging them but do not think they will budge. I thought I did my research but apparently rapid reward points are not Southwest. If I would have bought a giftcard I wonder if that would have worked. All well. Learned my lesson


Well that's a bummer. I suppose you didn't get 2x points on the purchase either if it wasn't considered a Southwest purchase?


----------



## Mrs.AMC

dez1978 said:


> My son broke his leg yesterday. We are attempting to figure out a way to keep some holiday plans if we can and he’s up to it. He’s in a full leg cast so pretty sure I either need to get the 1st row seating so he has the extra space to stretch his leg out. Or I need to buy an extra seat so he can sit sideways. What is the best way to approach this?


Have you confirmed with his doctor he can fly? make sure to check if you haven’t.  They can get funny about blood clots and the pressurized planes


----------



## disneylover81

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> Just to make sure you understand Companion and A-list are done via calendar year meaning Jan-Dec so when January 1st hits everything goes back to 0 in terms of earning towards these two things.


Yes! I just got the SWA Biz card in November and I’m not going to meet my MSR until after January 1st for the sign up bonus. Then I’m going to apply for the personal SWA card to earn the rest of my RR points with that sign up bonus.


----------



## dcassetta

disneylover81 said:


> Also, on another topic, we will need to travel from MCO to Port Canaveral to catch a Carnival cruise. Does anyone know the best way to get there and back to MCO after?


I believe that Carnival offers transfers from the Orlando airport, you might check with their website and see. You can also book private transfers through a number of companies in the Orlando area, use a shared shuttle through go port Orlando, or one-way rental cars.


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## nlenguyen

puppytrainer said:


> Well that's a bummer. I suppose you didn't get 2x points on the purchase either if it wasn't considered a Southwest purchase?


Another update came in a couple days ago. After that instance, I messaged them again with a picture of my rewards page and it said that I was getting 3% points on it. They said that they would grant it to me. Just received the bonus in my account a day ago. I guess a little insistent was good in this case.


----------



## disneylover81

Just curious and I can’t seem to find an answer .. when purchasing Business Select tickets paying cash... if the price drops, are you refunded the difference back to your credit card or do they give you flight credits like with WGA fare price drops? Would you just click on change flight and do it the same way as always?


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

disneylover81 said:


> I’m purchasing SWA tickets to MCO for our July trip on Thursday’s release date. I’m working on earning my CP after the first of the year, but I will have to buy our 2 tickets with cash (not enough RR points right now). I plan to buy Business Select tickets so when I do earn my CP, I can switch DH’s to my CP and get the refund for his. Being new to all the ins and outs of the CP, if I have a Business Select ticket, when DH is my companion, will he also get A1-A15 or how will he be positioned for boarding? Will I need to purchase EBCI for him or try and wait and just upgrade his ticket at check-in if I can? I have the SWA Performance Biz card, where I can get reimbursed for upgrades also. Should I buy our 2 tickets separately with different confirmation numbers or does it matter? I would buy anytime tickets, but I’m worried with all the talk I see about tons of people pre-boarding and letting families board even sooner than they do now, it doesn’t seem to be worth it not to have a guaranteed A1-A15 position. So EBCI, doesn’t hardly seem a good value anymore. I’ve always purchased it and luckily have never even been in the B group before, but now my faith in that is wavering. I like to sit up as close to the front of the plane as I can.
> 
> Also, on another topic, we will need to travel from MCO to Port Canaveral to catch a Carnival cruise. Does anyone know the best way to get there and back to MCO after?



There's no need to buy the ticket for your husband. Once you qualify for CP, you can add him on.

I have 2 CPs in our family this year and we never add them right away because then, if prices/points go down, we have to call to change instead of doing it ourselves online. I usually add them once I see WGA is sold out for the flight we are taking, although I know other people push it much closer.


----------



## ultimatefans

disneylover81 said:


> Just curious and I can’t seem to find an answer .. when purchasing Business Select tickets paying cash... if the price drops, are you refunded the difference back to your credit card or do they give you flight credits like with WGA fare price drops? Would you just click on change flight and do it the same way as always?


You can be refunded the difference to your credit card but be sure to select that when you're making the flight change.  When I did this the default was for a flight credit, I had to choose the radio button to get a refund for the difference.


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## Wendysofftoneverland

Not sure if I should put this in transportation or families category, but does Southwest have an age limit for the stroller not counting as a carry on? And can we check a single Bob stroller at the gate or does it have to be done at the ticket counter? Kids are age 4 and 6. So if 4 of us are traveling can we bring the following items to the gate: 4 carryons, 3 personal items, an umbrella stroller, a single Bob jogging stroller, and 2 FAA approved car seats for the kids to use on board?


----------



## Betty Rohrer

Wendysofftoneverland said:


> Not sure if I should put this in transportation or families category, but does Southwest have an age limit for the stroller not counting as a carry on? And can we check a single Bob stroller at the gate or does it have to be done at the ticket counter? Kids are age 4 and 6. So if 4 of us are traveling can we bring the following items to the gate: 4 carryons, 3 personal items, an umbrella stroller, a single Bob jogging stroller, and 2 FAA approved car seats for the kids to use on board?


just make sure the 6year old has a carseat with belts not a booster seat as boosters can not be used on a plane. plus remember all items must go thru the xray machine allow extra time that point


----------



## Betty Rohrer

Betty Rohrer said:


> just make sure the 6year old has a carseat with belts not a booster seat as boosters can not be used on a plane. plus remember all items must go thru the xray machine allow extra time that point


years ago you could not use tray table with a carseat as it would be flat. not sure what you plan on kids doing during flight. and you most likely not be able to have kids is same row and carseats will have to be in window seats.


----------



## AuroraluvsPhillip

dez1978 said:


> My son broke his leg yesterday. We are attempting to figure out a way to keep some holiday plans if we can and he’s up to it. He’s in a full leg cast so pretty sure I either need to get the 1st row seating so he has the extra space to stretch his leg out. Or I need to buy an extra seat so he can sit sideways. What is the best way to approach this?


Please make sure his orthopedic doctor is ok with him flying. Blood clots can happen, especially with lower extremity injuries. I had a healthy young fellow RN fly from Boston to NC, and ended up in the hospital with pulmonary emboli and put on Coumadin for 6 months.


----------



## dez1978

Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said:


> I feel ya  and that's gotta be really hard trying to figure out what you can do while on the trip much less getting on the plane!
> 
> The reason I mentioned flight full is because you can't rely on online booking for knowing this. Last month my husband was coming back from Long Beach, the flight before that that was also supposed to go to KC got cancelled that day and they merged that flight into my husband's flight (which was several hours later) which turned his original flight from not full to more than full.


So I called. Flights out are good. Flights back are a problem. There are 2 seats left. I need to see if they’ll let him sit sideways if he needs to in an empty seat


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## disneylover81

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> There's no need to buy the ticket for your husband. Once you qualify for CP, you can add him on.
> 
> I have 2 CPs in our family this year and we never add them right away because then, if prices/points go down, we have to call to change instead of doing it ourselves online. I usually add them once I see WGA is sold out for the flight we are taking, although I know other people push it much closer.


This makes sense, thanks. Just curious, why wait for WGA to be sold out? Does that give the companion a better boarding position when all that's left is the higher priced tickets?


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## TheOneWithTheTriplets

disneylover81 said:


> This makes sense, thanks. Just curious, why wait for WGA to be sold out? Does that give the companion a better boarding position when all that's left is the higher priced tickets?


If you wait until the whole flight is sold out, you can't add the companion. But, as soon as you add the companion, all changes have to be made on the phone instead of online. 

So, for me, I'm comfortable leaving the companion off for a while to potentially recapture points if price goes down. But, once WGA sells out 1) I worry about the whole flight selling out and 2) it's extraordinarily unlikely I'm going to see a points drop. That's when I add the companions.

There's no benefit difference in which seat a companion is assigned based on when they are added to the reservation. If you book WGA, WGA+, Anytime, add EBCI, or are A list as the primary ticket holder, your companion will be checked in sequentially with you.

If you book Business Select, your boarding position does *not* carry over to your companion, who will get whatever the next position is at their 24 hour check in. You can either 1) hope that there's still A 1-15 available to purchase once he's checked in or 2) book yourself one of the lower ticket levels such that you know you'll both board sequentially, even if it's later in the boarding order.


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## disneylover81

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> If you wait until the whole flight is sold out, you can't add the companion. But, as soon as you add the companion, all changes have to be made on the phone instead of online.
> 
> So, for me, I'm comfortable leaving the companion off for a while to potentially recapture points if price goes down. But, once WGA sells out 1) I worry about the whole flight selling out and 2) it's extraordinarily unlikely I'm going to see a points drop. That's when I add the companions.
> 
> There's no benefit difference in which seat a companion is assigned based on when they are added to the reservation. If you book WGA, WGA+, Anytime, add EBCI, or are A list as the primary ticket holder, your companion will be checked in sequentially with you.
> 
> If you book Business Select, your boarding position does *not* carry over to your companion, who will get whatever the next position is at their 24 hour check in. You can either 1) hope that there's still A 1-15 available to purchase once he's checked in or 2) book yourself one of the lower ticket levels such that you know you'll both board sequentially, even if it's later in the boarding order.


Gotcha! Thanks for clarifying all of that for me. I guess I better figure out for sure which ticket I’m going to get Thursday. I just don’t want to get stuck way back far into boarding so that’s why I was thinking Business Select, as we like to sit up close to the front. I’m afraid to let us not board at least somewhat close together and then not get to sit together if someone takes an empty seat by me. I know most people ask if someone is sitting beside you, but I’m sure there are some that wouldn’t ask and just take the empty seat. 

I think I recall reading somewhere that Anytime with EBCI tickets would get a better boarding position than someone that purchased WGA tickets with EBCI, even if they purchased their tickets at the exact same time? Is that correct or do you know?


----------



## dez1978

AuroraluvsPhillip said:


> Please make sure his orthopedic doctor is ok with him flying. Blood clots can happen, especially with lower extremity injuries. I had a healthy young fellow RN fly from Boston to NC, and ended up in the hospital with pulmonary emboli and put on Coumadin for 6 months.


We had his follow up this morning and I asked if it was ok for him to fly and he said it should be no problem. 

So after talking to my husband I called SW back and the lady I spoke to said bc it was a disability (even a temporary one) I could buy an extra seat for him and after the flights call and I’d be reimbursed for the extra seat. So we did that. Since he’ll be in a wheelchair we should also get pre boarding. It may not be a trip like we are used to, but he’s already lost enough over this injury so I don’t want him to lose this trip too. It’s to Denver for a football game, a yearly tradition.


----------



## focusondisney

disneylover81 said:


> I’m purchasing SWA tickets to MCO for our July trip on Thursday’s release date. I’m working on earning my CP after the first of the year, but I will have to buy our 2 tickets with cash (not enough RR points right now). I plan to buy Business Select tickets so when I do earn my CP, I can switch DH’s to my CP and get the refund for his. Being new to all the ins and outs of the CP, if I have a Business Select ticket, when DH is my companion, will he also get A1-A15 or how will he be positioned for boarding? Will I need to purchase EBCI for him or try and wait and just upgrade his ticket at check-in if I can? I have the SWA Performance Biz card, where I can get reimbursed for upgrades also. Should I buy our 2 tickets separately with different confirmation numbers or does it matter? I would buy anytime tickets, but I’m worried with all the talk I see about tons of people pre-boarding and letting families board even sooner than they do now, it doesn’t seem to be worth it not to have a guaranteed A1-A15 position. So EBCI, doesn’t hardly seem a good value anymore. I’ve always purchased it and luckily have never even been in the B group before, but now my faith in that is wavering. I like to sit up as close to the front of the plane as I can.
> 
> Also, on another topic, we will need to travel from MCO to Port Canaveral to catch a Carnival cruise. Does anyone know the best way to get there and back to MCO after?



I would buy your tickets separately now, so cancelling his will be easier later.  And when you buy Business Select, your companion will not get a 1-15 spot.  You can do which ever you prefer, EBCI or upgrade later.  Upgrading later is a gamble of course.  But you can upgrade right at check in now, so might be easier to get.


----------



## focusondisney

Wendysofftoneverland said:


> Not sure if I should put this in transportation or families category, but does Southwest have an age limit for the stroller not counting as a carry on? And can we check a single Bob stroller at the gate or does it have to be done at the ticket counter? Kids are age 4 and 6. So if 4 of us are traveling can we bring the following items to the gate: 4 carryons, 3 personal items, an umbrella stroller, a single Bob jogging stroller, and 2 FAA approved car seats for the kids to use on board?



As a PP said, the car seat has to be against the window & you can only have 1 car seat per row.  So if they’re in car seats, the kids won’t be able to sit with each other.  

Do you need the 6 YO’s car seat in Orlando? Coz truthfully, I never see car seats being taken on flights for kids that big, usually only toddlers or infants.  It’s not like a car, where you’re protecting them from collisions & sudden stops.   Sorry, not meaning to tell you what to do for your kids, but you might consider checking the car seats & letting the kids just sit in the seats.   Less to drag to the gate & deal with when boarding.


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## TheOneWithTheTriplets

disneylover81 said:


> I think I recall reading somewhere that Anytime with EBCI tickets would get a better boarding position than someone that purchased WGA tickets with EBCI, even if they purchased their tickets at the exact same time? Is that correct or do you know?



That much I don't know. 

I think, in general, if you're flying SW, you have to be willing to be more flexible about seating arrangements. Clearly, you're planning significant SW travel if you're doing two CCs to get the companion pass for 2023-24. If you get EBCI for yourself, you'll board sequentially with your husband and you're going to end up with two seats together, even if they're further back on the plane. 

Getting the front with SW is a real toss up depending on preboards, family boards, etc, especially considering that you can't guarantee A1-15 for your companion unless you earn A list. I would try to move towards a "hope for the best but be OK with less" attitude towards location on the plane and just add EBCI to your ticket.


----------



## dez1978

focusondisney said:


> As a PP said, the car seat has to be against the window & you can only have 1 car seat per row.  So if they’re in car seats, the kids won’t be able to sit with each other.
> 
> Do you need the 6 YO’s car seat in Orlando? Coz truthfully, I never see car seats being taken on flights for kids that big, usually only toddlers or infants.  It’s not like a car, where you’re protecting them from collisions & sudden stops.   Sorry, not meaning to tell you what to do for your kids, but you might consider checking the car seats & letting the kids just sit in the seats.   Less to drag to the gate & deal with when boarding.


Depends on what transportation they are using in Orlando. If renting a car they def need the car seats. If not then I’d agree, leave the seats.  It’s more hassle than it’s worth.


----------



## dez1978

Wendysofftoneverland said:


> Not sure if I should put this in transportation or families category, but does Southwest have an age limit for the stroller not counting as a carry on? And can we check a single Bob stroller at the gate or does it have to be done at the ticket counter? Kids are age 4 and 6. So if 4 of us are traveling can we bring the following items to the gate: 4 carryons, 3 personal items, an umbrella stroller, a single Bob jogging stroller, and 2 FAA approved car seats for the kids to use on board?


If you plan to rent a car and need the car seats then yes do it that way. If you are using shuttles and Disney transportation, leave the car seats behind. If you’re only bringing them for the plane and are worried about them on the plane I’d look at the CARES harness for them. Easier to carry. That’s a lot to lug around if you don’t have to have them. I’m a stickler for car seats but that’s too much work. How will you get all that through the airport?


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## ultimatefans

disneylover81 said:


> I think I recall reading somewhere that Anytime with EBCI tickets would get a better boarding position than someone that purchased WGA tickets with EBCI, even if they purchased their tickets at the exact same time? Is that correct or do you know?


That is correct.  Even Anytime Tickets purchased after someone purchased WGA with EBCI will get a better boarding position.  From Southwest's FAQ: https://www.southwest.com/help/booking/earlybird-checkin

Is there an order in which EarlyBird Check-In boarding positions are reserved?
Yes. Customers who have purchased Anytime fares receive priority over Customers who purchase EarlyBird Check-In with Wanna Get Away Plus and Wanna Get Away fares. Customers who purchase EarlyBird Check-In with Wanna Get Away Plus receive priority over Customers who purchase EarlyBird Check-In with Wanna Get Away fares. Boarding positions are assigned based on the time stamp of the EarlyBird Check-In purchase relative to Passengers within the same fare product.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Just remember Anytime Fares now come with EBCI included as part of the fares; it is no longer purchased separately for Anytime Fares.


----------



## EACarlson

disneylover81 said:


> Gotcha! Thanks for clarifying all of that for me. I guess I better figure out for sure which ticket I’m going to get Thursday. I just don’t want to get stuck way back far into boarding so that’s why I was thinking Business Select, as we like to sit up close to the front. I’m afraid to let us not board at least somewhat close together and then not get to sit together if someone takes an empty seat by me. I know most people ask if someone is sitting beside you, but I’m sure there are some that wouldn’t ask and just take the empty seat.
> 
> I think I recall reading somewhere that Anytime with EBCI tickets would get a better boarding position than someone that purchased WGA tickets with EBCI, even if they purchased their tickets at the exact same time? Is that correct or do you know?


BS tickets are not what you want.  Anytime with EBCI purchased on release is going to give you the best boarding position without status.


dez1978 said:


> Depends on what transportation they are using in Orlando. If renting a car they def need the car seats. If not then I’d agree, leave the seats.  It’s more hassle than it’s worth.


If they are renting a car they may need the car seats.  Not definitely.  FL law does not require car seats for those 4 and above.  They could use boosters like a BubbleBum and it would meet the legal requirements.  In 2019 I took my then 4 and 7 year olds and we put the 4 year old in a BubbleBum and let the 7 year old ride in the backseat of a Lyft for a trip from POP to Poly.


----------



## dez1978

EACarlson said:


> BS tickets are not what you want.  Anytime with EBCI purchased on release is going to give you the best boarding position without status.
> 
> If they are renting a car they may need the car seats.  Not definitely.  FL law does not require car seats for those 4 and above.  They could use boosters like a BubbleBum and it would meet the legal requirements.  In 2019 I took my then 4 and 7 year olds and we put the 4 year old in a BubbleBum and let the 7 year old ride in the backseat of a Lyft for a trip from POP to Poly.


The laws of physics still apply on vacation. Regardless of Floridas ridiculously low ages for car seats. If your child sits in a particular seat normally why do people somehow think the same safety rules don’t apply in Florida? The minimum requirement by law is not safe for most children. So sure, maybe a 6 or 7 year old could do with a booster/bubble bum. But ideally no child under 5 should be in a booster of any kind, much less a backless one, even if it is legal. So in my opinion a 4 yr old absolutely requires a car seat as it’s recommended that kids remain in a harnessed seat until the max out the weight or height of the seats which is usually 65 lb.


----------



## focusondisney

Regardless of if they’re needing the car seats while in Florida, my point was they don’t need to be in them on the plane.  In all my flights I have never seen a 6 year old in a car seat on the plane.  They could check the car seats & have them for their trip without the hassle of taking 2 car seats, 2 strollers & 4 carryon bags to the gate.


----------



## disneylover81

ultimatefans said:


> That is correct.  Even Anytime Tickets purchased after someone purchased WGA with EBCI will get a better boarding position.  From Southwest's FAQ: https://www.southwest.com/help/booking/earlybird-checkin
> 
> Is there an order in which EarlyBird Check-In boarding positions are reserved?
> Yes. Customers who have purchased Anytime fares receive priority over Customers who purchase EarlyBird Check-In with Wanna Get Away Plus and Wanna Get Away fares. Customers who purchase EarlyBird Check-In with Wanna Get Away Plus receive priority over Customers who purchase EarlyBird Check-In with Wanna Get Away fares. Boarding positions are assigned based on the time stamp of the EarlyBird Check-In purchase relative to Passengers within the same fare product.


Thank you! I thought I remembered seeing that somewhere before.


----------



## disneylover81

EACarlson said:


> BS tickets are not what you want.  Anytime with EBCI purchased on release is going to give you the best boarding position without status.


I think you are exactly right and that’s what I’m going to purchase Thursday. I appreciate everyone’s advice and clarification on all of this. Even though I’ve been a long time SW flyer, there is still so much that I obviously don’t know  Now trying to earn CP is a whole other learning process for me.


----------



## Wendysofftoneverland

focusondisney said:


> As a PP said, the car seat has to be against the window & you can only have 1 car seat per row.  So if they’re in car seats, the kids won’t be able to sit with each other.
> 
> Do you need the 6 YO’s car seat in Orlando? Coz truthfully, I never see car seats being taken on flights for kids that big, usually only toddlers or infants.  It’s not like a car, where you’re protecting them from collisions & sudden stops.   Sorry, not meaning to tell you what to do for your kids, but you might consider checking the car seats & letting the kids just sit in the seats.   Less to drag to the gate & deal with when boarding.


Thinking of renting a car. Less hassle than trying to take public bus (planning on doing Disney and Seaworld). I thought about just getting a backless booster for the oldest to use in FL, but both kids use harness car seats at home. Thought the seats might have less chance of damage if I pile them on the jogging stroller for trip thru airport, use seats on the plane, and gate check stroller. Now if the jogging stroller is too big and has to be counter checked, that completely changes things.

Good to know about 1 car seat per row. I didn't realize that.


----------



## mrsdoubie

Wendysofftoneverland said:


> Thinking of renting a car. Less hassle than trying to take public bus (planning on doing Disney and Seaworld). I thought about just getting a backless booster for the oldest to use in FL, but both kids use harness car seats at home. Thought the seats might have less chance of damage if I pile them on the jogging stroller for trip thru airport, use seats on the plane, and gate check stroller. Now if the jogging stroller is too big and has to be counter checked, that completely changes things.
> 
> Good to know about 1 car seat per row. I didn't realize that.


I’d check into a wizrider. They are a harness type device and are legal car seats for kids that age. They’re also very small and portable. We bought one for my 5 year old last year when we went to Disney just in case we used Uber. It worked out great. You can sometimes find them used on eBay or Mercari because brand new they may be a little pricey.


----------



## Cruzin’Sisters

Next "block" of fares were released at 7:15.  They only go up until Aug 14.  I needed the 18th.  Next release Feb 9th, 2023.  Oh well, back to bed...


----------



## LadybugsMum

I didn't realize that today was a drop day. Hopefully there are some good fares out there for y'all


----------



## hsmamato2

Wendysofftoneverland said:


> Not sure if I should put this in transportation or families category, but does Southwest have an age limit for the stroller not counting as a carry on? And can we check a single Bob stroller at the gate or does it have to be done at the ticket counter? Kids are age 4 and 6. So if 4 of us are traveling can we bring the following items to the gate: 4 carryons, 3 personal items, an umbrella stroller, a single Bob jogging stroller, and 2 FAA approved car seats for the kids to use on board?


I'm going to be honest here as a longtime  traveler with kids, I've never seen a logical way for kids that age sit in a carseat on the airplane- it's a lapbelt only for air travel, different from the car. I can't think of a way that you can buckle them into seats that large,with kids that size and still have them fit their legs in the seat space. IMHO you could check the 2 seats as luggage (in a large bag each) and save yourself a LOT of hassle in the airport,since it sounds like you've already got a lot to pack thru,plus the kids themselves. 
    In fact, when we last traveled with a 2 year old, it was *tight* with him in the regular toddler carseat,and there was nowhere for his feet and legs to go except into the seat right in front of him (no yelling, we had Dad sit in that seat and take it)
     Then you can ask for a gatecheck tag for each stroller at the gate, and you basically fold it before boarding and they take it for you. 
       But, be aware this means you then have to carry ALL of those bags onto the plane...and plane aisles are narrow,seats are fairly snug.  I'm thinking travel logistics here with kids, not even tackling the need for seats wherever you'll be afterward.


----------



## TheOneWithTheTriplets

Wow, I guess there aren't a ton of summer travelers on this thread. It's usually busy as all get out from 6am EST until fares drop. Everyone too busy freaking out about Christmas shopping? (Or are we back to missing posts?)

Our next flights to book are 8/17, so I've got the February 9th on my calendar.


----------



## Avery&Todd

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Wow, I guess there aren't a ton of summer travelers on this thread. It's usually busy as all get out from 6am EST until fares drop. Everyone too busy freaking out about Christmas shopping? (Or are we back to missing posts?)
> 
> Our next flights to book are 8/17, so I've got the February 9th on my calendar.


I sadly don't have any summer plans with SW planned!! 

We're going to Wisc in July and will be using either Delta or AA but after that trip - my vacation schedule is NONEXISTENT!! 

which I'm totally bummed about....

DH and I are celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary next October and will be going somewhere but that hasn't been decided yet...


----------



## katallo

Prices were HIGH at opening!


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

TheOneWithTheTriplets said:


> Wow, I guess there aren't a ton of summer travelers on this thread. It's usually busy as all get out from 6am EST until fares drop. Everyone too busy freaking out about Christmas shopping? (Or are we back to missing posts?)
> 
> Our next flights to book are 8/17, so I've got the February 9th on my calendar.


Our summer plans are Europe and SWA doesn't fly there  those have long been booked with Air France and British Airways. 

We did just make a late January trip just planned to Puerto Rico to use the Companion Pass but fares were already out with that time period a while back. 

(Missing posts issue should be fixed though!)


----------



## LadybugsMum

I have kids in year round school and because of the track they are on, are in school all summer (mean mom planned that  ). It means we can travel at less busy times.


----------



## jkelly86

For the next release:
On February 09, 2023, our schedule will open for sale through October 04, 2023. (Date is subject to change).


----------



## LadybugsMum

Updated release times:

Release Date | Time (eastern)
12/15/22 | 7:15am
10/27/22 | 7:25am
09/08/22 | 7:25am
07/21/22 | 7:20am
06/16/22 | 7:30am
03/30/22 | 7:30am
12/16/21 | 7:50am
12/08/21 | 6:45am
06/10/21 | 7:15am
04/01/21 | 9:10am
12/10/20 | 7:15am
08/13/20 | 9:15am


----------



## val1234

katallo said:


> Prices were HIGH at opening!


I would normally be one of the ones stalking fares at opening for the summer on SW but this time around I snagged great non stop flights for august on Jet Blue on their Black Friday sale. I paid $78 each way from JFK! Excited about this. Seems like I came out way ahead even paying for bags by the look of these SW prices today smh.


----------



## jimandami

katallo said:


> Prices were HIGH at opening!


Mine weren't too bad when I checked around 9:00 AM.  18,000ish points RT for non-stop from CVG.  Much to my surprise our departing flight has already gone down over 2,000 points so I got a nice little refund.


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## LoveDaisy

I am boarding on a SW flight at Orlando now. They are enforcing 2 adults only with kids in the family boarding, on our flight  The flight next to us they announced due to the number of families there would be no family boarding and to use your boarding group/number. 

Just mentioning it so people can plan.


----------



## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

LoveDaisy said:


> I am boarding on a SW flight at Orlando now. They are enforcing 2 adults only with kids in the family boarding, on our flight  The flight next to us they announced due to the number of families there would be no family boarding and to use your boarding group/number.
> 
> Just mentioning it so people can plan.


Yeah Orlando is one of the main destinations where you'll see family boarding revoked or following the policy to a T. 

When you look at it it makes sense because it means most of the plane will have boarded with that so why wouldn't you just have people board in their boarding positions. It'll mean some who had C will yes board with that instead of with Family Boarding but from a boarding perspective it's what makes things faster.

Thanks for giving your experience in real time.


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## Mrs.AMC

LoveDaisy said:


> I am boarding on a SW flight at Orlando now. They are enforcing 2 adults only with kids in the family boarding, on our flight  The flight next to us they announced due to the number of families there would be no family boarding and to use your boarding group/number.
> 
> Just mentioning it so people can plan.


That is so random that it can happen on your flight but not the next one, since as you can see, you are finding 2 very different situations back to back. I don't think people can plan a thing. Which is more frustrating


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## Mackenzie Click-Mickelson

Mrs.AMC said:


> That is so random that it can happen on your flight but not the next one, since as you can see, you are finding 2 very different situations back to back. I don't think people can plan a thing. Which is more frustrating


It's always been something you couldn't plan for. I've had it be announced both of what the PP mentioned albeit rarely (no Family Boarding has happened maybe once or twice) but it has happened. I've I more have had the strict adherence to what qualifies for Family Boarding where they'll be like "no not your uncle or aunt or cousin just 2 adults..."

You never should plan for Family Boarding as 100% guaranteed. Family Boarding should be your fall back not your main plan. It would be just someone's luck to not check in in a timely manner and get C then expect to do Family Boarding, it would be someone's luck to roll the dice without EBCI with kids thinking oh they'll just do Family Boarding, etc.

It should mainly depend on these two main factors for when they choose to not do Family Boarding:

1) which 737 they are flying because that determines the number of seats on the plane

2) how many kids are listed on the exact flight that would qualify for Family Boarding

For years it's been mentioned (quite a lot on this thread over time) that Orlando is one of the main destinations where Family Boarding can get suspended though it does happen to other airports.


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## LoveDaisy

Mrs.AMC said:


> That is so random that it can happen on your flight but not the next one, since as you can see, you are finding 2 very different situations back to back. I don't think people can plan a thing. Which is more frustrating


My flight only had 3 families in family boarding. The flight next to us had at least 20, I was trying  to count but we were group A so I couldn’t see the whole line at the gate next to us because I was already in line.


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## DisneyRunner2009

A new direct evening flight for early February was added on my departure date, this past Thursday. I was surprised. There must be demand, because prices were high with only two non stop options. Today the new flight was booking at $119 down from $173 on Thursday. Our original flight left at 7:00 and I paid $195/pp. Now we leave at 8:00 and I saved $76/pp by switching.


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## scrappinginontario

LoveDaisy said:


> I am boarding on a SW flight at Orlando now. They are enforcing 2 adults only with kids in the family boarding, on our flight  The flight next to us they announced due to the number of families there would be no family boarding and to use your boarding group/number.
> 
> Just mentioning it so people can plan.


This is extremely helpful. Thank you for sharing your experience!!

While we no longer use family boarding, this would greatly have affected my dd and me.  Since it was just the 2 of us and I knew we could board with families, I did not rush at the 24 hour mark to get out BG, instead leaving them for people who could actually benefit from a lower BG number.

A situation where they did not offer family boarding would have meant my desire to help someone else could have negatively affected us.

I appreciate you sharing what you saw!  Thank you!!


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## barb969

Is anyone having trouble calling Southwest? I tried 6 times and can’t get past their recorded announcements. There was a discussion about using chat with SWA. Can someone tell me how to do this?


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## jkelly86

barb969 said:


> Is anyone having trouble calling Southwest? I tried 6 times and can’t get past their recorded announcements. There was a discussion about using chat with SWA. Can someone tell me how to do this?


I believe most people use FB Messenger.  In the past, I have had luck using Twitter.


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## OnThisMagicNight

Wendysofftoneverland said:


> Thinking of renting a car. Less hassle than trying to take public bus (planning on doing Disney and Seaworld). I thought about just getting a backless booster for the oldest to use in FL, but both kids use harness car seats at home. Thought the seats might have less chance of damage if I pile them on the jogging stroller for trip thru airport, use seats on the plane, and gate check stroller. Now if the jogging stroller is too big and has to be counter checked, that completely changes things.
> 
> Good to know about 1 car seat per row. I didn't realize that.


You can gate check the strollers for sure, but I'd try to think how you can streamline this so you have less in your hands when you're boarding the plane.  I've taken 2 seats on the plane before (narrow, lightweight inexpensive carseats that we've used specifically for air travel over the years) but it was stressful getting onto the plane once the stroller had to be folded and we were suddenly holding both seats, plus the carry ons, and personal items and trying to drag it all to the plane.  My youngest is 4 now and we noticed this last trip that she doesn't really even need the stroller in the airport; it's really only needed in the park.  We do have a good, padded stroller bag so I think next time we travel we're going to check the stroller at ticketing and just carry the carseat with us.  (I know there are varied opinions on carseats for flying, but the FAA and AAP recommend them and we've always done them until my kids got to booster height.  Never any issues.)  We've also drastically cut down on carry on's and personal items which has helped (my kids never carried their own; maybe yours will do better!).


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## Ariel620

I got a notice that I can change flights to due the upcoming winter storm.  I can change my departure, but not my return flight (it is outside of the dates eligible). So I'm calling to see if they will be flexible and let me change my return flight.  

However, calling is problematic, I've been disconnected 3 times after being on hold >10 min each time.

If anyone has any tips, let me know.


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## EACarlson

Ariel620 said:


> I got a notice that I can change flights to due the upcoming winter storm.  I can change my departure, but not my return flight (it is outside of the dates eligible). So I'm calling to see if they will be flexible and let me change my return flight.
> 
> However, calling is problematic, I've been disconnected 3 times after being on hold >10 min each time.
> 
> If anyone has any tips, let me know.


I would highly doubt they will allow you to change your return without paying the difference.  Of course it's hard to get through to them on the phone, I think something like 30% of the country is covered by the weather waivers right now during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.  I think your best bet would be to look online and see if you can find one of the flights you want at a price not drastically different than what you have booked.  The only way I see them allowing you to change without paying a price difference is if things really get screwed up and they need your flight to get some of the people out that are affected by the storms.


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## Lsdolphin

EACarlson said:


> I would highly doubt they will allow you to change your return without paying the difference.  Of course it's hard to get through to them on the phone, I think something like 30% of the country is covered by the weather waivers right now during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.  I think your best bet would be to look online and see if you can find one of the flights you want at a price not drastically different than what you have booked.  The only way I see them allowing you to change without paying a price difference is if things really get screwed up and they need your flight to get some of the people out that are affected by the storms.


When I flew last Spring (4/5) I had booked my flights one way and my 4/5 flight was schedule and rescheduled for 2 days later and I did ask if they could change my separate return ticket and they had no problem doing it for me.


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## Ariel620

Using this new SW CC benefit for the first time, I have multiple cards to earn the companion pass at the moment.

2 "early board check ins" per year on one credit card 4 free "upgraded boardings" on the business card.  I assume the upgraded boardings are better, so I would like to use those, but I want to check on a few things.  

I can't do the upgraded boarding until 24 hrs before the flight right?  and if it's full, then I miss out on A boarding, since early bird will already be done assigning, right?  what's the best way to do this?

Also, when it says 4 free upgraded boardings ... would I use all of them up if there are 4 of us travelling?  Or is it four purchases (4 people on 4 flights) or four boardings (4 people on 1 flight).


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## aokeefe

Ariel620 said:


> Using this new SW CC benefit for the first time, I have multiple cards to earn the companion pass at the moment.
> 
> 2 "early board check ins" per year on one credit card 4 free "upgraded boardings" on the business card.  I assume the upgraded boardings are better, so I would like to use those, but I want to check on a few things.
> 
> I can't do the upgraded boarding until 24 hrs before the flight right?  and if it's full, then I miss out on A boarding, since early bird will already be done assigning, right?  what's the best way to do this?
> 
> Also, when it says 4 free upgraded boardings ... would I use all of them up if there are 4 of us travelling?  Or is it four purchases (4 people on 4 flights) or four boardings (4 people on 1 flight).


I haven't used the online upgraded boarding yet (only at the counter) but it is 4 boardings (4 people on 1 flight).


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## focusondisney

Ariel620 said:


> can't do the upgraded boarding until 24 hrs before the flight right? and if it's full, then I miss out on A boarding, since early bird will already be done assigning, right? what's the best way to do this?
> 
> Also, when it says 4 free upgraded boardings ... would I use all of them up if there are 4 of us travelling? Or is it four purchases (4 people on 4 flights) or four boardings (4 people on 1 flight).



Yes, you can book upgraded boardings at 24 hours when you check in.  A full flight does not mean there will be no upgraded boardings  available.  They sell the number of seats on the plane, but many more seats are sold at WGA fares.  They don’t necessarily sell A1-15 at full price, so there are some spots available day of.  Ex… say there are 300 seats. 295 May be sold at WGA & anytime  fares & 5 Business Select.  So 300 seats sold, but A 6-15 are still unassigned.  So you would upgrade to those.  Now if 15 actual BS tickets are sold, then you wouldn’t be able to upgrade.

When you purchase, you will do each person individually.  It will get charged   to your CC & then you get an immediate credit.  You get 4 credits per year, so yes, upgrading all of you will use them up.


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## Tiggerette

Anyone else not notified whatsoever about a cancelled flight? Still received no cancellation message. I'm not sure when it was cancelled, but good thing I was checking. Is this a new normal for SW?


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## momof2gr8kids

Tiggerette said:


> Anyone else not notified whatsoever about a cancelled flight? Still received no cancellation message. I'm not sure when it was cancelled, but good thing I was checking. Is this a new normal for SW?


I didn't get one yesterday.  Kept checking the app up until leaving for airport, all good.  When we went to the self service kiosks that's when I saw cancelled on the ap.


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## Ariel620

Has anyone been able to get rebooked from any of these cancelled SW flights?  Mine was today, and cancelled.  I got disconnected after being on hold 6 hours.  My flight was cancelled, but not rebooked (and no option to change it online), and also I didn't get the points back, so I can't book something new.


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## Where'sPiglet?

Ariel620 said:


> Has anyone been able to get rebooked from any of these cancelled SW flights?  Mine was today, and cancelled.  I got disconnected after being on hold 6 hours.  My flight was cancelled, but not rebooked (and no option to change it online), and also I didn't get the points back, so I can't book something new.


Good luck to you. 

I've been looking at posts across various social media about Southwest's nationwide operational meltdown today and I'm sorry you're caught up in it.


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## dcassetta

Just out of curiosity, I checked Southwest's home airport in Dallas. It does appear to be chilly there today but no other weather issues and Southwest canceled what looks like 90-95% of flights from Love Field. If they are canceling there, the rest of the country has got to be worse. I anticipate this will take days to unwind. Hopefully everyone flying Southwest this week was able to cancel before getting to the airport and isn’t stuck far from home.


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## Ariel620

dcassetta said:


> Just out of curiosity, I checked Southwest's home airport in Dallas. It does appear to be chilly there today but no other weather issues and Southwest canceled what looks like 90-95% of flights from Love Field. If they are canceling there, the rest of the country has got to be worse. I anticipate this will take days to unwind. Hopefully everyone flying Southwest this week was able to cancel before getting to the airport and isn’t stuck far from home.


I’m stuck.  2 hrs from home.  And missing my Disney trip.  We booked a hotel for tonight but they won’t give us our luggage back.  If I could get the bags we would drive tomorrow.  Still at the airport BWI at the moment.


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## Neener16

Ariel620 said:


> I’m stuck.  2 hrs from home.  And missing my Disney trip.  We booked a hotel for tonight but they won’t give us our luggage back.  If I could get the bags we would drive tomorrow.  Still at the airport BWI at the moment.


I'm so sorry, you must be beyond frustrated. It's bad enough your flight was cancelled, but how the heck are you supposed to do anything without your luggage??


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## Neener16

Ariel620 said:


> I’m stuck.  2 hrs from home.  And missing my Disney trip.  We booked a hotel for tonight but they won’t give us our luggage back.  If I could get the bags we would drive tomorrow.  Still at the airport BWI at the moment.


This was posted on Twitter. I know you checked your bags, but perhaps they were already sent to MCO?
"For anyone flying. DO NOT CHECK IN BAGS.  If your flight gets canceled, the bags CAN NOT be returned to you. They have to send your bags to the destination even if you aren’t going. My flight was canceled and I still don’t have any of the bags I checked in. Force plane side check"
I don't know how long the bags stay at the airport if you don't fly and drive instead.


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## clm10308

Was supposed to leave Orlando on Chrismas Eve. 3 of us were booked together on one confirmation, and one person booked separately using points. After waiting in the crazy long line to check bags, we made it through security. Before we even got to the gate, the  person who booked individually got a notification that the second leg of our flight was canceled in New Orleans and was given the opportunity to rebook. The three of us were never notified. It was as if Southwest wanted the rest of us to get to New Orleans before getting stuck - like that would have been any easier on us. All 4 of us were rebooked for a flight that was to leave at 10:40pm today (26th). About noon today, I checked flight status to discover that our rebooked flight was canceled. Couldn’t get a flight out for all 4 of us until Friday. We looked at other airlines and end getting a rental car to drive the 29+ hours home. Was not able to get a southwest agent on the phone today at all.


The only good part was that we were able to use the rest of our current and borrowed DVC points to cover the room that we were able to get thanksyo resort staff


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## justafigment27

I’m stuck.  2 hrs from home.  And missing my Disney trip.  We booked a hotel for tonight but they won’t give us our luggage back.  If I could get the bags we would drive tomorrow.  Still at the airport BWI at the moment.

Maybe your bags are still hanging out somewhere at BWI? I’ve seen videos of SWA luggage sitting around at various airports in the baggage claim area because they have no storage. I’m not sure if they are bags that arrived without owners or bags that never left.

We were caught in the debacle on the way home from Disney. We were supposed to fly home on 12/24 at 1:55pm on a non-stop flight to Grand Rapids, Michigan. Flight kept getting delayed before it was finally cancelled after 8 hours of sitting in the airport. We were told that our bags would be sent to our final destination.

We had anticipated problems earlier in the week due to the impending storm, so we had booked the MCO Hyatt for 12/24 and a flight home on Frontier on 12/25 as a backup plan. So we had our carryon luggage with a days worth of clothes and made it home on 12/25 without incident on Frontier.

After our flight landed in Grand Rapids, I went to SWA counter to see about our bags and they were still at MCO (over 30+ hours after they were checked in for the flight). I’m heading back there tomorrow to see if our bags somehow made it home because I’m seeing reports on Reddit of people finding their bags at their final destination.

Apparently, SWA scheduling software went down and they can’t match flight crew to flights in any reasonable timeframe without it … hence all the flights getting cancelled due to “missing” pilots and flight attendants. Reddit had an insider post this … and then it was confirmed by a statement given to NPR by a SWA spokesperson. Another poster on Reddit said her husband is a SWA Pilot who was scheduled to fly on Christmas, but all he has done is sit around at hotels for 2 days because they can’t schedule him to fly.


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## Threehearts

I heard on the news tonight that there are not enough Southwest customer service agents to answer most of the calls and inquiries via social media.

It was recommended to call Southwest international customer service phone numbers for rescheduling as those people were totally free to answer customer questions.  They gave the link to those phone numbers-

Here is the link-  https://mobile.southwest.com/html/contact-us/intl-customer-service.html

I hope this helps and that this type of the link is allowed.  Please repost on the main page if that would help others.

Threehearts


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